The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Well, yeah,” Dan said. “Isn’t that part of Code Seven ‘D’.”

  Frank grunted and reached out with a flick to Dan’s head. “It’s Ellen!”

  “Ow.”

  “Christ, I’ll handle this.” Frank stormed off toward the clinic.

  Dan looked at Dean. “Was he very Joe-like just now?”

  “Wait until you see him in the future,” Dean said.

  Frank paused in his stride while the onlookers spread as he crossed over to the steps of the clinic. In utter annoyance, Frank shook his head, glared at them, and went into the clinic.

  The halls were eerily quiet as Frank stormed his way to the clinic. In his mind, he prepared what he would say to Ellen. He paused in reaching for the security keypad. On a whim, he tried to knob and turned it.

  Frank whispered out loud to himself, “It’s not even fuckin locked.” He knocked hard on the door and opened it. “El, what the fuck is going on in … in …” He stopped and with a backward sling, he slammed the door. “Fuck!”

  So lost and clueless, Ellen and Margaret looked at him. They were sitting across from each other at the counter, both holding cups of coffee.

  “El!”

  “God, Frank.” Ellen stood up. “Make us both have a heart attack, why don’t you?”

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  “You asked that once. We’re having coffee. Since when is that a crime in Beginnings?”

  “Since it became a spectator event.”

  “Huh?” Ellen scratched her head.

  “Dan,” Frank spoke into the radio. “Send Dean’s little ass in here … now.”

  Questioning, Ellen made her way to Frank. “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, El, the entire community thinks you were in here killing Margaret.”

  Ellen snickered. “That’s silly. Where did they get that?”

  “Frank …” Dean said out of breath.

  Frank swung a point at Dean.

  “Him?” Ellen asked.

  “Everything’s okay?” Dean asked.

  Frank nodded. “I hate to stomp all over that little fuckin ego trip you gave yourself. Things are fine. Margaret’s not dead unless Ellen poisoned her coffee, because that’s what they’re doing! Frank blasted. “Having fuckin coffee!”

  Frazzled, Dean moved into the room. “I thought … when everyone said Ellen came in here and slammed the door.”

  “Oh,” Ellen wisped out. “I did. I know where this is coming from,” she explained. “I was surprised and maybe pissed that Margaret was in here doing my work, but we started talking.” Ellen chuckled. “Not only did I realize that doing constant urine samples wasn’t my job anymore since I’m a doctor, I realized that Margaret is a nice woman.” Ellen turned to Margaret and smiled. “We talked.”

  Margaret returned the smile. “I enjoyed talking to you too, Ellen.”

  “We have to do it again,” Ellen said

  “Wait.” Frank lifted his hand. “You two get along?”

  “Actually …” Ellen replied. “After giving it a chance, we get along fine. I realized something else. I am really fine with you and her, Dean. I am. I thought it would bother me. I thought the baby and all would strain the new relationship … but it doesn’t.” She exhaled. “I’m happy for you … both.”

  Frank clenched a fist with a ‘yes’. “Oh, yeah. El is Dean free.”

  Ellen laughed. “Yes, Ellen is, more than she realized.”

  “So tell me something,” Frank said. “Does this mean you’ll think about marrying me again?”

  The corner of Ellen’s mouth raised in a smile “It means …” Her phone rang. “Hold on.” She answered the phone and began to take the call.

  “Fuck.” Frank shook his head. “I was close to an answer.”

  Margaret moved closer to Frank and whispered. “I think you’re answer will be yes.”

  Frank smiled then watched Ellen hang up. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I have to get to the Containment. Richie said there’s a problem.”

  “Do you need me?” Frank asked.

  “No, not that type of problem. I’ll see you in a bit.” Ellen stepped back. “Margaret.” She gave a smug look to Dean. “Dean.” She walked out.

  With typical arrogance, Frank bit his bottom lip and smiled. “I better make plans for the wedding. You think it should be a big one, Margaret?” he asked.

  “What was your last wedding like?”

  “Quick.”

  “Then this one should be big,” she replied.

  Dean rolled his eyes. “There’s not gonna be a wedding, Frank. She isn’t marrying you. She started dating Hal.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Dean.” Frank beamed. “I’m heading over to Containment, you know, just to check on my fiancée.” He winked. “Disperse the crowd that is still out front and … maybe not.” He held his finger to his earpiece. “Yeah, Dan? That would toddler. They’ve grown. On my way.” Frank sighed out. “Guess El has to wait. Oops, I mean my bride-to-be.” He moved to the door. “Oh!” He slid to a stop. “Dean, you know what would make this really great?”

  “What’s that?” Dean asked with little enthusiasm.

  “If you’d be my best man.” Laughing loudly at his own humor, Frank left.

  Dean groaned.

  Margaret snickered. “I think you should.”

  Dean groaned again.

  ***

  Bertha knew the second she was summoned to George’s office that something was strong on his mind. He held the letter from Mike in his hand, the edges of it crumbling from the grip of the President. She couldn’t decipher the look on his face. Anger, distraught, shock? She was certain of one thing; it wasn’t pleasure.

  “Callahan,” he rasped out.

  “Sir, you called?” She stood before him at ease.

  “Start a plan of action. We’ll use a four week time frame, no less. That’s the deadline. I’ll inform Lodi of the deadline.”

