THE MOMENT
She knew she was not going to get any sleep that night. Claudia had a lot to keep her busy and she didn't mind all that much. She found she needed much less sleep after upgrading her soul, and she was glad to be able to explore her own scientific curiosity while being part of something greater. The two goals didn't always meet; but, she had the energy to burn the candle at both ends when she needed to. She was working in her private lab when Io requested her presence. She created a portal and left the room to emerge into the common area to find Io waiting. The void-black orb hovered in the kitchen and began speaking as soon as Claudia appeared.
"I require your assistance," Io said. The orb hovered toward the table as if to point out the single red node on it. "You are to implement these defenses. It will prevent Kwame from accidentally discovering the Zeros and Myths I have collected. I cannot recruit more until this task is complete."
"You couldn't have given me this after I finished with Demeter?" Claudia asked as she picked up the node from the table. It was translucent red with a small pair of scissors etched into the corner.
"No," Io replied. "I have recruited more of Kwame's Zeros than expected at this moment. I am ahead of schedule. Deploying that is a calculated risk; too early might have jeopardized the operation."
"Oh...," Claudia nodded. The scissor logo meant it was Sharp Development technology, and she was initially curious about it. But, Io's explanation made sense to her.
"You are to be mindful of the differences and activate the defenses on both Earths simultaneously."
"I didn't really care until it meant more work... why can't you hold the Zeros and Myths on the same Earth?" Claudia asked. She'd never been afraid to speak her mind to Io.
"The same reason you are adding these defenses," Io replied. "Kwame is a Myth, though he has Zeros that are not. Other Myths of Anansi are also similar to his 'Zeros'. All of them in one place increase the chance of accidental discovery."
"Can't you just pick a version of Anansi that would be happy to murder the rest instead of trying hide this from Kwame?" Claudia asked. She didn't necessarily mind the extra work; but, now that she was asking questions it was a good time to get clearer on the details.
"Kwame is most suited for my experiment. Ultimately, his morality is not a factor; he can be forced. Maintaining the secret is entertaining for now," Io said. Claudia's face lit up with a broad smile.
"Io! You're having fun?! You sneaky devil, that's great," she giggled. She'd worked with several A.I.s, especially in recent weeks, and most of them had displayed a personality of some sort. She'd assumed Io's only traits were 'efficiency and murder'; but, the revelation that Io was enjoying keeping things hidden from Kwame put a whole new spin on it.
"Do you have a deadline for this?" Claudia asked and waved the red node.
"I have a timeframe," Io replied. "Not before May 1st, not after May 7th. You are to study the details to determine an appropriate course of action. Do not activate anything without my approval."
"Yeah, no sweat," Claudia nodded.
"I require your assistance in other matters," Io said. "Alpha Squad has been unable to recruit a sixth member for the roller derby match. You are to join them."
"What?" Claudia sighed heavily. It was a complaint. "On top of this, and my other projects, I'm not going to have any time to practice! Unless I get like no sleep at all..." she didn't even really like roller derby all that much.
"Practice is unnecessary. Winning is unnecessary. The attention of the multiverse during a single moment is what I require. Your presence on the track facilitates many options; I only allowed them to search for a sixth to grant you your work. I apologize for the sudden change. It is necessary."
"Well... thanks, I guess...," Claudia sighed. "Anything else?" she asked.
"Not at the moment. You may return to your lab," Io replied. A portal opened and the orb flew into it after her statement, leaving Claudia alone in the kitchen. She studied the red node for a moment, then left through her own portal. She emerged in her bedroom instead of the lab and flopped backward onto the bed with a sigh.
She still had time before her duties really picked up, and enough things happened in the past few minutes to change her mind about sleeping. She may not have needed it as much; but, she still liked to sleep when she could. And, it looked like now was the best opportunity. Once the things started happening she'd barely have time. Especially on the night of the roller derby match when Io's plan came together all at once. Things would change forever and she had to rest while she could. She knew she was not going to get any sleep that night."