“At one time, I was a really good Catholic … sort of.”
“If you are such a good Catholic,” Elliott said. “Why are you part of digging in a church and stealing a station of the cross? All of you.”
Henry held up his hands. “I was just doing what Joe asked.”
“Joe asked you to break into the church and steal the fifth station of the cross?”
“Stop.” Dean held up his hands. “Why are you out of bed? You just woke up from a coma.”
“I’m better. Ellen released me and I just came home to fill in for the Captain while he is on retreat.”
Dean snickered. “That’s funny.”
“Dr. Hayes …”
“Oh, stop with the formalities,” Dean said. “It was one wall decoration. Please, there were a ton there.”
“Exactly,” Elliott squealed some. “There are fourteen.”
“So I took one, what is the big deal? We needed it.”
“Dean,” Henry interjected. “Maybe we can find something else. This fifth station of the cross sounds important.”
“I’m not finding something else, Henry this will work.” Dean looked at Elliott. “And how did you know we were here.”
“Father Michael called when he heard the intruders,” Elliott replied.
“Who?” Dean asked.
“Me.” Father Michael stepped forward.
“Mike!” Danny said cheerfully. “Hey, I didn’t know you were here.”
“Who is this guy?” Dean asked.
“Dean.” Henry shook his head. ‘You need to pay more attention to what goes on in the community. This Father Mike, he’s a Catholic priest and he actually knew Danny pre-plague.”
“You’re kidding. A priest?” Dean asked. “Plague leaves no doctors but we have two Catholic priests?”
“Enough,” Elliott scolded. “You are diverting. Why are you here and doing this? Why is Joe telling you to dig a hole and bury the fifth station of the cross?”
“In Joe’s defense,” Dean said. “He wasn’t specific about the cross station thing.”
“Station of the cross,” Elliott corrected.
“Whatever.”
Elliott gasped. “Dr. Hayes. What are you up to?”
“The truth?” Dean asked.
“Considering we are in the house of God, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Dean laughed. “Sorry. Can we just finish …?”
“No. Spill it.”
“Okay,” Dean shrugged. “As you may or may not know, we all went a thousand years into the future to chase the guy who wanted Frank dead and shot you, he kidnapped Johnny and the world is over run with LEP. The church, this church is still partially standing and Frank sent me and Henry back to bury some weapons and Dean-Ami.”
“Also a snack cake,” Henry said. “Which won’t be any good in a thousand years, but we buried it anyhow.”
“We needed something to weight it down,” Dean continued. “So it didn’t rise to the surface and be found by someone else.”
Danny raised his right hand. “That’s the truth.”
Elliott stared for a moment. “Remove the fifth station of the cross from that hole.” He faced Father Mike. “Let’s go find something else to weight it down.”
Father Mike and Elliott returned with a small slab of marble, not quite as big as the fifth station of the cross, but enough that it would do.
“Hopefully, they’ll find it,” Dean said, wiping off his hands.
“They really went a thousand years into the future?” Father Mike asked. “How is that possible?”
“It’s Beginnings,” Elliott replied. “Anything is possible. However you’re saying they stayed in the future to get Johnny, but Johnny is in Beginnings.”
“They don’t know that.” Dean said. “They will or do now, I put a note in there. It’s sealed tight.”
“Theoretically,” Henry added. “We just buried that box so it’s possible they are already back. They see the note and hit return. This while back and forth to the future thing is very confusing.”
Danny chuckled a, “Ha. Yeah, wait until the second clone story.”
Elliott did a double take. “The what?”
“Uh, speaking of which…”Danny scratched his head. “Where is he, Dean? Didn’t Joe put you in charge of that?”
“Yeah, he’s fine.” Dean waved out his hand. “I put him at the bar at Hoi Hoi on the Range with a glass of bourbon.”
“What!” Danny blasted. “I assumed you left him with Roy.”
“I did.”
“Oh my God!” Danny quickly looked at Father Mike. “Sorry. Dean you left a clone from the future, who was raised to be a killer, with another clone at Rowdy-Rowdy Country line dance night?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit.” Elliott took off running.
“Why is he running?” Dean asked. “He just got ….”
Danny flew by, then Henry.
“Excuse me,” Father Mike said walking by Dean.
“He’s fine,” Dean said.
“I’m sure. I mean, you people talk very calmly about time travel and clones, I figured he must be fine. But I want to see Rowdy-Rowdy Country Line dance night.”
After Father Mike walked by him, Dean gave up and followed.
Typically, Rowdy-Rowdy Country Line dancing night was exactly that, rowdy. Elliott always had several guards not only in the establishment, but also on the streets.
He didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t know who the clone was a clone of but after being told he was a killer from the future who was probably ill informed about things like Roy was, Elliott panicked.
What he didn’t expect was silence, complete and utter silence. NO music, no noise, no movement.
Two of his UWA soldiers were out front and stood immediately at attention when Elliot approached.
“Sgt. Ryder, the one said. “We thought you were in a coma, shot in the head.”
“I was just unconscious, I’m fine as you can see,” Elliott said. “What … uh, is going on in there.”
