“You’re shitting me?” Joe looked closer at it. “We’ll have to try it someday, but now is not the time to be ...”
“No.” Henry stopped him. “Now is the time. Frank needs more men, we can get them.”
“Henry.” Joe didn’t want to argue. “We’d have to use the sneak-attack approach to make this work. They’re too close.”
Robbie disagreed, “No way, it’s perfect. They’re relaxing. Come on, Dad. Let me try the thing.”
“What happens if it doesn’t work?” Joe asked. “What happens if you sneak up behind one and zap them, and it doesn’t work?”
“I’ll break their neck, so what. Let me at least get one. One,” Robbie pleaded. “Then we’ll pullback and take the rest out. Please.” He took the Auralnator. “It would be so cool.”
Joe took a second. “Fine, one. We have everything ready for a ground move. And ...” Joe looked curiously at Henry. “If you’re running about inventing things, who the hell is running Mechanics?”
“Uh ...” Henry pointed to Robbie. “Him, well he was.”
“Robbie?” Joe asked with a raise to his voice. “Robbie is busy now. Last I heard, Mechanics was swamped.”
Robbie shook his head. “Not anymore, I caught us up.”
Though there wasn’t really time, everyone was shocked by this and looked, with silent faces, at Robbie.
Joe spoke up, “You took care of it. Yesterday there were sixty-eight reqs left. You did sixty-eight repairs.”
“Fuck no,” Robbie said. “I went to the source. They were all bogus. The women put them in to get Henry.” Robbie lifted his shoulder. “Anyhow this thing.” He looked at the Auralnator. “In the ear and press the button?”
Henry nodded. “That’s it. It should drop them right there so we can reprogram them to what we need.”
“Excellent.” Robbie gripped it tighter. “Wish me luck. See you in a few.” He stepped back. “Frank, escort us to the back, big bro, since you have to miss this one.”
“Yeah.” Frank started walking out. “Henry, Danny, good job.”
Joe, annoyed with the pleased faces of Danny and Henry, called out to Frank as he, Robbie, and the four men headed out, “Frank, make sure you tell them again, One SUT, then take them out with heavy artillery and Dean’s gas.”
Danny nudged Henry with a snicker. “They’re using Dean’s gas as a weapon?”
Henry started to laugh too. “That’s funny.”
Both of them lost their smiles when Joe turned, with annoyance, at them.
Joe shook his head, so disgusted, as he walked from the hangar. “Christ, what are we now? Twelve? Dean’s gas.” Another grunt and Joe left.
Henry was quiet and then he started to laugh again at the same time as Danny. “I think it went good.”
“Me too. They’re gonna use it,” Danny said proudly.
“Shit, what if it doesn’t work?”
“It will.”
“It has to.”
“Most definitely.” Henry bounced from heel to toe. “Wanna head to the basement and get the program ready.”
“Might as well.”
“Let’s go.” Making a sweep by the hangar table to gather the stack of notes that weren’t even viewed, Henry led Danny out, and back on track to the basement.
<><><><>
Between checkups, hormonal injections, and replacement of cervical covers, Andrea was a busy woman. Birth Control Days were always that way. Whether it was one woman coming for her every third-month shot, or the annual-August distribution of the Beginnings Diaphragm, it was hectic. What really bothered Andrea the most was that Josephine insisted on showing up on Birth Control Days. She always added pandemonium to the schedule and would fight with Andrea when Andrea refused her. Josephine insisted that if she was having sex, she could get pregnant. Arguing that point with Josephine wasn’t what bothered Andrea the most—it was the fact that she wanted to kill whoever was taking advantage of an eighty-some-year-old senile woman’s sexual promiscuity. To top off the hectic craziness of the day, the fuel-pump line-rupture on the corn-shucking machine, sprayed fuel into some of the workers’ eyes. Jason was busy handling those six men who needed their eyes flushed, and Andrea handled the clinic aspect alone. Where was Ellen?
