The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  Everyone, excluding Jenny, yelled out ‘Frank!’

  “What!” Frank hunched. Shook his head and returned to Jenny. “We think this is the same guy that barbequed one of Hal’s men.”

  Dean mumbled. “And seasoned him with ginger.”

  “Oh, I thought I smelled ginger on him,” Jenny said.

  “See?” Frank nodded. “So, he didn’t hurt you. Only you know … nine times.”

  “Frank!” Everyone yelled.

  “So will you help?”

  Again, “Frank!”

  “What do you need me to do?” Jenny asked.

  “Be bait.” Before they could do it, Frank spun. “Don’t scream my fucking name out again!”

  Dean, biting his lip, stepped forward. “I told you to be sensitive.”

  “I am!” Frank yelled. “I’m not yelling, screaming, I’m asking for help!”

  “You’re asking her to be bait!”

  “He’s not gonna hurt her. The worst that will happen is he’ll have sex with her again and Jenny didn’t mind.”

  “Frank!”

  “Fuck!” Frank held his ear.

  “Yes.” Jenny said.

  “Yes?” Frank asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?” Hal beckoned reiteration.

  “Yes.”

  Dean stepped forward. “Jenny, what he is asking you to do is very dangerous.”

  “Dean,” Jenny spoke soft. “It isn’t dangerous. Maybe to my uterus and vagina.”

  While Hal cringed, Dean cringed and Robbie snickered. Frank tried not to flinch.

  “But he doesn’t want to kill me,” Jenny said. “I don’t think he wants to kill any woman.”

  “Absolutely,” Frank stated. “He’s not gonna hurt you only have sex with you and we’ll try to lure him in and prevent that. Trap him.”

  “I know.” Jenny reached out and touched his hand. “You’ll do your best. You’re Frank.”

  “Good God,” Hal mumbled.

  “I am.”

  “Christ.”

  Jenny looked up. “Oh my God, I swore I heard Joe’s voice.”

  “That was me,” Hal raised his hand. “I swear sometimes I channel him.”

  “Like Bob.” Jenny smiled.

  A knock, and a creak of the door, Ellen popped her head in. “Dean, um, can I see you for a second?”

  “Sure. Excuse me.” Dean, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, walked out. “Your husband is an asshole.”

  “Why?” Ellen asked.

  “He wants to use Jenny as bait to lure this thing in. Jenny agreed.”

  “We have problems, or may,” Ellen said.

  “Yeah, El, that is a problem.”

  “No, Dean, this is.” She handed him a folder. “Tough to make a call right now. She’s been with John, Patrick, and maybe another . . .”

  “Spill it.”

  “Hard call whose it is. But HCG’s are through the roof.”

  “Shit.”

  Ellen nodded. “Jenny’s pregnant.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  It was a ‘What do we do now?’ meeting. At least, that’s what Frank labeled it when he called it.

  In his office, ten am, those who were aware of Joe’s ‘alive’ status were invited to attend to figure out what they would do now.

  Would Joe remain secluded and deceased since his presence was already known to the person that was not supposed know about him.

  Frank.

  Of course, Frank was the last to arrive of the Slagels, Robbie was there, so was Joe and Hal. When he walked in, he paused, looked back, and then shut the door.

  “Dad.”

  “Frank.”

  “Why are you sitting at my desk.”

  “It’s my authority,” Joe stated.

  “Yeah, but it’s my desk.”

  “Yes, big brother,” Hal added, “Should father resume his leadership position, that will be his desk.

  “No it won’t. It’s my desk. My office.”

  “It’s like the Oval Office, Frank.” Joe said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Whoever is leader gets it.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t count.”

  “What do you mean it doesn’t count?”

  “It’s my desk, my office. Your office blew up.”

  “So.”

  “So, you blew your own office up. Technically this is my office. If you’re gonna go around destroying your own stuff, do you deserve my stuff.”

  “There’s no technically with me, Frank, sit down.”

