Sex Booze Weed Speed

CUT TO: INT. STORE Cut to a close shot of Hughie, who looks distraught. There’s blood on his face from the fight at the end of the previous episode. Sirens can be heard in the background. HUGHIE: So, you're, you're not a Fed? Billy stands near Translucent’s body. The store is a mess. BILLY: Do you hear that? That's the old bill. So unless you want to explain why you've got America's favorite invisible wanker dead on the floor, give us a fucking hand, will ya? HUGHIE: Aw, shit. Hughie helps Billy carry Translucent into the trunk of Billy’s car. Billy slams the trunk down. Cut to them in the car. BILLY: All right, listen, I have worked for the Feds. I've worked for loads of people. I'm what you might call an independent contractor. You got a problem, you call me, I solve the problem. Banging noises come from the trunk. They turn to look. HUGHIE: What is that? BILLY: That's a problem. HUGHIE: Oh, thank fuck, he's alive. Yes, yes, he's alive! Okay, pull over. BILLY: No, no, no, Hughie, you don't fucking get it. HUGHIE: Pull the car over. BILLY: This is a fucksight worse. He's seen our faces. HUGHIE: Oh, my God. No, no, no, no, no. I can't do this. I can't do this. Let me out. Let me out. Pull over! BILLY: Hughie, you walk away now, and you will never get payback for Robin. You'll spend the rest of your life sitting on your ass with fucking regret. Now, is that what you want? I know a bloke. Top man. He'll know what to do. Cut to Billy knocking on a door. Cherie answers. BILLY: Morning, love. Frenchie about? Cherie looks at Hughie. She inspects his face for a few moments, then turns around and walks back in. BILLY: You'll love this guy. They enter. Cut to Frenchie organizing guns on a table. “Dans Ma Ruche” by Guizmo is playing on some speakers. As Billy and Hughie enter, Cherie turns the music down. BILLY: Frenchie. Oi, Frenchie. FRENCHIE: Monsieur Charcuter. This is a surprise. Good to see you. BILLY: Good to see you, too, mate. FRENCHIE: Means you brought that 40,000 you owe me? I mean, why else would you show your face around here? BILLY: Because I've got something even better for you. How would you like to double your money? They both laugh. FRENCHIE: The double of zero is zero. Who is he? BILLY: This guy? Oh, this here is Hughie Campbell. We're, uh, working a little job together. CHERIE: Ooh. FRENCHIE: And he's still alive? BILLY: You and I worked together, and you're still in one piece. FRENCHIE: Am I? BILLY: Look, do you want to know what the fucking job is or not? Cut to Hughie, Billy, and Frenchie outside. They’re all in front of Billy’s trunk. BILLY: Open it. FRENCHIE: Who is in there? BILLY: Where's your sense of adventure, Frenchie? Frenchie opens the trunk. TRANSLUCENT: You dumb fucks are fucking dead! Have you any- Billy shocks Translucent, who screams. Frenchie backs away. FRENCHIE: That's Translucent. You got Translucent in your trunk, huh? Billy closes the trunk. BILLY: Nothing gets past you, mate. Frenchie puts a gun under Billy’s chin. HUGHIE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! FRENCHIE: Go away. Get him out of here. BILLY: All right, all right, easy. FRENCHIE: He's chipped. The Supes could be on their way. Homelander could be on his way right now. HUGHIE: Wait, he's chipped? FRENCHIE: You bring this to my doorstep? This is not my problem, huh? BILLY: Well, it is now. He knows what you look like. Look, Frenchie, I need your help, mate, and I ain't leaving till I get it, or till The Seven show up. After a few moments of intense eye contact, Frenchie lowers his gun. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL A-Train enters a hospital room and approaches a bed. The shot is presented as a Facebook livestream, with user reactions popping up on the side. They are mostly ‘likes’ and ‘loves.’ A-TRAIN: Ah, here comes the A-Train! My man, how you doing? Look, I brought you something. A-Train approaches the bed of a young cancer patient and gives him an A-Train action figure. The patient, Colby, is wearing a Translucent t-shirt. COLBY: Thanks? A-TRAIN: Yeah. COLBY: I'm sorry, I asked for Translucent. A-TRAIN: Right, but Translucent is on a secret, undercover mission right now. But you got the A-Train, baby. COLBY: But my wish was to meet Translucent. That was my only wish. He's my hero. The live Facebook reactions begin to change. The ‘likes’ and ‘loves’ stop showing up, mostly replaced by ‘sads’ and a few ‘wows’ and ‘angrys.’ A-TRAIN: Yeah. Um well, you know, maybe he can swing by next week or some… A-Train looks at Colby’s doctor, who shakes his head. The Facebook reactions are now a steady mix of ‘sads’ and ‘angrys.’ A-TRAIN: Fuck. Um... you know what? Maybe I can't turn invisible, but I am the world's fastest man. Like, I can outrun anybody or anything. That's-that's something, right? Look, I'll tell you what, you get better, and I'll teach you to run as fast as me. COLBY: Yeah? A-TRAIN: Yeah. COLBY: You'll teach me to outrun cancer? A-TRAIN: Yeah. A-Train sighs and gives a thumbs up. CUT TO: INT. MADELYN’S OFFICE Madelyn and Ashley are both watching the livestream on a TV screen. MADELYN: Oh, my God, turn that off. How many times do I have to tell you that A-Train needs to be scripted? ASHLEY: Right. MADELYN: When he does not have a script, this is what happens. ASHLEY: I'm on it. I'm so sorry. It will not happen again. MADELYN: All right. And where is Translucent? ASHLEY: We know he's not in the building. He hasn't triggered any of the motion sensors. He's probably