[b]Kalep Jackson - Atlanta, Georgia -- Paradise [/b]

"Don't you get it! Listen up people! The End is near! "The Incident" as you label it was God coming to get his chosen! We are the remaining, the sinners, the inadequate! The Rise of the Antichrist, and the Devil's forces is upon us! Repent Repent! God is giving us one final chance before the Great Tribulation, the great horn was sounded!" The Man screamed at the top of his lungs. Pastor Grady Adams spoke.

A click was heard, and a television was turned off. Kalep shook his head, and leaned back in his chair. All in all today had been an alright day, another day at the dealership. "That man is fucking crazy huh." Another patreon at the bar said as he downed a shot of ciroc.

"Shit is he though? I mean, I doubt this shit is the rapture, or anything he's saying. But if it is, I know why God left me behind." The mind reader spoke matter of factly as he took a gulp from the glass full of Hennessy on the bar table. Maybe this was divine punishment, although he figured perhaps his entire life was divine punishment.

[i]Ion see how God's involved, but these freaks need to be killed. [/i] Kalep's head turned to a woman in the corner of the bar drinking a blue motherfucker. Her cycnical thoughts made him feel self conscious about his own powers, but she was downing hard liqour like him in the middle of the afternoon so she didn't seem to happy about her life in general.

[i]Man I wish I was one of those guys, gotta couple people I'd fuck up if I had powers. [/i] "You ask me it's fucking aliens." The inebriated customer said as the bartender brought him another shot. 

"Aliens naw, your off your rocker. It's the fucking Government, hell everyone with these powers probably is in the Government, it's all a plan, there trying to run shit forreal." The Bartender spoke as he placed the two shots of ciroc in-front of the customer.

Kalep finished the rest of his drink, and sighed. He'd been able to get somewhat of a hone on his ability to pick up the mental chatter in everyone's heads around him. At least enough to be able to turn it on and off, and even be a little selective with the thoughts he let in. The power that he found the most interesting, and most tempting was the one he'd discovered about three days ago. It was purely accident, but amusing enough. His co-worker Kevin had been getting on his nerves, when he thought to himself that he should "Go fuck himself."

What happened next was completely unexpected, his co-worker dropped his pants down and proceeded to masturbate in the middle of the sales-room. Shortly after that mess, he began realizing he could direct thoughts into other people. He'd taken advantage of that power earlier today before he got off to influence all four customers he had today to buy a car, and for his boss to give him a cash advance of $2500 to cover the commission he made today, and the past week.

[i]This is the type of power, I can fucking use. Although it's not like Jace, man he's fucking bullet proof, and can pick up SUV's like feathers, while I'm learning that being Professor X in real life ain't the best thing in the world. [/i] He'd found out his friend Jace had powers, powers he felt were way better, more fun, and problematic then his own. He thought back to what his friend suggested, with their powers they could run the drug game in Atlanta, get rich, and then focus on music. Although he didn't feel his powers were useless, he wasn't bullet proof. An aggressive take over of the Atlanta Drug market could leave him riddled with shells, but maybe there were different ways he could use his power to get ahead.

[i]I could get Iyana back, hell maybe Tasha too, my job, shit I could run the firm. [/i] As the alcohol settled in his system, he pondered all of this. Before he heard a noise of a hand being slammed onto the table.  "Aye Kalep, you know your tab is $90 fucking dollars, and you still owe fucking $50 from yesterday! You gotta fucking job don't you damn, where the fuck is my money."

[i]Fuck it, Jace is right, I need to use this shit to get ahead in my life.[/i] [u][b]"Man, I'm here every damn day, I got tired of drinking at home, plus I already paid you. In-fact I loaned you $200 fucking dollars, give me my damn money back."[/b][/u] Kalep was irritated with the bar-tender, who's mind was overtaken by his power. 

"Oh my bad your right man, I'm tripping." Reaching into his pocket he took out a wad of cash, counting up the 200 dollars, and handing it to Kalep.  As he waltzed away, Kalep looked around the bar, and it seemed nobody thought anything weird of that. He decided to finish his drink, and head out the bar. Maybe it was the dark intoxicant running through his blood, but he felt good. The time for divine punishment in his life was over, he knew whatever Jace was doing with his powers he was making his life better, it was time for him to do the same.

As he stepped outside he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around defensively only to see his friend Darius, the owner of the bar.  "Darius? Man don't be grabbing me like that."

