On the morning of his 43rd birthday, against his better judgement, Darach woke up. For a moment he didn't move, didn't even open his eyes, but then the wakefulness overtook him and he surrendered.
He forced his eyelids apart. The room had not changed since he'd gone to bed.
He blinked.
No, still the same.
Darach sighed.
He reached for his phone. 5.13am. No messages.
He swung his legs out of the bed, planted his feet on the floor, then hauled himself upright. He ran a hand through his hair.
Someone coughed politely.
Darach froze, unsure if the cough came from within the room or from inside his own head.
"Terribly sorry," said a voice.
Darach carefully unfroze. There, in the easy chair, in the corner, all in shadow...
"Good morning," said the figure.
"What the..." said Darach, but the figure was ahead of him.
"Happy birthday, Darach," the man said.
"The fuck are you?" asked Darach.
"My name is... let's say it's Kelly."
Kelly's voice sounded strange to Darach, like it was coming from far away.
"The fuck you doing in my house, Kelly?"
Kelly smiled. "How sure are you that this is your house?"
Darach looked closer at the man, and realised that something wasn't right. Kelly was tall, his hair styled in what Darach presumed was the latest trend in some sub-culture or other, but it wasn't just that. There was a gleam in Kelly's eye, not a reflection, but... a sparkling galaxy, a constellation of LEDs.
Kelly grinned and reached out a finger, pointing at Darach... but as he extended his hand he seemed to touch something, and a ripple went out, as if he had disturbed the surface of an invisible vertical pool.
"There, perhaps, yes, you are in your house. Here... this is my house."
"You projecting across town into my house for a reason, Kelly?"
"Not across town, Darach. Across time."
"Sure. From two minutes ahead. Neat trick. Can I get my breakfast now?"
"Not two minutes, Darach."
Darach stopped.
"Two minutes is all the machines can manage."
Kelly smiled and shook his head.
"Quite a lot more than that, Darach, quite a lot more."
Kelly rose, in a movement that Darach thought more closely resembled floating than the regular human motion he had become used to for, well, forever. And he was tall, this Kelly. Very tall. Close to two metres, Darach thought.
"Come with me, Darach, we have important work to do."
Kelly held out his hand in invitation.
Darach hesitated.
Kelly raised an eyebrow and asked "Do you have something better to do, Darach?"
Darach knew he was right. He stood. Took a pace towards the invisible... field, or wall, or film, or whatever it was.
He touched it, and it rippled. It felt cold. Unwelcoming.
"I should get dressed," said Darach.
"We have everything you need," said Kelly.
Darach nodded, took a breath, and stepped into another world.
