“That’s my dad,” Johnny commented. “Sorry to hear about you and Henry.”
“That’s OK. You know me. I move on, just like I’m going to move on to the mobile.”
“El,” Johnny tried to talk to her, “do you think you and Henry will get back together?”
“No, Johnny. There isn’t a chance.”
“You’ve given my dad many second chances.”
“Johnny.” Ellen winked subtly. “That’s your Dad.”
“Are you getting back with my dad?”
“Probably not.”
“Dean?”
“I honestly think I’m giving up on all three.”
“Be Ellen, the free spirit.”
“Maybe.”
Johnny began to walk away. “Oh hey, El? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why aren’t we working with our agents on the host virus sample we have? We’re trying our agents on everything else, strands two and three. Why not one?”
“One word. Dean,” Ellen stated. “He doesn’t think we should. You know him. Just because he used to be one of the top minds in his field, he thinks he knows everything. Go figure. I have argued with him.”
“Keep arguing because I think it’s a mistake ignoring that host virus.” Johnny stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See ya, Johnny. Thanks for helping today.”
Trotting the rest of the way to the mobile, Ellen hoped that Johnny didn’t lock the door. The last thing she wanted to do was balance a box and reach for a keypad, but Johnny didn’t. The door was open.
Taking a second to enjoy the cool air-conditioned air, Ellen felt the heat of the day leave her, and she laid the box on the counter to her left. When she did, she saw it, a single wild flower. She lifted it up and brought it to her nose.
“It’s from me.”
Ellen’s head quickly turned to Henry who stood by the trailer door. She turned away.
“I knew you were coming, so I came up.”
Ellen set down the flower and proceeded to unpack her box. “I’m very busy, Henry, so unless you came up here to fix something, please leave.”
“I did come up here to fix something.” He walked to her. “Us.”
“We can’t be fixed.”
“Anything can be fixed.”
“Not if enough damage is done, it can’t.” She continued reaching into the box. “Trust me, there’s been damage done.”
“Ellen.” Henry grabbed her hand and pulled it out of the box. “Listen, if I had told you that next morning about what happened, would you have been mad at me?”
“I would have been surprised that you took advantage of me.”
“But would you have believed me when I said I didn’t know you blacked out.”
“I believe you now, Henry, if I didn’t. You wouldn’t be standing here.”
“So all we need to get over is the fact that I didn’t tell you.”
Ellen’s voice squeaked with emotions, “Why aren’t you getting this? I have a valid reason, Henry, for being mad. For not trusting you. For never wanting to deal with you again. Do you not get that?”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You have, and should have thought of that a long time ago when you chose to not tell me the truth.”
“I’m human, El. I make mistakes.”
“This was a doozy.”
“Any bigger than Frank mentally abusing you? Any bigger than him using you for sex and telling you that you can go.”
“It’s all bad, Henry.”
“But you forgave Frank. What about me?”
“You’re not Frank.”
“No one is.” Somberly he began to walk away. He paused at the work counter and looked at the wild flower he had stopped and picked for her. His peace offering. So simple, so natural, just like he thought he and Ellen were. Henry grabbed the flower and walked to the mobile lab door. Before he left, he stared down at it then turned slowly back around to face Ellen who watched him. “Can’t we try to work on this? Can’t we at least try to be friends again, and get beyond this?”
Ellen swallowed. “One day, Henry, maybe, but that one day won’t be soon.”
Henry closed his eyes momentarily, took a step back while clutching the flower, and moved quickly from the lab. But before he left, he crushed the wildflower and tossed it in the trash, not looking back as he walked out the door.
<><><><>
If there was one thing George truly missed about Beginnings and vowed to keep the same when he returned, was the alcohol. The moonshine recipe brought to Beginnings by a farmer named Stan, an Original, when they arrived, was kept up even after Stan’s death. Unlike any moonshine George had ever tried in his entire life, Stan’s batch was sweet and tasted more like bourbon than anything else. Stan said it was his secret ingredient that he would take to his grave. Fortunately for Beginnings, Stan got entirely too drunk one evening and he boasted that secret ingredient. Not one person thought twice about taking advantage of his drunkenness. They quickly questioned him all about making it and wrote it down.
George sipped his chemist’s equivalent to moonshine. George said it had to be sweeter and with a hard kick. But the more George sipped it, the more he felt like one of those women in the old world who wanted to be one of the guys and do a shot, but only did schnapps.
But if he drank enough, it usually would have a soothing effect. In fact, as George sat upon the front porch of his home, sipping his alcoholic beverage, he actually became giddy. Giggling and chuckling to himself, he made those who passed him on the street wonder if he was in control of his own faculties. To some people, the moonshine he drank had a drunken effect. George could hear the hooting and chanting coming from the bar down the street from his home, in that small town located in the center of Former Quantico. With all the people moving about Quantico, it sometimes took a second for George to realize the old world wasn’t back, at least not yet. It wouldn’t be long either, contrary to what Beginnings thought. Thinking of Beginnings’ newest move made George laugh even more.
