The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Somewhat.” Mike half shrugged.” Lars, what should I do?”

  “You know why he’s coming.”

  “Um, yeah,” Mike said sarcastically, “To tell us join or get out.”

  “Basically, yes, but peacefully, as the letter says. So where is your dilemma? You aren’t thinking of joining Society forces are you?”

  “No, no,” Mike shook his head. “My dilemma lies in what I should do about him coming. Should I let him come?”

  “Absolutely. In fact, I’d go as far as to say prep the old Bed and Breakfast. Give him the Sausage room.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “To make him comfortable and keep it peaceful,” Lars advised.

  “If he’s in town, he’s gonna want to see it.”

  “So.”

  “So?” Mike chuckled. “He’ll look for vulnerabilities.”

  “Keeping him center town will not be giving him access to our vulnerabilities. Plus, George lived in Beginnings. He knows their vulnerabilities very well. To the last of my knowledge, Beginnings is still standing. It’s been under attack but the Society failed. So where is your concern?”

  “I’m not understanding why you are so open to this? If he’s here, he could find out about Johnny.”

  “And if he does,” Lars asked, “are we giving him up? No. Will he use force while Johnny’s in town? No. Will Johnny go freely? If he does, then we don’t want Johnny here anyhow? There is one positive to Hadley learning about Johnny living here.”

  “And what would that be?” Mike asked.

  “Hadley’s got technology that rivals Beginnings’. He probably does have someone who can perform the surgery. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he has someone better than Hayes to perform the surgery. Hadley is advanced in making the CME’s. His doctors know how to implant microchips.”

  Mike rubbed his eyes. “A hell of a choice isn’t it? It could be in Johnny’s best medical interest for George to find out.”

  “It’s an option.” Lars nodded. “If Johnny is right and Hadley loves the boy as much as he says he does, then he will want Johnny’s problem taken care of. Allow me to tell Hadley of Johnny’s condition, or let it slip, should he find out Johnny’s here.”

  Mike breathed out. “Is that wise?”

  “I want Johnny to live. That’s bottom line.”

  “Is that why you’re not against Hadley staying in town?” Mike asked.

  “No,” Lars shook his head. “Safety. We can use Hadley being here to get to know him as well. Also, if Hadley’s here, we are safe from attack.” He gave a nod to the fax that set on the desk. “Love thy enemy, Mike. Know thy enemy. Defeat thy enemy.” He slid the paper forward. “Prepare the Bed and Breakfast.”

  ***

  Frank was privileged, more so than anyone else, and he knew it. Because of the time machine, Frank was the only one who remembered Robbie even having a homecoming. Five years after the plague, Robbie was found, brought in, and determined to be bad. After horrendous acts against Beginnings, it came down to brother against brother and Frank won.

  For a nearly a year, Frank carried around a tremendous amount of guilt over what had transpired between him and Robbie. How he had to make a decision on his brother’s life. So when the time machine became a reality and Frank had to go back in time to take care of other business, Frank used that chance to make up for what happened to Robbie.

  He succeeded. The result: Robbie ended up always being in Beginnings. Robbie was the Robbie he always was, funny and innocent. In everyone’s mind, Robbie had always been there, but Frank remembered when Robbie wasn’t.

  In an essence, he recalled Robbie’s return.

  The day he first saw his baby brother after five years was emotional, overwhelming, and impacting. When Hal returned, it was exciting and a rush although that soon turned into irritation when Frank discovered Hal hadn’t changed. But with Jimmy’s return, it was different. It was just a plain shock, a shock that brought a calm but disbelieving feel to the cabin.

  Frank felt like the kids from the movie ET. Just staring at Jimmy, he wondered if he were real, and waited for him to say something to determine if he still spoke English. He was new, alien, and completely unexpected.

  Jimmy accepted the cup of coffee Ellen handed to him, “Thank you,” he said.

  “Lunch should be done soon,” Ellen replied. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Starved.” Jimmy smiled then turned his head to the right. “Frank, could you please stop playing with the skin under my eyes.”

  “Weird,” Frank shook his head and, with his index finger, pulled at Jimmy’s under eye skin.

