The Third Ten

by Jacqueline Druga

  “How?” Elliott asked. ‘How is that possible? How do they believe so easily?”

  “The answer is simple.” George smiled. “It’s Beginnings.”

  <><><><>

  Ellen rarely was frantic. In fact, she pretty much typically went about her day. However, her days rarely if ever varied.

  This day was different.

  Dean acted oddly, then disappeared. Elliott woke up from his coma but nearly drown in the process, and was miraculously healed. In fact, he was in such tip top shape there was no reason to hold him in the hospital.

  That was in the morning, but by noon Johnny had attacked Roy, Joe was nowhere to be found and worse, neither was Frank.

  At least Ellen spotted Joe. He may have avoided her, walked really fast to get out of her way, but she saw him.

  Frank, Robbie and Hal were a different story.

  Everyone had an answer to where they were, which was fine for everyone else, but she was family. She couldn’t find them.

  At first she thought they had taken Dean and gone on a time trip, but Dean returned.

  She wondered if the brothers had taken some sort of impromptu vacation especially since Joe was adamant about getting Elliott back to Bowman.

  But would Frank had left without even saying goodbye.

  Her concern grew when Frank failed to post on Hoi Book. Frank was always posting. Even if it was to say he skipped lunch, he posted regularly. No sooner did Ellen use that as a reasoning to Joe as to something being wrong, Frank made a post about testing some magic cream.

  She grabbed the kids from school and even made them dinner… no word from Frank.

  Dean avoided her as well.

  By then time she got them all settled and into bed, she had begun pacing.

  She called Hector, he hadn’t seen or heard from Henry.

  John Matoose said he saw Frank in Bowman but didn’t see Hal or Robbie.

  Everyone’s phone went to voicemail, no one was answering and Joe, when he did answer, simply told her to let him alone.

  There was no way she was able to sleep.

  She wasn’t dumb,

  Something had happened.

  Then finally there was a light knock on her front door and it opened.

  Quietly, Dean slipped in.

  “Oh my God, Dean.” She rushed to him.

  “Hey, El.”

  “Something is wrong. I know it. What’s going on?”

  “Well …”

  “Frank’s not answering, Robbie isn’t or Hal. Joe is pissing me off. I haven’t seen Frank all day and he is not the one posting on his Hoi Book.”

  “How do you know?”

  “The post are grammatically correct.”

  “Shit.”

  “Huh?”

  “Okay, listen, something is up.”

  “I knew it. Is Frank dead?”

  “What? No,” Dean shook his head.

  “Did something happen to Hal?’

  “No.”

  “Robbie?”

  “No. El.” Dean placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look. I’m not supposed to tell you. But I need your help with something.”

  “Where is Frank?”

  “He’s not here. In fact, he’s pretty far away.”

  “Out East?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Dean.” Ellen scolded. “Where is he? If he’s far away, then John Matoose didn’t see him in Bowman.”

  “Oh, he may have seen him.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “Oh, wait, it’s gonna get good.”

  “Dean.”

  Dean led up a finger, walked to the window, looked out and then headed to the kitchen.

  “What’s going on?” Ellen asked.

  He returned with a bottle and a glass. “Here. Have a drink.”

  “I really don’t want one.”

  “Have one.” He poured her a shots worth.

  Ellen downed it.

  “You know how someone has been trying to kill Frank.”

  “What? No.”

  “Wait you didn’t know that?”

  “No.”

  “Someone shot at him at the Mardi Gras, El, he got his leg caught in a bear trap in his office. Someone shot at him and hit Elliott, his office blew up.”

  “I thought he was having bad luck.”

  “No, someone wanted to kill him. And like we figured, this person thought they killed Frank in the explosion and left through the time machine.”

  “Oh, wow, that’s pretty smart.”

  “Yes. Anyhow, Joe had Johnny following Frank and this person pulled Johnny into the machine.”

  “Johnny is here.”

  Dean nodded. “Long story. Anyhow, I went into the time machine with Frank, Hal, Robbie and Chaka to get the killer.”

