“What?” Frank hurried back to check on the screen. “What the hell is that? An animal?”
Mark’s fingers clicked on the keyboard. “It’s not a SUT. Definitely mammal and about a hundred pounds.”
“Fuck.” Frank closed his eyes. “It’s either a fuckin baby deer or . . .”
“Ellen,” Robbie finished the sentence.
“Bet me it’s not fuckin Bambi.” Frank moved to the door. “Just when it was gonna be a fuckin glorious morning, not only do I have three SUTs, but I have Ellen heading right toward them.” He reached for the door. “Can anything else fuckin happen?”
A series of beeps rang loud, blaring and out of control rang.
Mark stood up. “Holy shit.”
Frank’s foot jammed down the gas as he shifted the gears of the speeding Jeep he and Robbie rode in. “Repeat,” he barked out into the radio.
“Six-forty-three moving steady and slow, like a wall,” Mark came back.
“Bowman, confirm.” Frank requested.
“Bowman Tracking confirms. They’re north between the two communities.”
“Dad, do you hear?” Frank asked.
“I hear,” Joe replied. “I’m at the Armory now. How many men do you need?”
“Move out four specialty teams and call out my guys from the barracks,” Frank ordered. “Tell Hal to suit up a good one hundred and fifty of his men and set one-fifty more for back up. Bring them in northeast. We’ll come northwest and meet . . . Mark . . . Give me a cut off center point.”
There was a slight delay from Mark. “At the direction their headed, I’d say sectors 32 and 33, Frank.”
“Excellent. That’s where we’ll meet them. Dad, tell Hal to stay radio informed. We’ll meet up there and form a front line.”
“Got it,” Joe answered.
“Rouse up John Matoose, Dan, and Johnny. Have them fire up the birds and be ready to lift in a moment’s notice. Inform Hal to take reigns until I arrive. Do not shoot unless they have to. I have to take care of this first.”
“I’m on it,” Joe said.
Frank stopped the Jeep and looked at Robbie. “When we get to her, you grab her and take her ass back into Beginnings. Can you handle that?”
“Yep.” Robbie picked up an M-16.
“We can’t communicate.” Frank jumped from the Jeep. “So keep in tune with me.”
“Always.”
“Security,” Frank called out, “down perimeter beams seventeen on the road.” He watched, waited, and listened. With the dismantling of the beam, Frank and Robbie ran through.
“Got ya, Frank,” Mark spoke over the radio.
“Do you see Ellen?” Frank asked.
“She’s dead center of you and the three SUTs. It’s a hundred yards both way. Well, now she’s further from you and nearer to them.”
“Fuck. Keep me posted.” Frank gave a motion of his head toward Robbie. “Let’s go.”
Fast and determined, both Frank and Robbie took off running.
With her arms folded tightly to her body to keep herself warm, Ellen walked on the uneven terrain. She complained in a whisper as she did. “Don’t kill me. No.” She complained, “Oh, yeah. I’m suffering from hyperthermia.” She shivered. “Now, as if they don’t think I’m insane enough, I have to find my way to the back gate and scream like an idiot until someone let’s me in.”
So their voices wouldn’t be a warning alarm to the three SUTs, Frank and Robbie ran without speaking and hoped that their pounding footsteps and huffing breath wouldn’t carry through too loudly in the quiet woods.
“She’s heading right to them. You’ve got twenty-five yards,” Mark announced in Frank’s radio headset. “She should be coming into your view soon. Ellen to SUTs . . . twenty yards.”
Frank’s face tensed up and he screamed inside with his determination to reach her first.
“Fifteen yards,” Mark announced.
“Where is she? Where is she?” Frank kept shifting his eyes through the woods. He knew he was on the right track. He just had to spot her before the SUTs. Come on, Elle. Where are you?’
Hair. Frank saw hair. It was Ellen’s and the tension breath he held was released. If she just kept her path and kept silent, he could get to her before she walked directly into the SUTs.
