The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  ^^^^

  Loud laughter, almost boyish and silly, flowed from the other side of the door at Frank’s Security office. Holding the Petri dish, Ellen knocked.

  The laughing slowed down and Elliott called out, ‘come in.”

  “Ellen.” Elliott stood up from behind Frank’s desk. “Nice to see you.”

  “Hey, El.” Robbie sat across from Elliott and waved.

  “Where’s . . . where’s Frank?” Ellen asked.

  “He’s with Dean,” Elliott answered.

  “Again,” Robbie added.

  Ellen whined, “Aw, what happened to the good old days when they hated each other and never spoke?” She appeared so bothered as she held back her bangs. “If he’s not working, who’s running Security?”

  Looking at Elliott, Robbie burst into laughter.

  After mouthing the word, ‘thanks’ to Robbie, Elliott smile politely to Ellen. “I am. Frank is merely overseeing. I’m still filling in. Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Well, I have a major security problem only Frank can help me with.”

  “Containment?” Elliott asked.

  “No, it’s something else,” Ellen replied.

  Robbie, in a fake serious, nodded. “She needs only Frank which must mean it has to do with an ice age, walking dead, a meteor, or werewolves.”

  Elliott caught himself laughing but stopped.

  Ellen looked confused. “What are you guys laughing about?”

  Robbie shook his head. “Nothing. Just Frank.”

  Ellen gasped. “That’s wrong. You shouldn’t laugh about Frank. Now I’m pissed . . .” She stormed to the door. “Assholes.”

  “Oh my God.” Elliott gasped out in shock.

  Ellen stopped. “What?”

  “You called me an asshole. Ellen.” Elliott spoke sincerely. “I apologize if I offended you. You never called . . .”

  “Elliott,” Robbie stopped him and stood up. “We’re allowed to offend Ellen every once in a while, but you’re right. El, I’m sorry. What can we help you with?”

  “Don’t laugh.” Ellen walked to the desk and set down the Petri dish. She lifted the lid. “This.”

  Still standing by the door, Elliott sniffed. “What’s that smell?”

  Robbie shrugged. “Don’t look at me. El?”

  “What?” she said annoyed. “Are you two going to take a look?”

  Both Elliott and Robbie walked back to the desk and took their seats.

  Just as Elliott settled, he froze. “Shit. Is that what I think it is?”

  “A finger, yes,” Ellen answered. “And a partial arrowhead.”

  Robbie reached for the finger. “It looks like a Savage.”

  Elliott picked up the arrowhead. “It’s hand carved.” He peered up to Ellen. “Where did you get these?”

  “In Majestic’s rabbit poop.”

  At the same time, they both ejected the finger and arrowhead out of their hands. The objects landed on the desk.

  Elliott wiped his hand on his pants. “Majestic, the rabbit.”

  “Killer rabbit,” Robbie corrected.

  “Why is living in Beginnings like living on the Sci-fi Channel?” Elliott asked.

  Robbie pointed to Ellen. “Here’s half the reason. The other mad scientist is running around with my brother.”

  “Speaking of which.” Ellen pulled a glove from her pocket, put it on, and lifted the finger and arrowhead. She put them in the Petri dish and closed the lid. “I have to find him. You guys aren’t getting this, are you? Knowing Majestic’s digestive system, she ingested these objects yesterday. Which means yesterday she ate part of a Savage. Where did she get the Savage?”

  Robbie stood up in a rush at the same time as Elliott. “Why don’t I pull a scan of the hillside where we found Majestic yesterday? Elliott, you find Frank and my dad and brief them.”

  “Got it.” Elliott hurried to the door. “Ellen, come with me and bring your rabbit waste.” He opened the door for Robbie, allowed him to leave first, and then halted when Ellen wasn’t with him. “Ellen?”

  “No, you go on,” she told him.

  “They’ll want to see proof of our suspicions. Can I have those?”

  “Nope.” Ellen put the Petri dish in her pocket. “Just tell them. They’ll believe you.”

  “I don’t understand. You had no problem showing us.”

  “You aren’t Joe. Joe can’t know about Majestic and her carnivorous instincts. He’ll find out when he asks where I got them and I say in her poop. He’ll get pissed.”

