The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Whatever. That’s not me. So before you want to divulge in an understanding and you find yourself madly in love with me, I . . .”

  “Joe Slagel!” She gasped out. “How dare you. Sweet Jesus, do you think you’re some sort of Casanova that a woman won’t be able to resist you?”

  “For the integrity of the position I hold, I gonna believe the answer to that question to be yes. And use that as my excuse to . . . run.” With that Joe opened up his office door and bolted.

  ^^^^

  Frozen. Chester. People. Top minds. All whispered words that rose above the others and made their way to Dean as he worked in his lab. He tried to ignore the two cackling, low volume voices outside his door. But the more he thought they would end, they more the voices merged together and kept on going. Having enough, he walked across the lab, grabbing a phlebotomy tray as he went to the door.

  “So then I was thinking.” Henry whispered to Ellen. “I was . . . Dean.”

  “What about him?” Ellen asked.

  “Dean.” Henry motioned his head.

  Ellen turned around, looked behind her and shrieked when Dean was right there.

  Dean did a flash raise of his eyebrows. “Hey.” Dean closed his eyes when at the same time, in some sort of excuse for what they were doing, Henry and Ellen began to ramble fast. Dean couldn’t decipher their words, nor did he want to. “Stop. I don’t care.” He handed Ellen the tray. “If you want to investigate this delusional man. Go on. But get me some blood. Thanks.” He turned and walked back into the lab.

  Grinning, Ellen looked at Henry. “He is so smart.”

  “Yeah. And you know he wants to know. He just doesn’t want us to know he does.” He pointed to the phlebotomy tray. “His way.”

  “My way.” Ellen hugged the tray. “I’ll meet you at containment.” Happily and almost with a ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ skip, Ellen moved down the hall.

  “Afternoon Chester.” Chipper and perky, Ellen walked into his room. She winked at Frank who sat in the chair, then walked to Chester’s bed and placed the tray on the stand. “How are you?”

  “Miserable. You people are holding me against my will and I have work.”

  “What uh . . . what kind of work” Ellen prepared the things in her tray.

  “You are beneath me and I do not divulge information to grunts. And that’s what you people are. The workers. Obviously with this gorilla watching me.”

  “Hey.” Ellen turned from the tray. “That gorilla is my husband.”

  “Figures.” Chester saw the needle she held. “I certainly hope you have had some sort of professional train . . . ow!” He shrieked. “Aren’t you supposed to . . . ow . . use a . . . ow . . Tourniquet when you . . . ow!”

  Frank grinned.

  ^^^^

  “Here, Dean.” Ellen slammed the tray of blood in front of him. “I’m done.”

  “What’s wrong? Talk with the new guy not go good.”

  Ellen lifted her bangs from her eyes then tossed about her hair. “Let’s just say . . . Wait until I get him in containment.”

  Dean laughed. “That bad?”

  “Yeah. But I don’t think he’ll be rude with me again. I’m heading back to containment.” She gave a half wave and began to leave the lab.

  Dean looked into the tray and pulled out tubes, slowly, almost in shock, he called out her name. “Ellen?”

  “Huh?” She stopped in the doorway.

  “There are twelve tubes of blood in here. How in the hell did you get twelve tubes of blood from him.”

  “Arms, hands, feet, knees, and . . .” She smiled. “One little one from the groin.”

  Dean looked astonished at all the tubes on the counter. “Can I ask why?”

  “He pissed me off.” She turned and left.

  Dean whistled loudly as he glanced over all the blood samples he didn’t need. But he’d find use for them. He did have to wonder, if in all the torturous venipuncture Ellen did, if she questioned him at all about the ‘frozen top mind’ plan.

  ^^^^

  “Nothing.” Ellen plopped in defeat into her desk chair.

  “Shit.” Henry stomped.

  “He’s a prick.” Ellen stated. “He’s not giving any information. He has attitude. And people aren’t going to believe him. I mean, they don’t even believe you about the . . .” Her eyes grew wide. “Henry.”

