Secrets of Liberty Mountain No Man s Land Chapter9
- 4 years ago
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With flying gravel and a sandy whoosh, Frosty's motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope.
"It's Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff's department." Belinda took my hand and pulled herself up to the top of the incline. "They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did they see me?" She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the rise at the far end of the trail along the saddleback.
"No. I could only see you. That rise is blocking our position."
I shifted my body sideways, scrunched down, and peaked out from the shadowed corner of a wastebasket sized rock outcropping. Eye level to the ground, I felt like one of the little people from Gulliver's Travels as I gazed through a forest of withered brown grass scattered before me. Having lost their struggle to survive in thin soil against the summer's heat, the dead leaves of spring growth swayed in the wind like Tibetan prayer flags.
"How far behind are they?"
I glanced upward to check the sun's angle and lifted my field glasses to my eyes. Good; the sun was slightly behind me, no chance for a reflection flash. I steadied my glasses on the distant summit with one hand as I pulled a black and white cowboy bandana from my pocket.
"Not far, fifteen-hundred-yards at the most, maybe five minutes.” Frosty took the offered bandanna from my hand and wiped the sweat and dust from her face. “Thanks.”
"What's going on?" the commander whispered as she dropped next to me and observed the western skyline as, one by one, seven riders ambled into view.
The lead rider raised his arm, halted, and dismounted before lifting a pair of binoculars to his eyes. I froze in place like a spider in the weeds and held my breath as a stinging trickle of sweat dribbled down my forehead into my eyes.
"Crap!" Sheila hunched down and let gravity slide her body out of sight of the intruders. "Did he see me? What's he doing?" Her face pressed tightly into the rocky incline as she looked at me and blinked.
I focused on the leader and grunted in surprise as the man's hands fumbled with his midsection and he assumed the familiar posture of relief. I stifled a chuckle as he began to swivel his hips from side to side. We men ain't too far removed from our canine cousins. We love to mark our turf.
"Yup, he's taking a piss. He's got his pecker in his hands."
I fine-tuned the focus of the high-quality optics. I lifted my startled head and stared into the faraway face of Fitzwater the County Assessor. “What the fuck? "What the hell is that bastard doing here?" I growled.
"Who?" Sheila inched upward and looked over the rim of our hill.
"It's that little prick from town, Pisswater. Now he's wearing a sheriff's uniform," I coughed and spat. "What are your orders, Commander?"
I unslung my weapon and checked the safety. I noticed Belinda matched my moves as she licked her lips and readied her rifle.
"We've got to free Alice and Darlene, and we can't risk a shootout. We need to stop them here." Sheila slipped down the embankment and climbed to her feet as the grim-faced, and tightly lipped women of our team gathered around her. The leader scanned the several dozens stunted evergreens which had taken root in the scant soil below the summit. "This is an ideal spot for an ambush; we've got enough cover."
"Better hurry, they're moving again," Belinda warned as she scrambled under her poncho.
"Quickly! Get undercover and be ready back me up. I'll confront them here after they've cleared the crest." Sheila worked the bolt action on her rifle and loaded the firing chamber with a live round.
"Boss! Let me stop them." Slinging my rifle over my shoulder, I scooted down on my ass and stood next to Sheila.
"Why?" the leader frowned.
"Because Fitzwater is a sexist pig. He won't take you seriously; you're a woman. He might listen to me. Maybe." I took a pack of cigarettes from my breast pocket, tapped out a smoke and lit it with my Bic lighter.
"You really wanna do that?" My boss's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hell no! But if you do it, you'll get shot," I shuddered as I took a drag and tried to keep my knees from trembling.
Martha stepped to the Commander's side and tugged her shirt sleeve. "He's right Sheila, let him do it."
"All right, we'll cover you."
Sheila joined Martha in the sheltered position behind a rock outcropping. I unslung my firearm and stepped behind a tangle of bushes, knelt out of sight as I glanced around and waved to my comrades. As if they were shadows in the night, the caped sisters moved like silent mist between the branches and blended, nearly invisible, with the background.
I took a deep drag from my cigarette and closed my eyes for a moment to collect my thoughts and gather my wits. Confronting a group of lawmen with a drawn weapon? Nope. Not a good idea. I fingered the beads on my Vietnam service necklace, ditched my cigarette and moved my mind to a place with neither past nor future. The eternal now was all about me.
"Relax, my friend," I whispered as I pushed worry to the center of my thoughts and acknowledged the terror within me.
Fear is a useful servant, but it is a lousy master. Once I accepted the fact I was scared beyond words, an icy calm stilled the trembling of my hands and mind, and I was no longer a refugee from reason.
From the far edge of hearing, the sound of approaching hooves tickled the wilderness of silence ringing in my ears. "Okay? What's my plan?" I mused to myself with a shudder. Uncertainty answered. I had no Plan 'B.' Hell, for that matter, I didn't even have a Plan 'A.'
