Island Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  However, a content person would be more likely to follow the rules of a facility. If you were well-fed with delicious food, provided a beautiful place to live, opportunity for exercise and recreational activity, you just might not be in a hurry to leave. Zach said as much on the first day that we met him. These new additions to our camp were clearly meant to pacify us now that the games had severe consequences for the losers.

  "How do we start the fire?" Drexel asked.

  "Are you cold?" Shira had a tendency to ask her own questions instead of answering yours. It was annoying at times, but we all knew people like that. I once dated a girl that I would simply repeat the question as many times as it took for her to give me a straight answer. Eventually, it formed a wedge in our relationship that we both kept prying at until it was an impassable gap. I’d have to be careful not to let it create a barrier between me and Shira.

  "No, I'm just curious," Drexel replied. "Maybe if the wind continues to pick up. I guess that is why they provided the blankets. The warm season might be ending. But why did they put them outside?"

  I gave it some thought. "I think the stuff placed outside was meant for outside. The fire pit utensils are only in here because this is where they would get cleaned. Or replaced miraculously while we are not looking."

  "So, any ideas on how to start the fire?" Drexel asked again.

  "Why are you so concerned about that damn fire pit?" Shira snapped at him.

  "I think Drexel is on to something here," I interrupted.

  "I am?"

  "We should look for opportunities to use anything provided to our advantage. Whether it be as a means of escape, or a weapon, or even a distraction. We should also search the barracks for any new cracks in security."

  The four of us did just that. It took all of two minutes and we found nothing useful. When we walked outside Drexel was staring at the fire pit. Maybe he had a fascination with flames. He wasn't present when Bobby was killed by fire. Maybe it would have been a turn on for him. Who knows? I would need to keep a closer eye on this guy before I rule out the possible flaw in his mental condition.

  I walked past Drexel up to the fire pit. There were no buttons, cranks, or fire-starting equipment like a flint or lighter. The logs inside the protective ring were obviously fake, so there had to be a way to turn it on. But how? I began moving my hands around hoping to stumble upon the correct touch panel gesture. Eventually I did when I simply held my hands palms down like I was warming them over the fire. The blaze kicked up and remained steady like a natural gas fireplace.

  Next was to try out the toys. I didn't expect any surprises with the soccer ball or football, but we tossed them around just the same. The frisbee flew very well, and far. Other than that, it was just a flying disc.

  It was the ring toss stakes that I was looking forward to trying out. We went to an open section in the beach and started digging holes with the heavy pipe pieces that were about four feet long. I dug two feet deep and found nothing but sand. We then filled in the hole around the stake a played a quick game of ring toss. Drexel seemed to be the most talented at it. Shira and Nancy had to stand a few feet closer due to the weight of the rings.

  We tried the board game once more and still could not find any instructions. Only Nancy and I were interested in trying to figure it out. I lined up the five orange humans on the orange side while she placed the pink aliens on hers. A holographic projector then placed an image above the center of the game board. Over the course of ten minutes the rules were explained, including how each piece moved and worked. I could not see any sort of device creating the images, but I was mesmerized by the display.

  We didn't really have to memorize the rules because the playing pieces already knew what to do. We just wouldn't be very strategic until we got familiar with how things worked. Once the instructions disappeared, more objects projected onto the game board, like terrain and barriers. Shira and Drexel began to take notice.

  I touched one of my units on the head, and the little fucker moved, nearly scaring the shit out of me. I mean, I knew that he was supposed to move on his own. I just didn't expect his arms, legs and full body to simulate physical action so well. I got an eerie horror movie vibe for a second. The guy walked across four hex spaces and threw a spear at one of Nancy's aliens. She yelped as the weapon flew in slow motion then landed well short of its target. I made a mental note of that unit's speed and range.

  Nancy retaliated by touching the head of a female unit on her side. The alien body squatted down then jumped three spaces directly toward my spearman, who coincidentally had materialized another weapon in his hand. I had no idea if there was a limit to how many spears that he could throw in one game.

  After Nancy's woman unit landed, she made a circular motion with both hands the same direction. A shiny thin rope followed that spinning pattern as it left her hands and headed at my guy. The cord sadly reached its target and slithered around his body like a snake, taking him to the ground and binding his limbs. He did not disappear from the game, so I assumed that there could be a recovery for him. He lied there squirming on the board but making no sound. It was a bit disturbing.

  The next unit I touched, well I sort of knocked him in the back of the head, sprang to life. He skipped across three hex spaces like a gazelle, or a man that was not entirely masculine. He then threw a rock at Nancy's snake throwing bitch and hit her square in the head. The alien female crumpled to the ground and quickly faded from view. I had eliminated one of Nancy's pieces.

