“Yes. It seems that a killer baby, a cryo-lab killer baby, inherited the name ‘Elliott’.”
Dean chuckled. “Well, imagine that. How odd. That’s your name.”
“Yes it is,” Elliott spoke calmly.
“And the odder thing is, he was named Elliott before we even met you. I wonder what that means?” Dean shrugged and turned around.
“It means you are not being honest now. Dr. Hayes . . .” Elliott walked to him. “A killer baby? What is the symbolization behind that? I mean, what did I ever do to you to warrant such a thing as to name a killer baby after me? I really feel bad.”
“Sgt. Ryder.” Dean shook his head. “Don’t you think you’re making a bit too much out of this?” He turned around. “I named . . . fuck.” Dean’s eyes widened. “Shit. He walked by.”
“Who?”
“Frank.” Dean hurried passed Elliott. “Excuse me.” He raced to the lab door and looked down the hall. “Shit. Fuck.” A bit of frustrated anger hit Dean. Spinning, he faced Elliott with a point. “I swear if I miss him, every single mutated lab creation is getting a derivative of your name.” Dean flew out of the lab.
Elliott tossed his hands in the air. “It’s a vendetta.”
It was thick, strong smelling, and it was going to be Frank’s first cup of coffee in two days. Even the scent of it helped his caffeine insufficient headache. It was going to taste good. Slowly, after a blow, he brought the cup to his lips.
“Frank,” Dean stated his name with almost relief.
Frank was startled and a little bit of coffee jumped up. “Fuck.” Frank wiped off his chin and turned.
“Frank.” Dean nodded and stepped to him, extending his hand. “Good to have you back.”
Frank turned from him.
“I can’t believe, after this week, you’re still mad at me. Come on . . .” Dean whispered. “We’re friends.”
“Were.”
“Are.”
“Dean . . .”
“Frank, stop this. We have a common interest, a common concern,” Dean stepped closer to him. “Ellen. And you . . .”
“Failed.” Frank set his cup down hard, turned completely from Dean, and laid his hands on the edge of the counter. “I failed.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Dean, where is she? Huh? Where?” Frank turned back around. “Not here. Not home. Not as promised. I . . . failed.”
“Oh my God.” Dean shook his head in disbelief. “How can you even say that? How can you make that claim? Failed? No, Frank, you didn’t fail at all. Do you realize I couldn’t wait to see you? Do you? My God, if you had any inkling of how much I hold you in high regard, you’d be embarrassed to even tell me you failed.”
With a short chuckle, Frank closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Listen to me. Ellen and Robbie didn’t stand a chance out there. I firmly believe, even if you were alone out there, no one but you could have saved her life from over six hundred Society soldiers. No one but you would go out on a limb for another person with the flair that you do. Every night when I went to sleep, I thanked God it was you out there. Distances, Frank. You go distances. You leaped off a cliff and stole a helicopter for crying out loud.”
Quickly Frank looked up. “How did you know that?”
“No one told you?” Dean smiled. “We ended up picking you guys up on your radios that last few days. It was like listening to a sports station. We also picked up the Society.”
“We picked them up too. I couldn’t understand them. They brought Africans in, you know.”
“You’ll have that. Then again, I interpreted what they were saying and it made it worse for me. I was on needles and pins. We even heard the final attack down to the second Robbie and Ellen went down.”
Frank swallowed. “They were gone when we got there.”
“But you’ll find them. I know you will. How can you not? We have the perfect road map right here in Beginnings and the perfect information person.”
“Christopher.”
“Absolutely.” Dean nodded. “We can pick his brain tomorrow, all day if you like.”
“Probably won’t be too hard,” Frank snickered, “since you can almost see it.”
“True.” Dean took a deep breath, “I missed you, Frank.” He extended his hand. “I’m very proud of you and I thank you for what you did for Ellen. Shake my hand.”
After a hesitation, Frank gripped Dean’s hand and shook it.
“Friends again?” Dean asked.
Frank bobbed his head up and down. “I guess.”
