[CHAPTER 8] — Rain

“Come with me.” Isadora said as soon as Cal was out of earshot, grabbing Rain by the collar and dragging her along the corridors until they reached a derelict corridor. They made their way down the hall, taking care to stay in the one strip of floor that wasn’t covered in dust. When they reached the end, they stood in front of a huge window that overlooked the stretching forest that led to the mountain. Isadora checked out the window, then turned back down the hall where they had come from; seeing nobody, she grabbed Rain’s wrist and pulled her into the room to the left side of the window and closed the door.

“Nobody will find us in here as long as we aren’t too loud. This wing is abandoned for structural issues but it’s safe enough for the two of us.” Isadora pulled Rain in and kissed her, pressing her petite body against Rain’s much larger frame. As their lips met, a spark ignited and Rain’s breasts served as a ledge for Isadora’s as she picked her up, straightening her back to her full height. As Rain stood, Isadora wrapped her legs around her waist; Rain carried her to a dusty bed and laid her down. Their soft kisses became caresses, Rain exploring every hollow and curve of her neck and breasts before moving to disrobe her. Isadora’s breasts were perky, her areolas a soft pink against her alabaster skin. Rain leaned in and kissed her again, starting at her lips and moving down her jawline to her neck before trailing down to suckle each nipple, sucking them in deep and hard. Isadora gave Rain exactly what she was looking for; a sharp, hissing inhale that had her body trembling with anticipation at what came next.

Rain moved from her breasts down her stomach, her deft fingers undoing Isadora’s pants so when she got to her waist, she was able to rip the pants away and lock her lips on her clit faster than Isadora could process that her pants were gone. The surprised moan she let out was oozing with pleasure before she stuffed a knuckled in her teeth and bit down, quieting herself. Rain gave her complete attention to her task, Isadora’s soft moans echoed in the quiet room as she brought her closer to ecstasy. Slipping three fingers into her depths and another into her back door, Rain moved in and out of her, taking care to keep her fingers position on her g-spot. When Isadora had reached her climax, she stuffed her whole fist in her mouth to stifle her screams of pleasure. Rain lavished in the juices that flowed from her as she kept her task going, allowing the twitching of Isadora’s body fuel her own pleasure.

Once Isadora had calmed, she lifted herself up off the bed to take a dominant position. Beginning the same way Rain had, she explored every nook and cranny of Rain’s body as she undressed her one piece of clothing at a time. Rain was not used to receiving the same as she’d gotten; not that her wife wasn’t good, they’d just always had limited time with Jared around so it started with Rain giving her oral and moved straight to coming together. This attention was both amazing and uncomfortable for Rain, but she enjoyed the uncommon experience. Normally when Rain had encounters with other females, they didn’t do the same things Rain would do to them. Isadora was different, she gave exactly what she received and that thought sent Rain over the edge.

Isadora sat Rain up and, staring deep into her eyes, intertwined their legs. With their bodies pressed together they started a gentle rocking motion, the warmth and pressure building with each movement as they hurdled towards a shared rhythm of ecstasy. Just as they were about to reach their mutual climax, Isadora stopped suddenly; without untangling them, she whipped her head around towards the door, listening intently. They heard voices outside the door, and Isadora relaced, rolling her eyes.

“We’re about to have company, but it’s not someone we have to hide from. It sounds like my husband is about to bring a playmate in.” Isadora leaned in and pressed her lips to Rain’s as the door opened and two men walked in holding the other’s waist.

“Oh, hello darling. Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind if we go down to the other side of the dorm?” Her husband was a tall man, standing over six feet, with blonde hair and grey eyes. The man he had with him was about four inches shorter than he was, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Both men were slight of build but muscular, as if they spent a lot of time exercising and taking care of themselves.

“No, love, of course not. Caleb, this is Rainey; Rainey, this is Caleb and his lover John. How are you today, John?” Isadora made quick introductions, but Rain’s head was spinning just a bit. She knew people were polyamorous like she and her wife were, but she’d never actually met anyone else; nor had she known anyone to be as comfortable blending their sexual escapades as Isadora and her husband Caleb. Rain quite admired it, and wondered how it would be in her own relationship were she home more often.

“I’m alright Dora, yourself?” John replied as he and Caleb passed them heading towards another bed further down the large dorm room.

“Good, thanks. You two enjoy yourselves!” Isadora responded before turning her full attention back to Rain. “Now, where were we?” Isadora began moving again as she said this, their bodies dancing once again, friction sparking a fire within them that had them hurtling towards shared release.

As they reached their climax, Rain began to hear the sounds of the guys at the other end. This was a completely new experience for Rain and she wasn’t certain how to react, so she just looked to Isadora to guide her on that until she could decide for herself how she felt. Isadora took no real notice on the noises they heard and moved to lay in the bed to relax. She held out her arm, inviting Rain to join her, so Rain moved to her and lay on her shoulder. This was another new thing for Rain, she was a tall at five foot eleven so she was used to being in a more masculine position.

