The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Nah, they’ll check.” Jimmy spoke with assurance. “They’ll check. They have this rigged up. They aren’t gonna forget about it Trust me. I wouldn’t. They’ll check. It’s just a matter of when they get the message.”

  The thought of that was a little disturbing to Jess. Beginnings stood a chance of not receiving the news until well after Jess and Jimmy arrived back, but that was fine. The message was delivered.

  ^^^^

  The snow fell fast and piled up high. It came nearly to Ellen’s shins as she walked with Mike. Trudging back from the movies was a slow-moving process but one Ellen didn’t mind. It had been so long since she had seen snow fall that fast and deep that she was actually enjoying it.

  “Good movie.” Mike made idle conversation. “You sure your feet aren’t too cold?”

  Ellen snickered. “Well if they were, what are you gonna do? Carry me.”

  “If you’d like.”

  “Really?” Ellen titled her head. The blue tousle cap that belonged to Tigger came half way across her forehead.

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks. That’s nice to know. I may take you up on that if need be. I am getting cold.”

  “That’s because your ears aren’t covered,” He pulled down the tousle cap.

  “Mike,” Ellen whined. “I’m gonna have enough problem with static.” She started to walk again.

  “Good movie,” Mike repeated.

  ‘Yeah it was. I’ve seen it like a thousand times and still love it. A thousand times may not be an exaggeration.”

  “Ellen may I ask you something? You don’t have to answer..”

  “If I don’t have to answer the question then why did you ask if you can ask?”

  “Huh?” Mike looked at her curious.

  “I’m kidding. It missed you. Ask away.”

  “It’s about Johnny.”

  “Sure.”

  “What’s the course of action with him?” Mike asked.

  “Ultimately or immediately?”

  “Whatever you feel like telling me.”

  “Okay, put it this way. Ultimately what Dean and I would like is for there to have to be no surgery and our little experiment will work.”

  “What experiment?”

  “That would fall under the immediate category. Dean has this, for lack of a better word . . . stuff.” Ellen shrugged. “It is designed to shrink tumors and lesions to eliminate operations and/ or spreading. It fights cancer. There are two batches, one for tumor itself, one for the cancer. From my initial review, Johnny’s tumor is not carcinogenic, meaning no cancer, so we are just aiming at the tumor aspect. Our initial experiment will be to hit the tumor with a small dose, see the reaction, see if the tumor responds. If the tumor responds favorably and his physical reaction is good, we may be able to get way with treatment to shrink and dissolve the tumor.”

  “There’s a ‘but’, isn’t there?” Mike asked.

  “Yes,” Ellen answered. “We’ve had two clinical tests on this agent. The one was surface legion testing. The patient suffered mild to moderate side effects. The other patient had leukemia. Though it successfully put him into remission, it wasn’t without massive side effects.”

  “So with the leukemia patient, you entered the agent directly through the blood stream.”

  “Correct.”

  “With worse effects.”

  “Correct.” Ellen nodded.

  “Are you worried about side effects with Johnny?”

  “Yes, but not so much physical.”

  “You’re worried about mental side effects because you’ll put it directly in the brain.”

  “Exactly.” Ellen slowed in her walking. “We highly doubt the effect will be long lasting or cause damage. We know there will be effects, we just don’t know what.”

  “If this agent is so dangerous, why not just operate?”

  “Because the agent really isn’t dangerous,” Ellen explained. “Surgery is. Johnny stands a good chance of dying on the table or suffering from irreversible brain damage. This is the best hope. On the optimistic side, we hope the agent, through multiple treatments, will get rid of the tumor or at the very least, make it small enough that the risk factor of surgery is limited.”

  “Are you going to let Johnny decide what he wants to do?”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “He’s undergoing the treatment. Period.”

  “That . . . that doesn’t seem fair. He doesn’t have a choice.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t fair. But it’s not Dean and I that took any decision away from Johnny. It’s the tumor, because Johnny really doesn’t have a choice. He has to do whatever it takes. If he doesn’t . . .” Ellen spoke softly. “Plain and simple, he will die.”

