THE MOMENT
"It doesn't matter!" The loudest voice rang out and silenced all the chatter. The group of two dozen strangers had been trying to agree on their next step when one of them asked a question that sparked an entirely different argument. The small crowd of people discussed their fate in an empty white room with no windows or doors. The blue-haired, teenage representative that informed them of the situation stood close by wearing a crisp white suit with a red tie.
"I think it might," Daryl nodded as he raised his hand. He was the one that brought it up, and the rest of them were caught by surprise when he spoke up again. "I got a question!" he said it loud enough to get the agent's attention.
"He's not with us!" the other outspoken voice added as he deliberately stepped away from Daryl. Then, the other members of the group followed his lead and withdrew. Daryl was surprised; but, more confused than insulted. As far as he understood Liberty's explanation, it didn't necessarily matter. Their only task was to agree on a new Earth to live yet, they seemed hesitant to engage any further.
"Gotcha," the teenage girl nodded at the defacto leader, then turned to Daryl. "What's your question?" she asked.
"How do you define 'fictional'?" he asked. "You're obviously from another world, so.. whose 'fiction' counts? What about fictional lore within other fictions? How deep does it go? How shallow? Can I make something up right now? That's technically fiction."
"She means OUR fiction, obviously," the other voice spoke up and he was rewarded with a chorus of laughter. "It's our world being destroyed, why would we use their fiction?" Liberty smiled up at him, then looked beyond to the group.
"Just to give him another chance, are you sure he's not with your group?" she asked. "If he's not with you, then he'll have to figure out something for himself," she added.
"He's NOT with us," the spokesman nodded.
"Great. You guys look like you need more time. I'll deal with him first, then come back and check on you," she said.
"Take as long as you want and take him far away," he responded to more laughter from the group. She'd kept a smile for Daryl the entire time and he got the impression her wording was almost deliberate. She wanted to encourage the thought of him struggling to 'figure out something' in their minds.
"This way," Liberty nodded at a black portal that opened next to her. Daryl stepped through and Liberty followed. He found himself in a long, narrow white hallway that was essentially a stretched out version of the room they were just in. "This is so we can walk and talk. I think you'll be pretty quick to decide where you want to go," she giggled.
"So, to answer your question, you're right," she nodded. "Anything you make up, even on the spot, counts as a fictional world. In normal circumstances, we'd give each person their own world and let them make up the rules however they want, to suit their own imaginative fiction. Unfortunately, the situation with your Earth isn't exactly normal," Liberty sighed and her shoulders drooped with disappointment.
"The short version is, it was a scheduling glitch on our end and we didn't realize how soon your Earth was due to be destroyed. To get everyone processed quicker we batch everyone into groups and give them the 'fictional' guideline as a shortcut. We can scan the media history of your Earth to get all the appropriate details for whatever fiction someone might want to create and it's faster than having them try to make it up on the spot. And, then it's a matter of putting groups in touch with each other after they're processed to let them rebuild the civilization they want. Doing it this way saves a lot of time because given the scale of what we do, most people won't realize they can ask questions."
"Huh, I see...," Daryl nodded. "So... since I'm separated from the group.. that means you're giving me my own 'fictional' Earth?"
"Completely at your control, with optional NPCs if you don't want to connect it to the AlterNet," Liberty smiled as she offered Daryl a clear glass card. "Oh, I haven't even told you about the AlterNet, it's a network of parallel Earths that -,"
"Go ahead and go back to the group," Daryl interrupted her with a smile as he plucked the glass card from her hand. "It'll be fun to try and figure things out; plus, I'm hoping this will let me get help somehow if I get stuck on something?" he asked.
"You got it," Liberty nodded and another black portal opened next to her. She stepped into and waved. "I don't mind leaving you in the middle of nowhere, but my info is on there," she said as the portal closed and disappeared. "Welcome to the AlterNet!"