The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Aside from the fact that we can get information about what’s coming, we can’t Dean-Ami the camp, There may be twenty-four hundred people there, but not all of them are soldiers. There are civilians there,” Frank said. “And before we wipe them out, we need to get them out first.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The bag was more bulky than heavy, filled with items Chaka had brought back from the future. Things that Chaka knew Frank and the others would enjoy. Somehow though, when he stepped through he expected to see everyone one else. When he thought about the travel through time thing, it made sense if they all left Beginnings from one point in time, no matter when they left in the future, they’d return to the same point.

  Obviously he was wrong.

  When he stepped through the machine and into Jason’s lab, it was empty. Not even Jason was there, and he recalled Jason was always in his lab. Chaka would have worried that he didn’t return to the correct place or time, but he could catch Jason’s scent and those burning sticks he placed in his mouth.

  Setting on Jason’s work table was sweet smelling light brown object, it appeared as if Jason had been nibbling it. Chaka had been gone so long, he forgot how good Beginnings food was. Figuring Jason wouldn’t mind or even notice, Chaka ate the treat.

  He was excited and anxious to see Frank, Hal, Robbie, Dean and even Henry. He had so much to tell them, news that they would find exciting, along with the presents he brought back.

  He waited a little bit, scrounged for food, drank that cold dark brown bitter water, then decided to go find the brothers. After all, even though he was an advanced Hubra, he believed now, since he had bonded with the leaders and had completed a special mission, he would be welcome and part of town. Plus, he’d be free to spend time with his pet, Jenny.

  He placed his time pendant next to the electronic box and left the lab, pulling the door closed behind him.

  He hadn’t noticed it the first time he was there, perhaps it was all the excitement of time traveling, but he saw a long metal structure not far from Jason’s lab.

  Like the lab, it was in the middle of a field far from the main portion of Beginnings.

  It would be a good place, Chaka thought, to store his items instead of carrying them into town.

  He walked over to the structure and listened. It was quiet. He tried the door, but it was locked. Grunting in frustration he walked back to Jason’s lab, stored his large bag in the corner of the room, then began his walk to town. He didn’t know how long it was since everyone had seen him, but to Chaka it had been a while, and he missed his Beginnings family.

  <><><><>

  “Patrick’s condition is slowly deteriorating,” Ellen said. “From what we figure, the infection to symptoms is about twelve hours.”

  “Short incubation,” Jason pointed his pencil then took a note. “That works for us.”

  “This is nothing like I have ever seen,” Roy said. “Nothing.”

  “Sorry,” Dean rushed into the lab where they were meeting. “I got held up.”

  “That’s okay,” Ellen replied. “I updated Jason and Forrest on the flower and what it does. We just started talking about Patrick and Steve.”

  “Steve?” Dean asked. “When did Steve become symptomatic and how did he get exposed, we were really careful about isolating Patrick.”

  Ellen nodded. “Steve had come in for a cut on his hand while we were busy with Robbie. Patrick sutured the wound. Before he showed symptoms. That’s not all …. We have five other people that Patrick worked on before we isolated them.”

  “We’ve brought them in,” Roy said. “They are all isolated right now.”

  “What did you tell them?” Dean asked.

  “Suspected case of scabies.”

  Dean shrugged. “That works.”

  “So what we have here, obviously,” Ellen said. “Is something contagious that attacks when the WBC is low. Boost the white blood count?”

  Roy shook his head. “We tried that with Robbie. We’re wearing down Hank using all that we can from him. We need another way.”

  Jason added. “Basically, it’s a bacteria that transforms into a virus. Stop it before it does so.”

  “Unfortunately,” Dean said. “We don’t have comparable antibiotics. I don’t even know that we can recreate them.”

  “We still haven’t,” Roy stated. “Even in the future, in my time, we never were able to recreate the different antibiotics of the industrialized world.”