“You have a very unique relationship with your husband. My wife and I are also polyamorous but you two take ‘open’ to new heights.” Rain said with a chuckle.

“Well, luckily for you, you met me. Being anything but heterosexual in these parts is severely frowned upon. As in, you could get beaten or punished for any reason and around here they’re ignorant enough to find one. Caleb and I married each other for safety, and we love each other but not in that way. We are both gay, but we can’t live openly without risking serious consequences.”

“That’s terrible. I know that’s how it was on Earth, but where I come from everyone is so accepting and diverse. We’ve never experienced any isolation or judgement from our community. There’s been no threat of violence. I’m so sorry you have that fear here.” Rain felt troubled for Isadora and Caleb; John as well. Anyone who was part of the LGBTQ+ community would be in danger in this part of the world. Isadora ran her fingers through Rain’s short brown hair, looking pensive.

“It would be nice if the Cult of Seedbearers were eliminated once and for all, but that’s just the way life is here. They set the laws, enforce the laws, and nobody argues. I remember what it was like on Earth, and it wasn’t as bad as this. You look like you would have been pretty young on Earth, but I was twenty-two when the Arks launched; the years sailing through the universe were a little better than Earth as far as judgement goes, but once we landed and moved this direction it got steadily more difficult for our community.” Isadora had laid her head back on the dusty pillows as she spoke, staring up at the ceiling as if she was seeing into another time.

“The Cult is here? Where I come from, they thought they had all died out.” Rain asked this cautiously, not wanting to risk bringing too much attention to her past. She was supposed to be undercover and while that meant a lot of secrets, she could make up the name of where she was from and still speak about life there.

“Elbrus is the Cult’s last base. Not many actually know that, but James is my brother so I get more information than most. The Council forced them out of all the other Counties, but this one is so remote they don’t even bother with us. This county is the one and only county that is on a second continent on this new planet. Most only know about the one large continent that everyone else lives on, but this one is a hundred miles off the Eastern most coast of the main continent. We found it when James and Kevin moved the group out of the Camp. It took us months to get to the coast on foot, and many died from starvation or exposure on the way. They set up the base camp on the coast, and started developing a means to cross over the water. From the bluffs over there, you can see the island on a clear day if you’re looking in the right place. The mountain is large enough that it’s visible even from lower points on the bluff, but at the highest it’s very visible.” Isadora had started twirling the longest parts of Rain’s short hair in her fingers; there may have only been two inches of hair there but she was making the most of it, twirling one lock then the next as they dropped out of her slender fingers. Rain’s heart broke to think that the community here who were not willing members of the Cult thought that the Council didn’t care about them.

“I didn’t know James had siblings. Do you really think that the Council doesn’t care about the people here?” Rain couldn’t help but ask. The Council had always stood for equality and justice for everyone, and had actively spent the last twelve years trying to free people from the clutches of the Cult. Rain herself had participated in dozens of anti-Cult operations that had resulted in freeing hundreds of men, women and children who were unwilling members.

“We have many; James and his twin Kevin, and I have five other brothers and seven sisters. The boys you can find here and there but the girls, those of us who escaped hid who they were so James could never find them. We weren’t an exception to my brothers’ fanatical abuse, and some of my sisters refused to follow him after what he put us through and were able to integrate themselves into society under different names. As far as the Council goes; they don’t seem to. Everywhere else the Council have come in and liberated County after County. It’s been twelve years and things here keep getting worse. There has never been any sign of the Council, and if I could get away and join them I would. James sacrificed Kevin, his own twin, to further the Cult’s motives; there is no amount of brotherly love I could muster to make myself okay with that. Our brothers may not have ever forced themselves on me or my sisters that I know of, but they definitely allowed other men to do so. What they were doing was bad enough but to allow it to happen to their own flesh and blood feels so much worse.”

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“I’m so sorry, Isadora. I had no idea things would be so bad here.” Rain was ready to just tell her who she really was, but there was more than just herself to consider. If she was wrong about Isadora, her whole squad would be at risk; she would have to wait and talk to everyone and get to know her better before making a decision that serious. If she was right, though, she would make a fantastic asset in bringing down the true final Cult base; with any luck, the Cult as a whole.

“Call me Dora.; all my friends do. It’s not your fault the way things are, but I’m glad we met before you got yourself into trouble. No need to let that pretty face and those magic fingers go to waste.” Dora said with a giggle.

“Thanks, Dora. I should head to my bunk and settle in, shower and get ready to leave before dawn.”

“Well thanks for the fun,” Dora said with a grin, “Make sure you check in every few days. Good luck out there.”

