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

by Jacqueline Druga

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  March 2

  Former Quantico Marine Headquarters

  Silence over a cup of coffee, only George wished he could douse his java with whiskey. The importance of the pending Beginnings’ time trip couldn’t be dismissed. The notion of what they could discover going into that particular time frame was frightening to George, especially since that one discovery could slow down his entire operation.

  Hand hanging up the phone, George peered up to Steward as he walked din the office. “Well?”

  “Checked and double checked,” Steward said. “I couldn’t find a single record kept that indicates trouble on that day.”

  George breathed out heavily. “Stew if this works in their favor, that phone call to Beginnings could very well be the last phone call we make to Beginnings in a long time. In fact, it could be the last means of free communication we ever do.”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  “Ellen quit being nosey,” Dean ordered as he sat working on paper work and became irritated as Ellen kept peeking out of the window.

  “They won’t let us over there. Do you think they’ve gone yet?”

  “No, not yet. And if you’re quiet you’ll hear them. Now work.”

  “All right.” She folded her arms with a stomp and walked over to him. “I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamt about that night up here.”

  “You too?” Dean set down his paper work.

  “Yeah, and you?” Ellen shook her head. “I have to blame it on Robbie and all his investigating. He must ask me ten times a week about someone else being up here. Now that has gone and imbedded it in my subconscious. Now when I dream about the night, there’s someone else here, but I don’t know who it is.”

  “That is really odd El,” Dean spoke in a soft manner. “I had the same dream. He must be doing it to me, because I dreamt there was someone else here too. And we both know better. Only I know who it is in my dream and that’s how I know it’s a dream.”

  “Who Dean? Who is it that you see.”

  “Get this El.” He faced her. “I see . . .” Like a spring action, Dean’s hand immediately went to his temple and a painful, cringing look took over him.

  “Dean?”

  He flung off his glass then pressed his fingers tightly to his eyes.

  “Dean, are you all right?”

  “Yeah.” Still feeling the burning searing pain, Dean stood up from his stool, losing his balance when he opened his eyes. Everything was a thick blur.

  “Dean.” Ellen grabbed his hand from his face. “Is it the headaches? This is not good, it isn’t good at all. Something has to be . . .”

  “No.” Dean stopped her as she pulled him. “I’m fine. Really I am.” He shook his head, the pain started to dull, and his vision came back. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re scaring me.” She stepped into him, laying her hand on his face. “I’m worried.”

  “Don’t be.” Without warning he pulled her into him. “Don’t be.” Dean closed his eyes tightly as he held on to her, not wanting her to see the concern or worry he himself was having a hard time controlling.

  ^^^^

  Henry handed Jason the black leather pouch. “Now I want this back. Remember, I am the keeper of these.”

  Jason took them. “And I am the key master,” he spoke deeply and standing tall.

  Joe walked up to each of them, checking for their weapons and gas cans. “Jason, you have the pendant?”

  “Right here Joe.” Jason took his place, last behind Frank, Robbie, and Greg. “Forrest, you know how to do this, right?”

  Forrest shook his head in disgust as he stood at the time machine. “You muck me suck Jay-soon. Da way you do note trust me.” He waved his hand at him then selected the program and typed on the keyboard. “And . . . here way go!” A dramatic final strike and the doorway illuminated.

  With arms folded, Joe watched the four of them disappear and the archway become normal. “Three seconds. One . . two . . .” On three the archway lit back up, this time, bringing not only the bright flash of light but rapid gun fire instead. A bullet sailed through fast, so close, Joe heard it by his ear. “Hit the deck!”

  Henry felt it as he dropped to the floor, seeing there a small section of his coal black hair. “Oh my God, my hair!” He lifted his head to see Jason darting in, Robbie next, running in backwards, and then Frank. Frank did not come in alone. He flew in holding onto a man and landing inches in a struggle by Henry’s head. Henry jumped up. Jumped up to be pulled back down by Joe when three more men in gas masks came in firing. “Shit!”

