30 August 2010 B
Achilles stared intently into the mirror of her portable makeup kit. Her focus was on that one small lock of hair that always stuck out above her ponytail. She sat on a large chair fit for a living room on a darkened stage. She licked the fingertips of her free hand and tried to slick the lock into place. It quickly sprung back. She then tried folding it and stuffing it back into her hair tie, but she couldn't get the whole lock in place.
"Back on the air in thirty seconds," a voice announced.
Startled, Achilles stopped messing with her hair. Her makeup kit clacked as she closed it. She shoved it into her inner coat pocket and straightened her posture. Unsatisfied, she shifted nervously back and forth in the chair until she found a comfortable position. Her legs were crossed and her hands sat in her lap.
"Ten seconds".
Suddenly the stage lights flicked on. Achilles clenched her eyes shut for a second to let them adjust. She opened them up as the studio audience applauded.
"On the air".
A charismatic daytime talk show host sat in an identical chair to Achilles' on the opposite side of a small glass coffee table. "Welcome back from the break!" She warmly smiled at the camera. "Today's guest has had one chaotic career, please welcome war vet turned movie star turned daycare worker turned test subject turned singer-songwriter, HMNZS Achilles!".
Achilles noticed the green "Applause" light turn on at the edge of the stage. She smiled and put a hand up. When the light turned off, she spoke. "Hello. Thanks for having me, Katie".
"No no, thank you for coming on. So, Ms. Achilles-"
"You can just call me Achilles".
"So, Achilles, this might be a strange question to start off the interview with, but I never had the chance to interview a shipgirl before. Why do you go by 'Achilles'?"
"I guess it just has a power that feels like it suits me better. Although I eat enough that I can understand why the Indian Navy wanted to name me 'Dehli'". Achilles looked out at the audience. She got a few chuckles, one of which was from London, but otherwise, the audience was quiet.
"No, I mean your name from before the war".
"What do you mean by that?"
"Back in World War Two, weren't shipgirls volunteers instead of clones like today?"
"Oh, maybe for you Americans, but back in Britain we weren't really volunteers".
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, we had fewer people and our riggings were pickier about who they would accept, so if you had your blood tested and you were compatible the Navy would just buy you from your family and assign you a new name".
"Oh". The talk show host's mood dropped.
"But that's probably for the better," Achilles attempted to lift the mood. "I'd probably have some real old lady name like 'Ethel' anyway".
She got a bit stronger response from her audience.
"These days you can request the Royal Navy to get your old name," Achilles elaborated, "but one of my sisters requested her old name. Our parents named her 'Francis'. At that point I knew whatever they named me wasn't going to be cooler than 'Achilles'".
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, honestly the Royal Navy did her a favor by renaming her".
This time most of the audience laughed.
"I don't know, I think 'Francis' sounds kind of cute," the host countered.
"Well, she doesn't seem to mind her new name. She has a whole town in Ontario named after her that she's been the mayor of for the last like sixty years".
Some of the host's energy returned. "Well, we better not go into too much detail about this. It sounds like a deep rabbit hole. We have too much stuff to talk about. How about we switch focus to the main reason you're here?"
"That sounds like a good idea".
"What made you want to start a career in music?"
"Well, a while after I started alternating between timelines I started noticing different songs were coming out in each timeline. Sometimes I would have a catchy song in my head that I would hum while I was working on something, and someone would ask me what song it was. I would be like 'what do you mean what song? It's been all over the radio for the past few weeks!'". Achilles paused briefly as the audience chuckled. "Then it turned out it was from the other timeline. After a while, my friend joked that I could make a lot of money just by transferring songs between timelines".
"And so you just copied a song, released it, and had a hit?"
"No, not quite. No record label would really take me on, and I had no idea where I could put my music, so I reached out to a bunch of celebrities with my idea. I got turned down or ignored by most of them, but luckily I got a couple in each timeline to hear me out".
"And then you got to copying?"
"No, not really. At first, I knew nothing about music theory, so all I could really do was write down lyrics of songs and maybe hum a melody or tap out a rhythm. Otherwise, the songs weren't really 'cloned', just the lyrics. It was very hard for me to communicate what I felt made the songs special to begin with. Eventually, with the help of my two friends in the audience…" Achilles pointed to where London and Shropshire sat in the crowd.
A camera rotated to get a shot of them. The two smiled and waved, London a bit more timidly than Shropshire.
