This story contains homoerotic situations and descriptions. It also contains violence. The violence, and the sex for that matter, are not gratuitous. They are part of the story. If this is illegal where you reside, or you are not of legal age, read no further! Otherwise, enjoy. All work remains the property of the owner, and is printed on this web site, and its authorized mirrors/affiliates by permission of the author. Any other printing, distribution, etc. is prohibited.
The Wreckers Chapter 3 - Flying High
Ensign Justin Ackeman, US Navy, sat down on the bed in his quarters. The damn thing was too big to call a bunk, so he didn't even bother with proper military terminology. Hell, he hadn't even been in the Navy again for a day yet. But here he was, in the coolest (yes, cool as in the temperature) building in this age when every last scrap of electricity was precious beyond belief. He was surrounded by four hot young men, and just finished getting intimate with 2 of them in the shower.
To top it all off, he didn't even have to worry about getting caught. It was almost too much for him. Memories of yesterday's events, which led to all this, began to creep into his conscious thought. Quickly, he got off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe, determined not to face those memories yet. He grabbed the door of the wardrobe and opened it up. Inside were 3 sets of standard issue BDUs. They all had his name sewn on them, and rank insignia of an Ensign. Smiling to himself, he ran his fingers over the insignia. He'd always wanted to be an officer, but high school dropouts don't make it, and neither do admitted homosexuals. But it appeared miracles do happen.
Pulling one set out, he also found a pair of spit polished boots now sitting at the end of the bed. They definitely looked big enough for his size 13 feet. But he also remembered that wearing a uniform, and boots, without socks, underwear, and t-shirts was most uncomfortable. Hoping these guys were as efficient as they claimed, he opened the drawers on the dresser. Sure enough, they contained about 10 pairs of underwear, socks, and undershirts. Taking out a set of each, he set about getting dressed.
Standing in front of the mirror, fully dressed, he had to admit he looked good. Bleach blond hair, cut short and spiky, definitely would still pass military muster, and he knew that physically he was in good shape now, while yesterday he'd have probably been wheezing after a few laps around the small gym in this building. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, heading to the kitchen for some breakfast.
As he entered the mess hall, he noticed that both Arduk and Gutten were already there, and dressed. Both were drinking cups of coffee and chatting easily with each other. As they noticed him walking towards him, they both snapped to attention. Groaning, he said, "Enough of that, guys. After the last hour, you don't need to do that."
"With all due respect, Ensign," answered Sergeant Gutten, "we do. Part of our job is to reorient you to a military atmosphere and we only have a day or two to do it. As it is, I shouldn't have let you sleep until 0800, but the general ordered to let you rest as much as needed. So, as soon as you've eaten, we'll give you a little bit to digest it. Arduk here will fill you in on changes to the UCMJ, Navy regs, and other pertinent information. Once he's done, you're mine, sir!" The last was accompanied by a very, very wicked grin.
"As you say, Sarge, for now, you're dismissed,." came the equally wicked response. The sergeant's face screwed up for a moment until Justin continued, "As you said, Sergeant Gutten, I need to remember military protocols, and I do seem to remember that officers dismiss enlisted men when they have completed their tasks. Very well, Marine, you may leave." A smile crept over his face as the exasperated marine snapped to attention, gave him an 'Aye, Aye, sir', about faced, and marched out of the room. 'You know,' he thought, ' I might get used to this'.
As he ate his meal, and drank his coffee afterwards, Airman Arduk briefed him on the legal changes in regulations, protocol, etc. As the briefing wore on, Justin became somewhat concerned. Since the 'Event' over a year ago, the powers of the military had been greatly increased, even beyond what was commonly known. The penalties for disobeying orders had also become worse. Telling himself he was just thinking too 'civilian', he shrugged off the feelings and continued listening.
After the enjoyable shower with those two, the rest of the morning was a letdown. After Airman Arduk got done with his briefing, Sergent Gutten got his revenge. Apparently, Justin's physical fitness wasn't as good as he thought. Three hours later, an exhausted ensign stumbled back to his quarters to get his gear for a shower. A lonely shower and and 30 minutes later, he sat down in the mess hall for a quick lunch.
As he was discussing the remainder of the day's activities with Airman Jansen (and planning on how to get the cute stud into bed that night), the hatch to the outside cycled. In through the door came General Hutchinson. As Sergeant Gutten yelled "Attention on Deck!", all three of them came to attention. Following the general was a man dressed in a flight suit, carrying another one with him.