Rain mulled over what Dora had said about the Council as she made her way back to her bunk. The conversation with Dora had been unsettling for Rain, but she tried to focus on settling into her bunk, taking a shower and getting some rest. She kept repeating the intended process as she made her way through the corridors until she got to the bunk. She entered and found a note from Cal had been left folded for her on a table. She walked over to it, picked it up and unfolded the note.

Heading northeast, towards the mountains. A Wildcrafter named Caleb tipped me off about an abandoned mine; I'll check it out while hunting. Need a secure location for meetings and intel storage. Hoping this mine fits the bill.

Cal

Rain brought the note with her into the shower and let the water wash away the evidence of the communication. Normally it would be burned, but as she was inside and taking a hot shower, anyways, this was equally effective. As the water ran down her face, she watched the note disintegrate away in her hand; the particles washing down the drain with the sweat of the day. Rain let the hot water flow over her body for a while before she moved to clean herself. She couldn’t get her mind past what life here must be like, and she knew something had to be done about it. The first thing she would have to do is get a message to the Council about this place and what it was. They can’t solve a problem they don’t know they have, so getting a message to them was top priority for Rain.

She stepped out of the small shower stall and onto the bath mat, grabbing a towel and wrapping up her tall but slender frame before exiting the bathroom into the bedroom. She stopped dead in her tracks, seeing a man in a mask rifling through their belongings. In two quick running steps, she lunged on top of the man and wrestled him to the ground. He struggled and almost got out of her grip, but Rain managed to get him subdued and get the mask off his face; she was shocked to see a familiar face staring back at her.

“John?! What the hell are you doing?” Rain asked, holding his wrists to his chest so her couldn’t struggle.

“Who the fuck are you lady? Where are you from? We need to get out of here don’t you understand?!” John continued to struggle against Rain’s intense grip as he asked his questions, the pitch of his voice rising with each one. It became clear to Rain that he wasn’t a threat and she let him go and stood up. She held out her hand to help him up, and his look changed from anger to confusion.

“I’m a soldier of the Council. We are here to find a young girl who was taken by her mother. At least, that is the primary mission. As soon as I’m able to get a message to the Council about this County, we will be ordered to liberate the people and put a stop to the Cult once and for all. In order to do that, it has to be an absolute secret that I am with the Council. We’re here undercover, and we’re made the mission will fail. There’s no knowing what will happen to the girl, but we will definitely have a more difficult time liberating the people. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes. Yes, I do. How can I help?” John stuttered, clearly in disbelief that help had finally arrived for them.

“Do you know of anyone who has a little girl around twelve years old? She has one blue eye and one green, and most likely has black curly hair.”

“I haven’t seen a girl like that, but the have had to deliver supplies to their underground base inside the mountain. There’s an old abandoned mine that they’ve taken over and made into a whole city under there. My brother only allows me and Dora to make the deliveries so we are the only ones who know exactly how to get there. If James is going to hide something important, it goes into the mountain.”

“The mineshaft on the Northeast side of the mountain? Caleb must have met my partner earlier because he told me that Caleb told him the area the mine was in. Wait, brother? James is your brother? So, Dora is your sister?” It took Rain a minute for that tidbit to sink in, and she was a little surprised. Dora had not mentioned he was her brother while they were all in the same dorm naked and having sex, not even when they were talking about her siblings. She wondered why that was, when they were close enough to be comfortable in the situation they were in earlier, but she didn’t mention John was her brother.

"We don’t advertise family ties—a precaution born of the last two decades. James's opponents actively shield their identities. He’s toxic. His wife escaped James’ grip years ago, rejecting him completely. Marcia, disgusted by his post-Ark depravity and the corrupting influence on her sons, finally escaped. His assaults drove her from their home and into SeedCorp, where she climbed to CEO. But he still stalks her. I've seen the telltale bruises; he won't let her escape his grasp."

“I can understand that, I wouldn’t want to be associated with him, either. This mining shaft, is it heavily guarded? Will they shoot a Wildcrafter that happened upon it or will they give warning to stay away? My friend went in that direction and if he’s in danger I need to know.”

“Only the entrance itself is guarded, and they will stand guard inside unless a vehicle approaches. They have speakers that will play wild animal growls if someone approaches and tries to enter on foot, which deters most people; but if they try to enter, they may have an issue. The mine is incredibly well-hidden, so it’s unlikely he will find it anytime soon. You could live out there six months and still not find it, so I don’t think he’s in immediate danger. Especially in a Wildcrafter’s uniform; they’re supplied by us, too, so they tend to be more courteous towards us in case they offend one of us and we don’t supply them properly.”

“Okay. Is there another direction I could approach the mine entrance that isn’t from the northeast?” Rain was thinking of cutting the search time in half by starting from the opposite direction and working towards Cal’s area.