Andrea couldn’t wait. Ellen was already nearly a half-hour late. There were four women left to inject and one diaphragm fitting. Andrea supposed she could pull Dean in for the injections, filling the syringes for him. But he was busy creating the eyedrops for the injured men, not to mention, awaiting the results of the two throat cultures on the allergies-turned-strep cases. They had to be run and if positive, the strep cases, as usual, had to be handled immediately.
So, Ellen was it. Andrea had to help Jason, and Ellen would just have to finish up. The checkups were completed, and all Ellen would have to do is give the injections according to the doses Andrea had indicated on their charts. Though Ellen hated to do it, she was quite capable of doing the internal examination on Catherine to measure her for the cervical cap. Settled.
Figuring Ellen just got held up at Containment, Andrea grabbed the five charts and brought them with her to Dean’s lab. “Dean, I need you to ...” She stopped in the empty lab. Where was he? “Dean?” Her head turned to the hallway when she thought she heard a giggle. “Dean?” She called out, thinking he was doing his typical under the counter adjustments of something. “Dean-Dean.” As she went to leave, she heard a shuffling sound from the back of the lab. Taking a step toward it, the shuffling became a banging, then a thump, and finally had become the flinging-open of the back closet door. “Dean?”
Looking so surprised and so hurried, Dean stepped out and pulled the door half closed. He stood there, fussing with his shoe, banging it and pressing it in small circles on the ground as if he were adjusting his foot better in the high top. His one hand tucked in his tee shirt, while the other ran frantically through his hair. “Andrea?”
“Right here.”
Dean moved his head to where the sound of her voice came from. “Hi.”
“What in the world are you doing in there? Are you all right?”
“Who me? Fine.” He cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “I was uh ... uh ... looking for ... shit.” Dean banged his other foot and lifted his head with a smile. “Looking for something in there and damned if I couldn’t see it.”
“Dean, you’re blind.”
“Yeah and that made it pretty tricky.”
“Need some help?”
“No, no.” Dean shook his head. “I felt my way through it ... I’m uh good.”
“Good.” Andrea smiled. “I’ve got to go help Jason. Dean, I have five more women left, four injections and one internal. Ellen is just gonna have to finish it up.”
Surprising Andrea, Dean let out a loud, long grunting moan.
“Something wrong?”
“Cramp ... in my uh foot.”
“Oh those get nasty. Anyhow, I’m leaving the folders for her on the counter by your computer.” Andrea’s voice faded as she started to walk out. “I know she got held up at Containment. Can you try to call her there to get her here pronto?”
“Will do.” Dean leaned on the archway.
“Thanks, Dean.”
Listening to the clicking of her hard flat soles fade from the room, Dean let out a breath of relief when he heard the lab door close. “She’s gone, I think.”
Ellen peeked her head out from the closet. After seeing that Andrea was gone, she laughed. “Close huh?”
“Nah.” Feeling Ellen start to leave, Dean put his arm out on the doorway, stopping her, finding her, feeling her. Dean leaned into Ellen and kissed her.
Pulling from the soft, long kiss, Ellen touched Dean’s face. “We’d better work and you’d better fix that hair.”
“It’s not that bad, is it?”
“Yeah.”
“How bad?”
“Bad.” Ellen tried to straighten it with her fingers, kissed h
im quickly, and then walked by him. “I have a brush in a drawer here.” She walked across the lab, slowing down when she saw the file folders Andrea left there. “I guess I should go see these patients.” She opened up the drawer and pulled out the brush. “I can’t believe she’s making me do an internal on someone.”
“Yeah and I thought for sure Andrea was going to hear you moan about that.”
“Thanks for making that noise to cover up.” Ellen finished brushing her hair and set down the brush. “I’m leaving the brush for you by the computer.”
“Thanks.” Dean made his way there. “Do you want help?”
