LEAP – of Faith


Re-applicator of Multiple Openings to Transdimensional Events (ReMOTE) powering up…

ReMOTE initializing…

ReMOTE is operational.


Waiting for input…


"What is this?" Derek asked me. I looked over.

"What is what?"

"This," Derek said, pulling out a white slate. Curiously, I blinked. Maneuvering myself around the dusty boxes that seemed to cover the attic floor, I looked over Derek's shoulder, into the box he had opened.


I'm going to back up a bit.


Back about ten years ago, my uncle Rob was a scientist, working for some
engineering company trying to find an unlimited power supply. Now, I've heard Uncle Rob's crazy theories countless times, I know them by heart. Uncle R theorized that if someone could somehow break through the walls between realities, the energies in between universes would be enough to power the world for millennia. A year ago, Uncle R told me that he was in the middle of a breakthrough; soon it would be possible to travel to other dimensions.

Six months ago, he disappeared.

A week ago, my mom told me to go help clean out Uncle Rob's house; it was obvious he wasn't coming back. Anything I found, of course, I could keep, or sell for my own profit. My mom and Uncle R had never really gotten along, so it wasn't surprising she would say that in light of his disappearance. So, I figured I might as well ask for some help, so I called Derek, a friend of mine I had met on DeviantArt. Together, we had ventured into the attic.

Now, we had found this.


"What is this?" Derek asked again. The box was empty except for maybe ten white slabs about the size of a T.V. remote; they were blank, except for what looked like a touch screen that covered one whole flat side.

"No idea," I said, picking up one of the white slabs. I looked at the screen.


Waiting for input…


"Does your screen say the same thing?" I asked pointing to the one in his hand.

"Yeah," Derek showed me the screen. "What could it mean?" I shrugged, looking at the touch screen. At the bottom was a flashing icon that read !GET INFO! Curious, I pushed it.


SCANNING… PLEASE WAIT…


The device gave an electric shock in my hand, and I dropped it, startled.

"What did it do?" Derek asked. Then he gave a yelp of surprised and dropped his device as well. "What the hell?" He exclaimed.

"Did it shock you too?" I asked. Derek nodded.

"Keegan, what the hell was your uncle into?" Opening my mouth to answer, there was a sharp ringing noise from the device I had dropped. Hesitantly, I picked it up. The information on the screen had changed.


Information collected.

Biometrics activated… identity confirmed.

Welcome, Keegan.

Your current location: Earth Variant 1.

Year (Standard Earth Time): 2010

Local Year: 2010

Dominant species: Human

Disguise mode: Disabled


Friends:

ReMOTE user Derek

Distance: 5 feet


Time until next available leap:

0:00:00:00

LEAP


I looked up at Derek.

"Interdimensional travel," I said. "That's what he was into."

"This is heavy stuff," Derek said, amazed. "I mean, the technology… this must be decades ahead of us!" I nodded.

"So, then what does this 'LEAP' button do?" I wondered out loud.

"Uhh… I don't want to try it," Derek said. "I mean, look at what's happened so far; this machine knows our names!" I shrugged.

"Yeah, but at the same time, it wouldn't hurt, would it? Besides, Uncle R would never create something to harm us."

"Still…"

"C'mon, Derek. Live a little." I smiled, and pressed "LEAP"


A strange vibration went through the device and what I can only describe as a dark wave emitted from the end of my device, hitting the low ceiling of the attic. We stared in disbelief as a hole appeared, black and menacing. Almost immediately, gravity began to shift and we felt ourselves being pulled towards it.

"What the hell did you do?" Derek shouted over the howling wind as boxes of random junk were sucked into the hole.

"I don't know!" I shouted back. I lost my footing and felt myself hurtling through the air. I stopped suddenly, and looked behind me.

"Don't let go!" Derek shouted, holding onto my arm. He was gripping an attic support, probably keeping both of us from being sucked in. There was another surge of gravity and I could see Derek's grip weakening. "I can't hold on!" he shouted at me. I felt my stomach drop. This sucked, we were about to die from some sort of homemade black hole!

We shouted as Derek let go, and we were pulled into the hole. There was black everywhere, nothing around us. I could barely sense Derek holding onto my arm; all my senses were in overload.

Then there was light.


I opened my eyes.

There was open blue sky with some clouds on the horizon. I just went through an interdimensional portal Sitting up, I looked around. I was on top of a hill, overlooking a neighborhood I recognized as my own; I knew where I was. I held my head, pulling off my glasses and rubbing my eyes.

"Where are we?" I heard a voice ask. I turned and saw Derek.

"We're on a hill," I said. There was a sharp ringing sound and we looked at our pockets. We both pulled out the white devices at the same time and stared at the screen.


Welcome, Keegan.

Your current location: Earth Variant 2

Year (Standard Earth Time): 2010

Local Year: 2010

Dominant Species: Human

Disguise mode: On (Acquiring)


Friends: ReMOTE user Derek

Distance: 3.6 feet


Time until next available leap:

0:02:12:47


I looked at Derek.

