Holidaying

Damaris stands outside Adrastos’s building door. She walks in to find a new secretary, a young man. He smiles as he looks her up and down. Damaris rolls her eyes. ‘Adrastos in?’

‘Let me see …’ The man begins clicking away at the computer screen.

After a while, Damaris clicks her tongue. ‘Come on.’

He looks at her with contempt. ‘Yes. He’s currently in a meeting, will be for another hour or so. If you would like to wait I can make you a coffee or a tea?’

‘Thank you,’ Damaris says and she takes a seat. ‘Black coffee with no sugar. Strong.’

‘Coming right up.’

She picks up a magazine and pretends to flick through it until he leaves the room. She stands and walks down the corridor. With longer strides, the walk is much quicker than last time. She raps on the door with her knuckles.

‘It’s me.’

There are voices inside. They soon subside and then Adrastos’s voice rings out.

‘Come in.’

She turns the handle to find the room empty of people except for Adrastos himself.

‘Who were you talking to?’

‘Just some people.’

‘Right.’ Damaris closes the door behind her.

She sits, crosses her legs and folds out the creases in her pants. Adrastos begins pacing behind the desk.

‘I don’t like your new secretary,’ she says.

‘You never do.’ He’s grinning at her.

‘This one especially.’

‘He is pretty though, you must admit.’ He smiles, biting the tip of his tongue. He’s pretty too, when he wants to be.

‘I must nothing. I lost Ida, the proper one. I was halfway through explaining it to her when she looked at one of the doppelgangers. She can see them! She was switched out. The other selves are malicious. I’ve never seen one like the one I spoke to before.’

‘What did you end up telling her?’

‘The date that should contain the fixed point. She can figure it out.’

‘Right.’ Adrastos sits down. ‘She can figure it out.’

‘She should. She has enough information. And I don’t think I can find her again. Adding my switching in around hers won’t help. I couldn’t do it, everything was too slippery.’

Adrastos runs a hand through his hair. ‘So. You think she’ll be able to do this? Should I call it off?’

Damaris nods. ‘Yes. And even if we wanted to, we can’t get to her.’

He looks at her, unblinking for a few moments. ‘Okay.’ He nods. ‘Okay. I trust you.’

‘If the world ends tomorrow, you can blame it on me.’

He gives a small smile. ‘Much appreciated.’

‘I was also thinking we could recruit her.’

‘You think so?’

‘She’s adept at skipping universes. If we send her to another time period, she’ll be brilliant.’

This is why she’s so far from home, why Adrastos is. If they’re not where they should be, they don’t create doppelgangers. When they skip through past or future universes, it’s different than if they did it in their own time periods.

Adrastos thinks for a moment. ‘That could work.’

‘Not now. She’s not ready yet. But we could send her some information in a couple of years. See if she’s interested.’

‘Not yet?’

‘She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life.’

‘Maybe if she stopped switching for a moment she might find out.’

‘Oh, aren’t you clever.’ Damaris smirks.

‘I’m sorry, was that humour?’ Adrastos raises an eyebrow. ‘I haven’t seen you like this since … well, I prefer not to say. Age is a delicate subject.’

‘Is it? Why, in all the considerable time I’ve known you, Adrian, it’s never come up.’ This name is softer, easier.

‘Another joke. Are you going to kill me after this? Trying to throw me off the scent?’ He smiles at her.

‘Adrian,’ she says. ‘That holiday.’

‘Well deserved, I should think.’

‘So you do think?’

Adrastos lets out a bark of laughter. ‘Three in one conversation. It feels like the old days a bit, doesn’t it?’

Damaris inclines her head and almost smiles. ‘A little bit. Now, there’s one condition I have for taking this holiday. Or this break. Whatever you want to call it.’

‘Yes?’ Adrastos leans forward. ‘Name it. Anything you want. Money isn’t an issue.’

‘I know.’ She pauses for effect, watching him trying to guess what she’s going to say. He stares, eyes searching, and he finds nothing. ‘I want you to come with me.’

He stares at her for a few moments, not speaking.

‘This is a sincere request, Adrian. I didn’t get to tell her everything, but it should be enough.’

‘Sincere?’

‘Completely.’

Adrastos considers for a moment. ‘All right. I can shuffle work around.’

‘No need, remember? Time is a friend of mine.’

He holds out his hand over the desk. Damaris grips his hand in her own, his skin smooth and warm, and smiles.

They disappear from the room.