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

by Jacqueline Druga

  Head back in relief, Frank smiled. “Thank you. And Henry will help me, right Henry, you don’t have a life.”

  Henry waved his hand. “Yeah, I’ll help you Frank.”

  Glad the issue was settled, Joe immediately ran to his door and opened it, taking in the better smelling air. “Well we’ll leave you, Frank. I suggest you clean him up, give him some clothes and enjoy your new pal.” Not long after Joe darted out for fresh air freedom, George and Henry followed.

  Frank stood alone in the office with Josh, he cased him over a few times. “Josh, it’s you and me. Ready to work pal?”

  Josh tiled his head.

  “First thing is we clean your ass up, shave that head and make you look like a person.” Frank reached to touch him again, but again stopped. “Follow me.”

  Josh, silently, and with fright, followed the man that, to him, was big and scary.

  ^^^^

  Her one eye partially closed while her lid fluttered in a cringe and Ellen held her ear shut as she walked to the one printer in the cryo-lab. “God, you have to love dot Matrix.” she said sarcastically. “Tell me you can’t tell they planned this restart the world thing before laser printers went big.”

  Chester’s gasp was loud as he sat before a computer. “Can you possibly complain any more?”

  Ellen looked over at Johnny who snickered. “Sure.” She shrugged. “Johnny, did I tell you what your father did last . . .”

  “Spare us.” Dean interrupted as he rushed to her. “Are these the shorts?” Dean grabbed for the papers that she ripped the edges off.

  “No.” Ellen answered. “These are the readouts. These.” She grabbed her clothing. “Are the shorts.”

  Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m out of here. Please. Please. Please work to have everything ready for the meeting tonight. I’m taking these short . . . I mean, preliminary readouts to Joe.” He moved across the lab rapidly and grabbed a disk. “These disks have to be overseen when they print out.” He held them up.

  “I handle that, Doctor.” Chester said.

  “Um . ..” Dean hunched. “Nah.” He hurried to Ellen. “Here. You oversee.”

  “Oh, yes. I’m in charge.” Ellen gloated.

  “Gotta go.” Dean hurried to the door.

  Ellen snickered. “Isn’t he cute the way he darts his little body in and out.” She giggled “Kind of reminds me when we used to sleep together.”

  The loud squeak in the tunnel caught all of their attention. Dean popped his head back in the open door. “I heard that.”

  Laughing, Ellen tossed her head to the side and when she did, she saw Chester reaching into a disk box. Hurrying over, she snatched his wrist, stopping him. “These are Dean’s.”

  “I was just . . .”

  “Touch only what you’re allowed to.” Ellen gave a cold stare, took Dean’s box and brought it with her to the printer.

  Johnny nodded with a closed mouth. “I’m impressed.”

  “What can I say?” Ellen exhaled loudly. “The power of being in charge.”

  ^^^^

  Joe looked with seriousness upon everything that Dean had brought him to the clinic lab to view. He felt the tension from Dean, as Dean must have felt his. “So this is it.”

  “All the information we need to revive them. Everything we need to know is there.”

  “I didn’t think it would be.” Joe rested his elbow on the counter and his head on his hand.

  “I didn’t want it to be. I don’t like it, Joe. I don’t like the dilemma we’re faced with. As long as we didn’t know this, we didn’t have to attempt to revive them. But now that we do. Do we not have a moral obligation to their lives to do so?”

  “In a sense we do.” Joe stood up and began to pace. “We’ll decide tonight.”

  “Thanks.” Dean glanced down at his watch. “I’d better get my stuff together; I told your son I’d meet him in an hour. Do you know what’s up with this survivor he found today? Why doesn’t he just bring him to containment for me to look at?”

  “I think you’d better see that one for yourself.” Joe began to leave. “Oh, by the way. You didn’t mention it to Ellen did you? You know, that you were meeting with Frank about a survivor?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head. “I didn’t . . . please don’t tell me we’re keeping something from Ellen. I hate doing that. She blames me every time we get busted.”