I crouched and peered between the branches and leaves of the shrubbery in front of me and watched as the party of intruders and their female prisoners meandered into view. Whew, the leader's firearm was slung over his shoulder, and the weapons of the mounted guards were safely secured in leather scabbards. When the man from town came abreast with my concealed position, I stepped out from behind my bush with the barrel of my downward-pointed AR-15 draped over my forearm, held in place by the rifle butt tucked into my armpit.
The color drained out David Fitzwater's face as his eyes widened in shock and surprise.
"Does anyone have a match?" I took the unlit cigarette dangling from my lips and held it aloft. "I seem to be out of fuel."
"Stop! I don't think you'll be needing that," Sheila called and stepped out from the rocky shadow and squinted down the barrel of her 30.06 Kimber Mountain Ascent rifle as she aimed at a spot between Fitzwater's eyes.
"Same here!" sang a chorus of sisters as they emerged from concealment and took aim at every uniform in the contingent of men.
To his credit, the possie's leader froze in place and made no effort to prevent the gun he had started to unsling from dropping to the ground.
"Now, now, that's no way to treat a fine weapon." I slung my long gun over my shoulder and walked forward and retrieved the assault rifle from between the legs of his skittish mount.
I checked the safety, ejected the clip, cleared the chamber and used the sleeve of my jacket to dust the dirt from the gun.
"Much better. I suggest you stow it for safekeeping." I nodded to the empty scabbard at his side.
"Gentlemen, please keep your hands on your saddle horns where we can see them. Thank you very much." With a smile and slight nod, Martha shifted her steady aim from one rider to the next as she made eye contact with each man in the party.
"Excellent. Let's keep this a friendly meeting, Mister Fitzwater." Sheila relaxed her arms as he slipped his empty firearm into its holster and he rested his hands on the worn cowhide pommel of his seat.
"It is Acting-Sheriff Fitzwater," he snarled and stiffened his body as his knuckles whitened with rage. His lips formed, but did not speak the next word, "Bitch."
"Mind your manners. Play nice." I dropped my smoke and ground the cigarette butt into the soil with my boot. The tension within the circle had reached a new equilibrium. The commander was in charge.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Mister Acting-Sheriff?" Sheila smiled. "And why are our friends in handcuffs?" Her face melted into a frown.
"I have a court order." He carefully opened his coat to reveal a folded white sheet of paper protruding from the inside breast pocket of his jacket.
Sheila returned my curious glance with a small tilt of her head.
"Slowly, if you please, Sheriff," I reached up as he took the paper from his coat and handed the tri-folded document to the Commander.
Sheila took a step forward. "An order for what?"
"It's a search warrant for contraband; illegal weapons and explosives," the sheriff explained with an arresting voice as he nervously looked at the array of sisters surrounding his party.
"It's not signed," Sheila crumpled the document and threw it to the ground.
"Keys please." I extended my open palm upward after my fumbled finger snap made no sound.
"They're my prisoners," Fitzwater's eyes narrowed and his body tensed.
"Not anymore, bail has been paid," the Society's commander took several steps forward and changed her grip on her rifle.
I moved a couple of paces away from his mount and handed Sheila the Court Order. I casually aimed in PissWater's general direction as my chief examined the official-looking certificate.
"Keys please," I repeated and corrected my aim.
The lawman glanced over to the women holding his mounted deputies at gunpoint before he turned to confront Sheila. "They are my prisoners," he repeated in plaintive defiance.
Belinda shrugged and slipped her weapon over her shoulder as she took the reins of Darlene's and Seraina's steeds and led them away from the group of uniformed constables.
"Hey! Those are my horses!" he sputtered as his face flushed with fury.
"Don't worry about it; I got a set of spares from one of the deputies." Sunlight flashed from the keys as my partner raised them above her head and gave them a musical jiggle. "One size fits all," she laughed.
Freed from her cuffs, Darlene rubbed her wrists and glared in the direction of the furious Marshal as she exchanged a "look" with StarShine's missing mother.
"Let's do it," Seraina muttered as the two freedwomen marched over to Fitzwater and, with no word of warning, yanked the surprised law enforcement officer to the ground with a dusty thud.
Darlene proceeded to pummel him with a flurry of dancing kicks and backhanded slaps as Seraina lined up like an Olympic soccer player taking a game-winning shot and kicked his testicles into next Tuesday.
"This is for strip searching me," Seraina grunted.
"And this if for inviting your friends to watch," Darlene spit in the agonized face of her former jailer as he screamed and rolled into the fetal position and gasped for breath.
"The next time I see you, I will kill you. Do you understand me, little man?" she said as she reached between his thrashing legs and gave his genitals a mighty twist. I cringed in involuntary sympathy, the poor guy was going to be pissing in bloody circles for the next week.
"Settle down; he'll live." Belinda tipped the point of her rifle in the direction of the men trying to control their nervous mounts.
