Multiple Me

Prompt Three
Word Count = 4,992

Multiple Me

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The ‘accident’

     “Mandi, I know you have been involved with my Lover for at least the last seven months. It probably been a lot longer than that.” Coulla walked toward Walline with a drink in her hand.

     Walline backed up slowly from Coulla. She glanced over her shoulder as she did it. “That isn’t what’s going on with Brannic. I’m not involved with him, Hillia. We just work together.”

     “I know you are doing the dirty deed with him. You two spend too much late nights at work together. And when he comes home he smells like a female.”

     “It’s not me. If he’s involved with someone it isn’t with me.”

     Walline backed herself into a wall. Coulla stopped right in front of her. She threw that glass of what appeared to be water into her face. “Take that you Love Ruiner. If you don’t back off of him, you are going to be getting a lot worse than a glass of Saunda.”

     A loud piercing scream echoed within that Living Area. Walline put her hands up to her face. A little of her face could be seen outside the hands – and between those fingers.

     “Why did you do that? That wasn’t in The Written Word.” Walline removed her hands from her face. Coulla started screaming.

     “Stop videoing.” Painton got out of his chair. He started walking toward the fake Living Area. “What’s going on?” Walline turned toward Painton. His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out. “What happened?”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

SpaceFace

     Walline checked out each door on both sides of that hallway as she slid down the moving floor. When she got to the third door on her right she stepped off the sliding floor. As she opened the door and entered a very busy office she glanced up at the door. It said ‘SpaceFace Specialists’ on the glass window.

     Two hours later Walline sat on a metal examination table with small monitors halfway around its head. Medical Examiner Bounc was only an inch away from her face. He was poking it with a short thin metal stick.

     “Like I’ve said several times there is nothing that I can do for you. There was too much damage to your face.”

     “You are the best there is. If you can’t give me my life, face, back no one can.”

     “Tell me again how this happened. How did you get pure Orreck acid thrown in your face?”

     “Is that going to get my life back? How is it going to do that?”

     “Everything you tell me helps me with your problem. I still can’t help you, but maybe I can send you in the right direction to get it.”

     Walline thought about that for a few seconds. “It was supposed to be liquor, actually water, but somehow it ended up being Orreck acid.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Not an Accident

     Did they ever find out how that happened? Walline thought about that as she paced around the office of Head Investigator Maxum.

     Just then Maxum entered. As he closed his door what office they were in was scripted on it. “Why haven’t you detained her yet?” Walline got into his face, literally, as soon as he walked into his office. She stayed in it as he walked to his desk – and sat behind it.

     “Would you give me a chance to settle in for the day. I haven’t even had a chance to check on updates yet.”

     “What’s there to be updated. We all know who did it – and why.” Walline sat down in a chair opposite Maxum.

     Maxum hit a button on the Data Monitor on his desk. He mouthed the words he read on it. “There’s nothing new.”

     “I know why you haven’t detained her yet. It’s because she comes from a wealthy family.”

     “That isn’t why we haven’t done it yet. Yes, we know she did it. But we need to prove it. Which we still can’t do.”

     Walline leaned forward. “It’s been almost three months since it happened.” She removed the almost skin tight face she now wore all the time. “This is what I have to live with all of my life. She did this to me. You have to do whatever it takes to make you accountable for it. If you don’t I will.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Multiple Universes

     “Have you ever wondered who you are, what kind of a job you had, social life, marital status was, etc. in other universes. Probably all of us have. Now all of us can do it.” A male spoke from a large Video Monitor in front of Walline. He was standing in front of several big Sleeping Chambers.

     “We have had this technology for a couple of hundred years. But we were limited as to how many universes we could go to. That is no longer a problem. Now we can go to all of them.” Several individuals where getting out of those Sleeping Chambers. Three of them came forward.

     “I have done it.” A females poked her head over the shoulder of the Announcer.

     “So have I.” The male stood behind the Announcer too – and his other shoulder.

     “Me too.” Another female stepped up to stand next to the Announcer.

     “These individuals have volunteered. Now you can too.” The Announcer glanced at the three volunteers. “We are now looking for individuals in this area to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer contact us with the contact information at the bottom of this announcement.”

     Walline sat in a long chair in front of that Video Monitor. “I have wondered about all that. But at the moment I am more interested in what my other selves look like. Have any of them suffered an ‘accident’ like me? There’s only one way to find out. I’m going to volunteer too.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Her First Killing

     Walline stood over the dead body of Coulla. She leered down at Coulla. Especially at the thin line of red circling her neck. “I tried to get involved with the Multiple Universes Project. But I was turned down because I didn’t qualify according to their survey. That’s not the real reason though. It was really because of what you did to my face.”

