Chapter 31 – Common Sense
Shane stood beside the rented truck, watching Saul and his wife carefully load the last of their belongings into the truck bed. The possessions were modest—boxes of tools, a few pieces of furniture, some personal items wrapped in blankets—but the moment carried more weight than the items themselves.
Saul paused for a moment, looking back toward the small house that had been his home for years. His wife squeezed his arm gently, silently encouraging him to move forward.
Ben leaned out the truck window.
"You guys about ready back there?" he called.
Silas sat behind the wheel, tapping the steering wheel impatiently but smiling. "We'll beat rush hour if we leave now."
Saul nodded, lifting the final box into the bed.
"Alright," he said quietly. "That's everything."
Shane watched the exchange with a quiet sense of relief mixed with guilt.
If he had not drawn the attention of Apex Negativa's network… none of this would have happened here.
Saul closed the tailgate with a solid metallic click.
Shane stepped forward.
"Take care of things out here, Oscar," he said, turning toward the massive man standing nearby.
Oscar stood with his hands clasped in front of him, his broad shoulders filling out his work jacket like armor. The man looked more like a linebacker than a roofing supervisor, but his calm discipline had made him one of Shane's most reliable leaders.
"This location is the genesis," Shane continued. "You know that. Everything started here. It has to run smoothly."
Oscar nodded slowly.
"I understand, Mr. Albright," he said. "It always has."
Shane studied him for a moment, then got straight to the point.
"Saul's moving to HQ to focus on training and mentorship. That's huge for the company. But it leaves a hole here. We need someone who can lead the crews properly. Someone who understands the Albright standard."
Oscar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"There are a few guys here who can run a roof," he said slowly. "They're solid workers. Dependable."
He paused.
"But leadership?" he continued. "Running crews, setting expectations, keeping standards high… that's different. None of them really have that spark."
Shane nodded.
"That's what I was afraid of."
Oscar leaned slightly against the side of the truck.
"If you ask me," he continued, "we'd be better off bringing in someone proven. A leader from another location. Someone who already knows the standard and won't settle."
Shane tapped his temple.
"I pushed the importance of this place to everyone," he said. "This was the first location. The foundation. We can't afford a lapse here now."
Oscar opened his mouth to respond—
—but Shane's system suddenly flared.
Not an alarm.
Not a threat.
Something else.
A sharp burst of clarity.
A solution snapping into place like a puzzle piece that had been sitting in the corner of his mind for years.
Shane's eyes sharpened.
He lifted a hand.
"Wait."
Oscar stopped mid-sentence.
"I think I have someone," Shane said slowly. "Someone local."
Oscar raised an eyebrow.
"Local?"
Shane pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Yeah," he said with a faint smile. "Someone who helped me when I was getting started."
He scrolled through his contacts.
A name he hadn't called in years.
He pressed the call button.
The phone rang twice.
Then a voice answered.
"Hello?"
Shane grinned instantly.
"Hey Mike, long time no talk, man."
There was a brief pause.
Then Mike Dollar's familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Phones work both ways, my man."
Shane laughed.
"Fair enough."
Oscar leaned casually against the truck, listening with interest.
"Man, it's good to hear your voice," Shane continued. "How've you been?"
They spent a few minutes catching up.
Mike had clearly heard about Albright Roofing's rapid growth.
"Shane, I've been seeing your trucks everywhere," Mike said. "You've built something serious."
Shane shook his head.
"Just trying to do things the right way."
He got to the point.
"So where are you working these days?"
Mike sighed slightly.
"Still with the same place. Old man Hill's siding company. I run the operation now."
"That sounds like a promotion," Shane said.
Mike chuckled.
"Yeah… sort of."
There was a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Mr. Hill's kids are starting to step in more," Mike admitted. "Trying to run things. You know how that goes."
Shane nodded knowingly.
"Too many cooks."
"Exactly."
Shane leaned slightly against the truck.
"Mike, I need a leader here," he said.
Mike didn't respond immediately.
Shane continued.
"Are you interested in coming over to run this location for Albright Roofing?"
There was a long pause.
"Shane… I would love to," Mike finally said.
His voice carried genuine excitement now.
"Honestly, I think I'm ready for something new."
Shane smiled.
"Good."
"Here's what I want you to do. Come in tomorrow morning. Meet Oscar here."
Oscar raised a hand in greeting toward the phone even though Mike couldn't see him.
"You two hash out the deal," Shane continued. "Pay structure, responsibilities, everything."
"You trust him?" Mike asked.
"I trust Oscar completely," Shane said. "And I trust you."
He paused.
"I won't override whatever agreement you two come to."
Mike laughed.
"You've gotten a lot more official since the last time we talked."
Shane chuckled.
"Yeah… things escalated."