"What is this?" He asked. "Keegan, what did you get us into."

"I think… I think we're in another dimension," I said.

"How?"

"My uncle said he was on the verge of breaking through the walls between
realities," I said. "He disappeared a few months later." Suddenly, I realized what that meant. "He… he must've travelled somewhere and couldn't get back!" I
exclaimed.

"Or, he just disappeared," Derek said. "Think of what the government might've done to get this technology. I wouldn't blame him for trying to vanish." My cell phone decided to ring at that moment, and I answered it, wondering if I even had coverage in an alternate universe.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this Brad?" My mom asked. Startled, I replied.

"Uh, yes, this is he."

"Well, when you're finished making out with my daughter, could you please give her cell phone back and tell her to stop by her Aunt Robin's place? She needs help cleaning up the attic."

"I'll be sure to deliver the message," I said, and hung up.

"What was that all about," Derek asked.

"I don't know… it sounded like my mom, but she didn't recognize me…" I shook my head.

"Since when did you have a pink cell phone?" Derek asked, pointing to the phone in my hand.

"What?" I looked down. He was right, my black cell phone had somehow turned pink. I looked back to Derek.

"Since when was your hair that long?" I asked him, noticing that his hair now reached down past his shoulders. Before he could answer, a buzz from our devices rang through the air. I looked.


Disguise mode: On (Acquired, 5% Applied)


I fell, a feeling not unlike being kicked in the chest making me struggle to breathe. I felt my skin ripple and shift, the tingly feeling of pins and needles running through my body. What was happening I can't fully describe, but I can tell what happened afterwards, when I had enough strength to stand back up. Looking down at myself, I was surprised at what had happened.

I was a girl. My long red hair got in my eyes, and I brushed it away, noticing my neatly manicured nails. I was wearing a red t-shirt that showed off my now feminine curves and shapely breasts, and tight blue jeans. Looking down at myself, I had to admit; I was attractive. The device lay on the ground next to me. Picking it up with my now dainty hand, I read:


Disguise mode: On (Acquired, 100% Applied)


"What the hell, Keegan?" A girl shouted behind me. I turned, startled. A girl, no more than a couple years younger than me, stood there. She had longer hair than me, down to her mid back. She wore a blue long sleeved shirt and black pants that also showed off her curves. She, too, was quite attractive, but I blinked for a few moments as I realized who she was.

"Derek?" I asked, startled by both her appearance and the sound of my voice.

"Who else do you think it would be?"


0:01:58:36


"What's your next awesome plan?" Derek asked sarcastically. "Plan to get us into another alternate universe and turn us into who-knows-what?"

"No," I said. "I've got a hunch."

"And what's that?"

"We're girls, right?"

"No, are we?"

"Derek, I'm being serious. If we're girls, then most, if not everyone, is the opposite gender from what they are in our world."

"So?"

"So," I said "My mom… or my dad… told me to head to Aunt Robin's before to help clean out her attic."

"I fail to see the importance of all of that."

I turned around.

"I don't have an Aunt Robin" Derek stopped and thought for a moment.

"You think this Robin will be able to get us home?" She asked hopefully. "Because she's really your Uncle Rob?"

"I think so," I agreed.


0:01:03:52


I knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened and a
mid-twenties woman looked out at us. I paused for a moment as I saw she must've been at least five months pregnant. She saw us and smiled.

"Kelly, your mom said you'd be coming over," She said cheerfully. "Karen, it's good to see you again. Have you come to help out?"

"Yes," She said, at the same time I said, "No" I held out the white device.

"We're here because of this," I was half expecting Robin to look at it confused, but instead she paled and pulled the two of us in.

"Not you too," She said. "Not again."


0:00:55:42


"Explain what's going on," Derek asked. "Please,"

"Kelly, I'm…"

"I'm not Kelly," I said. "But you already knew that."

"Yeah," Robin nodded. "I knew as soon as you came in with that ReMOTE."

"The what?" Derek asked.

"Re-applicator of Multiple Openings to Transdimensional Events," Robin said. "Or, ReMOTE. I should know, I invented it."

"Wait, if you… then you're…"

"Derek, meet my Uncle Rob," I said.

"Hi," Rob said sheepishly.


0:00:47:36


"I did it about six months ago," Rob said. "I created the ReMOTE, and several backups, just in case. I tested the ReMOTE myself, and travelled through a few realities before…"

"Before…" Derek and I said together.

"The energy source used to power the ReMOTE is immense," Rob explained. "But finite. By the time I got here, the ReMOTE I brought with me was dead."

"We have ReMOTEs," I said. "Will that help keep the batteries alive?"

"No, unfortunately," Rob sighed. "And they don't run on 'batteries', per say."

"Then what do they run on?" Derek asked.

"Dark matter," Rob answered. "It's the converters that wear down, not the matter itself. Plus, when two ReMOTEs are activated, such as in your case, they share the same power converters. If anything, your power will run out soon rather than later."

"So, you're stuck here," Derek said. "So, how did you…" She motioned to Rob's swollen abdomen, and she blushed.

