“Perhaps,” Lars said sarcastically. “You’ll even do some samples.”
“I did. I did them all today.”
“Right.”
“Left.”
Lars looked at him.
Roy flashed a smile.
“Are fucking with me.”
“Oh my God! No. I would never assume to fuck with you.” Roy was well aware what the meaning of that word was. “I am not a homosexual.”
“What is with this attitude, Dean? Is it the shirt?”
“I think so. Do you like it?”
“What is wrong with you today? Sniffing drugs. Inhaling a new chemical.”
“No, I had bacon.”
“They should feed it to you more often,” Lars said.
“Yes, I like bacon.”
“Why are you here?”
“To get you.”
“For?”
“Your shift at the clinic. You haven’t shown up and I was just telling you in case you forgot. That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.” Roy nodded. “I’m going to the cryo lab to work on some stuff.”
“Hmm.” Lars folded his arms. “Any chance I can get you to try to identify the mystery substance in Darrell’s blood.”
“Yes, I can do that.”
Lars laughed. “Only if I’m standing over your shoulder.”
“That would be difficult to stand over my shoulder.”
“I meant watch you,”
“You can watch me. We can work in it together.”
Lars leaned back in the chair. “Something is different about you. If I didn’t know you better I’d swear you were trying to get on my good side.”
“Am I usually on your bad side?”
“Yes.”
“Then I want to be on your good side. Enemies are not good.”
“Are you dying?” Lars asked. “Did you run some test on yourself and discover you are sick.”
‘No.”
“Then why are you trying to get on my good side. I have no secrets to share.”
“Neither do I. I just want to make amends with all my enemies. The time has come.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm,” Roy mocked. “Well, I must be going. Feel free to stop by and we’ll work on Darrell’s blood together. Have a great day, Lars.”
When Roy left the wellness center, he took a route he was very familiar with, the way to the cryo lab.
He whistled the song he heard in the wellness center all the way through the tunnels. He was surprised when he saw Henry there. He knew it was Henry. No guessing this time. Henry’s hair wasn’t as shiny as Danny Hoi’s.
Working on something outside the cryo lab door, Henry merely looked at Roy.
“Hello, Henry.”
“I’ll be out of your way in a second.”
“You aren’t in my way, I can walk right by you.”
Henry shook his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Changing the key pad like you asked.”
“Thank you.” Roy studied Henry. He would assume, because Henry was an original that he and Dean were friends but Henry wasn’t presenting a pleasant appearance.
“Almost done. You can go in your lab,” Henry said. “I won’t bother you.”
“Why are you speaking so edgy to me?” Roy asked. “Have I done something to you?”
Henry nearly threw the tool, stood up straight, and faced him. “Look at my eyebrows.”
Roy sang out his revelations response of. ‘Oh.”
“I don’t care what people say, you are responsible for this.”
“And you are very perceptive. Of course, I am responsible. Do you remember or are you using instinct.”
“Remember what?” Henry, sharp, reached down, swiped up his tool, and tossed it in the box.
“Remember me doing that to you.”
“No!” Henry shouted. “I was knocked out.”
“Of course you were, the drug works nicely.”
“What?”
“Then it is instinct,” Roy said. “It’s instinct that is telling you I am the one responsible for your eyebrows.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you are perceptive. Are you psychic?”
“You know what?” Henry grabbed his tool box. “I’m done with you. You and your ‘let’s mess with Henry, it’ll be funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. You said I did that to you. I was agreeing. Isn’t that what you wanted to hear?”
“I want out of here.”
“Exit is that way.” Roy pointed.
“I’m done with this. Have a good day …” Henry stormed by Dean. “Asshole!”
“I will Big toe!” Roy smiled as Henry moved down the tunnel. He was happy that he was quick and on the ball with this body part response. Feeling a bit more at ease at the way he just blended in, Roy entered the lab to dive into Dean’s work.
<><><><>
Since leaving Dean, Robbie’s mind has done nothing but think ahead to what they were planning that evening. In a way it was sick and twisted, to exhume his father’s body. But it needed to be done.
Evidence pointed that Joe set the explosive, but Joe’s personality didn’t match the crime.
Which led to the belief that perhaps Joe wasn’t in that coffin.
Robbie’s return to Beginnings was marked by suspicious thoughts of everyone. Did he know? Did he help?
He had to stop before he drove himself nuts.
He also had to prepare himself for the fact that his father’s body was in the tomb, and that he would have to face the demise again, of the man he loved and admired.
Mentally, he had a task to prepare for.
In fact, Robbie fully expected, to find his father’s body. That way there wasn’t any disappointment. He snuffed out that spark of hope that build in him that his father was alive.
A part of him actually felt anger over it. Thinking that his father never died, the agony he went through mourning him. If his father didn’t die in that explosion, was his intention to leave and come back later? Perhaps even go into the future.
Wouldn’t he of all have people told his children, knowing the devastating affect his death had on them.
