The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  With offense, Hal turned to Dean. “Excuse me, Dean. I hope to God you are not insulting our father.”

  “Oh,” Frank grumbled. “You better not be saying anything about our father, or us. There is nothing wrong with either me or Hal going.” Frank nodded. “We are the best choice to go, physically, mentally, and instinctively.”

  With a closed mouth, Hal nodded, impressed “Wonderful word usage, Frank.”

  Frank sniffed. “Thanks.”

  Dean groaned, “Oh, give me a break.”

  Jess, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. “Sorry Dean, that break cannot be going with Ellen for a month.”

  “Uh, Jess?” Dean smiled. “Fuck you. She’s my wife. I go.”

  Richie shook his head.”I know what your problem is Dean. You’re worried about whoever goes with her will steal her from you. That’s what it is. They’ll save her and we all know Ellen’s hero complex. If it comes down to choosing between two of us, choose between me and Jess. I’m her brother, Jess is gay.” Richie tossed up a hand. “There. Safety.”

  Elliott, perturbed, softly let his voice ring out. “I believe I have the honor, even though I am unrelated to Ellen and a straight man . . .” Paying no attention to Frank’s mumbling, ‘well that hasn’t been established yet’, Elliott went on with his thought. “You, Dr. Hayes, are needed. I have the skills. You asked me. I would like very much to take you up on that offer.”

  Hal rolled his eyes and spoke with a complaining tone, “Elliott. Stay out of this. You are not an option.”

  “Neither are you, Captain,” Elliott stated.

  “I’m more an option than you,” Hal argued.

  “But not more than me,” Frank said.

  “Or me!” Dean yelled.

  “Sweet Jesus, can we resolve this!”

  Andrea’s exclamation was the runner’s bell and like horses being released from the starter’s gate, off went the vocal blasting of all seven men in loud meshed together yelling.

  The sound of their voices faded as Ellen slipped from the room unnoticed. Was it anymore a matter of her well-being or had it become an ego battle? Whatever the reason, they were so caught up that they never noticed their ‘cause’ had left their presence.

  Smiling with an exhale, Ellen partially closed the bedroom door, shut out their voices, and leaned against the wall for a moment.

  From the floor where she sat playing cards with Joey and Billy, Alexandra peered up to Ellen. “Mommy? Why are they all in there fighting?”

  Billy laid down a card. “It’s a macho thing. Perhaps, Mom, if you suggested they all go outside and fight physically about it, they’d resolve it sooner.”

  With a smile, and a wink, Ellen walked to the sitting circle. “I think Pap may end up suggesting that.” She joined them on the floor. “It’s peaceful in here.”

  Billy released a ‘hmpf’. “Now it is. A minute ago we were screaming, which you would have never heard.” Billy pointed to the door. “Joey was cheating.”

  “Frank said,” Joey defended. ‘He said it was all right when playing with a mini Dean to stick a good card in your sleeve and hide it.”

  Ellen tilted her head some. “Billy, you do know your father and Frank established that rule?”

  “Yes, Mother, I do,” Billy replied. “I know it is all right to sneak a card in his sleeve. But the rule is as long as I don’t see it, right? You must explain to him that if he is going to sneak a card in his sleeve to hide, he shouldn’t be wearing short sleeves.”

  Alexandra grumbled in annoyance “I wish they would just stop fighting and go away. God! Men.”

  Ellen chuckled in agreement. “Men?”

  “What are they fighting about?” Alexandra asked. “You didn’t say.”

  “Well.” Ellen’s fingers played with the cards as she spoke. “You know how Mommy has to go for a month to that new town to set up the new hospital? There are no phones there or good Security so they’re worried. All of them want to go with me and now they’re all screaming about it.” She growled, “It’s frustrating.”

  “I know.” Alexandra tossed a card and picked one up. “I had the same problem. God! Men.”

  Billy snickered a scoff. “How do you know what Mom is going through?”

  “I was there.” Alexandra motioned her head for Joey to take his card. “It’s the same thing.”

  Billy rolled his eyes.

  Ellen smiled peacefully. “Tell me, Alex. What are you talking about?”