  ^^^^

  “Not that I’m whining, Danny.” Henry, with his hands in his pockets, hunched as if he could block out the cold and snow.

  “No, never.” Danny slightly rolled his eyes.

  “It’s just that I’m forgotten.”

  “It’s not that you’re forgotten, Henry. It’s just that you’ve restarted from scratch. You were once the high and mighty Council member and let’s not forget temporary leader. Now . . . now you’re just Henry.”

  “Am I still popular, Danny?”

  Danny paused before they entered his house. “Of course, but in a different way. You are popular without fear. You don’t come across better than everyone else. Now, people like you. In my opinion it was Hector that changed that.”

  “He’s a good friend.”

  “Uh . . . yeah.” Danny opened the door.

  “So I’m in?” Henry asked.

  “Very much so,” Danny told him. “Henry, I’m glad you want to do this. Wipe your feet.”

  “Of course.” Henry stepped inside. “I think this is a great idea of yours. Not that you don’t have great ideas all the time but it gives the people of Beginnings something new to aim for and enjoy.”

  “Yeah it does, doesn’t it?” Danny grinned. “Let’s just hope the others that I have picked will agree.”

  “I’m certain, if you explain it like you did to me, not only will they love it, others will be lining up. The Talk Show was great. This is brilliant.”

  Danny took off his jacket. “I just wish it wasn’t snowing this bad. We could go get the television sets in my secret warehouse. I want to set up the networking.”

  “Frank is gonna seize this snow opportunity to really play road man. He loves plowing the streets.”

  “Cool, then maybe . . .” Danny, half way to his kitchen, stopped. “Do you hear that?”

  “Sounds like a sour beeping.”

  “Yeah it does.” Danny looked round. “Where’s it coming from.”

  “Did you set your alarm clock for the wrong time?”

  “No.”

  “Fire alarm?”

  “I don’t think so.” Danny back tracked and moved to the steps. He aimed his ear shot towards the upstairs. “It isn’t coming from up here.”

  “It sounds buried.”

  “It does. Maybe the kitchen.” Danny moved that way. “Getting closer, closer.” He turned into the kitchen. “Nope.” He took a step back. “It’s in here.” Bending down as if that aided his hearing Danny moved slowly around, as did Henry.

  “Here.” Henry pointed to the bureau.

  “What the hell can be in here?” Danny edged to the bureau. He listened. Top drawer. Bottom. Cabinet. Bingo. Reaching for the left side, Danny caught glimpse of something he had forgotten about, the tiny drilled hole on the side of the furniture. The hole had a power wire hanging out. “Oh shit,” Danny said brightly.

  “What?”

  Opening the cabinet, Danny reached in. “It can’t be.”

  “What? What?”

  Danny lifted the palm unit from the base of the power source set deep in the cabinet, the special palm unit. His eyes widened. “We have to go back out, Henry.” Danny rose, still holding the unit.

  “What is it?”

 
; “Don’t worry about.” After glancing at the LCB displayed that read ‘One new message’. Danny stuck the unit in his back pocket. “We have to go see Joe.”

  ^^^^

  Joe did a double take, because he hadn’t seen them since before the plague, probably long before the plague. Little and tiny, Andrea had them wrapped in some sort of pastry. “What in the world?” Joe asked.

  “Appetizers.” Andrea finished arranging the plate. “Little mini Hoi Dogs.”

  “Hoi Dogs? Hot dogs.”

  “Hoi dogs.” Andrea lifted the plate. “Excuse me.”

  “Why in the world does everything remade have to have Danny’s name?”

  “It’s only right.”

  “It’s absurd.” Joe followed her.

  “Is it?” Andrea raised an eyebrow. “If it wasn’t for that boy we’d be living in the dark ages.”

  “It’s the apocalypse Andrea. We’re supposed to be living in the dark ages.”

