It was time to part ways and they did.
Hal stood with George watching as the three of them moved directly up the street. Once they had made a little distance, Hal and George veered their own direction.
Hal felt a bit of nerves watching them make their way north. They were visiting the past and in a way, while Hal waited, he was visiting his, as well.
<><><><>
Danny Hoi was stuffed. He didn’t mean to eat as much as he did, but he couldn’t help it, the breakfast with bacon was so good, and he grabbed a few strips for Mark for being such a good sport.
Aside from being full, he was also running later.
He achieved his goal of getting the fuel and was able to wave to Hal who was looking out the window of the plane.
Even though he took longer than the hour he promised, he still made it back to Beginnings before they started their blood testing.
He stayed at the front gate with Mark, watching him enjoy the bacon. Like Danny, he licked every bit of grease and dust from the bacon off his fingers.
Danny promised, they too, would have bacon in Beginnings soon.
Soon was a word he had used a lot in the previous hour before the testing time.
Everyone started calling him.
“Where are you? We’re looking for you.”
“I slept in. Be there soon,” Danny would replied.
“Hey, Danny can you make sure you get everyone into town at some point,” Joe asked. “I have the residential area. Where are you?”
“Tracking. Be there soon. I’m on it.”
“Danny,” Lars called him. “I haven’t seen you in here for the test. Are you coming? We’re already in the K’s. You are an H.”
“I know. I know. I got hung up. Be there soon.”
Soon turned into hours. He had to return and hide the truck, scurry people from their post at the fields, then stopped by mechanics. No one was there. He saw the urgent repair for the refrigeration at distribution and went there to work on it.
Finally, he supposed they grew tired of his ‘soons’ and they sought him out.
He was under the sink in the bakery when he heard the subtle clearing of a throat.
Danny peeked out. “Oh, hi, Joe.”
“Oh, hi, Danny.” Joe stood hand on hips. “Usually, when someone is going to fix things they change their shirt.”
Danny grunted when he looked down to his pale blue dress shirt covered in grime. “Damn it.”
“Trying to stay on top of things since Henry isn’t here.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“Never have I seen you so scatter brained,” Joe said.
“I feel like I have been running around all day.”
“Are you feeling okay? I heard you slept in.”
“I was up until dawn,” Danny replied.
Joe held up his finger.
“What?”
“See this band aid.” Joe pointed. “Go get tested. You’re the last one, they want to wrap this up and open the town.”
“As soon as I ….”
“Now, Danny. This can wait. It’s across the street and will take five minutes.”
“You’re right.” Danny grabbed a cloth, wiped his hands and stood. “Can you finish?”
“No, I have something I have to so….” Joe looked at his watch. “In fifteen minutes and I can’t be late.”
“Okay, I’ll finish when I get back.” Danny set down the rag. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good boy.”
“Thanks, Joe. Sorry about all this.”
“Not a problem.”
Danny closed the lid to his tool box, pushed it out of the way and headed out.
<><><><>
Ring.
Huffing, Lars answered the phone. “Lab.” He shook his head. “No. The last one isn’t in it. As soon as he comes in, I’ll let you know. We doing the tests now.” He hung up.
Roy glanced at him across the lab. “Another one.”
“Another one.”
Ring.
“Want me?” Roy asked.
“No, I got it.” Lars lifted the phone. “Lab. About an hour. That’s all. Once we have an all clear. Then we can open the gates.” He hung up.
Another ring.
“Every single minute,” Lars said. “If we had everyone, do they not think they’re using up our time calling.” Just as he lifted the phone, he saw Danny walked in. Lars smiled. “He’s here,” he said as his greeting. “Oh, Ellen, sorry. Yes. Yes. Hold on.” He showed Roy the phone.
“I’ll get it over here.” Roy pointed across the room.
Lars placed the call on hold, then set down the receiver.
“Sorry, it took so long.” Danny walked to the sink. “I was busy.”
“I can see that. No problem, you’re here now.” Lars walked across the lab, patted a seat, and then placed on gloves. “Have a seat, this will take a second.” He lifted a slide, and marked on the chart. “Number one eighty-three.” He then marked the slide.
“I’m one eighty-three?” Danny sat down. “I didn’t think we had that many without the kids.”
“A few from Bowman and Jordan are here being tested. Patiently waiting to leave.” Lars swapped his finger. “Just a pinch.”
Danny looked down at the lancet. “Kind of the old-fashioned way. We have that device.”
“Not with this bacteria. Nothing gets reused.” Lars pricked him. “Good.” He waited until he received a good blood bubble, then Lars absorbed it into a tiny tube, before placing the blood on the slide and covering it. “Done. Need a band aid?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Danny stood up.
“Take a band aid,” Lars handed him one, then looked over his shoulder at Roy who had just hung up. “Everything okay with Ellen?”
“Levels are up slightly.”
Lars sighed out heavily. “Tell Andrea, we do not take no for an answer. Give the Dean mixture.”
“She doesn’t want to use it on—”
“I don’t care,” Lars interrupted. “She gets it.”
