The Good Life: Explosive Finish (ch. 33) (Patreon)

Homelander screamed. It was a scream of loss. Of pain. A wretched sound that barely sounded like it could come from a man. A hand hovered over Stormfront as if he was looking for a way to put her head back together. And I could only stand and watch as Homelander broke down, tears falling from his cheeks. He sounded lost. He sounded broken.

It hurt to hear. It hurt to see. His face was splattered with blood, tears left trails through it down his cheeks. He hunched over his dead lover and I couldn't help but feel guilt. True guilt. I had saved his life, I understood -- the blood red beam. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it did something to Stormfront, something to her powers. They hoped to hit Homelander with it to rob him of his powers, making it possible to kill him. I knew that. I understood.

But I was still the one that swapped him with Stormfront. Why didn't I swap him with Queen Maeve? Or Black Noir? I just acted on reflex and… and Homelander was suffering for it.

The fight paused as a heavy silence fell upon the area, the only sound to be found were the crackling of the flames that spread from the fires. The distant sirens and sounds of panic. However, as Homelander's wrecked scream tampered off, it was as if Paris itself was holding its breath for his reaction. And, slowly, he began to rise. “Why?” He whispered, his gaze turning to Butcher, who basked in the moment.

He was outside of my Room, but I saw it. Euphoria. That was the only way I could think to describe his expression. He was happy. Ecstatic. He looked every bit as happy as I did when I was ruining Stan's day, or when Rumi was fighting. He didn't hide it. He simply tossed his weapon aside, and Homelander exploded into action. I was quick to follow, arriving just as Homelander did, a sonic boom following him as he went down the block, coming to an abrupt halt in front of Butcher and grabbed him by the coat. “WHY?!”

Butcher didn't seem phased. He just gave Homelander an easy, almost charming smile. “I just wanted to hurt you,” he answered in complete honesty, utterly unashamed and without fear. I saw it in Butcher's eyes, he understood he was dead. He just didn't care because in his eyes, he had won.

And, more than anything else, that's why I knew we were cut from the same cloth.

“Why?” Homelander demanded, his voice softer. “Why would you want to hurt me? I'm me. I'm the Homelander. I'm a hero! A God! Why would you want to hurt me?!” Homelander thundered, his eyes glowing red.

Butcher smiled, “Because of Becca. My wife. A woman that you raped. She killed herself because of it and she was the only good thing in my life. I would have preferred to kill you… but I suppose this ain't half bad. Can't complain,” Butcher stated, his voice casual as Homelander lifted him into the air. I could feel the growing fury in his chest, his limbs trembling.

Homelander grit his teeth like he was trying to swallow it back but he screamed in Butcher’s face. A wordless roar that conveyed his hate better than words could ever hope to. A fist lashed out, punching through Butcher’s gut in a spray of blood, and Homelander grabbed hold of his spine before with a savage yank, he tore it out. Butcher was dead then and there, but Homelander tore into him like a wild animal. His limbs came off, he ripped open his ribcage before he finally clasped Butcher’s skull and crushed it between his hands.

He was doused in blood. It dripped freely from his suit, the mangled corpse of Butcher before him. Homelander folded into himself, grabbing at his head, trying to smooth back his hair in an attempt to collect himself. His hands trembled before he roared down at the corpse, his hate not at all satiated.

“Oh, fuck,” Queen Maeve breathed, just a hair above a whisper. Homelander's gaze snapped to her, and she flinched at the insane hate that shone in his gaze. He blurred into action and I reacted. I grabbed Kimiko, Sam, Golden Boy, and Yoruichi and I bounced back. A sonic boom ripped through the space as Homelander arrived, grabbing Queen Maeve by the throat with enough force that she immediately began to turn purple.

“TRAITORS! You worked for them. The fucking monkeys. You betrayed me,” Homelander roared, veins bulging in his face as his grip tightened. Queen Maeve lashed out, kicking and punching and scratching at Homelander. Her attempts growing more desperate as Rumi pounced forward, but that split second delay was too late. I heard a loud crack fill the air as Homelander snapped Queen Maeve's neck. Then, with the same motion, he used her corpse as a club to slam into Rumi, sending her flying and carving a trench into the ground.

