Part 2 - The Sequel

Carol Dallon was not pleasant. He knew she wasn't pleasant. The Director knew she wasn't pleasant. He'd wager to bet the Mayor knew she wasn't pleasant.

The only person who didn't seem to realize they weren't pleasant was Carol Dallon.

"New Wave will not take part in any charity events that raise money meant to be used for an unelected bureaucracy."

Andrew wanted to comment on how that didn't stop her from paying taxes, something that did go to the youth group but she was still speaking and it would be rude to interrupt.

"Our group was founded with the goal of public accountability," She said, slapping her fist down on the table in emphasis, "We can't be involved if any of the funds go to the Military."

She said all this with a straight face, to him, to the Director, to the Mayor, to the dozen staff members in the meeting room. All with a straight face. He could see how she won court cases.

He was sitting to the right of the Director, who was at the head of the table, with Mayor to the left, with Carol sitting two seats down from Andrew. It was two seats too close.

"Brandish; Mrs. Dallon" Mayor Christner quickly corrected himself at the frown that appeared on Carol Dallon's deceptively attractive face.

"Surely you realize that this benefits everyone."

Appeal to reason.

Her face tightened, "It benefits the PRT and its associates."

Appeal to reason failed.

"Yes, and what benefits the PRT and it's associates benefits Brockton Bay."

"The Youth Guard benefits no one in Brockton Bay," She shot back.

The Director made as though to say something, but needn't have bothered, the mayor beating her to the punch.

"That's hardly something the PRT can change," he pointed out, a note of frustration creeping into his voice. Andrew noticed that the Mayors hand was gripping his coffee cup quite tightly.

A fact that the Director probably noticed too as she picked now too join the conversation.

"Unfortunately Mrs. Dallon, the Mayor is right." The Director straightened up in her seat. "The Youth Guard is joined to the PRT on a Federal level, mandated down through the state to the local authorities which dictate how funding is used."

A smile formed on her lips, her visage momentarily taking on the appearance of a wolf.

"Only the Mayor can change the way the funding's spent."

Her work presumably done, the Director slumped back in her seat, her smile fading back into its customary blank expression.
Andrew in the meanwhile was doing his very best not to scowl. He thought he was succeeding, though it may just have been that no one was paying any attention to him.

It was just like Director Piggot to throw gas on the fire. For a person who thought all capes were untrustworthy she certainly wasn't showing much solitary with the Mayor.

Don't get him wrong, it was a smart move politically, the Youth Guard was a thorn in their side even without counting in the small percentage of funding they took from PRT.

Still he thought, propping his head in his hands, ignoring the sharp glare that the Director gave him (if she wasn't going to be subtle then neither was he.), it wouldn't have been nice of her not to phrase it as an attack.

Granted he doubted that the Mayor would hold it against her, being long accustomed to Emily's personality or lack of it. Still, it didn't help that she had effectively pitted Mrs. Dallon and Mayor Christner against each other, and that Andrew would most likely be the one dealing with the fallout. It was Piggots method, she started the fire, and he had to put it out. It was horribly unfair, but that was just the way it was. He would have to deal with it.

He supposed that meant he'd better start paying attention then. He raised his head up from beneath his arms, swallowing back the yawn that threatened to come out of his mouth.

The Director herself stood, gaining the attention of everyone present, Mayor Christner and Mrs. Dallon momentarily stopping their fight to here what she had to say.

"Gentlemen," she deadpanned addressing the room, "Mrs. Dallon, Mayor Christner" she nodded to each of them in turn. It struck him that she didn't address him, as a gentlemen. As if he wasn't important, he was sooooo important. He was the main character of this zoo yard.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave this meeting early. I have a dialysis screening that my secretary forgot to inform me off."

She gave an apologetic smile at the assembly, though it held no warmth.
"In the interest of finish this matter however, and acknowledging that both the Mayor and Mrs. Dallon's time is highly valuable," she nodded
at Andrew "Vice Director Matthews will sit in my stead."

She raised her hand to cut off the flurry of questions that the assembled were giving.

"Any decision he makes," here she gestured to him, at the same time giving him a look, "I make."

That said, she left, ignoring the questions some of the attendants were asking her, leaving Andrew, one again, to clean up her messes.

Matthew himself didn't bother, choosing instead to use the time to try to remember what they were last talking about.

"Something to do with the percentage … college drop outs?"

He frowned, that couldn't be right., college drop outs had nothing to do with the problem of the Youth Guard getting their funding cut.

A chill went down his spine, he suddenly realized that everyone was looking at him.

He immediately started to sweat. What to do, what to do, what to do. It hit him.

Fake it.

Plan found, he relaxed. Shuffling the papers in front of him he took stock of the situation. What he saw was a mess of paper work they hadn't even begun to (probably, he wasn't to certain) get to because of Carol Dallon's objections. What a mess, it was going to take them all day to get through this at the rate they were (probably) going. Ugh, he was going to be having take out again tonight.

Just like every other night.

Why did he have this job again?

He'd remember later, right now he had work to do.

He looked up from the documents, he was pretending to look through. It was time to end this before he started flipping ships in the bay.

Again.

