Perfection

Jack Hawk had a theory. He believed somewhere on a parallel world, there was a version of himself that had made every right choice in his life and had no failings, a 'perfect' Jack. he wanted to find out how and why. So he set out to find him, against the advice of everyone he asked.

Where Jack was from, traveling form dimension to dimension was as easy as taking a bus.In fact, it was exactly the same, as you took a bus from world to world as we would take one city to city.

At first, he tried all the conventional worlds that everybody visited. Dinosaur Planet, Opposite world, Giant Universe. He found nothing he didn't expect to find, namely, a Dino-Jack, Evil-Goatee-Jack and humongo-Jack (nice guys, but not what he was looking for).

So he started to travel at random, not looking to see which bus he boarded and getting off between stops at unregistered intervals. He knew he was getting closer now, since first he found a muscley but otherwise identical Jack in the first world he stopped (while certainly not flabby, Jack was certainly not ripped the way Muscley Jack was). Next came a smarter and healthier Jack, who told him he had been on a similar journey and to turn back now as the results would only disappoint, but he refused to explain why and so Jack carried on. He searched and he searched, and every version of himself he met was stronger, smarter and better than he, but still with a flaw or two.

Finally, after he had been searching for almost 6 months (people where Jack comes from don't work, either, just consider the nature of the universe) he found a world unlike any other. There was a Jack here who was ruler of the whole planet. He had been elected into power and had an impossible 100% approval rating. Everyone he spoke to said how much they loved him and how everything he did was perfect.

He had done it! He had found his perfect self. This President-Jack was everything he had been looking for. He simply had to meet him, and all his questions would be answered.

It was simple matter. Once he arrived at the mansion of his President counterpart, he was immediately granted admission. He was told he was expected. He smiled to himself. The man really did know everything.

He found the President standing in his office, his back to him, gazing out the window.

"Hello, Jack," he said as he reached the centre of the room.

"Uh, hi Mr.President," Jack answered nervously. He hadn't expected him to be so big! He was easily 8 feet tall and had impossibly huge muscles. His hair was a perfect blond and very soothing to the eyes.

"Which Earth are you from?"

"Which Earth? Uh, I..."

"Pronounce this word: B-U-T-T-E-R-C-U-P."

"Uh, buttercup."

"Earth 957431. Interesting. No one from that far down the list has ever made it to see me."

"I don't understand."

"You see, all the parallel earths, or dimensions if you prefer, are ranked by how closely they align to complete perfection. Your universe is 957,431 times more flawed and fragmented than the perfect Earth. Up until now, only Jacks from the first 1 000 Earths have ever made it here."

"Well, it was kind of dumb luck. I just kept randomly hopping until I found this place. What Earth is this, anyhow?"

President Jack turned and smiled wanly.

"Earth 1."

The man was dazzlingly beautiful. Jack felt his heart skip a beat. Even though he must be roughly the same age as Jack, he looked at least twenty years younger. He clearly had won the genetic jackpot. In short, he was perfect. Folding his arms behind his back, he asked

"So what can I do for you, my friend?"

Jack was still hypnotized by his counterpart's handsomeness. He speaking, but all he got out was "Errrr, ahhh"

The President sighed deeply.

"Let me guess, you want to know how I did it. How I became the man I am today and you did not. What you can do to be like me?"

Jack managed a nod.

"Well, I'm afraid you won't like the answer. The truth is nothing. I have never made a wrong decision and cannot make a wrong decision. Everything about me is perfect by design. I am impossibly perfect and can never be otherwise. And you should be thankful you are not, too."

Jack regained his composure somewhat.

"What? That's crazy! You're perfect! You said so yourself!"

"Yes, but at what cost? I have made this planet and universe over in my own image. There is total equality, peace and prosperity for all and no sickness or aging. Now what do I do?"

"You keep it up!"

"I have created a flawless self-perpetuating system. It has no need of me or any other to maintain. I have experienced everything there is to experience, know everything there is to know. If you have no flaws you have nothing left to strive for and eventually your life has no meaning. This is the dilemma I face now. Even if I go from world to world and make them as perfect as this place, I will eventually run out and there will be nothing left for me to do. I am immortal or else I would end it now. Please leave me be now, Jack. I think you have what you came for."

And so the President turned around again and stared out the window. Jack, completely stunned by what he had heard, stumbled out of the room and the house.

Once outside, he pulled out a bus schedule to see when the next bus was arriving that could take him home. He had seen enough.