Chapter Text
e clamped his jaw together as he looked upon his so-called ‘Son’ and he could not remember why he wanted to give him mercy before. Homelander was holding the small boy tightly by the shoulder and Ben could clearly see the fear emanating from his small blue eyes.
“You call yourself my son??” He snarled and he saw Homelander's face slanken in suprise. “Your own boy is terrified of you!”
Homelander gave Ryan a quick glance the side of his mouth flinching in an expression Ben could not decipher. “Ryan is not scared of me. Are you Ryan?” He spoke his last words aimed at the young boy.
“I… I.. don’t” Ryan glanced around first at Homelander then at Ben before looking across the room at Butcher.
Curious Ben looked around at Butcher as well and saw a mask of fear plastered across his face that Ben had not seen on the man before nor had he expected it from him.
“Ryan, are you scared?” Ben simply asked looking back down at the small blond boy before Homelander could intervene.
Ryan once again glanced back up at Homelander before looking back at Ben giving him an almost not noticeable nod, Ben had gotten it, however. Ben put up his Soldier Boy smirk as he looked Homelander in the eyes. “Let go of him or I will make you let go.”
Homelander's eyes turned small and his lips twitched. “You cannot have my son.”
A low pressure started to build up in Ben’s chest. “Let him go!”
Homelander started to pull Ryan back and before Ben was even in range of the two he saw a yellow laser blast past him hitting Homelander right in the chest and sending him back. Reacting quickly Ben grabbed Ryan’s arm preventing the boy from being dragged along with Homelander. The boy immediately latched on to him as Ben held him to his side keeping his arm over him protectively.
“You armour girl!” Ben looked around searching for the woman in armour finding her in a ready fighting stance. “Take care of him.” He pushed Ryan in her direction.
Her eyes were big and she looked at him and Ryan before glancing quickly at Homelander who was crashed against the wall. A hesitation passed over her face.
“Please just protect him,” Ben called at her again hoping to break through her hesitation.
She glanced up at him again her face turning hard again giving him a nod before taking Ryan under her arm and starting to lead him away.
It was only for a short time Ben had been distracted but the moment he looked back at where Homelander had crashed he was no longer there, instead he was bursting towards him at a great speed. It was just barely in time that Ben was able to lift up his shield and protect himself before Homelander hit him sending him flying backwards through a conference room and crashing on a table, breaking it in the process.
Growling he quickly stood up pushing the broken pieces of the table away from him. He took a stride running fast before jumping, the point of his shield pointed towards Homelander who was flying his way. As they collided Homelander was thrown back and Ben took a few steps back to balance himself.
“You can’t win. You might have been born stronger than me but I have been improved.” He called out towards Homelander who had gotten back on his feet on the other side of the room.
“Improved?” Homelander snarled back. “You look like the same old man you were before.”
The pressure in Ben’s chest built up slightly more but he was able to keep it down despite his anger. He could not lose control now as he would blow up this entire part of the building.
Homelander was once again racing towards him but before he got even close he was hit by a pair of yellow lasers who hit him in the side launching him once again into a wall. Ben gave a quick glance in Butcher's direction whose eyes started to dim again and gave him a nod before taking off and launching himself ontop of Homelander with his knees in his stomach causing the other to cough loudly whilst trying to push him off.
It was just a second too late that Ben realised Homelanders eyes had started to glow red and he was blasted off, a wall hitting his back with intense force as the lasers burned his chest. Once again he felt the pressure building and he really started to worry about not being able to hold it back, he was letting this fight play on his emotions too much. But he could not hold back either, not against Homelander, he was simply too strong.
Without thinking about it longer Ben just shot off again kicking his son hard against the leg making the slightly longer man stumble.
“So what did they to you old man? Better than me? I don’t think so.” Homelander bellowed at him as he balled his hand into a fist punching his father, Ben, in the stomach at full force sending him back a few steps. “All you have is strength, I can fly! I can laser you down! I am far more superior.” He went on screaming.
Ben snarled. How could this ‘thing’ be his son. Homelander disgusted him, his weakness disgusted him.
“You were so weak you let them experiment on you! You are weak!” Homeland once again screamed moving his fist to punch him again.
Without his consent, memories flashed through Ben’s mind at his son's words. Pain. Screaming. Pain. Gunfire. More pain.
The pressure rapidly built in his chest and a red glow started emanating from his body. In an attempt to hold the growing power back, he did not pay attention to Homelanders fast approaching fist and he was catapulted across the room once again. A painful groan left him as he hit the ground hard creating a small crater. He tightly held his arms over his chest the red glowing emanating from deep within him.
It was from the corner of his eyes that he watched Butcher send yellow lasers towards Homelander again whilst making moments to approach Ben. “Oi Soldier boy, you have to hold it back. You can’t go and detonate in here. You will blow the entire building.”
Ben looked up at Butcher who was now standing over him. He clenched his jaw and grimaced at the man memories still flashing through his head. He was surprised he was able to hold back as it was, the last times he had barely remembered what had happened.
