The applause for Mayor Bob Thompson's speech faded, leaving hopefulness in its wake. He had played the room like a fiddle, a masterful performance of half-truths and empty promises. He stood at the podium, basking in the warm glow of their adoration, a triumphant, benevolent smile on his face.
"But don't just take my word for it," the Mayor boomed, his voice oozing with a false sincerity that made Chris's skin crawl. "Let's look at the hard facts. Let's look at the numbers. To walk us through the incredible economic opportunity this project represents, please join me in welcoming a senior partner from our esteemed development partner, Veridian Developments, the brilliant Ms. Aubree Valenti!"
A woman in a sharply tailored, expensive-looking gray business suit rose from her seat at the council table and walked to the podium with the smooth, predatory confidence of a shark gliding through open water. She was tall and had a smile that was all teeth.
She launched into a PowerPoint presentation, her voice a crisp, professional. The screen behind her lit up with a series of impressive but completely meaningless charts and beautiful, computer-generated architectural renderings of the proposed shopping center. It was a vision of a clean, and very un-Buckhannon-like future, filled with generic, happy-looking stock photo people enjoying a variety of consumer activities.
Her speech was full of corporate buzzwords, a long, meandering stream of nonsense that flowed over the mesmerized crowd. She spoke of "synergy," and "revitalization," and a "new era of public-private partnership for Buckhannon." She promised "sustainable growth" and "community-focused development."
Chris, watching from the back of the room, felt a knot of dread tightening in his stomach. He focused his [INSPECT] ability on the speaker and her presentation. The data that appeared in his HUD was alarming.
[Name: Aubree Valenti]
[Class: Corporate Raider (LVL 45)]
[Status: Deceptive, Predatory]
[Dominant Thought: "These small-town council meetings are so easy. It's like taking candy from a very, very trusting baby."]
Chris's eyes widened. Level 45. She was a higher level than the mayor. This representative was a boss in her own right. He scanned the impressive financial projections on the screen behind her, a series of colorful, upward-trending bar graphs that promised a golden age of prosperity for the town. A footnote appeared in his vision.
[Data Source: Fabricated Projections. Margin of Error: 95%.]
The entire presentation was a lie, a beautiful data-driven work of fiction.
After Ms. Valenti's slick performance, the City Council members had their chance to ask questions. The questions were a comically soft and sycophantic display of political theater. It was clear the council members were either completely fooled or in on the deal.
"Ms. Valenti, this all looks wonderful," one councilwoman, a woman Chris recognized as a staunch ally of the mayor, gushed into her microphone. "Just wonderful. What assurances can you give us about using local labor for the project?"
There were no hard questions. No one asked about the massive, open-ended budget. No one asked about the mysterious, newly-formed shell corporation, Appalachian Alternate Aggregate. No one asked about the ironclad, 99-year leasing rights that would rob the town of any significant future income.
With the "deliberation" over in a matter of minutes, the council chairman, Ralph Hardwick, banged his gavel once more.
"Thank you, Ms. Valenti," he said, a wide, sycophantic grin on his face. "A truly inspiring presentation. The council will now formally call for a vote on Resolution 25-8, the Buckhannon Gateway Initiative."
A hush fell over the room. This was it. This was the decisive moment. Chris's heart pounded in his chest. The entire corrupt deal was about to be codified into law, approved by a council of either fools or crooks.
He saw the window of opportunity, the small, desperate chance he had to stop this, closing fast. The vote was about to happen. Once the resolution passed, the ceremonial signing that followed would legally ratify the contract. The plan with the enchanted pen, the ridiculous, long-shot plan, was the only chance left.
He looked across the room and caught Jessica's eye. She was standing by the podium, her face pale, her expression a mixture of terror and resolve. She gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. The plan was a go.
The council chairman asking for the final vote, his voice a booming. "All in favor of approving Resolution 25-8, the Buckhannon Gateway Initiative, please say 'Aye'."
A chorus of confident, enthusiastic "Aye's" rang out from the council members.
"All opposed?"
A single timid and futile "Nay" was heard from one dissenting member.
The resolution passed. The Mayor smiled, a wide predatory grin.
"The signing ceremony will now commence," the chairman announced.
Chris watched, his stomach twisting into a knot, knowing that the only thing standing between Buckhannon and total financial ruin was a cheap fountain pen and a desperate, and probably doomed plan.