Chapter 3
Adam did not move for a while after seeing A-Train's picture.
The news had already called it an accident, but Adam knew this was the moment where the main storyline began moving. From here, Hughie Campbell would start breaking. Vought would start covering. Butcher would appear soon.
And Adam had to decide where he would stand before the current pulled him in by force.
He put the phone away and looked around the abandoned factory yard.
There were two choices in front of him.
One choice was Vought.
With the power he had just gained, that road was not impossible. Even at five percent synchronization, the Kryptonian template had already made him stronger than a normal human could ever hope to be. If he revealed himself carefully, Vought would notice him. If they tested him, they would see his value. If things went well, he might even be pushed toward The Seven one day.
That path could give him money. It could give him fame. It could give him the kind of life where nobody shouted at him over sales numbers again.
For a moment, Adam imagined it.
A better apartment. Better food. People recognizing him. Cameras turning toward him with respect instead of suspicion.
It was not a bad dream.
But Vought would own that dream.
That was the problem.
If Adam joined them, his freedom would leave his hands piece by piece. Vought would decide where he went, what he said, who he saved, and what he was allowed to hide. They would not just use his powers. They would use his face, his name, his story, and anything else that could be sold.
From the outside, The Seven looked strong. The world saw them as heroes gathered to protect people.
Adam knew the inside was rotten.
He knew what Homelander was. He knew what Vought protected. He knew how ugly the team could become behind cameras and smiles.
Vought was comfort with a leash.
The other choice was The Boys.
That road was far from clean. The Boys did not live safely. They got chased, cornered, and dragged through trouble again and again. Their plans were messy, and their enemies were far above them.
But Adam's bias had always leaned toward them.
If he wanted adventure, then it was not waiting inside a Vought contract. It was waiting beside the people crazy enough to fight Vought from below.
He also knew enough from the comics to trust one thing. The show had not reached its full end in his old memories, and even the later seasons had still left questions, but the comics had shown the shape of the road. The Boys suffered badly, but they were the ones who could reach the end. The Seven's ending was not something anyone sane would want to share.
Adam let out a breath.
"Then I will go with The Boys," he said.
Not directly.
Not through Butcher.
Butcher was useful, but Adam had no interest in walking into his hands before building a place for himself. There was a safer way to enter that side of the story.
Hughie.
A while later, Adam stood inside an electronics store.
It was not just any shop. It was the store where Hughie worked.
Rows of cables, headphones, speakers, and boxed gadgets filled the shelves. A few customers moved around, but the shop was quiet enough that nobody paid much attention to Adam.
This was not Adam's first time here. His old job had brought him to the store more than once, and Hughie had handled small customer questions for him before. Hughie probably did not remember those moments, but Adam did. That made this approach feel less impossible.
A few steps away, Hughie stood near the counter.
He looked lost.
His body was there, but his mind was somewhere else. His eyes stayed open, yet they did not settle properly on anything. He looked like a man trying to hear a voice that was no longer there.
Adam watched him while pretending to check a display rack.
'Butcher has not come to him yet,' Adam thought.
That gave Adam a small window.
He did not know how to talk to Hughie without sounding suspicious. Walking up and saying too much would only make things worse. Still, if Adam wanted Hughie to remember him later, he had to plant the first seed now.
Adam stepped closer to the counter and gave a small cough.
Hughie did not react.
Adam waited a second, then coughed louder.
This time Hughie blinked and looked at him.
"Sorry," Hughie said. "Do you need something?"
Adam gave him a casual smile, like he had been here many times before.
"I was looking around," Adam said. "You seemed pretty disturbed after the accident, Hughie."
Hughie's face stiffened.
"What?"
Adam kept his voice calm.
"I know what happened was not right. But you should not take it this hard forever. If Robin were here, she would probably say the same thing."
The name hit Hughie properly.
He stared at Adam now.
"Do you know me?"
Adam smiled a little.
"I have met you a lot of times. You just do not pay attention."
Hughie looked even more confused.
Adam knew that was enough.
If he pushed harder, the conversation would become strange. This was not the time to explain A-Train, Vought, Butcher, or anything else. He only needed Hughie to remember that someone had spoken to him before the next storm arrived.
Adam turned as if he was about to leave, then stopped near the counter.
"Try to get it out of your head before it takes over," Adam said. "If you keep carrying it alone, who knows what step you might take?"
Hughie did not answer.
Adam lifted one hand near the door, giving a small wave as if he would come again later.
Then he walked out.
Hughie kept looking at the door after Adam left.
For a moment, the thought of following him crossed his mind.
Then Hughie's eyes dropped to the counter.
Adam had not bought anything.