     “That’s why I talked you into joining the project. They accepted you without you even filling out the survey. That only proves they were never going to except me because of my appearance now – thanks to you. If they wanted someone everyone loved they should have taken me. I was way more loved than you until you ruined my life.”

     Walline smiled. “Now you are the one who has lost their life. The best part of your death is that I can now join the project. I only have one problem. What am I going to do with you? At first I thought I would just laser you, but that would leave a stain that could identify you as you.”

     “For the last couple of months I have been asking myself what to do. It took me a while, but I finally decided what I am going to do. All I need to do is put my fake face on you. Then put you into a Deep Freeze until they can find a cure.”

     Walline looked into the Image Reflector behind her. She now looked exactly like Coulla.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Female Clothing Establishment

     Suddenly Coulla appeared in a mostly darken area between two buildings. Only her feet and lower half of her legs could be seen in a light from those buildings. Coulla just stood there for about a minute. Then she walked to the edge – and stopped.

     Coulla started looking at the different females on that very busy street one at a time. “Where is she? They said ourselves would be near when we arrived.”

     After scanning the females again with her eyes Coulla finally spotted herself. Only it was Coulla. “Of course, that’s what’s wrong. They think I am Coulla. Which means I am going to have to find myself in each universe. I just hope all of them are nearby.”

     It took me almost my whole week there to find her, but I did. Coulla walked around the very fancy, busy, female clothing establishment checking out clothing, putting them up to herself to see how they would look on her – and the prices. “Wow, these are expensive. You must be doing very good for yourself wealth wise in this universe.”

     Coulla only whispered it to herself, but she still glanced around to see if anyone heard her. Just then a male walked up and gave Walline a nibble on her neck. “I don’t see any ring in her ears. That must be her Lover.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Only a Food Clerk?

     After getting some food Coulla went to a Pay Station. She went to that one, but she kept glancing over at herself at the next one. What she looked at the most was her ears. “She only has one ring. That makes her single. I never liked wearing rings myself.”

     I didn’t have any trouble finding myself this time. When I first arrived here all I wanted was to get something to eat. They said that might happen. I was very surprised when I got to her pay station – and I saw myself. Coulla thought about that as she paid for her food.

     Coulla put her hand on the Payment Scanner. “It’s a good thing I had Bounc give me Coulla’s hand. Otherwise, I would be in big trouble right now.”

     After eating Coulla went over to Walline’s residence. “I know how she makes a living and about her social life. Now I want to know how well she’s living.”

     Looking up at the Single Individual Living Residence Coulla walked up its steps. “It doesn’t look too bad.”

     “Maybe I spoke too soon,” Coulla commented as she entered that multi-individual residence. “There is no Floor Platform. At least they have Moving Steps.”

     Coulla used those steps to go up to the fifteenth floor. About halfway down that hall Coulla stopped. She put her hand on the Door Scanner. The door slid open. Coulla walked in – and suddenly stopped. “This place is a mess. There doesn’t seem to be any luxuries at all here. She must live from one Pay Period to the next.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Piloting into a New Life

     Suddenly Coulla appeared in a cramp Personal Care Center. She glanced behind her out the small window – into Space. “I’m on a spaceship.”

     After exiting that PCC Coulla stopped again. She looked down a center aisle. An Assistant came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Oh no, I’m in trouble now.

     Before the Assistant could say anything Walline’s voice could be heard. “Everyone needs to return to their chairs. We will be arriving at our destinations soon.”

     “Can I help you get back to your chair?” The Assistant gestured down the aisle.

     “I’ll be okay. I’m sure there are others who need your help more than me.”

     “Your right. We have several disadvantaged individuals onboard.” The Assistant walked away. Once out of sight Coulla returned to the PCC.

     “It might get a little bumpy in here, but it’s better than bumping into Coulla. I just hope that Assistant doesn’t bump into her.”

     Coulla could barely hear the passengers as they left. Once gone Walline exited the spaceship too. She barely got into the SpacePort when she spotted herself embracing a male and two young children.

     “Who is that?” Coulla pointed at herself to the Assistant from the spaceship who just stepped up next to her.

     “That’s Walline. She was your Pilot on the spaceship that brought you here.”

     “Nice looking family she has there. I just love looking at happy families. There are several here today.”

     “Yes, they are. They come to meet her every time she makes this trip. She is only here for ten months. Then she returns to Krouse for ten months with her other family.”