  “How far?’

  “A thousand years.”

  “Holy shit!”

  “Yeah.”

  “What it like?”

  “Green. Air is different. Hard to breathe. I didn’t want to leave,” Dean said.

  “But you’re here.”

  “Yeah, Frank needed some things so we buried items for him to dig up.”

  “You buried things for them to dig up a thousand years from now,” Ellen said. “Dean if they went through time, where are they?”

  “Still there. I don’t know the specifics, but apparently there’s a lag in time.”

  “I’m going to take it the person trying to kill Frank was either Fort or Henry because they’re both missing.”

  “Henry is back. Elliott saw Fort on the roof of the school that night, Frank read his mind, put Henry on Fort and Henry went through chasing Fort and Johnny.”

  “Oh my God. When will they get back?”

  “I was hoping they’d be back. I put a note in the box that Johnny was here and Fort had his own time device and went somewhere else. Until they return, Joe doesn’t want people to know they’re gone.”

  “Who is posting on Frank’s Hoi Book?”

  “Me. I didn’t think to spell things wrong. Man, people are all over his posts.”

  “I know. But Dean, you and I both know, Frank can’t be gone that long. He’s never gone that long.”

  “Joe thinks we can pull off that Frank is still in Beginnings.”

  “How? By posting on his Hoi Book?” Ellen asked.

  “Um, no… we have another problem. One you and I are kinda responsible for and it goes hand and hand with making it look like Frank is in town until … he gets back from the future.” Dean walked to the door. “Outside.”

  After looking at him curiously, Ellen walked to the door and Dean opened it.

  “He’s right there.”

  Ellen blinked several times, looked at Dean and then out to the figure standing in the grass. “Oh wow.”

  “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

  “Is that B-36 Subject 2?”

  “It is. He popped in from the future, lost in a time loop, was supposed to arrive with Fort. His name is 9-B something we’re calling him Hank.”

  Hank turned around.

  “Holy shit he looks like Frank ten years ago.” Ellen walked to him. “Dean, you know what this means, right?”

  “I do.”

  “We really nailed this cloning thing. We should not have stopped.”

  “I know, right.”

  Ellen inched closer. She smiled at Hank. “Hello.”

  “Hello.”

  “Don’t touch him,” Dean said. “He doesn’t like to be touched.”

  “Oh that’s weird.”

  “You are very female,” Hank said.

  “I am.”

  Hank looked at Dean, “I thought you told me I was the one who said that.”

  Dean shrugged innocently.

  “Dean are you trying to pass him off as Frank?” Ellen asked.

  “That’s what Joe wants. He says it’s on me because I made the clone and didn’t destroy it.”

  “Technically it is your responsibility.�
�

  “And yours,” Dean said. “Can it be done?”

  Ellen stared long and hard at Hank. “It’s gonna take all night and we’ll have to watch him constantly. Let’s take him inside and work with him. But to really make him realistic, run to the lab, grab the healing agent Chaka brought from the future, a scalpel and the laser.”

  “Wait. Are you wanting to cut him, burn him and heal him to give him lots of scars?”

  “Bad idea?”

  “No, that’s brilliant.” Dean darted a kiss to her cheek. “Make him look rougher.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Wait,” Hank said. “You are going to cut me and burn me?”

  “Yes,” Ellen answered. “See we need you to pretend to be someone else while he’s gone. Someone that people look to for protection. They’ll get scared if they know he’s gone.”

  “Is this person a hero like Captain America?”

  “Oh, absolutely.” Ellen nodded. “And runs just as fast.”

  “I want to be like that. Will this hurt?”

  “A little. But you’ll be better for it,” Ellen said. “Just try not to scream.”

  “Very well. Let’s do it.”

  Dean clenched his fist. “Yes. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll take him inside.” Ellen held out her hand. “This way.”

  “Oh, El?” Dean called out. “This is going to be so much fun transforming him physically. We can really put that healing agent to a test.”

