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

by Jacqueline Druga

  That thought had never occurred to Dean. The thought that George could possibly do it to someone else. “No Frank. I’m not giving up on it. I think you need a pick me up. Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you Joe’s progress.”

  “Yeah. I’d like that.” He squeezed Josh’s foot one more time and followed Dean. He stopped dead in his tracks when his he got the call.

  Breaking up a bit, they called to him and Frank knew by the tone of their voices something had happened. “Frank. Frank this is tower one!”

  Frank held his hand out, telling Dean to wait. “Yeah. I take it you see a SUT?”

  “No Frank, not just a SUT, many. Frank. God, Frank, there has to be thirty, or forty. They just broke through the front tunnel gate.”

  “Fuck!” Frank spun in a circle. “How . . . how did . . .”

  “Somehow they downed the perimeter. They came from nowhere.”

  “Lower the hatch.” Frank ordered.

  “Can’t. It’s somehow . . . jammed. ETA three minutes.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Frank switched to all call. “Squad four, Squad four. Take your positions at the front and STAT. Greg, Greg, come in.”

  “Yeah, Frank. I’m on my way.” Greg called out.

  “Greg. We have them coming through the tunnel. Fire at will. I repeat, Fire at will.” Frank took off running down the hall.

  “Frank.” Dean followed him. “What can we do?”

  “We have . . .” Frank stopped walking again holding tight to the earphone. “Yes Tower two.”

  “Frank.” Steve called out. “They’ve taken out the back gate. Fifteen maybe twenty and they have a truck. They just rolled right in.”

  Shaking his head in disgust, he had to stop and think. “Cole did you hear.”

  “I already have my men arming up. They’ll be ready.”

  “Excellent. But if the gas does not work, pull out. We’ll take them out in town. And move the field workers not immune to the stuff out of there.” With heart racing, Frank thought of the next move. “Squad five. Head to center town on the double. Meet me and John at the armory. Now!” Frank looked down at his watch. “Dean.” He faced him. “Anyone in the front of this building, move them to the back now. Get ready on the outside chance we have casualties.”

  “I’ll do that. What about the people working in town?”

  “I’ll send a man out to tell them to stay put. That gas of yours should stop them from going any further. Shit! How did they break the perimeter?” With the glass doors to the clinic not far from them, Frank switched the channel on the radio to the monitor room.

  “Oh Henry let me see.” Ellen walked with him from the containment building.

  “No, El.” He slipped a small cloth wrapped item in his front pocket. “I worked really hard on that transmitter. You’re gonna have to wait until we get to the clinic and see.”

  “Will it work? Will we be able to locate Marcus if he speeds away again?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. Although I don’t . . .” Henry’s expression dropped when he heard the sound of gunfire and it didn’t seem to be in the distance. It seemed close. “What the hell?”

  Frank heard the gunfire too. He looked with oddity as his hands reached for the double glass doors. “That sounded close.”

  “Real close.” Dean commented.

  “Status, someone get me a status,” Frank called out. There was a pause of silence. “There shouldn’t be gunfire. They’re using the gas. . . . Status!”

  A hiss in his ear, then a panicked voice. “This is Dan. Frank . . . Frank . . . ten of them just came up from the tunnels. They’re shooting like mad.”

  With a fling of the clinic doors Frank barreled out, revolver held high.

  “Henry?” Ellen saw the look on his face, then saw something else. “Oh shit.”

  Henry looked to where she pointed. A SUT, aiming high, pointed their way. Reaching for his own revolver from his waist, Henry stepped in front of Ellen when it happened. A shot fired out. Before Henry could even draw his weapon, it nailed into him with such force it was like a blast of red water sprang out from the right side of his chest. His hand began to topple the weapon and it finally dropped from his grip when his body took another hit. Blood sprayed outward from the close range impact. Jolting, Henry began to fall as another bullet seared into his right thigh. As he fell to his knees, he heard Ellen scream. He looked up to see the SUT aiming for his final blow. And in one sight, one blurry sight, he watched the head of the SUT explode as he hit the pavement and felt Ellen cover her body over his.

