The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  No mistake about it, Frank had been nailed enough in his life to know it was a fist. Rapidly he caught his bearings, lifted his head only to be nailed again on the other side.

  It spun Frank, but not enough to knock him down. Fight position ready, he looked around.

  Nothing.

  No one.

  He reached for his rifle. But the attempt was in vain, into his gut another hit sailed. Knocking him off balance.

  Where was it coming from? There wasn’t a person around.

  Folded slightly inward from the surprise hit, Frank’s sprang outward and his back arched when something struck him in the kidney.

  Then another hit. Another.

  Something to the back of his knees folded Frank and sent him crashing to the ground.

  His hands slammed hard to the dirt, when another hit upwardly hit him in the jaw so hard his huge body flipped backwards.

  It was there on the ground that he got his bearing for a split second.

  The trees above his head blurred within his bloody vision and he heard it. A footstep. Crunching the hard ground.

  Frank zipped a look. It was close. A boot perhaps.

  But nothing was in his scope.

  Another step, and out of instinct, Frank rolled over and watched as seemingly nothing crashed down to the empty ground causing dirt and leaves to upwardly spray.

  Grunting a ‘fuck’, Frank rolled to a stand a few feet from a tree. He had to rely on his ears and gut instead of his sight.

  He could hear movement. Feel it.

  Then he saw something. He couldn’t peg what it was. A blur of nothing. Almost as if it was a blur in a picture. It moved.

  After a look up, Frank jumped, grabbed on to a branch and brought it down with him. Breaking off enough to hold in front for protection...

  He swiped his hand under his nose, then held the branch outward.

  “Come on,” he beckoned. “Come on.”

  Crunch.

  Frank swung.

  A grunt. He felt the branch hit something.

  Perimeter in his visual scope, Frank knew he was fast enough to get there.

  Taking a breath, he charged forward like a bullet. The fence was live, and it was his only chance to get into the safety of Beginnings to escape whatever it was out there.

  Frank didn’t fear much, he didn’t fear what was out there with him. He just did have a clue on how to beat something he couldn’t see.

  Top speed, unmatchable, Frank neared the fence. Just about there, he slammed the branch into the ground, and using it as his lift, he pole vaulted over the perimeter fence.

  He landed on his feet, dropped back, but caught himself in enough time to hear the fence charge off.

  Sparks flew, zapped, smoke emerged and mixed with horrendous screams of pain.

  Within seconds, the empty electrocution became the burning carcass of a man.

  “Fuck me,” Frank whispered out. “Dan down the gate. Be read to up it on my call.”

  He listened for the sounds of the perimeter going down and then Frank walked to the body. It was attached to the other side of the fence. The man tried to climb it. Thoughts that a demented invisible man had descended on Beginnings dissipated when Frank saw what he believed to be the reason for the invisibility.

  He didn’t know how and had never seen it before. But as the flames singed, remnants of the man appeared as his ultimate camouflage outfit burned from his body.

  His entire body. Except for his hand which never made it to the fence. It was extended outward. Frank walked through the gate quickly, ordered it up, and knocked the body from the metal

  On the ground the charred body still smoldered, and Frank reached down to the unburned hand. A hand that appeared to be missing, but upon closer examination, Frank saw the edge of a glove.

  The second Frank snatched it from the assailant, the glove turned silver.

  With that in hand, and orders for the gate to be downed once more, Frank entered into Beginnings with evidence of a new type of enemy.

  And Then … Farewell

  Beginnings Book 22

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was not what Joe expected to hear. A new enemy? Frank sounded in trouble and not himself. He was investigating up in the Killer Baby region when things went awry.

  When Joe arrived at sector thirty-two, he got there just minutes after Robbie. As he pulled up, he saw Robbie standing with Frank. Frank was dirty, oddly dirty, and leaning against the hood of the jeep, Frank looked bloody as well.

  Joe jumped out the second the jeep came to a halt. “What happened?” he asked with concern.

