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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Yes Ellen.”

  “I missed you. I missed you so much. My life, my life was nothing. I never realized how important you are to me. Dean.” Words breathless and with enthusiasm, she squeezed his cheeks so tightly as she forced him to face her, his lips puckered. “You are so important to me.”

  “Thanks, El. Now . . . not that I’m not enjoying this happy, and uh, weird moment.” He turned his head and reached back. “But I have . . .”

  “Dean.” She made him face her again. “I love you.”

  “What?” He laughed.

  “I love you.”

  Dean turned serious, his arms loosening in their hold. “Come on El, cut it out.”

  “No Dean, listen to me. I do. I really, truly, from the depths of my being . . . love you.”

  Upon her words, as if instinct, Dean’s hands returned to her back. Holding her tightly, he spun her around, reached out to the right and shut the door. Bringing his hands up to her face, he set Ellen on the counter, pulled her even closer to him, and began to kiss her. With his fingers feeling her face, his lips separating hers, he felt Ellen respond like she had never done before. She clung to him. With every part of her body she could, she clung to him.

  Just as Dean’s hand reached down to make counter space--he definitely was taking full advantage of the moment--the door next to him opened.

  Ellen separated her lips from Dean’s turning only her face to the person that entered. That person couldn’t stop staring at Dean. “Henry. Henry, look.”

  Dean let go of Ellen. Embarrassed and a little upset at Henry’s bad timing, he stepped back some, running his hand through his hair. “Henry, why are you staring?”

  Ellen slid off the counter. “Look, Henry, it’s Dean. It’s Dean.” She spoke with a huge smile then embracing Henry. “We did it. We did it, Henry.”

  Henry couldn’t take his eyes off of Dean. Slowly his hand reached out.

  Ellen excitedly grabbed Dean again. “Touch him, he’s real.” Her hand ran up and down his chest.

  Henry’s fingertips touched Dean’s face and he let out a loud gasp.

  Dean stepped back. “This is some trick you two are playing isn’t it? You knew you were going through that time machine and you said, let’s play a trick on Dean. O.K. what’s the deal here? Get it over with I have work.”

  Nodding her head to Henry, almost as if they were speaking to each other through their minds, Ellen clung to Dean. “Say something Henry. You’re in shock.”

  Henry’s mouth dropped open. He touched Dean’s face again. “I . . . I . . .”

  “What’s going on?” Frank stomped into the lab. “You two come through that test, act all . . .” Seeing a dazed Henry, Frank snapped his finger in front of him. “Hey!” After shrugging at a blank response, Frank returned to looking at Ellen. “El, what happened in that test? You got all weirded out. Taking Henry’s jeep, Henry takes mine . . .”

  “Frank.” Ellen smiled. “Look, it’s Dean. It’s Dean.”

  “Yeah I know, El. Answer my question.”

  “But it’s really Dean.” She spoke so excitedly.

  “El!” Frank calmed himself. “I see him.”

  “Touch him, Frank.” Ellen spoke with excitement. “He’s real. He’s really real. Touch him”

  “I’m not fuckin touching Dean. What is going on?”

  “It’s Dean!”

  “I know!” Frank shouted, his words not as enthusiastic as Ellen’s.

  “Oh!” Ellen nearly shrieked. “You yelled. Henry, Frank yelled. Oh, Frank. Pick on Dean. Come on. Call him . . .”

  “El!” Frank shuddered the irritation off. “What is wrong with you? I have you rambling, Henry a zombie . . .” Frank grunted and moved to the door. “Dean, watch them. I’m getting Jason. Something happened to these two when they went through that thing of his.”

  Dean watched Frank storm out. He turned to see the bright grin of Ellen so close it was almost frightening. “Pick on Dean?” He asked. “Gee, El, thanks.”

  Ellen giggled. “I missed it.” She started to follow Dean across the lab, stopped in front of Henry and pulled his hair.

  Henry snapped out of it. “Wow.”

  Ellen folded her arms and looked across the lab. “It’s Dean.”

  “Dean.” The name slipped in awe from Henry.