“I don’t think I can hold back much longer.” He managed to speak through his clenched teeth.
Butcher eyes grew big obvious concern visible in his eyes, before the man was able to react however the lights above them started to flicker. It was from the peripheral of his vision that Ben spotted the light girl her eyes bright with golden light, a few steps behind her was the dark guy who seemed to have an big hatred of him.
It was just for a second that Ben made eye contact with dark guy but his face was pinched in a frown as he seemed to quickly scan the room his eyes pausing on a corner in which Ben assumed were Ryan and armour girl. It seemed to Ben an understanding passed between them as he made eye contact again.
Through all this Ben was still tightly holding on to his glowing chest and he breathed heavily. Why was this happening now? He had to keep himself under control. This power might be able to take care of Homelander but it wouldn’t just take care of him. It would also harm everyone else in the building, including Ryan. The memories however would not stop. The pain would not stop.
“YOU HAVE BROKEN DOWN ALREADY??” Homelanders voice echoed through the room. “YOU ARE WEAK!”
Anger flushed through Ben and he tried to get back up the power still pulsing through him. He was held back however by a hand on his shoulder, of course he could easily push through it but when he made eye contact with Butcher, the owner of the hand, he stopped nonetheless. He could not risk himself going nuclear.
The light girl shot a ray of light towards Homelander sending the latter back again but only a little. “Starlight. You betray me so!” Homelander bellowed at her. “I thought we could be a team CO CAPTAIN!”
The light girl’s display of power showed her strength but Ben could immediately tell that she stood no chance against Homelander not even if Butcher and armour girl would help her. It made Ben realise he really needed to get himself under control otherwise this was going to end badly for them.
Slowly Ben started to get up again this time ignoring Butcher's strong grip on his shoulder. “Why don’t you come on fight me instead boy!” He called out towards Homelander.
Homelander pale blue eyes once again fixed on him as he moved forward, taking a few steps before he moved out into flight. It was milliseconds time Ben had to react as he pulled up his shield protectively in front of his body.
The moment Homelander hit him he slammed the shield sideways pushing Homelander towards the window whilst reasling just a little bit of the power building up within him. The burst it created was huge and he himself was also slammed backwards hitting his head hard against something.
His vision was hazy as he opened his eyes. There was a huge crater in the floor were he had stood seeming to go down several elevations of the building. Butcher who had stood next to him was also on the floor several feet away from him. Ben had not meant the blast to become this big but luckily he did not seem to have hurt the boy or the others of the team. His aimed target, Homelander, however, was nowhere to be seen as he had been apparently blast out of the window leaving a huge hole through which the elements came into the room.
Blinking and scrambling Ben tried to get back on his feet, some of the pressure had been relieved from his chest but it felt like it was building up even higher now. “Help.” He managed to strangle out. “I can’t hold it.”
All conscious eyes immediately sprang to him their eyes full of fear. “Can’t you push it back?” The armoured woman asked him.
His lips trembling Ben smirked at her. “If I knew how I would. I can’t control this powe-.” He was cut off as more painful memories flashed before him sending him back to his knees as he grabbed his head squeezing his eyes close.
Ben felt trembling hands untop of him but none if it did him any good. He was getting closer and closer to a meltdown. Suddenly he felt someone pulling up his eyelids seeming to try and get his attention. It was one of the other men of the team he had seen before, the man was talking to him in rapid speed and he had a canister in his hand with a gas mask. Seeing the canister made his anxiety immediately shoot peak high and he started to hyperventilate.
The words of the man barely came through to him as even more torturing memories flooded his mind. No matter how desperately he tried to hold back the growing power was useless. It would not take long and he would burst he was sure of that.
For a second Ben was shocked from his daze of memories when the man slapped him across the face. “Listen to me old man. If you allow me I can take you out with this.” He held up the canister in front of his face. “It's probably not going to be pleasant but its the only thing we know that can take you out. Will you allow me to do it? And please don’t explode.”
Ben blinked at him a few times his gaze flicking from the canister towards the man’s face, he was afraid of the gas but the man was right. This was the only way to take him out. Feeling dread come over him he nodded reluctantly.
Without any more hesitation, the man put the mask over his still hyperventilating mouth and nose. The gas immediately burned his throat and he felt like being ripped apart from the inside as he breathed it in. A real panic started to come over him as the pain ripped him apart and he felt the power in his chest rise up even more, he felt himself screaming, he was going to let it go, if he let it go it might stop hurting so much.
But at the moment he was going to release it he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Surprised he opened up his eyes again and through the haze of pain and suffering he saw the face of a young boy looking down at him with concern. “Granddad.” He heard him softly mutter.
At the word, the painful memories seemed to stop and whilst he was still being tortured by the gas he felt himself calm down enough to hold on to that power. To not let the power escape him.
Then his mind started to finally cloud over as the gas had done its toxic work and took him out into the endless depth of unconsciousness.