  “Like an art project.”

  “Is it right?”

  “Oh, please, Dean, technically Joe said, he’s our responsibility. We made him, so we can do what we want.”

  Enthusiastically, Dean gave a thumbs up, turned and moved quickly away from the house.

  Ellen escorted Hank.

  “So you are going to make me look and act like this person?” Hank asked.

  “Yes, his name is Frank.” Ellen opened the door. “I’ll teach you how to be just like him.”

  “I will be a good student. I was top of my class. I strived to be the best.” Hank said. “Is there anything else I need to practice saying besides, ‘I am’.”

  “Yes. One word. One simple word Frank uses all the time. If you don’t use it, people will know you aren’t Frank?” Ellen walked in the house.

  “And what is that word?”

  Ellen smiled. “Fuck.”

  SEVENTEEN – POLW

  “Fuck,” Frank said. “So Me and Danny really did start this?”

  The conversation about Danny Hoi’s future book began once they crossed the bridge and began their journey to Bowman and deep into the heart of LEP territory.

  “To an extent,” Hal answered as they walked. “When Roy said you and Danny caused it, he was right. When you asked if you’d do it again … he said yes..”

  “But did he really?” Robbie asked. “I mean, he made choices out of fear of human extinction. He had no idea the embryos were LEP. They didn’t all survive implantation. His one act didn’t cause an entire evolution.”

  “True. But there had to be a big drop in human growth. The infertility plague.” Hal said. “Didn’t Dean and Ellen claim to cure all that when they went through the Aragon window.”

  “Yeah,” Robbie said. “But, Dean and Ellen said Frank was old in that future. So … all that using the embryos probably already happened.”

  “We don’t know if they went to the future in Danny’s book.”

  “They did,” Robbie argued. “It’s the chain of events. Dean didn’t die in the explosion, Dad lived. So they did go to the future and cured the infertility virus, but that was after Frank implanted the two thousand embryos.”

  “I did that?” Frank asked.

  “Yes,” Hal answered. “You and Danny.”

  “Where did I plant them?”

  “In women,”

  “Me and Danny planted two thousand embryos in woman. Man, I must be smart in the future. Wait …” Frank said. “How do you know all this?”

  “Frank.” Hal snapped. “We read the book.”

  “The whole book?”

  “Yes.”

  “In one night? That’s impressive. I only read the Great War parts, that’s all I care about. I mean, yeah, fucking world is turned upside down. No offense Chaka,” Frank looked at Chaka. “But it’s a thousand years past our time. Who the fuck cares.”

  “Why are we so excited about being here, then?” Hal asked. “I mean you were gung ho about seeing it.”

  “Seeing it. Who the hell doesn’t want to see the world in a thousand years? If we can stop it, sure, I want man to have the upper hand,” Frank replied.

  “It’s all a moot point,” Robbie said. “If you think about it. Danny’s book may have been spot on when he wrote it, it’s out the window now. It was written in a time before Roy came back, before Chaka, everything in that time line as changed. Including the Great War. According to the book, it should have been started already. In the thick of things. We haven’t even traced a ship coming over yet.”

  Hal asked. “Are you saying it isn’t happening?”

  “Oh, it’s happening. Just different,” Robbie said. “Big factor is George. He was dead in Danny’s book. He’s alive. Frank’s always said that makes a difference.”

  “Absolutely,” Frank said. “In the book we didn’t have the ability to gather his troops. We do now. We’re training them. The invasion is going to happen whether George is alive or not. I just can’t figure out how him being alive delayed it.”

  “Dean says the dates are way off,” Hal said. “That could be it too. But it is different. If Bowman is still standing, it wasn’t hit in the Great War. In Danny’s book this entire region was destroyed.”

  “It’s been a thousand years, Hal,” Robbie said. “Think about it. This would have grown back.”

  “But would the buildings still be standing if destroyed by war?” Hal asked. “No, something about the Great War changed. Frank?”

