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

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Ellen?” Dr. Gafsky noticed her face growing paler. “Are you all right?”

  “You know what? No.” She lifted her head. “I feel like shit. Those breakfast protein bars that Josephine makes. I never could eat them” She stood up from her stool. “Would you mind if I left you for a few minutes. Dean gave me some stomach stuff. It’s in my bag in my room.” She pointed her thumb back.

  “Do you need me to go with you. You don’t look well.”

  “No, that’s all right. I can find my way.” Ellen walked to the door. The short walk to the elevator seemed like a mile to her. Dizziness started to happen, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before she’d have to do it--vomit. She stepped into the elevator hoping the movement of it wouldn’t set her off right there and then. With a trembling hand she reached for her floor button, without looking she pressed. Without knowing she pressed seventeen.

  Mistake . . .

  Ellen stepped out. It only took a second for her to know she had stepped onto the wrong floor, and possibly stepped into something she wasn’t supposed to see. Realizing that it didn’t appear to be the useless floor Joanna mentioned, Ellen let the elevator go.

  “No.” Ellen whispered in disbelief as she walked down the long hall whose walls were made of glass. The dangling wires as far as the eye could see, the massive amounts of cryo suits laying about, computers, monitor panels, all horrifically told her the truth. By the amount of digital life signal displays, the number surpassed three hundred. Just as Ellen wondered how they cured all those people from the plague when they awoke, she spotted it. That recognizable small blue bottle. She picked it up from the edge of the table it sat on. She read the label, written in Dean’s handwriting ‘Hope’. That was the name they had given to the virus anti-serum. But one bottle wouldn’t have done it. All she had to do was look through the glass. And she did.

  Blue bottles and syringes sprawled out across the floor. Her and Dean had made such a huge amount of anti-serum that they had filled at least a hundred bottles. And it appeared to Ellen that fifty were laying on the floor of the huge cryo-lab.

  Knowing they had stolen from Beginnings, Ellen grabbed an empty blue bottle of and placed it in her pocket . As she started to leave the floor. She stared around looking for anything, papers, computer print outs, something that would tell her who the newly unfrozen masses were. Nothing but the bottles remained. It had to be on another floor.

  Not wanting to take a chance on someone noticing the elevator bouncing from floor to floor, Ellen took the stairwell. She raced quietly down one flight to the next floor. Opening the door only a crack, she peeked in the hall--empty. Slipping by, like some sort of spy, she set foot on a floor that contained a bright lab. Through the glass window she saw only one man working, Dr. Rice. Her heart dropped and so did she, when the lab door opened. Dr. Rice walked out, reading off a clipboard, straight to the elevator. He blindly pressed a button and waited.

  Ellen shot her foot out sideways to stop his door from closing. Her leg cramped waiting for Dr. Rice to step aboard his elevator. When he did, Ellen quickly got up, and raced inside. Keeping as low as she could, she ran to his computer to view his screen. The blinking curser at the end of the line highlighted the word ‘Yes’. The question before it read ‘Begin embryonic sequencing program?’

  “Shit.” Ellen turned away. “They’re making more.” As her back bumped into the computer she saw eight cases. She recognized the type. Hanging from each one was a clipboard. Knowing she had a chance before Dr. Rice returned, and knowing she had evidence to get, Ellen made a fast sweep around the room. With each pass of a case she swiped the last sheet from the clipboard, tucked them in her shirt then bolted from the lab straight to the stairwell. Back to the floor she was supposed to be on was not an option, Ellen raced down.

  On the next level she cracked the door slightly, peeked out, saw empty and dashed to that level.

  Ellen froze. Multitudes of people, men and women, all straggly, roamed the halls, up and down as if they were zombies. Blankly staring, continuously moving. Before she could determine that she had seen enough, Ellen heard the click and felt the cold hard metal press to her temple. She didn’t need to turn around to know what was touching her.

  “Seen enough?” The deep male voice asked. His fingers painfully pinched her skin as he gripped her arm. “We think you have.”

