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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Is it any wonder you find yourself in this position?” Lucille, Joe’s fifth fiancée yelled at a fourteen year old Hal. Lucille was older than Joe. It was his experimental phase when he was tired of the young dumb ones. Of course, Hal never remembered that phase lasting past Lucille. She could have been attractive had she not been so nasty, yet she turned on the sweet as pie act when Joe walked in. “Are you listening to me?”

  “Are you listening to me?” Graces voice interfered with Hal’s memory.

  Hal snapped back. “Um, yes. Go on.” But Hal didn’t listen his mind went back to that day again . . . the day Lucille found a few innocent pornographic magazines and went after Hal.

  “Look at you. Is it any wonder I’m not shocked to death at this moment.” Lucille was in her bitching glory. “Do you really think I need to subject myself to this when I make a bed? Being your father’s slave? Working unappreciated for you boys? And you don’t care. Do you help? No. Look at you, Hal Slagel. You scream future rapist.”

  Hal snickered at his thought. Not at Grace, though it appeared otherwise.

  “Captain.” Sgt. Ryder called his name. “Any suggestions?”

  “Um . . . You said the man filling in for Peter was what?”

  “Pornographic.” Grace nodded.

  Hal tried not to laugh. “Sorry. Let me hear it all first. Finish.”

  Grace began to. She had a list. She rambled off on things such as preparatory actions not taken prior to arrival at the house. As Hal thought of how he would get his men out of this mess and forever save them from the ‘Grace’ torture again, he thought of how he got himself out of that mess with the porno magazines.

  “Robbie.” Hal walked into the second bedroom. Robbie sat with Jimmy on the bed. Both of them look worried. Hal did not. He shut the door and smiled.

  “Tell us,” Robbie said. “I know it’s bad.”

  “Nah.” Hal joined them on the bed. “I explained everything.”

  “Shit!” Jimmy freaked. “See, now Doug at the store is going to get in trouble for selling them to me. I’m only sixteen. God, it’s against the law you know. I knew I should have never have gotten those for Robbie. He was too young.”

  Hal fluttered his lips. “He doesn’t know what he’s looking at anyhow. Don’t worry. I didn’t say it was you. O.K.? I explained it to Lucille and she is explaining it to dad.”

  “Thanks,” Jimmy said in relief. “I’m sorry they thought they were yours.”

  “Me too,” Robbie said.

  “Hey, what are big brothers for, huh Robbie?” Hal rubbed his head. “If not to take the entire blame?”

  “The entire blame?” Jimmy asked. “Wow.”

  “Yep.” Hal exhaled. “The entire blame.”

  Upon completion of Hal’s words, the door to the bedroom blasted open as if an explosion went off. The door slammed against the wall and brought in something worse. Frank stood in the door. He huffed. “Which one of you told Dad those were my fuckin magazines?” Frank asked so angrily his face was red. “You have three seconds or I start beating you up. One, two . . .”

  The three boys looked at Frank.

  “Three.” Frank slammed the door and dove after Jimmy. Hal, knowing what he had to do to help, took his opportunity as Robbie jumped on Frank. Hal darted from the room, screaming the entire way. “Dad! Frank’s mad because we told and now he’s beating us up! Dad! Help!”

  The loud shrill long call of his name brought Hal back to the painful world of Grace. “Captain!” Her face was so near to his. “What do you plan on doing?”

  “Can I get back to you?” Hal asked.

  Graces hand slammed on the desk. “I should have known. We don’t ask much. We merely ask that you handle these situations. I certainly hope you aren’t ignoring our needs.”

  “Never,” Hal told her. “While I determine a suitable action, what do you have in mind? Any suggestions?”

  Grace raised her head high as she moved to the door. “We can forget about this whole mess if you can get Peter to be a permanent monthly guest at the house for myself.”

  Hal’s eyes widened. “I’ll uh, see what I can do.”

