“Dean, you fucking carry a wallet?” Frank asked.
“We were coming to the past. This is my wallet from the past.” He fumbled through and pulled out a business card, setting it on the bar.
Catherine lifted it. “This has my name on it. I’m not the head of anything. This card looks old.”
Dean bobbed his head in through. “I think that card is eleven or twelve years old. My time. I don’t throw things out. You gave it to me before … well, just say before.”
“Before …” Frank faced her and spoke seriously. “There was an apocalypse.”
“Frank!” Dean snapped.
“Dean. So what? She can know.”
“About the apocalypse?” Catherine asked, staring at the card.
“Yes.” Dean took the card. “And I never got to thank you. So, thank you, Catherine.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait.” She waved her hands about, only pausing to grab another shot. “If I believed you two, you can’t leave it at that. You should tell me. Apocalypse meaning … something big happens to wipe out humanity.”
“Most,” Frank said. “Most.”
“Is it … the big one?” Catherine asked. “A virus?”
“Big bomb,” Frank said. “Bombs. Lots. Not aliens like some people think, or God’s end, but Bombs. Nuclear.” Frank then made a serious of explosion noises.
“So we did it. We finally blew ourselves up.”
“Ha!” Frank laughed and pointed. “Classic line. End of Planet of the Apes. Spoken by Charlton Heston.” He grabbed another shot. “I love him.”
“There you have it,” Dean said.
“A nuclear war. Is it global?”
Dean nodded and cringed after his shot. “Unfortunately.”
“How long ago?” she asked.
“Memorial Day weekend, ten years ago,” Dean said.
“And you say we were colleagues?” Catherine asked.
“Of sorts. At the end I came to you for help. You pulled through.”
“I’m curious how I could have helped out in a nuclear war,” Catherine said.
“Super radiation medicine,” Frank said. “You were working on something because you kept saying, ‘The bombs are coming. The bombs are coming.’ You were all over the news.”
Dean looked at Frank. “It’s amazing how that explanation just rolled right out of your mouth.”
“It’s a gift.”
“So I survived a nuclear holocaust, as did my lab …” Catherine said. “And I sent you the medicine.”
“Not all, well, you tried,” Dean said. “We were in a small town in Connecticut.”
“Ashtonville,” Frank added.
“Actually I was in Hartford, my dad was in Ashtonville...”
“With my dad. Joe Slagel. CIA. He got out of the city when he saw it coming.”
Dean lifted and did another shot, gasping after and setting down the glass. “We had a lot of people sick with … radiation. You were on your way.”
“And you died,” Frank said. “Sorry.”
“I died?”
“Killed,” Dean corrected.
“Not murdered killed,” Frank explained. “Your helicopter crashed or was it a car accident. I don’t remember. But only one vial remained.”
“Unfortunately,” Dean shrugged. “I was unable to replicate it. And it didn’t work fully. If you were there, it may have made a difference.”
“So when it happens,” Frank said. “Don’t get in a helicopter or car with it as you rush to Ashtonville or Hartford.”
“So all those people with radiation died?” Catherine asked. “Did you find someplace safe to go, to survive the elements?”
“Montana,” Frank answered. “Beginnings. But it’s in Garfield County.”
“That’s strange. That’s a few hundred miles south of a huge silo range.”
Frank shrugged. “Wasn’t ht.”
“My God, this sounds so real. And you two really do look apocalyptic. Even with the flower shirts. If this is true. Why are you here? Now? In this time?”
“Drugs,” Frank said. “Not like Cocaine or stuff like that. Or weed. We have that.”
“Antibiotics,” Dean said. “We’re dealing with an unknown bacteria and we haven’t been able to replicate the antibiotics of this time. What remains is bad, so we came back in time to find a doctor who was able to order what we need.”
Frank continued. “And we will go back to our time, grab a truck take that through the machine and pick up the order.”
“Wow.” Catherine sipped her drink. “Sounds like the complicated way. I guess it had to be that way because the medicine would be radiated.”
“What do you mean?” Dean asked.
“Well, you have a time machine. Why go through all the trouble of getting a doctor to order this and that, then travel back to get it, when you could simply go back in time a month or so after everything happened and hit the warehouse in Billings. But then again, that would have been hit or at least radiated.” She looked at both of them. “You thought about the warehouse in Billings right? It’s one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors in the country.”
After a pause, Dean nodded. “Of course we did.” He chuckled nervously. “But everything absorbed so much radiation, we couldn’t take a chance.”
“Were you successful?” Catherine asked.
“Yes.” Dean saw the bartender set down another round, and he reached for them passing them out. “Here’s too success. And … we have to go. It was a pleasure seeing you and thanking you Catherine.”
All three tipped glasses and did their drinks.
“I’m gonna be hung over tomorrow.” Dean said. “How do you drink so much and not get drunk, Frank.”
“Years of practice.”
“It was nice meeting you guys.” Catherine said. “If all this is true, I look forward to maybe seeing you all.”
