“Healed completely?” Henry asked. “Wow, Dean that’s impressive.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Joe said. “Real impressive. But that is the least of my concern right now with the crazy ass shit you have done.” Joe lifted his phone and dialed. “Danny,” he spoke into the phone. “Where did you hide him? Thanks.” Joe hung up, put away the phone and walked to the door. “Let’s go, Dean. Jason you may want to see this.”
“Absolutely,” Jason said.
“Joe, where are we going?” Dean asked.
“You’ll find out.” Joe walked out the door.
Danny didn’t have time to hide him. Actually, he told 9-B to stay put while he went and got one of those jelly donuts. He even got one for 9-B. When Joe called, not long after he left, Danny just got back to Joe’s office.
So he went outside and waited.
He was surprised to see not only Joe and Jason in the jeep, but Henry and Dean as well.
“Dean.” Danny smiled. “You’re back. Please don’t tell me something happened to Frank, Robbie and Hal.”
“No. They’re fine. We’re back to bury something for them. And you’re going to help.”
“Cool.” Danny said.
“Why are we here, Joe?” Dean asked.
“Is he still in there?” Joe questioned Danny.
“Yep, just had a jelly donut. Loved it.”
“Who?” Dean asked.
“He goes by the name 9-B something, something. He came from the future wearing a ninja mask.” Joe reached for the office door and opened it. “Know anything about this?”
Dean stepped inside. He paused when Danny snorted a laugh.
“Sorry.” Danny held up his hand.
9-B stood up.
“Oh, shit.” Henry exclaimed.
“Fuck,” Dean blurted out in a whisper.
“Fuck is probably the right word,” Danny said.
“You’re absolutely right,” Joe said. “But something tells me that none of this surprises you, does it Dean?”
Dean half shrugged, tilted his head and gave a guilty look.
“Well, well, well,” Jason cleared his throat. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looks like a younger, thinner, pre apocalypse …”
Sounding disgruntled, Joe finished Jason’s sentence. “Frank.”
FIFTEEN – BEGINNINGS
His voice was deep, like Frank’s, perhaps not as raspy. His was fit and was tall, but looked leaner than Frank. Who was the man that appeared in Beginnings in a ninja mask? Joe had enough time to absorb his appearance and his curiosity took over. He wished Jason would have stayed around to be part of the madness but he wanted to be in the lab in case anyone returned.
Joe needed to find out more about the man. Obviously, he was one of the cloned embryos, Dean swore he destroyed.
“That’s it, Joe, I swear,” Dean said. “Frank asked me not to destroy it.”
“Fort came from a future where they had to manufacture children. Roy came from that future. This man came from that same future. So, given Danny …” Joe lifted his eyes to Danny. “Knew the embryo location, I think it’s safe to say, Danny had something to do with this.”
“Not fair, Joe,” Danny said. ”We don’t know that. We only know I was responsible for Roy. I wouldn’t even think to clone Frank. Until … you know now.”
Joe grumbled. “Danny, do you realize you get credit for inventing everything in the future, when in fact, you get the ideas from future stuff that ends up here.”
“Yeah, pretty cool, huh.”
“No!” Joe yelled. “This ….” He pointed to the clone. “Isn’t cool.”
9-B, paused eating his donut and looked up to Joe. “I’m not cool?”
“What?” Joe asked confused. Not ready for that response.
“I thought I was cool. That makes me sad. I was told I was cool.”
“By who?” Joe asked.
“Our Benevolent One. He gave us life, he speaks to us daily through the wonders of projection. He tells us every day we are the cool ones.”
“Uh huh,” Joe nodded. “And is that the term he uses, ‘you are cool’?”
He nodded. “Every day. It gives us a boost of feel good to start our day. Though there are times we do nothing but get physically in shape. Which I don’t mind. I like training. I like the training films. Especially the one with the moving drawings. It shows team work, honor. Several times we watch the live people version.” He sat up. “Some say I even look like the main hero...”