  Joe laughed. “Dean, this one’s on Frank. Trust me. All Frank. You’ll see.”

  Even with Joe’s reassurance, a part of Dean was still afraid to breach the Frank territory.

  ^^^^

  The morning for Frank went a lot faster than usual. Of course an entire hour was spent showering Josh, then showering him again. And leaving no dirty stone unturned, Frank shaved him nearly to the scalp.

  As he approached his office, Frank held a clipboard in one hand, keys dangling in the other. Josh kept up behind him, shoulders hunching and knees bending in exhaustion as he walked. Not once on the entire rounds did Frank allow for him to stop. Every time Josh plopped himself on the grass, Frank would drag him right back up to his feet.

  “We’ll take a break now, Josh. O.K.?” Frank told him as they stepped into his office. “Come on in, and don’t touch anything.”

  Josh stepped in looking around, taking it all in.

  Frank shut the door. “I have to fill out the stupid reports for my dad.” He showed Josh the clipboard. “Can you say stupid?”

  “Stupid.”

  “Hey, very good. Hang around me I’ll teach you to talk. Frank-style.” Frank walked behind his desk and sat. “I’ll just finish . . .” He noticed Josh picking up the football that sat on top of the file cabinet. “You like that?” He smiled and started to write.

  “Ball.” Josh held it in his arms.

  “Good.” Frank lifted the top sheet of paper from the clipboard. As his pencil touched down, the ball slammed down across his desk. “Not right now, Josh.” He tossed it back. “Sit down.”

  Josh didn’t catch the ball, it bounced off of him and on to the floor. He picked it up again and again, tossed it at Frank.

  “Josh!” Frank slammed the ball down. “Sit!” He gruffly yelled.

  Josh plopped on the ground.

  “See, now you look normal. Of course you could have sat in the chair.” Frank continued his paper work, lifting his eyes every so often to see Josh. “Josh, don’t pick things up from the floor.”

  Josh ignored him and looked at the scrap of paper he had retrieved. He held it high, opened his mouth and ate it.

  “Josh, no. Don’t eat that.” Frank noticed it was too late. “Oh well. Did it taste good?” He looked up to the like tapping on the door. He knew it had to be Dean. “Come in.”

  “What did you want?” Dean stuck his head in.

  “I need to talk to you, come on in.” Frank waved at him.

  “All right.” Dean shut the door, not seeing Josh hidden on the other side of the cabinet. He walked to the desk and sat across from Frank. “What is it? I know sitting there you’re on some power trip.”

  “Shut the fuck up Dean. I have a favor to ask.”

  “No.”

  “I didn’t even ask you yet.” Frank grew angry.

  “I don’t care. If it’s not medical I don’t do anything for you.”

  “Fine.” Frank held his hands up in surrender as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ll just get someone else to keep my wife busy for the next few weeks.”

  Dean leaned his body to one side of the chair and smirked at Frank. “Right. I’m not buying that for one second. You want someone to keep Ellen busy for a few weeks?”

  Frank snapped forward resting his elbows on his desk. “You’re the only one that can keep Ellen occupied. You have this frozen people project your working on. And if you call for her help at certain times of the day or night, she won’t notice I’m gone. See, there’s a survivor. He’s not ready for general population or containment. Ellen can’t know about him until I try to br
eak him first. I have to work with this survivor, it’s important.”

  “And what is so important about this survivor that makes you feel the need to reach out?”

  “See for yourself.” Frank pointed a pencil at Josh.

  “What am I looking at?” Dean saw Frank was still pointing and turned his body in the chair to that direction. “Shit!” Dean sprang up. “Is that?”

  “Yep. He found us.” Frank stood. “Came to the back gate saying, ‘home’.”

  “Frank.” Dean tried to speak rationally. “We couldn’t make this kid right last year, do you really think you can make him right now?”

