Castles Burning Part Two (13 page)

“I miss them so much.” I sobbed.

“I know you do sweetie.” She said.

After a moment she released me, she smiled warmly at me before she stepped out of the shower and I heard her walk over to the sinks. I shut my own water off after quickly washing
myself; Jessica was still flossing her teeth as I dried off and got dressed.

“That was scary.” She said.

“What was?” I asked, as I pulled my brush through my hair.

“Last night, the guys… We’ve never had anything like that happen before. I never expected it to hurt their skin like that.” She shook her head sadly.

“I know, it was really scary, hopefully it won’t happen again.” I chuckled nervously.

***

When I entered the shop, it was dark and all I could see was the green light on the computer monitor in front of me. I flipped on the switch, and briefly saw bodies sprawled all over the floor and annoyed groans met me before I quickly flipped it off again.

“I’m so sorry guys. I didn’t think anyone was in here.” I whispered as I carefully stepped over them.

“Come here and lay with me baby girl, Cross is on watch and I told him I’d make sure you were okay.” I heard Sawyer drawl from behind me. I looked over my shoulder as I sat at the computer chair and wiggled the mouse.

“Okay, just let me check my email really quick.” I said quietly.
I heard him shift, and someone off to my left yawn, and I smiled inwardly, glad that they were finally able to rest. I opened my inbox and went through the weekly ship announcements, a short email from my mom, and some jokes that were circulating around the ship before I came across an email from Christie. I swallowed as I stared at it for a second before I forced myself to open it.

Darling Amber,

I miss you my dear friend. I am getting better every day and am now permitted to go and visit Alex. He is healing well and he can even walk again with help
from his crutches. Can you believe he finally proposed to me? Yep. Over some nasty hospital jello of all things. I said yes of course. I’d love for you to be my maid of honor so we haven’t set a date, we want to wait and be sure you will be there. We miss you dearly, and hope this email finds you well. I love you, and can’t wait until the deployment is over and you can come home. Grandma sends her love.

Christie.

I closed the email smiling. I was too exhausted to reply now; I would call her as soon as I had free time, and access to the ship phone. I sighed as I turned off the computer, slowly I felt my way over to Sawyer, who moved slightly as I crouched down next to him, then let out a bear of a yawn as his gorilla arms wrapped around me and pulled me close on his mat, under the double sleeping bag. It was warm under there, which was oddly welcoming, and I felt the exhaustion wash over me again as I let my eyelids slip closed, and sleep washed over me.

I hadn’t dreamed at all, and it didn’t feel like I’d slept at all when
I heard the code being punched into the door, and it cracked open. DC1 Lewis stuck his head in for a moment, and looked around at all of us, as if counting, then quietly closed it again. I heard him mumbling something into his walkie-talkie as his voice traveled farther away. I took a deep breath and stretched, Sawyer’s hand was on my waist, I snuggled closer to him and jumped when I felt his erection against my bottom, my fingers came up to my lips and I tried to hold myself away from him.

“Sorry.” He whispered sleepily, before his breathing became slow and regular again.

My heart flip flopped a little bit at my sudden excitement. I brought my hands to the sides of my face and closed my eyes again, annoyed with my insatiable body. I squeezed the bridge of my nose between my fingers before I tried to find sleep again, but just as I began to feel weary, Sawyers hand began stroking my side, and the swell of my hip. His other hand pulled me closer to him, and I felt him against me again, thick, hard, incredibly alluring. I pushed my bottom against him invitingly and he quietly groaned, my hand went to the button on my coveralls and undid it quickly. Sawyers hand was at my zipper in a second, and he slid his hand against my breast as he slid the zipper down to my waist.

My
breathing quickened as his hand slid under my white shirt, along my stomach and up to my breast. I arched, pressing my breast into his palm, and squirmed against him, and his slow, maddening hands. I desperately tried to be silent, so as not to wake the others that surrounded us, as Sawyer turned my body over so I was lying on my back. He took my right leg and draped it over his hip, then slid his hand along the inside of my knee, and up my thigh to the apex of my thighs. His fingers caressed my clothed sex softly, sending thrilling waves through me; I smiled and turned my face into his neck, he smelled of Stetson cologne. He was so soft, and tender. I hadn’t been touched so sweetly in a long time; it made me feel warm all over. Sawyer slid his hand into the waist of my coveralls and slid the zipper down, it reached nearly to my knees. I held my breath as his fingers slipped under the band of my panties, my back raised up off the mat again and his lips pressed against my temple, then slid to my ear.

“You smell so good.” He whispered.

My mouth fell open as he slipped two thick fingers inside me, and dragged my wetness up to circle my clitoris with. My hands clamped down on his wrist, and I put my lips close to his ear.

“Please don’t. I can’t. Not here.” I whispered.

“Why not?” He asked a smile in his voice.

“Because, I… I just can’t.” I said, trying not to laugh as he wiggled his fingers inside me playfully.

I mentally scolded myself as he withdrew his hand and pulled my coveralls closed. He pulled me against him again, and after a while, I felt my body calming.

***

Several weeks later, with zero casualties since the fuel burst, we mustered at seven in the hanger bay. Chief Morose was present this time for a moment, speaking quietly to Chief Hudson and the first classes, after a few moments he left and Chief Hudson came to stand in front of us, his gaze lingering on me for a moment until I dropped my gaze to the deck.

“Today is DECON
day gentlemen, and ladies.” He added looking at Jessica and me. “I want you all to go down to the Decontamination station immediately and await further instruction.” He spoke to the first classes briefly, then turned and made his way all the way Aft and left the hanger bay.

