Coffee With Kyla

CW: Implied child abuse, implied sexual violence

John was sitting on a bench, watching his fellow workers dart about as they rushed to and from their stations. He sipped his coffee and took a bite out of his chocolate chip cookie. It was a little burnt this afternoon, but he quite enjoyed the extra crunch.

He had only a half-hour for his break. Like always, he savored every second of it. He enjoyed “people watching”. He usually spotted the same people, following their own routines. He wondered if they considered him a part of their routine, seeing him on the bench everyday. It was fine if he wasn’t; if they didn’t see him or think about him in the least. He was content keeping under their radar. He was used to being invisible.

There was one person in particular he hoped noticed him, however. He didn’t know her name, but he could never forget her face- the most beautiful face. Every day, she rushed to the same coffee shop that John ordered from. At 9:53 AM, she darted from the west end, holding a laptop bag, and darted back the same way whenever the barista managed to finish her order.

She had long black hair, pale skin, and wore red lipstick and a wispy cat-eye pattern around her eyes. She always wore red high-heels and a white shirt under a black business coat. One day, she had her hair tied into a pony-tail. It was reminiscent of a style often used by women in those 1950’s TV shows.

John’s break was up- but the woman didn’t show today. He was disappointed, but not too broken up. He was confident he would see her tomorrow- maybe even work up the courage to speak to her. He stood up and started for the trash can sitting outside the coffee shop to toss away his empty cup and cookie wrapper. Suddenly, he was crushing the cup against his chest, as the wrapper crunched into his hand.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Said a feminine voice.

John looked up after scanning his shirt to ensure there were no coffee or chocolate stains created from the collision. It was the girl. THE girl. The nameless one with the black hair and the sexy eyes.

“Oh- no! It’s totally fine. I’m sorry, I should have been watched where I was going.” John stammered, “I mean- I should have watched where I had been going.”

She laughed at John’s struggle to get the words out properly. He could see in her eyes though, that she wasn’t mocking him. It was the kind of laugh a girl gives when she finds a guy cute. John’s face rushed red. He smiled and finally asked,

“Hey, uh-.”

“You work at Minnie’s?” She asked, cutting him off.

“Um, ya. How did you know?”

She pointed to his uniform. It was a gray button-up shirt with the “Minnie & Marvin’s Mining Company” badge sewn into the breast. John had been working for Minnie and Marvin’s for the better part of six months now.

“I work there, too!” She said. “In the office. We’re actually trying to get some miners to help out with a project. You should stop by the fourth floor and apply.” She smiled and said she was in a hurry to get back. She rushed into the coffee shop and John was left to bask in the feeling of being noticed. Being seen.

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The next day, John used his break to head up the forth floor of the main building to check out this new project the woman mentioned. The entire building was very different from the mines. It was quiet, air-conditioned, and there was a plush red carpet lining the floor. It didn’t even feel like the same company to John. He always expected the offices to be dirty, especially the sample labs, where they run tests on the ore taken from the mines. Even that area was pristine.

“Hey!” The girl said, approaching John. John waved. He didn’t expect to see her, especially since it was her break time. “I was just about to grab a coffee, but if you want to talk to Janice, she’ll get you fixed up with an application.”

“Janice. Gotcha.” John nodded.

“She’s just ahead a ways, you’ll see her office. I hope to see you soon.” She said.

John could smell her hair from where he stood. Cherry-blossom and vanilla. It was heavenly.

He started for “ahead a ways” until he found a door with “Janice Oller” etched into the plaque. He knocked, and a woman with short blond hair and glasses shot up.

“I’m supposed to see someone about a job application.” He stated.

“Well, since you’re already in our uniform, I’m assuming it’s for Kyla’s new project.” She said.

Kyla. That was her name. It was the first time John had ever heard it. Kyla. He closed his eyes and repeated it under his breath. “Kyla. Kyla. Kyla.” Now he wouldn’t forget it. He opened his eyes to see Janice staring at him with a puzzled look on her face.

“Just remembering her name.” He admitted. He didn’t think it seemed that strange, “I mean, if she’s going to be my new boss-.”

“Whoa.” Janice held her hand up to her chest, “Getting a little ahead of yourself there. You need to apply first. If we like you, we’ll interview you. If we still like you, then we’ll hire you.”

John nodded and filled out the form Janice handed to him. It was full of basic questions like how long he had been working with the company and what mine he had been stationed into. He thought it was a little bizarre that the job seemed to be for internal hires only. It gave him the impression that it was a secret project. Only someone who had already shown themselves to be trustworthy and dependable could even have a chance.

After filling it out, John went back to the mine, satisfied with what he had done. He felt confident he was at least getting an interview. He had been working with the company for long enough to have a reputation, but not so long that they knew anything about him. That gave him an advantage over all the applicants who had spent years applying for higher positions and being turned down for one reason or another. He went back to his work with a smile on his face.

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The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only source of noise within the soundproof walls of Kyla’s office. The room was filled with trinkets and knick-knacks; many more than John expected. There was a little cat toy on the desk, along with a small fountain that was shaped as a running waterfall. On the shelf behind her desk were a few things from various Science-Fiction TV shows she obviously enjoyed. John recognized them all, and felt elated that she liked the same type of entertainment that he did. On the walls were some posters, mostly motivational. One had a poem on it about how perseverance is the source of accomplishment, but he didn’t pay much mind to it.