“Running?” Ellen stopped moving. Did she hear running? Slowly she turned and looked over her shoulder. She smiled when she saw Frank and Robbie rushing over. She wasn’t lost anymore. With her hand waving high in the air, she started running to them. “Frank! Over here!”
Frank cringed. Robbie cringed. Ellen had sounded off her location. Behind her, Frank saw the three SUTs coming through the brush of the trees,. He knew they spotted her when they raised their weapons. “No!” He charged with everything he had. Hoping against hope that Robbie was with him, Frank did the only thing he could do. The distance was still there between him and Ellen but it was a chance he had to take. Every ounce of speed and fortitude he had went into that instance and projecting his body outward, Frank lunged.
The ‘shift-shift-shift’ of rifle chambers froze Ellen and wide eyed, she peered over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the row of SUTs. She didn’t scream. All she could get out, in that moment she turned to run, was one word. “Frank!”
Wham!
Frank’s arm slammed across the front of her body with the powerful force of his entire two hundred plus pounds. Ellen sailed backwards right along with him at the same time gunfire rang out. They crashed hard to the ground with a long slide and billowed up a huge cloud of dried leaves.
Robbie had dropped down to one knee when he saw Frank’s connection to Ellen. He didn’t hesitate. With his M-16 already placed as best as he could in his left hand, he opened fire on the SUTs.
From his position on top of Ellen, Frank didn’t stop. He rolled from her into a partial stand, swung around his weapon, and faced . . . silence. Only a split second’s fear accompanied the look over his shoulder for his little brother. Frank’s head dropped in relief when Robbie stood up.
Robbie grinned that smile only he could do. “Am I cool or what? One arm, Frank. One arm.”
Frank grumbled then with a swiping hand down, he lifted Ellen to her feet. “What the fuck are you . . .”
“Frank, listen I . . .”
“No.” Frank stopped her. “I don’t have time for this shit. We’ll deal with this later. Robbie, get her out of this region.” He brought his radio to his mouth. “Dad, what’s our situation?”
“Our men are positioned and moving out the back gate,” Joe informed him. “Hal’s on his way. There are one fifty en route and one fifty on back up. ETA, four minutes.”
“On fuckin horseback I bet” Frank caught his breath. “Our infiltrators?”
“They’re holding a steady direction and moving at a slow pace.”
“All right, get them to pick up a double time movement. I’m on my way to the back gate. I’ll meet up with them,” Frank rattled orders. “Sound off the community signal to keep everyone in.”
“Not below?” Joe questioned.
“Nah. There’s only six hundred. We have air and ground. It’ll be a fuckin training exercise. I’m on my way.”
Catching her breath and still confused, Ellen watched Frank start to run. “Frank.”
“El, please,” he spoke as he turned and moved backwards. “I gotta fuckin war happening here, babe, and I don’t want to miss it.” With another turn of his body, Frank took off.
All of Ellen’s energy and focus on Frank was gone the moment she turned around and saw the lost look on Robbie’s face. Frank’s shouting that he didn’t want to miss the war only painfully reiterated to Robbie that he had to miss it. “Robbie,” Ellen spoke softly. “I can make my way back if you want to go.”
With a pout, Robbie shook his head. “I don’t think I’m invited to this one. Let’s, uh . . . Let’s go.” He laid his hand on her shoulder and started to walk with Ellen. But once more, with a little envy and sadn
ess, Robbie glanced back to see Frank disappearing into the woods.
^^^^
In a fast pace that Joe had going since he left the back gate with community sirens blasting in the background, he stormed into Tracking. “What do we have?” He pulled up a chair next to Mark and lit a cigarette.
“They’re still slowly moving in.”
“What in Christ’s name is going on?” Joe watched the long line of beeps on the screen. “I thought we were in a cease fire.”
^^^^
A disappointed ‘swell’ came from Robbie as soon as he sat in the driver’s seat of the Jeep. His eyes shifted from the wheel to the gear shift.
Ellen was going to offer to drive but she didn’t. “What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t think about driving when I’d said I’d take you back.”
“You don’t think you can do it?” Ellen scoffed. “Please? You?”
