Your Note In Two Days

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

Sarah and I are standing in my lab talking about going to the shaft that she has discovered. I agree to go with her and take the flashlights to charge them. Terry brings the two girls with him so that I can explain to them not to say anything about what we overheard. Once I get the flashlights to the charging station, I return from my room with my backpack. Dr. John is waiting for me in my lab, and we start talking.

I start to fidget with the strap of the backpack and say to Dr. John;

"Backpack?"

"Yes, Michael. The backpack on your back."

I stand up straight to project some confidence and say;

"It is for my work, Dr. John."

"Oh. Do tell me."

"I can not afford to waste any more time by walking two or three times to get stuff that I need. So, by using my backpack, I will only have to walk once, and that ensures that I am spending less time outside of the lab and more time inside."

He nods a few times and says;

"That is a great idea."

"Thank you, Dr. John. Are you checking up on me?"

"Yes. We need solutions to the problems that we are experiencing down here."

"I know, Dr. John. I am working as hard as I can.

"Looking at the whiteboard, you are still exactly where you were two days ago."

I stroke the back of my neck as I say;

"I know that it might seem so, but I am working in my head. I will update the board once I have figured something out."

"Okay. Please keep in mind that we do not have a lot of time to screw around. We need solutions to purify the air down here as quickly as possible as we are running out of oxygen."

I quickly put one and one together. My eyes grow wide upon hearing what Dr. John just said to me. What if this was what The Unknown Female Voice and Dr. John were talking about last night? The headaches, tiredness, and then productivity start declining. I decide to speak up and say;

"Dr. John. Are we running out of oxygen down here, and how severe is it?"

Dr. John starts walking closer to me. His voice deepens as he tells me;

"Yes, Michael. We have about two weeks left of good air left. Now, I need you to focus on getting to a viable solution how we can solve this problem, okay?"

I nod frantically. A rush of sudden fear comes over me. I start to breathe rapidly, my hands are all clammy, and I can not concentrate as I stare into empty space. As of now, I know what Dr. John and the mystery woman were talking about last night. If I do not come up with a solution quickly, we all will die down here. Dr. John continues;

"Now you understand why we all need you to focus on your work, Michael."

I put my hands on my hips and quickly respond;

"Wait. Why is it that everyone is counting on me? What are The Scientists doing about this problem? Why aren't they sharing their work with others so that we all could come up with solutions?"

Dr. John crosses his arms and says;

"Just how many times do I have to say it to you, Michael? You are the best and brightest down here. The Scientists have been trying, but even on your worst day, you are still a hundred times better than any one of them. That is why we need you. That is why we gave you the white rock so that you can continue to try and figure out how to solve this problem."

"Fine. I will work my butt off."

Dr. John's eyes narrow, and I notice his furrowed brows appearing as he asks;

"Why do I have a feeling that a 'but' is going to follow?"

"But. I want to work for one week without people disturbing me or checking in with me. I will give it my all to try to get to a solution. I want full access to my lab and with whatever equipment I might need, no questions asked."

Dr. John stands there for a few seconds as he thinks about my proposal. He closes the gap between us, holds out his hand, and says;

"You drive a hard bargain, Michael. Fine, agreed. I will make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that you get all the assistance that you need. But, I want an update every second day. You can write me a note and leave it under my door. That way, I know what is going on, and I can update The Scientists on your progress so that they can relax. Do you accept the premise?"

"Fine. I will do so."

Dr. John lets my hand go. He takes a few steps backward while he smiles and says;

"Wonderful. Now we will get some extra work done. And hopefully, by next week, our problems might be a thing of the past."

I return the feeling of happiness. I can work without someone bothering me the entire time, and I can go with my sister without people looking for me. Maybe now I can get some work done. I tell him;

"I hope so too, Dr. John."

"Okay then. I am going to leave you now to start your work. Oh, and one more thing."

He puts his hand in his pocket and takes out something that sounds like a chain. Once he puts it on the table, he looks at me and smiles;

"I take it you will give this back to your friend?"

I cover my face with my hand while shaking my head. I look up at Dr. John and stand there tight-lipped, as I have nothing to say to him. Dr. John knew that we were there all along. He asks me;

"I take it you told them not to say anything to anyone about what you all overheard?"

I nod and reply;

"It is for the greater good that no one knows what was said."

"Good. I am glad you understand what must be done to protect everyone around us. I am looking forward to your note in two days. Good luck, Michael."

"Thank you, Dr. John."

I watch as he walks to my lab door. He opens it, and for a few seconds, he stares back to look at me and continues to walk out, closing the door behind him. I lay my arms on the table and rest my head for a few seconds to catch my breath. That was intense talking to him. I start looking around the lab to think of anything else we might need to take with us tonight. I put a few of the tools into my backpack. I grab two empty bottles to fill them with water and walk out of my lab. I straight to the cafeteria. I wave at a few people sitting around. Terry jumps up and waves at me like a mad man to join them at the table. I fill the two bottles and walk over to their table. Terry seems so happy to see me. I walk over to them, and he says;

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to get some water."

I take a seat next to Stacy. I smile at her and lean in to kiss her on her cheek. She struggles to maintain eye contact with me as she starts to blush. She puts her hand on my thigh. Terry quickly says;

"We were just about to go, but now that you are here. We can stay a little while longer."

Sheila's eyes start to narrow as she doesn't like me very much since the incident. Since then, she manages to act all snobbish around me. I take Terry's chain out of my pocket and hand it back to him. He gasps for air as he asks;

"I thought it was lost forever. Where did you get it?"

"Let's just stick with I found it and that you are happy you have it back."

Sheila starts to frown as she says;

"He stole it, and now he is giving it back."

I cross my arms, give her half a smile and say;

"It is always a delight to talk to you."

Stacy says;

"Aren't you hungry? You and I can get something to eat together? What do you say?"

Sheila quickly responds;

"No. We need to go."

Stacy looks at her and say;

"You two can go so long. I will come and find you when we are done."

Standing there listening to them talking, I hear Terry's voice saying: 'You got to make some time with Stacy and make my decision. I look Stacy and say to her;

"You know what. I would love to get something to eat with you."

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