| |
Invercharing Community
Murray buzzed. The Community’s old computer now had more RAM and Gigabytes. He’d written a couple of programs. The calculations, completed in moments, flew past his screen.
He was in heaven.
They now had more data on file, larger storage, more historical records, engineering and agricultural information, music and electronic instruments, and enough maths programs to keep him very happy for a while.
The Government’s computers had a million times more data though. They communicated with each other, and apparently, in the Government Bunker they had an intranet. Murray sat back in his chair, his eyes dry from peering at a screen for hours.
The control-room was quiet. The Government people sleeping on camp stretchers now began small stirrings.
Was it morning already? Had he been at it the entire night?
Murray nudged Stan beside him, his head dropped off his folded arms resting on the table.
“What! Oh.” His mouth hung open and one eye stuck closed with sleep.
The aroma of warm food wafted past Murray’s nose.
Hmm, bread.
“Breakfast,” Ceilidh called as she stepped her way through the awakening bodies and placed plates of warm bannocks and a large pot of porridge on the table in the middle of the control-room.
Murray nudged Stan again and then walked over and took a bowl from the pile.
“So, you’ve got a taste for it now, Murray?” MacIntosh stood next to him.
“What? Oh, yes.” He didn’t mean the porridge, that’s for sure.
“So, you’ll come back with us?” MacIntosh’s voice was encouraging, with a determined edge to it.
“Seriously, I have to ask Rory first. I can’t give you an answer until then.” Murray wanted to go, but this guy’s insistence was getting...well. He hunched his shoulders, trying to suppress a niggle of anxiety tweaking the edges of his reasoning.
“How is everyone this morning?” Angela’s voice was cheery as she approached the breakfast table. Definitely not her norm. She dressed in a blouse and a straight skirt with her long red hair loosely tied behind her. “Has everyone recovered from our excitement yesterday?”
Murray scowled at her. She was making light of it. Like it happens every day, and they were experts at dealing with that kind of onslaught. He doubted it would have been over and done with so quickly if the Government’s machine cannon wasn’t here. Angela stood closer to McIntosh, her arm brushed against his, as she offered him bannocks.
She’d been very friendly with the visitors.
Too friendly.
Obviously friendly, and more, in fact, if yesterday’s incident was anything to go by. Wow, he hoped he’d never see that again. The heat rose to Murray’s cheeks. He walked back to his chair in front of the computer and opened an Excel document. Anything to take his mind off that memory. His attention flicked back to Angela. She was up to something.
“Mr Macintosh—” Angela pushed stray strands of hair behind her ear.
“Please, call me William.” The man placed the finished bowl of porridge on the table.
“William, you have been so busy with the computer geeks, if that’s what you call them, you haven’t had a look around our compound, now have you?”
Uh, oh. What if this guided tour gets as personal as the last one? How embarrassing. Angela looked desperate—cringingly so.
What was she after?
Murray would have to keep tabs on his ambitious big sister today.
After Angela had finished breakfast, she escorted MacIntosh out of the control-room. Murray ditched his unfinished porridge and followed, keeping his distance. Angela walked MacIntosh to the room where the Chief Council met.
Showing off their tables they line up to look like a boardroom?
“And in here we make all our important decisions regarding the governing of our Community.” Angela waved MacIntosh into the meeting room, then followed. Murray stood outside the still open door, out of sight.
“I, myself, have been on the Chief Council for the past six years now, since my mother passed away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” MacIntosh sounded respectful.
“Caitlin Murray-Campbell, my mother, was a founding member of the Community. And indeed, of the Community way of life and system of government. She groomed me for leadership from a young age, having seen my potential. They say I am very like her.” Angela’s voice wafted through the doorway.
Yep, except Mum was humble.
“Here we adjudicate disputes and make informed and important decisions affecting the Community. And as you know, we are concerned about those who live outside our Community and any incidents which may impact us and them. The present situation with the nuclear problem is an example of our dedication to the welfare of Scotland.”
“Hmm.” It was hard to tell if it impressed MacIntosh or not.
“Let me take you to our meeting hall, where we assemble the whole Community.” Angela strode out the door.
Murray ducked back into the doorway behind him. When Angela and MacIntosh moved off, he continued his tail.
