Containment in Skyscrapers - Chapter 2

[tankicola 111]

Chapter two

 

A miasma of mundane sombreness seemed to follow Captain Rose, whose talks of over-complicated building schedules' tedium had seemed to increase in intensity as they advanced.  Many of the recruits had had to be slapped back into reality, as the lazy heat got hotter. So it was no surprise that when recruits Bill, Cherry, Leo, Liam and Shaun finally reached the end, they were extremely grateful. When Rose saw them all collapsing into armchairs and rubbing their eyes, she frowned in disapproval. Exchanging knowing looks with Redman, she said; “ You should really get used to this, you know.”

Bill, Cherry, Leo and Shaun gaped at her. 

“Go to bed,” she advised them, “Looks like you need the rest.”

“Ah-no don’t go yet!” said Redman, strolling into the garage. 

“What? Marshal Redman, I think that they can have some rest,” said Rose, looking concerned. (Her eyes had roved over the bedraggled-looking Cherry, the pallid face of Bill, and the sweat on Liam, Leo and Shaun’s shirts.) 

“I still have to give you the training course,” replied Redman robustly.

Rose looked rather scandalized at being reprimanded for her soft-heartedness and stomped away, exceedingly morose.

“You will have ten weeks to finish this, and whoever finishes best, in our professional eyes, shall be chosen. I expect you all to be working very hard. Very hard indeed,” he dropped some leaflets on the floor.  One was patchy and dusty, one clean, one scribbled all over, another ripped, and the last one looking slightly beaten down.“Now, to bed!” 

And with that, he left, leaving a ringing silence in the room. Bill, Cherry, Leo, Liam and Shaun looked at each other. There was a scramble, and two minutes later, Shaun was clutching a clean, fresh edition of the guard, and displaying a bruised knee, Liam holding onto a dusty copy, with a slightly custodian gleam in his eyes. A continuum of the skirmish was where Bill, Cherry and Leo stood. 

“What in the?!” 

A blaze of light lit up the garage, as Rose and Redman stood, frozen, staring at the copies strewn across the floor, and the thrashing figures of Bill, Cherry and Leo. A white-hot, blazing sun lit up the sky, which was a ragged explosion of orange, purple and red. 

“What do you think you’re doing?! “ yelled Redman. 

“It’s six in the morning!”

 

[Person_Random 4,991]

Approved.

Great second chapter to a new story series! (Wow, that was exactly 400 words - talk about precision. In future, if you could merge two chapters to make a longer piece, that would be preferable.) I like the great character development and the fun plot, and hope this great writing continues. Keep up the great work and productivitiy!

Edits: None.