It's My Party

And then it was over. Tom was lying quietly and taking deep breaths with Maddy's head still in his lap, the softening penis pressing against her cheek. Maddy sniffed his penis and licked the glans and then swallowed the extra drop of semen she had caught on her tongue. She whispered, "Wow. That's the first time I've ever done that with a boy… Wow…"

"Maddy, I…"

"It's okay Tom. I know you love me. I love you too."

The lightening storm was over. In the very dim room Tom reached for Maddy and held her in a loving embrace, sighing deeply over the softness and warmth of this most delightful creature in his arms.

Madison blinked as she started to drift. "Sleep! We won't get it if we stay together. I'll want to spend the night playing and talking with you."

Tom nodded and kissed her. "Sometime soon though, we'll create some private time to be together."

"Oh, absolutely!" More brief kisses, and then with a groan Madison led Tom to her bedroom door and pushed him out. She surprised herself by falling asleep very soon afterwards.

Time: Friday, March 1, 2019 9:27 AM

The convoy of six kayaks reentered the central current and started the last leg of their journey to the island Tom and Mandy had spotted yesterday. It was a beautiful and warm day, already almost 20C on land Jada thought, as she remembered the toilet break they had just taken. But here in the middle of the very cool channel it felt at least 5C less, with the channel water itself registering 9C. In addition to helping drop off the flares last night, Brandi had also thoughtfully given them a water thermometer.

They had stopped at their old campsite and Jada had been somewhat surprised to see that the corpse of the Dinofelis was no longer there. The only evidence of their battle was faint traces of the cat's bloodstains. The forest around them had been very quiet, and Jada was very glad when they were all back in the safety of the water, or at least, relatively safe. She hoped Dinofelis shared the modern cats' aversion for swimming. It seemed a reasonable assumption. A cat who hunted as an assassin from trees would be totally exposed in the open water.

The time passed swiftly. Within the current, they were easily making 10 kph relative to the shoreline, and as 10 AM approached, the small island Tom and Mandy had spotted yesterday was directly in front of them. Mandy in the lead kayak was the first to notice its uniformity. "Look!" she called out. "It's in the shape of a hexagon!"

The Mississippi was huge at their location, Jada guessed they were 800 meters from the shore to the southwest and 700 meters from the shore to the northeast. And the current was picking up markedly. Jada had a sudden worry. She had no experience landing a boat with a strong current right up against the land. And the sprays of drops from her paddling were freezing! Was the channel getting even colder?

Mandy realized the situation was getting dangerous and called for everybody to paddle towards the northeastern shore. They were soon drifting in calm water about a hundred meters from the eastern riverbank and a kilometer due east of the island, with the swift channel to their southwest. "What do you think Mandy?" Jada called out. "Is the channel up to 4 kph?"

"Oh, at least. It's amazing how different the water is here! It's dead calm, and so much warmer! And did you notice the orientation of the island? The hexagon has vertices at true north and south, just like on the surface."

Jada nodded as she dropped the cord with her thermometer for another measurement.

"How can the channel speed up like that as the river widens?" asked Tom in a bewildered voice. "It should be just the opposite."

Maddy replied with a laugh. "We have to stop thinking about this as a natural river. Remember what the builders of this world are capable of doing!"

"It wasn't just the speed either," commented Jada. "I think the channel was getting colder too." She ran her hand in the water by her boat. "But here I think it's the warmest yet." She pulled up on her cord and took a look. "Yep! 18C. This is getting downright swimmable." She then stared at the faraway island. "Did you see the island's shoreline? It looked like smooth vertical rock, maybe a couple of meters worth. How the hell do we climb that from our boats?" Jada flashed Mandy a brief grin and added, "Aren't you glad it's not yesterday's storm after sundown when we're having this problem?"

Mandy nodded her head sheepishly and then replied. "Jada, your concern is very appropriate. And that's not the only problem. We'd be trying to dock against a rock wall with a strong transverse current." She turned to their one male team member. "Tom, have you ever done such a thing?"

He shook his head and looked worried. "Mandy, towing this second kayak, I don't even want to try." He paused for a moment and then added, "Why don't we circle around to the hexagon's downstream side? There might be an eddy area close to the northwestern face that's out of the main current."