A half smile came from Robbie. “You’re right. What am I thinking? Just a slight panic.” He reached around and started the Jeep.
Ellen watched him shift the gear then grab the wheel, alternating the use of his hand and incorporating his knee as well until they had turned around and were headed straight back to Beginnings. “Robbie, I’m sorry.”
“For?” he asked.
“This morning and being out there. I guess you want to know why I was wandering around.”
“Did I ask?” Robbie shook his head. “No. You had a really good reason. You and Dean and them damn experiments.”
“Experiments?” Ellen asked.
“Yeah, you know.” Robbie glanced at her with a wink. “Why you were out here. You didn’t want Dean to know. That’s why you went out way before dawn.”
“Yeah,” Ellen said softly. “And um, how did I get through the perimeter?”
“Me. I thought you came back in. It’s my fault.” Robbie smiled.
“Robbie.” Ellen shook her head. “No. You and I both know that . . .”
“Is the way it went down.” Robbie strongly finished the sentence. “That’s the way it went down.”
“You’ll catch hell.”
“Better me than you.” Robbie gave her one more assured look then locked his eyes back on the road.
^^^^
“They stopped,” Joe spoke through Frank’s headset.
“What?” Frank’s running slowed down.
“They stopped. They’re just hanging tight about a half a mile from our people.”
“I’m almost there. I’ll keep you posted.” Frank started to run again. “Just make sure our birds are ready.” Begging in his mind that no action began without him, Frank towards Sectors 32 and 33.
It was an awesome sight to Frank when he arrived, one that filled him with childhood enthusiasm. Like a see-saw, with one end different than the other, a long line of men laid belly down with weapons ready. Their uniforms may have been in total contrast but their interest were not, UWA on the left, Beginnings on the right, Hal laid center and Frank joined him.
“Where’s Ryder?” Frank asked as he checked his clip.
“He’s bitching like a woman because I made him stay back,” Hal replied.
“Why?”
“Someone has to take the reins should I die in battle.”
“Yeah, right,” Frank scoffed in a low voice. “Are you gonna rub it in?”
“Oh, you bet.”
“This is so fuckin cool, isn’t it?” Frank lifted his head over the slight grade and shifted his eyes to the binoculars Hal handed him. “Thanks.” Frank peered through. “Oh, I see them.” He gave them back to Hal.
“They’re lined up.” Hal handed the binoculars to the man to his left. “And doing nothing. So what do you think?”
Frank reached into his pocket and lit a cigarette. “I think we should take full fuckin advantage of this situation.”
“Oh, I agree.”
“General consensus?” Frank asked.
“It’s the same on my end. Yours?”
“The same.” Frank tugged on his cigarette. “I don’t want to wait.”
“Me either. So how do you want to do this?”
“With six hundred men, there are many ways.” Frank tilted his head with a smile. “We can take them out by air. But, then again, do we want to disappoint our men?”
“I don’t want to disappoint mine.” Hal smiled. “I say . . . your men brought that heavy artillery. Why waste it?”
“Absolutely. Why waste it? Let’s blast a few rounds.” Frank shrugged.
“Send them scurrying . . .”
“On our call . . .”
Hal lifted his hand in suggestion. “We move full force ahead.”
“And engage in some fuckin old fashion hand to hand combat. Excellent.” Frank clenched tight to his weapon. “When?”
“Whenever you’re ready.” Hal suggested.
“I’m ready right . . .”
“Captain.” The soldier to Hal’s left called. “We have a situation.” He handed Hal the binoculars. “Take a look.”
Hal gave an ornery grin to Frank. “This could be it.” He lifted the binoculars and peered. The smile fell from Hal’s face. “Look for yourself.”
“What?” Frank questioned. “Don’t tell me they backed up.”
“Worse,” Hal said.
Frank looked. His eyes widened. Anger filled him and loud and echoing, he blasted, “Fuck!” when he saw, waving high, a white flag.
^^^^
It pained Ellen. Every single hard word that blasted from Frank’s mouth made her wince. Her eyes would close with each word Frank yelled. It was quiet at the breakfast table. Dean and the children were eating as if they didn’t hear I, but how could they not. Frank only had Robbie in the next room.