"...I got around to learning music theory. And then it was much easier for me to describe the songs. However, even now there's almost always some revision that's requested by the record label or some electronic effect I couldn't figure out how to recreate. Often I will also make a revision or two myself, and of course my memory isn't perfect, so even when I set out to clone a song, no song is really ever a true 'clone'. These days I don't even try to fully clone most songs because record labels will pay me to just copy lyrics and that takes a lot less effort on my part".
"Why did you choose your friends to teach you music theory? What qualifications do they have?"
"One of them has been playing the guitar since the thirties and the other was once the head of the Royal Navy choir".
"Oh really?"
"I honestly don't know why those two haven't become a folk duo but, hey, to each their own". Achilles shrugged.
"So what kind of music do you like transferring the most".
"I listen to just about anything, though sometimes I have a period where I'm really into a certain genre or band".
"You seem to really like pop".
"I mean, I won't deny that I like listening to pop music, but I still transfer songs from all genres. You hear about the pop songs I transfer more because those are the ones that are more marketable".
"And is it the same in the other timeline?"
"Generally yes, though sometimes there will be a trend that lasts longer or reaches more people than the other. The nu-metal trend, for example, died out much faster in the other timeline even though it started there".
"So what bands from this timeline are popular in the other?"
"My lawyers have told me to not answer that question".
"Why not?"
"The RIAA".
"The RIAA?" The host tilted her head.
"The Record Industry Association of America. They sue a lot. I forget what timeline this happened in, but in one of them there was this college student that made a file transfer program for his university, y'know, something innocent that makes the lives of everyone at that university better. Some students that he didn't even know started using it to share music, and then he got sued for millions of dollars. He didn't even pirate any of the music himself. Imagine how much trouble I'd be in if I admitted to copying from a specific artist or a specific song and profiting from it. Our current legal theory is that as long as we don't name a specific artist then no one can specifically claim damages. It's been working so far…"
"There has to be some artists that are fine with you copying them".
"Yeah, I'm friends with a few of them. But I'm still advised not to say who. Just because an artist gives me their okay doesn't mean their record label does".
The host straightened her posture. "So here comes the ethical question I bet you get a lot: Why do you think it's okay for you to copy songs from other timelines and profit off of other peoples' work?"
"Oh, I get asked this so much the response is muscle memory. I'm sharing the artist's music with an entire timeline full of people that they would've never been able to reach or profit from otherwise, and over ninety-five percent of the money is going to my sister's charity".
"How do people know you're not using your sister's charity as a front?"
"On our website, we have an extremely thorough breakdown of where the money goes to, and we openly invite any independent organization to audit us".
"How about the concerns that you're diluting our timeline's culture with the culture of the other timeline?"
"Cultural exchange has been a part of human history since humans have been a thing. Plus I have a personal rule that if more than two of the songs I've worked on make it into the top ten at once I'll take a break until they leave. I need this timeline to generate original music to plagiarize too".
"Now what about the people who say you're faking your timeline story?"
"Wow, throwing all the hard balls in a row". Achilles received a light chuckle from the audience.
"I'm sure a lot of people asked you why all the researchers that wrote that initial study about you distanced themselves from that paper".
"Well conditions changed, we lost the other person who was alternating between timelines so it became impossible to do satisfying replication experiments. And the researchers were making a really big claim. I don't blame them for distancing themselves from that paper for the sake of their careers. I don't want to be the reason some talented physicist can't continue doing physics stuff".
"And what would you say to the people who take that as evidence that you aren't actually alternating between two timelines?"
"I'm not going to convince them, so all I can really say I guess is that I'm flattered they think that I'm both talented enough to put out a new hit song about once every other week and humble enough to avoid taking credit for it".
"So you joked about getting too many hardballs, so I bet you would be relieved to have an easier question now". The host glanced over at her teleprompter. "Which timeline do you like better?"
"I thought you said no more hardballs," Achilles joked. "It's like having kids, you don't pick favorites''.
"Every parent says that, but we all know parents keep favorites".
"Well for a while I liked this one more because in the other one the US got itself into two large wars that didn't happen here. But then now the Americans and Soviets are in a new proxy war in Libya, so let's just say each timeline is capable of disappointing me in its own unique way".
"That's a grim way of putting it," the host joked. "Less depressing question this time, hopefully. Aside from music, are there other things that you are transferring or planning on transferring between the timelines?"
"I've been pretty vocal about products I like from the other timeline and wish to see someone start producing here. Books, movies, TV shows, and games are too hard to transfer just from memory and I'm not smart enough to understand the detail in all the patents, but I still often share elevator pitches for other things between timelines".
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. Here's one some game developer can have for free: In the other timeline my housemate is absolutely addicted to this computer game where players collect resources to build their own spaceships and conquer territory within an entirely player-driven economy".