“Yeah, well …” Joe reached in his desk and pulled out a picture. “I say you look like him.” He handed him a picture of Frank.
9-B gasped. “Oh he is a handsome man.”
Danny snickered.
“Danny,” Joe warned.
“Sorry, Joe.”
“Anyhow, 9-B …”
“9-B-754,” he corrected. “My friend 7-D, is the only one who goes by the short name. 7-D, he laughs when he says it. I don’t get it.”
“Seven D,” Joe stated. “Like 1970.”
“Oh, no, Nineteen is 19-W.” He shook his head.
Again, Danny laughed.
“Danny.”
“Well,” Dean said. “Seems like some things are genetic after all,”
“Dean,” Joe warned.
Henry lifted his hand. “Can I suggest we just give him a name to make it easier than calling him 9-B-754?”
“Yes,” Joe said “Will that work for you 9-B-754?’
“I get to pick a name? A new name? Like the Benevolent One has his own name?”
“Yes.” Joe nodded.
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Great, I know the name.” He sat up straight. “I want to be Steve.”
“Steve it is.”
“Steve Rogers.”
Joe stared. “Steve Rogers, like Captain America Steve Rogers.”
“Yes.” He smiled, then the smile dropped. ”Wait. Too soon?”
“What do you mean by ‘too soon’?” Joe questioned.
“I know Captain America was a great hero in this time, maybe it is too soon after his death to take his name?”
“Danny,” Joe grumbled.
“What?” Danny asked. ”I didn’t say anything.”
“You will. Um, yeah, it is too soon, sorry,” Joe said.
“Bummer.”
Joe blinked long and hard. “Can you come up with another name?”
Dean said, “What about David Banner, Tony Stark or Thor.”
9-B snapped his finger. “Tony Stark. I can be Tony Stark.’
“No.” Joe shook his head.
“No?” He asked disappointed.
“I’m going to assume the training films you watched have all those men in them.”
“We learned ancient lingo from them. Many of us speak it when we’re together.’
“So they train you to be heroes?” Joe asked.
“No. They show us the films to know what we could be if we worked hard. They train us to be killers of LEP. I didn’t understand why I was chosen to go through and help 10-A-A-422 chase a clone. A clone is still human. I don’t kill humans, I don’t like killing LEP and Pubes. I don’t like killing at all.”
“Really?” Joe asked. “See, now that is something I thought was genetic. Just so you know, killing LEP is saving lives and that is heroic.”
He placed his hand to his heart. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Now who chose you to go through?”
“The Benevolent One picked me personally.”
“You don’t say. What is the name of the Benevolent One?”
“Father Hoi.”
“Okay,” Danny said brightly. “I’m out of here. I have to …”
“Danny. Stop.” Joe looked at 9-B. “Father Hoi? Father Hoi.” He grunted and swung a point at Dean and Danny. “Between you two …”
9-B quickly turned in his chair. “Wait is one of them Father Hoi?”
“Hold on,” Joe lifted hi
s hand. “You watched this Benevolent One on a screen and you can’t tell which of those two, Dean or Danny is the man you saw on the screen. I am going to guess Father Hoi is Asian.”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t look at them and see which one is Asian?”
“I didn’t want to presume.”
“Presume!” Joe yelled.
“Ow.” 9-B grabbed his ear.
“Me.” Danny lifted his hand. “I’m Danny Hoi.”
9-B jumped from his chair. “Father Hoi.” He dropped to his knees. “It is a great honor to be face to face with your young self. You look so young. Your hair is beautiful in this time.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“Aw,” Henry whined. “No one compliments my hair like that.”
“Enough!” Joe blasted.
“Why do you yell so much in a room so small?”
“Because I can!” Joe blasted. “Now get up off that floor and sit in the chair.”
Quickly, he did.
“Name. Because you look like him, let’s call you Hank.”
Dean coughed. “Cop out.”
Joe gave scolding eyes.
“Hank. Hank.” 9-B nodded. “I can be Hank. I like that Hank name. Like Hank Williams. He is a great star from the past. He and his son love to consume large amounts of alcohol and write great songs.”
