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10. Stress

Author: Lady GLOW
last update Last Updated: 2024-03-22 00:47:58

At The Auxiliary Armory PLC

When Tim informed the Head of State that he did not want to inherit Gen. McDonald's staff members, he planned to investigate and lay off those who would not be loyal to him. Apart from that, he wished to find out if he had accomplices among the staff members. All the same, he continued following up the meeting. So, far, George was representing him well.

“I wish to thank you, for your cooperation. The President would be happy to hear this,” George smiled and appreciated them after the meeting. 

They smiled genuinely and answered one after the other, “It is my pleasure, Sgt. Young.”

“Wow! I am glad to have you, Sergeant."

“It was a wonderful time being with you. I have learned one or two things,” the Personnel Manager stated happily and the people laughed. 

Although he coded the new thing that he learned it was obvious that he meant how he put Laura where she belonged.

“I'm happy that I added to your knowledge, Capt. Jaja,” George responded cheerfully and requested, “One more thing, General Manager.”

Capt. Bolton leaped forward immediately and asked, “How may I be of help, Sgt. Young?”

“I need to visit your departments or my report to the General will not be complete.”

“That is good enough,” he answered gleefully and waited for him to get up but he did not. Rather, he looked at the other managers and announced, “You can return to your offices. The General Manager will bring me soon.”

The proposal was suitable for the managers because the little time would give them the chance to keep their offices in order.

“That is good enough,” they responded simultaneously and got up at once. They walked briskly out of the office and Laura wondered why they were rushing.

“Is the meeting over?” She murmured and called on the janitor.

“You called me, Miss Dickson,” she announced when she arrived.

“Yes, Mabel. The meeting in the President's office is over. Kindly clear the table.”

“Okay, Miss Dickson,” she accepted and moved.

George was still at the conference table with the General Manager when the door opened and they were attracted to it. Mabel walked in and he requested at once, “Call the Secretary for me?”

The startled janitor who was seeing him for the first time because she was busy cleaning when he arrived answered fearfully, “Okay, Boss,” and walked back in trepidation.

“The man with the General Manager wished to see you, Miss Dickson,” she informed her. 

Laura gave her a puzzled look before she got up and walked into the office.

'Is that small boy the new President?' she asked herself and waited for Laura to come out before she would go in and clear the table.

Meanwhile, the moment George saw her, he instructed, “Clear the table quickly, Secretary. We are going to the Personnel Department. 

“I got it, Sgt Young,” she accepted and cursed him in her heart.

'Stupid boy,' before she began to clear the table. 

She carried the used cups to her office and the janitor was surprised.

“Take this from me, Mabel,” she said and handed the tray of cups to her. 

She looked at her angry face before she complied. Although she was not aware of her reason for clearing the table for her she believed that it was odd.

“Thank you, Miss Dickson for helping me out,” she appreciated her, collected the tray, and walked away. 

Laura did not respond rather, she walked back to her seat in despair and began to wait. Shortly, the duo walked out of the President's office and George shut the door.

They walked past her without a word and she got up and followed them. When George said 'We are going to the Personnel Department' she misinterpreted it. She believed that he meant that they would go together.

“We can use the staircase, Capt. Bolton. It is part of my familiarisation tour,” he declared and moved towards it.

“I have no problem with that, Sgt. Young,” the General Manager said and they moved.

At Laura's House

Gerald and Samuel were distraught when they did not get through with their call. They felt that they should get additional information about Tim's death and plan how to go about their search.

“Your food is ready, Gerald and Samuel,” the chef who assumed that they should be starving, informed them. 

“Thank you for that Madam Ella but it can wait,” Gerald answered and stormed out of the house. 

Samuel followed him to the boys' quarters and they met their parents relaxing and watching the television while waiting for lunch.

“Mom and Dad, do you know the person who killed my Brother-in-law?” Gerald inquired and they waited for their answers. 

Truly, they cared less about Tim and he was disturbed.

“Why do you bother yourself about that?” His father asked nonchalantly.

However, Samuel tried to explain, “We have called his number and the person holding his phone did not pick up the call.”

“I don't get it. Why are you bothering yourself with that insignificant man? He is dead and gone,” Madeline added.

“Allow us to bother about him, Mom. We want to know the identity of his killer and plead that they should release the corpse to us for burial,” Gerald stated, and their parents hesitated.

 Samuel was lost and wondered why the question was difficult for them to answer. To make it easier for them, he asked, “Which car did they come with? I mean, did you see the number plate?”

“They came with a helicopter,” his mother looked away and answered curtly. 

The information was better than nothing and they looked at each other.

“Let's go, Samuel,” Gerald requested and they walked back to the room. 

Their parents looked at them and hissed.

“They have the energy to waste.”

“Can you imagine that? How can they leave school for nothing?” their father asked.

“Let's call his number again and see if the person would pick up the call this time,” Gerald proposed.

“That is a good idea,” said Samuel and watched his brother dial the number.

