– General POV, A Therapist Office –
It had been little over a month since the night Starlight, Billy Butcher, Marvin Milk, Frenchie, and Kimiko had died.
Adem was currently sitting in front of a therapist he had found online- someone completely unrelated to the Vought.
He paid out of pocket, but at least there was minimal chance of someone manipulating him.
He did not want what had happened with Cate to happen to him.
He had been feeling odd, not physically, of course. He was one of the most physically fit men on the planet. His issues were psychological.
Ever since finding himself in this new world, with new powers, he seems to care less about other people.
He was never someone who would go out of his way to help others, but he had never hurt anyone besides a few drunken brawls. And even those he did not start- well except the one in a football game but that did not count. That's football.
Regardless, he felt he was far more violent now, here he not only actively hurt people but actually killed them as well. He was slightly afraid of turning into a psychopath, so here he was, trying to get a better control of himself.
"Sorry I was lost in thoughts for a moment, what was I saying?" Adem asked
"You were saying it all started sometime…"
"Right- Right. It all started the day I was born…"
– General POV, Around the Same Time, New York State –
"What the fuck do you mean my college offers has been rescind?! All of them?!" A teenager shouted towards an older gentleman.
"I am sorry Jamal, considering the situation…"
Jamal looked down at his left leg that was in a cast. He started to tremble in anger as he thought about the events of last month.
Jamal James was a high school senior who was dreaming of becoming an NFL player. He was facing an uphill battle as he was from a lower income family and he was rather small for a footballer- 5'10 (1.78 m), 180 lbs (81.6 kg)- but luckily, he was fast. He was no A-Train but he could run 40 yards in 4.35 seconds.
His natural athleticism gave him a chance, and he trained harder than anyone on his team; barely drank any alcohol, stayed away from drugs, and even dodged some problematic white girls who put holes in condoms…
He did nearly everything by the book; lifted weights 4 times a week, did drills his coaches taught him, watched game tape every night, and he even got 1220 in his SATs and maintained a 2.8 GPA.
He was a 4 star prospect with a promising future. He had several D1 offers, he was close to signing a deal with one of them- they offered him a full ride and 500k to play there, he was gonna get his mama out of the ghetto with that money, but now it was gone, because of that fucker- Khan!
That fucker flew at super speed close to the highway, the sound of supersonic flight had Jamal startle, and caused him to lose control of his motorcycle and break his left leg. His season was over, and colleges were unwilling to give lucrative NIL deals to players who would not play a single game in their senior year.
"So what? I am left here with my dick in my hand? Fuck this shit Uncle Greg! Can't I sue that bastard?"
"Who? Khan? Son, I am sorry to tell you but your mother already signed the agreement with the lawyers from Vought, they were generous enough to offer 5 thousand dollars."
"5K! Are you fucking kidding me, that's barely enough to cover the hospital bills! I lost millions!"
"Jamal, you know why your mother had to sign that deal," Uncle Greg said with a tired look. During the night of the incident Jamal was under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol level was recorded by the paramedics at the crash site.
"I had two fucking beers! The fucking paramedics recorded 0.04% for crying out loud- that's that's below the legal limit!" Jamal shouted with fury in his eyes.
"It's below the adult legal limit; you know as well as I do it's above the legal limit for you." His uncle said,
Jamal looked down in shame and fury, if he hadn't gone to that party, if he hadn't drunk those two beers, if he hadn't drove that night- "No, fuck that! It's that fucking Supes fault. I'll go to the news, I'll tell them my fucking story and ruin that fucking asshole,"
*sigh* "Son, I'll be honest with you, there is nothing we can do. The only reason you are not in jail is because your mother made that deal. You need to stop being angry with others, take a look at yourself, and fucking take some responsibility. No one made you drink and drive. You made a choice, and now you have to live with the consequences. You can either cry about it, or focus on your recovery, get better, and prove to those college recruiters you deserve a scholarship!"
Uncle Greg's outburst made Jamal shake his head, "Even if I show them I am healthy they won't give me the fucking NIL deal I deserve! Heck I might never be as fast as I was- before- before the incident." Seeing his nephew was not listening to him, Uncle Greg decided to try once again.
"Forget about the deals. Forget about the money. Forget about what you lost. Forget about what you can't do. Focus on what you can do. One day at a time, the doctors said you can make a full in 6 months if you take rehabilitation seriously, you might even make it to the end of the season,"
"..." Jamal was silent, he closed his eyes and once he opened them again there was a glint of madness in them that went unnoticed. "You are right Uncle Greg, I'll focus on what I can do."