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Our universe is only one of the vast number of universes within the multiverse, that according to the divine oracle of future science, Robert A. Heinlein, to be the same number as the biblical ‘Number of the Beast’ which he stated is not 666 but 6 to the 6th power to the 6th power or ten octillion, three hundred and fourteen septillion, four hundred and twenty four sextillion, seven hundred and ninety eight quintillion, four hundred and ninety quadrillion, five hundred and thirty five Trillion, five hundred and forty six billion, one hundred and seventy one million, nine hundred and forty nine thousand and fifty six.

This story may or may not have taken place in one of those universes. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents have been changed to protect the guilty. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events may be true or purely coincidental.

Okay that should be enough for plausible deniability

5 PM, Friday Afternoon before Veteran’s Day

The older gray bearded man pushed away from his cubicle’s desk. The chair rolled back easily across the thick plastic mat protecting the short berber styled carpet tiles covering the floor of the office area. Reaching down to make sure his right leg, which was bound in a hinged knee brace, turned with him as he swiveled the chair around, he stood up from the chair grabbing the wooden cane leaning against the desk as he came to his feet. Turning to face the majority of the other half dozen cubicles whose occupants were also preparing to leave for the day, “See you all Tuesday!”

“Uh John,” one of his co-workers, one who had been there years longer than the rest and sometimes acted in the role of a supervisor when the director was unavailable, stopped him as he walked toward the exit using his cane to help support his bad leg.

“Yeah, what’s up?” John stopped by her desk.

“You know we don’t get Veteran’s Day off right?”

“Yes I spoke to the director about that when I found out that was one of the holidays we don’t get off,” John began. “He said he had no problem with me using a vacation day to take it off if I wished.”

“But I don’t see it on the department’s calendar. You do realize if someone else asked for that day off before you, that you might not get it off.”

“That isn’t a problem,’ John grinned at the woman, “Like I said, I spoke with the Director.”

“Well just for future reference, if anyone does ask before you do, it is first come first serve.”

“If it was any other day of the year I might agree with you, but Veteran’s Day I get first dibs.” John thought of a way to end this discussion, “How many Veterans do we have working in our department?”

“I believe you’re the only one, why?”

“Think about the name of the holiday.” John grinned wide, “Anyways I have a promise to keep.”

Her curiosity rose, “A promise?”

“Well yeah, more like a date I guess.” John explained, “My daughter drops me off at the cemetery on base with a twelve pack of beer and fifth of Jack Daniels, where I’ll get shit-faced drunk and talk to ghosts.”