Dwellers of the New World Chapter Five ( Pt 3 )

Max got to bed finally, he was a lot more relaxed, now that he'd spoken with the Minister. Though...the cloud mass that Marshall had told him about, was playing on his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he wondered what the cloud was capable of and if it was dangerous. He tossed and turned, then decided to turn off the air conditioning, the whirring sound was getting on his nerves. He pressed a button beside the bed, and immediately the air conditioning went off. “That's better!” he said to himself. Soon he was asleep, with only a few hours left, before he would be up again.

Minister Lewington, sat at his desk in his office, feeling slightly annoyed at the announcement of the cloud formation. What with that and the computers down, he was in for a busy night. His wife on the other hand, slept like a baby. He wished that he could forget the problems sometimes and just relax, but that was not possible, certainly not at this moment in time.

“Linda...will you please come to my office immediately.” He called over the intercom. Linda was his secretary and his confidential advisor, she was always there to give good advice if he needed it.

“Certainly sir!” Her room was right next door to the Minister's. She was very smart and always on the ball. Lewington didn't know where he'd be without her.

“Linda...sit down and take notes.” Linda sat in the chair opposite, and got her pad at the ready.

“I need computer engineers down in the control centre, as well as technicians. Also engineers to fix the hole in the ceiling and the ships engineers and technicians too. Some men too sort out the steel structure of the launch pad will be needed. Can you sort all that out immediately?”

“Certainly sir...I'm on it all ready.”

Within hours the men were at work, called from their beds, they would expect double pay for this.

Marshall on the other hand, was back in his quarter's sorting out papers for Alex and Luke's exam, he knew there wouldn't be any problems, but it was all he could do for now.

It was early the next morning, when Minister Lewington went on to the news to inform the people of Obsidian, that their was a strange cloud formation in the sky, but that people should not be alarmed and should stay calm, but not to go up to the surface...for any reason.

As the men worked on the ship and the launch pad, the black cloud seemed to be expanding. The men wore special suits, not wishing to take any chances of what this cloud might be capable of.

They worked hard all through that day and slowly but surely, everything was back to normal, except for the computers, which just didn't seem to want to be fixed, whether it had something to do with the cloud, they didn't know.

Luke and Alex were sat in a room, sitting their exam, all was quiet, as Marshall sat at a desk, drinking his tea and watching the clock. Time seemed to be moving quickly, it wasn't long before Marshall was checking the papers and signing them, ready to go up to the Minister to be signed too.

Luke's mother was still in the hospital, having her blood sugar levels checked, they would need to keep an eye on her for the time being. That morning she had watched the Minister give his speech, she was slightly worried as to what was going on. Luke arrived later that morning to find out how she was and let her know he had taken the exam and was waiting for the papers. She was extremely agitated when he arrived.

“Hello Luke...please...please tell me what's going on, I'm so worried.”

Luke knew he would now have to tell her about Addie, but at least she was in the hospital, where they could keep an eye on her.

“Mum...look I have something to tell you...I don't want you to get upset, so please just hear me out.”

“What is it Luke? tell me.”

“Dad's gone missing...me and Alex have been asked to go and search for him. There are twenty of us, due to go out on the next flight, which will be as soon as they can get us ready to go.”

“Oh...no! Luke this can't be happening...I don't want you to go...I don't want to loose you too...please Luke!”

She started to struggle to get out of bed, trying to release the tubes in her arm. “No...no Luke, stay here with me. Oh why is this happening to us?”

“Nurse...nurse...please nurse!” Luke was desperate to calm his mother down.

The nurse came in, struggling to calm Lena down. “Please...please Lena you mustn't remove the tubes, please lay back and relax, this isn't helping you at all.” She turned and looked at Luke. “Son I think you'd better leave, we need to have your mother calm down.”

Luke realised what he'd done and knew that it was hopeless to carry on. “Okay I'm going...but will you please tell my mother that everything will be al right...and not to worry?”

The nurse hurried Luke out, ready to give Lena an injection to help her sleep. “I'll tell her when I think the time is right...but that isn't now, so please...please go.”

Luke left the hospital with a mixture of feelings, he knew his mother was in the best possible place, but he regretted telling her everything.

Dwellers of the New World Chapter Five ( Pt 4 ) | ABCtales