“But I just barely missed my goals! What are you talking about? No, no, this can’t be right. What have you done?”
Jordan set her jaw. She forced sympathy from her mind knowing that this was the way that things had to happen. Robert Greyson, her boss, had been given every opportunity, every warning. Despite this he had still fallen short of meeting his designated quota, three months in a row.
“Robert. Robert, please don’t make a scene. You know as well as I do you were warned. We gave you every chance to be a productive member of this society but you have chosen to neglect your duties as head of the physical education department,” the man sitting behind the desk cleared his throat. “Robert, you’ve failed to meet your requirements three months in a row now. This cannot be tolerated.”
Robert looked confused, while he was on the verge of what looked like anger and tears. The large man was sitting behind a steel grey desk in the review room. His shoulders quaked gently as his reality sunk in. “I… I don’t know if I’m going to survive out there. Please, please, Director, just give me one more chance. I can turn things around. I know I can.”
Saul Patterson, the director of the city, adjusted the glasses on his nose. He set down the manila folder he had been reading through. Leaning back in his chair he placed pasty white hands into his long white lab coat. “I’m sorry, Robert. I truly am but you know the rules of our society. To survive we cannot afford this kind of failure.”
Robert looked defeated. Still dressed in his physical education uniform; his clean professional appearance did anything but reflect his demeanor.
There was a brief moment where Robert lowered his head into his hands and began to cry. Jordan stood at attention behind her recently demoted superior in shock.
Robert Greyson had always been nothing but positive with a quick smile and a joke to match. She had never seen him like this. It disturbed her to think that one meeting could reduce a man in his physical peek to a sniveling child.
The Director looked up from his seat in the chair. Clearly disgusted with Robert’s reaction to the news, he made no attempt to hide the scowl that ran past his sharp features. Director Patterson made eye contact with Jordan who stood across the room. He rolled his eyes behind his steel-rimmed glasses before opening his mouth. “Well, Mr. Greyson. That will be all. The guards will escort you to the gates to the city. May fortune favor you along the road you have chosen to travel.”
Robert looked up through tear-streaked eyes. He started to open his mouth but the director motioned for the two guards standing century beside him to move forward.
There was an unspoken question between Robert and the guards. He could either walk beside them obediently or stun batons would be made use of. A wild look crossed over Robert’s face as he glanced behind him to the door and Jordan standing beside it.
Jordan tensed. She knew if he tried to run she would have to stop him. It would be her duty as a member of the city to uphold the law. Adrenaline ready to flow, Jordan was set to move into action in a moment’s notice.
Robert locked eyes with her. His look could only be described with one word: defeat. Robert turned back to the Director and eyed the two guards beside his chair.
Without a word he slowly rose. Flanked by the two guards nearly as big as he was, Robert shuffled toward the door.
Robert’s adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded a good-bye to his previous employee. Jordan knew she should feel more, maybe she even wanted to feel more but she just didn’t. This was the way of their world. Robert had known the rules. He knew what was expected of him. Despite this he had still failed.
Jordan was wondering if her lack of emotion was the correct response. If there were any other emotions she should be feeling as Robert and his guards left the room.
“It’s sad to see a grown man cry,” the Director said from his seat.
Jordan snapped back from her internal debate about emotion, nodding towards the city’s director. “He was a good supervisor but he knew what was expected of him. He failed.”
The Director nodded in approval of her response. He motioned Jordan to walk forward and take the seat previously occupied by Robert.
Jordan’s long legs crossed the bare room in seconds. She sat in the rigid chair in front of the city’s director. “You must be wondering why you were asked to this meeting. I know it is anything but protocol to have anyone present except for the party at fault when someone is released from the city.”
Jordan nodded. She had been summoned from her morning training class to attend the meeting. She could only guess why she had been included in Robert’s review.
The Director picked up another manila folder from the table and rifled through the papers inside. “Jordan Shepherd, you have been with the physical education department for eight years now. Is that correct?”
Jordan nodded again. She now had an idea why she had been summoned to the usual private review room. Hope sprang in her heart.
“In that time you have never failed to meet your goals. You have always risen to the task. As a result you have climbed the ranks rather quickly.”
Jordan hid a smile at the praise from the Director, “Yes, sir. I’ve been able to meet the goals the city has set for me. I want to make sure we have a future together as a community. It has always been a priority of mine that I pull my own weight as we work towards that goal as a society.”
The Director lowered the folder. He nodded approval, once again sliding his pasty hands inside his coat. For the hundredth time Jordan tried to guess the man’s age but it was impossible. His thinning hair and the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes told her one thing while his slender shoulders and wit told her something entirely different.
“Jordan, if you haven’t guessed it yet, you were invited to attend this meeting because you have been chosen as the new head of the physical education department.”
This time Jordan couldn’t help but smile. It was a title she had been working hard towards for years now. She almost felt bad at her good fortune when Robert had been dismissed just moments before. But she deserved this. “Thank you Director I—I don’t know what to say. I’ll make sure that the department hits its goals. You can count on me sir.”
“I know I can, Jordan. That is why you were chosen. You understand the importance that hard work and dedication brings to our city.”
Jordan was tingling with excitement. She had done it. She had to physically stop herself from jumping out of her chair. She could feel the heat in her face as she tried to stop herself from smiling.
The Director must have noticed all of this because he smiled as he rose from his chair. “Well, I’m sure that you will want to start right away. You’ll have a new office and you’ll need to meet with your staff of course.”
Jordan jumped to her feet. “Oh, yes, sir.”
Jordan turned to go, sensing their meeting had come to an end.
“Oh and, Jordan?”
She stopped mid twist to look back at the Director. He was standing now a full foot shorter than she was. His glasses were sliding down his large nose. The Director pushed his spectacles up with a pudgy finger as he squinted at her. “I would like you to accompany myself and the crew that will be releasing Robert past the city walls tonight.”
Jordan’s eyebrows shot up. No one beside
s the Director and a small group of soldiers accompanied anyone who was going to be released outside of the city walls.
“Sir?”
“Oh, it’s something that we thought should start being done with all the new heads of the departments. If you are going to lead a group of men and women we feel it’s best you know what you are leading them away from.”