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

by Jacqueline Druga

  Sgt. Ryder handed Robbie his headset radio. “I’ve been monitoring this for you.”

  “And?”

  “There’s a buzz about town. About security.”

  “What are they saying?” Robbie asked.

  “Just that it was odd that you flew the three J’s and Hal to Bowman and someone spotted Joe out of his normal attire.”

  “Nosey fuckin people in this town. Nothing gets past them.” Robbie placed on the headset and fixed the ear piece.

  “Yes, well in about an hour it will all be going down and well on its way to being over. That’s not a lot of time. What could go wrong?”

  Robbie cringed.

  Sgt. Ryder looked oddly at him. “What’s wrong?”

  Robbie held up a finger and spoke into his radio. “Yeah, I’m back. What’s up?” Robbie closed his eyes.. “You heard nothing. Shit. All right. I’m on my way.”

  “Did I speak too soon?”

  “Looks that way.” Robbie picked up the pace to the awaiting Jeep. “Sector thirty two again. Henry sent two men up there this time.” Robbie jumped in the Jeep. “They haven’t returned. I have to get up there.”

  “You’ll need help. Do you have a man meeting you there?” Sgt. Ryder got in.

  Robbie fluttered his lips as he started the Jeep. “Are you kidding? No one will go up there with me.”

  “Don’t say no one.” Sgt. Ryder looked at his watch. “We have an hour. I’ll go.”

  “I appreciate it. Two of us can check it out a lot faster. Let’s swing by my office first to get armed.” Robbie drove off in the Jeep with a screech.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  “Goddamn it, Frank.” Joe griped, covering his nose as soon as they entered the wooded area near the base. “It’s an open invitation for him to get busted with this damn smell.”

  Jess pointed to his left. “It’s over there. We won’t smell it as badly where we’re setting up.”

  Joe adjusted the large sack he carried and looked at his map. “Let’s hope so.” He checked out the time. “We’d better get moving on setting this thing up.” He peered up. “Lots of tree where we need to be. We have four speakers and a de-scrambler to set up. Now which two of you three are gonna be my climbers?”

  Hal, Jess, and John all looked at each other. No one volunteered.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Robbie drove the Jeep faster back into town than he should have. “How much time?” he asked Sgt. Ryder.

  “Thirty minutes. We’re still good.”

  Robbie looked at his blood -stained hands. “You help me unload these bodies into the clinic. We’ll deal with this later. Jenny knows we’re picking up the kids. You go to the school and get them. I’ll get El at the cryo and we’ll meet at El’s to get Josh and then we’ll head out.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Robbie stopped the Jeep. “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “Henry.”

  Henry looked so serious as he slowed down and looked at the two body bags in the Jeep. He didn’t say anything. He just kept walking into the clinic.

  Andrea, Jason, and Johnny were in the lab when Henry knocked once on the door and then walked in. “I need two of you to go to the morgue now. We just got two more bodies from sector thirty-two.”

  Andrea, who was sitting, slowly stood up. “Get Ellen.”

  “Ellen is busy at the lab. Can you handle it?” Henry asked.

  “I think you should get Ellen. Two more.” Andrea closed her eyes. “Sweet Jesus.”

  Henry looked over his shoulder to see Robbie and Sgt. Ryder carrying in a body bag. “Look. Who’s gonna handle it?”

  Johnny stood up. “I don’t know what I’m doing but I will. Jason, want to help?”

  “Sure. I can use a change of pace.”

  “Hold it,” Andrea called out, stopping Johnny and Jason. “Don’t you two dare?” She faced Henry. “This has gone on long enough. Four men are dead. I thought Joe was wrong. We were wrong.”

  Henry was lost. “What?”

  “Andrea,” Jason said her name firmly.

  Johnny huffed. “Andrea, come on.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “We should have said something. Two more lives were lost in our silence. Henry.” She looked at Henry. “I believe if you speak to Ellen, she has answers and these senseless killings can stop. She knows who is doing them.”

  Jason stepped forward. “Andrea, I can’t believe . . .”

  “Ellen knows who is doing this?” Henry stared at the three faces. “Shit.” He stormed from the clinic lab. He saw Robbie and Sgt, Ryder walking back down the hall. Henry walked at a quick pace backwards. “Robbie, stay close. I might need you.” Henry bolted from the clinic.

  Johnny was red faced as he looked at Andrea. “How could you do this? We agreed . . .”

  “No.” Andrea held up a scolding hand to Johnny. “We agreed to keep quiet what we found out in her reports only if no one else died. Two more lives, Johnny. Two more lives. They could have been spared had we let Joe know.”

  “No, they couldn’t have,” Johnny shook his head. “You know that. We all know that. Those results were inconclusive.”

  “They were conclusive enough for me!” Andrea yelled.

  Johnny twitched his head in his hostility and barged from the lab.

  Jason didn’t show anger. That wasn’t his style. He walked slowly to the door. “Andrea, there were a lot of variations. I pointed them out. What did you mysteriously say to me a little bit ago? Today is not a day for mayhem. You prayed it was a peaceful day. With you opening your mouth, you may have just caused the disruption you so much sought to keep away.” Without saying anymore, Jason also left the lab.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  The area was pretty thick in the thirty yards off the side gate. Joe wondered, as he stayed in the small grade assembling the de-scrambler, if all the trees would cause some sort of interference, but little did Joe realize it wouldn’t be the trees.

