somewhere else.
So I just lie there, thinking about where this place is and why I’m here. Also, how the hell do I get back? And where did Luck, Nyleena, and Jimmy go? Are they here? Or did they go somewhere else?
I push the covers off Christopher—or me, I guess, since he’s gone now—and swing my legs out of bed. I look over at Carla, just to see if she’ll notice and say something, but she doesn’t. Either asleep or ignoring me.
Then I get up and leave the bedroom. The familiar hallway leading to the grand staircase is below me, and there’s a light on in a room at the bottom. I descend the stairs and when I get to the partly open door, I peek inside and see an office. Not the same one I was in during the last flash, but there’s a computer screen on the desk and that’s what I’m looking for.
Because I remembered something about Jimmy.
He has another name. Yates. Jimmy Yates.
I think that’s his Earth name and I’m gonna look him up and see if he’s real. Then I’m gonna go find him. Because I have to be here for a reason, right? And it can’t be to play governor.
For fuck’s sake. Fate or destiny or whoever is in charge of that shit can’t be that cruel.
And if it is, and I am here to play governor, I’m out. I’m not doing it. I could have that headache back home. Besides, I don’t even know where I am. I wouldn’t have the faintest clue about running this place.
I cross the room, sit down at the desk, and tap my fingers on the trackpad, hoping the computers in this world function like they do in mine.
The screen comes to life, then a flash of red scans my eye, and the lock screen disappears to reveal little icons.
It’s not that different from the air screens we have on Harem. These people have to have a galactic web to search for things, right? It takes me a little while to figure out which of the icons point to that, but eventually I do find a search engine.
I type in ‘Jimmy Yates’ and the AI controlling the search autofills the query with the additional words ‘near me’.
And yes. There are a few Yateses to look for. There’s a Lydia Yates, and a David Yates, and on and on, but no Jimmy. There is one Jim, though. And I wonder if Jim and Jimmy are the same thing? On Harem I know two guys with names like that. One is called Ryck and the other is called Rycket. But they are not the same name. They don’t even come from the same humanoid race. So Jim and Jimmy might be two totally different names.
Jim comes with another name, though. Heather. Jim and Heather Yates.
As good a place to start, as any, I guess. I’m just about to tap the listing when I hear, “Daddy?”
I jump, startled, and find little Tycho standing in the doorway. His hair is all messy and his eyes look very sleepy. “Uh… yeah. What’s going on?”
“I can’t sleep. I don’t feel well.” He grabs his stomach like he’s in pain and then starts walking towards me.
I have a moment of panic. Shit. What do I do? Christopher? Hello? Your son is here and needs you!
Christopher doesn’t show. And a few seconds later Tycho is climbing up into my lap.
I freeze, unsure how to react.
He leans his face against my chest and wraps his hands around my upper arm.
I… pat his head. “OK. Well… how can I help you, Tycho?”
He huffs a laugh. “My name isn’t Tycho. It’s Toby.” Then he shifts position and looks up at me. “You’re funny, Daddy.”
Mm-hmm. Yup. I’m hilarious. “Um… so you should probably get back to bed. It’s very late.”
“I can’t. My tummy hurts.”
“Daddy has work to do, Toby.” Holy shit. Referring to myself as Daddy is freaking weird. “I can’t play with you right now. OK?”
“I don’t want to play. I want you to hold me. Rub my tummy.”
Oh, my sun. No. I didn’t sign up for this. I don’t rub tummies. I don’t know anything about kids. “I’m looking for a friend right now, Toby. It’s really important.”
But… is it? Is it really?
Do I need Jimmy? I mean, realistically speaking, even if he is here, what’s he gonna do for me? He might not even know who I am. And even if he did recognize Christopher, he wouldn’t know