A New Order

by Jacqueline Druga

  I was a little much. Frank was one man. Yet, he came, and brought every single person out of the state the 'attack' left them in.

  After taking care of everyone in Beginnings, he arrived at Bowman and was working non-stop.

  Hal was glad to have his town back and not stuck in some sort of frozen zone.

  Now that everyone was functioning again, it was time to get back to work. Hal stopped at the mess hall and grabbed his breakfast to go, taking it to his office.

  He stepped in, closed the door with his foot and walked to his desk.

  His breakfast smelled wonderful and Hal smiled when he sat down. That smile quickly left when he looked across the desk and saw Elliott Ryder. Sitting in the chair, still in the Midas state and covered with that blanket.

  “Damn it,” Hal cringed more so at himself for forgetting Elliott. He picked up his phone to call Frank before he got too far out of town.

  <><><><>

  Joe tried.

  Mainly because he knew it was his fault. He was man enough to own up to it, at least to himself. He wasn’t thinking of after effects when he fired that gun by Dan’s ear, he was just thinking of jolting him out of the state he was in.

  So, because of his misjudgment, Joe bared it.

  “DID YOU HEAR ME, JOE!” Dan shouted, standing in in Joe’s office.

  Thinking, ‘Bowman can hear you’, Joe nodded. “I did.”

  “THEY SAY I’M TALKING LOUD.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “I DID. AM I?”

  With tightly closed lips, Joe shook his head. “Not at all. How is your …” Joe pointed to his ear. “Hearing?”

  “FINE! A LITTLE RINGING.”

  “Maybe you should get back to work. You had a long rest.”

  “OKAY.”

  Dan turned just as the door opened and Jason walked in.

  “BYE JASON.”

  Jason flinched slightly, watching Dan from Security leave. He closed the door and faced Joe. “Is there a reason Dan is screaming.”

  “I may have uh, fired a weapon by his ear to try to get him out of the Midas state.”

  Jason chuckled as he pulled up a chair. “The Midas state.”

  “That’s funny.”

  “Yes, Joe, it is.” Jason placed a folder on his desk. “I thought we could talk before the medical meeting with Catherine.”

  “Sure.”

  “So … why didn’t you tell me that so much was changed in time?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Joe. Joe. Joe.” Jason doubled up with a triple ‘tsk’. “So ... much has changed.”

  “Like?”

  Jason shrugged. “Henry is Oliver’s father.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “Joe. Frank spilled his guts just before he hit the eraser.”

  Joe sat back. “So you heard but weren’t affected.”

  “I couldn’t watch him. He has a buzz cut that is growing in and he tried to part his hair to look official.” Jason shook his head.

  “That was pretty disturbing.”

  “I didn’t watch. I listened. Then there was silence. Frank just walked off so I knew he did something. I was in the lab with Dean and Henry. Dean didn’t pay attention but I saw Henry.”

  “Dean didn’t mention you were there.”

  “He was busy and since he didn’t notice Henry, I left. I thought it was funny.”

  “Well, we’re busted.”

  “Have they brought up changing it back?”

  Joe shook his head. “Not that I know.”

  “It has to stop, Joe. They can’t keep changing things back.”

  “I know.” He sat back. “What was the other thing.”

  “It was a stupid reason that Frank used the eraser … however, it was a stroke of brilliancy as far as discovering a possible weapon against the enemy.”

  “So I have heard.”

  Jason nodded. “If we can figure out a way to tap it into the radar, we got this war.”

  “That’s the big thing. Figuring it out.”

  “Have you brought this up to Hank?” Jason asked.

  “We would love to, unfortunately, Hank is dead.”

  “I’m sorry, did you say Hank is dead?” Jason asked.

  Joe nodded.

  “Do I want to know how?”

  “Frank was training him in the killer baby region. Didn’t realize Hank didn’t run super human fast.”

  “I can see where they would confuse anyone.”

  “True. But they hid it. Hid him, or rather pieces of him in the cryo lab.”

