Flight 12

Flight 12 – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: NOW THAT I'M HERE – I WANT OUT

Previously, on the island's surface:

• Seth, convinced they need to change tactics, intentionally allows himself to be speared by a penis portal and taken underground, leaving an insecure Harry `in charge'.

• During a laundry expedition, Vic and Ed spar over race and sexuality, setting in motion a chain of events culminating in Augie and Jordan's capture by a dodecagon. The clothes they were washing vanish, depriving the group of most of their remaining apparel.

Underground:

• Augie finds himself covered with feces, and fucked by Barry in that state.

• A left-sider is gelded with each arrival of a `Twelve'; the latest to suffer that fate is Al Casey, whose follow-up execution was postponed by Seth's arrival.

• Paul's cotton jockstrap has been replaced by one made from Leo's skin; sharing a room with Dai and Lucas, he finds himself the nightly object of Lucas's attentions.

• After Seth lands underground, Jesús is contacted by a panicked Hamish. Jesús tells him to take no action, and orders his staff to determine how this event has affected `the physics'.

In flashbacks:

• Ed, in Atlanta, dines with Leo and unexpectedly meets a man named Orson, who claims to have known him at Cambridge. Orson offers to bring him a hooker; Ed declines, but when he returns to his room, he finds his bed occupied – by a man.

• • • • • • • • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12 * * * * * * * *

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND – JESÚS

• Look, we've got to keep this short. This is so critical we're bypassing the usual procedure to talk in real time. But we can only stay in Beta for a few minutes. So listen carefully. Re-calibration indicates we can still proceed if the Trigger is gone within three days – by the fifteenth. But you have to get him to the surface, and it has to be his own idea, he can't be forced. He may want to take others – let him, as long as he doesn't take Derisian or more than one Twelve. He has a prior relationship with one of your lieutenants – Ian O'Leahy. Have O'Leahy engineer the escape with Herrick – give him the code for the Egress Room.

• Niemann Senior's due tomorrow. We'll get out of balance – should we push Herrick out before then?

• No. He might interfere with Niemann's arrival. You can tolerate a short-term imbalance, and if Herrick takes others with him, you'll go back under your limit.

• We gelded two yesterday with the double arrival. There's no precedent for allowing a eunuch to live more than a day. Should we chop them both?

• Thibaut checked on that. You can do one now and the other later, no worries.

• We'll do Casey – he was an insurrectionist.

• Fine. Listen, it might be best to rerun simulations after Niemann Senior arrives, make sure the physics haven't been altered. So gear O'Leahy toward an escape on the fourteenth.

• The fourteenth, got it.

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND – SEAN

That was not a conversation I wanted to hear. But Jesús had invited me to listen in, along with Ari, Thibaut, and Paolo. Ari, ever-militant, chastised Jesús for postponing one of the executions. I disagreed, but had to be careful. If the Project failed and Jesús was voted out, Ari wanted to take over, and had promised me second-in-command if I backed him. Ari had my back – I had to have his. I contributed my two cents:

• Jesús, maybe we should send someone to the island after Seth goes back on top. Monitor the situation, make sure he doesn't do anything that would alter the physics.

• We'll have Ian.

• Can we trust Ian? He's dated both Seth and Abe – he might be a double-agent, for all we know.

Actually, I'm the double-agent.

• (Paolo) Sean's idea seems sound, just as a precaution. Thibaut?

• (Thibaut) I don't see any reason why our presence should alter anything. Sean didn't disrupt the physics before by going to the island - it was Murdock and King.

• (Ari) I totally endorse this idea. And I think you should send Sean. He has a prior relationship with the Trigger, he'd be in the best position to influence his behavior.

Thank you, Ari.

• (Jesús) Agreed. We'll send Sean – but only after Herrick returns to the surface.

And I'll get Herrick to sabotage the Project – without anyone realizing I've done so.

THE THRONE ROOM – IAN

That was not a conversation I wanted to hear. But Hamish had invited me to listen in, knowing my prior relationship with Seth. He figured I needed to hear whatever Switzerland had to say about how we were to handle him.

• You think you can handle this? Organize an escape?

• You want me to escape with him.

• Absolutely. Keep an eye on him when he's up top.

• He'll want to take Abe.

• You heard them - absolutely not. Now, don't rush this, Ian. Don't fill his head too early with escape plans, he'll get suspicious. Remember, he has no idea that you're even here. For the fourteenth, you'll need the even-day code. It's 2-4-8-7-5-0-1-3-8-7-4-9. If you forget it, run the powers of two from one to twelve, and add the digits; if the sum is over nine, just use the last digit. Got that?