  “Just because the world ended, Joe Slagel, doesn’t mean we have to live poorly.” She switched her demeanor to a bright one. “Boys, look what I have. This will hold you over until I get the dinner on the table.”

  Hal watched as the plate was set down. “They look wonderful.”

  “Yeah.” Robbie reached, grabbing one. “They look good.”

  Hal took one as well. “Delicious.”

  “What are they?” Frank took one.

  “Mini Danny Weenies,” Andrea answered proudly.

  Elliott had one ready to put his mouth then paused. “Wh . . . what?”

  Andrea repeated, “That’s a Danny Hoi Weenie.”

  Elliott smiled awkwardly, setting his down. “Perhaps in a second.”

  Hal pulled his from his mouth, Robbie too.

  Frank devoured his treat. “Oh these are good. I’ll have another.”

  Robbie snickered. “You like Danny’s weenie?”

  Hal snickered as well.

  Joe barked, ‘Oh grow up!”

  “What?” Frank asked through his chew. “What?”

  Ready to explain and gripe some more, Joe stopped. There was a knock at the door. “Like we need more people here.”

  “The more the merrier.” Andrea grinned and walked to the kitchen.

  “Yeah. Yeah.” Joe opened the door. “Well if it isn’t our fine Asian Community. What can I do for you two?”

  Danny stepped inside first. “Nice robe. I need to speak to you, Joe. It’s important. Do you . . .” He looked and saw Frank, Hal, Dean, Robbie, and Elliott. “Oh hey Henry, look. Our first four are here. I have to talk to you guys. I have a fun proposition for you.”

  Robbie held back the smirk. “Proposition?”

  “Yes.” Danny nodded.

  “It isn’t . . .” Robbie snickered. “Anything sexual is it, cause we . . .”

  “Robert,” Joe halted him. “Danny, what is it.”

  Danny shifted his eyes about. “Can we be alone?”

  Robbie laughed.

  “Robert!” Joe yelled.

  Hal cleared his throat. “He is wearing that robe.”

  “Hal!” Joe shook his head. “Come on, Danny. This way. We’ll go to the bedroom.” A few steps into the hall and the sarcastic ‘whoas’ and whistles irritated Joe to the point he looked back. “Knock it the hell off!”

  Silence.

  Joe brought Danny into the first room. “What’s up?”

  “This.” Danny handed Joe the unit. “It was beeping when I came home.”

  “Jess?” Joe took it.

  “Looks that way. It looks like he got power up and was able to get message out.”

  “Did you read it?”

  “I thought I’d give you the honors.”

  “Thanks.” Joe pressed a button. “Wait. This can’t be. What the hell.”

  “What?”

  “Something’s not right.”

  “Isn’t there a message?”

  “Oh there’s a message all right. But it looks like it came through . . .” Joe handed the unit back to Danny. “In code.”

  “What the hell?” Danny repeated Joe’s sentiment. “It looks like it got jumbled, probably by the lack of power.”

  “Do you think we can decode it?”

  “I can try, Joe.”

  “Good.” Joe nodded. “Get on it. It must be important.”

  “I agree.” Danny sighed out.

  “You think it will be tough?”

  “More than likely.” Danny raised his eyebrows. “But there is a bright spot. At least we got a message. It got to us.”

  ^^^^

  Perhaps George looked as if he had wings, but it was still the middle of the night. His hair stuck out on both sides of his head, just above the ear. George wore a winter jacket, but still had his pajamas on underneath.

  “This better be goddamn important.” George walked into his office.

  Steward was there. “It is.”

  “You couldn’t come to my home?”

  “Yes, I could of, but since I figured actions taken may need the resources of your office, I’d better bring you here.”

  “It better be important.” George sat down behind the desk.

  “Here.” Steward handed him a sheet of paper. “The report on top is from our man on shift. He states . . .”

  “Holy shit.” George grabbed his glasses and put them on. “Holy shit.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  George lifted the note from his soldier and peered underneath. “What is this?”

  “We believe it is exactly what the monitor said it was.”

  George took a deep breath. “Get me Boyens on the line.”

