The Oddities of Mr. Shaffer

Chapter 6: The Board Of Argo

Everyone in the Council room was nervous.  After I gave them a brief glimpse of what had happened between me and Sam a week earlier, everyone seemed a little anxious.  No one knew what Samuel was capable of, and no one wanted to take any chances of things getting out of hand.  So just to be safe, they appointed 2 security guards at the front and back of the room.  I was hoping for the best, but the things that were occurring around that time lately; I wasn't expecting a smooth meeting. 

It was June 25, 1979, 5 years, 11 months, and 16 days since I had thought of this place.

The board room was pretty dim.  Dry and stale is all I could describe it as.  An all white wall room, and a long wooden table filled the gloomy emptiness of the place.  Everyone seemed pretty quiet and laid back until Sam entered.  All who laid eyes on him perked up out of impulse, including me.  Looking me dead in the eyes, Samuel grabbed a chair at the end of the table.  Dropping his brief case beside him he finally spoke.

"Well, are we going to start this meeting?"

Everyone turned to look at him with dismissive eyes.  

"Yes, lets start with the role call." I said.

"William Zonic."

"Present."

"David Smith."

"Present."

"Mary Travis."

"Present."

"Brandon Pearson."

"Present."

"Don Seamer."

"Present."

"Okay, lets start with the meeting.  This meeting was called into order by myself, after a request from Mr. James, on behalf of an...... idea he presented to me.  Would you like to present this idea to us, Mr. James?"

"Certainly." Said Samuel.

Grabbing his brief case in a sly motion, Samuel dug inside and grabbed a stack of papers bind together by a paper clip.  He placed them in the middle of the table.

"These are copies of my plans to improve this city from the ground up.  I feel that this is just what Argo needs to shine with pride."

Each council member grabbed a copy and read the sheets quietly.  After everyone finished, Mary spoke first on it. 

"Not to come off as being disrespectful Mr. James, but are you insane?"

Sam turned to look at her with an appalling stare.

"For whatever do you mean Ms. Travis?"

"What I mean is, is that this all seems like a co-dictatorship.  Just reading the first page all I saw were things that downgrade this society."

"It may seem like that at first but, just look at it this way.  If there was a co-owner ship of the city, there would be 2 minds functioning at all times.  Problems would be solved faster and things would be done a lot easier with my set of thoughts of improvement."

"Mr. James, what you fail to understand is, is that you are re-doing a lot of things that would contradict what Mayor Shaffer had put in order for this city in the first place."  Blurted out David.

"If you really wanted to help the city, you would improve upon the laws that are already in motion, not change them."

Looking at everyone with disapproving eyes, Sam stared down at his document.

"Well, does anyone here in this room subject other wise to my ideas?"

"As a matter of fact, I certainly do."  Said Don.

Everyone now turned to look at him.

"What I find in this document is progress and refinement, that of which the city needs more of.  I mean don't get me wrong, yes this document seems appalling at first, but if you look at it in the long run, this could really change the city of Argo.  I think this goes about saying that Mr. James thought and worked a great deal to bring these ideas to paper.  So who are we to deny his gratitude to this great city by shunning his ideas?"

"I agree with Mr. Seamer, who are we to shun Mr. Samuel?  That seems like the type of arrogance that of which the societies below this city would do.  The ones that we all got away from."  Barked William.

"I find you both to be preposterously foolish for going with his 'Ideas'.  You'de both be better off going back down to the societies below us!"  Yelled out Mary.

Everyone at the board table went into a fit of anger, it was about time i said something in all of this.

"Silence!"  I yelled.

"Do you all see how childish you're being?  Your fighting over something that can be settled in a calm matter.  Besides, I haven't heard a word out of Mr. Pearson in the matter."

Brandon then sat tall in his chair, ready to speak.

"I have sat hear in silence and have taken in the benefits and cons of both the current society that we have, and the society that Mr. James would like for the people of Argo to inhabit.  I see little to no flaws in this society that we uphold now.  But the society that Mr. James wants this city to have, will only lead to the obliteration and the all out destruction of this city.  Peace, tranquility, and fairness is what I see if this society is not changed. War, death, and corruption is the only future I see for Mr. James ideas."

The board room went quiet.  The only thing that could be heard in the room was the cool brisk air coming from the vent on the ceiling, and the large wall clock ticking and toking behind me.  Everyone slowly turned to stare at me waiting for the verdict of the subject.

"Well, I think we have reached our conclusion.  Samuel James, your Conjunction Plan will not be put into consideration by the Board of Argo.  I here by aprove this meeting as resolved and concluded."

"Resolved and Concluded my ass!"

Every single eye now lied on Sam, who was smirking devishly.

"You think because some of your damn puppets you call a council don't agree to my plans means that this is over, ha', not by a long shot Shaffer, not by a long shot."

One of the guards that was in front of the room went to put his hand on Sam's shoulder.  Sam quickly brushed him off and cursed him.

"Get your god damn hand off me you ignorant twat!"

Samuel stood up, grabbed his brief case, and darted for the door.  Before he lefted, he shifted slowly to look at me.

"You've just opened up pandora's box, Shaffer.  It's time this city recieved a new kind of leadership."

And with that, Sam was out the door.

Two days later, Samuel mailed in his resignation notice and left me a small note at the end of it.

It stated: Death to Argo....