Work Text:
Harris rolled over attempting to ascertain from whence came the annoying sound interrupting his placid sleep. He flailed his sleep numbed arm over the nightstand next to his bed, landing on the rectangle that was his phone. He blearily cracked a lid as he brought the phone to his face, squinting at the flashing screen.
"Nngh... Wha?" He opened his eyes wider, creased his brow and squinted again. (Why the Hell would his boss be calling at this hour? On a Friday morning, at that?) He fumbled to answer before the annoying sound ceased.
"Mmm.... yeah?"
"Harris? Sorry to wake you at this ungodly hour," his boss, Ms. Naomi Webster, apologized. (She said it, I didn't - thought it though. He added for good measure, huffing a lopsided grin.) "I've got some good news and bad news."
"Hmph." Harris replied, still not completely awake.
"Good news - The Library's closed today through Sunday for renovations."
"Huh. Paperwork finally went through, then?" He mumble-said, a yawn encroaching on his last few words.
"Perceptive of you, Harris. Always on the ball. That's why I like you." Naomi replied, a smile in her voice. "Yes," she continued quite perkily for this hour of the morning. "Funding came down after an Emergency Session with the Powers That Be. They felt in light of recent events, implementation needed to be immediate. The new equipment is being loaded in as we speak and should be fully installed by Sunday afternoon. You'll finally have all the resources you've been harping on me about for so long." The amusement was audible in her tone.
"Yes, ma'am." Harris chuckled, now fully conscious. "I'm guessing the 'bad news' is that Norton and I have our work cut out for us on Monday then?"
"Got it in one again, Harris. And the PTB agreed that with the addition of all the new equipment this install will be accompanied by a sizable raise, what with all the new responsibilities you'll be shouldering. Can't have our best team wandering away from our Library, now, can we?"
"No, ma'am." Harris perked up. "Absolutely not. We couldn't have that." He agreed with a chuckle.
They both were more than well aware he and Norton would never entertain leaving their dream jobs. Especially with all their commendations and awards for service, it would be an egregious mistake to let them leave. Incentives kept her best employees happy and wanting to stay right where their talents flourished, not unlike the numerous patrons of their illustrious institution.
"No need to come in 'til your regularly scheduled hours on Monday. Or..." Her voice ran the spectrum of tones from tenor to soprano. She paused, letting the silence accumulate for a tick. "If you and Norton are feeling particularly inquisitive, you could... " Naomi let the word stretch, further dangling the enticement. "You and Norton could come by and check out the install." Her voice rose an octave in an attempt to tempt her employee. "Maybe do a bit of overseeing...?"
"You really know how to entice a man." He paused, taking it all in, his brain machinations in full gear. "Have you let Norton know?"
"I was about to call him. Or, would you like to? Confab with him? See if he'd want to come in, too?" Seeds planted, she knew what his answer would be.
"Lemme call 'im. We can figure out a game plan and get right back to you. How's that sound?" He sat up and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was still early, but... he was beginning to hatch a plan. (If we could come in later... Yeah... this might work out just fine.)
"Sounds great. Just keep track of your hours and we'll put you both in for double time," Webster finished, grinning enormously, (Ahh... hook, line, and sinker. Mission accomplished.) "In fact, the install crew has to clear out space before bringing in all of the new equipment, so you could come in sometime mid-afternoon?" She suggested.
"You read my mind, Boss." Harris said, grinning. "Great minds think alike."
"Of course they do." She quipped. "Tell you what... call me later with whatever you two decide and we'll go from there. I've got a backlog of calls I need to attend to before lunch, so I'd best skedaddle." Her voice relayed her need to wrap up their call.
"You got it Boss. Talk to you later."
"Will do."
The silence on the other end of the line indicated that Webster had disconnected and was on to her next call.
Despite the surge of adrenaline, sleep still pulled at his lids. "Mmm... gaaah..." Harris vocalized as he stretched his arms and legs, yawned, and looked back at the clock. "An hour. One more hour of sleep oughta do. Then I'll call Norton." He reached over to re-set his alarm. "Yeah," he said, and curled back up in his bed for a cat nap. (One more hour. Norton's gonna love this,) he thought as he drifted back to sleep.