Every time their so-called tracking system popped into George’s head, he laughed. Beginnings hadn’t a clue that the new radar equivalent system they were going to create would be useless. George thought ahead about that one. When trying to create the perfect army, he knew one way to do it would be to make them radar-invincible. A Stealth Soldier. George did it. The microchip in the CMEs made it impossible for them to be detected at all, and the soldiers he had that weren’t CMEs could benefit by it too. All they had to do was carry a microchip and they too could not be seen. That was exactly what George was going to have them do when he sent his wave of invasion Beginnings’ way. He had his labs working to create more.
It almost seemed to George like an unfair advantage over Beginnings. But it brought George enjoyment, sitting on his front porch, thinking of his preparations, picturing Beginnings thinking that they’re so high-and-mighty with a brand new radar system. A radar system that would fail them before they would realize it never would have worked. Like a child, George kept thinking to himself that he knew something Beginnings didn’t know, and he laughed when he thought about that. But what George was unaware of was that Beginnings knew something he didn’t know, and for that, they could very easily have the last laugh.
CHAPTER TEN
JULY 31
So chipper and perky, Ellen called out as she walked into the bedroom, holding a mug of coffee, “Let’s go, Dean!” She walked over to his side of the bed. “Get up.” She set the mug on the nightstand next to him. “Boy, are you lazy today.”
Dean grunted, “Go away. What time is it?”
“Seven. Let’s go,” she spoke annoyingly high pitched and chipper. “Dean, get out of bed.”
“El, I will.”
“Dean.” She flung off his covers.
“El!” He pulled them back up then rolled onto his stomach.
“You’re missing the day, Dean.” She walk
ed to the window.
“It’s seven in the morning, Ellen. How much of the day can I be missing?”
“A lot. I made breakfast, Dean. I’ll hold it until you get out of the shower. Kids are dressed. Let’s go.”
“El ...” Dean started to lift his head but stopped, he listened. “Do not tell me you’re opening the blinds.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“For you. It’s a beautiful day.”
“El, it’s dark to me. Why are you so perky.”
“I’ve been up since five.” She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge next to him. “I brought you up coffee.”
“Is that mine? I smelt it.”
“Yep, on your nightstand.” She stood up. “You need me to pick out your clothes?”
“No. Frank has my drawers all arranged by ...” Dean sat up. “Could you just look to see if he lied to me?”
“Sure.” Ellen walked to the dresser. “How are they supposed to be?”
“Jeans on the bottom, the more faded they are the more on the right they are.”
“Check.”
“Third drawer should have my sweats on the right and tan pants on left.”
“Check.”
“Second drawer should have my tee shirts arranged by ...”
“Dean, I just thought of something.” Ellen said as she peered into the drawer.
“What’s that?”
“What does it matter? Jeans go with everything and so do tan pants.”
“I’d like to know what I’m wearing. El, can you check my closet for me? He’s supposed to have them tagged in a Frank-system.”
“This is silly. You’ll match, that’s all that matters.” Ellen walked to the closet. “God, he has these things pinned to them, shapes, circles, triangles ...”
“Are the circles on black?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Dean?” Ellen watched him get out of bed and easily walk to the dresser. “We had a good first night living together again, didn’t we?”
“Oh sure, El, you kept me up half the night talking.”
“Oh please, Dean. You were out by one. I fell asleep early, two a.m.”
“Two a.m. is not early, El. Not by my standards. Ten o’clock is a good bedtime.” Dean proceeded to pull out clothing from his dresser.
“I’d die if I missed as much of my life as you, Dean, sleeping. However, I was very glad you got up to talk to me last night when I came home from Frank’s.”
“What happened with that? I thought when you left here that you said you were going over to talk to him for a few hours.”
“It’s sounds almost as if you’re disappointed I came home,” Ellen sighed, “anyhow, Frank asked me to leave. He said I was rambling too much. He wanted to go to bed.”
“So I got the honors?”
“Dean, I wanted to talk.”
“I told you today is my first day back at the lab after Andrea’s little flu,” Dean huffed and shook his head. “I wanted to go to bed early. You said fine and you went to talk to Frank.”
“Frank didn’t want to talk. He wanted to sleep.”
“So did I.”
“But I live with you, Dean. You have to talk to me at night. I love talking at night.”
“I love sleeping at night, El.” Dean grabbed his clothes. “Staying up to midnight is one thing, hearing you still telling Jenny Matoose stories as it pushes one is another. I don’t even want to hear about what you go into around three.” He walked backwards to his door.
“Should you be walking blindly like that, Dean?”
“What other way is there to walk for me, El?” Dean stopped walking.
“Forwards, perhaps?”
“I know this room, El, and I’m going to take a shower.”
“OK, I’ll wait down ... Dean? Watch out for that ...” Ellen cringed at the soft ‘thump’ that sounded off when Dean rammed into the archway. “Wall.”
Dean grumbled in disgust then rubbed his head. “I have to stop doing that.”
“You know you can’t blame Frank on that one. That wall has always been there. Frank couldn’t have come ...”
“El.” Dean held up his hand as he slowly felt his way from the room. “I’m taking a shower now. I can’t talk.”
“OK.”
Dean mumbled to himself as he walked from his bedroom, holding his clothes, and heading to the bathroom. If Ellen kept up talking all the time, he wasn’t going to survive her living with him.
