The Boys: Viltrumite Bloodline Panel

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

~ George Orwell

____

Ashley’s tablet vibrated as a push notification popped up.

Just as Homelander was about to curse again, his eyes locked onto the big screen.

[CNN News: The Guardian Interview Video Exposed! The Live shaky video can now be seen in High Definition!

"I’d rather trade the lives of one hundred terrorists for the life of one World War II veteran" — The superhero’s justice speech sets off a firestorm across America]

The video had been cleared and posted in HD with subtitles and a low-volume patriotic music playing in the background.

One look at that headline and Ashley’s whole world caved in.

"Th-this is..."

She whipped around to stare at Hillel, her face screaming, "With your brains, how the hell did you pull this?"

Hillel didn’t even flinch. He leaned back in his chair like he’d been expecting this exact moment.

Maeve, who’d been half-asleep through the earlier circus, suddenly sat up straight and stared at the screen.

Why the hell was this bombshell dropping now?

"The Guardian! Th-this video... did you do it on purpose?!"

"Yes."

"Then why the fuck didn’t you warn the PR department?! We have zero backup plan! This... this is straight-up extremist bullshit..."

"Extremist? I don’t see it."

Hillel stood up and watched himself on screen, talking with fire.

Hmm. The acting still needed work. Not over-the-top enough. Didn’t drag the full emotions out of people.

Homelander leaned in too, eyes on the screen. All his earlier work bullshit got shoved aside by something better.

Watching the show!

And it was The Guardian’s show!

"When the hell did you even say that stuff?"

"I almost forgot I did the interview."

"I think it’s fine. What’s so extreme about it?"

Ashley was scrolling hard, face getting whiter by the second. "It’s a massive fucking problem. Vought PR just sent the live numbers. Your comments have started a full-blown war in public opinion."

"Supporters and haters are ripping each other apart."

"Your interview is already the number-one trending topic on Twitter."

"CNN, Fox, and NBC are all running special segments, especially this one..."

She read it out loud in front of everyone. "The American Civil Liberties Union just put out a statement saying The Guardian’s remarks dangerously suggest some lives are worth more than others, which goes against the entire spirit of the American Constitution!"

Hillel shrugged. They only gave a shit about the law, never actual morality.

Ashley saw something else and her face relaxed a little.

"Still, the Veterans Association, the Police Union, and the Victims’ Families Association have all come out in support."

"The Fox News host called The Guardian the bravest voice of our time!"

"But the NBC guy says you... says..."

Homelander leaned closer, full of curiosity.

"Says what?"

"...Says... says The Guardian is a fascist wearing a superhero costume!"

Classic.

So fucking classic.

Who says NBC don’t know how to slap labels on people?

"So what about the approval ratings?"

Homelander asked the question that actually mattered.

"Based on the current numbers, The Guardian’s overall approval rating... fuck...!"

Ashley looked stunned.

"Sir, your approval rating went up 8.6%. Yeah, some fans bailed, but you picked up a shitload of casual young viewers and the 55-to-65 white crowd. Your numbers in Texas are at a new high!"

"Oh, and the I association sent an invite. They want you to give a speech. They’re offering six million dollars just for the talk, and a bunch of beer brands want to license your image!"

"Fuck!"

This time it was Homelander who swore.

"No, why? How the hell did you get more popular? How is my bro pulling bigger numbers than me?"

Homelander could only regret that it wasn’t him who did the interview.

He’d been scared his bro was hurting, but now he was scared his brother was winning.

...

[Homelander — Emotional State: Extreme: Jealousy, distress, feeling at a total loss]

[Ability Points Gained: +17,345]

[Maeve — Emotional Shift: Surprise, disbelief, conviction]

[Ability Points Gained: +12,345]

Ryan watched The Guardian on the screen, listening to the words coming out of his mouth. The noise around him felt way too loud, but only that one voice cut through everything and sank straight into his head.

[Ryan — Emotional Shift: Adoration, conviction, spiritual mentor]

[Ability Points Gained: +19,345]

In the whole room, only A-Train and Starlight weren’t really moved.

Starlight had already talked about justice with Hillel plenty of times. She always liked how radical he got, so the impact on her was just average.

Hillel slipped his hands into his pockets. Back then, he didn’t even know what a rival was.

His interview had stepped right on the most sensitive nerve in the society.

Mainstream values rest on a few big ideas: everyone is born free and equal, due process matters, everyone’s equal before the law, and vigilantism is bullshit.

Hillel had pissed on almost every single one of them.

["I’d rather trade the lives of one hundred terrorists for the life of one World War II veteran"]

That line stood on the moral high ground, but inside the legal system, whether you’re a saint or a criminal, everyone gets treated the same before the law.

The Guardian had just gone on record saying some people’s lives were worth more than others.

Conservatives and liberals were already tearing each other’s throats out over it.

That wasn’t even the worst part. Hillel’s talk about trial procedures and his own idea of equality was straight-up challenging the due process rules of the courts.

He was testing... testing whether the public would accept a kind of justice that sat above the law, just to protect the rights of regular people.

Especially this part: ["Even if the whole world only has you left as someone who upholds justice, The Guardian will confront the entire world for your sake."]

Those pretty words hit hard. Teenagers were the easiest ones to sway with that kind of talk, and the focus split by gender. Guys liked the bar-room bravado. Girls liked the idea of someone who’d never waver, who’d love and trust you no matter what.

Some people teared up. Some sneered. Some felt a cold shiver down their spines.

...

CIA Deputy Director Susan Raynor was in the middle of a screaming match with Butcher when the TV came on. Both of them froze.

"What did I tell you?" Butcher sounded like he’d been waiting for this.

"This is the same Guardian the public put up on a pedestal. And now? The facts prove the stupidity of the masses will always be worse than you or I could ever imagine. They’ll always let their brains get raped by the rhetoric of a fascist lunatic!"

Raynor’s hands were shaking. As someone who’d clawed her way up inside the system for at least twenty years, she understood the inflammatory power of The Guardian better than Butcher ever could.

The Guardian’s words couldn’t be written off as simple "fascist" shit. He was ripping people apart on purpose, deliberately turning social conflicts up to eleven, right?

"Get out. Go collect evidence on the crimes of Compound V. And hurry the fuck up!!"

Raynor approved the funding and special privileges for Butcher on the spot.

...

Hughie was home today, curled up with his girlfriend watching TV.

If he could, he’d stay like this with her forever, quiet and peaceful.

"Hughie, it’s The Guardian!!"

Robin’s excitement shot through the roof.

Five minutes later.

Hughie stared at Robin, who was already frantically voting for The Guardian like her life depended on it.

His girlfriend had already been mentally reshaped by Hillel.

"...Don’t be so shameless as to place rapists and terrorists on equal footing with decent people..."

Hughie was stunned by that line.

But deep down, something about it still felt off.

____

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