Chapter 30 (John Sheridan)
It was a rare moment when Sheridan got annoyed, but the news from the meeting with the President left him in a foul mood. Not only did he have his long awaited get-away ruined by the President; he was now forced to baby-sit the man that started this nightmare.
But first things first, he had to face Anna. He prepared his lines for what he might have to say and it didn't sound good.
"Hi Anna…guess what, the President wants me to go on another mission and she requires us to postpone our holiday," he said to himself as sarcastically as possible. He felt more nervous as his mind began to falter under the constant worry. He would rather face five Minbari battle cruisers than spend a few small minutes explaining this fiasco with his darling Anna. Still, he continued on his way.
The daylight was bright and the processed rays of light warmed the back of his neck. The movement of air from one domed structure to the other created a warm breeze that massaged his hair gently. The processed air smelt better today because last night one of the farmers had decided to spray human waste over the acres of allocated farmland and the foul smell gradually drifted along with the light wind. Sheridan knew that that farmer would face heavy fines for his little mistake. But for today, it was better.
Now he had to travel home and clean up some mess of his own.
He lived in the twenty-second high rise that resided in the Parkland District, a beautiful area for living. It was also one of the places reserved for military and high-ranking officials.
Other areas were nice, but the Parkland District had more space and spectacular views. Sheridan preferred to live like everyone else, but his past record and ability to deal with the Minbari reserved his family the place. He knew there was always a catch and unfortunately the irritating President trapped him in that situation.
Sheridan entered his vehicle—which was parked on the other side of the park—and steered his baby into the local rush hour traffic. Intersection twenty-one was always daily congestion zone that he would love to see blown off the map. He couldn't understand why the designers of the city had created such a labyrinth of roads, but everybody had to live with it. At least the day was bright and he had time.
He rehearsed his speech several times to perfection, but in the end, all the rehearsing in the world could not match the ferocious power his wife possessed, once she was allowed to let loose.
"Anna, I'm sorry, the damn President asked me..." He corrected himself as a blue hover car pulled in front of him. "No…she did not ask me…the President demanded I reschedule my holiday by one month." Yep, Sheridan could imagine that going down well. She would reply with something in a deep tone that would make his skin cringe and heart pound. She would sound very patriotic.
The traffic slowly began to move and Sheridan sat back and relaxed as the automatic guidance system steered the vehicle through the city streets. With inches to spare, the vehicle swerved, banked and tailgated through the lagging traffic for the best way home.
Once he arrived at the thirty-six-story high-rise, Sheridan took in a deep breath and walked in. He had rehearsed his speech to the best of his ability, but it was down to his beloved wife. But at the end of the day, neither of them had any choice.
The corridor to his apartment was painted white with a proliferation of light fixtures that hung from the ceiling like stalactites. Corners of the corridor had shelves that held potted plants. At the end of the corridor, Sheridan spotted the same inspection hatch open. The plasterboard was removed uncovering an eyesore of metal plates and cables that was left like that for weeks. He knew the infrastructure of this high-rise was made out of metal, but that engineer did not have to be so forgetful in his duties. He quickly replaced the cover and smiled at his own quick thinking.
But as he stared at the copper plaque that had the number twenty-five embossed on it, he soon realized that all the cleaning up in the world would not help his situation.
Sheridan put on a brave face and walked in. Initially he was welcomed by the standard view of the entrance, a creamy yellow hallway that opened up into a large living room with two bedroom doors either side. Huddled in the corner was a small kitchen and a long line of windows covered the back wall. They allowed a wash of light to brighten up the room.
He strolled in, tossed his military jacket on the sofa and inspected the two rooms. It was only after some careful looking that he noticed a note on his computerized desk. The letter read:
Gone out for a few hours, will be back later.
Love Anna
So basic of her. Sheridan knew that her adventurous quests to obtain funding to support her need to explore ancient cultures never seemed to dwindle.
Sheridan smiled, placed the letter back on the desk and strolled towards the sofa to watch a spot of television. He might as well enjoy the quietness before all hell broke loose.