  “OK.” Elliot nodded. “How about this. Bring the finger and arrowhead, and we’ll tell Joe that you found them in . . . . killer baby waste.”

  “Oh, good idea.” Ellen walked to the door. “Wait.” She stopped. “What if Joe wonders why I was digging through killer baby poop?”

  “Trust me, Ellen,” Elliott escorted her out of the office. “When it comes to you and Dean, Joe won’t even try to ask why.”

  ^^^^

  “Defective glass?” Joe spoke softly to himself, then chuckled with a shake of his head as he looked down at the paperwork sprawled across his desk. “I don’t know what you want with the defective glass particles, Ben from fabrics, but . . .” Joe signed the requisition. “You can have them.” It was an odd request, but then again, to Joe, Ben was an odd man. But he supposed defective glass wouldn’t be the only odd request in the ‘useless requisition’ pile he finally made time to go through.

  As he looked at the next requisition, Joe heard a knock at his office door. “Come in.” He raised his eyes above his half square glasses to see Frank open the door. “Frank.” Joe returned to looking at his paperwork. “I’m doing useless requisitions. If this is about Hal, killer babies, ice age, meteors or werewolves, save it.”

  “It’s not.”

  “Then come . . .” Joe looked up. He felt the tension of the silence. His eyes shifted in almost an angry curiosity when he saw Dean closing the door. “. . . in. What’s going on?”

  “Dad.” Frank stepped closer and sat down. “I need to talk to you.”

  “About?” Joe’s eyes were still on Dean as Dean took a seat.

  “You,” Frank answered, his voice almost cracking as he did. “it’s about you.”

  Joe turned his views to Frank. “What about me?”

  “It’s about your . . .”

  “Frank.” Joe stopped, looked quickly at Dean, then back to Frank. “I’m busy.”

  “You’re not too busy for this.” Frank stayed firm. “This is important.”

  “I doubt that.” Joe returned to his paperwork.

  “Stop this.” Frank reached forward and snatched the pencil from Joe’s hand. “I think you know why I’m here.”

  “No, Frank, I don’t.”

  “I need to speak to you about . . . about what’s going on with your . . . with your health and . . .”

  “Goddamn it!” Joe’s hand slammed down and he stood in a rage, his eyes locked on Dean. “You little shit. I don’t give a rat’s ass what ethics you breach with your . . .”

  “Dad.” Frank stood up.

  “Research,” Joe continued loud and angry. “But you have breached a confidence I placed in you. You were wrong! Wrong! You had no right . . .”

  “Dad!” Frank yelled. “Dean didn’t tell me!”

  “Then how the hell did you find out!” Joe screamed back.

  “Mom.”

  “What?” Joe lost his breath.

  “When I was in the coma, Mom came to me and told me. It was Mom.” Frank spoke quietly.

  Joe grasped onto the edge of his desk. “Your mother?”

  “Why are you doing this?” Frank stood close to his father. “Don’t ignore this.”

  “I’m not ignoring this, Frank. I’m not.”

  “Dean says you are.”

  Joe spun a look at Dean. “You need to stay out of this.”

  “No, Joe.” Dean stood as well. “No, I don’t. You won’t listen to me.”

&
nbsp; “That’s because you have nothing to say.”

  “Bullshit,” Dean argued. “I have plenty to say if you would just hear me out.”

  “Hear what, Dean?” Joe questioned with edge. “Hear what’s going on? I know what’s going on. I’m not a dumb man.”

  “Then quit acting like one,” Dean snapped back.

  “Excuse me?” Joe tilted his head.

  “You heard me.” Dean stood strong. “And you will not leave this office until you hear everything I have to say.”

  Joe’s jaw twitched. “What? You two come up here to gang up on me? Do you think it makes a goddamn difference to me? I’m not a guinea pig, I’m not a lab creation and I have no plans to sit back and be your next shot in the breeze, Dean. Sorry. I have too much to do.” Joe moved to leave.

  Frank stepped before Joe, blocking him. “So does Elliott Ryder. And you know what? He’s got time now to do it. He didn’t before.”

  “That’s right, Joe,” Dean added. “Elliott was in a latent stage of Leukemia. He is now in remission.”