• Got it. Two to the eighth power is 256, and 2 + 5 + 6 = 13, so the eighth digit is 3. But I have a question, if you don't mind, sir.

• Go ahead.

• I heard him authorize you to, ah, dispatch one of the new eunuchs.

• Yes, I chose Casey, what of it?

• Sir, may I ask you to spare Casey? He's friends with my sub, Stan, and I don't want to upset him.

• Casey tried to escape. He needs to pay a price for that.

• He did – he sacrificed his balls. Sir, it would be such a favor – after all, you're asking of me a considerable task . . . which, um, I'm sure you'd want me to keep confidential . . .

• Ah, Ian, you ARE a player; I salute you. Very well, Casey may keep his head. But eventually –

• Yes, and eventually Stan as well. We both just need some time to adjust.

• Never let it be said that Hamish is without mercy.

• You are indeed a wise ruler, sir.

Oh, lay it on thick, Ian. That was so fawning, it was worthy of Hamish's dog. Still, it got the job done. Now I had to make sure both Stan and Al escaped with Seth. I wasn't sure how long I could save them – and I'd sacrifice Al in a flash – but keeping him alive would earn me brownie points with Stan. And I was determined to save Stan.

THE WHITE ROOM – SETH

Finally, I heard a click. The door opened. At last, someone had come to acknowledge the fact that – several hours ago – I had arrived here. Wherever `here' was.

I had spent the last few hours speculating on what I would see when finally I was released from this space – would the door open to a new universe, or my old one? Would I find myself back in Cleveland? Would I be wearing clothes when I passed through the door? Or – if still on the island, would I encounter a familiar face – Leo or Paul or Lucas or Dai or Augie or Jordan or Miles? . . . Or Abe?

A man entered. He wore a mask, so that I could not discern his identity. Otherwise, he was as naked as I was. It was not Abe's body, which I knew intimately. Too tall for Paul or Dai, too white for Miles, too buff for Jordan. The others? Conceivable, but why would they be masked?

• Get ready for a shock, Seth.

It was too late. The shock had already set in. I knew that voice. I hadn't heard it in over a year, but I knew that voice.

• Ian???

He took off his mask. He was smiling.

• You remembered. How nice.

• Ian, what are you doing here? Are you – am I – does this mean I'm dead, after all?

• (laughing) No, no, you're alive.

• What world is this?

• I'm told they call it Betaworld.

• Am I still on the island?

• You are.

• So when I fell, I didn't enter a different universe.

• Nope. Same universe, same island, just underground.

• So I'll go back to question one – what are you doing here?

• (a grin) My flight to Martinique never made it – just like yours to Aruba. I've been working for a man named Hamish – he's in charge here, with his husband Percy. You'll know them when you see them – they're the ones with clothes.

• I don't believe it. What are the odds that you and I would both –

• Hardly coincidence, Seth. It was by design.

• Harry was right. We were specifically selected for this, weren't we?

• Yes.

• Why?

• (a rueful smile) I don't know that, Seth. Something big is up, but it's not something they share. It seems I'm stuck here indefinitely, so I suck up and do what I'm told. Ours is not to reason why –

• Don't end that phrase, it has the word `die' in it. . . . Ian?

• Yes?

• . . . I'm afraid to ask this.

• Fear never got questions answered, go ahead and ask.

• . . . Is Abe here?

• Yes, Seth. He's here.

• Is he okay?

• He's alive, he's – well, he's healthy.

• But . . . ?

• But he's a captive.

• Like you.

• Not like me. I work here. I have a job to do.

• What job is that?

• I'm a top.

• . . . This place is all about sex, isn't it? We felt it on the surface. Not just all the phalluses – the whole energy of the place is –

• All about sex. Exactly. Everybody down here has sex. Multiple times a day.

• And you're a top. Implying that Abe . . .

• Isn't dipping his wick, he's being dipped into.

• At least he likes being dipped into. But –

• If it means anything, he's in rather a privileged position. Percy has made Abe his personal pet. He gets special treatment. He still gets fucked, but . . . others have it worse.

• Can I see him?

• I doubt it. Access to Hamish and Percy is by invitation only.

• Sometimes you have to invite yourself.

• I wouldn't advise that, Seth. Hamish is very powerful. You go barging in there like a bull in a china shop, you're apt to find out what the china feels like afterwards. But I have some leverage with Hamish, maybe I can arrange something.

