Chapter 12: Apologize
Daryl was lost, so lost that he lost touch of his powers. He felt like the reason for his existence was gone and now he was a hollow man. As he walked away from the place, his eyes had a lifeless luster in then and the suit he was made by the government reduced to nothing but tattered pants by himself. He felt betrayed by the very people he had grown up with and that brought a feeling of anger and self pity.
Just like that, he walked on aimlessly until he reached a small town. There, he just got into an alley and started crying. This went on for two days making the people avoid the alley for noone cared for a crying, half naked homeless man and Daryl didn't even register them. On the third day, the sheriff of the county picked him up and put him in a cell in sympathy, gave him food and a warm blanket to sleep in.
A week passed while he was inside the cell and the sheriff good mercies had not ended. Daryl was surprised by his patience and he started observing the man. First, he came to know almost everyone in town liked him. He would come everyday and find pastries on his desk with thank you notes on them. Second, he came to see the man was fair to everyone. There was a regular customer to the cell and the man didn't complain much when he spent the night in there. Daryl came to conclusion that this sheriff had the position of power and was using it in a humane way. But, what is humane and what's not? He decided to ask the sheriff.
"You are kind to these people? Why is that?" he asked him. The sheriff was surprised Daryl could talk for he hadn't uttered a single word since he brought him in. He then smiled and came closer to the cell.
"Because I swore to serve a protect the law and people," the sheriff surmised it.
"But why are you kind? If you are harsh to Jacoob, he wouldn't be sleeping in the cell almost everyday,"
"I could, but that wouldn't do. Jacoob is what I could call a delicate case. He has been into an abusive home since he was a child, that makes him difficult. But a little show of love here, some advice and he straightened up. The times he spent in these cells are actually less now. I remember when he would be in and out of them like four times a day. Now its just one day of two. I call that progress," the sheriff answered.
"I call that being lax. You are supposed to abide the law and he breaks it, that makes it a criminal. You are supposed to arrest him then take him to court. What you are doing is different to what you were swore to do," Daryl countered. The sheriff looked at him for a moment.
"You are speaking like an extremist. Humans have good in their hearts. They are not robots who are only programmed to do a certain thing. I do not just cuff him and throw him in court because I know the boy is good deep down, just that his circumstance doesn't allow him to show it. With those kind of people, you should be patient and it will show."
"It will show? Your faith in humanity is beguiling. What is your version of humanity, sheriff?" Daryl asked him.
"My version of humanity? That's a hard question. I guess my version is being who you are and not what others dictate you to be," the sheriff answered. "What about yours?"
"My version of humanity is warped. I thought it was to protect but with how things ended, I am guessing that wasn't what others view as protecting," Daryl said, turned his back to the sheriff and closed his eyes. The sheriff frowned a bit then went to his desk.The following day, he came to Daryl's cell and unlocked it.
"Come one, gloomy, me and you are going to talk a walk. Its time you started helping the community," the sheriff said. Daryl looked at him with a frown.
"Is this because if the talk we had? You shouldn't bother, I am damaged goods, no amount of spending time with children is going to help," Dark told him.
"I didn't want you to spend your time with children. Just follow me," the sheriff said then walked away. Daryl was surprised the man had enough faith that he would follow him but then became curious as to what he wanted to show him so he walked out of his cell and followed the man. They got into a squad car as the sheriff was smiling triumphantly, and he took off. Ten minutes later, he parked in front of a hospital.
"What is it that you want to show me here? People dying? I have seen plenty of that," Daryl said.
"You have but you haven't seen how hospital people die, have you?" the sheriff countered and led him into the hospital.
As they walked on, Daryl couldn't help but look around. He was surprised by how a hospital from such a small town could be so packed with patients. He saw how the doctors and nurses handled them and could feel it was quite different.
"Our hospital is termed the best in the county because of the head doctor. He was from a foster kid who grew up here and became a doctor later on. He then came back to his hometown and opened this hospital. All nurses and other doctors look up to him because of his kind nature..."
"I am sorry but this seems more like a pipe dream. It sounds like someone who is good at strategy and saw business here, covered your eyes with his pretense and you all just make him rich," Daryl said. The sheriff smiled when he heard that.
