“So, you're saying that there are an infinite number of realities, and that the reason why I haven’t heard about the company is because they just came into contact with our reality?” Zara asked Ed, making sure that she understood what he said.
“Yes, that is correct. I’ve got no clue how it works, nor how far reaching the company is, I just know that it’s true.”
“That means there’s an infinite number of worlds out there for us to explore, I can’t wait to see what it’s all like.” Zara gets excited, already impatient to explore the new world that’s opened up to her.
I never thought of that. I was so focused on trying to get back to my normal life that I never thought about everything that’s now opened up to me. We’re probably some of the first humans to make contact with other intelligent life. I have to take this opportunity to learn as much as possible. “There’s still plenty of things we have to do before we can go out exploring. I don’t think the company will just let us go wherever we want without doing our jobs.” They both stand up and turn around after hearing a door opening. “So, why don’t we start by exploring the company first, then we’ll see what everything else is like.”
“Sure, sounds like fun.” Zara smiles as the employee walks up to greet them.
“Hello, you must be Ed and Zara. I’m Roger, and I’ll be giving you a tour of the building you will be spending most of your time in for the foreseeable future. If you’ll just follow me through this door, we can begin with the tour right away.” After a dry greeting, Roger turns and starts walking through the door immediately, expecting them to keep up with him. They fall in right behind Roger, following him through the door.
“Here is the office space you will be working in. As you can see, everyone in this room does the exact same job as you. If you ever need suggestions on what to do, they will be able to help.” While Ed is making note of what Roger has to say, from the corner of his eye, he sees Zara looking around the place in curiosity, seemingly not paying attention to Roger at all. There are rows upon rows of tables, each long enough to comfortably give two people enough space to work. The majority of tables have people working away on the monitors, their desks covered in various knickknacks. Some of the seats are empty, but the tables show clear signs of ownership. Only a few desks are left completely empty.
Looking around the room, Ed grows curious, wondering why there are so few people doing such an important job. The company will never be able to punish all the sinners if they only have around fifty people designing traps. Ed turns to Roger. “Does the company only have fifty people designing traps for our reality? That number seems rather low even if Earth is the only planet with intelligent life in this reality.”
“This is just one of many rooms currently assigned by the company to our department in this reality. The company decided it would be more practical and efficient if the rooms were smaller. Not everyone has the ability to travel vast distances instantly, so a single room containing every employee would not be a good idea.”
Roger walks over to an empty row of seats. “The room is still being filled at the moment, so feel free to choose from whichever of these that you want. Once you have decided, I will continue to show you around.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Zara runs up to a table before Ed can say anything. “We’ll take this table here. Which seat do you want Ed?”
Guess I’ll be sharing a desk with Zara then. “I’m fine with either one, you can pick whichever one you want.”
After Zara picks her seat, a nameplate appears on each desk, labelling who they belong to. Roger claps to gather their attention. “Now that that is sorted, it’s time to continue on with the tour.” Roger takes them back to the door they came in from. “As you may have noticed, there are no other doors in this room. In fact, that is the case for most common rooms in the company, unless the rooms are too big, in which case doors will be placed at regular intervals. To get to where you need to be, the person opening the door will simply have to think about where they want to go, and the door will open to there.” Roger opens the door to show a small conference room. “There are countless meeting rooms, of all different shapes and sizes. Just simply think of one that suits your needs, and you will be taken to an empty room.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Zara stares at the door in wide-eyed wonder. “Can I give it a try?”
“You’ll have plenty of time to try it out on your own.” Roger says, glaring at Zara. Deflated, Zara goes quiet and shifts slightly closer to Ed. Ignoring her, Roger continues giving the tour. “These meeting rooms can be used if you want a bit more privacy. Typically, we use them when we want to talk to the actors face to face, or for brainstorming sessions with other designers.” Without stepping in, Roger closes the door before opening it again. This time he steps in. “This here is one of the common areas. Workers come here to socialise without distracting others. It is also an ideal place to relax and take a break from work. Much like the meeting rooms, simply think about whatever you want, and the door will take you to a suitable room, whether that is a simple room like this.” Ed and Zara look around the room, finding nothing of note except for a few lounges to relax on. “Or a more extravagant location filled with whatever suits your whims. From libraries to gyms, or even Kelpie racing rooms, those are all considered to be common areas.”
Kelpies? As in the Scottish water spirit. They're real? Ed and Zara stare at each other wide-eyed. I guess it makes sense. There are an infinite number of realities out there, so of course they would exist in some of them. But then how did they come to be mythical creatures on Earth? I have so many questions.
Seeing Ed lost in his thoughts, Zara turns to Roger, almost desperate to ask him about the Kelpies, but decides not to after what happened earlier.
Having shown them around the room, Roger opens the door, taking them to a room filled with the smell of food. “This here is the cafeteria. You can come here to eat whenever you feel like socialising with people. As you can see, the cafeterias are usually crowded, so a lot of people will just simply eat in their rooms.”
Zara and Ed freeze in place, seeing creatures of all shapes and sizes mixed in with humanoid figures, all enjoying their meals together. Werewolves, Centaurs, Unicorns... Is that a giant Moth? There’s just so much for me to take in... Without batting an eye, Roger turns back to the door. “There is only one more place for me to show you to, and that is where you will be staying. Each employee has their own private apartment with everything they would need to survive. If you want to make any changes, tell Buddie what you want to have changed, and it will be done before you come back from work. As they are private, I can’t open the door to your rooms, but you will be able to explore them on your own. Just think of home and the door will put you into an unassigned apartment, which will then be registered under your identity for ease of access in the future.
The doors also have access to the other departments; however, you currently don’t have access to those areas. That concludes the tour, feel free to go wherever you please. You will be back to work tomorrow, so make good use of your free time to get familiar with the area.” Without waiting to see if they have any questions, Roger walks through the door, disappearing into another room.