Fudge Ripple, FOTD with Chopped Nuts and Hot Fudge
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: Retrograding
Rating: PG (cursing)
Challenge: FOTD: retrograde, Fudge Ripple #19: domination
Toppings/Extras: hot fudge, chopped nuts
Wordcount: 387
Summary: Another day, another dastardly plot. Miss Merritt soldiers on.
Notes: Perfect prompt for a time-travelling story, don’t you think? Retrograde 1-having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating. 2-inversed or reversed, as order. 3-experiencing degeneration or deterioration. AU because of discrepancies in the timeline (this scene = not possible according to original).
“This is perfect,” Newson grinned as he leaned back in his computer chair, cracking his knuckles. “Merritt, come and take a look at this. It wasn’t easy, but I’ve figured out what’s going to crack Ashdown wide open. At last.”
Adele sighed, tucking a strand of damp hair behind one ear. She had been back from the sickening ocean for less than half an hour, and already Newson was going off on yet another hair-brained scheme. What would it be this time? She reluctantly moved away from the floor-to-ceiling window that hung over the gleaming urban jungle and towards his screen. After a few moments of reading, she wrinkled her nose.
“I still don’t...”
“I mean we get his little sister, stupid bitch. Christ, how much working out does that take?”
“It says here,” Adele replied, “That Rosalind Ashdown died when she was sixteen.”
”What do you think time travel’s for, you dumb slut?”
“So you are suggesting we kidnap his sister, who is already dead, and then threatening to kill her again.” His insults had rolled off of Adele like rain down a window. After years of being his PA, one got very much used to it. She wrinkled her nose incredulously.
“The mind boggles, eh?” Newson said, sounding amused, and sat back in his seat.
Adele bit her lip and straightened up, neurotically tugging at her sleeve to set it straight. Perhaps Ashdown’s horrified face upon being reintroduced to his dead sister would have caused some glee at a previous time, but at the moment she could dredge up none. Certainly, he was irritating, but it just got to a certain point where she felt breathlessly as though she wasn’t growing but shrinking... become less of a person in some way, less of a woman.
“Miss Merritt,” Newson said slickly. She glanced back at him, heart pounding. Does he know about Isaac? she thought worriedly. Suddenly, those balmy, ridiculous days at sea became tainted by reality. It had just seemed like a bit of fun at the time...
“Yes, sir?” she asked stonily.
“Not doubting the plan, are you?”
Adele pressed her lips together a moment.
“Of course not,” she said in her usual automaton-like manner, finally releasing her cuff. “I’ll go and notify Kirby to get the machine prepared.”
Newson smiled, shark-like.
“Good girl.”