  “Well.” Alexandra set down her cards. When she saw Joey reach to peek, she smacked his hands, lifted the five cards, and stuck them in her shirt. “Well, one time, Josephine made me that really big double chip cookie. You know the kind she makes for girls.”

  Billy bobbed his head. “Yeah, I call them the Hansel and Gretel cookies. She’s gonna stick you in the oven next, Alex.”

  Alexandra ignored him. “Anyhow. I had this cookie and I said I was gonna share it with someone at lunch time. Well, everyone kept saying they were the one I was sharing with. Everyone thought they were the one. They were fighting and fighting, and saying wait till lunch. Then . . .” She shrugged her little shoulders. “I just said fuck em and ate the cookie myself before lunch.”

  “God,” Billy complained. “Not only is she vulgar, but pointless.”

  Slowly, almost in a daze, Ellen stood up. She spoke as if in the fog. “No, Billy, she isn’t pointless. She’s quite the opposite.” After a hesitation, Ellen closed and locked the bedroom door. She turned with a peacefulness to her and looked down to the children. “We need to talk, guys.”

  ^^^^

  Ellen needed to steal a quiet moment and she got it later on that evening with Joe. They stood outside, the air cold but unnoticed. His hand laid upon her cheek as he stood so close to her.

  “Is it the right decision, Joe?” Ellen asked.

  “I believe it is the best decision.”

  “How much . . . how much trouble is it going to cause?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” He winked.

  “All they kept on doing was yelling and arguing about who is going with me.” Ellen closed her eyes. “I couldn’t take it.”

  “I don’t blame you one bit for that.”

  “The truth is, Joe, from the moment I knew I was leaving, if it couldn’t be you, it had to be him. I just knew he would be the one I picked. In my mind, there was no argument. He was the one.”

  “I have to give you my truth. In my mind and heart I hoped he’d be the one.”

  Ellen smiled and laid her face more into the grip of Joe’s palm. “That you for your support.”

  “Support, hell. Ellen, this is a wise decision and when they all think about it, they’ll see that. I won’t let anyone talk shit about it. You are nipping it in the butt. That is taking control.” Joe winked.

  “Just answer me this. Everything . . . . everything is gonna be fine, right?”

  “Everything is gonna be fine. I feel it.” Joe stepped into her. “I feel it.” and Joe did. Inside of him, he felt Ellen was going to be just fine and at that moment, his arms extended into an embrace, because he needed to feel something else one more time . . . Ellen.

  Because unknowing to everyone but him, she was going to slip from Beginnings.

  ***

  THE GAME

  Beginnings Book 17

  OUSTED

  CHAPTER ONE

  December 22nd

  The bottom of the tin cup clanked against the mess hall table at the same time Hal sloppily fluttered out his cigarette smoke with exhaustion. It was barely sun up and he sat alone with Elliott and former Society Military man, Tim Doyle.

  Tim raised an eyebrow along with the corner of his mouth in quirkiness. “Are you all right with doing this now, Captain?”

  “Uh . . .” Hal rubbed his eyes. “Yes. T me, nothing is better than coffee and a strategy meeting to get the adrenaline pumping. Elliot and I just haven’t been to bed yet.”

  “Did I miss something last night
?” Tim asked. “I was working dispatch. We picked nothing up from Bowman or Beginnings and I know for a fact New Jordan was quiet.”

  “No,” Hal breathed out. “The reason we were up all night was more of a personal nature.”

  Elliott’s eyes widened.

  Tim leaned back. “Perhaps I shouldn’t ask.”

  It was a peep, just a small one in his morning grogginess, when Elliott realized the implication he had inadvertently made. “No, Tim, not that type of personal nature,” Elliott said.

  “Oh.” Tim nodded.

  In annoyance, Hal peered up from his coffee. “Elliott? Did you just . . . . scream over my misconstrued words?”

  “Well, Captain, Sgt. Doyle could have believed . . .”

  “We were gay lovers?” Hal asked.

  “Yes,” Elliott answered.