__________________________________________
Several hours later, things at The Library and Lab were as busy as an ant colony on a foraging expedition. Equipment, tables, shelves, and every sort of item found in The Library was moved, removed, pushed, pulled, placed, replaced, arranged and secured. By weekend's close Harris and Norton surveyed the 'new and improved' work spaces of 'their kingdom' and declared the install an utter success.
Despite wanting to start 'playing' with their new upgrades and equipment, Harris and Norton had been told in no uncertain terms by Webster, to take Monday off to recuperate. They'd gone all hours over the weekend - staying and working into the wee hours, only to stumble home for a few hour's cat nap and repeat the next morning. Exhaustion had finally set in and they gratefully acquiesced to their boss' mandate - to go home, sleep, and come back ready to work on Tuesday.
Monday morning dawned with Harris and Norton comfortably ensconced in their respective beds, sleeping like the dead, as if they were trying to recover from a spectacularly horrid hangover at the end of a particularly long bender.
__________________________________________
Naomi Webster surveyed the new landscape of the newly transfigured Library and smiled, no... beamed, and nodded. (Yes... with all the new upgrades we'll be able to do more, save more and lend more. These new changes should hopefully hold us in good stead for a long time to come.)
"Well done, all," she said to the empty room breaking the silence. She drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and smiled again. (Mmm... it's got that 'new' smell.) With one last look, she walked to the double doors of the main entrance, turned her back to the doors and took a step backwards. She reached for the twin door knobs and reverently drew the doors closed.
__________________________________________
Tuesday morning arrived with Harris and Norton veritably buzzing with excitement to get started. Two kids in a candy shop would be a more than apt descriptor of their emotional states.
Harris clapped his hands, then rubbed them together. "Alrighty then," he crowed, bursting with glee.
Norton stood, hands on hips, then stretched out his arms, waved his fingers inwards, and blurted, "Come to Papa."
"Well buddy... let's do it." Harris smiled at his partner.
"Yes, let's." Norton agreed as they each grabbed a door knob and simultaneously opened the doors. Weeks and months later, they would each swear on their lives, that upon opening the doors, they saw a momentary blinding glow of light and heard a chorus of Angels in harmony sustaining a note for one moment that seemed to unfold in slow motion, frozen in time, infinite, yet also seemed to evaporate in the blink of an eye.
Their day progressed and time passed quickly as they acclimated themselves to all the new equipment and upgrades. They were completely engrossed in their work when Webster dropped by late afternoon to check on her team.
"So gents... how goes your first day back? Did you two work through lunch?" She questioned, eyes rolling, a smile breaking out on her face.
"Lunch? Is it that time already? Norton pondered, looking at his watch.
"I'm not hungry yet," Harris replied, his stomach growled in contradiction.
"What's that Jack Robinson?" chuckled Webster, crossing her arms. "As your stomach just noted, it's well past lunchtime. Tell you what gents, what say you take a little break to refuel and update me on where you are."
"Well... uh... there's still so much..." Norton's eyes flicked back to his watch, his stomach chiming in, too.
"That's it. Both of you follow me." She pointed to them for emphasis. "No arguments. Cafeteria. Now. I'm buying. Coffee, cake, Pibb and pie." She watched them as their faces showed signs of trying to finagle a way out of complying. "Nope. Don't even think of it." Naomi emphasized, standing her ground. "I can't afford to have my best team pass out on day one of the new and improved Library. Don't make me shut you out of your new playground." She warned, lowering her forehead and squinting at the two men in front of her, as she set fisted hands on her hips.
"But..." Harris began.
"No buts, Harris." Webster parried.
"Can we just..." Norton tried.
"Zip it! Both of you. You need to eat. Your new toys aren't going anywhere. Out. Now." Webster made shooing motions towards her employees. "Let's go!"
"Ok, ok, ok." Harris acquiesced, his stomach growling louder. "I guess I could use a good cup o' joe. I hope they have some great cake today." His eyes glazing, as he licked his lips.
"German chocolate. Your favorite," grinned Webster. "At my request." she added, a twinkle in her eyes. (Gotta keep ahead of things to keep them happy. Ahhh... let them think it's my superpower. Ha!)
"How 'bout the pie?" queried Norton hopefully.