He turned to Black Noir, who went still, and Homelander shook his head. His bottom lip trembled, and tears fell from his eyes. There were no words to trade between them as Homelander blurted forward, lashing out with a hand and like a scythe through wheat, the edge of his hand tore through Black Noir's neck, decapitating him. His body collapsed in a heap while Homelander caught his head with a gloved hand, blood dripping down his wrist.

Betrayal. That's what Homelander felt as he looked down at Black Noir's head, letting it fall from his grasp as he dropped the corpse of Queen Maeve. I sensed Rumi was trying to get up, but the injuries she sustained from Cinder had already weakened her. I'm pretty sure she was down for the count now. Homelander tried to take a calming breath before he looked over at us. To me. Our eyes met across the short distance, a road between us.

A myriad of expressions flickered across his face and I saw that he knew what happened. What I did.

“I'm sorry,” I told him, making Homelander pause. “I just wanted to save you,” I admitted to him, making his bottom lip quiver as he choked back a sob. He looked down for a moment, his hands on his hips as he tried to take in a deep breath.

“I-I know,” Homelander said, his voice thick with emotion. Sorrow and loss intermixed with the hate and rage. “You… you’re… I don't know w-what I should do,” Homelander gasped out, his breathing hitching as more tears fell.

To that, I offered a weak but gentle smile. “You're the Homelander. Do whatever the fuck you want.”

I saw that the words resonated with him and he gave me a feeble smile in response. He looked down at the corpses of Queen Maeve and Black Noir for but a moment. Then he looked at the skyline, his gaze drifting to the Eiffel Tower. There was a brief moment of peace, the emotions within him solidifying into something. A terrible resolve that the world would stare on in horror.

For his eyes began to glow a brilliant shade of red and his heat vision leapt forth, crossing the distance between us and the Eiffel Tower. The heat vision cut right through the aged metal, glowing white hot as the two halves of the tower began to separate. The top of it began to topple forth, slamming into the ground with a long fall that only took a few short seconds, and I felt a gentle rumbling from the impact of hundreds of tons of metal.

Homelander looked at his handiwork before an ugly smile tugged at his lips. His eyes glowed red once more before his gaze swept out, burning a hole through the buildings a block down from us. The intensity of his gaze burned through buildings three blocks down from the first -- concrete and metal melting into ooze, people on the fringes of the battle screaming at the top of their lungs as they began to flee. Homelander drifted upwards into the air, his laser vision lashing out again, taking out another block in the span of a few seconds.

His intentions were clear.

He was going to level Paris.

“Yoruichi… could you win?” I asked her, watching as Homelander flew above the city, his heat vision carving large swaths of destruction across the city. Sounds of death and fear and chaos reached us as we watched on.

Yoruichi gave me a lingering look before she snorted, “I'd win. Would be a pain actually getting up to him, though.”

It was a strange thing, but I believed her. She could beat Homelander.

“Do you want to fight him?” I asked, watching on as the world's greatest hero laid waste to Paris. He didn't just use his heat vision. He used his speed. He flew through buildings and people, leaving a sonic boom in his wake that damaged everyone he didn't kill outright. It was a massacre. A slaughter in the truest meaning of the word.

Yoruichi shook her head, “I can if you want me to, but I know he's your nemesis. Or crush. Or both,” she teased. Then her gaze slid to Rumi, who was being cared for by Asami, who had made her way to us. “I think you'd regret it if you sent me after him, even if it means we won.” Her tone was blunt and honest and I believed her.

It had never been about winning. Sure, it would be nice -- especially when the wider multiverse was about to open up for us -- but that was never the goal. There was no point in beating Homelander unless I was the one to beat him. The one to defeat him. But, looking at him now, watching as he took his grief out on Paris… it was hard to imagine the epic battle that I had always craved. That fateful confrontation as an unstoppable force met an immovable object.

I just felt bad for him. Even now, as he devastated the ancient city. I heard the roar of jet engines overhead, a warning of sorts. Homelander dispatched them with ease, physically tearing through them. And, in doing so, a loud explosion filled the air, telling me that the jets had been carrying missiles that would have been used on us if they managed to come near.

I swallowed a sigh, “Yeah, you’re right. He should feel better once he gets it out of his system,” I ventured as another loud explosion filled the air. This time, Homelander destroyed a fuel depo, I think. Thick columns of smoke began to fill the air, the flames rising even as a gentle pitter-patter of rain fell from the gray clouds above.

