Reshuffling and "To Be"

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 8997

Everything goes white.......

Ragan and the others blink as their gaze falls upon two familiar figures....and two other figures that have a resigned look to them.

One is what Betty would call a rather bedraggled looking female angel.

The other is a figure that causes Inquirer to draw back in surprise...and a bit of anger. It looks to be Bill Gates.....after being ran over a dozen times with a car or something.

She had no real animosity with the mortal that this evil being mimiced (that came straight out from the pages of the Manual for Proper Functioning from the Church of Silicon Valley. Just that she had no love for this evil being before her.

Her heart (as well as the others) was nearly breaking when she looked upon upon the dejected looking figure of good.

"Did I or did I NOT say that you shouldn't press the issue," Rule 1 sighs as he paces in front of the two figures. "You just had to push the issue and now look at you.... and the fun of it is that you did it to yourself."

"What is the meaning of this?" the Doctor asks quietly to Agent 1, who is standing back and shaking his head.

The others lean in, wanting to hear this, despite themselves.

"Oh, just a culmination of general stupidity of some department heads," the Agent of Chaos sighs, "they tried to get the 'Higher Ups', our Boss or Bosses, to get the responsibilities and powers of the Offices of Order and Chaos assigned to their domain. They not only didn't get it, they got their entire Offices dissolved and.....well, now there are just two official Offices. The entire multiverse got put on pause while we do a reshuffle here....."

The general ghist of the meeting that took place within the TARDIS before the Doctor finally was able to enter is flashed through all the adventurers' minds (re: 8128). The Rules and Agents had tried to mend fences, but the other offices had their feeling hurt. Finally, the other Offices had forced a review of the Brazen Man/Dark Tower debacle....with the idea that what would come to light would get their request approved and the Rules and Agents thrown out of their business. Hadn't worked that way. Quiet the opposite, in fact, happened. The Rules and Agents hadn't wanted to push the issue, fearing just such an occurrence. Rules and Agents knew well enough that they weren't competent to handle the caseload of the Offices of Good and Evil and had hoped that what had happened....wouldn't happen.

The Doctor and the others just look at Agent 1 like that was the most ridiculous thing they had ever heard....and the most frightening!

"Hey, this has never happened before.....yes," the Agent of Chaos sighs, "but this won't take long and we'll put things to right....no big changes here......

"We will have to take care of a few things with you guys before it's all said and done though," Rule 1 called from his triad of the defrocked office heads, "but let me finish up here."

"Former head of Good," Rule 1 sighed, "for the most part you and your colleagues have done an outstanding job with your assigned Tasks. Despite what you'd feared, we Rules and Agents never wanted your job. Our hands are full as it is. You'll become a sub-Office of the newly formed Firm, the melding of the annulled office of Good along with the Office of Chaos and the Office of Order. Read the terms of this ruling. And heed them.....else I'll get somebody who CAN do the job in your place! Now go!"

The female angel vanishes with a look that denoted relief. The Rule could have easily demoted her (him....it?) to the realm of Nothingness. That wasn't what the former Office head wanted for self and collegues.

The Bill Gates look alike fidgeted, nerviously awaiting the next part.

"You.....none of us of the Firm want your ilk.....your responsibilities, "yet we Rules and Agents can't well be rid of you demons for to do that would invite disaster. We of the Firm can't handle your job in a competent manner."

"So....I....and my Domain is to be spared? Everything back to the way it was?" the evil being begins to chuckle.....only to snap his mouth shut in fright at the look both Agent and Rule give him.

"Kind of," Agent 179 chuckled with a slight chill in his voice, "We of the Firm will not....officially get all former Offices together to gang up on ya in the Business......not officially."

An audible grinding of teeth is all that is heard from the Bill look alike before he disappears in a flash of fire and brimstone.

The others were glad he was gone!

"Now to take care of this last part," Agent 1 sighed as Rule 1 joined him and the others. "The Others may have totally botched things......but they managed to get one or two rulings in their favor."

"What.....are you doing?" the Doctor says in a small voice, fearing what may come.

"Basically business as usual," Rule 1 sighs, "trying to salvage a situation the best way we can."

"It's a job offer for you all," Agent 1 smiled.

The adventurers.....even the Doctor.....looks at each other in askance. Something tells them there is a world of meaning and stuff behind those simple words.

"There had been a Ruling that the current situation with the Doctor. - our potential Champion - that he should not be allowed Companions on Official Bequest by I and Agent 1," the Rule said, shaking his head, "the Section of the Book got changed because of the whining by the other Offices! Officially, now, I and Agent 1 can't allow the others to journey on with you, Doctor."

"Despite all that's happened we Rules and Agents still need to have co-operation between the other Offices," Agent 1 says, "even if some of them are now just branches under us. The disruptions that could be generated by inter-office quibbles due to Office Politics would be......bad if we just blew them off.....now."

A burst of protest, most loud from Betty and Ragan, follows that decree.

Betty and Ragan said that they don't want to, after getting to become a Companion to the Doctor, that they weren't going to just walk away from this dream shot! Besides, they weren't going to abandon the Doctor! They wanted to help him!

Sigin and the elves protested that this was a priceless opportunity for them to see other realms AND to aid others in ways that they'd never dreamt possible. Besides, they weren't going to abandon the Doctor! They wanted to help him!

Inquirer sounded a bit miffed, but calmly stated that she had much to contribute to this endeavor AND.....the Doctor still owed her a date. She very much wanted to see Venice with the Doctor.....

The Rule and Agent chuckle at that as Betty's jaw drops at that (Ragan whispers what happened and Betty looks...stunned for a second or three).

"And as the others stated earlier," Inquirer finished, looking at the stunned looking Doctor, "I want to help him and I shan't abandon him in this. We came together and are here to help each other.....as a Team should. Even when one Member is as formible as the Doctor.....we other Team Members have much to offer."

The Doctor looks flustered....and touched. He finds he can't find words to speak.

"But I sense a loophole coming," Betty smiled, already having guessed.

The others nod and the Doctor's eyes grow wide as what the import of what will be said next occurs to him. He'd already figured out the possible loophole. He hadn't figured that he'd garnered so much...... loyalty? Frienship? He hadn't figured in the coming events.....

"You don't have to do this!" the Doctor protested, only to be halted by the looks of annoyance from the others.

"We don't have to.....we choose to," Inquirer says softly.

Agent 1 and Rule 1 look at each other. They had a feeling that some would take up the task.....the offer. They hadn't figured that ALL would.....though.

"You know what we are offering," Agent 1 finally asks for the record, "that the only others who can join with our Champion in this Official Task . He isn't even officially a Champion....."

"But I need be if I am to save the other universes and such....still?" the Doctor asks, not really expecting anything but the confirming look by the Agent and Rule.

"Strictures are strictures on us, Doctor," Rule 1 sighs, "Sorry....."

The Doctor nods and stands back as the others step forward.

"Yes, we know what you offer....and the terms of what it entails," B'Elanna says. The others echo her sentiments. "We accept."

"So be it," Rule 1 nods. "But since things changed.....you will become our Champions not when the Doctor enters that signal into the VLA. The Higher Ups are now officially paying attention. No, instead of that it will begins now.....unless you have any objections. Last chance."

The others stand firm.

  1. Agent and Rule smile, admiring the mortals.....former mortals..... bravery. Then the Doctor and the others feel something come over them.....

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MSG (Hoping that he's not being too presumptuous about Betty and Ragan).

4/25/2000 9:27:29 AM

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