THE MOMENT
The portly stranger gave Vinny a curious look. The short, balding man with a combover was not what Vinny expected to walk out of the portal. He wore a crisp white blazer and tie with a deep red shirt between them.
"If you're ready to sign your soul over, I'll purify the world whatever way you see fit," Lucifer smiled.
"Sell my soul?" Vinny asked. He shook his head. "I'm releasing you onto the world!" he said. Lucifer chuckled.
"That's nice of you, but," he gave a half-sigh. "There's no getting out of my contract with Sharp Development. Not that I'm even trying to; it's the best company I've ever worked for." Vinny gave him a puzzled look, and Lucifer shrugged.
"If you're not ready to deal, I'm not ready to waste my time," the round man turned and took a step toward the black portal.
"Wait!" Vinny spoke up. He was prepared to live with Hell on Earth to spite the world that wronged him. He reasoned it wouldn't be that much different going to Hell for the same ends. "Uh.. is there a way to ... rent my soul out? Maybe only go to Hell for a little while and not eternity?" Lucifer spun on his heels to face Vinny with a broad grin.
"That depends. What's your favorite number?"
"One," Vinny replied with a smile. "Why?"
"Because you fall into a Unique category. Technically, I wouldn't have been able to buy your soul anyway...," Lucifer replied. Vinny interrupted before he continued his thought.
"What because of my favorite number?" Lucifer raised his hand to chest level and wobbled it in a 'more or less' gesture.
"Because you have a favorite number between 1 and 54," he said. "It's complicated and kind of irrelevant. The point is, it would've been against the rules to make that deal. However, my boss has a pretty solid loophole. Come work for us."
"You want me to work in Hell?" Vinny asked.
"Heck no," Lucifer chuckled. "Hell is reserved for our top performers. You're just starting out, don't get too ahead of yourself," Lucifer grinned. "Sharp Development has limitless opportunities on any AlterNet Earth you like. Pick one you like and work your way up to Hell. If that's your goal."
"It's not," Vinny said and shook his head. "I didn't want to spend any time in Hell if I could avoid it...," he paused for a moment. "Did you say alternate Earths?" he asked. "There are other Earths?" Even as Vinny asked the question, he had an inkling that it was true. It felt odd trusting Lucifer's word, but it somehow made sense to him. Lucifer nodded.
"Any Earth you can imagine is out there. Technically, this one counts too. If you like, we can station you here." Lucifer reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a transparent pane of glass. It was about the size and thickness of a playing card. "This will grant you Administrator privileges over this Earth. It's standard issue for all Sharp Development employees."
"Administrator?... What can I do with that?" Vinny asked. The only association he had with the term was piles of paperwork. Lucifer shrugged.
"Anything," he said. Lucifer touched a plump finger to the glass and slid it upward on its surface. The midnight sky outside Vinny's windows immediately lit up with brilliant sunlight.
"The day and night cycle is the easiest thing to demonstrate. You may rewrite the world with any template you like, but that can take several hours. Not something I'm going to sit through right now." Vinny grinned to himself with pride.
He almost didn't go through with it. He almost chickened out, afraid of living through Hell. But, now that he took the chance, he was glad he did. It turned out better than he could have hoped.
"Where do I sign?" he asked.