Frank clumsily gathered his bags. “Wait. Dean. Picture.”
“That’s right. Where is it?”
“My back pocket.” Frank felt Dean fumble. “You want me to do it?”
“Yeah.” Dean handed him the easer.
Frank handed Dean a couple bags, then set the eraser. He lifted it. “Okay, this will be so we can show it to you when we see you.”
Catherine, swiped her fingers under her eyes to smooth her makeup, fluffed her hair and smiled. “Very futuristic camera.”
“It is.” Frank snapped it.
Catherine didn’t move.
“Okay, Dean let’s go.” He handed him back the eraser, claimed his bags from Dean and they walked out before Catherine could snap to.
“You really didn’t think of that warehouse, did you?” Frank asked.
Dean shook his head. ‘No. And don’t tell anyone.”
<><><><>
Henry paced back and forth as best as he could in front of the fountain. He sighed in relief when he saw Dean and Frank. “Oh, thank God, I thought something happened to you. I found a great spot to return. It’s right there across the street. Empty bus stop. Do you need help carrying stuff, Frank?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Frank handed him bags and they started to walk.
“What took you guys so long?” Henry asked.
“We got busy,” Frank said. “Guess who we ran into. Catherine. Some CDC lady from the past.”
“Catherine?” Henry asked. “Did you tell her stuff?”
“Oh, yeah.” Frank nodded. “I embellished though.”
“He lies so easily,” Dean said.
“It’s the writer in me. Anyhow, we told her and then we zapped her.”
“Oh, good. I see you shopped.” Henry said, then pointed. “Right over here, in this alley will be a good spot.”
“This does work,” Frank said. “And I got tons of stuff. You won’t believe what I picked up.”
“That’s not an exaggeration,” Dean pulled out the HG Wells. “You won’t believe what he picked up. What about you, Henry? How did you occupy yourself?”
“Henry met a girl.” Frank smirked. “I’m telling Hector.”
“Go ahead, tell him. Remember he dated Misha.”
“I’m glad you had fun, Henry,” Dean held out the HG Wells.
“All and all.” Frank clapped his hands. “Vegas was successful. We did what we were supposed to do.”
“More importantly,” Dean said. “We stuck to the mission and didn’t screw anything up. Ready.”
Frank and Henry nodded.
Dean initiated the HG Wells.
TWENTY-FIVE
“Is the weight okay?” Hal asked George as he loaded a case in the cargo section of the plane.
“Yeah, we’re fine. We can do a few more.”
“This place is an untapped oasis for wine and spirits.”
“Once we get the fuel situation under control, we can make it a monthly run.”
“I’m game for that. As for now, I say this is our personal stash.” Hal lifted the final box in, and when he turned he saw Frank, Dean and Henry walking toward them. ‘Look whose back.”
“That was fast.”
Hal approached them. “Good Lord, Frank, what all did you bring.”
“Stuff. But …” Frank slid his back pack off and unzipped it. “First and foremost. Sorry if it got squished.” He pulled out a small black container with a clear lid. “For you.”
Hal gasped. “Sushi. Oh my God.”
“There’s soy sauce in there, too.”
“Wait. How old is this?” Hal asked.
“Twenty-five years,” Frank said. “But in time travel time. An hour.”
“It’s good,” Dean said. “I made him get the California roll to be sure.”
“I will savor every bite.”
“How did it go?” George asked. “Successful?”
“Yep.” Dean nodded. “We have the time and place of delivery. We’re going to beat this thing.”
“That’s great news.”
Hal didn’t waste any time, he had already consumed one piece, chewing it slowly with a look of ecstasy on his face. “This is amazing.”
“Vegas was amazing,” Frank said. “Henry met a girl.”
Hal choked. “He met a girl?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything to her. I know better. It was really an experience going there.”
“I bet,” said Hal.
“But stressful,” Frank added. “I mean, we were around people we knew so we had to be careful. Even with the eraser. It would have been nice to go and see it.”
“Better yet,” George said. “See it in the old days when we didn’t know anyone.”
“And the casinos were a mile apart,” Hal added.
“Forget Elvis,” Henry said. “We have him in Beginnings. The days of … The Rat Pack.”
“When men drank more than Frank,” Dean said.
“Ah,” Hal exhaled. “That would be nice. Instead, I will savor the memories of being in the empty Vegas.”
“We should go,” Frank said. “I mean, you two missed out. You should go. You were part of this mission. You deserve.”
“That’s very nice of you.” Hal smiled. “But we have to get back now.”
“Or do we?” Dean held up the HG Wells. “We have all the time in the world.”
<><><><>
Ding.
Like a kid racing to get out of class, Joe’s hand slammed down on the alarm and he jumped up. “Thank God, this private quarantine is over.”
Immediately, Joe’s phone rang and he backed up to answer it. “Hello.”
“Joe, it’s Jason. Are you done with your quarantine?”
“I am.”
“Any chance I can get you to come back up here or I can meet you?”