"That sounds like a cool game".
"It looks like a spreadsheet to me, but again, to each their own".
The host glanced over at a man standing next to one of the cameras. He signaled to her by pointing at his wrist. "Looks like we're running out of time before the commercials. Before the break, I have one more question for you. This one is more of a personal curiosity"
"Lay it on me!"
"What do you think is the strangest part of your timeline situation? Like, what's something you have to deal with that nobody thinks about?"
"The thing that weirds me out the most… so you know how sometimes a television show or movie would have a time travel story where they go back in time and change one tiny thing?"
"And then the whole timeline changes?"
"Yeah, except somehow the new timeline is just like the last one except with one small difference like the protagonist wasn't born. But everyone else who was born after that point is born looking the same way, living very similar lives, and having very similar interests?"
"Yeah?"
"It's not like that at all. It's been just twenty years and only maybe two of the people I knew before the timeline split are doing roughly the same thing in both timelines. Everyone else is doing very different things in either timeline. People who were younger when the timelines split had their lives take radically different directions. I have a friend who's the frontman for a very popular band in the other timeline. I tried to hunt him down in this timeline and he's a manager at a Waffle House".
"And then what about people born after the split?"
"No one born after the split is the same. Even in couples established before the split, different sperm combined with different eggs, and entirely different people were born. The weirdest part for me is the realization that, assuming I don't die in a car accident or something, I'll eventually outlive everyone born before the split and the only people that I will know in both timelines will be my navy colleagues".
"Well, that's an interesting thought to leave our audience on as we go to the commercial break". The host looked at the camera directly in front of her. "Don't go away. Once we come back, Achilles is going to teach us a recipe from her new cookbook: Battle of the Dinner Plate".
31 August 2010 A
A cat crawled to the end of a branch of a eucalyptus tree before jumping into an open second-story window, leaving the branch behind her oscillating up and down. She balanced on the window sill, carefully walked to the edge, and elegantly leaped onto a bed in front of a sleeping woman. "Meow".
The woman didn't move.
"Meow".
Still no response.
The cat decided to reach out to poke the woman's moonlit face.
"Boo!" Before the cat's paw could reach her face, Achilles suddenly opened her eyes and shouted at the cat.
Slowly, the cat lowered her paw. She blinked. "Meow".
Achilles sat up on the side of the bed, chuckling. "Your grandfather used to be quite the scaredy cat. Nothing like you at all".
"Meow!" The cat protested.
"I get it, you want your extra big breakfast I promised you yesterday". Achilles stood up and walked over to the cat food bowl. It sat next to a red night light. She crouched and scooped a scoop and a half of kibble.
The cat sauntered over and began eating.
Achilles turned around and looked at the dimly lit room. All the furniture that used to be in it was gone, leaving only a king mattress on the floor and stacks of labeled cardboard boxes. She picked a journal off the floor next to the bed and carried it into the bathroom.
As the bathroom lights turned on, her eyes clenched shut. Eventually, they adjusted. When they did, Achilles blinked a few times until her vision was no longer blurred. She opened the notebook and journaled about her day in the other timeline. When finished, she turned the shower knob, pulled her nightgown over her head and left it on the counter next to the set of clothes she picked out the day prior.
Fifteen minutes later, she was done getting ready for the day ahead of her. When she opened the bathroom door, the light spilled out into the bedroom. With a clearer view of the room, Achilles noticed her husband was absent. She shook her head and walked past the bed.
Achilles made her way downstairs to see the living room lights were on. She immediately recognized the song playing on the television. "Paul! It's one in the morning, you need to go to sleep!"
"After this game". Paul sat on the living room futon in an incredibly leaned-back pose. His hair was beginning to grey from his age. In his hand sat a black Xbox 360 controller, and on the television screen was an intermission screen for a hockey video game.
"You need to get some sleep".
"We're moving to America tomorrow. My sleep schedule is going to be messed up anyway".
"You're going with me to Mike's album release party in a week, you need your energy to socialize. He really wants to see your art".
"Hey, I don't have the timeline-switching thing you have, I don't just pass out at four in the afternoon like you".
"You don't have my timeline-switching thing, but you do have a bottle of melatonin gummies next to your bed".
"I can take those after this game".
"How much longer is it?
"It's going into overtime".
"Fine, I'll allow it". Achilles walked around the futon and sat down next to Paul. She flung her arm around him as the overtime period began.