<><><><>
Joe couldn’t figure out exactly why everyone was saying it to him. Perhaps it was because he had been shot in the rear-end, or maybe because he tried to run to Mechanics. Whatever the reason, he didn’t think it one bit amusing when everyone would yell, ‘Run Forrest Run’.
Joe was trying to help Henry out since he undertook the large task of getting the two new helicopters back in order. They were sort-of fine, but they needed a good Beginnings once-over and cleanup. With Henry engrossed in that portion, Joe headed off to Mechanics. He slowed his pace down, because his fast, bouncy stride kept hurting the injury site that didn’t want to heal.
Separate the requisitions, write up work orders, and then move about to his own work in Beginnings. The last thing Joe wanted to do was run into anyone. He thought he was safe from that, seeing how it was in the middle of the work morning. Just as he lifted the requisitions from the ‘in’ bin, the door to Mechanics opened and in walked Trish.
“Joe,” she spoke as if she was just so perplexed, “I have a problem.”
“What is it, Trish? I’m a busy man.”
“But I have something that needs fixed.”
“Fill out a requisition.”
“Joe, I really need this fixed now.”
“Christ, Trish, do I look like Henry? No. What is it?”
“Did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Joe?” Trish asked with a tilted head.
“Trish. No. Now what is it?”
“My phone, Joe. Look.” She held up her cellular phone. “It won’t work.”
“Is it charged?”
“Oh very much so, Joe,” Trish stated. “Did you honestly think I would let it go? It just won’t work.”
“Then just leave it here. Scott has been the phone guy. I’ll make him look at it.”
“Thanks, Joe,” Trish spoke with such relief. “The sooner the better too. You never know when you are going to get bombarded with calls. I’d hate to miss any of them.”
“Trish, who is going to call you?”
“Just about anyone.”
“Just give me the phone.” Joe all but snatched the phone from Trish’s hand. “Go.”
“Thanks.” Trish moved back to the door. “And, Joe? Just so you know, I wasn’t any of those people who were making Forrest Gump references to you, even if you were shot in the buttocks.”
“Go.”
As Trish left Mechanics, she felt so lost, so lonely without her phone. She put high hopes in Joe that he would see to it that her phone got fixed, even if he did remind her of Forrest Gump, and she absolutely hated that movie.
<><><><>
The hard clanking of the tool was a sure signal that Henry was getting frustrated. Frank couldn’t help but snicker at him. He dropped the tool like something was extremely wrong with the helicopter, and Henry couldn’t do anything about it. “Henry, what the fuck? You keep throwing things. I know the helicopter cannot possibly be that bad if they flew all the way here from Minot.”
“I’m having a bad day, Frank. I’m backed-up in Mechanics. The last thing I wanted to do today is fix these helicopters. They almost crashed on us two times, and then your asshole brother made matters worse by screaming and nose-diving the thing.”
“Henry. If you could sound any more like a woman, I’m gonna suggest you marry yourself.”
Henry bent down to pick up his wrench. He saw the boots as he lifted his tool. He tried to ignore them hoping that they wo
uld go away, but if he knew Henry was in a bad mood then Robbie Slagel definitely would egg him on. So Henry pretended. He placed on a big smile and stood up, giving it to Robbie. “How are you, Robbie?”
Robbie returned the grin. “Hey, Henry. I hear you’re in a bad mood.”
“You heard wrong.” Henry lifted his tool to the helicopter’s engine. “I’m in great mood.”
“Oh yeah? Even with Ellen living with Dean again.”
“What is up with that?” Henry asked, slamming the tool down.
“You’re not helping matters, Robbie,” Frank stated.
“Speaking of not helping matters.” Robbie smiled arrogantly. “How about that Bentley guy getting out of Containment before Danny? Hey, Henry, wanna hear a rumor.”
“No!” Henry snapped.
“Come on.”
“No.”
“Just a little bit,” Robbie begged.
“I said no.”
“Come on,” Robbie put it all on the line, “come on. Please?”
“All right, what is the rumor?” Henry gave in.
Like a little kid, Robbie rubbed his hands together. “All right. Rumor has it that Danny doesn’t want to leave.”
“Why wouldn’t Danny want to leave Containment?”
“One word.” With his hands on his hips, Robbie looked as if he was waiting to release the biggest news of the century. “Ellen.”
“What? Because he has a thing for her, he’s gonna stay in there?”
Robbie fluttered his lips. “Thing for her? Henry, I busted them having ... well let’s just say they were quite intimate at the moment that I walked into the women’s ... shower.”
Even though he intended on handling it with the highest amount of maturity, Henry still held the slight look of disbelief. “Liar-liar.”
“I am not. Frank, am I lying?”
“Yes,” Frank answered. “Henry, he’s lying. And, Robbie, no more, you suck at it.”
“I suck? You suck.”
“At what?” Frank quipped back with sarcasm.
“A lot.”
“Name something.” Frank folded his arms, moving an irritated Henry aside as he met up face-to-face with his brother, in what was building to be an intelligent verbal challenge. “Anything.”
Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8 Page 24