THE MOMENT
"Oh, you're from Sharp Development?" Director Givens was immediately thrilled and pleasantly surprised. The pink-haired woman looked professional in every other aspect, with a white blazer, slacks, and a red tie. Her hair had a brilliant, gentle hue that seemed almost natural and not the saturated neon pink the Medical Director associated with cheap hair colors. She'd introduced herself as Lyra and Helen mentally dismissed her on hair color alone, but her interest was renewed just by mentioning the company she represented.
Recently, there'd been a viral trend with Sharp Development at the center of it. A new app promised to show you how you die. So far, it'd had 100% accuracy, and the turnaround time was surprisingly quick; usually, the results were delivered in five minutes. As the Chief Medical Officer for a major hospital, Helen Givens was very interested in somehow integrating it into her business. The app was created by a company named Sharp Development, which she'd had an impossible time finding information on. She hadn't been able to establish communication with anyone, but Lyra's presence was a godsend. It was even more impressive when she realized Lyra had made an appointment shortly after the app released. However, in her busy position, solicitors were usually put off for more important meetings.
"What can I do for you?" She asked with a broad smile.
"Sharp Development is interested in a partnership that would grant you our Life-Timer technology," Lyra replied. "I'm aware you likely hadn't heard of our company before the app released, but we're a large, old company. Sharp Development is a...," she intentionally met Helen's eyes and held her gaze as she explained. "...multiversal corporation. We serve hundreds of billions of AlterNet Earths, including this one now," she said. Helen's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't reach her position by reacting. Lyra seemed intent on continuing her explanation and Helen nodded subtly as she processed all the information. On some level, it made sense. The app functioned with 100% accuracy, and there was no way that technology came from her Earth.
"We are a completely self-sufficient corporation, entirely vertically integrated across all dimensions and billions of universes. On some Earths we have cattle farms, and on others, unicorn farms, up to and including supremely advanced nano-technology, and everything in between. We have grocery & convenience stores, coffee shops, libraries, schools, and the reason I'm here, hospitals. Sharp Medical Services makes up a large portion of our portfolio, and we do that by partnering with local hospitals."
"I'm listening," Helen nodded. "How does that partnership work? What are you offering exactly, and in exchange for what?"
"Well," Lyra smiled. "The exact thing I'm offering is sustainability, I suppose. I've just told you about Sharp Development, but that was after we released the app. If by some chance you hadn't considered it, it's worth mentioning that we had permission to release the app, and all the world's governments already know about the multiverse. This Earth is currently what we call 'in process'. How much you believe me is up to you, but the fact is, this Earth in its entirety now belongs to Sharp Development. It's a process, but within a few years, your Earth will be a full-fledged multiversal member, which means tourism. The 'Sharp' name will become a prominent fixture and those businesses without that extra bit of affiliation tend to die out rather quickly. We've done it enough times to see it happen. And, along with being integrated into the Sharp Medical Services network, you'll get access to the Life-Timer technology, among other advanced care tech. The easiest example to highlight would be that children born in your hospital will know when and how they're going to die."
"That is a valuable offer," Helen agreed. "What's the cost?"
"Paperwork mostly," Lyra nodded. "The multiverse runs on agreements, and I'm aware you can't decide this on your own. The cost to you personally is simply to arrange my meeting with the board. If I manage to convince them, then there'll be a lot of new systems and procedures to integrate. We're not looking for any monetary compensation from the partnership, just the written agreement that we're partners and working together toward common health goals. There'll be some expenses to sort out, but we have a lot of experience cooperating on that."
"How does tomorrow morning sound?" Helen asked.
"A little soon," Lyra replied. "My appointments are booked quite in advance, including tomorrow and the rest of this month. But, I believe I have an opening toward the end of next month."
"Can't you make time sooner? I can have them here in two hours! They've actually been wanting to meet with Sharp Development as well. You're from another universe, right? Wouldn't it be easier to wait an extra two hours instead of coming back?"
"No," Lyra shook her head with a smile as she rose to her feet. "It's not any easier at all," she made an idle wave with her hand and a tall black portal opened in the air next to her. She nodded at Helen's desk and the director caught sight of a stray beam of light. Lyra left her a clear glass card on the desk, and she hadn't even seen her do it. "That's a node, and it has a tutorial to teach you how to use it, along with my contact information. Make the meeting, no earlier than 30 days, and just tell me when to be back," she stepped into the portal and disappeared.
She was mildly disappointed that Lyra left so quickly, but upon a reevaluation her excitement skyrocketed. She'd used the app too, of course. And, she knew she still had four good decades in her before the end. The world was going to change in a major way and she would get to see it, and visit alternate universes.
She reached for the node on her desk and the time appeared in red digits as soon as she touched it. The rest of the card remained perfectly transparent, making it seem as if the numbers were hovering in the air.
"Oh wow...," she was genuinely impressed by the technology. She swiped upward as a habit, and it revealed a home screen full of icons, all of them on clear backgrounds. The advanced tech made her think about something else. The company was so advanced that they were giving away nodes, so maybe they had more amazing tech in store. "I should've asked if they can do anything to shorten the five-minute processing time."