“Not right now, I’m kind of busy. I can leave but with rules, Roy said he’s explain.”
“Can I ask you why you haven’t mentioned anything about your enforcer time trip?”
Nothing to mention. I went though and came back. Then we got caught in this quarantine.”
“So everything was fine?”
“If it’s changed, I didn’t see how.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t ‘hmm’ me. Everything is fine. I’ll get back to you.” Joe hung up then lifted the phone and dialed. “Hey, John. Did they land?”
“Yes,” John Matoose answered. “And they are on their way.”
“Good. Good.”
“Joe, any idea why Roy would want me to have them go to the back gate?”
“Roy wants them at the back gate?”
“Yes.”
“Probably so no one sees them. I’ll head out there and wait. I’ll call Roy and find out what’s going on.”
“You don’t think one of them has the bacteria do you?” John asked.
“God.” Joe said. “I hope not.” He ended the call with John, and headed from his office to the back gate.
<><><><>
Ellen took two more pain pills for her headache.
“Worse?” Andrea asked.
“Yeah, I hope they bring back ibuprofen.”
“And good news of the antibiotics.”
“That, too.”
“They’re on their way. Quarantine is not lifted yet, but Roy has had Joe and a few others in self quarantine. That way they can move around and we’ll be able to tell them where they can and cannot go.”
“So they confirmed three more?” Ellen asked.
“Just three so that’s good.”
“What about Frank and Dean. The quarantine. Can they get in?”
“They’ve been ordered to go to the back gate. That’s all I know. I can …” Andrea held up her hand when the phone rang. She answered it. “Ward.”
Silence.
“Are you sure?” Andrea asked, then softly muttered. “Sweet Jesus. Thank you. I’ll tell her.”
She hung up.
“Tell me what?” Ellen asked, looking at Andrea’s back.
Andrea slowly turned around. “Word from our fill in top mind. We were right. There is a carrier.”
“Oh my God. Do we know who?” Ellen asked.
Andrea nodded. “Danny Hoi.”
<><><><>
“Down the back gate,” Joe ordered. When he heard the buzz that the perimeter was down, he walked to the gate and swung it open wide so the truck could pull through.
He waved pleasantly as they drove by and stopped, then Joe closed the gate.
Frank was the first to step out, followed by Dean and Henry. Frank immediately went to the back of the truck. “We got lots of stuff. Wait until you see.”
“Frank got tons of stuff,” Dean said. “You’ll love it.”
“Look.” Frank held up a large purple, ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ shirt. “For you.”
“Wow. Thanks. How fitting.”
“How do you know, you didn’t try it on.”
“I was just saying…”
“Put it on.”
“Later, I …”
“Dad, please, put it on. I got you a gift.”
“Frank, I …”
“Dad.”
“Fine.” Joe pulled the shirt over his head.
“That looks good on you.”
“I’m sure.” Joe looked beyond Dean and Henry. “Where’s Hal and George?”
“We were told they could hang back,” Dean said. “Is there a reason the town is under quarantine?”
“They’re testing everyone, until then, we’re on lockdown. I’ve been cleared because I have been cooped up for three hours. So … did it work?”
Dean nodded. “We got the antibiotics. Well, not yet, we need to go get them, but they’re ordered.”
“That’s great news,” Joe said. “Other than that. How was the trip?”
“Excellent,” F
rank answered. “It was fun.”
“Fun.”
“Yep.”
“Joe, Vegas was a blast,” Henry said. “Thank you for letting me go.”
“Henry met a girl.” Frank said.
“Did you now?”
“I did, but I didn’t say a word to her, Joe.” Henry held up his hand and spoke rapid and excitedly. “I swear. And we were all good, Joe. We were really good.”
“We stuck to the mission,” said Dean.
“Didn’t break the rules,” Frank said.
“Is that so?” Joe waved them in. “Come closer. Closer.”
“Are you gonna kiss us?” Frank asked.
“No,” Joe said calmly. “Did you three know that Jason came up with an assurance? A plan to make sure we know if you three, I don’t know, say... screwed up.”
Frank pointed to Henry. “Him. He has the history disks.”
“I know that. It isn’t what I’m talking about. See, the reason your HG Wells was set to go back at an exact time was because Jason was sending me through the machine at the exact same time. It was all theoretical.”
“That way,” Dean said. ‘If we changed time, you would be traveling and know.”
“Exactly.” Joe nodded.
“Did it work?” Frank asked.
“Yes, it worked. It worked very well,” Joe said calmly.
“Oh, then we’re good.” Frank winked. “Everything is fine.”
“We’re good. I just…” Joe squinted his eyes, and scratched the bridge of his nose. “I just have one question.”
“What’s that?” Frank asked.
“One simple question. I want to know, and you’ll think this is funny, I want to know …” Joe faked a chuckle. Then his voice crept from eerily pleasant to hard, irritated and typical Joe. “What the hell did you three assholes do to time!”
<><><><>
NEXT UP: A NEW ORDER
The Strain Page 18