The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  Gen. Yokasumi nodded once.

  Dean caught a glimpse of Frank’s lowered head.

  “When that was is not important,” Gen. Yokasumi explained. “You will understand when we tell you why we chose the time we pulled you. A fresh mind is so vital. Your minds are fresh in that time. Now . . . credit needs to be given. Your son, since late teenage years, has been working on a machine long since destroyed. He rebuilt what you call the Quantum Regressionator. He did so out of bits and pieces of information that remained. His intelligence is to be rewarded. You are here. Our plan is now in motion. The problem was bad enough to begin with and it was worsened some years ago. May I ask, you, Dr. Dean Hayes, since your arrival, what is different?”

  “Everything,” Dean said. “I mean, we rode in a limo. We’re in a hotel.”

  “Aside from that.” He held up his hand. “What don’t you see?”

  “It’s a hard question to answer,” Dean replied. “I mean, you’re sheltering us.”

  “Women,” Ellen spoke up. “I haven’t seen another woman.”

  “And you shall not,” Gen. Yokasumi explained. “What few women this world has remaining live in one area, protected and cared for. They hold our hopes of this world, but those hopes are bleak. We are a people closing in on extinction. You, Dr. Dean Hayes, had the foresight to make note of a situation you saw occurring, yet you spoke it to no one, not even your wife. Do you recall what that was?”

  “I’m gonna take a guess,” Dean said. “I made a notation that the male to female ratios on babies born were frighteningly bad. We had two female children born to date in Beginnings.”

  “Exactly.”

  Dean chuckled. “Simple gene manipulation using in vitro fertilization would have solved the problem. Why wasn’t that done. Or was it done?”

  “It was done,” Gen. Yokasumi stated. “But as a scientist, you know we needed brain power and medical intelligence this world lacked. We were aborting more children than we were birthing. Plus, nature and relationships intruded on any successful rate we were trying to achieve to even out the ratio.”

  “Still,” Dean had a bit of argumentativeness to him. “I’m going to assume by what little information you are giving me, that knowing the way things work, it took a while for this world to come together again. When it did, it took a little while for us to recognize the problem. When the problem was recognized, why didn’t isolation occur to a select group of women?”

  Billy’s sarcastic snicker rang into the room. He saw all eyes were upon him. “Sorry, but you’re assuming, and begging your pardon, but you’re assuming we’re idiots. We’re not. What you are suggesting was already thought of. Go on, toss something else out and I’ll bet we’ve tried it. I know. I’ve been working on the problem. We would be fine if . . . if . . .” His outburst subsided and Billy went silent.

  Gen. Yokasumi decided to explain, “We can’t tell you how it began, but not long ago, an infection spread. It ended up being easily spread through skin to skin contact. It began in an essence as a sexually transmitted disease and affected only. . .”

  Ellen closed her eyes and finished the sentence, “Women. Like undiscovered Chlamydia in the old world.”

  “Yes, only much more deadly,” Gen. Yokasumi continued. “By the time we defeated this simple infection, it had killed sixty five percent of our female population and left all but one percent of them with the inability to carry a child.” He paused. “Carry. They can produce. That is where you come in.”

  Dean got it. “The artificial wombs.”

  “You. Doctors Hayes. are now working on an artificial womb, a production line of sorts. You are also trying to accelerate the entire process. It was your secret experiment and when found out, it was frowned upon heavily. The work was stopped and everything tucked aside abruptly and forever.”

  Dean nodded with attitude and looked at Ellen. “Joe stopped it.”

  “He hates when we work on unethical things,” Ellen said. “But he wouldn’t have done so if the community didn’t vote on it.”

  “Beginnings caused this,” Dean commented. “The people there are so closed minded.” Doing what was becoming typical, Dean whispered, “Make a mental note of this.”

  “Dr. Hayes,” Gen. Yokasumi called their attention.

  “Sorry,” Dean apologized. “So you want us to go back and make sure we finish it.”

  Gen. Yokasumi shook his head. “We cannot take a chance on that. We want you to finish it now.”

