Chapter 27: A Father's Radar
The kitchen light was on when I got home.
Danny sat at the table with a cup of coffee that had gone cold, the television visible through the doorway—muted, showing footage of the bank robbery on a loop. Cape fight. Property damage. The Docks on fire again.
He looked up when I walked in.
"Evan."
"Hey, Dad."
The silence stretched. Danny's eyes moved over me—cataloguing, assessing. The way I stood differently now. The steadiness where there used to be slouching. The bruise on my forearm that I hadn't thought to hide.
"Long night?" he asked.
"Friend's house. Lost track of time."
"Which friend?"
"Marcus." The name came automatically—the cover I'd built weeks ago, the fictional person who explained my absences. "We were playing video games. You know how it is."
Danny nodded slowly. He didn't believe me. I could see it in the set of his shoulders, the careful neutrality of his expression.
"I heard about the bank robbery," he said. "Downtown. Capes involved. Big mess."
"Yeah. Saw it on the news."
"The Docks were mentioned too. Something about gang activity, E88 fighting other capes." He paused. "Happened around the same time you were at Marcus's house."
The implication hung in the air.
"I wasn't anywhere near downtown," I said. "Marcus lives in the residential district. Nowhere close to any of that."
Danny studied me for a long moment. His hands wrapped around the cold coffee cup, knuckles tight.
"I've noticed things," he said finally. "Changes. The way you cook now, take care of Taylor, actually seem present when you're home." He set the cup down. "I'm grateful for it. Your mother would have been proud."
The mention of Annette hit differently than it should have. I'd never met her—she was dead before I arrived in this body—but the weight of her absence filled the room like a third presence.
"But people don't change this much this fast," Danny continued. "Not without a reason. Not without something pushing them." His eyes found mine. "Whatever's going on with you—whatever you're involved in—I need to know you're being careful."
I wanted to tell him.
The words built in my throat like pressure—the transmigration, the system, the deaths and resurrections, the team of villains who'd become the closest thing I had to friends. All of it, every secret I'd been carrying since I woke up in his son's body.
But telling him would mean destroying everything he believed. It would mean explaining that his son—the real Evan—was gone, replaced by a stranger wearing his face.
It would break him.
"I had a wake-up call," I said instead. "A few weeks ago. Made me realize I needed to do better." I met his eyes. "That's all it is. I'm trying to be better."
Danny wanted to believe it. I could see the need in his face, the desperate hope that his son had simply grown up rather than become something unrecognizable.
"Okay," he said. His voice was rough. "Okay. I believe you."
He didn't. But he wanted to, and sometimes that was enough.
He stood, squeezing my shoulder as he passed.
"I'm glad you're trying, Evan. Whatever else is happening—I'm glad you're trying."
His footsteps faded toward the stairs. The bedroom door closed.
I stood in the kitchen until the light hurt my eyes, listening to the house settle around me. Taylor's room was dark—she was asleep, unaware of the conversation that had just happened. Danny's footsteps stopped pacing overhead.
The Fragment Sensing pulsed at the edge of my awareness. Even here, in my own home, the system was present. A reminder of what I'd become.
I sat at the table and stared at the cold coffee Danny had left behind.
The growing list of people I'm lying to, I thought. Danny. Taylor. The team. The city.
Everyone believed a version of me that didn't exist. The father who thought his son had simply matured. The sister who didn't know her bullies had been threatened into submission. The teammates who didn't know I could feel the fragments their deaths would yield.
The lies were multiplying. Stacking on top of each other like debts accumulating interest.
Eventually, the weight would become unsupportable.
But not tonight. Tonight, I was tired and alive and home.
I washed Danny's coffee cup and went upstairs to bed.
Morning brought Lisa's text.
Lisa: Our employer is very pleased. New assignment incoming. Bigger.
I stared at the screen, the Fragment Sensing pulsing at the edge of my awareness like a second heartbeat.
Coil was moving again. Another job, another step deeper into his web.
And somewhere in the city, Shadow Stalker was connecting threads that led directly to my front door.
I typed back: When?
The response came in seconds: Tomorrow. Full team meeting. Don't be late.
I put the phone down and looked out the window at the Docks waking up below.
The bank money was hidden in my closet. The lies were multiplying. The system was advancing toward Tier 1.
And Coil's next move was already in motion.
To supporting Me in Pateron.
with exclusive access to more chapters (based on tiers more chapters for each tiers) on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes.
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!