Golden Boy looked at me with an expression akin to horror, “You’re fucking insane! Look at him! He’s killing everyone!” He yelled, starting to get in my face about it before Sam placed a hand on his chest to stop him from taking a step forward.

I shrugged, thoroughly indifferent. “Then you do something about it,” I replied flippantly as I cast my gaze over to Rumi and Asami. Rumi was sporting some broken bones, particularly her ribs and an arm. All the same, she was forcing her way to her feet. I hummed in thought, tilting my head back and forth in consideration.

There was an old equation online that made the rounds on the sites I frequented, and it had a surge in relevance with the downfall of the Supes -- ‘How long would it take Homelander to destroy the world?’ I remember my days in the trenches of the forums, debating one way or another. The answer was more complicated than one might think, given that everyone had different measurements of what ‘destroyed’ constituted. Some thought it meant the extermination of humans, others thought it meant the downfall of modern society.

The answer for the latter was six days and twelve hours.

Take out the nerve centers of nations -- satellites, infrastructure, and leadership. Destroy, or at least severely damage, major cities. Crush any military bases and equipment. From there, the nation would collapse in upon itself and he could move on. The biggest kicker of the equation was that it assumed roughly thirty minutes as a generous estimate of how much time it would take him to destroy a city.

Looking at him now, I realized that it was closer to fifteen minutes.

Golden Boy hesitated while I acted. “Robin, we’re heading back to the states. Homelander is going to vent a bit, and we can have a showdown with him and his followers. A good proper showdown,” I decided.

“I anticipated as much,” Robin replied, sounding amused. “The airfield that we used is still in the clear, but I am catching unusual chatter. It may be best to leave sooner rather than later,” she remarked, not quite sounding worried, but certainly sounding alert. Which I was taking as a sign that I should be as well. I looked at the three balls that floated around my shoulders and, with a sigh, I released them. The water splashed out. The lightning cackled and vanished with a clap of thunder. The ball of fire was launched into the air, vaporizing a layer of rain with a flash of heat, but vanished all the same.

“Sounds good to me,” I said, stepping to the edge of the building that we stood on, “Oi! Rumi! Asami! We’re getting out of here. You coming with?”

Rumi flipped me the bird, “Get fucked-” She began, only to sway dangerously on her feet and half collapsed. It was only then that I noticed that she was bleeding from her rabbit ears. Yeah, she was done for. Asami caught her and she looked up at me with a sour expression but nodded all the same. She was a good person. Kind hearted. However, she wasn’t an idiot. I could tell how badly she wanted to do something about Homelander, but she knew she couldn’t, and knew that I wouldn’t.

It was a harsh lesson, I knew, but one that would serve her well in the future. All the good intentions in the world didn’t mean a damn thing if you didn’t have the power to enforce them.

“I have a plane,” she said, wincing at the sound of another explosion.

And with that, we left Paris to its fate.

…

By the time we arrived at the airfield, Homelander had leveled Paris and the country was in a state of emergency. Technically speaking, we shouldn’t have been able to fly out of the country at all, but being criminals had its benefits. The news was alit with terror as the entire world watched the events unfold with dawning horror -- it was on emergency channels in every country.

Fifteen minutes. It took Homelander fifteen minutes to level Paris, reducing the once proud and ancient city to nothing. There wasn’t a single intact building left, and by initial reports, it was expected that he had killed hundreds of thousands of people. Maybe even a million.

The world held its breath in terror, hoping that would be the end of it. That Homelander would suddenly come to his senses, understand what he did, and… give up. Because that was the world’s only hope. The world already missed its shot at killing him with Soldier Boy, and if they had something better than him up their sleeve, then they would have used it.

When those fifteen minutes were over, when nothing in Paris was left standing… Homelander flew off. But not in a random direction. In a very deliberate one.

He flew towards London.

It took him less time to reach London than it had to destroy Paris and it was there that his intentions were known. He didn’t declare them. He didn’t make any speeches. He didn’t say so much as a word, but everyone knew exactly what he intended when Homelander arrived at London and immediately toppled Big Ben. The Englishmen barely had time to react, much less evacuate or muster up a military response. The UK hadn’t been prepared for the sheer wrath that Homelander brought down upon them.