  Ellen slightly whistled. “Man, the negative feedback we got on it must’ve been bad. Sir . . .” She looked up to the general. “We still can go back and work on it despite what we do here.”

  “That is your choice.” He told them. “But right now, we need the assurance. Can we have your help? We know that finishing it can take some time, but young Dr. Hayes is brilliant. Just get him to the point where he can finish it. Do we have your agreement?”

  Dean held up his hand, pushed his chair back from the table, and dragged Ellen to him. “What do you think?” he spoke in a low voice.

  “I think we should. Think about it. Our lives in Beginnings are on pause. We copy everything we do here, stick them in the lining of my purse, go back . . .”

  “Bam,” Dean grinned. “We’re ahead of the game. We’ll change the future, El.”

  “Who cares? Dean, it’s gonna be the only thing we’re working on here. Just like in our relationship, when has that ever happened? It will be the only thing that gets our attention. Think how fast we’ll do it.”

  “So is that a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Together they squeaked their chairs all the way back to the table.

  “All right,” Dean said, “we’ll do it.”

  The sighs of relief were almost too dramatic.

  In oddity, Dean looked at Ellen. “They thought we wouldn’t?”

  “We are grateful,” The General said. “The notes you worked on up until you stopped are here. We have a special lab with equipment. Should you need more, let us know. We plan on mass producing these wombs when you are successful. But there is one more thing.” He looked at Frank. “President Slagel, will you do the honors?”

  Frank had been so silent through the meeting, it seemed odd to hear him speak. “Dean, we want to get ahead of things once the womb is finished. We need something that only you can help us with. Where are the embryos?”

  “Excuse me?” Dean was confused.

  “The embryos, Dean. The ones that were made by the Society.”

  Dean laughed. “You haven’t found the embryos?”

  “No one really thought about them until recently,” Frank said, “and we can’t find them.”

  “Why didn’t you ask Henry or . . .” Dean shut up. It was obvious at that moment, if Frank didn’t know where the embryos were, then Henry or Joe, the only other people to know the location, were no longer around. “Frank, they’re in Beginnings.”

  “No, Dean.” Frank shook his head. “No, they aren’t.”

  “Frank, they are unless you moved them out,” Dean explained. “Tell me this. How much original stuff is there?”

  “Everything,” Frank answered. “Nothing was moved out except people.”

  “Then they are there.”

  Calmly, Frank spoke, “No, we searched.”

  “They’re hidden.”

  “Dean, we searched everywhere. They aren’t there.”

  “Then you just didn’t find them.” Dean grinned. “Man, Henry was brilliant with that one. Now the question is, are they still viable?”

  “If they are there.” Frank said.

  “Oh, they’re there,” Dean came back. “Just tell me this. At anytime were all three solar generators down?”

  Frank shook his head. “Not to my recollection.”

  “Then they are viable. See, after we initially hid them, Henry, your father, and I began thinking. George was bad. If there was even a remote possibility someone else was in Beginnings, we had to keep
them hidden where no one would even suspect. Henry came up with it and redesigned the whole new freezer for them. Then we moved them to the safe location after he designed a mock power reserve like what was used when the cryo-lab was discovered. In the event of power failure, as long as at least one of the generators was running, the case would be powered.”

  “Where in Beginnings?” Frank asked.

  “I’ll show you.”

  Frank looked at Council.

  Gen. Yokasumi shook his head. “We cannot allow you in Beginnings.”

  Dean lifted his hand. “Then you won’t find them. Guaranteed. I can tell you, but you won’t find them. I’ll bet you looked right at them.”

  The Council joined in a circle that eluded whispers. After a few seconds, Gen. Yokasumi spoke. “We will need to make some preparation in Beginnings, so it will be a few days. Until then. Tomorrow, you begin the other work.”

  Curiously, Ellen looked at Dean. “Are they that hidden?”

  “No, not at all,” Dean said. “That’s why they were never found.”

  “Where?”