  “Yes, sir. May I ask what I am planning?”

  “Lodi turned us down.” George released the letter. “In four weeks … we go to war.”

  He expected Bertha would just nod, obey, turn, and walk away but she didn’t. George glanced up. “Problem?”

  “Yes. In four weeks, Johnny will still be recovering from surgery.”

  “I understand that. But after surgery, Johnny will come back to his senses and back to us. In four weeks, he’ll be out of there. Start the plan of action then inform Lodi.”

  “Shall the letter be a final chance?” she asked.

  “No,” George shook his head. “They had their final chance. The letter is their destiny.”

  NEXT: FAULTED LINES

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  Glossary According to Frank

  Armory – This is where we keep the guns.

  Ashtonville – This is the starting point where we met George and found out about The Garfield Project (see below under ‘G’)

  Beginnings – Home. A hidden place in Montana near Canada, no, wait, it’s not. Sorry.

  Caceres Society – A group of people who started the end of the world and planned to survive it, but most didn’t. Now we call the enemy that.

  Clinic – A place where people go to when they are sick.

  CME – The technical name for a SUT. Computer Manipulated Entity or something like that. Just say SUT.

  Cole – Works distribution and farming. He also fills in on Security Detail. Why is he here?

  Containment – The Place where all new residents go to be people again and where all good crazy Beginnings people take a menta
l vacation.

  Crygenics Chamber – This is where the frozen Scientists were.

  Cryo Lab – Has nothing to do with cryo anymore. Dean does sick things there.

  Cryo Tunnels – They lead to … where else, the Cryo Lab.

  Dean Ami – Oh, good stuff. A carbon based bomb that sucks out the air, interjects Carbon Monoxide and just kills people instantly.

  Forrest Caceres – Short little guy who invented the first society of survivors. It was fiction, but he was used as a basis.

  Front Tunnel Gate – The main entrance where people come in.

  G.A.F – Ready for this. Growth Accelerated Fetus. DNA changed. Just say Killer baby.

  Garfield Project – The technical name for Beginnings. We changed it.

  Hair Hold – Stuff the women and Henry use to hold their hair.

  Hap – Old guy that runs the daycare.

  History – Everything and anything that happens in Beginnings is logged here and monitored. I don’t mean like when people take baths, I mean like births, deaths, when we leave for runs.

  Holding – A sort of cool down jail for people that fight or a place where we hold people before they get kicked out.

  Hope Cure – Name of the virus cure that I invented, but Dean takes credit.

  Jason Godrichson – Weird guy who is a time scientists. He did invent a working time machine, so we tolerate him.

  Jeff – One of my good security guys. Great vision. Married to Trish.

  Joe Park – What is up with his place? It’s like twenty foot by twenty foot. A little grass patch and a walkway that goes around a flag. People walk this with power walks.

  John Matoose – Security, mechanics, an original resident of Beginnings. Not saying anything else.

  Johnny Slagel – My son.

  Jonas – Ah, man, I liked Jonas. He was here when we arrived and he was killed. Good guy on Security.

  Josephine – Old woman who drinks too much, talks too loud, swear a lot and sleeps around.

  Killer Baby – Yes. While others call them dangerous, I like them. Not attractive, but they run in excess of fifty-five miles per hour and are carnivorous.

  Marcus – Beginnings’ first domesticated Killer baby.

  Melissa – She gave birth to a killer baby. On purpose too, But didn’t know they were killer. Marcus is cool. How about they all fell in alphabetical order like that. Killer baby, Marcus, Melissa. Oh, yeah, she works at the clinic.

  Miguel – Was married to Andrea, worked in the fields, taught us all how to drive Semis.

  Nursery – This is where we put the babies, not the plants.

  Ousting – When we kick someone out.

  PCRS – What? Ellen said it is Poly Rhythmic Synthesis. Starts the heart when it stops. Dean made it.

  Perimeter Beam – A fry beam that cuts an intruder.

  Phase Out – Another cool thing made by Dean. Melts people. But the problem is it only works on people not naturally immune to the plague. So he can’t melt me.

  Processing – The exam, testing and cleansing a new person goes through when they come to Beginnings.

  Quantum Lab – Place where Jason works and keeps his time machine.

  Quantum Regressionator – Technical and long name for Time Machine.

  Riacon – Man, Dean just makes the weapons. This literally burns off your skin. The CIA buried it in the desert. I asked my dad if I could go find it and he just looked at me.

  Ripple – What happens when you mess with time.

  Savages – Barely dressed wild people who attack for no reason because they forgot how to be civilized.

  Skills Room – I really don’t know what El does here. She says she teaches people skills. I haven’t seen it. I watched them play cards and talk like a recreation room at a mental ward.

  Social Hall – Where all good Beginnings people go to drink and relax.

  Starters – My brother's band, they need new material.

  SUT – Oh, yeah, Stupid Uniform Target. Isn’t that a better name than CME? It’s a person who had his brain tapped and a chip put in there. They are killing machines. But easily killed.

  Three Farmers – Not to be confused with the Three Pigs. These three old people started the fields and got us our food growing.

  Trish – Crazy OCD woman that runs History.

  Underdeveloped Area – The area behind the houses that isn’t developed. Ha!

  Utility Line – Why this is called this, I don’t know. It’s actually one long building with five offices. Security, my dad’s, holding. Stuff like that.