“No, finish up what you’re doing so we can have that meeting with Joe.” Ellen looked through the folders. “Besides, there’s only ...” Her voice dropped. “Four.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Well ... all right. Bev.” Ellen tossed the folder harshly. “She’s waiting in examining room one. I heard she was flirting with Mark to get out of Holding early. Pisses me off.”
“She’s the injection right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll do it.”
“No!” Ellen snapped.
Dean laughed. “What? Why?”
“I don’t want you near her OK? Please. Jenny told me this morning to watch my back. She thinks Bev has this vendetta against me. I just don’t want her throwing herself at you.”
“Ellen come on, it’s me.” Dean stepped to her. “Don’t worry about me with her.” Dean brushed his nose against her cheek then kissed her softly.
“I don’t. I just don’t like the thought of her coming on to you.”
“I don’t like the thought of you dealing with her right now. It’ll bother you plus I don’t trust her either. She isn’t that nice of a person.”
“But you know what, Dean?” Ellen gathered up the folders. “I’ll be fine with it. Besides I am the one with the needle, right.” She kissed him on the cheek and backed up. “See ya.”
“Ellen, what are you ...”
“See ya in a little bit.” Taking a deep breath and deciding to get the worst over with first, Ellen headed down to the examining room where Bev waited.
A single knock and holding Bev’s folder, Ellen walked in. Not saying anything, Ellen set the folder on the tray.
“I thought someone would never come.” Bev sat on the table, her legs swinging back and forth.
“We’re busy,” Ellen said as she reviewed the amount of hormone she was to give Bev. Looking at her stats, Ellen couldn’t help but think at twenty-two years old, Bev was so young there was so much she could have going for her but Bev was so stupid.
“These shots are so convenient. I was too young to know about them in the old world. Whose idea was it to bring them back?”
“Dean’s.” Ellen grabbed the hormone vial.
“Did he recreate it?”
“Yes.”
“Dean is so smart. There’s just something about him I find ...”
“Fatherly?” Ellen asked as she filled the syringe.
“Excuse me?” Bev asked.
“Do you find something fatherly about Dean? He is old enough to be your father.”
Bev giggled. “I don’t pay attention to that. Kyle is the same age. Besides, Dean looks so young, don’t you think? I find something very attractive about older men. Don’t you? Of course, the men Dean and Frank’s ...” She jolted at a slam of the tray, “... age aren’t that old to you.”
Ellen flicked her finger to get the bubbles out of the needle, wishing in her mind that there were enough in that syringe to kill Bev, and walked over to the table Bev where sat.
“I don’t know why I’m getting these. I don’t need them. I did break up with Kenny and Kyle ...”
Ellen rubbed her arm with alcohol.
“... maybe for Henry.” Bev turned her eyes to Ellen who raised hers. Their eyes met. “There’s just something about him. Ow, you’re pinching my arm.”
A twinge immediately hit Ellen’s stomach and she instinctively closed her eyes, releasing Bev’s arm and stepping back.
Andrea stepped in. “Oh, I see I’m not too late.” She looked at Ellen. “Ellen, you okay?”
“Yeah.” Ellen nodded.
Andrea turned to Bev. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing. And ...” She slid from the table. “I’m gonna go.” She walked to the already open door. “I think I’ll pass on that injection. Maybe I just might decide to get pregnant by ... Henry.”
Ellen saw Andrea ready to charge after the leaving Bev so she grabbed her. “No, Andrea, let it go.”
“No, I will not let it go.” Leaving the examining room, Andrea stormed down the hall. “Beverly.” Being ignored, Andrea kept up the pace, following Bev right out into the street. “Beverly, you best stop right now!”
Bev turned around. “What?”
“I want to have a few word with you, little girl.”
“I don’t want to listen.”
“Oh well you will and you will hear what I am saying. There is no room in the community for trouble, you hear me? I won’t tolerate it. I won’t tolerate the behavior.”
“Or what,” Bev came back so snidely, “you’ll move to have me ousted? For what? Hitting on someone else’s man? Andrea, you think because you’re on Council you can move to have me ousted? I don’t fear that. I don’t even sweat the fact that you’re sleeping with the leader of this community.” Bev stepped closer Andrea. “Don’t think I can’t remedy that.”