  “Henry.” She covered him, running her hand over his head. “Henry. Oh God. Answer me.”

  Frank saw another heading toward them like the SUT he just dropped, Frank swung to his right, aiming like only Frank could do and taking him too, out with one shot. “El!” That was where he had to be. Gun fire rang out all around. He raced over to her as she lay protectively over Henry.

  “Frank.” Her words tearful. “Help him.”

  Her slowly raising eyes held warning to Frank. The horror, the fear. He spun around, weapon ready just in time. Firing once, he took out the ensuing soldier. Relieved, he spotted Dan. “Dan! Henry’s down!” Frank checked in every direction. Where was the firing coming from?

  “We couldn’t get into armory.” Dan raced to them. “John Matoose got held up in the field. Our men are at a loss without weapons. So I sent them to the field and front gate to help.”

  “Good thinking.” Frank reached to Ellen and she swiped him away.

  “I took out two,” Dan stated bending down for Henry.

  “I got three . . .” Frank fired. “Make that four.” He reached his hand down to Ellen. “El, get up. And run back to containment. Now!”

  “No.” She argued. She rose up so Dan could lift a motionless Henry. “I’m going to the clinic.”

  “El, go back. Now!” Frank ordered her. “Now!”

  “No.” She charged past him following Dan.

  “Son of a bitch.” Frank reached out to her, swept her up into his arms and spun to containment. “I told you to go to where it was . . .” On his fourth step with her he felt it, the painful shot to his shoulder. “Fuck, now I’m hit again.” He raced toward containment. “If you would have just . . .” His eyes opened in horror as Ellen’s head slumped. The bullet passed through him and hit her. Blood poured from her head “No!” Feeling her arm drop, Frank raced with his heart back to the clinic. As he reached for the doors, the force of another shot to his arm knocked him forward, nearly causing him to drop her. Adjusting Ellen, he fled inside. “Dean!”

  Dean heard the panicked call of Frank as he was examining Henry. “Andrea take over.” He raced to the hall and saw. He felt as if every bit of his insides hit the floor. “No! No!”

  “Dean.” Frank’s breathing was so heavy, so rattled. “She’s hit.”

  “No.” Dean reached out and all he saw was her hair…her blonde hair turned red. He saw the blood on Frank. “Please tell me this is your blood, not hers.”

  Frank raised his sad eyes to meet Dean’s. “Both.”

  “This way.” Scared, Dean led him to an examining room. “Lay her down.”

  “Dean is she?”

  Dean’s hands went immediately to her head, moving frantically her wet bloodied hair that stuck to her. Finding her wound sent a message to Frank. Dean’s shoulders dropped, he let out a breath of alleviation as he clutched her face and dropped his head to hers. “It grazed her.”

  Frank’s eyes closed. “Thank God.”

  “She’ll be all right.” Dean stood up then looked to Frank’s wounds. “You’ve been hit.”

  “Twice.” Frank began to reload his weapon. “Stay with her. I have to take them out.” His back slammed open the door as he charged through it. Racing loudly, boots stomping, Frank was ready when he stepped out of the clinic. “The gas.” He called into his radio. “The gas. Have we used it yet? Someone answer me.”

  Cole’s voice began bre
aking up. “We got them at the back. All secure, Frank. They just dropped like flies.”

  “Yes.” Frank moved out into the street, turning in circles looking around. “Front gate?”

  “Dead. They’re all dead.”