• Oh, God, Ian, please.

• Let me see what I can do. Now, would you like to see the others?

• The others? They're here – all of them?

• They . . . all arrived here. You're assigned to the Twelve's dormitory.

• The twelfth dormitory? Are there twelve of everything on this island?

• Not the twelfth dormitory. The TWELVE's dormitory. You're one of The Twelve. That's what they call all of you who were on the right side of the plane. I don't know why.

• And when they were captured, they all came here?

• They did. Want a reunion?

• Yes, please.

He led me out of the room into a sterile looking hallway, out into a sort of common area, and into another corridor which led to a large room with a dozen beds in it – and three men who were astonished to see me.

They came rushing up to me, hugging me, in what was an intensely erotic moment, as all of us were touching bare skin to bare skin. Both Dai and Lucas were completely naked; Paul was still clad in a jockstrap, although he seemed to have changed from a cotton one to one that might be leather or suede.

I was happy to see these three members of what Ian called The Twelve. But there should have been five.

• Where's Augie?

• (Paul) He's not on the surface?

• (Dai) We expected him yesterday – but when he didn't show up, we thought maybe he avoided the dodecagon.

• He didn't. He got captured along with – well, I'll explain about that later. And Leo, where's Leo?

There was a silence.

• (Paul) Leo's . . .

He choked up, unable to finish the sentence.

Lucas smirked. And pointed mysteriously to Paul's crotch.

• • • • • • • • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 * * * * * * * *

THE DORMITORY – SETH

I spent the night uncomfortably in the dormitory. Lucas stood by silently as I pumped Paul and Dai for details of their life in what they called Hamishland. It sounded gruesome, especially the degree to which injuries were inflicted on them, only to heal completely by the next day, enabling them to endure fresh assaults. They described the unsuccessful escape attempt, and then, briefly, that Leo had been executed for leading it. When they finished, Lucas had an amendment:

• (Lucas) You forgot to mention how Paul told them to whack off Leo's head.

• (Dai) Lucas, you piece of shit! That's a total distortion of what happened.

Dai then filled in the gaps, explaining how Leo had tried to blame him for instigating the escape attempt, and how Hamish, intent on executing the ring-leader but not knowing which of them it was, forced Paul to choose one of them for execution. Paul looked like he wanted to melt into the floor during all of this.

During the night, I kept thinking about Paul's jockstrap and the way Lucas had pointed at it when I asked where Leo was. And how the jockstrap looked like it was made of some kind of animal skin. . . .

The room was pitch black when the lights went out; visibility was absolute zero. I fell asleep more quickly than I expected, but woke up when I heard Paul grunting. Intermittently, I caught wisps of words from Lucas like "Take it, bitch". I realized he was fucking Paul, three feet away from me.

On the other side of me, Dai was awake as well.

• He does this every night. He liked doing Leo also, but Paul's his favorite. I can't stop him.

• I can.

I got up and wrapped my arms around Lucas' heaving torso and pulled him off Paul. Lucas fought back, cursing me, but if there was one thing I was confident of, it was my strength. I threw him on the floor and stomped on a part of him I couldn't see, hoping it was his hand.

• You do that again, and I'll fuck YOU in the ass, Lucas.

I heard Lucas snort, and I punctuated my own remarks with a sharp kick aimed at where I thought his groin might be.

• (Lucas) You don't get it, do you, Mister Thinks-He's-So-Tough? The way things are here. You're a captive, you get fucked a lot. Paul's used to it – happens every night and several times a day.

• I can't control what happens during the day but as long as I'm here it won't happen at night anymore.

• (Lucas) Then you best get out of here and quick, because this boy's ass belongs to me.

• We'll see about that.

A SHOWER STALL – AUGIE

I don't know how, but I did manage to get some sleep, despite being chained up in a shower stall filled with excrement. During the night, they dumped more onto me so that the pile was about three feet deep.

This morning four men approached, carrying a large burlap bag. They unlocked the padlocks holding the chains around my body, enabling me to slowly free myself. They then ordered me into the bag, warning me not to dirty the outside of it. Once I was inside, they pulled the drawstring tight.

Was this good, or bad? Being enclosed in a bag was terrifying. They could do anything with that bag, toss it into a furnace or something. But maybe it was just because they needed to move me, and didn't want to get shit all over the floor.

They carried me for some distance and then I landed with a thump.

• (a voice) Jeez, does he stink.

• (another voice) Well, that's what his orders are. Shit and enemas. So clean him up and clean him out.