“I don’t fuckin care. Mistake? Mistake?” Frank screamed. “Whose life . . . no whose lives were at risk because of your mistake!”
Ellen raised her eyes. “Dean? Can’t you do something?”
Dean spoke passively, “What do you want me to do? Frank’s correcting Robbie. After all, he left you out there wandering pre-dawn looking for . . . um, what experiment of ours was that?’
“Dean, come on.”
“Fine.” Dean stood up, walked across the living room, and yelled down the hallway. “Frank? Can you stop yelling at your brother? You’re traumatizing my kids.” He jolted when he heard the bedroom door fling open with a bang. He stepped out of the way with the sound of the onward storming footsteps of Frank. “Thanks,” Dean smiled.
Frank grumbled. “Are you done with you fuckin Wheaties, Dean? We have to go.” He moved to the door. “Oh Robbie, before you post your ass back up at Tracking, apologize to our wife.”
“My wife,” Dean corrected as he grabbed his coat.
“No-no.” Frank shook his head. “Don’t even go there, Dean. I have witness after witness that heard you this morning.” He flung open the front door. “I’m in no mood for you to be welching. I got screwed out of combat this morning.”
When the door closed, Ellen looked apologetic to Robbie, then she glanced to her children. “Guys, can you go get ready for school?”
Billy looked up from his cereal. “We already are.”
“Well, change or something. Here.” She grabbed Joey’s hand and tugged him from the table. “Wash him.”
“Mother.” Billy raised his eyebrows. “If you’d like us to leave the room, just say so.”
“Leave the room.”
“Fine,” Billy said. “Let’s go, Joey.
Joey followed Billy.
Sliding from her seat at the table, Alexandra looked up at Ellen. “Can I go back to bed?”
“Sure sweetie, go on,” Ellen told her.
Robbie waited for the kids to leave and he pointed back to the door. “I . . . I really have to go.”
“Wait.” Ellen stopped him and reached out. She stepped to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you. Thank you.”
Robbie smiled and planted his lips to her cheek. “Hey,
it’s you. I’m behind you, El. I’m on your side, no matter what.”
Ellen slowly pulled back from him. “No matter what?”
“No matter what.” Robbie winked softly. “Don’t think for one second I doubt you or am against you. O.K.? I’d do anything for you. Know that and trust that.”
Ellen chuckled emotionally. “Would you even leave Beginnings with me?”
Seriousness struck Robbie’s face. “Why would you say that?”
Ellen shrugged. “Just . . . it just, you know, slipped out.”
“I understand.” He nodded and moved to the door. “And yes . . .” He stopped and looked back at her. “I’d even leave Beginnings with you with no hesitation. You go. I go.”
Ellen wanted to fold and cry the instant Robbie left. It took a lot to keep it in. Taking a deep breath, she had to remain in control. She had to fight to keep up the walls of the world she felt barreling down around her.
Knowing it was getting late, she headed to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. “Kids. School.” She turned into Alexandra’s room when she heard the whine. “What’s wrong?”
“I was just getting back to bed,” Alexandra said.
“Sorry, we have to get you to school.” Ellen sat on the edge of the bed.
“Mommy?” Alexandra sat up. “Why did Uncle Frank yell at Robbie like that?”
“Uncle Frank gets carried away,” Ellen explained. “He didn’t need to yell at Robbie like that.”
“Is it true you could have died today?”
Apprehensively, Ellen nodded. “Yeah, but Uncle Frank and Uncle Robbie saved me. It wasn’t Uncle Robbie’s fault. It was mine.”
“I’d be sad if you died. Grownups don’t know, but kids get sad when their mom or dads die. Look how sad Devon was when Greg died,” Alexandra said.
“And Katie.”
“What do you mean?” Alexandra asked as she slid from the bed.
“When Katie’s mom died.” Ellen explained, standing up.
“Katie’s mommy didn’t die.”
“Yes, sweetie, she did.” Ellen spoke soft.
“No, I saw her.”
The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20 Page 213