“But the headaches, El. They’re bad.”
“Take a rest.”
“From what?”
She leaned against the counter in the examining room. “Jimmy, how many hours a day are you working on the AL3S?”
“Sixteen.”
“Sixteen,” Ellen repeated with a nod. “I’ve been down there. You don’t put the lights on. You work in the dark; the only light is the computer and board.”
“El, please,” Jimmy snickered. “It would cease to look cool in there if I turned on the lights.”
She tilted her head. “Would you rather it look cool, or have headaches. You have eye strain Jimmy. Plain and simple. That is the source of your headaches. As your doctor I am telling you to rest your eyes.”
He breathed out heavily. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because this needs to get done and every time I think I’m making progress, I divert.” He shrugged. “I know it’s as simple as keying in the right sequence, but damned if I can figure out where it is. I will. I know I will. But …”
“Until then. You can’t rest.”
“Yep.”
“Your eyes are bloodshot. Anyone else working on it?”
“Working on the program? No. Monitoring the room? Yes. But … like I told Robbie, no need to have someone there if I’m there.”
“OK. You cannot possibly be concentrating if you’re in pain. How well are you working.”
Jimmy shrugged.
“Take the rest of the day off. Don’t work on the program today or tomorrow.” Ellen turned to the counter.
“I’ll do that. I just wish this headache would go away.”
“Well, I’m going to get you some meds for the pain. So wish granted.” Ellen reached for the medicine cabinet.
“Yeah, well, while you’re granting wishes, how about sending the computer fairy down and have he or she grant my wish and fix this futuristic fucking program.”
Ellen paused.
“El?” Jimmy snapped his finger.
Ellen turned around and handed him the medicine, along with a cup of water. “Two now. Two in four hours. Why did you call it futuristic?”
“The program?” Jimmy shrugged, tossed the pills in his mouth and swallowed, handing her back the cup. “Just being sarcastic. Not that it’s futuristic. Just foreign and above anything I understand.” He hopped from the table and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks.”
Ellen nodded.
Walking to the door, Jimmy paused before leaving. “Oh, El, hey, the wish fairy was a joke.” He winked and walked out.
Ellen stared and spoke to herself. “Maybe not.”
She stood in thought for a few moments, and after pondering, picked up the phone. “Hey, Danny. Where are you at right now?”
“Just walking out of the clinic lab.”
“Good. Stop. Turn right and come into exam room one.”
Knock-knock. The door opened. “Yeah?”
“How was your visit with Roy?”
“Good. He’s great. I can see why you wanted to secure his future. I mean, when you speak to him as him, he’s different. He’s brilliant El, and there’s much more he can do.”
“Yes, yes there is. And I was thinking of one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“It would require your help on many levels.”
“I’m your man.”
“Yes, you are.” Ellen smiled. “I have an idea.”
<><><><>
At least it wasn’t Alcatraz. The holding center for Mike was at one time a county jail, redesigned for low level security prisoners. Tigger expected, and even a part of him hoped (to tease his father later) that the prison was rat infested, dirty, and smelly.
But it wasn’t.
When he should have been concentrating on what he’d say to his father, Tigger was still lost in his reunion moment with Bertha. The feel of her arms holding him, her large breasts smothering him, her lips …
He loved it.
It the midst of the reunion Lars excused himself to vomit.
Tigger didn’t know if it was he and Bertha or the rough flight.
Bertha, not George took them to the holding center. George had too much to prepare, including finding men to transport the planes.
Mike was contained in a single room with a small window. Bertha opened the door, exposing Mike on the bunk.
Mike swung his legs over the bed when he saw Tigger.
“Dad.” Tigger smiled.
“Oh my God, Tig.” Mike took his son into his arms. “What … how …”
“I came to break you out,” Tigger hopped up on the bunk. “Kidding. I came to negotiate a deal.”
“No deals with the Society.”
“You think I joined the Society and that’s why I’m here?”
“Yes.”
Tigger laughed. “Hardly. Dad, Bertha has told you. There is no more Society. You have to stop this shit. The United States needs you.”
“What do I have?” Mike stood.
“Skills. George and Bertha both want to place you in charge of a leadership training class.”
Bertha interjected. “We need to train men that can lead. We don’t have that. It needs to be done. Strong leadership. We have to prepare for this war.”
“We don’t know that there’s gonna be a war.” Mike said.
“And we don’t know that there isn’t.” Bertha snapped back. “Can we take that chance? President Hadley has been saying for years, we’re gonna get hit. We’re gonna get invaded. Now, we have to get ready for that and to be honest Manis, I don’t think we have much time. We need all the strong men we can get.”
“Basically,” Tigger added. “Your choice is this. You stay in this cell, or you join the fight.”
“You mean get drafted?” Mike asked.
Tigger nodded. “Still your country you have to defend.”
“So, what’s the deal?” Mike asked. “I’ll go where?”