  “Frank!” Joe snapped. “Yes, you are. Cut it the hell out.”

  “But Dad, he’s not old,” Frank said. “Where are the scars? Because things aren’t easy and everyone has aged badly.”

  From across the room, Ellen gasped. “Oh my God! Did I age badly?”

  “Uh, no, El.” Frank quickly looked away then as if she couldn’t hear he repeated his earlier sentiment. “Everyone aged badly.”

  Joe grunted, “Speak for yourself. I firmly believe you’re the only one that aged badly.”

  “Ha.” Frank scoffed. “I still look good, but Jimmy.”

  Hal waved a finger. “He’s right. Frank is right.”

  Jimmy leaned back. “You aren’t gonna play with the skin under my eyes are you?” he asked Hal.

  Frank suddenly stood up. “Oh my God.”

  “What?” Jimmy asked.

  “You’re not real are you? That’s why we can’t touch your skin. It’s like you’re a robot.”

  Hal gasped out, “Good God, Frank.”

  At that moment, the door to the cabin opened and Robbie walked in. “It’s snowing now.” He tromped his boots. “But the perimeter is all clear.” He shifted his eyes about the room. “What’s going on?”

  Joe rolled his eyes, “Your brother Frank doesn’t think Jimmy’s real. He thinks he’s a robot.”

  “Cool” Robbie grinned and took off his jacket. “The cyborg brother. It’s probably why you don’t look older or worn.”

  Loudly, Frank pointed. “Aha!” He nodded. “I knew it. Should we shoot him?”

  Jimmy shrieked “No!” He stood up. “I’m your brother, Frank. I’m not a robot.”

  “How do we know?”

  Perturbed, Hal snapped abruptly, “Frank! What the hell is the matter with you?”

  “How do we know?” Frank pointed to his own temple. “The Society could have sent him. It’s awfully convenient that he shows up in the middle of a Society attack and awfully convenient how Jess brought him here. Huh? It’s also awfully convenient that Jess was being a spy for us in the Society or was he?” Frank rambled. “He could have been a spy for the Society pretending to be a spy for us pretending to be …”

  “Frank!” Joe yelled. “Knock it off.”

  “Dad,” Frank defended. “If you think about it, it’s awfully convenient …”

  “Awfully convenient, my ass!” Joe barked. “Knock it the hell off. It’s your bother.”

  “But he didn’t get older. Right, Robbie?” Frank asked.

  Robbie nodded. “He has a point.”

  Hal sighed out dramatically and faced Jimmy, “Forgive them. They share a brain at times.”

  Jimmy smiled. “I know how they are and Frank, I assure you, I’m not a robot.”

  “Maybe you don’t know,” Frank said.

  Jimmy nodded. “I’ll give you that so test me. Ask me anything. Surely if I was a robot they couldn’t have programmed everything into my memory, right?”

  Frank agreed. “Right. Okay, let me think.”

  Joe and Hal groaned.

  “Got it,” Frank snapped his finger. “What was the embryo number that Dean implanted in Melissa that created the first and only domesticated killer baby in …”

  “Frank!” Joe yelled. “What the hell is the matter with you asking that question?”

  “What?” Fran
k looked puzzled. “He said to ask him anything. I asked him anything.”

  “I think he meant about your life.”

  “That’s part of my life,” Frank said.

  “Frank, he …”

  “Do you know how hard it was keeping track …”

  “Frank!” Joe yelled.

  “Of a fuckin infant that runs fifty miles per hour …”

  “Frank! You …”

  Frank continued, “And eats all the fuckin lab experiments …”

  “Goddamn it, Frank!’

  “What!” Frank barked.

  “The embryo implantation was over a year ago! He wasn’t around. He can’t know that.”

  Hal added, “I don’t even know that. Robbie, do you know that?”

  Robbie shrugged. “I might. I’m not sure.”

  Jimmy spoke up, “Thirty-seven.”

  All eyes went to him. Even Ellen clanked a pot when she dropped it in her shock.

  Jimmy continued. “Thirty seven. You guys named him Marcus.”

