The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any resemblances to real people, alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons, of continents or islands, in countries, counties, cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods, streets, cul-de-sacs, nor governmental or non-governmental areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then why are you here? Seriously, if guy-to-guy sex stuff makes you barf or is going to screw up your mind, you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most states and countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by law. Check with your local laws regarding such.
% Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction. In real life, use protection.
%
CoMPany payLoaD continues...
RancH HanDs 01 WriTten by T. Chase McPhee
%
"Now they tell us?!"
It was Nolan who had butted into the middle of bods, checking out the room arrangements, conferring over the list of guys, some fresh acquaintances, others employees of Harrellsson, some strays with association to the Elemental Habitat facility, but as Demont points out, "Kyle Kirk?" establishing, "what would they want with my valet parker at the `Bear & Grill'?"
Next comment, they hear live, "Don't ask me why the dumb-fuck I'm here! Demont, is this your doing?"
Knowing `the voice', Demont turns around, confronting Angus McClelland, saying, "That's what you get for knowing me," and playing on Angus' words, "you dumb-fuck!" he laughs.
However, everyone could see they played around with each other, Demont instigating a bear hug with his `Bear & Grill' playmate.
Meanwhile, Hewy scans the long sheet of paper, detailing the room situation. Outlined in groups, last name is followed by first, then building and room number.
Sneaking in ahead, Tom Houten is critical, because of the misspelling of his first name, "What's this Thomas' shit?" Right then and there, he takes a pen out of his pocket, crosses off Thomas' and rewrites `Tom' in a scribble. He comments to the crowd of guys, "Next time get it right, bozos!" He ducks out as quickly as he appeared. He did make sure he eyed up Tony's room number, which was the same as his, or else he would have had something else to gripe about!
"Arboretum, Suite 5?" Nolan laughs it off, after cutting his own joke, "Living amongst the flowers?"
On the other hand, Hewy's whistling, "Whew!" made him skip over Nolan's comic tradeoff, glad they bunked in the same room. He did ask, "I hope it's a nice room?" Nolan's comment did have some effect.
"Nice room?" Justin Kincade questions. He checks to make sure the call he made ahead of arrival, was processed before the rooming list came out, responding to his diversion, "Oh good," then paying mind to Nolan and Hewy, "Don't ever question your reservations, when you're set up in `the Arboretum!'"
"Sounds like a nice place?" Nolan asks, staring Justin in the face. Then the familiar, "Have we met?"
"Only on paper," Justin replies with a smile. Adding a handshake, he introduces himself, "I'm Justin Kincade. I was one of the key operatives in the thwarting of the raid on your business, Mr. Harrellsson. But Patrick Riley, he's the main man who coordinated everything."
"I see," Nolan replies, not hiding the fact he thought the Irishman to be quite up to his standards of a hot, gay man. Though, he didn't think for sure Justin was gay and on speculation, because he thought he heard someone mention 98% of Elemental Habitat being `bent', "Well it's nice to meet you too."
"Me too," Hewy butts in, offering his hand in hopes the lasting handshake between Nolan and Justin is cut off.
"Oh, are you two together?" Justin asks.
Acknowledging so, they didn't have to chat, with Corrin's grumpy interruption, "I don't why the hell I had to be kidnapped and taken to this godforsaken hellhole in the middle of nowhere!"
Nolan makes apology for his worker, "You have to forgive Corrin. He can be a little high strung."
"Corrin Innes?" Justin asks.
"The one and only, thank god!" Hewy replies.
Busy with looking up his name on the rooming list, apparent chip on his shoulder, Corrin replies negatively, "Probably they put me in the boiler room!"
"Nope!"
"What do you mean `nope'?" Corrin turns his head towards Justin. "What the hell do you know, fatboy?"
Oh, Justin was just waiting on old man time to give it to Corrin straight, "Because you just happen to be shacked up with `fatboy'!"
He laughed.
It got Nolan laughing, setting off Hewy, but for certain it did not entertain Corrin for one moment, "No way. I want a roommate who is nice and slim like myself. Where's the man in charge of, `this'," he tore the list right off the wall, corners remaining under the tacked on staples.
However, before Corrin could get an inch away from the board, he was confronted by Art Smith, "I'd call that vandalism of habitat property?"