  “Man.” Frank pulled up a chair. “This is why I vote to keep him dead.”

  “What?” Hal blasted.

  Robbie laughed. “You don’t want Dad to be alive.”

  “Nope. I’m the president. Not him. He blew himself up. People respect me now. I like that.”

  Joe leaned into the desk. “People will still respect you, Frank.”

  “Like who.”

  “Like people.”

  “Name some.”

  “Frank!”

  “What!”

  “I’m not gonna name goddamn people.”

  “Why not!”

  “Because there probably aren’t any!”

  “Fuck! See!” Frank blasted. “And yell at me, why don’t you. And you’ll wonder why I liked it better when you were dead.”

  “Oh . . . my God . . .” Hal gasped out dramatically. “You what?”

  “Things were better.”

  “Things were better?” Hal asked. “How were they better Frank? They were sad.”

  “Yeah, but, you know, he wasn’t pushing me around.”

  “I got news for you, Frank,” Joe said. “I pushed you around but you were too goddamn dumb to realize it wasn’t thick air!”

  “Can we…” Hal lifted his hand. “Just start talking about this?”

  “Not, yet.” Joe replied. “We’re waiting. You three aren’t the only ones that know I’m alive. I just thought . . .”

  A knock at the door interrupted, then Roy walked in.

  “Ah,” Hal said. “I kinda figured that. He helped you.”

  “You wanted to see me . . .” Roy paused. Looked around, looked at Joe. The immediately back to Frank. “Frank.”

  “Yeah, have a seat we’re having a meeting.”

  Roy nodded and sat down.

  Hal proceeded, “Now . . .”

  Another knock.

  “More?” Hal asked.

  Joe nodded once.

  Dean stepped in. “Hey, Frank, did you want . . .” his eyes shifted to Joe, then back to Frank. “To see me?”

  “Meeting. Have a seat.”

  “Um, sure.” Dean sat down.

  “Ok,” Hal tried again. “Now that everyone is here?” He saw Joe shake his head. “There’s more?”

  “Yep.”

  A knock.

  “Good God! And we, your sons weren’t privileged to know you were alive, yet, the clone, his original and . . .” Jason walked in. “Your best friend were?”

  Joe shrugged. “What can I say?”

  “I don’t know. I’m surprised Danny Hoi isn’t in on this.”

  In walked Danny. “Am I late?”

  Hal sunk.

  <><><><>

  “Then I saw his head, well . . .” Danny sat back. “Of course I thought brain flu, but that was fleeting and only a moment. When Dan passed out. I mean, I was part of the brain flu scheme, so that had to tell me, Joe was alive.”

  Hal dusted a piece of lint of his pant leg while speaking in his typical arrogance. “All well and fine, and I am glad everyone shared with us how they found out my father was alive. But I didn’t know and now I do, the point of this meeting is, what now?”

  Danny shrugged. “Nothing really. Keep his whereabouts unknown.”

  Hal shook his head. “Correct me if I’m wrong . . .”

  “You’re wrong,” Frank said.

  “Asshole.” Hal continued. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the whol
e reason to keep his whereabouts unknown were because Frank wasn’t to be influenced. Frank knows. So that’s out the window.”

  “If I may,” Jason raised his hand. When he knew he had all the attention of the room, he stood up. “Hal is right. The whole purpose of keeping Joe’s life status secret was to protect our future. After all, that was the whole reason to kill him. Joe obviously did something, made a decision in the future that was wrong. A decision Frank wouldn’t make. If Joe is leader, than Joe makes that decision. Frank is leader, Joe doesn’t.”

  “But,” Robbie added. “Isn’t that moot. I mean, Dad’s alive. Frank leader or not, Dad being kept a secret or not, Frank would listen to him.”

  “Nah ah.” Frank said. “I never listen to Dad.”

  Joe shrugged. “That’s true.”

  Jason turned to Roy. “You know the story. You have information you aren’t gonna share. Understandably. What do you think?”

