In retaliation, a virus was loosed that targeted people with ancestors of Mongolian and North Asian markers - it was a fast acting virus that caused internal hemorrhaging -- another billion lost in the next two weeks. The moon lost another thousand.
What the genetic engineers didn't seem to factor, however, was the mutation factor and the intermingling of the gene pool in the past two centuries. Plague C, as it was later called, jumped the constraints of both of the originals and spread like wildfire through Russia and South America. The only lucky continent was Africa -- though losing a full third of the population seemed a morbid gauge of 'luck'. The moon, luckily was spared that version. It seemed the initial quarantine had spared them any further infections.
Pax's family was gone in Plague B. He had great grandparents from China and the steppes on both sides. Tricia, miraculously survived -- though communications were limited and Kari could only get news of her through text missives.
They were four months in. August was approaching. The next wave took Tricia. It was the pollen of late summer that triggered this one. The blooms of late summer grasses triggered the plague -- that was how specific the masterminds behind the illnesses were.
The good news, for Earth, was that her dwindling resources were ample for her decimated population so they didn't need the food from the wheels. The bad news was they were living the fate of Damocles - the threat of another pestilence hung menacingly over the collective consciousness of her people. That plague did indeed hit -- there had been a mutation which jumped over and did hit the African continent this time.
On the wheels, the crew members felt like ghosts. Two months into the crisis they had ramped down production of the crops, switching the plants over to non-fruit-bearing varieties for the most part. All harvested foodstuffs had been preserved and stored. Pax had done the math and figured out that even if they didn't' grow any more food -- they had enough to last the two of them for the next seventeen centuries, give or take, without growing another thing. They were prisoners -- well-fed prisoners, but prisoners all the same -- or perhaps 'exiles' was a better word.
For Kari, one of the most difficult parts was watching Pax. They were both grieving, without a doubt -- but she knew that Pax was suffering in other ways. He was a young, sexual being -- marooned on a space farm with a gorgeous woman who had no interest in him. She saw his increasingly lingering stares and truly did feel sympathy for his situation. He spent more and more time in his room -- and she knew exactly what he was doing there.
In September, the new commander of the moon sent out another wide broadcast (the first C.O. had been an Asian-American and perished in the first waves).
"Hello Agro Corps members and spacers. I'm sorry to say, I don't have the most cheerful news. The genetic engineers who created the devastation on the earth have perished, for the most part -- many from the very viruses they created. We have a handful of remaining scientists who were able to remain quarantined or survive the plagues. They are endeavoring to create tests and cures for illnesses that remain. However, they fear there still may be the possibility of sleeper viruses in our own population that could take as much as another year to be triggered. Since we don't know when many of these illnesses were released, we can't even let you intermingle with each other. Statistics point to a ninety-nine percent chance that you on the wheels are safe, but we can't risk that other one percent.
Pax and Kari cursed under their breaths -- contributing to what was doubtless the collective groan of all two hundred people manning the wheels.
"Sadly," said the captain, "we can't even bring you back to the moon. Our surviving crew are doubtless carriers of death for the vast majority of you. For now, we can only advise you to look after your plants, care for one another, and keep your fingers crossed that we at least get an all-clear within the year. Until then, we still have to require that no contact be allowed between wheel personnel. I hope the next time I address you, I'll bring you better news."
The screen went dark and the two of them sat in desolate silence. A year more -- together.
"I'm going to go out to section five," said Pax.
"To do what?"
"To have the droids plant barley. I'll be damned if I'm going to be here another year without real beer. We need hops.""Sounds like a plan," agreed Kari. "I'll go to three and put in some grape vines."
Several hours later, Kari was in the shower when she heard Pax return. The bathroom was up against his room, so she could easily hear the moans and suggestive music filtering through the walls once she turned off the water.
She dried off and contemplated their situation. Wrapping a towel around her body, she picked up a tube of lotion - walked purposefully through the common area and straight into Pax's room.
"Fuck, Kari!" cried Pax. "Ever hear of knocking?"
"Oh please, Pax. It's time to stop keeping our doors closed. We're family now. We're everything to each other, in fact. Now lie down."
"But..."
"Just, lie down Pax. Don't make this complicated."
He laid back and Kari squeezed a big dab of lotion into her hand.
"You're about to learn one of my hidden talents, my dear," she said, grasping his half-rigid shaft in her hand.
"But Kari, you're..."
"I'm a woman, I know, Pax," she said, smiling. "And I have it on good authority that young men such as yourself happen to get great pleasure when receiving manual pleasure from members of my fair sex."
"I..."
