Author Topic: Until He Learns To Love It  (Read 8410 times)

Offline Chaotix
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Until He Learns To Love It
« on: June 30, 2017, 04:36:42 PM »
I’m Jay, for the past three years I’ve lived and worked on Wake island; a small lightly forested tropical landmass as part of a government funded Global-Warming project called The Nova Project studying weather patterns in the south pacific. The island was fairly isolated; there was nothing around for about ninety nautical miles but ocean, the only life on the besides myself and my three colleges; David, Otis, and Pierce were a few different species of Snakes, Birds, Lizards, and Bugs, other than that there was nothing too special about the island. The outpost where we conducted our study was nothing too remarkable either it was one big long metal tube that served as the main hallway and had six rather large metal boxes three on either side of varying sizes connected to it that made the living area, the kitchen, the monitoring station, and the bathroom and the bunks, since we were isolated and generally idle most of the time we had no shortage of creature comforts from books to video games to fill our free time.
David is the technician, I myself am the lead researcher, Otis is the medic, and Pierce the cook; things were about to change around here though, we were getting a new staff member… well more of an intern really, he would be coming in with the next scheduled supply shipment which was due sometime later today.

 “I hope this guy’s easier to get along with than the last one” Otis remarked as the four of us stood out on the beach looking out at the horizon watching as the supply ship came closer to shore, “sure he was a little rough around the edges at first but he was alright… once he got the hang of things” Pierce said with a bit of a chuckle speaking on behalf of the last guy stationed here as Assistant Researcher, “this guy’s a bit different…” David said handing me a Beige folder with a file, “twenty, studying Climatology, blah, blah, blah” I said not interested and handed the file off to Otis, “yeah well, he can be three feet tall and not speak English for all I care, as long as they remember my magazines this time… you know how hard it is to get a subscription out here?!” Pierce complained making Otis, David and I laugh.

The cargo ship that swung our way twice a month stayed offshore while a smaller boat came speeding our way loaded with a few crates full of the supplies we’d requested. When the boat got to shore a young black man hopped out into the shallow waters “you must be Dominick” David said walking into the shallows and greeted him while with the help of the guy driving the boat, Otis, Pierce and I started hauling our things off the boat and onto the beach while David took the new guy Dominick up the beach and into the building. A few minutes David came walking out to us just as we got the last boxes of supplies offloaded and onto dry sand, “left him in there to get to know his way around… let’s get this stuff inside” David said picking up the heaviest box he could lift on his own, “what do you make of him?” Pierce asked looking right at David; it was a good question, the same question that had been on all of our minds when David had first put in for a new researcher, “he’s gonna take some getting used to, but that can be said about most anyone right” David said with a slight shrug.
After about a half hour of hauling boxes up to the facility from the beach we were finally done bringing in all the stuff inside then going through it all from spare parts and mail to food and personal items, “hey you guys need any help?” the new guy Dominick asked walking in to find us all sorting supplies, “not really… but you do need to learn where everything goes” David said looking up at Dominick, “Jay, take Dominick here and show him where this stuff goes” David suggested sliding a box full of supplies, I didn’t complain though I was going to be spending quiet some time living and working with this guy for a while and this was a good a time as any to break the ice.

“So… what brings you to our little corner of the world?” I asked the new guy as the two of us walked down the hall to the far end of the facility, “change of pace I guess” He responded with a shrug of his shoulders sounding like he didn’t really care to talk about it, and I didn’t really care enough to pry so I just let it go. “This is where we keep all the replacement parts for the equipment and shit like that” I explained opening the door to the storage room, “sometimes after a storm the equipment outside damaged or completely ruined and needs to be changed out, you’ll learn how soon” I explained setting the box I had on one of the shelves in the storage room.

Later that night David, Otis, Pierce and I were in the kitchen/dining hall sitting around the large round wooden table already wearing what we sleep in drinking and playing cards when Dominick walked in to join us wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, he was quiet; like he was waiting to be invited to join in our game, “what’s the game?” Dominick finally asked looking on “Texas Hold ‘Em” I said not turning to look at him, “we play for time on monitor duty here though… pretty much the only thing worth betting with round here” David informed with a giggle as we played, “what’s that?” Dominick asked pointing at the tall bottle of brown liquid sitting on the table, “thirty year old Brandy” Otis said looking at Dominick with a smile on his face, “think you can handle that boy?” Pierce said clearly taking a shot at Dominick youth, “I may be young but I can hold my liquor” Dominick claimed with a smile while pulling up a chair and sitting with us, yeah we knew that he was technically underage but neither of us were his parent so it didn’t matter much to us so nobody said a thing when he reached over and grabbed the bottle and took a swig.

The game went on I was up to twelve hours of monitor watch for next week which wasn’t my favorite thing in the world, sitting in front of a bunch of screens and manually recording changes in the weather, just in case… but it was a bit of a bore. Like Dominick had said earlier he could hold his liquor, he hadn't thrown up which was good but that didn’t stop the drink from kicking his ass and knocking him out cold, his face turned to one side, his chest pressed flat against the table snoring rather loudly, “kids” Otis said with a shake of his head and reaching over grabbing the bottle from Dominick and he wasn’t too happy with that, Man!” Otis said standing up while slamming his cards down on the table, “all my Brandy, spoil my fun, and snoring loud as hell” Otis bellowed walking over to the counter then bent down, “got no respect” Pierce added shaking his head, “the young ones never do” David insisted shaking his head and standing up as well.
Pierce cleared off the table and Otis came walking back with some of the rope we use to tie down some of the lighter sensory instruments during a storm, “get his hands” Otis said, I grabbed both his hands and stretched his arms straight across to the other side of the table. Otis bound Dominick Limp almost lifeless wrists together then tied them to the legs of the table, “wasn’t planning on breaking him in so soon but after killing a four hundred dollar bottle… seems like he needs to learn a lesson” David said looking around at Pierce, Otis, and myself like he wanted or needed our approval but I think he knew that we were all on the same page about was going to happen next……………………………………………