“What’s going on?” Danny asked. “I hope everything’s okay. I mean, I never did understand why Ellen quarantined herself. And one of you aren’t up there. No offense. She’s our best bedside manner. As strange as that sounds.”
“That’s because,” Lars said. “Ellen isn’t just a doctor up there, she’s a patient.”
“Oh my God,” Danny gasped. “I didn’t know.”
“No one is to know until after we know the results of this time trip,” Lars said.
“Danny, please say nothing,” Roy requested.
“Not a word. I’m Mister Secret. And I’m also Mister Busy.” Danny walked to the door. “I’ll catch you guys later. Let me know when we can let people out.”
“Will do.” Lars gave a thumbs up. He lifted the slide from the counter and paused. He then sniffed loudly, twice.
“What?” Roy asked.
“Why do I smell bacon?”
NINETEEN
It wasn’t evident from the air, but on the ground, without a doubt, Hal knew, the plague had no boundaries. It struck wherever it wanted, swept through with disastrous results and had shown no prejudice.
Not only were people not immune, the biggest vacation destination in the world wasn’t immune.
George was right.
It was a painful reminder.
When Hal had traveled the country after it all, the decay was still fresh, animals roamed the streets, rats fed from the dead.
Now everything was just silent and dead.
It swept through so fast no one was able to even go home. People who left for the trip of a lifetime, died without ever seeing their families again. Died in a strange place.
Millions of strangers suffering.
Where they landed was just a street. But as they walked further, the streets were transformed into aid stations. Remnants of tents and military vehicles crammed in the interception between four major hotel casinos.
Poste
rs and flyers plastered everywhere were torn and tattered by water and the words removed.
They wallpapered the city and Hal didn’t have a clue what they said until he and George arrived at the side doors to one of the hotels.
They were unlocked and they stepped inside. The tainted doors blocked the sun and preserved a partial flyer that lay on the floor.
It read.
Stay alive.
Stay inside.
The hall way was dark, but the sun made it’s way into the huge hollow lobby of the pyramid casino casting some light onto the dark casino floor.
Hal lifted his heavy duty spotlight as did George.
He was ready to walk the casino floor, pick up souvenirs, and looked for a really expensive bottle of scratch at one of the exclusive bars. But there was something Hal had to do, had to see.
“You sure?” George asked.
“Yes, you don’t have to.”
“No, I’ll go with you.”
They made their way to the stairwell and up to the first level where rooms were located.
There wasn’t a maid cart. Take out containers, bottles of water strewed the hall ways.
“I wasn’t stateside when everything happened,” Hal said, checking door knobs. “I was sick. I actually had it.”
“That’s right. The doctor that called Catherine was the one that gave you the treatment.”
“It worked on me and a couple others. Only because we had a strong immunity …” He paused at one room with the door not engaged in the lock. “Factor.” Hal placed his hand flush against the door. “I didn’t see how it went down. When I searched for my family, I never looked at what happened. I never did this. I never had the reason. Until now. Does that make sense?”
“It does.”
“It’s morbid, I know. It’s my tribute to my baby brother’s infatuation with Charlton Heston.”
“Omega Man,” George said.
“Charlton Heston went into that hotel and found those bodies. This is for you Robbie.” Hal pushed open the door.
There was a strong dust smell in the room, and it was hot. Unbelievably hot. The drapes were open and the sun blasted in the room causing an oven effect.
Hal stepped in first, the bathroom was a mess. Old, dried blood laced the floor and toilet. An open suitcase was on the floor, with souvenir bags sticking out, they like everything else was covered in dust. Cups, plates, napkins, water bottles cover the dresser along with over the counter medication.
A few steps more brought him into the main area of the room. There were two double beds. One was still perfectly made, and in the other, by the window, was the body of a man.
Hal didn’t need his spotlight to see him.
The covers came to his chest, his mouth was wide open, head tilted back. He had mummified from the intense dry heat. Dehydrated like jerky.
The poor man went on vacation, bought presents for his loved ones and never made it home.
Like billions of other people on the planet, he went to bed, not feeling well, and never woke up.
“Hey,” George called softly. “You ready.”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Hal nodded. “Let’s go get that drink.” He took one more look at the man, turned off the spotlight and walked from the room.
<><><><>
“I’m fucking dying here.” Frank took another drink of his water. “And why am I not sweating. Look?” He showed his fingers to Henry.
“Dry heat Frank, no humidity.”
“There should be sweat.”
“The bigger the body,” Dean said. “The more the heat.”
“Shut up, Dean. I didn’t think it be this hot.”
“It’s the desert, Frank.”
“Yeah, well, when we return,” Frank said. “We walk to where we left the plane before we go back. That way we can dodge in the casinos for air conditioning.”
“I one hundred percent agree,” Dean replied.
“Guys, we need to find a place to do this,” Henry said. “There can’t be that much time. Frank had to stop at the souvenir shop.”
“I wanted to get a tee shirt. Most of them had holes in them.”
“It’s been ten years,” Dean replied.
“How much time, Dean?” Henry asked.