  Frank stopped walking. He looked over the hillside the lush and thick forest. “As hard as this is to say…” He looked over his shoulder to Hal. “You’re right.”

  “Gee thanks.”

  “Seriously, something is different. I feel it,” Frank said. “The time line went different. Even Chaka said it’s different. We have to figure it out.”

  “Hey, can we take a break?” Robbie asked. “We’ve been walking for hours. Not that I’m tired but this air sucks.”

  “Little brother I am going to agree,” Hal said. “Let’s break. Chaka, are we safe here?”

  “I believe so. I will keep watch. Rest, the air is not too much for me. Now the air in your time was difficult.”

  Hal plopped down. “Frank, can I have a cigarette.”

  “Where are yours?” Frank asked.

  “You know damn well mine got wet.”

  Frank tossed him a cigarette. “Don’t inhale too deeply. It feels weird.”

  “Speaking of weird.” Robbie sat down on the ground. “What are these flowers? I have never seen them. They actually are pretty cool.”

  “Whoa.” Frank walked over with his phone and took a picture. The patch of wildlife looked like a hybrid between a flower and plant. On the bottom, the leaves were thick like Aloe Vera, and the stem rose high producing a sphere shaped, baseball size flower, the salmon colored pedals encompassed the entire ball.

  “Looks like a Ball Dahlia,” Frank said. “Only those pedals are cone like they’re more inverted.”

  “A ball what?” Robbie asked with a snicker.

  “Ball Dahlia.”

  “How the hell do you know that?” Hal asked. ‘Seriously.”

  “What? I can’t know my flowers?” Frank grabbed his chest. “I’m hurt.”

  “Oh, stop. It’s just not you to know a flower called Ball Dahlia. I didn’t realize you also specialized in botany.”

  “What?”

  “Botany,” Hal explained. “The study of flowers.”

  “I don’t st
udy fucking flowers,” Frank said.

  “Then how do you know that looks like a Ball Dahlia.”

  “Because it’s poisonous, you should know it too. One word. Sergeant Pletcher.”

  Robbie tossed back his head with cheerful remembrance. “Oh my God, I forgot about that. She made us know every single poisonous household plant. Hal don’t you remember the field trips to find plants.”

  Hal smiled. “And the one time I had the bad case of poison ivy. I collected a whole bag of poison Ivy to just to rub it all over the Wesley Brothers. What a wonderful memory, even though I was covered head to toe.

  “I really miss her,” Robbie said. “She was such a big part of our lives. I am really glad she passed right before the plague. Although she would have loved these. Hey, Frank, give me one of those bags.”

  “What are you doing?” Hal asked.

  “I want to take one back. Have Dean look at it. He’d like it. Maybe it has some sort of strange medicinal power.”

  Frank handed him the bag. “That’s good thinking.”

  “Do we want to do that?” Hal asked. “This flower here belongs in the future not in the past. We could cause a problem.”

  “How?” Robbie placed the flower in the bag and sealed it. He had some pollen on his fingers and he wiped it on his pants. “It’s not like we’re planting it. It’ll be dead by the time we get back anyhow.”

  “Give the bag here.” Frank held out his hand. “I’ll carry it in my pack.” He took off his backpack, set it down, unzipped it a little and put the flower inside. He placed it back on his back, readjusted his rifle, stood next to Chaka and stared out again. “Yeah, we’ll head down, cross that field. Just beyond those woods should bring us pretty close to Bowman.”

  Chaka spoke in a low voice. “Down there. Movement in the fields.”

  “Where?” Frank asked. “I’m not …” Then he thought he saw it, a split second later, Frank heard it. He caught sight of the arrow sailing their way full speed. He didn’t have time to warn anyone. It was a reaction, almost instinct, like a parent protecting their child in the front seat of a car, Frank reached out with the ‘extended arm’ to block the arrow from hitting Chaka.

  It hit into the inner part of his forearm, impaling him as it extended through narrowly missing Chaka.

  “Fuck!”

  “Frank!” Hal called out.