Dean smiled and chuckled. After a tug to Frank’s hand, he stepped closer and, with his head to Frank’s chest, he gave him a huge hug. “Good to have you back, Frank.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Andrea walked in, covered her eyes, and turned. “Sorry to interrupt. We have a repercussion of a chicken incident. Dr. Hayes, we could use your knowledge.” She started to leave. “Oh Frank.” She paused. “Please, don’t let him try to influence your decision to fight for justice. Stand firm. Don’t weaken.”
Confused, Frank shook his head. “What the fuck is she talking about?”
Dean lifted his hands and stepped back. “Who knows? It’s Beginnings.”
CHAPTER FOUR
January 24th
To Joe it felt like the perfect live band playing, in perfect tempo, tight, in synch, and without any bad notes.
It was the tone of Beginnings.
He rocked back and forth with ease in his office during a routine Council meeting. “Do you feel that, Jason?” Joe asked. “All even keyed.”
“Oddly enough,” Jason replied, “yes.”
“However . . .” Elliott interjected. “The question should be . . . will it stay that way?”
“I don’t care.” Joe shrugged. “After yesterday, I’m enjoying the feel of this day.”
Danny Hoi snickered. “Yeah, but it will be short lived, especially if the reason for it all is . . .”
“I don’t care,” Joe repeated. “It will all be on the shoulders of whomever I put in charge while I leave.”
All three men sat up with attention and in unison, ‘what?’
“Oh, yeah, I’m leaving. Whether my sons like it or not, I’m going with them to get Robbie and Ellen. I have to. It’s my family. When Frank and Hal go back out there, that means all of my kids will be out there and this time, I will be too.”
“It will be the three of you?” Jason asked.
Joe nodded. “And . . . “ he pointed at Elliott.
“Oh my God!” Danny gasped. “You’re leaving, Hal’s leaving, Frank’s leaving, and Frank’s mini me is leaving too. What the hell, Joe? What’s gonna happen to Beginnings?”
“Beginnings will be fine.” Joe dropped his voice to a mumble, “I think. I’ll figure out fill-in positions and responsibilities. I have a few more days to do so and I’ll have a meeting regarding who will do what. But for now . . .” Again, Joe leaned back in his chair. “I have enough to worry about personally, so let’s enjoy the peacefulness of this day, no matter what the odd reason for it.”
Still a little in shock after the sudden announcement, Danny shook his head. “Do you really think Frank is the reason for everything returning to normal?”
“Oh, absolutely.” Joe hurriedly looked at Elliott and Jason who laughed. “No, I’m not kidding. Look at yesterday. Frank comes back, the killer baby is found, and the chickens calm down immediately. It took an oddball to correct an oddball day. Yep . . .” He nodded. “Things are normal. Frank is back.”
The ‘bang’ of the office door as it opened and hit into the file cabinet caused Joe to nearly topple from his chair and Jason, Elliott, and Danny to look immediately at Joe.
“Fuck.” Frank barged in and slammed the door. It bounced back. He tried it again and it bounced back once more. “Fuck. Danny, fuckin fix this. Fuck.”
“Frank?” Joe asked calmly. “What is wrong?”
“Where’s the fuckin mutant?”
“Who are you talking about?” Joe questioned.
“How many fuckin mutants do we have in this town?”
Jason inhaled slowly, “Seeing how we are in Beginnings, and you, Frank, are part jackrabbit, do you really want an answer?”
“To?” Frank asked.
Joe’s hand slammed on the desk. “He was being facetious, you moron.”
“About?”
Joe growled.
Jason snickered.
Joe shook his head. “Never mind. Anyhow, with the mutant question, I will take it you are looking for Christopher Columbus.”
“Bingo.” Frank snapped his fingers. “He’s the fuckin explorer, so that’s why am I looking for him. Where is he?”
Joe shrugged. “I haven’t seen him.”
Frank paused for a second. “Ever?”
“What?” Joe asked shocked.