"Angel pie. Lemon. Just for you, Norton." Webster volunteered. "I have to take care of my boys, don't I now?"
"Mmm. Crunchy meringue crust, whipped lemon and a cold Pibb. You really know how to treat a guy," Norton mumbled dreamily, eyes focused somewhere off in the distance.
"Ha!" Burst out Webster. "If only it were that easy to keep the two of you happy. No-ooo... that only takes several thousand dollars worth of equipment. At least THAT'S not on MY dime. Well strictly speaking, it's not my dime. That's the PTB's bailiwick. But this?" She said, shooing them towards the door. "This is all me and mine."
______________________________________________
An hour later found the three of them in the cafeteria leaning back in their chairs. Empty crumb riddled plates had been pushed into the center of the table alongside: an empty soda glass, the dredges of ice melting in the bottom, a sweat ring pooling at its base; a coffee cup on a saucer littered with empty single serve creamer cups; and a small metal hot water pitcher with a tea bag tag stuck to the outside.
"Thanks, Boss." Harris volunteered.
"Yeah. Thanks. We needed that," agreed Norton.
"Alright, gentlemen. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for the update on the install. Much as I'd love to watch you play with your new toys, I do need to get back to my duties." Webster grabbed the amethyst faceted stone fob at the end of the chain dangling from her waistcoat pocket and tugged the chain, palming her timepiece. Her eyes glanced down, noting the time and reposited it back in its pocket. "I'll leave you to it then," she declared as she rose, nodded and departed.
"Ok. You ready?" Norton looked at his colleague.
"Yep. Let's go." Harris affirmed.
The dream team returned to their bright and shiny new playground, touching each new surface with reverence and awe along the way.
__________________________________________________
The rest of the week flew by as they caught up with the requests and returns at the circulation desks. Come Friday, they found they had use of some of the newly installed equipment and services.
"Hey Norton," Harris called over to his partner at the opposite desk.
"Yeah?" he replied, eyes still on the volumes in hand.
"We gotta return that's a DOA." Harris noted, as he gently lay the volume on the counter. "And it was a nice one. Bummer."
"Oh no... who is it this time?" Norton looked up, eyes slightly edged in panic.
"Elsie. Elsie Tizzard." A quiet sadness crept into Harris' voice.
"Aww... she's a good 'un. PUG/POD then?" Norton's face a dichotomy of sorrow and glee.
One of the new features they now had the ability to implement was the PUG/POD option - Put Under Glass/Put On Display (or if they were in a particularly Disney-esque mood, the "PT" or "Princess Treatment" - like Snow White in her coffin of glass).
"Who's responsible for this one?" Norton asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know, a slight wince ghosting his face.
"Sarahtoo's That Which Has Been Your Delight. Harris supplied. "Good thing we got the new upgrades in time, eh?"
"You bet." Norton nodded in agreement. "And with the new 3D printers we can now stay on top of re-generating the minor characters when they come back DOA or heavily damaged. Thank God we really haven't had much need for a Phryne-O-Matic 5000X, but I'm sure glad we have it now. Better to have it and not need it, that's fer sure."
"Mmm..." Harris agreed as he finished up the paperwork to accompany the about to be retired Elsie Tizzard. "I'm putting in for a nice plaque for her - what with being a phan favorite and our first in the PUG/POD section of the Special Collections Wing."
"Good idea. Fitting tribute, I'd say." Norton said, continuing his note taking and form filling, pausing only to shift the returned volumes from the counter to his cart.
"You finished?" Harris looked over to his colleague. His hands busy loading the cart, filing paperwork and tidying his counter. "Ready to head out?"
"Yep." Norton sighed. "Sure got a lot done this week. Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Think we earned it." He nodded and turned to move the last of his returns to his cart, clearing off his countertop.
They headed down the the aisles to reshelf their returns, finishing up their productive week. On their way out, Harris placed the Elsie Tizzard volume with its accompanying paperwork in The Lab's bright, shiny new PUG/POD submissions drawer.
______________________________________________________
By the end of the next week, The Library had it's inaugural PUG/POD installation in a place of honor in the Special Collections Wing complete with soft lighting shining through the glass case on onto the bronze plaque at its base.