"Man or fucking what, look I know Terry be giving you a hard fucking time and all, but there's no way in Hell you owed him $200!!  Now I don't know what kind of fucking mental mojo you just used to run game on him, but I need my money back, damn hit licks on somebody else." J[i]ace told me he could read minds, but shit if Terry gave him money he gotta be able to control em too. [/i]

Kalep was taken aback, and more then a little irate that Jace had told their mutual friend about his power. "Man you be scamming Terry yo self, what's it matter if I skimmed a little off the top for emotional damage."

"Bruh you got to be kidding me, you going play me like this, then you going need to mind control me bruh, otherwise I'm not letting this shit slide, you know Taste of Paradise is fucking struggling."

Kalep relented, and took out the money he'd mentally strong armed from his bar-tender and handed it to Darius. "Ight bruh you right, I ain't even think you was up at the bar."

"Man where the fuck else would I be?! I'm trying day and night to get the city to let me to turn this shit into a strip club so I can get some real money." Darius sighed as he pocketed the money, and shook his head. "You and yo potna need to be careful, I know you seen the news, they talm bout some Empowered Registration Bill, the shit you got slick, but if you using it like that you might wind up in some deep shit. Already in enough shit as it is, now some of my customers got fucking super powers."

"So you willingly letting folks with powers come inside Taste of Paradise, you really don't want Atlanta's approval to turn this bitch into a club, man see if I was your lawyer still you'd be getting paid."

"Yeah, well you got fucking fired, I told you I'd break you off, and why the fuck wouldn't I let people in with powers? I need all the money I can get. Plus I'm black, this country ain't for us, the way I see it, I'm fucking with anyone who's getting the shaft in our country, besides you black AND you got powers, so what the fuck is you talking about." At this point Darius reached in his pocket to take out a marbolo red and lit it. "Honestly you need to take ya head out that damn bottle, and figure out a way to get some paper, I know if I was you I'd be 100 bands up within a month of figuring out I can play with people's headss."

Kalep paused to think about what his friend was saying, and took out his Juul to take a few puffs. "I ain't finna be fired for long Darry, but you right. I should be making money, we should be making money. Jace been telling me to use my powers to help him push dope, but if you know what he can do, and what I can do, well the power I got ain't good for being a super thug."

Darius exhaled some smoke from his cigarette, checked his text messages, and glared at Kalep. "I know about Jace's shit, he already came to me, trying to use the bar to clean his money, but the way he moves especially with what he can do now he going end up dead, or locked up in some super prison, so I'm straight on any money like that, I don't fuck with trapping, especially not in my business."

"Man you tripping, I ain't talking about selling drugs, Jace got that shit. I been thinking about what I can do. We can get some legal money ten different ways, I just need ya help. I ain't going lie I been trying my best to avoid my power, you know how bad this shit is sometimes lotta shit in people's heads you don't wanna hear. I can get my job back, hell maybe I can get the whole firm, I'll get Taste of Paradise turned into a club, with your business sense & my powers we can get rich. Plus, The Government is finna crack down on people like us, so what if we can offer them safe haven in exchange for...them using whatever gift God gave em to make us more money, it's a win win situation. Plus I'm going need some people to practice on, and you know more then a few shady characters you can refer me to."

Darius took in all this knowledge as he dropped his smoke to the ground and stepped on it. "Ight, I'm with it. Truth be told, if we can get some money, and put the middle finger to the feds without moving work you know I'm in. You right though, I ain't got no powers, but I'm smarter then you, bitches like me more, & I know I can come up with better ways for you to use your power then finessing bar-tenders in fucking public knowing Georgia finna crack down on yall, it's a deal, and yo ass better not be mind controlling me, let's work." Darius held out his hand and Kalep grinned shaking it.

"Say less, let's get some real paper Darius." [i]Now this is what I need to be doing with what I got, this is how I'm really finna come up. [/i] Ever since he almost killed himself driving drunk two weeks ago he wondered what purpose his life had, and whether these powers were good or bad. But, considering the current condition of his life he'd be a fool not to utilize these new talents to make some money, to finally be able to get the success he'd been longing for his whole life. As much money as selling drugs had brought him, it cost even more in lawyer fee's and his reputation. Darius had always had the right idea in not being a saint, but staying away from the drug game. He remembered what his parents had always told him, there's no retirement in the drug game. In the power game though, it looked like he had a lucrative career ahead of him.