“So you like country music?” Joe asked.
“No. I like Journey.”
Everyone groaned.
“You don’t know that band? Maybe it was before your time?”
“We know Journey.”
“I can sing it.”
Joe lifted his hand again. “Don’t.”
He began to sing. “Stop … believing, hold on …”
“Stop.” Joe ordered.
“Believing.”
“Enough.”
9-B paused. “I don’t believe that is in the song.”
Joe’s hands slammed to the desk. “What the hell are we going to do with him?”
“Take him to Jordan,” Henry said. “No one goes there and they’re weird Joe. Bet they don’t even know who Frank is so they won’t think twice about it.”
“Nope.” Danny shook his head. “He has fifty followers on Hoi book from there. They go to Bowman to use the internet. What about Doyle camp. He’s like a soldier. They just pass it off as another Slagel lived through the plague.”
“What about… letting him walk around Beginnings,” Dean suggested. “From what I gathered every two hours in the future is an hour here, if it keeps going like that, people are going to start to wonder where Frank, Hal and Robbie are. Frank never misses walking a beat. I can work with him to pass it off. It won’t be long. How hard could it be?’
Joe laughed. “How hard? Look at him? Yes, he looks like Frank, but an untarnished Frank. What moron in their right mind is going to look at him and believe it’s Frank.”
At that second the door to Joe’s office opened and Dan from Security walked in. “Oh, Joe, hey I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in here.”
“You didn’t see my jeep?”
“I must have missed it.”
“Parked right out front.”
“Yeah, they’re easy to miss. I was dropping off these reports and ….” Dan tilted his head and stared at 9-B.
Joe gave a look to Dean as if to say, ‘Huh? See? I told you.’
Dan pointed. “You …. You …..”
“Listen, Dan …” Joe held up his hands. “We can explain.”
“No, need Joe,” Dan said. “I know exactly what is going on. Ha!” He shook his hand excitedly trying again to point. “I’ll be damned. Man, when the rumors started about the Magic Cream, I said it. I said, ‘Frank is missing because he is getting that magic cream treatment.’ And sure enough … wow. Looks great. Good thing you stopped, dropped and rolled or that cream may not have work.” Dan dropped the reports on the desk. “You look fantastic.” He gave a thumbs up and walked to the door. “Hey, Danny, sign me up.”
The door closed.
Silence.
“That man was very nice,” 9-B said.
“Don’t say it,” Joe aimed his comment to Dean. “Take him. Dress him, grab Sgt. Ryder …”
“He just got out of a coma,” Dean said.
“He’s fine,” Joe replied. “Henry start working on those supplies you need to bury, Danny find Roy and come up with some magic cream concoction.” He exhaled heavily. “And wipe that smug look off your face, Dean. It was one person. There is no way, no how, we’re going to fool everyone.”
<><><><>
“Frank!” Andrea gleefully called out and raced down the steps of the clinic when Dean, Joe and Hank walked her way.
“Sweet Jesus, look at you!” she ran to him. “I heard you had that new treatment. Thank you for trying it for all of us. You are so handsome!” tightly she embraced him and began a series of fast pecking kisses on his face, speaking between each kiss. “My … handsome … son. ... you …are… so …brave.”
At first Hank froze and then Hank … screamed loudly and ran away.
Joe cringed. “Dean, go get him.”
Dean nodded and chased Hank.
“What?” Andrea asked shocked. “What did I do?’
“I keep telling you, Andrea, you over do things. Prime example right there. You know when you scared Frank, you went too far. Excuse me.” Without saying anymore, Joe walked up the steps to the clinic with an arrogant smile on his face.
FIFTEEN – POLW
Even though Chaka told them they were safe on that side of the river, they still built camp near the beach for safety sake and so they could light a fire large enough to cook their meal.
“Man,” Frank tossed the bone to the side after cleaning the meat completely from it. “Fuckin awesome. How did you get it so good?”
