Double Take

In Short

When twenty-seven-year-old Paul Asher settles into an immersive movie theater, he assumes he is merely controlling the plot of a science fiction adventure by shifting his weight against a chest band. Deep inside the story, he flees border guards, discovers a spaceship disguised as a barn, and outwits a wheel-bound villain named Hafitz to safeguard secret military plans. Yet when the movie film snaps and Paul returns home to prepare for a routine business trip, the narrative refuses to stay on the screen. Richard Wilson’s mid-century tale blends interactive technology with classic espionage to deliver a sharp, lingering twist on perception.

The Story

Paul Asher, a twenty-seven-year-old buyer of men's furnishings, finds himself behind the wheel of a high-powered vehicle speeding toward a mountaintop city. Alongside him sits a mysterious woman named Naomi, who urges him to drive fast and ignores his confusion. As they crash through a frontier checkpoint between Italy and France under fire from border guards, Naomi directs him off the road into a secluded barn.

Inside, the rustic structure proves to be a clever disguise. The wooden doors slide shut as solid metal plates, and an automated arm whisk their car away into a hidden cubicle. The facility is actually a disguised rocket-ship, commanded by a scowling, middle-aged man named Hafitz, who navigates the corridors in a power-driven wheelchair. Hafitz demands secret plans for an orbital way-station, which Naomi claims are taped to the small of Paul's back under a sticking plaster.

Before Hafitz can forcibly retrieve the document, the ship shakes violently and blasts off into space, leaving military tanks and exploding craters far below. Confined to a windowless room with Naomi, Paul peels the flat package from his skin, hides it under a desk, and manages to knock Naomi unconscious when she discovers his ruse. Hafitz soon enters with heavy-muscled henchmen, ordering them to search Paul and inflict pain if necessary.

Escaping his captors by mastering the wall panel controls, Paul navigates the silver metal corridors until he finds the ship’s communications room. There, he views a screen broadcasting a live feed from an Earthside military office. He speaks directly to a Major General and a Lieutenant Colonel, confirming his status as an unwitting U.S. agent carrying vital space station plans, while officers scramble a Moon patrol squadron to intercept the accelerating vessel. Just as Hafitz corners him with a strange weapon, the entire universe dissolves into white.

Suddenly, the house lights come up in a theater. The manager announces that the interactive "vicarion" movie—a multi-plot film experience where viewer posture dictates narrative branches—suffered a film tear. Paul unstraps the wired canvas chest band, puts away his viewing spectacles, and leaves the theater.

At his apartment, Paul discusses the broken film with his roommate, MacCloy. MacCloy reveals he saw the same production previously, though he insists there was no female character in his version of the plot. Shrugging off the discrepancy, Paul sleeps and prepares for a morning business drive to Canada to view a line of sport jackets.

Entering his car the next morning, Paul fastens his safety belt, only to feel an insistent, uncomfortable itch on the skin of his back—exactly where the plaster had been. As his car takes a long, rising curve toward a distant city, he glances into the rear-view mirror. Sitting in his back seat is Naomi, smiling insolently and telling him to keep going as fast as he can.

How It Unfolds

The frontier breakout Spurred on by a gun-toting companion named Naomi, Paul speeds through a mountain check-point, smashing through the barricade as armed guards fire upon his high-powered car.

Inside the disguised barn Seeking refuge in a rural structure, Paul discovers the barn is a fully functional rocket-ship, complete with automated machinery and an enigmatic commander named Hafitz.

The lift-off into orbit As Earth's military forces attack the position with heavy artillery, the vessel fires its engines, soaring into space as the landscape below twists away into the curvature of the planet.

Concealing the plans Trapped inside a windowless cabin, Paul strips off a sticky packet taped to his lower back, hides it beneath a desk, and overpowers Naomi before Hafitz’s henchmen arrive to search him.