He was slower with London. Not because he was tiring, but because he was becoming more… methodical. Instead of being blinded by rage, he became driven by it. He hit the population centers, the infrastructure, and government nerve centers. He slaughtered the royal family with slow and deliberate actions, letting the world witness.

When he was done there, he moved upwards to strike Cambridge. Then Norwich. From there he followed the coast, entering Scotland and devastating Endesberg and Glasgow. Then he swept back down, hitting Dublin in Ireland, then Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham.

The UK fell within four hours.

Within that time, we were just barely over the halfway mark of our return trip to New York. Rumi was unconscious, but everyone else was glued to the news, watching it in horror. Or remorse, in my case. Even Yoruichi seemed to be having some second doubts about leaving Homelander be, but a glance in my direction seemed to reassure her of the path we chose. Asami looked like she was going to be sick, her skin pale as her gaze was glued to the screen in the private jet that she had flown in.

Four hours was enough time for the rest of the world to muster up a response. It wasn’t much of a response, though. Homelander flew back into France and began to devastate the rest of it, and all the while he was attacked by planes and jets and missiles. None of it did anything to him. He took the shots, he took the explosions, then he killed whatever shot at him. The French military rolled out everything they had -- everything that they thought would bring him to a stop.

They used sonic-based weapons, and Homelander simply powered through the pain to destroy the sources of the noise. He simply held his breath and flew through gas-based chemical agents. They did everything that they could to slow him down and he just rolled through it like it wasn’t even there.

It took us seven hours to reach New York. Seven hours. Hardly any time at all. Not even a full days work. Seven hours. Yet, in that time, Homelander destroyed the UK and brought France to its knees and it seemed that he was heading into Germany next.

As we landed at New York’s Airport, the city was almost silent in terror, afraid that if anyone so much as made a peep that Homelander would come for them. The devastation that had rocked the city to its foundation was almost forgotten as everyone left in the city watched the news in horror.

“Asami,” I spoke up as we got off the plane, making her turn to me. “You had better warm up the Dias,” I said, making my way to my destination -- seven hours was enough to form a plan of action. To get ready for the final showdown and the curtain call.

“The batteries don't even half a fraction of the charge-” Asami began, cutting herself off when I glanced over my shoulder at her, my gaze conveying my meaning. Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click and she swallowed thickly. The message was received and she nodded stiffly. “I'll take care of it,” she said, breaking off with Golden Boy, Sam, and Kimiko with the latter carrying Rumi. She was going to be pissed that she missed out, I reflected.

That left Robin and Yoruichi with me. “Where are Cinder and Starlight being held?” I asked as we entered the city properly.

“Right now, they're in a holding cell beneath Vought Tower. They were meant to be sent to a black site, but it seems that the guards became… distracted with current events,” Robin stated. “Our gang members are being marshaled and it seems that they're pinning their hopes on you, Law. You've become the world's last hope of beating Homelander.”

Now that was some irony. I huffed in amusement, and I was glad for that much. My gang was just a bunch of fodder as far as I was concerned, but fodder could hold some of the Supes in place. I could almost picture it now -- Homelander would finish venting in Europe, he’d fly back over to America to reunite with his army of supes. Then we would fight one final time.

And one of us would die.

“There is one complication, however. It seems that Homelander took over the building and most of his Supes are there. I'm currently unaware of if they know of Cinder and Starlight's presence,” Robin continued as I began to pick up the pace, swapping us with some items down the road as we began to near the building on downtown Manhattan.

Hm. Less than ideal. Part of Robin's revenge entailed Cinder being helpless when we finally got around to her. If the other Supes had already freed her… ah, well, no point in crying over spilt milk. We arrived not a minute later and…

Vought Tower had seen some better days. The damage that was inflicted at the start of the rampage wasn't repaired, leaving a large black spot where one of the offices exploded. Most of the glass that covered the building was shattered, the glass shards still on the ground but walkways were cleared through the mess. It was almost a shame to see such a once dominating building be left in such a state, but I felt more pride than anything. It was almost symbolic, in a way.

Vought was done for. Stan was dead. Most of the Seven were dead. The age of corporate heroes was dead.

And it all died at my hands.

