The Boys: I'm the New Hue, I Need More Power

Chapter 7: The Unseen Hunter

" Okay, so he's here. Translucent. The invisible menace. The guy who punched me in the face and left me with a concussion and a newfound appreciation for pain relievers. And that hum. It's going absolutely wild now. It's like a frantic alarm bell, screaming, 'Danger! Danger, Hughie Campbell! You are about to be very, very dead!' This is fine. Everything is fine. I'm just standing here, waiting to be ambushed by a naked, invulnerable Supe. My life is officially a scene from a bad horror movie, and I'm the clueless teenager who goes into the creepy basement alone. Except the basement is a loading dock, and the monster is a corporate-sponsored celebrity. And I'm the bait. This is going to be fun. Not. "

The air in the loading dock was thick with a palpable tension. Hughie stood perfectly still, clutching the decoy package, his knuckles white. The hum in his chest was a frantic, desperate thrum, vibrating through his entire body, a constant, overwhelming confirmation of Translucent's unseen presence. He could feel the hairs on his arms standing on end, the subtle shift in the air currents, the faint, almost imperceptible warmth that indicated a body nearby. He strained his ears, listening for any sound, any subtle intake of breath, any rustle of clothing that would betray the invisible man's position. But there was nothing. Just the oppressive silence of the cavernous loading dock, broken only by the frantic thumping of his own heart.

" He's playing with me. He's enjoying this. The sadistic invisible bastard. It's like he's a cat and I'm a very, very nervous mouse. And he's just waiting for me to twitch. Or squeak. Or, you know, spontaneously combust from sheer terror. Which, honestly, is a distinct possibility right now. I wonder if he can hear my heart pounding? Probably. It feels like a drum solo in my chest. A very loud, very panicky drum solo. And that hum… it's like a siren now. A silent, internal siren, screaming, 'Run, Hughie! Run for your life!' But I can't. Because I'm bait. And bait doesn't run. "

He forced himself to take a slow, deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He remembered Butcher's instructions: "You tell us when he's close. You tell us where he is." But how do you tell someone where an invisible man is, when all you have is a feeling?

"Looking for something, little lamb?" The voice, smooth and unsettlingly calm, purred from directly behind him. It was so close, Hughie felt the faint puff of air against his neck.

Hughie froze, every muscle in his body tensing. The hum in his chest became a deafening roar, a cacophony of vibrations that overwhelmed his senses. He could feel Translucent's presence, a cold, invisible wall directly behind him. He didn't dare turn. He didn't dare move.

" Oh, God, he's right there. Right behind me. I can practically feel his smug, invisible breath on my neck. This is it. This is where I get punched again. Or worse. Much, much worse. I wonder if he's still naked? Please, no. Just… no. This is terrifying enough without the added mental image of a naked, invisible man standing behind me. And that hum… it's vibrating with a frantic energy now. Like it's trying to push him away. Or maybe it's just my body trying to vibrate itself into oblivion. Either way, it's not helpful. "

"Lost again?" Translucent chuckled, the sound echoing eerily in the vast space. "You civilians are always getting yourselves into trouble. Don't you know this is a restricted area? Or are you just… particularly clumsy?"

Hughie swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He forced himself to speak, his voice a little shaky. "I… I was just… delivering a package. Got a bit turned around." He held up the decoy package, his hand trembling.

"A package. Right," Translucent purred, his voice laced with amusement. "And what's in the package, little lamb? Something interesting, I hope? Something Vought wouldn't want me to see?"

Hughie felt a cold dread creep up his spine. He knew Translucent was toying with him. He was a cat playing with a mouse, enjoying the fear, the helplessness. He had to give the signal. He had to tell Butcher. But how?

"Just… uh… office supplies," Hughie stammered, trying to sound convincing. "You know, paper clips. Staples. Really exciting stuff."

A soft sigh. "You're a terrible liar, Hughie Campbell. You know that?" Translucent's voice was closer now, directly beside his ear. "And you're not just a civilian, are you? There's something… different about you. Something I felt the other day. A flicker. A resonance. What was it?"

The hum in Hughie's chest intensified, a sharp, almost painful throb. It was like Translucent was probing him, trying to find the source of that unsettling vibration. Hughie felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to push back, to make the hum louder, to make it do something. But he didn't know how. He just felt it. A raw, unchanneled energy vibrating beneath his skin.

" He knows. He actually knows. Or at least, he suspects. And he's trying to figure it out. This is bad. Really bad. Because if he figures out that I'm just a civilian with a weird internal hum and no actual powers, I'm toast. Invisible, invulnerable toast. And that hum… it's vibrating with a frantic energy now, like it's trying to tell me something. Something about him. Something about… his skin. But I can't understand it. It's just noise. Terrifying, overwhelming noise. "

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hughie insisted, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm just… Hughie. I sell stereos."

"Stereos," Translucent scoffed. "Right. And I'm the Easter Bunny. Tell me, Hughie. What did Butcher do to you? Did he pump you full of Compound V? Is that what that… flicker was?"

"No! I swear! I just met him!" Hughie protested, the words tumbling out in a desperate rush. "He just wanted me to plant a bug! He didn't say anything about… about powers. Or… or anything!"

Translucent paused, a faint, almost imperceptible shift in the air. "A bug? So, you're a spy, then. A little worm, trying to expose Vought. How quaint." His voice hardened, losing its playful edge. "That's a very dangerous game you're playing, Hughie. And you're not very good at it."