     So she has two families. She must be doing very well, wealth wise, to afford two of them.

     “Please, don’t tell anyone I said anything. No one is supposed to know about her.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Cleaning Up

     Crouching behind a tall set of bunched together baby trees Coulla watched herself through a window. She barely saw Walline because of a Sun Protector covering it almost completely. Only a thin clear view at the bottom of it could be seen by Coulla.

     “This has got to be the most boring me I have encountered so far.” Walline spoke so softly she could barely hear herself.

     “That’s all she does each day. She cleans up after about sixty people each week, but that’s all she does. It looks like she makes an okay living doing this. That’s all she does though.”

     After about a half hour Walline finished that house. When she got back to her place she collapsed into a big overstuffed chair. For almost an hour Walline just sat there. Drifting off to sleep several times before she got up and left that room.

     From outside Coulla could see everything that Walline did in the living room through an unprotected window. When she left it Coulla had to move to another window to see her go into the eating area. Coulla ducked to the side again when Walline came back a few minutes later.

     When Coulla ducked she spotted some images on a wall. One of them featured Walline with a male. “She used to be Mated. The way the other images on that wall are facing it I’d say they are no longer together.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

A Local Death

     Coulla walked around a corner onto a semi-busy street – and suddenly stopped. “Where is she?”

     A hand on her shoulder made her stiffen up. She turned around. Backing up a little after doing it. Coulla faced herself, but in a Local uniform. “Why have you been following me?”

     “It’s not the way it looks. I have been watching you. But it’s because you are a female Local. There aren’t too many female Law Enforcers on Krouse.”

     “I don’t think that’s the reason. Why are you really hovering over me?”

     Walline suddenly stepped back. She pulled off her weapon on her hip and pointed it on Coulla. “Up close I recognized you. You’re Coulla.”

     Coulla looked shocked. “I know I look a lot like her, but I’m not Coulla. If you contact the prison you will see that I am right.”

     As Coulla spoke she slowly stepped back into the darkness between the buildings behind her. Walline stepped forward with every step Coulla took. Once in the near darkness Coulla round kicked the weapon out of her hand. Then she pulled out a hand blade – and stabbed her. As Walline fell forward Coulla pulled her into the darkness.

     “I know everything about you. You are single and you make a good living. A lot better than you should be as a Local. I didn’t want to kill you like this. You should have died by accident like all the others I have killed so far.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Executive Power

     Coulla answered her door – and her mouth dropped open in shock. Her double stood right in front of her. Before Coulla could say anything Coulla sprayed her with a canister of something. She passed out almost instantly. Coulla dragged Coulla into her Sleeping Quarters where she tied Coulla to her Sleeper.

     Several times a day for about a week Coulla would go by Coulla’s place to check up on, and feed, her. The rest of the time she did Coulla’s job in that universe – as an Assistant for Wallina. Wallina was a high ranking executive for a global company.

     During that week Coulla found out a lot about herself. Wallina was involved with someone. Coulla also discovered that Wallina lived very well. Her job was very demanding. She worked almost twenty-five/ten.

     “Coulla, could you come into my office for a minute.” Coulla got up and walked into the large room behind her. She closed the door behind her.

     “Am I going to be taking down information? If so I am going to have to go get my Data Pad.

     “You have been forgetting a lot of things lately. I told you what would happen if this continued. Believe me, I don’t want to do this but I have been terminated.”

     Coulla smiled as she left that room. My week is almost up anyway. I wonder how the real Coulla is going to react when she come back to work tomorrow.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Desk Clerks Are Hard to Observe

     Walline looked at the time on her desk as she sat down. According to the time it was almost time to open for business. A few minutes later a man entered. “Can I help.”

     “I am here to see Tommus.” Avvon looked nervous as he walked up to Walline’s desk.

     “You must be Avvon. Tommus is expecting you.”

     It was hard for me to observe Walline sometimes. This was one of those times. The Walline of this universe was a Desk Clerk. I couldn’t stay at the office all day. That would be so suspicious. So I decided to find out who she was instead.

     Coulla walked up the steps to a large building. “Can I help you?” a female voice spoke from a hovering Spy Ball.

     “I’m here because of Walline.” Coulla looked up at that Spy Ball.

     “She isn’t here. Walline left for work about an hour ago.”

     “I know. In her haste to get to work she left something behind. She asked me to get it for her.”

     At first I didn’t think I was going to get in, but after about a minute the entrance slid open. A few minutes later I was in Walline’s residence.