"I… got a little carried away when I realized I was trapped here," She admitted. There was an awkward silence.

"So, why did we turn into girls?" I asked.

"The law of conservation of mass," Rob said. "Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, and coming here constitutes as 'creating' mass. So, when you came here, you became the version of yourselves that exist in this universe."

"What about those versions?" Derek asked, worried. "Where are they?"

"You're them," Rob explained. "The universe course-corrects to that there's a
perfectly natural reason you're where you are. It makes for convenient entrances."

"And what happens when we leave?"

"Your alternate selves come back, and whatever you did as them will seem completely natural for them." She told us. "All these questions will probably be seen by Kelly and Karen as 'research for a story'." We nodded. It made sense.

"So, when the ReMOTE is charged p, we just open another hole and jump in?" I asked. "We'll be home?"

"Well… yes, and no," Rob said. "You'll be transported to another world, but it's unlikely that you'll ever get home…"

"What?" We both exclaimed. Derek stood.

"You mean we'll never get back?"

"I'm sure, if you had unlimited time and power, you could do it," Rob said. "But
I'd say that you've only got enough energy for at least 20 leaps."

"Leaps?

"When you jump between realities," She explained. "That leads me to the last thing I have to tell you."

Then, the doorbell rang.


0:00:31:04


"I'll get it," Rob (or Robin) said, getting up from the chair Derek and I looked at each other, and after a moment, I looked away. It was my fault we were in this mess…

"Kee… Kelly!" Robin (or Rob) shouted from the door. "Your… boyfriend is here!" I looked at Derek, starlted. What do I do? I mouthed to her.

I don't know, Derek replied. Don't go.

"Coming!" I announced, wincing. I wasn't looking forward to this. I got up and walked to the door, stopping and standing in front of the man who was supposedly my boyfriend. Rob/Robin walked back to the main room, leaving the two of us alone.

"Hey, Kelly," Brad said. "Your mom told me to help you out over here." I remembered I was supposed to be helping "Aunt Robin" with the attic. I realized I couldn't let him in.

"Uh, no, that's okay," I said, smiling. "We've got it under control."

"We?" Brad said, laughing a bit. "It's you and a pregnant woman."

"Karen's here too," I said, feeling slightly put out. What was he implying?

"Oh, well, that's a different story," He laughed. "If you say so… but when your mom gets mad at me and asks me why I didn't help, I'm blaming you."

I smiled. "Fine," I said, feigning laughter. Then, to my surprise, Brad leaned down (Holy crap, I'm short! I realized) and gave me a kiss.

"See you later," He said, and walked off. I just stood, frozen.


Eventually, I walked back to the living room.

"Well? How did it go?" Robin asked.

"He… he kissed me." I said.

"H-how did it feel?" Derek asked. I thought for a few moments.

"Wrong," I finally said. "It felt wrong."


0:00:03:34


"This is important," Robin said. "The two of you have to stick together."

"Why?"

"The portal only stays open for one minute, and then it closes, unless both ReMOTES enter the portal. But only for a minute at the most, remember that," She said. "So, if one of you uses a portal, and leaps, and the other one waits for it to close, and opens a new one, or if you both opened two at once and went into two different portals, the two of you would be separated." She stopped. "The power supply would run out faster, and you'd be trapped in two separate worlds."

"If we get separated, could we find a way to get back together?" I asked.

"It's possible, but unlikely," Rob/Robin said. "Out of all the infinite universes, the chance of teaming up after being separated is one in infinity."

"So, stay together," I said. "Got it."

"Is that everything?" Derek asked. Robin nodded.

"I'm so glad I've been able to talk to someone about all of this," She said. "The past five months have been hell." She rubbed her abdomen tenderly. "I really do wish the two of you the best of luck getting home."

"You're not coming with us?"

"No," She said, shaking her head. "I've got this to take care of," She motioned to her pregnant belly "Here is my home now." There were tears in her eyes. She missed me, hell probably missed everything she left behind…

There was a shrill beeping noise from our ReMOTEs.

"Time's up," Uncle Rob said. "They're recharged now. You should be able to leap." She stood, and so did we. I hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you," I said.

"I know," Aunt Robin said, sighing. "But it's for the best." She sniffed. "The time to recharge the ReMOTEs will get longer the more you use them, so be careful," She warned us. We nodded. "Well, go!" Robin steered me towards the middle of the room.

"Right now? Right here?"

"Why not?"

Shrugging, I looked down at the ReMOTE. After a moment, I turned and
looked at Derek.

"You do it," I said.

"What?"

"You make the portal, and we'll jump in," I said.

"N-no, what if…

"It'll be fine," I said. "We just have to hold onto each other," I grabbed her arm; and we held each other tightly. "Like this." Derek sighed.

"Okay," She muttered. "But you'd better hope we end up home. Or, at least male." She took out her ReMOTE and pointed it at a clear point on the floor. She hesitated.

"Come on," I said. "Take a leap of faith." Derek closed her eyes and pressed LEAP on the touch pad. A hole in reality opened and we were pulled in, on our way to who knew where…