Andrea laughed loudly and folded her arms. “Look at you.”
“What?”
“You just think you’re all that, don’t you?” Andrea’s hands waved about and her head bobbed back and forth. “Strutting your little skinny, pretty ass around here. Well, let me tell you something. You aren’t all that, baby doll. I’ll let you in on a little wisdom my years of living have taught me. When it comes to any of the Original men in this community, they’ll keep their distance, sweetheart, because they just don’t know who’s been using you.” Andrea moved closer to her. “Let me give you a little advice. This attitude, this behavior and that mouth ... there are certain people in this community I view as my family. So heed this warning. Don’t fuck with my family or you’ll have to fuck with me and I’m the wrong bitch to be taking on.” Andrea stared hard and cold at Bev, watching the young woman clench her jaw, spin the other way, and leave.
Closing her eyes, catching her breath, Andrea turned back to the clinic only to see Frank standing there. “Frank.”
Frank looked stunned. “Oh my God. That was great! What caused that?”
“Oh.” Andrea shuddered. “I was helping Jason and I remembered one of the patients I left for Ellen was ... was that.” Andrea pointed back. “But I was too late. When I walked in the room she was already there alone with Ellen.”
“Did El deck her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Andrea shrugged. “Don’t know.”
“Should I talk to her?”
“No I want to unless you were going to see her.”
“Actually I was looking for Henry. Let me know if she’s OK.”
“I will.” Andrea stepped away. “Oh, Frank ...”
“Yeah.” Frank turned before he left.
“You got a little smudge of something on your cheek, right ...” Andrea licked her fingers and wiped it off. “Got it.” She smiled, tapped his cheek, and headed off to the clinic.
Frank’s wide eyes couldn’t bulge out anymore. “No, she didn’t just do that to me.” He rubbed his cheek. “No.” He stormed off, grabbing his headset. “Well I’m telling.” He spoke into the microphone. “Dad.”
<><><><>
“Henry, this is really great.” Frank viewed the workbench in Danny’s basement. “So you guys are working on the tracking here, together?”
“We figured it would be easier and faster if we joined forces.”
“Excellent.” Frank looked over the plans.
“No shit?” Frank nodded with approval. “Test meaning?”
“Maybe have someone place some of the microchips in an area to see if we pick them up. Plus it would really be helpful if Robbie brings back a SUT.”
“If that creation of yours works, he will.”
Henry showed Frank his crossed fingers.
“I’ll radio and let you know as soon as I hear anything from him.”
“Yeah, I’d better be getting back to Mechanics.” Henry began to gather his things. “Oh, Frank, thanks a lot for today again. It meant so much to be talking to her, even briefly.” Henry noticed the smile on Frank’s face, subtle but there. “What?”
“I was thinking after you told me she spoke to you. I was thinking about the other night when she and I were hanging out. Ellen was talking, doing that rambling thing. Anyway, did you know Ellen always rambled? From the first time I met her, she rambled. Fast, mindless, whether she was excited or bitching.” Frank snickered. “It dawned on me, thinking back, that after the plague, Ellen stopped rambling.” Frank raised his eyebrows. “No matter how much she moved on, she just didn’t go back to being Ellen until ... until you and her clicked.”
Henry gave a smile of gratitude to Frank for that compliment. “Thanks. You got her to say ‘hi’ to me. Any chance you can get her to have a conversation with me?” Henry finished getting his things.
“I could.”
“I doubt it.”
“No seriously, you don’t think I could?”
“Frank, she hates me. Things happened. Things transpired. Some can’t be taken back.”
“True,” Frank said. “But sometimes, all you need is time and me. I got an idea. Step one.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’ll cost you.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’s simple Henry. I get you two to be friends again, you follow my advice, you are buddies. No more, Henry, I am the primary and you support that.”
The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Page 318