     Coulla searched through the Living Room first. After that it was her Sleeping Room. Then her PCC. What she found was that Walline used to have a Lover. They were no longer together. Coulla didn’t need to find anything to show her how Walline lived. All she had to do was look at that place and she could tell Walline didn’t live too bad at all.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-====

The Pains in Life

     The rolling Sleeper speed down a busy corridor. Walline was screaming. There were four Medics running beside that Sleeper. All four trying to calm Walline down with their words of encouragement. The two up front were yelling at the others in that very busy corridor. They were pushing their way through that crowd too.

     Rounding a corner, a male was running right behind that Sleeper. “I’m coming.” He had nice, expensive looking, clothing on that looked wrinkled and lived in.

     That male got to the end of the corridor and rounded another corner when he saw his Mate rolled into a room. By the time he got there she was already on the Special Sleeper. They were hooking her up to machines.

     The male was breathing hard. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got here as quickly as I could.”

     Walline spoke as she breathed in and out too. “It’s okay. You got here in plenty of time.”

     “I knew I shouldn’t have went into work today, but I had an important meeting that I couldn’t get out of.” The male took a hold of her hand. She squeezed it tight. He went to his knees screaming.

     Coulla could see it all on the monitors in Protective Services at that Medical Center. “They look like they are doing pretty good wealth wise and they can afford this problem, but it’s still not worth it. That’s why I am never going to have a baby.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Office Employees

     After getting some paperwork Walline returned to her enclosed cubicle. Once there she started entering information from those papers into the Data Monitor on her desk. A minute later Walline flipped it over and put it on the other side of her desk. She picked up the next one and started entering it too.

     Walline leaned back in her chair as she entered more information into the Data Monitor for four more pieces of paper. Then she came to one with a connector to it. She quickly flipped through the remainder of those papers. They all had connectors. “I hate it when they put connectors on these when they aren’t supposed to.”

     From a second level balcony hallway Coulla could see into the cubicles below. She could see Walline as Walline started removing those connectors. “It doesn’t look like she is having much fun. At least she’s probably getting an okay payment for her services. If she were in my universe she would be.”

     “It’s about time for her current Lover to show up. Coulla looked at the other cubicles. The Krouseans in them were also working on paperwork. Some were doing what Walline was while other were getting more paperwork to do. Then there were still others who were complaining about something to themselves or via a Video Monitor on the desk next to the Data Monitor.”

     Coulla was also glancing at the passageway in between the rows of cubicles. A few seconds later she smiled. The Lover of Walline just showed up. He walked to Wallines’s cubicle and started nibbling on her neck. She started returning the gesture.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Private Locals Are Almost as Bad

     I had to be careful with this me because she was a Private Local. That’s why I have been observing her from a distance. What I have discovered by observing her was that she is single and she doesn’t do too bad when it comes to being a Private Local.

     A few minutes later Coulla walked into the office of Walline. Walline was leaning back in her wooden chair with her feet up on her desk half asleep when Coulla entered. Walline sat up in her chair. “Can I help you?”

     “I hope so.” Coulla looked nervous and scared. She was shivering and shaking pretty badly. “I think I might have killed someone.”

     “What makes you think that?” Walline asked.

     Coulla sat down in a chair opposite Walline when gestured to do so. “I lost control of my transport and I heard a thumbing sound. When I heard it my transport lifted up a little.”

     “Have you went to the Locals yet?” Walline asked.

     “Not yet. I don’t want to do that until I know for sure I killed someone.”

     “What do you want me to do?” Walline asked.

     “I want you to go up there with me. If I did kill someone I want to know who it was.”

     An hour later Walline was looking up and down that street when a transport hit her. Coulla pulled the transport over to the side – and got out. “I didn’t actually lie to myself - I really did kill someone with my transport.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Fire Fighting Family

     Fire shot out three windows on the top level of a building. Broken glass from those windows shattered on the ground below. A crying baby could now be heard. Walline exited that building with a baby in her hands a few seconds later.

     A Medic took the baby from Walline and quickly carried it to a Portable Care Center nearby. Another male walked up to Walline. He looked mad. “I told you not to go back in there.”

     “It was a baby. You know me. If it’s a baby or a child I’m going to be going in there. No matter what the risk is.”

     “Yes, I know how you feel after what happened to our family. But you need to stop doing it before you get yourself killed. I don’t want to lose you. Not only as a fire fighter but as a Mate too.”

     “It’s not just the risk. I also do it for the wealth too. The more people and property we save the more wealth we get.”

     “We aren’t doing that bad wealth wise. In fact, we are doing very well when it comes to wealth. You don’t need to risk your life for that.”