They discussed the matter briefly before agreeing to make the attempt. With the current at the island flowing due northwest, they decided to pass to the south of the island, and then hope to find a landing site on either the western or northwestern faces of the hexagon. In order to make their approach, they paddled more than a kilometer back upriver before turning and reentering the cold and swiftly flowing channel.

A half kilometer from the island, the current was so swift they stopped paddling. Their goal was to pass ten meters south of the southern vertex and then glide with the current along the length of the island's southwestern face. Jada pulled up the cord with her thermometer and called out, "Seven degrees Celsius! Be extra careful with your boats! Water this cold can be deadly!"

A short time later they hit their entry point. Jada estimated they were traveling at six kph. The trip along the hundred meters of the southwestern face would take one minute. Their plan was to bank hard to starboard as soon as they cleared the next vertex. Jada took a moment to study the rock wall gliding by her starboard bow. It looked smooth and vertical and a full two meters in height above the waterline. Landing here with a kayak would be truly impossible.

Mandy was in the lead boat and paddled furiously as she pivoted around the corner. She had timed her maneuver very precisely, and the supply kayak behind her cleared the southwestern vertex with less than three meters to spare. Tom followed directly behind her, and then Madison. Jada was in the last boat and was disheartened after she made her turn. The western face of the hexagon was as high and smooth as the other sides. And while the island partially shielded her from the main current, the water around her kayak was very choppy and filled with swirling eddies. She kept up with the rest of her team with brute-force paddling.

Mandy gave a yell as she rounded the northwestern vertex, and then Tom also gave a whoop as he made the turn. Maddy in front of her disappeared next, and then it was Jada's turn. She fought with all her strength to make the course correction, and was rewarded with a beautiful sight. Directly in front of her perhaps forty meters ahead were two brown boat docks attached to a very large orange boathouse. Jada couldn't imagine a more welcome sight.

The water was still a bit choppy, but the northwestern face of the hexagon was almost directly downstream of the current and there was a nice little triangular pocket of water that was sheltered from the pull. Mandy and Tom were already pulling in to the two outside slips that two docks provided, and Madison was angling for one of the inside slips between the two docks. Jada maneuvered her boat for the last remaining slip.

The group had a brief discussion on the docks and decided that once their boats were secured in the boathouse, all four of them would risk exploring the island together. The two docks were each two meters wide and nine meters long, barely adequate for Mandy and Tom with the job of docking with kayaks in tow.

But the boathouse was fabulous, a large empty rectangular roof twelve by eighteen meters in area, enclosed on three sides but on the lower level open to the air facing the water. The floor was also terraced, providing two levels of storage. The higher level in the back of the boathouse was completely enclosed and was level with the rest of the island. After securing the boats in the higher level and unpacking their exploration gear, the group exited the boathouse through a rear door. The time was approaching 11 AM.

"Well, we were right Jada," Mandy said quietly. "Treasure galore!"

The surface area of the island was a stark contrast to the wilderness areas they had previously explored. Before them they could see what was obviously a managed park. The landscape appeared absolutely flat and was tastefully designed with small trees and vegetable and flower gardens. Here and there numerous servos could be seen tending the gardens. They reminded Jada vaguely of horseshoe crabs in their size and shape, and unlike the servos of the Mall and surface areas above, these servos seemed to have no concern about remaining hidden.

And the building! Perhaps just fifty meters away, an enormous hexagonal building beckoned to them. In was pale yellow in color, and Jada noticed two doors side-by-side in the center of the northwestern side of the hexagon facing her. Although the angle was acute, she thought she also saw similar doors on the western and northeastern sides. Jada took a deep breath and glanced around the island. The long linear sun was shining high overhead, an hour east of the top of the cylindrical sky and the underworld's version of solar noon. The long linear sun cast such diffuse shadows. Jada grinned to herself as she thought it would probably drive a sundial maker crazy.

And there was a slight and very pleasant breeze blowing from the north. Numerous wild birds were chirping in the stubby trees, The setting was so serene; Jada had to remind herself not to let her guard down.

"Think the place is open?" Madison asked quietly as she stared at the central hexagon before them.