  “Dad,” Hal whispered, keeping low and crawling his way to Joe.

  Seeing how his son moved alerted Joe. “What’s wrong?”

  Hal pointed up to Jess who was hidden in the tree.

  Joe looked up.

  Jess pointed south.

  First Joe closed his eyes then peered to where Jess indicated. Four soldiers stood lifting bushes and branches from Frank’s mass grave. “Damn it.” Joe clenched his teeth and looked at his watch.

  “They found the bodies, Dad,” Hal whispered. “It could mean trouble. Is this ready?”

  “Just about.”

  “Can we go ahead?”

  “We still have twenty-five minutes. What did Robbie say? Timing is everything.”

  “Yeah but . . .” Hal looked back over to the soldiers who started to walk back to camp. “Can Frank and Dean really take that chance?”

  “They’re gonna have to.”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Ellen knew time was short. Robbie would soon be down to the cryo -lab to get her. She had engrossed herself in her work to take her mind off of things and now she felt the rush to complete it.

  She had returned her specimen trays to the back room, and was coming out she saw Henry. He didn’t look pleased. “What’s wrong?”

  “Where’s the autopsy report, El.”

  “Which one?” Ellen casually walked to the sink and washed her hands.

  “Both.”

  “They aren’t done.” Ellen shook her hands of the excess water and, as she did, she saw Henry’s eyes move to the counter where she did her work. Did she and Henry see the paperwork on the counter at the same time? Paperwork she wanted to put away. Henry saw something he wanted because he moved to the counter with seriousness and Ellen flew to beat him there.

  “El.”

  “Henry.”

  “El, look.” Henry ran his hand through his hair. “Now is not to time to play games
. I need to know what you know about the killings.”

  “Not much, Henry.” Ellen spoke rapidly. “See we were running a lot of tests when Dean up and left and he is the . . .”

  “El!” Henry yelled then calmed himself. “Two more men were killed. Now, if you know something, you tell me. Now please.”

  “I don’t . . .”

  “Ellen, I have reason to believe that you not only know what did the killings but you also know . . . who.”

  “What do you mean you have reason to believe?”

  “Do you know?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll ask again. Do you know?”

  “I’ll tell you again. No.” Ellen’s eyes moved to the counter to the reports.

  Henry’s eyes moved there also. It was a race of reaches and Henry won, slamming his hand on the clipboard and lifting it.

  “Henry.”

  Henry didn’t think he’d understand what was written there. He thought he’d get no answers but he thought wrong. His eyes widened as he raised them above the sheet and looked at El. “How long have you known this?”

  “Let me explain something . . .”

  “How long, El. This is so wrong of you.”

  “What is wrong? That I didn’t release findings that are inconclusive.”

  “This says . . .”

  “I know what it says.” Ellen snatched the clipboard back. “But it doesn’t match up completely and that is why I didn’t say anything.”

  “I’m sorry, El.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Henry started to walk, grabbing his radio. “I mean I’m sorry.” He spoke into the radio. “Security . . .”

  “I’m sorry too, Henry.

  “Security, head to the school and pick up . . .”

  Crash!

  Ellen sailed the clipboard--hard--to the back of Henry’s head. It broke when it hit him, sending Henry to the floor and the bottom piece of the clipboard flying. Ellen dropped the piece she held, bent down, and felt for a pulse. Feeling one, and hearing the call of his name over and over the radio, Ellen bolted from the lab.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  George snapped forward with a concerned look on his face as he held the phone tightly to his ear. “What do you mean something is going down? Where . . . where did they go? When? Shit. You stay clear and out of sight and call . . .” George raised his eyes when his office door opened without a knock. Leonard walked in. “Call me back.” George hung up. “What’s wrong?”

  “We just found every missing officer that used to be stationed here.”

  “Where?”

  “In a shallow grave outside the gates, all with a single bullet to their heads.”

  George stood up. “Frank.”

  “Amnesia?”

  George tilted his head in confusion. “How did he get it past Dr. Morris? How did he fool a teacher from Harvard into . . .” George’s hand pounded on the desk. “Find Frank and Dean. Watch them. Surround them until I get there.” George walked around his desk to the door. “Get Chuckie on the phone and tell him to have the train ready. Call Nashville and have them send the other train.”

  “What’s going on?” Leonard asked. “Why the trains?”

  “Fate helped us out by finding those bodies. I just spoke to Beginnings. Some very key people left very early this morning dressed in camouflage. Something is going down and it’s going down now. We have to leave.” George stepped from the room, stopped, and looked at Leonard. “Move!”

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  “Henry.” Robbie raced into the cryo-lab as Henry moaned and picked himself up from the floor. “What happened?”

  Henry grabbed the back of his head and brought his fingers to his view. Blood laced his fingertips. “Ellen.”

  “Ellen did this? Why?”