  “Good God, Elliott.” Hal set down his cup. “One would think you should be honored to have me as your gay lover.”

  “And why is that, Captain?” Elliott asked.

  Hal smiled. “Because I’m hot.”

  Tim chuckled.

  Elliott huffed in annoyance.

  “Anyhow . . .” Hal pulled the map forward. “Before we continue with this, Tim, how many did you say there were last month?”

  “Four thousand.” Tim replied. “Twenty percent women. Of those twenty percent, half went north to breeding and the rest went down south to accommodate and live in civility with the industrial ranks.”

  “Four thousand in one month?” Hal questioned as he leaned back. “How is that possible?”

  Tim lifted his hands in a motion of a guess. “We don’t pick half of them up. They find us now. Civilization is building and they come out of the woodwork.”

  “Why can’t we be as fortunate?” Hal shook his head.

  Elliott interjected, “We don’t make enough noise. According to Ti, the Society, is here, there, everywhere. They have places in the north, they have them in the south, and all across the east.” Elliott shrugged. “Probably word of mouth.”

  Hal stared for a moment. “Thank you very much for sharing your Dr. Seuss rendition of why the society builds and we don’t.”

  “OK,” Tim whistled. “Maybe we should save this for after lunch.”

  “I can’t,” Hal said. “I have the tri-community rounds to make. Our apologies, Tim, for being so indignant. Like I said, we were dealing with a family situation all night, but I’ll slip into a better state of mind. Now tell me about front lines.”

  “All right.” Tim’s hand smoothed across the map. “After the UWA took out what small sites we had in North Dakota and Kansas a few months ago, it was pretty evident you were dividing up the country. I was ordered to ship out and set up new front lines. Small camps were built and posted fifty miles from what we thought was the divided line.”

  “How did your estimate of our lines fair?” Hal asked.

  “Pretty well,” Tim answered. “Our positioning of camps goes straight down. They are more watch camps, positioned ‘just in case’. They are defensive, not offensive. So say the UWA hit one, they are positioned to be able to a call upon each other with ease and be back up.”

  “So they have no plans to move across the line and push it back?” Hal asked.

  “Not that I am aware.”

  “Tell me,” Elliott added, “if you knew you were going to defect, why did you do this so strongly? I mean, looking at what you mapped for us. Tim, this is a straight line down the continental US. There are fifty camps and a manpower of, what did you say, close to three thousand?”

  “What did you expected me to do?” Tim asked. “Call question to myself when I didn’t do my job? I did my job and I did yours.” He saw their curious looks. “Yes, they have fifty camps and a manpower of three thousand, but those are three thousand of the Society’s worst soldiers and weakest minds. Leadership in the camps is faulty because the camps are guided by CME’s, or programmed SUTs as you call them. They are easily removed. If I had to set up camps, I worked damn hard on who I would send, usually soldiers who would frighten easily or defect. We need defectors whether anyone likes it or not. We’re a pimple on the ass of the Society right now as far as size goes. As you, Sgt. Ryder, pointed out, we aren’t making noise. Who is going to come to us? The only way we are going to get enough manpower to bring down the Society is to gather forces as we go along.”

  Almost in a daze, Hal spoke up. “Building patriotic momentum.”

  Tim smiled slightly. “Yes. Yes, that would be it. You fight like our forefathers. Let’s gather the people like our forefathers.”

  “So death . . .” Hal held up a finger. “Is not a goal. A strong body count is not what we seek. We will hit them hard, cause a retreat, take the land, and forge ahead.”

  “The defectors will come,” Elliott said. “I believe that. It’s a cause and I don’t believe the heart and dedication of the men are to the Society.”

  “It isn’t,” Tim added. “They want to just live their lives, that’s all. I can tell you most of these men do not want to be soldiers but they aren’t given much of a choice.”

  “So if we promise the rainbow at the end of a fight . . .” Hal said. “The rainbow being the return of freedom, the thought of being a soldier won’t be so bad because it no longer will be the only way of life. It will be a means to a better life.”