"One easy way to find out," replied Tom. And with a nod from Jada, he led the way forward towards the massive building. As they began their walk, Jada called up mission control at the Hilton Complex and gave them an update on their situation.

Chapter 54:

Time: Friday, March 1, 2019 11:25 AM

Hannah and Alison from Fatima's team-six were manning the observation room at the Hilton Complex, and Hannah was trying to shake off twin feelings of panic and despair. Things had been going so well just a short while ago, but then it was one bad piece of news after another.

First Fatima called on her Leophone about a half hour ago. She, Mark, and Kiyoko had taken off early this morning on an ad-hoc trip down the great stairwell of the white diamond complex. The primary mission was to test Mark's ability to activate the elevator at the bottom of the well, given his new abilities to work the elevator at the Blue Mall sphere. Their mission was unsuccessful, and after dropping off an extra supply of flares in the elevator, the group said they would soon start returning to the surface.

Then Jada called and began her report about successfully landing on the island and walking towards a large hexagon. It sounded as if they were in a safe and peaceful situation, and then suddenly the line went dead. With growing alarm, Hannah and Alison tried reestablishing the connection but to no avail.

Then Lynn and Akiko entered the room looking bone tired. They had pulled an all-nighter trying to get a fourth Leophone up and running, and they had failed. They were just checking in before jumping home to Red Mall and collapsing. Alison told them about their failure with keeping an open line to Jada, and the two telecom specialists turned around and hurried back to their makeshift lab to see if they could help.

Earlier this morning, Aggie's and Emily's teams had joined together and taken the last remaining Leophone. As a group of eight, they were attempting a comprehensive exploration of the southernmost surface of the Green Mall area. Their last report stated that so far there was no sign of Aggie's lost party. Hannah called them back and updated Aggie on the problem they were having communicating with Jada's team.

And then for several minutes, Hannah and Alison silently watched their Black Mall monitors as Diego, Alfonso, and Jessica carried heavy backpacks into Jacob's Bar and Grill. They were returning from far down the terminal end of Black Mall. This behavior had been going on for the last four days, and there was much speculation about what was hidden in the backpacks. The procurement teams were careful never to give a hint other than the packs were obviously heavy. The issue especially worried Amber. She was sure Ricardo was plotting something, but had no clue to the particulars.

And once again Diego seemed to be in charge of the procurement mission, though he didn't flout his authority. And Jessica's face! Alison shuddered and told Hannah she almost didn't recognize her. Jessica's face was a frozen mask of fear, so different from her earlier haughty demeanor. Alison had never known of anyone so constantly on the edge of panic. It made Alison wonder what sort of psychological games Ricardo was playing with the last female member of his group.

And finally, just a few minutes ago Hannah was horrified to see the census counter quickly drop from 010:090 to 009:089. Her mind jumped immediately to Jada's team and their inability to communicate with them. She and Alison followed protocol and began verifying the safety of all their different parties, including asking Toshi to do a bed check on Holly and Paige who had done the nightshift monitoring. Hannah confirmed that everyone on Aggie's team was okay, and she was just about to call Mark when an incoming call request appeared on her console. Hannah stared at the request in astonishment. It was coming in from a completely unknown location.

Ten minutes previously…

Mark was resting and leaning up against the bottom corridor wall about ten meters from the one-way elevator. Fatima was sitting right beside him, so close their shoulders were touching, and across from them and at the foot of the stairs fifteen meters away Kiyoko was unabashedly using her break to lie down. A few minutes ago she had even curled into a sleeping position and hadn't moved since.

Mark's eyes were closed and he wondered for the nth time whether he had pushed the pace too fast in coming down the stairwell. He had asked Fatima and Kiyoko many times if they wanted more breaks, and they never said yes. Still, each one of them was carrying an extra dozen flare shells for Jada's team. The load wasn't too bulky, but damn, after a while on the climb down, Mark's knees really noticed the weight.

He felt Fatima stir against his arm and then she give a soft laugh. "I don't believe it! Take a look. I think Kiyoko actually fell asleep."

Mark opened his eyes and after a moment nodded. "Not a bad idea actually. Let's not rush things on the way back up."

