Will did not return that night. Knox handed off to Humphries at midnight, reporting no unusual occurrences. They quietly agreed that Knox would rest and return to take the eight-to-sixteen-hundred next morning, in case Spears was still working with the Uppers. Marisa Solway stayed on for an extra hour, then surrendered her responsibilities to Senior DePoy. DePoy checked in with Humphries, who suggested that they consider scheduling as though Spears were on an outside mission. "We can't let ourselves become exhausted enough to start making mistakes. We need Knox on mornings, and myself on the graveyard shift. Let's put a sensible Senior on afternoons, which tends to be the quietest shift, with Marisa to back him up. If they run into something they can't handle, they can wake up whoever isn't out Reaping. Then you take the shift that you would work normally, and Brock on the third, will that do?"
"Sounds good. Do you think Mister Spears will not return?"
"No, of course not, but if he is long delayed, we need to see that everything runs smoothly. When he gets back, the second thing he will ask is how we arranged coverage. I want to have a good answer for him. Partly to minimize the obligatory rant, of course, but mostly to put an emergency procedure in place; we really should have had one these last few years."
"I agree. Who will you put on Will's desk for third shift? Don't say Mallory. We don't want to start a policy of falling back on Security; it limits us too much."
"Yes. We have to create a tradition of selecting the best available Reaper, not just whoever is holding Ops Security at the moment. I would like to put Chandra Gupta on Will's desk. But that would mean his partner Vanderveldt leading his team, Grell having to take orders from him, and they are due for a new and untried team of convalescents. Frankly, I don't want to stress Grell while Will's away. It's going to be hard enough on her without changing all the rules."
"Then I would suggest Caroline Cortland from Scheduling. She has her finger on the pulse of London as well as the battlefield shifts. She's also used to working closely with Admins, which Senior Gupta is not. Chichima Onayemi is fully capable of carrying Caro's responsibilities as well as her own, and has competent backup in her own section."
"Agreed. That leaves Grell's team intact. Let's set it up. Getting it done assures that the Director will be back before it's needed."
Grell woke to a lonely bed. She told herself that Will had been sent away on independent investigations before, and with no warning at all. Reapers served where they were sent. Even if they were rarely sent away from a regular posting – arbitrary assignments usually occurred if one was 'at liberty' for more than three days; one or two failed interviews and you landed wherever the need was greatest. Will was a respected Director of a successful Branch. Surely, he would return soon to resume his many duties.
She went through her morning routine, taking assiduous care with her makeup and clothing. She made up the bed, with Will's side turned down in case he returned while she was at work. She left the teapot and the best tea on the table for him. She met her team for breakfast, which tasted like sawdust. She politely responded to Chandra's introductions of three new graduates of the Hostel. She listened to him instruct them on the triangle formation they would be working within for this shift. She intervened when Gerritt wanted to tease them.
Because, dammit, even if Will was gone, she was a professional. She could do her best work when she didn't feel like it. These people needed her support, protection and instruction. They would have it.
But if any demon got in her way, she would nail its hide to whatever wall might be still standing on the battlefield. If no wall remained, she'd tie it around one of those useless Angels.
Vanderveldt saw the fire in her eye and shut up. Sensible man.
Knox arrived on time to relieve Humphries. They sat in Will's office with Anton Wójcik, who went over the appointment book for the next two days. Humphries presented the shift schedule; Knox was relieved to see he was not going to be working every other shift. "Anton, do we need to find a backup for you? Is Will's schedule extending beyond your hours? I'm sure it would be a plum job for a Senior Admin. Think about it, talk to Marisa and Dorrie, and let me know."
Wójcik stiffened. "If my work is not acceptable, Assistant Director—"
"It's excellent and everyone knows it, but we're setting up a three-shift daily schedule here. We need to build a schedule we can plug new people into if the current ones are killed or reassigned. We also need a list of competent replacements. When Will returns we'll go back to the schedule he prefers, but this one will be available if needed. You are essential to it. You can't work around the clock, and we can't ask somebody to do Will's job without access to Will's daybook. As bad as things are, worse is coming. We have to be ready for it. Find somebody you can trust with the book. Two somebodies, and a third to cover days off. All Admins. For now, hand it off to the senior Admin in charge."
Wójcik relaxed slightly. "I understand. Succession planning. Admins who can train. Yes, sir. Quite right. Should be required in all Branches, really."
"Until Will returns, I will take the graveyard shift with Senior DePoy. Ronald, you're second shift, with Anton and Brock as backup. Ron, while I had a substitute take my first class today, please note I have to leave on time each morning to teach. Come a little early for the handover report. Caro Cortland is third shift, with Marisa as backup. Is that acceptable to you both? Good. Tell me if you think of anything else we should add." Alan gathered his papers and left, calling to the portal Admin to open a window to the Academy.