  ^^^^

  Frank stood shirtless before the tree he was victimizing. Swinging down the ax with great force, like a batter going after a low pitch. He grunted loudly and throaty with his every hard hit connection to the unsuspecting bark. Steady and strong wore his strikes, determination across his hard face. A mission to complete. With a final crack, the tree tilted and began to fall. Frank stepped backwards, placed one hand on his hip and leaned on the ax handle. He spoke softly out loud.“ Fuckin' timber.” He watched his conquest fall to the ground.

  “Poor tree.” Dean pointed. “However, I don’t think, as your doctor, cutting down trees is good for your arm. There’s too much of a risk for infection.”

  Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Frank reached to the ground for his water. He took a large drink, swished the fluid in his mouth, spit it forcefully to the ground then wiped his mouth. “Well I have to be up here. I’ve been banished so I don’t kill anyone.”

  “Frank, you know, if this Ellen situation has you feeling like this . . .”

  “How am I supposed to feel Dean?” Frank asked harshly in anger. He breathed heavily as he peered at Dean. “My wife is hundreds of miles away with strangers. What am I suppose to do? I can’t help if everyone thinks I’m wrong for . . .”

  “I’m not saying you’re wrong Frank. Not at all.” Dean tried to reason with Frank. “I want to talk to you about this.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Frank grabbed his stuff from the ground.

  “Fine Frank, but listen to me.” Dean continued in his argument. “If you’re feeling this strong maybe you should stop and figure out what it is your feeling, and why?”

  “I said . . .” Frank stopped directly in front of Dean as he walked through the gate. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Frank roughly put his tee shirt back on. “Especially with you.” He walked away never stopping, never looking back at Dean who remained.

  ^^^^

  Miguel knew it was going to be a short trip to Colorado. Of course the fact that three armed guards came and escorted him back to his room told him quite a bit. The door to his and Ellen’s room opened and they shoved him inside, shutting the door.

  The moment he stepped inside, Ellen stood from the bed. “Miguel.” She spoke his name like a relief.

  “What is going on?”

  “Oh God.” She seemed frazzled. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I got us into such a mess.”

  “What’s happening Ellen? They took my gun.” He placed his hands on her shoulders.

  “Here.” She slipped her hand inside her shirt, then quickly pulled it out and stepped back when their door opened.

  Joanna walked with arrogance in the room. “It appears Mrs. Slagel, that you’ve taken a little tour of your own.”

  “So what?” Ellen rushed to her with attitude. “I didn’t see anything.”

  Joanna laughed at her. “Right Ellen. You do know now that you and your lover are now permanent guests, don’t you?”

  “You can’t keep us here. I really think we’ll be missed. My father is coming . . .”

  “I will handle your father when he gets here.” She leaned closer to Ellen. “If you want to save yourself, you may want to consider telling us where the embryos are in Beginnings.”

  “Are you threatening me? Fuck you.”

  With a hard slap, Joanna’s hand connected with Ellen’s face. She however, did not expect what she got in return, Ellen, immediately struck her back. But Ellen didn’t slap, Ellen punched. And Ellen’s hard thrown hit was followed by her little body barreling into Joanna and knocking her to th
e ground.

  Before Ellen could strike her a third time, a guard, easily lifted Ellen, and another held a gun to Miguel to keep him back.

  Joanna picked herself up, and straightened her clothes, trying not to look shaken. “The embryos, Ellen.” She and the guards left, locking the door behind them.

  Ellen raced to the closed door, banging herself into it in frustration and anger. “Shit.” She hit the door with her hand. “Can you believe she slapped me? I hate her.”

  “Ellen, calm down.” Miguel pulled her away from the door. “We’ll get out of this mess. I promise. What happened?”

  Ellen grunted loudly. “Wait until you see what I saw. Here.” She reached her hand into her shirt and pulled out a bunch of paper. She started to unfold them, reading them as she did. “Oh, shit.” She handed the first one to Miguel. “Check it out. Baby farming. Looks to me like their building up a new world.” She handed the rest of the papers to Miguel. “And they ripped off Dean. They stole all the anti-serum.” She reached in her pocket and tossed him the blue bottle.