  Almost as much as when he returned, the Slagel clan was shocked over Jimmy’s response. “Jess told me on the way home, one of many stories. He spoke a lot of Robbie and Ellen, a lot about Ellen.”

  Attention grabbed, Ellen made her way toward Jimmy. “Really, he did?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jimmy nodded.

  Frank asked. “Why?”

  Jimmy answered, “He missed her. In fact he was …”

  Ellen interrupted with an “Oh, that’s nice of him.”

  Jimmy tried to continue, “He was saying how he’s hoping that you two could try…”

  “Lunch!” Ellen spun and headed back toward the kitchen.

  Joe leaned forward as he watched Ellen dart away. “She’s been hanging around with Frank too much. Speaking of which.” Joe snapped his fingers in front of Frank’s face. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “Try what?” Frank asked. “What’s Jess want to try with Ellen?”

  Robbie replied, “Dress making. He’s gay, remember.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s right.” Frank winked. “Thanks.”

  Hal, who had been silent for spell, spoke up, “But I am so curios as to why you look so young. Really, it’s been seven years.”

  Jimmy shrugged “I was frozen for six years. See?” He turned and pulled out his collar. “My ID number, plus I have this gross birthmark looking thing now.” He indicated behind his ear.

  “Frozen?” Joe asked.

  “Cryogenically frozen?” Hal repeated the question.

  Frank whispered out, “The time machine.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Actually, Jess and I discussed that possibility. That maybe George had one of his people use the time machine to go back and tell him to freeze me so somehow he’d have an ace in the hole. You know, a Slagel on his side. The only thing he probably didn’t count on was Jess. The second Jess told me, I wanted to come here. The Society was never an important thing. It was a job that fed me and gave me a reign of freedom. All I knew was one day I was called on for an experiment in the military and the next, I woke up six years later. The world was over so I stayed with the Society.”

  Hal folded his hands and leaned forward. “So how much do you know about the Society and operations?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “Not much militarily but other aspects I do. In preparation for overseas expeditions, which, are so far behind schedule it’s not funny, I’m a genius. That was my baby. I was very far removed from everything. I was in Florida. It makes sense though. Keep me as far away from anyone as possible. Hell, I didn’t even know the name of Beginnings until I met Jess.”

  Joe asked, “Do you know Tim Doyle?”

  “Vaguely. He is so far up the ladder; I don’t think he knew my name. I dealt mainly with Bertha Callahan. She dealt with him. Now Bertha is up there.”

  “Tim defected to our side,” Joe said. “Anyone you know on the inside that may be trusted enough to help us?”

  Jimmy nodded. “I think. Let me work on it.”

  “Good.” Joe gave a swat to his arm.

  “Jimmy?” Robbie sounded inquisitive. “Did you think about us? Did you look?”

  “Yeah,” Jimmy responded as if the question was redundant. “All my belongings were taken from me which is probably how you guys ended up with my dog tags—Jess told me.” He smiled “I went to my home. Lindsay had passed on. Then I went to Gaithersburg … but … there was no note.”

  Hal immediately turned a scolding look at Robbie.

  “Hal,” Joe warned. “We let this go, remember?”

  Jimmy chucked. “Jess said you would say that. Then I headed to Ashtonville, but the town was wiped out or that’s what I was told. The Society had raided it so if there was any indication of what happened to you in that town … it was gone.”

  “Hey,” Frank spoke up in revelation. “Think about it. Jimmy was actually gone the shortest amount of time.”

  Hal looked irritated, “How do you figure?”

  “He was frozen. Six years were zapped so he only missed us for one year. You, Hal, missed us for six years. Robbie was five years.”

  Jimmy looked confused. “Robbie was gone for five years?”

  “Yeah,” Frank answered. “We found him on a survival …” He chuckled. “Never mind.”

  Joe nodded passively, “Time machine, Frank?”

  Frank winked “Yep. Sorry. We want to forget that little episode anyhow.”

  Robbie snickered sarcastically. “Probably because you shot me in the head.”

  Jimmy appeared totally lost. “You shot Robbie in the head?”

