Chapter 12: Boardwalk Circuit
The comms check came at 10:47 AM, three blocks from the Boardwalk's main strip.
"Sound off," Brian's voice crackled through the earpiece. "Grue."
"Tattletale, reading you." Lisa's voice, crisp and professional.
"Regent, yeah, I'm here."
"Bitch." Rachel, flat and indifferent.
"Revenant." My voice sounded strange through the comms—flattened by electronics, stripped of the undertones that made speech human. "Reading clear."
"Good. Standard formation. Regent on point, Bitch covering with the dogs, everyone else spread. Revenant, you're with Tattletale on rearguard. Keep your eyes open and your mouth mostly closed."
"Understood."
The formation flowed into motion. Alec took point with the lazy grace of someone who'd done this a hundred times, his attention seemingly wandering while his actual awareness tracked every potential threat. Rachel moved parallel on the other side of the street, her three dogs padding beside her in disturbingly coordinated silence.
I fell into step beside Lisa, two meters behind the main group. Rearguard position—watching the backs of the people in front, catching anything they might miss.
"Catching," I thought, "or being positioned where Lisa can watch me without being obvious about it."
The Boardwalk stretched ahead of us, tourist district trying desperately to pretend Brockton Bay wasn't dying around it. Rebuilt storefronts with fresh paint over flood damage. Street performers competing for attention with the sirens in the distance. Families from out of town who'd read about Leviathan and wanted to see the crater without getting close enough to smell it.
My spatial awareness fragment pulsed at the edge of perception, mapping the geometry of the crowd. Distance to the nearest alley: seventeen feet. Gap between the food cart and the bench: four feet, two inches. Angle from the roofline to the fire escape across the street: forty-three degrees.
Not useful information in the moment. But the pattern was there, a second layer of awareness that I was learning to read.
"Two blocks ahead," I said quietly. "Blind corner. Someone's posted there."
Lisa glanced at me. "You sure?"
"The spatial geometry is wrong. Someone's positioned to watch the approach without being seen from this angle."
She relayed it to Brian. The formation adjusted without comment—subtle, professional, the route shifting three meters to the left so we'd have better sight lines on the corner.
When we passed the spot, I caught a glimpse of two men in Merchant colors, watching the crowds with the unfocused attention of addicts on lookout duty. They didn't react to our passage. We weren't what they were looking for.
"Good catch," Brian said through the comms. "Revenant, flag anything else like that."
"Copy."
Lisa was watching me. I could feel her attention without turning to look—the quality of her gaze, the focus that meant her power was working.
"Interesting," she murmured, voice pitched too low for the comms.
"What is?"
"You knew they were there before you could have seen them. And you didn't hesitate—no checking, no confirmation. You just knew."
"That's the spatial awareness. It maps geometry in a radius around me. If the geometry is wrong—if there's something blocking sight lines that shouldn't be there—I can infer."
"That's what you told the team. A Thinker power focused on spatial awareness. Minor, useful for navigation." She paused. "But the way you use it... it's not minor. It's precise. Practiced. Like you've had years to learn it instead of days."
I kept my expression neutral under the mask. "I'm a quick learner."
"Mmm." She let it hang there. "You know Cavalier?"
The name hit me like ice water.
Cavalier. Minor villain from Boston, Mover classification, known for a duel with a local hero that ended badly. Obscure enough that most cape followers wouldn't recognize the name. Famous enough in certain circles that someone with extensive meta-knowledge would know him immediately.
My pupils dilated. I felt them do it—a fraction of a second, barely perceptible to most people.
Not to Lisa.
"Interesting," she said again. "You do know him. Or at least, you know of him."
"I read cape forums."
"Maybe." She sipped from a water bottle she'd produced from somewhere—casual, unhurried, like we were just two people enjoying a walk. "Or maybe you have access to information that isn't on any forum I've ever seen."
"Lisa—"
"I'm not pushing," she said. "Not yet. I told you I'd figure you out, and I will. But right now, I'm just... collecting data points."
I didn't respond. There wasn't anything safe to say.
