“Yeah, you are, Frank.”
Misha held up her hand. “Dean. No. I understand his reasoning,” she spoke sweetly. “General Slagel has a dedication . . .”
Dean laughed. “General Slagel. Don’t call him that. Call him Frank.”
Shocked, Misha looked at Dean. “That would be disrespectful.”
“He’s not a general,” Dean argued.
“Does he not lead his own army?” Misha asked.
Frank huffed. “I’m out of here. I have to find someone who has time to take care of this.” He began to leave.
Misha looked at her watch. “I must run also. I promised my Hector I would have lunch with him.”
“Can you not?” Dean asked. “I really wanted to introduce you to the cryo-lab and everything down there.”
The squeal of Frank’s boot rang from the hall and back into the lab he stormed. “What the fuck are you doing, Dean?”
Confused, Dean looked up. “What are you talking about? I asked you to watch your language.”
Frank stepped to him. “The cryo-lab?”
“Yes.” Dean nodded.
“The cryo lab is Ellen’s world, Dean. Ellen. That’s her domain.”
“Yeah, so, where are you going with this?” Dean asked.
“Un-fuckin-believable.” Frank shook his head.
“What!” Dean tossed his hands up. “She’s my assistant. She has to learn the cryo-lab.”
“And I will say again . . .” Frank leaned closer to Dean. “That is Ellen’s domain.”
“Um, yeah,” Dean said sarcastically. “And Ellen left work down there.”
Nervously, Misha cleared her throat. “Dean, I have to leave now. I can not disappoint Hector. I apologize. Perhaps . . . I am not ready for the cryo-lab.” She looked at Frank peacefully, then back to Dean. “I think another time.” She removed her lab coat. “I will be back in an hour.” She started to leave then stopped. “General Slagel, please take care of that arm.”
Frank nodded without looking at her, stared at Dean for a second, and then turned to leave.
“Frank,” Dean called to him. “What is your problem?”
Frank stopped, only for a moment, in the lab door, glared at Dean, said nothing, and continued to leave.
^^^^
“Good Lord, he’s their friend now?” Hal asked in disbelief as he walked with Joe.
“What can I say?” Joe shrugged. “He’s more of a father to them from what I saw.”
“Let me think.” Hal stopped. “Murderous infants. My brother Frank. Yes, I can see the genetic connection.”
“Knock it off. I am dead serious,” Joe stated and kept walking. “They didn’t attack him. There had to be forty total just mobbing him for love.”
“Father.” Hal lifted an explaining finger. “Do you know how absurd this entire thing sounds? Forty killer babies mobbing Frank for love?”
“You have to see it.”
“What brought it about?”
“My opinion . . .” Joe reached for his office door. The phone was ringing from inside. “I think it’s the fact that he fed them and sang to them. They knew him.” He hurried to his desk. “Let me get this.” He picked up the phone. “Yeah.”
No words. Nothing.
“Hello?” Joe called out.
“Pap. Pap-pap?” Johnny spoke near innocent.
Hal saw the look of shock on his father’s face. “Dad?”
Joe held up his hand and slowly sat down while speaking into the phone. “Johnny.”
Hal’s eyes widened.
“Pap. I know, I know I did some things. I just needed to hear your voice.” Johnny waited for something. “Pap?”
Painfully, Joe closed his eyes. “What do you want me to say, Johnny? Huh?”
“Nothing. I just . . . I just needed to hear your voice. Bye, Pap.”
Joe listened to the disconnecting of the call. He held the receiver to his ear for longer than he needed to, actually too long.
“Dad?” Hal questioned. “What did he want?”
Joe shook his head. “Just . . . Just give me a moment.” Rubbing his closed eyes, and his head spinning with thoughts, Joe hung up the phone.
CHAPTER NINE
“You know I fuckin hate you,” Frank told Elliott.
Elliott nodded calmly. “Yes, I am aware seeing how that is your common salutation to me.”
“Whatever.” Frank lifted the folded piece of paper. “I appreciate this. Thank you for going out there and bringing this back. It makes me feel better and I’ll read it tonight.” He placed it in his back pocket. “I’ll give Dad his.”