  Before Frank could speak and rattle off something that would cause an argument to entail between him and Hal, Joe intervened. “Another time, Jimmy. I’m sure Frank will share his time travel escapades with you in full detail. Right now, we just want to talk about you because you’re back. By the grace of God, I have my entire family now. We’re all together. You know what that means don’t you?” Joe reached over and gave a firm squeeze to Jimmy’s knee and smiled. “Beginnings, for sure, will never be the same.”

  ***

  “Beginnings will not be the same,” Elliott said as he walked with Jess. “The Slagel brothers reunite in entirety.”

  Jess chuckled, “Kind of frightening, huh?”

  “One wouldn’t think, knowing what we’ve learned of Jimmy. Perhaps he may the one to make things more mild.”

  Jess laughed. “No. That was the one thing that threw me off when I discovered him. I thought for sure because this guy was a lot like Robbie.”

  “Really, not nerdy?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Makes sense though.” Elliott walked with his hands behind his back. “The missing brother is portrayed one way and why are Danny and Henry both looking like they’re harassing Ben from Fabrics.”

  With a quick turn of his head from the sudden turn of conversation topic, Jess said, “huh”, then peeked. “It does, doesn’t it?”

  Elliott had to make sure he was correct. A block away, he progressed a small step to see a bit clearer. Ben moved to the right, Henry and Danny blocked him. To the left Ben shifted, so did they. As Ben tried to go forward, he was inched back by the duo.

  Jess snickered, “Looks like they’re being the new Asian mob here in New Bowman.”

  “Will you excuse me, please?”

  “Sure,” Jess replied, “I think I’ll hit the mess. It’s dinner.”

  Nodding his acknowledgement, Elliott focused and moved toward the interaction on the street. “Gentlemen.”

  Ben whimpered out then waved his hand fantastically. “My hero. Save me. Save me from the beasts! Please.”

  “Is there … is there a problem, Danny and Henry?” Elliott asked.

  Frazzled, Henry mussed his hair. “You can say so, yeah.”

  “Danny?” Elliott asked.

  “Yeah, Elliott there is,” Danny answered.

  “And this problem …” Elliott asked without judgment, “I
s reason enough to intercede in this man’s desire to go forward.”

  Danny looked at Henry, then to Elliott. “Yes.”

  “I see.” Elliott nodded. “Has there been discord regarding his shop or a problem with Fabrics?”

  “No.” Henry shook his head. “We just need him to open the store. For five minutes.”

  “And really …” Danny continued. “You would think he’d want to have the business.”

  Elliott blinked. “You want to make a purchase?”

  Both Henry and Danny nodded.

  Elliott faced Ben. “Would it be extremely difficult to open the shop?”

  “No,” Ben replied.

  Elliott sighed out. “Ah, good, then proceed.” He turned and began to walk. Two steps into his return to Jess, Elliott heard Ben again.

  “Help! Help!”

  Elliott turned around to see Danny and Henry blocking Ben once more. “Gentlemen.” He hurried back. “What is it now?”

  “He won’t open the store,” Danny said.

  Elliott looked at Ben. “You said it wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” Ben replied. “I did say that. However, I did not say I would open the shop again. We’re closed. We closed half an hour ago. I have a life. They know my store hours. Should they want to make a purchase they need to come back tomorrow. There.” He nodded and straightened his clothing. “Now, may I go home?”

  “Yes,” Elliott blocked Danny and Henry as Ben passed. He failed to see Ben flip off the Asian duo as he did.

  “Great,” Danny huffed. “Thanks a lot, Elliott.”

  “Yeah, Elliott. Thanks,” Henry snapped.

  “Is there a birthday you forgot?” Elliott asked.

  “No, it’s not that.” Danny lifted a sheet of paper and handed it to Elliott. “It’s this.”

  Elliott looked at the document. The heading read ‘Joe List of things that fouled up and I have to deal with after my vacation’. The header was followed by multitudes of lines, blank lines. “Okay.” Elliott handed it back.

  “Joe gave that to me,” Danny said. “He’s convinced that things are going to get screwed up while he’s away, both here and in Beginnings. He wants a list so he’s prepared. It is my job to jot down things that may give him problems or a headache.”