The Boys: I'm the Origin of Compound V

Chapter 17: A Spark Ignited

The van screeched to a halt in the shadows of an abandoned alley, the team piling in as alarms wailed faintly in the distance. Adam stumbled through the sliding door, collapsing onto the nearest seat, his chest heaving. His hands still glowed faintly with the aftermath of his newfound power, the energy coursing through him like a live wire.

"Bloody hell, mate," Butcher said, turning to face him from the driver's seat. "What the hell did you do back there?"

"Improvised," Adam muttered, clutching his head as the residual heat from Lamplighter's attack stung his skin.

"Improvised?" Frenchie asked, raising an eyebrow as he examined Adam's trembling hands. "This doesn't look like improvisation, mon ami. This looks like madness."

"It worked, didn't it?" Adam shot back, though his voice lacked conviction.

Adam exhaled, leaning back against the cold metal of the van's interior. "What's the status on the mission?"

"Depends on how you define success," Hughie chimed in nervously, clutching his laptop like a lifeline. "We got some files, but not enough to paint the whole picture. And then there's the whole 'nearly getting torched by Lamplighter' thing."

"Yeah," Adam said, his tone dry. "That part sucked."

Butcher slammed the van into gear, the tires screeching as they sped away from the warehouse. "Right, well, let's debrief back at the safehouse. You'd better have a bloody good explanation for whatever voodoo trick you pulled, sunshine."

Back at the safehouse, the air was tense. The team gathered around the table as Frenchie spread out the stolen files. Adam sat on the edge of the couch, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets to hide the faint, lingering glow of his new ability.

"So," Butcher began, fixing Adam with a piercing glare. "What did you drink in that lab?"

Adam hesitated. He hadn't told them about the vial of unstable Compound V, nor the fact that it had been his only shot at surviving Lamplighter. But if he wanted their trust, now wasn't the time for half-truths.

"Compound V," he admitted, meeting Butcher's gaze. "But not the usual kind. This was... different. The system warned me it was unstable, but I didn't have a choice."

"You're telling me you gambled your life on some dodgy science experiment?" Butcher snapped, his tone laced with disbelief.

Adam shrugged. "It was either that or become a barbecue."

Frenchie leaned forward, his expression curious. "And what did it do to you?"

Adam raised a hand, summoning a flicker of blue energy that danced across his fingertips. The team recoiled slightly, their eyes widening in surprise.

"It gave me this," Adam said. "Energy manipulation. I don't know the limits yet, but it's... powerful."

"Too bloody powerful," Butcher growled. "We've already got enough supes running around with god complexes. Last thing we need is one on our team."

"I'm not like them," Adam snapped, his tone sharp. "I didn't ask for this, and I sure as hell don't want it. But if it helps us take Vought down, then I'll use it."

The room fell silent, the tension thick as the weight of Adam's words settled over them.

Hughie broke the quiet, his voice hesitant. "What if it changes you? I mean, this stuff—Compound V—it's messed up a lot of people. What if it... messes you up too?"

Adam hesitated, the question cutting deeper than he cared to admit. "I don't know," he said finally. "But if it's a choice between risking that or letting Vought keep doing what they're doing, I'll take the risk."

Frenchie nodded slowly, his gaze thoughtful. "Well, at least now we know what they were working on. An unstable variant... that's dangerous, even for Vought."

"Yeah, and they're not gonna stop," Butcher said, his voice grim. "This was just the tip of the iceberg."

Late that night, Adam sat alone by the window, staring out at the city lights. His hand hovered over his pocket, where the remnants of the vial rested, glowing faintly through the glass.

"Great," Adam muttered. "So now I'm a ticking time bomb."

He clenched his fist, the energy sparking faintly before dissipating. The system's warnings echoed in his mind, but so did Lamplighter's words—the sneer in his voice, the confidence in his firepower.

Vought wasn't going to stop. Neither could he.

For now, the glow of the city outside was his only solace, a reminder that as much as he had changed, the fight wasn't over. It was just beginning.