Kirkland came to. Very quickly, to his surprise.
In the light from the sign both Kirkland and the man in the wheelchair could see that he was bleeding. Kirkland could already feel his forehead beginning to swell. This made him furious.
“You bloody idiot!” Kirkland addressed the man in the wheelchair.
“You took quite the fall there.” the man said in a tone that was bordering cold.
Kirkland shuddered. Where did he recognize that voice? He knew he had heard it before.
“What is your name?” asked the man, he was testing to make sure Kirkland’s brain function was somewhere close to an optimal level.
“Kirkland O’Flannery.” stated Kirkland, a little miffed.
“Kirkland O’Flannery.” said the man, maintaining his demeanor. “You are just the man I wanted to see. My name is Theodore Redding”.
Kirkland suddenly came to a full realization as to why the voice was familiar. Theodore continued.
“You may remember me as the applicant who was unfit to work for your organization because I am bound to a wheelchair.”
“Yes, I remember, you little weasel!” grumbled Kirkland.
Undaunted, Theodore continued with his monologue. He was going to get through the whole thing. His, Kirkland’s, and everyone else’s lives would depend on how well this conversation went.
“I now work for the World Geological Survey, and I am head of the London branch. My former superior has drilled a hole deep into the earth’s crust where it is believed that there is electricity producing crystals. If my former boss can get access to these crystals, we will need your company’s electrical expertise. What do you say? Want to partner up?”
Kirkland frowned. “I think your boss was pulling your leg Theodore, you naive human being. As you can see there is still light emanating from this sign and nowhere else, so far. Now get out of my way so I can go home and clean up this mess on my forehead somehow.”
Kirkland turned to go, but Theodore called to him. “Maybe it’s the crystals! Or, maybe that higher power my grandmother kept talking about is actually at work here.”
Kirkland was enraged at this thought. He took five quick steps toward Theodore.
“Theodore, Without me, there is no light. I am the light of the world. The Lord God Almighty…” Kirkland spat the last three words out as irreverently as possible “…is obviously not interested in us anymore. Since nobody is offering any logical solution to this problem I’ll solve it myself. Without you and your silly organization! I’ve lived my whole life in total control of everything that ever happened until recently. I will regain control!”
Kirkland turned on his heel to head home.
Theodore followed Kirkland at a distance and then turned at a side street that lead to his main level apartment. He wished his grandmother were here now to explain things.
Kirkland was still in a rush from pumping himself up outside the church. He loved having all this power and energy. He had never felt more confident since the start of the chaos. He would find an answer to the energy woes of the world. As far as he was concerned, nobody, not even the Lord God Almighty would be able to stop him and his intelligence. First he had to do something about his seeping cut.
Theodore approached the door to his building when quick footsteps startled him.
“Theodore!”
It was a World Geological Survey field agent, as they were called now.
“What is the problem, Agent 5?” inquired Theodore. He knew the numbering system should be improved, but these were extremely quick changes that had to be made in a short amount of time.
“Sea levels at the Cliffs of Dover are rising!” stated Agent 5.
Theodore was temporarily terrified at the possible outcome of all of this.
“Thank you for letting me know. Go back and monitor things and let me know if they get any worse.”
The agent promptly disappeared.
Theodore thought for a minute as to what could possibly make such a dramatic change in the tide. The moon must be out-of-order. With no light, there was no way to tell. It could be coming straight for earth and nobody would ever know. What a large amount of trouble that would be if that were the case. Theodore continued to wonder at the possibility for a minute or two, but soon after sleep beckoned. If it did happen, Theodore reasoned to himself, it would take more than a mere day.
Theodore resolved to sleep soundly that night, and so did Kirkland, but for entirely different reasons. One out of confidence, the other to avoid sheer terror.