“For a young person I have a great amount of experience in governing and making important decisions.” Angela’s voice echoed in the hall. “The other members of the Chief Council find my leadership skills impressive. They would be the first to tell you I am an asset to this Community and, indeed, would be an asset in any form of government.’
What did she want?
“I heard you speaking to my younger brother, Murray. You mentioned taking him back to the Government Bunker.”
“A young lad with those skills, it would be a shame to waste them.” MacIntosh sounded enthusiastic once more. “We could teach him a great deal.”
“So, you want him to visit the Government Bunker?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful. But he feels he needs the permission of his older brother, Rory.”
“I may be able to persuade Rory.” There was a suggestive note to her tone.
“Oh, I’d appreciate it greatly, Miss Murray-Campbell.”
“And you would want someone with governing experience to return with you? Surely the Government needs someone who has experienced life out here and knows how to survive, and has a deep knowledge of the people up top, as you call us?” Angela’s voice dropped. “A valuable resource, a team member who would be an ideal representative of the Communities when the Scottish Government rules overtly, once more?”
“Well, those sorts of decisions are not up to me.”
“But you could put a good word in for me, couldn’t you?” Angela’s tone was unusually soft.
A silence came from the room as Murray stood behind its door.
What’s goin’ on?
“Miss Murray-Campbell! I’m a married man!”
“Oh! Okay. Beg your pardon.” Angela’s sharp authoritative voice returned. “Let me show you our science facilities.”
The sounds of Angela’s clicking heels, followed by MacIntosh’s footsteps, made their way out of the assembly hall. Murray dashed inside and through the hall in time to see MacIntosh disappearing into the barn where they stored the scientific equipment, meagre as it was. Compared to the equipment the Government brought, it was an embarrassment. Why would she want to show MacIntosh that?
Murray snuck along the corridor that Angela had taken her guest into. Why was she showing him their archaic computer equipment in the almost bare technical room? Well, at least the old computer had more RAM now.
Still so unimpressive.
Murray ducked into a side room once more as Angela guided MacIntosh out of the small room and led him along the corridor to...oh, no!
In her enthusiasm, Angela strode fast and the large man behind her easily kept up with her pace. Murray caught up as they entered the room where they housed The Time Machine.
“Angela, no!” Murray’s voice rang out in the high raftered barn.
MacIntosh stepped over the cables taped to the hard-packed earthen-floor and cast his gaze over the console containing the controls for The Time Machine.
“What do we have here?” He ran his hand along the metal console then glanced up at the fibreglass cubicle, which had once been an old shower recess.
“Angela. No,” Murray said, his voice firm.
MacIntosh’s eyes flicked up to Murray’s, they held curiosity. MacIntosh faced Angela.
“Tell me—”
“Only if you promise to let me come to the Government Bunker.” Angela’s response was lightning fast.
“No, Angela!” Murray’s voice rang out in the barn. He ran over the cold, dirt floor to where the power chords connected to their electricity supply and pulled them out.
“Okay. He’s all riled up. You’ve got to tell me.” MacIntosh’s tone was suddenly greedy, his left eye twitched as his stare bore into Murray.
“No, Angela.” Murray’s nails dug into his palms as he faced them both.
“Quiet, brother. You don’t know what’s at stake here.” Her eyes were wide as she turned to him.
“Angela, you don’t know what’s at stake here. Don’t!” He shook his head so hard his neck hurt.
“Time Machine.” Angela barely spoke it, her throat convulsing in a swallow.
“What?” MacIntosh’s hands paused on the control console.
“Nothing.” Murray fought to calm the adrenalin surge. “Just something we’ve been playing with.” His throat tightened with an anguish and an anger at his sister, like nothing he’d ever experienced.
Shut up Angela, leave it at that.
“It’s a Time Machine and it works. My brother Rory has used it twice.” Angela gulped as she stood straighter.
Yep, and that same brother, Rory, is going to kill you.
“You can have permission to examine it if you promise to take me with you when you return to the Government Bunker.” Angela’s eyes narrowed.
Murray’s breath began to falter. She’d done it. She’d really done it. Sold everyone out for her ambitious desires.
Oh, hell.