Bertha answered. “We’ve opened up a military base in South Carolina. That’s where we’ll send you. First, you’ll train some of the top men, and then all of you will break down and train more. Those men will go out. It’s a trickledown effect. We’re already sending a thousand troops to Beginnings to replace the ones that used to be Society and are returning to train men here.”
“Because they were trained in Beginnings.”
Bertha nodded.
“I don’t have to report directly to Slagel do I?”
Bertha shook her head. “You report to me.”
Mike exhaled. “I guess I'm drafted then.”
Bertha side stepped, exposing the door. “Freedom awaits. We’ll get you some clothes and everything else you need.”
Mike, after laying his hand on Tigger’s head moved to the door.
“Yes,” Tigger clenched his fist. “Cool. Bet you can’t wait to get out of here.”
“No, Tig, I can’t.”
“Yeah,” Tigger said. “Small room.”
“You aren’t kidding.”
“How the heck did you use the commode without breaking it?”
Mike snarled a glance his way, shook his head when Tigger laughed, and left his cell for the first time in a long time.
<><><><>
Jenny cried.
She sniffled into a handkerchief, her free hand gripping Jimmy’s as he laid in the hospital bed.
“Really,” Jimmy said. “Those pain pills killed the headache.”
Jenny burst into tears. “Don’t say killed.”
Jimmy hunched.
Ellen sighed out. “Personally, I think you’re fine. It’s Dean.” She shrugged. “He says I under reacted and you’re family. We tend to not want to see things wrong with family. He thinks we shouldn’t dismiss this. He just wants to be safe than sorry.”
“How long?” Jimmy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t understand,” Jimmy said. “I left here. You said I was fine. Fifteen minutes
later I’m getting a phone call to come back.”
“Dean.” Ellen shrugged. “He said two words. Brain tumor.”
Jenny gasped. “Johnny had a brain tumor.”
“Could be a hereditary gene,” Ellen said. “Now honestly, wouldn’t you’d rather know and get it taken care of before you go crazy.”
“Yeah.” Jimmy said, solemn. “You’re right.”
“Just today and tomorrow,” Ellen explained. “You’ll get out tomorrow afternoon.”
“When the tests are done?” He asked. “What kind of test are they doing?”
“Cat scan, ultrasound, stress testing, blood, that sort of thing.” Ellen looked at her watch. “I’ll let you two get settled. Andrea will be in shortly to check on you, too.”
Jenny gripped Jimmy’s hand. “You are so fortunate to have family all around you.”
Ellen smiled and excused herself from the room. Once in the hall, she exhaled and grabbed her phone. She dialed as she walked down the hall. “Hey, Danny, all set. He’s out of the picture.”
<><><><>
Robbie visited Andrea, openly. At the clinic where she was held up working on some things. He walked her home, had dinner with her, and even walked her back to the clinic.
Nothing was said about his father.
Maybe she was just being quiet.
He contemplated many times if Andrea actually believed she was speaking to Joe or if she knew she wasn’t.
That wouldn’t help Robbie’s case. He was basing a lot of his father being in Beginnings on Andrea and that Jam sandwich.
It was possible that his father had lunch with the clone and the clone zapped him somewhere.
After experiencing the HG Wells, himself, Robbie knew that was possible.
After being in the open about following Andrea, Robbie resorted to being in the dark.
Sneaking behind her, staying hidden, watching what she did.
He listened many times when she was in a room by herself. But nothing.
It was so uneventful that he gave up and even opted to fix the keypad on the distribution center.
A little past nine, Robbie wondered if Andrea was still working.
It would only be right to walk her back home.
Just as he approached the steps of the clinic, the doors opened.
Andrea hummed, chuckled and said, ‘Yes’
To no one.
Step forward? Don’t step forward?
Robbie lurched back in the dark, retreating when he heard her conversing.
“You know you love when I sing that,” she said.
As fast as his feet would carry him and knowing, Andrea’s pace and route, Robbie ran back toward the Joe Park and around the back of the main square buildings, emerging between Containment and the Social Hall.
There he figured, he’d wait for her, watch her unseen, and pull out the infrared goggles.
Surely if his father were walking in an invisible suit, he’d be able to pick him up. Get confirmation.
Inched against the building, watching Andrea approach, Robbie waited. Once she passed him, he’d do it.
Reaching for his goggles he jumped a foot in the air, spun and slammed against the wall at Frank’s ‘Boo’
“Frank,” Robbie gasped out.
“Are you going to kill Andrea?”
“Huh?’
“Wait. I get it. You’re the serial mutilator.”
“Ha, ha, ha. Funny.” Robbie shook his head. “You scared me.”
“And you’re scaring me. I watched you dart around to follow her. What’s up?”
Robbie processed his thoughts quickly. “I wanted to walk her home. She refused. I just wanted to watch her.”
“Oh. That’s nice. She’s fine. It’s fucking Beginnings.”
“Yeah, but she’s still our mom.”
“And …” Frank peered out. “She’s gone.”
“Fuck.”
“Sorry. Wanna head home and make sure she got there OK?”
“Um, no. I’m being silly. What are you doing out?”