"Enough!" Our leader pulled her distressed and angry companions to her side and wrapped them each in a loving embrace. "You are safe."
My boss huddled in hushed conversation with Seraina and Darlene for several minutes. I could hear their voices but not the words. Sheila's face hardened as she turned, now and then to glower at the fallen sheriff.
"Give me a hand, Sky, get his boots," the commander said as she straddled over the Marshal and unbuckled his trousers and pulled them, along with his canary yellow boxers, to his knees.
"Maybe you'll think more than once before you violate another woman, but I doubt it," the Society's commander extended her hand and lifted the naked man unsteadily to his feet.
“Keep him covered, Sky. I think perhaps his comrades might be overdressed.” Sheila patted my back and took Seraina's and Darlene’s hands in hers and, as a Prussian Army Officer, marched over to join Martha and Belinda.
“Which of you is ranking deputy?” Sheila asked as she crossed her arms and surveyed the four mounted riders under the Sisterhood’s detention. As she spoke, her eyes narrowed in anger as she looked directly at the profusely sweating middle-aged wearing the twin silver bars of a Captain.
The man, who had been riding shotgun a few paces behind the Marshal, squirmed nervously atop his dappled gray mare, as his fearful eyes darted quickly from the Commander and the rifles aimed in his direction to his three companions. I noticed his fellow officers averted their eyes and did not respond to his silent plea for help.
Sheila hugged Seraina and Darlene to her side.“Were any of these men present during the Sheriff’s strip-search?”
“Yes, and that fucking pig put his fingers up my ass,” my lover from the snake cave hissed between clenched teeth as she pointed to the trembling Captain.
The Frost Queen returned Sheila’s nod, slung her rifle across her shoulder and walked to the side of the cringing Captain.
“Don’t hurt me, I'll get down,” he said as he started to dismount.
“Allow me to help, ”Frosty grabbed his belt with both hands and with a powerful yank sent him crashing, ass first, to the rocky ground.
“Get up; you’re not hurt. Cover me Sky,” Belinda extended her hand and helped the fearful officer unsteadily to his feet.
“What did you do to her?” Sheila stepped forward with her rifle in her hands. The commander’s face was an unreadable mask of anger.
Droplets of fear condensed on his forehead like the morning dew and dribbled into his blinking eyes and down his nose as an expanding stain of piss darkened the crotch of his khaki-tan trousers.
“Please,” he moaned in despair as he fought to stem the stream of steaming urine from running down his quivering legs, “I didn’t do anything.”
“He put his fingers inside of me. Those two men bent me over a desk and held my arms while that man spread my legs and held them apart so that Captain Chubby Cheeks could put his filthy fingers into my rectum and play with my asshole,” Seraina said with a disgusted shiver of angry contempt.
“He, they, did the same to me,” Darlene’s eyes narrowed in loathing.
“Dismount,” Mattha ordered the other three deputies to the ground with a wave of her weapon.
Brenda gathered the reins and tied the riderless horses to the gnarled lower branches of a nearby evergreen, and joined with Belinda as she instructed the trio of men and their terrified Captain to help Fitzwater to his feet.
“Strip!” The chief's eyes blazed with anger as her jaw tightened.
The assembly of men before the Society’s leader exchanged worried glances with each other.
“Now!” she paused. “Get naked!”Sheila ordered as she raised her weapon and fired over the heads of the startled men. Like dying thunder, the echoing crack of her rifle shot repeated itself and faded to silence in the thin mountain air.
Fear is a great motivating force, and within a minute the four men were naked as two-tone newborns. The darkly tanned faces, forearms, and hands of the involuntary nudists contrasted sharply with their pale white bellies.
“Don’t be shy, keep your hands at your side, we’re not playing hide and seek,” the Society’s leader ordered.
“Keep them covered, I’ll be right back,” Sheila disappeared into the bushes where we had hidden our motorized bikes. A minute or two later she reemerged from the shroud of foliage with a four-ounce tube of industrial strength Super Glue in her grip.
“Captain, please stand next to the Sheriff,” the commander ordered with a wave of her rifle.
“Good. Now give me your right hand, palm up,” she unscrewed the tube’s cap and applied a generous amount of the instant adhesive to the palm of the man’s shivering hand. Wrap your fingers around Mister Fitzwater’s penis and hold him as tight as you can.”
The Sheriff grimaced and moaned in pain as the tearful Captain tightly squeezed his boss’s shriveled shaft.
“Okay, you’re next. Let me see your hand,” Sheila smeared glue on the palm of one of the younger deputies and ordered him to take hold of the Captain’s flaccid prick.
She repeated the process until each man’s hand was welded to the genitals of the next man, giving a new meaning to the phrase, ‘Chain-of-command.’
“Oh, look! They are bonding,” Belinda laughed as the Captain’s cock slowly stiffened in the grip of his companion.
The chief shaded her eyes with her hand and checked the sun’s position in the sky, “Sherrif, you and your men are free to go. If you hurry, you might make it home before sundown.”
