Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

Lab Rats: Jumping the Gun

A soft, synthetic tone by K's ear roused him from his dozing. With a snort, he propped back upright, and found he had fallen asleep at his desk, and had been using his computer keyboard as a pillow. He was exhausted, overwhelmed by this ongoing deluge of unintended consequences, emotional investment, and data overload.

Stifling a yawn, K tapped the button to receive the incoming message. "Wow, you still here, Steve?" C's voice greeted him.

K looked around, bemused. "Apparently."

"I've got to hand it to you, you're a trouper," C murmured. "Especially considering your stage in life, that's outstanding."

K rolled his tired eyes. Thank you, Tim, for putting that compliment in your left hand before I could fully enjoy the first part of it. "You can talk. What are you still here for?"

"I was just asking myself that same question, so I put out a general call through to the team- and you're the only one who answered."

"Yeah." With some effort, K stood and cracked his neck while pushing in his chair. "It's almost eleven, I think I'd better call it a night if it's all the same to you."

"Stop by the lab first, though, will you?"

"Is it important?"

"I'd like to talk to you about something." A pause. "And I may need your help."

K coughed in surprise. "Uh, Tim, remind me how the hell a man of my advanced age is supposed to be any help again?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I said may need, not will need."

"Again, is it really important?" he sighed.

"One, word, Steve: George. Enough said?"

K gulped. "What about him?"

"Tell you when you get here. Now hurry up, I'm waiting." With that, C ended the call.

So K draped his coat over his arm and shuffled out of his personal office. This little catastrophe of Stuart's had eaten up so much of his time, he hadn't set foot upon his own Rutgers campus once this entire week. It was becoming quite clear to him that he'd bitten off more than he could chew by involving himself more deeply even than any of the team knew. The Florida coast seemed ever more appealing with every day this madness continued- and simultaneously appeared to slip further and further away with each new obstacle the day introduced.

I didn't sign up for this, he said to himself, except I did. And given the opportunity, I would do it again. Why? Because I'm old and I'd probably forget having done it before, that's why. Damn, I could use a joint right about now.

Putting self-deprecating jokes aside, though, K typed in the password to Stuart's lab. This was the part he hated most of all about the lab: merely walking in. The password was always over twenty characters, chock full of special characters and capitalization, and impossible to get right the first time. K's hands shook, his fingers meticulously tapping out the old password which for all he knew could expire at any second-

But then the door was opened from within, and K breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Tim."

C nodded briskly. "Quick. I need another pair of hands, might as well be yours."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you."

Wordlessly K obeyed, careful to swallow another yawn. To be fair, C didn't look that rested -or youthful- himself; the bags under his eyes sagged a little heavier than usual, anxiety etched plainly across his face. But he knew that one playful crack about his worn-out appearance could result in some very nasty blowback. C could be so vindictive when he chose, even over the smallest of offenses.