The Wongadibles and the Mysterious Island

Chapter 6

        The next morning Molly entered the hospital, this time in different clothes. She no longer wore the white uniform of the hospital staff. Instead she wore a comfotable white sundress and large brimmed hat. Alex had said that he didn't intend to be spending much time at the hospital, so she found no reason to wear her uniform. She walked into his room and found him sitting on his bed with a pencil and some parchment in his hand. He was scribbling furiously, she thought he might be drawing something. He was wearing his goggles again, he probably never took them off while he was awake. At first he didn't look up, then she closed the door audibly. He looked up and she regarded him with a smile. However, instead of returning the gesture he merely looked back down and asked: "Does everyone only wear white here?" Not the greeting she was hoping for.

        "No, most people do, but we do have other colors. We find that white is a very neutral color, they say that color can affect mood." she said defensively, smoothing her dress out consciously. He rolled his eyes, though she couldn't tell, and hopped out of his bed. She wished he wouldn't move, he tried to hide it but she could tell that his body still hurt, she knew since yesterday. At least the rest of his companions were more compliant and agreed to stay at the hospital until they got better, although in their defense there was almost nothing else they could do. Alex slipped on some shoes, white, of course, and walked over to Molly, handing her the sheet he had been writing on when she came in. She scanned it. It was a list, with a multitude of materials scrawled on it. She had trouble reading it at first, his handwriting really was awful.

        "This is going to be everything I need. First I need to go down to the shipyard to see what exactly I can salvage from Genesis. There was some hull damage but I think I can use the remains as the start of the base. The keel will have to be entirely remeasured though." He kept muttering, more to himself than to her. He left the room, his pace too fast, forcing her to follow behind, taking two steps for every one of his just to catch up. All the way through the hospital he was taking the lead, forcing her to think that this was backwards. Wasn't she supposed to be the one escorting him? They made it into the elevator and began the slow descent to the lobbey. For the first few floors Alex said nothing, simply staring at the wall, lost in thought. Finally Molly decided to break the silence.

        "If you're going to be using the synthesizer and building your ship almost from scratch, you're going to need help. You don't know the equipment and you can't build an entire ship by yourself. I have ties with the science centers, I can help you, and we can get some of the people from the shipyard to build it while we're off getting other supplies, as long as you supply them with a blueprint of it."

        He glanced at her briefly. Had she said "we?" There was no "we" in this operation. There was him and the girl he needed in order to get around. "No." He said deliberately. "There is no we, there's you and there's me. I don't need any help. Anyone else would just get in my way. No one understands the ship except me."

        "Is that because you built it, or because you don't want anyone else involved?" Molly asked, though it was obvious she already knew the answer. She wasn't a psychologist, but from what she could tell Alex was the kind of person who kept to himself. Alex didn't respond, mulling things over in his mind. He eventually gave in, though not completely. "One small squad, no more than 20 people. And you," He looked at Molly. "I'll only allow you to help me personally. You're here to keep an eye on me right? Might as well put it to good use." He concluded, obviously not happy. He knew she was right, but he didn't like it. She, on the other hand, smiled. At least he trusted her enough to keep her close.

        "I'll do my best." She said.

        "Thank you... Molly." Alex said. Molly smiled, she didn't expect him to remember her name.