“Coming home. I was at the clinic.”
“Oh, yeah. Did you hear about Jimmy being in there?”
“Yeah, that’s why I was there,” Frank said.
“What do you make of it?” Robbie asked.
Frank fluttered his lips. “Fucking bullshit.”
“You don’t think he has a tumor.”
“No, I think he has a one upper.”
Robbie chuckled. “A what?”
“A one upper. Actually, two uppers, no, two one uppers.”
Robbie scratched his head. “I’m confused.”
“It’s a fake. Nothing’s wrong with Jimmy.”
“How can you say that? El put him in the hospital for headaches.”
“Exactly, El put him in. Where is Jimmy all the time?”
“In the communications room working on the project.”
Frank nodded. “Exactly. And you know how obsessed he gets. He won’t stop until he gets it. Fuck, I’m surprised he’s not sleeping there yet. He’s there all the time.”
“So you think El did it to make him stop and rest.”
“No.” Frank shook his head. “Danny Hoi wants to work on the AL3S and Jimmy won’t let him.”
“How do you know?”
“Jimmy doesn’t let anyone help.”
“No,” Robbie said with a chuckle. “I mean, how do you know Danny wants to work on it.?
“I saw him going in there.”
“How do you know he’s not just filling in?”
“Because I asked him if he wants me to get a replacement and he said no. He wanted to work it. El helped him. She set up the whole thing to get Jimmy out of the way.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because she called me and said she was going to be late. I saw her with him.”
“That's weird. Maybe they’re having an affair.”
Frank raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe not.”
“What are you doing now?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“Wanna go have some fun. I can use some fun.”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?” Robbie asked.
“What do you think?”
“Journey music and the Killer Baby region.”
“Toddler,” Frank said.
“I stand corrected.” Robbie nodded. “Let’s go. Hey maybe we can find some aliens up there.”
“That would be fucking sweet.” Frank grinned.
It was demented brother bonding, but brother bonding nonetheless. Both Slagels, upbeat, headed off to Frank’s office to get the Journey music, then it was onward to the Killer Toddler region.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
April 3rd
George didn’t waste any time, and there really wasn’t any time to waste.
In fact, he was late arriving. Frank expected him at seven AM and it was close to eight when he landed. The meeting with the future pilots was just about to start.
“I got held up in Missouri,” George said. “Problem with fueling.” He extended his hand in greeting to Frank.
“That’s fine. We know to expect problems,” Frank replied. “Everyone is waiting.”
“Good. Good. What’s the turn out.”
“Not as good as I hoped, better than I would have anticipated.”
“At least twenty?” George asked.
“Yeah, more than that.”
‘Good.” George smiled and exhaled “I’ll get my gear later. I just want to get moving on this all.”
“Everything OK?”
“I feel a sense of urgency,” George explained. “I dreamt of Pearl Harbor last night. That I was there. That I got the message, the warning, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“You think it’s worrying or more.”
“I don’t know.” George got into the jeep. “But I’m feeling like we shouldn’t take any chances.”
Frank nodded an agreement. As he started to
get into the jeep, his phone rang. “Yeah.” He answered. “El? What’s up?”
“Hey, Frank. When are you coming back to Beginnings?”
“I’m supposed to catch a ride with Hal in an hour or so. Why?”
“Can you and he meet me at the communications room?”
“Sure, but, what’s up?” Frank asked.
“Just …meet us there. Ten. OK?”
Click.
Frank stared at the phone with a whispering, ‘Fuck’
“Something wrong?” George asked.
Frank got in the jeep. He nodded to George but his mind was on the secretive message. Ellen wanted him and Hal to meet, not just her at communications, but she used the word ‘us’. He didn’t nor could he spend too much time to think about it. It couldn’t be urgent, so before he drove himself nuts, he placed it in the back of his mind. He’d find out soon enough.
<><><><>
“Eureka! We have it.”
A bit melodramatic, but that was how Jason represented it to Robbie over the phone.
He and Dean worked all night to complete the project.
They had created a mist gun for Robbie to carry. He’d see how clever it was using things from the past.
It took longer than they anticipated and in doing so they learned a few things about the time machine, but it was complete.
“Where is it?” Robbie asked.
Since Danny was in and out of Jason’s lab, Jason took the liberty of leaving it in Robbie’s special crime lab. Which was conveniently located next to his own.
He was informed it was on the counter.
When Robbie ended the call he realized how far away he was from that lab. Not only was it on the other side of the community, Robbie was checking perimeters. A task he couldn’t just skip.
He wasn’t really worried about a time frame until he receive a phone call from Ellen asking him to show up at ten in the communications room. She didn’t say anymore and that left Robbie curious. OF course he’d show up. But he really wanted to get the mist gun.
It was juvenile, and chances were he wouldn’t need the gun. He certainly couldn’t use it with Andrea around. Still, he wanted it. Especially after Jason reiterated how much trouble they went through.
After checking out the time, Robbie realized he could finish the current task at hand, go fetch Jason’s newest invention, and make it to the meeting.
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