out on another one of his fucking benders. MADELYN: Doesn't he have a team-up tomorrow night? ASHLEY: Yeah, with the Deep. MADELYN: Get a backup. ASHLEY: I'm on it. MADELYN: Okay, go. ASHLEY: Okay. The phone rings. Ashley leaves. Madelyn answers. MADELYN: Hello? Cut to the main hall. Annie and Black Noir run into each other. ANNIE: Black Noir. We haven't properly met yet. I'm Starlight. She goes in for a handshake. He stares for a few moments and then walks away. ANNIE: Well I look forward to working with you. Annie enters the main conference room. Ashley is standing by Annie’s chair. Another Vought employee is seated nearby. ASHLEY: There she is. Hi. How you settling in? ANNIE: Well, uh, it's an adjustment. ASHLEY: That's for sure. This is Trevor. ANNIE: Hi. Annie sits down. ASHLEY: From Crime Analytics. So, we have exciting news for you. We are sending you on your first patrol. It's a team-up tomorrow night. ANNIE: Oh, that's great. That's great news. Thank you. TREVOR: Hi. Big fan. There you go. He hands her a tablet. ANNIE: A crime itinerary? TREVOR: Yep. Where and when to find the bad guys. That's what my department does. We vet leads, crunch satellite data, COMP-STAT. Better intel than the police. ANNIE: Mm. You know, thanks, but I'm good. I, I like to do my own investigating. ASHLEY: And that is why we love you, but it's not coming from us. It's corporate. To protect you. What if you nab the wrong person? There's liability to consider. Annie looks back at the tablet and makes a shocked face. ANNIE: The.... the Deep is coming? TREVOR: Yeah, it's a water-adjacent crime. ANNIE: Then he should do it himself. He doesn't need me. ASHLEY: It was gonna be Deep and Translucent, but everyone on 82 is so excited to get you out there. ANNIE: Yeah, it's just, uh, you know, back in Des Moines, I always patrolled alone. ASHLEY: And that is why we love you. But we see at least a 23% uptick in social media mentions and hero hashtags when there's a team-up. People love a team-up. TREVOR: Love a team-up. CUT TO: EXT. STREET ”Neat Neat Neat” by The Damned plays. Billy’s car speeds through a turn followed by Frenchie’s van. They pull up next to an abandoned Tony Cicero’s. They all exit their respective vehicles and take supplies from the van into the empty building. Cut to inside, Billy and Frenchie are setting up an electric cage in a back room while Hughie tapes a reflective material all over the ceiling. FRENCHIE: That stuff really blocks the chip's signal? HUGHIE: Yeah. It's just R.F. Shielding Foil. You can get it at Fry's. FRENCHIE: You in tech intelligence? HUGHIE: Uh, sales and installation. Translucent wakes up, invisible in the cage. TRANSLUCENT: Oh, what the fuck? Where am I? BILLY: Oi. Morning, sunshine. TRANSLUCENT: You know who I am? FRENCHIE: Not sure. I know so many invisible assholes. TRANSLUCENT: You fucking amateurs! Translucent electrocutes himself on the cage. TRANSLUCENT: Fuck! What the fuck? BILLY: Ooh, mind them bars, son. You'll only bollocks yourself again. Billy, Frenchie, and Hughie all begin to leave. TRANSLUCENT: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Uh, okay, what do you guys want? Money? BILLY: We don't want your fucking money. Billy closes the door. Cut to them in the kitchen. BILLY: What do you think, Frenchie? FRENCHIE: You just dropped the Moby fucking Dick of problems on my plate. That's what I think. Okay? He can re-order his carbon on his skin into metamaterial. It's hard as diamonds. It's nearly impossible to penetrate. BILLY: All right, how 'bout we suffocate him? FRENCHIE: Some Dominicans already tried this, way back in '07. BILLY: And what happened? FRENCHIE: They're all fucking dead now. That's what happened. BILLY: All right, then, fuck it, electrocution. We'll just increase the amps. FRENCHIE: You already hit him with enough to drop a water buffalo, and look. Might knock him out. Doesn't seem to kill him, huh? No. We need to pierce the skin somehow. BILLY: Well, how the hell are we gonna do that? FRENCHIE: I don't know. HUGHIE: You're gonna kill him? BILLY: We didn't bring him here for a fucking Happy Meal. HUGHIE: I don't, I thought we'd question him or something. I don't know, you get a you get a hold of someone this big- BILLY: At Gitmo, we had to water board Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times over six months to get him to talk just once. Now, we ain't got six months. I doubt we've even got six hours. HUGHIE: There are so many crazy things about what you just said, but right now, you're talking about randomly killing one of the most famous men on the planet. A goddamn national treasure. I mean, people tend to notice that kind of thing. BILLY: And if we let him go, what do you think The Seven will do to us? Hmm? You can't get A-Train if you're a greasy smear on the pavement. HUGHIE: I'm not a murderer. BILLY: That's all right. I am. CUT TO: INT. MADELYN’S OFFICE A live interview is being played on Madelyn’s TV with a hero named Shockwave at a racing track. INTERVIEWER: The race is coming up quickly. How you feeling? SHOCKWAVE: Look, A-Train is a fierce competitor, but no one can be the world's fastest man forever. Let's just say I like my chan- The channel changes to a commercial for a “Homelander Doll” toy. DOLL: I'll always protect you. NARRATOR: Your little hero will never be afraid with the Junior Homelander Cuddle- The channel changes to an interview with The Deep. DEEP: I regret to inform you that I've located the mayor's Gulfstream. It's about