To the laughter and chuckles of the sisters, the lawmen shuffled toward the crest of the ridge like a naked centipede and began their journey home.
"I'll be back," the Sheriff turned and muttered as his threatening growl ended in a whimpering groan.
Despite myself, I smiled. It was the worst Arnold Schwarzenegger impression I have yet heard.
"We'll keep a light in the window for you," Sheila's sunshine smile was as cold as ice. "Not," she cleared her throat and spat on the ground.
Alice and I took our seats on each side of Sheila as the last stragglers filed into the amphitheater and returned to their places."Before we resume, I want to thank our kitchen crew for a fantastic, as usual, flash-banquet. Well done, thank you," Sheila said as she held her gavel in the ready position.With plumbing and dietary needs satisfied, a soothing and comfortable afterglow had fallen over the proceedings. It wouldn't last long, but at least we were starting with an advantage....
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Okay, my turn," I chuckled as I picked up the fat cigar-sized joint of the Sisterhood's weed. Possession of the Canibus talking stick authorized the owner to speak without interruption.I took a heavy hit and passed the blunt to Sheila and took my place in our naked Truth or Dare fireside chat."Please be honest. What do you believe?" The commander's theology drifted all over the map from Pagan to Puritan, seasoned with native lore and eastern thought. Pinning her down was like trying to...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe Society of Sisters and their compound at Liberty Mountain were the pride and joy of Sheila's existence. She devoted almost every waking hour toward her mission of building an organization that could withstand anything the apocalyptic whims of fate might send our way. The Colony's boss was an innovator who served both as a leader and also as a follower.Like the Caesars of old, she had the authority to issue any order necessary to secure the safety of the group. Unlike the dictators of...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Super glue? Really?" I chuckled as I focused my field glasses on the bonded band of mutually masturbating men crab-walking westward."Your punishment is diabolical," I shook my head in puzzled amazement. "Intruders were killed in the past for less, so why the sudden mercy?" "Not compassion. Karma. What goes around, comes around." Sheila trained her spyglass on the retreating men."They might make town by sundown. If they're lucky." "Karma?" I inquired. "Yeah, Karma. We can run, but...
Fantasy & Sci-FiRattlesnake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the culinary equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment. I had about had it with rattlesnake by the end of the third meal on the first day. I skipped the midday meal and picked at supper the second day. I hated snakes as much as Seraina did by the evening of the next day.Mood affects perception. The blue funk of disappointment settling over us transformed our dark and cozy shelter into a dank and dismal prison. We slept like babies and fucked like...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"I'm getting too old for this shit," I moaned and plopped into one of the Situation Room's ergonomically designed conference chairs. I massaged the sore spot on my shoulder and shifted and squirmed and as I searched for a less uncomfortable position. Nothing worked. I hurt in places I didn't even know I had.The steaming mug of fresh brewed Colombian laced with the Sisterhood's brandy warmed my hands and took the edge away from the pain in my ass. Java and joy-juice will cure...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Shit!" Sheila swore as she angrily flipped the turn signal and slowed our Ford Super Duty truck to a crawl and searched for a safe place to pull off the road."Sky, I need my license and registration, they're in the glove compartment," she instructed as she rolled down her window with her left arm pointed over the roof of our vehicle. She waved toward the side of the road, a visual indication to the following patrol car we were pulling off the highway."Stash the Glock in the hump, we don't need...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMy bladder is the perfect alarm clock. The urgent need to go dragged me out of hibernation as the night sky brightened in advance of dawn. I awoke to the gentle sound of Sheila's breathing. Naked, beautiful, and warm, she lay next to me in the relaxed innocence of sleep. Sheila sensed a change in my position, shifted her body, and pressed her bare bottom into my groin as we snuggled together under the covers. My hand remained cupped to her breast. Sheila placed her hand over mine and pulled it...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Thank you, what’s the deal?" I asked as I took the offered towel from Sheila’s hands and fluff-dried my thinning mane. Hair loss among men is a myth. It’s not so much that our locks leave as that they change location. The stuff that had lived on my head now grew out of my ears."Jen thinks the ionosphere has settled enough for shortwave. At her suggestion, I’ve decided it time we start a twenty-four-seven radio watch. You got the first shift. Listen and log, let’s see what’s going on out...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe stern rap of Sheila's opening gavel muted but did not extinguish the murmuring voices of dozens of private conversations. The posture of the Colony's leader appeared poised and relaxed as she held the gavel in the ready position with her elbow bent at a forty-five degree angle for several long seconds as she waited for silence. Beneath Sheila's placid surface I spotted a ripple of anxiety as she unconsciously polished the gavel's wood handle with her thumb. I've called enough meetings to...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"This is Liberty base. The National Weather Service has issued a revised winter storm warning for our area. Up to thirty-six inches of snow starting tonight at five with blizzard conditions beginning at six-thirty PM. Snow throughout the evening, ending late tomorrow. Winds south by southwest twenty to thirty miles per hour, one hundred and twenty miles per hour gusts exposed ridges. Return home immediately. Please acknowledge.""It's too bad we can't reply to a message we never received," Alice...
