Grunt Work

Alice

There must be some genetic trait inherent in all humans - and, if my frequent gif searching is to be believed, a trait shared with many other species - that demands that we return a boop.

The rubik's cube called me to boop, and I answered.

I booped it back.

Nothing happened.

I pouted, somewhat disappointed. I was expecting - well, I don't know. A change in reality. An explosion. A jack in the box to spring out and say 'you boop meh, I nom you!' but no, everything was as it always had been.

'Oh, there you are!' said Baran stepping back into the room. She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. 'Did you touch my box?'

I straightened with a feigned indignation that I hoped hid my guilt. 'Absolutely not! You said not to, so I didn't.'

She squinted extra hard at me, her mouth quirking into a smirk. 'Are you sure? It doesn't sound like you to not do a thing when I say not to,' she said mockingly, though she took the sting out of it by sauntering over and leaning up to kiss me on the lips. I wasn't angry - I knew I had compulsion issues, and was working on it - but that didn't mean I wasn't grateful for the kiss.

Baran stepped back, smiling up at me. I tucked a stray strand of her hair back under her hijab and stroked her cheek softly as I let my hand fall. She blushed, then was once again all business, pulling out and donned her thick gloves and picked up the box. 'Come on, Alice, we're late for the meeting.'

'Oh, yeah,' I said and rushed back to grab my white lab coat. It was only as I was rushing out the door that my brain caught up with me. What did she call me? I paused to look at myself in the reflective surface of the door. I looked...like how I've always looked, but it was somehow wrong. I don't know why, but I was expecting a more muscular look. I shook my head and hurried up to my girlfriend.

'Hey, sweetie, can I ask you something?'

'Of course.'

'What's my name?'

She looked at me worriedly. 'Is everything okay?'

'Fine. Yeah. Just...do you know a Kaia?'

She scrunched up her nose, concentrating. I loved that crinkle that she got at the top of the bridge of her nose. It told me a brilliant mind was at work.

'Can't say I've ever met a Kaia. Who are they?'

'No one,' I said quickly, and then added as a deflection, 'I think one of the newbies.'

'Uh-huh,' she said, distracted by the hubbub and loud conversation as we entered the meeting room. 'Sorry I'm late, everyone. I - uh, needed to run a quick safety check on my box.'

'No need to be sorry,' said the Kaptain, as Baran and I took our seats. 'Safety is our primary concern. Everything okay?'

'Perfect,' she assured him.

'Perfect,' he repeated, then clapped his hands. The room fell instantly silent. In my six months here, I still hadn't learned if that was something he enforced or if it was just a habit and the others took it as a sign. 'Now then,' he said, 'what's the status on Project Vacay?'

'Before we begin,' said Jeff the accountant, and everyone groaned. Everyone, that is, except me. I leaned in, fascinated. Numbers, arithmetic, had always been my comfort zone. They had saved me from despair in the orphanage and had been a guiding light ever since. I listened, enraptured, as he broke down the projected profits, then contextualised it in a cost-benefit ratio, and I immediately spotted the issue at hand. 'We have no real way to estimate how much we'd be getting,' Jeff pointed out, 'it may be in the billions. I have my doubts, but I believe we will only have a net gain of possibly a hundred million dollars. Not nearly enough to continue the operation-'

'Of course, of course,' said the Kaptain, looking slightly dazed. 'If need be, we can always plan several smaller heists to keep us afloat for the time being. Who knew keeping a kraken well fed in whales could be so expensive, eh?' he looked around the table as the others laughed, then his eyes settled on Baran. 'How are things looking on our little project?'

Baran stood nervously, and I briefly squeazed her hand. She held to it fiercely, then let go. She's got this. 'I'm afraid I've made no further progress. The theory is sound, but, for now, purely theoretical. Lacking the resources to build a full scale device, I cannot state with confidence that the engineering aspects are sound.'

'Oh, pish posh,' said the Kaptain. 'Have more confidence in your abilities. You can do this; I believe in you!'

'Thank you, sir,' Baran blushed.

'Oh, none of that "sir" nonsense either. What do I always say?'

'There is no sir in team,' we all chorused. The Kaptain beamed.

'Quite right!' he nodded enthusiastically. 'I may be the head, but we're all in this together. Oh sorry, I interrupted. Please continue.'

'Well, si- Kraken. Even if I could build a working machine, the power levels needed to run even a small test for Project Havoc is-' Baran stopped and looked at me. Then, in one swift motion, she lunged for my hand, grabbed it, and placed it on the cube-

'Oh, you're still here,' Baran said, stepping back into the lab.

I blinked. The lights were really fucking bright and her voice was way too loud. My mouth tasted very metallic. I poked my teeth with my tongue, checking they were all okay.

'Did you-' Baran looked at me in an odd way. 'Did you touch my cube?'

'Nyes,' I said, then tried again. 'Yehno.'

She sighed. 'Well, I was gone for just a moment and you're still here, so,' she scrunched up her nose. It was kinda cute, not gonna lie. 'What happened? What did you see?'

'Not much,' I said. 'It was a bit boring, to be honest.'

'Hmm,' she said. She was about to say something when someone else stepped in behind her.

'Sweetie, we're late enough as it is- oh.'

For some reason the new woman looked familiar, but I couldn't place why.

'Sorry, Alice, I'll be right with you,' Baran said. She got out some gloves, put them on, and picked up the rubik's cube. 'Oh, have you two met?'

'Nyes,' I said.

'Yehno,' said Alice at the same time. She looked me up and down. I just looked her up, on account of her being a bit taller than me. 'I'm Alice.'

'Kaia,' I waved.

She nodded, then the two women left.

So this is going to sound weird, but I think I just met me. But not me me. Me from another universe me.

Not gonna lie, other me is pretty hot.