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

by Jacqueline Druga

  In such awe, Ellen looked at him.“Oh Henry, if you can get me back to my home, to see my children’s graves, their rooms, their things. Yes.”

  “Then I’ll do it, El.” Henry smiled.

  “Henry, if anyone else were standing before me telling me this, I’d have a hard time believing it.”

  “El.” Henry closed his eyes. “I thought you lost all faith in me

  “I did, Henry. I’m trying to forgive and forget. I am. But it keeps coming back.”

  “I understand.”

  “You’re . . . shit.” Ellen stepped back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I forgot to call Dean. Shit.”

  Henry looked at his watch. “I can’t see what time it is.”

  “Well I know it’s after eleven that’s for sure.”

  “Call him” Henry unhooked his phone from his belt. “Here.”

  “You think he’s awake?”

  “Doesn’t matter. If he’s expecting you to call, he’ll want to talk to you.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen began to dial. The phone barely rang one time and Dean answered,. “Oh! You’re awake.”

  “El, what took you so long?” Dean asked.

  “Oh Dean, you’re not going to believe this.” Ellen began to ramble. “Henry is here, right? Well he and I were walking the streets of Bowman, which is so much like Ashtonville. Anyhow, we were walking and he saw the old movie theater. Henry immediately found Danny and you know those two, they don’t stop until they get what they’re working on done. They got the movie theater running. Dean! I watched a movie in a theater. Not a very good one, but a movie. How do you like that?”

  “Wow.” Dean spoke with little enthusiasm. “So are you back at Hal’s now?”

  “No, Henry and I are walking around.”

  “So Henry is with you now?” Dean asked.

  “Yep right here.” Ellen smiled at Henry. “I’m using his phone. He told me to call you. He said you wouldn’t be sleeping. We’re walking on some dark street off of the main . . .”

  “El, put him on.” Dean interrupted.

  “What?” Ellen questioned.

  “Put him on. Please. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Ellen drew up an odd look. “O.K.” She held the phone out to Henry. “He wants to talk to you.”

  Henry had question on his face as he took the phone. “Hey Dean.”

  “You made your point,” Dean said so seriously.

  “Excuse me?” Henry was confused.

  “I’m really pissed at you right now, Henry. I’m so pissed. I can’t believe you of all people are doing this shit.”

  “Dean look, the movie, the walk, just know it has nothing to do with what you and I were talking . . .”

  “Bullshit.” Dean snapped at him. “That’s bullshit and you know it. You wanna be upset about me not having an understanding with you, that’s one thing, You wanna be mad at me. You do it. But this is a dick move Henry and I’m not gonna forget it. You wanted to take the gloves off. They are off.” Dean hung up.

  Henry blinked as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

  “What’s wrong?” Ellen asked. “Is he mad that we are walking? I heard you say about . . .”

  “No.” Henry shook his head and turned off the phone. “No. I didn’t fix something in the clinic that I was supposed to and you know Dean, he was rambling about how I can fix up a movie theater and not fix what I was supposed to back home.”

  “Oh.” Ellen waved her hand. “He’ll get over it.” She started to walk and noticed Henry didn’t. “Henry, come on.”

  Henry stared at the phone. “El.” He extended it to her. “Maybe you should call him back.”

  “Why?”

  “Just . . . . you should call him to say goodnight. I shouldn’t have been the last one he talked to, that’s all. It’s not right.”

  “Henry, I’m sure . . .”

  “El.” He laid the phone in her hand. “Will you please just call him and tell him you love him.”

  “He knows I . . .”

  “El.”

  “Ok, then can we walk?” Ellen asked.

  “Then we can walk.”

  “He’s gonna think there’s something wrong with me. I pestered him all day.” Ellen smiled at Henry and dialed the phone. “Hey Dean?” Ellen’s voice was chipper on the phone. “We didn’t say goodnight and I didn’t tell you I loved you.”