"At ease, men" the general commanded. He strode over towards Justin and dismissed the enlisted men. "Have a seat, Ensign" the general commanded as he sat down also. The man in the flight suit also sat down at the table. "Ensign Ackeman, meet Major Hollis. Major Hollis here is a pilot, and is very glad to meet you, since you are how he's getting to fly home to his family"
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand." stated a confused Justin. "Fly me where, and in a JET?!"
"Well, son, you are going to be sent to a training school back east. This school is classified, and very limited in who they allow in. You are wanted there very, very badly. So badly, Washington has authorized the use of thousands of gallons of irreplaceable fuel to get you there. I would ask if you had any questions, but any you have I probably can't answer."
"How about when do I leave, sir?"
"There's nothing like now, is there, Ensign?" said the heretofore silent major.
"If that's the order, that's the order," answered a chagrined Justin. 'Damn!' he thought. 'No sex with the other two!'
"Good, as soon as you're changed, we'll take you to the flight line. There should be a flight bag in your quarters. Stow the uniforms and sundries you have in it for the trip. Your personal belongings from your apartment will be sent via land to your destination. They should arrive in a month or so. What are you waiting for? Get moving!" snapped the general.
Justin grabbed the flight suit off the table and headed back to his quarters. No one was in the gymnasium as he passed through, much to his regret. As he entered his quarters, he stopped short at the sight of the four soldiers in his room. On his bed, the flight bag was already packed. Not knowing what to say, he just stood in the open doorway.
Sergeant Gutten walked up to him, staring him right in the eyes (a very weird feeling...he wasn't used to being looked eye to eye by someone as tall as him). In a soft voice, the sergeant said, "It's been good getting to know you, sir, Good Luck." With that he kissed Justin right on the mouth and walked out.
Next, Airman Arduk came up and said the same thing, and also gave him a kiss and left also.
Airman Jensen smiled and said, "Well, luck wasn't with us this time. Guess I won't get the chance to sneak in here tonight now. Good luck, sir!" With that, both he and the marine corporal came up and kissed him on each cheek and left him alone.
After standing there for a minute, cursing his bad luck, Justin stripped out of the cammies and got into the flight suit. Folding the cammies and placing them in the bag with his other things, he was out of there in less than 5 minutes. As he made his way through the empty gymnasium, he wondered what was coming up next. In the mess hall, Corporal Paulsen was waiting for him, dressed in full gear, with his rifle slung.
"This way, if you please, sir," he said, motioning for the door. No one else was in sight, so he followed the handsome marine out. Again, as he made his way out the airlock door, the mid-afternoon heat was like a wall. Picking up his stride, he hurried into the open hatch of the waiting APC. Inside, the General and Major Hollis were waiting. As soon as the hatch closed, the vehicle's chiller began cooling the cabin to a bearable level. The major leaned forward and briefed Justin on the ejection and emergency procedures of the two seat fighter they would be flying. He also briefed him on their flight, and what he could expect.
They arrived at the flight line, and the two got out. As soon as they left the hatch of the APC, it closed and the vehicle headed off the flight line. A pair of enlisted men waited by the aircraft to help strap the officers in. The man helping Justin pointed out the ejection handles, and what the different dials and gauges meant. It was an F-16 fighter, two seater version, that he was strapped into. He was trying not to remember all the crashes that had happened following the 'event', as rotten fuel was found too late. And now, a year after the last aircraft (that he knew of) had flown, here he was about to ride one across the country!
As soon as they both were strapped in, the pilot finished his pre-flight routine and lift off check. The plane's single engine started. Hearing it roar to life, Justin thought he could feel the waves of pleasure rolling out of the pilot. Keying the intercom, Justin asked the major, "Is this your first flight since, um, you know?."
The pilot keyed back, "Yes, but don't worry. I'm the best pilot on the base, that's why you got me. Well, that, and the fact that my wife and kids are on the East Coast. You just cut almost a year off my trip to see them."
"A year?"
"Yeah, between the limited transportation between states, and the waiting list for passengers, it takes over a year to get from one end of the country to another, unless you're someone special, that is"
That comment rocked Justin. He wasn't sure what exactly he was that deserved this treatment, but he wasn't going to argue with it. He'd never flown in a fighter before, and now his first trip in one would be at a time when every drop of fuel used could never be replaced. He thought back to the events at the bar, his friends dying, that cute kid pulling the gun and being gunned down. The clearance from the tower interrupted his unpleasant reverie, and they rolled down the runway.