"Well," Mike said, "I'll be there first thing tomorrow."
"Good," Shane said.
They hung up.
Shane turned to Oscar.
"That was Mike Dollar," he said.
Oscar nodded slowly.
"I've heard the name."
Shane spent the next fifteen minutes explaining everything.
Mike's experience.
His leadership.
And the history they shared.
"He helped me a lot when I was starting out," Shane said. "When I was barely scraping by."
Oscar listened carefully.
"Sounds like the kind of guy we want."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking," Shane replied.
Then Shane shifted gears.
"Now, Saul's mentorship program."
Oscar pulled out a notepad.
"Saul will run weekly life skills training online," Shane explained. "But we need real trade training too."
Oscar scribbled quickly.
"We start targeting marginalized communities," Shane continued. "Offer real training. Real careers."
Oscar nodded.
"And the best candidates come here?"
"Exactly," Shane said. "Fly them in for advanced training with Saul."
Oscar finished writing.
"We can do that."
Shane then turned serious.
"Oscar, check your system every day," he said.
Oscar met his eyes.
"For AN anchors."
Shane nodded.
"The attacks are only going to increase."
Oscar closed the notebook.
"I'll keep this place tight."
"Good."
Shane clapped him on the shoulder and headed toward HQ.
If he was going to run for state senate, this place needed to be rock solid.
⸻
The Next Morning – HQ
The core team gathered at headquarters.
Saul.
Ben.
Cory.
Gary.
Amanda.
Silas.
Shane waited until the system pinged confirmation.
Oscar & Mike have reached an agreement.
Shane smiled.
"Good news everyone."
They all turned toward him.
"Mike Dollar is taking over operations at Location One."
Saul let out a breath of relief.
"Good," he said. "That place deserves someone solid."
Shane nodded.
"Which means you're free to focus on training."
He turned to Saul.
"I want you running company-wide training once a week through live video."
Saul blinked.
"The whole company?"
"Yep."
Then Shane turned to Ben.
"Ben, start building training videos."
Ben leaned forward instantly.
"What kind?"
"Everything," Shane said. "Basic roofing skills, advanced techniques, safety, crew leadership."
Ben grinned.
"I've got ideas already."
Shane pointed at him.
"And start a podcast."
Ben blinked.
"A podcast?"
"You're good at explaining things," Shane said. "And you've got the tech skills."
Ben's face lit up.
"Alright… I'm in."
Silas laughed.
"Ben the podcaster."
Then Shane looked toward Gary and Amanda.
His expression changed.
"Gary. Amanda."
They straightened.
"You two are leaving for a better opportunity."
Gary braced himself.
"Where?"
Shane smiled.
"You'll be working on my campaign for State Senator."
The room exploded.
Cory whooped.
Silas clapped loudly.
Amanda covered her mouth in shock.
Gary blinked.
"Wait… what?"
Cory immediately asked the real question.
"Which party?"
Shane smiled.
"Neither."
They all leaned forward.
"I'm running as my own party."
He paused.
"The Common Sense Party."
⸻
Olaf's Training Center
Later that day Shane met Olaf.
Olaf listened carefully as Shane explained the system messages.
Then Shane asked the important question.
"Who controls time travel?"
Olaf leaned back in his chair.
"There are three entities who govern time."
Shane listened carefully.
"The Past.
The Present.
And the Future."
Olaf's eyes grew distant.
"The Norns."
"They live at the base of Yggdrasil."
"They determine the lifespan of everything… every creature… every god."
He smiled slightly.
"They are likely watching us right now."
Shane felt a chill run down his spine.
"Can you take me there?"
Olaf shook his head.
"Not yet."
Then Olaf added:
"Freya or Frigg might."
⸻
Shane's Upgrade
Back in his room Shane opened the system.
He selected Upgrade Available.
He braced for pain.
None came.
Instead a deep calm spread through him.
The screen flashed.
Upgrade Complete – User has reached the 1st Level of the Celestial System
Shane blinked.
"This is new…"
His previous system had been the Celestial Proxy System.
This was something deeper.
More fundamental.
He invested points into Teleportation and Foresight.
Then exhaustion hit.
He lay down and drifted toward sleep.
⸻
The Whisper
Suddenly—
Shane woke.
The room was silent.
Then a voice whispered.
Not in his ears.
In his bones.
"We will see you soon."
The sensation was eerily familiar.
The same feeling he had experienced years ago.
In the woods.
Walking with Duke.
His dog.
The memory surfaced vividly.
The quiet forest.
The still air.
The strange presence he had felt watching him from somewhere beyond sight.
Shane sat up slowly.
Was it a dream?
Maybe.
But one thing was certain.
His life was no longer simple.
And somewhere… something ancient had just spoken to him again.
********************
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