  “You don’t think.”

  “I do.” Ellen stood up.

  “But how can we find out?” He asked.

  “He said he brought information.”

  “But that would be in his stuff.” Henry saw her grin. “That would be so wrong. It’s against the rules.” He watched her step closer.

  “Henry, you’re on council. You would have every reason to look. Concern for the community.”

  Henry let out a sigh. “But I would get into trouble if I got caught.” He paused then spoke rapidly and excited. “So we’d have to do it after two a.m. when the lazy town guard is on.”

  “Tonight?” Ellen asked.

  “Yeah.” Henry nodded. “Tonight. Can you sneak out without Frank knowing?”

  Ellen waved her hand and nearly scoffed in a nod. “Piece of cake.”

  ^^^^

  Of all nights for Frank to be snuggling up to her. Ellen looked at the clock it was near two. Yet she was trapped. Frank’s heavy arm draped over hers and his fingers intertwined with her own. He spooned behind her, head resting on her shoulder, foot crossed over hers. Ellen thought he must have known what she was planning. Why else would he pin her there like that, making it impossible for her to move.

  Slowly she spread her fingers, and pulled her hand from Frank’s. Her hand tingled from the lack of circulation. She grabbed his arm and lifted it slightly. Slowly, without even shaking the bed she slid out and dropped on to the floor, laying his arm back down.

  She made it. Tip toeing so not to wake Frank, she began to leave her bedroom.

  “Where are you going?” He groggily called out.

  “To the bathroom.” She whispered.

  “Why are you sneaking?”

  “I wasn’t, why would you ask that?”

  Frank sat up and turned on the light. “El.” He rubbed his eyes. “I can tell. Where are you going?”

  “I’m hungry. I’m just going to go downstairs now.”

  “I’ll come with you.” He flung off the covers.

  “No!” She held up her hands, screaming dramatically and immediately pulling up that fake crying sound. “Why Frank? Why! Why can’t I be alone to swim in a sweet substance to take away this pitiful pregnancy depression that . . .”

  “All right.” Frank shut off the light. “Be alone.”

  Smiling with a clenched fist and a thought ‘yes’ Ellen left the bedroom.

  Outside Henry paced, hands in his baggy pants, his shoulders hunched, he made miniature circles around and around. He would have heard the front screen door open if Ellen wouldn’t have been so quiet at it. He didn’t notice her coming out.

  “Boo.” She whispered loudly then giggled as he jumped.

  “What took you so long?” Henry tried to pass off that she startled him.

  “Nothing.” Ellen looked up to her bedroom window. “Let’s hurry, before Frank hears us.”

  “Oh he’s just gonna kill me if he finds out I had you out at two in the morning.”

  “Frank will never know. I’ll be back in bed before he even notices I’m gone.”

  Ducking the guard that walked the street, Henry and Ellen quietly made their way to the large silver building which rested in a line with the other storage facilities.

  Henry nervously fiddled with the keys for the door of the building without windows. He kept peering behind him to see if anyone was approaching or had seen them. His finger tips were numb from the cold. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “Shut up and open the door.” Ellen stayed close to him.

  Henry pulled off the padlock then entered his security code
in the alarm. “All they have to do is run a security check and they are gonna know I was in here at this hour.”

  Ellen shoved him in, then shut the door. “So what. John Matoose or Frank would be the ones who do it. They’ll go to you first. They won’t snitch.”

  “Let me find the light.” Henry felt the wall next to him and turned it on. “Look at this place.” He stared around the warehouse with cage-like storage bins. “This way.” He led her to the cage with all of Chester’s belongings. Once again, he fiddled with his keys and opened that lock. “This isn’t right.”

  “Quit being such a sap.” Ellen hurried inside, immediately dropped to the floor and unzipped the duffle bag. “Oh look. He neatly folded his clothes.” She began to pull them out, shaking them, going through the pockets, then tossing them. “Henry, check those tubes.”

  Henry apprehensive did.