  “Easy,” Forrest interjected. “We sim-play get un-ty bi-ot-ticks, un-ty vi-roll and of cuss, mun-na-clun-kneel un-ty booties.”

  Silence.

  “Hmm,” Ellen nodded. “Good point.”

  “Yes.” Roy agreed.

  “Concur,” added Jason.

  “Wait.” Dean held up his hand. “Am I the only one here who isn’t going to pretend he didn’t understand a word Forrest just said.”

  Roy exhaled dramatically. “I’m glad you said that, not me.”

  Forrest grunted then repeated, slower. “Get un-ty bi-ot-ticks, un-ty vi-roll and mun-na-clun-kneel un-ty booties.”

  Dean tilted his head. “Again.”

  “Get un-ty bi-ot-ticks, un-ty vi-roll, mun-na-clun-kneel un-ty booties.”

  “Wait. Wait.” Ellen snapped her finger and spoke excitedly. “I got it. Antibiotics, Anti-viral and Monoclonal antibodies.”

  “Yes. Yes.” Forrest nodded.

  Dean scoffed. “Shall I give Santa my Christmas list as well?”

  “Dun you are an ass,” Forrest said.

  “Who invited you?” Dean asked. “Are you even a real doctor?”

  Forrest made a combination huff and grunt. “You are mussing ma punt.”

  “No, you’re missing mine,” Dean argued. “Yeah, those things would be fantastic, but we don’t have them. Where are we gonna get them.”

  Forrest merely pointed at Jason.

  “Use the Regressionator?” Roy asked. “That would be using it for its original purpose. It would, or should change time.”

  “Really, if you think about it,” Ellen said. “How many times have we all said how easy things would be if we just had amoxicillin.”

  Dean shook his head. “It won’t work. The same antibiotic may not work with everyone. In order to conduct a successful trial, we would need a wide … and I mean wide variety of medicines and treatments. To do that, we would need more than one doctor to prescribe, possibly even someone with a pharmaceutical connection. Even then, how are we going to find a doctor who will not only prescribe, but convince other doctors to do it too? It’s too tough.” Dean noticed Ellen disagreeing. “What?”

  “We know someone?”

  “Who?”

  Ellen smiled. “William.” She faced Roy and Forrest. “William was a wonderful man. Dean’s father. I am telling you it wouldn’t take much to convince him. And Dean, you’d get to see your father again.”

  Dean smiled peacefully. “Yeah, maybe that might just …” his head lifted suddenly when an outburst of screams coming from several people rang out in the halls. “What the hell?”

  Pausing the meeting, Dean raced out with the others behind him.

  <><><><>

  They had moved the meeting to the communications room, staring at the board.

  “What about a drone?” Danny asked. “We can get a good look that way?”

  “Noise,” Frank said. “We don’t want to alert them.”

  George waved a finger pointing at the board. “We could utilize our satellites. They won’t be up to the minute images, but we could get something. See what the civilians are doing. They may actually be part of it all and just not wearing uniforms.”

  “That’s a possibility.” Frank said. “Our best bet is human reconnaissance, watch what they’re doing.”

  “What is your plan, Frank?” Joe asked.

  “Working on it, but I’m thinking. Evaluate them. Learn where the civilians live, know where to find them. The leader, the Lou guy, he isn’
t in one spot all the time, he can’t be. He’s got to go home, take a walk.”

  “You proposing we take him?” Joe asked.

  “Yes.”

  Hal shook his head. “Won’t work Frank, once he goes missing they’re going to know.”

  “Not if we do it quietly. They may think he just wandered off. We take him, I have a feeling things won’t be so tight.”

  Jimmy agreed. “Like cutting off the head to a snake. What do we do once we have him?”

  “Try to get information,” Frank pointed at Danny. “He talks to him.”

  “Me?” Danny asked. “Why me?”

  “You’re Chinese.”

  “I don’t speak it Frank, I only can understand it. In fact, my father wouldn’t allow me to speak it because he said I did the language a disservice.”