  ^^^^

  The childish singing of, ‘You’re in trouble. You’re in trouble’, would have been funny and reminiscent of Robbie had it not been three thirty in the morning. Jess found it irritating. Why was Jimmy so wide awake? Groggy, and stirred from a really cool dream, Jess was drug to Jimmy’s and placed before a phone.

  “You’re in trouble.”

  Jess blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  “George. ASAP, he said. He needs to speak to you. Press the red blinking light.” Jimmy pointed.

  Jess lifted the receiver and pressed the button. “Yes, sir.”

  “Boyens, are you alone? I need for you to be alone, right now.” George said.

  Jess looked up. “Yes, I am. What’s up?”

  “Where are you with the defectors?”

  “Close. I have hunch that I’m gonna follow tomorrow.”

  “Well, can you keep that to yourself. Tell no one, absolutely no one. Not even James.”

  “Sure, but can I ask why.”

  “Call it paranoia, I don’t know, just in case it’s genetic. You know, going up against the Society.”

  “I can do that. Is that it?”

  “No,” George said. “We believe that the defectors are close to you, very close and communicating with Beginnings. For some reason, our satellite computer picked up a message being transmitted to Beginnings, not long ago. It came from right down there with you.”

  A huge lump formed in Jess’s stomach. George knew. He was taunting. He was playing with him. “A . . . a message.”

  “Yeah. They’ve obviously been in communication with Beginnings and this is where I’m hoping you can help out. The message is in code.”

  “Code?’

  “Yeah, came in letters, numbers, symbols and such. They’re definitely words, because the punctuation is the only thing there. Do you know about this code?”

  Jess breathed out. “Oh, absolutely. I know it. I know it well.”

  “Good. I’m faxing it to you now. Go over to James’s office, pick it up, keep it under wraps, break this code, and get back to me.”

  “Right away.” Jess smiled and hung up the phone.

  “What?” Jimmy asked.

  “Our little message to Beginnings.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well guess who got it.”

  “
Oh my God.” Jimmy wisped out. “How?”

  Jess shrugged.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  “It got jumbled. He says it’s in code.”

  The serious look left Jimmy and he blurted out a laugh. “Code.”

  “Yeah and I’m gonna decode it.” Jess stood up. “It may or may not have gotten to Beginnings, but it the message is gonna help us out.”

  “How do you figure?” Jimmy asked.

  “Like I said, I’m decoding it.” Jess winked.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  February 6

  ‘Soon. Very soon. Safe spot. Unseen. Four miles east of town. No information given from the boy. Awaiting orders to kill him. If no reply in twenty-four hours, will follow original plan. Execution of Beginnings defector.’

  “Good God,” was all George could say after receiving Jess’s interpretation of the letter.

  Bertha reviewed it. “They have to mean Johnny when they say the Beginnings defector.”

  “That’s what I think too.”

  “What do you need me to do? I can go down there. Ship reinforcements immediately to . . .”

  “Stop. No.” George shook his head. “Get Jess Boyens on the phone. He’s good and he’s already there.”

  ^^^^

  The tapping on the Mechanics Division door was so light, had Danny Hoi not been alone in the building, he probably wouldn’t had heard it. About the third time through the tapping sequence, Danny looked up. “Is someone at the door?”

  “Yes,” Frank’s voice answered.

  “Come in.”

  “Anyone there?”

  “Just me.”

  “Good.” Frank walked in.

  Danny looked down at his watch. “Frank, it’s not even six in the morning. What’s up?”

  “It’s a secret.” Frank looked around the office.

  “We’re alone, Frank.”

  “I know. Just checking.”

  Danny laughed. “What is so secretive?”

  “What I need you to do for me.” Frank pulled up a chair.

  “I already put you on the show, Frank.”

  “Not that.” Frank looked over his shoulder, sat down, and inched to Danny. “Okay. I’ll help you in any way I can, but I need . . . I need . . . after trying the mini ones last night, I realize how much I miss them. Hot dogs. Real hot dogs.”