Hughie felt a sudden, chilling coldness. This was it. The game was over. He was exposed. He braced himself for the inevitable punch, the crushing blow. The hum in his chest screamed, a frantic, desperate warning. He closed his eyes, waiting.

" This is it. This is where I die. Or, worse, where I get parts of me removed. I should have taken the Vought money. I should have stayed home. I should have just curled up in a ball and cried. But no. I had to be a hero. An accidental, useless hero. And now I'm going to pay the price. And that hum… it's still screaming. But it's not doing anything. Just screaming. Like me. "

Just as he braced for impact, a sudden, deafening boom echoed through the loading dock. A section of the concrete wall exploded inwards, sending dust and debris flying. Butcher burst through the gaping hole, a grim smile on his face, a massive crowbar held aloft. Behind him, Frenchie, looking like he'd just emerged from a smoke bomb, and M.M., his face a mask of weary determination, piled into the room.

"Well, well, well," Butcher drawled, his eyes sweeping over the scene, lingering for a moment on the invisible space where Translucent stood. "Look what the cat dragged in. Or rather, what the invisible git was trying to drag in. Fancy seeing you here, Translucent. Bit chilly for a stroll, isn't it?"

Translucent snarled, his voice filled with fury. "Butcher! You bastard! You set me up!"

"Damn right I did, mate," Butcher grinned, advancing. "And now, it's payback time."

" Holy crap. They actually came. And they blew up a wall. That's… dramatic. And kind of awesome. And terrifying. And Butcher looks like he's having the time of his life. M.M. looks like he's about to have an aneurysm. And Frenchie… Frenchie looks like he just discovered a new species of dust bunny. This is fine. I'm still alive. For now. And Translucent looks genuinely pissed off. Which is good. Because 'pissed off' is better than 'about to dissect me.' Small victories, Hughie. Small victories. "

Frenchie, without missing a beat, pulled out a strange, pulsating device – a frequency jammer. A high-pitched, piercing whine filled the air as he activated it, sweeping it across the loading dock. Translucent's outline shimmered erratically, unable to fully disappear. He flickered, a faint, distorted silhouette, visible but still translucent. He was trapped.

"Ah, ah, ah," Frenchie said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "No disappearing act for you, mon ami. Not with my little frequency jammer. Makes your fancy carbon skin… a bit less fancy. And a bit more… visible."

Translucent roared, lunging at Frenchie, but M.M. was faster. He tackled the invisible Supe, slamming him against a stack of crates. The two grappled, a blur of unseen force and visible determination. Butcher joined the fray, swinging his crowbar, aiming for the flickering outline of Translucent.

Hughie, momentarily forgotten, stood frozen, watching the chaotic brawl. The hum in his chest was still a frantic, overwhelming presence, vibrating with the raw energy of the fight. He could feel the impacts, the unseen blows, the desperate struggles. He could feel Translucent's frustration, his rage, his desperate attempts to disappear. And he felt… nothing. No power. No ability to help. Just the hum. A useless, terrifying hum.

" This is it. This is what they do. They fight. They risk their lives. And I'm just… standing here. Watching. Useless. That hum. It's screaming at me. It's telling me something. Something about the fight. Something about Translucent. But I can't understand it. It's just noise. Beautiful, terrifying noise. And I'm still just Hughie. The guy who sells stereos. The guy who gets punched. The guy who needs to be rescued. "

He felt a sudden surge of frustration, a desperate urge to do something. Anything. He clenched his fists, trying to push the hum outwards, trying to make it manifest, to become a weapon, a shield, anything. But it just vibrated, an internal tremor that did nothing but make his teeth ache. He was still powerless. Still just bait.

Butcher, M.M., and Frenchie continued their brutal assault, slowly but surely overwhelming the flickering form of Translucent. The invisible man fought back with surprising ferocity, delivering unseen blows that sent the Boys stumbling. But they were relentless, a coordinated attack that slowly wore him down.

Finally, with a grunt of effort, Butcher slammed his crowbar into Translucent's head, a sickening thud that echoed through the loading dock. The invisible man crumpled, his outline fading, then solidifying into a prone, unconscious form. He was visible now, lying on the grimy concrete, his carbon skin gleaming dully in the dim light.

Silence descended, broken only by the ragged breathing of the Boys and the faint, lingering hum in Hughie's chest. He stared at the unconscious Supe, then at his own hands. He had done nothing. He had contributed nothing but being a human decoy. And the hum was still there, a constant, unsettling reminder of his own impotence.

"Well, I'll be damned," Butcher panted, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "We got him. The invisible git. Right then, Frenchie, M.M., let's get him back to the Den. And Hughie," he looked at Hughie, a strange, unreadable expression on his face, "you did good, mate. You were excellent bait."

" Excellent bait. Right. My new job title. I'm pretty sure that's not going to look good on my resume. But hey, at least I'm still alive. And we got him. Translucent. The guy who killed… no, wait. A-Train killed Robin. Translucent just punched me. Still, he's a Supe. And he's unconscious. So, that's… progress? I guess. And that hum. It's still there. A low, persistent thrum. It's not a power. It's just… a feeling. A terrifying, useless feeling. This is going to be a long, strange trip. And I'm still pretty sure I forgot my snacks. "

Hughie just nodded, his mind a chaotic swirl of relief, fear, and a profound sense of inadequacy. He was in this now. Deep in it. And he had no idea what came next. But he knew one thing: he was still powerless. And in this world, that was the most terrifying thing of all.