As the plane leaped into the air, the pilot let out a yell of pleasure. Justin joined him. A fighter was so much different than a passenger plane, helicopter, or even the bomber he'd gotten to fly in. Once they had reached 30,000 feet, the view was incredible. For the two hours of the flight, the two chatted about things they saw, about flying. Major Hollis even let him take the stick for a few minutes, do a turn or two, then took the stick back. Definitely an experience that would most likely never be repeated! Flying a real, gas powered jet fighter.
As they approached the end of the flight, Major Hollis contacted their destination, which strangely was only identified by a number "USAFB039". This base, near what was left of Washington D.C., was one of the few airports left that saw any air traffic. As the solitary F-16 landed, and taxied to the appropriate hangar, the pilot shut down the engines as soon as possible to preserve fuel. An electric tow cart met it and towed it the rest of the way.
Inside the hanger, two vehicles waited, both of them electric powered humvees. Four men waiting, all in uniforms. As the two climbed down from the cockpit, one walked up to the major and quietly talked to him for a moment. They walked towards one of the humvees, where Justin could see a woman and two kids waiting inside. As soon as the pilot got in, the vehicle pulled out of the hangar and disappeared from sight. The remaining three men walked towards Justin, their faces unreadable. As they got closer, Justin suddenly realized he was back in the military and drew himself to attention and saluted. They returned his salute. The highest ranking man appeared to be a Lieutenant Colonel (Air Force). With him were a Marine Captain, and Navy Lieutenant (both these two were the same rank, but their services used different titles.)
"Ensign Justin Ackeman?" inquired the colonel, knowing full well it would be no one else. He also extended his hand towards the young man.
"Yes, sir!" answered Justin,.shaking his hand.
"Pleased to see you, son." The colonel let his arm fall back to his side as he looked the young man up and down. "I hope you enjoyed your flight, and I hope you understand that it's not likely to be an experience you repeat."
"Yes, sir. I am, however, confused as to what I'm doing here," Justin said as he fished for some clues as to why this was happening.
"Well, son, why don't we get in the vehicle where we can discuss it more easily?" the colonel said as he took Justin's arm and walked him towards the humvee. All four got in, and the driver, an enlisted man, took off as soon as their seat belts were buckled.
No one said a word as the vehicle pulled out of the hangar, heading in a different direction than the major's humvee had. During the silent ride, Justin tried to look around at the base and its surrounding environment. Out of curiosity, he looked back in the direction the major's humvee had gone. In the distance, he thought he saw the vehicle the major and his family had driven off in. It was stopped besides the taxiway of the airbase, and he thought he saw something bright red fluttering in the gentle breeze. Before he could do more than catch a brief glimpse, the colonel in the front seat turned back and, noticing the direction of Justin's gaze, cleared his throat, forcing the ensign to turn around.
"Did you enjoy your flight, son?" he asked.
Frustrated, and wanting to turn back around, Justin answered, "Yes sir, I did. My first time in a fighter, and probably my last. Definitely a great experience"
"Good, good, I'm glad to hear that. You know, in the past year I think there have been fewer than a dozen flights authorized by the government. It's quite impressive that you got to be one of them," the colonel chattered on, keeping the ensign's attention until the vehicle made a turn down a street on the base.
Once the turn was made, he turned around and faced forward again. The rest of their drive was made in total silence. They left the base behind and headed into a wooded area which surrounded the base. During the next hour, the trip was made in total silence. Several times, a sudden headache seemed to hit Justin. Every time, he concentrated on it, imagined it went away, and eventually it did. One time, when a particularly vicious one hit, he imagined as if he pushed back real hard. The marine captain at his side grunted hard and gave him a nasty look. Not quite sure what to make of that, he didn't let himself think further.
At last, they pulled up to a nondescript little house in the middle of nowhere. Groaning to himself, Justin shuddered at the thought of all the movies that had this same thing. He couldn't believe the military actually still did this sort of thing. As they got out of the humvee, it took off, the young driver goosing the electric engine as fast as it would go. The three officers led Justin inside the house, to the obligatory elevator-disguised-as-a-closet and down they went, Justin shaking his head the entire time.
Once they were in the elevator, the Navy lieutenant leaned in and whispered, "I couldn't believe how cheesy it is either."