“The Captain’s brother … he’s a little off today. He … won’t let anyone move and shut down the music.”
“The Captain’s brother?”
“The big one.”
Elliott turned to Danny Hoi. “Would that be the …. “
“Yes. Yes it would. We’re supposed to be integrating him until Frank returns.”
“Integrating him as?
Danny cleared his throat. “Frank.”
“Did you at least prepare him?”
Both Danny and Henry pointed to Dean as he walked down the street.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Elliott opened the door to the Hoi-Hoi on the Range.
When he stepped inside, no one moved. Everyone was at a standstill, some even looked frozen in mid dance stepped. Except for George, he was holding a drink, seated at the bar. As soon as he saw Elliott, he lifted his glass with a look of twisted enjoyment, stood and walked across the establishment.
Elliott watched.
George approached who Elliott concluded had to be the clone.
A spitting, but younger image of Frank, the clone, stood intimidating, arms crossed staring down the bar patrons.
George nudged him and pointed to Elliott.
“Oh!” the clone said. “Thanks. Watch them will you.”
“I got it.”
The Frank look alike rushed to Elliott.
“Sir!” He shouted. “I have secured the perimeter. Perhaps a medical team needs to come in. The occupants were shouting and their bodies seemed to follow patterned fits of rage. It was a strange reaction to something and I feared a coup”
Elliott winced. “You feared a …” Then Elliott saw Roy. “Why is that man tied up?”
“He was the worst.”
“Frank.”
“Hank.”
“Frank.”
“Hank.”
“Come outside with me.”
“But I have to
…”
“Now.” Elliott grabbed his arm.
“Ow.”
“Stop that.”
“Ow, you’re touching me.”
Elliott ignored him and led him outside. Once he had him there, he briefly walked back into Hoi-Hoi on the range and announced. “Carry on.”
A few seconds later, the music started.
Outside, the Clone, Hank, tried to go back in.
Elliot stopped him. “It’s fine. It’s what people do to have fun.”
“It seems absurd. In any of my training films I never witnessed such a thing.”
“You won’t. Now, Frank …”
“Hank.”
Elliott took a deep breath. “Did anyone explain to you why you were here? Did they?” he pointed to Danny, Henry and Dean.
“Oh! My friends. They’re my friends. He’s not.” He indicated to Father Mike. “Is he an assassin? He wears all black.”
“No, he’s a priest.”
“Is that like an assassin?”
“No. Now did Dean explain to you why you were here?”
Hank nodded. ‘He simply said if anyone asks I am Frank.”
“But when I called you Frank, you said you were Hank.”
“Because you didn’t ask. Of course, I don’t know what you were supposed to ask.”
“Dr. Hayes,” Elliott turned to Dean. “Until he understands and comprehends exactly what his role is, he is not to leave your side. You obviously created him, you handle him.”
“Why is this my problem?” Dean asked. “I made the embryo, I didn’t implant him or cause this…. But fine. I’ll handle him.”
“Danny …”
“Don’t.” Danny smiled. “I’m leaving. No orders. Man, Sgt. Ryder, I don’t know what that coma did to you but you are in dick mode.”
“What’s dick mode?” asked Hank. “Is that a term for taking ones job serious and pushing authority?”
“Yes,” Danny replied. “It is.”
“Then I will be in dick mode.” Hank turned to Elliott. “And you do the dick mode very good.”
“Henry, you coming?” Dean asked.
“No, I’m gonna stay for Rowdy night.”
Elliott stood there, watching Dean and Danny escort Hank down the streets of Bowman. He was told about the time travel and that he had to handle Bowman and thwart any questions, he wasn’t told about the Frank clone or the plan to make others believe he was Frank.
Elliott didn’t see how that was possible.
“I apologize for the madness,” Elliott said to Father Mike. “Your first night in our town hasn’t been relaxing.”
“It’s fine,” Mike waved out his hand. “I’m used to Danny’s antics and I’m …. I’m going to follow Henry in there and check out Rowdy night. See you at mass in the morning, Sgt. Ryder, I heard you’re our organist.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean I just …” Before he finished, Father Mike had gone inside. “Woke from a coma. Like anyone cares.”
“I care,” George stepped from Hoi-Hoi on the Range. “I don’t know what Dean gave you or did to you, but obviously Beginnings’ mad scientist is on to something.”
“Oh, he’s on to something alright.”
“So tonight’s military blockade of line dancing. I take it that was one of the clones Dean said he destroyed but then, like Roy arrives from the future.”
“Yes.”
“Since they aren’t hiding him, I am going also take it that they are trying to pass him off as Frank.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“Where is Frank?” George asked. “He didn’t really die in that explosion did he?”
“No, he stopped dropped and rolled.”
“That works. Where is he?”
“Would you believe a thousand years in the future?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I would. I take it they chased the would be killer.”
Elliott looked at George puzzled.
“Don’t look so surprised, I knew the killer would hit the time machine. I told them. So Frank and Hal are in the future and it’s probably running parallel. And then the clone is the Frank stand in so no one asks questions.”