"Just shut up, Pax," she admonished. "This is a big gift horse, don't look it in the mouth... 'cause all you're getting is the hand, anyway."
"Oh my god," groaned Pax as Kari had him quickly back to full firmness and began sliding her deft hand over his rod.
"That's good, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"This isn't the first time I've done this, you know?"
"It isn't?" he managed to gasp.
"Oh no. Back in high school when I was still figuring things out -- I became quite the expert at this. I think it was my subconscious way of avoiding having to go all the way but still not be labeled a tease. The guys didn't seem to complain too much."
She stopped talking and focused in on her work. It was sort of like riding a bicycle (though she wasn't riding ; ) She quickly remembered how to bring Pax so very, very close but slow just in time in order to keep him right at the edge.
"Oh Kari," he groaned after what was the third or fourth 'near miss'.
She felt his hand begin to caress the towel wrapped around her and fumble toward her breast. She reached down with her free hand to take his tenderly, but firmly.
"Not yet sweetie," she whispered. "Baby steps, okay?"
"Sure," he replied, removing the offending hand. "Sorry."
"Don't be, Pax," she murmured. "It's understandable... and it's me. It is really, really me. I'll make up for it though -- you get the two-handed special to finish things off."
With that, she squeezed out a bit more lotion and pulled one leg up on the bed to give herself a better angle. With both hands, she really began working him into a frenzy and began reading his rhythms, allowing him to thrust upward into her hands as she squeezed him in opposing circular twists. At last, she pushed him past where he could stop. She couldn't help but smile as the white stream erupted from his one-eyed monster and spilled over his belly and her hands.
"Oh god oh god oh god Kari!" cried Pax. "That's so... so good."
"I'm glad, Pax," she said.
She suddenly felt a drop of water on her breasts (which she realized were now free from the towel). She saw with some surprise that she was crying. She looked to Pax and was stunned to see that he was crying as well.
In all the vastness of space -- in the awareness of the horror occurring on their home planet -- in the loss and grief they both shared -- neither of them had realized how lonely they were.
"I've missed this," she managed to get out through her tears.
"Missed... being with
a man?"
"No!" said Kari, laughing and crying at the same time. "I have not missed 'the cock', thank you very much -- it's kind of hard to miss what you've never had. I've missed being close -- being intimate."
"Me too," whispered Pax.
He sat up and pushed the hair away from Kari's face. He leaned in and her breasts pushed sensuously against his chest. They kissed. It was a soft, gentle kiss. In many ways it lacked passion, but it did not lack love.
"Thank you Kari," he murmured into her ear. "I'll never forget this."
"Me, either," she agreed.
She picked up the towel and wiped off her hands, then tossed it to Pax as she stood.
"Well, goodnight Pax -- and for god's sake clean yourself up."
Kari crossed back into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. It was odd. For a while, she had been feeling ugly, somehow. Now, looking at her firm, trim body in the mirror, she felt pretty for the first time in months. Her cheeks had a glow that surprised her.
She asked herself: Did she still long for Tricia? Or any woman for that matter? Damned straight. However, with no one other than Pax for the next year at least, she felt a shift beginning in her consciousness. It was small, but it was a shift all the same. Not a shift toward being straight...but a shift toward a new reality.
The next morning, she awoke to the smell of frying breakfast and coffee.
"Good morning," she said, smiling.
"Good morning," replied Pax, an even bigger smile on his face.
He handed Kari a coffee and turned back to the frying up plantains and vegetables.
Kari sat quietly and sipped at her coffee, contemplating the events of the night before.
Pax soon finished cooking and delivered two delicious plates, sitting down at the table across from her. They ate in silence -- shyly meeting eyes now and again before glancing away.
"That was delicious. Thanks Pax," said Kari upon finishing.
"You're welcome, Kari."
Again -- silence.
"So..." said Pax, letting the thought hang there.
"So..." said Kari.
"Last night," started Pax.
"Yes. Last night. Listen, Pax -- I... Fuck, I don't know how to say this! Three months, it's a long time -- but it's livable -- even for a horndog 22-year old guy like you. No offense."
"None taken."
"But," continued Kari, "go beyond that. Quarantined, barred from seeing any other people, even on the wheels. Our planet plague-infested, our families and friends dead for the most part. There's the old dinner party question -- right? Would you? If such-and-such was the last person on earth, would you? I'm not going to bullshit you -- would I have preferred that you have different plumbing and some lovely breasts to press against mine? Absolutely. As it is -- I... I'm lonely too, and I know you are suffering a lot."