  “Pieces?” Jason asked. “As if body parts.”

  “Organs.”

  “Bet me one of those were his heart. Dean is awfully worried about Frank’s heart.”

  “Why do you say that?” Joe asked.

  “Monthly stress tests. He has a back up to keep Frank alive. Personally I wouldn’t doubt if Dean talked Frank into it. That’s just me.”

  “You really think our mad scientist is that mad.”

  “You tell me. Frank has an extra heart.”

  “And liver.”

  “That actually is good planning.” Jason cleared his throat. “Anyhow .. Hank or no Hank, I’m working on it. The eraser and how it magnified and why. We will need to test it though,”

  “I don’t have a problem with that. And Jason, I’m sorry I wasn’t honest about the time …” He stopped when his phone rang. “This is Joe,” he said when he answered. “We’re on our way.” He hung up.

  “Everything okay?”

  “That was Catherine. She says every minute counts now and needs to see us ASAP to make a decision.”

  “I thought this was just an antibiotic update.”

  “I did, too.” Joe stood. “Let’s go.”

  Jason grabbed his folder, the time talk and eraser weapon would have to wait.

  <><><><>

  “Seventy-six,” Catherine paced around the conference table in the clinic where everyone had gathered. “When I worked the CDC, this would have been … a win. Lars would agree.”

  “I do, would have been fantastic news,” Lars said. “Give the personal circumstance here, it’s not a win.”

  Joe shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Something bad happened,” Frank said. “That’s my guess.” He looked at Catherine. “Fuck.”

  “Frank,” Catherine corrected.

  Joe did a double look at Frank. He saw in his son’s eyes that something was wrong. “Catherine, explain.”

  Catherine did. “As you know we have the bacterial stage, that gets worse until it turns viral. At that point, we have no means to cure it and the patient dies within three or four days. Right now we have seventy-six people in the ward including Andre and Roy who are infection, bacterial free. It has now been twenty-four hours, no new cases. Considering how fast our future bacteria works, I’d say we contained it. Back to what I was saying. Seventy-four were brought in with the bacterial infection. Of those Seventy-four, thirteen were close to turning viral.”

  Joe asked. “So they all had a shot of being cured. There were no viral patients.”

  “When we left for the Antibiotics,” Catherine said. “Yesterday, we aggressively administered the antibiotic, more so to the later stages of infection. As of right now, the antibiotic kicked the shit out of thirty-three cases, almost completely gone. Twenty-eight are well on their way, and nine of the worst, nine of the ones close to turning viral had been reversed. It will take more, but we care confident they are cured. We also have enough antibiotics here to counteract and catch it if it strikes again.”

  Joe scribbled on a paper. “That leaves four.”

  Catherine nodded. “Four turned viral. We have no cure for the virus. No way to help them at this point in time.”

  “At this time?” Joe asked. “Can you find a cure in a couple days?”

  Catherine shook her head. “No.”

  “So they can’t be helped. Who are they?�
� Joe asked.

  “Mark from Security, a young UWA soldier, Clayborn, Ellen and Danny Hoi.”

  “Oh my God.” Joe closed his eyes.

  “Wait,” Frank said. “Danny Hoi. I thought he was a carrier. I’m not a scientist. How the fuck does a carrier turn viral?”

  Dean explained. “We thought he carried a dormant form of the bacteria. He showed no symptoms. Obviously it wasn’t dormant, he was infected without symptoms and turned viral.”

  “Can that happen?” Frank asked.

  “It did.”

  “So.” Joe tossed up his hands. “We lose them. We lose more people.”

  “No really,” Lars said. “We had high hopes. Maybe if we had the antibiotics a day earlier. We could try again, a day earlier, but timing is everything and we may not get the same results. Scientifically this was a win because we had a ninety-five percent success. We have a plan B. Dean?”

  Dean looked up. “We can cure this. I am confident we can cure this virus. Eventually. I vow to work on it every single day. But realistically I can’t cure it in the time frame needed.”