  Tim continued, “We can start by setting up similar sites on our sides of the lines, only they are offensive lines. They will be the first movers. We would have to start intensive training, Captain. We need to pick camp leaders. We need to prepare to send these men out especially if we want to do the first push by spring.”

  “I do,” Hal said. “I think it would be beautiful to attack the camps, simultaneously hit them hard, cause camp damage with a minimal loss of lives, and walk away with not only the movement of the front line east, but seventy percent of those three thousand men.”

  “If I may?” Elliott raised his hand. “I’d like to inject a little realism into this rush to take the country back. I am for it one hundred percent. I love the idea of gaining men and land as opposed to killing men, and destroying the land, but . . . and there is a but.”

  Hal rolled his eyes. “I hate you. Go on.”

  Elliott nodded. “What’s to say after we have attacked all these camps in a week? What’s to say the Society doesn’t just say ‘fuck you,’ and blow us up?”

  Hal winced. “Elliott, sometimes it baffles me as to why you are my right hand man. Christ, if we hit them that hard, they will know we mean business. If we take their men, and they know this, they then know we are now larger in numbers and not as easily . . . blown up. Most importantly, the war we will rage is one fought before. I will strive for war rules and perhaps a meeting between leaders, just like it used to be. There are very few people left. With the Society’s strive to increase population numbers so drastically, I would think a massive loss to those numbers is not what they want.”

  “He’s right,” Tim said. “The Society needs numbers. They need people. I told you of their overseas intentions. Even though they are large, they can’t afford the loss.”

  “War rules?” Elliott asked going back some to what Hal had said. “War rules? A meeting between Joe and George? Captain, can that happen?”

  “Yes,” Hal said with certainty. “I believe it can and will happen after we move the lines. And we will move those lines. George will want to talk.”

  “Your father still has no idea we are planning this,” Elliott stated.

  “Oh, so what!” Hal snapped. “God, Elliott, what do you think? He’ll argue the point. He knows what the UWA was founded on. He also knows just because we joined up with Beginnings that we didn’t drop our cause. He knows this. We’re perfecting it so upon presentation to him, there are no questions. It . . . It just might take some convincing to get him to agree to this move so soon.”

  Tim shrugged. “Maybe not. Not if the Society pulls something.”

  “And that, m
y new friend . . .” Hal lifted a finger. “Is a viable point. It is too calm. It’s the calm before the storm. The Society has been too quiet. I predict that before long, something will happen. What that is, I haven’t a clue, but I’m certain it will be the launch we need.” Hal lifted his cup. “Ah . . . the smell of confrontation.” He smiled. “You have to admit it rushes you as much as a good cup of coffee.”

  ^^^^

  Ellen drew in the steam of the morning brew before she took a sip. In fact, she sipped the coffee prior to even sitting down at the kitchen table.

  Exhaling the enjoyment of her first caffeine intake, Ellen settled down into the chair. Placing the mug on the table, she heard the clink of her necklace hitting against the cup as it swung out in her movement.

  Reaching down for it, Ellen grasped the quarter size gold medal and smiled.

  It was a simple Sacred Heart medal, the edges kind of dull. She never really thought much of that medal until that moment. It was Joe’s. Not only did it mean the world to her that he had given it to her the night before, it meant even more because she knew how much Joe valued that medal.

  Joe didn’t value that medal because it cost a lot, nor did he place value on it for sentimental reasons. Joe loved that medal because that was his treasure.

  He had found it. Ellen recalled Joe’s reaction to finding the medal as he walked through the airport. He made such a fuss about it.

  ‘Check this out.’ Joe told them. ‘You see what I found? Goddamn, is this thing heavy. Bet me it’s worth a fortune. A good piece of jewelry. Huh? Huh? You know you’re in for some good luck when you find Jesus on the floor of an airport.”

  It was funny to Ellen. One would have thought Joe hit the lottery. He pulled out that medal all the time as he so proud of the fact that he happened upon something worth so much, but it also baffled her as well. Joe claimed it was never the monetary value. It was the religious aspect of the medal that made it special. Yet he never made an attempt to place a ‘lost and found’ ad because if someone claimed that Jesus medal, they were out of luck. He wasn’t giving it back.