The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  Frank, huffing, pulled Ellen toward him. “Is this something you two do for others?”

  “No.” Ellen laughed. “We were covering up. Some people in the community think Henry’s attracted to me. We just didn’t want them to find out what we were working on.”

  Frank wanted to scream at them both, but stayed under control. “I don’t care what it is you’re working on. But Ellen you agreed to my terms. You are not to be down here.”

  “That’s not what you said. You said Henry couldn’t drag me here. He didn’t. I walked.”

  “UH!” Controlled Frank was gone. “I can’t fuckin' believe you’re playing word games with me. Let’s go.”

  “No, Frank.” Ellen pulled her arm away. “Please. Look we have these blue prints.”

  Frank saw them on the floor. “Henry, where did these come from?”

  “El and I sort of borrowed them from Chester.”

  “Borrowed? You mean you stole them. I can’t believe you robbed a survivor.” Frank began to pace around. “You broke the rules. What am I suppose to do? Huh?”

  Innocently, Ellen looked up to him. “Give us just a little more time. If nothing. We end it. Please.”

  A long thinking breath escaped Frank. He hated what he was about to do. “Eleven O’clock. You have two hours or I spill my guts about the blue prints. I’ll meet you in the social hall.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You know I love you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He kissed her apprehensively then stepped back. “Eleven.” He tapped his watch. “Be up by then or I sing.” He pointed at them and started to walk. “And Henry. No more kissing my wife!”

  After jumping and shrieking excitedly like kids, Ellen and Henry returned to tapping that wall.

  ^^^^

  Frank stormed into the social hall, he walked around for a little before returning so he could cool down, it didn’t work. The social hall was near empty, except for a few people including Joe and Dean who mingled. Some had gotten themselves a drink. The one thing that Frank needed. He walked up to the bar, grabbed a glass and a bottle of homemade whiskey and took them both to a table and sat down, slamming them both very loudly. He poured himself a shots worth, downed it, then poured another. This one he would savor, nurse it. He did want just a relaxing drink.

  ^^^^

  “Ellen I think I have it.” Henry’s hands moved about forcefully and with a snap, his chisel cracked. “Shit.” He rubbed his head. Within seconds a loud clank occurred followed by a rumble. Henry jumped back pulling Ellen with him. “Oh, shit. What did we do?”

  They both watched together as the wall slowly moved.

  At first it sounded like thunder in the social hall. Then quickly the glasses began to rattle and the floor shook. The loud deep rumbling noise grew stronger.

  Frank jumped from his chair, knocking it over. “What the hell is that?”

  Joe looked around. “It sounds like an earth quake. It’s coming from below.”

  “Shit! Ellen!” Frank took off, charging out of the social hall, out into the streets to the tunnels.

  “El!” Frank called out as he entered the tunnels. He dreaded with his heart that something had happened. “El!” He found them standing, staring, not moving. Frank too stood quietly in amazement as he gazed upon what they saw.

  Joe arrived with Dean, moments later. His mouth dropped open. “Holy mother of God.”

  The five of them stood, staring at where a long concrete wall used to be. Instead of gray, they looked upon a glass wall. Clear, showing behind it the full sterile looking laboratory. But the most shocking factor of it all, the thing that took away their breath, was what set with in the lab. Set deep, but not too deep that they could not see it for where they stood was another glass wall. Behind that window was not a lab. Hanging suspended, inches apart, spread out in a long line . . . were people. Motionless, eyes closed, with wires protruding from them.

  ^^^^

  Joe rested his hand on Dean’s shoulder as he sat in a chair center lab. “What do you make of it?”

  “Joe I’m clueless. I haven’t an inkling about cryogenics.” He flipped through the pages of a black binder. “This is just handwritten stuff, who they are, not what they are. And physical statistics prior to their freezing. It’s funny. The date they were frozen isn’t mentioned.” Dean closed the book and stood up. “They have equipment I have never seen. Six computers.” He wandered around. “And look at this.” He pointed. “Boxes and boxes of backup tapes and disks. It’s gonna take months for me to even grasp a little on what this shit is.”