  Frank shook his head once. “Fuckin tooth is loose.” He reached in his mouth and wiggled a back molar. He turned to Robbie. “How bad is my face?”

  “As opposed to what?” Robbie asked. “When you were young or before you got your ass beat.”

  “Before I got my ass beat.”

  Robbie shrugged. “Not bad. It’ll heal.”

  “In time for the wedding?”

  Before Robbie could answer, Joe whistled. “Stop. How, Frank, please, explain to me. How did you of all people get your ass beat?”

  “I didn’t see it coming.”

  This took Joe aback. “You didn’t see it coming? Were you preoccupied, thoughts somewhere else? What?”

  “No, Dad, I …” Frank said very seriously. “I didn’t see it coming.”

  Jason interjected. “Are you having trouble with your sight?”

  After grunting his frustration, Frank waved to his father and Jason to follow him to the gate. “See him.” He said of the burnt body. “I didn’t see him coming. I think there are more. Can’t tell.”

  Robbie snickered. “That’s not a big guy, Frank. He beat your ass. Man. You’re getting old.”

  “I didn’t see him little brother,” Frank reached to his back pocket, turned around, and placed on the glove. When he faced Joe, Robbie, and Jason again, he lifted his arm. His hand was invisible from the wrist up. “I didn’t see him coming.”

  ***

  “And did he say what he wanted the list for?” Ellen asked, behind her desk, watching as Bub the lobotomized savage worked the copy machine. The phone was wedged between her ear and shoulder.

  “He didn’t,” Dean said.

  “Did you ask?”

  “I tried,” Dean replied. “But Joe said don’t worry about it.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “What?”

  “Bub collated the copies. Hold.” She smiled to Bub. “Good job. Here. I need these copied as well, thanks.”

  Dean snickered. “Bub is your secretary?”

  “No, just copy guy. Ever since Frank discovered his talent. Anyhow, Joe said not to worry about it, and you gave him the list anyhow.”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow, that’s un you.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you have an inkling of why.”

  Dean hesitated then he answered. “Actually, I think it has to do with the new guy.”

  “Tenanay?”

  “Or Fort as Frank calls him. I think Maybe Joe and Jason might be believing him.”

  “That’s odd. No way. Hold on …” Ellen looked to the door. “Yeah, Richie.”

  “I’m heading over to the bakery to grab a latte. Want anything?” Richie asked.

  “Oh, a latte sounds great. Thanks. Who’s minding the class?”

  “Fort ...is holding down the Fort. He’s taken a special interest in Julie.”

  With a grunting, ‘hmm’, Ellen acknowledged as Richie left and told Dean she’d have to get back to him. She informed Bub to keep up the good work and that she only needed four copies of each report. Then she headed to the skills room.

  It was pretty quiet.

  Chester-Chester was playing checkers with Bill. He kept moving his piece, then moving it again. It was only a matter of time before Bill figured it out that Chester was getting twice the turns he was.

  Yet Fort sat in the corner with Jul
ie. Not just with her, but across. Ellen made her way there.

  “What’s going on?” Ellen asked.

  “Where did Julie come from?” Fort asked.

  “Her parents.”

  “Ha. Ha.” He shook his head. “Was she found in Beginnings, or what?”

  “That’s classified.”

  Fort only looked at her from the tops of his eyes.

  “Outside of Beginnings. Why?” Ellen answered.

  “She’s one of ours.”

  “One of your what?”

  “People from the future.”

  “Ah,” Folding her arms, Ellen nodded. “That’s nice. Ok. I’m heading back to my office before Bub starts taking self-portraits.” She headed from the skills room secure in the fact that her people were safe.

  Just as she was about to turn into her office, she saw Joe, Frank, Jason and Robbie walking down the hall.

  “Okay, what did I do?” Ellen asked the brigade.

  Joe approached her. “Where’s Fort?”