Hal had his letter in his hand and tilted his head with a smile. “She seems well.”
“Ellen looks well,” Elliott explained. “She does. She was very grateful to see me and get those letters. Robbie, on the other hand, was very down on himself when I left. I hope he’s up now.”
Gently Hal smirked. “Frank, are you missing something?”
“What?” Frank asked.
Hal pointed to the table and the letter remaining. “That.”
“You think I’m gonna give that to Dean? If it hits my hands, I’ll destroy it. Dean can suck my left nut for all I care.”
Hal cleared his throat. “Well, I’d hate to chance that your right testicle will feel left out. Why are we mad at Dean?’
“It’s your fault,” Frank said. “Did you do it on purpose?”
Hal tossed his hands up. “I haven’t a clue what you’re speaking about.”
“One word,” Frank explained. “That girl Misha.”
Hal hesitated, then nodded. “What about her?”
“She’s working with Dean and he’s fuckin loving it, Hal. He’s all over her. I mean, he has her filling in for Ellen in every step of the way. It pisses me off. She’s doing things that are Ellen’s, not hers. Dean has no right to be so happy about it.
“Frank,” Elliott spoke up. “I’m taking a chance that you may get upset with me buy may I just play the devil’s advocate for a second? Maybe you’re just missing Ellen so much you’re seeing this working relationship in a different view.”
“No, Ryder. How can I mistake fuckin laughing and giggling, and her wearing El’s coat? And her going into the cryo to work on El’s experiment.”
“The cryo?” Elliott said with a hint of edge. “Why is he taking her to the cryo?”
“Exactly.” Frank’s hand dropped to the table.
“Captain?” Elliott questioned. “She was placed there as a data entry person and file clerk. Rogers trained her for that. When did it expand to the cryo lab?”
“Gentlemen,” Hal spoke. “Perhaps filing and data entry is needed in the cryo-lab. Why are we getting defensive about this?”
At the same time in the same voice, both Elliott and Frank said, “The cryo is Ellen’s.”
With one eye fluttering and his finger to his ear to rub off the odd after effect of unison Frank, Hal shook it off. “OK. Perhaps you should talk to Dean about this, Frank. Draw a line.”
“I did. He wouldn’t listen.”
“Maybe you were hostile when you did so,” Hal suggested. “Dean got defensive.”
Elliott interjected, “If I may, Frank, I will be in Beginnings tomorrow for Council meeting. I’ll drop off Dean’s letter and how about I speak to him about leaving Misha out of the cryo work, if not just for Ellen, but for you. You’re his friend. He has to see that it isn’t sitting well with you. Maybe as your friend he can see how it is affecting you and respect that.”
Frank shrugged. “You can try. It won’t work. I’m telling you. Pansy manner way of speaking or not, he’s not gonna hear. You think I’m overreacting. I might be but I’m still pissed about the way he’s acting. I can see it. He’s getting wrapped up in this person and that’s not right to El.” He swung a heavy pointing hand at Hal. “And it’s all your fault.”
“How is it my fault if, and that is an ‘if ’, Dean is getting wrapped up in her?” Hal asked.
“Because you know people,” Frank answered. “You know their reactions. You could have very easily sent one of your guys in there, but no. You sent this little, polite, sweet cute girl in there who is all, “Dr. Hayes this and Dr. Hayes that’. You knew he’d fill that void of Ellen right up.”
“For what purpose?” Hal questioned. “To listen to you bitch? To listen to your desires to have Dean suck your left testicle? Please.”
Smugly, Frank looked at him. “For a number of reasons. Maybe to break Dean and Ellen up. Robbie has a shot. Your buddy here has a shot. You could have done it for me. Even though that’s farfetched, you could have.”
Hal, scoffing, noticed the stare Elliott gave him. “What?”
“Captain, what Frank has said is very feasible.”
Frank added, “It makes sense.”