  Henry stepped back with his hands behind his back and moved a few feet from Ellen to allow her privacy on the phone with Dean.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  September 20

  Binghamton, Alabama

  The tromping of boots against the asphalt was like the steady beat of a song. Frank paced before the seventy -five men he had running in place. They held rifles in their hands. On one, they raised the rifles above their heads, two, they brought them down, on three, they extend them forward, and four, they brought them back in. So in unison, so synchronized, they were quick and moved in double time to Frank’s steps.

  “Squad leaders, count it out!” Frank ordered as he walked before them.

  “One.” Tromp-tromp.

  “Two.” Tromp-tromp.

  “Three!” Tromp-tromp.

  “Four.” Tromp-tromp.

  Frank smiled. “Keep it going!” He snapped his finger on their every count out.

  “One.” Tromp-tromp.

  “Two.” Tromp-tromp.

  “Three” Tromp-tromp.

  “Four.” Tromp-tromp.

  “Let me hear it from the ranks!” Frank called out.

  And then the men began, together, loudly, and in time . . .

  “Ugachuga. Ugachuga. Uga. Uga. Ugachuga!”

  “I can’t stop this feeling . . .” Frank talk-sang. “Deep inside of me.” Frank grinned. “Take it back, gentlemen, and with enthusiasm.”

  They took two steps back in their formation, snapped to attention and called out loudly. “One, two. Yes we can. Colonel Slagel is the man! Ooh-rah!”

  “Dismissed!” Frank bit his bottom lip and hid his smile, turned around, and lost the happy look when he saw Peace Ambassador Leonard standing there.

  “Colonel Slagel. A little unconventional, don’t you think?”

  “It’s the way I have always trained my men. You work them, break them, show them you’re human. They respect you more and they’re all yours. I did this too many years in the United States Army. How about you?” Frank raised his eyebrow and grabbed a cigarette from his chest pocket as he walked.

  “I mean no disrespect to your method of training.” Leonard followed Frank. “However.”

  Frank stopped walking. “However?”

  “Yes. However.” Leonard held what looked like a stereo assembly manual. “This is the way the Society expects their men to be trained. Have you read this?”

  “I’m sure I have. But . . .” Frank pointed to his own temple. “I have amnesia so I’m not really remembering anything post- plague. Sorry.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “What.” Frank moved on.

  “Having selective amnesia like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you said you have.”

  “When?”

  “Just now.”

  “Huh?” Frank puffed his cigarette.

  “Never mind.” Leonard held out the book to Frank. “Maybe you would like this.”

  “For?”

  “For refreshing your memory on our training regimen.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you forgot.”

  “Forgot what?” Frank asked.

  “How to train these men.”

  Frank stopped walking.

  Leonard was a good five feet ahead of Frank before he realized that Frank was no longer with him. “Colonel Slagel?” He saw the glare Frank gave him and though he tried not to show it, Leonard was a bit frightened. “Well, yes, um . . . perhaps not.” He rolled up the manual. “I have something else to discuss with you.�
�

  “What?” Frank started walking again.

  “We’re expecting a very important scientist to be joining us here in a week’s time. In fact, he will head up biology for the Society, but will work and live here for a while. I need you to prepare the best housing available.”

  Frank laughed and stopped walking again.

  “Something wrong?”

  “His house is gonna look like your house, my house, and anyone else’s house that lives in a house on base.”

  Leonard really wanted to scratch his head. “Uh . . . yes. So you’ll see to it then.”

  “Oh yeah.” Frank nodded. “I’ll see to it.”

  “Thank you. I’ll let you be.”

  “Thanks.” Frank bobbed his head forward as he watched Leonard walk away, and then without Leonard seeing, Frank calmly lifted his middle finger and smirked.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Joe set down his coffee on the counter in the clinic lab, leaning into it next to Dean. “So you’ll get up to Jason’s lab soon.”