  “In the skills room,” Ellen pointed back. “Talking about his future stuff again.”

  “Good. Maybe he feels like discussing a little more.” Joe walked by her. Just after she received a peck on the cheek from Frank, she called out. “Joe, you aren’t gonna get him started on his future tales again are you.”

  “As a matter of fact Ellen, I am.”

  “God!” She huffed out. “I can’t make him well if you feed his delusions.”

  “Did you think for a second Missy Jane they aren’t delusions?”

  “Um, no. Are you telling me you don’t think they are?”

  “I’m saying they need listening to,” Joe said.

  “Well, don’t expect me to waste my day with him. All he talks about is future this. Future that. Dogs this. Dogs that.” She shrugged.

  “Then fine,” Joe said. “We don’t need you. We’ll do it without you.”

  With attitude and a shrug, Ellen said, ‘whatever’ and went into her office.

  Joe froze, looked at Frank. “Did she just say ‘whatever’ to me?”

  “I believe so,” Robbie said. “Yes.”

  “Christ.” Joe opened the skills room and walked in. “Fort,” he called out.

  Fort stood up as Joe made his approach. “I see you brought troops again.”

  “We need to talk to you,” Joe said.

  Fort nodded. “I was just speaking to Julie. I tried to tell Ellen I believe she came through the time machine.”

  “Really?” Joe asked. “Is that a coincidence or what?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We were about to ask you a similar question about coming through the time machine.”

  “You mean who may have come through?” Fort asked.

  “No who. What? What else besides you …” Joe saw the puzzled look on Fort’s face. He then nodded at Frank and Frank lifted the invisible hand, Joe directed his question to Fort. “… Could have come through?”

  Fort extended Julie’s head forward and lifted her hair. “When I heard that noise and scream she made, I had to check. She’s an ‘SC’ Silent creation. She’s a mute. She was bred to be a breeder. She has a barcode on her head somewhere.” He shuffled through her hair. “There.” Fort stepped back. “I knew as soon as I saw this she came through. Somehow.”

  Joe asked. “Why numbers. No names. Is that everyone?”

  Fort shook his head. “Only those of us bred to populate. The population never really took off until they started breeding. It’s a once every five year things”

  Jason asked. “Why didn’t she arrive in Beginnings? How did she get outside?”

  Fort lifted a finger. ‘See the HG Wells not only determines when, but where. She probably was overshot.”

  Joe held out his hand in a counting manner, tapping each finger with each word he said. “So we have you, the clone, Julie, and some soldier …”

  “No.” Fort corrected. “I don’t think it was a soldier. I think it was a gone bad.”

  A slight twitch of misunderstand and Robbie said, “I’m … I’m sorry. A gone bad?”

  Fort nodded. “Yes, they are the repros that didn’t turn out right. Mentally deranged. We use them for organ transplants. The suits are pretty easy to get a hold of to make them invisible.”

  “Why do we need invisible camouflage?” Frank asked.

  “It was the only way to battle the, grown what you call Killer Babies. Even though it was figured out how to shoot them, we still want to eliminate them and haven’t been able to. Invisible predators do the trick.”

  “Did you know about this?” Joe asked.

  Fort shook his head. “No, I knew of only the clone. But the clone is smart and twisted. Thinking about it, I could see the clone just tossing things through the time machine to make things interesting or a diversion.”

  Frank spoke up, “You say diversion. That makes me think you think the clone is up to something.”

  “Yes, it is.” Fort nodded. “It has to be. What exactly that is I don’t know. But before we can future that out, we have another problem.” He waited for their attention. “We haven’t a clue what the clone looks like, and that’s gonna make him or her harder to spot.”

  ***

  “El, please, it’s spring. Literary guy or not, it’s not fashionable to wear a turtle neck.”

  In their bedroom, Ellen stared at him seriously, then laughed. “You’re concerned with being the fashion guy?”

