Christopher sat across from himself. He never imagined he would see his face outside of a mirror or camera. He recognized that gaze; full of curiosity and a bit of judgment, something he had only ever directed at his reflection. There was a hint of something else, lust? Although he felt like the real Christopher, the glance down his blouse reminded him of his current, very different, form.
Chris had always been the quintessential nerd, his life revolving around academics from school through to his career in quantum mechanics—a dream job, but not one that had done him any favors in the social department. Loneliness had been a powerful motivator, spurring him to create something truly groundbreaking: a reality transponder capable of telepathically connecting you to alternate versions of yourself.
The moment he activated the machine, his surroundings flipped. One minute, he was in his room, and the next, he found himself facing a mirror, eyeliner in hand, confronted by a feminine reflection. With a startled step back, bracelets chiming at his wrists, he took in the unfamiliar curves filling out a daring blouse. A quick survey revealed his bathroom transformed, dotted with products he never used. Before he could process everything, he was rushing out the door, only to come face-to-face with himself—his original, male self.
Sitting across from one another now, the male Chris was visibly overwhelmed. “Wow, so you’re like an alternate me?” he uttered, still grappling with the sight.
“No, I’m literally you,” the female Chris corrected with a patient sigh. “It seems the reality machine didn’t just connect us; it merged our universes here. The bathroom adapted to reflect my—our—existence in this alternate reality. And somehow, it copied our consciousness.”
As she explained, Chris could see his original self was only half-listening, his attention fixated on her new form. It was everything he had never admitted wanting. Female Chris noticed the strained eye contact and gave a knowing smile. “Go ahead and stare. I know you’re dying to. They’re pretty awesome, aren’t they?”
