A. N.- My deepest and most sincere apologies. I would greatly appreciate more feedback, especially constructive criticism.
The Fears
The following morning dawned sunny and cheerful, with no hint of the climatic troubles of the previous day or the disaster zone San Francisco was to soon be. The previous night had been a long, weary one, and the conclusion of Mrs. Cress and Ms. Blackwell was that the most likely cause of death was that Ms. de Miles had had a heart attack, as there were no signs of external injury, nor were there any indications of internal problems. The entire neighborhood was awakened by a loud whirring noise as a bright green helicopter descended from the clouds.
“Ah! Good, he’s here already.” Alan hurriedly dressed in a pale grey suit and hobbled downstairs and out of the building to greet the craft, which was christened The Green Duchess.
Within half an hour, all of the visitors and staff had turned out to the field, which now held two helicopters, and a breakfast buffet provided by the boardinghouse down the street.
“Attention, please. May I have your attention, please? Thank you. All right, I have just been informed by an associate of mine that San Francisco will soon be a bad place to be.” Later, people swore that during that pause, when he swallowed, he looked slightly guilty. “Therefore, if the following people will join me aboard The Green Duchess and the rest of you board The Symphony, we will attempt to return to New York and find a decent location in which to stay. Again, will the following folks join me on The Green Duchess. Amelia Fleming, Eugene Hony, Derek Mastin, Lexes Cress, Autumn McNeely, Taylor Callihan, Crystal Harris, Jeremy Cress, Harmony Davis, Seth Meade, Oliver Stewart, and Melodie Hunt. Join me on The Green Duchess.
As the throng grabbed everything that they could, the twelve named and Alan boarded the emerald chopper. A large coffee cake with mugs and pitchers of coffee, tea, creamer, and sugar stood around the table. Alan pulled out a chair for Amelia, then sat down himself. He looked around at them.
“Take a seat, take a seat! Whatever are you waiting for?” Chairs scraped against the floor as the people sat down at the table. “I don’t really know an easy way to say this, so I’m just going to start talking.
The United States government has dissolved. Many key leaders are dead, and the ones that aren’t have scattered. For some unknown reason, paper nationwide has disintegrated. The world is essentially dissolving into chaos.”
Collective gasps echoed around the table as what Alan had said sank in. Shock, disbelief, panic, fear, and determination were evident on every face, from typically calm, placid Amelia Fleming and jolly Crystal Harris to fiery Eugene Hony and argumentative Derek Mastin.
“All right, you’ve had your fun. Enough suspense. What do you know that you’re not telling us, hmm? You’re being far too quiet and calm. Any other time, your passionate arguments would be heard over everyone else. What exactly is going on?” Harmony’s clear voice cut through the cacophony of chatter and gabble.
Al chuckled. “Very observant of you, Harmony. Sharp as always.
You see, what is happening is that a group of influential people have banded together to form an organization called CrisisRelief. Currently, one of the most devastated areas in the U. S. is New York City, so the recently restabilized military under the command of former five-star General Jimmy Britain has headed up to keep order. Judge Isabella Warmack is more or less chairing the organization. Johnny Johnson Jr., the famed education expert, and Jodi Rhoden, the main anchor for New York Nightly News at Nine, are working together to keep the citizens informed and up to date, and to continue gathering public support, so they have brought the founder of Omni, the trillion-dollar department store, Sharon Farmes, in as a public sponsor. The ingenious founder of the revolutionary Air Spaces America airline is working to stabilize the electricity, water, and sewage to the city. They want me to come back and help out, though how much help I’ll be I don’t know, what with my injured leg and all. For a while, we’ll be rejoining the others in Ellis Field. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find more permanent lodgings, as I feel that it will be a safe place for a while, and I don’t think that America’s condition will be improving very soon.”
“So why are you still concerned about this?” Jeremy was quick to catch the look of apprehension that flitted across Alan’s face.
“I’m not worried about anything! Why would I be? What are you talking about?” Alan protested, but it was so transparent that everyone could instantly tell that he was lying.
“You’re being quite transpicuous, dear. Spill it. Something is worrying you, or I’m a monkey’s uncle.” Paige’s keen stare pierced his eyes, calling his bluff.
“I don’t think you need to bother yourself over my paranoia. I don’t really want” He was cut off.
“We didn’t ask what you wanted, you see? We told you to tell us. Now, once again, what on earth is going on?” All eyes turned to Autumn, who had been so quiet that anything coming out of her mouth would have been a surprise, but this kind of outburst was extremely unexpected.
Alan heaved a great sigh, and took a long swig of tea. Setting down his cup on the table, he began to relate his anxieties. “I’ve been warned that there are rumors of the institution of a class system. A class system with the leaders of this organization on top and in charge. And I’m seeing more and more evidence that these rumors are becoming reality.”
He took another deep breath, and then continued his narrative.
“Not only have I seen all of these warning signs and identified the danger, but I’m charging full throttle into the risk. To make matters worse, I’m dragging all of you with me.”