  “It took five years to cure the original one,” Joe said.

  “But,” Frank added. “Three weeks to cure the other one.”

  “Five years, three weeks,” Joe said. “It doesn’t matter. They have days.”

  “Time is of the essence,” Catherine said. “We can save them.”

  “How?” Joe asked.

  “You’re not going to like it,” Dean said. “But it’s our only hope. We take Mark, Clayborn, Ellen and Danny … and we cryogenically freeze them.”

  “Until you find a cure?” Joe questioned.

  Dean nodded.

  “Do what you need to do to prepare, give them the option first, if they agree, we do it now.” Joe said. “I will not lose another child.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  Even though his family was out west, Jimmy felt as if he were home when the plane landed on the East. They were a good two hour drive still from Quantico. There, Jimmy would rest and head out the next day for Virginia.

  He had to get the ship ready to sail.

  The last thing he and George expected was to see Mike Manis and Bertha parked off to the side of the runway.

  Jimmy knew instantly something was wrong, he just didn’t know what. There was no reason for them to be there. Someone else surely could have been their ride.

  “Maybe it’s not all that bad,” George said. “It’s been a while since I have been back east, so maybe they just missed me.”

  Jimmy only glanced at George as he stepped through the plane door.

  “Maybe not,” George said.

  Mike greeted them both with a firm handshake and Bertha gave them a hug.

  “What gives?” Jimmy asked. Not wasting any time. “I know you aren’t here just to be our ride.”

  Mike shook his head. “No we aren’t. We’re your ride but there’s another reason we’re here. I wanted you to be able to process it on the ride back instead of being hit with it once you got home.”

  “What is it?” George asked.

  “Beginnings has declared the new infection contained.”

  “Wow,” Jimmy said. “That’s great news.”

  “The antibiotics,” Bertha said. “We had success with a ninety-five percent effective rate. Nine-five will be cured and there is enough meds left over to halt any further epidemic.”

  “But there is that five percent,” George said.

  Mike nodded. “Four have turned viral. Two of them are Danny Hoi and Ellen.”

  “Oh my God.” Jimmy closed his eyes. “There is no cure for the virus.”

  “No,” Mike said. “About right now, they are putting them in stasis.”

  “They are going to cryo them until they get a cure,” George said.

  “Will that work?” Jimmy asked.

  “As long as they’re in stasis,” George said. “They won’t get sicker. That’s what the cryo process was originally designed for. It is being used for its original purpose. In fact, one of the designers still works for me. Bertha get Lerado on the phone with Beginnings to go through the process.”

  “I’m one step ahead of you,” she said. “I had them linked up as soon as they told us.”

  “Good. Good. Thank you. So you see, Jimmy, it’s covered. Rest assured they’ll be fine.”

  “Do you believe that?” Jimmy asked George.

  “Do we have a choice?”

  Jimmy drew silent, and Mike reached for his bag. “I know this is family. I think they’re doing all they can. But like Dean and Lars are working on the virus, you need to work on saving people a different way.”

  “The ship,” Jimmy said.

  “The bacteria arrived and claimed a dozen lives,” Mike said. “I can guarantee if the War comes we’ll lose a lot more.”

  Jimmy knew he was right. He had to focus on why he came east. Jimmy had to trust that Dean was doing what was right just as they were trusting him.

  They had a vast ocean in front of them to cross and scan, and Jimmy had a feeling the search for the enemy wasn’t going to come up empty handed.

  <><><><>

  Alexandra’s face took up the entire screen of the tablet, as Ellen video talked with her daughter.

  “I don’t understand, Mommy. Isn’t Daddy a doctor, can’t he help you.”

  From behind her, Billy replied. “Not with this.”

  “Bill,” Ellen said firm. “I’m glad you’re realistic, but can we not be so callous around your sister.”

  “Fine,” he said. “It bothers me, too, you know.”

  “I know. Just know I love you guys so much. All of you. Watch out for Joline. She’s … she’s ….”

