The Unlucky Ones

"My mind's been having some problems..."

The Deep was in a lot of pain. He rubbed his forehead. Jupiter's arrival had already made him miserable, so to ease his suffering, he went to complain to his friends in the sea. But after he'd finished, he felt even worse. (-_-) (-_-)

A dolphin who'd traveled across the ocean told him that a certain island nation killed thousands of dolphins every year. WTF?! Those dolphins were all his friends! What were those idiots doing?!

"Don't suffer. Think about who you are. You're a member of the superhero team, The Seven! So think carefully about what you can do."

The therapist sitting across from The Deep furrowed his brows and gently advised him in a rich, resonant voice.

"You're right. I'm a superhero. I should do the things a superhero is supposed to do. If I want to do them, then everything will get better."

The Deep listened to the therapist and regained his confidence. He decided he wanted to be a good person and do the things a superhero ought to do.

Meanwhile, at Vought Tower.

Hughie nervously entered Vought Tower, led by a Vought lawyer. He looked at the crowd of people he'd only ever seen on TV before. His admiration for superheroes had vanished without a trace. All he felt now was pain and anger.

"Mr. Hughie, please come this way..."

The Vought lawyer, dressed in a black suit, looked at Hughie, who was standing there hesitantly, and spoke softly.

"Uh, okay..."

The lawyer's voice snapped Hughie out of his misery and nerves. Hughie shook his head, hurried after the lawyer, and took the elevator up to The Seven's conference room.

"Mr. Hughie, A-Train will be back shortly. Please sign here."

The lawyer smiled at Hughie and produced the same nondisclosure agreement worth forty-five thousand dollars.

"Sure, sure."

Hughie gave a slight nod and picked up the pen. He began to think, but the pain in his heart kept him from signing.

"Are you Mr. Hughie?"

Just as Hughie sat in his seat, pen in hand and uncertain what to do, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Hughie heard the voice and looked up. When he saw the person who'd arrived, his pupils trembled. It was his enemy, of course. He swore he'd never forget that man's dark skin for as long as he lived.

"Hahaha..."

"A-Train from The Seven is here."

The lawyer smiled at the newcomer, his laughter full of cheer.

"Mr. Hughie, I'm sorry about what happened to your girlfriend. You know, I had to catch a criminal. I couldn't stop in time."

A-Train sounded smug. He showed no sign of remorse.

"A-Train..."

Hughie stood up, his mind roaring. He desperately wanted to punch the bastard in front of him right in the face, but his self-control—or maybe his cowardice—kept him rooted to the spot.

"What's wrong? Want an autograph?"

A-Train saw Hughie standing there without a word and assumed he was just like the rabid fans he usually met, too excited to get a word out.

"I..."

Hughie's gaze grew sharper. His heart pounded relentlessly.

"Mr. A-Train, you've already apologized. You still have a lot to do."

Just as Hughie was about to say something, the secretary standing beside A-Train tactfully reminded him.

"Sure!"

A-Train hummed to himself and left the room, looking pleased with himself. As far as he was concerned, Vought had settled the matter today, just like always.

"Phew! Phew! Phew!"

Hughie stood in the room, panting. His mind felt like a complete mess.

"Mr. Hughie?"

The lawyer raised an eyebrow as he watched Hughie. He wasn't sure how Hughie was doing. Honestly, he'd seen rabid fans faint after meeting The Seven before. If Hughie passed out here, it would be another headache for him.

"I'd like to use the restroom, sir. I need to... I need to cool off."

Hughie's face and neck flushed red as he looked at the lawyer.

"Of course, but this agreement..."

The lawyer would be glad to let Hughie go cool off in the restroom, as long as it didn't interfere with his work.

"I'll sign it as soon as I get back."

Hughie nodded. He understood what the lawyer meant. This was how the man made his living, and Hughie wasn't going to hold it against him.

"All right."

The lawyer had gotten what he wanted, so he fell silent.

"Phew..."

Hughie took a deep breath, left The Seven's conference room, and headed toward the restroom with his head bowed.

"Thump..."

But Hughie was walking too quickly. He stumbled and crashed into someone coming toward him.

"Whoa there, sir. Please watch where you're going. If I hadn't reacted in time, you would've ended up in a state you'd never want to be in."

Hughie took a step back. Just as he was about to fall, he felt a powerful grip on his arm, pulling him back upright.

"S-sorry, and... thank you."

Hughie heard the voice beside him and raised his head slightly. The first thing he saw was a big F, followed by an exceptionally handsome face.