The bag was open, and I found myself in a large shower area, with tiled floors and walls. I thought, at least here I can take a shower and – whoa, what was that??? I was pushed back with such force that I hit the wall and fell. It was water, simply water, but shot with the force of a water cannon. I couldn't see because there was so much water in my face that I dared not open my eyes.

• (the first voice) Turn around, bitch.

I tried to stand up, but every time I did, my feet slipped and I fell down again. Eventually, I just sort of rolled over and, on all fours, presented my back half to the water, which continued to pummel me until I was sure that every bit of feces had been obliterated from my body. Not that I smelled good or anything.

Hands grabbed me roughly and wrapped a bandana – or something like it – around my eyes.

• Now we clean you INSIDE.

And what seemed like a garden hose went up my ass. And a blast of water hit my gut so hard that I screamed. My tormentor laughed, and reduced the volume, but I was still filled so full, I thought it was going to pass through my entire body and come out my mouth. Indeed, I keeled over and felt I was going to vomit, then I felt myself being pulled away and put in a squatting position. The hose – or whatever it was – was yanked from my ass, and I expelled oceans of water into what I now perceived was a toilet.

• This is your program, Stapleton. Every night in shit, every day you're our Enema Boy. Four of them a day, and only the first will be room-temperature.

• What will the others be?

• Let's let that be a surprise.

When I finally felt I had expunged everything he had forced inside me, I was led – still blindfolded – to another tiled area where I was bombarded with sweet-smelling goo. Soap. Hands rubbed it all over my body, pushing so hard they might have been masseurs.

• Can't have you stinking when we fuck you.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – HARRY

The tower seemed empty now. There were only six of us. I slept on the chartreuse wedge – the color of my danger dodecagon. This should have made me anxious, but it was somehow calming.

And I needed calming. Ed and Vic had picked up last night where they had left off the night before. Ed was practically apoplectic over his upcoming birthday, and felt like Seth had abandoned him at the critical moment. And he was taking it out on me, for being the Seth-anointed leader, and Vic, for being Vic. Ed needed a target; he felt that when Miles and Jordan had shown up, everything had gone south. Vic was guilty by association with Miles. Vic, however, interpreted Ed's attitude toward him as racist and homophobic – in my humble opinion, justifiably.

Tim approached me this morning and mentioned that it had been a few days since he and Jasper had bathed; they hadn't gone with us on that fateful day when Augie and Jordan disappeared while on a clothes-and-body-washing expedition. I thought: so you're leaving me with the volatile combination of Ed and Vic, plus who-knows-what-version of Gary, on a day when we have to be super-vigilant.

Leadership. Seth trusted my leadership. Which meant making decisions like this. Well, here goes.

• Yes, okay. Be quick about it, though.

They thanked me and stepped outside the tower. Two seconds later, Jasper popped back in, an alarmed look on his face.

• Uh, Harry?

• Yeah.

• I think you need to see this.

Good God, what now? Had someone ELSE shown up? Or had Ed's purple dodecagon (which had yet to be discovered) spontaneously appeared ten feet outside the tower?

Neither. When I passed through the door, I saw no stranger, no dodecagon – and nothing I recognized.

Either the Tower had moved or the entire island had been rearranged.

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND – JESÚS

• Sir, the geography has been reconfigured and the tower has been successfully moved. - Excellent. Now they're within range of the dodecagons they haven't encountered yet.

FUCK ROOM C – AUGIE

• (Voice 1) Which end of him do you want?

• (Voice 2) I'll take his mouth. He's used to that.

What did he mean, I'm used to that? He must have me confused with someone else.

• (Voice 2) Lube him up good. His ass is practically virgin, Penn.

They placed me on my back on a table. The one called Penn pushed my legs up over my shoulders and I felt him push the tip of his willy against my butthole.

• Please don't do this! I don't like this.

• (Penn) How often have you been fucked, boy? Can you count the number of times?

• Yes. Two.

• (Penn) If you can count the number of times, then you haven't been fucked nearly often enough. Don't worry. By the end of the month, you'll lose track.

• Uggghhhkkk!

• (Penn) For the record, your total is now up to three.

• (Voice 2) And now for your mouth – open wide!

• Mmmmph!

• (Voice 2) That's the way. Take it all the way down, boy. Just the way you did at my uncle's ranch.

• Ammmfmmmsmm?????

• (Voice 2) Oh, you remember me, Augie boy, that's nice. Let's hope you remember how to suck my cock.

• Ugghhkkk!

• (Alfonso) Of course, you didn't have Penn fucking your ass at the same time.