  Dean slid to a stop and turned around. “All right.” He nodded, resting his one hand on the counter. “Games up. Quit it. Nice little time trick. Ha, ha, ha. I laughed. Now I have work.”

  “Dean?” Ellen stepped closer. “This isn’t a trick.”

  “Then a payback,” Dean said. “This has something to do with our argument this morning about you going through, doesn’t it?”

  “What argument?” Ellen asked.

  Dean grunted and turned to Henry. “This is your idea, this joke. What did you say to me yesterday?”

  “What?” Henry asked. “I wasn’t here yesterday. I was, but wasn’t. Did I say something?”

  “Yes!” Dean snapped. “To me about what I heard you say to Ellen. You know, about playing a . . .” Another grunt came from Dean. “Forget it. I guess now you have memory loss?”

  Henry looked quickly to Ellen. “I don’t think I do.”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “It’s just because we did it. Dean.” She grinned again at him. “We did it.”

  Dean threw his hands in the air in surrender. “Did what?”

  Henry reached behind him and shut the door. “We have to tell you, Dean. Strict instructions from the other Joe.” Henry pulled up a stool and motioned to Dean to sit. Standing side by side with Ellen, he took a moment to stare.

  Dean looked up to the two who seemingly gloated over him. “What!”

  Ellen faced Henry. “Go on Henry. You have all the proof anyhow.” She said.

  “All right.” Henry breathed deeply and smiled. “Dean . . . the time machine test was a success.”

  “Good.” Dean started to get up. “Now can I go back to my work?”

  Henry, laying his hands on Dean’s shoulders, pushed him back down. “But it wasn’t the test you think.” He hunched down. “I know you aren’t going to believe us, but I have proof. I do. Dean . . . Ellen and I went through the time machine this afternoon. It wasn’t just a test. When we went through, Beginnings was different.” He watched Dean laugh. “No, hear me out. Dean, You had died in an accident on November first. Ellen and I went back to stop that accident. And guess what?” He stood up straight. “We did.”

  If it was anyone else besides Henry telling him, Dean would have lost it in laughter. “I didn’t die, Henry.” He saw Ellen smiling and nodding her head. “Ellen?”

  “Dean.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You did. We changed time.”

  “Right.” Dean shook his head. “No way. You say you have proof?”

  Henry nodded. “We do. What I bring through the machine with me, doesn’t change. So what I’m going to show you should prove it to you. Hopefully.”

  Spinning in confusion, Dean stood up. “I died?” Looking to Ellen he knew the reason she acted like that. “A part of me believes and a part of me doesn’t. Why . . . why if I died, did you change time?”

  Henry shrugged. “There’s a reason. We don’t know what it is. It’s in the letter I have to you from Joe. Well, the Joe that knew you died. The Joe that doesn’t know you died, doesn’t know about the letter.”

  Dean shook his head with a twitch. “You’re confusing me. Just stop.” Dean paced a couple steps. “How can you prove this?”

  “Aside from the letter?” Henry asked. “Dean, how hard is it to change the history insertions?”

  “It’s impossible,” Dean replied.

  Henry held up the black pouch. “Copied yesterday. Disks of Beginnings History. I carried them through the time machine.”

  Dean zoomed his focus to the black pouch, and without saying a word reached out, snatched it from Henry’s hand and took off from the lab.

  CHAPTER NINE
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br />   It was the building sandwiched between the bakery and library. History, a building that very few people entered. If they did, it usually was only to drop off events that needed to be logged in history, births, deaths, accidents, marriages, and so forth. Henry led the way ahead of Ellen inside the small, quiet structure. The ding-a-ling of the bell made Trish, or the warden of history, as Joe called her, perk up from behind her desk.

  “Afternoon!” Trish smiled brightly.

  “Hey, Trish,” Henry spoke, “did Dean dart in here?”

  Trish exhaled a loud breath of disgust. “Yes.” Her hands slammed to the large appointment book before her. “And he isn’t scheduled to be here. He just said, ‘oh who cares’ and ran right in the back.”

  “How rude,” Henry commented. “I’ll speak to him.”

  “Please,” Trish stated, “or I’ll have to file a formal complaint to Joe. I have rules you know. I can’t have people just running amuck in here.”

