The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Done?”

  “Done.” Ellen rushed to the computer.

  “Will this be conclusive?”

  “Depends what the percentage of probability is. It won’t be 100 percent because Henry’s skin was involved too. We’re looking at 80 for conclusive. And I still have a sample left if someone else wants to run it.” She took her seat at the computer.

  “Good girl.” Joe stood behind her. He watched the screen. “You’ll have to decipher. I can’t make heads or tails.” He watched her scroll slowly. “Ellen?”

  “Oh man.”

  “That remark tells me the results are in.” Joe said.

  “They’re in all right?” Ellen exhaled heavily. “Eighty-eight percent probability match. The skin under Henry’s nails.” She faced Joe. “Is without a doubt … Dean’s?”

  ***

  “Nine months?” Frank asked, then took a second to bob his head to the Frank Sinatra tune that played in the lab... “That’s it. Gees.”

  “Take it or leave it.” Jason said. “As this song says, ‘That’s Life’. That’s the best we can do. And it’s not nine months, it’s eleven.”

  Robbie stood. “I’ll take it. Trish will have had her baby by then, and we can be one upon the betting poll.”

  Frank nodded. “Okay, that works.”

  “Jason,” Hal said. “Will you show me something when we get there that makes me know for sure it is the future and not some sort of trick?”

  Jason glared. “I’m a scientist Hal, as much as I would love to play pranks, this isn’t one of them. Besides, we’re sending you into the afternoon. Right now it’s night time. The sun will be clue enough.”

  “I apologize. You’re right. I’m excited.” Hal rubbed his hands together. “Let’s do this.”

  Danny took over. “Okay, here’s the pendant. Robbie you’re in charge of it. You need to only press the code to return. But only use the pendant if our return door doesn’t open up automatically in five minutes. Hal, you’re the stop watch guy right.”

  Hal held up the stop watch. “I’m it.”

  “Frank.” Danny turned to Frank. “You take pictures. Go it.”

  Frank winked. “Got it.”

  Danny continued. “Theoretically, Jason should be there. I’ll be there. And after taking a few pictures, the backup time door should open. Give it five minutes, unless Jason and I instruct you otherwise.”

  To be clear Frank asked. “So we are to take orders from your future self’s. Can we have a note?”

  Jason rolled his eyes “It’s only eleven months, I’m sure we will remember. Now, Gentlemen If you’re ready.”

  “Ready,” Frank said.

  “Ready.” Robbie lined up behind him.

  “More than ever,” Hal added.

  Jason walked to the computers. “I’ll work the machine. Danny is going to film the departure.”

  “You know,” Frank said. “I’m really liking how your taking this more serious.”

  Jason grumbled, and sat down. “If you’re ready.” He got an agreement nod from them all.

  Frank held the cameras.

  Robbie at his side, put the pendant around his neck.

  And Hal, next to Robbie, bounced with enthusiasm.

  Jason called out, “Danny, if you don’t mind, can you start our theme song again.”

  “Roger that, there Dr. Jason.” Danny reached over to the player.

  The Frank Sinatra song started again.

  Frank title his head. “I like this song.”

  Robbie agreed. “Me, too.”

  Hal added. “Always one of my favorite.”

  “Gentlemen, see you in a few.” Jason called out.

  The voice and music of Frank Sinatra was still heard over the humming of the quantum door. It illuminated, buzzed and opened up.

  From the sounds of lab noise and Frank Sinatra, the Slagel men walked through the time door to...

  Howling wind.

  Immediate temperature changes pelted them, along with blowing snow.

  Frank looked around “What the fuck?”

  Snow. White. Everywhere. For as far as the eye could see it was snow. There was no sun, only grey.

  Frank took a picture.

  Robbie rubbed his arms. “I knew I should have worn a coat. Where the hell are we?”

  “I think the question should be,” Frank said. “When are we?”

  “Eleven months my ass.” Hal said. “Oh, yes, Jason doesn’t play pranks. He knew this.” He turned to his brothers. “He knew when was sending us hundreds of years in the future.”

  Frank shook his head. “It’s not the future.”