  Total pandemonium spewed about the lab. Frank jumped to his feet, holding the man he was pummeling as a shield. Immediately as he stood up, the man he held felt the bullet as it aimed for Frank and went into him. Lifting the man’s body, Frank tossed him into another; the force of the dead man’s body sent the uniformed guard careening through an archway that was no longer illuminated.

  Snatching the rifle from his assailant, Robbie swung it like a baseball bat, smashing him on the face, and sending him to the ground. As he stepped for the third, he watched that man drop from a single shot, fired from Joe who aimed upwards from his floor position. Needing to finish off the man he nailed with the rifle, Robbie lifted him from the floor, braced his arm around his forehead and shoulder then simply and with ease, he snapped the man’s neck.

  Frank picked the dead body from a uniformed assailant who lay past the archway covered in another’s blood. Furious and outraged, Frank grabbed him by the gas mask, ripping it off. “Breath our air you fuck.” Grasping the man by the back of the head, Frank careened him forward into the wall. Not letting him drop, he repeated his actions with feeling of angry happiness.

  Breathing heavily, Frank spun to take in the now quiet room. Henry and Joe stood up, looking in total shock, standing among the four dead intruders. He looked at Jason who held on to his bleeding leg, then at Robbie who breathed heavily as he gripped his side where blood seeped through his fingertips. And then at himself, he was just then--after the lowering of the adrenaline moment--starting to feel the effects of the gunshot wound he received to his own shoulder. Feeling even angrier, Frank blindly reached down to the floor gripping one of the motionless bodies. With speed and all of his strength, he grunted as he headed to the door of the quantum lab.

  “Dean?” Ellen sprang up. “I heard shots!”

  “Shit!” He saw Ellen run to the door. “Ellen you can’t go . . .” Slamming his hand down and worried, he followed her out as she ran straight to the quantum lab. “Ellen, wait.”

  “Something happened in there. They may need our . . .” She stopped talking and screamed when the quantum door opened and out flew a dead body landing at her and Dean’s feet. “What . . .” Then out came another, and another, then finally as the door opened the last time, she saw Frank. “Oh my God.” She noticed him bleeding. “Are you all right?”

  “No El, I’ve been shot.” Frank spun and went back in.

  Dean reached to Ellen’s arm. “I’ll go get the emergency kit at the lab.”

  Ellen nodded and followed Frank into the quantum lab. “Dean’s getting medical supplies.” She stared at the silent faces. “What happened?” She moved to Frank looking at his shoulder, then to Robbie. “You’re shot too. What happened? Henry, all you all right too?” She moved to him.

  “Aside that I almost got shot in the head and my hair is uneven, I’m fine.” He shifted his eyes to Joe.

  Joe was so silent as he stood from his lean against the table. “It could have been worse, I take it.” He looked at the saddened face. He saw Dean walk into the lab with a case.

  Dean felt the air of tension as he reached to shut the door. He didn’t know what to say. He walked to Ellen so they could start to assess the injuries.

  Joe began to pace. The disappointment that filled the room was so strong he hated to say anything, but he had to. “I need to know what happened in there. But most importantly .
. . . I need to know what happened to Greg.”

  “We were set up,” Frank said with a nasty tone.

  “Impossible,” Jason ridiculed.

  “I’m telling you . . .” Frank calmed down. “We . . . had to have been set up.” He closed his eyes reliving what happened before sharing it with his father.

  “Keep low.” Frank instructed when they stepped through the time machine on that ill-fated time trip. “Jason . . . you stay low and by the door, hidden in this grass,. You cannot be seen. Get it?” Frank got agreement then looked at Robbie and Greg. “We can do this gentleman. We have before. Our time may be slower because we have to be cautious, but we know this like the back of our hand. Now let’s go down there, get what we need, and get back home.”

  “And then we headed down.” Frank winced some in pain while Ellen bandaged him. “It went smooth. Just like the drills.” Frank looked up to explain. “We hit the tunnel, tossed the gas cans, and then . . .”

  “Time,” Frank called out when enough time was allotted for the gas to work.

