I hope you liked the first chapter. To review, a present day Joshua is done with his mission and now today his work is due. What will happen?

Don't own CC


Chrono Crusade: Horns of Time


Chapter Two: Fired...And A New Job


"Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit" –George Carlin
Joshua didn't get much sleep. Due to last night's mission, he missed the alarm clock that set at 7:00am. Now it was 8:15 in the morning! When he woke up, he screamed and made a mad rush to the news paper office. The New York Journal: one of NY's esteemed newspapers that had made millions due to its breaking news headlines. What the Journal was mostly renowned for was that of its editorial page. As Joshua ran to his desk, a booming voice greeted him.

"Joshua! Get your lazy ass over here!"

"Shit…The editor." He thought this as he made his way to the editor's office. Charles Gravin was no pushover and he hated slackers in his company. Joshua took a seat while Gravin was glaring at him.

"Joshua, you're late! Again!"

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"Oh, you can bet your ass it won't happen again. As of today, I'm letting you go."

"What? Sir…you can't mean…"

"That's right. I'm firing you! Gone, out of here, forever!"

"Sir, please," Joshua pleaded, "give me another chance."

"I've already gave you another chance. That was today's deadline and you still haven't given me your article for today's Journal. I gave you that assignment two weeks ago!"

"Well…I've been busy."

"No excuses! If you're that busy then go to that place and work there instead of here. I had just about enough of your lates, slacking and joking around with my staff constantly!"

"But sir!"

"Get out!"

Joshua rose to leave and while leaving he heard from Gravin, "Get your shit out of your desk while you're heading out the door." While cleaning out his desk, his fellow collages gathered before him. Johnny, the asshole who was working with Joshua, jeered at him, "So the slacker finally leaves. I should have brought my camera."

"Fuck off, Johnny."

"You know, I'm happy that you're leaving. That makes life so easier."

An enraged Joshua put down his stuff and punched Johnny right in the nose. Johnny retaliated and so the two began in a brawl. Joshua got the upper hand, knocking Johnny down and starting to kick him. Two minutes into the fight security guards came in and separated the two. While Johnny was escorted to the break room, Joshua was thrown out of the building (and with his stuff.) He got to his car and drove off to the Order which was positioned at the edge of the city. As he had gotten to the green scenery and up a huge hill, he mumbled to himself, "Stupid Journal. They can all go to hell! Now I've got another situation to deal with. The wrath of the head sister. If can't get any worse…"

Joshua arrived at the compound where Wolf was waiting as with three other young girls, all 15 years of age, one had brunette hair, one had red hair and the other had light blond hair.

"Why are you so sad, Joshua?" the red-head asked.

"Maybe because he didn't make the deadline," the brunette-haired girl asked.

"Or maybe he got fired," the light-blond said.

"It was the latter," Wolf joked. Joshua slammed the car door.

"Not funny you guys. Yes, I did get fired."

"Oh, by the way," Wolf started, "Sister Azmaria wanted to see you."

"What does she want?" Joshua asked coldly.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Just because you got fired doesn't mean you have to act like an asshole."

"… …I'm sorry. It's just been a rough, okay."

"Right. Better get going, Joshua. Sister Azmaria isn't getting any older." Joshua walked passed Wolf and the other three girls. He then had to walk a ways to the head sister's office. He slowly opened the door. Inside the office was a richly decorated office with a desk at the center. At the desk was an elderly woman with white hair and was wearing a black nun garment.

"Come in, Joshua," she said quietly, "and close the door."

Joshua took a seat, "I'm sorry about the harbour front, ma'am."

"Don't worry about it. You look disturbed. Anything happened today?"

"I got fired from my job."

"You did? I'm sorry for you. Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Joshua looked surprised. Lately Sister Azmaria did go ballistic on any mission failures, repair bills or anything like that. On a daily basis Sister Azmaria and Joshua didn't quite get along and both had major disagreements. Today…was different.

"Sister…Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm sorry, Joshua. It must be something on my mind. Uh…I wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"You see, we're short on hand lately. Everyone is outside on missions and there's barely a soul here anymore. Right now we're employing not only new recruits but those who are working part-time and are on-call for the Order. So maybe…what I'm trying to say, Joshua is that maybe you would like to have a job here."

"A job? Here?"

"That's right. You'll get all the benefits a brother or sister would normally have here and since the recent demon attacks that have been going on in the states, the government has given us more support. We're busily recruiting however this isn't enough. So…are you interested?"

Joshua thought for a moment. He had been working on-call for the Order. By day it was a normal life at the newspaper office and by night he would be on-call for anything the Order would want him to do. Now that his job is gone…he didn't have much left.

"I never thought of a job here," Joshua confessed, "But now that my day job is gone, maybe it is time to explore new occupations."

"So are you accepting?" Azmaria asked him.

"Yes, I am accepting."

"Good…I'm glad," she then rose, "I'll get all the necessary paper work done. Just come back tomorrow morning and you'll start your new job here."

"How about my stuff?" Joshua asked.

"Don't worry. That will be all taken care off. Tell Wolf I would like to see him also."

"Okay." Joshua walked out to the door and as Azmaria looked at him, she thought, "Following in his sister's footsteps. I hope he doesn't make the same mistakes."

As Joshua left the office and started back to his car, he thought to himself, "Wolf is on-call as well. I wonder if he's going to get a job here too…" He saw Wolf and the three girls he saw earlier. They were waiting for him.

"So, Joshua…" Wolf said to him, "How did it go?"

"Well. She didn't go ballistic on me. She also wanted to see you."

"Damn. Did you say anything about me?"

"No. I just been offered a job here."

"Really?" Wolf asked surprisingly, "Did you take it?"

"Yeah. I have no choice remember?"

"Yeah."

The blond asked her, "So you'll be the runt of the litter here."

The brunette continued, "I hope that Josh won't be making any crucial mistakes."

And the red-head, "Knowing Joshua he'll be suspended on the first mission."

Joshua grew a bright red. All three girls were standing right beside Wolf. He pointed at the blond haired girl, "Very funny…um…"

"Abigail. Sister Abigail. God, I don't believe that you forgot!"

The brunette said, "And I'm Sister Caitlyn, in case you forgot."

The red-head said, "And Sister Ebony."

Joshua stroke his hair, "Geez, sorry for being offensive."

"Apology accepted," all three of them answered him simultaneously.

"Why do I have to be nice to you, anyways?"

Caitlyn answered him, "Because our great grandmothers are members of the High Order Council. We got connections."

"Whatever," Joshua said turning to Wolf. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Later." Wolf said making his way to the central building.

Joshua turned the keys to the ignition and the engine ran beautifully. Then the pain in his head returned.

"Why does this keep on happening," he gasped. Shaking it off, he drove off into the sunset.


Chapter Two is done. I hoped this sufficed your imagination. Please R&R.