The patrol continued for another ninety minutes. I flagged two more blind spots—one legitimate surveillance position, one false positive that turned out to be a dumpster at an unusual angle. Brian acknowledged each report without comment, adjusting routes with the efficiency of someone who'd learned to trust his team's instincts.
By noon, we'd completed the Boardwalk circuit and started back toward the loft. The tourist crowds were thinning as lunch hour approached. The street performers packed up their props and counted their earnings.
Brian fell back to walk beside me.
"Debrief," he said. "Just us."
We found a bench on the edge of a small plaza, close enough to the team that we could rejoin in seconds but far enough for privacy. The others moved on without comment—Lisa with a knowing glance, Alec with exaggerated disinterest, Rachel with no acknowledgment at all.
"Assessment," Brian said.
"Three potential surveillance points confirmed, one false positive. Merchant activity at the expected levels—low-intensity, opportunistic. No ABB or E88 presence in the patrol area, which matches the briefing."
He nodded. "You have good awareness. Better than I expected for someone new to this work."
"The spatial sense helps."
"It does." He paused. "But it's more than that. You move like someone who's done this before. Your instincts are right. Your timing is solid." His eyes met mine. "You're not new to this, are you?"
The question was different from Lisa's probing. Brian wasn't trying to read my secrets—he was trying to understand who he was working with.
"I've... had experiences," I said carefully. "Nothing exactly like this. But similar enough."
"Previous team?"
"No. Solo." Not technically a lie—I'd been alone in my previous life, and I was alone now except for the family I'd inherited. "Different context. Different stakes."
Brian studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded.
"Good enough for now. Everyone has history they don't want to share. Just don't let it compromise the team."
"I won't."
He stood. Extended his hand.
"Welcome to the Undersiders, Revenant. Officially."
I shook it. The grip was different again—not assessment, not acceptance. Something closer to partnership.
"One more thing," Brian said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key—brass, standard lock size, attached to a simple ring. "For the loft. You're team now. That means access."
I took the key. Cold metal against my palm.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet. Wait until you see what Coil has us doing next."
He walked away toward the others, already falling back into leader mode—checking positions, giving quiet orders, keeping the team moving.
I stayed on the bench for another thirty seconds, holding the key.
Team member privileges, I thought. Not trial-member tolerance.
The spatial awareness fragment pulsed, mapping the plaza around me. Seventeen civilians in view. Three potential exits. Distance to the nearest cover: twelve feet.
I stood and rejoined the formation.
The loft was quiet when we returned. Rachel disappeared with her dogs. Alec claimed the couch with territorial efficiency. Lisa retreated to her corner, phone in hand, probably already researching Cavalier and every other data point she'd collected during the patrol.
Brian locked up behind us, then headed for the kitchen area to make coffee.
I stood in the middle of the room and let myself feel it—the weight of belonging, the shape of a place in a team.
It wasn't trust. Not yet, probably not for a long time. Lisa was still pulling threads. Brian was still reserving judgment. Rachel didn't care about me at all, and Alec's camaraderie was too casual to be real.
But it was something. A foothold. A beginning.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number. Burner, probably—the kind of disposable device that left no trail.
New assignment, the text read. ABB territory reconnaissance. High risk. Double pay. Details via Tattletale.
I looked up. Lisa was watching me, phone in hand, her expression unreadable.
"Coil," she said. "He's testing you."
"How do you know?"
"Because he's always testing someone. And right now, you're the new variable in his equation." She stood, crossing to stand beside me. "ABB territory. The people who killed you once already."
"I remember."
"Do you also remember that walking into their territory is exactly the kind of high-risk situation where a resurrection power is useful—and where anyone watching would learn exactly what you can do?"
I hadn't thought of it that way. But she was right. If Coil was watching—and Coil was always watching—this assignment was designed to expose my capabilities.
"What do you think I should do?"
Lisa smiled. Sharp, knowing, with an edge that might have been respect.
"I think you should do the job. Show them what you're capable of. And then we'll both see what happens when someone like you walks into a dragon's territory for the second time."
She headed for the stairs, leaving me alone in the loft with the weight of the key in my pocket and the memory of fire at the edge of my awareness.
ABB territory. Lung's domain. The place where I'd died for the first time.
I was going back.
.
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!