A Day At The Marketing Department

It has been a while since he was last directly involved with the operations of the Marketing Department. The giant, towering building of steel and polished glass, ever-spotless, looming as a constant reminder of the companies' presence over the cities, he couldn't help but hate it. Of course, he couldn't help but be here today, either. He didn't have a choice, of course, but even if he would, he'd still be standing in the marble-covered lobby, staring at his reflection in the window, trying to adjust his suit to sit on him like he would wear it daily. It was an uncomfortable place.

"Your ID checks out, you may proceed to the upper floors", the guard finally announced, returning a small card, "Seems you've been here before, but, in case you feel lost, would you like to ask for directions?" The guard offered a polite smile in a half-hearted attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"No, thank you. You've been of too much help already", he replied, hoping the smile he offered in return was at least twice as polite. The guard nodded, losing interest.

He quietly walked away, headed for the nearby elevator. Of course, even that had to be made in the flashiest way possible. Of course, the Marketing Department did not feel any need to save on anything; in fact, the more it spent, the more it gained, or so the popular belief among pretty much anyone that cared was. The elevator, a polished glass box framed in gold-plated steel (Or so the popular belief said. It dawned upon him now that it could just be paint), whirred quietly, and began a swift, yet regardlessly majestic rise towards the sky. Were it not for the clouds, the view would certainly be enchanting - just like the last time. From the enormous height the buildings became tiny, the factories shrank and looked like scale models of themselves, the dirt and the noise moved out of sight, and the city, the ugly, poisonous city, suddenly became an object of pride. A bell rang quietly, and the elevator stopped, the doors hissing lightly as they parted before him.

Nervous, he cleared his throat and rubbed at his chest, ruining the perfect balance of black and white of the shirt and the tie. With a sigh of irritation and relief, he paused, looking at himself in the polished golden panels, once more busy fixing the suit. Just then, a face peered at him, a young, attractive, well-kept secretary staring at him with a hint of irony. He felt colour touching his face, rising through the frost-ruined skin, and a helpless anger. Yes, he knew the suit fit him worse than it would fit a cactus, but was it necessary to point it out at every turn?

"He's waiting for you, I'm sure", the secretary said, "And you shouldn't do that. Keep him waiting, you know"

He nodded clumsily, stepping out of the elevator. A few steps more, a quiet whir, and another door opened before him - and shut itself close moments later.

Inside, just like the times before, a man sat at a massive desk. Expensive suit, expensive glasses, expensive smile. He seemed as though his value rose every day. Perhaps he bought his face off some poor desperate street urchin. Perhaps he bought those weekly. Skin-buyers.

The man looked up briefly, to ascertain the visitor's identity, then nodded, seemingly satisfied, and turned away, losing all apparent interest. Minutes ticked by, stretching like cooling tar. Finally, the man paused, drumming on the table thoughtfully.

"Well, well", he announced in a low, slow voice, "You'll have another assignment. The previous was done well, all things considered. We were somewhat disappointed with the amount of victims, but, what lacked in the body count was well made up for by the damage you and your colleagues achieved. The sales numbers corresponded with the projected numbers, which makes us all quite satisfied."

He nodded to the man. Yes, the meat processing plant was quite a successful job. They brought down two of ten production halls, yet there only were eighty casualties. Whether it was the company's investment into the building's structure, or the controlled detonations, he wasn't quite certain, but everyone was happy. Especially the Marketing Department and their client, a rather large and successful insurance company. The purchases of life and health insurances that month alone brought in millions in one city alone, globally, he couldn't even guess the figure.

"But as you may guess, we have more need of you. I hope you're not otherwise engaged?", the man asked, attempting a slight smile. The stretching skin looked somewhat terrifying for a moment.

He shook his head.

"Always ready? Good. We require another nudge to improve the quarterly outcome. You will be payed extra on the structural damage, by-the-by, so don't hold back, the place is insured by our client's rival group. Make sure it's big. Make sure it's in the news. Make sure it's international."

He nodded.

"And remember the NDA. If someone catches you, you don't tell who you work for. If you do, we will have to take you to court."