  Dean just smiled. He opened his mouth to tell her, but stopped. He figured he’d make her suffer and wait to find out. But for Ellen it would be a little bit longer than everyone else. Dean had no intention of telling her the location at all. To him, they were returning to Beginnings time, and the last thing he wanted was for Ellen to know the really great hiding spot of the embryos. Knowing Ellen, she would be so impressed that she would share it with everyone.

  ^^^^

  A second time theorist entered the picture when it came to the dinner on Frank’s floor. Lancing admitted defeat before the dinner even began, knowing if they broke off into separate conversation, he would be unable to track all that was said. And they did break off.

  Adjustments were made to the top floor of the hotel. The far end was a wing designated for Frank’s living quarters while he stayed in Freedom City. Security stopped at the entrance to the wing for privacy, and the doors to the suites were left open for movement. They tried to make it as much of a home as possible for him, as was done for the other members of Joint Council on their floors. Suites were manipulated to be separate rooms: living room, dining room, bedrooms, and so forth.

  It was a hard mental adaptation for Dean to see Frank get all the attention as if he were royalty. Billy assured him that wasn’t the case on a regular basis. Frank was a ‘hands on’ leader, and lived a reserved life in a small home where no one waited on him hand and foot as was happening right then and there. The only reason it was occurring was because the rest of the Joint Council were used to living like that. Despite Frank’s attempts to obtain a small house for him, Billy, Dean and Ellen, and the Joint Council refused and insisted on an ‘all under one roof’ deal.

  Billy noticed the shifting of his father’s eyes across the designated sitting room to the open door. “Quit worrying about them,” he instructed Dean.

  “I’m not.” Dean sipped his coffee.

  “Yes, you are. You keep trying to see. Doesn’t he, Luke?” Billy asked the time theorist that sat close by.

  “It appears so to me,” Luke replied. He was dressed, like Lancing, in a black military style uniform. He was a younger black man with a shaved head who projected a more ‘at ease’ and ‘light’ feel than Lancing probably ever could.

  “See.” Billy nodded. “Quit it. What are they gonna do? Have sex? Lancing is in the room with them.”

  “They might. You don’t know Frank.”

  Billy snickered, “No, you don’t know Frank.”

  “Maybe not.” Dean sat back in the chair. “Not this Frank. The Frank I knew certainly wasn’t presidential material. I still can’t see it. Frank discussing foreign trade policies, negotiating, taxes.” He shook his head. “It baffles me.”

  “There are no taxes. We really don’t use money like people in the old world used to. We’re basically still the same as Beginnings. Money is used for certain things as established under the Hoi Trade Laws. And well, see the President . . .” Billy looked at Luke. “I want to explain the President in comparison to the pre-plague old world.”

  Luke nodded.

  Billy continued. “The President isn’t what you remember a President being. It’s more of a group effort amongst the countries that are joined. Each leader specializes in something and pretty much dominates when it comes to that area. Example: Lexington’s the trade guy, so when they all sit around, he dominates that aspects. Gen. Yokasumi is the speaker. He usually is the Peace Ambassador should trouble start. Now my father . . .”

  “Frank.”

  “My father,” Billy corrected. “He deals with defense, military, and police action. No matter where the problem occurs, they turn to him for advice.”

  “Like the old Frank,” Dean commented, “except for when he played the action hero.” He saw his son laugh. “What?”

  “He still does,” Billy chuckled. “And he doesn’t care what they say. President or not, if there’s trouble around him, my father is right in there doing his thing.”

  “He’s the President. That’s absurd,” Dean said.

  “That’s why people love him. He never places himself above them. Ever. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty or pick up a gun and defend.”

  “Frank’s still going?” Dean shook his head. “That’s frightening because the Frank I remember, in my time, went into cardiac arrest twice.”

  “Then make it three. The third time he nearly died.” Billy hurriedly looked at Luke when Luke cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

  Dean slowly looked up. “That’s not good.”

  “No, but what are we going to do? Seriously, if he dies as a result of being out there fighting, isn’t he going down the way he wants? Not sitting behind some desk getting old.”

  “You’re right.” Dean lifted his hand. “No argument there. You really care about him.”

