A Frappuccino

“Maddison? Maddison!” Jared’s voice rose, drawing a few curious looks from passersby. He lowered the phone, staring at it in frustration. Whatever was happening, he couldn’t count on HQ’s support—not if Maddison was compromised. He’d have to figure this out on his own.

Ahead, Dr. Glasseye had finished his chat with the vendor and was now crossing the street, his stride confident, almost predatory. Jared’s jaw clenched. They were almost at his job. If the man, or whatever he was becoming, intended to infiltrate Jared’s civilian life, then Jared needed to act before it was too late.

He pocketed his phone and quickened his pace, slipping through the crowd to close the distance. As he approached, Dr. Glasseye glanced over his shoulder, his piercing blue eyes locking onto Jared. The smirk that spread across his face aimed to look friendly, but Jared wasn’t buying it.

“John! There you are!” Dr. Glasseye called out, his voice smooth and inviting, completely unrecognizable from the gravelly tone when he spoke in the subway. He held out a hand as though greeting an old friend. “I was starting to think you’d fallen behind.”

Jared stopped short, his instincts screaming at him to tread carefully. “Glasseye,” he said evenly, ignoring the outstretched hand. “You seem… different.”

The smirk faltered. “Glasseye? Is that one of your nicknames?” the person asked, passing their hand through their hair.

Jared’s eyes narrowed. The way Dr. Glasseye, if that was still who he was, dismissed the name so casually set off alarm bells. The old Dr. Glasseye would never let anyone forget his moniker. He wore it like a badge of honor.

This was wrong. All of it.

“You don’t remember?” Jared asked, keeping his tone neutral. “The name Glasseye doesn’t ring a bell?”

The transformed man tilted his head, studying Jared with a mix of amusement and curiosity like all of this was a game. “Not really. But I’ll play along. If I’m Glasseye, what does that make you? Cyclops? Laserbeam? Oh, wait, don’t tell me, Serious John, the guy who never cracks a joke.”

The laugh that followed sounded genuine like they were two old friends sharing an inside joke. It was so disarming, so unnervingly human, that Jared had to fight the urge to glance over his shoulder for hidden cameras.

“It’s Jared,” he corrected firmly, trying to put some distance from his civilian cover. “You know my name is Jared, just like you know you’re a mad scientist who wants to destroy the world.”

The person let out a confused laugh. “No, hun, you’re John, and I’m Haley.” They pointed at the building. “We’ve been working for 7 years. And mad scientist? I can barely do calculus. And why would I want to destroy the world? Where else would I get frappuccinos?” They waved a half-full cup of frappuccino, that definitely wasn’t there a second ago.

Jared narrowed his eyes. “Where did you get that cup?”

Haley pointed. “From the cute vendor. Do you want to buy a cup? I mean, we could hurry, though we’re cutting it close if we want to be on time for work and the presentation.”

The agent barely had the will to parse through the nonsense that Dr. Glasseye (or Haley or whatever) was saying as he turned around. His pulse quickened as he stared at two baristas across the street. They hadn’t been there a moment ago. The vendor, the shabby cart, even the crumpled newspapers—all gone. Now, a pristine, professional coffee stand stood in its place as though it had always been there. And the growing line of people? None of them seemed to find it odd.

“What the hell…” Jared muttered under his breath.

He turned back to "Haley," who took a long sip of the frappuccino, looking utterly at ease. If this was Dr. Glasseye's doing, his inventions had taken a much more bizarre turn. But Jared couldn’t shake the feeling that this was bigger than Glasseye. People and things were changing around this man as though he was rewriting the world to suit his whims, even if the whims seemed utterly random.

“You need to relax more, John,” Haley continued, taking a long sip from their drink. “We can get mocha lattes next time. Those two make it really good.”

“Jared,” he corrected again, his voice cold. He had long since stopped caring that he was saying his spy name in public. There were bigger problems to worry about. “And no, I don’t think I will. Whatever new invention you’re doing, stop it. You made your point.”

But Haley tossed their drink to a nearby trash can and walked around Jared before placing their hands on his shoulders. “I’m guessing you’ve been working yourself hard last night,” they replied, rubbing Jared’s shoulders. “Huh, you’re tense. How about you take it easy and I’ll do half of your work. Would that make you feel better?”