“So you’re trained to fight these things?” Ellen asked. “Luke and Lancing were Level Two.”
“It’s standard,” Frank interjected. “Standard military personnel have to achieve a Level Two. They are not forced to go any further. We encourage all military personnel to have a Level Three but . . .” he shrugged. “If you have a desk job, why bother? Optimum suggested for fighting them is a Level Four. You can beat one or more of them at that level. They travel in small packs when they attack.”
“Wait.” Dean held up his hand. “You’re going on and on about training. What are they?”
“Dean,” Frank spoke pacifying. “I told you. Laboratory . . .”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Dean nodded and moved his hand in a ‘go on’ fashion. “What are they? You’re holding back. Lancing shut up.”
Lancing looked at Luke. “I didn’t say a word.”
“All right,” Frank breathed out. “I called them small predators in the old days. Now, they’re pretty big predators.”
“Shit.” Dean’s eyes widened. “Those are the grown up killer babies?”
“Hardly,” Billy commented. “Descendants”
Dean slowly directed a view to Billy. “Descendants? They have no viable sex organs.”
“Nope.” Billy shook his head. “Only to about age three our time. Then those little formless sex organs protrude big time. But they truly are asexual. The females need no male to reproduce. And they do, starting at age four, our time.” He looked at Lancing. “You’re not stopping me.”
Lancing was answer less. “Honestly, the Leps weren’t brought up in space time continuum discussion training so be my guest.”
Billy grinned. “Cool. O.K., so . . .” He pulled up a stool. “It was realized in your time when they started popping up everywhere.”
Frank decided to add. “Killer adults, killer adolescents, killer babies. A whole breed of families running around. And they move even faster as adults.”
“Life span?” Dean asked. “They age six times faster than humans.”
“True,” Billy answered. “Dr. Morrows came up with extensive research. She is fascinated by them. She estimates they’re in their prime at about five and a half years old then they start to fizzle, slowing down about seven, very catchable about eight, dead usually by nine.”
“So Marcus never lived that long,” Dean said. “Obviously that is where you got your data from.”
“Or you,” Billy shrugged. “Dr. Morrows ended up having year long research expeditions and having them captured, caged, lobotomized.”
Dean was puzzled. “Who’s Dr. Morrows?”
“You know . . . Dr. Morrows,” Billy smiled and spoke as if Dean should have known. “She said to wish you the best and wanted to be here, but she lives in seclusion as the doctor for the women.”
“Oh, yeah.” Dean nodded knowingly. “Dr. Morrows. Pass on my well wishes to her as well.” In a stock mannerism, he leaned to Ellen.
“I know,” she whispered. “Mental note. We meet a Dr. Morrows.”
Dean winked then returned to conversation with Billy. “How many are there now?”
“Dad could answer that better.”
“They’re a whole entire species and race, Dean,” Frank answered. “They multiply and spread out. We usually track them coming in. In fact, the attack today was unusual because they tend to hit small cities or rural areas. There’s less likelihood of being killed. And they attack frequently. Remember the Savages? They are the New Age Savages.”
“How are they surviving? They’re carnivorous,” Dean questioned.
“Animal life.” Frank leaned on the counter. “Dean, remember the grizzly bear in Beginnings? Remember how big it was. It was record breaking. Well, that, my friend, is normal now. Something happened.” Frank shrugged. “The air changed, less pollutants, I don’t know. Everything grows bigger including animals and when they get you, they tear you apart. Our biggest threat. They . . .” Frank pointed. “Are the reason we push extinction.”
Lancing grumbled.
“No.” Frank looked at him. “You said we can discuss Leps. I gave no more information. I won’t, but Dean can guess.”
Dean thought about it. “You’re pushing extinction because they are attacking everyone?”
Frank just stared.
“No. That’s wrong.” Dean tapped his hand on the counter in thought.
Ellen had a guess. “They attacked the women.”
Billy whistled.
“Oh, Dean we’re close,” Ellen said with excitement.
