THE HEROS OF GODOLKIN | GEN V AND THE BOYS FIC |

15

The atmosphere in Vought Tower's conference room was tense, as usual. Ashley stood at the head of the room, her ever-present tablet in hand, the constant stress of wrangling egos and disasters etched into every line of her face. Her fingers fidgeted with the screen as she played a video of The Deep's recent interview, where he'd been grilled about the sordid details in his ex-wife's tell-all book. Specifically, the part involving his "intimate" relationship with an octopus.

"Deep, please tell me the fucking octopus is gone," Ashley snapped, turning to The Deep, who slouched uncomfortably in his chair, clearly mortified.

"Yes, Ashley," he mumbled, his face flushed with embarrassment. "She's... uh, it's taken care of. Okay?"

Ashley rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the rest of the room. Homelander, who was supposed to be the one in charge, was seated at the far end of the table, his chair turned away from the group, as if their presence was beneath him. Claire, the newest addition to The Seven, lounged nearby, arms folded, observing the circus she had willingly joined. A-Train sat across from her, his eyes occasionally flicking toward the door, probably wishing he were anywhere else.

Ashley cleared her throat, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Sir, after that... incident at Godolkin—thank you again for saving my life, by the way—the board felt that adding Claire to The Seven wasn't enough. They think we need new blood, stat. The selection committee has narrowed it down to 25 candidates."

Homelander didn't even turn around. His disinterest was palpable.

Ashley continued nervously. "Um, okay. If we're going purely on social media presence, I might suggest Talon out of Redlands." She pressed a button on her remote, and a photo of Talon appeared on the screen.

"Pass." The Deep interrupted, leaning forward in his seat. "She's a butterface. Body's on point, but her face..."

Claire let out a low chuckle, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you're a butterface, huh? Good to know."

The Deep blinked, clearly unsure how to respond, as Ashley shot him an exasperated glare. "Yeah, Deep. Thanks for that. Moving on." She pressed the button again, and another face appeared on the screen. This time, it was a woman named Hyperion.

Ashley made a disgusted sound. "Ugh, not her. Not that slutty cum rag." She quickly clicked to the next profile.

A-Train and Claire exchanged glances, as Claire commented, "Nice to know you're as tactful as ever, Ashley."

The screen now displayed a picture of a man. "Dogknott," Ashley announced.

Claire's eyebrows shot up, intrigued. "He's cute."

A-Train, however, grimaced in recognition. "Hold up, I thought he ate a dog."

Claire's face twisted in shock as she turned to him. "He what?"

Deep piped up, as if eager to contribute something useful. "He ate out a dog. Big difference."

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at him, the sheer stupidity of his words hanging in the air. Ashley sighed, clicking to the next candidate. "Alright, next."

The face of Sister Sage appeared on the screen. A-Train groaned. "Hell no. She was with me in Teenage Kix for, like, a year before they canned her ass."

"What's her power?" Deep asked, sounding genuinely curious.

A-Train crossed his arms, visibly annoyed. "She's the world's smartest person. Not smart enough to keep her damn mouth shut, though."

Ashley quickly moved on, this time showing a man labeled Wrangler.

"Nah, not him." Claire spoke up quickly, recognizing the face on the screen.