THE MOMENT
"Buddy, you're all smiles. The camera's gonna love you," Helios laid it on thick as was his mode of being. "You'll be a star on Earths you aren't even aware of," he added to further overwhelm Walter. Fortunately, 'Walter' wasn't even his real name, just his latest. He'd had centuries of experience dealing with conmen, and the fact that Helios was A.I. didn't mean anything. He was still being buttered up.
Walter was an immortal who'd wandered the Earth and seen times change. He didn't dare form any connections that he would outgrow, and instead focused on himself. He was immortal with a hefty regeneration ability that could even grow limbs back, but that kind of thing wasn't something he wanted to endure very often. Despite his longevity, he never really cared about money. He always seemed to have enough, and when he didn't, there was always more within reach. But now, things had really and truly changed.
The multiverse was real! It wasn't easy to believe at first, but he had the time to see those early promises come to fruition. A multiversal company named Sharp Development purported to make everyone's lives better, and a few years later, Walter could safely agree that life had gotten better for pretty much everyone.
Alternate realities were now part of everyday life, and yet, things were still pretty much the same. He could watch TV shows from other universes, and it didn't take long to realize they were all essentially the same. Hundreds of channels across thousands of parallel universes, and there was still nothing to watch. But, channel surfing did open him up to a new possibility.
They were advertising a new game show promising a multi-million dollar prize. All the contestants had to do was 'survive'. One 'I could do that' thought later, and Walter submitted his name. He was chosen two weeks after, and asked for an appointment a couple of days following that. Now, he was in a small, cramped office talking to a golden mannequin on a CRT television. Helios explained he was an A.I. talent agent for Sharp Development, and he was behind the survival challenge.
"Now, it's important to highlight this is a show for multiversal audiences," Helios said. "It can't be your usual, boring vote the losers off the island type show. And, you'll have a lot more to worry about than just your next meal; we're leaning into the SURVIVAL aspects. Tell me, how do you feel about being shot at with live ammo?"
"What?" Walter shook his head with a smile. "I mean, you can't..., right?" It was important to double check. Walter was confident he could survive anything in general, and certain about bullets, but that also now came with the risk of revealing his powers to the public. He’d learned to ignore pain and now he was considering how to undo that, just in case. The last thing he needed was to get injured on camera without noticing it.
"Multiversal programming," Helios nodded. "We're using multiversal contestants, and not all of them are... mortal exactly," he said.
"Wait... are you serious? Isn't that cheating?" Walter asked. Helios shrugged.
"Not if everyone's doing it," he chuckled. "You didn't think you were the only immortal in the multiverse, did you? Friend-o, you're not even the only you," he added.
"What are you talking about?" Walter tried to ask the question carefully without giving himself away.
"C'mon, you're not trying to hide it, are you?" Helios asked. "Why do you think you were chosen? We can't throw in normies, they'll get slaughtered. That's already a different show," he chuckled.
It took some thinking, but Walter was able to piece together an idea. Helios worked for Sharp Development, and Walter had already registered for all their free services, including medical checkups. In the grander scheme, he assumed there were other immortals in the multiverse and that's what encouraged him to enroll. Surely Sharp Development had seen otherslike him, and he was right about that. But, that was all just daily life and completely forgotten about until this moment when he realized they probably knew everything about him. It was a major shock, but he didn't have the time to deal with it right now. And, more importantly, he was where he wanted to be. It wasn't exactly as he imagined, but he he was immortal, and there to get on the show.
"So, you're saying you knew about my immortality... and it's allowed, expected even?"
"Well, only if you want to win," Helios nodded.
"Alright...," Walter nodded. "So... what caliber are we talking?"