Dean ran through his mind everything that was told to him. “Got it.” He snapped his finger. “The reason you’re pushing extinction is because the women cannot carry a child. They can’t carry a child because of the sexually transmitted disease. One of them raped a woman and started the whole mess.”
Lancing groaned.
Dean grinned with an excited ‘yes’. He turned to Ellen. “El.” He pointed to his temple.
“Mental note made,” she nodded.
“So why don’t you wipe them out?” Dean asked.
Frank laughed. “Dean, it takes a lot of time and power to kill one. You have to shoot them at close range and into an open mouth. You, yourself proved you can’t burn them or freeze them. You can explode them with a nuclear device but . . .” He lifted his hands. “Who wants to go around exploding nukes? Even gassing them doesn’t work. They turned out to be exactly what they were supposed to be. An indestructible army.”
Dean laughed arrogantly. “I can’t believe you haven’t figured out how to kill them yet. You have had all these years.”
“You act as if you do,” Billy said.
“I may. Frank does. He’s the one that came up with it. Actually, sort of. Who knows?” Dean rattled on. “Frank, think back. Why did you stop using Marcus in your war games?”
Frank thought for a second and his eyes grew wide. “Because if he got hit accidently with the paint pellet, he got hurt. Burned.”
Dean nodded. “Henry had to do what in order for you to use Marcus again?”
“Reduce the amount of alcohol in the mixture.”
“There you have it. It might work.” Dean held out his hand. “Find Henry’s old paint pellet recipe, which I remember, thank you. Increase the amount of alcohol, paint the outside of every shell with it. In theory . . .”
Billy finished the sentiment. “They should penetrate the tough skin.” Excitedly he looked at Frank. “If this works, we can totally annihilate camps with some expert marksmen.”
Frank hurried to the door. “Dean, get on remembering that paint recipe. As soon as we reproduce it, we’re gonna test it out. I’ll be back.”
Biting her nails and shifting her eyes about, Ellen waited until the excitement of the room ceased. She spoke quietly. “Dean? I forgot we already had that figured out. I feel really bad.”
“No, need,” he murmured. “Just, you know, make a mental note and when we go back, we’ll fix our mistake. We’ll immediately tell Frank how to kill them.”
“O.K.,” she exhaled. “But what about all that happened?”
“El, please. Everything that went down is moot now that we know about it.” Dean looked up when he saw the eyes of Billy, Lancing and Luke were upon him. He just smiled nervously and reminded himself to stop slipping into private conversations with Ellen when people were around.
^^^^
“Bet I can beat you,” Dean said cocky.
“Please,” Ellen scoffed and looked down the long hallway before them. “You have a bum knee.”
“Bet.”
“You’re on.”
“Go.”
Lancing tossed his hand in defeat. “Doctors,” he spoke. “You can not intrude. That is the President’s office.” He mumbled, “Immature, assholes.” He shook his head and trotted to catch up to them.
Laughing, Dean caught his breath, “Lancing doesn’t see happy about . . .” He shut up when Ellen covered his mouth.
“Liste
n,” she whispered.
Frank’s voice carried out of the office. “Two platoons. Both ends of Hoi Road. One troop, one mile in from Beginnings, the other, one mile in before Freedom City. Your men are all LEP Level Four and that’s what I need until we produce and test the new ammo.”
Ellen spoke soft. “Who’s he talking to?”
“Let’s see.”
They stepped into Frank’s office.
Ellen froze. She looked at him from behind, standing almost as tall as Frank. His long blonde ponytail draped downward across the UWA officer’s uniform he wore. “Hal?”
He turned around.
Dean’s gasp was louder than Ellen’s. “Denny?”
“My God.” Denny stepped to them. Older, almost forty, the lines of his age graced his face with distinctiveness. He laid his hand on Ellen’s cheek, kissed her, and then embraced her. “I was hoping to run into you by chance. Dean.” He embraced Dean. “So good to see you.”
Lancing was disgusted when he entered the office. “I tried to keep them back, but they raced. I see you know Captain Sanchez.”
Quirky Ellen smiled. “Captain? You’re the UWA Captain now?”
