They exchanged glances, and gradually X-333121 became suddenly aware that their eyes were on him and they were waiting for him to speak. "We have less than 24 hours," was all he managed to say.

The team members spread out in the hall, and each of them stood next to one of the adults and the group of children under his care.

X-333121, who remained standing next to Maria, whispered in her ear: "What will happen now?"

"Now we'll wait and see, "she replied calmly.

The children wrote the equations on the board, the team member made the calculations, the responsible adult scanned them with his special scanning device, erased the writing on the board and God forbid. The head of the team was Senior Citizen M-624638. X-333121 had never met him personally but knew he was a well-known veteran scientist, one of the senior members of the Dome's maintenance team. He was the only one who walked around between the groups to monitor the progress of the work and solve problems that arose. The children were sent to rest every two hours and others came in their place. It was a slow and tedious process, but X-333121 was well aware that any small miscalculation or scanning error could result in a critical delay.

X-333121's irritation grew as time went on. He had no way of knowing what was going on outside, and he even stopped glancing at his watch. But gradually he noticed that the atmosphere in the room was changing. The team members stopped working from time to time to huddle and consult with each other. He looked at them in a desperate attempt to read their expressions, but to no avail. Finally he couldn't hold back any longer. He waited for a moment of a huddle and then approached Senior Vitizen M-624638 and asked directly: "What's going on?"

Senior Citizen 624638-M measured him from head to toe, shocked to the core by the audacity of the disturbance, but finally forced to admit: "I think we're done, but..."

X-333121 glanced at his watch." We have less than five hours. We have to make a decision. Yes or no?"

The crew looked at each other. Again, it was impossible to read their expressions.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be," Senior Citizen 624638-M finally said. "We're going back to the Dome."

The team members hurried to collect their equipment and move towards the door, and then Maria's voice was heard for the first time, loud and clear: "I'm coming with you."

When the hovercraft landed near the council hall, the crew started a panicked run towards the old Cray computer, where the council members were waiting for them. There was no time for talking. The signs of the lack of energy were already visible everywhere. Senior Citizen M-624638 immediately sat down at the terminal and started typing. All the council members stood around him, alert and anxious. No one dared to say a word, lest they distract Senior Citizen M-624638. None of them noticed the presence of the black haired young woman who stood by X-333121's side, her hand resting on his arm encouragingly.

"That's it!" Senior Citizen M-624638's sudden call startled the silence in the room.

"Are you sure?!" the Chairman exclaimed

"I would be very happy if we had a few more hours to check the calculations again and run simulations, but..."

"We don't have time," the Chairman interrupted him. "I'm giving you the order. Activate it."

Senior Citizen M-624638 pushed the switch. For a few seconds nothing happened, then there was a dull buzzing sound. The Dome computer's control panel came to life. Lines of code began to run on the main monitor, until finally the long-awaited last line appeared: "To boot please enter password".

Senior citizen M-624638, exhausted and drenched in sweat, stood up and turned to the head of the council. "Citizen Chairman, will you do the honors?"

The Chairman removed from his neck a chain to which a personal flash drive was attached. He connected the device to the control panel, the computer read the password and the long-awaited message appeared on the monitor: "Welcome, Citizen Chairman."

The Chairman approached X-333121, as if only at that moment he remembered his existence. But there was no longer any trace of disdain for either X-333121's young age or his skills. He held out a hand for a shake. "Young man, this council owes you a debt you can never repay. I will make sure every Citizen know it."

X-333121 bowed his head in embarrassment." Thank you, Citizen Chairman l. I am grateful to you for placing your trust in me..."

At that moment, the Chairman noticed for the first time the young woman standing next to X-333121. In other circumstances he would not have let this breach of social rules go unchecked , but he was in a particularly forgiving mood." Who is the young lady, Citizen? Is she a registered Citizen?"

X-333121 looked up at Maria and his embarrassment was replaced by undisguised pride, "Dear citizens, council members, I would like to introduce to you... Maria."

A murmur of surprise passed through the room. "Maria?" The head of the council returned in amazement. "That's a name, not a Citizen Designation..."

"No," X-333121 admitted, and after a brief hesitation added: "This is 'she who can write'."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.