As the elevator reached its stop, far underground, they stepped out of it and into a bustling underground chamber. Pipes and conduits ran through the ceilings and along the walls. Men and women troops scurried through the corridors, hurrying about on their own missions, all in uniforms, but not one of them appeared armed. After giving Justin a few minutes to look around, the colonel started walking down one of the hallways.
"Welcome to the Advanced Psionics Education Center, Ensign. This is where you will be spending the next few months training for your future duties. In these trying times, your country needs young men like you to take up your duty and serve! Here we will give you the tools and skills to do that job." As they continued down the corridor, Justin felt the word 'PSIONIC' rumbling over and over in his head.
It was an impossible word. Impossible in the days of science. But so was everything else that had been going on. He couldn't deny that less than a day ago, he had been 36, now he was physically 17. He had reached across 20 feet of space and strangled two men (killing them didn't bother him at all, just how he had done it.). Well, if that's what this was, then at least he was gonna learn more about it!
Finally, the colonel stopped in front of what looked like a bomb blast door, a couple of feet thick. Turning to face Justin, the colonel gave his final speech. "From this point on, only students, graduates, and instructors are allowed. Only two groups of people are allowed back out, Instructors and Graduates. If I see you again, hope it is as one of those. Otherwise, I'll be seeing you to give you your last meal." With those chilling words spoken, the colonel turned and walked back down the way they had come. The marine and navy officers took their places at either side of Justin and motioned him forward. As they passed through the great door, it closed behind them, with a loud thud.
As the thudding echoed through the corridor they were now in, both the officers around Justin began to shimmer and change. Right before his eyes, they seemed to grow several years younger, and began to look like identical twins. Sudden grins split their faces open. The marine on his left spoke first:
"Welcome, Justin! I'm Curt, Curt Parker. The squid behind ya is Jason Parker, my brother. If old coot face knew we were the ones escorting him, he'd have had a heart attack. Come on!"
Staring, completely lost, Justin followed the two brothers deeper into the chamber. Soon they entered what looked like a mess hall.
"This is the galley," announced Jason (Justin guessed from the Navy uniform he wore), "believe it or not, they actually serve damn good food here. You came from Arizona, right?" Not even waiting for a response before continuing his monologue, "Yeah, so the old fart general they have made his boys run you through the spit and polish routine. Don't worry, everyone here may be military, but everyone's also officers. There isn't an enlisted man around. So we are all casual. We don't even wear rank on our uniforms, just standard cammies. You're gonna like it here, I promise. We all like each other and it's great being around other people like us. Even better, you won't find a single woman here, just us cocksuckers!"
His monologue was cut short at that when another man came into the room. This man looked to be in his early twenties and was wearing nondescript cammies. At the sight of the three, he called out, "Curt, Jason, glad to see you made it back. Everything go OK?" With a start, Justin realized that the man's face was the one Curtis had been wearing.
"Yeah, David, it went perfect. The only scare came when we were probing Justin here and he pushed back. Almost made me lose the mask," answered the young man on Justin's left.
"Good, then we know it works. You two are gonna have to teach the others how you did it. Now, get lost while I orient the new recruit." With that, the two brothers raced out of the room, letting out whoops of victory.
"You'll have to forgive them their exuberance, Justin. They're both 18 and still act it. Now as I understand it, you're physically 36, right?" At Justin's nod, he continued, "Good, and you look 18. Is that something you're projecting, or are you physically changed to that age?"
"Um, I'm not sure, but I look and feel like I did at 17, if that's what you mean," stammered a confused Justin.
"Ah, that's right, the new rule is no explanations till you're here. Well, sit down, I've got a story to tell you." As the two men sat at a table, a kid about 14 appeared and brought a pitcher of ice tea and two glasses. Laughing at the look Justin gave him, he laughed and scampered off.
"Don't worry, he isn't 14. In fact, he was almost 60 when the change hit him. He reverted to 14 and hasn't changed since then. He got here a month ago and so far hasn't been interested in doing anything but what he feels like for the moment. If he keeps it up much longer, the CO is gonna have to do something none of us will like.
"Ok, now about the explanation. As you are aware, a little over a year ago, something happened to the world's oil supply, making it useless. This caused massive unrest throughout the world, and the near collapse of civilization as we know it. In the past year, impressive efforts led to the stabilization of society at a lower level of technology, but still a basically civilized level. Riots were quelled, people's lives began to go on. Not as good as before, but they continued. A few months into the riots, it became obvious more than just oil was affected, although that was the most immediate effect. Chemicals were changed, their reactions altered. Some periodic elements became altered in a way we don't understand, their very nature changed. We also found patterns of changes in people.
