Joe (25 page)

“I’m sure Jason has many.”

“He didn’t say, he said he had only this one Pube.”

“It’s like he was radiated.”

“No. No sign of radiation. Just the Pube.”

“Frank?”

“What?”

“Everyone has them. They didn’t just show up in the future.”

“No, Danny, we don’t have them in Beginnings now.”

“Uh, yeah, Frank, we do. Everyone has them. I thought for sure, you know, you did, with all that hair on your chest.”

“What are you talking about?” Frank asked.

“Pubes.”

“What’s that got to do with hair on my chest?”

“You’re talking about pubic hair aren’t you?”

“Why would I be talking about pubic hair?”

“Uh, Frank, you said Pubes.”

“Uh, yeah, Danny. Pubes.” Frank shook his head. “Killer Pre-pubescent.”

“Kill . . . oh, shit. Grown up babies not yet teens.”

“But Killer.”

“Pubes.”

“Exactly.” Frank held out his hand.

“You named them.”

“Yeah.”

“Got it.” Danny gave a thumbs up. “So why do you need the invisa suit.”

“To go to the Killer Baby region to search.”

“Frank,” Danny chuckled. “Those things don’t attack you. They love you.”

“No, Danny ours do. The ones from the future. They don’t give a fuck about me. And if they are anything like the one I saw at Jason’s. If there’s a lot. We’re in trouble.”

Danny stared for a second. “I’ll get you a suit.”

Hal knew it. He absolutely knew it, the second he stepped into Containment and saw the front security desk was empty.

He didn’t need to wonder where Dan was. Of course he knew where Dan was. Probably with everyone else.

The thought that something was wrong never even crossed his mind.

He buzzed himself in, and sure enough, like he expected he heard the sounds of music flowing to him.

Acoustic guitar strumming with passion, that unmistakable voice singing out Blue Suede Shoes.

Arrogantly and smug, Hal walked down the hall.

Dan was seated at the skills room door, almost as if guarding it.

“Dan,” Hal said and reached for the knob.

“You can’t go in there.”

“Sure I can.”

“No, you can’t. That’s why I’m here to make sure no one goes in there.”

Hal chuckled. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why can’t I go in there?”

“Ellen said they are having intense, emotional reconstruction therapy.”

With a ‘Ha, ha, ha, please’ Hal laughed. “Intense therapy. Elvis is singing.”

At first Dan snorted, then he apologized and tried to hide his laugh. “Sorry.”

“What?”

“Elvis?”

“Yes.”

“You think that’s Elvis?”

“Um, yes, I do.”

“Hal.” Dan winked. “It’s not Elvis. It’s Mort from Jordan.”

“Oh, so now he has a name.” Hal nodded. “Mort from Jordan. And it’s not Elvis?”

“Can’t be.”

“Why not?”

“How would Elvis get to Beginnings?”

Hal opened his mouth to answer and stopped.

“See? Got ya’ there.”

“Yes, you did.” Hal flashed a grin opened up the door to the skills room and walked in.

“Hey!” Dan shouted following him,

The music stopped. All the residents turns and looked. Ellen stood up. “Hal, what are you doing in here?”

Dan, huffing, held up his hand. “I’m sorry Ellen. Want me to escort him out. Or I can call Frank.”

“Frank?” Hal scoffed. “You want to call my brother on me? What on God’s name for?”

“Causing a disturbance.” Dan said.

“Go away.” Hal told him.

Dan gasped. “You are the rudest Slagel brother there is.”

“I’m sure,” Hal shifted his eyes to Ellen. “El, may I speak to you for a moment in your office.”

“That’s so Joe like.” Ellen walked to him, then directed Elvis. “Mort, continue. Only this time can you play Suspicious Eyes?”

“Sure, thing, Sue Ann.” Elvis replied.

After mouthing the words ‘Sue Ann’, Hal followed Ellen out.

“What’s up?” Ellen asked as she closed the door.

“Why is he calling you Sue Ann?”

“I told him that was my alternate reality name. That when we are faced with an alternate reality we lose our identities and get new names.”

“Are you convincing Elvis he is crazy?”

“Mort.”

“He’s not Mort and you know it.”

“Shh.” Ellen said. “Keep your voice down.”

