THE MOMENT
Orion’s footsteps resonated on the gleaming floors of Chroma Corp's grand atrium, a crisp counterpoint to the soft thrum of Central Plaza Island's ambient energy. Warm tangerine sunlight bathed the space, throwing a comforting glow over the throng of expectant faces. As he scanned the crowd, he caught sight of Dr. Bennett. The middle-aged woman stood patiently beside iridium pillars. She caught sight of his approach and her stance relaxed as she smiled.
“Dr. Bennett, Welcome to your new home,” he proclaimed, extending a hand with a flourish. Dr. Bennett accepted the greeting with an eager grin.
“I thought the brochure was overselling it; but, the pictures completely fail to capture this reality,” she noted, her eyes dancing over the expansive lobby. It was a bustling square with more than half of the strangers wearing the same chrome tie as Orion. She had no idea what to expect once she learned her new employer was a multiversal corporation. One thing she couldn’t have anticipated was at least six, different, entire Earths that she knew of were dedicated to housing for Chroma Corp. employees.
“Reality isn’t easy to replicate; but, we try,” Orion tossed back the casual answer as he steered her towards the labyrinthine heart of the Portal Nexus. As they moved, Elara’s gaze flitted among the myriad portals flanking their path, each leading somewhere unknown to her. Tall black portals, like the ones Orion could create, were lined up and held fixed by dense chrome filigree.
“There are a lot of portals just on this section… of this Earth…,” she processed her question in real-time as they walked. “How many Earths does Chroma Corp. own?”
“Enough to still need more employees,” Orion chuckled. “Let’s keep this moving so I can welcome some more,” he grinned. Their walk had taken them out of the main square and down the Residential path dotted with street lamps. The path suddenly ended and made way for a blacktop road leading into a neighborhood of white picket fences beyond. It wasn’t until she stepped onto the street that she realized she’d passed through a portal. Dr. Bennett’s induction into Chroma Corp. involved visiting many, many departments, each one a portal away and she soon developed a sense for the vague sensation that accompanied Traversing. It was almost like remembering something she didn’t know she forgot. She stopped walking and looked back.
The path to the main square was still there; but, she could see the faint hazy shimmer of a portal where the street started; the black tar contrasting against the chrome tiles made it a little easier to see. Black Portals were the most common; but, there were varying degrees of ‘portal’. Black ones lead to different, unique Earths. Clear, translucent portals led to Earths more similar to each other, even connecting two points on the same Earth. It was the kind of barrier anyone could walk through without realizing.
“You stop noticing it after a week or so,” Orion nodded. Then, he turned and drew her attention to the sky. She was too distracted to notice until he showed her; but, the entire neighborhood glowed with a bright, ethereal light several shades brighter than the glow of the square. It was daytime, and she was still surprised when she looked up. A brilliant chrome sun burned in the soft purple sky. “This, on the other hand, takes a little more getting used to,” he said. Once she took in the sight and remained speechless, he walked forward again. Dr. Bennett followed with an eye on the sky.
“Here we are at your assigned home,” Orion stopped at a wast-height wooden gate. Dr. Bennett looked past the purple grass to the house. Then, she glanced left and right at the rest of the block. Each one was brick and glass and identical to hers; and, hers was identical to the few she saw in the brochures.
“How can you tell?” she giggled. It wasn’t a complaint; she was being given a home. But, it was slightly disappointing that the most advanced corporation in existence, that she knew of, only seemed to offer one style of house. A single story rectangle with a garage on the right side and bay windows on the left.
“Chroma Corp. excels at indexing,” Orion grinned. “But, you’re of course welcome to spruce it up while you live here,’ he added. He pulled his transparent node from his blazer and navigated through it. After a few swipes, he pressed in. The house shimmered and changed; a second floor grew up out of the first as the colors shifted. In seconds she was looking at a red two-story house with no garage. “Make sure you save your changes though,” he added the advice as he pocketed the node again. The house shimmered one more time and took its original shape. “Oh, and you don’t want to be inside when you do it,” he grinned.
The single warning unlocked a host of new fears for Dr. Bennett. She’d been freewheeling between universes just assuming everything would go right. After all, a company as large and successful as Chroma Corp. had to consider all use cases. Surely they would have designed safeguards. Orion gestured at a new portal that appeared.
“Let’s take a shortcut to the main lobby and get you registered with security,” Orion said. For the second time since she was introduced to portals, she hesitated.
“Wait, what happens if I make changes from inside the house…?” she asked. She wanted to gauge how concerned she needed to be about making accidental changes and crushing herself.
“That’s when things get ugly,” he winked as he took the lead and walked into the portal. Dr. Bennett kept pace to hear the rest of his comment as the portal closed behind them. “You can’t see what you’re doing from in it.”