Chapter Two
I regained consciousness lying in bed inside a crisp white room. The room had no windows and no mirrors. The only light coming from a florescent tube stuck on the ceiling above. Everything inside this room was sparkling clean and the entire room smelt of disinfectant. A buzz went off and a door opened letting in a tall man who wore black rimmed spectacles and a white medical overcoat. His mud-brown eyes flickered as a flash of excitement overcame his initial complacency when he saw me staring directly at him.
‘Ah, Mister Daniel Snow, finally, you are awake!’ He seemed overly relieved.
‘Where am I?’
‘Someone is here to see you.’ Said the man dressed like a doctor but looked and acted more like a corporate executive. He then spoke into his bright orange wrist band and the white door hissed open again, this time letting in a recognizable face.
‘Danny my boy!’ Uncle Henry exclaimed before rushing to me, grabbing and kissing my forehead repeatedly. His jet black curly hair I noticed had a few grays. Underneath the layers of hair in the front, I could see his big blue eyes peek through.
‘When I heard you were in a plane crash,' he said, ‘I couldn’t believe this was happening all over again.’
We both knew what he meant.
'I’m sorry Uncle,' I said, 'but when I received your call, I was concerned something bad might happen. I had to come.’
‘No my boy, am perfectly alright.’ He said in reply.
‘Uncle, where am I?’
‘You are in good hands Danny, at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Maryland, Washington DC.’
‘And am happy to say your scan results revealed no injuries what so ever sustained during the crash, which begs the question.’ Interjected the strange looking doctor, ‘For a Boeing 747 plane with four hundred thirty two passengers on board, you sir, were the only survivor. How was that possible?’
‘I don’t know what you are talking about doc.’ I replied staring at him. I felt confused and bitter all at one go. My heart sunk as I recalled those horrified screaming faces.
‘My laptop,' I suddenly recalled. 'Where is my laptop?’
‘Am afraid everyone and everything else got fried.’ The man replied. He seemed rather bemused by his own reply.
‘Uncle it was so horrible.’ I found myself saying. ‘I thought I was going to die.’
‘It’s okay my boy, come here.’ bringing my head to rest against his chest.
‘It wasn’t a crash Uncle,’ I whispered to him, still pressed against him. The strange looking doctor I observed had turned his back preparing some kind of medication in a syringe.
‘It was a missile that struck us.’
I could feel Uncle Henry’s chest tighten, so did his grip.
‘Can you still use those?’ He asked pointing at my covered feet.
‘I guess so.’
‘Then you’ll need them very soon.’
He let go of me and slowly moved towards the doctor.
The next few minutes were frantic, I could say taken right out of a movie script. We were bolting through the hospital corridor. Uncle Henry had grabbed the man from behind and forced the syringe into his neck emptying its green contents into him. The man’s eyes had flipped, pupils disappearing, and his body convulsing violently in just a matter of seconds.
Outside the Hospital, we jumped into a cab.
‘Take us to the University of Washington.’ Uncle Henry commanded the cab driver.
Outside the University of Washington campus, we raced right through droves of seemingly star struck students at what I guessed was Uncle Henry’s newly found fame as we headed for the department of Astronomy before bursting into a rather quiet office.
Inside, behind a stash of books, sat a white bearded man probably in his mid or late seventies.
‘Look what the cat dragged in.' the old man said as soon as he looked up through intimidating spectacles. 'Simply put, I can’t believe my eyes. My, is this you Professor Bradford?’
‘Yes it is, Professor Gilliam.’ Uncle Henry replied almost out of breath.
‘And who is the young protégé? The one clinging to you?’
‘Actually, it’s my Nephew Danny, sorry Daniel Snow.’ Uncle replied still breathing heavily. The old man didn’t seem to take any notice of our rather unusual breathing or in the least concerned.
‘Oh I see. Some kind of family reunion I guess?’
‘Not exactly, no.’
‘Hey, congratulations on your Nobel prize, you beat me to it spot.’
‘Thank you professor, but like you know, it was a team effort.’ Uncle Henry affirmed.
‘Indeed.’ The Old man reaffirmed.
He went round his desk and came towards us shaking Uncle’s hand first and then mine. Surprisingly, he had quite a firm grip.
‘Your theory on gas formations in the worm holes and the use of gravitational lensing to discover exo-planets,' the old man said, 'simply put, was mind blowing. You see spot, when you’re my age you tend to see things more in perspective than in imaginative.’
‘Thank you, but sorry to cut you short. I was looking for Doctor Lynn, thought this might be her office.’
‘Oh, she’s next door spot. I preferred this office to my old office, so I had her moved into mine and vice versa. But you wouldn’t know that would you?’
‘No I wouldn’t. I was down south busy observing stars.’
‘Find time so we can chat, over a beer maybe?’
‘I will. It’s a promise. Thanks professor.’
And just like that, we were out of one office storming into the next.