Smiling to myself I brazenly approached the building with Robin and Yoruichi in tow. We entered the lobby and I saw that there were a handful of people inside -- no costumes, and I didn't recognize them, but given that they were here, they were probably Supes. They were watching a flat-screen that showed snippets of videos taken by those that had managed to survive Homelander's wrath. It seemed like he had arrived in Berlin.

One of them turned around, their eyes widening when they settled on us, but I paid them no mind. “Room,” I intoned, creating a Room… and… “Found you,” I said, swapping the three of us with some office chairs down below. And… huh. The Vought secret basement wasn't that far away from Asami's secret basement. A good hundred feet underground, thick steel walls -- an area designed for containing Supes.

Before us were a few bulkhead doors, complete with an airlock. I looked over to Robin, seeing her look at the security footage from within the cells. Cinder was currently pacing back and forth, her expression twisted into an ugly scowl while Starlight was sitting in the corner, her head in her hands, and not so much as moving a muscle. It seemed that they were processing this turn of events very differently.

“We can use them both,” Robin decided, looking at me and giving a small nod.

Good enough for me, I decided as I opened Cinder’s cell. From the footage, I saw her immediately react, getting ready to attack whoever came through the door. I positioned myself in front of the doorway, the heavy and thick bulkhead doors slowly swinging open, one after another. When both were open, my gaze met Cinder’s and I immediately saw surprise flicker over her face.

“Law. You came to rescue me?” She questioned, her guard all the way up even as she gave me a smoldering seductive gaze.

“Maybe. If you can give me a reason to,” I replied, making Cinder come to a screeching halt just as she started to approach. I could see it in her gaze that she understood exactly why I would say that.

All the same, she adopted an uncertain expression. “I will admit that I am of… diminished use to you as a spy within the Seven,” Cinder started, dancing around the issue. She didn't know for certain that I knew what she did, and even on the chance that I didn't, she didn't want to admit to it. “However, I imagine that you will need fighters, and I still possess vital information that would be useful for your cause.” She argued, sounding calm if wary.

I nodded, “I imagine that's true.”

Cinder latched onto that thread. “I can openly work with you-” she began, and just as she was getting her hopes up, I swept her legs from underneath her.

“You sold out Robin’s location,” I interjected and Cinder went still, knowing that she had been caught. On cue, Robin stepped into the doorway and draped herself over me, leaning her head on my shoulder as she gave Cinder a small cutting smile. I wasn't proficient in girl speak, but I think the translation for that was ‘Get wrecked, bitch.’ “Robin is willing to forgive and forget, but me… not so much, Cinder. How did you even find her in the first place?”

Cinder licked her lips, and for the first time, she appeared nervous. “Satellites and Instagram,” she answered and of all the things she could have answered with… I had to admit, that wasn't one of them. “I understand the strengths and weaknesses of powers better than most. I knew that Devil’s Child must have some range limit, and I used satellite images to narrow down the list of potential suspects each time she used her powers. Skin tone helped some. However, when I found a match in Instagram and Tiktok posts of the same woman being within a mile of each incident… I had the list of suspects followed, and given the close nature of your living arrangements, I concluded that she was Devil's Child.”

I could tell that Robin was faintly surprised. “Tik Tok?” She questioned with a tilt of her head.

“You're an attractive woman that dresses provocatively,” Cinder answered and… oh. Right. I forgot men were creeps sometimes.

“Hm. It seems that it was my mistake that led to my capture,” Robin remarked lightly, sounding thoughtful.

“Nah. I say it's because someone was feeling a little jealous,” Yoruichi interjected, draping herself on the other side of my body. She wore a small teasing smile that she sent at Cinder, who narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Translation: ‘You thought you were sly, bitch.’ “I don't see what we have to gain from keeping her around,” she added, simply stirring the pot for the sake of stirring it.

It had the desired effect on Cinder, though. Her eyes flashed and, for the briefest of seconds, I felt her anger surge. It vanished as quickly as it came, however, like boiling water underneath a lid. The pressure would pop the top eventually, but for now, there was a cap on her anger as she began to approach.

There were a lot of things that I was expecting Cinder to do to weasel out of the situation. That she would bargain. Maybe even try to seduce me. I even saw begging because, in the end, Cinder was a woman defined by her ambitions. She wouldn't stop, she wouldn't relent, and she wouldn't quit until she stood at the top. It's why I liked her so much. It's why I liked Stan so much. They had a goal in mind, and they followed it like the North Star.

