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“To make people re-evaluate their priorities, to re-focus their attention, we need to take away their current focus of attention!”
“The wormhole?”
“The wormhole.”
“How on Earth do we get rid of the wormhole?” Tim hoped the reply wouldn’t be another bloody riddle, his kidneys were starting to ache now. He was out of luck.
“We don’t do it on Earth…”
That night Aide had launched into his master plan. One he had apparently being dreaming up for some time. Tim wasn’t the first to hear it, Aide had already recruited enough people and the right people to carry it out. Aide explained how the wormhole needed to be destroyed. How he’d learned of financial projections that stated that, despite the wealth of funding, if anything happened to either of the two sets of wormhole apparatus, UWRI couldn’t afford to do a complete replacement for another seven years. Aide believed this time was sufficient to regain support for the environmentalist movement. ‘Re-focusing people’s attention is the key’, he repeated. Despite the alcohol, at first Tim couldn’t believe his ears. What Aide was suggesting was.. was.. well, terrorism! Aide had laughed at that, amused by Tim’s naivety.
For the next few weeks Tim avoided Aide and his gang. He felt strongly about trying to get people to re-evaluate, to see the damage they were making to our planet but he didn’t want to become an ‘extremist’. That wasn’t going to help anybody. Not to mention Tim really wasn’t that kind of guy. He didn’t have it in him. Or at least he thought not at the time. Not until life dealt him an immeasurable blow.
“Asthma attack? In this day and age?” Tim screamed at the doctor amongst a fit of sobbing.
“Yes son, I’m sorry.”
“But.. but.. no! She was fit, healthy.”
“I realise this must be difficult for you to take on board right now, but your mother had had asthma for some time and I must inform you that death in this manner really isn’t uncommon these days.”
Tim dried his eyes. “But it was mild asthma and she had medication?”
The doctor understood the boys frustration. He was right, of course, had they had gotten to her earlier…
“Asthma is a big killer now. Particle pollution is at an all-time high and…”
That was all Tim needed to hear. Sorrow began to give way to anger.