     “I do if we want to start a family again. The more wealth we get the faster that’s going to happen.”

     “How are we going to have another family if you get yourself killed?” While they talked that male was slowly escorting Walline away from that fire.

     Coulla was one of the bystanders watching that fire. I have been following this Walline for almost a week now. During that time, she must have helped to destroy about fifty fires.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Video Surveys

     Walline sat behind a desk in a very small room. On that desk sat a Video Monitor. Walline punched the top of that desk ten times. A minute later Coulla appeared on that monitor.

     “I’m taking a survey. Can I take a few minutes of your time to take it.”

     “I will if you will. I’m a Survey Asker too.”

     “Wow! I’ve never talked to another Survey Asker before. Have you?”

     “No, this is the first time for me too. Can I go first?”

     “I guess so. What do you want to know?”

     “It’s a personal one. Question One: How do you make a living?”

     “I’m a Survey Asker. That’s the only living I have at the moment.”

     Coulla looked shocked. “That’s all you do? How can you live doing that?”

     “Some days I can’t. I have to do at least ten a day or I don’t get any credits. The more surveys I do in a day the more Credits I get. Usually that isn’t a problem, but sometimes it is.”

     “Personally, I couldn’t live like that. Isn’t there anyone who can help you?”

     “I have a former Lover who sends me Credits each month. That and the surveys gets me by – barely.”

     “Thanks a lot. I have to be going now.”

     Before Walline could say anything the Video Monitor went black. “I thought you said you would take mine if I took yours. What happened to you taking mine?”

     It wasn’t easy to do, but I got on her Contact List. All I had to do was get access to her Video Monitor for a few minutes. Coulla thought about that as she walked down the street.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Racing is Very Dangerous

     Coulla sat behind a desk on a large stage. Next to that desk were four chairs. In front of it there was an audience. “Welcome back to The Coulla Show. My first guest tonight is Walline.”

     Walline came out between some curtains. She waved to the audience as she took the first chair next to the desk. After the audience calmed down a little Coulla continued. “So you are a Racer. Isn’t that a dangerous thing to do?”

     “It can be at times. Especially if you lose control of your transports.”

     “If it’s so dangerous then why do you do it? Can you really make a living doing that?”

     “I love danger. The more dangerous it is the better I like it. As for the living I do pretty good racing.”

     “What about a social life? Do you have one?”

     “With all the racing that I do I really don’t have time for romance. I do get involved with someone every once in a while.”

     After that interview ended Coulla went back to her dressing room to freshen up. In that room was the real tied up Coulla.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

Food Servers

     The Eating Place I was in was very busy. It usually was. I have been eating all of my food at this place for almost a week now. Just like what happened a few months ago I was hungry when I got here. at first I thought about going to The Food Store again. But I came past this place first. To my surprise Walline was a Food Server there.

     Coulla came into that Eating place and sat down at a table near the entrance. After about a minute a Food Server, who wasn’t Walline, came to his table.

     “What can I get you to eat today?” She had her Order Pad in her hand.

     “I’ll take what I usually get this time of day.” The Food Server tapped her Order Pad a few times. Then she left.

     What I found out about this Walline was that she had a Lover who also took all of his eating breaks here. At least he did when Walline was there. He would always sit at whatever side of the room she was it. The first thing he would give her was a peck on the neck. She would do it right back.

     I also discovered that she didn’t do too bad wealth wise here. Walline wasn’t making a lot of Credits working there. Especially when it came to Extras. A lot of people who ate there weren’t very generous. Some were – like me.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

A Federal Death

     Standing over the dead body of Walline Coulla smiled. Her hands were placed in almost invisible cuffs behind her back by a male. “You shouldn’t have killed my partner.”

     “I didn’t mean to kill her like this. It should have looked like an accident like most of the others. A few like her I had to kill anyway that I could. With this one I stabbed her with a short blade I found in the Eating Area.”

     “Why have you been killing all these females. That’s right we know all about you. We have been one me behind you for about fifty universes now. My partner knew it was only a matter of time before you tried to kill her too.”

     “Are you telling me that isn’t Walline.” Coulla looked down at Walline again.

     “Unfortunately, she was Walline. She was just using herself to stop you from killing. What we want to know is why you have been doing it?”

     “Because I am Walline. After I killed the real Coulla something snapped within me. I had to be the only Walline. Now I am. I’m going to get my face back someday. When I do I am going to be the only Walline in all the universes.”

     The male fed started to laugh. “You think you are the only one left. You’re not even close. The first one hundred were only a test to see if you wanted to continue on with the project. There are thousand, some say millions, of universes out there.”