“Good God,” Hal rolled his eyes.
Frank reached into his pocket. “Because of the seriousness of the situation, I have a statement. Then I can take questions.” He unfolded the paper and read, “There is a monster in Beginnings. Do not worry. I will handle it.”
Hal’s hand slapped to his own face.
Robbie laughed.
The place applauded.
Frank leaned close to the microphone. “Now I’ll take questions. Bill?”
“How big of a monster are we talking about?” Bill asked.
Frank leaned his mouth close. “Big.”
“Thanks.” Bill sat down.
Another man raised his hand and stood. “How big?”
Frank replied, “Very big. We thought by the footprint he was a lot taller, but he is just large all the way around. Maybe eight feet.”
Bill nodded. “So, really, not even as big as the bear?”
“Not even close,” Frank said.
There were unison sounds of mumbling relief.
Gemma raised her hand. “I hear rumors the monster killed people.”
Frank shook his head. “We don’t believe the monster is a killer. Just confused. I mean if it was a killer, why are Ellen and Jason alive? It was ten feet from them.”
Steve stood. “So if the monster is not a killer, are we killing it?”
Frank nodded. “Good question. We don’t know. We may keep it. It may end up killing, then we’d have to kill it. I for one know I don’t want it living around us.”
Jenny rose. “It would scare the children to see a monster running about.”
Everyone chanted in agreement.
Jenny continued, "Frank, I just want to say, and I think I speak for all of us. I am so grateful you are on this. I feel safe from the monster and know you’ll get it.”
“Thanks, Jenny,” Frank tilted his head.
Hal turned to Joe. “These people are…”
“Morons, yes. But they can get out of control, let’s hope he doesn’t say anything that will enrage them.” He whistled to the podium. “Frank, wrap it up.”
Frank acknowledged Joe then looked to the crowd. “Anything else?” he scanned. “Dan.”
Dan lowered his hand and stood. “What kind of a monster are we talking about, Frank? When you say Monster, I think Monster, Godzilla.”
“No, no.” Frank shook his head. “We actually believe this to be a DNA mutated monster.”
“DNA Mutated?” Dan asked. “So this is probably something Dean created.”
Frank replied, “Probably.”
Joe barely muttered the words, “Son of a bitch,” when it happened. The squeaking of chairs, the outraged voices, and the all eyes to Dean. Quickly, Joe turned to Hal and Robbie. “Scoop him up and get him out. Now. Frank and I will hold them back.”
Hal and Robbie did as instructed, grabbing a hold of Dean just before the crowd … charged.
Like a running back, Hal held firm to Dean while Robbie had his back. They raced to the door. Hal shouldered people from his way, Robbie blocked the others that came from the rear, all while clearing a path for Joe.
Joe arrived at the door as it closed. He bolted it and bodily blocked it. A few residents escaped in pursuit of Dean, but for the most part, Joe had them trapped. And he would keep them that way, until he diffused the situation.
***
Slam!
Frank hunched.
“Just to be clear,” Joe held up a finger, opened the door to his office and then slammed it again. “There.”
“Dad …”
“Shh.” Joe held up his hand. “Three minutes. Three goddamn minutes, Frank. Three minutes into the meeting and you start a riot!”
“In my defense …”
“There is no defense.” Joe blasted. “You started a riot.”
“No, I started everyone going after Dean.” Frank nodded.
“You’re an asshole.”
“Hey.”
“Don’t hey, me.” As Joe walked by him he hit him in the back of the head “You’re just goddamn lucky that Danny Hoi had that slide presentation.” He sat down. “What in God’s name were you thinking? Huh? Why. Frank? Why would you tell people Dean created the monster?”
“They asked if it was probable. I said, ‘yes’?”
“Yeah, but we don’t know if Dean did it or the Society.”
Frank shrugged. “True.”
Joe grumbled. “You’re just lucky for the slide show and the fact that they calmed down enough with Josephine’s cookies to listen to my side of the story.”