  Joe looked upon the stuff. “You think Chester knows?”

  Dean shrugged. “Don’t know. Assuming now he’s telling the truth, the ones that knew this stuff, died of our plague.”

  “Why did they do it, Dean? Why did they freeze them?” Joe questioned.

  “A safeguard.” Dean guessed. “To have the top minds around to start the world again.”

  “How did they get them together so fast?” Joe continued in his asking.

  “I guess our answers lay somewhere in all this information, and Chester.” Dean noticed a large white case he moved to it. “What the hell?” He stared at it, then moved his attention to Ellen who was knocking on the glass in front of the frozen people. “El, don’t do that.”

  Ellen laugh. “Why, will I wake them?” She ran her hand against the smooth surface. “It doesn’t feel cold. I count fifty-three. It’s really stupid, if these people are suppose to start the world over why are there are only two women. And they’re old and not very attractive I may add . . . Hey Dean, why do all these men seem to have erections?”

  Frank quickly covered her eyes. “El!”

  “Frank, stop.” She removed his hand. “It’s not like I’ve never seen one before. And think, six years with one.” She continued to stare. “Imagine how stupid they may be with the lack of blood to their brain.”

  Joe moved to her and Frank, Henry kind of stood off to the side still shocked. “Ellen, how did you and Henry find these people. How did you open the wall?”

  Ellen, proud, answered. “We looked at the blue prints that Chester brought.”

  Joe was stunned by her answer. “Blue prints. You two had blue prints that Chester gave you and you failed to tell me?”

  “Oh, no.” Ellen waved at him nonchalantly. “Chester didn’t give them to us. We borrowed them.”

  “You what!” Joe spoke loudly. “You two not only withheld vital information from this community, but you took it, I mean stole it? What the hell is the matter with you?”

  Henry rushed over. “Joe, we’re sorry. It’s just that . . . that.” he spun to Ellen. “It was all her idea.”

  “Oh my God!” Ellen shrieked. “How dare you. You got us into this.”

  “Me?” Henry argued. “Who was the one who wanted to sneak into storage and go through his things?”

  “But there was no way I could have gotten in there, was there? You unlocked storage. You were also the one who made me come down here because you were so obsessed with the wall.”

  “Oh that is totally untrue and you know it. Who volunteered to help me out?”

  Ellen crossed her arms. “Who kept me out all night making me fight with my husband?”

  “You fell asleep on my table.”

  “That’s because you were so boring. And . . . then you make me break my promise to my husband by dragging me here.” She faced Frank who looked like his head was spinning. “He dragged me here, Frank. He made me come down here.”

  “I did no such thing. I swear to God Ellen, I don’t know why I ever decided to work with you in the first place. You drive me nuts.”

  Joe couldn’t take it anymore. Besides the fact he was getting a headache, his neck began to hurt from turning it back and forth so fast. He whistled loudly and shrill to shut them up. “Enough you two! Frank. . A. do something with her.”

  Frank put his arm around Ellen moving her. “Let’s go, El.”

/>   “No.” Ellen tried to pull away. “It’s my discovery.”

  “My discovery!” Henry yelled.

  “Knock it off!” Frank blasted.

  From across the lab, with a loud hiss, Dean called out. “Whoa!” He lifted the lid to the six foot case and out emerged a white steam. “What have we here?” Dean whistled as his hands reached in, he shook his head. “I have an answer to that question you asked, Ellen.”

  “Which one?” She said. “The one about the erections?”

  “El!” Frank cringed. “Enough.”

  Dean looked up, he had a half smile on his face. “No, the one about how they were gonna start the world again. Here’s your answer.”

  Joe moved in to take a look. “What is it, Dean?”

  “Embryos.” Dean’s hand moved about. “And as near as I can count, at least two hundred and fifty frozen embryos. Looks like twenty-five units and each hold ten.”

