5 It Is A Necessary Evil

Here is what happened last time on The Legends Of The Time Traveller

I leave Mother Jenna's room and head back to my lab to hide the radio and the flashlight. I charge my sister's flashlight's batteries as I promised to do. I start planning how to use the laser to cut objects. I set off to find Terry. We finally jump in and take a swim while enjoying the water. Things between Stacy and I start to heat up in the water as our relationship gets physical. My sister warns us that people are coming to the spring, and we need to get out quickly. Dr. John is talking to a woman, and we hear of them discussing a month's deadline where things will become worse for everyone down here.

The five of us standing there while listening to the footsteps become softer until there is only silence. Everyone turns to look at me while Terry starts asking me;

"What are they talking about, Michael?"

I shake my head confused, and answer;

"I am not sure. It doesn't make sense."

My sister jumps in and says;

"What are you not telling us? Come on, spit it out!"

Sheila looks around at everyone and says;

"He must know something! He doesn't want to tell us. Tell us what do you know right now!"

I start clenching my hands into fists while looking at them with eyes burning with rage and quickly respond to them;

"Do you guys really think that if I knew of serious problems down here that I still come to take a swim with you all? Really? Or that I will not tell you all about it? Really? And here, I thought of us as being friends. It is better for me to stay in my lab if that is what you all think of me."

While silence falls on everyone standing around, looking bewildered at each other, not knowing what to say. I quickly take the time to get dressed while everyone is looking at each other, not knowing what to say. Just as I turn to walk away from the four standing there. Terry sees that I am not happy and tries to apologize to me;

"Michael, I am-"

I turn around, give him a dirty look while I point my finger at him, and quickly respond;

"Don't even finish your sentence. Don't you even dare." I turn to walk away from them, and I say as loudly as I can: "And you call yourself friends." Disappointed, I throw my hands in the air, shaking my head.

As I am walking towards my lab, I want to think about what my friends just did. But I can not focus on that now as all I can think about is what Dr. John said. Who was the woman with him, and what's going to happen in a month? And why is it only me that has to think of solutions down here? I am sure I can figure out what they were talking about if I put all my energy into it, but I don't have the time to try and figure it out.

I walk into my lab and look at the board and the planning of the air filtration and purification system. I look at how I am planning to pull the air into the pipe from different locations. I need to run that air through the filtration unit and how to pump it back. I start drawing on the board, trying to figure out the problem that I am having. As quickly as I start drawing a solution, I erase the drawing as I can not keep my thoughts on what I am supposed to do.

I start the process all over again and get the same result in erasing what I started planning. I start over again, again and again, with the same results. I feel the anger building as the solution isn't coming to me, and it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders all of a sudden. In a fit of anger, I throw the whiteboard eraser clear across the room. Exhausted after hours of not getting a viable solution, I fall to the ground and lower my head between my knees. I hear a familiar voice asking me;

"Are you okay?"

I recognize that it is Sarah's voice. I look up and say to my sister;

"And what do you care?"

She sits next to me and says;

"I am sorry, Michael, for not trusting you. I was shocked at what they were saying. We all were shocked and reacted wrongly to the situation. We blamed you for nothing. We are all sorry and feel bad about how we treated you. Can you forgive us?"

She leans over and says;

"You are my family, and I can not think of you being angry at me. I am really sorry."

She puts her head on my shoulder. I tell her;

"You know that I can never stay mad at you. It is okay. I understand that what Dr. John said unsettled all of you. Tell our friends not to say anything to anyone. The situational already problematic, by telling people will only make things worse than they are."

"Why don't you tell them. Those people are your friends, not mine."

"I am mad at them for now, and as you heard, the work that I am doing down here is important. I can not figure this problem out that I am having with the system."

She kisses me on my cheek and says;

"If anyone can figure it out the solution, it is you. I know that you will be the one that saves us all."

Something about Sarah's voice gave me enough confidence to continue working. I stand up and tell her;

"Excuse me. I have work to do."

She smiles and says;

"There is the brother that I know. I will leave you now and go and do my important work."

I watch as she leaves my lab. I turn and look at the latest drawings on my board. I will do the experiment, and I do not care what the coincidences will be. I grab a few bottles from my lab and walk back to the spring. I fill them all with water and walk back to my lab. As I am walking in the corridor, I hear a voice behind me says;

"Michael!"

I get startled as I am in the thought of what I need for the experiment. I turn around and see that it is Dr. John. He asks me;

"What are you still doing up this late?"

"I am working."

"You need your sleep. A scientist can not think when he is constantly tired. Your brain needs rest from all the thoughts."

I mumble under my breath;

"Yeah, right. As if I can sleep after what I heard you saying."

He looks at me confused and asks;

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing. I was thinking out loud, Dr. John."

"Anyway, Michael. I am actually happy to see that you are still awake."

He walks up to me and says;

"You know that 'The Day Of The Chosen' is coming up."

He extends his hand and says;

"Here you go."

I hold out my hand, and he puts something in my hand and says;

"Tell no one about this."

I open up my hand and see that it is a white rock. I gasp for air while looking at it and say;

"What is this?"

"It is what you think it is."

"But, I can not..."

He interrupts me and says;

"You are one of the minds that we need down here. We can not take a chance of you pulling a red rock and you dying out there."

"But Dr. John. You don't know that we will die outside. We don't know anything that is going on on the surface of the earth. By taking this rock, it is cheating the system."

"It is a necessary evil, Michael. The scientists discussed this, and we all agreed that you are the only one to receive a rock to ensure that you stay. You are the brightest we have down here, and we can not afford to lose you."

Here I am standing with a dilemma. Should I take the chance of accepting the rock or take the chance of picking a rock without help? I ask Dr. John;

"When is The Day Of The Chosen?"

"We still have a few days before we will all gather. After we have chosen, then two days later, those that have a red rock will make their way to the sealed doors. Why do you ask, Michael?"

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