  “Because Robbie.” Henry bent down to the autopsy results on the floor. He handed them to him and moved to the door. “She trying to cover up for him. Why, I don’t know, but we have to get to her and get him.”

  Robbie read the results. “Shit! Marcus?”

  “Looks that way. Come on.” Henry ran from the lab with Robbie right beside him.

  It was supposed to go as planned. How much simpler could it have been? This is what Sgt. Ryder questioned to himself as he walked out of the school, trying to figure out why Ellen showed up and snatched everyone up. Heading out into the street and to the Jeep, he saw Robbie and Henry.

  “Where are they?” Robbie yelled as he ran to Sgt. Ryder.

  “Jenny said Ellen took the kids.” Sgt. Ryder got in the Jeep.

  Henry jumped in at the same time as Robbie. “Did Jenny say Ellen got Marcus?”

  “Oddly enough, yes,” Sgt. Ryder answered.

  “Where did they go?” Robbie asked.

  “Jenny said they went home.” Sgt. Ryder started the Jeep and they drove toward Ellen’s house.

  ^^^^

  Binghamton, Alabama

  Jess hunched and hurried his way to Joe. “Joe.”

  “Done.” Joe brushed off his hands.

  “Joe, we have movement.” He handed Joe the binoculars.

  Joe peered through them into camp. “Christ.”

  How convenient and easy it was for George to learn that Dr Morris was at the lab building on the second floor. There was no knocking and no hesitation. George, along with one of the sergeants he brought with him, burst into the small office.

  Dr. Morris stood up.

  The sergeant extended his revolver point blank at Dr Morris’s head.

  George was gruff and cold when he stared at Dr. Morris. “Did you know Dr. Dean Hayes from Harvard?”

  “I, uh . . .” Dr Morris stuttered.

  “Answer it!”

  “Yes. I taught him.”

  George took a slow breath. “You have served the Society well. Because of that you have one chance and once chance only to save your pathetic life. Did you cover up Frank’s amnesia because you knew of the connection to the two?”

  The fear dropped from Dr. Morris’ face. He stood tall. “Yes.”

  “Shoot him”

  “Dean come on.” Frank beckoned. “Is it or is it not gonna work?”

  “I don’t know, Frank.” Dean shrugged as he filled the syringe. He capped it. “It worked on the rabbits and Lt. Murphy but it didn’t work on . . .” A single gunshot startled Dean and he dropped the syringe.

  “Shit.” Frank looked up when he heard the shot. His hand reached down for the syringe. “We have to get out of here.”

  No sooner did Frank speak those words and he and Dean moved to the lab door, it opened. Eight armed SUTs marched in along with one Society sergeant and Leonard.

  Frank’s hand reached quickly for his revolver. “Get down, Dean!” Just as he pulled it out, the SUTS swung their aim at Dean. Frank stopped.

  George walked in the room. “Put it down, Frank.”

  “Fuck you.” Frank aimed directly at George.

  “You have one shot at me,” George said calmly, “then you and Dean will go down. Put down the weapon.”

  “You won’t shoot Dean. You need him. And as for you . . .” Frank’s thumb pulled down the hammer. “If it’s between you and me. I’d rather die than see you walk.”

  “Don’t test me, Frank! Don’t!” George yelled. “You wanna try it? Go ahead! Put down that gun now or I will order them to shoot him.”

  Frank shifted his eyes quickly. “You won’t shoot him.”

  “Test me. Take that chance.”

  Dean breathed heavily, looking at the rifles all pointed at him. “Take the chance, Frank. Kill him.”

  “Frank, put down the gun now!” George ordered.

  Frank did not.

  George snarled and looked to his SUTs. “Shoot him.”

  The pumping of eight rifle chambers went through Frank.

  “All right!” Frank yelled out and looked at the aim on Dean. He released the hammer and lowered his arm. I
mmediately the gun was snatched from his hand.

  George pointed the gun at him. “Raise your arms. Now. And put your hands behind your head.”

  Slowly Frank lifted his arms. “Dean, between you and El I have surrendered enough for one fuckin lifetime.”

  “I didn’t tell you to surrender, Frank. You should have killed him.”

  “Then what? Go home and tell El I let them shoot you. No fuckin . . .”

  “Hey!” George yelled and motioned his head to a SUT. “Knock his big ass out.”

  Frank twitched his head, lowered his arms and, before he could react, he felt the butt of a rifle slam against the side of his head. Frank’s eyes rolled and his towering body crashed to the floor.

  George put the gun down. “Four of you men carry him and follow me.” He moved to the door. “Leonard, stay with him until Landers gets back here. Take care of that little fellow, Richie then use Lander’s escort to get to the train station and wait for the other train. We’ll meet you back home.”

  “Wait.” Leonard took a step. “Why don’t we just take them together?”

  “I need them both and I need to separate them now. I have more leverage with them apart.” George stormed out and the four SUTS picked up Frank’s motionless body and carried him out.

  Dean still did not move. He watched the four guns aiming at him and then Leonard turned to face him after George left.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Not often did Henry get so angry that his emotions took over and he became a totally different person. “Ellen!” he barged right into her home.

  “Henry.” Ellen came racing from the back hall.