Heaven Was Quieter Than Expected

Quote: “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them.”

— George Bernard Shaw

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Teaser: The room is white.Too white.

Saoirse doesn’t sit across from Josie, she sits beside her.

“This isn’t punishment,” she says. “It’s mitigation.”

She slides a thin folder across the table. There’s no photos inside. Just a chart. A dosage schedule. A window of time circled in pen.

72 HOURS

“We believe the armor requires access,” Saoirse continues. “A dream state. A threshold. Something… unguarded.”

She doesn’t say sleepwalking.She doesn’t say possession.

She says:

“If there are no dreams, we may have a chance.”

The drug has a name, but it doesn’t matter. It’s already been approved. Off-label. Emergency use.

“You’ll sleep,” Saoirse says. “You just won’t… go anywhere.”

A pause.

“We’ll monitor you the entire time.”

Another pause.

“This is temporary.”

She doesn’t mention what happens when the drug wears off. She doesn’t mention what happens if the armor doesn’t care.

She just waits.