Chapter 5: Potential

While lost in thought, Kevin hadn't even noticed how he made it back to his apartment. Climbing to the second floor, he opened the door and realized, with a start, that he'd left the lights on in his earlier rush of emotions. He wiped his feet on the mat, cringing at the American habit of wearing shoes indoors.

Kevin found a pair of new slippers in the closet, quickly discarded his dirty boots, and happily settled down on the sofa. His eyes landed on a strange painting of a guitarist, rendered in a style close to avant-garde. In his previous life, Kevin hadn't been a fan of paintings, particularly those that distorted standard forms to suit the artist's vision. He especially disliked art featuring figures that seemed to stare back at the observer, perhaps a quirk from childhood or something acquired in adulthood. Just as the original Kevin had been unnerved by people's fascination with his gills, the current Kevin felt uneasy under the painting's gaze.

He stood from the dark blue sofa and flipped the painting to face the wall. "That's better," Kevin muttered, now feeling more at ease as he began to contemplate his situation.

He approached the table and picked up his nearly dead phone. Delving into the fragmented memories of The Deep's life, he entered the password and opened his banking app. To his surprise, he found that a member of The Seven, and arguably the fourth or fifth most popular one, had only sixty-seven thousand dollars to his name. The realization shocked Kevin, and he strained to recall why the supposed "king of the seven seas" was in such a dire financial state.

Sifting through the resurfacing memories, Kevin felt a wave of horror and torment from The Deep's past experiences in the sea. He recalled being at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion and witnessing the infamous garbage islands. In his previous life, Kevin might have been horrified by images of oil spills but would forget about them within ten minutes, returning to his mundane existence. However, the old Kevin had no such luxury. He had been in that environmental hell, using his powers, which turned out to be inadequate in the face of such disaster, to help.

For several days, The Deep had listened to the agonized screams of marine life, each voice desperately calling for help. The fading cries of old victims were constantly replaced by the new ones. The current Kevin couldn't imagine how his predecessor had endured three days of this torment without leaving with the Vought film crew, who had arrived to document The Deep's "heroic" efforts.

Kevin experienced only a fraction of The Deep's true emotions and memories, but it was enough to give him nightmares for days. He felt how something in The Deep had broken by the end of the third day. In a fit of madness, The Deep had dived into the ocean without a boat, breaking through the oil slick and swimming several hundred kilometers underwater without surfacing, suffering from a severe lack of air. After returning to land, he refused to keep any personal records of such events and could no longer live recklessly as before.

In response, he had funneled 70% of his income into organizations fighting ocean pollution. The remaining money was spent on wild nights out, influenced by Lamplighter and Mister Marathon. This wasn't just entertainment; it was an attempt to forget the trauma. Despite these efforts, even seven years later, he still occasionally woke up in a cold sweat, haunted by the cries of marine creatures, accusing him of cowardice and betrayal.

The situation was further exacerbated by his teammates' lack of support. Maeve and Translucent couldn't care less; Maeve was more focused on Homelander, while Translucent kept an eye on his growing bank account. Lamplighter and Mister Marathon were more interested in their next fix and groupies. Noir was largely silent, lost in his own world.

As for Homelander, he had never been an ally. From the beginning, Homelander had seen The Deep as a potential threat and responded with hostility. He had sought any excuse to undermine him, eventually seizing on The Deep's gills, which Kevin had naively shared in confidence. The next day, sketches of the gills appeared online, and when Kevin confronted Homelander, he received only a cold smile and the remark that "a true hero should have no secrets from the people."

Vought, rather than reprimanding Homelander, decided to exploit The Deep's connection to the aquatic world by sending him there, especially after the incident with Starlight. This decision crushed Kevin's self-esteem, and without the courage to open up to a psychologist and under constant mockery from Homelander, he had spiraled into a dark place, leading to the incident with Starlight. He had begun to resemble a second Homelander, hurting those weaker to assert his own importance.

As Kevin emerged from these grim memories, he felt a strong urge for a drink. However, upon opening the fridge, he found only a couple of cans of a local soda called Fresca.

"Well, it's better than tap water," Kevin muttered with a shrug, grabbing a can and opening it. As he sipped the fizzy drink, he reflected on the memories he'd just relived. "The guy's been through a lot, and his end wasn't far off, given his mental state." Kevin chuckled softly, murmuring, "Homelander jealous of you? Hahaha..." Even though he was now inhabiting The Deep's body, Kevin couldn't help but find the idea that Homelander had been jealous of his predecessor amusing.

Continuing in a quiet voice, Kevin mused, "But with me in this body, making Homelander jealous might not be so far off. Or at least, I hope that's the case." He took another sip of the soda, pondering his current situation. Kevin might not fully grasp it yet, but he had the potential to rise to a level that could indeed make the mighty Homelander envious.