Chaka lifted his wrist and showed him the thick and wide band, he opened it exposing tiny vials. “Always season meat.”
“Whoa and I thought that was just a fashion accessory,” Frank said. ”Fucking brilliant tech advance in the future to think of a seasoning bracelet.”
Hal huffed out and lifted his head. “That’s not a tech advance, Frank. Finish eating and go to sleep. Or at least be quiet so some of us can get some shut eye.”
Frank looked at Chaka who sat next to him, then at Robbie on his other side. “Uh, Hal you’re the only one trying to sleep.”
“Sleep is not a bad thing, Frank. We don’t get enough of it at home. We need our energy for tomorrow.”
“I’m too excited for sightseeing tomorrow. I’m gonna get some great pictures.”
“We need to find your son.”
“That, too.” Frank reached to the roasted meat and took some more. “I look at this and am impressed. I thought I was the mighty hunter.”
“When?” Hal snapped. “When were you a hunter?”
“When we hunted that bear.”
“That’s true, Hal,” Robbie said. “He did track that bear.”
“I’ll give him that.”
“But I never could catch a four foot, forty pound rabbit before,” Frank said. “It’s a goal now.”
“Frank, have you ever thought you didn’t catch one because there are no four foot forty pound rabbits in our time.”
“I’m sure there are,” Frank said. “We just haven’t found them. I will find one.”
“I assure you there aren’t.”
“There are,” Robbie stated. “World’s largest rabbit was in the UK, he was over four feet and weighed fifty pounds.”
“For real?” Hal asked.
“Yep. I remember Dad telling me about it.”
“Then we will go to England to nab him,” Frank said.
“How?” Hal asked. “How do you plan on going overseas? We don’t have the planes or fuel to do that.”
“Boat.”
“Boat,” Hal stated. “And who is going to drive the boat.”
“Jimmy,” Frank said. “He was in the Na
vy.”
Chaka tapped Frank on the arm. “Who is Jimmy?”
“Oh, hey, yeah, he’s my brother. Sorry, we sometimes forget about him.”
Chaka nodded with a laugh. “I have a brother we forget about too.”
“Okay,” Hal held up his hand. “Let’s say Jimmy will navigate the boat to England. Where are you getting the boat?”
“When we win the Great War. Fucking ton of ships, we’ll make sure we don’t destroy them all. Remind me to tell you my plan.” Frank winked. “I’m on it, it involves kidnapping Dad when decision making comes.”
A ton of ships?” Hal asked.
Robbie replied. “They come from the east and down at the gulf. The east is a feint. Frank figures that out. You listen, Dad doesn’t.”
“A huh,” Hal nodded. “And we know this how.”
No one said anything.
“Did you two read Danny’s book?”
Again silence.
“You weren’t supposed to read the book. It was a brother thing. Us brothers were to read it together.”
Frank pointed to Robbie. ’We’re brothers and we read it. Sorry.”
“All of us Frank. No one excluded. Me, you and Robbie.”
Chaka interjected. “What about Jimmy?”
“Ha!” Frank laughed. “Good point.”
“Where is it?” Hal asked. “I want it now. Where?”
Frank reached for his pack and opened it. He pulled out the copy of the book in a plastic bag. “Here.” He handed it to Hal.
“Thank you.”
“The beginning is kind of boring so …
“No spoilers please.” Hal took it from the bag.
“You may want to skip chapter twelve,” Frank said.
“Frank!” Hal snapped.
“You turn gay.”
Hal spun his body away from Frank, mumbling “Asshole’ as he did.
Robbie snickered.
Chaka clapped his hands together once. “Okay, break out the magic water and finish telling us about the reference visual moving pictures.”
“Oh, yeah, absolutely.” Frank reached into his back pack and pulled out a bottle.
Slowly Hal turned back around. “Reference … movies?”
“Yes.” Frank took a drink and passed the bottle to Robbie.
“Why are you drinking?” Hal asked. “You’re a recovering alcoholic.”
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