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Chapter 11 – I Am Homelander
🕑 Added 2025-05-12 19:05:05 +0000 UTC
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Inside a hidden training room of the base.
Alex was shirtless, his chiseled muscles defined like they'd been sculpted from steel—powerful, sharp, and radiating raw strength. Any girl who saw him would probably take a second look... or a third.
He was pounding his fists into a punching bag—
Not your typical kind. This one was made of metal.
Yeah, metal. That's what it had come to.
Alex's strength had grown far beyond what normal training equipment could handle. So Charles had specially commissioned this reinforced metal bag just for him.
Currently, Alex's physical strength was over fourteen times that of a regular human. He wasn't bulletproof yet, but bullets could only pierce his skin slightly before getting lodged in his flesh.
With a few boxing wraps, smashing metal like this was no big deal.
It had been over a week since the Springfield amusement park incident. Everything had been quiet since then—eerily quiet. No trouble had come knocking.
Maybe Stryker had found nothing, or maybe he was cooking up something big. Or maybe he was just too busy elsewhere to bother.
Alex didn't care either way.
At his current power level, unless Stryker rolled in with a full-blown army, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
Compared to Stryker, he was much more interested in improving his own abilities.
"Not bad. After a few days of training, I've finally gotten the hang of this strength and speed."
As he threw another punch, Alex nodded to himself, satisfied.
Just then—
He suddenly stopped, wiped off his sweat, and casually walked to grab his shirt from the coat rack.
He had heard footsteps.
And judging from the rhythm and weight, he knew immediately who it was—Raven.
Everyone had a unique gait. Alex never noticed these details before, but with his enhanced hearing now, it was impossible to miss.
Creak.
Sure enough, the door swung open, and Raven stepped into the room.
"Holy sh*t!"
She yelped the moment she caught sight of Alex's half-naked torso—just as he picked up his tank top but hadn't put it on yet.
"Alex, damn! Your body's insane! What girl could resist this level of temptation?" Raven's eyes practically sparkled.
"Alright, that's enough. Your eyes are about to fall out," Alex said mercilessly as he pulled the tank top over his head, denying her any more eye candy.
"So this is your workout secret? Beating up a metal punching bag?" Raven glanced at the dented, mangled bag nearby and winced.
What a freak.
Even among mutants, this guy was a monster.
"No, my secret is drinking lots of warm water," Alex replied with a straight face.
Raven: "…"
The hell?
Who even drinks boiled water anymore?
"Whatever. Anyway, do you even realize the party's already started? Everyone's waiting for you!" she said, snapping back to her original task.
"Ah, crap—I totally forgot," Alex admitted honestly.
He'd been so into training, he completely lost track of time.
"I knew it! Hurry up and take a shower, and get downstairs. Don't keep us waiting!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming."
After a quick rinse and change into a fresh outfit, Alex made his way down to the lounge on the first floor.
Inside, he saw Raven, Hank, Alex Summers, Sean, Armando, and a few others all gathered together, chatting and laughing.
The atmosphere was warm and lively.
Alex pushed the door open and stepped in. "Sorry I'm late, everyone."
"Perfect timing!" Raven beamed. "We were just coming up with cool code names for ourselves! I'm calling myself Mystique, and Armando's going with Darwin!"
Mystique officially enters the scene.
"Mystique, huh? Nice pick. And Darwin—is that based on evolution?" Alex asked as he found a seat and joined in.
"Exactly. My power is adaptation," Darwin explained simply.
"Dude, earlier Darwin stuck his head into the fish tank, and gills actually grew on his neck!" Alex Summers excitedly gestured while telling the story.
"I'm thinking of going by Siren. Thoughts?"
"If it were me, I'd go with Angel. That was my stage name, after all."
"Riptide! Now that's a name that fits my vibe!"
Future Siren, Riptide, and Angel—names now officially online.
"And you, Alex? Got a name yet?"
Angel fluttered her wings, hovering slightly above the ground as she looked at him.
Alex paused for a second, then said three words with a calm expression—
"Homelander."
Everyone blinked in confusion.
Homelander? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Nobody had a clue.
"Alex, does 'Homelander' mean something? Why that name?" Raven asked curiously.
"You don't get it? Perfect. The cooler the name, the less people should understand it," Alex chuckled.
No one pressed further. The party vibe returned, and soon everyone was showing off their powers and letting loose.
A true mutant party.
Bzzz!
Siren opened her mouth and shattered a glass with a soundwave.
Zzzzt!
Riptide—aka Alex Summers—fired a few energy rings that sliced a garden statue in half.
But Alex didn't join in.
He simply sat quietly on the couch, thinking.
If the story was on track... Black King Shaw and his crew were probably about to show up soon, right?
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
A voice boomed across the room, filled with anger.
Moira, along with Charles and Erik, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, storming in.
Seeing the wrecked room and the kids acting like goofballs, Moira was absolutely furious.
And it wasn't just her—Charles and Erik both looked deeply disappointed.
Moments ago, they'd just wrapped up a meeting. The CIA had finally uncovered a lead on Sebastian Shaw, and the three of them had agreed to bring the young mutants into the mission officially.
Naturally, higher-ups were skeptical.
But Moira had confidently vouched for them, promising that these recruits weren't just some average kids. They were top-tier talents.
And now?
Total face-slap moment.
Aside from Alex, the rest had completely embarrassed themselves.
"Who broke the statue?!" Moira snapped.
"Alex Summers," someone replied.
"No, it's Riptide now. That's his new name," Raven added, still buzzing with excitement. Then she pointed to Charles and Erik, "And you guys—we were thinking! You should be Professor X, and you... Magneto!"
Professor X and Magneto: officially online.
