Michael looked at Daniel like a guy who had crawled out of nothing. Or a dream. Or even a nightmare.
Daniel didn't notice. He was too concentrated on fixing his crooked lenses and grinning. "Don't just stand there bro. You look like someone stole your wallet. Let's get some food before I collapse."
They ducked into a corner diner. Sound of oil frying, air greasy, chipped tables, and menus stained with coffee. The kind of place that only smelled like the taste would be the same no matter what you ordered.
Daniel dropped into a booth and slapped the menu shut without even looking. "Pancakes for me. Always pancakes." He pointed at Michael. "And you-you look like you just saw God. Is there anything the matter?"
Michael sat across from him slowly. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"Just try me."
The waitress came, just on time, poured coffee, that tasted like burnt tar, and shuffled off.
Michael wrapped his both hands around the mug for comfort. Should he tell Daniel? But how? Hey buddy, I'm from the future, 2024 to be exact, died after blowing billions, and somehow woke up back in '94. You might think I'm crazy, so no thank you.
Instead, he took a sip and grimaced. "This is just some terrible stuff"
Daniel smirked. "Finally someone agrees with me on this. So what's new? Besides your zombie face."
Michael studied him. In his last life, Daniel had never made it past his thirties. Fear of failing kept him small, stuck. He cracked jokes to hide it, but it ate him alive.
Not this time. Michael clenched his jaw. Not this time.
Daniel noticed the look and raised his brow. "Why are you looking at me like you're about to propose?"
Michael snirted, but smiled. "Relax, I was just thinking… we should do something big."
Daniel blinked. "Big like what? Rob the bank of America?"
"Bigger."
"Okay chill. Was just joking with you. Eat your eggs first."
The waitress dropped off two plates-pancakes drowning in syrup for Daniel, eggs and toast for Michael, which passing a note with her number on it.
As Daniel dug in, Michael's gaze wandered to the TV in the corner. Fuzzy pictures. A morning anchor talking about tech stocks, something about a browser was brewing.
Michael's lips twitched. He remembered this. Netscape about to explode into existence. AOL also just heating up. Amazon is not even out pf Bezos' garage yet.
This wasn't a dream anymore. It was a possibility. The world was wide open.
Daniel shoved a pancake bite into his mouth and mumbled, "So what, you woke up today and decided you're gonna take over the world?"
Michael leaned back, eyes sharp. "Something like that. I've decided that I'm not working for anyone again. Not ever. Last time—" He cut himself off.
"Last time what?" Daniel asked, chewing.
"Nothing." Michael forced a smile. "The point is, I'm building something big. Something that will last."
Daniel laughed so hard syrup nearly went up his nose. "You? Mr. Sleep-Through-Math-Class? Build what, a tower of bad ideas?"
Michael didn't rise to the bait. He just smiled faintly. Daniel had no clue. None of them did.
But soon, they would. It would take them like a storm.
When Michael got back home, the house was loud again.
Mei was crying on the couch, clutching the broken cassette player. Lily was sitting there muttering that she hadn't done anything wrong, that she wasn't at fault. Anna stood at the sink scrubbing dishes like she was trying to erase the entire day.
Emily sat cross-legged on the floor with crayons, drawing crooked houses with big stars. She looked up and asked, "Uncle Michael, can I have candy later?"
Anna snapped without turning. "We don't have money for candy, Emily."
Emily pouted. "But just one…"
Michael's chest tightened. Just one candy. A dollar at most. And they couldn't afford it.
He crouched beside her. "We'll see," he whispered.
Anna shot him a look over her shoulder. "Don't make promises you know we can't keep."
Michael didn't answer. He just reached into his pocket. His fingers brushed metal—his dad's old watch, heavy and scratched.
His father had worn it every day until the end. Michael had kept it like a relic, a reminder.
But right now, it wasn't just memory. It was a ticket.
He slipped it back into his pocket, mind racing.
That was it, he has decided on the first step to build his empire. Usually pawnshops don't give much, but it should bring enough money to serve as seed money. A few hundred maybe. Enough to get him started.
Emily went back to drawing, humming to herself. Lily stomped into the room, Mei shouted something from the couch, and Anna slammed a dish a little too hard into the rack.
Michael stood in the middle of it all, watching his family fray at the edges.
He swore it under his breath. Never again. Not this time.
That night, he lay awake staring at the ceiling while the others were asleep.
Outside, the city hummed with the sound of old engines and radios. Inside, Emily snored softly in the next room.
Michael's thoughts wouldn't stop.
The burnout. The hollow office lights in 2024. The faces of the people he'd failed.
All of it burned in his chest.
But here he was once again—he had a second chance.
Tomorrow, he'd pawn the watch. Then start with what he knew. Netscape. AOL. Yahoo. The first stones in the empire.
His hands curled into small fists.
"Never working for anyone again," he whispered to the dark.
Emily mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over.
Michael smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, kid," he said under his breath. "Next time, you'll get your candy. And a whole lot more."