  “Special,” Billy said.

  “Young,” Ellen replied. “I was going to say young.”

  “You don’t think Joline is special?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, I do, but … just … watch her, okay? Take care of Daddy and Uncle Frank. Also, Pap.”

  “Uncle Hal?” Alex asked.

  “Uncle Hal, too.”

  “Mommy? Will we ever see you again?” Alex asked.

  “I believe so, I don’t know when.”

  “In our lifetime.” Billy said. “Because I am going to be the one to cure this virus.”

  “I bet you will, baby,” Ellen said. “But think of the bright side to this all. It’s over. The illness that took Uncle Robbie, the one that made people sick … it’s over. It’s done. We beat it. You guys … can come home.”

  “It won’t be the same without you Mommy.”

  “I’ll be there. Trust me,” Ellen said. “I am never going to be far.”

  “Everything I have planned, Joe,” Danny said through the window. “It’s in the blue file cabinet hidden in the manager’s office in Mechanics. Inventions, ideas for Beginnings and communities, it’s all right there.”

  “Danny, those ideas, they’re not only yours,” Joe said. “But you have the mind to create them. Those ideas are probably going to have to wait.”

  “If I come out of cryo.”

  “You will.”

  Danny’s eyes shifted to Jason. “God, and you said you had jet black hair when you went in?”

  “Completely,” Jason answered. “It turned gray during the cryo process.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Well it did, I had a predisposition to gray hair, so my hair aged while I was in there.”

  “Uh!” Danny shrieked. “I can not have my father’s hair.”

  “Danny, what the hell are you worried about that for?” Joe asked. “You won’t be gone long. I have faith in this medical community. Dean, Lars, Catherine, Jason, William … they’re all going to be working on it. We’ll beat it.”

  “What if you don’t?” Danny asked.

  “Eventually we will.”

  “What if you don’t?”

  “Then you’ll be a frozen Popsicle.”

  “Joe, that’s not cool,” Danny said.

>   “Danny,” Jason said. “You won’t know. The sedative kicks in to lower your vitals and knocks you out before you even begin the cryo process. You’ll only remember sleeping. The last few minutes, just before you go under will be lost. Right now, is your time. Right now are the moments you will remember vividly.”

  “Do you remember the last moments vividly?” Danny asked.

  “Of course,” Jason replied. “I had the people that came for me stop at Burger World. Next thing I know I am waking up on the floor, removing my suit, faces around me were blurry and they were calling me number forty-three. It was very confusing.”

  “Was it because of the time that past?” Danny asked. “Just want to be prepared. If this moment is my vivid moment, I want that to be of instructions for when I wake up.”

  “Danny,” Joe said. “You’ll be fine.”

  “No, Joe, I won’t,” Danny replied. “I’m leaving my home. Whether it’s just to go beneath it, I won’t be part of Beginnings and that makes me sad.”

  “It makes me sad, too. You have made Beginnings a better place for a lot of people,” Joe said.

  “You, too, Joe?”

  “Well, I would have preferred to keep the world without television, cell phones, and social media, but others love it.”

  “Don’t let Hoi Book fail.”

  “I won’t.” Joe held his hand against the glass. “Good luck Danny.”

  Danny raised his hand and placed it against Joe’s. “Goodbye, Joe.”

  “I’ll never give up, El,” Dean told her. “I will fight and work every single day. I swear to you.”

  “Fuck, Dean,” Frank said. “She’s not dying. She won’t even be gone that long. Think of it as a vacation.”

  “You’re really not worried, Frank?” Ellen asked.

  “No, El, I’m not. It can’t be Beginnings without you. So Dean is gonna make sure you aren’t gone long. I believe him.”

  Ellen nodded and her eyes shifted to Joe. “You guys just all look so sad.”

  “You’re sick,” Joe replied. “We’re not happy. But this is the way to ensure I don’t lose you too.”

  “I just want to hug you all,” Ellen said. “That’s the one thing that makes me really sad. I can’t hug you guys once more.”