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“Twilight, I never thought I’d say this to one of our most competent spies, but are you seriously this foolish?” Sylvia’s frustration was palpable.
Twilight wasn’t oblivious to his own reputation. He knew he was one of Westalist's most esteemed and celebrated spies, having just days prior successfully completed Operation Strix—the agency’s most critical and long-running mission. He prided himself on his competence and reliability, even if it sometimes led to an ulcer or two. Yet, in this moment, he couldn’t refute Sylvia’s accusation. She was right. The only logical explanation for the situation was that he had, indeed, acted like an utter fool.
It took him ten long years of living with the Forgers as a family to finally discover that his "family" wasn’t the typical upper-class household he’d been tasked to create. The revelations came at the brink of a near-war scenario, amidst fights, explosions, and major rescue operations. In the midst of all this chaos, the new information was a staggering shock, but it was just one piece of a larger crisis. With so much to manage, he had to stay focused and keep moving forward.
After the situation was resolved, and following the warm embraces of reunion, the celebrations, and a brief period of rest to recover from minor injuries, Loid finally had the time to process everything that had happened. Only then could he truly begin to understand the full scope of the new information.
Now, days after the end of Operation Strix, Loid found himself once again in front of his boss. The agency was wrapping up the final details of the mission, handling paperwork and other loose ends. As part of this process, Sylvia presented him with the final profile investigation of his family members, and uttered that question.
As Loid skimmed through the details, he was struck by the realization that his wife and daughter had, unbeknownst to him, intervened in his mission multiple times over the years. Deepening even more the shock of the knowledge that the family he had lived with for a decade—his ‘fake’ family, which had become his real one—wasn’t composed of an ordinary office clerk and an underachieving child. Instead, his wife was an assassin from a powerful organization, and his daughter was not less than a telepath.
Despite his renowned analytical skills, Loid had failed to notice these truths for ten years. The revelation was even more mortifying because he hadn’t discovered it on his own. It had been thrust upon him in a forceful manner, and even in the face of the evidence, he struggled to believe it at first.
After the meeting with Sylvia, Loid returned home. He was greeted with a warm welcome from his family. Once they settled in the living room, the time had come for the much-needed conversation. Loid sat on one side, facing his wife and daughter, while the files he had received from Handler lay on the desk between them.
It was clear that they all understood the gravity of the discussion about to unfold. Both his wife and daughter appeared as nervous as they had been during Anya's entrance interview, waiting in anxious anticipation. Loid, however, found himself at a loss for words—a rare situation for a spy known for his efficiency and composure.
Ok, Yor, he started overthinking again. Perhaps it was understandable that he hadn’t noticed; after all, she was a highly skilled assassin, deliberately concealing her true identity. But even so, how could he overlook her supernatural strength and agility? He had been suspicious at first, true, but guilt had crept in when he considered suspecting someone who seemed like such a reliable and caring mother and sister.
This situation made him realize that he might need to brush up on some basic spy training. His stance on keeping work and personal life separate wasn’t as flawless as he had once believed. In fact, his mistake must have become glaringly obvious when he recognized the feelings developing for his now-real wife some years prior.
But then there was Anya. Anya was an entirely different case. How could he not have noticed anything unusual about her? She was just a four-year-old girl at the time, how could he miss it? Maybe it was because she was so random, so unpredictable, that her quirks almost seemed normal to him at some point? He has been really losing his edge…
Loid was the kind of person who focused more on the future than the past, but... just thinking about how that foolish, little version of his now-teenage daughter had known he was a spy all along—having access to all his mission data—made him shudder.
Anya, who couldn’t even grasp simple math operations (in her defense, she was younger than the rest, now he knows), who imitated cartoon characters (and sometimes still does), and who couldn’t wake up on time for school. Anya, who... It was a miracle Operation Strix had succeeded at all. It was an even bigger miracle that she hadn’t spilled the beans in those early years. Ugh... his stomach churned just thinking about it.
At the very least, everything had turned out alright. The mission was completed with only minor consequences, and, unbelievably, he had found a real family for himself. But looking back, his unprofessional mistakes could have caused significant damage if the people involved had harbored ill intentions. It wasn’t just one unexpected unusual person—there were two. How did that happen?
A little rustle at his side drew his attention, and he turned to see Bond. The dog was older now but still remarkably healthy. At least he’d made the right choice there. Sure, Bond was part of Project Apple, a bit brighter than most, but in the end, he was still just a normal family dog. A feeling of appreciation grew through him. Bond, that was his pal.
At least the family wasn’t entirely doomed—there was one member who wasn’t a freak. He made one right choice, at least.
“Papa, that’s unfair. Bond can see the future!”
Right, Anya could read his thoughts—he still wasn’t used to that. Wait, did she just say their dog could see the future?
“Papa?”
No way…
“It wasn’t your fault, Papa. I chose Mama. She said she was an assassin, so...”
“Ehh??!” This time, Yor was the one who was surprised.
“Yep! I thought it was interesting! But we love Mama, so… And Bond, well…”
It can’t be. He had been wrong, wrong from the very beginning. Hello, anxiety, my old friend. But then, all Loid could hear was silence as his vision turned blurry.
“Papa?!”
“Oh! Loid??”
“Worf?”
Yeah, that was it. Maybe he needed a vacation—Handler had suggested it, after all. A reward for completing the mission. He could deal with this discussion later. They need to go on that vacation first.
“Mama, I think Papa passed out again.”