  “I’m gonna try.” Frank stood side by side with Dean. “Josh get up. Stand up.” Frank snapped at him. “Say hello to Dean. Do you remember Dean?”

  Josh slid against the wall to his feet. He kept his stare on Dean. “Dean.”

  Frank smiled. “Good, Josh. Now don’t hit him again.” He turned to Dean. “See, I thought I’d try a rougher approach to him this time. It can’t hurt and he’s not gonna nail me.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Dean apprehensively asked.

  “Just keep her busy and don’t let her find out about Josh.”

  “Busy won’t be a problem. Because . . .” Dean said looking at Josh. “If after the meeting tonight, we decide to reverse the cryoprocess. Ellen will be busier than ever.”

  ^^^^

  “It’s not a simple push of a button.” Dean explained to those chosen to attend the meeting. Only the longstanding and original residents of Beginnings were privileged to be there to decide. “It’s a process. A long one. It takes thirty-two days. Henry would be needed to set up the panel that is used to record their vital signs. Round the clock monitoring. Plus, like in Cleveland, when the air hits them, they’re gonna feel our plague. We have to manufacture more serum, be ready to administer it and . . . we’re gonna have to have a place to put these people. Because no matter how fast we give them the serum, anyone that gets hit will still have symptoms to deal with.” Dean waited before finishing up. “I know how a lot of you feel. We don’t want, or need the knowledge they have in the minds But . . .there are fifty-three people alive down there, or at least waiting for us to get them to that point. Morally, I believe we have an obligation.”

  “Bullshit.” Frank spoke up as he rocked in his chair on the hind legs. “These people went into their deep sleep with an empty community above their heads. They needed this land for something right? They have a plan, we’re not a part of it. Mark my words when they wake up, that’s exactly what their attitude will be. I mean, look at Chester. His attitude should be proof enough.”

  Joe agreed in a sense. “Frank has a valid point and I have heard each side of the argument. So, council and I decided to take the apprehensive approach with their awakening. This land is ours. Not theirs. All the data, computers, disks, supplies and such. Property of Beginnings. They will have no access. They brought two freezers. One with embryos. The other with fifty-two vials. We haven’t a clue what’s in those vials. Until we do and until we know what to do with those embryos, both cases will be hidden away. The whereabouts will be known to only Dean and me. If these people awake and prove to be no threat, and prove that they only want to live the life we do. They will be thought of as newcomers and go through the same trust process for privileges everyone else had to go through. If they prove to be a struggle with us. Simply . . . they go. But . . .” Joe lifted his hands as he sat down. “My whole speech on the apprehensive approach may be moot, if you people decide to just let them die. The choice is yours.” Joe took a moment to look amongst the faces in the social hall. “Cast your vote.”

  Twenty-nine people were selected to be in the social hall. Twenty-nine people voted. And with the final count of the anonymous vote being twenty-eight to one, Beginnings prepared to reverse the cryogenics process.

  ^^^^

  Taking the back of his left index finger, Dean lightly tapped the three square inch digital display on the fifty-third monitor. “Come on.” He tapped again. “Nothing. How about you?”

  “Nothing.” Ellen moved next to him and squatted also. “My other two look just like this. Blank. Do you think it’s a malfunction?”

  “I don’t know.” Dean stood up running his hands through his hair. “The information says that on day seven we should start to receive life signals. It’s day seven. These were blank this afternoon. Now only three of them are. We’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll tell you Ellen, I’ve never seen vitals so low. Heartbeat, three beats a minute.” Dean shook his head. “Extremely low blood and body temp. These people are basically dead.” He smiled oddly looking down to her. “El, why are you still squatting on the floor? You can get up now.”

  “No, Dean, I can’t. I’m nearly eight months pregnant and basically . . . I squatted down here and now I’m stuck.”

  “Sorry.” Dean laughed as he braced her under her arms and helped her to her feet. She lost her balance some and fell back into him. “You all right?” He moved toward the computer.

  “Fine.” She pulled herself from him. “I don’t understand, I feel it, but I’m not big.”

