by John Zakour
Right now, Dex and I were friends rather than rivals. But maybe I wanted more than that.
Truthfully, I had very little idea of what I wanted. Though it didn’t help that Ivy Jones was going after Dex. I wasn’t sure that I could compete with her. I also didn’t think I wanted to compete with her.
Added to all that, my parents insisted I join a local soccer league. They thought I needed more exercise. Of course, they were oblivious to the fact that I owned a world-changing lab where I regularly worked out. The good news was that my BFF, Tina, was playing on the same soccer team. The bad news was that I’d have to compete against Ivy’s team because they played in the same league.
The computer chimed in. “You know, Maya, if you’re feeling stressed, I can help. I am a computer; I am designed to help make humans’ lives easier.”
Polly, our intelligent parrot, flew over and landed on my shoulder.
“Dude, look around you!” I told Polly. “I’m in a boxing match here!”
Polly shrugged. “That’s okay; I’m cool with that. I’ll get a bird’s eye view.” He laughed. “Get it? I’m a bird.”
“Wouldn’t that be a human’s shoulder view?” Computer asked.
“Actually, my eyes are about even with her eyes,” Polly said. “I love this view!” he said.
Crash took advantage of my lack of concentration. He moved forward and hit me in the nose with a jab. The punch pushed me back a bit. Polly had to flap his wings to keep his balance.
“Maya,” Polly said, “you need to pay attention.”
Clapping my boxing gloves together, I told Polly, “It might be easier if I didn’t have a parrot on my shoulder!”
“Stop making excuses! I barely weigh three pounds.”
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe four pounds, but you still need to be able to handle this stuff!” Polly said, plopping back down on my shoulder.
“Why don’t you watch from Crash’s head?” I asked.
“Nah, Crash doesn’t feel comfy to land on!”
Crash stopped and opened up his arms. “Hey, why not? I may be a crash test dummy robot, but I have feelings too!”
Taking advantage of the opening, I shot forward, punching Crash square in the face. I got ready to throw a second punch, but my first blow sent Crash staggering backward.
“I really felt that!” he said. He staggered back further and dropped to the floor.
“The winner!” Polly said, nudging my arm up in the air.
It felt good hitting Crash that hard.
Polly put a wing over his beak and gagged. “Girl! You need a better deodorant!” he gasped.
Well, so much for feeling better.
Maya Message: Parrots have a pretty good sense of smell. Polly was right. I needed a good shower and a good night’s rest.
I took off the boxing gloves and dropped them onto the table. “Okay, folks. The bird has a point. I’m going to hit the showers and then hit the sack!” I said.
“Always trying to help!” Polly said.
“Sleep well, honey!” Grandpa told me. He noticed me suddenly itching. “I see the armor makes you very itchy still…”
“Yeah, I’m afraid it does,” I replied.
Grandpa nodded. “We’ll work on that. Any other suggestions?”
“I was thinking of maybe trying to create a defensive shield. Something a person could use to defend themselves without having to wear body armor. I think we discussed that a long time ago.”
Grandpa smiled and clapped. “That’s right! I’ll get working on it! Anything else?”
“Not for now,” I replied. Sighing, I mumbled under my breath. “Man, sometimes I just wish there was another me…”
Chapter II
Ah, my bed felt so good. When I crawled into it, the problems of the world disappeared for a bit. That gave me a chance to recharge my brain and prepare for the day.
“Hey, you! Wake up!” I heard a voice that sounded kind of familiar, yelling in my ear.
Looking up, I saw my face looking into my face.
“What the?” I said. “Who are you?”
“I’m you!” my double told me.
“Why do I sound so funny?”
“This is what you sound like,” my double said.
“No. No, I don’t,” I insisted.
“Yes, you do; because I’m you!”
“This is a dream!” I replied.
The other me pinched me on the behind. I leaped off the bed and yelled, “Ouch! Why did you do that?” I asked, rubbing my behind.
“To prove this is not a dream!” the other me said.
“Right, this is more of a nightmare…” I sighed. I took a fighting stance. “Who are you?” I demanded.
The other me rolled her eyes. “I’m you, silly! I told you that already!”
“You’re not me because I’m me!” I told her.
“Correct, but I am you, too!”
I’d had enough. If I couldn't use logic, then I would use force.
Maya Message: It’s always best to use logic when possible, but every once in a while you might be forced to use force.
Lunging forward, I punched the other me in the nose. She stood there and took my punch. She didn’t shrug an inch. I pulled back my hand in pain. “Ouch!” I said.
The other me laughed. “Sorry, it was pretty funny that you should try that. I may be you, but I would never hit me, or for that matter, you!”
I shook the pain out of my hand. “You’re an Android.”
“Correct,” the other me said. “I’m an Android version of you. Just what you wished for.”
“Wait, I never asked for another me…” I replied.
A video appeared from the eyes of the other me. It showed me saying, “Man, sometimes I just wish there was another me…”
“Okay, I did say that,” I said. “But I didn’t mean it literally. I didn’t mean that I really wanted another me.”