"Worrisome little man," muttered Knox, and grinned. Wójcik, of course, showed no sign that he had heard.
Grell returned with a trainee in tow. This convalescent had worked to the end of the shift, turned in his harvest, gotten a bowl of stew from the food tent, and walked halfway to the bar before falling apart. He could not—never, never—no, please, no—please, was there any other job, he would scrub floors or wash pots or run bedpans or dig trenches or anything, anything but—no, never again, no more killing, please, Reap me, send me to the demons but don't make me go back.
Gupta had scooped up the rest of the group and gotten them out of the way. Grell waited until the man was able to walk again and brought him stumbling back to the Branch. She sat him at her desk where he buried his face in his arms and wept. She waited until Ronnie came by, just off his Director stint.
"Ronnie, will you stay with him a moment? I need to find Eric."
"He's teaching and Terry's Reaping," Knox said. "This man looks like he needs to talk to a representative of the support services anyway. Marisa's just begun her shift. Let me bring her in here. She has all the connections. Avram's on duty, write him a note."
The man lifted a tear-stained face, offered a broken apology, repeated a plea for alternative employment, and lowered his head again.
"I'll be right back," and Ronnie closed the door behind him. Grell sat at his desk and wrote a quick report. By the time she had finished, her trainee had recovered himself somewhat. A knock at the door proved to be Fenner, holding a folder of hiring flyers from Admin divisions. Grell slipped out, closed the door, and sighed. "Thanks, Knoxie."
"It happens. Mari will find him a quiet desk deep in the Stacks while he considers his next step."
"Any word from Will?"
"No, not yet. Sorry."
Grell took her report to Personnel. Avram offered her a chair and a choice of tea or coffee. He read her report while she poured and stirred.
"He worked a full shift and managed to complete his duties before collapsing. Well, good for him, poor fellow. Please tell me what he said… really? Well. Sounds like his home Branch deals pretty sternly with burnouts. Which is wasteful, they can be quite valuable in other jobs if they cannot recover enough to Reap. Good thing he's here, then; we'll take proper care of him. Thank you for seeing him safely back."
"I have no idea why I bothered with him. He's Chandra's problem."
"But you wanted to see if Will had returned?"
"Don't read my mind, Avram, it's rude."
"I have no such ability, Grell. I'm reading your face and posture. You did a good deed today. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
Caroline Cortland was taking a handover report from Knox when both of them saw Grell bringing in a Reaper suffering a breakdown. They exchanged a glance. Knox finished his briefing and took off after Sutcliff. Cortland caught Wójcik's sleeve on his way to the Cafeteria and said, "Anything scheduled for the next hour? Good. Go get your meal, whichever this one is for you, and come back to give me a rundown on the rest of this shift. I do not like being thrown in the deep end on a new job. I will not tolerate being handed responsibility without authority or training. Who's my Admin advisor this shift?"
"Senior Solway, Madam. This meal will be my dinner. I will return quickly, but in four hours I must begin my rest shift."
"Go on, then. Marisa? What the actual bloomin' fishsticks is going on here? And why am I suddenly Madam?"
"Good afternoon, Caro. Nice to see you, too. We, as you might guess, have a Situation. Director Spears has been called away by Madame Administrator. We do not know when he will return."
"Oh. That explains why Knox and Humphries had to be rescheduled. Alan took graveyard, Knox got second, and why exactly am I the third shift supervisor?"
"Because you have the right temperament; because you have sufficient depth in your department that it can run without you; because you are smart and cannot be baffled with bullshit as long as I'm here to define what is and is not bullshit. Also, because the other choice was Chandra, and can you imagine turning Sutcliff and Vanderveldt loose on an unsuspecting world without him? Third shift is usually the quietest. Now, dear, do take advantage of the situation. Come on in to Will's office. You get to choose a comfortable chair and your very own pot of tea or coffee – just tell Bradshaw your preference, and we'll sit down while I tell you all the news."
"One quick question then. Why not you? I'm untrained and Knox is a perpetual adolescent."
"He's growing up. I think you'll be surprised how well he handles his shift. Like him, you will learn. It's becoming my responsibility to train the people who will cover Will's desk. I'm Admin, not Collections, and Alan believes that one noncombatant can survive many Reapers and teach a long succession of them. And you will also have Senior DePoy for legal questions."
"You're going to need a couple of Wójciks as well."
"Oh, yes. He's going to be interviewing from our waiting list. You do know that we have a waiting list of Admins who want to work here? Lots of talent. Tea or coffee?"