"Sir, you look troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?"

The newcomer was Jupiter, of course. He'd timed it just right and bumped into the little unlucky man in front of him, who looked completely lost.

"You're..."

Hughie looked at the man before him in confusion.

"I'm Free Man, the newest member of The Seven."

Jupiter flashed his trademark sunny smile.

"Free Man..."

Hughie paused. He vaguely felt like he'd heard the name before.

"I-I'd like to use the restroom."

Hughie shook his head. He didn't trust Jupiter at all. More accurately, at that moment he didn't trust anyone in The Seven.

"Of course. Go to the end and turn left."

Jupiter raised an eyebrow and pointed Hughie toward the restroom.

"Thanks."

Hughie nodded slightly and walked toward the restroom.

"..."

Jupiter stood still, watching Hughie's retreating back in silence, a faint smile on his face.

Half an hour later, after a flurry of activity, Hughie left the restroom. He signed the agreement and walked out of Vought Tower, feeling refreshed.

"..."

What Hughie didn't notice was the man in white armor high above him, watching silently from among the clouds, a round listening device pinched between his fingers.

Vought Tower.

"I'm going to save the dolphins! I'm going to save the dolphins!"

The Deep walked into Vought Tower, muttering over and over that he was going to save the dolphins.

"The Deep..."

Just as The Deep was about to head upstairs, a voice called out to him.

"Hm?"

The Deep turned around at the sound. It was the last person he wanted to see.

"F-Free Man, what do you want?"

The Deep looked at Jupiter and asked quietly.

"I do have something to discuss with you."

With his hands behind his back, Jupiter walked up to The Deep and looked down at him.

"I have something I want to do now. I want to save the dolphins!"

The Deep looked at Jupiter and gathered his courage to speak.

"WTF?!"

"Uh, sorry. I mean, that's a great idea. Really good."

Jupiter had been so startled that he thought he'd misheard, but then he remembered this was The Deep. Suddenly, it didn't seem strange at all.

"But do you think the people at the top of the company—Starlight or Mr. Edgar—will listen to you talk about saving dolphins?"

Jupiter put a hand on The Deep's shoulder and asked with a smile.

"They..."

After hearing Jupiter's words, The Deep looked uncertain. It was true that saving dolphins wouldn't bring the company any profit at all. Maybe if he asked the company to invest in an aquarium where he could put on a few dolphin shows every day, they'd be more willing to invest than if he went to Japan to save dolphins.

"Look at how troubled you are."

As he spoke, Jupiter slipped a round listening device into The Deep's hand.

"What's this?!"

The Deep looked at the listening device in his hand, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Just now, the poor guy whose girlfriend got run over by A-Train came by. He'd planted one of these damn things in the restroom The Seven all share. You know how it is. Before you do anything, you need to prove your loyalty and bring the company something of real value. That's the only way they'll take you seriously..."

Jupiter patted The Deep on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"You're sure you want me to do this?!"

The Deep stared at the listening device in his hand, breathing hard. He felt like he was finally being taken seriously for the first time.

"Of course. Of everyone on The Seven, who's better suited for this than you? Homelander and Queen Maeve are too conspicuous. Black Noir—a super-spy who's allergic to almonds? A-Train? Fuck, he's the one who caused this mess. If you send him, who knows what else might go wrong? As for Starlight, she's still a rookie. She doesn't have enough experience."

Jupiter shook his head, acting as if no one in The Seven but The Deep was up to the task.

"But..."

The Deep still looked hesitant.

"Fine! If you don't want to do it, I can ask Black Noir instead."

Jupiter shook his head and looked at The Deep with disappointment, as if he were about to take the listening device from him.

"No!"

Before Jupiter could reach for it, The Deep clutched the round listening device tightly in his palm.

"Uh, I mean, leave this to me. I'm a member of The Seven, too."

The Deep emphasized his identity.

"Of course. Who said you weren't?"

Jupiter smiled brightly at that.

"Wait for good news from me."

The Deep clenched the listening device in his hand and turned to leave Vought Tower.

"Good boy. Don't let me down."

Jupiter watched the sky grow dark, along with the excited, unlucky flounder beneath it, and smiled faintly before turning around.

As for whether The Deep could find Hughie, Jupiter had never given it a second thought. The Deep had plenty of ways to find people. For example, he could go from house to house asking the little goldfish in the fish tanks. Of course, that depended on whether those sweethearts, with their seven-second memories, still remembered Hughie—or he could rely on the rule that unlucky people always attracted one another and find Hughie that way.