Rings of Fire Ch. 10

Reminder: This is a series, a long one. If long stories such as Game of Thrones and Walking Dead are not your thing, then Literotica is home to many great short stories. This is NOT one of them.

***

Brent was up before dawn. Even as little sleep as he had gotten with her in his bed. It had never been quantity with Lauren but quality. He sighed as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her shoulder. Despite how much they had made love the past two days, his cock was hard, nestled between the cheeks of her warm, soft ass.

He smiled two mornings in a row he had woken up to perfection. After seven years of tossing and turning alone and lonely in his bed, he appreciated it more than he ever had.

That was what made this so damned hard. But he knew he had to get up. Not only did he need to check and see how things had gone during the night with the evacs, but there was also something he needed to speak to Daniel about in particular. Lone.

He sneaked naked and barefoot from the warmth of their bed. He made sure to tuck the blanket tightly about her. He meant what he had said. If he saw her face out of this bed before noon, he was spanking her cute butt and bringing it right back here even if he had to tie her to the bed...again.

His smile widened. That had gone better than he expected. Well, except for her threats after the second time they had woken. When she discovered that she had fallen asleep under him with her hands still tied to the headboard, she had sworn that she was going to return the favor and tie him down next time. Brent reminded himself to watch his back, perhaps find a nice, safe hiding spot for those stupid, silk ties.

He gathered fresh clothes and his boots as quietly as he could and made his way to the small bathroom. His shower was even quicker than usual this morning, wasting water was not something you took lightly in the desert. He did not bother with shaving either, just brushed his teeth, got dressed, and was out of there before he missed Daniel.

He knew that the man liked to spend time in the kitchen with his wife as she got breakfast ready. Not that he blamed him. He wanted to spend the whole damned day with his. But after last night he was hopeful there would be a lifetime for that.

He made his way to the bunker and climbed down just as the sun was coming up over the rolling hills topped with low mesquite bushes and cacti. He was glad to find Daniel alone still in the small office and storage area.

He was studying the map once more. The red dots for active volcanoes. Yellow for other ones. Clusters of blue for their people around the globe. Curving, swirling lines for the jet stream across the Northern hemisphere. Brent looked over his shoulder at the map too, "How'd it go last night?"

Daniel shook his head, "Not as good as it went for you, Doc. Saw somebody carrying something out of the command center late last night. Looked kinda heavy, but he seemed to have it in hand," he teased.

Brent blushed though he supposed he deserved it. For almost five years, he had been the innocent third party in the harmless ribbing between Daniel and Samuel, never taking sides, instead merrily going along with whoever was the instigator. It should come as no shock then that both men were going to take their chance at payback.

"Did the plane get off?" he asked, turning the conversation back to the topic at hand.

Daniel nodded, "Yes, it should be landing on the airstrip early this evening, and so far so good. Samuel has Simone rallying the troops and getting cabins refreshed for the new arrivals. Since the pilot made them leave most of their things behind to take more precious human cargo, it is going to be a bit of strain on our stock rooms."

Brent nodded his head, "Have Simone take the kids with her into town. Clear Wal-Mart out if you have to. All the basics: blankets, shoes, underwear. She'll know what to buy I'm sure. And have those kids pick up as many toys as they can too. Have Jill give her a list of supplies too. Send one of the guys to rent a moving truck and bring it all back here."

Daniel shook his head and stared at him, "Let me guess...whatever it costs?"

Brent laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking. If I am wrong, then I'm gonna be broke. But, hell, it is only money. I'll still have this place, my salary, and stock shares from Jacobs Energy. That is a hell of a lot more than most people make every year. So, don't worry, yeah I can still afford to pay yours and Samuel's salary."

"Fuck that shit, Doc. Like you say, it's only money. So, I reckon Samuel and I will be pooling ours with you to purchase whatever we can for this place and the others. It's not like we need the damned stuff around here. Not like we ain't got everything we need right here. Especially the most important thing...family," his friend sighed as he looked back at the map.

"Are they coming?"