• (Penn) Yes – you're being Pennetrated.

• (Alfonso) That's only the eighteenth time he's used that joke.

• (Mmmmphh! Uggghhhkk! Mmmphgghhkk!)

• (Alfonso) Yes, enjoy it, Augie. No Pastor Markson to worry about here.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – HARRY

Now what? We were low on food, and nearly out of water. Tim and Jasper volunteered to go on what Tim called a `recon mission'. Neither of them had birthdays anytime soon, so I agreed, advising them to report any dodecagons they saw, especially if they were purple – Ed's color, if the pattern held.

So I was stuck with the bickering Ed and Vic, after all. At least Gary was Cody this morning, not Ray.

• (Cody) I should have gone with them. Maybe they'll find my cattle. And I'm safe - his birthday isn't until the 31st. Of course, I don't plan to be here when they take him.

• (Vic) Cody, when they take Gary, they take you, too.

• (Cody) I just might take a long nap. It might be refreshing. No offense intended, but there's way too much sex in this place.

• (Ed) Too much sex? (nodding toward Vic) He's the only one I know who's actually HAD sex.

• (Cody) Seems like the rest of you want to.

• (Ed) Nothing wrong with sex – if it's the right kind of sex.

• (Vic) What is that supposed to mean?

• (Ed) You know what that means.

Time to rein this in.

• Hold on, you guys. Ed, apologize.

• (Ed) Bloody hell! Apologize to that uphill gardener?

• (Cody) Uphill gardener – what's that?

• (Ed) He likes to push the dirt uphill, if you know what I mean. Arse bandit, we call them.

• Ed –

• (Ed) But you – you're no arse bandit, are you? You're a bloody poofter.

• (Vic) You leave Harry alone. He's not involved in this.

• (Ed) The hell he isn't. All you bum chums stick together. The only thing wrong with this place is that there's too many bloody homosexuals.

• Maybe we're all homosexuals, Ed.

• (Cody) I'm not.

• You're not. But Ray is. And Jasper says Gary is, too.

• (Ed) What are you implying – we're `all homosexuals'?

Oh, shit, I'd gone too far. Think before you speak, Harry. But it was too late now.

• Ed, let's be honest. Look at all the patterns, all the twelves. Does it make sense that twelve men, selected for reasons beyond our understanding – would consist of eleven gay men and ONE straight?

• (Vic) Yeah, we thought Augie was straight, until we found out different.

• If you're holding something back – it's okay, we understand.

• (Ed) Fuck you, Harry. I'm no bloody faggot.

FLASHBACK: ED (ATLANTA) – September, last year (continued from Ch. 26)

• Get out of my bed. I'm going to call the police.

• No you won't, Ed. You liked it before.

• What are you talking about?

He switched on the light.

• Ryan!

• Ryan Mackenzie, at your service. But these days I go by `Mac'.

It was an uncomfortable reunion, reminding me of that time back in Cambridge when we had drunkenly punted in the nude, and then, in the most shameful moment of my life – . . . well, it was a one-time event.

But it haunted me. It haunted me. Because I had liked it.

Ryan kept finding ways of popping up unexpectedly, though I hadn't seen him since I emigrated to the States eleven years ago. But every time I had run into him somewhere, lust in me surged. And every time, I overcame it. I confess that I even had those same feelings occasionally when examining a young man in my surgery. But I'd always managed to suppress them – homosexuality was an affront to God, after all.

• I don't see you reaching for the phone, Ed.

• How did you find me?

• I'm here at the convention. Not that there are a lot of seminars for dentists. But I saw you on the speaker list, so I came. Orson plays the philandering husband well, don't you think? And no, he wasn't at Cambridge. It was all a ruse so that I could spend some time with you.

• Ryan, you have to leave. I'm married, I have a son, I have a reputation, I have an image –

• The image in my brain is of your cock rising when I touch you. Like it is right now.

• Oh, shit. I can't control it. Dammit, Ryan, why did it have to be you? You're the one man who brings this out in me. I'm otherwise totally straight.

• Sure about that?

• . . . What are you doing?

• Don't you like it? My mouth, your cock? Your cock sure likes it. And as for MY cock, well, if memory serves, your bum likes it quite a bit.

• Ryan –

• Shhh. Relax, mate. It's just you and me. No one's going to know. No one's going to rat on you to that bitch you married. No one's going to spread rumors about you at the convention.

• Oh! Oh! Ohhhh, oh my god.

• Beatrice doesn't do this to you, does she?

• No.