  “Big brother let me get this straight,” Hal said. “You want a human reconnaissance, small team, learn were the civilians are, take out the leader, leave them clueless, get what we can from Lou and then …”

  “Right before the attack we take the civilians, move them to safety, hit the camp, pull out, douse with ami, kill Lou take their stuff.”

  Jimmy asked. “Do you think this may jumpstart the Great War?”

  “Nothing is there.” Frank pointed to the board. “No ships, no movement coming from anywhere else. This camp may very well be a rogue camp. They may have come with intentions to invade and defected. We don’t know. We need to find out. However right before we take Lou, we need to shut down their ability to communicate with whoever sent them. And they are, I saw phones.”

  Danny nodded. “Bouncing off our towers and Satellites.”

  “Can we boot them off?” Frank asked.

  “If we shut them down. That leaves us in the dark as well.”

  “Been there before,” Frank said. “We can skip tech for a day or two. I’m thinking after Robbie’s funeral we move into ….”

  Frank stopped talking when his radio went off.

  “Frank,” Dean called out. “Where are you?”

  Frank lifted the radio. “In a meeting down below. What’s up? Why are you radioing me?”

  “You won’t answer the phone. Look, you need to come up here now. Right now. We have a problem. A big, huge problem.”

  “Is it another bear?” Frank asked.

  Everyone groaned.

  “No, but close. It’s not human if you get my drift.”

  “A monster?”

  “Frank, just get up here.”

  “I’m on my way.” Frank turned down his radio. “Man, our little brother is missing all the fun stuff.”

  “He’s with us in spirit.” Hal gave a swat to Frank’s back. “Let’s handle this one for Robbie.”

  Frank Jimmy and Hal immediately left the communications room.

  George turned to Joe. “What do you think it is?”

  “It’s not an emergency or Dean would have said it. Bet it something those assholes are all a part of. And if by chance it’s like the bear situation,” Joe headed toward the door. “I better get up there before they get themselves killed.”

  George followed him out.

  “Guys, wait. I ...” Danny tossed out his hand when the door closed. “They leave me to watch this place and miss the up close action.” He sat down and reached for the computer. “Good thing I installed all those Closed Circuits.” He switched on the monitor. “Well, what do we have here?” Danny pressed record.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Typically the doors to the ramp that lead to the cryo tunnels are closed, but Frank could see the sunlight as he approached the ramp. The he saw several of his security men, headed by Dan, huddled by the opening, peering out...

  “What’s going on?” Frank asked,

  “Oh, man, Frank, it’s bad,” Dan said.

  “Yeah, what Dean said.”

  “I have never seen anything like it. Look I’m shaking.” He held out his hand, his fingers trembled.

  “Gentlemen, I did not train you to run scared,” Frank blasted. “Do you think the UWA would run?’

  “Yes.” Dan nodded. “They’d run just as fast.”

  “I doubt it,” Hal said smug.

  “I don’t,” Dan retorted. “We have a monster out there.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Frank smiled. “A monster in Beginnings. We can take it.”

  “Absolutely,” Hal agreed.

  “Should be fun,” Jimmy said.

  “It’s big,” Dan said.

  Frank nodded. “The bigger the better, right Hal.”

  “Right, Frank.”

  “It’s hideous and mean,” Dan said. “Snarling and growling. It’s in attack mode.”

  “Good God,” Hal said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”

  “We got this.” Jimmy gave a thumbs up and prepared his weapon. “So how monster is it?”

  “Very monster.”

  “Wait. Stop.” Joe approached. “Who the hell is saying there’s a monster in Beginnings?”

  Everyone pointed to Dan.

  “There are no such things as monsters.”

  “I beg to differ Joe. I saw it,” Dan said.

  “A huh.” Joe nodded.

  “It’s big. Like seven feet tall.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “I am saying. It’s ugly.”

  “I bet.”

