The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  It was evident of the deaths that the Savages caused as Robbie, with his heart racing, made it through the center colony. The Manitoba residents laid everywhere. Some were naked, dismembered, skinned, burned, and ravaged. But the sight of those victims didn’t bother him as much as the colonists that obviously died from the drop of his missile. They were still breathing when Robbie made the drop. Their bodies showed that. It didn’t matter to Robbie that there were only a few. One would have been too many. To Robbie, at that moment, he was no better than the Savages. He had killed innocents.

  And then he heard his one salvation, a child’s cry that made Robbie’s heart pound from his chest. Where was it? Where did it come from? Robbie’s perception was off. He made his way through the smoke, trying to follow the cry. Closer and closer, Robbie heard it. He begged in his mind for it not to stop. The smoke thinned out as Robbie made it from the center of the massacre and the cry was within reach. It came from one of the few remaining bubble tents the colonists lived in. They were large tents, like igloos, and Robbie walked into the one where the cry seeped out. Where was the child? Taking off his gas mask, Robbie wiped the soot from his forehead that dripped with his sweat into his eyes. Shifting his views around, he saw the cedar chest. Anticipation heavy in his breathing, he raced to the corner of the tent and flung open the lid to the chest.

  The big brown eyes and tear-streaked dirty face of the little girl, no older than two, peered up so helplessly. He lifted her out and her little legs clung to him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Robbie took time to comfort that child, hold her ,and try to soothe her breaking heart as much as he tried to soothe his own.

  “Robert,” Joe’s call snapped him out.

  “Oh, hey,” Robbie said, blinked then lifted his mug.

  Joe slid his hand over Robbie’s back as he walked around to his desk. He gave Robbie a closed, father smile and sat down. “Andrea said the little girl is fine. She’s unscathed with no injuries at all. She’s very frightened, but hopefully she will not remember anything.”

  “Any guesses on how old she is?” Robbie asked.

  “Andrea is saying around two and a half. It hard to tell as she’s not talking much but that could be the trauma. They have her sedated.” Joe leaned back in his chair. “You did good.”

  “No, Dad, I didn’t. I killed ten innocent people today.”

  A simple nod preluded anything Joe stated. “I understand how you feel.”

  “I know.” Robbie sipped his coffee and set it down.

  “Robbie, I know what the service trained you to do and I know what you’ve become. Where the world has made a lot of us hard, it’s given you back a soft spot you lost in your youth. I’m not talking about the enemy in this world. Hell, you’re as sick as Frank when it comes to that . . . well maybe not. But with people you have compassion. I know, it was tough what you did, but you have to look at it this way. You stopped the Savages. How many were there, over a hundred? What would they have done to that child? Do you think a single one of those adults wouldn’t have given their life anyhow to save that child from the death of a Savage? They were fighting them. They would have lost anyhow, but had you not done what you did, the child would have lost as well and the efforts of those ten people who were still alive fighting would have been in vain.”

  Robbie swallowed. “I gotta go.” Robbie stood up abruptly.

  “Robert,” Joe called out, stopping him as he reached for the door.

  Robbie wouldn’t turn around.

  “What is this?” Joe held up an envelope.

  “It’s a formal request.”

  “Formal request. What are you? Hal now?” Joe ripped open the envelope. He pulled out the letter and his eyes skimmed. “Absolutely not. Formally denied.” Joe set down the letter.

  Robbie turned around. “But Dad, why?”

  “Because I need you here in Beginnings.”

  “You put me in charge of the brigades going out.”

  “I gave you command of the central op. That will be here in Beginnings.”

  “What good am I going to do in here when my men are out there?”

  Joe laughed. “What good are you going to do if they need you in the air and you are out there in a tent? Absolutely not.”

  “Then put someone else in charge and let me go out. That’s what I do best. That’s what I want to do.”

  “No it isn’t,” Joe said as he stood up and walked to Robbie. “Robert, I am not saying this because you are my son. You know I’m too honest to bullshit you, but you and Frank are the top dogs here. I don’t trust the security of our communities to anyone else but you two. Got that? I need you here as well.”

  Robbie nodded.

  “Robbie, I know today was hard for you. As cold as this sounds, son, put it behind you. Put it behind you now. If you need help, go see that little girl you brought in.” Joe laid his hand on Robbie’s shoulder.

  Robbie gave a sad smile. “Maybe I will. Thanks, Dad.”

  “You’re welcome. I love you.”

  Robbie snickered. “I love you.”

  Joe rubbed his hand over Robbie’s hair. “See you at competition today.” Joe winked. “Kick Frank’s ass.”

  “I’ll see you before that.” Robbie opened the door.

  “You will.”

  “Yes. Services, right? Today is my first Sunday service as Rev. Robbie. See you at nine.” Robbie smiled and walked out.

  Joe immediately filled with panic. “Oh my God.”

  ^^^^

  The larger note reading, ‘El, do you mind?’ Dean left in Ellen’s workstation, by the small diction tape, irritated Ellen. She wanted to shout ‘Yeah, I do mind!’ really loud when she found it, but she didn’t. She had to remember it was part of her tasks, things she had always did and would continue to do in the lab. . . Dean’s notes.