  Miguel held it in his hand. “Why did they need this?”

  “For all the new people they defrosted. My guess . . . get this . . . over three hundred.”

  “The guards.” Miguel spoke in awe and placed the bottle and the paper aside. “This could be bad for Beginnings. The guards, Ellen. Have you noticed. They’re cold. They stare forward. They don’t speak. Trained, well trained military.”

  “So.” Ellen wasn’t fazed. “A few guards so what?”

  “So what?” Miguel rushed to her. “What if all those people they defrosted were trained military. Used for protection, a safe guard just in case they need them. Good thinking in a world gone bad. We have to get home. We have to find a way out of here. Maybe hide out somewhere near the highway until we spot Joe and George. Warn them. If they have three hundred soldiers . . .”

  “Maybe they aren’t all soldiers, Miguel. They have cases of sperm. Ovum. Embryos. Maybe some of them are women to bear these children. Somebody has to.”

  “Does it really matter? These scientists are well on their way to executing their little master plan. And Ellen. It can’t be good.” He walked to the door and turned the locked handle. “They’ve got us.”

  ^^^^

  It was warm in his dream. The sun was bright as Dean stood on top of a high hill. He was in Colorado. He knew that hill, having been to Colorado Springs many times when he was in the military. It was a tall hillside, looking over the outskirts of a bigger city. The trees that surrounded him shaded the sun, and gave a comforting cool breeze. The town below him was green. Almost too green. A city disappearing within the wilderness. “Ellen!” He called out from the hillside. “Ellen!”

  “Right here.” She tapped him on the shoulder almost startling him to the point of falling off the hill. “Boo.” She smiled and was perky. “Are you looking for me?”

  “Ellen.” Dean looked at her face. The wind whipping her hair about. He brought his hand to her cheek, his lips to hers. “You have to come home now.”

  Ellen giggled as she stepped away from him. “I can’t Dean.” She brought her fingers to touch her just kissed lips.

  “But you have to Ellen. You have to come home before they do something to you.”

  “I can’t Dean.” The smile fell from her face.

  “But . . . why?” Dean asked.

  “Because.” Ellen’s face grew sad. “I’m already dead.”

  “No!” Dean no longer stood on that hillside but center of a lab. Ellen lay on a table before him, her bluish body dangled half off the table it appeared to have been just thrown on. Her wide open eyes, held the look of death as they stared right at him. “No!”

  Dean awoke, flinging the sheet off of him. He could feel his heart beating in his throat as his feet touched down upon the floor. He rubbed his eyes as his elbows rested on his knees. Sitting there, Dean tried to sort through what was racing through his emotions. Was the fear he felt purely from the dream? As he stood in need of a drink of water, a God awful feeling hit him. One he tried to shrug. One he tried to pass off. But it burned in him and he didn’t know why. Why was he standing there, in his bedroom, in the middle of the night, feeling so strongly that Ellen was never coming back.

  ^^^^

  “Miguel?” Ellen cracked open a sunflower seed between her teeth. The handful she munched on was her dinner. They hadn’t eaten since the breakfast bar in the morning. “What do you suppose they’re gonna do with us. I mean, they aren’t gonna kill us are they?”

  “I don’t think.” Miguel savored each seed. He chewed them with appreciation. He was also glad that Ellen brought them and the rice cakes. “If they do anything, they’re gonna have to wait until Joe leaves, even George. They aren’t that stupid.”

  “But it’s scary.” She chomped on another seed. “Miguel suppose they do have all these soldiers somewhere. And suppose they get weapons. We’ve only got a hundred people in Beginnings. And these people know Beginnings well.”

  “I know. That’s why we have to make a run for it. Hopefully they’ll open up that door sometime and when they do, we seize the chance. There aren’t that many guards here. We can take them, then we head for the elevator, go to one and get out. Hide out, like I said, until George and Joe arrive. It’s only a few days or so. You think you can?”

  “I know I can.” She finished her last seed. “When?”