Some of the guys met Art Smith earlier, the forty-two year old jogging. He looked like any other stealth athlete, but in his habitat uniform, his appearance was very intimidating, his personality traits lending a hand.
To the rescue, Justin says, "It's really nothing Art. Probably transition from..."
Nolan defends, "Yes. Going from a work environment to a farm..."
However, Corrin could not keep quiet and let things alone, allow people do his bidding and holding up the torn and wrinkled notice, "This is shit! I'm not rooming with some fat slob!"
Trying to be understanding, Justin had reached his last straw, allowing Art to handle things.
And that Art did, putting on a facade of calm, understanding, caring, not that he wasn't, but handling the situation without and outbreak of rioting, he puts an arm over Corrin's shoulders and says, "Oh I'm so, so sorry you do not like your accommodations Corrin. Why don't we take this up with administration and see if we can work something out?"
Turning a head back to Justin and putting his full trust in Art Smith, he says obnoxiously, "At least `somebody' gives a damn around here!"
Slipping the paper casually out of Corrin's hand, Corrin giving it up, showed him he already had developed a camaraderie of trust. "Here, Justin. Would you terribly mind?"
"No problem!" Justin replies. He returned to where Nolan and Hewy stood.
Nolan could tell Justin had a hidden agenda' of thoughts, but stray, "That guy Art', seems like a rough character?"
"Can be," Justin replies, reaching up to pull a staple out and replant it in the paper notice. "Comes with the job."
"Which is?" Hewy asks.
"Head of security!"
The room emptying out, when Nolan turns around, he asks, "Where'd everybody go?" His hands far out to his sides helps extend the emptiness of the depot.
"To their rooms," Hewy hints.
"Tired?" Justin guesses, based on the state of Hewy's appearance.
"And hungry," Nolan agrees Justin's insinuation.
"How about a trip to Atlantis?"
`Atlantis?' both Hewy and Nolan questioned the twenty-four year old.
New to Elemental Habitat, this was only Justin's second time he lay eyes on the multi-acred complex. Still, he remembers one hot spot on his last visit, "Atlantis, as I understand it, is the most visited place during the day here at the habitat."
"Gambling?" Nolan inquires.
Stately, Justin replies, "Gambling is not permitted on the premises, unless," he lightens up, "it's `strip poker?'"
"Now, I like that game!" Hewy jokes.
"Don't we all, Hewy, don't we all!" Nolan entertains thought.
They walked and walked and walked, Justin hoping he remembered not only the way to `Atlantis', but directions of places within the complex, pointing down hallways and naming areas.
At last, suddenly the small hallway gave in to a very long walkway, the opposite side taking a hike up the wall by about five stories.
It stunned the pair, wall almost total glass, wave decorated in aquamarine coloring.
"Welcome to Atlantis, gentlemen!" Justin says, opening one of the four doors.
"Oh my!" Nolan says, long and drawn out, as his eyes gained whiteness.
"Nolan, close your mouth," Hewy says, tapping him under the chin.
"Sorry," he replied.
How could anyone not be amazed by stepping into a virtual world, looking like Atlantis, stone buildings breaking up the water world.
"It looks like it could be the ocean!" Nolan gasps, trying to see where the water ended on the opposite side.
"It's an optical allusion. I understand it `is' about as wide as two football fields, but some of it is mirrored.
"It is so beautifully green," Hewy says, squatting down and taking a sample in his hand, "and warm."
"So clean," Nolan assesses on his own, looking into the water and seeing to the bottom, he thinks.
"Ready for a swim?"
Nolan's glees turns into a disturbed look, him, pointing towards the aqua-colored water, "There's fish in there!"
"I know," Justin replies, "but no sharks!"
Hewy remarks, "Then it `is' an ocean!"
"Recreated," Justin replies. He also warns, "And if we want some peaceful swimming, we better hurry up. Soon it will be quitting time and Atlantis will be packed with ranch hands!"
After Nolan learned there was no need for swimming apparel, he didn't think having the rest of the habitat in the `ocean' pool, such a bad idea!
%
Copyright 2011 T. Chase McPhee
`CoMPany payLoaD' - RancH HanDs may not be sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the author.