  With attitude, Ellen took the tape to the dictation machine and sat down before the compute. She placed the tape in the machine and pressed play.

  “October eighteenth,” Dean spoke on the tape.

  Ellen found her typing spot.

  “It seems like forever since I lost you and it seems with each day that goes by, getting you back slips more and more from my hopes.”

  Ellen reached to shut off the tape, but didn’t.

  “I don’t know what to do. Just let me tell you that I love you. I love you, El. Everything we had, I waited for all my life. I wouldn’t screw it up. I know things look so bad for me. I know it seems I have no defense, but I do. In my heart, my word is my defense. If you would just take my word that I didn’t betray or lie to you, then I will prove it. I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you. Please. Give me another chance, El. Please.”

  Silence.

  Ellen slowly reached for the ‘stop’ button on the machine and, as her finger depressed it, she saw Dean’s hand. It lay across her wrist and gripped gently. Shifting her eyes to the right, she saw Dean. He reached up and slid the headphones from her.

  “Dean.”

  “El, no. I’m sorry to do that to you, but you won’t talk to me. You won’t listen to me. El, come on. It’s me.” He leaned closer to her. “Yesterday I didn’t see you. Not for one minute. You came back from New Bowman, were never far from me, and I still didn’t see you. I don’t want that. I . . .”

  “Dr. Dean,” Johnny called out as he walked in the lab.

  Dean kept his eyes on Ellen’s and his hand on her wrist. “Not right now, Johnny.”

  “I’m really sorry, Dr. Dean, but Melissa needs to see you. She said it’s important and will only take a minute.”

  Dean breathed out.

  “Go on,” Ellen said.

  “El, can you wait here for me?” Dean asked. “Please, so I can finish talking to you.” Dean waited for an answer. “Please?”

  “I’ll . . . I’ll wait.” Ellen nodded slowly.

  Laying his hand on Ellen’s face, Dean smiled at her and mouthed the words ‘thank you’. He gently slid his hand from hers
, trailing his fingers across her cheek as he did so. He stepped back. “I won’t be long.”

  Johnny watched Dean back up further, turn, and walk from the room. Johnny huffed loudly and shook his head.

  Ellen saw it, just like Johnny wanted. “Johnny?”

  “Huh?” Johnny acted surprised.

  “What was that about?”

  “What?”

  “What is this ‘what’? You’re not your father. What was the look for?”

  “El,” Johnny dramatically sighed and drew up his most troubled look. He peered at her and shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just . . . it’s just . . . you aren’t buying that are you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Johnny tried to return to work.

  “Johnny, what? Buying what?” Ellen walked to him.

  “I heard a little of what he said.”

  “And?”

  “And . . . El, promise me you didn’t hear this from me. Swear on my dad you didn’t hear this from me.”

  “I swear.”

  Johnny made sure he produced a gulping sound when he swallowed. “Before you listen and believe Dean, maybe you should ask him where he’s been living. I saw him going into . . . into Bev’s house the other night.”

  Ellen moistened her dry lips in nervousness. She raised her eyebrows once quickly. “Thank you. I didn’t hear that from you.” Walking back to the dictation machine, Ellen reached in, pulled the small tape out, and immediately ripped the tape from the cassette. She moved with haste across the lab and nearly collided fill force with Dean, who was rushing in.

  “El.” He grabbed her arms. “Where are you going?”

  Ellen slammed the tape into his chest. “Let’s just say I changed my mind.”

  The long dangling strand of tape draped over Dean’s fingers as the cassette fell to his palm. He turned in shock as he watched Ellen leave, never seeing the gloating smile Johnny had on his face behind him.

  ^^^^

  Hal looked for a moment at Frank’s closed office door and then knocked.

  “Yeah,” Frank barked out.

  Hal rolled his eyes, changed his expression to a pleasant one, and opened the door. “Morning.”

  “Halbert.” Frank tossed a clipboard to his desk and rocked in his chair.

  O.K., Hal thought, he wasn’t going to retaliate. “Francis.” He shut the door and stepped inside.

  “Look at you.” Frank had a shitty grin to him.

  “What about me?” Hal asked.

  “What’s up with the full fledged uniform?”

  “Well, today is . . .”

  “Going down to the plantation?”

  “Frank.”

  “Searching out Scarlett?”

  “Frank . . .”

  “Wait,” Frank snapped. “You did polish your sword, didn’t you? Never know when you may have to be General Custard. No, wait, Captain Custard. No one gets higher than a . . .”

  “Frank.”

  “What!”

  “Shut up!”

  “Hal!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t fuckin yell at me in my office.”

  “You are absolutely right,” Hal stated, not believing what he said.

  “Thank you. I am.”

  Hal was tested and he was bound to pass. He sat down across from Frank. “How are you?”

  “Why?”

  “I want to know,” Hal said.

  “Why?”

  “I’m concerned.”

  “Why?”

  “Frank!”

  “What!”

  “God!” Hal clenched his jaws. “Why do you have to be such a dick?”

  “Because . . . I’m Frank.”

