Chapter 474

The Prison Planet

...”Jas, I...”

“Tonight. Now let’s get out of here, pick up the meat case and go home.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said to her as she pushed her backpack containing her instrument case through the crack before beginning to work her way through.

Back in the main part of the ice cave a moment later, Jasmine made sure the skin covered the crack, each of them grabbing a handle of the loaded ice chest before starting for the living area of the cave.

“Uh, Jas,” Morales said as they walked along, “you called the cave home...” But his voice trailed off when he didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

With a start, Jasmine realized that she had, indeed, called the cave home, and more than once. Her first inclination was to say that she didn’t really have a term that seemed to fit the area of the cave where they lived, so had just called it home, but she knew that wasn’t all of it. Our cave is, indeed, beginning to feel like home. Only after a moment did she realize that she had thought of the cave as belonging to both of them. When did that start? she wondered. I used to think of it as Morales’ cave. Unaware that she had become quiet, her thoughts continued. Hmmm, come to think of it, I’ve never really considered my rooms at the base as home, and with my family gone, I suppose I haven’t felt at home anywhere for a long time – well, until now, she realized. Of course, I’ve spent quite a bit of my time off-world in the last few years, and most of that time I was living in tents, and often moving the campsite every few months. But I’ve only been here a few days, so why has the cave begun to feel like home, and so quickly, too? Hmmm. What’s that about “home is where the heart is?” What have you gotten yourself into, Girl? she asked herself yet again.

“Jas?” he questioned when she hadn’t answered.

“I, uh ... I guess it does, somehow, feel like home. I mean the wolves seem to have accepted me. They come to be petted and made over. Sometimes, one or even both of them will lie down beside me while I’m working on my computer – just to be near me, I suppose. Even the chickens come running over to me for treats. And, of course, they do you the same way, too. But that, among other things, seems to have made me feel ... content, I suppose the word should be. And, those feelings continue when we’re sitting around the fire talking.” Or working together, she added mentally.

“The cave, you, the wolves, even the chickens, just make me feel at home,” she finished, lamely. And you haven’t felt this way since you left your parents and began college and your career, she added mentally.

And, with Morales and the wolves, you don’t have to be studying, or endlessly playing games either on your computer or phone to pass the time. Just being here is enough. I expected to be working on my thesis for at least several hours every day, but without even thinking about it, I’ve almost always elected to help Morales, instead. It’s not because he can’t do the work himself. Oh, what I do actually helps, I suppose, and he’s reminded me several times that I’m free to work on my thesis instead of helping him, but somehow, it just feels ... right for us to work together – do things together.

She glanced over at the sexy man walking beside her as her mind snapped through memories of her stay thus far. I can’t help but think that I – we – are on the verge of an important discovery in the column area, but I came here to finish my doctoral thesis, and part of that is defining how Morales communicates with the wolves. The column area is way out of my sphere of focus as a cultural anthropologist, and truth be told, I’m beginning to be afraid it has little to do with physical anthropology either. Oh, doubtless, the thing is old – the crack in the wall seems to support that idea since I assume it was caused either by an earthquake or maybe even a localized cave-in of the supporting structure beneath that part of the cave, but it’s obvious the crack isn’t recent.

How could it not be? I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t something watching us like Morales feels, and I guess me too, at least to some extent. The columns, and I suppose the floor, were obviously created by technology, but if those columns are doing anything, I can’t detect it other than those weird, frequently changing and unpredictable readings from most of my instruments. Bottom line, and I’m only guessing about this, because it isn’t my field of expertise. But ... no way am I going to ask for assistance. I need a physicist or a team of them, but even if the General didn’t put Greer in charge, they would probably still want to move Morales.

And ... if they moved him, could I convince the General to allow me to go with him? she asked herself.

They reached an area where the path narrowed, which forced them to walk single file. She had chosen to go first, but the heavy ice chest/meat case was making that awkward, and her weapons and her backpack were exacerbating the problem.

“I’ll take it until the path widens again,” Morales offered, but she shook her head and continued on, her shoulder complaining about the angle she was forced to assume as she supported her end of the ice chest in the narrow path. Somehow, I want to do my part. It’s almost as if I’m obsessed with helping him. Now, why is that? she asked herself, but, deep down, she knew.

When the path widened again, they were able to walk side by side for a time. She covertly glanced at him as they made their way along the path. I’ve only managed to see his body very briefly, and even then, the light was low most of the time. He’s certainly not muscle-bound, but his chest definitely looks sexy, and his upper body ripples with muscle as well as being hard as a rock when we’ve hugged or I was lying in his arms. He’s proven how strong he is with the way he handles the logs, and he cocks that crossbow by hand as if it’s easy. I have to cock mine with the rope assembly, and my crossbow isn’t nearly as strong as his. Almost guiltily, she again remembered how good it felt snuggled under the hides with him. That was sooo nice. Do I dare do it again?

You’re playing with fire, Girl. He’s a criminal and he’s here for life, she scolded herself again.

