Switch On

Next Thursday. She would turn 25 next Thursday. 

Nazia was excited. The age of majority marked the beginning of life as a contributing member of society. She’d be on the same footing as the adults around her.

She would go to the Patelco LifeLab and sit through the Aptitude Analysis. They'd tell her what roles she was suited for and then she would have a week to decide. 

Vin had done his Aptitude Analysis last week. They had recommended Political Commentator to him, with the alternate being Clergy Leader. He'd turned both choices down, of course. Since his teens, he had set his sights on Social Mobility Engineering. He was the most clear-headed person she knew. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if Vin ended up among the Patelco Executive Cadre after the Midlife Analysis. 

Nazia didn't think she would turn down the options they'd give her. Heck, she would be okay even if they suggested the Patelco LifeCentre Cleaning Rota. Somebody had to manage the mopping robots, she shrugged. She'd probably get Marriage Counsellor or Youth Psychologist, though. Those were fine too. Life would be okay no matter what, she felt.

So it was with some consternation that Nazia read the neat card that slid out of the Patelco Analytics Machine on Thursday. 

Option 1 - Switch

Option 2 - Switch

Switch. 

What the heck? A switch? 

Switches were fiction - people who could open portals in the multiverse. Nazia recalled the story about THE Kanti Patel. It was rumoured that he had been able to switch between universes, and that's how he'd made their timeline everything it was today. That there were timelines he’d wrecked to make theirs great. That he’d seen six generations live and die because of all the time he’d spent in the nothing inside the portals.

Yeah, right. 

Nazia looked at her card again. Marriage Counsellor, please.

Option 1 - Switch

Option 2 - Switch

This was stupid. Stupidly bizarre. Stupidly bupidly dupidly bizarre.

Clearing her throat, she leaned towards the microphone in front of her. "Um… I need to speak to an Analytics Officer, please. There's something wrong with my card." 

This was turning out to be one hell of a birthday.