  “Elliott Ryder,” Joe said with passion, “is a thirty-four year old man who is as strong as an ox and fit as a horse.”

  “And you, Joe,” Dean spoke up, “are a sixty year old man who is as strong as an ox and fit as a horse.”

  “Key word, Dean.” Joe lifted a finger. “Sixty. I’m sixty years old.”

  “It doesn’t make a bit of difference.” Dean tossed his hands up. “Don’t you see? You are thinking back to the old world ways of this. This isn’t the old world, Joe. We are no longer bound by laws of one righteous group or another. We can exceed any boundaries placed before us because man-made laws no longer prohibit where or how far we take medicine. We can be successful . . .” Dean raised his voice as Joe started to leave. “And we are. What are you afraid of!”

  Joe stopped, spun hard, and raged back at Dean. “I am not afraid! You hear me! Why aren’t you getting this? This is my fight!”

  Frank pointed hard. “Then fight!”

  “I am! In my own way.” Joe’s voice was sharp and hard. “This is my life! My choice! And if I choose quality of life over quantity, so be it! Neither of you have no say so in the matter! This is how I choose to deal with it! This conversation is over, now and forever. You will never, you hear me, never approach me or bring up the fact to me again that I have cancer!”

  Frank’s eyes did a slight shift and the word, with shock, flowed out. “El.”

  Hurriedly, Joe turned to see Ellen. She stood by the door, her shoulders moving up and down rapidly, her eyes wide, and her mouth dropped.

  “Son of a bitch.” In a storming mode, Joe grumbled and walked out of the office.

  Ellen couldn’t budge at that instant. She heard Elliott whisper her name, heard Dean, and saw Frank’s mouth move. But a rush of blood took over her, and with her entire body trembling, Ellen walked inside. Almost in a shocked stumble she reached for Joe’s desk and grabbed on to it for support. Her legs felt like jelly and they buckled, some causing her to grip even tighter.

  “El.” Frank laid his hands firmly on her shoulders.

  With it slightly lowered, Ellen slowly turned her head toward Dean. “Joe?”

  Dean’s eyes closed.

  The nightmare was confirmed. A sickening vibration shot through Ellen’s being, twisting her stomach, and ricocheting up to her throat. She choked on the abundance of emotions that tidal-waved her at that moment. In closing her eyes, a single tear rolled down Ellen’s cheek and her voice whimpered as she dropped her head forward. “Joe.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Over and over, the growl of Frank’s inner rage and frustration echoed loudly through the thick wooded area. In his scream, his foot slammed down to the hard ground causing an upward swosh and then a cloud of snow laced frozen leaves.

  Elliott apprehensively, yet doing the task handed to him, spoke softly. “Frank, this isn’t helping you.”

  “Yes, it is.” Frank trudged on, M-16 in hand.

  “No, it isn’t.” Elliott stayed close. “Tracking spotted movement. I brought you up here thinking this would help your mind and calm you, but it isn’t. Dean gave me a tranquilizer gun for you.”

  Frank stopped, spun, and raged back to Elliott. “Let me tell you something, Ryder. Go on, use it on me but I will fuckin kill you when I wake up.”

  Elliott kept a locked stare on Frank. “It won’t work with me, Frank. I’m not Dean. I’m not one of your men. I don’t scare easily.”

  “Fuck you.” Frank shoved Elliott back, turned, and started walking again.

  Elliott caught his footing, shook his head, and followed.

  “What are you?” Frank yelled “My fuckin spy? You don’t think I can handle this!”

  “I know you can handle this, Frank.” Elliott moved faster to catch up. “I’m here to handle you! To make sure you stay in control.”

  “I am!” Frank stopped again.

  “You are not!” Elliott stood right before him. “Dean informed . . .”

  “Fuck, Dean.”

  “He’ll stick you under the Salicain, Frank! Is that what you want? For the sake of your health, you need to calm down!”

  “You want me calm?” Frank asked, tilting his head.

  “Yes.”

  “Fine.” Frank reached into his shirt and after a ripping sound, he pulled out the monitor. “Fine.” He grabbed Elliott, yanked out the top of his tee-shirt, extended his hand in, and slammed the monitor to Elliott. “Be calm for me.”

  Elliott exhaled in frustration. “That’s not the answer.”

