Chapter 63: Threads to Pull (Patreon)

Ethan didn’t want to be here.

The rumble of the school bus beneath his feet felt jarring, every bump rattling his overworked brain. He’d barely slept—three hours if he was lucky—and his mind still buzzed from last night’s work filing LLC paperwork, crafting Isaac Maddox’s digital footprint, and mapping out contingencies for Oscorp.

‘I should’ve stayed home,’ he thought bitterly. ‘Ten days to dismantle Norman, bring Delilah onboard, and rip Rose’s network apart. Every second counts.’

But then reality intruded: too many absences and teachers would get suspicious. They’d call his parents, or worse, request a meeting.

That could not happen.

So here he was, playing the part of an ordinary high schooler as if he weren’t plotting the downfall of some of the most dangerous men in the city.

“Ethan Kane,” came a warm, lilting voice from behind him. “Ain’t you just a sight for sore eyes.”

He turned, masking his irritation under a polite smile. Paige Guthrie slid into the seat beside him, her soft blonde hair framing her face. Her deep Southern drawl made her words sound almost musical.

“Hey, Paige,” he said, voice steady.

“It’s been a while since we went to see Rachel,” she said, settling in comfortably. “Figured you were dodgin’ me.”

‘I was,’ Ethan admitted silently. Out loud, he gave a faint chuckle. “No dodging. Just busy.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. “So busy you can’t spare a few hours for a friend in need or even bother to give me a call?”

Ethan bit back a sigh. He wanted to say no. He didn’t have time for Rachel and her trauma. But Paige—Husk, future member of the X-Men—was too important a connection to jeopardize.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “We’ll go see her soon.”

Paige smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders. “Good. Don’t you forget now. Rachel needs folks like us checkin’ in.”

Ethan nodded faintly, his mind already racing through a thousand other calculations. Another relationship maintained. These were so exhausting, he wondered why regular people even bothered having troublesome things like affairs.

By the time they reached school, Ethan’s mental fog hadn’t lifted. He stepped off the bus slowly, scanning the courtyard as clusters of students milled about.

“Ethan! You’re alive!”

He turned as Amy jogged over, her eyes bright with relief.

“I was starting to think you’d vanished,” she said with mock indignation.

“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” Ethan replied with a faint smile.

Amy crossed her arms, trying to look stern. “It’s been days. No texts. No calls.”

“Caught a bad cold,” Ethan lied smoothly. “Felt like death, but I’m better now.”

Amy’s expression softened immediately. “Oh. Not funny by the way. Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“How’re you holding up?” Paige asked gently, stepping forward. “With the whole… you know.”

Amy nodded, looking down briefly. “Fine. No mishaps. I’m just trying to figure things out.” She hesitated. “I haven’t seen Peter, though. Not since… well, it’s been a few days. I’m worried something happened.”

Ethan’s smile widened slightly, warmth flickering in his eyes. “His aunt’s been sick. He’s been taking care of her. But I’m sure he’ll make time for you this week.”

Amy let out a breath, visibly relieved. “Thanks, Ethan. I just… didn’t want to bother him if he’s dealing with family stuff.”

“You’re not a bother,” Ethan said gently. ‘You’re another piece in the puzzle. Another relationship to safeguard.’

The bell rang, and they parted ways. Ethan drifted into first period, took his seat near the back, and let his head rest in his palm.

As the teacher’s voice droned on about the American Revolution, Ethan’s eyelids grew heavy.

Oscorp… Insight… Rose… Delilah…

The names spun in his head like vultures circling overhead. He let the words blur, just for a moment, letting exhaustion pull him down into the welcome darkness of sleep.

Lunch came too fast for Ethan’s liking. He’d spent the morning drifting in and out of half-consciousness, catching up on precious fragments of sleep while his body slumped in his chair like an unplugged android.

Now, tray in hand, he slipped past the cafeteria’s noise and chaos to his usual corner table, away from the center of attention. As he sat, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through encrypted messages. A dozen background processes were still humming: servers being configured for Insight, dummy accounts being seeded into social media algorithms for Isaac Maddox, and a tiny test ping he’d sent through Red Lion’s backend earlier that morning.

All the gears were turning. All the pieces were moving.

Ethan hit dial.

“Hey,” came Peter’s voice, lighter than he’d expected.

“Hey. You free for a minute?” Ethan asked.

“For you? Sure,” Peter replied.

Ethan smirked faintly. He always says that. He really doesn’t realize how much he’s trusting me already.

“Good. I’ve got the details for opening Insight’s bank accounts,” Ethan said smoothly.

“Insight…” Peter repeated, confused.

“The newspaper,” Ethan explained. “That’s the name. Sharp. Clean. Reflects our mission.”

There was a pause on the line, then Peter chuckled softly. “Insight. I like it. Feels… grounded.”

“That’s the goal. You’ll need to open two accounts: one at Red Lion National Bank, and another at New National Bank.”

“Two?” Peter asked, the confusion audible.

“Diversification,” Ethan said. “Red Lion’s flexible for business expenditures, New National’s safer for long-term reserves.”

He didn’t mention, of course, that Red Lion was Wilson Fisk’s front for laundering money. Or that Ethan still had quiet access to its backend, a siphon program humming in the shadows. With Peter physically stepping into one of their branches, it would be laughably easy for Ethan to divert more funds without tripping alarms.

Kill two birds with one stone, Ethan thought.

 “All right. I’ll get on it,” Peter said.

“One more thing,” Ethan added. “Amy’s worried about you. She hasn’t seen you in days and thinks something happened. Could you make some time this week to mentor her some more?”

Peter laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine. “You really sound like a normal kid when you say things like that, you know.”

Ethan blinked, then smiled faintly. “Maybe I am. Or maybe I just fake it better than most.”

“That’s almost scarier,” Peter joked.

“Bye, Peter,” Ethan said lightly.

“Later, kid.”

Ethan hung up and set the phone down, staring blankly at his untouched tray of food.

For a moment, he let his shoulders sag.

So much to manage. Insight’s infrastructure. Oscorp’s dismantling. Rose’s network. Delilah’s recruitment.

Paige. Amy. Peter. Even small relationships required tending, like fragile threads in an intricate web. A single tear, and the whole thing risked unraveling.

“Ten days,” he whispered under his breath.

Ten days to build an empire and crush three predators before they ever realized he was circling them.

Sleep clawed at the edges of his mind, but he shoved it aside.

There would be time for rest later.

Maybe.

As the bell rang for the next period, Ethan rose, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

Normal kid, huh?

The thought made him smile faintly as he shouldered his bag and walked back into the noise of high school life, already thinking three moves ahead.