Sid : the Devil's secretary

4. The antisocial network

4. The antisocial network

Arriving at the citadel the next morning, Sid felt as if he had bitten off more than he could chew by being the Devil's secretary. Hopefully, the job would not be as wild as he had imagined. On his first day, he passed through the ground floor, where a large number of office clerks darted across through multiple doors across the room to separate departments throughout the citadel. Their business was none of his, for he had bigger fish to fry. Heading to the top floor via the elevators, Sid returned prim and proper back to Lucifer's office for his first day. What if working for Lucifer was as tall an order as it sounded.

"Sid, welcome" Lucifer was glad to see his new ward.

"how can I be of service?" Sid stood up at the door.

"it's your first day, so I'll let you off easy. Just take my incoming calls" Lucifer took a puff of smoke from a cigar.

"should I do it in here or-?" Sid suggested.

"oh, of course not. You can take them in Satan's guest room. He uses that when he comes into town" Lucifer clapped his hands, opening the door to Satan's private quarters. Complete with an en suite bathroom and master bedroom, this room was rebuilt almost to the original specifications from the old citadel, complete with the chequered tiling of the bathroom and original carpeting. A large pillared bed with white robes lay adjacent to a vast open window view of the streets several hundred feet below. The skyline of Hell was mainly low-lying with several stray skyscrapers that paled in comparison to the behemoth that was the citadel tower.

"hello?, Lucifer's office" Sid got straight to work, answering calls from a rotary phone at the bedside and resting on the cotton linen sheets as if he were at a slumber party for one. Several calls went by with the usual routine, until one.

"hello?" Sid picked up the phone.

"greetings" a raspy voice murmured from over the line.

"how can I help you today?" Sid asked kindly.

"you may" the voice continued.

"do you have an appointment?" Sid looked down to a notebook on the bed.

"that depends" the voice reasoned.

"If you don't, have a nice day" Sid put the phone down, only for another ring several seconds later.

"hello?" Sid answered slightly more suspicious than before.

"you can't get rid of me that easy" the mysterious voice returned.

"who the hell are you?" Sid became stricter.

"you want to know?. Look out the window" the voice instructed.

"I don't see anything. Are you one of those hackers or something?" Sid looked out to the entrance plaza and saw people flowing in and out of the complex.

"the speck dressed entirely in black, even at the face" the voice mentioned. Sid concentrated down to the center of the plaza, where he saw a completely black figure with obscured features holding up a cell phone to his ear.

"what do you want?" Sid turned back to face the bedroom.

"you'll find out after work. It involves you, me and a cartridge" the voice sounded smug.

"do you want me to call the police?" Sid became even more annoyed.

"what police?. No rules down here, so it looks like the only way you're going to get me out of your hair is to come out and fight me like a man" the voice rambled on.

"so be it!!" Sid hung up the phone.

"hello?" Sid picked the phone back up, expecting to hear a different voice.

"so you're the new assistant?. How underwhelming. This is going to be easier than I thought" the insidious stranger continued.

"be careful what you wish for, asshole" Sid warned.

"I'll be waiting" the voice ended the call.