THE MOMENT
Raymond hesitated as he reached for the door. The doorbell rang before he grabbed the handle; but, he only took a moment to make his decision. He'd become skilled at adapting over the years as a necessity of his job. He still had a clear mind even if he wasn't quite himself when he woke up that morning in a strange house. He trusted he could bluff his way through the next few minutes if he needed to. Though, he hoped it was a solicitor or deliveryman of some sort as he pulled the door open.
"Good morning," he smiled at the woman on his doorstep. She was a lean, almost scrawny pale woman in a crisp white suit. The red ribbon tie matched the red tips of her short dark hair.
"Hello Raymond, my name is Jane from Sharp Development," she replied with a smile. He was so glad to hear she was a representative that he didn't realize she used his name.
"Sorry, I'm on my way out," he nodded at the car in the driveway. "But, I'm probably not interested anyway." It wasn't until after he gave the excuse that he realized what she said. According to the I.D. in his wallet, his name actually Roland. She shook her head as the epiphany struck.
"Technically you're already using one of our services," Jane said. "I came to explain why you woke up here in that body instead of your own on your Earth."
Raymond had a complicated morning. He was able to keep his cool and he spent a little time watching T.V. and browsing the internet before he realized how different things were. He hadn't put it into a cohesive thought yet; but, once she said he was on a different Earth it all made sense. He made another snap decision and opened the door wider.
"Please, come in," he said. He stepped back and she entered with a smile. They settled in the living room as Raymond sat on the loveseat on one side of the coffee table and Jane took the sofa on the other side. "Let's hear it," he nodded at her.
"Sharp Development is a multiversal corporation, we have branches on millions of alternate Earths," Jane said. "Naturally, we're quite familiar with how things work and we have access to extremely advanced technology. One of our services allows the client to choose an alternate life to live through instead of their current one." She paused for a moment as if expecting him to say something. Raymond did consider arguing that he did not choose this life; but, if the company was advanced as she claimed, she would know that.
"You didn't choose this particular life...," Jane continued. "... however, a different version of you chose your life." Raymond nodded in understanding.
"So, you're here to tell me about my options, right?" he asked. He hoped that's why she was there. He assumed if he was going to be stuck there she wouldn't have appeared at all. Jane giggled at his question.
"You're a smart one," she grinned. "Usually, I'm interrupted with arguments about how you didn't choose this life, or you never signed up for any service," she said. "You were taken out of your life, so now you get to choose the life you want to live instead. If you choose someone that hasn't been through this yet, they'll get to make a choice also."
"Someone that hasn't been through it?" Raymond voiced the question as his mind worked on it. "Does that mean I can choose my old life again?"
"If you like," Jane nodded. "Going back to your own life locks it so that it can't be taken away again. Or, you can browse the other versions of you to see if there are any you like better. Or, even stay in this one if you prefer."
"No thanks, I'd like to browse," Raymond shook his head quickly. He didn't know much about Roland's life; but, he knew he didn't want to be an accountant.
"Of course," Jane smiled and offered him a card-sized pane of glass. The time appeared on its face as soon as he touched it and he accepted it as a smartphone. He swiped up to reveal the home screen icons as she explained.
"That's called a node," she said. "There is quite a bit you can do with it; but, for now, let's browse through some of your lives. There are quite a few, do you have any ideas of what you might want?"
After a decade-long career as an assassin, Raymond was itching to leave the job. He was only taking a few contracts to build up his nest egg, but now he was essentially already retired. Up until he met Jane, he knew what his dream life was. He liked working with his hands, and he enjoyed a high-pressure job. But, he didn't blurt out his answer right away. If he had stopped to think about anything that was happening, he might have thought he lost his grip on reality. But, his mind was still his own and he knew how to spot opportunities.
"Wait, first I have a question. When you say 'multiverse' what are we talking here? Is there like... a medieval version of me I can take over?" he asked. "A future version??" Jane grinned broadly.
"You are clever," she giggled. "You're the first one to ask about that; all the others limit themselves to their contemporary period. The answer is, yes, of course," she said.
"Is there a wizard version I can become?" he asked. It was more fantasy than medieval; but, he didn't think that was any more unlikely than waking up in a different version of himself.
"There are several," she nodded.
"Yeah, let's browse those please!" he said. Jane nodded as she pulled her own node out of her blazer pocket. She began tapping at it and Raymond found himself with a second or two to kill.
"So,... how many people have you helped?" he asked. "I can't be the only person to ask about different periods."
"Oh no, you're not," Jane shook her head as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant you're the only version of 'you' that has asked that so far; I've helped a few thousand of you so far. I wish they were all this quick and easy," she smirked.
"A few thousand... wow...," Raymond wanted to say something; but, he didn't know how to process that. Jane continued tapping on the node in search of something and another thought crossed his mind. She'd met thousands of versions of him, some he likely couldn't even imagine. But, this was his first time meeting her. "...out of all those the accountant was the first one to want to be an assassin, huh," he chuckled.
"Oh, no," Jane shook her head and looked up again. "It was a circus clown that picked your life. Obviously, you couldn't go back to his, so you're here instead."
"Oh...," Raymond understood, but now he was struck with a new curiosity. "..how far down the chain am I?" he asked. He knew a version took over the clown's life, which meant someone else took over that version's life. He was booted to the only open spot.
"The very bottom," Jane giggled. "I'm not sure how this version existed in the first place, none of you want to be an accountant."