Archibald was an early riser. At least, he had been when he’d worked in a part of existence that had time. Sure, the souls themselves experienced time, but it was localized and standard for each individual. For those denizens of the in between, the concept was far more abstract. Still, despite the perpetual timeless state of the Afterlife, Archibald found a way to be exactly where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there.
Today was no different. Not that it was actually day, there was no sun to revolve around and no cycle of planetary rotation to follow, but everyone in the office generally had a sense of turning the calendar, so to speak. Despite a litany of different backgrounds and the resulting variety in the ways they experienced time, conversations were much easier when everyone accepted how long a work day was generally expected to be.
Archibald straightened his perfectly straight tie and patted down his flawless charcoal suit. He had an important visitor today, someone with enough authority to wipe clear his entire schedule of Afterlife appointments. The rest of the week would be a doozy, to be sure, but there wouldn’t be a rest of the week if this meeting went poorly.
He waved to Sasha as he walked by, and the stern secretary nodded back to him.
“Busy already?” he asked, glancing back at the line already forming at her desk. They couldn’t perceive him of course, but he could see them all clearly.
“As always. Heard you’ve got a visitor today as well, going to have my lobby quite full today,” she responded, not looking at him.
“I’ll try to speed things up, but you know how it goes,” Archibald replied. “Hang in there.” She smirked at him, and he continued to the elevator and ascended to level three.
As he strode into his office, Archibald, Death Adjustor Number 32, knew he was in trouble. The meeting was supposed to be with a direct superior, someone from level two. He had a good relationship with Adjustor 20, the leader of the level two department and was expecting a nice chat and review about the last year of his performance. Instead, a member of the Board sat behind his desk.
Board Members were higher beings, a fact they frequently reminded the rest of the office. They held the first nine single digit positions and occupied the top level offices and boardrooms. Each controlled their space like a demigod, creating vast forests or tempestuous oceans to convey their moods to those who entered their domains.
They liked to tell people that they held the best offices nearest heaven so that they could consult the Gods on truly important cases, but Archibald figured they just liked looking down on everyone else. He was careful not to think about that now though, you never knew who was watching when a Board Member was in the room.
The Board Member rose from Archibald’s seat behind the desk as Archibald entered his office. Board Member number five, if looks can be believed, he thought as he approached and offered his hand.
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“That is correct Death Adjustor 32. You may refer to me as Tatiya,” she stated, reaching for his hand.
The imposing woman chose to portray herself as a sort of druid, with thick green vines intertwined to form arms and legs. Crisp, mint green moss fell partway down her back as hair and sturdy oak bark arranged itself around her body in the place of clothes. Her eyes, golden orbs surrounded by delicate vines, bore into his mind. Finding that he was indeed the correct soul, she returned to her place behind Archibald’s desk.
“Sit, please. Let us begin,” Tatiya stated formally, instructing Archibald to sit across from her. She tapped a pile of perfectly aligned papers on the desk as he settled in.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this audience?” asked Archibald diplomatically.
“As you are aware, you were scheduled to have a review today. The implications were initially intended to be relatively benign, a small promotion or demotion, all within level three. However, upon further review of your recent actions, it is the Board’s decision to have a more in depth discussion about your recent adjustments as well as your overall role within the Afterlife,” Tatiya stated, looking pointedly at Archibald from over the papers in her hands.
Thick vines formed frames around her eyes and became glasses, literally growing from the bridge of her nose. She looked back to the papers.
“Records indicate that over the last six months of activity, you have offered and authorized a number of transfers for souls from the Earth system into the Chenrel system. Is this accurate?” Tatiya asked.
“That is correct,” Archibald responded. A pinprick of sweat began to form on the back of his neck. “As is stated in policy 435, souls at fault in natural disasters are subject to subsequent fates that are in line with the consequences of their actions. Adjustors are required to match the fate of those involved to a fitting death in their next life, and may also choose to demote the soul to a lower life form and/or a lesser time in the development of the planetary system.”
“I am aware of the policy,” Tatiya stated, annoyed. “Subsection B of the policy states that individuals who acknowledged their own fault in the incident and attempted to make amends before their death will still be subjected to the above penalties but are eligible for transfer to a new planetary system and a randomized new existence.”
Archibald nodded in acknowledgement. The pinprick of sweat gained a companion.
“You have used this clause rather frequently of late, Adjustor 32,” Tatiya continued. She delivered the statement of fact directly, demanding explanation.
“I have had a few unique opportunities recently,” Archibald began, but was cut off.
“In six months, you have sent more souls out of the Earth system and into the Chenrel system than in the entirety of the department in the last ten years. How unique are these situations?” Tatiya questioned, dropping the papers back on to the desk.
“Has it really been that many souls?” Archibald asked, sweat now forming regularly on his neck.
“Answer the question!” Tatiya demanded. “Why have you sent nine souls out of the Earth system in the last six months? Why have you sent them ALL to Chenrel? What is your motivation in these moves?”
Time to come clean, I suppose.