  “You know . . .”

  “No, really I don’t. Tell me.”

  Hal grunted.

  Frank laughed.

  “Frank.”

  “What?”

  “Forget it.”

  “O.K.”

  Snarling, Hals’ hands slammed against the arm of the chair. “I come here to make amends with you and . . .”

  “Nope.”

  “Nope?”

  “Nope. There’s no fuckin way you’re getting out of the praise me bet. No-no, little brother, you still have a couple more hours left . . .”

  “Frank.”

  “I won.”

  “Frank.”

  “I didn’t swear. Did you write that announcement for my entrance into the Neville . . .”

  “Frank!” Hal shouted as he stood up. “Forget I came. You really piss me off.” Turning, Hal bumped into the desk and knocked over the small picture frame on the corner.

  “See,” Frank instigated. “You’re knocking my stuff over.” As his fingers reached to straighten the frame, Hal grabbed it. “I got it.”

  “No, I . . .” Hal looked at the picture. “Oh my God.”

  “Give it back.”

  “No.” Hal stepped back from Frank’s reach, grinning at the picture. “I remember when this was taken.” Hal peered at the picture of a very young Frank and Ellen. “I remember this.”

  “Thanksgiving, my freshman year.” Frank stood up and walked around the desk.

  “Why this picture?”

  “I love that picture.” Frank looked at it over Hal’s shoulder. “I look at this and I know how many years me and El have behind us and I know . . . I hope, it tells me how many more we have to go.”’

  Peacefully, Hal handed the picture back. “That’s really nice.”

  “Shut up.”

  “No, I’m not joking. I’m serious,” Hal said. “If you feel this way, what the hell are you doing about it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why aren’t you with her?”

  “Right now? Well, right now she’s at the Clinic and . . .”

  “No. Now, meaning this point in time in life. Why aren’t you with her?”

  “I will eventually, but right now, her and Dean have to work out their problems and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

  “Dean did her wrong.”

  Frank shook his head. “I’m not getting into this with you.” He set the photo back on his desk. “I want to be with her. I . . . I miss her, Hal, but I gave Dean my word.”

  “Oh that is such bullshit, Frank. He’s making you feel guilty. He can’t have her and he doesn’t want you to.”

  “You sound like you want me to take advantage of their breakup.”

  “Yeah.”

  “No. That’s what I gave him my word about. I said I wouldn’t take advantage of their breakup. Besides, I don’t want El that way. I want her to come to me.”

  “What have you done lately that would make her say she wants to turn to you?”

  Frank took a moment to think. He peered up to the ceiling.

  “Frank?”

  “What, I’m thinking.” He closed his eyes. “I . . . nah. I went . . . nah. Nothing.” He looked at Hal.

  “See. She’s not going to come to you. You have to go to her.”

  “I can’t. I don’t want to do that. I do and I don’t.”

  “Dean?”

  “What about him?” Frank asked.

  “So it’s all because of Dean that you don’t want to pursue Ellen?”

  “It depends on what you mean. If you mean because I have a special interest in Dean then . . .”

  “No,” Hal snapped. “It’s because you gave him your word.”

  “Yes.”

  “You can’t break it.”

  “No.” Frank walked around his desk and sat down. “I don’t want to.”

  “Then don’t,” Hal suggested. “Talk to him. Tell him you need to have her in your life and you know you promised him you wouldn’t take advantage of their break up. You aren’t. It’s just that you can’t give up time with her all together. Ask him under . . . Frank?”

  “Huh?” Frank had walked around his desk. He glanced up a
t Hal. “What?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Writing this down.” Frank grabbed a pencil. “Now go on. What did you say to tell Dean?”

  Hal tossed up his hands, shook his head with a smile, then pulled up a chair to help his brother out.

  ^^^^

  Robbie couldn’t help it. No matter how hard he tried to focus in on what Elliott was saying, he kept wondering how Elliott got the buttons on his cavalry style uniform so shiny.

  “So?” Elliott questioned, waiting for an answer.

  “Huh?” Robbie snapped to.

  “You weren’t listening. I laid out logic to you and you weren’t listening.”

  “I was listening.” Robbie glanced at the people who passed him on the way to the chapel. “I just can’t figure out why you’re coming to me.”

  “I respect you,” Elliott said.

  “Cool.”

  “You’re the Captain’s brother and . . . I don’t want to step on your toes. I’m really nervous about this and it’s your go ahead I need.”

  “Sure.” Robbie gave him a swat on the arm.

  “I promise you, Robbie, my intentions are good. I’m not doing this for anything physical. I know the way you feel and . . .”

  “Elliott,” Robbie stopped him. “It’s fine. Wanna know why? I’m secure in what I have with Ellen because no matter who she’s with, no matter what, what her and I have will always be the same. No more, no less. So . . .” Robbie stepped back. “Ask away.”

  “Thank you.” Elliott nodded with a smile as he watched Robbie back up. “Thank you and watch . . .”

  Robbie grunted as he slammed into Frank in his walk to the chapel.

  Elliott hunched in a cringe when the papers Frank was holding flew up. Chuckling, Elliott walked away.