“Which was?”
Joe slammed his hand. “The Society could have done it.”
“Oh.”
“Oh,” Joe mocked then cocked his head at the knock on the door. “Come in.”
Hal entered. “Everything all right?” Joe asked.
Joe nodded. “It’s fine. Where’s Robbie?”
“Sleeping.” Hal closed the door. “Hello, Frank, did Dad yell at you?”
“No,” Frank snapped “He was just telling me how much you suck.”
“Grow up.”
“You.”
“Boys.” Joe peered up. “Everything secure?”
“Yes,” Hal removed his gloves. “Dean is secure, and en route to Bowman where he will be under watch until tomorrow.”
“Really?” Joe asked. “I thought I calmed the people down enough to not kill him.”
“Nothing to do with that.” Hal took a seat. “See, a funny thing happened on the way to protecting Dean.”
“What was that?”
Hal sighed out. “Do you know how our brother suddenly came up with the brilliant idea to check under Henry’s nails?”
“Yes,” Joe answered.
“Do you know how we asked him how …?”
“Hal.” Joe barked. “Get to your point, and Frank!” Joe snapped his finer. “Stay, don’t you dare sneak out.”
Frank stopped leaving. “I have a meeting.”
“With who?” Joe asked.
“Uh, um, someone.”
“Bullshit. You are leaving again.” Joe told him.
Hal grinned. “Exactly. Frank suspected Henry may have scratched the Mutilator. I believe he thinks that because he saw someone with suspicious scratches.” Hal cleared his throat. “Guess what Dean has?”
“Scratches?” Joe asked.
“On his arm, three of them.” Hal said.
Joe shook his head. “We all get scratched, it was something more than the scratches, wasn’t it Frank?”
Frank inched his way to the door.
“Hal.” Joe ordered. “Block that door.”
Hal scurried to the door at the same time as Frank.
Joe stood up. “Why are you so quick to leave, Frank?”
“I have a meeting. I also … I have to go to the bathroom, really bad.” Frank said.
“I have a bathroom in here.” Joe told him.
“Yeah, but Dad.” Frank whispered “It’ll be bad.”
Hal winced. “Good God, Frank did we need to hear that.”
“You asked.”
“I did no such thing,” Hal scoffed. “And our Father …”
“Who art in heaven,” Frank snickered.
Hal gasped. “Heathen.”
“Pansy.”
“Boys!” Joe yelled. “Frank. What is going on? What do you know? And tell me, now, because you aren’t sneaking out, or slipping away again. No chance.”
“Why?” Frank asked “Because of Hal standing there?”
“Yes, Frank,” Hal added. “I’m standing here. I have purchased a foothold, and am holding firm to this door. Now, I know you have gotten, how you said …” Hal smirked and snickered “The super strength. But I highly doubt, you’ll be able to get out with ease.”
“You don’t think?” Frank scoffed.
“I know.” Hal said. “I’ll bet.”
“You lose.” Frank reached out. In five easy, quick and smooth steps, Frank, gripped
Hal by the shoulders, lifted him a foot, shuffled him aside, swung open the door and walked right out.
Hal didn’t move, he stood dumbfounded.
“Son of a bitch!” Joe looked out the door, “And he runs. Fast too. Goddamn it.” He shook his head “Now I know he’s hiding something else.”
“He certainly is,” Hal mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Dad, I think we may have bigger issues with Frank?” Hal stated.
“What do you mean?”
As an answer, Hal lifted his hand. Not only was he holding the doorknob, a piece of the door was attached to it.
***
Ellen sang. An old children’s song flowed from her as she worked in the cryo lab. Her little corner of the counter, extra bright.
“Little bunny foo-foo, hopping through the forest.” She snickered. “Do you like that song? I always liked that song.”
Her hands worked.