• Do you want me to stop?

• No, keep going. This – this is wonderful. I – being with you, I – I don't know, I –

• Shut up or I'll have to keep talking. And the more I talk, the less I can do . . . this!

• Ahhhhh! Oh, god – keep doing that!

THE WHITE ROOM – HAMISH

• May I see him?

I knew that would be among his first requests, so I met with him in the White Room instead of my quarters.

• Derisian is, shall we say, occupied. Being occupied, if you catch my drift.

• I need to see him.

• You're hardly in a position to make demands, Herrick. You weren't due until the end of the month.

• What do you mean, due? I don't have a December birthday. I don't have a dodecagon.

• Yours is red. You wouldn't have seen it until we needed you to. But a foolish error gave you another path down here, and now there will have to be consequences.

• What do you mean, consequences?

• As Ian may have told you – or you've figured out for yourself – this place has its own rules. One of those rules is a maximum number of testicles this place can tolerate. When an extra guest arrives, their two additional balls push us over the limit. We have to adjust one of the left-siders. To keep it balanced, you see.

He took a moment to absorb that.

• And?

• Your arrival means we'll have to empty another scrotum. I'm afraid it could be your friend Derisian.

Of course I was lying through my teeth. The Trigger's balls didn't count against the limit. And Derisian was the last man we would choose to geld. But I had to stir the pot, didn't I?

• So you're telling me that you'll castrate Abe because I got here too early?

• That would be the gist of it, yes. Unfortunate, but you're here now. We can't let you go.

• There have to be ways out of here. You left me those notes. And I saw someone on the beach – one of your lieutenants? Though he was wearing clothes.

• That would have been Percy. Yes, there's a way out of here. Others have tried. They're still here. Though one of them got a little carried away – he rather lost his head.

• Okay, so I've taken you over your ridiculous limit on balls. Wouldn't it solve your problem if I left?

• Oh no, Mister Herrick. Once you're mine, you're mine.

• I want to see Abe.

• As I said, he's busy. Ordinarily, I'd have my lieutenants welcome you in the traditional manner, but you're not to be fucked. So go back to the dormitory and wait. I'll summon you when Derisian is available.

• I'm not to be fucked.

• Why, do you want to be?

• No. But . . . why the special treatment? Why have I been singled out – the notes and the nudity and my name missing from the manifest, all that. Why me?

• I'm sorry, I can't divulge that information. Just be grateful that you won't be raped several times a day during your stay.

I dismissed him and called Ian over; I'd had him sit in on the interview but told him not to participate.

• He'll be eager to escape now. And he'll try to rescue Derisian. I'll let them chat, but after that, we'll put Derisian on twenty-four hour guard. And not in my quarters – we'll switch him with Murdock. Herrick is resourceful, and might find a way of spiriting Derisian out of here – but not if he can't find him.

• Understood, sir.

THE PHALLIC TOWER – HARRY

Tim and Jasper returned and reported they'd found water, barely a quarter of a mile from the tower's new location, which Tim thought was toward the south end of the island. They'd seen no dodecagons. Tim, previously clad in boxers, was now naked, and neither wore their shoes. Apparently, this was another case of unattended clothing vanishing, which meant there was only a single item of clothing adorning any of us – Jasper's trousers, which Gary was now wearing.

They'd discovered some papaya trees, and told us how to find them. They'd only been able to bring back a couple, as they also had to carry the three filled water bottles and had nothing to carry the papayas in.

• (Ed) I'll go get papayas. We don't need that many, just six of us left, thanks to your great leadership.

• Don't be ridiculous. It's your birthday.

• (Ed) Yes, thanks for all the birthday wishes. Look, Fallon – no dodecagons en route, right?

• (Tim) No, but –

• Ed, you can't take the risk. They move. Augie –

• (Ed) Augie was a child. So was Leo. I'm forty-nine years old and I can take care of myself. Besides, I don't want to spend a minute more than I have to with Rear Admiral Torrance here and the rest of you ponces.

• (Jasper) I'll go with you.

• (Ed) No, you bloody won't. You're another of them. I'll take Cody, if he wants to go.

There was a silence.

• (Gary) Cody's not here.

• (Ed) Oh, great, you're a bloody poofter, too.

And with that, he stormed out of the tower.

I started after him.

• (Vic) Let him go, Harry. He'll cool down in a bit.

• It's his birthday, Vic. The dodecagon –

• (Jasper) Unless they can move in half an hour, he won't find one between here and the papaya grove.

• (Vic) And if he does – well, he made his bed, as they say.