"Yeah, I'm just not sure that they will all make it to Morocco in time for tonight's plane. And we both know that we can't afford to wait. Can't put other people's lives at risk for the four of them," Daniel's face darkened.

"Then find another plane. If not Morocco, somewhere in Northern Africa. Fuel the damned thing and leave it sitting there for them," Brent made the call.

"You sure, Doc? A plane for just four men. I know money won't be worth much if you're right, but still?"

Brent clapped him on the shoulder, his fingers biting into corded muscles, "Friendship is. Worth a hell of a lot more than money. No matter what happens." He forced a more jovial chuckle than he felt, "Besides I don't want nothing affecting your wife's cooking."

Daniel roared in laughter though Brent saw that the mirth did not reach the man's icy blue eyes, "Nothing to worry about there, man. One of the first things that woman told me was that she cooked when she worried. When she was happy, sad, or mad, she just cooks."

Brent smiled at the love he heard in his friend's voice. It felt damned good not to be envious and a bit resentful of that for once. Especially now.

But still the unspoken worry eked at the back of his mind and Daniel Montgomery, former US Navy SEAL team Commander, was probably the one person, who could confirm or deny his biggest fear. Could he keep the people he loved most safe, even here, with all he had done?

He cleared his throat, "Daniel, there is something I need to ask you, while we have some privacy. Not that I don't trust Samuel just as much, just that," he sought the right words to explain. "Just that this is more a command than a logistics issue." He hoped those were the right words; he did not want to create any friction between the men.

Daniel looked away for a moment, and when he turned back, there was a cold stony pain in his eyes, something that Brent could not explain but knew. He had seen it on other men. Men forced to make hard choices of life and death, sometimes even when it came to innocents. And he supposed that in some ways it was a fellowship that he was joining now.

Before he even put the question to words, Daniel answered, "You want to know how safe we are here. How truly safe?"

Brent nodded, "But not just against marauders." He sighed, "Daniel, I hate asking this, but I have to know. Are our women and children safe from..."

"Our own government?" Daniel finished as he shook his head. "All I can say is that we have done our best. But it honestly depends on how badly they want you dead, Doc."

He motioned to a chair by the desk as he perched on the end of it, "Want to tell me why you're asking this now?"

Brent's shoulders slumped, "You got my orders last night? You have the basics of what Lauren discovered. Even if I am wrong and no more volcanoes blow, there will be enough damage from Katla and Laki to send a cloud of noxious gases that we call vog, volcanic fog, across Northern Europe. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable, the elderly, young children, the sick will die from respiratory problems."

"And that's just the beginning. This summer will be one of the hottest on record. Followed by a nasty winter. Unpredictable weather of floods, droughts, and who knows what for perhaps the next decade. And it could wrap around the globe. Crops could fail all over the world."

"Famine and war, right, Doc? What you're saying is that even if you are wrong, you're right. With the instability in world markets and geo-political systems, the world as we know it is over?"

Brent nodded his head at stark words that sounded even more alarming spoken aloud. "Lauren tried to warn some of our colleagues in Washington and London..."

"But let me guess, they won't listen?" Daniel sighed, "And you're thinking about going public with your theories. Warning people? Giving them at least a chance to prepare before it is too late? A fighting chance at survival for them and their families?"

"Yeah."

"Of course, you know they will do everything they can to discredit you. Drag your name through the mud. Hell, make up lies if they have to."

"That does not bother me. My career as a scientist was over long ago." He looked his friend in the eye, "It is not what they can do to me that bothers me, Daniel. It is what they might do to the people I love that scares me."

Daniel nodded slowly, "Theoretically speaking, you hear me?"

Brent nodded; he had never asked this man or Samuel to reveal their past. Hell, he had put this one off for as long as he dared. He did not want to make his friends uncomfortable, reveal national secrets. Just help him make an informed decision.

"Theoretically speaking, it would be fool-hardy of them to make a direct attack on this place. Your daddy has his own powerful allies. And you are no gun-hoarding, evangelist messing with little girls. You might not be the most respected man in the field of volcanology right now, but it would not make sense to do a full out frontal assault with the FBI or ATF."

"What about others?" he queried.