Then anger also hit Robbie over the death. Joe built the bomb, and set the timer on the device that took him.
If Robbie was an outside source, unrelated to Joe, and he was looking at the case objectively, not knowing his father, then he would suspect suicide.
After all, Joe had written emails and letters to every single person he knew before he died.
Foretelling that Joe knew something was up.
The whole thing was mind baffling. It drove Robbie crazy, the entire mystery of it all. And no matter which way he looked at it, it was a mystery. One with questions that may never get answered. That, was something Robbie had to prepare for as well.
Never knowing.
<><><><>
Who was Barry Manilow? Roy wasn’t quite sure. A disk of music was in the player in the cryo lab. It had Barry Manilow, the Archie’s, and a band named after the weather, The Four Seasons. What was it with Beginnings and the weather?
Though Roy was very familiar with the modern music of the Big Bopper, Chubby Checker, he did enjoy Barry Manilow. A song called Mandy just warmed his heart and he found himself, listening to it over and over.
Deep into work, in his own world, the buzz of the cryo lab door caught his attention.
Quickly Roy raced through his mind, Beginnings greetings rituals. Of course, that would depend on who it was. The person knew the security code; so surely, they were more friend than foe.
“Hey, Dean,” Ellen said.
Roy’s eyes widened. It was Ellen. Double dose of greetings. He knew she was a friend and knew she was an endearing person to him. “Hello winds from the south.”
Ellen giggled. “Is that like an Indian name for me? You’re funny.”
Endearing. Mr. Cunningham never gr
eeted Mrs. Cunningham without a compliment. But Ellen wasn’t cooking dinner like Marian. “Ellen you are just beautiful today. Your hair is perfect.”
“Oh, wow. Thanks.” She touched her hair, took a step and stopped. “Oh my God!”
“What? Why are you praying?”
“Who cleaned the lab?”
“I did.”
“It doesn’t smell like dead animals anymore.”
“No,” Roy shook his head. “It doesn’t. You like?”
“Yes, you’ve been busy.” Ellen walked to him.
“Wait until you see what I’ve accomplished. You’ll be proud.”
“I’m always proud of you.” Ellen kissed him on the cheek.
The touch of her lips to his cheek cause an immediate bodily reaction in Roy. Everything froze, a chill shot down his spine, filling his skin with those chill pimples.
It was the first time he had had human touch. Ever. Except the one time he did the jitterbug in his room.
He knew it was a kiss.
Roy smiled and faced Ellen. “I liked when you did that.”
“I know.” Ellen smiled. “You always liked when I touched you.”
Roy nodded. He kept thinking in his mind about touching. “And do I like to touch you?”
“I hope.” Ellen grabbed her lab coat.
“Do you like when I touch you?”
“Of course.” She straightened out the collar on her jacket. “It’s been a while, though.”
“Oh, I know.” Roy stepped to her. “Ellen? Would you mind if I just touched you.”
Ellen cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I just want to touch you.”
Ellen shrugged. “Go on.”
Roy stepped to her.
“Is this because of the understanding?” Ellen asked.
Roy needed to understand touch, so she was right. “Yes.” He extended his fingers and touched her face. He giggled. “This is nice.” He ran his fingers across her cheek, nose, and eyelids.
“Usually when you ask to touch me I think you’re gonna go for my breasts,” Ellen joked.
“Oh, may I?”
Ellen laughed. “Look at you putting this on. OK, I’ll play along. Sure. You can touch my breasts.”
“Excellent.” Visually Roy assessed the situation. What would be the best way to go about it? What would be the best way to get an entire feel of them? Both at the same time? He extended out his hands palms outward, and laid then flat against her chest. They were soft, and fit against his hand. He added pressure, swirling his hand around, amazed at how they moved like pillows of water. Just moving right along with him. “Very interesting.”
“Uh, Dean?”
“Yes.” He gazed up, peering at her.
“You may want to stop.”
“Why?”
“You might get excited.”
“I am excited to do this.”
“No,” She laughed. “I mean. You might get an erection.”
Roy’s hands immediately ejected from her breasts. “I may?”
“Yep.” Ellen nodded. “Then …” she gave a playful nudge. “What are you gonna do with it.”
Roy tossed out his hands, fluttered his lips, and replied. “I don’t know! I can tell you what the text books say.”
“You’re funny.”
“Thank you.”
Ellen exhaled. “Anyhow, what have you been doing?”
“Aside from feeling your breasts. Solving our canine reproduction problem?”
“Did Frank get a coyote?” Ellen asked.
“What for?”
“A uterus?”
Roy waved out his hands. “We don’t need a uterus. This problem should be solved with the future in mind. After all, when the need for population arises, subjects won’t always be available, so … we need to develop an artificial source.”
“We tried. Creating an artificial womb is not easy.”
“But you didn’t have my knowledge.”
“Huh?”
“I mean. I have knowledge now. It was easy. It was a snap. A light switch went off in my head.”
“Really?”
“Yes. In fact I have contacted the Plastics division to see if they could create me what I need.”