  Ellen’s face dropped. “What would they do with them? Grow them in the lab?”

  Dean shut the lid to the case. “I doubt it. My guess is farming.”

  They all looked to him with a audible, confusing, ‘what?’

  Dean chuckled. “I don’t think they were growing them in a special box. I think they planned on implanting them. Knowing that there were bound to be survivors, and bound to be women, they would find them and implant them.”

  “Dean.” Joe spoke as he moved closer to the glass to look at the people. “I need you to work on this as much as you can.”

  “Like I said Joe, it may take weeks or months just to sort it out.”

  “However long. These people are in no hurry, and neither are we for that matter.” His hand touched the glass. “With all this equipment, all of this shit. It makes you wonder.” He faced everyone in the room. “How long have they been preparing for this?”

  A RUDE AWAKENING

  CHAPTER TEN

  April 4

  No matter how many times a week he had done it for the past four, it still was weird to Joe. Walking down to the tunnels to check on the progress that Dean was making in the new lab. The technology of it, its huge clean appearance, reminded Joe of a world that long before had disappeared. A world he and everyone in Beginnings wanted to put far behind them.

  The lab’s windows were blackened out. They had to be, the sight of the frozen people, dangling like puppets from invisible strings, was considered frightening. Joe pressed his security code into the keypad just outside the underground lab door. The new security system put in by John Matoose to ensure the safety of the lab, and access to only those who were trusted in there. However, part-time lab worker, Chester hadn’t gained that status yet.

  “Morning, Dean.” Joe stepped in holding a cup of coffee and wiping the splash of it from his shirt. “Where is everyone?”

  “Chester opted for a day off and . . .” Dean gathered up his papers then pulled up a chair for Joe and one for himself. He sat down. “And the other two, unfortunately, will be here shortly.”

  “How’s it going with them?”

  “About as good as it’s going with the hundreds of disks. Henry and Ellen still will not speak directly to each other. Can’t you step in?”

  “Sorry.” Joe said. “They aren’t annoying me yet.

  “You don’t work with them four days a week down here.”

  “You mentioned the disks. Still nothing?”

  “I can’t figure it out, Joe.” Dean’s hand dropped to his stack of papers. “They leave all this paper, printers, cartridges and other boxes of supplies we didn’t get to. All these disk and tapes, only numbered. I’m thinking, they planned on printing it up. Logical, right?”

  “Haven’t found one yet that makes sense.”

  “Oh, sure we have a few.”

  “Great.” Joe smiled.

  “Then about a quarter way through the data, it get’s screwy. Jumbled words Formulas I have never seen. Nothing makes sense. Just like the other disks.”

  “Do you think it’s the computer programs?” Joe asked. “Maybe they went bad.”

  “Who knows? I do know when we finally figure out how to retrieve the information, if we can. Man is there gonna be a ton to print up.”

  “Nothing on the defrosting?”

  Dean shook his head. “But I still believe it’s in the disks and tapes. Somewhere. They would have had to have a backup plan for coming out of stasis. I know as a scientist, I personally, even though I wasn’t chosen as a top mind, would have insisted on it, just in case something happened to the Cleveland facility.”

  “So, these papers.” Joe reached out and touched the stack. “Really have no vital info.”

  “Just the start of a few disks. Oh!” Dean shuffled through the stacks. I want to retrieve the information on the disk numbered, one-ten.” he handed a sheet to Joe. “Look. It’s on our embryos. It starts out saying about ‘enhancement’ of the embryos for different levels.”

  “So their genetically enhanced?” Joe reviewed. “Different levels, meaning. High intelligence. Average . . .”

  “Grunts.” Dean raised his eyebrows. “Someone has to do hard labor and my guess is they were ensuring the world still had its different classes of people.”

  “Now the question is, who is they?”

