The other 'Ana'

She could smell the faint aroma floating through the air as she tried to clean the floor.

She had bumped into Roger on her way into the bedroom. Roger’s fizzy drink had spilled all over his shirt and then some on the floor. Roger must be enraged, she thought. He had simply stared at her and had left the room without saying anything to her. Anything! But she thought that…

“The muffins are ready!” exclaimed Laura. She is always this upbeat and overly enthusiastic person. Baking, cooking, caring, oversharing. She is as pure as a soul can be.

Laura had been by her the side for the longest time. Long before Roger. She was her childhood best friend. Been through life’s best and worst moments. There was once a time when while giving the maid of honor speech…

"Ahhh," she said as she tightened her grasp on the cleaning supplies. Her head was spinning again. Her thoughts were scattered. She was trying to call Roger and Laura, but...

WHOOSH

***

“I need you” 

“I don’t want to leave.” She said, her eyes closed firmly. Her hands were left stuck as if someone was pulling her. She was sweating profusely. She knew there would be blinking blue and white lights as she had always seen them in her nightmares. 

“I wish I could say there was a choice. Our “Alter” in the seventh dimension is badly injured. She’s already connected to us and others in the 1st and 9th dimensions. If we don’t save her, we die in every dimension and we cannot complete the cycle”

“But I feel pain. I feel like I’m dying. And I don’t want to” she said with her eyes still shut tight and her breathing ragged. 

“Hey, look at me” the person on the other side bent down and looked at her. “I am you but in a different dimension. And I’m not going to hurt you ever. But I need us to save her” the person said.

She slowly opened her eyes. But what she saw was herself. Just the way she was used to seeing herself in the mirror. But this mirror version of herself wasn’t aligned with her moments. What was this? How is this possible?

“Who are you?” she said, now a bit frightened, and slowly shifting back into the wall behind her.

“I am you,” said the person.

Now, she was terrified. This exact same looking mirror version speaks. In the same voice as she does. In the same manner as Roger…

Oh my god… Roger, Laura…

"We'll inform them later. We must move quickly. Touch the button with your hand and you'll be fully charged. I'll give you 5 minutes to freshen up," the same looking mirror version person remarked before leaving with a metallic click out of nowhere.

She took her time looking about and inspecting her surroundings. A small room with white flooring and all-around blue glass doors. This was the precise room she had seen in her nightmares several times. She'd never be able to convey to Roger how the room looked when she woke up from her nightmares. She always used to mess up the colors. But Roger was always patient and soothing through her worst nightmares.

‘Ohh Roger’ her brain shifted her back to reality. Or whatever that seemed to be.

She started searching for the recharge button when suddenly she saw blue waves on the glass doors. 

‘What the heck' she said to herself. 

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. It activates when the same version of different dimensions meet.” the same looking mirror version of herself entered the room.

“Oh god, can you not scare me?” she said, now standing me to this same looking crazy mirror version.

The person smiled. “I’m glad you’re getting your strength back,” she said.

“Hold on, what is happening? Who are you? Why do you look exactly the same? Are we twins? And where are we going? ”she said.

The person started at her for a minute and then it looked like she had zoned out.

“Hello” she waved at this zoned out mirror version of herself “Are you there?”

There was no answer.

She waved two hands in the opposite direction. No answer again.

‘The least this woman could have done was to tell me…’ the sudden whooshing noise stopped her muttering. 

"Hey, I’m back." She pointed to another person looking exactly like us. "This is Ana 3.0. Other versions are disengaged. She’s sedated so won’t ask questions like you for a while" the mirror version person responded. 

She was appalled. This Ana 3.0 looked exactly like her. Exactly how many twins were twins? 

“How is this possible?”

“I know.” the first mirror version responded. “I’m Ana 7.57 by the way" 

She tried to breathe but she paled.

***

"Ana, Ana, Ana," someone rubbed her hands.

"Wake up, baby. Everything is going to be okay. Please wake up." Roger's scream was heard by her.

She tried to answer him, she really did. Then she heard the faint sound of an ambulance approaching.

***

“I told you to recharge. You’ll keep facing blackouts like that.” said Ana 7.57 

“I want to go back. I cannot leave them, I cannot” she said.

“Well, you’re not leaving exactly. But as I said we have work to do. And then you can go back. We won’t ever meet again” said Ana 7.57

“But I don't understand. Why are you doing this? And why me? Can’t you take this Ana 3.0 and finish whatever mission you have?” she said

“I wish. But you choose Roger in your reality. Choose to become a doctor in your dimension. I’m not and I choose Luke. So, I have to take you to our mission” Ana 7.57 said entering a number into the blue waved front door. 

“What? But Luke died.”

“In your dimension. I saved him in mine.” said Ana 7.57

“What are you saying?” she said looking aghast.

“Check Monitor 0.57 on your right. Just touch your palm onto the blue door.” She did as Ana 7.57 said. And there she saw Luke playing basketball with a small boy. The child looked exactly like Luke but had my eyes. My eyes, my… he is Ana 7.57’s child.

“Yup, that’s our baby. ” said Ana 7.57 

“But, but..”

***

“She should be all right. She is unconscious. But she can hear you. I'm sorry to hear about Laura. "Do you need to contact anyone?" said the doctor.

"I informed her brother, and they should be on their way," Roger explained.

NOOOOO.

Noooo. I yelled, but no one could hear me. No, not Laura. Nooooo.

***

“Is she gonna come back?” enquired Ana 3.0

“Yes, she has to. She’s just having more blackouts than our usual lot. ” explained Ana 7.57

“That’s crazy. Is this her first time in a mission environment?” Asked Ana 3.0

“Looks like that. She was shocked for sure. By the way, how’s the progress on the seventh?”

“Not great. We got to..”

And again their voices faded into the background.

***

“We need a doctor. NOW!” somebody shouted. She couldn’t understand. There was a lot of scrambling and hollering but finally, someone had arrived. The noises went in a different direction. But her heart, why did it feel so wrong? She tried to open her eyes. But she couldn’t. 

 ***

“She zoned out again,” said Ana 3.0 “Are you sure she’s alright?”

But now Ana 7.57 wasn’t paying attention. She was checking the long list of numbered data on the three screens in front of her. She found it impossible to believe. ‘No way!’ She dashed outside and entered the blue wavered door into the room.

“Where is she?” asked Ana 7.57

“Zoned out again, I guess” said Ana 3.0 tapping on the monitors.

“Oh my god.” said Ana 7.57 while re-checking the images on the monitors. "Look"

They went inside in the screened room.

“Wait, what’s the matter?” questioned Ana 3.0 as she went inside and looked at the time Ana 7.57 was showing her

“Yeah, it’s 28 seconds. So what?” said Ana 3.0

“Roger changed her system” said Ana 7.57 now breathing heavily.

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t understand it either. It looks like after their car accident, Roger modified their version and changed something which connected them both.”

“But it won’t matter unless either of their connections die?”

“Yes, but they are each other's connections. Roger is dead. Switch off the current system. And, brace for impact” Ana 7.57 said pulling the main switch.

***

"No, it's painful. I don't want it," she stated flatly. She could hear Roger reassuring her, “It’s going to be okay”

She slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was not her Roger. And before she could say anything, she was enveloped in darkness.

***