Chapter 36: The Deluge of Potential
The promotion of the Paper-Cranes to "Narrative Scouts" had one unforeseen side effect: they became far too good at finding things that weren't meant to be found.
It was Pip who made the discovery. The intern had been following a particularly adventurous scout—a bird folded from a discarded map of "What-Ifs"—when it dove into a ventilation shaft labeled DO NOT VENT.
"Commissioner! Architect! Anyone!" Pip's voice echoed through the vents, sounding 7.5% more panicked than usual. "I followed the scout into a room that's... it's bigger on the inside! And it's leaking!"
The Vault of the Unwritten
Ne Job and the team found Pip in the sub-basement, standing before a heavy brass door that was vibrating so hard the rivets were popping off like buttons. Instead of water leaking from the seams, a thick, glowing violet vapor was pouring out, smelling of fresh ink and "new-car smell."
"It's the Library of Unwritten Sequels," Ne Job whispered, his silver stapler growing cold in his hand. "This is where the Author stores the futures he hasn't decided on yet. It's supposed to be pressurized. If it leaks..."
"If it leaks, the 'Now' gets drowned in the 'Next'!" Architect Ao Bing cried as the door finally gave way.
A tidal wave of glowing books, scrolls, and digital holographic files burst into the hallway. But these weren't ordinary records. These were Active Futures.
The Multitude of Ne Jobs
As the "Sequel Vapor" filled the Bureau, reality began to stutter. Ne Job saw a version of himself floating past wearing a space suit; another version was a pirate with a mechanical parrot; yet another was a retired gardener in a peaceful cottage.
"I'm a rock star in Chapter 52!" The Muse screamed, her hair turning into actual neon sparks as a holographic guitar materialized in her hands. "And in Chapter 84, I'm the Queen of a Nebula! Ne Job, this is 100% better than filing!"
"It's not real, Muse!" Ne Job shouted, ducking as a sequel titled THE BUREAU IN SPACE: VOLUME 1 nearly knocked his hat off. "These are just potentials! If we let them settle, they'll overwrite our current trajectory. We'll lose our 'First Draft' status and become a 'Planned Franchise'!"
The Narrative Dam
The Bureau was rapidly becoming a chaotic mashup of genres. One hallway was a Western, the next was a Cyberpunk dystopia, and the breakroom had turned into a Noir detective's office with a permanent rainstorm.
"Assistant Yue! Princess Ling!" Ne Job commanded, wading through a knee-deep pile of PROPOSED CHARACTER ARCS. "We need to stabilize the Present! We need a Narrative Dam!"
"We can't stop the flow, Commissioner!" Yue replied, her form flickering between a 1920s flapper and a futuristic AI. "The pressure of the Unwritten is too great! The Author has been thinking too much!"
Pip, however, was standing at the eye of the storm, using their very small wrench to tighten the "Continuity Bolts" on the walls. "It's not too much thinking, it's just... unorganized! These sequels are all fighting to happen first!"
The 7.5% Focus
Ne Job realized that the only way to stop the flood was to choose one path—not for the future, but for the now.
"Pip! Give me the Semicolon!"
Ne Job grabbed the pulsing punctuation mark and held it high above the swirling purple tide. "Listen to me, you Unwritten Shadows! You don't get to decide when you happen! This is Chapter 36! And in Chapter 36, we are staying... here!"
He slammed the Semicolon against the brass door frame. The pulse of "To Be Continued" energy acted like a vacuum. The space-pirate Ne Jobs, the nebula-queen Muses, and the Cyberpunk hallways began to be sucked back into the vault.
"But I wanted to see the space suit!" Pip panted, helping Ne Job push the heavy brass door shut.
"You'll see it when we get there, Pip," Ne Job grunted, leaning his weight against the door as Ao Bing frantically welded the seams with a blowtorch made of "Solid Logic." "Not a page sooner."
The Calm After the Flood
The violet vapor dissipated, leaving the hallway covered in a thin, shimmering residue of "What-Could-Be." The Bureau returned to its usual state of 7.5% uncertainty.
Ne Job sat on the floor, his High Commissioner hat slightly soggy with potential. He opened his ledger.
LOG: CHAPTER 36 SUMMARY.
STATUS: Sequel flood contained. Vault door reinforced with 'Patience.'
NOTE: I saw a version of myself with a very impressive beard in Chapter 102. I might consider growing one.
OBSERVATION: The future is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there yet. The rent is 100% speculative.
P.S.: The Muse kept the holographic guitar. It doesn't play music, it just plays 'Plot Hooks.'
The Muse plucked a string on her guitar, and a small thought-bubble appeared above her head that said MEANWHILE...
"Nice," Ne Job muttered. He looked at Pip, who was already looking at the next ventilation shaft.
"So," Pip asked, eyes gleaming behind their goggles. "What's in Chapter 37?"
Ne Job smiled and tucked his silver stapler into his belt. "Let's find out."