Chapter 21: The Notebook Review
The apartment is too quiet again.
Three weeks. Twenty-one days since I woke up in Robert Chase's body and decided to build something instead of mourning what I lost.
The notebook sits open on my desk, filled with coded observations that would sound like medical gibberish to anyone else. But to me, it's a tactical assessment. A survival guide. A record of how long I can keep this up before something breaks.
I flip to the first entry. Day one. The paper cut that healed in minutes. The panic. The decision to move forward.
How far I've come. How far I still need to go.
Cases Completed: 2
Rebecca Adler: Neurocysticercosis. Diagnosis through environmental deduction and surgical observation. Patient recovered fully.
Maternity Ward: Environmental toxin + secondary PDA. Five babies saved through systematic investigation and cardiovascular catch. All survived.
Success rate: 100%. But that's not sustainable. Eventually, I'll lose someone. Eventually, my foreknowledge or abilities won't be enough.
Accept that now. Prepare for it.
Powers Status:
Disease Resistance (Phase 1): Stable. Minor infections clear in hours instead of days. Cuts heal rapidly. No major testing beyond the chemical exposure in maternity ward. House noticed lack of safety precautions—red flag.
Lie Detection (Phase 1): Uncontrolled. Always active. Causing constant headaches in high-deception environments. Cameron asked about migraines twice—becoming noticeable. Need better pain management or risk exposure.
Deduction (Phase 1 → Early Phase 2): Improving through clinical application. Successfully used for: appendicitis diagnosis, travel evidence finding, environmental pattern recognition, overnight case file analysis. But maybe too successful. House is suspicious of processing speed and pattern recognition accuracy.
The powers are both advantage and liability. Using them saves lives but attracts attention.
Cover Stories Status:
Immune System Variant: Holding. Documented with HR. Explained to Cameron during coffee. Provides justification for risk-taking behavior. But House will dig deeper eventually.
ER/Research Background: Holding. Explains work ethic, pattern recognition skills, rapid assessment capability. Plausible enough that team accepts it.
Personal History: Holding. Father issues real (Chase's memories), seminary experience documented, reasons for leaving Australia legitimate. Nothing to contradict official record.
Truth wrapped in half-truths. But for how long?
Relationship Status:
Cameron: Progressing naturally. Coffee meeting successful. She's interested in competence + empathy, not damage. This is healthier than canon timeline. Foundation building toward potential relationship. Risk: she's noticed headaches, knows House is suspicious.
Foreman: Professional respect developing. Competitive but collaborative. No major concerns.
House: CRITICAL THREAT. Actively investigating. Noted: overnight work capability, lack of safety precautions, unusual observational skills, calm under personal attacks, rapid pattern recognition. Building comprehensive file. Will not stop until he finds answers.
Wilson: Concerned ally. Warned me three times about House's destructiveness. Sees me as decent person who might get crushed. Potential resource if things go wrong.
House is the problem. Always House.
I flip to a blank page and start writing new analysis.
Threat Escalation Timeline:
Week 1: House testing normally. Curious but not aggressive. Week 2: House noticed surgical observation, travel deduction. Interest increasing. Week 3: House actively testing limits. Impossible task, personal attacks, watching constantly. Week 4+: Escalation inevitable. He won't stop until he understands what makes me different.
House's Evidence Against Me:
Surgical observation—noticed inflammation neurosurgeon almost missedTravel evidence—found Mexico connection in under 5 minutesChemical exposure—no safety precautions, no adverse effectsOvernight work—completed 50 case files in 13 hoursEmotional control—didn't react to personal attacks about fatherPattern recognition—too fast, too accuratePain assessment—predicted patient pain levels by observation aloneClinic efficiency—double normal patient volume
Eight data points. Eight anomalies. He's building a case.
Counter-Strategies:
Option 1: Make deliberate mistakes. Show fallibility. Problem: People die when doctors make mistakes. Can't risk patient safety for cover.
Option 2: Show more emotion. React "normally" to stress. Problem: Feels fake. House will see through performance. Might make things worse.
Option 3: Provide alternative explanations for each anomaly. Problem: Running out of plausible explanations. Each answer raises new questions.
Option 4: Accept inevitable exposure, prepare damage control. Problem: What damage control exists for "I'm a transmigrator with superhuman abilities"?
No good options. Only degrees of bad.
I lean back, close my eyes. The apartment is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and distant traffic.
Wilson's warning echoes: "House destroys what he can't understand."
The question is: can I make myself understandable enough to survive his investigation?
I turn to a fresh page and start planning for what I remember from the show.
Upcoming Canon Events:
Short-term (Next few months):
Various cases (don't remember specific order)Team dynamics solidifyingCameron's attraction to House developing (or not, if I can prevent it)
Medium-term (6-12 months):
Edward Vogler arc—billionaire donor tries to control hospital, force House to fire someoneOriginal Chase became spy for Vogler, betrayed teamI need different strategy: refuse or sabotage from inside?
Long-term (Year 2+):
Stacy Warner returnsPotential relationship complicationsTeam evolution and turnover
Vogler is the next major threat. Several months away, but coming.
In the original timeline, Chase became Vogler's informant. Reported on House, gained political favor, lost team's trust. Eventually redeemed, but damage was done.
I can't follow that path. Won't betray the team, even for survival.
But Vogler will make the same offer. Spy on House or lose your job.
What's the alternative?
Option: Accept the spy role, feed useless information, protect House while appearing compliant. Play both sides without actually betraying anyone.
Risk: Vogler's smart. He'll verify information. If he catches me lying, I'm done.
Option: Refuse outright, face the consequences.
Risk: Immediate firing. Lose access to cases, to House's teaching, to Cameron.
Option: Work with House from the start, warn him about Vogler's tactics.
Risk: How do I explain foreknowledge? Can't predict Vogler without exposing metaknowledge.
Months to figure it out. Focus on immediate survival first.
I close the notebook and stand, walking to the window.
Princeton at night is peaceful. Streetlights casting orange pools. Cars passing by with lives I'll never know. Somewhere out there, patients are getting sick, mysteries are forming, cases are waiting to be solved.
And I'm standing in my apartment, trying to figure out how to be brilliant without being impossible.
Three weeks. Two major cases. Zero deaths under my care.
But House is watching. Cameron is noticing. The balance is collapsing.
How much longer can I maintain this?
I don't have an answer.
I just have tomorrow. Another day, another case, another chance to help or expose myself.
I hide the notebook in the false-bottom drawer I installed last week. Everything locked away, secret and safe.
Then I grab a beer from the fridge and sit on the couch, staring at nothing.
Wilson's warning loops in my head: "He destroys what he can't understand."
Then I'll stay understandable. Barely.
Just competent enough to be valuable. Just mysterious enough to be interesting. Just human enough to avoid being labeled a threat.
Walking the knife's edge. One slip either way and I fall.
I finish the beer and head to bed. Tomorrow brings a new case. Tomorrow, House will test me again. Tomorrow, I'll have to prove I'm worth keeping without proving I'm impossible.
Tomorrow. Always tomorrow.
The alarm is set. The secrets are hidden. The game continues.
And I'm running out of moves.
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