  Robbie agreed. “Has to be the past.”

  “Way in the past,” Frank added and took a picture. “Oh, yeah we’re gonna see dinosaurs.” He raised the camera again. “Look there’s one now. What would it be?”

  Hal and Robbie bother looked in the direction Frank pointed.

  A yellow speck appeared through the billowing snow.

  Robbie tilted his head “Never heard of a yellow dinosaur.”

  Hal crinkled his face. “That’s not a dinosaur. Frank take another picture. Keep taking pictures.”

  Frank did as instructed, then as he finally saw what it was, he lowered the camera.

  “No, Frank.” Hal instructed. “Take more, we’ll need this.”

  Robbie immediately start hitting the instant photos. The pictures dropped and he picked them up. “Fuck me.” He fumbled with the photos as the yellow spec became a man in a yellow biohazard suit.

  The man waved at them but not in greeting, more so in warning.

  As he drew closer, they saw who it was.

  Jason.

  His voice emerged from the suit’s speaker. “Go back. Go back now. Hurry.”

  Frank took two steps forward, face to face with Jason and snapped one more picture. “What happened?” Hal asked. “What happened?”

  “Go back!” Jason warned.

  “Robbie start the door,” Hal instructed and took a step. He felt something under his foot. Clearing the snow, he saw what stumbled him, nothing but burnt debris lay afoot. He snapped to Robbie, “Open the door now!”

  Robbie grabbed for the pendant and pushed the buttons.

  The time door illuminated.

  Jason counted, “Three, two and …”

  The door lit up.

  “Shit,” Danny said. “It wasn’t activated, the backup wasn’t activated.”

  Frank, Hal, and Robbie walked through.

  But they weren’t as bright, as happy as they appeared when they left. Jason saw this. He looked at them with question.

  Danny noticed the silence, and slowly stood from his chair. “Did we screw up somehow? You guys okay?”

  Frank, Hal and Robbie looked at each other. They looked pale.

  Jason examined them he knew something was amiss... “What happened? What went wrong?”

  Danny chuckled “Jason come on they planned this. They are teasing. What could have happened? They only went eleven months into the future.”

  “Frank? Hal? Robbie.” Jason called upon them. Why were they silent? What shook the unshakeable Slagel men? Jason spoke slowly. “Did you see something? What … did... you see.”

  Frank stepped forward. “Nothing.” He handed Jason the camera. “See for yourself. Beginnings is gone.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  God, how long had it been? Jimmy Slagel repeated that thought over in his mind. He used it as a calculation to stay in control. He had to reserve; there was no way he’d last. First impressions were everything, no matter how understanding the other person was.

  It started simply. A light dusting of snow. A quiet walk. John Matoose had a headache after the meeting, and just wanted to relax at home. He didn’t mind at all that Jenny was out … with Jimmy.

  A nice walk. Talk about making snow angels as children. A giggle, open garage door... warmth.

  The garage was Frank’s, even though others used it; Frank uti
lized it most when he needed time to think. He’d work on jeeps and trucks. A truck was in the garage, beat up. Jenny said Dan from security had wrecked the front end.

  They snuck inside to talk, turning on the small light above the work bench. That’s how it started out.

  “Smells so much like the old world in here,” Jimmy commented.

  “I think so, too. Do you think that’s why Frank spends so much time in here?”

  “Who knows?”

  Silence.

  They stared.

  “Jenny.”

  “Jimmy.”

  Breathy.

  Slam.

  There was no easing into it. Jimmy and Jenny grabbed onto each other in a heated embrace, locking lips wide and hard. His body pushed her against the tool bench as her hands moved up and about his back.

  They paused.

  Off went the coats.

  Back to the moment.

  Moans escaped every connection of lips they made. Little moments to catch their breath allowed for huffs of steam to seep from their mouths in the icy cold garage.

  They never noticed.

  Jenny’s nails lightly grazed Jimmy’s back in her attempt to remove his shirt. He didn’t want her to struggle and broke the kiss to take off his shirt.

  Animal like, Jenny ran her fingers through his hairy chest. Then lifted off her shirt.