• I can't –

• (Tim) Look, we all know Ed's a pill. If he comes back, great. If he doesn't, it's his own damn fault, and – frankly, good riddance.

Look what has happened to our harmonious little group. God, I'm a total failure.

FLASHBACK: ED (ATLANTA) – September, last year (continued)

• Do I get my turn, now?

• Ryan, I've never . . . done that. Put a cock in my mouth.

• You don't have to. Turn over. I'm going for a romp in your rump.

I was putty in his hands. I flipped over onto my stomach as he lubricated my arsehole – he'd come equipped with lubricant. And then I gasped as his powerful tool penetrated my inner sanctum.

Shit! Why, why, why was I enjoying this? Homosexuals were ruining the planet with their pride marches and destruction of traditional marriage – and here I was, mid-buggery, liking it.

I stopped liking it the moment I heard the door open and footsteps enter the room. Ryan was on top of me and my face, pressed to the pillow, was facing away from whoever had just entered the room.

• Having a good time, Dad?

Leo!

• I thought you disapproved of poofters, Dad. But you're quite the poofter yourself, aren't you?

• Leo, I – ummph!

• (Ryan) Shut up, Ed. We're here to make sure you realize who you really are – and the hypocrisy with which you condemn your son.

• (Leo) I have dibs on him next, Mac.

• (another voice) And then me.

• (Leo) Yeah, that's Orson. In case you're wondering, he's not my lover. We're both tops.

• (Ryan) Ed, you'll be quite the bitch tonight. You're even going to get done by your own son. A little incest just to spice things up. Now stop squirming, you're going to be here for a while.

THE THRONE ROOM – ABE

I have to hand it to him. He may have no other redeeming qualities, but Barry was about the best fucker I've ever experienced. Every thrust sent me into ecstasies beyond anything I'd ever experienced. Seth was good, Sean was very good, but Barry was – wow. Hamish was letting him fuck me once a day, and he was taking full advantage of it. It was a crying shame that Hamish was predominantly using him as his butt boy; his cock could be in the Sodomy Hall of Fame.

Barry mumbled something about having to return me to Percy now, but then the door opened. And the most unexpected sight in all the world walked in.

• Hello, babe.

I could not respond. I just stared at him.

• Yeah, it's me. It's really me. I've come to get you out of here.

Before I could put two words together, another shock to the system walked in the door behind him. Oddly, this one put the words in my mouth.

• IAN?!

Seth grinned.

• Oh, HE gets the reaction?

• . . . I . . . my god, I . . . Seth, you're alive. You're really alive.

He patted himself all around his body.

• Yep, I seem to be. All parts intact. Who's your friend?

I'd almost forgotten Barry was still in the room.

• He's –

• (Barry) Barry Russell. Formerly the pilot on your plane. Currently serving in the capacity of Hamish's dog. Abe here is Percy's pussycat. Have you met Percy?

• (Seth) No.

• (Barry) You'll recognize him. He was your flight attendant.

• (Seth) Shit. This whole thing was a fix from the get-go, wasn't it?

• (Barry) Yep. Now what pet shall you be – a goldfish? A gerbil?

• (Ian) Barry, you can go.

• (Barry) It's all right to leave these two alone?

• (Ian) They won't be alone. I'll be here. Scram.

Barry left. I was floored by Ian's appearance – but he was hardly the focus of my attention.

• I can't believe you're alive. I hoped and prayed but – I don't know what's going on – something is – they said something about Trigger arriving. And now you're here. Are you Trigger?

• If you're asking me if I'm Roy Rogers' horse, the answer is no. I've never heard anything about `trigger'. But that's all secondary. The important thing is . . .

He took my hand. His touch sent sparks through my system. My cock was jolted awake and started to rise. He took notice of that and smiled.

• I see you missed me. Well, I missed you, too.

He was rock hard. Just looking at his rod was all I needed to complete my own journey. I pushed it out of the way so that we could embrace without mutual abdominal stabbing. And, yeah, we kissed.

Oh, how we kissed.

And kissed.

I felt his hands roam over my body and I tingled with excitement all over, not just in my cock. And I was filled with mountains of regret – regret that, less than a week before our departure, I had slept with another man while he was off at a concert. That I had betrayed him. That he had ever had any reason to doubt me – and to doubt my love. For I had no doubt now: I loved him. I truly loved him.

• Seth, what is Ian doing here?

• He's one of Hamish's lieutenants. You haven't seen him before?

• They keep me pretty isolated. I've only seen a couple of lieutenants. And no one from your side of the plane. I was certain you were dead.