“Yeah …” She spoke. “I don’t know what happened.” She upped her voice like a parent speaking to a boy. “No, I don’t. I don’t know why this happened. Dean didn’t say. Of course Dean doesn’t say anything.” She paused when she heard the buzz of the cryo lab. “And I’m shutting up in case that’s Dean.”
“It’s not Dean.” Joe said.
“Oh, hey, Joe.” Ellen put down her instruments lifted her goggles from her eyes and turned around. “How was the meeting?”
“Frank started a riot.”
Ellen crinkled her face. “How?”
“By saying Dean created the monster. But …” Joe jingled his keys as he walked to her. “I diffused the situation. Told them the Society could have done it, then I showed the slide presentation.”
“Oh, that was good. I loved that slide presentation.”
“On the meteor?” Joe asked.
“Yeah,” Ellen answered brightly. “Especially the part where it slammed into Beginnings. Which we know is not gonna happen.”
“How did you see it if you weren’t there?”
“Danny brought it by.”
“Ah, I see.” Joe nodded and stepped closer. “So tell … tell ...” he peered down to the rabbit, cut open and spread eagle under the light. “That thing is still alive.”
“Yeah, not for long.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit cruel?”
Ellen shrugged. “Not really. Cruel would have been to let the baby be born instead of performing a bunny c-section.”
“How would that be cruel?”
“I’ll show you.” Ellen stood.
“I’d rather not.”
“Come on take a look.” Ellen walked a few feet away and pulled forth a small container of clear liquid. “Take a look.”
Joe lowered his glasses some and peered at the creature in the liquid. “What is it?”
“The baby the rabbit carried. It was a hybrid pig and rabbit. It got too big and exploded her uterus.”
Joe shifted his eyes to Ellen. “And this was considered a success?”
Ellen snickered “Uh, no, Joe, The baby is dead and mother critical.”
“Christ, Ellen would the mother be critical if you didn’t leave her open and exposed?”
“No, she’d be dead.”
“Then kill her for crying out loud. It’s cruel.”
“Fine.” Ellen walked to the Rabbit that laid there. “She picked up the scalpel.”
“Wait. Stop.” Joe rushed and grabbed her hand. “What are you doing?”
“Killing her.”
“By?”
“I was just going to go into her heart and ….”
“Stop.” Joe released her hand. “Don’t do that.”
“Fine.” Ellen placed down the scalpel. “So, what’s up? I know you didn’t just pop by to visit. And I know you didn’t pop by to check on the failure of our hybrids.”
“Why are you creating hybrid animals anyhow?”
“It may be useful,” Ellen stated.
“Okay, the reason I’m here. Did you run that sample taken from Henry’s nails?”
“Not yet, Joe. I wanted to wait until later. I just don’t want to take a chance of Dean finding out what’s going on.”
“Well, Dean’s not a worry. Hal has him in Bowman for protection.”
“That’s odd.”
“Yeah,” Joe nodded. “So how long will it take you?”
“Well, I need to prep the samples, then run it against the DNA data we have. Hours.”
“How long would it take you if you ran it against one person?”
“You have a suspect?” Ellen asked.
“You could say that.”
“Well, Joe, it won’t take long to confirm or clear the suspect, but in order to do it effectively, I will need the name of the person I am trying to match.”
“Smart shit.” Joe exhaled. “Don’t be shocked. Seems someone has some suspicious scratches and with everything else …”
“Dean.”
Joe looked up quickly. “You knew?”
“Well, until all of you got scratches, then I was confused. But I had my suspicions. Especially with three mutilations.”
“Can you get it ready?”
Ellen nodded. “Yeah, I can. Give me about twenty minutes.”
“Mind if I wait.” Joe asked. “The boys are doing some experiment with Jason. I want to be available, and the hall is dead.”
“Sure.” Ellen said. “You can wait.” She began to get things ready.
“Got another thing for you to work on after this.”
“Uh oh. What?” Ellen asked.
“Frank.”
“What about him?”
With a sigh, Joe answered. “Seems he’s getting stronger. Can we make sure that mutation isn’t running wild?”