  “Of course,” Henry smiled. “Can we?” He pointed to the back room.

  “Just a second . . .” Trish held up her finger and flipped open her book. “Yes, you and Ellen are scheduled to review the disks. Go on.”

  Henry peered in toward the desk to the white page with only his and Ellen’s named penciled. “Busy day huh?”

  “Gets that way,” Trish responded.

  “O.K.” Taking hold of Ellen’s arm, Henry led her to the back.

  Ellen leaned into Henry whispering. “Joe really needs to let her out of here.”

  With more than an agreeing look, Henry reached for the back room door.

  Many of times Dean had done it, filled out those history forms. Took it to Trish, stated his password--which changed weekly per Trish--and left. Changing history or the entries already made was impossible. Trish or Joe were the only ones permitted to log in. If someone ever wanted to read the history, Trish made sure they got the ‘read only’ version. No chances were taken. Dean was certain if the history disks Henry gave him stated he died, he pretty much died. And he would find that out if he could ever move forward from the early years.

  “Damn it,” Dean cursed out loud.

  “Dean. Dean. Dean,” Henry said as he walked in. “Not only are you rude to our Trish, but vulgar as well.”

  “Help me, Henry.” Dean kept his eyes peered on the screen. “I’m stuck back three years ago.”

  Henry leaned over his shoulder and hit a key a few times. “There. Scroll down.”

  “Thanks,” Dean said.

  Henry walked over to Ellen. “Any second,” He whispered.

  “What do you think his reaction will be?” Ellen asked.

  “Even though Dean’s a scientist, he’s gonna lose it.”

  “Please,” Dean scoffed, “if any of this is . . . oh my God!” Dean stood up, knocking over his chair. “Oh my God!”

  Widening her eyes, Ellen turned to Henry. “You were right.”

  “This . . . this . . .” Dean pointed at the screen. “This is a . . . I died?”

  “Dean?” Ellen moved to him. “You really should print this. Appointments are hard to get here.” Ellen reached to the computer and hit ‘print’

  Gloating in his prediction of Dean’s reaction, Henry walked over, peered at the paper coming out of the printer, and then he himself . . . screamed. “Oh my God! This . . . this . . .”

  Ellen hurried to Henry. “You aren’t going to say you died are you?”

  “No!” Henry grabbed his hair. “There was never an explosion in the cryo-lab.”

  Ellen waved her hand at Henry. “Oh big deal. I thought something else happened.”

  “El!” Henry grasped the paper. “You were supposed to tell yourself to get out of the lab after you hit the password. Obviously you never hit the password because there wasn’t an explosion.”

  “So what, Henry.”

  “So what? You weren’t supposed to change history that much.”

  “I didn’t, the other Ellen did.” She walked over to Dean. “Are you all right?”

  “I died?” Dean let out a small moan. “This says . . . oh God they buried me.” With a look of horror on his face he turned to Ellen. “I really did die?”

  Ellen nodded. “It was horrible. Would you like to hear about it?”

  “Yeah. But not now.” He placed his hands on her shoulder and walked by her. “Henry, you said there was a reason you two had to change time. What is it?”

  Henry looked up from the printing sheets of history. “Dean? If the explosion never happened how did you guys ever . . .”

  “Henry.” Ellen snatched the sheets from his hand. “Forget about the explosion. It doesn’t have that big of effect on history anyhow. Give Dean the letter.”

  “Fine.” After a grunt, Henry reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope. “Here.” He gave a quick glare to Ellen.

  Dean read the outside of the envelope. “You can tell they know you two well. Look.” He showed them. “Joe put, if opened, Henry and Ellen peeked.” He began to rip open the letter. “There has to be a reason for them to have changed time.” Reaching backwards for a chair, blocking out the annoying printer sound, Dean read the first letter from Joe. ‘Dean, I only pray to God that your eyes are actually reading this letter’. Joe’s words were written. ‘If you are, then we have succeeded in diverting the tragedy that took you from us. Dean, the reason we changed time, took fate into our own hands, will be evident when you read the following letter that Jason sent back from the future to himself. Look at the date on the letter Dean. I am leaving the information to your discretion. Do with it what you must do. And Dean, good to have you back!’

