(The Journey)
Dr. Rachael Stockton was uneasy, “Dennis? Don’t you think this is a bit much, not to mention totally unethical?”
Dr. Dennis Culver was the typical scientist looking type, he even wore the tell-tell sign, a pocket protector. He sported thick glasses, dark hair which was thinning. Not a big man, or even one most people would notice as he walked by them in a busy shopping center.
Rachael Stockton did not fit the stereotype, of the scientific type in the least. She was well exercised, full figured, had striking features, one of the better minds on the planet.
Dennis Culver, however, was heralded in scientific journals, known the world over, he had invented all kinds of things that had changed the world. That also came with the perk of making him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He and a small scientific circle of the elite world of academia, had sort of come together. What brought them together was a love of something very few would know they even delved into.
“Really, my dear Rachael, your penchant for the melodramatic is almost a catastrophe. A bit much? What by sending some of the world’s most unique minds, to solve what could possibly be an extinction level event. I just added some fun to it, is all, what’s wrong with that?”
She was blunt, “If you get your ass burned over this, it is you and your buddies, I have voiced my concern. Playing with people’s lives like this Dennis, it isn’t right. They don’t know what they are dealing with?”
“Well hell Rachael, no one does, that’s the problem, this is beyond me and my friends. So, maybe these people can figure it out, and be damned entertaining while doing it. Relax, would you?”
Meanwhile, The United States Arleigh Burke Class missile guided destroyer, John Paul Jones, under the command of Captain Raymond Hughes. Had been refitted with one of Dr. Culver, and his friends latest inventions, a multi-faceted boron laser array, which it was using to cut through icy waters close to Ross Island in Antarctica. Otherwise, this time of the year, these waters would be impassable. The crew on the bridge was busy, and two young men, who were obviously not part of the crew. In fact, they were the reason this ship was here.
One was Stan Leighton PhD/PhD and was only twenty years old, the other was Jeremy Odell M.D./PhD who was only twenty-five. They would have both fit on that popular network TV show, which was comedy about child geniuses. Though the ride was not very comical, cutting one’s way through ice with with lasers and crashing through it with a modified titanium front was a tumultuous affair. These two had spent all their time up until this point, earning all those abbreviations after their names. There had been no time to enlist, or naval training.
They had both been approached by headhunters from the powerful Culver Corporation and offered ridiculous sums of money to be here. Everyone had been offering them ridiculous sums of money, but Culver Corps had gone to that next level. It was just hard to turn down, and the offer to come here, it was intriguing.
Stanley Leighton was a challenge to probability in the way he had been blessed genetically. He was not a big man for his age, he was around 5’9” tall around a buck forty-five. He had spent most of his life in Southern California, and certainly looked the part. He had blond hair that had almost been bleached white from being out in the sun. He was also very tanned, he liked to spend time outdoors, just not in the ocean. Beside it was fine, just not in it, he had a saying about that. He had very sharp green eyes, and a pleasant demeanor.
His companion, Jeremiah P. Odell M.D./PhD, was much more average looking but he had sparkly black eyes that did not miss much. He was a couple of inches taller than Stan, weighed about fifteen pounds more. He had mildly curly dark hair and a good complexion. He was out of Louisiana and had the accent to prove it. Both were looking around the activity on the bridge, but he kept looking at Stan. He was hard for someone like Jeremy not to look at, and he was glad that no one on this ship could read his mind.
The stocky Captain Hughes came walking up to them, “Okay guys, if you will accompany the Master Chief here, we are in range now to fly you in by helicopter. The ice is getting a bit thick now, even for these fancy lasers. You guys be careful, this is a harsh environment, we should see you in about a year.”
They both thanked the big man and followed the Master Chief. The back of this destroyer had been modified to hold one of those heave duty, helicopters that could handle these extreme wind conditions. The two boarded, and the Master Chief closed the door, smacked the pilot’s window, and headed back in. The helicopter slowly lifted off and vanished into the icy low hanging clouds.
About twenty minutes later they could see they had come over frozen tundra below. They had an ensign riding in the back with them, his name was MacMurray.
He had to speak loudly, “Okay gentleman, welcome to the lost continent of Antarctica. What you see below us is Ross Island, this is where the United States maintains personnel and bases for scientific research here. There are normally three stations maintained here, the addition of Culver Station where we are taking you makes four. Down south about one hundred miles you have McMurdo Station, throughout the year it houses about a thousand, researchers and support staff.
They got a good bit of chop from crossing wind currents and had to pause a second. It settled back down.
