THE MOMENT
"Sorry?" Allyn refocused hIs attention on the pale woman in a white suit. He stood in a lineup shoulder to shoulder with the others. But, for some reason, their host chose the exact moment that Allyn was thinking of something else to ask him a question.
"What's your vote?" she asked again.
"Oh. Uhh,... No?" he asked. The woman sighed.
"It's my own fault for trying to ask so many of you at a time," she said. She stepped back from Allyn and addressed the entire wall of men. "If you have no more questions, you may proceed to the next room." The line of familiar-looking strangers dispersed around Allyn and they all moved towards a door. Allyn began to follow; but, the woman stopped him.
"Not you," she said. They waited in silence for a few moments while everyone else left. She asked him another question when they were alone. "Do you know why you're here?" He looked around the now empty room and shrugged.
"Because you told me to stay?" he asked.
"Before that," she said. "Do you know why you were brought to this room? Do you know who they are?" she gestured at the door.
"No…," Allyn shook his head. He decided honesty would work in his favor. ".. I assumed it would be explained at some point." The woman blinked. Allyn had no way of knowing how much frustration she hid in that blink.
"It was," she said with a patient, even tone. "I'll go over it one more time. Try to pay attention," she said. Allyn nodded. He would try.
"All those other men are alternate versions of you. They each come from a parallel universe," she said. "Are you still with me?"
"Yeah," Allyn couldn't help but chuckle. He wasn't that much of an idiot.
"Good. Now, I've gathered you all here for a purpose…," she continued.
"She must really think I'm an idiot," Allyn mused to himself while he listened. "At least I know why those other guys were so handsome. I guess that means alternate universes are real? I hope I get to see one one day. I wonder what kind of universes are even out there?"
"So," the woman said curtly. "I hope that explains why you're here." Allyn nodded. He missed part of it, but if it were really important she would have given him a pamphlet.
"Oh yeah," Allyn nodded. "Yeah, I totally get what you're saying."
"Then what is your vote?" she asked. Allyn remembered that she did not accept his first answer. He went with a different approach this time.
"Yes!" he said confidently. She sighed and shook her head.
"Choose a number between 1 and 54," she said.
"Three!" he replied. He was eager to move things along. Again she shook her head.
"46," she suggested.
"46!" he said. She smiled at him and nodded at the exit.