At The New President's Apartment

He was following up on the events at his office and was pleased with George's leadership attributes. However, his eyes beamed when he said that they would use the staircase and he thought of his precious baby.

“Can she go through this stress with the pregnancy?” He lamented and continued to watch them. 

Meanwhile, George took no notice of her. They got to the Personnel Department on the fifth floor and met the staff members waiting to welcome him. Then, Capt. Jaja introduced his key staff members and George encouraged them, “The President will be happy if you continue to work as a team and support your Manager. Together, we will achieve our common goal.”

“Thank you for your encouragement, Sgt. Young. Let the President know that we will not fail him," Capt. Jaja responded on behalf of his staff members to his short speech. 

At that point, Tim's phone rang and he frowned his face. He looked at the caller and wondered, “Why is he calling me? He should be receiving lectures by now.”

Comments (2)
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Prosper Jack
I need more of this
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Prosper Jack
I really enjoyed this, alot of interesting things ... this is what I do always
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  • The Return of General Williams    11. Stress 1

    He ignored the call and concentrated on his video. Now, George and the General Manager walked out of the department and headed to the Accounts Department. He was able to visit seven departments and ended up in the Production Department. He looked at the guns and the other products and requested, “Can I have your latest product for the President's perusal?”“Oh, that is interesting! You can have this,” the Production Manager, Capt. Andy Miles agreed and handed a handgun to him. He appreciated him and left. Likewise, he faced the General Manager and appreciated him, “Thank you, Capt. Bolton for having me. It's been nice working with you.”The captain was elated and responded at once, “I'm delighted to be of help, Sgt. Young. My regards to the President.”“I will do that,” he answered and walked on without looking at the fatigued Laura.“Goodbye, Sgt. Young,” she said tiredly and George turned as though he was seeing her for the first time.“Goodbye, Secretary,” he responded and walked

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  • The Return of General Williams    12. Dilemma

    At the Gate.After the call, the officers advised, “Young men. I will advise you to go home and continue your search elsewhere. There is nothing like that here.”Before the officer ended his speech, Samuel had started crying. He was certain that Tim was killed unjustly and they wished to cover their acts up. Apart from not getting across to him, the anguish of his brutal killing and death overwhelmed them and they wept profusely.The befuddled officers were in a dilemma. Any passerby would assume that they were flogged by them.“He is not a bad man. We only need his corpse for a proper burial,” Samuel pleaded.“Go back to school. We don't know what you are talking about,” an officer blurted out and he regretted it.“We will not leave without his body. This is injustice. How can we condone this in the military? To kill a civilian without trial,” Gerald sobbed and the three officers were incapacitated by their utterances which were indicting. To compound their problem, the accusations

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    At the GateWithout minding who would lose his job or be reproved because of their presence, the two boys never relented in their quest.“Good afternoon, Cadets,” the Major greeted them happily when he arrived. “Good afternoon, Major,” Gerald panted and Samuel focused on the Major. “I think there is a misconception here. We don't have any record of such a thing here,” the Major pointed out but they insisted. Their big sister and mother could not be lying when they said that he was killed by the soldiers and taken away in a helicopter.“Major, we are certain that he was killed by the military and taken away with a helicopter,” Gerald stated.“We are not asking for justice for him, Major but give us his body for a proper burial,” Samuel requested.The confused Major looked at their puffed eyes and told himself that he had a serious problem. He was aware that the military did not do that but played down his knowledge and asked, “When did it happen?”At that point, David was happy that

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    “They are looking for you and crying because they believe that you are dead?”“My goodness! I can't meet them. Let them remain with the notion that I am dead.”“It is all right.” Meanwhile, Tim who had not come to terms with why they were at the gate added, “When they are tired of searching for me, they would leave.” “That is it.”“Thank you for informing me, Your Excellency.”“You are welcome.”After the call, he looked at them again and asked himself, “Is that why they had been calling me?”Without delay, he joined George. To his chagrin, George could not even drive a screw into a hole. He laughed softly and asked, “Is it difficult for you?”Unhesitatingly, he answered, “Yes, Boss.”“That is a good one to own up. It is good for you to know how to do it because you may need it someday. If you run out of weapons on the battlefield, the ability to improvise will help you a lot.”“I got it, Boss.”“Take a break. We will continue later.”“Okay, Boss,” he said, carefully gathered the p

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    At Laura's HouseUnfortunately, the family was never prepared for the trauma of the missing children that day. They had their dinner quite well but were distressed afterward.“Where could they be at this moment?” Madeline asked bitterly.“It baffles me, too,” Laura stated and looked at her worried father's face.“Have you called their numbers?” He asked.“Let me do that, now,” she promised and dialed Gerald's number. They waited anxiously while it rang. Afterward, it timed out. “What is the meaning of this? Why are they not picking up their calls?” Madeline asked.“Could they have gone to Rakaia?” Her father asked and they focused on him.“What will take them there, Dad? When they were looking for Tim's corpse”“Maybe to see their old friends.”Rakaia was their native town and it was seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains. That was the river Tim fell into after Gen. McDonald shot him. “It is possible. What do we do?” Madeline asked.“Tim wou

