Butterflies Volume II

Chapter 30

They met in the undercover of a withered Vought video store. The dust clung onto Violet's nose like the abandoned videos to the floor. She stared down at a poster by her feet, a supe who had since lost all relevancy. Violet and Billy waited together, Billy leaning against the surface Violet was sitting on. There was an old cardboard cutout of The Seven perched against the wall and Violet looked up to it, Maeve's forced smile incredibly ironic. She wondered how she was doing. The cutout predated even Starlight, giving a stark look back to how things used to be.

The lights of a car outside caught their attention, their contact finally arriving. Billy clutched his side, turning to face it. The dust covered double doors swung open and Victoria Neuman strutted inside. Her security created shadows on the outside, protruding how useless they were in comparison to her. Her disinterested look made Violet smirk, because she was still there, meeting them.

"It's gonna be a lot harder to do a murder with them cunts around," Billy greeted, whilst Violet stayed perched on the surface of the old cashier.

Victoria held her hand up to them, "them? Nah. They're uh, handpicked, sort of secret-secret service, so... I'm surprised you called."

She walked towards them, eyeing the old rusted movies, Soldier Boy resting behind her shoulder. Billy and Violet had found the location on a late night drive. They had broken in, joking about finding some old posters they could use for target practice. Sat within derelict towns were all that Vought had forgotten about. All their past grievances were hidden in that store, all that they now try to pretend don't exist.

"We're full of surprises, aren't we?" Billy took a step towards her, but still Violet stayed.

"What do you want?" Victoria questioned.

"We was thinking that uh, you and us could scratch each other's backs," he explained, the two of them circling each other.

"Like when you shot me in the head?"

When Violet found that detail out she laughed, imagining how annoying it was rather than painful. She sniggered then too, imagining her annoyance again, which just made Victoria frown.

"We need a hand to get Ryan away from Homelander," Billy turned his head to Violet, trying to calm her humour.

Victoria scoffed, "is that all? Boy needs a father."

"That cunt ain't no father."

"And you are?"

Billy took a moment, trying not to gape at her truth. It was the truth, and he understood just how horrible he would be with Ryan. He had proved it. But it didn't need to be repeated like he didn't know. Violet caught his hesitation and slipped down from her seat. But she didn't step closer, she merely leaned back casually.

"Look, Vic..." She said, "we know what's happening, Homelander is gonna put you nicely in that VP slot and he'll make sure you spend the next four years taking it from him up the ass."

Her head turned to her, "I think I can handle myself."

"Oh like that nasty little virus they cooked you up at Godolkin?" She smiled, "yeah, we know about it, and we know it ain't strong enough for me or Homelander, yet."

She bit her lip, faking a sincere expression. She remembered the hallways. She remembered students going missing. It took a lot of strength not to feel the guilt of all those who had been taken and subjected to the same torture Violet had. All of those people, just like her, vanished from all public sights. And a virus, it sparked something within Billy when they found out. Sometimes she wondered how much of the man she first met was still inside of him, or a worse side wishing to break free.