Having emerged from the park, Kevin found himself standing on an empty road in the quiet night city. He had nothing in his pockets but the keys to his apartment. Concentrating, Kevin recalled the name of his street: Tyler Street. However, he had no idea where he was currently or how to get back to his apartment.
Kevin considered asking for directions, but the streets were deserted. Knocking on a stranger's door at this hour didn't seem like the best idea. So, relying on luck, Kevin trudged off in a random direction.
After wandering for half an hour at a speed that would be considered running for an ordinary person, Kevin slowed his "strolling pace" and listened intently. He could hear a car approaching from around the next corner. Accelerating sharply, he almost collided with a passing car, startling the young couple inside. The driver was a well-built brunette, dressed in clothes that looked hastily put on. Next to him sat an African American woman with chestnut hair and a stunning figure, poorly hidden by a long black sweater.
"Hello," Kevin greeted the surprised couple as he approached the car.
They stared at him in silent shock. Kevin waved a hand in front of their faces, trying to snap them out of it. "Guys, now's not the time to space out, please."
The man finally regained his composure, exclaiming in surprise, "Y-You're The Deep, right?" The woman beside him remained silent, her eyes wide with shock as she gazed at Kevin.
"Yes, I... am The Deep," Kevin replied, the realization dawning on him that he was now a public figure, a media personality recognized by everyone. He needed to get used to this new reality. "Anyway, I decided... to patrol the city, but I, uh, forgot my map and mobile phone at home." Kevin felt a little ridiculous explaining this, but he pressed on. "Could you tell me where Tyler Street is?"
The young man, still processing the situation, smiled brightly, unable to believe he was helping a supe. "Yes, of course! You're on Taylor Street now. Go to the end of the street, turn right, and walk on the left side. The fifth turn will lead you to Tyler Street." The girl beside him, however, seemed displeased as she listened to her companion.
"Thank you," Kevin said sincerely, ready to head home when the young man called out again.
"Wait! Can I take a photo with you?" he asked, pulling out his phone.
"Of course," Kevin agreed after a brief hesitation. The brunette quickly got out of the car and set up his phone for a selfie.
"Thank you!" the young man exclaimed, thrilled, as he climbed back into the car.
"You're welcome," Kevin replied, a bit embarrassed by the situation. In his previous life, he had been a nobody; people never asked him for pictures.
As he replayed the route to his apartment in his mind, Kevin's enhanced hearing caught snippets of the couple's conversation as they drove away.
"Why the hell did you even bother taking a photo with this asshole?!" the girl snapped, her voice filled with anger.
"But he's The Deep, a member of The Seven!" the young man replied, clearly confused by her reaction. To him, taking a photo with a supe was an honor, like meeting a god walking among mortals.
"He's a fucking rapist! Don't you care what he did to Starlight?!" she retorted, her voice seething with anger.
"But he apologized," the brunette responded, though he sounded uncertain.
"So if he rapes me and then apologizes, are you going to shake his hand and ask for another selfie?!" she shot back, her voice full of fury.
"What? Of course not!" the young man exclaimed, clearly disturbed by the suggestion. Even though he was just a regular human, he would stand up to a supe for the sake of the woman beside him.
Kevin didn't hear the rest of their conversation, but the part he did hear was enough to remind him why The Deep had ended up in this small town and the bleak future that awaited him. He wasn't sure if things had improved in the series since he hadn't seen the second season and knew almost nothing about the third. Life's struggles hadn't left him much time for TV shows.
From what his only friend had told him and from the trailer, he remembered that The Seven would include a new superheroine, Stormfront. In the comics "The Boys," which he had ironically managed to read, Stormfront was a man, a Nazi from World War II, one of the first supes to receive the full version of the Compound V serum. In the comics, Stormfront was more akin to Homelander—powerful but filled with hatred, not for people's weaknesses, but for their "inferior" blood.
Kevin also recalled that in the third season, almost immediately after the second, they planned to introduce Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles. He wondered if there was a connection between the two characters, as Soldier Boy had been part of Stormfront's team and his subordinate in the comics.
What intrigued Kevin most was the memory that Stormfront was Homelander's father in the comics. With the gender swap in the series, he wondered if this character's introduction was Vought's attempt to stabilize Homelander after Stillwell's death. The main supe of The Seven had shown clear psychological issues throughout the first season, and meeting his "mother" could potentially help. However, if Stormfront were indeed his mother, she would need a compelling reason for her absence from his life until now.