Sinners and Saints

Sinners and Saints Chapter 40 - Come Together

Leslie and I talk for – what seems to be – a good two hours.  Eventually I find an old legal pad and a pencil and start making notes.  And things are even worse than I initially suspected. 

Jesus and the other saints, along with everyone else, are locked.  Every soul entering Heaven gets locked automatically – although in Jesus’ case, it was necessary.  His time on Earth left him with post-traumatic-stress-disorder (and seriously, who can blame him?) so it was better than hearing him scream all the time.  

Michael rules with an iron fist.  There have been attempts to over-throw him before, but none of them have been successful.  Most of the angels either learned to tow the line or left.  

God isn’t even here.  He’s established a new Heaven for the Crab Nebula and resides there now.  

There are three shifts per Heaven-day and two days of long swing-shifts to make up the extra.  A Heaven-shift is approximately six Earth days.  A Heaven day is approximately eighteen Earth days.  

All of the managers are men and suck-up to Michael to one degree or another.  They may not like it (and several of them do) but none of them are going to rock the boat again. 

Brian and Johan are among the likers. 

Lovely. 

There are hushed conversations all over the office among the women, but most of it is resigned.  Breaks are limited to three per shift and ten-Heaven-minutes each. 

From the conversions I can do in my head right now, that’s twenty-seconds. 

I am seriously screwed. 

Warren and a few others – Blake among them – are more sympathetic to changes.  Not that Michael will approve any changes. 

I smile and take notes and thank her for her time and guide her out the door.  

“One last thing, Leslie,” I touch her shoulder briefly, “Michael runs everything from the doorway back.  But who runs things up-front?” 

“I don’t know,” she tells me with lowered eyes again, “None of us are allowed up there.” 

Another one to add to my list of unanswered questions and scared-as-crap thoughts. 

“If Brian gives you any grief over being gone so long, please have him comes see me,” I tell her, “I’d say to have him call me, but I don’t know my extension yet.” 

When she leaves, I dig around some in my desk and make notes about what I’ll need.  Then I explore this wing – which I’m the only occupant of.  There are a few more offices, a conference room that looks like the last time it was used was during the New Deal and one very nasty bathroom. 

I’m a little surprised about the bathroom, actually. 

When I get back from my exploration, Warren is waiting for me. 

“Hello, Warren,” I greet him, “Do you have a few minutes?” 

“Um, not really,” he replies, checking his watch, “Here’th your copy of your athignment.” 

“Thank you,” I smile and put it on my desk, “There seems to be a couple of things that we haven’t thought of, though.  I’ll need a key to my desk, my office door, the supply room and the door to this wing,” I tell him. 

“Uh,” he glances around. 

“You were told not to give those to me, I’m assuming?” I ask him, sitting on my desk. 

“Thort of,” he nods, “Michael wath hoping you wouldn’t notith.” 

“But I have,” I tell him, “And my assignment says all the rights and authorities therein.  So tell Michael that I insist upon those keys ASAP.  Now, where is the copier located?”