Fantasy & Sci-FiLike sailors clinging to a raft on tempest-tossed seas, Sheila and I held tight to each other as an ocean of rainbows flooded the sky."Oh, my God! What is it?" she cried as glowing waves of light thundered silently across the firmament. The heavens blazed with a kaleidoscope of color."I don't know," I said as I watched the glowing pastel streamers of brilliance slither along invisible magnetic lines of force like undulating serpents."I think we're looking at the mother of all solar storms. We...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Okay, listen up!" Sheila knocked her knuckles on the conference table and brought the final briefing to order. "We've got an outstanding weather report, vehicles and crews are ready. We are good to go at daybreak..." she smiled as she waved at the huge flat screen display we had installed several days ago and checked her watch for the time, "which means we're in luck. We have thirty-minutes for one last run-through.""Time for a quick cup of coffee before we start?" I made it halfway across...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWrestling under the covers while playing a game of naked grab-ass kicked our biological heat engines into overdrive. The internal temperature of our sleeping bag was well beyond the comfort zone as our cozy sleeping space became a sauna without steam."I'm tired of anatomy by Braille, I wanna see what I'm doing." Alice tossed the sleeping bag cover back and rose to her knees.Her nude body glistened with perspiration in the lantern's harsh light. Alice's cheeks, neck, and breasts glowed blush-red...
Fantasy & Sci-FiRattlesnake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the culinary equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment. I’d about had it with rattlesnake by the end of the third meal on the first day. I skipped lunch and picked at supper the second day. By the evening of the next day, I hated snakes as much as Seraina did. Mood affects perception. The blue funk of disappointment settling over us transformed our dark and cozy shelter into a dank and dismal prison. We slept like babies and fucked like...
Alice and I took our seats on each side of Sheila as the last stragglers filed into the amphitheater and returned to their places. “Before we resume, I want to thank our kitchen crew for a fantastic, as usual, flash-banquet. Well done, thank you,” Sheila said as she held her gavel in the ready position. With plumbing and dietary needs satisfied, a soothing and comfortable afterglow had fallen over the proceedings. It wouldn’t last long, but at least we were starting with an advantage....
"That should do it. Time check," Belinda wiped sweat from her brow with her t-shirt as she braced her entrenching tool against the entrance of the newly constructed "bunker-in-a-bag." Unless you were part Mountain Goat, the winding ridgeline trail was the only drivable and walkable unbroken overland route from town to our base. Prior to SkyFire, arrays of remote sensors and wireless cameras guarded the pathway to the Society's home. The sun pulled the plug and left us blind. Our mission...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe moderator leaned back in her chair and studied StarShine for a moment before turning to me and sitting upright."Do you want to become a member of our Society?""Yes," I replied after a short pause. The question had caught me by surprise."Why?" Sheila asked."Survival," I responded.Sheila tilted her head to one side as her eyes widened in an expression of puzzlement. "Survival?""Yes, survival. This is the high mountains in winter. Without the warmth and shelter of this place I wouldn't last a...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWhile our dinner is not worthy of a five-star restaurant, the view around us was six-star spectacular. The night was moonless, and the velvet black sky above our heads blazed with countless stars. The Milky Way rose and arched across the heavens in a misty river of light along the eastern horizon. The snowshoe workshop did triple duty as kitchen, dining area, and lounge. We spent as many hours outdoors together as we could stand.Spooning naked in the blackness is sexy, erotic, and boring. Even...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe days melted into weeks and the weeks flowed into months as winter searched for spring. For the first couple dozen wake-ups, I started each morning with the unreal feeling that I was at the bottom of a rabbit hole. By the end of the second month, the sense of strangeness decreased, and I was able to open my eyes without breaking into a cold sweat. I was still on the wrong side of the looking glass, but Wonderland had become my home. I didn’t make a journey to Liberty Mountain to search...
The Society of Sisters and their compound at Liberty Mountain were the pride and joy of Sheila’s existence. She devoted almost every waking hour toward her mission of building an organization that could withstand anything the apocalyptic whims of fate might send her way. The colony’s Boss was an innovator who served both as a leader and a follower. Like the Caesars of old, she had the authority to issue any order necessary to secure the safety of the group. Unlike the dictators of ancient...
Chapter 1I stuffed my last cardboard box of personal belongings into the cargo hold of my girlfriend's Toyota Rav4, jumped into the passenger seat, and waited while she fussed over a map with directions to our new home. Darlene was like that - a stickler for details.She flipped her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes for the umpteenth time and squinted to read the tiny letters. Mapmakers tended to hide the most critical information in the smallest print known to man.Finally finished, she...