Denny modestly nodded.
Proudly, Frank took Denny’s arm. “He took over for Hal when Hal retired into politics.” Frank cringed. “Sorry, Lancing.”
Swishing his mouth back and forth in irritation, Lancing nodded. “I expect, as President, you will put in a good word at my court martial.”
“Why do you care?” Ellen asked Lancing. “I mean, really. If we find out something we shouldn’t and we go back and change time, you’ll never know. So who’s the wiser if you just pretend that you are keeping time order?”
To a small lapel button, Lancing pointed. “See this.”
“Yeah.” Ellen replied. “What is that, some sort of oath?”
“No, some sort of recording device. Everything is monitored. That is why I care.”
“Sorry.” She turned back to Denny. “So, how’s Katie.”
“See,” Lancing interjected. “Look at you trying to be sneaky like that. He cannot answer. Stop that.”
Shaking her head, Ellen faced Denny. “Are you going to be at the dinner tonight?”
“No,” Denny answered. “I have my men to disperse for detail. I should be going. Really, we weren’t to see each other.” He leaned down to Ellen. “Thank you for all the support all those years ago.”
“Your mother would be proud of you, Denny.”
Denny only smiled. “Dr. Dean.” He shook his hand. “Be well. Frank, I’ll get right on that. Lancing, I apologize for placing you in any predicament that may cause you distress. I’ll make sure I speak on your behalf.”
“Thank you, Captain.” Lancing stepped from his way.
“Wow,” Ellen commented as Denny left. “He’s so strong. I’ll bet Joey is a wonderful UWA soldier. Or Josh.”
Frank glanced at a disgruntled Lancing with a smile and lifted his hands. “You have to give her credit for trying though.”
^^^^
It was a heads or tails call situation and Lancing would swear for the first time in his life he won the toss of a coin. Happily he bestowed the honors of monitoring Ellen’s conversation with Joint Council on Luke while he himself stayed closed to Dean. Dean was easy. He was alone most of the time.
Dean didn’t mind Lancing. Lancing seemed to be the only one who wasn’t taken by Ellen. He was curious about Lancing and found himself wanting to ask him questions. Lancing was about forty. Where was he twenty-two years ago? Dean was willing to bet Lancing was a Society soldier.
A heavy exhaustion breath accompanied Frank as he sat down in a chair next to Dean.
Dean raised his eyes from his drink, “Hey, Frank.”
He said his name with an exhale, “Dean.”
One of Dean’s eyebrows rose when he felt Frank give his hand a fatherly pat. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Pat my hand.”
“I don’t know. I felt like it. You look lost.”
“I feel lost.” Dean sat back in his chair. “This is going to sound really dumb. Ready? I miss my kids. I miss the Billy I know, my Alexandra, Josh, Joey, and Nick. I miss them. This Billy . . . He’s not the son I know, the one I chase around Beginnings pleading to do his school work. And . . . and I miss you, Frank.”
“You wouldn’t miss me if you had sat down and talked to me once these past four days.”
“There’s a reason for that, Frank,” Dean said. “This isn’t the Frank I know either. It makes me kind of . . . . I don’t know. Sad? Would that be the right way to put it?” Dean played with his drink. “My worst enemy. My best friend. You and I couldn’t be in the room for ten minutes together, in a single conversation, without arguing once.”
“I know.” Frank smiled at the memory. “A lot has changed.”
“No kidding. What’s up with the George Bush, kinder, gentler version of Frank.?”
“I’m old.”
“Bullshit” Dean snapped. “Joe . . . Joe, in the time frame you took me from, was a year, maybe two younger than you. That man was not old. He wasn’t kind or gentle, well, in the way people would depict kind and gentle. He’s crass, full of life, and verbally, not to mention physically, would knock anyone on their ass. And then there’s Hap. Hap was the Casanova of Beginnings. Seventy-six years old. Remember Trish and Mary cat fighting on the street over him.”
Lancing perked up with attention. “Sorry for intruding, but that sounds so funny.”
“It was.” Dean said. “Remember Frank?”