"In about .036% of the population, death occurred at the exact instance of the change. All from inexplicable causes. By all medical science, they should be alive, but they were dead. They all also died at exactly the same moment (at least all those examined in countries with advanced medicine). A young marine lieutenant, deployed with a squad in a middle eastern country, found himself pinned down and his squad dead from an ambush. The bastards were taunting him, teasing him about what they were going to do to his men's dead bodies. Finally, his anger let loose and he jumped from his hiding place. Every single one of his attackers was dead. They had choked on their own tongues. In Brooklyn, a young man was attacked by some street thugs right before the riots started. As they were beating him, his attackers suddenly burst into flame.
"I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that a number of people throughout the world experienced weird, almost magical rescues after the 'EVENT' happened. Always it was a situation where the person felt their life was in danger. As near as we can tell, the percentage is lower than that of those who died. This might be because many of them didn't make it through the riots, are still out there, or are in countries we have lost contact with. It doesn't matter. It matters that we exist. Some of us, like you, were never in a situation where the ability made itself known. Some of them, like you, found themselves in threatening situations, and made themselves known. We have orders out to every station in the country to notify federal authorities if something happens like it did with you in the bar.
"All those found in the US are brought here, for training. We find out what you can do, and we figure out ways to do it. Then, as needs arise, those classified as 'graduates' are sent out on special missions. We have a team with the President, and the Vice-President. They specialize in making sure they are secure. Others are deployed for similar purposes as necessary, and occasionally on some covert missions.
"You are here because of how you saved yourself in the bar. You accessed a part of yourself that you did not know existed. Here, we will teach you to access that part whenever you want to, and how to use it effectively. When you are ready, you will be sent on missions.
"Now, there is one more thing you need to know. Every single person here is male. Or at least born male. There's one or two who are learning to change gender right now. Further, every single one of us is gay."
At Justin's surprise, he smiled at him, a very knowing smile.
"Yep. Every smack damn one of us. It took a while before that became apparent. We actually figured it out when a few of us started sleeping with each other, and shared names. Between five of us,, the list ended up being every single man here. Man, the brass was pissed about this. They started screening potential recruits too, and found that each and every one of them was gay too. Now, they are resigned to the fact and have even made some changes to the welcoming centers at various bases. >From the way you're blushing I take it yours had some good troops too?
"You might say that. Best damn shower I've had in years, hell, the daisy chain was one of the best ever too," Justin replied, still blushing a little. Glad the table hid his hard-on.
"Damn! That's definitely a story you're gonna have to tell me. So, anyway, about 8 months ago this school was set up. There are three groups living here. Students, Graduates, and Instructors. For now, you are a Student. Once you have shown yourself capable of using your ability well, you will be re-classified as Graduate. If you exhibit exceptional skill at developing new techniques, or at teaching students, you will become an Instructor.
"Even after you graduate, you will reside here when not on a mission. I know it's not much, but welcome home. For today, go ahead and explore the complex on this side of the door. Do not try to leave, though. The people on the other side will not look kindly on it, and there are no second chances. Starting tomorrow, we'll have one of the Instructors come and give you lessons. The first lessons are given one on one. Once you have learned to reach your ability with regularity, you will proceed to beginning classes.
"Beginning and Intermediate classes are taught in groups. As you show proficiency in certain skills, advanced instruction is scheduled one on one. Some advanced course are taught even if a student is still in Beginning or Intermediate classes. With you, we now number a total 142 people. I am the officer assigned to cover basic orientation, and will be teaching you your first lessons. In total, there are 18 instructors, 64 graduates - of whom 34 are deployed, and 60 students. Any questions? Good, then I'll show you to your quarters. You're looking tired."
With that, David stood up and led Justin out of the mess hall. Within a few minutes, Justin was hopelessly lost. The effects of his workout this morning, the flight here, the ensuing drive, and now this, had worn him out. Despite the opportunity to explore his new home, he felt no desire to do anything but sleep. The quarters he was shown was small, but comfortable. A double bed, desk/dresser, mirror, wardrobe, and two chairs comprised the sum total of furnishings. As David smiled and left him alone, Justin fell onto the bed and drifted off to sleep without bothering to remove his clothes.