"Hmm. If it's any consolation, all the other teams reported they'd rather be climbing up the stairs rather than down."

"Ah, that's nice to know…" After a moment of silence, Mark offered his hand to Fatima.

She accepted it and gave it a friendly squeeze. "So, how's married life been?"

Mark sighed. "It's been really wonderful. I miss Jada a lot, other than that life with Toshi and Frida has been idyllic. Toshi and Frida miss Jada too."

Fatima nodded. "I'm very glad to hear it. There's so much that can go wrong with what we're trying to do."

"You think of me as a guinea pig?"

Fatima chuckled and ruffled his hair playfully. "Well, maybe as a very handsome guinea pig."

Mark thought for a while before replying, and finally decided to give Fatima a serious answer. "Inside a triple link, there's no place to hide an emotion like jealousy, but on the plus side, it also shows us there's no need for it. I guess in the end, it all comes down to free-will, and what we want to accept."

"But what about Jada? Isn't she intimidated?"

Mark looked uncertain for a moment, and then realized what Fatima was talking about. "You mean by being trapped in a dream?"

Fatima looked a bit sheepish. "Like Holly I guess, yeah. I'd be a bit worried. I'm curious about what it's like, but I'd also be nervous about another mind taking over what I'm perceiving."

Mark sighed. "I know. In Jada's case, she's running on pure faith and trust. It's not a problem."

"Ah…" Fatima sighed too, and then rested her head against his shoulder.

Mark turned and kissed the side of her head. "Fatima, may I ask? How are you doing?"

She gave a small laugh. "What do you mean? Are you asking me about my sex life?"

Mark blinked. "Wow Fatima…"

"Wow what?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was just thinking. When we first met a few months ago, I don't think you would have been…"

"That direct?"

"Well, yeah." Mark stared as his shoes for a while. "I guess I don't know exactly what I was asking about. It just feels as if, this past month anyway, we've sort of drifted apart. Life has been so busy, we've haven't shared anything personal."

"Yes, I know. I'm still interested in becoming your wife someday, if that's what you're asking."

Mark didn't know how to reply. He gave Fatima's hand a gentle squeeze and kept silent.

Fatima sighed. "I'm sorry Mark. Somehow that sounded like a rebuke, and I didn't mean that way. It's just that…"

"Yeah?"

"Oh, I don't know. I've been the recipient of so many thoughtless comments. I know people don't mean to be coarse, but a number of the women think that because of my cultural background, polygamy is going to be a lot easier for me to accept than it is for them. And that's just not true."

Mark's other hand came over and he started to caress the back of Fatima's hand. She continued. "Oh, it was there I guess in Kuwait, polygamy, now and then in the society I guess and certainly in the religion. But in practice, it really wasn't very common at all. Monogamy was the rule, and as a girl I never had any dreams about being a part of a harem."

"No, of course not. Fatima, there's no harem in my marriage. We're all equals." Mark paused and gave a sheepish grin. "Except maybe when we're playing with each other."

"Hmmm? You've piqued my curiosity. What do you mean?"

"Ah, let me just say Toshi has an incredibly wild imagination. She likes to role play." Mark chuckled. "Sex with her can get a bit kinky at times. But it's always kind and loving."

"Ah. And you're sharing this with me?"

Mark blinked. "I have Toshi's permission, Frida's and Jada's too. We all agreed we should be open with anyone who might be joining our marriage. We've decided to be very open with you and all the women of our original group. That includes Aggie."

"Ah… Yes of course. Forgive me. I didn't mean to put you on the spot."

"Hey, it's okay. It's a strange situation for all of us." He turned and kissed her cheek. "Especially for you Fatima. You're bearing the load of the political pressures now."

"Exactly!" she hissed. "And they are so horribly coupled to everything else! It would not be politic for me to actively date you right now. What do you think Mark? You have three of the most vocal opponents to forgiving Toshi on your team. Would they consider me going out with you as sleeping with the…"

"You mean you and Toshi being sister-wives? No, I honestly don't think so. We're gelling as a team. I've developed a lot of respect for my group, for them, for their abilities, and even for their opinions. I'm hoping that works both ways."