  They were rushed in every movement. Jenny grabbed on to Jimmy for another kiss but he stopped her.

  “God, I need to look at you.”

  Tilting her head, mouth red from kissing, Jenny caught her breath and blushed as Jimmy stared at her.

  Her full breasts ballooned in the white bra and Jimmy hovered his hands.

  “Can you?” he asked.

  With a sneaky smile she unlatched her bra allowing her breasts to pop out as the garment hit the floor. “Anything else you want off.”

  Jimmy nodded.

  “Kiss me,” she ordered. “Kiss me first.” He did. Mad, hard and passionately.

  With a giggle Jenny inched back and Jimmy’s hand went immediately to her bosom. He caressed them hard, feeling, lifting and playing. He kissed Jenny and awaited the reward of ‘more’.

  She slipped out of her slacks. Jimmy’s eyes cased her pink underpants and stopped at the initials ‘DH’. He looked inquisitively at her.

  “Danny Hoi Thongs. His design. You like?” She asked.

  “Oh my God. You are so hot, Jenny.”

  Her own hands lifted her breasts then she smoothed her hands against her hips. “You make me feel hot.” Reaching out she ran her hand up the outer portion of his jeans. “Real hot.”

  Jimmy leaned to her and stopped short of an anticipated kiss, “Wait. John?”

  “What about him?” Jenny pulled him to her.

  “Shouldn’t we get permission? Understanding thing?’

  “Please, no. I feel so... bad.” She snickered. “Like this. Can we be bad, Jimmy.”

  “Oh, I can be bad.”

  “Yes!” she clenched her fist.

  “God, I want you.” Jimmy said with urgency.

  “I want you. Here.”

  “Now.”

  Both of their hands felt each other, and Jimmy dropped to his knees. His lips explored with viciousness.

  Jenny gasped. She leaned back against the work bench, arms flailing about, trying to grip something in her pleasure. Items fell to the floor as she seeped a deep loud, over a dramatic moan.

  Jimmy wanted to be there longer, but he couldn’t wait. But how? Where? The truck?

  “Here.” Jenny ached out. “Right here.”

  Jimmy spun her around, face first to the bench. Jenny moaned as she leaned forward. In the heat of the passion, and in finding a place for her hands to purchase a grip, she knocked more tools to the ground.

  They didn’t care or notice.

  Jimmy stared at her arched back. Her full bottom decorated with that Danny Hoi ‘G’ string.

  “Take me,” she ordered “take me now.”

  Ornery grin upon his face, Jimmy was ready and undid his pants he lifted the ‘string’ of the thong, snapped it with a giggle and gave a light tap to her bottom.

  Jenny screamed. But Jenny didn’t scream normally, she released a blood curdling scream. Long. Loud. Shrill.

  Did he hurt her? Was it some weird sexual thing she did? He wondered until he saw what Jenny did. The window was right behind the workbench. Although dark outside, the distorted and large grotesque face was clearly there and staring back.

  With an ‘uh’, Jimmy jumped back. Quickly, as Jenny began to scream, he did his pants. “Stay here.” He ordered. Luckily he was still wearing his shoes. He grabbed his shirt, and put it on as he bolted toward the door.

  “Jimmy! Be careful.”

  Jimmy nodded an acknowledgement and flew out.

  ***

  Craziness.

  An eruption of questions came from both Danny Hoi and Jason Godrichson, and all three Slagel men, Frank, Hal, and Robbie responded.

  Finally Jason had enough. He stepped back away from the time machine archway, and shouted, “Stop!”

  What had been said? To decipher. Beginnings gone? There had to be a mistake?

  “One … one at a time,” Jason said. “The logical brother first…” When Frank opened his mouth, Jason held up his hand. “The other logical brother. Hal?”

  “We went through. It was white. All snow. Barren. You, Jason came from the snow storm, the whiteness, and were wearing a biohazard suit. You’re lab was burnt ruins, I saw.”

  Frank held up the camera. “We took pictures.”

  Robbie interjected, “See for yourself.” As he held up the instant photos, some fell to the floor.