  “It would prove beneficial and I can guarantee there will be once less complaint each month.” Grace opened the door. “I expect to hear from you within the hour.” She stepped out. “Soldiers, guard me on my way back.” The door closed.

  Sgt. Ryder looked at Hal. “You cannot even consider her request,. I’ve heard what that woman does. It would be cruel to ask Peter that.”

  “I know but she likes him.” Hal tapped his fingers together. “One less complaint, Elliott.” Hal smiled. “Doesn’t hurt to ask, now does it?” Hal stood up. “Isn’t he up for promotion? I think he is. Yes.” Hal paced around with a thinking, smiling face.

  “It’s bribery.”

  “It’s Gr . . . Gr . . .”

  “Grace?”

  Hal cringed. “Yes, it’s her not bitching, one less slot open per month, and another less chance of us being picked.”

  Sgt. Ryder stood up. “I’ll go summons Peter.”

  Hal grinned with arrogance and thought again then returned to his desk.

  ^^^^

  Quantico Marine Headquarters

  Sitting at his desk, Jeremy Lyons held the phone tightly to his ear with closed eyes. He just received the dreaded call from George and delivered the news he so much wanted to keep from him. Jeremy listened as George spoke sternly to him.

  “I’ve deliberately kept you away from our soldiers for this very reason. You know what to do. Get ready. I know exactly where to put you,” George told him and hung up.

  “Damn it,” Jeremy spoke to a deadened phone. He laid it down and stood up. He had things to do and preparations to make. By the way George sounded, he’d better do them quickly.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  George stared at the phone. He didn’t let his anger take him over when he heard the news that his troops failed to find the UWA camp. He would wait until they returned, listen to what they had to say, and then start interrogating the UWA men again. But George knew his men well. He also knew it was very possible that they ended up in Kingman, Texas.

  George dialed the phone again and held it to his ear as it rang. “Hi. It’s me.” George smiled. “Yeah. Just wanted to let you know we’re moving ahead so get ready. I’ll keep you posted. Is it a good time? Then I’ll wait . . . I’ll let you know. Take care of yourself.” With another smile George ended the call and went back to doing whatever he did to occupy his time. At that moment, it was just a matter of waiting.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Ellen peeked into Dean’s home office. He sat with his feet on his desk, staring at the computer, the keyboard draped across his lap. His desk was a mess with papers and books all over it. “Dean?” Ellen poked her head in the door. “You need anything?”

  “No. I’m fine, thanks.” Dean looked up, smiled, and returned to his work.

  Ellen pulled the door closed and walked back in the living room. The house was quiet since the kids were in bed. She sat down on the floor with Henry. “So where were we?”

  “He’s been in there an awfully long time, El.”

  “Yeah, but he’s home, right? At least if the kids want to kiss him, they can.”

  “You know what I think.” Henry said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I think that you guys should let me live here. I can room with Josh.”

  “Oh I don’t think Dean would let you.”

  “I lived with him while you were gone,” Henry nodded, “and he said his house was never cleaner. And, El . . . he took my son. Took him right away from me.”

  “Tell him you want Nick back.”

  “I did. He said now that you live here, so does Nick. He said I can have him a day or two a week.”

  “But Henry, you don’t like caring for babies.” Ellen reached up and picked up her glass of tea.

  “Tru
e but it’s the principal of it, don’t you think?”

  “Most definitely. Thanks for the ‘take off your shoes’ sign.”

  “Not a problem.” Henry waved his hands. “People can be such pigs. They just don’t know how to take off their shoes in a new house.”

  “To me, it was habit.”

  “Me too.” Henry leaned to her. “Hey El, do you think that Nick will get confused, I mean with Dean raising him now? At least with Frank he saw the dark hair. Dean’s so Caucasian.”

  “I don’t think so, Henry. You’ll be around. Besides Nick shouldn’t realize he looks different. The kids around here don’t look at each other differently. Even Marcus doesn’t get a second glance and look at him. Do you suppose he looks in the mirror and realizes that he doesn’t look like Mark?”