“Why? Do these people not know he’s Elvis?”

“No, they think he’s Mort from Jordan.”

“And what about everyone else in Beginnings, Won’t they know?”

“Know what?”

“He’s Elvis.”

“He’s not Elvis, He’s Mort from Jordon.”

“Ellen.”

“What?”

“Cut the shit,” Hal said. “You know who he is. Frank told you we brought him through, Frank is like Jesus Christ himself to you. So I know you believe it.”

“Ok.”

“So why are you convincing people that he’s Mort from Jordan.”

“Because Hal, how did he get here?”

“The time machine.”

“Exactly.” Ellen folded her arms. “Until I convince everyone he is Mort, he stays here. I have to save face and stop trouble. Time travel is outlawed. There is no known time machine.”

“Why is that? I’m curious.”

“Frank doesn’t want anyone to know there’s a machine that works.”

“No, no.” Hal shook his head. “Why is time travel outlawed?”

“Because Frank doesn’t want people messing with time. They try to change it and only screw it up.”

“He’s the biggest culprit.”

“Oh!” Ellen gasped. “That’s so wrong blaming things on your brother. We would have Robbie if Frank didn’t mess with time.”

“Fine, but the machine could be used for other things.”

“Like what?”

“Like going back to check a crime. Finding out who killed my father.”

“Hal,” Ellen chuckled. “We know who killed Joe.”

“Who?”

“Ralph from the future.”

“Ah, that’s right, a future suicide bomber killed my dad. And you believe that?”

“Of course.” Ellen shrugged. “Joe said it, why would Joe lie?”

“Because my father didn’t say it.”

“You were there Hal.”

“Yes, and he’s dead.”

“Fine. Fine. Argue semantics. His ghost said it.”

“Ellen,” Hal remained calm. “My father’s ghost didn’t say it. Arnold, or whatever his name is, that imitates my father did.”

“No, he didn’t. He gave it up for Lent.”

Hal growled. “I give up. I give up.” He tossed his hands outward and reached for the door. “There is no suicide bomber or ghost of my father. He’s gone, Ellen. Gone.” He opened the door in a huff, walked out and as he stepped back, felt the slam of a body into him. “I am so sorry.” Hal, apologizing, turned around and stopped.

No one was there.

Like a cat, he shook his head once, looked up and down the hall, and puzzled, walked away.

Joe paused by the open skills room door, he looked back, catching his breath. His shoulder hurt from Hal slamming into him. He took a second, wondered if Hal thought anything of the collision, and then went into the skills room without Dan noticing the door opening.

****

The only thing that told that Frank was standing there was the sight of the Vision Cam headgear that seemed to float on its own and the sound of Journey playing.

Danny was positioned in the back of a jeep. The mobile equipment he was wanting to test out was getting a good go around.

Headset to his head, he listened to Frank.

“I’m entering the area now,” Frank said. “Are you getting everything?”

“Yeah. Don’t move to quick, it makes me sick.”

“Roger that.”

“I’ll start recording when you hit the wooded area.”

“I’ll start singing.”

“No, Frank. Don’t.”

“Why? I have a nice singing voice.”

Hyena style laughter broke through the radio. Then Robbie. “Yeah, right.”

“Robbie, this is personal private conversation.”

“Yeah, well, it’s the radio, Frank. Everyone’s listening. If you don’t want the community to know, go on a secure channel.”

“I am on a secure channel.”

“Whoops, my bad. I have access.”

“Fucker.”

“Guys,” Danny said. “Can we just have silence? Frank. It’s not your singing voice. It’s uh, the Journey music adds a nice touch and you may drown it out.”

“Oh, like a soundtrack.”

“Exactly.”

“Frank?” Robbie called out. “What exactly are you looking for out there?”

“Up where?”

“The Killer Baby region.”

“Toddler,” Frank corrected. “And how did you know I was here?”

“I’m standing by the jeep.”

Danny poked his head out of the curtained off area. Robbie grinned and waved.

“Robbie, how did you know we were here?”

“Well, Frank took a jeep, he never does that anymore, and so that told me he had someone with him. Two, when you made the comment that it looked like the headgear was floating, I figured Frank had on an invisible suit or you had the brain flu. Since we both know the truth about the brain flu, that meant Frank had on an invisible suit. He’s not playing a practical joke, so he had to be here. Obviously there’s a problem up here.”

