Bureau of Collections || ONC2021

The Pub

"042 did a good job creating this place. I hear he was responsible for atmosphere creation back in the early days, he knows how to create a sky." 221 offered in conversation.

"Do you know her personally?" 404 asked curiously, the original 100 were legends amongst the Ministry.

"Once or twice in the early years" he shrugged, "Cantankerous bitch in person."

404 was a little shocked by the lack of respect, "You really shouldn't talk about them like that, you know." she reprimanded.

He shrugged, "Well, she was. Still is, probably. They don't hang around here much anymore, do they?"

"I wouldn't know. I have never been here." she confessed

"Never?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, "In all your years of service you have never just taken time to be like the human's and unwind?"

"Seems silly to me. Our entire purpose is to serve. Why bother with frivolous things. I don't even know why you call it 'Having a drink' and 'the pub' we have no need to consume. This place doesn't even have consumables for purchase. Currency does not exist here."

221 sat down in the opposite armchair and leaned forward, elbows on knees and eyeing her curiously.

She crossed one leg over the other and adjusted her work skirt with a flick, holding his gaze in an uncomfortable silence, her eyes occasionally breaking from her rigid persona to look back up to the sky, unable to quite pull away from the wonder of it.

"So that contraband? Where did you get it? What you did was so out of line I don't even know where to begin."

He gave her another of his knowing smiles, the ones she was starting to hate. The ones that implied as usual, she was the naive 'kid' as he kept calling her. What made it worse was she was well aware of that naivety. In the span of a short few weeks she had seen things she had not seen in one thousand.

She knew deep down something was up with him, she could just not figure out what. He was different, never toed the line, which was unusual for a collector. Most were more- straightforward than this one.

It was the state those final souls were in when they arrived back the Bureau that really shook her. Whatever had terminated their mortal forms had sliced right through their immortal ones too. Unable to perform the right of Judgement on either of them, she'd no choice but to send them to the Void.

"Tell me 404, before meeting me. Have you ever had a soul you couldn't pass over?"

She hid her shock. Was he a mindreader? "Uh-no. Today was my first. But then again I have never had someone threaten my top rating so brashly either."

"And I know that was your first unaccounted."

She narrowed her eyes at him, what was he getting at? "Yes. Why?"

"Have you ever considered that there are those among us who don't play by the rules."

Her temper flared. "Have you been doing this on purpose?!" she accused him. "I knew something was off with you!"

He raised his hands in a gesture to lower her voice, "To a degree." he confessed in a hushed tone.

"Why?" she shrieked, awkwardly coughing as a few heads spun at her outburst. "Why?" she repeated in a more hushed squeak once their attention was drawn elsewhere.

"Because I need your help, 404. You are the only one with the potential who can."

Her fists clenched, eyes closing as she took a breath to calm herself. Breaking protocol was a fireable offence. Was he really so selfish as to involve her in whatever schemes he was up to? "Go get yourself axed. I want no part in this."

"It's too late, kid. We just illegally reinstated a soul to a watch."

"Stop calling me that. And, no, you did that. I made it very clear in my report. I expect the Death Supreme is going to expel you from your position for that offence alone."

"Nah, he won't." 221 replied confidently.

His bravado just agitated her more. "Why? It hasn't saved you so far, you are one stop away from nothing." she regretted the words as soon as she said them. They were cruel.

He seemed hurt but let it pass without acknowledging it. "404, look. I need this to be played exactly by the book. Like, to the letter. You are to leave all improvisations to me, follow the book, insist if you have to. Even if you think I or our superiors disagree."

"Who are you?" she demanded. Even more suspicious now.

"221" he replied matter of factly.

"No really. Are you seriously telling me, you essentially want me to cause an internal uproar? Why? I'm not stupid. I know you care or you would not have helped the unaccounted. Another problem we need to deal with by the way."

"It's better you don't know." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Would it be better if I could guarantee that at the end of this that the record of your time with me will be expunged, and also guarantee you will not be fired or demoted?"

"I'm really not satisfied with those answers" she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"That's all I'm willing to give. Are you in?"

"Really? That's all you will give me?"

He shrugged, "Look, way I see it, you're stuck with me. Either you can play along and do what I know you are going to love doing and cause a stir, or you keep arguing with me and I still make your life miserable."

She scowled. Of course she really had no choice. She did not get to pick who she partnered with. If what he said was true and he was in with the Supremes then she was screwed either way.

"Fine." she finally conceded, finally seeing quite a nice smile on her large partner. "Now show me that artefact like you promised."