MacMurray continued, “About in the center of this island, which will be about a hundred miles from you, is Amundson Scott Pole Station. It usually has a complement of roughly one-thousand people. The most distant base from you is way up in the northwest, that would be Palmer station. If you can see a pattern forming here, it too has a compliment at any given time of around one-thousand people. Culver is new and it is the odd man out, eventually there will be seven of you. You have a helicopter pilot and a general handyman, who is Navy, never met him so I don’t know. He is already on site, and you are the first two arrivals. Questions?”
Stan was usually softspoken and didn’t say much, but Jeremy was thinking the same thing.
He asked, “Why were we not all brought in at the same time?”
The Ensign looked at him raising his hands, “Have no idea Sir, I just work here.”
The rest of the trip was short, they could not see much about Culver Station as they came in, it was mostly underground. There were two covered up helicopters outside and some kind of shack. Then the entrance to the underground base, the big helicopter sat down. The Ensign helped them carry their stuff when they got out and went over the entrance, which was a solid brick box with a door in it and a pad to scan a magnetic ID.
They reached it and had not been given instructions. Stan looked at his ID badge he had been given to him at Culver Enterprises, he put it down over the pad and the door slid open. It took two trips, and they got all their stuff inside, and the Ensign patted each on the shoulder and reboarded the helicopter, up and away it went.
Once the two were inside, and the door was clear it slid back closed and there was a green light on the top of it that said, “Unlocked,” when the door slid together and red one lit up and said, “Locked”. It immediately began to warm up quickly inside.
Jeremy said, “Wow, what a way to travel.”
His smaller companion said, “Why would one require a locked door out here? Just who the heck is going to be breaking into this place?”
Jeremy answered, “Good question. That is like the most you have said since I met you.”
Stan grinned at him, “I am just sort of quiet is all.”
“HOWDY!”
They both jumped and turned around, “A big guy in coveralls came up to them as the hallway here was slanting downward.”
He was big he said, “I would assume you are Dr.’s Leighton and Odell? Welcome to Culver Station, I am Lt. Jordan, I was about to go stir crazy man, there is no fucking body else here.”
Stan offered his hand, “Stan Leighton, there is no need for that doctor crap with me. I was born just Stan, I will die just Stan,”
The big man shook his hand.
Jeremy offered his, “Yeah we are like in Antarctica so fuck formality, Jeremy Odell, nice to meet you.”
“Well Stan and Jeremy, let’s start grabbing your stuff and carrying it down.”
It took about an hour to get their stuff down to the sleeping quarter rooms, and then so show them around the base. It was a great deal of area it must have cost a bundle to tunnel is out. They ended in a big room with furniture, with a big tv mounted on the wall, there was a pool table, and a foes ball table. In the corner of the room there was a stacks of Powerful MacBook and Windows Portables that had been labeled with names and passwords.
The big Lt. said, “We have that new laser access to internet, it is better than what you can get in the States. This whole place has fiber optic running everywhere, you can get a signal inside no matter where you are. There is a bar, help yourselves, I am going to start dinner. Everyone like spaghetti and garlic bread?”
Jeremy and Stan said, “Great”.
Jeremy said, “Make yourself comfortable, I will make us a drink and we will get to know each other.”
Stan said, “I can drink?”
Jeremy smiled and said, “In case you haven’t noticed, we are in Antarctica and the age limit is a bit different here.?
He fixed them both a very expensive double malt Scotch on ice and went and sat down next to Stan on the couch and handed him his drink. Stan was not used to people being in such proximity but was frozen in place. He took a drink of the Scotch it tasted good but had some bite.
When he spoke his voice sounded funny, “That’s definitely alcohol, whew.”
Jeremy laughed a second and said, “So, what’s you claim to fame?”
Stan said, “Not much just good with numbers and programming. PhD in mathematics from Cal Tech Fullerton, and PhD in Computer Science from M.I.T.”
Jeremy looked at him for a second, “Yeah not much, at the age of twenty. I have an M.D. from Tulane, and a PhD in Biochemistry from Georgia Tech.”
Jeremy asked, “Did they tell you what we were supposed to be working on?”
Stan looked at him and said, “All they told me is that it would be here, and it did not get any more important.”
An hour later and a few scotches down, they were shooting a game of pool. Jeremy missed a straight in shot on the 8 ball but left it dead against the rail up about a foot from the corner pocket.
“Shit that stuff always makes you think you can shoot better than you really can.”
Stan was studying the position of the ball versus the cue ball He got down in a stance to shoot, was a bit wobbly.
He said, “Perhaps you are correct, but it shall not prevent me from making it right in that corner it is at, four-rail bank.
Jeremy grinned and said, “Horseshit.”
Stan shot he cue ball with perfect English and hit it hard, it bounced from four rails and sunk in that corner. He looked up at Jeremy with an inebriated grin.
Jeremy said, “What the fuck?”
Stan was still grinning and said, “Never play pool against a numbers expert, it behooves one not to do that sir.”