"Suffering?" chuckled Pax. "So, last night was a sympathy hand job?"
"Yeah," said Kari frankly. "And the truth is, I can be a very sympathetic person. So Pax, do you wanna be my boyfriend?"
"Well, when you put it that way."
"We'll have to take it slow, though. My pace, my rules. If you can work with me on it -- I'll do my best to take care of you."
"I'll take care of you, too," said Pax, enthusiastically.
"Oh Pax, that'll be harder than you think."
***
Kari's words had proven more prophetic than she would have thought.
The tongue was soft and the fingers were deft and tender. The hand caressing her left breast really knew what it was doing. Kari closed her eyes and did her best to imagine Tricia, or Graciela, or Lakshmi or any other lover in her past.
Five minute passed. Her body was responding, but her heart... or her mind, or whatever-the-fuck part she needed to respond -- wasn't.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
"Pax. Pax. Stop."
"Please," murmured Pax. "I can do this."
"I know you can, but I can't, sweetie. Stop."
"Fuck!" Pax cried, throwing himself back and leaning against the wall.
"Pax, baby. You know this isn't you. It's me. It is so much me, you can't believe it."
Things had gone well for a while. They had shared in some wonderful mutual masturbation sessions, which had been surprisingly intimate. Being in the presence of someone else who was pleasuring themselves was a quite thrilling experience.
They had gotten used to kissing and shared many vigorous make out and petting sessions. Kari had continued to milk his cock quite dry on a regular basis -- though she had yet to muster the courage to go all the way, but it seemed Pax was more than taken care of.
Yet, there was still this final barrier. She just couldn't get entirely aroused with Pax.
"Think of it this way," she said, taking his hand in hers. "Imagine watching a documentary, or a horror film, and trying to jerk off at the same time. The mind just doesn't want to go there."
"So, I'm a horror film?" asked Pax.
"I'm leaning toward documentary, babe," she said softy.
She leaned across to him and tried to give him a kiss -- which he returned coldly.
"Pax. You know who I am," she said, caressing his arm tenderly. "You know I'm giving you all I can."
"I know!" he said. "It's just -- I want to give back! I want to do something for you."
"Honey, you are. Kissing you, holding you, sleeping next to you. Just having you with me has changed the way I feel. I swear to god, there were times that I thought about killing myself. Everything looked so dark and lonely. Ever since you and I have been... doing whatever we've been doing -- ever since then I've cheered up. But Pax, I'm made this way. I can't change it. Let's just be patient and treasure each other and what we have. Whatever it is."
"Okay, okay, Kari," said Pax. "I understand, I do. I'll do my best to be patient."
They continued to monitor the news from Earth and it grew more bleak. From a peak population of more than twenty billion people, the world was now down to less than four-hundred million -- a number not seen since the year 1500 CE. The surviving population pools were mixtures of anarchy and order. The ordered pools were discrete populations isolated in small, well-protected garrisons -- often in underground military complexes.
The months progressed. Kari and Pax plateaued on their level of intimacy. Kari could not break through her innate and organic barrier toward full intimacy with Pax. Though they were both grateful for the other's companionship and had found a true love for each other -- it could only be a love of friendship. Each of them had a somewhat haunted look in their eyes -- contemplating what life might mean if it truly were just the two of them for the remainder of their days.
It seemed, however, that the pandemics had finally come to an end.
Winter (on Earth) arrived and there had been no reports of any new outbreaks. A few populations had been hit by lingering viruses, but there had been nothing new. The geneticists were pounding away at identifying the virus markers so they could screen all remaining people, including those on the wheels. The short-term goal was to ascertain whether any of the wheel staff were infected so they could be allowed to intermingle. Long-term, the hope was to develop vaccines for the highly complex viruses which had been engineered.
Winter solstice was approaching. Pax approached Kari about a week before the holidays and broached the subject.
"So, Christmas is coming up," he stammered, "but I wasn't sure if you wanted to do a Winter Solstice thing or something else."
"No, Christmas is fine -- in truth, the date was just the way of the early Christians rolling in the old solstice and Saturnalia celebrations into the new religion."
"Great," said Pax, "to tell the truth, we weren't too much of anything in my family, Christian or otherwise -- so however you want to celebrate is fine with me."
"That would be lovely, Pax," she said. "Do you have any black clothes?"
"Any... yeah. Yeah, I brought my dress blacks -- don't know why, but I did
."
"Perfect. We'll meet in Section 2. Midnight."
"Sounds good," agreed Pax. "What about gifts?"
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Erotica: Volume 1 (Sci-Fi & Fantasy Erotica Series) Page 3