“Ever. Meaning, you've never seen him ever. Which, wait, you have, I think. Did you?”
“Oh my God.” Danny tried not to laugh.
“Frank.” Joe really tried not to lose it. “I meant, I haven’t seen him today. In fact, I usually don’t see him at all.”
Frank gasped in surprise. “He’s invisible now?”
Elliott tried. He gave it his all not to laugh, but it escaped him and he slipped into a cover up cough. “Sorry.”
“Frank . . .” Joe tried to talk to him.
“It would stand to figure.” Frank spoke. “I mean his skin is . . .”
“Frank. . . .”
“Fuckin half way gone as it is. The rest of him would . . .”
“Frank!” Joe yelled. “Christopher is not invisible!”
“You said.”
“No, that’s not what I said. I said I don’t see him. See him, Frank. See. See. See.”
“Exactly!”
Joe growled.
Jason looked at him with a tilted head. “You are playing right into this.”
“Excuse me.” Elliott, as if he were a teenage girl, stood up, hiding his snicker.
“Sit your ass back down!” Joe blasted as he too stood up. “Stay and suffer with the rest of us.”
Biting his bottom lip, Elliott sat back down and another giggle escaped him.
Looking down at him, Frank shook his head. “You’re silly.”
It was a task he wasn’t going to fail, so changing his whole demeanor from leader to father, Joe sat back down. “Frank,” he spoke in a pacifying tone. “I didn’t mean Christopher was invisible, I meant, that usually, during the course of the day, I don’t see, speak, or run into him . . .” Joe saw Frank’s mouth open and he held up his hand. “Let me finish. I don’t usually do those things because he’s at one end of the community and I am at the other.”
“Why didn’t you say that in the first place.?”
Slowly Joe shook his head. “My error.”
“Ok. Now do any of you know where he is?” Frank asked.
Everyone shook their head.
“Maybe he’s . . . fuck!” Frank cringed with aggravation.
“What? What now?” Joe asked.
“What if the killer baby ate him? Shit.”
“Frank, I don’t think . . .”
“Fuck,” Frank flew to the door. “Ryder, this is all your fault.”
“How is it my fault?” Elliot defended.
“The killer baby is named after you!” Frank yelled. “You inspired him!” He flung open the door. “If the killer baby ate him, we’ll never find him. Thank you very much. There would be no remains because he’s invisible. Fuck!”
With the slamming of the door, Joe’s head hit his desk top.
Jason, in an entertained mode, sat back in his chair with European crossed legs. “I believe you were saying normalcy occurred in Beginnings since Frank returned.” Jason looked at the door. “I’d say you’re right.”
^^^^^
“You seem better today,” Henry said as he walked with Hector on the main street of town.
“I am better today. I’m glad you’re back.”
“Thanks. So, I helped your spirits then?”
“Um, no.’ Hector stated. “I’m just better. Things are getting brighter.”
“With Misha?”
Hector scoffed. “Yeah, right. That’s over and done with. I’ve resolved myself to the fact that the Lord giveth and Dean taketh away.”
“Isn’t that so true? He does. It’s his God complex. So how are things getting brighter?”
“God on his throne is about to start tumbling.”
“I’m confused.”
Hector pointed to the clinic. “I’m going to see God himself.”
“Dean? Are you going to fight?”
“Nope, something better.” Hector walked up the steps to the clinic. “I’m going to take great pleasure in watching him receive one of the trips in his fall.” He opened the door. “Things are slipping for Dean. What goes around comes around.” Hector walked down the hall. “The chickens, killer baby, Ellen going back with Frank, and Frank having the understanding with Elliott.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s what I heard especially since Frank stopped their little tryst because of Dean’s big mouth.”
“Hector, I don’t believe that about those two. As much as I would like to believe Dean is gay, he’s not. Neither is Frank.”
“Neither am I.” Hector said. “Nor you. But , . . .”
“Point taken.”
“See.” Hector knocked on the clinic lab door. “Dean.”
After slightly rolling his eyes, Dean looked pleasant. “Look who it is. Yes?”
