𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨

𝙤𝙣𝙚

"YOU INTERESTED IN A NANNY CAM?" SAMUEL LOOKED TO THE WORKER WALKING TOWARDS THEM BOTH, BILLY HOLDING A TEDDY BEAR UP TO HIS FACE. "Because we're actually running a special on that." Hughie told Samuel, the boy looking to Billy. "It's a pretty popular bear. There's cameras in the eyes." He informed further, Billy huffing. "Tell me, how many nannies shake their babies?" He asked, Hughie glancing to Samuel. The boy looked serious, Hughie's hands caved in his pockets.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, Billy humming. "You know, a good, hard shake, like trying to get ketchup out of a bottle." Billy turned to face Hughie, shaking the bear as some sort of example. "One percent? Less?" He inquired, Samuel observing his attire. "I, uh, I don't really know." He admitted, Samuel's squeezing his lips shut as Billy put the bear back. "Funny, that. They sell a billion dollars' worth of that shit worldwide." Samuel raised off of his makeshift seat from the wall, him and Billy walking closer to Hughie.

"Goes to show, doesn't it?" Samuel spoke up, Billy facing Hughie. "The shit people will believe if you scare them enough." Hughie looked between the two, faking his understanding as he laughed lightly. "Cool. Cool, cool." He sighed, Samuel smiling at the man. "Is there anything I can help you both with today, or...?" He shrugged, Billy looking to him. "I'm not gonna piss you about, Hughie. We heard what happened to Robin." Hughie's face fell, the man observing it. "I'm sorry, who are you guys-" "She wasn't in the street," Hughie looked to Samuel, the boy nodding.

"She was one step off the curb." He watched Hughie glance between them, terrified. "And you didn't take the pay-off." Billy spoke, the two seeming to speak after one another. "Yeah. And I said who the hell are you guys? How do you guys know that?" He asked, Billy shrugging. "Name's Butcher." The three looked down to Billy's FBI badge. "Billy Butcher." He smiled, nodding to his left. "My associate, Samuel Miller." Samuel hummed, Hughie looking back to Billy.

"Listen, I was thinking that we should have a little bit of a chat."

∞

"YOU GUYS ARE FEDS?" HUGHIE ASKED, SAMUEL SHRUGGING LIGHTLY. "FED trainee." He smiled tightly, Hughie looking to Billy. "You don't sound like a FED." He remarked, Billy glancing back at the man. "What? I can't immigrate?" He shot back, Hughie staying silent. "There's a giant green slapper with her arse in the harbour that says different." Billy shrugged, Hughie speeding up lightly to walk in-between the two. "Neither of you look like FEDS either." He let out, highly suspicious of them both. "No? What do I look like?" Billy asked, Samuel watching Hughie observe Billy's attire.

"Like you're starring in a porn version of The Matrix." Samuel bit back a smile, Hughie looking to the teen. "You're probably underage." Hughie shot out, Billy smiling. "He's a FED trainee. My apprentice." Billy admitted, Hughie sighing. "Okay. What exactly can I do for you?" He asked Billy, the man looking more 'in-charge'. "No, you got it all wrong, Hughie." Billy glanced to the man. "It's what we can do for you. You see, you ain't alone, son. It happens a lot more than you think." Billy began.

"Supes lose hundreds of people each year to collateral damage." He explained, Hughie looking between the two. "No. Come on, that'd be all over the news. People would be screaming bloody murder." Hughie spoke with a disbelieving smile, Sammy shrugging. "There may be the odd mention of it, like with Robin, yeah. But there's loads more that gets left unspoken." Samuel mentioned, Hughie stopping. "Why?" He asked, the two turning to him. "Ain't it obvious?" Billy asked, nodding his head back to the multiple billboards of the Seven.