two miles down at the bottom of Hudson Canyon. There are no survivors, and I've yet to locate the flight recorder. Though the jet was fragmented, there was one engine fully intact, and it appears to be engine failure. So I'd like to offer- Madelyn turns the TV off. She takes off a breast pump and begins to button up her shirt when the door opens. Homelander walks in, then covers his eyes when he sees her open shirt. HOMELANDER: Whoa. Still going strong, huh? MADELYN: Oh, yeah, yeah. I've just been pumping for 30 minutes, and I got a quarter of an ounce. HOMELANDER: Hey, hey, go easy on yourself. Come on, now. Personally, I think it's amazing that a woman your age can have a baby, period. MADELYN: That is so sweet of you to say. HOMELANDER: Oh, no problem. Hey, you found Translucent yet? MADELYN: You heard about that? HOMELANDER: Mm-hmm. MADELYN: No, not yet. HOMELANDER: Well, you know, I could search for him. Personally. MADELYN: That's not necessary. HOMELANDER: Right. MADELYN: Hey, did you hear about the mayor of Baltimore? HOMELANDER: Yeah. Yeah. Heard his plane went down. Some sort of engine trouble. MADELYN: Yeah, it's awful. I saw him on Tuesday. Had a meeting with him right here. HOMELANDER: Wow. Well, hug your kids, right? 'Cause you never know what might happen. MADELYN: So true. You know what's interesting? The Deep told me, and only me, that there were, uh, scorch marks on the mayor's engine. Almost as if from two small, high-intensity beams, roughly the width of human eyes. HOMELANDER: Say what you mean to say. MADELYN: Your brand is hope, baseball, America sunshine. You don't do vengeance. HOMELANDER: Madelyn, I heard him through the wall. He was blackmailing you. MADELYN: I am the last person you need to save. HOMELANDER: Yeah, but I, I did it for you. MADELYN: I know, but did the timing occur to you? I have half the Senate Appropriations Committee coming tonight. Homelander stands speechless for a few moments before sitting on the couch. HOMELANDER: How did he even know about Compound V? MADELYN: We are not going to talk about that. HOMELANDER: Oh, come on, Madelyn. You do not need to hide things from me. I love Vought as much as you do, and I can do more. Madelyn sits on the other end of the couch. MADELYN: You can do more? You've already grossed $12.3 billion for us. HOMELANDER: Right. So the pricks on 82 can take all the fucking credit? Empty fucking suits with Cornell degrees? Come on. I'm the one who's out there. Not them. I'm the one who, who-who knows the audience. Who knows what's good for this company. MADELYN: I know. I hear you. I do. But what I need right now, is I need you to charm the shit out of those congressmen. HOMELANDER: Right. 'Cause that's all I'm good for, huh? Smile, look pretty, say my lines. Whoop, whoop, whoop. Madelyn scoots closer to him. MADELYN: No. No. You just need to let me protect you. HOMELANDER: Oh, you're gonna protect me? Madelyn holds his face in her hands. MADELYN: Mm-hmm. Gods are pure and they're perfect and they're above it all. And they need to stay that way. Homelander says nothing for a few moments. HOMELANDER: You're leaking. MADELYN: Thank you. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Back in the restaurant, Hughie picks up a glass. He laughs when he sees it has Homelander on it. He fills it with water and drinks. His phone chimes, and he sees he has numerous missed calls from his father. Hughie sighs and calls him. The shot cuts back and forth from Hughie and his dad throughout the call. HUGHIE’S DAD: Hello? HUGHIE: Hi, Dad. HUGHIE’S DAD: Hughie, where have you been? I've been calling hospitals. HUGHIE: I'm fine. HUGHIE’S DAD: But the police are saying some wacko drove into Gary's store, right through the window, and then took off. I-I thought maybe you've been hurt, or-or kidnapped. I saw this Dateline on human trafficking HUGHIE: Dad, I haven't been human trafficked, okay? I-I closed up early. It must have happened after I left. HUGHIE’S DAD: But where'd you go? HUGHIE: Just been drinking at Anthony's. Blowing off steam. HUGHIE’S DAD: No, now, I called Anthony, all right? I called everybody. No one's seen you. Don't lie to me. HUGHIE: Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain. Hey, Dad, listen, I got to, I got to go. HUGHIE’S DAD: Just, listen, I know you've been taking Robin's accident real hard. HUGHIE: It wasn't an accident. HUGHIE’S DAD: All, all right, all right. My point is, you're a good boy. You're a sensitive boy. Come home. Okay? Before you do something stupid, come home, Hughie. HUGHIE: I got to go. HUGHIE’S DAD: No, w-wait, Hugh- Hughie hangs up. After a few moments, he punches a nearby wall multiple times, leaving some blood on the wall. CUT TO: INT. SEVEN HEADQUARTERS The Deep enters the main conference room, finding only Homelander. DEEP: Oh. Well, I heard we had a meeting. So, um, I'll just leave you to it. HOMELANDER: Well, we're having a meeting right now, aren't we, Deep? You and me. Come on in. DEEP: Yeah. Sure. Deep sighs and comes to sit down at the table. DEEP: So, uh, what, uh... Or is there, is there anything I can, can do for you, Homelander? HOMELANDER: Well, yeah. I, I guess, uh… Well, you can help me understand something, Deep, 'cause, uh, I don't know, maybe I'm stupid. Am I stupid, Deep? DEEP: What? No. No. You're not stupid. You're, you're smart. Very smart, right? HOMELANDER: Yeah. Okay. So, what possible reason what, uh, razor-sharp fish instinct made you run to Stillwell and tell her what you thought you saw down there? As he talks, he walks over to Deep and puts his hands on both of Deep’s shoulders. DEEP: All right, look, I, I thought I, thought I, I was, uh, I, I don't even know I don't know what I saw down there, as a matter of fact. It was, it was really dark and, uh, muddy the water was really muddy. