Name Withheld

The figure of dark legend who sits behind the whole machine. In the origin story the narrator was handed a personal cell number back when a vendor mistook him for a whale, and he has used it ever since. When a rep tells him no, the number turns the no into a yes, and the rep is left with a small, permanent question mark over their career.

We do not print the name. We reference him obliquely or not at all. That is a house rule, not a stylistic choice.

Interesting details

• Never named. Referenced only as a man whose name we will not say.