  Raising their weapons, the three stepped into the fog. As it cleared they did not see what they had expected. Standing facing them was a wall. Not a wall of stone, but a wall of defense. Ten soldiers lined across, also wearing gas masks, held their weapons at them.

  “Retreat!” Frank backed up in a hast with his brother and Greg as the first shots began to fire at them

  They ran fast back to the starting point. They could chance tuning back to fire in defense but they couldn’t chance losing any of them.

  The ten soldiers followed them diligently but had a hard time keeping up with them. As they made it to the hatch, Frank waited for Robbie and Greg to climb up first and he brought in the rear.

  “O.K., you booked out,” Joe said trying to understand. “That was the plan.”

  “Not entirely,” Jason intervened. “Book, yeah. Get chased . . . no. I saw them coming. Running. Being chased . . .”

  “Get ready!” Robbie called to Jason. “Get it ready!”

  Running in a hunching line, side by side they picked up even more speed feeling confident they had the edge over the soldiers that chased them in the tunnels. They . . . were wrong.

  Up from the high grass, along the grade the led up to the site, rose another squadron of men. The gunfire grew rapid. Frank waved his hand at Jason knowing they were seconds from him. “Fire her up.”

  Jason, confused and hand shaking, be began to depress Henry’s birthday into the pendant. The third number into it, he felt the burning pain into his thigh as a bullet had nailed him. Hitting the last number, the doorway lit up and he heard another close shot. As it flew passed his head, he felt his body being shoved by Robbie thorough the time machine door.

  “You’re leaving out the most important factor. What happened to Greg?” Joe asked then looked to Frank. “Frank?’

  Frank peered up.

  “Greg!” Frank was ready to step through when he saw Greg go down. “Greg!” Stepping back to get him, Frank was sidelined by a soldier who dared to physically accost him. Trying to spin the soldier from him in his race against the seconds to get Greg, three more dove forward and in Frank’s struggle, he stumbled through the archway.

  “End of story,” Frank said then checked out his bandaged arm. “Thanks El.” He gave her a smile. “So you see, Dad? I swear we were set up.”

  “No.” Joe shook his head. “Impossible. They were heavily guarded and we just didn’t know that. But you tried, you boys did a good job and you tried.” He walked up to Robbie patting his son on the cheek. “Cheer up. So we can’t go this route. After you heal, Robbie, you get motivated go get the supplies and we’ll begin the assassin squads. Only you’ll have to do it without that map we so much wanted.”

  Robbie raised his eyes. “We lost Greg, Dad. We lost Greg.”

  Saddened, Joe took in the silent lab. He turned to Henry who also had his head down. “You sensed this.”

  Henry shook his head. “Not this Joe. Not this. Something is just not right about what happened. And now . . . and now . . .” He lowered his head again. “And now my hair is crooked Joe.”

  A sudden outbreak of moans occurred, yet they weren’t all bad, something about Henry’s emotional vanity sparked the tension reliever they needed, even if briefly. But over the moans an oddity occurred. The radio hissed and Frank’s name was called.

  “Frank, come in. Frank, are you there? This is Steve at Tower.”

  Frank looked around for his radio that he had left in the lab, he spotted it on the counter and he walked to it picking it up. “Yeah tower. What’s up?” Frank was dreading it being bad news.

  “Something odd is happening . . . Frank . . .” Steve paused. “There is a man and a child at the front tunnel gate. He says . . . he says he’s Greg, Frank. But isn’t Greg with you?”

  Frank’s eyes widened as he lifted his head to everyone that suddenly sprang up. “Tower, keep him there. We’re on our way.” Bolting without hesitation for the door, Frank only paused to grab a set of jeep keys. Looking at the number on it, he jumped in the correct jeep and started to drive before Robbie and Joe barely made it in the jeep with him. He pulled away with a screech, not noticing or waiting for everyone else who followed in another jeep right behind him.