Cinder came to a stop before me before she dropped to a knee and bowed her head. “I was mistaken. I attempted to leverage my position against you, and that was foolish. What I should have done is what I'm doing now -- allow me to swear allegiance to you, Law. To you and your cause. I swear, I will serve you faithfully and without reservation,” Cinder uttered and that… that sounded like she was repeating something.

I looked down at Cinder and the sight of her bowing was almost enough to make me forget about Homelander and how he suffered, even now. I wanted to smile. I wanted to laugh.

She was lying through her fucking teeth.

Cinder was only capable of being loyal to herself. She would pay lip service to being dedicated to my ‘cause’ but she was completely incapable of being loyal. I glanced at Robin, feeling like I was asking her to keep the puppy we just found and she simply rolled her eyes at my obvious excitement. All the same, she offered a shallow nod, granting permission to my unspoken question.

Cinder could come with us.

I couldn't wait to see how she would try to work her way up the nonexistent ladder to the top. That was going to be hilarious.

“Sounds good to me, Cinder. Welcome aboard,” I said, making Cinder look up. She searched my face for a moment as if I was the one trying to deceive her. Or, maybe, she was searching for traces of evidence that I knew she was trying to deceive me. Relief seemed to flood through her, the tension easing out of her shoulders as she stood up. “I'll leave Starlight to you,” I added, curious to see what she would do.

“Of course,” Cinder said, bowing her head ever so slightly and I found myself growing more interested. That, I noticed, seemed ingrained into her. I hadn’t seen that… subservient side of her until now, but it seemed like she had experience bowing to the lead of another. Which I hadn’t expected, and I was curious on who exactly had held Cinder’s leash before me.

Now wasn’t the time to learn, I decided as Cinder collected Starlight. The rookie hero looked like her soul had been scooped right out of her, her face a mess of bruises as she simply followed Cinder as silently as a ghost. That was going to be an interesting dynamic, and I didn’t see her being much help in the upcoming fight, but I suppose time would tell.

With Cinder and Starlight rescued, we headed up the elevator, arriving in the lobby. I was well aware of what would be greeting us before the doors even opened. Our arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed and, like the good army that they were, the Supes within the building had arranged an ambush-

“We have to stop Homelander,” Homelander’s army all but begged me the moment that the doors slid open. I didn’t recognize the speaker -- a dark-skinned girl with dreadlocks. Pretty. She was flanked by another person that I didn’t recognize -- an Asian guy, a bit of a pretty boy with short black hair and loose-fitting clothes. They stood at the front of the pack, and behind them I did see some familiar faces.

Cate in a neckbrace, her expression alarmed and fearful.

It took me a moment to process the request, a slow frown tugging at the corners of my lips. “You’re Homelander’s army. What the fuck do you mean, ‘we have to stop him?’ You’re on his side,” I felt compelled to remind them and the dark skinned girl shook her head.

“We already took care of the loyalists,” she informed. And you fucking what? “The rest of us… Homelander’s gone insane. He’s murdering millions of people. Why the fuck would we work with him? You’re trying to stop him, right? So, lets stop him. We’ll do whatever you need.” She stated, giving me a firm nod and I could see the resolve in her eyes. She meant it. She didn’t like me, I could tell that much, but Homelander was the greater evil between us, so she was willing to work with me.

They all were.

What the fuck!?

Yoruichi immediately busted a gut laughing, throwing her head back and hanging off of me because she didn’t have the strength to stand from the force of her laughter. It was loud, deep from the gut laughter that was every bit as joyful as I was annoyed. I could see Cinder looking at the back of my head with newfound respect, likely thinking that this was some clever ploy of mine to gain an army of Supes. Only Robin seemed to both understand and empathize with my immense disappointment with the turn of events.

Oh, Homelander was going to be so upset. I stole his army. What a bunch of disloyal bastards. I should steal their hearts and make them fight for Homelander.

I saw Cate’s eyes widening as she must have heard the thought, and just when I was about to spring into action to do exactly as I planned, I saw something beyond her. The TV screen that the Supes had been gathered around when we entered the lobby. No one was paying it any mind now that I was here, giving me a clear view of what was on the screen.

A mushroom cloud in the heart of Berlin.