“I take it that is the plan. But it’s not going to work. No one is going to believe that is Frank.”
“Are you kidding me?” George laughed. “No one doubted it. I heard someone say he lost weight and another person commented that it takes six weeks to notice someone had dieted.”
“How?” Elliott asked. ‘How is that possible? How do they believe so easily?”
“The answer is simple.” George smiled. “It’s Beginnings.”
<><><><>
Ellen rarely was frantic. In fact, she pretty much typically went about her day. However, her days rarely if ever varied.
This day was different.
Dean acted oddly, then disappeared. Elliott woke up from his coma but nearly drown in the process, and was miraculously healed. In fact, he was in such tip top shape there was no reason to hold him in the hospital.
That was in the morning, but by noon Johnny had attacked Roy, Joe was nowhere to be found and worse, neither was Frank.
At least Ellen spotted Joe. He may have avoided her, walked really fast to get out of her way, but she saw him.
Frank, Robbie and Hal were a different story.
Everyone had an answer to where they were, which was fine for everyone else, but she was family. She couldn’t find them.
At first she thought they had taken Dean and gone on a time trip, but Dean returned.
She wondered if the brothers had taken some sort of impromptu vacation especially since Joe was adamant about getting Elliott back to Bowman.
But would Frank had left without even saying goodbye.
Her concern grew when Frank failed to post on Hoi Book. Frank was always posting. Even if it was to say he skipped lunch, he posted regularly. No sooner did Ellen use that as a reasoning to Joe as to something being wrong, Frank made a post about testing some magic cream.
She grabbed the kids from school and even made them dinner… no word from Frank.
Dean avoided her as well.
By then time she got them all settled and into bed, she had begun pacing.
She called Hector, he hadn’t seen or heard from Henry.
John Matoose said he saw Frank in Bowman but didn’t see Hal or Robbie.
Everyone’s phone went to voicemail, no one was answering and Joe, when he did answer, simply told her to let him alone.
There was no way she was able to sleep.
She wasn’t dumb,
Something had happened.
Then finally there was a light knock on her front door and it opened.
Quietly, Dean slipped in.
“Oh my God, Dean.” She rushed to him.
“Hey, El.”
“Something is wrong. I know it. What’s going on?”
“Well …”
“Frank’s not answering, Robbie isn’t or Hal. Joe is pissing me off. I haven’t seen Frank all day and he is not the one posting on his Hoi Book.”
“How do you know?”
“The post are grammatically correct.”
“Shit.”
“Huh?”
“Okay, listen, something is up.”
“I knew it. Is Frank dead?”
“What? No,” Dean shook his head.
“Did something happen to Hal?’
“No.”
“Robbie?”
“No. El.” Dean placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look. I’m not supposed to tell you. But I need your help with something.”
“Where is Frank?”
“He’s not here. In fact, he’s pretty far away.”
“Out East?”
“Maybe.”
“Dean.” Ellen scolded. “Where is he? If he’s far away, then John Matoose didn’t see him in Bowman.”
“Oh, he may have seen him.”
“I’m confused.”
; “Oh, wait, it’s gonna get good.”
“Dean.”
Dean led up a finger, walked to the window, looked out and then headed to the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Ellen asked.
He returned with a bottle and a glass. “Here. Have a drink.”
“I really don’t want one.”
“Have one.” He poured her a shots worth.
Ellen downed it.
“You know how someone has been trying to kill Frank.”
“What? No.”
“Wait you didn’t know that?”
“No.”
“Someone shot at him at the Mardi Gras, El, he got his leg caught in a bear trap in his office. Someone shot at him and hit Elliott, his office blew up.”
“I thought he was having bad luck.”
“No, someone wanted to kill him. And like we figured, this person thought they killed Frank in the explosion and left through the time machine.”
“Oh, wow, that’s pretty smart.”
“Yes. Anyhow, Joe had Johnny following Frank and this person pulled Johnny into the machine.”
“Johnny is here.”
Dean nodded. “Long story. Anyhow, I went into the time machine with Frank, Hal, Robbie and Chaka to get the killer.”
“How far?’
“A thousand years.”
“Holy shit!”
“Yeah.”
“What it like?”
“Green. Air is different. Hard to breathe. I didn’t want to leave,” Dean said.
“But you’re here.”
“Yeah, Frank needed some things so we buried items for him to dig up.”
“You buried things for them to dig up a thousand years from now,” Ellen said. “Dean if they went through time, where are they?”
“Still there. I don’t know the specifics, but apparently there’s a lag in time.”
“I’m going to take it the person trying to kill Frank was either Fort or Henry because they’re both missing.”
“Henry is back. Elliott saw Fort on the roof of the school that night, Frank read his mind, put Henry on Fort and Henry went through chasing Fort and Johnny.”
“Oh my God. When will they get back?”
“I was hoping they’d be back. I put a note in the box that Johnny was here and Fort had his own time device and went somewhere else. Until they return, Joe doesn’t want people to know they’re gone.”
“Who is posting on Frank’s Hoi Book?”
Escape the Planet of the LEPS: Beginnings Series Book 28 Page 7