Contact with command Navigating the spaceship's silver corridors, Paul locates the communications suite, contacts Earth-based Air Force officers on a viewscreen, and helps them lock onto the vessel's coordinates.

Interruption in the dark Hafitz corners Paul with a strange weapon, but before the confrontation resolves, the scene fades out and overhead lights illuminate an interactive "vicarion" movie theater.

A night at the apartment Returning home, Paul discusses the movie's plot branches with his roommate MacCloy, puzzled by the fact that MacCloy’s version of the film contained no trace of Naomi.

The cycle repeats Setting out on a routine morning business trip, Paul fastens his driving belt, feels a sharp itch on his lower back, and looks into his mirror to see Naomi sitting behind him once more.

The People

• Paul Asher is a twenty-seven-year-old buyer of men's furnishings who prefers routine over drama. Thrust into an outlandish narrative of international spies and spaceships, he wants only to clarify his identity and avoid physical harm. Forced to adapt quickly, he uses his wits to outsmart henchmen and contact military allies, only to realize his everyday world is far less secure than he assumed.
• Naomi is a dark-haired, insolent operative whose exact loyalties remain fluid. Armed with a sharp tongue, an oversized handbag, and a cold demeanor, she drives the narrative forward by treating Paul like an unwitting pawn. She wants the orbital plans at all costs, showing no hesitation in turning on Paul or manipulating those around her to secure her objective.
• Hafitz is the bald, scowling commander of the disguised rocket-ship who navigates the vessel in a power-driven wheelchair. Cold and methodical, he directs brute strength and high technology to prevent Earth from building a space way-station. He demands efficiency and relies on intimidation, showing total indifference toward human suffering.
• MacCloy is Paul’s quiet, abstracted roommate who works a government job involving projectos. He serves as an sounding board for Paul’s movie experience, offering a practical breakdown of how the choice-based vicarion film operates while casually casting doubt on the details Paul remembers.

In Its Own Voice

"The semi-darkness was dispelled as he shot out of a tunnel into dazzling sunlight."

Paul Asher finds himself behind the wheel of a high-powered vehicle, suddenly plunged into the middle of a high-speed mountain pursuit.

"The barn turned out to be a spaceship in disguise, and that was only the beginning."

An initial glimpse into the narrative reveals that rustic countryside buildings conceal advanced, off-world technology.

"He adjusted his heavy spectacles, closed his eyes for a moment, breathed deeply, and was off."

Equipped with specialized headgear and chest bands, Paul settles into the vicarion theater seat to experience the immersive cinema production.

What It's Really About

Beneath its pulp-science-fiction exterior, the narrative explores the slippery nature of reality and the illusion of agency. By introducing the "vicarion"—a cinema format where physical movements dictate plot choices—the story questions whether individuals truly control their destinies or merely follow pre-scripted paths. Paul believes he is an active participant choosing his own direction by leaning forward or backward, yet he remains bounded by the choices designed for him. The narrative challenges the boundary between consumer entertainment and lived experience, suggesting that the fictions people consume can bleed directly into their everyday lives, leaving them unable to determine where the theater ends and true reality begins.

Why Read It Today

Written during the mid-twentieth century boom of speculative magazine fiction, Double Take offers a surprisingly modern anticipation of modern virtual reality, interactive storytelling, and choose-your-own-path media. Readers who enjoy fast-paced classic sci-fi, retro-futuristic gadgets, and sudden plot twists will appreciate Richard Wilson’s efficient storytelling and precise pacing.

The story moves at a breakneck speed, prioritizing high-concept fun and atmospheric tension over deep psychological exploration. While contemporary readers might recognize familiar mid-century tropes—such as mysterious foreign operatives, stoic military commanders, and traditional gender roles—the narrative uses these conventions purposefully to build its internal trap. At under two dozen pages in its original form, it is a swift, highly entertaining read that leaves a lingering sense of paranoia, making you second-guess whether the reality you return to after closing the book is quite the same one you left.