"You mean Black Ops?" Daniel shook his head again, "I still think it is too risky. Too much collateral damage at risk here. Too many friends in high places."

He frowned, "But it is possible someone might try a subtler attack. If I were planning it," Daniel looked him directly in the eye. "Contractors. Private security. More deniability. Shit, the government does not even need to be directly involved for something like this. Just pick up a phone and leak the information to the right person, someone with lots to lose. Then if something did go wrong, it could never be traced back to them."

Brent paused for a moment as he weighed up what his friend was saying. Confirming his worst fears but at the same time, "What would be our chances if they did?"

Daniel smiled, "Let's just say that Samuel and I thought about this before you did. And I would not want to be the one leading that suicide mission."

"Suicide mission? That sounds a bit too confident, Daniel."

"Really? Everyone over the age of ten on this place knows how to shoot a gun. Hell, both my oldest and my wife can put a bullet in the sweet spot right between a man's eyes." He laughed, "Bel can't bring herself to go for the kill shot, but let me tell you where that girl aims, a man will wish he was dead."

"We have guns, ammo and heavy artillery stocked piled here, and I made damned sure that the powers that be don't know that, Doc." Daniel met his stare, head-on, "I trusted you with my family's life when I came here. Just like you know your volcanoes, I know this. And I have made damn sure that short of a full-on attack on all fronts, my family, yours, and all the others can take care of themselves."

"So, Doc, you do what you gotta do and leave the rest to us," he smiled. "As long as you are still as good a shot as you used to be."

Brent chuckled as he stood and held out his hand towards his friend. Like so many things, this was not the answer he wanted. But it was good enough. He did trust Daniel and Samuel with his life and those of his family. Now the rest was up to him to decide when and how to inform the rest of the world that the Apocalypse was nigh.

***

Lauren did sleep until almost noon, but that had more to do with spending the whole night in her ex-husband's bed and waking to make love twice more during the night, the last time just as the sun began to rise over the desert.

When she did finally wake, she had to admit she had not felt this rested; this refreshed in a very long time. She had showered and dressed once again in comfortable jeans and t-shirt before going in search of something to appease another kind of appetite.

As she stepped from Brent's cabin, she noted a marked difference in the Regenesis' community. Dozens of people scurried around carrying boxes, stacks of linens, and other essentials. They were busily working about the cabins that had been closed just the day before. She had almost decided to give food a pass until lunch, perhaps seek out Brent and see if there was anything she could help with, but the loud rumble of her stomach made it seem more prudent to seek out sustenance first.

She made her way towards the kitchen, noting even more activity, especially among a group of men, two of whom she recognized as the cook's husband and his friend. She tried to remember names, but despite her above-average intelligence, that skill had never been her strong suit.

The dining hall was dark when she arrived, empty but perfectly tidy. She once again contemplated the situation and was about to turn and leave when the doors to the kitchen swung open. The cook, as well as a rotund dark-skinned woman, appeared through them with three small children running at their heels laughing.

They stopped just behind the buffet. The chef, Lauren embarrassedly searched her brain for the woman's name, smiled at her in greeting, "Good morning, Dr. Masters. Doc said you might stop by later. I saved a couple of blueberry muffins just in case."

The two women spoke quietly for a moment before the blond woman disappeared back through the doors. The other woman and the children, who looked to be about three or four, came towards her. They stopped by the wall on her right for a moment, and a couple of lights came on overhead.

The African-American woman came to stand by her as the children began to run and play. Lauren smiled at how care-free the kids were even as the whole world was changing. Reluctantly she admitted that it was doing just that - changing irrevocably.

"I'm Simone Jackson," the woman extended her plump hand. "My husband and Jill's are the head of security around here."

Lauren took the hand with a smile. The idealist in her wanted to believe that security was not something that a place like this needed, but she had been in too many disaster areas, knew what desperation could do to people. "Lauren, Lauren Ja..." she stopped herself, realizing for her mistake. "Masters. Dr. Lauren Masters," the final one more a reminder to herself of who she had become these past seven years.