• (grabbing his cock and grinning) I'm not.

We broke apart, and he turned around to Ian.

• (Seth) Is there alcohol in this place? Would it be possible to order drinks to celebrate our reunion?

• (Ian) It might be, but I'd have to call. I'm not supposed to leave you two alone. What do you want?

• (Seth) A gin-and-tipsy.

• Make that two gin-and-tipsies.

• (Ian) You mean gin and tonic?

• (Seth) Close enough.

• (Ian) I'll make the call.

• Gin and tipsy. I wrote that on the beach.

• I know. I found it. That's when I knew you were still alive.

• I was convinced you weren't. I made it to console myself. I was so miserable.

• Are you miserable now?

• Not at the moment.

• Are they treating you okay? They're doing dreadful things to the others.

• I know. I saw them . . . geld . . someone.

• They want to geld you. That's why I have to get you out of here.

• (Ian) Ixnay on the inkdray. They told me to take you back, Seth.

• (me, to Ian) Wait. There's something I've got to tell Seth.

• (Seth) What is it, babe? You got so serious all of a sudden.

• Something I've got to get off my chest.

• . . . Whatever it is, it's all right.

• No, it's not all right. I . . . this might be my only chance, and I can't have this on my conscience.

• I repeat, whatever it is, it's all right.

• Back in Cleveland – you weren't the only guy I was seeing.

• The night of the Pearl Jam concert.

• . . . You knew?

• Let's say I suspected.

• I'd actually been seeing him for several months. It was just – it wasn't serious, I've always liked to play around a bit, I guess. But I broke up with him – when you proposed the trip, I called him and I put an end to it. I made my choice, Seth. It's you. And if we have another chance, somehow – I swear it will only be you.

• (Ian) Seth, we have to go.

• (Seth) Who was he?

• A guy named Sean.

• Sean?

• Yeah, I know, you dated a guy with the same –

• What was his last name?

• I'm not going to see him again, you don't have to act all jealous.

• (Ian) Seth?

• (Seth) What was his last name?

• That's not really – I mean, does it matter?

• (Seth) What was his last name?

• O'Hara. But –

• (Ian) I know this is a bad moment, but I'll get in trouble if I don't get Seth out of here.

• (Seth) . . . Right. We should go.

• I love you, Seth.

• (Seth) I know. I know, Abe. Don't worry, it's all right.

But it wasn't. He looked absolutely shattered. When I said the name `O'Hara', his jaw tightened, before he tried to cover up his reaction. The man I had slept with couldn't possibly be Seth's Sean, could it?

AN UNDERGROUND HALLWAY – SETH

I was, as the Brits say, gobsmacked. Abe and SEAN? This couldn't be a coincidence. There were too many coincidences. Like Ian being here. He'd disappeared a year ago, headed to Martinique, or so I – and he – thought. Turns out he had his own `Flight 12' experience, but his was Flight 8.

That in itself would be enough to make my head spin, but I had higher priorities – like Hamish's threat to castrate Abe.

• Ian, I can't let them do that to Abe. Do you think they'll do it today?

• No. Friday is what I heard.

• I've got to find a way out of here.

• . . . Seth.

• Yeah?

• . . . I can help.

• What? Really?

• I want out of here, too. There's a room they call the Egress Room – that's how they go up to the surface. There's a keypad – and I know the code. I watched Percy use it and memorized it.

• Can we go today?

• No, it'll have to be tomorrow. There's one code for even numbered days and one for odd – I only have the even. Tomorrow's the fourteenth. Today might not be advisable, anyway. They'll be on high alert, lots of activity. They're expecting another Twelve – Niemann Senior.

• Oh, shit, Ed. I forgot about Ed.

THE WOODS – ED

They lied to me. Those bloody fudge-packers, Jasper and Tim. Jasper I never did trust, but I thought Tim was okay – he was in the service and all. But they deliberately lied to me.

They said there was no dodecagon on the way to the papaya grove. Not only is there a dodecagon fifty feet ahead, but it's bloody purple. Yeah, I'm swearing a lot lately, but it's fucking annoying to have a conspiracy of homos against you. Well, purple dodecagon, you aren't going to get me.

I stood there, staring at it. And suddenly, everything changed. I realized how wrong everyone had been about these things. They weren't dangerous – they were beautiful. And it wanted me. To my astonishment, I wanted it back.

Leo, here I come.

[COMING UP NEXT: CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT – THE SECOND ESCAPE ATTEMPT]