“Good God,” Hal gasped as he stood. “You two give me far too much credit. No, I did not send Misha in there to break up Ellen and Dean’s marriage. For both of your information, Misha came to me about the position. She wanted to do more than just being a file clerk. She heard Dean needed help. She asked for training so she could assist. And . . .” Hal stopped Frank and Elliott. “She asked, not so she could be near Dean but because she wanted to be in Beginnings where Hector lives. Hector. Not Dean. Misha has no designs on Dean. If she is being nice, she is just being nice. If Dean is caught up, what do you expect?” Post speech, Hal nodded. “It’s simple. Of course Ellen is his world, but Dean hasn’t had a choice, has he? Perhaps he is seeing a choice. It’s like ice cream. Yes, one can claim they love vanilla ice cream more than anything else in the world, but if vanilla is the only flavor they have, how do they not know they won’t like chocolate better when they taste it.”
Frank stared at Hal.
Hal saw the confusion. “Choices, Frank.”
Elliott slowly stood up and picked up the note for Dean. “I think we are making too much out of this. I think Frank may be a little jealous that Dean has a new friend. Dean is too wrapped up in Ellen. I have seen his demeanor. I don’t see it switching all that much over a lab assistant. I don’t see Dean getting . . . caught up.”
“What do you fuckin know?” Frank snapped.
Elliott smiled. “A little more than you right now.”
Frank stood up. “What’s that suppose to mean?”
Elliott winked. “You’ll find out tomorrow. Captain, good night.” He moved to the door.
“Hold it!” Frank charged.
“Night.” Elliott hurried and slipped out.
“Fuck.” Frank shut the door.
“Couldn’t you read his mind, Frank?” Hal questioned.
“Oh, I read it.” Frank scratched his head. “I just can’t figure out what Christopher fuckin Columbus has to do with anything.”
“You’ll find out tomorrow. He probably has a map for you or something.” Hal pulled out a deck of cards. “Let’s finish our game. Don’t worry about it. You know Elliott. He plays those childish games.” Hal shuffled the cards.
“Fuckin immature. How do you deal with him?”
“It’s a chore, Frank,” Hal exhaled. “It’s a daily chore.” He pushed the deck forward. “Your deal.”
CHAPTER TEN
January 4th
“Email?” Joe asked Hal through dawn grogginess as they walked toward the line of utility buildings.
“Well, yes, sort of,” Hal replied. “See.” He lifted a hand held device. “This is a palm computer of sorts. Danny rigged it so Jess could safely communicate with us. It’s rather neat.”
“I’m sure. It’s . . . neat. Did he arrived in Duluth?”
“Yes and he contacted George. He’ll get back to me as soon as he hears more.”
“What type of documentation did he take?” Joe asked.
“Just maps. Population information. Training regiments. Basic stuff. Plus a few items Johnny wanted.”
Joe grumbled.
“Don’t ask me why,” Hal shrugged. “I didn’t ask what they were. When Jess said they were personal items, I merely asked if could they be a threat. When Jess told me no, I left it at that. I don’t want to know.’
“Neither do I,” Joe stated. “And the Bev thing?”
“Obviously George does not know.” Hal exhaled. “Against what Jess wanted to do, he is to relinquish the news of Bev without hesitation.”
“I hate the thought of that.’
“So do I. If Jess tells, who knows? But if Jess doesn’t, then there will be no trust. We are gonna have to deal with it sooner or later. Let’s make it sooner.”
Exhaling Joe nodded. “Where are you off to now?”
“To sleep,” Hal stated firmly.
“Why? Are you sick? You better watch it. It’s cold and flu season, you know.”
“Yes, I do. But no, I’m just tired. I’ve not been to bed yet.”
“Why the hell not?” Joe asked.
“One word. Frank. He was with me all night. He had a lot on his mind. We talked.”
“All night? And you’re still coherent this morning?”
“It took all of my inner fortitude not to falter to the levels of slight mental retardation after listening to excessive neurotic rambling, but I prevailed. Barely. I’m beat.”
“Your brother may ramble and sometimes, well, he doesn’t make sense.”
“Sometimes?” Hal questioned.
“Come on, it was nice. You bonded. He went to you for guidance. Feel good about that. Maybe this is what you two need.”
“There’s something wrong with him.”
“Nah, he’s just Frank. Speaking of which . . .” Joe pointed.