  “I think Frank should make the decision.” Roy stated. “Joe is human, that was his error. Frank is . . . well, human, but not really. Make sense? No offense Frank.”

  “None taken.” Frank said. “I hate fuckin people. My Dad doesn’t. Even if he pretends.”

  “Yes. Yes. Exactly.” Roy nodded. “There. That’s correct.”

  Hal crinkled his mouth. “What? Gentlemen. We need a solution.”

  “No we don’t.” Frank argued. ‘Just keep things the same. I won’t listen to him. He stays dead, I make the decisions, when Roy says the big decision is made and it’s safe for Dad to emerge, then we let him.”

  Dean shook his head. “I disagree. I think Joe should come out of the dead closet. Say he was hiding in the future, that someone from the future snatched him up to save him. Don’t say why. And let Frank remain president.”

  Jason shook his head. “This community loves Joe. They find out he’s alive, they’ll want him as leader. No offense Frank.”

  “None taken. Ok, maybe some taken.” Frank chuckled. “Roy. Can my dad be leader and not make this decision. Is there anyway, it can be done.”

  Roy paused for a moment before answering. “Yes. Yes. There are many facets of leadership as you know, Frank. If you handle all military and war decisions, and have final say so on those, and Joe handles everything else. It can work. But Joe must agree to let you have final say so on all military decisions, every battle, every move, everything.” Roy turned to Joe. “Could you do that?”

  Joe sighed out. “It’ll be tough. I’ll need someone to remind me to let him have his way. There are times we don’t agree. But … for the good of this country, yes. I could. Cause I’m damn well sure if I start to argue, Frank will throw it in my face that I can’t.”

  Hal stated. “Then it’s settled. We let out that my father’s alive. The question is . . .” he looked about the faces in the room. “How.”

  <><><><>

  “How?” Ellen asked.

  “How?” Dean replied with a chuckle. “Simply by waiting. All it’s gonna take is a couple weeks, and trust me we’ll know if she’s carrying a LEP.”

  “What do you think?” Ellen followed him around the lab.

  “I think it’s too soon to tell.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Dean stopped walking. “What do you mean I don’t.”

  “That’s not what you think.”

  “Ellen, if you know what I think, why did you ask.”

  “To confirm what I thought you thought.”

  Dean shook his head. “You sound like Frank.”

  “Great minds think alike.” Ellen caught Dean’s glance, the one he threw at her as if to say did you mean to say that. “OK, scratch that. Ok, speaking of Frank. How was that meeting.”

  Dean exhaled. “If Frank, doesn’t talk to you about it by, let’s say, ten tonight. I will.”

  “Uh! Dean, I’m a woman. You can’t do that to me.”

  “Frank will talk to you.”

  “Fine.” She sulked. “Back to what we were discussing.”

  “I will not rule out it could be an LEP.”

  “Dean, you realize the future blamed the infertility virus on a woman having sex with an LEP. What if that woman was Jenny, we all know how she can spread it.”

  “Ellen . ..”

  “Seriously, Dean.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we know. OK?” He said reassuring.

  “Dean, what if it is. Are you going to encourage aborting it?”

  Dean gave a serious pause. Looking intently at her. “It would be the humane suggestion.”

  Ellen nodded.

  “However . . .”

  Ellen looked up.

  “In the name of science it wouldn’t be the wise suggestion.”

  Ellen smiled. “I agree.”

  <><><><>

  Joe watched Frank. Not that his son didn’t often look confused, but he did at that moment in the office.

  “What the problem?” Joe asked.

  “Making sure I got everything right.” Frank said. “Tomorrow, we out you, and the next day you resume responsibilities as leader, except . . . when it comes to strategic decisions.”

  “Yes.”

  Frank nodded. “Where are you going to do this?”

  “What do you mean, where?”

  “You need an office.”

  “I have one. This is the office of the president.”

  “But it’s my office.”

  “It’ll be my office, Frank.”

  “No. You need a new office.”

  “Frank.”

  “Dad, this is my office. We can share.”

