Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

7. Harley Quinn vs. Harlequin, Part Two

Julia

My eyes darted about the room, which seemed to swim in eerie synchronization to Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus."  I was nestled on top of a small, miraculously vacant table set well away from the dance floor, tapping my foot to the beat and dragging on a complimentary cigarette while I formulated a plan.

Yes, you read that right.  I smoked now.  Not very much, though, and not very often.  I'd started six years ago and got to the point where I smoked half a pack a day, but in the last eight months I'd been putting some real effort into quitting.  I'd cut my cigarette intake down to three a week, at the very most.  These days, I only smoked when I felt strung too high and extremely nervous, and I needed something external to relax my raw nerves that wasn't mentally detrimental, like alcohol.  This was one such time.

It had been only half an hour since I landed, but to me it might as well have been half a day.  I had no idea whether Danny had been here for hours, or if he had even shown up yet at all.

My black boots were killing me.  It would have been so simple just to tear them off and run around Ms. Henderson's, barefooted.  I certainly wouldn't have been the first one; despite the occasional bit of broken glass here and there, quite a few outlandishly-dressed revelers hopped around the dance floor, their feet freed from shoes' constraints.  However, I had practically defined myself by going around barefoot when I first visited Freddie in 1977.  I couldn't take that chance.

My comm link beeped.  "K to Julia.  Any luck? Over."

"Not so far," I murmured.  "I'm not even sure if he's here yet.  What time is it now?"

"Quarter past midnight on your side; it's nearly eight-thirty here at Princeton."

"Would you like the current time in Dubai as well?  Or Stockholm?" I heard C dryly remark in the background. 

C, you are just on tonight.  Seriously, what is your problem?

Ignoring him, I asked, "Is the harness still in good shape?"

"Yes, although it is twenty percent weaker than before.  You'd better get a move on.   The grip loosens faster, the more time that passes.  I'd say you've got roughly another hour and a half at most, before we lose this connection."

"Thanks for telling me," I breathed.  "Looks like I'm going to have to mingle then."

"I guess," K agreed.  "When you find him, make him take the capsule, and give us a yell once he's swallowed it.  The thing takes at least two minutes to kick in fully, but if we have the heads-up we can find it faster."

"Will do," I said.  "Over and out."

I had tried staying in the background all this time, hugging the walls in order to protect myself, but now it was clear that wasn't going to work.  All I'd achieved were four requests to dance and at least three propositions for, shall we say, misconduct, by men and women both. On the bright side, I hadn't caught sight of Freddie yet.Alas, I'd have to get in the thick of things, it seemed, and play the concerned, uptight mother asking people if they'd happened to see a little dark-haired boy with glasses run by, if I was to actually catch him.

So I slipped off the table, mumbling "Amadeus, Amadeus" along with Falco.  I eyed the table of food as I moved past, but decided against it.  Even the food was black and white- if I remember correctly, a lot of caviar and mashed potatoes.  My stomach would have to go unsatisfied for a while; I wasn't hungry enough to resort to fish eggs slathered on a cracker.

One of the waiters, a well-dressed man with a frazzled smile, approached me, lowering his full drink tray, "Champagne, Fräulein?" he asked.