No Episode
[Amanda]
"I'm not ready for this," I declared, turning my back on the door to the common room, where the entire population of Jasper waited. They didn't know it was me who was going to be speaking to them, but they knew someone was going to and that it had to do with the now destroyed town.
Finn grabbed my shoulders, holding me in place. "Yes, you are. You practiced this speech over a hundred times, and you've aced it every time. You have nothing to worry about."
"Besides," Miko piped up. "You look absolutely fabulous. I mean, that outfit makes you look like a boss."
"What she means to say," Mrs. Darby shook her head before giving me a gentle look. "Is that you look mature and respectable. Remember, most of these people already know you. Well, about you anyways. All you have to do is deliver the news."
I tugged on the sleeve of my blazer. I had opted for a more professional look, with a black blazer over a navy blue blouse along with black dress pants and black flats. This was my attempt at appearing like I knew what I was doing, which did very little to calm my nerves.
Maybe I'm trying too hard. They'll see right through me.
No, they already know who I am. Mrs. Darby is right. It's not like I'm some sort of stranger.
But you are a stranger to these people. All they know about you is that you have a lot of money and you live on the edge of town.
Stop overthinking this!
I dropped my head into my hands, slumping back against the wall. "I can't do this. How do people do speeches for a living?"
"You're thinking about it too much," Finn said reassuringly. "It's not as bad as you think it is."
I shot him a sharp look. "Then why don't you go out there and give the speech?"
He tried not to smile, but I could see amusement form on his face. "Because you're the CEO of BeckIT, not me. And it was your idea in the first place."
"Come on, girl!" Miko put a hand on my shoulder. "You've taken out Cons, you can totally kick this speech's butt!"
"Decepticons are very different from speeches, Miko."
Footsteps down the hall made us all turn to see Agent Fowler striding towards us. "I figured you'd still be out here."
I shook my head. "I change my mind. You can give the speech."
He smirked, holding out a hand. "This is your speech, Amanda. Not any of ours. You've got to be the one to give it. And if we haven't convinced you of that, maybe he can."
Confused, I looked down to see Fowler holding out a phone. I took it, raising to my ear cautiously. "Hello?"
"Hello, Amanda," Optimus' voice sent a rush of relief through me. "I'm glad to have caught you before your speech."
I dimly noticed Agent Fowler usher Finn, Miko, and Mrs. Darby away to give me privacy. "Oh, Optimus, I can't do this. I'm not the 'stand in front of a crowd and inspire them' type! When was the last time I stood up in front of a crowd? Never! How am I supposed to not make a massive fool of myself and make the people in there hopeful again?"
"Amanda," the Prime's voice was calm, calming me down as he spoke. "I have seen you stand before the Autobots and give them commands. I have seen you stand your ground in front of the Decepticons who wished to bring you and your friends harm. You have travelled to another planet, defended yourself and others, and become the champion of Cybertron's own patron goddess. You may not see it, but you have already conquered challenges that no other individual has. Delivering your speech will simply be another success that you will smile about when the day is through."
I rubbed my temple with my free hand. "I don't know, Optimus. Those other things... I just did them. I didn't need to worry about messing up."
"Yes, you did. You just did not notice. If you had acted differently in any of those situations, you and I may not be having this conversation."
I sighed. "Is it weird that I'd rather be in those situations than give a speech?"
"No, it is not," I could hear the amusement in his tone. "You have the support of myself, and the rest of Team Prime, Amanda. You will succeed."
I took a deep breath, calming my nerves, then nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'm going before I can change my mind. Promise you'll listen to the entire thing?"
"Of course."
His strong tone made me smile and I pushed my hair out of my face before straightening and opening the door. Agent Fowler was standing to my immediate left, and I handed him the phone. He gave me a firm nod, a smile tugging on his lips, and I smiled back.
Let's kick this speech's aft.
I strode to the podium at the front of the room, the people sitting inside quieting as I climbed up to stand before them. A quick scan of the crowd showed me that I knew all of these people, whether it be my history teacher or the grocery store owner.
You have this in the bag, Beckett.
So I took one final deep breath, and walked up to the microphone.
"Good morning, everyone," I started. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Amanda Beckett, and I'm the girl who owns the manor on the edge of town. I'm sure you've all been informed of the situation with Jasper, but to clarify, let me run things over one more time. The military was alerted to a meteor passing very close to our town, and was forced to evacuate all of Jasper. That's why you're all here now. After Jasper was evacuated, the meteor split up and showered down on our town, destroying most of it. While the radiation levels have gone down, we've all had to stay here because there is currently no town for us to go back to. If the buildings haven't collapsed yet, then they're close to, and it's too dangerous for anyone to go back."