  “No you’re not. But, the baby’s fine so we’ll leave it at that.”

  “Thank you.” Ellen followed him. “I’m really tired of hearing it from everyone. Jenny Matoose included. She’s due three weeks before me, and just because she’s as huge as . . .”

  “Ellen.” Dean shook his head at her insensitivity and stopped before his hands set upon the keyboard. “It’s nearly three a.m., let’s run the twelve hour vitals on these people, read them and go home.”

  “O.K., go ahead, I’m not stopping you. How come Dean, when we knew we had to run reports every twelve hours after the process began, we didn’t start the process at let’s say, eight or nine? But we began it at three so every night we have to be down here?”

  “I don’t know.” His finger’s clicked and the sound of an old squealing printer began. “Go wait by the printer for those.”

  “Dean what if this baby comes out with blonde hair and blue eyes.” She walked to the printer subconsciously following his demand. “I mean, Taylor had blonde hair and blue eyes, and my dead husband Pete was very dark like Frank. What if Frank doesn’t think this baby is his.” She just stood next to the paper coming out. “Speaking of Frank.”

  “Please don’t.” Dean hurried over to her at the printer. “Pay attention to the paper.” Failing to see Ellen rolling her eyes at him, Dean began to straighten the mess of paper that just landed in a mound on the floor. “Are you sure you want to come down here at three in the morning every day?”

  “Oh, sure. I’ve hit that energetic insomnia phase early. I feel good.” She crossed her arms. “Anyway. Frank’s been strange lately. He’s not chasing me around. Checking up on me. He doesn’t even care that I’m with you. Why do you suppose he’s been different lately?”

  Dean couldn’t. He paused before ripping the paper from the printer and figured--yeah he could. “Maybe Ellen, you should worry. Maybe there is someone else that has Frank’s attention.”

  “Right.” Ellen chased behind him to the counter. “Frank and another woman? Please. There are no other women.”

  “Maybe it’s not another woman.” He raised his left eyebrow.

  Ellen shrieked in laughter as her hands crashed down upon her stack. “That’s good, Dean. I needed a laugh before I went to sleep.” She started to step from the printer. “Frank and another man. Who?” She laughed again. “Oh wait . . . Henry.” She couldn’t stop laughing. “Night, Dean.”

  “El . . .”

  “Wait until I tell Frank you said he’s having an affair with Henry.” She moved to the door. “He’ll get a kick out of it. Night.”

  “No he won’t . . . El!” Dean raised his hand and let it drop on his stack of just printed papers. “And she leaves.” He shook his head. “I’m a dead man.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  May 7

  Fran
k gave a throaty moan as he leaned to Ellen in bed and pressed his lips to her cheek. “I’m leaving. Be good. I’ll try to stop by and see you today.”

  Ellen’s eyes opened--try? Frank never had to try before. “Frank.” She rolled over and turned on the light. “Dean said the strangest thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He said the reason you haven’t been around as much, is because you’re having a love affair with Henry.”

  “He said . . .”

  “A intense one too. Long standing.”

  “El, Dean is . . .”

  “Not that I mind. I, too, find Henry attractive. But I just want you to be . . . excuse the pun . . . straight with me.” Ellen giggled and turned off the light.

  Frank’s jaws twitched in his bedroom. He debated on telling Ellen the truth, but he left the bedroom at that moment because he opted for killing Dean later in the day.

  ^^^^

  Dean brought his coffee to his lips. He hoped as he took his drink that this would be the sip that did it. The sip that would awaken him from that dead to the world feeling he had. He recalled that not even six hours earlier, he and Ellen were in the lab. He was there again retrieving materials to bring to the clinic lab so he could review them while he did his other work. He just wanted to hurry and get done down there, but the clanking and scuffling noises that Chester caused across the room grew even more disturbing to him. “Chester, finish looking for what you looking for.” Dean set down his mug. “Miguel won’t wait forever for you.”