“Salathiel!”

Hoo boy.  The boss was mad again.

“Salathiel!  Get your ass in here!”

The voice of God Almighty boomed across heaven like… well, like the voice of God Almighty.  Salathiel pushed open the door a bit and peeked into the sprawling office; only the glare from the right lens of his glasses betrayed his presence.  The short, balding man glared at him furiously.  ”Salathiel!  It took you long enough.”

“S-sorry, sir, it’s just that…”

“You think I don’t know why?”  God stood and leaned across the massive mahogany desk, beet-faced, sneering at his underling, and for a few moments a silence hung in the air of the office.  ”Proceed,” said God finally.

Salathiel stepped gingerly into the room.  ”Th-the 3-DEN project was experiencing some-some complications, sir, and I had to oversee…”

“I know about the 3-DEN project, I created the damned thing!  Now tell me about these ‘complications’ which so prolonged your journey to this office!”

“W-w-well, sir, it’s the, the Lux-I4 experiment, sir, it’s getting out of control.”

“Lux-I4.”

“Y-yes, sir, Lux Aeterna, iteration 4.”

“I know about the Lux Aeterna experiment, I created the damned thing!  I created it to run the place so I could outsource incompetent knuckleheads that take forever to get to my office when called!”

Salathiel resettled his glasses on his nose.  ”Sir, the Lux-I4 experiment has corrupted the 3-DEN project irreversibly.”

“WHAT?”  God slammed his fist against the mahogany desktop.  ”You let it get into the 3-DEN project?”

“Y-yes, sir, and in its current state it threatens to overtake Heaven as well.”

“That’s what the gates were for!  That’s why we kept it separate!”

“It’s at the gates, sir, and they’ll give in a few days if we don’t act.”

“Well what’s it look like?”

Salathiel glanced out the large office window at the massive gates that dominated the view.  ”Like a dragon, sir.”

God paced the room nervously, fingers steepled in thought.  ”What’s the status of Project Scotch?”

“Scotch??”

“The rock, Salathiel, the rock I was messing with.”

“At the Christmas party?”

“Yes, yes, Project Scotch!”

“Scotch… I-I hadn’t been informed it was at project status-”

“It’s a goddamn project now.”

“Sir, didn’t you deem that one Imperfect and Unfit for Status as Creation?”

“It’s not my best work,” God snapped.  Indeed the project had been named for its inspiration.

“Wh-what should I do with P-project Scotch?”

“Confine the 3-DEN project within its borders.”

“Sir, the effects of that could be disastrous!  That would put 3-DEN completely beyond our control.”

“I know what it’ll do, I…” God looked at Salathiel expectantly.

Salathiel shuffled his feet nervously.  ”Y-you created the damned thing, sir.”

“Damn right!  Now, you’ve got your orders, get out of my office!”  God pulled himself into his leather chair and lit a cigar.

“But sir,”

“What did I just say?”

“Sir, the research department will be quite upset.  Y-your approval ratings…”

“What are you saying?”

“Th-there could be a strike.”

“Then fire them.”

Salathiel stiffened so quickly his glasses leapt from his nose.  ”Wh-what?”

“You heard me.”

“That could be twice as bad!  It’s an entire third of our staff!  The public outcry, sir, and the Archangels surely would not stand for it!”

God puffed his cigar thoughtfully.  ”Say they… threatened to depose me.  They set Lux-I4 free to overthrow Heaven so they could grasp power for themselves.”

“Th-they’ll talk.  No one will believe-”

“Send them to Scotch as well.  Say it’s banishment on grounds of treason.”

“Y-yes, sir, I’ll notify the press.”  Salathiel turned to leave.

“Oh, Salathiel?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Have Gabriel bring me another bottle of whiskey.  I think I may tweak this thing a bit later.”

“Yes, sir.”  The door clicked shut.

 And there was War in Heaven

Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon; and the Dragon fought, and his angels

And prevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in Heaven

And the great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan which deveiveth the whole world;

He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:7-9