Maybe so, she answered back, but he’s been good to me and far more of a gentleman than those pompous assholes I worked with so much of the time.

Far too frequently when we were on assignment in a remote location, Elkins seemed to have had his dick out taking a piss just as I walked down the trail. Asshole! He doesn’t have all that much to show off, anyway. He’s just a pervert. I assume that seeing him with his dick half-erect in his hand was supposed to make me get all hot and bothered – not.

She became conscious of her fatigues rubbing against her nipples, and realized that thinking of Morales had caused them to be aroused, which, in turn, caused them to extend and, therefore, gave the material even more of a chance to rub against them. The problem was that the rubbing was making them even more sensitive, and that stirred her pussy as it prepared for sex, the resulting moisture beginning to collect in the gusset of her panties. Those thoughts of Morales were making her hornier by the minute, and unlike Elkins and some of the others, Morales had been very discreet while changing clothes. She caught herself wishing he weren’t quite so modest.

Get your mind off sex, Girl, she scolded herself. Then as she inadvertently began to analyze her feelings, You’re not a slut like some of the women you worked with. So, why is your mind on sex more and more? It’s not as if you haven’t been around sexy men before. So, why does he turn you on when they don’t?

The two walked on for a few steps before she gave up and answered herself. Because he’s Morales, Dummy. And ... you’re falling in love with him, and I’m beginning to believe he’s falling for you, too. Then again, how do you know it isn’t lust on his part? It isn’t as if you have any competition on 2214. He might well be seeing you as the only pussy he’s likely to have a chance with. Then again, does he have a chance? What would you do if he grabbed you and pulled you into his bed? You know enough self-defense to hurt him if he weren’t expecting it. A shot to the balls to get away and you could set off the return beacon. Help would be here in a few minutes to a few hours.

With a shock, the thought of kicking Morales in the balls horrified her. He would never assault me. It just isn’t in him, and I know it. I would never do such a terrible thing to him.

But you can’t make love with a prisoner, she argued. There’s no future in it. You have to go back to Earth and finish that doctorate. Go on with your life.

What life? Some part of her brain argued. You haven’t been able to find a decent, unmarried man in your field that you can stand to be around for any length of time, let alone be intimate with. Crap, the two men you have been with didn’t even bother to cuddle for thirty seconds once they got their rocks off. Each of them just got up, pulled on their clothes, gave you a quick kiss and got the hell out of Dodge. At least it felt that way. Morales has already held and cuddled you more than all the men you’ve dated, combined. And besides, the sex you have with yourself is ten times better than with both of those guys put together.

Problems or not, I’m going to cuddle with Morales again tonight – if he will let me, she told herself determinedly, shocking herself when she realized that her mind was already made up.

As the path widened and they walked side by side again, Morales had been watching the changing emotions reflected on her pretty face. Jasmine had obviously been unaware that her countenance was reflecting the controversy that was going on inside her, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Just because he had noticed her expressions from time to time, however, didn’t mean he had the foggiest idea what she was thinking about. He was wondering, of course, and had more than one conjecture going as they walked along with her hardly saying a word.

He had several ideas pass through his mind, and most were wrong, as was usual for a man wondering about a woman’s thinking. One thought was logical concerning what they had been doing for the last couple of hours. She’s worried that Greer guy will find out about the column place and come take over. I wouldn’t be surprised if General Whitworth already knows about it, though. That bastard sure as hell seemed to know everything I had ever gotten into. If there are tiny cameras in here the way Jas thinks, and if they’re as small as she thinks they are and can maneuver the way she says, then I would be amazed if they haven’t already gotten under the skin and into the column place. Hmmm, I wonder how often they report back to the General.

Shit, he continued mentally, I suppose I might as well start thinking about a new home. Jas has already said that Greer would take over, and the first thing to go would be me and my animals. But, if she plays her cards right and manages to figure out what the column place does, she might well be famous. It might even make getting her doctorate a lot easier. Not that I know shit about the process.

As they neared and could see their living area, Morales continued to think about contingency planning. It’s gonna be a bitch looking for another cave with the snow so deep. Guess I’ve put off making a set of snowshoes long enough. I have the materials, but I need to read through how to make them again. I suspect that on past the area where I found the salt would be a good place to start looking for another cave, or maybe I could follow the stream back toward the mountains. There might be something in that direction, too. But damn, I hate to give up my vegetable fields. No matter which way I go, I’ll need snowshoes to do it, though.

When they were putting their gear down, Morales spoke up. “I gotta pee, and I think I’ll take a trip outside to take care of that while I have my coats on,” he told her.

“Me, too. I’ll go with you.”

He needed to pee, but had planned to be alone to think and look toward the mountains while he was relieving himself, mentally checking out what he knew and maybe making some decisions. I know she’s planning to stay awhile, especially now that she’s trying to figure out what the columns do. Still, I need to get my plans in order. If the General is watching what she does, he might well have figured out what’s going on and have already decided to send a team in without bothering to tell her. I can’t imagine that he’s worried about kicking an inmate out of his home.