  "Hey, hey," I said, in a more jovial mood than I should have. The game was doing what it was intended for, loosening us up. "Looks like I'm winning."

  "Not for long, you bully," Nancy retorted. She then activated one of her male units. Instead of going after my rock thrower, he raced across the board to the bound spear man. Once he arrived, he quickly stomped the guy's head into dust with a foot that resembled a stout animal paw. My unit then faded into oblivion.

  The game continued like that, but barriers moving randomly across the board removed the back and forth feel of the game. Playing pieces could even hide from view of their opponent by crouching behind a wall. There were also weapons caches where a unit could pick up a whole new attack ability. Defense also became a factor when occasionally we had to choose between a new weapon or a shield.

  In the end, Nancy won with just one player left on the board. It was the other female unit that had acquired two shields during the game. The woman limped as she made her way back to Nancy, raising one of her shields in victory. After taking a bow, she too faded away and all the pieces miraculously reappeared on the edge of the board again in their starting positions.

  When Shira and Drexel joined in the next game, I bowed out to do some checking around our barracks for possible weaknesses. The game board's spaces then adjusted for a three-player game. I laughed at their hooting and hollering as I walked the perimeter of our building.

  I had no idea how many prison guards were keeping an eye on us. It was possible that they were witnessing the board game for the first time just like us. If there were only one or two guards, they might be distracted sufficiently while nosed around.

  I dug into the sand in a dozen places and tapped on the walls of our barracks as well as the tall barriers that separated us from the rest of the compound. I went back inside and examined every nook and cranny for a way down below. There had to be a door that opened in the floor somewhere. How else could they keep getting in without us seeing them?

  I did discover that the panel on the wall would play music or provide a variety of animal sounds. I left it on a jungle theme with monkeys communicating occasionally as I walked back out onto the sand. The background noise was even louder outside. My teammates then took an interest in the panel until they settled on a Spanish guitar channel.

  I finally gave up my search as the other three were finishing their second round of the fascinating game. I had just settled in on the hammock when one horn sounded before an announceme
nt. "The recreational area will be opening in one hour. You should eat, shower and change your clothes before it does. The doors will remain open for the rest of the evening."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

  Nancy casually reached for my hand as we entered the new recreational center. As instructed, we ate our dinners and showered before the area became available. We were not sure what to expect. The central space of the prison compound had become bi-polar type source of emotions.

  During the day, we competed for our lives. That brought on not only fear, but anger and panic. The social events, however, were worth looking forward to, especially the opportunity for me to spend time with Lin. The activities designed for relaxation and mentally recharging were the most enjoyable moments on the island. Except for the sexual episodes with Nancy, of course. Those were very nice.

  Opening our dresser drawer, we found new clothes to wear sitting on top of the pile. The fabric was unbelievably lightweight and amazing, feeling like it barely made contact with the skin. The men had long pants down to the ankle, and short sleeve shirts. Instead of buttons or zippers the shirts implored an unknown technology that kept the two sides together until you pulled them apart. They were very comfortable, like silk pajamas. Slip-on shiny black shoes were also provided. Despite their appearance, they felt like moccasins.

  The women had dresses made of the same material. Sleeveless, low-cut, and ending just above the knee. They also were given high-heel shoes that was an unusual clear sole that flared out at the bottom. Both Nancy and Shira were delighted in their comfort and stability. They carried them by their straps until they reached the hard floor section.

  The outfit made them both look very sexy. I was already quite familiar with Nancy's breasts, but it was still nice to see them on display in the shiny material. Shira's were smaller but looked firm and perfectly round. There were still no bras provided, so their nipples brushed against the soft fabric with every move. Shira blushed and called me out when she caught me staring at her chest.

  Every piece of clothing for the members of our team had some orange to it. There were also black and gray mixed into the patterns. There was no confusion that we were all on the same team.

  The other team met us in the middle of the recreation center. They were dressed the same as us, only with blue as their dominant color. Lin looked fucking fantastic. In those clothes, in this light, she was the hottest woman that I had ever seen. My hormones tried to jerk my hand out of Nancy's at the mere sight of her. My mind told me not to be such an asshole. My body didn't know what to do. Nancy had made it perfectly clear. We were not a couple. I was enjoying building our bond in a very casual way but holding hands in public seemed bit confusing to me.

  The recreational section had been separated into quadrants this time. I knew this because a tutorial video began to play on the walls for us. The access to each quadrant was from the center section where we currently stood. During the course of the evening we were free to go wherever we wanted, including back to our barracks. However, the details regarding each section of the center was to be revealed to us by way of a tour. I got the sense that its builders were particularly proud of their accomplishment. Or, at least they were anticipating our delight in what we were about to see.

