THE MOMENT
"...two million dollars," Stephen finished his announcement, and David couldn't believe his ears. The Project Lead was addressing the entire staff, and almost two dozen scientists filled the small room. The offer alone was beyond insulting, but he was even more surprised to realize that all the other scientists seemed to be nodding and mumbling in agreement. Were they going to take the deal?
"You can't be serious...," he stood up, and the room went quiet. He looked around at the puzzled expressions. "...how is this acceptable?"
"Heck of a first month, huh, Dave?" Stephen asked with a smile, and the rest of the room laughed at the comment.
"What's wrong with you people? What use is two million? The world is ending in less than three days!"
"I'll spend it really fast!" one of the scientists said, followed by more laughter.
"Live like a king for a few days!" another added.
"Alright, alright, let's be kind to the new guy," Stephen calmed them all down.
"I'll take over," Justice said. She was a teenage girl with pink twin braids and a crisp white suit, and David wasn't entirely sure how she was able to be in their meetings. She'd briefly been introduced to him in passing when he joined the project, and he'd gotten used to seeing her present during important talks. But, the most he'd managed to assume was that she was someone's daughter. She seemed well-liked by the entire staff, so the thought of calling her out was off the table. At least, normally, but this particular situation was different.
"Who even are you?" He asked directly.
"We do things in phases here," Justice nodded with a smile. "You were supposed to get that information at your 3-month evaluation. But, thanks to this minor mishap, I'll explain it right now," she said.
"MINOR?!" David felt comfortable raising his voice at a teenager; everyone else had left. Which was odd in its own way, but he didn't have the mental agility to care about it right then. "THE WORLD IS ENDING!"
"THIS world is ending," Justice nodded. "It's not the problem that you think it is," she added.
"Oh, I gotta hear this," David replied.
"My check-ins hadn't been explained to you yet; I represent a multi-versal corporation named Sharp Development," she said. "In that context, this is very much a minor inconvenience."
"Great, so you get to go home on another Earth, and we're all stuck here to die?" It was silly to argue her point, and easier to point out how it wasn't any better, regardless of whether it was true or not.
"Sharp Development owns... BILLIONS of alternate Earths," Justice stressed the important word. "We do a lot of research across all of those... and doomsday scenarios are kind of...," she shrugged with a smirk. "... So, I'm more of an intern than like an executive. That's the level of Corporate oversight this kind of thing requires for our company."
"EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE!" Her story was getting more ridiculous.
"NO THEY'RE NOT!" she replied with the same tone, but a playful smile as well.
"Huh?" That genuinely took him by surprise.
"Since you're so impatient, I'll explain it as easily as possible. This world is going to detonate in about 60 hours. In fewer than 24, everyone currently here will be placed on an identical, alternate Earth, and never be aware that anything was amiss. The two-million-dollar bonus buys that secret. Life will go on, everyone will be fine."
"You... can't...," he was having a hard time conceiving that. "... can you?"
"I told you, it happens kind of often," Justice nodded with a smile. "I'll go ahead and raise your security clearance so you can properly talk with the rest of the staff," she said. "For a lot of them, this isn't the first time."