Ellen shrugged. “For that I’ll have to talk to Dean.”
Joe grumbled “All right.”
“Speaking of which,” Ellen turned to Joe. “What are we gonna do if the skin under Henry’s nail is a match to Dean.”
Joe shook his head. “I don’t know. Watch him. I don’t think it’s enough to put him away.”
“You know you can’t oust him.”
“I know.”
“You also know if this is Dean, Jason’s theory about the chip causing him psychosis could be correct.”
“And what would be the solution then.”
“Let the brain heal.” Ellen suggested. “Remove the chip. Contain him. Let it heal.”
“But first we have to find out, right?” Joe asked. “So run your test. Mind if I snoop around.”
“Sure, go on.” Ellen returned to her preparations.
Joe wasted no time. He immediately went into the back room. Nosey? Snooping. Bored? The lab was uncharted territory, and Ellen gave him carte blanc. Joe was going to take advantage of that while Ellen either eliminated or incriminated Dean as the mutilator.
***
Jason looked at his watch. Any second now, he thought. The testosterone based Slagel men would barrel through his door.
Danny worked a few final clicks. “Can’t find a glitch. It should run fine.”
Jason nodded. “How long are we leaving them there?”
“How long do you want. We only tested a five minute response. Although we don’t know if it will actually work. It’s only a test. They’ll have the pendant in case the door doesn’t open.”
Jason looked curiously, “We’re giving them the pendant?”
“Well, Jason, we have to. In case the backup door doesn’t work.”
Jason grumbled a hmm. “Isn’t much of a test if they have the pendant.”
“You’re bad.” Danny snickered.
A single knock precluded the opening of the door.
Frank walked in first. “We have arrived.”
Robbie followed. “Is everything ready? We’re ready to test.”
Hal closed the door. “I must say I am really excited about this.”
“Don’t be.” Jason said. “We’re not sending
you that far in advance or for that long. Frank doesn’t have a good reputation with time travel.”
“Well, Jason.” Hal said. “I’m there. I’ll make sure nothing gets changed.”
“That’s what they all say.” Jason turned and lifted two cameras from the table. “Here. One is digital. One is instant. Take a few pictures with both. Okay?”
“Whoa.” Frank took the camera. “We’re tourists.”
Robbie snickered. “How come we never took pictures before?”
Jason explained. “Because you’ll go no further than my lab.” He saw the brothers looking at each other. “I mean it. I want pictures of my lab. Things in my lab will tell me progress or digression.”
Hal nodded his understanding. “So just a few pictures.”
“Yes,” Jason replied.
Frank leaned into Robbie. “We’ll do some poses.”
Robbie grinned. “Yeah. So like Jason, when do we go?”
Jason replied, “Like when I explain it all. Have a seat.” He held out his hand to the awaiting chairs, and once the Slagel men were seated, he proceeded to run down the time travel plan.
***
Eight minutes.
Eight minutes of searching was all it took, and Joe discovered a lot more than he wanted to.
Ellen, though facially, disagreed as she looked.
He had found it in a hidden socket of the wall. One recently created and covered with a freezer unit.
“What the hell, Ellen, how can you say no?” Joe asked.
“It’s not conclusive. We do a lot down here.”
“And hide it?”
Ellen shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Are these toenails.”
Ellen nodded.
“And this is black hair that looks like Henry’s.” Joe pointed. “This is skin …”
“It’s skin. But you’re not thinking rationally.”
“Really,” Joe said. “How am I not thinking rationally?”
“Joe how do you know someone didn’t plant these?” Ellen asked.
“Okay, I’ll give you that. What we need to back this up is for the Dean’s DNA to match the DNA of the skin found under Henry’s nails.”
“But that doesn’t confirm Dean as the mutilator. It just means Henry scratched him. It could have been done in passion.”
Joe grimaced “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome for that and …” Ellen perked up. “Hear that?” She asked of the bell. “Done.”
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