Chapter 1: Middleseton Disaster

'I can see Carole and Danielle.' Elizabeth couldn't remember when she last felt so happy. She couldn't remember when she last felt happy.
Camera 4 focused on seven circular safety release valves. Ting couldn't pan nor enlarge this view.

Button 5 surprised Ting. On the mini-screen the interior of the room Ting was sitting in, complete with Elizabeth and Flakey was there for all to see.

'Is that what I look like?' asked Flakey, not too displeased.

'Yes,' replied Ting. 'but why have a screen watching what we're doing?'

'Maybe there's another room, with another set of buttons.' Flakey mentioned this but didn't expect much of a response.

'Flakey has to be right,' Elizabeth smiled at her hero then asked about button 6. 'What does that do?'

'Only one way to find out.' Ting activated the sixth button by pressing in the side button.

All six camera views appeared together in a row across the top of the holographic screen.

'All the pipes are green. The lake has been drained.' announced Elizabeth, 'switch to camera 2 so we know where the ducks are.'

'The Sounds are out of their ducks,' exclaimed Flakey. 'they're making their way toward us. I'm going out to meet them. There are so many.'

'Go with Flakey, please Elizabeth. I've got to find an escape route from here. If Flakey is right, and I think he is we've missed something hidden in this room.' Ting should have felt excited but no-one have been rescued yet. 'Take the Sounds to the train.'

Ting picked up the telephone. He pressed zero on the dial pad.

'How can I help?' The same recorded voice spoke through the speaker.

'Other rooms.' Ting thought it best to speak to recordings like this

'Which other rooms?'

'Upper floor.' Ting guessed.

'Access denied.'

Ting guessed again.'L...

... middle of paper ...

... Alex Henry's guitar case, sleeping off a long night playing with his blues band. Alex played very fast, scales hardly had time to think before rushing off again.' Ezra wiped away a tear, 'I didn't see how we got here, I only know we did. How about you?'

'I came through that wall over a week before the festivities opened to the public.' Ting remembered sunny days and holidays.'Middleseton is such a lovely place when the sun is out.'

'What's that needle doing?'

'It's steady at 70.'

'Why were you in Middleseton a week before everybody else?'' Ezra encouraged Ting to share something, anything to unblock the mental pathways to his past. 'You never talk about yourself or how you feel. Everyone knows how concerned you are for Flakey and Elizabeth and getting them to the Safe Place. Obviously it's very important to you but why are you such are a mystery, an enigma...'