DC1
Lewis stood in front of the division and cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s head down. Ladies, if you’ve got a time of month problem I suggest you take care of it now.” He turned and walked away. We all followed behind him, and Jessica came up beside me.

“This sucks, so much.” She whispered
as we walked a few paces behind the others.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

“We are doing a decontamination drill. The water is freezing cold because it comes from so deep down, but it’s not as freezing here as it is back home.” She added as if it were a bonus.

“Great.” I muttered, I remem
bered DECON well from boot camp, and again in my training school.

We entered the compartment to find Chief and DC1 Lewis waiting for us. There were three large square metal bins on the deck,
lined up in a row spaced about a foot apart.

“Fireman Cross and Fireman Smith, you’re on strip duty.” Chief called to them. They both walked over and stood on either side of the metal bins. “Fireman Carlson you’re up first since you’ve never gone before.
Do you remember what to do from training school?” He asked.

I nodded and stepped up to the first bin
, Cross and Smith were at my clothing in remarkable time. Cross undid my boots and took them off as Smith yanked my coveralls down, I stepped out of them and left them in the first bin and stepped into the second. Cross simulated scrubbing me with a large brush for a moment and then they helped me into the next bin before finally helped me up as I stepped into the DECON chamber.

I was in only my white undershirt and my underwear, I was thankful I’d worn black panties but my bra was white, and didn’t have much for cups.
I tried not to think about it. The door closed tight in front of me and I looked out the large porthole at Chief and the others, my breathing picked up as I anticipated the cold water, but mostly because I hated being in small closed spaces, I always had.

Chief stepped up to the port hole and yelled to me though it, I could barely hear him but his face was reddened with the force he used to say it.

“Hands on the glass!” He pointed with his fingers and raised his eyebrows at me as if asking if I understood.

I nodded vehemently and stepped up to the porthole placing both of my palms on the glass in front of me. I took a few steadying breaths
through my nose, my chin quivering as I released them through my mouth. I could hear my breathing as if it were amplified around me in the still lifeless room.

“Okay,” I whispered,
inhaling through my nose deeply “It’s okay, it’s only for sixty seconds.” I told myself.

The water s
uddenly burst out all around me; it stung my skin and made me scream as it thundered out around me and drenched me in less than three seconds. My hair was quickly ripped from its careful bun, and my shirt was whipping around me, tearing at my flesh with the force of the water that soared out of the pipes around me. I bawled as the cold sank into my bones. Chief pounded on the glass with his knuckles. I looked at him and he made a circling motion with his hands and pointed to his mouth. I began to move my palms in a circular motion over the glass, and stated my first and last name, then my social security number, my breath hitching and making me sound like a small child recovering from a tantrum.

I did this over and over again as the freezing water hammered against my skin and poured down over my face, the salt water stinging my eyes. I
cried out again and began to jump up and down as my toes lost feeling, just after my hot tears began mixing with the freezing water it shut off. I wiped my trembling hands down my face, my rock hard nipples digging into my forearms as I pushed my soaking wet hair back and the door opened. I stepped out, shaking uncontrollably, my jaw chattering; Cross and Smith covered me with towels quickly, and rubbed their hands fast and hard up and down my arms and legs. I stood there shivering and quaking as I looked down at my toes which were almost blue. Cross wrapped a towel around my hair as Smith brought a blanket to wrap around me; I sat down as Jessica stepped into the first bin.

She was stripped quickly and they went through the motions of scrubbing her, she wore blue and white panties that had a smiley face on the bottom. Tyler winked at her and she grinned, it quickly evaporated as she stepped into the chamber and the door closed behind her.
We all took a turn at the scrubbing station and stripping station, everyone got a turn in the chamber, and everyone learned how to turn the valve on and off. By the time we were finished, the day was nearly over so Chief dismissed us early again.

“We’re crossing
the equator tomorrow, so the pollywogs we have will be becoming shell backs.” He said and pointed two fingers at Jessica and me. “That means you ladies.”

“I thought you’ve been on deployment before?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I didn’t participate in the ceremony before.”

“It’s optional?” I asked.

“Yes.” She said a sly smile spreading across her lips.

“What’s that smile for?” I asked, I couldn’t keep my own smile from my face as we walked to the Galley.

“Well, we aren’t supposed to talk about it but…”

***

The door to our birthing hit the wall with force as it was thrown open.

“Male on deck!” Someone hollered.

“HT’s out of your rack!” Another yelled.

There were two HT females in our birthing
, and I heard low voices and quiet sounds as they made their way out of our birthing and seconds later the door burst open again.

“DC’s
! Get out of your racks, right now!” I heard Smith bellow. I grinned as I rolled from my rack and pulled on my sweat pants and tennis shoes, I put my hair up into a pony tail.

Jessica came around the corner of my cubicle and yawned.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Yeah. Are you sure we should do this?” I asked
as we walked into the head and brushed out hair, and splashed water on our faces.

“I’ve passed it up twice and both times I thought I was stupid for doing so afterward
when I heard the stories.” She told me.

I nodded, a grin splitting my face. We walked out to the front of our birthing and saw Sawyer and Smith waiting for us in their Shellback attire.

“Fireman Carlson!” Smith bellowed at me, trying to keep a smile off of his face.

“Yes Shellback?” I asked.

“Do you solemnly swear to never talk, repeat, or share anything that happens on this ship on this day of crossing the equator?” He asked holding up his right hand, a silly fake pirate hat hung lopsided on his head.

I lifted my right hand. “I do solemnly swear.” I said.

He turned to look at Jessica, “DC3 Johnson, do you solemnly swear to never talk, repeat, or share anything that happens on this ship on this day of crossing the equator?” He asked her, she held up her hand.