“That’s pretty good investigating.”

Frank chuckled over the airwaves. “Yeah, too bad he couldn’t use that to find Ralph.”

“Who’s Ralph?” Danny asked.

“The suicide bomber that killed my dad.”

“Oh.”

“What’s the truth?” Frank asked. “About the brain flu.”

“Huh?” Robbie asked.

“You said since you both knew the truth about the brain flu. What’s the truth? Do I know it?”

“Yeah,” Robbie replied. “The brain flu truth is . . .”

“You’re immune.” Danny stated.

“I am?” Frank asked. “I didn’t know that.”

Robbie said. “Thought you did. See, you were hit on the head so much, your brain was too damaged to get it.”

“Whoa. Lucky me.”

“Yep.”

“Frank.” Danny called out. “I’m recording now.”

“Got it.”

Frank walked slowly turning his head in slow motions. “Everything looks normal. There goes one of mine.”

“Yeah, he looks just like you,” Danny said.

“Ha, ha, ha. Funny. Wait.” Frank saw another zip by. “There goes another. That’s odd.”

“What is?”

“Their behavior. They’re moving differently. Like they’re playing a game or something.”

“They are young,” Danny said. “Do they play?”

“I think. Maybe not, since they have sex now.” Another step. “Wait. Here comes one.”

A Killer Toddler dashed to Frank at full speed and stopped at his feet. He stared at Frank, as if he wished he could talk.

“Hey little guy, what’s wrong?” Frank asked.

“He looks scared, Frank,” Danny said. “Not that they have facial expressions. But look how he’s breathing.”

“Yeah.” Frank crouched down.

“Frank?” Robbie interjected. “What’s that on his face?”

Frank reached to the Killer Toddler and it lunged at him as if getting protected. Grasping his leg.

“Hey, hey.” Frank spoke soft. “Hey, he’s injured. Scratched. How the hell did that happen? Their skin is like leather.”

“Frank. I just had a thought.” Robbie said. “You’re wearing the invisible suit. How did he know you were there?”

“I think they sense me. Cause they know me.”

“Let’s hope that’s it.” Danny lowered the radio from his mouth. “We should get him out of there.”

“Why?”

“Because what if, Ok, we’re convinced something from the future is up there. What if they are keen to the invisa suits?”

Robbie’s eyes widened. Just as he reached his radio to his mouth, he paused. “Frank. I just saw something. It’s not normal. Stand up.”

“What?”” Frank asked.

“Stand up Frank. It’s big. It’s bigger than the Killer Babies.”

“Toddlers.”

“What the fuck ever.”

Danny looked at the screen. “I can’t see it.”

“I did, when he was staring at the baby.”

“What the fuck?”

Frank’s head raised and the monitor showed something coming his way and fast.

It moved unlike the babies in the area because it moved in attack mode and Frank knew it.

It had to see him or sense him like the other ones.

Zooming his way, Frank had one option, he could try to outrun it, but Frank didn’t run from anything.

Extending his hand, he side stepped as it neared him and swung out as if a batter hitting a ball.

Crack.

The Pube sailed backwards.

Frank grunted. “I just broke my fucking arm. Fuck.”

“What is that?” Robbie asked.

“A Pube.” Danny answered.

“Pube?”

The killer adolescent, shook its head like a cat, and lunged to its feet, just as it readied to sail in attack at Frank again, out from nowhere shot six, seven eight Killer Toddlers, and they leapt upon the adolescent.

“Are you guys seeing this shit?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, we see it Frank,” Danny replied. “We see it.”

Grunts, growls, and squeals rang out loudly as the much bigger LEP fought diligently, but the Killer Babies fought with a cause. Tearing it up in a vicious fight until eventually, the older LEP stopped moving.

When they had defeated their enemy, in a protective mode, the Killer Toddlers swarmed to Frank.

“Gentlemen,” Frank said. “We have problems.”

****

“All right. Fuck. Fine. I’ll go.”

Frank was irritated when Danny requested he head down to the clinic for his arm. Frank, though, didn’t think it was a big deal, a broken bone. After all, what could Danny see? Frank was wearing an invisible suit.