Dean looked down to the HG Wells. “Shit, three minutes.”
“We have to all be touching it or one of us gets left behind.” Henry stopped walking and looked. “Up there. I see a lot.”
“Not a parking lot,” Frank said. “We don’t want to get hit by a car.”
“Looks like an empty lot. Maybe they were building something.” Dean picked up the pace and headed that way. “Whatever it is. This is where we go.”
“Let’s back up,” Henry suggested. “So we’re not in clear view. We’re arriving at eleven in the morning.”
“True.” Dean looked around. “Hurry, we have fifty seconds.” He raced back some and stopped deep in the lot. “This should be good.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Frank said.
“Hey, Guys.” Henry looked at them both. “Let’s do this one right.”
Dean held out the HG Wells. “Times almost up. Wherever we land, we land.”
“Hopefully not in water again,” Frank said.
Dean laughed. “I doubt that. We’re in the desert. Let’s do it.”
With Dean holding the device, Frank and Henry place their hand upon it.
<><><><>
Joe looked down to his time travel device. “Are we sure?” He asked Jason, as they stood in the quantum lab. “This is going to work?”
“It’s all theory, Joe, I don’t know. All I know is that your device lock and timer is set to send you back at the exact same time they go back.”
“But I’m going back only a couple years.”
“If they mess with time, theoretically, you should know. Because you are time traveling as well.”
“In theory.”
Jason nodded. “In theory.”
“Thank you for thinking of this.”
“Hey, someone has to be the wiser if they screw up.”
“Hopefully they won’t.” Joe exhaled. “Five seconds.”
“They won’t, Joe. I really believe they won’t. Good luck.”
As soon as Jason wished him well, the device went off and out of habit, though he didn’t need to, Joe stepped forward.
Something was wrong. Something about the time travel was different. He had done it before and usually it was seamless. But there were flashes of light, a warped look to the air, and a buzzing in Joe’s ears.
Then all that stopped and Joe stood alone in the quantum lab.
Jason wasn’t there.
He had picked a day he knew he was in Bowman handling small claims cases.
“Here goes nothing,” Joe said.
He was about to test Jason’s theory. If the trio of time changed anything, Joe would find out. Then again, Jason could be wrong. Everything could seem normal and Joe wouldn’t have a clue if they changed things or not.
There was one way to find out.
Joe left the quantum lab and headed to town.
TWENTY
It went from hot to cold, bright to dim, wide open to closed in …
Splash!
Just about the point when Frank’s face smashed into the red metal door, Henry whined loudly when he arrived feet first into a toilet.
“Great,” Dean said. “Just great. We’re in a bathroom stall.”
“Why are you complaining, Dean. I’m in the toilet.” Henry whined.
“Because I’m smashed between the toilet paper dispense, the toilet bowl and Frank’s elbow.”
“Sorry,” Frank said. “This is tight. But if you think about it, what are the odds. I think that’s a sign we should gamble.”
“I think it’s a sign to get out,” Dean said.
“This has to be one of the casinos they tore down,” Henry added. He splashed as he lifted his foot.
“Don’t try to get o
ut,” Dean told him. “It’s crowded in here already.”
“I can’t stay in the toilet, Dean.”
“Frank, open the stall door.” Dean instructed.
At first Frank pushed on the door, then realized it opened inward. “Fuck.”
“What?” Dean asked.
Frank pulled the door. “It won’t open. There’s not enough room. Dean, climb under.”
“I’m not climbing under.”
“Fuck. Fine. Back up.”
“How much further do you want me to go?” Dean asked.
“I got this, Henry watch out.”
“Watch out for what, Frank, I’m in the toilet.”
Frank lifted his leg backward and while holding on to the side of the stall, he stepped up to the commode and stood on the seat.
“Frank!” Henry snapped. “Your butt is in my face.”
“I got this.” Frank swung the door inward and stepped off the toilet as soon as the door cleared and into the main bathroom.
Dean was right behind him, exhaling loudly as he emerged.
Henry created a water slushing mess as he escape the toiled.
That was when Frank noticed two men, frozen in shock just staring at them.
“Hey,” Frank lifted a hand in a wave as he walked by.
“Hi,” Dean said, following Frank.
“Sorry about the mess,” Henry stated, his shoes squeaking and squishing as he walked across the hard floor.
Frank led the trio from the bathroom and pushed open the men’s room door, stepping into the carpeted hall way. “Oh, yeah, Vegas. We’re here.”
“Listen to the bells and music,” Henry said. “No wonder people gamble. It’s just like calling to you.”
“I think it’s too crowded,” Dean commented, dodging people as they walked by nearly pummeling him. “The strip is that way.” Dean pointed to a sign. Picking up his pace, Dean walked to right ahead of Frank to lead the way.
The long line of doors were brightened by the sun and Frank pushed on the handle, stepped in out. “Ug, it’s hot again.” He looked left to right. “Which way.”
“The Convention Center is across the street,” Dean answered. “Jason’s hotel is three blocks down.”
The Strain Page 14
