Gus woke in an unfamiliar bright white room. He sat up glad to see his comforter still covering him; he was still naked under it. He felt a solid, cool, metallic surface against his bare cheeks. The walls appeared to be made of glass and glowed with the same white light that came from the floor and ceiling too; Gus did not see any doors or windows.
“Good morning, Mr. Samson,” a woman’s voice said from behind him. Gus was startled off the metal table; though, he managed to keep the blanket wrapped around him as he whirled to face the voice. A short, pale woman in a black suit stood next to a taller, pale woman in a matching white suit. “I apologize for the urgency of this meeting,” the taller woman said. Gus recognized her voice as the one that said, ‘good morning’. “Unfortunately, you’ve made quite an alarming discovery.”
Gus was still semi-groggy when he woke up in the white room. When the unknown woman mentioned his ‘alarming discovery’ Gus suddenly realized why he was there. His eyes widened and he fleed to the closest corner.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he yelled. “I won’t talk about it anymore, no one believes me anyway.”
“I believe you, Mr. Samson,” the taller woman took a step forward and extended her hand. “My name is Dana Sharp; I’m here to save you from the aliens.” Gus relaxed slightly. He looked up at her from the corner. Even knowing they existed, Gus could not tell the difference between aliens and humans.
“Why should I trust you?” Gus asked. He wanted to believe help arrived. The month since he discovered the alien invasion plot had been non-stop stress for him. He tried informing several levels of law enforcement, but somehow his concerns were always dismissed. Often with laughter, and occasionally, with a stern warning to keep it to himself. “Half the population is already alien, how do I know you’re human and not one of them?”
“I’m not from your Earth, but I promise I was born human,” Dana said.
“Huh?” Instead of fear, the logic in her statement confused Gus. “You’re not an alien, but you’re not from Earth?”
“I’m not from your Earth, the one infested with aliens. I was born on an alternate Earth.” Gus’ eyes widened and he scrambled to stand up while keeping the blanket around his waist.
“Does that mean I can go to an alternate Earth?” he asked. Dana gave a curt nod.
“To thank you for raising alarm, Sharp Development will reward you with any life you want, on any Earth you like.”
“Any life I want?”
“Sharp Development will provide all your basic needs; the rest is up to you.”
“Thank you,” Gus finally relaxed completely. Dana seemed sincere, and he did not feel threatened by her. He got the feeling that if she wanted him dead, he wouldn’t have woken up. “So, when can I go back and pack my stuff?”
“We brought your things; there’s nothing to go back to,” Dana said.
“Oh,” Gus was surprised. “Well, what’s the plan to get rid of the aliens? How can I help?” he asked. He did not actually want to pitch in any effort; but, he was curious about how she planned to help.
“It’s already taken care of, there’s nothing for you to help with. But, I admire your initiative. There may be room for you in Sharp Development.”
“Huh?” Gus got into bed late the night before, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping him awake. He felt confident it hadn’t been more than eight hours since he got into bed. “You got rid of all the aliens already?” Gus asked. “You saved us?””The aliens have been destroyed,” Dana gave another curt nod. “I saved you.”