  “We’ll try tomorrow.”

  “And what about everything they have in their lab. All those embryos they’re making?”

  “We can’t worry about them. We have to get home. We have a warning to deliver.” Miguel dusted the excess salt from his hands. “Let’s just try right now to get some rest.”

  ^^^^

  Frank knew she stashed it somewhere. The only booze in the house. He searched every kitchen cabinet for it. He needed a drink. Something, anything, that might calm him down enough to sleep. Frank hadn’t slept more than an hour the night before, and it didn’t look as if he was going to surpass that on this night.

  Found it. It sat nearly filled, at the bottom of the cabinet that she used to separate the living room from the dining room. Frank had his glass already in tow. Carrying it for when he found the bottle. He poured some in the glass and replaced the bottle. He took a drink. It tasted old and he cringed as it passed into him. Frank swished the brownish beverage around the glass, debating on whether or not to finish it. He chose not.

  What was wrong with him, he wondered. Two days, that’s all she was gone. What was making him feel so nuts that he couldn’t even close his eyes at night for fear he was going to miss something. That inner feeling telling him something--but what? Did he just miss her that much, like everyone said, and his hideous mood was the result? Frank didn’t buy it. He wasn’t feeling depressed, he was feeling anger, he was feeling something much worse. He was feeling something he didn’t tell to anyone because they would think he’d lost it. He was feeling . . . genuine fear.

  ^^^^

  Friday night at the social hall was getting almost as bad as Saturday’s. The hall patrons staying later and later, even when they had work to do the next day. No one ever drank excessively. They came to socialize, drink a little, talk. But in the late hours, it was quiet in the hall. Everyone but Joe and Henry had gone. Even though it wasn’t Joe’s turn to clean up, he wanted to stay anyhow. Henry decided to help also, told Joe, he couldn’t sleep and didn’t know why.

  Joe washed, while Henry wiped up tables. Keeping busy, that’s what Joe needed.

  “All done Joe.” Henry tossed the rag at him. “Want me to wait for you?”

  “If you want.” Joe released the water from the sink. “I just have to dry. But I’ll tell you Henry, I’m not tired.”

  “Me neither. Hey, wanna throw some darts? George isn’t around to kick our butts.”

  “I can do that.” Joe quickly dried glasses. He stared looking far off as he did.

  “Something wrong? The thought of cha
llenging me frighten you?”

  “Nah.” Joe waved the towel at him. “Henry . . .” Joe’s hands rested on the bar. “Did you ever get that feeling that something was wrong, really wrong, and you just couldn’t put your finger on it?”

  “Oh sure, lots of times.” Henry sat down on a bar stool. “Why, is that what you’re feeling?”

  “Yeah.” Joe began drying his glasses again, his demeanor turning somber. “Yeah I am.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  August 14

  Ellen stood with her ear to the door, listening for footsteps. “Slowing down . . . they’re jingling keys.”

  “You know the plan.” Miguel moved her to the side and stood next to the door. “The guard will walk in first. I’ll take him out, then head straight to the elevator.” He leaned his head to her whispering. “Run fast.”

  “No problem.” She poised herself ready.

  Flush against the wall, Miguel waited. He watched with a fast beating heart for the door knob to turn. With the click-click, as expected, the guard stepped in. Not one foot inside, Miguel grabbed the unsuspecting guard by the collar. “Run Ellen.” With a crashing head butt to the guard, followed by a single blow to his face, Miguel tossed the man of the same height to the ground, lifted his revolver and took off after Ellen.

  Ellen looked back as she ran, relieved to see Miguel, he waved the gun at her to hurry. Her eyes lit and she slowed almost to a stop in her backwards run when she saw what Miguel did not. From a side room, two guards emerged, blind siding Miguel to the ground.

  “Go!” Miguel called out in his struggle, giving the two men the best he had. They didn’t strike him, they merely held him back. Miguel managed, but briefly to escape from their hold. “Go!” He slid the revolver on the floor as hard as he could to Ellen, it spun around and around as it slid quickly across the speckled floor to her.