Pam started to hear a strange buzzing sound around 9:30, only to realize on the fourth buzz that it was her cellphone and that she had neglected to turn the ringer on. Not quick enough to dig the phone out her purse, she was greeted with the voicemail notification when her cell finally surfaced. Pam decided to play the voicemail, it may have been someone trying to call in sick or something.

“Hey Pam, this is Carl from Electric Cit-IT calling, I am calling to let you know that I am on site here. I’m at the front desk downstairs and there is no Hank. I just noticed the suite number for your office on the letter board, so I am going to make my way up. I’ll poke my head around a bit, if you see a rather lost looking fellow with a too heavy shoulder bag, that’s me. See you in a bit,” and with that the end of messages prompt played. Pam hit 7 to delete the message.

“Hey Jim,” Pam said to get Jim’s attention, “Carl just called, he’s on his way up. I’ll go meet him in the hall, so he doesn’t get lost and wander into Vance Refrigeration.”

“I’ll come with you Beesly, it’s dangerous out there,” Jim says as he stands up from leaning against the counter.

“Never know when the beet bears are about on a Monday morning,” Jim finishes with a wink.

Pam rolls her eyes at him and smirks, as they begin to walk towards the door to the hallway. As they come even to Michael’s window, he suddenly pokes his head out.

“Hey! Where do you two think you’re going,” Michael accosts them, “Getting some necking in while there is work to be done!?”

Pam levels a glare at Michael and corrects him before he can go further, “No Michael, we’re going to go find the phone guy.”

“I didn’t know you guys were into that sort of thing, with a nerdy type even,” Michael mock gasps.

Jim just sighs and says, “No, Michael, just no.”

With that, they exit through the door and shut it behind them before Michael can harass them even more and potentially scare the phone guy off.

As Jim and Pam get out into the hallway, they notice the elevator is on it’s way up. They stand off to the side with their backs to the office doors.

Pam looks at Jim and says exasperatedly, “Can you believe Michael sometimes? I know it is in his nature to be inappropriate, but does he have to be that way,” Pam suddenly breaks off that thought, as Michael has appeared behind them, having followed them out.

Just as Pam and Jim turn to address Michael, the elevator dings and a twenty-something man with large glasses and an even larger shoulder slung tool bag exits the elevator.

At that same moment, as the IT guy is glancing around trying to figure out which way to go, Bob Vance rounds the corner and greets him.

“Hey, you look lost,” Bob says as he sticks his hand out to shake, “Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration,” he says while shaking the IT guy’s hand.

“Back off, that’s our IT guy,” Michael says as he pushes past Jim and Pam and pulls Bob away from the IT guy by the shoulder.

“Michael Scott, regional manager, Dunder Mifflin,” Michael greets as he enthusiastically shakes the IT guy’s hand, pumping it up and down more than is strictly necessary.

“Uh, hey, howdy,” the IT guy starts, looking a bit nervous at all the sudden attention, “Carl Mann, Cisco Certified Networking Associate in Voice, also known as a phone guy, from Electric Cit-IT,” he trails off.

With all of the commotion in the hallway it was a given that Dwight would be making an appearance soon, so Jim and Pam started to move forward to greet Carl. Unfortunately for them, Dwight beat them to the punch as he barreled out of the office and came to a stop in front of Carl.

“Dwight K. Schrute, Assistant,” Dwight started, breathlessly, only to be interrupted by the mandatory ‘to the’ from both Jim and Pam, “Regional Manager,” Dwight finished, shaking Carl’s hand sharply up and down three times and promptly disengaging with a look of indifference.

“Carl Mann,” Carl states, but it comes out sounding more like a question, he’s looking a bit overwhelmed.

“Hey,” Jim says with a small wave, “I’m Jim,” and he steps forward to shake Carl’s hand, “I’m the Assistant Regional Manager here.”

“Howdy,” says Carl, looking a little more relaxed, seemingly sensing that Jim was one of the more normal people there.

Pam stepped forward then to introduce herself, “Pam,” she says with a smile and shakes his hand, “Receptionist.”

“Good to meet all of you,” Carl says with a slightly strained looking smile and a nod to the medium sized crowd around him, and a nervous glance at the camera crew peeking through the blinds.

“Does someone want to show me where the phone equipment is and I’ll get started on that,” Carl asks, looking around at all the faces gathered before him, before settling

“Sure, right this way Carl-Mann, Call-man, Call-me, Calmy, Calm,” Michael begins, before Carl cuts him off, looking wide eyed.

“You’re too kind Mr. Scott, but I shouldn’t waste any more of your valuable time, is…” Carl glances over the faces around him and lands at Jim, who makes eye contact, “Would Jim be available right to give me a hand?”

“Not like he ever does any work anyways” Dwight mumbles from behind Carl, and Carl pretends not to hear him.

“Great,” Carl cuts in again before Michael can respond, “I appreciate it, I will keep you posted Mr. Scott; Jim, I’ll follow you,” and Carl begins to move towards the door without waiting for anyone.

Jim catches on quickly however, and Pam shortly behind him, as they make their way back into the office. Jim leads Carl over to the back room by accounting while Pam returns to her FreeCell.

Pam wondered how long the phone guy would last, but then reminded herself that the hardest part was over, he had seemed to survive Dwight, and had even bested Michael, if a little awkwardly. With that, Pam took her cold tea to the kitchen and dumped it out, refilling her teapot and returning to her desk. This was going to be an adventure of a day if the first hour was anything to go by.