  “Actually if you saw Mark first thing in the morning when he comes to work, they do look alike.”

  “Really?” Ellen laughed. “I thought Mark was cute.”

  Henry made a cringing face. “His face stays puffy for hours. If I were a woman I wouldn’t want to wake up next to him.”

  “Oh I have to make it a point to get up there early in the morning.”

  “It has to be before nine or he looks normal again.”

  Dean wondered what were they rambling about as he heard Henry and Ellen’s laughter seep through his closed door. He lifted his notes, read them, set them down, and began to type while speaking his entry out loud.. “Initial test on DNA for Jess Bowen shows mutated strand. Patient was unable to give sperm sample due to pressure.” Dean shook his head. “I’m killing those guys for scaring him.” As his fingers clicked again, his private phone rang. Dean blindly reached for it and braced it between his shoulder and ear. “Dr. Hayes.”

  “Hello, Dean.”

  The keyboard dropped from Dean’s lap, his notes flew, and Dean sprang up. He felt the heat hit his face when he recognized the voice.

  “Miss me?”

  “George.”

  “Guess who I’m staring at right now? You think he’s dead, but he’s alive and well.”

  “Frank?”

  “That’s the one.”

  Dean raced across his small office, threw open his door, and leaped over Ellen’s legs as he raced out the door of his home, bare foot.

  Ellen and Henry both stood up.

  “Must be an emergency,” Henry said.

  “Must be.” Ellen closed the door and went back to sitting with Henry.

  Trace the call. Trace the call. That’s all that ran through Dean’s mind as he headed through the living section at his top speed. He had to get to the tunnels. If George was looking at Frank, the reprogramming could tell Dean where Frank was.

  “Dean, let me tell you if you’re thinking of finding out where I’m calling from, don’t. You know as well as I do, I have someone other than John in Beginnings. Do you want to take that chance with Frank?”

  Dean stopped running. He caught his breath and noticed he was center town. “Why . . . why are you calling me?”

  “Here’s the deal, Dean. I have something you want and you have something I want.”

  “And they are?” Dean paced in circles center town.

  “I have Frank. I lost my top genetics specialist in an accident. I have files and formulas people can’t figure out. I want you, Dean, to come and work for me.”

  Dean laughed so hard. “Fuck you.”

  “No see it’s fuck you. The way I see it, you’re the one who’s fucked.”

  With so much sarcasm Dean spoke. “How do you figure?”

  “You’ve already lost one child. It would be a shame if you lost another, now wouldn’t it.”

  Dean’s heart sunk as he sat down on the wall in the small park.

  “Accidents happen every day. You don’t know who my person is. You don’t know who to trust or who to watch, do you? It would be so easy for something to happen to Billy. I hear he’s quite the wanderer, thinking he’s more grown up than he is.”

  “I’ll have them watched.”

  “Make a move like that and Frank dies. I have him in my control right now, Dean. You want him back? You want your kids safe? Fair exchange. Simple. You leave Beginnings and join my side. I thought Frank would be a good weapon against Beginnings but I think you’ll be a better one. How broken Beginnings would be with Frank dead and Dean gone. You come with us.”

  “You want me to just up and leave my family? I think you’ve lost it.”

  “No you’ve lost it.” George stayed calm. “The way I see it, Dean, I have you by the balls. You have no choice. If you stay in Beginnings, one of your kids will die. I will guarantee that and Frank . . . he’ll become a CME or SUT as you call them. But if you leave and I feel enough time has passed and you aren’t going to try anything funny, I will have my person get your family out of there and I will return Frank to Beginnings, unscathed.”

  “I’m supposed to believe this?”

  “You have my word. Didn’t you say at the memorial service today that there was nothing you wouldn’t do to bring Frank back? What did you do, Dean? Lie in a church?” George tsked.

  “How do I know you have Frank?”