Frank laughed. “Yeah. Even I had a hard time breaking it up. Jenny was screaming ‘let it go, let it go, let the best woman win’. All over Hap.”
“Hap. And . . .” Dean snapped his fingers. “Josephine.” He turned to Lancing. “Just so you can get the most of this story, Josephine was pushing ninety in my time. She’s like maybe four foot ten, weighs seventy pounds soaking wet, fragile but Beginnings biggest . . .”
“Lush,” Frank finished. “She couldn’t lift her head off the bar after nine o’clock.”
“That was unless she got a man to take her home.”
Lancing, who had been sipping a drink, downed it. “She took men home at ninety?”
“Still does,” Dean said. “Every single night of the week. But my point is she used to fight with you. She’d zip that little body about Beginnings, maybe not fully clothed, and maybe not in control of her mental faculties, but she did. Remember when she tackled Ellen over the bouquet at your father’s wedding?”
Lancing lifted his drink. “I like this Josephine.”
Dean snickered. “She has her moments. But what I’m getting at is age has nothing to do with it. Your body may slow down, but it shouldn’t change who we are. I bet Joe was as crass at thirty as he is at sixty. Hap, bet me he was always the sharp tongued Casanova. Josephine, I’d give my life on the fact she never stopped boozing and slept around since she was sixteen.”
“Dean, I know where you’re going, but some people just change.”
“Not as much as you have. I don’t buy it,” Dean said, “not at all. You’re in there Frank. Did you ever get together with kids you hung out as a teenager? Remember the high school reunion when all of the sudden this twenty-seven year old boy is talking and acting like he was fifteen. I’m here. Why am I not bringing out the worst in you?”
Frank’s shoulder’s bounced in his laughter. “Dean, you haven’t been around me enough. If you are, trust me, you probably will.”
“Good. Let me ask you this. I’m curious. When’s the last time you said fuck?”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, stop it,” Dean stated. “You’re not pretending you don’t know the word that graced every single sentence you spoke.”
“President Slagel swore that much?” Lancing asked.
“He’s exaggerating,” Frank defended.
Dean’s shock verbally came out. “I am not and you know
it. Lancing, he used to sing songs all the time over his radio. Called it Frank FM. This man would sing popular, ageless songs and insert the word ‘fuck’ into it because he couldn’t speak without saying it.”
“Dean.” Frank shook his head. “Maybe I abused the word.”
“Abused?” Dean laughed. “No, you didn’t even know half the time you were saying it. Go on, Frank, say it. Let me hear.”
“Dean, I’m the President.”
“Do you think that makes a difference?” Dean asked. “You don’t think Reagan didn’t say, ‘Fuck the Russians’. You don’t think Bush didn’t say, ‘Fuck Saddam’. How about Clinton? You don’t think he said ‘Fuck . . .’” Dean stopped. “Knowing Clinton, he definitely did.”
Frank really laughed. “Dean, breaking the swearing habit was a very hard thing for me to do. I’m telling you, it was almost as bad as giving up the booze only without the physical side effects. I did it.”
“One time. Say it,” Dean taunted.
“No.”
“Frank, I know you want to. I know the real Frank has been dying to jump out from behind this aged exterior he hides behind. Also, this intelligent exterior you put up.”
“You don’t think I’m intelligent?”
“In all military aspects, you are a genius. In all other aspects? Sorry.” Dean shrugged. “No man gains that much knowledge through age. I’m your doctor. You got hit too many times in the head in one year. It would be an anatomical impossibility for you to absorb that much knowledge through all that scar tissue.”
“You’re baiting me.”
“Absolutely,” Dean nodded. “Can you add yet?”
“Dean.”
“Were you confused in the lab when the term ‘asexual’ was used?”
“Dean,” Frank stated.
“Did you find yourself wondering again, ‘a sexual what’?”
“You aren’t going to do it,” Frank stayed calm.
“Bet me.”
“Dean, you can’t. I am in control. I’m always in control.”
“I’ll get you to swear.”
The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20 Page 180