The Boys: I'm the Origin of Compound V

Chapter 12: A Line in the Sand

Adam sat alone in the corner of the safehouse, staring at the faint glow emanating from his hand as he flexed his fingers. The power hummed under his skin, eager to be unleashed, but the weight of his choice loomed large. Invisibility or hard skin—it wasn't just a tactical decision; it was a defining moment.

The system's reminder echoed in his thoughts like a ticking clock.

"Six hours," Adam muttered, shaking his head. "No pressure, right?"

Across the room, Butcher and Frenchie were deep in conversation, their voices low but intense. Hughie sat at the table, scrolling through files on his laptop with a furrowed brow. The tension in the room was palpable.

"Still no closer to a decision?" Hughie asked, glancing at Adam.

Adam sighed, leaning back against the wall. "It's not that simple."

"Sure it is," Butcher interjected, striding over. "Hard skin. It's the obvious choice. You're no good to us if you're dead."

"And what happens when we need to get into a place crawling with Vought's goons?" Frenchie countered, joining the discussion. "Invisibility is a game-changer."

"It's a crutch," Butcher shot back. "And crutches break."

Adam held up a hand. "Enough." The room fell silent, the weight of his words hanging in the air. "This isn't just about what's useful. It's about who I'm going to become. I'm already walking a fine line, and I'm not sure how far I can go before I lose myself."

Hughie leaned forward, his voice hesitant. "You're worried about becoming like them, aren't you? The supes."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. And every time I use this power, it feels like I'm one step closer."

He ignored the prompt, focusing on the team. "But this isn't just my fight. It's ours. So I need to know—what do you all think?"

The debate stretched into the early hours of the morning, each team member bringing their perspective to the table.

Frenchie leaned back in his chair, his cigarette trailing smoke. "Invisibility is about finesse. It's about turning the tide before the enemy knows what's happening. But it's also isolating. You're there, but no one sees you. That does something to a man."

Butcher scoffed. "We're not here to play spy games. Hard skin keeps you in the fight, plain and simple. You take a hit, you hit back harder. It's survival."

"I get that," Hughie said, his voice quieter than the others. "But we've got Adam out here risking his life with every decision. What's going to protect him the most?"

Frenchie raised an eyebrow. "And you think walking into gunfire is the answer?"

Adam listened, absorbing their arguments, but his mind kept drifting to the encounter with Translucent. The supe's voice echoed in his memory, taunting him.

"You think stealing my powers makes you a hero? It makes you worse."

He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "What's the point of surviving if I lose who I am in the process?"

A New Threat

The conversation was cut short by the sound of Butcher's phone buzzing. He answered it, his expression darkening with each passing second.

"Right. We're on our way," he said, hanging up abruptly.

"What's going on?" Hughie asked, his face pale.

"Vought's moving," Butcher replied, grabbing his coat. "The informant we tailed last night? Turns out he's working with someone big. We've got a window to hit their operation before it disappears."

"And by 'hit,' you mean…?" Adam prompted.

"Recon first," Butcher said with a smirk. "Then we'll see."

The team piled into the van, the tension thick as Frenchie navigated the city streets. Adam sat in the back, his thoughts swirling. The system's timer continued its relentless countdown in his mind, and every second felt like an eternity.

The target was a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of the city, its exterior unremarkable but heavily guarded. The team parked a safe distance away, surveying the scene through binoculars.

"There," Frenchie whispered, pointing to a figure stepping out of a black SUV. "That's our guy."

Adam squinted, recognizing the man from the nightclub. His glowing skin was unmistakable, even from a distance.

"What's his power?" Hughie asked.

"Light manipulation," Frenchie replied. "Bright enough to blind you, hot enough to melt steel. Be careful."

"Great," Adam muttered.

"Alright," Butcher said, formulating a plan. "Frenchie and Hughie, you're with me. We'll create a diversion. Adam, you're on infiltration duty. Let's see if that invisibility comes in handy."

Adam hesitated, his hand tightening around the door handle.

He exhaled slowly. "Invisibility it is."

As his body faded from view, he felt a strange mix of relief and unease. This was the path he'd chosen, but the cost remained to be seen.