There were better afterlives than spending eternity in the Bureaucracy, and there were probably worse. As far as Jason was concerned, he had been lucky. According to Father O'Brien, a suicide could only expect the eternal torment of separation from the Godhead, the pain of knowing that they would never be one of the righteous. But, life - or, rather, afterlife in the Bureaucracy was not what Jason had imagined his ultimate fate would be as his last moments of consciousness had faded away.

Every day here was the same. Jason woke in his cubicle, showered and dressed himself. Then he joined the queue of damned souls making their way to the great hall where they worked in a great array of desks. Finally, after many hours, he and the others would leave, returning to their cubicles. Jason did not pretend to understand what he did. After all, God's plan was meant to be ineffable. Indeed, all that Jason did was to process endless reams of paperwork, following the procedures laid down by the Management. But, he had regular breaks, coworkers to talk to, and the vague feeling that he had at last found his place in the world. So, it was a surprise when Jason was summoned to see his supervisor.

Mrs Franklyn, much like James, bore the scars of her sin without rancour or embarrassment. The short sleeves of her dress revealed the long lines that had been carved into the flesh of her arms.

"Jason. Come in. Close the door," Mrs Franklyn instructed him.

Jason did as he was told. "What is it, Mrs Franklyn?"

"I have been told the Management has been carrying out a personnel review," Mrs Franklyn replied matter-of-factly. "And you were a subject of discussion."

"Oh." Jason felt uneasy. He tried to remember whether he had done something wrong.

Mrs Franklyn smiled. "Don't worry, Jason. Nothing bad is going to happen. Indeed, quite the opposite. You have been offered a promotion."

"A promotion?" Jason's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"A promotion. Apparently the Management," Mrs Franklyn raised her eyes towards the ceiling of her office, "think you might be better placed elsewhere."

"Did the Management, um, say what would be involved? What I would be doing?"

Mrs Franklyn shook her head. "No. But then the Plan is -."

"Ineffable. I know." Jason took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. "May I have some time to think about this, Mrs Franklyn?"

Mrs Franklyn cocked her head to one side, as if she was listening to some invisible being whispering in her ear. "Yes. You may. But I've been told the Management would like an answer soon. After all, they don't have forever."