“I just want to take a minute of your time.” Hector leaned to the counter and laid down a sheet of paper. “You have been served.”
“What!”
“Oh yeah. You are being brought to trial.” Hector stepped back and snapped his fingers. He laid down another sheet of paper. “You have been served . . . again. Different one. You can’t get off that easy.”
Dean lifted both sheets of papers. “What is going on?”
“Whoops. Forgot.” Hector laid one more on the counter. “You’ve been served . . . again.” He smiled. “Have a good day.” With Henry next to him, Hector turned and walked out.
Dean began to read the heading on the suits. The first one made sense. The second one bred an ‘Oh my God’, and the third, though he really had no one to blame but himself, he felt confident in the fact that the last one would never happen. At least he hoped.
^^^^^
Johnny had to wonder ‘what was it’ about men with long hair in Lodi. Was there a single man in Lodi who didn’t sport long hair or a ponytail? Johnny was pretty certain his father would complain about what appeared to be the apocalyptic biker town.
Even the town doctor, or rather the so called brilliant scientist, Lars Rayburn, sported long hair. It was blonde, thin, and straggly with a receding hair line that went far back. The gray in his hair gave his age away but not as much as the wrinkles on his face. In fact, had Lars not been tall, he would have looked like Dean would in fifteen years.
Lars seemed perturbed and rather annoyed that he had to deal with the situation of meeting a new guy.
Michael remained rational. Somehow, Johnny didn’t want to see the Chief ever lose his cool. In the middle of their discussion in Lars’ work lab, all Johnny could do is listen.
“Lars, come on,” Michael beckoned.
“Stew Redman? Stew Redman?” Lars asked. “Oh yes, Michael, his name is Stew and he’s a doctor.”
“He said he trained.”
“He’s a child,” Lars argued. “How much could he know?”
“I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, Lars. You know that, “Michael argued. “Now all I asked was that you prepared to quiz him. Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s a waste of my time. He’ll never pass it even if I made it simple.”
“Why don’t you find
out?”
“Fine. But wait here because this won’t take long,” Lars stated then walked toward Johnny. He spoke with sarcasm. “Stew, have a seat.”
Johnny pulled a stool up to the counter.
“I’m going to quiz you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Here’s a pencil.” Lars laid a pencil before Johnny then moved to another counter. He returned with a huge stack of paper and dropped it heavily before Johnny. “Here’s your test. Good luck,.”
Johnny’s eyes widened.
Arrogantly, Lars looked at Michael and lifted a hand while mouthing the words, ‘five minutes.’
^^^^
There was a smell to the air, neither foul nor pleasant, that lingered from reality into Ellen’s dream, pulling her slowly to an awake state.
She couldn’t place the smell. Plastic maybe, she wasn’t sure but it definitely smelled sterile. She felt chilled. In fact, a cool breeze kept seeping over her. Just as she was about to see what was going on and why she didn’t smell Frank making coffee, Ellen, in the midst of a dream of an old world wrestler, remembered.
Kidnapped.
Or so she thought.
She wasn’t sure. All she remembered was seeing the massive group of them approach, all wearing black. Then after one released a puff of vapor before her face, Ellen was out like a light. She dreamed of weird things, things from the old world. She also dreamed of traveling and there were a lot of religious overtones to her dreams as well.
Stirring more into reality, Ellen felt her stomach rumble. How long had she been sleeping and how long had it been since she had eaten? Then a tense soreness hit her body, the after effects of the helicopter crash.
Helicopter.
Crash.
Robbie.
“Shit,” she whispered out and opened her eyes.
‘Pillows?’ Ellen’s one open eye saw the huge pillows, multitudes of them that surrounded her. Her hand reached down and she felt the smoothness of silk sheets. ‘What is going on?’
She became more focused and when she did, she saw the reason for the chill. At first she wanted to scream, thinking it was some sort of large bird flapping its wings above her, then she noticed they were fans. Who fanned her? She couldn’t see.
The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20 Page 300