  “He raised me.”

  “Yeah, but you seem to have so much . . .”

  “Respect? Love. Yeah. That’s because . . .” Billy turned to Luke. “I know this isn’t allowed, but may I tell him. It could spare me the pain.”

  With a total look of seriousness, Luke nodded. “I won’t say anything, go on.”

  Billy took a deep breath. “You’re not gonna want to hear this, but not long from the time we took you, you . . . you developed a drug addiction problem.”

  Dean’s eyes widened. “Me?”

  “Yes. I know.” Billy held up his hand. “It’s hard for you to believe but you did. You started to get nasty, really, really nasty. Mood swings and all.”

  “Me?” Dean was shocked.

  “I know this is hard. Uncle Hal had to beat you up many times because you use to go after Mom. Then one day, you snapped.” Billy snapped his fingers. “And you beat me up. See this . . .” He lifted his hair, exposing the long scar on the side of his neck. “You put me in a vice. Frank had to save me. From then on you stopped being my father.”

  Dean was speechless. His eyes were wide. “Oh God, I am so sorry, Billy. I am sorry.”

  “So am I.” Billy laughed. “I’m kidding.”

  “What! What the hell is the matter with you?” Dean yelled.

  Billy shrugged and laughed as he stood up. “You’re too serious. Wanna drink?”

  “No.” Dean looked at Luke, “You knew he was going to do that?”

  “He asked. It sounded demented . . .”

  “Demented. That’s it.” Dean nodded. “He turned Slagel.”

  Billy sat back down at the table with a glass of whiskey. “In all seriousness and no lying, you keep looking at that door, waiting for Mom. Don’t, O.K.?” Billy asked softly. “If you only knew what this meant to him, you wouldn’t even think twice about letting them spend time together. Give this to him, if for nothing else, for me?”

  After a slow breath, Dean looked at Billy, then decided he wanted that drink after all, so he took Billy’s.

  ^^^^

  It wou
ld have been the perfect intimate setting had it not been for Lancing standing right by them. But Ellen paid him no mind while she and Frank sat by candlelight at the long dining room table. They shared a corner of it. Music played softly in the background.

  “So, that’s basically it.” Ellen’s finger ran across the rim of her glass. “That’s how I felt.”

  “My appearance didn’t shock you?”

  A small shrug was all Ellen did. “Some, but only because you’re still so handsome.” She leaned into him, drawing close. “You still look the same.”

  Frank half smiled. “You’re still so beautiful.”

  “Did you . . . and you don’t have to answer this. But did you ever find anyone else?”

  “Are you serious?” Frank asked. “No.” He shook his head emotionally. “The thought never crossed my mind. When you left me, I died. I died.” He closed his eyes. “I lost all will to live. My heart broke. I couldn’t reason, I couldn’t think, and I started drinking again. If it wasn’t for the kids, I swear I wouldn’t have bounced back,” Frank told her. “I didn’t want to be on this earth without you. You are the love of my life.”

  Ellen’s heart ached. Every emotional feeling Frank projected told Ellen more than his words. She swore she was experiencing the pain she knew he had felt and still was feeling. Slowly she stood up and walked behind him. She wrapped her arms around Frank and placed her lips so close to his ear. “It may have been years, but to me it was literally last night that you told me I was the love of your life. We just had our date, Frank.” She closed her eyes tightly and felt him grip onto her arm. Her lips brushed against him as she spoke. “I can still feel your arms around me. Everything that came back last night is so fresh in my mind . . . in my heart. I love you. I love you so much.” She held him tighter. “Any hurt that my leaving caused you, I am so sorry, but I am going to make you a promise, right here and right now. When I get back, I will make sure, from that moment on, every single second of my life with you is precious. If I was going to try to make it work before with you, there’s not a doubt in my mind, when I get back, I will make it work with you.” Against her chest, Ellen felt the falling of Frank’s back in an emotional sigh he tried to keep silent. “But for right now, in this time, if you want . . . anything . . . anything you want from me, you tell me and I’ll give it to you. I’m here.”