  ^^^^

  The twenty-something man had surpassed the age of forty. Stockier than he was when he walked through the time machine, Greg was in good shape. And it was definitely Greg. His hands shook as he brought the mug of coffee to his lips. He sipped it then took bite of the biscuit Joe had given him. “This is very strange for me.” He spoke, his voice sounding different, worn, unlike it had been. “It was only a little bit ago that you saw me. It’s been too many years since I saw any of you.” His eyes shifted to the floor where Ellen was helping the little boy eat. “That’s Devon. I found him during the plague. We’ve been living in Canada. I went there to a very remote spot. I didn’t want to relive the plague again, so I thought it best to relive it somewhere secluded. I couldn’t come back here earlier. If I did, you wouldn’t believe me, so we waited until this day and the right time. Actually . . .” Greg sipped his coffee again. “Actually we’ve been camping out for about three days just outside in the woods. Luckily I know where Robbie sets his traps.”

  Joe edged closer. “Greg. What happened? Frank, Robbie, they thought you were dead. You didn’t make it back through.”

  “Yeah I know. Imagine my horror when I saw the archway close and I watched them all go through. But the thing was, I got shot in the leg and fell into the grass.” Greg rubbed his leg. “The other soldiers never saw me. They withdrew and went back. My leg wasn’t that bad. I hung out up in the fields until it started to get dark. Then I remembered, you know, after I started feeling sorry for myself. I remembered I can come back to Beginnings. It was just going to take a long time. So knowing I was there and knowing I was stuck, I thought I’d make the best of it because I had one thing working in my favor.”

  Frank folded his arms as he listened intently. “What is that?”

  “I know Beginnings like the back of my hand. Even if they had guards running about, I knew how to get about. And I did. I started thinking, even though it would be years to me, if I could get you the information and return to Beginnings on this day with it. There would been no time lost, for you of course. So knowing the tunnels as well as I do, I took the round about way, to make my way down to the cryo lab. I had it all planned. I would set off a can of gas, run in there and grab the information, and head my ass out of there. But I never went to the cryo-lab. I never went in there.”

  Joe understood. “It was a good try though Greg. We appreciate your efforts. I suppose they caught you.”

  “No Joe.” Greg shook his head. “The whole point of the time trip was to get information that not only could lead us to the scientists and their whereabouts, but why they want us so badly. Right?” He saw them all shake their heads. “Well I have that for you Joe. I got that for you.”


  Joe sprang up from his lean. “You what? Where? Is it in your bag?”

  “No.” Greg stood up, and walked to the door. “I need you guys to come with me. It’s too big.” He opened Joe’s office door. “And Henry, bring your tools.”

  Greg’s voice echoed in the damp dripping tunnels. He was the only who spoke as they walked. “I knew that I would have a hard time remembering after all the years so I marked it.” He shined his flashlight. “Let’s hope it’s still here, if not, I know it’s around here.”

  Thinking Greg may have spent too much time outside the walls, Frank followed with apprehension. “Why are we at this end of the tunnels Greg? There is nothing here.”

  “Oh I beg to differ, Frank.” Greg stopped and smiled widely as he faced the six men who stopped with him. “Look.” He shined the flashlight on the concrete wall. The beam stopped center and it shone on a brown ‘X’. A small arrow pointing right was beside it. “This is it.”

  Hating a repeat of the year before Joe ran his hand on the ‘X’. “A wall.”

  “Yep,” Greg nodded. “Henry, do you remember how you opened the last wall?”

  “Yeah I do.” Henry set his tool bag down. “Is there something behind this wall Greg?” He grabbed the proper tool and moved to the wall. “Another lab?”

  “Let’s say your answers...”

  Henry, knowing everyone was waiting with anticipation felt for the creases between the concrete. “If this opens . . .” He grunted placing the large screwdriver high and into the crease. “This should trigger the . . .” The floor shook and sounding like a stampede, the rumbling started. Dropping the screw driver, Henry stepped back, arms extended, and he joined the other men who watched. Watched as the wall slowly not only slid open to the right, but another section slid open to the left exposing a deep, dark room.