The AI team took control of the puck from the playoff and pushed aggressively into Paul's defensive zone. Paul attempted to check the player carrying the puck. He missed. The AI player then scored a goal, ending the game. Paul sighed.
"Alright, it's bedtime".
Paul held the center button on the controller, navigated through the menu, and shut down the console.
Achilles patted Paul on the back. "C'mon".
Reluctantly, Paul stood. "Goodnight," he yawned.
"Goodnight, don't let the bedbugs bite". Achilles blew Paul a kiss as he ascended the staircase. She sat in silence on the futon. Then she heard the clatter of the keyboard. "London?"
London sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen in a zombie-like trance. "Yeah?"
"What are you doing awake?" Achilles walked to the desk.
"My boyfriend just got off of work and our corp wanted to do some ice mining".
"Don't you want to get some sleep?"
"I'm moving to Europe in a month. My sleep schedule will be messed up anyway".
Achilles sighed. She looked over London's shoulder at the monitor, temporarily mesmerized by all beams coming off of the armada of mining ships. "Are you in a safe place to talk for a moment?"
"In this game, there's never a truly safe place to stop, but we have a few cruisers guarding us and there's so many of us it's unlikely I'd be targeted first. What do you want to talk about?"
"So, I have a bit of a surprise for you. I was planning to tell you tomorrow, but since you're still awake, I can tell you now if you'd like".
"What is it?"
"You know how you said you felt an emotional attachment to this house and were worried about what the next owner might do?"
"Yeah?"
"I've contacted the RAN. With your permission, they'd like to take possession of this house when you move and turn it into a Navy museum".
London took her eyes off the monitor. She swirled her chair around to face Achilles. "Really?" She seemed shocked.
Achilles was concerned by London's reaction. "It was Leander's idea, and you can say no if-"
London hugged Achilles from her chair, pressing her head into her ribcage. "Thank you!"
"..You're welcome". Instinctively, Achilles stroked the back of London's head.
London released Achilles. "Sorry, it's just that… incredibly thoughtful. What kind of exhibits do they plan on having here though?"
"The person I spoke with said that they were hoping to make a museum that focuses on our post-war lives, instead of all the other navy museums in the world that seem to treat us as glorified pieces of hardware or faceless pawns on a battle map. They thought a house that's been lived in by World War Two kansen operators since the forties would be a thematically appropriate place to put it".
"But what all will be on display?"
"It's going to depend on what you approve of. There are two big ones they want to include. One of them is that they want to recreate the victory garden Shropshire and her neighbor maintained when she first bought the house while she was getting repaired. The second one is that they want to use photographs to decorate Shropshire's room how it was when she married her old commander. Shropshire approved of both these ideas, but she's not in this timeline, so you'll have to consent to them on her behalf".
"And then what are the other ones that are up to my approval?"
"One thing they wanted to do is put a typewriter and old computer on this desk," Achilles explained. "And then it will have information about your writing then game development career. They also wanted to convert your room to look like how it was when you were living here with your first husband, but if you don't approve of that as an alternative they proposed an exhibit about Suffolk's family or a display of your and Shropshire's uniform".
London glanced back at her monitor to ensure her ship wasn't being blown up. "It's not that I'm against them recreating the room with my first husband out of principle". She returned her attention to Achilles. "But I feel our forced sterilization is something that kind of gets brushed under the rug and having something about Suffolk might be more… 'empowering'... if that makes any sense".
"It makes plenty of sense to me. And then another exhibit they want to put in the living room is a biography of every ex-navy person that's lived here for more than a year straight. So that'd be me, you, Shropshire, Shropshire's ex-commander, and Australia".
"I feel like they should include Paul too. He's played an important part in our lives".
"The two of you can discuss that. Just wait until we're settled in Oregon. I didn't tell him about the RAN's plans. I know how much mentioning Shropshire still hurts him, and I don't need him to be stressed out while we're moving".
"I can do that". London peeked at her monitor again. She noticed a new private message in the in-game chat.
Achilles didn't notice what the message was, but she saw that London typed 'Love you too 3'. She chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing much. Just the older I get, the more joy I get from seeing other people in relationships". Achilles changed the subject. "So whereabouts in Germany are you moving again?"
"It's a small town near the Danish border".
"So you wouldn't be too far away from Sussex?"
"Yeah. It would make meeting up with her and her wife so much easier". London yawned. "I think I need to dock up and get to sleep".
"Oh, before you go to bed, Shropshire says hi, and the other you moved her queen to F4".
"I figured she'd do that…" London mumbled as she moved the piece on a chess board next to her computer. "Tell Shropshire that I said hi and that I love her".
"Will do".