She was a tenure track professor at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, respected and well-published public speaker, and a scientist in her own right. She was no longer merely Brent's protégé, his student, his partner, or his wife. Or she had been anyway.

But rather than fill her with pride at her accomplishments, it made her sad, because the truth was she was no longer a part of a team either. And this place proved that Brent too had moved on. Had created a new team without her.

The other woman nodded stiffly as a dark blond toddler, Lauren could not tell if it was a boy or girl clutched the woman's thigh, "Auntie Simone, save me."

She laughed and pried tiny fingers from around her leg, "No, Dylan, you're on your own."

He shook his little head with hair far longer than was fashionable as he pleaded, "But there are two of them. Why does Darcy always side with Davey? She's my sister; she should be on my team," he pouted.

Abundant laughter rang out through the building, "Cause, baby, those two's stars are entwined. Besides you are older than Davey, maybe your sister feels like she needs to protect him."

The little boy put his hands on his hips and stared her down, "Six months is not older."

The door swung open, and the other woman joined the organized chaos. Jill, Lauren was pleased to have a name to go with the face without the embarrassment of asking, she repeated it silently ten times as she placed a tray on the closest table, "Dig in," Jill smiled. "I brought you tea this morning. Doc asked that I add it to the stocks."

Lauren shook her head as she took a seat; she was not sure which smelled better. She took a bite of the muffin first but followed it with a sip of the perfect English breakfast tea. She smiled her appreciation to her hostess as she queried, "Doc? Who is Doc?"

But it was the other woman, Simone she reminded herself, that answered, "Dat's just my Samuel and Daniel's nickname for your husband. Before we all came here, our guys were SEALs. They met Brent when they were assigned to one of his expeditions."

Jill laughed as she continued the story, "Our guys figured that your husband would be some geeky, science nerd so before they even met him, they started calling him Doc." The women exchanged a glance as they giggled and fanned themselves, "Of course, Brent proved to be anything but a nerd."

Lauren joined them in laughter as she took another bite of the muffin, "If you only knew."

Simone raised her eyebrows and sat down at the table with them, "Do tell, gurlfriend. Dat man been squirreling your ass away ever since you gots here. But we figure sometings up when yous come back from the desert with 'tumble' weed in your hair and a hickey on your neck."

Lauren blushed at the woman's words. Had her actions made them fodder for gossip in this small community. Jill's hand covered hers on the table, "Don't mind Simone's kidding, Dr. Masters. She does not mean any harm. It's just her way."

Once more, the two women exchanged glances and a stare. Lauren covered her discomfort with another bite. She hated to admit it, but she was envious. She had never really had a 'gurlfriend' as Simone called it. No female companion to share secrets. Her life was books, knowledge, science, the girls, and Brent. For the first time, she felt perhaps she was missing out.

"Hey, I resemble dat," Simone laughed as she looked across the room to where the children were now playing with building blocks. "But she's right, Dr. Masters. I don't mean any offense. It just sort of comes naturally to me. You see...I's got the sight."

Lauren shook her head as she took another sip of tea, "Not you too."

The women both studied her, but it was Simone who spoke first, "What you mean, gurlfriend?"

Lauren looked down at the table, "Mind you; I don't believe in such foolishness. But my Grandmam says that the sight runs in our family." She shook her head, remembering the uneasy feeling that she had had as she left her office to pick up Elise, "She insists that I have it too."

Simone's laughter echoed off the walls, "Naw, child, if you had the sight, you'd know better than to fight the stars with dat man."

Jill giggled and smiled reassuringly at her, "Afraid you are in real trouble now, Dr. Masters."

"What do you mean?"

"Once Simone decides that 'de stars be wid you' she won't stop meddling," Jill smiled.

"And dat worked out so awful for you, gurlfriend? I saw how you winced when you sat down. And I know dat Sammy made a new paddle for Danny Boy. So, don't you be complaining about my meddlin' when you be reaping de benefits of it?"

Lauren almost spewed hot tea across the table at the woman's boldness as Jill blushed. "Yeah, well, it is Samuel's fault, insisting that Daniel has to learn how to keep things lively."