“I’m sorry, but Computer analyzed your voice and speech patterns, and according to Computer, you meant it,” the Android me said.
I frowned. “Forget it! It will never work!”
“Of course it will work. I am you in every way. The computer has been studying you for months…”
“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” I said.
“No, it is not, it is an honor to be copied by a computer. I am an amazing use of the special super 3D printer!”
There was a knock on my door. “Sis, can I talk to you!” Marko called out.
“Hide!” the other me said. “I can prove to you that I am you.”
“If not, you will self-destruct?” I asked.
“Sure!” the other me said. “I will take myself apart…”
I slid under my bed, confident that my little bro would be able to detect a fake me.
The fake me sat on my bed.
“Come in,” she said.
Marko opened the door and walked in. “Hey, Maya, Mom and Dad said they want you to play soccer.”
“Yep,” I said.
“But soccer is my thing!” Marko argued. “It’s my me time away from you. The time where I get to shine.”
The Android me stood up. “Sorry, Marko, it wasn’t my idea. Mom and Dad want me to get more exercise!”
“But you get a lot of exercise in the lab!” Marko insisted.
“I do, but we can’t tell Mom and Dad about that. Remember?” the Android me said.
“Oh right…” Marko nodded.
The Android me put an arm around Marko’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, our games are at different times, so Mom and Dad can always watch you play. And I promise not to be near the field when you’re playing. That way, they’ll focus entirely on you!” she told him.
“Okay.” I could hear the smile in Marko’s voice. “Thanks, sis! See you downstairs for breakfast!”
“I’ll be down after a fast shower,” the other me said.
Marko smirked. “I’m not sure you need one,
you actually smell decent for a change!”
I waited for Marko to leave the room. I popped out from under the bed.
“See?” the other me said.
“I don’t smell that bad!” I said. I sniffed myself. “Okay, maybe a shower is in order!”
“So I can stick around?” the other me asked. She even used the word, ‘so,’ which I do say a lot.
I figured having another pair of hands around the lab wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I sighed. “Sure, just don’t leave the lab area!”
“Right!” she said.
I headed towards the shower. “So…I’ll see you after my shower!” I told the Android me.
She waved to me. “Have fun and smell better! Even though I don’t think you smell that bad at all!”
“Thanks,” I said.
I still didn’t think the Android me could fool anybody with half a brain. Sure, she’d fooled my little bro, but everybody knows little bros aren’t that bright.
Getting out of the shower, I heard laughter coming from my bedroom. Leaning close to the door, I listened carefully and was pretty sure one of the people laughing was Tina. The other laugh sounded vaguely familiar to me.
I quickly pulled some clothes on and walked out of the bathroom. There, on my bed, talking like they were great friends, sat Tina and Android me.
Tina gave Android me a little push. “Oh, come on, Maya! I don’t like Harry at all!”
“I think you do!” the other me said.
“Excuse me!” I said. “What’s going on here?”
Tina leaped to her feet and took a karate stance. “How dare you break in here, whoever or whatever you are?!” she barked at me.
“Tina, it’s me, Maya!” I said.
Tina started walking towards me slowly, still in a fighting stance. “You’re not Maya!” Pointing at the Android version of me, she insisted. “She’s Maya!”
“Tell her!” I told the Android.
The Android me just smiled. “Who are you?” the Android asked me, her eyes popping wide open.
Tina jumped at me. I slipped and fell, trying to block her kick. Tina stepped over me. “Wait!” she said. “Only the real Maya could be that clumsy and yet that lucky…”
“It is me!” I said. “I am me!”
“No, I’m me!” the other me said.
“What’s my favorite food?” Tina asked.
“Tacos with extra onions!” the fake me and I both shouted at the same time.
“What’s my favorite color?” Tina asked.
“Trick question, you have no fave color,” the fake me and I both said.
“This is going to be tough!” Tina exclaimed.
“See!” the Android me said to me.
Pointing at the Android me, I told Tina, “Sniff her!”
“Ah why?” she asked.
“Please, just do it,” I said.
Tina walked over to the other me. She leaned in and sniffed. “She smells like nothing…”
“Correct,” I said. “Does the Maya you know ever smell like nothing?”
Tina shook her head. “Nah, she’s got more of a musky smell to her. It’s not a bad smell though… usually…”
“I rest my case!” I replied. “My lab’s computer went ahead and duplicated me…”
“I’m not sure if that’s cool or creepy,” Tina replied.
“Trust me; I’m cool,” the Android me said. “Except for the lack of scent, I am a perfect copy of Maya. She can use me to help out around the lab, or around the house, or even go to school for her,” Android me insisted.
“I like school,” I said. “I told you I want you to help out in the lab. Nothing else!”
“I can also go to soccer games,” the other me added.
I pointed at her. “Now, that could work.”
“Are you any good?” Tina asked the other me.
The other me walked over to my closet and pulled out a soccer ball. She started bumping it from one knee to the other knee then to her head. She bopped the ball with her head to Tina.