  Jason bent down and muttered, “Radiation.”

  Danny ran his hand down his face as he looked up in a start over what Jason said. “What? How do you know?”

  “Radiation.” Jason said and lifted the picture. “See these spots on the film. Radiation causes these. Hold on.” He scurried across his lab.

  “They were exposed,” Danny said. “If you were wearing a suit, they were exposed.”

  Jason returned with an instrument in his hand. “I know radiation well. They weren’t there long enough for the reactivation of the time door. Frank, how long were you there?”

  “Wait.” Frank turned on the digital camera. “I snapped the first picture as soon as we walked through … and the last …” his fingers moved and worked the camera. “Not even a minute passed Jason.”

  Jason nodded. “Precisely. Unless they walked into a nuclear explosion or nuclear accident within eight hours of it happening, they were exposed to no more than a strong x ray.” He held the instrument to each of the. “A Geiger counter. I’m not even getting a reading.”

  Hal sighed out in relief, and stepped to a chair. “I need to sit down.”

  “Okay. Okay.” Danny held his hand up. “Let’s recap. Okay? You went through, nothing was there. There couldn’t have been a mistake in ‘when’ you went, because Jason showed up. What the fuck happened?”

  Robbie answered, “Beginnings is gone.”

  Jason shook his head. “No. No. No way can you make that determination.”

  “How can you say that?” Hal asked.

  “Here’s how.” Jason walked to the door and stepped out. “You said it was snowing. White. Blinding. From here, even on this night you can barely see Beginnings. I have been here in the snow. It’s very barren.”

  It seemed as if all three Slagel men released a sigh.

  “Didn’t think of that, did you?” Jason asked. “So Slagel like to jump on an apocalyptic scenario.”

  Frank shrugged. “You have to admit, it seemed it. I mean you told us to go back.”

  Robbie shook his head. “It’s not sitting right with me. It felt very … dead.”

  “This is a dead area when nothing is here.” Jason said.

  Hal interjected. “I’m going to agree with my brother. It felt dead. I can’t
describe it any better.”

  Jason just started at them. “So you three still believe Beginnings is gone?”

  They looked at each other, then one by one, each replied.

  “Yes,” said Frank. “Without a doubt.”

  “Gone,” Hal said.

  “Obliterated,” Robbie added.

  Danny heaved out a worrisome breath. “Beginnings gone.”

  “No.” Jason said strong. “No. Eleven months. Nothing could happen in eleven months. Sorry.”

  Danny offered a suggestion. “What if George hit us with a nuke?”

  Frank shook his head. “He wouldn’t have. Something in Beginnings is very important; he would have done it years ago.”

  Jason nodded. “Exactly. I believe something happened to my lab. Explosion.”

  Danny said, “Sounds good, but … can you explain the radiation?”

  “Absolutely.” Jason walked across the lab again and opened a closet. He pulled out a yellow box.

  Hal asked. “What is that?”

  “Uranium.”

  “What!” Hal stood up.

  Danny pointed. “Why ... why do you have Uranium in here?”

  “Yeah,” Frank said. “We buried that.”

  “Not all.” Jason smiled. “I kept it as a backup source for power. Remember the Uranium in small amounts powered up the time machine at one time. Either an explosion got this box or …”

  Danny finished. “The Uranium was being used when the explosion occurred. Actually …” his voice took a brighter tone. “You have rigged this time machine so much that, say in the future you switched to Uranium and the machine didn’t recognize it.”

  Jason nodded. “How many times has the newer power course fried and sparked.”

  “Plenty.” Danny replied. “So this means …”

  Jason finished the thought. “We have been forewarned. I’ll bury this and not have this as a second power source.

  “We need to come up with a back up source,” Danny said.

  “Exactly.” Jason smiled and faced the Slagel three. “So there you have it, Gentleman. A bit frightening, but explainable. Beginnings was not gone. The lab was. Thank you for the forewarning.”

  Frank, Hal and Robbie looked at each other. All three gave Jason a look of acceptance over what he said, but whether any of the three actually accepted it, remained to be seen.