Fantasy & Sci-FiI peeked past Sheila's shoulder as she looked over the semicircle of women from the Science Team gathered around Jennifer as the dark lady of data studied the computer screen in front of her workstation. Her fingers flew across the keyboard while she scanned hundreds of files, crunching numbers and extracting the data she needed.The thirty-four-year-old Boston descendant of Zulu warriors became a legend within the Society as a math prodigy with an uncanny ability to ferret out hidden trends and...
Fantasy & Sci-FiI peeked past Sheila's shoulder as she looked over the semicircle of women from the Science Team gathered around Jennifer as the dark lady of data studied the computer screen in front of her workstation. Her fingers flew across the keyboard while she scanned hundreds of files, crunching numbers and extracting the data she needed.The thirty-four-year-old Boston descendant of Zulu warriors became a legend within the Society as a math prodigy with an uncanny ability to ferret out hidden trends and...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"These mountains are as dangerous as they are beautiful. They might appear to be lovely and majestic but don't let 'em fool you. The beauty hides the heart of a killer," Brenda explained as she dug through her inventory, looking for a pair of gloves in my size."Got 'em!" she yelled as she held the object of her search aloft, a pair of insulated gloves joined the rest of my new wardrobe.A slim and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, Brenda served as the colony's quartermaster. Medium sized,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiIn the confined space of the cave, Alice's distressed cry reverberated off the walls, so loud my ears hurt. I scrambled to be at her side. She sat in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees and her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Fear distorted her face, and her eyes closed so tightly her facial muscles twitched with the effort.A tiny voice uttered from her lips, repeating a single word again and again: snakes. Kneeling next to Alice, I put my arm around her...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“These mountains are as dangerous as they are beautiful. They might appear to be lovely and majestic but don’t let ‘em fool you. The beauty hides the heart of a killer,” Brenda explained as she dug through her inventory, looking for a pair of gloves in my size. “Got ‘em!” she yelled as she held the object of her search aloft, a pair of insulated gloves joined the rest of my new wardrobe. A slim and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, Brenda served as the colony’s quartermaster. Medium...
Thank you, what’s the deal?” I asked as I took the offered towel from Sheila’s hands and fluff-dried my thinning mane. Hair loss among men is a myth. It’s not so much our locks leave as they change location. The stuff which had lived on my head now sprouted from my ears. “Jen thinks the ionosphere has settled enough for shortwave. At her suggestion, I’ve decided it time we start a 24/7 radio watch. You got the first shift. Listen and log, let’s see what’s going on out there.” She hesitated...
"With all due respect, do we have any idea how ridiculous we look?" I stepped over the long picnic bench next to the community dining table as I stood to speak. My rear end protested.After several long hours of note taking, my fanny was in no mood for a new session. My flat ass had a bad case of meeting butt. My hand was cramped, and after a day of biking thru the mountains, I hurt in places the sun didn't shine."This does not bode well," I said as I closed my notepad and set it to one...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWe returned to our room after breakfast to find a note from Sheila pinned to our door. She was reminding us to join her on the front deck for an introductory tour of the colony and the surrounding area. The instructions also suggested that we dress for the weather. Our walk-in closets looked like walk-in dumpsters. Everything we had brought with us in the Rav4 had been piled in the storage spaces like an unorganized jigsaw puzzle. I busied myself picking out an appropriate wardrobe for our...
With flying gravel and a sandy whoosh, Frosty's motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope. "It's Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff's department." Belinda took my hand and pulled herself up to the top of the incline. "They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did they see me?" She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the rise at the far end of the trail along...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe tour of the Liberty Mountain camp consumed most of the day, and I welcomed the chance to sit down and collect my thoughts. We were back in the cabin with about twenty minutes to spare before dinner service, and I wanted to use the time to clean up before supper. Darlene had left me on my own for the evening to rekindle a long lost friendship or love affair. Her parting words for the evening were, "Don't get into too many beds and if you do, save a spot for me." I had a real affection for...
Fantasy & Sci-FiConsciousness came slowly, on the installment plan, one sensation at a time.I groaned and opened my eyes to a room full of sunshine. Dancing clusters of sparkles and glowing dust motes drifted in the sunbeams filling my field of vision as I attempted to focus and give the optical center of my brain a chance to sort out the dazzling array of visual information. For several seconds I stared at the ceiling and tried to remember where I was. Naked, comfortable, and warm in bed with my partner next...
Fantasy & Sci-FiChapter 7As the applause died down, I took a seat on the table's bench next to Sheila and tried to relax. I felt like I had just run a marathon. Darlene gave me a warm hug and a glass of ice-cold water and sat with me. I don't know which I appreciated more; her company, the hug, or the beverage. I guzzled the water down in one long gulp. Public speaking is lonely and thirsty work.The sisters stopped by in ones and twos to exchange small talk with Sheila before retiring for the evening. That was...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“I’m getting too old for this shit,” I moaned and plopped into one of the Situation Room’s ergonomically designed conference chairs. I massaged the sore spot on my shoulder and shifted and squirmed and as I searched for a less uncomfortable position. Nothing worked. I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had. The steaming mug of fresh brewed Colombian laced with the Sisterhood’s brandy warmed my hands and took the edge away from the pain in my ass. Java and joy-juice will cure...