  Through the gun fire still rang out in town, Frank dodged shots, covered his head, and ran down to the armory. Unlocking the steel door as he fumbled to the keys, Frank opened it just as a high pitched impact dented the steel frame not inches from his head. Inside he found them quickly, an M-203 and a box of Dean’s chemical. Loading up the weapon and taking extra cans, Frank ,with animalistic rage, burst into the street holding the weapon high. Aiming up, he depressed the trigger to his weapon. With a pop of the gas can, Frank, like a second hand to a watch, spun quickly to his right, loaded another can, fired, and spun again. He turned full circle until he used them all. The silence of the shooting bullets, the silence of Beginnings told him they had won. At least this time they had. Lowering the gun, and trying to comprehend the rush that just happened, Frank headed back to the clinic. Crossing the street he finally saw what had transpired in the sanctity of his home. Two men lay shot in the street, numerous SUTs lay disintegrating on the ground. He could see, the closer he made it to the clinic, the dripping remains from one of their enemy slide from the roof down the side of the library building. Sickened in his heart and soul, he reached for the clinic doors. As he did, a jeep pulled up, John Matoose drove, Cole in the seat next to him.

  “Frank.” John jumped out. “I need help. I have three shot here.”

  Frank stepped back down, walking emotionless, still in a state of shock, he lifted one of the injured men from the jeep. Carrying him inside, Frank’s head dropped. He wasn’t even feeling the pain from his arm. He had to take a moment to figure out how it happened. How did they break the perimeter? A perimeter many have tried to conquer before. How did they gather without notice and make their approach without ever being seen. Everything was done with ease. Too much ease. Beginnings was ready. Too ready. Moving down the hall, his chest heavy with each footstep he took to find Ellen, Frank searched for the answers. His gut called to him what those answers were. His instincts finally told him the cause of it all. Or rather . . . who was the cause.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Hold still.” Jason hit Frank on the side of the head with the tweezers. “I’m almost done.”

  “Just hurry.”

  “I’m moving as fast as I can. If you wouldn’t have taken so long to come in here, these would come out easier.”

  “I had things to handle.”

  “Got it.” Jason paused, holding up the casing to his eye level. He stared at it briefly then dropped it into the basin. It clinked loudly.

  “How’s my wife?”

  “Ellen is fine. She’s come to.” Jason reached for the sutures. “Dean just went back to her to get her cleaned up.”

  “How’s Henry?”

  “Surprisingly well. He handled the surgery remarkably.” Jason dabbed some blood away from Frank’s wound. “He should be out of the anesthetic soon.” He began to stitch. “He’s a very lucky man. It could have been worse. The one to the upper chest area left minimal damage. His leg will give him some trouble for years to come.” He finished up. “May I ask you something Frank, without setting you off?”

  “You can try.”

  “O.K.” Jason stepped before him folding his arms. “Being that we have known these scientist want Beginnings to rebuild their own population. And knowing that they had the capabilities to make more SUTs as you call them, why, when we took out the Colorado site, did we not take out New Mexico?”

  “We were going to then my Dad got sick. George canceled our raid. He said it wasn’t necessary. And I warned him. I warned him this was coming. He canceled every defense idea I had. Shot them down. He was so sure they weren’t attacking that he refused to let us do anything that could stop them. Seems George was so determined to bring me down, he was allowing Beginnings to be set up in the . . .” Frank slid from the table. “Fuck. Fuck.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Frank began to pace. “I can’t believe how stupid I have been.”

  “Frank, what . . .”

  “I have to take care of something.” Frank grabbed his shirt and walked to the door. “Thanks, Jason. Thanks for the voice of reason.”

  “The voice of . . .” Jason jumped when the door slammed. “ . . . reason? I don’t think I made you reasonable. I think I worked you up.” He grabbed the basin that held Frank’s bullet. “Just like Dean said.” He held it up with the tweezers. “Better let him know I got another one.”

  ^^^^

  Frank headed to the regular rooms of the clinic. He had made a pass to see Ellen but she was still being worked on. Wanting to put the waiting time to good use, Frank walked into Henry’s room. He had to see him. “Hey.” Frank spoke softly as he neared the bed. Henry was sleeping. “Just wanted to check on you. I’ll be back.”

  “Frank?” Henry spoke sounding groggy and raspy. He opened his eyes slightly. “What’s up?”

  “Henry.” With a smile Frank moved closer. “How are you feeling?”

  Henry grunted and his eyes barely opened. “I’ve been better. Did we get them?”