  “There is no answer. I’m mad. I’m pissed. My father is blowing this off. Blowing us off. I can’t say shit!” Frank complained loud and deep as he veered right. “I can’t talk about it to him or to my brothers. He won’t do jack-shit about his health. And where in the fuck is that fingerless fuckin Savage!”

  The scream of a war call was music to his ears that Frank hadn’t heard in a while. Shrill, loud and piercing, the vocal warning preluded the jumping emergence of the Savage from the trees.

  The Savage’s feet barely hit the ground when Frank lifted his weapon, pumped the chamber, and fired a single shot into his forehead, blasting him back fifteen feet. “Fuck!” Frank screamed, tossed the weapon over his shoulder, and stormed off again. “He wasn’t even a fuckin challenge for me!”

  Elliott lifted his hands in defeat and spoke softly to himself. “Who is?” After shaking his head, he watched Frank move further away and as he did, he seemingly took out all his anger on any object he passed. “This has to stop. He has got to calm down.” Elliott reached behind his back. “I’m sorry, Frank . . .” He raised the tranquilizer gun. “I’m only doing what was asked of me.” After a good aim, Elliott fired.

  ^^^^

  Dean’s hand rubbed up and down the arch of Ellen’s back as she leaned with sadness, with her hands to her face, on the clinic counter. His eyes shifted up to the series of x-rays that hung on the light board. “Come here.” He gripped to her shoulder.

  Ellen lifted some, but turned directly into Dean.

  “I’m sorry, El.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I am really sorry.”

  “It’s my father, Dean.” Heavily, she exhaled. “He’s not just Joe. He’s my father.”

  “I know this.” His finger slipped to a tightened grip under Ellen’s hair and he laid his lips firmly to her head.

  “I’m still trying just to understand this.”

  “If I could have told you sooner . . .”

  “No, I understand.” Letting out a breath, Ellen wiped her cheek and stepped back as she tried to regain her composure.

  “I’m only sorry you had to find out the way you did. Frank and I were just trying to talk to him.”

  “You told Frank?” Ellen asked.

  “No. His . . . his mother did.” Dean saw the curious look on Ellen’s face. “When Frank was in limbo, his mother came to him and told him.”

  “You believe him.”

>   “Oh, yeah.” Dean nodded with a heavy breath. “I believe him. He was doing well with it.” Dean winked. “I told him it didn’t sink in yet. Nothing had sunk in yet. Joe, Johnny, nothing. Frank didn’t buy it. He thought he was an emotional superman or something.”

  “Not when it comes to his family.”

  “I know this.” Running his hands through his hair, Dean paced some. “I’m worried about him, El. I know he had it in his mind. All he had to do was talk to Joe. He wasn’t expecting Joe to be so adamant towards him. When you ran out of the office, I swear I saw something snap in him. It was in his eyes, his face. Something snapped.”

  “Is that why you radioed Elliott?”

  “Yes, to get him and to try to calm him down because I very well couldn’t tell Robbie why Frank was out of control. Thinking about it . . .” Dean looked down at his beeper. “I had this silenced but it looks like he calmed down.”

  “Well, that’s a good . . .” Ellen peered past Dean. “Elliott?”

  Elliott stood in the doorway. He flashed an obviously nervous smile. “My apologies for the intrusion, but may I speak to the male Dr. Hayes, please?”

  After a quick glance to Ellen, and a look that conveyed his short return, Dean stepped into the hall and pulled the door closed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Frank went out of control.”

  “Nonsense. See.” Dean showed Elliot the beeper. When he raised his eyes, he saw the monitor in Elliott’s hand. “Aw, damn it. How bad was he?”

  “Just like you had suspected. I believe Frank is understanding the reality of all that is, excuse my use of language, fucked up right now in his life.”

  The look Dean gave Elliott was a little shocked over the mellow man’s use of language, but he had to agree. “He was that bad?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you use the tranquilizer on him?”

  “I did.”

  Dean heaved out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”

  “He’s sleeping nicely in a Jeep outside of the Security Building I didn’t want to rouse suspicion so I left him up there. I have to tell you, that man is one very heavy man. I do want you to check on him though.”

  “I’ll do that. You go on up. There’s something I want to get.”