"Business opportunity? Make him rich? This hospital is free to the public," the sheriff said. Daryl was surprised when he heard that for when he looked around, he saw a chance to become rich. "Still not there." The sheriff took him along with them and they ended up in the maternity wing. Daryl could already feel annoyed by the screams of the children here together with hormones filled pregnant ladies.
"Sheriff, is this the extra hand you promised me?" a woman in her mid thirties asked him.
"Yep. Never got his name though, now that I think about it," the sheriff said and they both looked at Daryl expectantly.
"Tom Faraday," Daryl answered.
"Faraday, that is a bit ironic now that you are working in a hospital," she chuckled but Daryl looked at the sheriff for clarification.
"I decided to get you a job here. It isn't a demanding job, just clean the floors, take out trash and you will be okay," the sheriff said then walked away.
"My name is Dr Elizabeth Banks, the doctor in charge of the maternity ward. So, any screw ups from you will be dealt by me. Now, hurry up and go to work."
Daryl felt like just walking out and fly away but something told him to stay and stay he did. He took the job seriously, cleaning the floors of the whole ward with a resolute look in his face. He would sometimes bump into couples who were going home with their children and he would gag when they already started planning the poor guy's fate.
During night, he would look at the babies in the incubators and wonder how many of them would end up being soldiers, policemen, lawyers, drug addicts? Some of them not by choice and others definitely by it. That made him question himself, what is his choice in life?
According to the text in his ship, he was created to be the perfect soldier. But sometimes, the perfect soldier is flawed when introduced to another society. He was sure his actions would have been acceptable in Krypton but they weren't here. That brought him another understanding of who he was.
He was meant to protect but who was he protecting now that both Krypton is nowhere in sight and Earth is rejecting him. He was watching the news a week later and saw Maeve then remembered what he had said to her. That's when it clicked. He failed his task because he was just like Maeve, an attack dog! Only, he was working for the biggest corporation in the country, the US government!
"My whole life reduced to nothing with just an enlightenment, I can see why not many people try to have these," he said to himself before he felt as if a huge burden just rolled off his back. "Being the best of oneself? Becoming a hero for the public not for the corporations!" He started floating as he smiled. "That sounds like a good idea."
He sped off and took to the sky, flew to the stratosphere before he stopped and looked down on the continent. He nodded to himself as he saw just how the whole place had lit up.
"I can become what I was meant to be, a protector, guardian to the people!" he said to himself. "Guardian, that seems like a good idea. Never allow my mind to be dictated by others but my decision. But, I am still on the gray on what is right or wrong?" He then heard a name he was familiar with, Ryan Butcher. He looked at the direction the sound came from and sped over. In a minute, he landed in front of a farm house and Ryan was playing with his mother when they noticed him. Ryan felt his body break into sweat as his mother protected him behind her.
"What do you want?" she screamt in terror and protectiveness.
"You still care to protect him even after what I showed you I can do, I am impressed," Daryl said then looked at Ryan who already shaking. "I came to talk to him. I could have just grabbed him but I. was afraid that would escalate things."
"He has nothing to talk to you about!" Becca growled at him.
"I know, that's why I will be doing the talking," Daryl answered her then looked at the boy who couldn't look at him. He must have scarred him for life.
"Listen, kid, what I did to you, it isn't fair and I digress. People with our kind of power are expected to be things that we are not and sometimes this power gets to our head and it is addicting to know that you can kill almost everyone with one hand. It makes you forget what you are and what you are supposed to be and sometimes, people try to mold you to be what they want themselves. Homelander is a lost cause, so are all the heroes Vought has in their pocket. I was almost gone but I regained my clarity. I am here to warn you; being with a family doesn't guarantee that you won't became a douchebag like your father. Sometimes families are a recipe for disaster. What you need to know is that you are becoming powerful. What then will your responsibility be? It is not your mother's job to make you turn good, but yours." He then looked at Becca.
"You think you are protecting him from what's out there, you are wrong. What's out there is the only thing that is going to mold him to be what he will be in the future. Your interference will probably not let him mature and become another Homelander. Think about that!" With that, he took off, leaving behind two contemplating people.
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