“Plastics?”
“For the amniotic sac and for the umbilical cord.”
“You tried this before,” Ellen stated. “You didn’t hit Plastics for help, but you tried …”
“No. See. You and … we … we.” Roy nodded. “We were not using the computer as a simulated mother.”
“What do you mean?”
He took her hand and brought her to the computer.
“Where did this one come from?”
“It was in the other room.”
“We threw it out, Dean.”
“I fixed it.”
“You fixed it?”
Roy waved out his hand. “Piece of cake. I wiped out the hard drive and simulated a mother. This computer is going to be connected to the artificial womb.”
“The computer is the artificial mother. And you’re creating an artificial womb. Theoretically this is great. A computer that has a heartbeat, telling the womb what to do … but …”
“It’s not theoretical. The program is done.”
“It’s done?” Ellen asked.
“Yes. The mother program is done and the womb program is done. I just need to finish the construction. We then can implant the canine embryos, and we will have offspring. Soon, this can be applied to humans.”
Ellen just stared.
“What is wrong?”
“First of all, I don’t believe you.”
“It’s right here. See for yourself.” Roy turned on the program.
“No, you know what? I have better things to do than fall victim to a bad practical joke.”
“It’s not a joke, it’s real.”
“Yeah. Dean, you’re smart. You aren’t that computer savvy to not only fix a broken computer, develop an artificial womb program and artificial mother program, all while cleaning up the lab to the point it doesn’t stink.”
“Yes, I am.”
Ellen growled, took off her coat, and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“When I get back,” She spoke sarcastically. “I want to see this so called program in effect. Right now, I need a latte.”
“Can you bring me one?”
The door closed.
“Wow, anger, frustration. Does no one in Beginnings know how to leave a room civilly? Note to self,” Roy pulled a table from his pocket and wrote down. “Teach people to leave nicely.” With an exhale, and a longing for that latte, he prepped the program to demonstrate for Ellen when she returned.
<><><><>
Before she was shot, Bertha Callahan would rival any professional body builder. Her six foot plus frame was sculptured to perfection, and she took pride in her body, working it every day.
However, weeks in a hospital bed didn’t do her body justice. She had lost at minimum twenty pounds, her definition was gone, and she felt bad. No energy. Bertha didn’t buy for a second it was her recovery; in fact, she told doctors it was lack of doing things.
As soon as she could talk, she donned her uniform and reported to work. Despite their warning.
“He …. He went where?” she asked Stewart Lang who had taken residence in George’s office.
“You look pale,” Stewart said. “Have you thought about visiting the tanning booth it could do wonders for …”
“Where.”
“You’ve lost weight. A great deal.”
Bertha growled.
“What? Most women like to hear that.”
“Lang.” Bertha walked to the desk, “Last I saw you, you left for the road, now you’re here. I ask where George was and you spewed forth?” She tilted her head. “You spewed forth?”
Stewart cleared his throat. “Beginnings.”
It took her breath away. “Beginnings?�
��
“Yes.”
“Wait. Stop. I know something transpired between George and Frank over the Lodi incident. Did I miss that much while I was out?”
“It appears Beginnings has obtained reliable information indicating that a war is probable,” Stewart explained. “President Hadley and President Slagel realize that the type of war that may occur, needs unity.”
“Are we talking about an invasion?”
Stewart nodded.
“And I assume President Hadley has informed Beginnings of the AL3S?”
“Yes,” Stewart replied. “He told them about the Air, Land, and Sea Surveillance Satellite.”
“Who do they have on it?”
“James Slagel.”
“Good choice.” Bertha said. “However that is going to take some time to get up and running. Even then our window is limited. Depending on how they attack, air, sea, we’ll have from hours to at most two weeks.”
“So basically, they’re on their way when we get it.”
“Yes.”
“So it’s conceivable that we can get this thing up and running, turn it on and …”
“They’re here.” Bertha sat on the edge of the desk. “I’m assuming this unity agreement is including a military strategy.”
“Absolutely. You seem dejected.”
“I am. I mean this is my job.”
“Yes, but you were out. Do you know how badly you were injured?”
“No, and really, I don’t care.” Bertha paused. “Do you know the plan?”
“The basics of it. Sgt. Doyle and a number of his men are to arrive from Beginnings to work with you on training the troops,” Stewart said. “However, I am positive President Hadley will be glad to know you are going to be in full force.”
“Doyle is good. Good choice. He and I will have to devise a training schedule. Military, this will be under whose training guidance.”
“Frank Slagel.”
Bertha produced a slight smile. “I look forward to that. In fact …” she grabbed the phone. “Since war seems to be imminent, why waste any time.”
“Who are you calling?”
“Beginnings,” she said. “I’ve been out of it long enough.”
<><><><>
People in Beginnings had told George that Jason Godrichson had become an anomaly. George found this quirky, because he remembered Jason always being that way. Isolated from civilization, a recluse, hiding in his lab away from everyone.
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