Stealing Time

“I have to go now. I’ll collect theplates when I next come.”
As Marisa made her way back through theportal, the chiming of Varya’s apartment doorbell became louder andmore insistent. She strode over and frowned at the screen showingthe live feed of the other side of the door. She peered closely. Hewas a dead ringer for the photographs she’d seen, but surely…
“Identify yourself,” she demanded.
He held up his identification to the camera,placing it next to his face for easy comparison.
“Well, bugger me,” said Marisa under herbreath, smiling as she imagined Kir’s excited face at hercussing.

Chapter twenty
Varya
The police had been and gone, leaving an unmarked carstationed a few houses away, watching out for Daniel. Varya sat inthe armchair opposite Zoe and cycled through useless platitudes inher head.
“I’m so sorry,” was what she finally settledon.
Zoe’s normally blush skin was a sickly shadeof white. She held her palms over her kneecaps and rocked herselfgently.
“I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably just goneto a friend’s house,” said Zoe, her face blank.
Varya stood tentatively and crept the threesteps from her chair to the couch Zoe sat on, watching for signs ofrejection. There were none. There was no reaction at all. Varyacovered Zoe’s hand with her own.
“I can help.”
Zoe stopped rocking and looked up atVarya.
“If it’s… what we fear. I can help.”
“You can reverse the time drain?” asked Zoehopefully. She became suddenly animated and snatched her hand back.“If you can do that, then why didn’t you tell me, why didn’t youhelp the other child before he…”
“No, Zoe,” said Varya quickly, shaking herhead firmly. “I can’t do that.”
Zoe slumped back into the cushions andclosed her eyes.
“Then, what?” she whispered. “What can youpossibly do to help my baby?”
Varya frowned and dug her own fingersagainst her kneecaps, trying to decide how to begin.
Zoe’s eyes flew open. “Of course! The timetabs. You can give him time tabs. But he would need an awful lot.But I suppose we could keep giving them to him until we can figureout a way to reverse the drain. Do you think it would hurt him atall? Wouldn’t he be confused?”
Varya put her hand on Zoe’s arm and shookgently.
“Zoe, slow down. What are you talkingabout?”
Zoe stopped and stared. “The time tabs. Theones you use.”
Varya pulled back. “How do you know aboutthem?”
Zoe laughed. “There have been so many timesyou’ve walked in here looking half-dead, then disappeared up thehallway for five minutes, only to come back looking perky andrefreshed. At first, I thought you might be into drugs, but then Irealised… Well, you know.” She shrugged. “Your background, and I’dheard rumours. It was obvious.”
Zoe laughed again at the expression of alarmon Varya’s face. It was her turn to comfort Varya with a hand overhers.
“It was obvious to me. Because I know you.And, naturally, I’m a genius.” She grinned. “I’m sure nobody elseknows.” She searched Varya’s face then. “Do they?”
She took a deep breath. “Zoe, there are somethings I have to tell you.”
Zoe’s face fell again, as though she’d justremembered that Daniel was missing. She started to babble. “Youknow, I’ve often wanted to ask you for a few tabs, just to help meget some rest after a night shift, so I can do mornings with Danielinstead of…” Varya watched as realisation and shock closed Zoe’sface down again.
“Yes, I could give Daniel time tabs. Butthat wouldn’t be enough. I still don’t know how to reverse the timedrain. That will take longer, and he needs to be looked after. Ifwe used time tabs, he’d need to come out of stasis to eat, talk toothers. He’s too young to be in stasis by himself. He needs someoneto look after him.”
“I could look after him,” said Zoe. “I’ll goin with him.”
Varya shook her head. “No, it doesn’t worklike that. You can’t go into a time tab stasis with another person.They’re not that sophisticated. And besides, time tabs areillegal.” She smiled slightly. “It would be far too obvious if youboth kept glitching every couple of minutes.”
“Glitching?”
Varya waved her arm. “Sorry, time sciencelingo.”
They both fell silent.
“Maybe he just ran away. Maybe he’s just hitthat age where he wants a day or two to himself. Kids do thatsometimes, you know.” Zoe pressed each fingernail into her thumb,one by one, as though playing piano on her own hands to a song onlyshe could hear. By the time she pressed her pinkie fingernails inthere was a large red welt on each thumb. She started back at thepointer finger again, harder this time.
“I don’t have the technology to reverse atime drain,” Varya started quietly. “But I can keep him safe untilI figure out how to develop it.”
“Okay,” said Zoe.
Varya put her hands over both of Zoe’s, tostop her causing herself any more pain.
“I’ll figure it out, I promise.”
Zoe stilled but continued to stare at herhands. “Okay.”
“You want me to stay?”
Zoe nodded once.
“Cup of tea?”
She nodded again.
Varya stood and stretched. She moved intothe kitchen and started to gather cups and a box of tea, thenpulled out her device and sent a message to Marisa.
“We need to find Sebastian. Can you startlooking?”
While she waited for the reply, she put agreen teabag in the first mug.
“He’s literally just arrived at your place.I can totally take the credit still, right?”
Varya swallowed hard while she added waterto the tea. Just one mug. She left the other empty.
“Tell him I’m coming.”
She carried her device and the steaming mugover to Zoe and put it on the table on top of a coaster. She didn’tsit down. Zoe looked up at her.
“I have to go now. To prepare for whenDaniel returns.”
Zoe nodded. “What if he doesn’t come back?What if it’s not… them? What if some garden-variety murderer hastaken him and we never get him back?”
“He’s coming back, Zoe. And when he does,we’ll be ready.” Crouching down in front of her friend she lookedat her intently. Zoe’s eyes flicked up, then away. They were brightwith barely contained moisture. “Daniel is going to be okay.”
Zoe nodded silently, swallowing furiously.“Okay,” she whispered.


Chapter twenty-one
Varya stood at her own apartment door and stared atit. White paint covered