Darlene stepped around the front bumper and gave me a hug as she whispered "Did I mention that this is an all-woman survival commune?" in my ear."You forgot to share that little detail with me. What the fuck are we going to do now?" I whispered back.Darlene was like that. She tended to skimp on the details and fill the void with trivia or useless information. Darleen held my hand as we broke from our embrace, and spoke to the assembled women on the porch. "I would like you to meet my lover,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe moderator leaned back in her chair and studied Starshine for a moment before turning to me and sitting upright. “Do you want to become a member of our Society?” “Yes,” I replied after a short pause. The question had caught me by surprise. “Why?” Sheila asked. “Survival,” I responded. Sheila tilted her head to one side as her eyes widened in an expression of puzzlement. “Survival?” “Yes, survival. We’re in the high mountains in winter. Without the warmth and safety of this place, I...
“This is Liberty base. The National Weather Service has issued a revised winter storm warning for our area. Forecasters are calling for up to thirty-six inches of snow starting tonight at five o’clock with blizzard conditions beginning at 6:30 PM. Snow will continue throughout the evening and into late tomorrow afternoon. Winds south by southwest twenty to thirty miles per hour with gusts up to one hundred and twenty miles per hour along exposed ridges. Return home immediately. Please...
Alice and I hurried toward the source of illumination like moths to a flame. A glimmering halo of white light surrounded the hole Alice cut through the snow drift at the tunnel’s entrance. I crawled into the air shaft that she’d excavated and punched through a thin cap of frost at the end and was instantly dazzled by blinding sunshine. “Alice, come here and take a look, you aren’t going to believe this,” I shouted over my shoulder as I emerged into the open air. The blizzard had passed us...
91.28 - 91.62 While our dinner wasn’t worthy of a five-star restaurant, the scenery around us was six-star spectacular. The night was moonless, and the velvet black sky above our heads blazed with countless stars. The Milky Way rose and arched across the heavens in a misty river of light along the eastern horizon. The snowshoe workshop did triple duty as a kitchen, dining area, and lounge. Spooning naked in the blackness was sexy, erotic, and boring. Newlyweds need to hop out of bed and...
“Shit!” Sheila swore as she angrily flipped the turn signal and slowed our Ford Super Duty truck to a crawl and searched for a safe place to pull off the road. “Sky, I need my license and registration, they’re in the glove compartment.” She rolled down her window with her left arm pointed over the roof of our vehicle. She waved towards the side of the road, a visual indication to the following patrol car we were pulling off the highway. “Stash the Glock in the hump. We don’t need any...
“Okay, my turn,” I chuckled as I picked up the fat cigar-sized joint of the Sisterhood’s weed. Possession of the cannabis talking stick authorized the owner to speak without interruption. I inhaled deeply and gave the blunt to Sheila and took my place in our naked Truth or Dare fireside chat. “Please be honest. What do you believe?” The commander’s theology drifted all over the map from Pagan to Puritan, seasoned with native lore and eastern thought. Pinning her down was like trying to...
"We need to talk" is usually the two slices of sweet bread covering a shit sandwich. I have yet to hear those innocent sounding words when they weren't followed by news to which I didn't want to listen.The last time a boss called me into the office using that invitation, I left with a security escort to the front door with a severance check in my back pocket."Have a seat," Sheila patted the empty cushion and motioned for me to sit. "We've got a lot to talk about and not much time. The meeting...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"We need to talk" is usually the two slices of sweet bread covering a shit sandwich. I have yet to hear those innocent sounding words when they weren't followed by news to which I didn't want to listen.The last time a boss called me into the office using that invitation, I left with a security escort to the front door with a severance check in my back pocket."Have a seat," Sheila patted the empty cushion and motioned for me to sit. "We've got a lot to talk about and not much time. The meeting...
Fantasy & Sci-FiSheila had the soul of a cavalry commander and lived the warrior's code of old. Feed your horses, your troops, and yourself. In that order. Her declaration of a banquet of gratitude was a brazen departure from the typical bullshit command response to a crisis which was: when in doubt, run in circles, scream, and shout. With the generous help of brandy and buds, Martha's magnificent meal of thanksgiving had brought everyone, myself included, back from the brink. "Come on in; the water's fine!"...
Fantasy & Sci-FiEverything I knew about Sheila told me she was a master gamer with the skills of a chess genius. She did not offer me a job to alleviate unemployment, instead, she appeared to be working a gambit of some sort. The uncertainty of purpose generated within me a wave of anxious observation while I awaited developments. The chess pieces on the board were changing their position of their own accord. =^.^= "She wants you to be her what?" Darlene giggled in questioning amazement at my...