  “Henry, he is a Bio-physicist.” Ellen pulled out a large blue text book. And read the title. “FUN WITH PHYSICS, by Chester Arnold Nelson.” She tossed the book aside. “He has absolutely nothing in here that has to do with the Garfield Project. What about in those tubes?”

  “Nothing.” Henry plopped on the floor. “They’re posters of cars. Old ones.” A little angry and disappointed he whipped the poster of the red convertible across the chicken wire cage. As he reached over to pick it up he noticed the back of it. “This isn’t right.”

  “What’s wrong?” Ellen crawled over.

  “The back of this poster.” Henry picked it up and ran his hand across. “I know this paper.” He brought his finger and thumb to the corner of the poster and fiddled with it, it began to peel apart. “Bingo.” He pulled on the poster as it separated from the paper Henry recognized. “Check the other one.”

  Ellen grabbed the second poster. “This is one, too. What is this?”

  “Plans to the community.” Henry held the rolling up blue prints. “I need to spread these out somewhere.”

  “Let’s take them.”

  “Oh, El we can’t do that.” He said, though not convincingly.

  “Sure we can.” She waved her hand at him and rolled up the blue prints. “Who’s gonna know? We’ll roll the poster part of these plans back up, stick them in the tubes, and if Chester notices, no one is going to believe him anyway.”

  Henry caught a twinkle in his eye. “For the sake of the community he really shouldn’t have these anyhow.”

  “That’s right.”

  “And if we find the frozen smart people, then the point of us taking these will be moot . . . O.K.” Henry rolled up his plan. “Let me grab the other one, and we’ll get the hell out of here and look at these back at my house.”

  “Do you know how to read these?” Ellen asked.

  “Oh, sure. Yeah. I think. I’ll try. Let’s go. We don’t have much time. Frank will know you’re gone.” Henry gathered up the stuff as quickly as he could. Not really caring, they just tossed Chester’s clothes back in the bag, figuring they’d blame any wrinkles on Frank. Leaving the things laying like they were, they hurried from the storage facility to Henry’s house so they could view the plans.

  ^^^^

  Ellen didn’t mind having to sneak back into the house, she planned on that anyway. What she did mind was the fact that she was cutting it so close. She was annoyed that she fell asleep during Henry’s anal examination of the blue prints. Spreading them out on his table one by one and going over them with a magnifying glass. Passing out would have been all well and fine for her had Henry just shook her and told her to go home. But he let her sleep until he realized how late, or rather how early it actually was.

  Slipping off her shoes before opening her bedroom door, Ellen bent down to check for light through the crease in the bottom. The room was dark. Slowly, without making a sound, she opened the bedroom door to the silent room. Ellen was relieved. Frank was still asleep. Ellen . . . was wrong.

  The bedroom light flicked on, brightening the room, and Frank, who laid on the already made bed, fully dressed. He face was stern, his jaws twitched as he glared at her. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Hi Frank. Boy you’re up early.” She fake stretched and unzipped her pants as she made her way to her side of the bed.

  “Answer me.” He stood from the bed. “I wake up, I see you’re not in bed. I look downstairs and see the light. I figured, hey, I’ll get dressed first then go down and tell you to go to bed. But what do I hear?” His hand flung out. “I hear the front door opening. It’s six o’clock in the fuckin' morning Ellen! Where were you?”

  “Frank. You’re overreacting.” Ellen grabbed the blanket off the foot of the bed. “Can we discuss this later?”

  “No! We’ll discuss this now! Overreacting?” He snatched the blanket from her. “My wife is sneaking into the house at six in the morning and I can’t ask her where she was?”

  “All right. All right.” She spoke trying to calm him, even though he did look sort of intimidating staring at her with his hands on his hips, gun in his shoulder harness. “I was with Henry.”

  Frank took a shocking breath. “Henry. You were with Henry?”

  “Yeah, we were out looking . . .”

  “That’s all I need to hear.” Frank snatched his radio from the stand. “I’ll speak to you later.”