  “He has a high resistant viral strain pneumonia in both lungs. He’s been shot in both arms, his shoulder, gut, and leg. They were minor wounds that caused a lot of blood loss but not enough to kill him. He has a few more scars than the last time I saw him. I don’t know what more I can tell you. I have him. You know that.”

  Dean ran his hand down his face. He thought. That’s all he could do was think. “You made sure you have your guarantees. What are mine?”

  “You get none.”

  “Bullshit. I want guarantees. If I’m going to up and leave to save my kids and Frank, then I want guarantees too.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I tell one person,” Dean stated.

  “No.”

  “I tell Ellen. She has as much to lose as I do if she opens her mouth.”

  “If you tell her, she can’t be-bop along Beginnings like Frank is alive. She’s a big key to them thinking he’s dead. Everyone knows how connected they were. She has to make it seem like he’s dead.”

  “She will.”

  “Why Ellen?” George asked. “Of all people, why her?”

  “She’s my guarantee that if you break your word, you will die.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. What did I do for the army, George? You don’t think she and I have at least three dozen different biological strains here in Beginnings. We do. I have antidotes too, easily delivered to Beginnings’ people but not to you. I leave then I call her when I see Frank. If she doesn’t hear from me in one or two days or if I tell her Frank is not fine, she is to tell Joe everything and give out the antidote. Joe can then fly over and dump the virus on you. Trust me, George, it will spread like wild fire on your people. What the hell do we care if everyone dies on your side of the country? I’ll walk out of that camp and back home. She will hear from me periodically. If something happens to one of my kids, same deal. Don’t think about taking her out, because I’m smart enough to leave a backup somewhere in the plan. I stay with Frank until he leaves. That will be my assurance that you do not make him into one of your soldiers. Frank is returned before my family joins me. If he doesn’t make it back, again, same deal.” Dean’s heart raced and his breathing was heavy as he listened to the silence come from George.

  “You’re awfully confidant you can wipe me out.”

  “Very easily. Do you care to test that?”

  “Why haven’t you done so already if you have the means?”

  “You can say I value the human life unlike you and the innocents that you’ve taken,” Dean spoke coldly. “But if it comes to between them and those I love, I really won’t give a shit who they are.” Again Dean waded nervously through the silence. A thin line of sweat formed on his brow and gathered between his hand and the phone.

  “You tell no one but Ellen.
”

  Dean let out a breath.

  “We will set up specifics of the deal when I call you back.”

  “When will that be?”

  “I’ll call you back when I’m ready to come and get you.”

  “Which will be?” Dean questioned.

  “When I’m convinced that Beginnings thinks Frank is dead. When Joe thinks Frank is dead. You want a guarantee, that’s one I want. Use your little woman to your advantage, Dean. She can do some convincing. Perhaps if you marry her again that will show the people she has moved on. Convince them. See, I’ll know. Runs to look for Frank that are listed as just runs will be a dead giveaway. Behavior will be a dead giveaway. If I even think that you guys are planning to raid us or you’re up to something to get Frank back, I’ll return him to you just so you can see how we destroyed him and I will definitely keep my threat against your child. Don’t test me either. I’ll give you two weeks to convince me. After that, deal’s off. If I’m convinced, I’ll set up when I come for you. Remember, you tell only Ellen. At least I know strategically alone there’s nothing you two can do. Until then.” George hung up.

  Dean stood in the street. He looked at the timer on the phone. He had spoken to George for ten minutes. What had he agreed to? He just felt as if he signed a deal with the devil. It was a deal where not only his life but others as well depended on. Frank. His children. Never in his life did Dean think he would be such a bargaining tool, but George must want him and need him badly to agree to Dean’s terms. Dean would use that to his advantage. With his phone still in his hand, and the deal agreed to, Dean had to think of his next step.

  ^^^^

  With so much passion and heart Ellen’s words were near tear filled. “No Dean.” Her hand pointed out to him. “I will not let you do this.”