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. I, I didn't I didn't really see anything down there, as a matter of fact. HOMELANDER: That's what I thought. DEEP: Yeah. HOMELANDER: Yeah. And I trust we never have to have this conversation again. Homelander keeps his hand on Deep’s neck. DEEP: No. Of course not. Just this once. Homelander walks away. HOMELANDER: Now go fuck Shamu in the blowhole. DEEP: Yeah. Deep leaves. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Frenchie plays “La Foule” by Youssoupha on his phone as he works on creating something, with minimal help from Billy. FRENCHIE: Rounds coated in the same carbon metamaterial as his skin. BILLY: Will it work? FRENCHIE: Je ne sais pas. Billy loads the special bullet into a gun. Hughie enters and watches. HUGHIE: Guys? What are you doing? Frenchie opens the door to the back room where Translucent is being held. Billy enters. HUGHIE: Wait! No, no, no! Wait, wait! TRANSLUCENT: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Billy fires. The bullet ricochets around the room. TRANSLUCENT: Ha, ha, ha, ha. You stupid, fucking asshole. I'm invincible. You stupid motherfuckers. Ha ha ha ha ha! I'm fucking Translucent. I'm indestructible. It's only a matter of time before they come for me. You're fucking dead! The camera pans up to reveal, unbeknownst to any of the characters, that the bullet pierced a hole in the reflective material on the ceiling. HUGHIE: Well, that was great, guys. That was awesome. BILLY: Frenchie, back later. FRENCHIE: Where are you going? BILLY: Got an idea. Long shot, might help. HUGHIE: Now? BILLY: Yeah, well, it's all under control here, isn't it? Try not to bugger each other. Billy leaves. BILLY: Ah, fuck me. Fuck. CUT TO: INT. SURVEILLANCE ROOM Anika sits at her desk. Madelyn makes her way towards her. MADELYN: Are you Anika? ANIKA: Ms. Stillwell, I didn't know that you were- You look really nice. MADELYN: Thank you. Could you please show me? ANIKA: Yeah. We haven't been able to ping Translucent's chip- until about five minutes ago. MADELYN: Well, where is he? ANIKA: Jersey City. MADELYN: What the hell is he doing in Jersey City? ANIKA: Uh, well, he's somewhere in this ten-block area. MADELYN: That is the best you can do? ANIKA: It's possible the chip's glitching, or there's some kind of interference- MADELYN: Okay. Tell security to search the area, door-to-door if necessary. But tell them to be discreet. He is invisible, so it shouldn't be that hard. Okay. CUT TO: EXT. DOCK Deep and Annie stand together overlooking a shipyard. He talks while she looks annoyed. DEEP: Oh, wow. What a surprise. A water crime. Fuck me running. I swear to God, they only call me when there's trouble at a dock. Or a river or a lake, canal. A jetty. Fucking idiots. I could be doing so much more. But no, Vought just wants me to make my big pretty dives into the water and flash my fucking biceps for Instagram. I mean, sure, four million hits a day, but still, it's fucking demeaning. What's your problem? You've had that pissy look on your face all night. The lights nearby flicker. DEEP: Ooh. What? Is this about the other night again? Jesus Christ. Cry me a fucking river, all right? I took my share of shit when I first got here, okay? Besides, you had a crush on me, remember? ANNIE: That gives you no right! Zero right to do what you did, you pathetic asshole. DEEP: Hey. You shut your fucking mouth. ANNIE: Or what? You'll sic a grouper on me? DEEP: I'll tell everyone you're a psycho. I'll go to Homelander. ANNIE: No, you won't. See, I asked around; you're not number two around here. You're just the fish guy. Everyone thinks you're a joke. Me, most of all. I cannot believe I fell for your crap. DEEP: You stuck-up little- ANNIE: You ever touch me again, I will burn your eyes out. Understand me? Deep looks nervous before hearing a van pull up nearby. DEEP: We'll finish this later. You take them from the front, I'll come in from behind. He dives into the water. Cut to inside a nearby warehouse. The men from the van tear open a Homelander doll to reveal smuggled drugs. DOLL: I'll always- The doll breaks. One of the men’s flashlights flicker. ANNIE: Hey. The men turn to look at her. She blinds the two of them. She turns to see two other men trying to escape, but they run into Deep. DEEP: Hey, boys. Deep beats both of the men up. Ashley enters with a film crew and approaches Annie. ASHLEY: Hurry up. Move faster. You're amazing. That was so great. That was really good. Smile for the cameras. ANNIE: What? What the hell is this? ASHLEY: Yeah, stand over him and say "This is lit." DEEP: Oh, hey, Jimmy. Catch my dive in the water? It was fucking cherry. Nice. Annie and Deep exchange a look. ASHLEY: Smile at the camera, Starlight. CUT TO: INT. SUSAN’S HOUSE An alarm beeps. Susan sees a door is open and goes to close it. BILLY: Congrats on your promotion, Susan. She whips around and points a gun at him before quickly lowering it. SUSAN: Jesus Christ. Butcher. BILLY: Madam Deputy Director, eh? Wow. Andrew and the kids must be chuffed for you. SUSAN: Keep your voice down, and don't talk about my family. It makes my skin crawl. What are you doing here? BILLY: Just need