  “Yep. All of them. Not without injuries though. Henry, I want to tell you something. I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I saw what you did. I saw how you stood in front of my wife. You saved her life. And I will never forget that. Ever.” Frank reached down and grabbed his hand. “I wouldn’t have her if it wasn’t for you. However . . . she still got shot in the head when I was carrying her.”

  “Oh my God.” Henry’s eyes opened.

  “She’s fine. Figures though, she has such a hard head the bullet reflected right off of it.” Frank smiled. “I’ll let you rest.”

  “Thanks.” Henry closed his eyes.

  “One more thing, if I can talk to you about it . . . Henry? Henry? Henry, I’m talking to you. Quit falling asleep.”

  “Frank please, I’ve been shot.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll stop by later. I’ll run it by Dean and see . . .” Frank saw that Henry had passed out again. Shrugging, he left the room, to go back to Ellen.

  ^^^^

  John Matoose reviewed the status reports of the men as he reached for the door knob of Joe’s office. “George.” He called out, eyes still peered to the sheet as he walked in. “I have those . . .” His head lifted. “Holy mother of God.” The office was in total disarray. “George?”

  A moan came from the floor.

  “George!” John ran over to him, he saw his bleeding head. “What happened?” He helped George to his feet.

  “Frank.” George grabbed his head. “I must have passed out. He came in here raging. He blamed me for the attack. John, he went crazy. He tore up the office and threw me around.”

  “No.” John’s shoulder’s dropped. “How could he do this?”

  “He’s lost it. I want him gone now. You know the rules. You go get him. You are now head of security. You get him so we can throw his ass out of here.”

  “George are you . . .”

  “Now!” George struggled. “Get six or seven men together. Frank will be hard to bring down. Now . . . Could I get you to help me to the clinic?”

  “Yeah.” John took hold of his arm and began to lead him away.

  ^^^^

  Holding the silver basin in his hand, Dean stood in the room with Ellen. He stared down at that basin, rolling its contents back and forth which were making an annoying clinking sound.

  “Dean!” Ellen yelled at him. “I have a headache. Stop playing with the toy Jason just gave you.”

  “Sorry.” He rolled it one more time then sat it on the counter. He walked over to the bed with her. “As I was telling you, you can leave as soon as we see you’re fine.”

  “I’m fine. Just bitchy.”

  “Hence the reason I got you cleaned up before you woke.” He grabbed a comb. “
I figured, knowing you, if you saw yourself . . .” He began to run the comb through her wet hair. “ . . . you would bitch.”

  “Why are you combing my hair like I’m your daughter?” She snatched up the comb.

  “Sorry. Habit.”

  Ellen took over combing her hair. “But I appreciate you cleaning me up. You didn’t touch my body in some perverted way while I was passed out did you?”

  Dean smiled and raised his eyebrows.

  “Oh, you are sick.” She flicked the comb at him. “Either way. It was nice of you. And you even washed my hair.”

  “I didn’t mind.”

  “I didn’t think you would have.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I used to think when we lived together you had a secret desire to be a hairdresser. You used to like washing my hair.”

  “No, Ellen.” Dean stepped closer placing his hands on her knees. “I just used to love taking baths with you.”

  With a loud exhaling breath, Frank entered the room in his usual bad timing manner. “You know . . .” His loud voice made his announcement. “It is amazing the things you find out when you just walk in a room unexpected.”

  Dean turned his head to him. “It’s amazing what you don’t find out if you would just knock.”

  “Get your hands off my wife, Dean.” Frank walked up to Ellen and kissed her. “How’s your head.”

  “Good.” Ellen touched her temple. “How’s your arm?”

  “Good.” Frank lifted her hair. “Do you realize we created a new bond? We shared a bullet. Pretty impressive. Huh?” Frank nodded his head, his hands on his hips. “What do you think, Dean?”

  “I think you guys needed another bond.” Dean said sarcastically. “Cement things back together.” He rolled his eyes.

  “I agree.” Frank clapped his hands once. “However, not to change the subject, but, I need to speak to you Dean.”

  “Uh oh, about what?” Dean asked.