  “Has a sort of human face.”

  Hal groaned and lowered his weapon.

  Frank asked. “Would you say maybe this is big foot?”

  “Not furry enough.”

  “Frank,” Joe tried to interject.

  “Did he eat anyone yet?” Frank asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Frank.”

  “So we have a naked, furless man looking monster,” Frank said.

  “No he is wearing clothes.”

  “That’s crafty.”

  “Frank.” Joe called him again.

  “What? I’m, trying to come up with a game plan.”

  “You don’t need a game plan, it’s not a monster,” Joe said.

  “Dad, Dan said.”

  “Dan said my ass. It’s not a monster.” Joe faced Dan. “How many shots have you taken at this monster?”

  “None, Joe, we couldn’t,” Dan replied. “Jenny is protecting him. Standing right in front of him,”

  “Christ.”

  Frank shook his head. “She takes up any cause. Monster or not, she’s going down.”

  “Frank!” Joe blasted. “There is no monster. Think about it.”

  Frank paused.

  “Big, seven feet tall, looks sort of human, wears cloths?” Joe said. “That does sound familiar.”

  “No.”

  “Think about it.”

  Frank snapped his finger. “Yeah. Makes sense.”

  “Good.”

  “Why is Creed here?’

  “No! Not Creed!” Joe yelled. “It’s Chaka.”

  “Chaka is in the future.”

  “He came back,” Joe said.

  “When?”

  “I don’t know when, but he’s out there.” Joe pointed.

  “Have you seen him?”

  “No, but I …”

  “You didn’t see him, don’t know when he came back, and you’re sure it’s him?” Frank asked.

  “You big hard headed son of a bitch. It’s him, now get your ass out there, stop this situation and prepare for damage control because, this town will be nuts and it’s all on you.”

  “Fine. But if it’s not Chaka or Creed, it’s going down.”

  “You do that.”

  After checking his weapon, Frank brought his radio to his mouth. “All men, stand down, I have this.”

  No sooner did he say that, replies rang out on the radio.

  ‘Thank you Frank.’

  “Whew, I’m glad you’re going.’

  “Thank God for you, Frank.’

  Hal looked at Jimmy as he followed Frank out. “You hear that? As if our big brother needs any
more of an ego boost.”

  The moment Frank emerged on to the street, he lowered his weapon and grabbed the translator from his pocket, placing it in his ear.

  Jenny spotted Frank first. She stood before Chaka in front of the Joe Park. “Frank, tell them to leave him alone!”

  “I already did.” Just to be on the safe side, he lifted his radio. “I got this. All’s good. I’ll explain later.”

  “Hal?” Jimmy stopped him. “What is that?”

  “Oh, that’s our brother’s friend. He comes a thousand years from the future.”

  “Was this another one of those brother things I missed?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I’m kind of glad,” Jimmy said.

  Frank approached Chaka and Jenny.

  “I was at the school Frank,” Jenny said. “I saw him outside. Next thing I know people are screaming and your men are surrounding him.”

  “It’s good.” Frank walked up to him. “Hey, I’m sorry about all this.”

  “I apologize as well,” Chaka said. “I did not expect my presence to cause such disarray.”

  “Well, look what I did in your town. When did you get back?”

  “I just did and walked from the lab, Chaka said, then looked beyond Frank. “Hal.”

  “Chaka,” Hal greeted him. “This is our other brother, Jimmy.”

  Chaka looked around some more then turned to Frank. “Where’s Robbie?”

  Frank lowered his head.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Attention, Beginnings residents,” Danny Hoi’s voice rang out over the town PA system. “In ten minutes, please stand by for a speech from Frank Slagel. You can access it on any public television or we will stream live on Hoibook thank you.”

  Joe shook his head, shut the doors to the cryo tunnels and headed down.

  “Everything okay, Joe?” Dean’s echoing voice carried to him.

  “Dandy.”

  “Odd choice of word for …”