The survivors - A NextColony based sci-fi story - chapter 1.5

Meredith felt sad to see her grandchild this way. Adrian had been a keen and inquiring boy curious to learn whatever life could offer. Yes, they had spoiled him at times because he was the youngest and sweetest of the boys. But he had earned their trust and love in multiple ways, never questioning any advice and plea addressed to him. Until ...

... until the day when he had insisted to stay with his mother instead of going to rescue camp with the other children. Keller had not been told about it but Meredith guessed he would find out soon. He must be on his way to the hibernation chambers right now ...

She was wondering about her son's and her grandsons' future. She would have loved to see the boys grow up a little longer but due to circumstances this would not happen. Already the fine bond was thinning. Keller, Henry and Christopher would go into hibernation soon. And when they would wake up again, the last little rest of the world as they had knewn it would have been gone.

She pet Adrian's head and hands one last time, then she pulled the sheets over his dead body.

* * *

"Hey Dad!"
"Hank! Chris!" Finally they met again. Keller hugged both boys tightly at the same time. He tousled their hair and kissed and hugged them again. Both boys were giggling in their pleasure.

"I'm so glad you are here, Mr Keller", a familiar female voice said. He turned around to see Brenda Carson. Silvias sister - his older boys' auntie so to speak - but he never had introduced her to the boys that way. For them she was the strict and caring kindergarten teacher. Silvia had had a broken relationship with her older sister. She had never mentioned anything of that to Keller but he suspected some family relation between the two when he realized that Henry (and Christopher to a lesser extent) shared some facial features with her. Brenda told him later that she had seen the similarity from the very first meeting with the boys. Keller could not remember who of the both had addressed this topic first.
Knowing Brenda was still around was a relief. There was a slight romance between them but Keller seeked to hide it.

"Are you going to be hibernated in this section also?", Keller asked.
"Yes. Of all the teachers and kindergarten nurses, only Yachiko, Ksenia and I are left. Oh, and some other teachers from the southern fractions." She pointed down the way where he could see a party of people with dark skin and hair. There seemed to be music and song. How did they bring their instruments here?
He nodded to Brenda and she continued. She had decided to bring the bad news now.
"I have to admit I have not seen Adrian the last two days. He did not come to the rescue camp with the others ..." she paused, "... and Christoph told me later Adrian himself had decided to stay with his mother ..."
"With his mother ...? But Brenda, I found Adrienne right before she was dying! If Adrian was around, I should have seen him!"
"Yes, maybe you should have. I cannot give you any further details."
Keller needed some space of his own now while the things being said sank in. Brenda saw it and lead the boys away - toward the singing and drumming.

Keller's head began to spin. No signs of Adrian who had been their little sunshine. The outcome and multiplier of his love to Adrienne Kaya. Her only child. Meredith's only grandson. Lost. Gone.
Meredith! Shouldn't she have known him, shouldn't she have been able to identify him if he was hurt or sick? He must have been brought to her hospital if he had been found before he found Kaya. That might be the reason why she did not let him know about his son's fate.

He sat on the floor and started crying, his face covered by his palms.

* * *

Hours later, the call to get into the capsules at section 6 came. 6A was first. Brenda and Keller helped the boys in, then other kids, along with Yachiko and Ksenia. They put stuffed toys and other stuff kids like to have with them into the capsules and closed the capsules lid. Keller gave his boys a last kiss on their forehead and told them to close their eyes like when they would go to sleep before he closed their lids.

Then Brenda, Ksenia, Yachiko and Keller said goodbye to each other, wished them all a safe travel and climed into their own capsules. The last thing Keller read before he lost his consciousness was:

_ TIME OF TRAVEL: APPROX. 10 YEARS _
_ DESTINATION: N/A _

Then he drifted away into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

All sections had been filled with the evacuees. Only Lieberman and his team where still debating where they should command the ship's artificial intelligence to steer the ship to. In the very last moment they agreed to give the Uranus 3 system a chance.
Then they walked off command and climbed into their capsules also.

* * *

This is the end of Chapter 1.

Thanks to @art-universe for hosting a sci-fi writing contest based on the @nextcolony game's background story.

I hope you enjoyed the development of the story and the persons as much as I did.