Fantasy & Sci-FiIn the confined space of the cave, Alice’s distressed cry reverberated off the walls so loudly my ears hurt. I scrambled to be at her side. She sat in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees: her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Fear distorted her face, and her eyes closed so tightly her eyebrows twitched with the effort. A tiny voice uttered from her lips, repeating the same word again and again: snakes. Kneeling next to Alice, I put my arm around her shoulder...
My sleep was shattered by three sharp raps which crashed through my slumber like gunshots in a nightmare on the morning of the third day."What the hell!" I hurled myself from my bed, stomped across the floor and jerked open the door."Do you have any idea of the time?" My growl faded to a reluctant sigh as Sheila pushed past me into the quarters Darlene and I had shared since our arrival at the compound last fall."Good morning, Sky, time for coffee," she said with a slight smile."It's not...
Fantasy & Sci-FiOur return to the cabin became a déjà vu moment and a mirror image of when I first arrived with Darlene about ten days ago. As our rescue vehicles approached, it appeared as though Sheila and the entire membership of the Society of Sisters waited on the cabin's balcony in freezing cold. The upper deck erupted in shouts of joy and hand waves of welcome when Seraina dismounted from the snowmobile. The boisterous display of affection slammed into a wall of silence as I climbed off the passenger...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMorpheus, the God of dreams, wrapped us in a cocoon of dreams. But when he did, he forgot to include a bathroom. I awoke with a four-alarm "urgent need to go" moment as my bladder trembled in an effort to hold back a flood of Biblical proportions. It would be wonderful to wake up nice and slow like I once did in my younger days. I used to enjoy the delightful transition from slumber to wakefulness. No such luck. Personal plumbing issues are now at the top of my morning's To-Do List.I groaned as...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe gentle nudge of Alice's hands dragged me out of my sleep. "Dennis, I'm sorry to wake you, but I've gotta piss so bad I can taste it. I need your help," she said as she pulled me into a sitting position. Our warm and cozy tent had turned into an icebox."You gotta be kidding; since when do you need help taking a piss?" Reaching under my makeshift pillow, I fished out my light and turned it on. In front of me, a naked Alice sat huddled, her breath streaming like smoke from her mouth, and...
Fantasy & Sci-FiStripping was going to be awkward. Getting naked in front of a group of nude women was the last thing I wanted to do, especially with a growing boner. Even so, I decided that I had no choice but to comply. Clearly, I would eventually have to join the clothing optional norm of the colony.Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and unbuttoned my shirt, took it off, and laid it on the table. I then took my shoes and socks off and placed them next to my shirt. I undressed as slowly as possible,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiChapter 4The dining area was located just off a large commercial kitchen at the far end of the great room. A supersized picnic table lined with benches provided more than enough seating capacity for the thirty-seven females who made the Colony their home. The table itself was a stunning thing of beauty. The tabletop surface consisted of wide pine planking sanded to a silky smooth sheen and then coated with dozens of layers of polyurethane.I took a good hard look around as we descended the...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe next room turned out to be the bedroom Sheila shared with her partner, Lucia. The walls were hand-hewn pine planks decked out with bookcases and several very well done nude watercolor portraits of women.A queen-size four-poster bed covered with a beautiful handmade quilt took up one wall, and a rustic looking nightstand with a large table lamp adorned with a stained glass shade provided most of the light in the room. The balance of the lighting came from a stone fireplace with several...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“With all due respect, do we have any idea how ridiculous we look?” I stepped over the long picnic bench next to the community dining table as I stood to speak. My rear end protested. After several long hours of note-taking, my fanny was in no mood for a new session. My flat ass had a bad case of meeting butt. My hand was cramped, and after a day of biking through the mountains, I hurt in places the sun didn’t shine. “This does not bode well,” I said as I closed my notepad and set it to one...
The protracted stillness in our fabric cave floated from awkward to uncomfortable as we each waited for the other to speak. Silence and rubber bands share at least one thing in common. If you stretch them far enough, they’ll snap. In our case, the break came when Alice’s stomach rumbled in hunger. A few moments later, my gut responded in kind. “I’m famished. What’s for dinner?” Alice wanted to know. “We’ve got bouillon and tea. What’s your pleasure?” I inquired. “I want something to munch,...
With a sandy whoosh in a cloud of flying gravel, Frosty’s motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope. “It’s Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff’s department!” Belinda panted as she took my hand and pulled herself to the top of the incline. “They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did the men see me?” She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the hilltop at...
“Okay, listen up!” Sheila knocked her knuckles on the conference table and brought the final briefing to order. “We’ve got an outstanding weather report, vehicles and crews are ready. We are good to go at daybreak...” she smiled as she waved at the enormous flat-screen display we had installed several days ago and checked her watch for the time, “ ... which means we’re in luck. We have thirty-minutes for one last run-through.” “Time for a quick cup of coffee before we start?” I made it...