Bagpipes and Teal

I never did finish the Michael Tool story, so I decided to give it another go, here's chapter one guys


Bagpipes and Teal: Chapter one: Michael Tool 

"Welcome home, Michael Tool," the synthetic voice 
stated. The bulky doors that sat at the main entrance to the manor slid open and Michael walked through, hearing them shut behind him. The path to the house was thirty metres long and four metres wide, surrounding the path were plants, rosemary bushes and cherry blossom trees. The grass was a dark rich green, almost emerald; and if you looked past the 
trees for long enough you could see the rest of the 
city. New-London wasn't famous for beautiful gardens 
or homely manors, and Michael knew this by now.


Michael stopped for a moment, as he always did, and 
turned around looking at the skyscrapers that 
surrounded the manor, when he was smaller he saw 
them as protection, walls against anything that could 
try and hurt his family; but as he got older he began 
to realise, they were what would hurt his family the 
most.
Michael was sixteen now, his hair was a dark brown 
and his eyes Hazel, his skin was soft and un-scarred. 
Michael was five foot nine by this age and he hadn't 
grown for two years. He remembered what his father 
used to tell him, 'Son the family comes first, 
remember that'. Michael wasn't quite sure what those 
words meant but he'd always nod and say, "Yes 
father". 



Michael took one last glance at the giant city vista before turning back and climbing the few small steps 
to the wooden door of his home. As he entered the 
fresh smell of Cherry pie filled his nose and he 
grinned, his mother had always made it for him and 
his siblings when their father was away, it made them 
think of other things rather then the boring politics 
their father was most likely enduring. Michael dropped 
his bag at the side of the door and took a step in, only 
to glance and see his mother walk past, she was a 
woman of five feet six with wavey Auburn hair 
reaching down to her lower back, her eyes were green 
and her chin was rounded, her nose small and well 
fit. She wore a dark blue sundress that reached her 
knees and the thing Michael found the most funny 
about her today, was her lack of footwear; she had no 
shoes and no socks her little toes skipping happily 
about the place, Michael called with confusion, 
"Mom?" the humming stopped for a moment as she 
entered the room. "Yes Mikey?" She asked with her 
soft voice. "W-where are your . ."he stopped for a 
moment before grinning and saying, "Nevermind . ." 
His mother was always funny he thought to himself. 
"He's coming back today," she said in a hushed tone 
so that the others didn't hear it, a smile danced 
accross her lips as she walked back into the kitchen. 
Michael knew what it meant, despite how kryptic she 
was, his father was coming home.


Michael took a few steps into the rather large living 
room, to see Ryan sat down on the black leather 
couch. Michael glanced at the television before 
chuckling at the programs Ryan was watching. 
"Y'wanna be a doctor, ey?" Ryan was only three years 
younger then Michael but quite abit shorter, he had 
the same Hazel eyes and dark brunnette hair as 
Michael however. "I'm thinkin' about it . . " Ryan 
replied. Michael smiled slightly, "I'll be proud if you 
do," Michael was genuine in his statement, he would 
be very proud if Ryan became a doctor, Ryan was 
smart, almost as smart as Carolyn.
Ryan smiled at Michael's comment and replied with a 
short, "I'll think about it some more." Michael gave a 
slight incline of his head in reply and walked back out 
of the room he started to make his way up the stair 
case keeping one hand on the ornate banister until he 
reached the top, he heard a faint humming; this time 
not his mothers. "Carolyn . . ." he said softly as he 
saw his sister, Carolyn had more of her mother in her 
father always said. She had the Hazel eyes the rest of 
the Tool's did, but her hair was a dark Auburn and her 
nose small.



Michael came and sat next to her on the floor and she 
gasped slightly surprised, "M-mikey!" she shouted 
diving on her brother with her arms around him like a 
tight vice. "How's my favorite sister?" Michael said 
with a grin on his face. Carolyn only seven, looked at 
him, "Your only . . sister" she giggled and squeezed 
tighter. 



Michael knew she was right but he didn't care, he 
loved his brothers; but Carolyn meant the world to 
him. He remembered the day he found out she was 
special, she was diagnosed with Epilepsy at the age of 
four. His mother wept for a few days, but Michael did 
not. In his eyes he was more proud, she was smarter 
then the others, even with her disability. "Welcome 
home, Keith Tool" the synthetic voice stated. Michael 
looked up at the intercom, but unlike the other four 
children, he wasn't at all surprised.



Their father had been away for a month dealing with 
some missing cargo ships, or atleast that's what his 
mother told him. His father was the governor of New-
London, and Michael would be next although Michael 
wasn't so sure of this however, he was considering a 
military life already, in his dreams he wondered at the 
idea of becoming an Admiral for the confederation 
navy. 



Michael turned his head to the door as his siblings ran 
to it, he couldn't help but smile as his father walked 
through the door, he was a man of six feet with brown 
unkempt hair and a dark beard which never dripped 
from his hard chin. His muslces were defined well but 
hidden under his coat, and the bridge of his nose was 
rather large too. Michael thought about the things his 
father told him, he remembered father telling him 
about the Governor's council, in which the six 
families, the rulers of Mars, would meet to discuss the 
general politics the chairman of the council was Titus 
Caulfield and his family ruled over New-Geneva, the 
city in which the council met. Michael didn't know 
much about New-Geneva except it was supposedly the 
greatest city constructed on Mars and that it was 
constructed by the Terran Confederation who later 
became the Mars Confederation after losing contact 
with their homeworld.



As the other children went back to doing their usual 
menial things Michael sat at the top of the steps and 
watched his father as he walked up to him. His father 
smirked slightly as he took a seat next to Michael. 
"Mike, y'alright?" His father asked, "Yup, I'm fine" his 
father didn't believe this, but he didn't wish to press 
the matter, so he moved on. "Y'still thinkin' of joinin' 
the Navy?" Michael grinned at that comment and 
nodded "Cadet Michael Tool reportin' for duty sir!" 
Michael gave a rather awful salute to his father before 
his father laughed at him. "Well then, Cadet, I handed 
in your form. And they gave me this," Keith pulled a 
small envelope from the pocket of his coat and 
passed it to Michael. The envelope was silver in colour 
with a small stamp in the right corner, on the stamp 
was a small drawing of Mars shadowing the human 
homeworld, it'd been awhile since Michael had done 
history, he couldn't even remember the name.



Michael's eyes lit up as he tore the envelope open and 
pulled the paper from inside, he quickly unfolded the 
paper and read it.



'To Master Michael Tool, you have been accepted to the 
Caulfield military academy' were the words he cared about.


Michael hugged his father as tight as he could "Th-
thanks! He shouted, barely able to release his father 
without becoming over joyed and hugging him again.
As they ate it was all he talked about to his siblings 
and his mother, his father sat grinning the entire time 
and Michael scarcely had chance to enjoy the rich 
cherry pie. Michael climbed into bed tucking himself 
in as he looked up at the cieling, his eyelids began to 
become heavy and before long; he was asleep.
As Michael dreampt he began to feel sickened as he 
awoke to a loud and massive thunder, he groggily 
clambered out of bed, putting on his slippers and 
approaching the window he looked out . . .