  “Well, yeah.” Frank tilted his head. “It’s a precedence I am setting, since I’m the first author book signings.”

  “Isn’t that funny?”

  “What?”

  “Everyone is excited about your book.”

  “It’s a good book.”

  Ellen smiled. “That it is. Okay, how about jeans and a black shirt.”

  Frank swished his mouth side by side in thought. “Too casual.”

  Her mouth opened and before she could speak, the doorbell rang. “Saved.”

  “From?”

  “You and your fashion neuroticism.” She turned and walked from the bedroom.

  “Thanks, El!” Frank called out. “I’m trying to figure out what I’m wearing!”

  Ellen laughed as she made it to the living room and opened the door. “Dean?”

  Dean leaned in the archway. “Busy?”

  “Um, not really, just helping Frank pick out his book signing outfit for tomorrow.”

  Dean stood up straight. “Frank is here?”

  “Uh yeah, Dean!” Frank called from the bedroom. “I live here.”

  Dean whispered. “I thought he was working.”

  Thump-thump-thump and Frank came into the living room. “Are you here to be with El because I’m not?”

  “Yes,” Dean answered and stepped inside.

  “Just checking,” Frank turned and walked out.

  Ellen giggled and shut the door. “What brings you by?”

  “You,” Dean said. “I was bored. It’s Friday. Wanted to know if you wanted to hang out while Frank is working.”

  Thump-thump-thump. “Dean!” Frank yelled. “Why are you trying to spend time with her when I’m not around?”

  “Because I wanted to be alone with her.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to be alone with her.”

  “Why?”

  “So I can convince her not to marry you.”

  “Oh, Ok,” Frank turned. “Not gonna work.” He walked down the hall. “El, I need your help.”

  “Frank, pick out your own goddamn clothes.”

  “Oh my God, so unsupportive.” Frank complained as he walked down the hall.

  Ellen motioned her hand to the table. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted to hang out.”

  “Really? No working, just hang out?”

  “Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Feel like it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  From the bedroom, Frank called out. “Got it.”


  Ellen gave a tilt of her head. “Book signing tomorrow.”

  Frank entered the living room. “What do you think?” he held up his camouflage pants and tan tee shirt.

  Biting her lip, Ellen nodded. “Works.”

  “It’s you,” Dean said. “Don’t forget the Rambo accessories. It goes with the book.”

  Frank gave a thumbs up.

  The moment he turned away, Dean mouthed the words, “He’s so strange.”

  “I know,” Ellen mouthed back.

  “I heard that!” Frank yelled out.

  They both laughed.

  With an ‘up’ motion of her head, Ellen asked, “You going to his signing tomorrow?”

  Dean smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  ***

  Where was it? The picture of Dylan that perched on the mantel. Everyday Mike walked into his home and looked at that picture. He didn’t realize how much of a habit it was and how much he really didn’t see it until it wasn’t there.

  Where did it go?

  The pitter patter of Tigger’s footsteps alerted Mike that he was home. He heard him head to the front door.

  “Stop.” He called out to Tigger.

  Hand reaching for the door, Tigger did.

  “Every day you run in and out of this house. I haven’t seen you.”

  Tigger stepped back. “I haven’t wanted to confront you.”

  “Confront me?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “No, I don’t. Tell me.”

  Tigger sighed out. “With me leaving and all. I don’t want you to talk me out of it and I don’t want to be guilted.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  Tigger shrugged.

  “Where’s my picture of Dylan.”

  “I took it,” Tigger said. “We had a meeting last night and determined what each of us could bring and it’s not much. I wanted that picture. She was my mother.”

  “She was my wife. I want it too.”

  “Yeah, well here’s the way I look at it. After the Society slams Lodi and the meteor freezes it out, that picture will get ruined. So it’s safe with me.”

  “The Society is not gonna slam us.”

  “Yeah, Dad they are.” Tigger said realistically. “They are.”

  “And you know this from your spy connection to …”