a quick dekko at some of your files. SUSAN: My files? What files? BILLY: A couple of Supes. Big Game, Shout Out. Translucent, if you got him. SUSAN: Why Translucent? BILLY: Eh, nothing special, just ticking a few boxes. SUSAN: Oh. So you just broke into my goddamn house in the middle of the night? BILLY: All right. I'm trying to find a way to do the job on the cunt, and if it's anywhere, it'll be in Mallory's files. Now would you like me to keep talking? SUSAN: No. No. Christ. Just don't fucking say another word. The Mallory files are dead and buried. BILLY: You're the deputy director of CIA Operations. Dig 'em up. SUSAN: No. BILLY: Why not? SUSAN: Because of you. BILLY: Me? SUSAN: Yes, you. The director will shitcan anyone who even goes near those files. You made it suicide to go after the Supes. What are you even doing back involved in this? I mean, you have a death wish, or are you a glutton for punishment? BILLY: Yeah. A bit of both, I suppose. Come on Susan. Five minutes alone with a piece of paper. For old time's sakes. No one will know. SUSAN: You're really trying to sell this shit? BILLY: Why, you buying it? SUSAN: You think I look back fondly at the times we fucked in bar bathrooms? BILLY: Oh, come on. We had a few laughs. SUSAN: Like the time you sent me the Edible Arrangement. And what we had was you trying to use me for a Get Out of Jail Free card at a time like this. BILLY: Well, if that's all it was, then, what's got you so hot and bothered when a simple "fuck you" would suffice? SUSAN: Fuck you. Now get out of my house. She walks away. BILLY: Did I mention this is life or death? SUSAN: I'll send an Edible Arrangement to your funeral. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Hughie enters the room where Translucent is being held with a glass of water. HUGHIE: Hi. I, um I thought you might be thirsty, so… He sets the glass down and opens a grate on the cage. Nothing happens. HUGHIE: Well, if you don't want it, I can always- TRANSLUCENT: No, I want it. Cheers. He picks up the glass and begins drinking. HUGHIE: So, listen, um, I need to ask you some questions about A-Train. When he, uh, burst through that woman the other day, Robin Ward. I-I need to know why. Where was he going? What was he doing? TRANSLUCENT: Why? Was she your sister? Girlfriend? Girlfriend. That's what all this is about? Christ. What makes you think I know anything about it? HUGHIE: I know you and A-Train were tight. You guys came up together. TRANSLUCENT: What are you, a fucking fan? HUGHIE: Listen, those two guys in there, they want to kill you, okay? So you give me something, maybe I can- TRANSLUCENT: What? Hold 'em off? 'Cause they hang on your every word. You're the big man around here. HUGHIE: Okay, you don't want to talk, don't talk. I tried. Good luck. TRANSLUCENT: Buddy, my superpower ain't invisibility. Translucent makes himself visible. TRANSLUCENT: You know that, right? It's reading people. Watching them when they think they're alone. In the other room, Frenchie sees a car pull up nearby. He grabs a gun. Cut back to the back room. TRANSLUCENT: I see people for who they really are. I see you, too, pal. HUGHIE: Right. 'Cause you know me so well, right? TRANSLUCENT: Yeah. I know you're trying your damnedest to be tough. It's a little adorable, but the truth is you're terrified. Shitting in your tighty-whities 'cause you're in over your head, fucked, and you know it. Cut back to Frenchie. The car drives off. He relaxes, but then hears some men nearby. He cocks his gun and hides. Cut back to the back room. TRANSLUCENT: Hughie, I even kind of feel for you. Your girl died, and we do crazy shit when we got broken hearts, but now every instinct is screaming at you to head for the hills, and you should listen to that instinct. HUGHIE: Unless we kill you first. TRANSLUCENT: How? I got invulnerable skin. I'm a fucking superhero, guy. We fight gangs and terrorists. We save the world daily. I've stood in front of thousands of screaming fans, all of 'em creaming their jeans. Uh, who are you? A water balloon filled with blood and meat. Homelander's gonna find me, and when he does, he's gonna burst you wide open. I'm gonna make it home in time for cocktails. 'Cause that's who you are, and that's who I am. You're not the hero of this story. And I'm not the one who's trapped. HUGHIE: Well, good luck. I tried. Hughie leaves. TRANSLUCENT: Great chat. Run for the hills, Hughie. He closes the door. Cut to the main room. Frenchie hides just feet away from a man with a flashlight. MAN 1: It looks like we're losing him. The signal's going in and out. The man walks away. MAN 2: Keep searching, another 50 feet down on the right. Cut back to the kitchen. Hughie sees a sign on the wall that says, “Keep your hands clean!” He stares at it for a few moments. CUT TO: INT. SEVEN HEADQUARTERS Cut to a gala being hosted at The Seven headquarters. Heroes, Vought employees, Senators, and others are mingling. On a large screen, an ad for Ezekiel’s charity is playing. EZEKIEL: Because, thanks to Samaritan's Embrace, Asim has a bed, a ventilated cooking area, and a laptop. But our work is not done. Black Noir, sipping a drink near the TV, fails to get the attention of a waiter. EZEKIEL: There are millions more children just like Asim, who need your help. For just $9.99 a month. That is only- Madelyn walks through the room. MADELYN: Hi, John. Thanks for your support. She passes Homelander, mid-conversation. HOMELANDER: It's what makes this republic so great. MADELYN: Bill. How are the kids? She passes Maeve. MAEVE: Hey. She approaches the bar. Senator Calhoun is there. MADELYN: Could I get a club soda? CALHOUN: Ms. Stillwell. MADELYN: Senator, what can I get you? CALHOUN: Jack, rocks. MADELYN: You know, we have Macallan 25. CALHOUN: You'd be wasting it. Whiskey's whiskey to me. Boy, they're blowing so much smoke up Maeve's ass, it's a miracle she doesn't die of lung cancer. But you know it's just that, right? Smoke. MADELYN: I'm sorry? CALHOUN: Everyone loves to bask in their glow, but tomorrow morning no one's putting Supes into national defense. It won't get out of committee, much less hit the floor. MADELYN: Because God forbid we could have an advantage in an armed conflict. CALHOUN: You send a Supe over the 38th parallel, Pyongyang's gonna answer with a nuke. MADELYN: Then one of my guys will catch it. CALHOUN: You see Robertson over there? He's got Lockheed in his state and in his pocket. McCrea? He's got Fort Bragg and its couple thousand voters. No one wants to outsource to you. America runs on weapons. Hell, it's one of the only damn things we still make. MADELYN: But you are the chairman. Where do you stand? CALHOUN: Me? I'm just an old leatherneck. And if I was on the line, scare the shit out of me to have Homelander there. MADELYN: My heroes are the most loyal, patriotic- CALHOUN: That's just it. They're your heroes, aren't they? MADELYN: Get him a Macallan 25. The bartender nods. MADELYN: Why have average when you can have extraordinary? Madelyn walks away. The bartender pours Calhoun’s drink. CALHOUN: Thank you. CUT TO: EXT. STREET Annie walks along the sidewalk when she overhears an argument in a nearby alley. WOMAN: Guys, we should get back to the party. MAN 1: What? WOMAN: Elena just ordered more booze. Come on, let's go back. MAN 1: No, no WOMAN: It'll be more fun at the party. Please okay, don't touch me. Cut to the alley. Two men are cornering a woman near a car. WOMAN: No, please, please. Oh, no, no! The men push the woman down onto the car. WOMAN: Stop! No, no, no, no! One of the men begins unzipping his pants. WOMAN: Please, no, no, no, no! ANNIE: The girl said no. The two men look at Annie. MAN 1: We're all friends here. MAN 2: Yeah, it's all good. It's fine. The second man walks closer to Annie. Nearby lights begin to flicker. ANNIE: Miss, do me a favor and shut your eyes. The woman looks away. Annie sends the closer man flying with a beam of light. MAN 1: Fucking bitch. The first man approaches her. As Annie beats him up, the woman runs away. Nearby, unbeknownst to Annie, someone films the fight on their phone. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Hughie covers his ears as Frenchie loudly drills in the back room. Frenchie enters, frustrated. FRENCHIE: Fucking diamond skin. Fuck. Merde! Frenchie takes out a pill, then sees Hughie eyeing him and walks over with it. FRENCHIE: Here. Here, take it. HUGHIE: What is that? FRENCHIE: It will help with your, uh, anxiety. It's LSD and MDMA. This is a candy flip. It'll smooth you right out. Take it. HUGHIE: Uh, thank you, but I-I don't think now is the time for a major hallucinogen. Frenchie takes the pill. FRENCHIE: Fais-toi plaisir. Frenchie sits down. HUGHIE: What are you exactly? Chemist? Engineer? What? FRENCHIE: No. I know a little about a lot of things. I'm a gunrunner by trade, but, uh, as you can see, I've developed a certain niche. HUGHIE: Killing superheroes? FRENCHIE: No. You can count on one hand the number of dead superheroes. Sometimes you can, uh, incapacitate them. Truly, they are magnificent creatures. Mm. Each one with a unique power that requires a unique solution. It's, uh... it's never the same twice. HUGHIE: Who pays you to do that? FRENCHIE: Whoever can pay. HUGHIE: And when you do kill a Supe, or, you know, any-anyone, um, what's it like? FRENCHIE: You know I saw this woman once, in a midtown elevator, 2008. No more for ten seconds, I see her, huh? Stunning. Five-nine. Hair so black it absorbed the light, you know? Tom Ford pencil skirt, Louboutin stilettos. C'est magnifique. But she had, uh... She had, I never forget this, you see she had dirt under her fingernails and calluses on her hands, and I see this and I say, "Oh, strange for such a refined woman like this. What, you… You a gardener? You know, are you a sculptor? What is this, huh?” And I think about this. I think about her all the time. She was the first person I ever killed. Billy returns nearby and eavesdrops. FRENCHIE: I carry, I carry them all with me. It's like scars in a way, you know? CUT TO: INT. HOTEL ROOM Senator Calhoun is restrained on a bed, preparing to have sex with the bartender from the gala. DOPPELGANGER: Okay, Senator, you ready? CALHOUN: Oh, yeah. Oh. Oh, darling. The woman puts a blindfold on Calhoun. DOPPELGANGER: Mm-hmm? CALHOUN: You know I like to watch. DOPPELGANGER: No. Can't always be in control. Sir. CALHOUN: Then I guess I'll just have to feel my way through it. DOPPELGANGER: Oh, you'll feel good indeed, baby. The woman transforms into an overweight man. DOPPELGANGER: You ready? CALHOUN: Oh, I was born ready. Feels like butter, baby. DOPPELGANGER: Get ready, sir. You're going in. Doppelganger pulls out a phone and begins taking pictures. CALHOUN: Yee-haw! Giddyup, gal. Come on. That… that feels different. CUT TO: INT. SEVEN HEADQUARTERS Annie gets off the elevator and sees Homelander staring at his portrait in the main hallway. ANNIE: Hey Homelander. HOMELANDER: Starlight. How are you? ANNIE: Uh, I'm good. HOMELANDER: Good. Hey, is that your, uh, secret identity? ANNIE: Mm-hmm. HOMELANDER: Charming. ANNIE: Thanks. HOMELANDER: Yeah, I, I gave up on mine oh a long time ago now. ANNIE: I think I'm gonna go to sleep. Good night. She leaves. He goes back to staring at his portrait. We see that he’s actually using his x-ray vision to see into Madelyn’s office. MADELYN: No. No, I did not go through eight rounds of IVF and bleeding nipples to quit now. I am doing this. Yes. That little kid is gonna drink my goddamn milk if it's the last thing I do. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Billy, Hughie, and Frenchie stand in the kitchen. Billy shows off a big drill, but Frenchie shakes his head. Frenchie watches a nature documentary about turtles and gets an idea. He gets up and heads for the back room. BILLY: What are you doing? FRENCHIE: Shocking our invisible friend. I need him unconscious. BILLY: Why? FRENCHIE: Because I got it. Frenchie approaches Translucent. TRANSLUCENT: Now what the fuck do you want? Translucent screams off-screen. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM Annie is brushing her teeth. Ashley bursts in. ASHLEY: What the fuck, Starlight? ANNIE: What? Ashley holds up her phone and plays the recording of Annie’s fight in the alley. ANNIE: Oh, shit. ASHLEY: Yeah. Oh, shit. And so glad you did it in plain clothes, so you could blow your secret identity. Here: "OMG. I recognize Starlight, that's Annie January! I went to Hoover High with her. #SheWasBulimic." One, this was stupid. Two, it was really stupid to do it on camera. Always look for cameras. ANNIE: They were about to rape a girl. ASHLEY: What girl? There's no girl in that video. You get a name? ANNIE: No, she ran off. ASHLEY: Oh, great. She ran off. Great. Always get a fucking name, Starlight. Always! ANNIE: Well, uh They-they said Hmm. They-they said she was a friend. It was date rape, I think. ASHLEY: Great. Well, she hasn't come forward and, statistically, she's not likely to. So all we really have is two Delta Betas who insist they were just getting drunk in an alley until you beat them unconscious. ANNIE: They're lying! I, ugh. Aren't I innocent until proven guilty? ASHLEY: When you're in the big leagues? You flip it. I don't know what you were planning on doing today, hmm, with your little cute day, but you have to cancel everything, okay? You're gonna have meetings with Risk Assessment, with Crisis Management, with Legal. Jerry is gonna lose his shit! Fuck. ANNIE: Am... Are they gonna fire me? ASHLEY: Just be in Stillwell's office at 10:00. Ashley walks away. ANNIE: What? Am I fired? CUT TO: INT. MADELYN’S OFFICE Madelyn sits across from Calhoun. MADELYN: Senator, I very much appreciate you coming bright and early. I realize, uh, how busy you were last night. Madelyn uses a clicker to go through the photos Doppelganger took. Calhoun’s eyes go wide. CALHOUN: These are fake. MADELYN: I think we both know they're not. CALHOUN: Look. I was with a young woman, all right? Of legal age. Her name was Rhonda. So this isn't possible. They've obviously been doctored or something. MADELYN: I'm sorry, they are authentic. I should know. I was there. CALHOUN: You what? Madelyn transforms and is revealed to be Doppelganger. DOPPELGANGER: You shiver when you orgasm, sir. CALHOUN: Oh, Jesus. The real Madelyn walks in. MADELYN: That will be all, Doppelganger. Doppelganger leaves. CALHOUN: Who the fuck is he? MADELYN: Anyway, I would love to continue our conversation from last night. CALHOUN: This is some dirty fucking pool, Madelyn. MADELYN: You're really gonna clutch your pearls, Senator? I don't think either one of us is that naive. CALHOUN: It's not... it's not fatal to be homosexual these days. MADELYN: It is in Oklahoma, sir. Where your voters live. CALHOUN: Even if I get the bill out of committee, nobody's gonna vote for it on the floor. No one wants your fucking Supes in the Army. MADELYN: We'll see. CUT TO: INT. SURVEILLANCE ROOM Anika sits at her desk. She notices Homelander approach. ANIKA: Homelander. Uh, wel-welcome to Crime Analytics. Would you like a Red Bull? HOMELANDER: Have you found Translucent yet? ANIKA: Oh. Uh, no. But Security's on it. HOMELANDER: He's been missing over 24 hours. Is he in danger? ANIKA: Um... HOMELANDER: Do you even know? Forget it. I'll find him myself. What's his last known position, please? ANIKA: Why don't I just call Ms. Stillwell? And I- HOMELANDER: No. No, no, no, no, no. You're talking to me. ANIKA: Well, I'm not sure I'm supposed to be talking to- HOMELANDER: What's your name? ANIKA: Anika, sir. HOMELANDER: Anika. It's a beautiful name. Listen, Anika. I'm the Homelander. And I can do whatever the fuck I want. Okay? Now Translucent's last known position. Please. He places her hand on her keyboard. She begins typing. CUT TO: INT. ABANDONED RESTAURANT Hughie, Billy, and Frenchie all stand around Translucent’s cage. Translucent wakes up. TRANSLUCENT: What the...? Something doesn't feel right. BILLY: Oh, I'll bet. FRENCHIE: I'm not ashamed to admit I have outdone myself. Now, the problem is the skin, no? It's, uh, hard like diamonds. But then I realized, it is just your shell that is hard, huh? Like a turtle. But your insides they're like the rest of ours: Soft. So, how do you get to the squishy insides? Through the mouth? Non. The stomach acid, the gag reflex. If I stick something down your throat, you may vomit it up. There's truly only one way. TRANSLUCENT: The fuck did you do to me? BILLY: He stuck a lump of plastique up your bum, son. FRENCHIE: Ass bomb. Translucent makes himself visible. TRANSLUCENT: Oh, my God. We see a shot of homelander flying outside before cutting back into the room. BILLY: Now you stick a little finger up there and try and fish it out bang. I trigger this also bang. Savvy? TRANSLUCENT: Oh, please don't kill me. I'll do anything. I'll tell you about A-Train. That's what the kid wants, right? I, I, I, I don't know where A-Train was going that night he killed the girl, okay, but I know where he was coming from. HUGHIE: What? Where? TRANSLUCENT: Popclaw's. He fucking loves her. He doesn't think anyone else knows, but I know. A beeping noise comes from the other room. Frenchie leaves. TRANSLUCENT: I know a lot of things. But he, he's there every night. Maybe now, even. HUGHIE: Popclaw? That's the hero with the, the sharp things coming out of her arms. BILLY: Yeah. Real D-lister. TRANSLUCENT: Anyone knows what A-Train was doing, it's Popclaw. But that's all I know about that, I swear to Christ. But I'll tell you anything else you want. Just ask. Billy shakes his head. Hughie leaves. TRANSLUCENT: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Just ask anything. BILLY: Now, normally, that would be just what the doctor ordered. But unfortunately for you we're out of time. Billy leaves. TRANSLUCENT: No. No! Please! Listen, I know shit. Dark shit! All the way to the top! Billy closes the door. TRANSLUCENT: Wait, wait! No, no, no, no, no! Please, wait, wait, wait. Listen, I can help you. I'm fucking invisible! We can be a team. Billy is about to press the button, but Frenchie gets his attention. FRENCHIE: Butcher! A moment, s'il vous plait. Billy walks over and all three look at Frenchie’s computer. FRENCHIE: Here. Homelander is seen zipping by on a live feed. HUGHIE: What is that? BILLY: Homelander. HUGHIE: That's Homelander? Homelander's here? Oh, shit. Oh, shit! He could see us. He's got X-ray vision. He can see through the fucking roof. FRENCHIE: And super fucking hearing. You pull that detonator, he will hear. In the backroom, Translucent is able to read Hughie’s lips. TRANSLUCENT: Homelander. BILLY: We got to throw him off the scent. HUGHIE: But how? BILLY: Pittsburgh. FRENCHIE: Oh, you cannot be serious, huh? BILLY: Deadly. FRENCHIE: You know how much this will cost me? BILLY: Put it on the tab. Billy leaves. Frenchie follows. HUGHIE: Guys? Cut to outside. Billy and Frenchie get in Frenchie’s van. BILLY: Where is it? FRENCHIE: Back door panel. Billy goes into the back of the van and gets out a hidden computer. Cut to Frenchie’s place. Cherie is watching TV. Her phone rings. GUNPOWDER: Look, the mall shooting's a tragedy. I'm just saying, if more people were armed, maybe I wouldn't have to save the day every time. NEWS ANCHOR: So, in a situation- Cherie answers her phone. CHERIE: Hello? FRENCHIE: Cherie. It's a burn. CHERIE: You're joking. Now? FRENCHIE: No joke, I'm afraid. CHERIE: Fine. I'll be ready in three. Billy continues working on the computer. FRENCHIE: Come on. BILLY: Frenchie, I'm getting shit reception here. FRENCHIE: Well, figure it the fuck out, huh? Cherie prepares explosives in the apartment. CHERIE: Come on. Cut to the back room. Translucent fills his glass with pee and throws it on the wiring connected to his cage, shorting it out and allowing him to open the gate. Cut to the van. Homelander knocks on the window. HOMELANDER: Evening. FRENCHIE: Holy shit. You're the Homelander. I am talking to the Homelander. HOMELANDER: Mm-hmm. Sir, I need to see some ID. Translucent opens the door. Hughie holds the detonator in front of him. HUGHIE: Get the fuck back in that cage. Translucent makes himself visible. TRANSLUCENT: Just take it easy. Okay? Cut back to the van. HOMELANDER: You doing out here? FRENCHIE: This is my place. We I'm, uh I'm opening a Fogo de Chao. You know what a churrascaria is? HOMELANDER: Yeah. It's a Brazilian steakhouse. Sir, I need to see in the back of the van. FRENCHIE: No offense, you got a warrant or something? HOMELANDER: Well, if you got nothing back there, then you got nothing to worry about, right? Cut back inside the building. HUGHIE: Please get back in the cage. TRANSLUCENT: I'm not getting back in that cage, man. I do, I am dead. HUGHIE: Yeah, well, if you don't you're dead. Back outside, Homelander looks inside the van with his x-ray vision. Billy hides behind a dumpster nearby, watching. Cut back in the building. TRANSLUCENT: Just think. You kill me, they'll never stop looking for you. You'll be glancing over your shoulder your whole life till they find you, which they will. Back outside, Billy presses a button on the computer. Cut to Cherie running out of Frenchie’s place as it explodes. Back at the van, Homelander hears the explosion. FRENCHIE: Everything all right, sir? Homelander flies off. Billy gets up and looks at Frenchie. Cut back into the building. TRANSLUCENT: Look, you let me go you'll be the hero that saved Translucent. It's not too late. You can still go home. Back to your life. Hughie takes his finger off the trigger. TRANSLUCENT: Attaboy. Translucent walks away. Hughie again looks at the sign that says, “Keep your hands clean!” As Translucent makes himself invisible again, Hughie presses the trigger. Translucent explodes, getting blood and guts everywhere. Hughie looks at the sign one last time. “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways plays as Hughie stands in the mess of Translucent’s remains. END CREDITS