  “Frank stop.” Ellen charged at him. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to see Henry.” Frank huffed. “Because this shit is going to stop. I let you two run around, chasing God knows what. But the line has been crossed. No more Misfits of Mystery, El. No more.”

  “You can’t tell me what I can and cannot do.”

  “Watch me.” Frank pointed angrily at her and stormed from the bedroom.

  Ellen jolted slightly at the slamming door. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed her blanket, and laid down for a little before she had to start her shift work.

  ^^^^

  Henry was on the final blue print. The one he had waited to get to. The one with ‘the wall’. Perhaps Henry should have viewed it earlier. But he wanted to wait. It was like he had to build the excitement to reach a certain momentum and he was now there. As he placed his mugs around the edges of the curling paper, three very loud, banging pounds came from his front door. Quickly, he rolled up the blue print and tossed it under his table. He walked slowly to his front door and opened it. Frank stood there leaning in the archway, arms crossed in the usual Frank manner. He looked angry to Henry, but then Frank was wearing his black leather jacket, and that always added so much depth to Frank’s intimidation. “Hi, Frank. Come on in.” He opened the door wider.

  “Up really early, Henry? Or were you out all night?” Frank’s words were sharp.

  “Actually.” Henry started walking to his living room. “I was working . . . shit.” He turned quickly on his heels to Frank. “It’s not what you think.”

  “It is exactly as I think.” Frank slammed his door. “What the hell is the matter with you?” Frank stepped to him. His voice loud but not at its highest level . . . yet. “Huh Henry? Do you realize you had my pregnant wife out running around this town at two in the morning?”

  “Frank look, I can explain.” Henry backed up. He knew that look on Frank’s face.

  “Then go on Henry explain to me. Explain why you had my wife running around all night.” He moved closer to Henry. “But let me tell you one thing. I like you. You’re my friend. But I am this close.” Frank’s hand made a sharp cutting action downward. “This close to beating the fuck out of you for putting her and my baby at risk.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right..” Henry saw a little of the glare leave Frank’s eyes. “But she wasn’t running around the whole time. In fact she slept most of it. We were working in here.” Henry pointed back to the table. “And she fell asleep. I got caught up in our work and I kind of lost track of the time.” He hunched up his shoulders.

  “What are you working on?”

  “I can’t tell you yet.” Henry noticed Frank’s vein in his tem
ple. And he had to stop that boiling point from happening. “But listen to me Frank. This is for real, and very important. It’s more important to the community than you or even Ellen and I, expected. And we’re so close to an end.”

  Frank began to calm down. “How close?”

  “Real close.” Henry looked him in the eye. “We are right there.”

  “Twenty-four hours.” Frank zipped up his coat.

  “What?” Henry chased him as he began to leave.

  “You heard me. Twenty-four hours, Henry. If you’re that close, end it in twenty-four hours. After that, I have to pull the plug.” He opened the front door. “This is my wife, this is my baby.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. Cause I mean it Henry, next time I won’t be so nice about it.” He stormed out shutting the door harshly.

  “Glad you were being nice, Frank.” Henry spoke to himself sarcastically. Then after shuddering off the air of mean Frank left behind, Henry returned to the blueprints.

  CHAPTER NINE

  March 5

  Joe heard it as he drew closer to Frank’s office door. That steady thumping sound. It was loud and slow. And the closer he came to the door, the louder it was. “What the hell is that?” Joe spoke out loud as he reached for the handle. Hearing one more thump, he turned the knob, opened the door, and stepped inside Frank’s office. “Hey Frank are . .” Whap! Taking him by surprise and beaming him in the head was a red rubber ball that Frank always threw about.

  “Shit Dad, I’m sorry.”

  “Frank.” Joe picked the ball up and whaled it back across the room at Frank, smacking him in his chest. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “I’m sorry.” Frank picked the ball up off the floor and shoved it in a drawer, trying not to laugh.

  “Christ Almighty.” Joe rubbed his head and grabbed a chair, pulling it to Frank’s desk.

  “So what’s up?” Frank sat back down, rocking a little in his chair.