  Swallowing, Dean moved that sheet of paper to the one placed behind it. His eyes shifted across the page as he bit his fingernail on his index finger, his leg tapping in a nervous rhythm. Then, almost as if instinct, his eyes widened and he jumped from his seat. Horrified he looked at an unsuspecting Ellen and Henry, and ran with speed out of the history building.

  Ellen was puzzled. “Must be bad.” She ejected the history disks from the computer and ripped the paper from the printer. “I told you we should have read it first.”

  “Johnny!” Dean cried out sliding forth as he charged into the clinic lab. “Don’t touch that case!”

  “Dr. Dean?” Johnny Slagel lifted his hands quickly from the silver cooling unit. “But you told me to pull out a vial and work on it for you.”

  “Don’t!” Dean walked to him, holding his right hand up, his left hand holding back his long bangs. “Don’t.” Dean moved closer.

  “Are you all right?” Johnny looked oddly at him. “You tell me one thing and then you . . .”

  “Johnny.” Dean laid his hand on the case and looked behind it to the plug. “Um . . . you know what? I really don’t have anything for you to do right now. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”

  “Are you sure? What about meds?”

  “I’ll do them. Go.” Dean held onto the case as if it were a buried treasure.

  “I’ll go.” Looking back curiously one more time at Dean, Johnny moved to the door. “Hey El, Henry.” He slipped by them.

  “Look, Henry,” Ellen moved into whisper. “What is he doing?”

  “I don’t know. But he moves pretty fast for a dead guy. Dean?”

  “Huh?” Dean looked quickly up at them. “El is that the old history?” He stepped closer to her.

  “The Dean is dead history, yes.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to see Joe.” Like he was dazed, Dean snatched it from her hand and walked to the door. He stopped, backed up, kissed Ellen quickly and ran out of the lab.

  ^^^^

  Frank’s fingers traced over the already drawn circle on that map that lay on Joe’s desk. “Canvas the entire region in case they spread out.”

  “Or left the area.” Joe looked into the map. “What’s left to get ready?”

  “I have my team picked. Two trucks. Just need to pack up the supplies.”


  “You sure you want to do this?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah. I have to,” Frank said.

  “What about Ellen?”

  “It helps us. Chapter five in Rev. Bob’s book, Absence Works. The only thing is, she was a little odd after the test.” Frank shrugged. “I’m still waiting for Jason to talk to me about that.”

  “He will. He’s busy. All right . . .” Joe let out a breath. “Security.”

  “John Matoose should be fine running things. Three days we’ll be gone. It’s just a recognizance. Aside from the camera, I need to see for my own eyes what they have or had down in New Mexico and which way to head next.”

  “You think there’s more?”

  “Cryo-labs?” Frank scoffed a laugh. “Without a doubt. The society is probably bigger than we think. I have to review my calculations. But . . . they have a plan and destinations. I want to find out what and where they are.”

  With the bursting open of the office door, the filling of the room with cold air, Dean ran in. “Joe!” His panicked voice carried in. “Joe . . . I died!”

  “What?” Joe laughed.

  “I died, Joe. I died.” Dean held up the wrinkling history papers.

  “Well.” Frank cleared his throat. “Thanks for the happy thought Dean. However I’m not in the mood for a tease. I’m out of here.”

  Dean ignored him and moved to Joe’s desk. “The time test, Joe.” He laid the history in front of him. “It wasn’t a test. Those history disks you gave Henry to take through with him, just to check, read them.” Dean pointed at the sheets. “Those are a print up of the past two weeks. Ellen and Henry didn’t test the machine. They went through for a purpose, to save me. I died.”

  Frank, who was headed to the door, stopped. “First of all Dean, why would they save you? Second, why would I let my wife go through and ruin my happiness? I wouldn’t. You flatter yourself.”

  Dean’s mouth dropped open as he spun back to Frank. “And I’m not even speaking to you.” He turned back to Joe. “Do you see?”

  Running his hand down his face as he read, Joe peered through his finger tips and sat down. “If I didn’t know the measures we took to prohibit changes, I wouldn’t believe this.”