Frank walked over the grade. His figure was shadowed in the early morning light but it was obvious he was with someone. As he arrived where Joe and Hal stood, he stopped. “Keep walking,” he instructed the young man who was with him. “You can’t miss it. It’s a big building. It looks like a hangar. Not a fuckin coat hanger, an airplane hangar. Go there and wait.”
The young man nodded, almost fearful, and darted off.
Joe raised his eyebrows. “A little gruff with the guy?”
Hal added, “Or are you tired?”
“No, I’m not tired,” Frank answered. “Gruff. Miserable. Yeah. That’s it. Fuck.” He shook his head. “Is this world fucked up or what? I had to go to Texas town to get that kid who wants to be a pilot.”
“Good God, you’re teachings him to fly?” Hal said.
“Shut the fuck up, Hal. I’m bitching.”
Joe held out his hand. “He’s bitching. Why are you bitching, Frank? Is it because you have to train the boy.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I had to go to Texas town, or Jordan, whatever. Have you been there? Fuckin people are fuckin weird. They talk weird, they talk slow, and they move slow. I tell them, ‘uh, spit it out or don’t say anything,’ and you know what they do? They laugh. Then all the time I’m there, which isn’t very long, mind you, they’re snickering in that southern fuckin bell way. Every time they look at me.” Frank made his voice high. “Tee-hee-hee-hee.” He tossed up his hand. “Like that.”
Tapping his index finger on his chin, Hal listened to Frank’s rambling. “I didn’t quite understand that laugh. Could you do it again?”
“Ha,.” Joe grumbled.
“Tee-hee-hee-hee fuckin hee.” Frank put his face close to Hal’s. “Anyway. I tried reading their minds. Nothing. Everyone and their mother is thinking about Christopher Columbus. What the fuck? Get over it.” He looked at his watch. “I have to go. Savage surveillance.” He took a step. “What happened to the good old days when it was just a hundred or so of us behind the fuckin wall? Huh?”
Joe shrugged. “I don’t know, Frank.”
“And if we find people, can they be normal? No.” Frank dragged out his words as he walked. “Fuckin Indian wanna be’s. Robot Soldiers. Frozen fuckin scientists. Civil War cavalry, along with Fuckin Jed Clampet and his whole extended incest family. Fuck. I don’t even wanna know what�
�s coming next. Hal, don’t forget the meteor strategy meeting. You keep blowing them off!”
“Well.” Hal exhaled his word watching Frank disappear over the grade. “Who needs coffee with him around? But as you said before, It’s Frank.”
Joe could only do a stock agreement response. He grumbled.
^^^^
“A few days tops,” Steward explained to George, “then we’ll get Boyens out here.”
“Good.” George, seemingly in his own thoughts, rocked back and forth in his chair.
“The sergeant in charge did a full search of Boyens. He found nothing. He did however bring some information.”
“What kind?’
“From what the sergeant told me, he brought maps, strategies, infantry, and so forth.”
“That’s good. Good.” George nodded.
“And . . . a few items Johnny wanted.”
“Swell.”
“Sir, if I can, may I ask what’s up with that?”
“The kid wanted some items.” George tossed his hands up.
“That’s not what I mean,” Steward said. “I mean, I find it curious that someone who can’t remember the last few years of his life in Beginnings can remember which few items from his home he wanted.”
Suddenly, for the first time, George snapped to attention.
^^^^
Dean knew the clinic lab wasn’t the place for herm but he brought Majestic up from the cryo-lab. He had her in the back room so no one really saw her, but Dean needed to. Majestic was Ellen’s pet. Dean sat on a stool with reflection on his face and gazed at Majestic as she finished off the last of her breakfast squirrel.
“Sorry,” Dean said to her. “I know you like when Ellen heats them up. I didn’t have time.” He spoke in a daze. “I can tell.” He waved a finger at the cage. “You miss her, too. Your whole attitude has changed. Mine too. I dreamt of Ellen last night again.” Dean gave a sad shrug. “Of course, asshole Frank put it in my mind that she’s fooling around with Robbie so that took over my dream. But I still dreamt of her.”
“Dean,” Hector called out as he knocked on the open closet door.
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