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    At The President's Office.Now, George was through with Capt. Bruce and was in his office. He thought that the Secretary had arrived and was attending to other things when he did not meet her at her desk. Besides, he did not need her. For reasons best known to himself, he avoided the President's desk and worked from the Conference Table. He looked at the security camera and saw the gate. Before he could think of the right punishment for the latecomers, he got a call from Tim. He had been monitoring the activities in the complex and trying to contact him but did not because he was with Capt. Bruce. Instantly, he picked up the call and greeted him, “Hello, Boss. Is there anything you want me to do for you?”“Hello, George. I think a minute's punishment is okay for the latecomers. You can ask them to go in.”“Okay, Boss,” he accepted and walked to the intercom. He called the gate and Cpl. Simpson picked up the call and greeted him, “Good morning, General. How may I be of help to you?”

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    At The Complex Soon, he was in the complex. He got out of the car and Richard drove off at once.Tim walked into the lobby, greeted his men with his head, and walked to the elevator. He pressed the button of the last floor and waited. When it opened, he walked in.The unfriendly-looking security team answered his greetings and let him in. He walked in and greeted Bright and Gilbert accordingly before walking into George's office.He was happy to see him and asked him immediately, “How did it go?”“It went well. They have started planning how to visit the house.”“Huh! So early?”“It baffles me too. Samuel reminded me of the Waitangi Day holiday.”George laughed aloud and Tim was infested.Nevertheless, Major Bolton came around earlier to have a private meeting with George before the Weekly Meeting. He heard them laughing and wondered if another manager was there. He opened the door and walked in and was surprised at their familiarity. “Good morning, Major,” Tim got up from the visit

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    Likewise, he sent a message to Richard and informed him that they arrived safely. He pleaded for an off on Monday. Afterward, he began to wait for his response.He had been busy since he disembarked and had not gone online. Now that he had settled in his hotel room, he could do that. He was shocked to see their story and pictures trending.He furrowed his forehead and asked himself, “Who is doing this?”Presently, he was panting and sweating despite the January cold. He sat up from the bed and read the details of the story quickly. To his delight, the post was not harmful and his details were not explicit.He tossed his phone aside and breathed in and out before lying back on the bed.“What will she do if she finds out about my past?” He asked himself.“What about her parents and brother? They are too morally upright to accept me as their son-in-law,” he lamented.The fear that he would lose her gripped him at once and he began to cry like a baby. At that point, he could not think of

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    At Tim's House Although he lay on his bed to take a rest, he could not. The thought of Valentine and Ann gave him concern. When he was about to get over it, he remembered Stephanie and smiled.“How will I propose to her? Will I take her to the airport or railway station? What if she pushes me down and says, 'a driver like you is not my class'? That would be disastrous,” he concluded and picked up his phone.He was surprised to see that he got many social media notifications and decided to browse through them before checking his emails. He furrowed his brow when he saw the incident at the airport. “Huh! These bloggers will put someone into trouble,” he said after reading the caption - Valentine Proposed Marriage to Ann.He was unaware that the bloggers did not know anything about the new couple apart from their first names and the marriage proposal. He read through the post and was a bit relieved.“The story is not inditing,” he said and began to go through his email.“I hope they wo

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    “Which course will you study at the university, Ann?” Samuel asked her.“Cooking,” Gerald answered on her behalf with a silly smirk.They laughed aloud and Fabian added, “She will study Cure Meat.”Now, she laughed more than everyone and was a bit stable.In the operation vehicle, there was nothing to talk about. Even if there was, Valentine would not have been interested. He was not happy because that was not what he planned. They drove silently until they arrived at the airport. Tim parked and he parked beside him. Everyone got out of the cars and he rested his head on the seat.He looked at Ann who was laughing happily with the boys as they carried his luggage out of the car. Afterward, they walked to the lounge with Richard.“So, I have lost her to another man?” He lamented.Now, they have about forty-five minutes more. He thought for a while and asked himself, “What do I do with my flight ticket and the engagement ring?” He asked dispirited and unfastened his seatbelt.Furthermo

  • The Return of General Williams    The Resumption 4

    He stopped chewing his food and faced her. When he saw her gloomy face, he dropped his cutleries and asked her, “You said what?”“He is still angry with us.”“You are not accurate in your judgment, Ann. He is not angry with us.”“How do you know?”“I promised that I would get to the root of it,” he pointed out and resumed eating his food.Ann was calm and pondered on what he said. Shortly, Fabian and Mrs. Suresh, who were through with serving the staff, joined them. Fabian noticed her gloominess and showed concern.“What is the matter, Big sister?” he asked and focused on her.Instead of answering, she was mute, and her father explained, “She still believed that the Supervisor was angry with us.”“That reminds me, Hubby. You promised to get to the root of the matter. What did you discover?”“She has been accusing him wrongly. He had been on her matter by informing the Major of her departure on our behalf and they promised to take her to the airport.”“Wow! That is thoughtful of him,” h

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