  “As soon as I can, but I haven’t a clue on how to run a history on his quantum Regressionator.”

  “Maybe I can get Henry to go with you.”

  Dean grumbled.

  Joe looked up in surprise. “Next. Traps.”

  “Regis.” Dean said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Speak to Regis.” Dean suggested. “He used to hunt.”

  “I’ll do that. But I’m going to need ample supply of those tranquilizer pellets.”

  “You’ll have them. As soon as El gets back we can . . .”

  “Did someone say my name.” Ellen’s voice carried into the lab.

  Dean smiled and spun around to see her. “El. You’re early.”

  Ellen embraced him. “Yeah, Me, Henry, and Danny, brought the pick up so the others will be along shortly.” She kissed Dean and laid her hand on his face. “How are you.”

  “Better now.”

  Henry cleared his throat. “Joe, Danny went straight to tracking. He wanted to know if you could meet him up there.”

  “What about you?” Joe asked.

  “He wanted to talk to you.” Henry shrugged.

  “O.K.” Joe gathered up his things. “Dean, I’ll speak to you later.”

  “Thanks, Joe.” Dean released Ellen from his embrace as Joe left. “We have so much to catch up on. How busy are you?”

  “I have to get the new guys situated when they arrive. The field workers are coming today and those who are going to be setting up the new Bowman are coming in another day or two.”

  Dean tilted his head in question. “Why is that?”

  Henry stepped forward to answer. “Danny scouted the towns best suited for tracking and we have a lot to get ready, supplies and stuff, since these men are going to be living there. There isn’t any reason to make them come up until we’re ready to put them to work.”

  “I see.” Dean nodded. “Who’s going to be in charge of this crew? If I may ask.”

  “Construction and rebuilding, Danny is going to oversee, also he and I since it is partly mechanics,” Henry said.

  “Thanks.” Dean had no emotions in his voice. “Um Henry, I’d like to talk to Ellen alone. Please.”

  “Oh sure.” Henry reached out and laid his hand on Ellen’s shoulder “Thanks for the Bowman tour. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “O.K. Henry.” Ellen smiled. “Bye.”

  Henry took a step to kiss Ellen on the cheek but stopped. It was something so simple that he did whenever he saw her and had done for a while. Yet, Henry didn’t do it this time. He just smiled and waved and walked to the door. “Dean.”

  “Henry.” Dean nodded his head once.

  Ellen watched Henry leave then looked to Dean. “What’s going on?”

  “Excuse me?” Dean asked.

  “With you and Henry. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  “Really?” Ellen folded her arms. “Care to tell me why the temperature dropped when you two looked at each other.”

  Dean took a deep breath. “Things are a little strained between me and Henry right now. That’s all.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” Dean shrugged “Personal.”

  Ellen laughed. “I’m your wife.”

  “Yep you are.”

  There was a quirk about the look on Ellen’s face as she tilted her head to the right and raised the corner of her mouth. “Am I missing something?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head. “Him and I have just been butting heads. It happens in a community this small. We’ll get through it.”

  “Good.” Ellen smiled. “Now, can the work just wait a few minutes? I’d like to go see the kids.”

  “Can the uh . . . kids wait a few minutes.” Dean stepped to her taking her hands.

  “Why would we make the kids wait for work?”

  “We’re not.” Holding Ellen’s hand, Dean walked to the back of the lab.

  “Dean?”

  “El.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Dean lead her to the room in the back.

  Ellen lagged behind and moved hesitantly slow. “Why are we coming back here?” She didn’t get an answer, only a tug into the room. “Oh, I get it. Sorry, I didn’t pick it up. You should have accentuated the words, ‘a few minutes’ I would have known exactly what you were talking about.”

  Dean stopped, smiled as he looked at her, kissed her quickly, pulled her further inside, and closed the back room door.

  ^^^^

  Total chaos is what tracking looked like when Joe walked in there. Mark sat in a chair, slumped and rolled out of the way. The monitor table was pulled out from the wall with wires everywhere. Computer disks and Danny Hoi were on the floor.