They sat down, and Jeremy figured he was just about right to find out. He knew what the signs were telling him, but that could just be lust. He was a sharp looking young man he didn’t want to offend him.
Jeremy probed, “So blond boy, you got like ten different girls you going to be spending all of your time with, on face time?”
Stan sat down and said, “Nope, never sidestep this issue especially in the conditions we are going to be in for a year. I am gay, have no boyfriends, they are not conducive to schoolwork. Never fear, I don’t like to get drunk and make mad passes at folks. I am nonthreatening to ye’ straight folk.”
Jeremy thought to himself, there was such thing as some kind of good force in the universe. His eyes had a different look in them now, this was too good to be true.
Jeremy said, “How dangerous are you to fellow gay people like me?”
This stopped Stan short, he had not developed many of the social skills people his age had, because when you are busy with school like him no time for a social life. He did not have an active gaydar system, nor was he intuitive about such things.
Jeremy said, “It’s okay, you can take a breath.”
Stan finally managed, “I am nonthreatening to you as well, as I am not the aggressive sort.”
Jeremy thought, YES!!!!!!, he got up and walked over to a big cabinet that had all sort of games in it. Uno, Trivial Pursuit, he had spotted just what was needed here. It was a game one could order online, it was a game for people to use for sex, called, “Sexes-Nexus.”
He went and pulled the big black box out, “Are you familiar with this?”
Stan looked at it and said, “No, I have never run across that one.”
Jeremy had a grin on his face, “Would you like to try it? Come on man, it’s fun,”
Stan would normally lock up in a situation like this but the Scotch, had lowered his inhibitions just enough and was overpowering his shyness.
Stan said, “I am fairly inexperienced, most people find me a total nerd.”
Jeremy said, “Follow me.”
In a few minutes they were in one of the sleeping quarters, it was a spacious and nice room, with a good-sized bed. Jeremy had the game set up on the floor and it was simple, it had more complex modes one could play. That was not needed here with the way they got along already. Yeah.
Jeremy said,” This is how this works, I deal out several cards we each get a hand. Each hand has choices on it, you choose your option, if yours is complementary to mine, then it is doable. It is placed in a pile called the action deck.” He dealt Stan one card and him one.
“Practice run you turn the little flap on the side of your choice. If our choices match exactly, they are discarded. These two cards are out of the advanced deck, it is an example only. Look at the card and pick your choice.”
Stan turned his over, and it took a second even for his powerful brain to descramble, but it made something in him burn. His card had two choices:
1. Hogtie the other player.
2. Be hogtied by the other player.
He froze here for a second, this was way outside of his realm of experience.
Jeremy said, “Just pick one, it doesn’t count, it is just to show you how this works.”
They both made their selections, “Okay turn yours over.”
Stans had 2. Be hogtied by the other player.
Jeremy’s had 1. Hogtie the other player.
Jeremy said, “Now if this was an active deck and we were using this, that is what is called a complementary match. It would go into the action deck and If I wanted to play it, I would hogtie you. You are a fucking genius I am sure you see how this works now?”
Stan took a sip of Scotch, “Yeah, it’s pretty elementary.”
Jeremy took those cards and returned them to its deck thinking why on earth did I not include that card.
He got out the level three deck, there were ten different decks of cards, running levels 1-10. Level three would be about right, the cards were numbered, and they each got seven starters.
Jeremy said, “We start at card 1 and begin to build an action pile.”
Stan looked the first card:
1. I will be the bottom for the other player.
2. I will be the top for the other player.
They turned the first card over from the way the fist card went it was not surprising to two people of their intellect and personalities what they said.
Stans was: 1. I will be the bottom for the other player.
Jeremy’s was: 2.I will be the top for the other player.
Jeremy took them and put those in the action deck.
Stan looked at the next card and even under the influence, he was breathing harder.
Stan’s next card was:
1. I will let the other player restrain me.
2. I want to restrain the other player.
One did not have to be a rocket scientist to figure how this was going. That went into the action pile giving Jeremy the ability to restrain Stan.
They turned over the third card, and again Stan had to focus on this one for a second. He was good at programming in every computer language there was, this was not in his realm, but he was sweating, in Antarctica.
1. I would prefer to suck the other player’s dick.
2. I would prefer the other player sucked my dick.
Soon they had all ten cards that had been dealt out in the actionable pile. They had perfectly chosen the opposite option on every one of them.
Jeremy looked at Stan, “So we going to finish the game, there is no pressure, but I see you want it as bad as I do. We are going to be here for a year, could be an interesting year?
Stan was really hitting the scotch now, no doubt a hangover tomorrow. Why not? Jeremy wasn’t a bad guy, and he could feel it.
Stan said, “Okay, let’s play.”