  A large door slid into the floor on the far-left quadrant from where we entered. Inside the walls were decorated with pastel colors and the lights were low. A soothing music was playing throughout the section that sounded a little like Spanish guitar. This quadrant was essentially a relaxation and therapy spa.

  There were four beds positioned under warm lights that provided an orange glow. They were contoured for a comfortable reclining position. As we all were looking in that direction a man walked up to us from the far corner. I was the first one to spot him, and I almost jumped at the excitement of seeing him.

  He was dressed like a servant, mostly black attire with some white accents. Only, he wasn't dressed at all. The outfit appeared to be painted on him. He was not human. The first non-prisoner that we have encountered since our arrival, and he wasn't even a person. It was an android.

  The machine's movement was almost life-like but there were some telltale signs. Like, not breathing. Motions being too perfect. Those that weren't smart enough to figure it out were confused until the thing announced himself as such. He then took us on the guided tour of the spa.

  The beds were muscle therapy units. Between the vibrating and grinding portions of the seat itself, and the soothing light and negative ions emitted from above, the experience was said to be extremely relaxing and rejuvenating.

  The next section had some sort of force field that held in a fog. Either that or the glass was crazy thin and super clean. The android referred to that area as a vapor lounge. I expected him to compare it to an opium den, but he did not. Instead, the chemicals and nutrients inside that fog would heal and detoxify our bodies from the inside. Just sit down and breathe it in. You could not over-inhale. There were no negative side effects, even with prolonged exposure.

  The final section was a basin with scary black water. A huge vat of paint was more reminiscent than a Mississippi bayou. The top of eight seat backs were visible about the surface of the dark liquid. Our mechanical attendant explained what was in the fluid and how it was good for us. No one was particularly interested until he said that the liquid was steady at forty degrees Celsius, which was one-oh-four Farenheit. It was an evil looking hot tub. We were informed that there would be no discoloration to our skin from contact with the liquid.

  As someone that has always been into physical fitness, I had an appreciation for the spa. Not excitement, but appreciation. The thought of being in a hot tub with these attractive women was a plus, but the pitch-black water was a bit of a turn off. Still, the girls seemed to be excited about this quadrant. Hell, I'll sit in mud and put cucumbers on my face if it brings me much closer to a beautiful woman. Especially now that I know my friends will never find out. Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration. The point is, I’m willing to try it.

  A changing room took up the remaining space so we could slip out of our super nice duds and into a moisture absorbing tissue of a towel. It was opaque, just very thin. The tour of that section ended and some of our group were silly enough to thank the android for his services. It was a nicety that had been ingrained in us since childhood, so I figured some people just couldn't help it.

  The next section was much more exciting to me personally. It was a virtual reality hologram type game where you started on the bridge of a starship. Any roles unclaimed by real life people, meaning us, would be filled in by computer supplied characters. The android attendant for that section would also serve as a crew member of the ship so that he, or it, was always available to assist with anything.

  During the course of the game you would have battles in space, hand-to-hand combat on the ship, and visit alien worlds. The room rapidly displayed images as the game was explained. It was totally awesome! Zach didn't even want to see the rest of the recreation center. He declared that he was done with the tour and only wanted to play the game. Drexel clearly felt the same but was not eager to separate himself from his teammates. I was probably just as excited as them but refused to show it outwardly. I consider it maturity. Plus, we had some damn sexy women in our party. Get your priorities straight, I thought.

  When we got to the third quadrant, I believed that they had chosen the order of the tour carefully, with each new section more fascinating then the previous. This one was a swimming pool. Only that didn't come close to describing it. The water surface did not appear to end, like a forever pool. Just beyond the pool water was the most beautiful three-dimensional landscape scenes that you could imagine. And so realistic and vibrant it was difficult to process that it was screen instead. Relaxing music played at a low volume and a fountain in the center of the pool provided that soothing waterfall sound.

  Off to each side of the pool was a hot tub, this time with clear water. There was only one se
at inside each tub, reclined for a comfortable position, but it was wide enough to hold two people. I wanted to see if I could end up in there a couple times this evening, with a different girl each time. Navigating that journey could prove challenging, however.

  Another changing room was provided. This attendant pointed out that we would have swimsuit options. The women could choose between bikini or one piece. The guys had trunks or speedo to choose from.

  That left only one quadrant yet to be explored. When we passed through the entrance, we were instantly met with pulsating dance music. Some sort of force field had blocked the sound from getting out. I noticed that passing through the field gave me a weird sensation, almost a tickling of my body inside and out. I found it hard to believe that I might be imagining it.

  Another android servant greeted us from behind the corner bar. There were no liquor bottles visible, but we were assured that there was plenty of alcohol to choose from. The design and colors of the walls kept changing in beat with the music, as did the floor and ceiling. All along the edge of the room were soft benches separated by drink tables.