“OMG!” Tina shouted. “You’re way better than the real Maya!” Tina looked at me. “No offense…”
I nodded. “No problem. I get it; she’s better than me.”
“In every way!” the Android me said. “Well, except for me not having a scent or having to shower. Showering seems fun though. I’m totally waterproof!” She smiled.
Rubbing my stomach, I said, “I’m hungry. I’d better go get some breakfast.”
“Oh, you may want to wait before doing that,” the Android me said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I wanted to see if your parents, well…our parents could tell the difference. So I ventured downstairs. They cannot tell the difference between us. They made me eat your waffles.”
“You ate MY waffles!!!”
“Yes, they were quite tasty! Now I see why we like them!” the Android me told me. “And there is something else…the good news is that I never need to poop or pee! See? Another improvement.”
“That is a good point!” Tina said.
I took the Android me and dragged her by the arm to my closet and into the elevator leading to my lab. “Let’s go!” I said.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
I frowned. “To the lab! The computer and I need to have a little talk!”
Chapter III
When the computer noticed Android me walking into the lab alongside me, it put a giant smiley face on the lab’s main computer monitor. “I see you’ve met the new you!” the computer said.
“Yes, I have!” I replied. “But, Computer…I thought we’ve already spoken about you not doing things I didn’t ask for.”
“You did ask for this!” Computer insisted. “Maya 2.0 already played back the feed where you asked for another you. Do you wish me to repeat it?”
“No!” I replied. “When I said that though, it was simply wishful thinking!”
“And I granted your wish,” the computer said. “You are welcome.”
“Computer has you on that one!” Tina told me.
“I agree with Tina and the computer,” Maya 2.0, I mean the Android version of me, said.
“Look,” I said slowly. “I don’t need another me. One me is fine.”
“Of course, one of you is fine, but two of you can be amazing!” Computer stated in a matter of fact manner.
“Once again, I agree!” Maya 2.0, duh, Android me said.
“I’m here to help in any way!” Computer added.
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. “I appreciate what you tried to do and I’m sure the other me will be a great help here in the lab, but could you maybe change her face and voice some?” I asked.
“Nope, can’t do that!” Computer said. “I made Maya 2.0 to be you. I did such a great job making her and to change her now would be wrong. Her CPU would be damaged if I changed her personality! And besides, I would only do it if she wanted me to do it.”
“I love being just like this!” the other me told me. “I get to help you!”
“Okay, can you at least keep her here in the lab?” I asked Computer.
Tina tapped me on the shoulder. “I think you might want to reconsider that. I just got this text from Ivy.”
Tina showed me the text:
Hey Tina, just saw the rosters 4 soccer. Maya is on your team! Haha! That’s gr8! SO gr8!! I’m sooooooo glad she’s playing!! That means we don’t need to cover her and we can double cover you! Sure win 4 us now!! Haha!!
I looked at the text. I felt my face turn red. I wouldn’t be surprised if a little smoke came out of my ears. I didn’t like the idea of Ivy making me look bad, especially knowing how much Dex loved soccer. I also didn’t like the idea of Dex liking Ivy more than me because she was such a good soccer player. It shouldn’t have mattered so much to me what Dex thought, but I guess I liked him more than I wanted to admit.
The other me looked at the text. “She doesn’t seem to think you’re very good at soccer
…”
“Maya isn’t good at soccer!” Tina said.
“Am I that bad?” I asked.
“Girlfriend, you are good at a lot of things, but soccer is not one of them. In fact, you’re terrible. Remember the last game you played a couple of years ago? The other team voted YOU their MVP?”
“Wait, that’s not a good thing?” I asked.
Polly landed on my head. He leaned over and pecked gently on my forehead. “Knock, knock! Of course, that’s not a good thing! They were mocking you! I’m not even a mockingbird, and I know that!”
“Oh, I thought they were just good sports because we won…” I said.
“The team won because the only thing you kicked the entire game was ME, in the shin, and that hurt!” Tina replied.
“If you let me play in your place, I promise I will not kick Tina in the shin!” Android me said, smiling hopefully at me.
“Using an Android version of me might be cheating,” I said.
“Nope, I’ve read the rules. No rule states that a player must be a normal human!” Computer said.
“Can I play? Can I play?” Android me asked, suddenly becoming very excited and jumping up and down.
Tina looked at her phone. “Hang on; there’s a follow-up text…” She held it up for me to see.
The text simply read: Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha * infinity.
“You can’t multiply something times infinity!” I claimed. “That just makes no sense at all.”
Maya Message: I’m pretty sure I felt almost as upset about Ivy’s misuse of infinity as I did about her laughing at me. The laughing at me really hurt though. So what if I wasn’t good at soccer or softball or basketball? I was good at a lot of other things. Plus, having this great lab has also made me a better fighter. I could hold my own now in a fight if I had to. Hopefully, I could out-think any opponent! It felt good to know that if I had to use force, then I was more than capable. But Ivy was making me out to be hopeless, and that made me angry.