A look of fear crossed over the faces of the crowd, making me pause, unsure. Then I spotted Agent Fowler at the edge of the room, holding up his phone to indicate Optimus was listening, and I continued.
"Now, we have to remember something. No one was injured or killed from our town during this entire situation. We should be thankful for that because that means we truly can rebuild. Structures are just bricks and cement. If it was built once, it can be built again. I know that most of us don't have the means of rebuilding though- I mean, it's an unforeseeable event that happened- so that's where my proposal comes in."
I paused again, trying to control my nerves. Finn and Miko caught my attention this time, sending me a thumbs up from where they stood at the back of the room.
"Should you agree," I said. "I want to offer the full services of the BeckIT Response Team. I'm in a position where I have already gained the approval of the company to work in Jasper, and currently need your agreement. Should you choose to accept our help, you will have a BeckIT Response Team division assigned to you. This team will include an architect, a group of construction workers, a plumber, an electrician, and any other individuals who are required to rebuild the land that you own. Luckily, Jasper is small enough to have all of these teams assigned to landowners, and have the construction done within two months. Of course, you all have the choice on whether you want to work with BeckIT to rebuild, but I would be overjoyed if you took this opportunity. Jasper has been my home for years, and I think I speak for everyone when I say I've become pretty attached to this town. I hope you all take this opportunity to restore our home."
I took another pause, just to catch my breath, before giving the crowd a small smile. "Any questions?"
A dozen hands shot up, and Nurse Darby ran in from the sidelines to hand the people with a question a microphone. The first person was my math teacher, who stood when he spoke.
"What about public areas?" He asked. "And areas owned by the town? Will you be able to help rebuild those?"
I nodded. "There will be a team specifically in charge of sitting down with the town council and working on the development of town owned areas. I understand that everyone wants a say in how their public areas are rebuilt, but it's impossible to accommodate everyone, which is why the team assigned to public areas will be working with the town council, as they have the consensus of the rest of the town."
Miko's post mother stood up next. "How were you able to get BeckIT to agree to all this? Rebuilding a town is no small task, regardless of the size of the town, and to ask for no repayment? How did you accomplish that?"
I took a swig from the water bottle on the podium, giving me a chance to choose my words don't wisely. "My mother was the founder of the company, and after her passing, I was able to obtain a chair on the company's board of directors. All I had to do was present Jasper's case to the board, and they voted that yes, Jasper would be a good cause to focus the BeckIT Response Team on."
The librarian asked next, "How do you expect to accomplish this entire project in two months?"
"Jasper isn't a very big town," I replied. "And the BeckIT Response Team has more than enough resources to cover everything as quickly as possible."
The mayor finally stood. "What is the cost to the town if we allow your teams in?"
I shook my head. "No cost whatsoever. This is me extending my hand and resources to the town that has been home to me and the people I care about. Nothing more."
~~~
"That was amazing!" Miko exclaimed.
I nodded, unable to keep a smile off my face. "I'm just glad they agreed."
Finn grinned. "BeckIT is now rebuilding Jasper. I'd call that a major success."
"Congratulations, Amanda," Nurse Darby said. "Your performance was fantastic."
"I'll say!" I turned to see Raf, Jack, and Agent Fowler heading over to us, all of them with the same, joy filled looks on their faces.
Raf ran up and threw his arms around me. "My parents loved it! They're totally going to let you help with our house, and they're on your side."
"You already have the support of a lot of the town," Agent Fowler confirmed. "The only ones who are on the fence are the ones who still think BeckIT wants something out of this arrangement or will hold it against them."
I shook my head. "That's expected. If anyone wants to ask about that, they know where to find me."
He put a hand on my shoulder. "But you should be proud, Amanda. I'd consider this a success."
That made me smile again. "Thanks, Fowler."
Nurse Darby clapped her hands together. "Well then, I'm sure we'll have to clean up after that meeting. Let's go give the janitors a hand."
I was about to follow the group when Agent Fowler pulled me aside. At my questioning look, he handed me his cell phone.
"The big guy wants to talk to you," he said before going after the others.
I raised the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
"Amanda, your speech was excellent," Optimus said, and I could hear the pride in his tone. "I believe you have already become a leader in the rebuilding of Jasper."
"Aw shucks," I laughed. "Thanks, Optimus. I'm honestly just glad it went over well. I really wanted to take on this project."
"I am sure it will be nothing but a success," the Prime said. "I'm proud, Amanda."
And that made all the nerves, hours practicing, and time spent convincing myself to go through with this, worth it.