  “Call me Henry. But I have a theory. See if you can figure out where I came up with this from. Back in the eighties, when nuclear threat was biggest, this group began. They were around for as long as I can remember. A private group. They were called the Caceres Society. They all paid dues, they had money. Top minds? I don’t know. But they deemed themselves the ones that would come up with a plan to start the world over, should it end. They put things in motion, had meetings, and hypothetically they built their contingency plan. I think maybe . . . this was the contingency plan. Everything preset, stocked up, and when someone yelled go. They came here or Cleveland.”

  “Wait a second. I did my home work. Wasn’t the name of man who designed the Garfield Project . . .”

  “Dr. Forrest Caceres. Yes.” Dean nodded. “Totally designed, and planned the conceptual community thing.”

  “The Garfield project was a government project, and if it was, then why doesn’t George know about this.”

  “He wouldn’t. The Caceres Society actually borrowed the name.” Dean held up two fingers. “Separate issues. I, as a top scientist knew of the Caceres Society. I wasn’t invited to join because I was military, I was government. The Garfield Project was barren for so long. Maybe a scientific part of the government gave these members access to this land to build their lab. Who knows.”

  “You think we can get Chester to confirm this?”

  “Chester won’t confirm the time of day.” Dean stated. “He’s awful to work with down here.”

  Joe stood up. “So what now?”

  “Now we figure out how to release them.”

  “Do you think they’ll be all right?”

  Hem-hawing in his answer, Dean bobbed his head from side to side. “There’s a chance that the freezing slash defrosting process could’ve kill their brains cells, leaving us with fifty-three idiots. But if that’s the case we’ll have ourselves fifty-three field workers.”

  “I like that thought.” Joe laughed then when he heard the buzz at the door, he turned his head. The door didn’t open.

  “That’ll be Ellen.”

  “How do you know?”

  “She never makes it in on her first attempt. Listen . . . now she’ll kick the door.” Dean tilted his head to the two thumps. “Now she’ll get it. She thinks that’s the magic touch.”

  The buzz of the door brought Ellen in and she quickly shut it. “Morning.”

  Dean rose. “Ellen, why did you push that door shut? It’s automatic.”

  “What’s his name was behind me.” Smiling she walked to Joe and kissed him on the cheek. “Morning Joe.”

  “Morning, Ellen.” Joe glanced oddly over the kiss. “You’re in a good mood.”

  Ellen set
her mug of coffee she brought with her on the counter. “It’s called sleep.”

  “You always sleep.” Shaking his head, Dean faced her. “So Chester decided to come?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “But you said ‘what’s his name’.” Dean waited for an answer, then got one.

  With another buzz of the door Henry bolted in. “Ellen, why didn’t you just hold this door for me? You saw me coming.”

  Ellen turned her back to him. “Dean, could you please tell Henry that I will not be responsible for letting anyone else in here under my security code.”

  “Tell him yourself.” Dean replied.

  Henry approached Ellen. “This is ridiculous. I can hear you.”

  Ellen folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Dean, could you please tell Henry that I still am not speaking to him. Nor will I ever speak to him again.”

  Henry tried Joe. “You’re her dad. Tell her this is ridiculous.”

  Joe threw his hands in the air. “Can’t. I’m out of here. Church, you know.” Joe walked to the door, stopped and snapped his finger. “Before I forget. I have six getting out of containment today. Henry, that means you have to have their housing ready by eleven-thirty. Make sure it’s done.” Joe reached out for the door.

  “Joe, I can’t.” Henry shook his head. “I have multitudes of repairs scheduled in the morning. I have to work here in the afternoon with Johnny. I haven’t time to do housing too. I’d have to get up at three in the morning. Joe I’m only one man.”

  “That you are.” Joe nodded. “But you’re also Henry. And you’re also a thief. You’re still paying for my silence.”

  “But Ellen was just as much a part of it as I was . . .”

  “Ellen is six months pregnant.” Joe said.

  Ellen shook her head and held her hands out to an ignoring Dean. “And that man wonders why I stopped speaking to him. He’s still trying to get me in trouble.”