  “Why would I share an office with you?” Joe asked.

  “Because you don’t have one, and this is mine and we’re sharing leadership responsibilities.”

  “Frank, I can’t share an office with you,” Joe said. “Go back to your old one.”

  “Robbie has it. And it’s not fair. I built this one. You destroyed yours.”

  What?” Joe chuckled. “How do you figure.”

  “You blew it up.”

  “I did not.”

  “Did too. Your finger prints were on the detonation device. You blew up your office. “

  Joe huffed. “Fine. We’ll share until another office is built.”

  “You can use the porta office.”

  Joe rubbed his chin. “I might do that. Why don’t you?”

  “Why didn’t I what?”

  “Use the porta office.”

  “I already did.”

  “Yeah, I guess you did. OK,” Joe said. “I’ll use it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Starting tomorrow. Speaking of which,” Joe rocked back in his chair some. “How do you think this plan of yours is gonna work?”

  “Fine.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I mean, do you think it’s too direct?”

  “Nah. Fuck that. Honestly, it’s the best way to do it. And funny.”

  Joe bobbed his head. “True.”

  “Direct is best. Tonight, we tell those that are closest, then tomorrow, everything gets back to normal.”

  Yeah, he’d be back, yeah, he’d be leader again. But normal? Joe thought. It was Beginnings. How was normal even possible?

  <><><><>

  Hal snickered. He snickered like a teenage boy who was up to something. He felt that way looking at Elliott Ryder.

  He didn’t have a clue. In fact, Hal was certain that Elliott was convinced his father was still dead, and that Hal went over the edge.

  Hal chuckled.

  “Captain? Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I am thank you.”

  “May I ask what you’re laughing about.”

  “You may.” Hal rubbed his chin.

  Elliott produced a crooked grin. “Ok, what are you laughing about?”

  “I’m not telling.”

  “What? You said I could ask.”

  “Ah, but yes.” Hal lifted a fingers and stood. “That doesn’t mean I have to tell now does it.�
��

  “True.”

  “You’ll find out.”

  “Are you playing a practical joke on me?”

  “No. Never.”

  “Captain, we never spoke since you went on your quest yesterday. What did you find out.”

  “Quest?”

  “About your father.”

  Hal nodded. “What do you assume I found out.”

  “A sad truth.”

  “You are right.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain.”

  Hal shook his head. “No. No need for apologies. You may even feel free to gloat right now.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Thank you, Elliott.” Hal said, knowing full well, he certainly was going to gloat, when Elliott, like everyone else found out about Joe. “So, Sgt. Ryder, what is happening with our killer slash rapist from the future?”

  “We planned a small search party tonight led by Frank. We’re calling it the sniff and search.”

  “Frank is going to try to sniff him out again?”

  “Yes. And if that doesn’t work, in a couple days he will utilize Jenny.”

  “What are your thoughts on that?”

  “I think it could be dangerous for anyone around. Not for Jenny. It proved it doesn’t want to hurt her only dump 3 liters of semen in her.”

  “Was that necessary.”

  “No.”

  “But I agree. Jenny may be the only one who can do this.”

  “Really?” Elliott said. “Who else would do it and volunteer?”

  <><><><>

  “Knock, knock.” A deep, yet slightly effeminate voice called out into Frank’s office.

  Both he and Robbie looked at the door.

  “Someone’s at the door,” Robbie said.

  “Ok, why don’t they fuckin knock.”

  “They’re saying it.”

  “Doesn’t count.” Frank shrugged. “Anyhow, tomorrow morning it initiates.”

  Robbie snickered.

  “What?”

  “This is gonna be great.”

  “I know.”

  “When you telling El?”

  “Tonight. Wanna be there.”

  “Can I video tape it?”

  “Yeah.” Frank lifted his pen. “Anyhow.”

  Knock-knock-knock.

  Raising his hand, Frank looked at the door. “That’s more like it. Come in!”

  The door opened slowly, and Ben from Fabrics poked his head in. “Is this a bad time?”