Jeremy had been up looking at the contents of the room. He had opened a wardrobe and was just standing there.
He turned smiling widely to Stan, “Holy Shit! I think our employers may have anticipated this. “
He reached inside and pulled out a sturdy looking pair of handcuffs, ankle cuffs. Stan got up and kind of stumbled over, it was full of all kinds of restraints and BDSM sorts of toys.
It was not like him to cuss a great deal, “I think those assholes were doing some psychological profiling.”
Jeremy said, “Turn around and put your wrists together.”
Stan knew of Jeremy by reputation, professionally, there were not a great many of their sort around. He knew he wasn’t dangerous besides he was bigger than him anyway and had been nothing but nice. So, he turned around and did it, Jeremy solidly and snuggly had selected some duct tape and crossed is wrists and firmly taped them together.
He took Stan over to the bed and gently laid him on his back, he was such a hot guy. He pulled Stan’s pants off, ripped is shirt off but was not rough about it. The underwear came off as well. Then he undressed and easily laid down on him. He put his mouth to the younger four-rail banking machine and lightly stuck his tongue in. He was getting hot and hard, so his kissing intensified.
Stan was also, in his mind, capable of challenging the Rock of Gibraltar with his own hardness. He had never had his hands taped behind him before, and a neat looking guy lay on top of him naked and kiss him.
Jeremy finally pulled away, grinned at him, and said, “You know I have a stack of ten actionable cards over there that I just about want to do all at once to you it is just not physically possible. You okay with this?”
Stan was still breathing hard, “Yeah, it’s fine.”
Jeremy got up, moved the game stuff out of the way, and put stan on his knees in the floor.
“You indicated you wanted to suck the other player’s dick. I indicated I wanted the other player to suck my dick. What do you say?”
Stan grinned up at him, “I guess by the rules of the game that means I am going to be sucking your dick.”
Jeremy took his time sliding his seven-and-a-half-inch cock, or at least most of it into this hot blonds mouth. He let him go at the pace he wanted for now but put a hand on the back of his head and kept pulling him forward.
He went for a few minutes and Jeremy began to quicken his pace. He thought he would see how he responded to being dirty talked a bit.
“Yeah, that’s a good cocksucker just keep steadily working it.”
Stan was enjoying it, but even he knew he needed practice. Even with the buzz from the alcohol, the enjoyable sensation of what he was doing. There was still enough of his powerful mind to work. The odds of all of this, improbable as all get out. There was something serious here, but the good Dr. Culver was also playing games with them. He just wondered what the serious was, it had to be major.
Jeremy began rocking his hips and this brought him back to the moment. He was enjoying this and apparently so was the other player.
“Fuck you, I am going to cum soon. I am playing my actionable card that you swallow.”
Jeremy waited for it, and it began gushing into his mouth in surges. He didn’t think about it, he just began gulping it down.
“Oh, yeah, swallow it all for me.”
Once he was dry, he placed Stan, so his back was to the bed and pushed him back onto it. He got above his nice cock, probably around seven inches. He spit on it liberally and laid down beside him and reached down and grabbed it. Slowly he began to jerk him off, but he did not stay slow for long. He watched the expression on the younger man’s face as he sped up to about a medium speed.
He kept that pace and was going to make the other player cum on his stomach. He looked up and down him as he worked his cock, he was in good shape and nicely tanned. He would be what many referred to as eye candy, he wanted to play with him a great deal, explore so many things.
Stan was frozen and Jeremy was good with that hand, and at using the right pace to drag it out. He was an M.D. after all.
“Oh, hell! That feels so good, I am going to get off and shoot my cum.”
“Yup you are.”
It had been a while for Stan, so he shot a powerful load. It shot all over his abdomen, blast after blast.
“Um-oh-yes!”
This was all being viewed in the basement of Dr. Culver’s in Massachusetts. His whole little crew sat around a table watching, there were more cameras in his new Antarctic base that one could imagine.
Dr. Culver said, “It would appear Francis your psychological profiles were quite accurate.”
A scratchy voice said, “When is that stupid bitch ever wrong?”
A man smoking a cigarette said, “All of that money, and two smart people currently fucking are supposed to save mankind? All that money Culver, it all equates to you just being an ass.”
A female monotone voice that could only be a psychologist said, “You just smoking a cigarette Frank, just equates to you thinking you are the cancer man from the X-Files.”
The Scratchy Voice said, “It’s amazing that camera feed is proof that young people can suck dick and give hand jobs. Are they going to be able to figure it out?
The man with the cigarette said, “We’ll know soon enough, and it does not change the fact that Culver is a complete ass.”
Dr. Culver said, “I know, I’m an ass, hopefully they will figure it out, or we’re probably all dead.”