  “Danny.”

  “Oh hi, Joe.” Danny looked up at him. “I’m not finding anything.”

  “You don’t think Henry did all this already?”

  “Um, probably yeah.” Danny answered.

  “And?” Joe asked.

  “And I’d rather do it myself. It’s my baby, so . . . I’d rather do it myself. Thanks.”

  Joe looked over to Mark who lifted his hands in defeat. “Danny, did you stop to think it may be something in the field?”

  “Yeah I did.” Danny picked himself up from the ground and brushed off. “But I talked to the guard who did rounds up there and he said he saw nothing. Yet . . . during the time he said he was there, we continued to receive signals which leads me to believe . . . malfunction.”

  Mark let out a loud grunt. “Thank you! I have been saying this for days. But no! Henry insists that there are killer rabbits or, what is it now, pigs running around up there.”

  Danny snickered. “I believe something may have been up there to help set off the malfunction but it helped exaggerate it, that’s all. No creature God created moves this fast and is this small.”

  “Really?” Joe asked. “What about a creature man created.”

  Before Danny could say anything, Mark held up his hand. “Unfair! No Joe. Unfair. My kid was home. Ask my wife. And . . . and . . . he hates deer meat. Robbie said that’s what was killed up there. Marcus likes his meat cooked. He hasn’t eaten anything alive since last year.”

  “Good to hear.” Joe raised an eyebrow. “Danny, how long you going to be working on this?”

  “Just gonna put it back together.” Danny lowered down to the floor. “I’ll go home tonight and really sit there and think about it. Why?”

  “Well, you need to get me that game plan you have for the new towns. We have to get things together,” Joe said.

  “O.K., I’ll do that. Let me finish up here.”

  “Good. See you in a bit.” Joe moved to the door.

  “Oh Joe. Before I come up, there’s something I need to discuss with Dean then I’ll be there.”

  “Not a problem.” Joe opened the door. “Mark.”

  “Joe.�
� Mark grumbled Joe’s name. “Danny, can you possibly take any longer?”

  Danny looked at Mark and grinned. “I could, but seeing how I have things to do, I won’t.” Danny began to reconnect. “So, where was I? Yes. Gergerace. Man, this woman. You have to see her. I want front row seats to her and Joe’s first encounter.”

  “Danny, if she’s that bad, maybe all they have to do to her is lock her in the same room with you and Henry.”

  “Mark?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m messing with the electrical wiring that is attached to the equipment you’ll be touching. You may not want to insult me.”

  “Oh.” Mark looked serious. “Sorry.”

  “Kidding.” Danny grinned and returned to his work. “Um ... . maybe not. Where in the hell does this wire go?”

  ^^^^

  Quantico Marine Headquarters

  “Preparations are being made now,” Stewart told George as George sat behind his desk. “Research files of our recently deceased scientists are being moved to Binghamton right now. Housing is being set up for him.”

  “Good.” George nodded.

  “Now you’re sure that all this trouble isn’t for nothing? This Dr. Hayes will not be leaving the Society?”

  “I’m positive,” George stated. “Things are well underway in Beginnings to ensuring that he will have what he wants here and. . . he’ll want to stay.”

  “Good. Now I spoke to Dr. Garrison. He said that it is possible that seeing this doctor may trigger Frank’s memory.”

  George was not surprised by this news. “I appreciate you looking into it, but I have it covered. Dr. Morris told me if it does, it will not only be facially evident on Frank’s face that he recognizes Dr. Hayes, but physically evident as well. His body will sway and topple as if he got hit with a wall of bricks.”

  “So Leonard knows these signs to look for?”

  “He does.”

  Stewart let out a breath. “Good. I’ll just reiterate that to him when I talk to him.”

  “You do that.”

  The phone in George’s office rang. George looked at it, then at Stewart.