“You could circle northwest and cut east around the mountain, but that’s significantly more difficult terrain. There’s a lot of cliff faces and long drops. If you go that way, you need to be issued climbing gear and weaponry for mountain game. Caleb and I can both do that for you.”

“Yes, I’m going to do that. It will cut down on the time it takes to find it and a way in. Would you be willing to give me the coordinates of the entrance they use, so we can search for another way in?”

“I can do you better than that; I’ll give you the blueprints for the whole place. Ventilation shafts, entrance, everything that’s built down there. Let’s go get your mountain gear issued and I will get the blueprints. Rainey, thank you for being on our side. We have been without hope for so long, it finally feels like there’s a chance to escape this hell.”

“That’s what I’m here for, John. Lead the way, I’ll be right with you. I just have to put some clothes on and we can go.”

“Oh! Right, sorry.” John said with an uncomfortable chuckle as he exited her bunk.

Rain hurriedly put on her Wildcrafter’s uniform and joined John in the corridor. They made their way silently, not willing to risk conversations being overheard by those passing them by. When they got to the armory, they found Caleb there taking inventory of the gear. John looked down all the aisles of shelves to be sure they were alone before approaching Caleb.

“Have you taken inventory of the mountain gear yet?” John said quietly, looking back at Rain as he spoke to Caleb.

“I’m about to start it now, why?”

“I need gear for our friend here, and we need to get the blueprints out of the safe.” John said, looking at Caleb with unspoken intent. Caleb’s eyes went wide and he looked over at Rain, clearly understanding what wasn’t being said.

“Thank goodness. I had all but lost hope that we would ever find a way to escape.” The relief in Caleb’s voice was apparent, and Rain’s heart broke a little more.

“We didn’t know this place existed; but now that we do, we’re going to end this once and for all. It’s urgent that I get a message back to the council. The airwaves won’t be safe, so I will need to get it out of the County and delivered by hand. There are planes that stop at the depot on the mainland; if I can get a message to them, they can deliver it to the Council.”

“I can get the message to the depot. I have to go there every few weeks to trade ore for resources we can’t get as easily here. Write it down and give it to me, I will make sure it gets where it needs to go.” John said to her.

For just a moment, Rain hesitated to trust John and Caleb. John was one of James’ brothers and even though he had said he was on opposing sides; he could just be saying that to get her to trust him. She knew this was her best chance of getting the message out, though, and her instincts were telling her that they could be trusted. She grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote:

Ychvhl Wtululmzo Iyhscu: JywhNpij uywu fjwvluvm xvzn rh awwbex usyuzhwre oflllpbjn gj xbzhdeye. Kbw GPP zm fse jepgpgfu; mzi tt Aueid' fo-qajp. Krgww' qbdcdc lou nzi NFF lwqlje cf mxnvxaeef uufkps. Tifjtsdyv: Nlnvm aw lmzpw (wzviww: wttkyj Mdbuije). Eiv wmpe nrcfxljem s wpdiyl fltv qaxsje Yjimvj. Lwuffjn aqxfucsxp crwcya bex syeifladluzif xz jeclmluv ceqpezuli ebbyvsho. Todx xpeclscjea smcxrpww..

The previously chosen keyword, “Elbrus” would allow the Generals to decode her message with a Vigenère cypher. Once decoded, it would read: Urgent Situation Report: SeedCorp cult operates from an island continent northeast of mainland. The CEO is not involved; she is James' ex-wife. James' family and the CEO remain in immediate danger. Confirmed: James is alive (source: sister Isadora). The cult maintains a secret base within Elbrus. Request immediate backup and authorization to initiate immediate takedown. Cult monitoring airwaves.

Rain folded up her message and reached into her breast pocket for a lighter, then her pants pocket for a small stick of wax and a Phoenix Centennial seal. She sealed the letter and handed it to John, who placed it in his breast pocket for safekeeping. Caleb handed her a bedroll, and she looked at it, confused.

“You’ll need this extra bedroll; it gets cold up there.” Caleb said and as Rain grabbed hold, he leaned in close, “The blueprints are hidden inside. We can’t risk you getting caught with them; they’re the only copy we have left.” Rain nodded and attached the bedroll to her pack.

Once she had all her supplies and a plan in place, she headed out. After all that she had learned, she didn’t want to wait until morning. She felt like she needed to set out immediately and find a way to defeat the Cult once and for all. She was angry, and she felt ignorant thinking that because she enjoyed a quality of life equal to those around her that everyone had those luxuries; but here these people are having to marry to hide who they are for fear of violent retribution. She headed into the thick woods, plans formulating in her mind through the waves of anger.

There’s no way people should still be living in fear because of who they love or how they live when they’re hurting no one. We have to put a stop to this.