"Hendrick" he said, gesturing to a short, blond haired man sitting at the other end of the table, a probable member of the Empire 88 and the note taker for this conference.

"Could you please give us a rundown of the meeting."

Carol Dallon and the Mayor were both giving him odd looks at his request. He ignored them, using his long fostered iron will, honed from denying himself from commenting in anime debates, don't go there, to focusing on the probable Pillow Head in the corner.

"Uh, which parts?" Hendrick asked, pushing his glasses up on his face even as he clicked something on his computer with the other one.

"All of it" he answered, he had no clue what had been happening for the last ten minutes and needed someone to fill him in.

"Yes" Hendrick nodded, making a few more clicking sounds before beginning to recite the meeting. It took two minutes and wasn't overly detailed. Just the opening statement, purpose of the meeting, introduction of all the pertinent people present (he wasn't mentioned, the nerve), and then the funding.

Here was where the road got bumpy, ended even, Carol had chaining herself to the metaphorical building and started making demands. He got more detailed from there starting with identifying her problem with the fund raiser beneficiaries, her statement about the lack of benefit the Youth Guard brought, Piggots comment, and the rest was just her and the Mayor arguing about why he couldn't drop the Youth Guard as a beneficiary.

There was a lot of technical information there, armed with statistics and data that no one here was ever going to check up on, but really it all boiled down that cutting the Youth Guard out of the budget would make the Mayor look bad.

…"Mrs. Dallon demanded that Mayor Christner provide her the statistics for those drop out rates, which the Mayor declined to do.
Hendricks took a breath.

"Director Piggot left due to a health appointment, placing Vice Director Matthews in charge,

Vice Director Matthews asked for a summery of the meeting to be done, which I did."

Hendricks finished.

What a mess. Dallon was behaving exactly like a lawyer, and the Mayor was behaving exactly like a politician, it was like he was reliving the high school debate club all over again.

Well no more, he wasn't staying here all night arguing whether Hinata was better than Sakura again, don't go there, he had a season of Paint Drying to watch when he got home.

It was time to shake this meeting. To use a weapon seldom seen or even heard of in most political circles,

Wait for it –

Honesty.

He turned to Mrs. Dallon.

"Mrs. Dallon, can we have your support for fundraising if the Youth Guard benefits."

She lifted jaw at him, "no" she answered.

He turned to the Mayor.

"Mayor Christner, are you willing to cut the PRT obligation to supply funding to the Youth Guard?"

The Mayor looked uncomfortable at the question.

Matthews bit down a sigh as the Mayer answered.

"There are a lot of benefits of the."

Matthews cut him off.

"Will you stop the funding of the Youth Guard from the PRT."

There was silence for a moment as the Mayor lowered his head, his grip so hard on the coffee cup that Matthews was amazed it didn't shatter.

He lifted his head, "no" he said, the answer coming out through slightly clenched teeth.

Now they were getting somewhere.

He slapped his hands together, producing a purposely loud clap that he knew annoyed people.

"We're at an impasse then. New Wave won't do any fundraisers with the PRT without Mrs. Dallons go ahead, and Mrs. Dallon won't give that go ahead unless the PRT is released from is mandatory funding of the Youth Guard.

"The PRT's hands are tied so unless either of you are willing to give" at this a no and a head shake came from Mrs. Dallon and the Mayor,

"we might as well end this meeting."

There was silence for a few moments as people took the words in. Andrew used those moments to surreptitiously reheat his hot chocolate, taking a sip from his hot, but not too hot; hot chocolate.

Dallon, Mayor, your serve.

He watched as they began to talk among themselves, the klux clown seeming frustrated at his inability to keep up. Don't worry Hendrick, no one checking your notes anyway.

Finally, a suggestion came out, an accountant, he immediately forgot his name, suggested that they should have separate events made exclusively for the Youth Guard.

This would allow the Youth Guard to get their relatively small, but still manditory funding, while still allowing the the PRT to make bank on other fundraisers with New Wave.

Of course Carol still had to put up a fuss, her my way or you can leave mentality rearing it's head, but eventually she caved. The PRT would have a smaller fundraiser for the Youth Guard centered around the mayor and his affiliated, and a larger more public fundraiser with New Wave and the Mayor that didn't go to the Youth Guard.

Finally, they were getting somewhere. He might even be able to get out for lunch instead of having to settle for the overpriced McFries meal that they served in the lobby.

Only they still had to get through the packet of funding information. It would take hours. It was 10:45 A.M.

He sighed, better get started now or they wouldn't get done before dinner. He allowed the Senior accountant to take over, starting to name the main funding sponsors.

"… Are the Asian Gardeners going to be participating in the event, they're well known to be a laundering pit for the Azian Bad Boys and I…" Carol droned on.

Matthews dropped his head in his hands, heedless of the stares he was getting.

A mile away, deep in the bay, hidden by twenty feet of water a tug boat imploded, causing a small vortex as the water moved to fill the void, the water spending out a slight spray, drenching people at the boardwalk and causing some people to close their shop for the day.

In the meeting, sitting with his head in his hands, Vice Director Matthews smiled. Director Piggot could deal with that.