Zoe Inc. (Twinning and reality alteration)

A small flame appeared, flickering in the night. Richard lit his cigarette. He didn't feel proud for his relapse, but the stress of getting such a big project completed in time was getting to him.

Everything that could go wrong with a project was going wrong. Construction crews were working slowly; the legal team was getting hit by all sorts of frivolous complaints; even HR was fumbling the bag lately, with a confused schedule of vacations that left some departments undermanned and others with poor morale.

"Still here, boss?"

He glanced at his assistant, Zoe. A skilled secretary, with a good head on her shoulder and a pleasant, cheerful attitude. Zoe was single handedly giving him another five years of life, as she fixed so many problems before they reached his desk.

Tonight, however, she seemed a little ragged, too. Standing outside of the company's office building, Richard could see dark bags under her eyes.

"I could ask you the same. Why are you still in the office?"

"Just trying to complete a few files before I go on vacation next week."

"Don't push yourself too hard." Richard pulled on his cigarette and tossed the butt of it away.

"You too, boss." She waved at him, and began walking down the street.

In the sky above, Richard saw a shooting star. Rare to see one even though the city's light pollution.

Idly, he wished that everyone who worked in the company would be more like Zoe. Kind, hard working, smart. It didn't hurt that the woman was good looking.

Richard lit another cigarette, unaware of the golden light that shone behind him from the office.