“Sorry I’m late, John.” Kyla said, walking into her office a full ten minutes later than when she had said she’d be there.

“No problem at all.” John said.

“So, let’s get this started, I’ve wasted enough of your time. Why do you want this job?” She asked.

John panicked a little. The truth was he wanted it so he could get closer to her, but he knew he couldn’t tell her that. He had to think of something fast.

“I just want to move up in this company. I like the mines, but they’re really just entry level. I’d like to make manager by the time I retire.” He said, confident his answer was exactly the kind of thing she would want to hear.

Kyla nodded and continued asking more questions; standard ones, the kind asked at all job interviews. She asked about his greatest strengths and weaknesses and so on. All of which he provided well thought out answers to. When the interview was finished, she asked if he had any questions for her.

“Who’s your favorite Doctor?” He asked, pointing to the TARDIS she had sitting on the shelf behind her.

“Oh, David Tennent, for sure!” She answered. “Yours?”

John’s heart skipped a beat.

“Peter Capaldi.” He replied, his voice almost broken under the excitement. He almost never got to talk about his interests.

“Good choice.” She said.

John knew that was enough. Any more personal questions would cause him to come off as unprofessional. He wasn’t there with her. Not yet.

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It was three weeks since the interview. John got the job and started working under Kyla’s supervision two weeks ago. She was a delight to work for, but he didn’t get many chances to work directly with her. The project was still mostly under wraps as well. He didn’t even know what they were doing. His job was to check the chemical levels in some samples he was given. He checked one sample with the device he was meant to use, a little remote with a screen on it. The green display read “Optimal”, and he moved on to the next sample.

“Power failure” flashed on the display of the device. John had no idea what to do. He went into Kyla’s office and showed her.

“Oh! We just need to replace the batteries. Linda was supposed to show you how, but I can do it. Come on!” She explained. John smelled the Cherry-blossom and vanilla in her hair again. He loved that smell.

Kyla took him to the roof of the building, where they had a large machine. He didn’t recognize it.

“We still haven’t figured out how to make this work indoors.” She said.

“How to make what work?” John asked, anxious to know what was about to happen.

“Teleportation.” Kyla answered plainly.

John almost laughed, but he could see on her face that she wasn’t joking.

“Is that what we’ve been doing here?” He asked, “are we trying to figure out teleportation?” That would explain all the Sci-fi objects in her office. They weren’t just shows she liked, they were examples, inspiration.

“No, actually. We’ve got that figured out- apart from the inside-outside thing.” She explained, “We’re working on time travel.”

John didn’t know what to think. The thought that time travel could be possible was ludicrous, but he had a feeling he was about to believe in ludicrous.

They stepped inside the machine and Kyla pulled a lever. The machine whirled and sparked. John felt a strange vibration coming from every inch of his body. The next thing he knew, he was in a totally different place.

He stepped out of the machine. The air was a strange cool, and the sky was filled with stars and cascading green and pink lights. The ground below him was a strange purple rock, soft but firm. There was only short bit of surface, somehow floating in space. It was obvious he wasn’t on Earth anymore.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“Far away.” Kyla answered, “When we found this place, we discovered a new element that we think could make time travel possible. Right now, though, we’re using it to power the devices we use to scan for it on earth.”

“Those samples are supposed to have this new element in them?” He asked.

“We believe we have the means to find out.” She answered.

Kyla led John to a pile of strange glowing orange rocks and explained to him that a small sliver is all he needs to power the device. She shaved some off for him and handed it to him. She then looked out at the planet the rock was orbiting.

“You know, John.” She said, “I’m only doing this work to get away from it all. I long for an escape.”

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The following months, John spent a considerable amount of time with Kyla. They shared a coffee a couple of times, though nothing came from it. John ached to tell her how he felt about her. One day, she revealed the most horrible news,

“My boyfriend and I are going to see this new movie for valentines day.” She said.

“Boyfriend…” harsher words had never met Johns ears. He was devastated.

“Ya, it’s pretty new. I met him at a bar.” She rolled her eyes, “You know how it goes.”

John could hardly force down his emotions. But he knew he had to. It was the professional thing to do, after all.

“Hey, have we finished the machine yet?” John asked. He knew they were close.

“Just put the finishing touches on now.” She said, she had become quite candid with John regarding information about the project. “We just need to start trials to make sure it’s safe.”

That night, John ran down to the lab. He used his access card, not caring about whether or not he’d be found out. By the time his plan was complete, it wouldn’t matter anyway. He found the machine. It looked a lot like the teleportation machine. It must have used much of the same technology. He put in the desired date and pushed the button. The machine made a noise like metal smashing into metal and in a flash, he was in another time.

“Guess it works.” He smirked.

He bought a couple coffees made his way toward Kyla. He knew she’d be there. He knew everything about her past. He spotted a familiar child and held up the one of the coffees to show that he was offering it to her. She ran toward him and he wrapped his arms around her and took her away. He knew this plan would be easy. He was right.

“Where are your mommy and daddy, Kyla?” He asked the child.

“They’re still at the park.” She replied.

“Good.”