Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 01

Author’s Note: Well, here it is, the first chapter of my post apocalyptic story! It took some doing to hammer out the details, but here it is, finished and with more chapters waiting to be written! I hope that everyone who wanted this story enjoys this opening chapter, as I put a lot of love into it! Now shall we begin?

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1,135 days before N-Day (Nuke Day)

Benjamin Lopez was busy in the locker room of his workplace, changing out of his uniform. He stripped the greasy clothing off his body and piled it on the floor. He reached into his locker to pull out his everyday clothes. Once he put them on, he had a feeling of cleanliness, though the feeling was little more than an illusion.

He supposed that working in a machine shop would do that to you. No matter how careful he was in the shop, he was perpetually getting coolant, grease and oils all over himself. Ben brushed the few remaining chips out of his hair as he finished putting his clothes on. He took stock of himself in the mirror and grunted as he looked.

Ben stood at around six-foot-one, with brown hair and brown eyes and the sun-kissed skin that was part of his Latin heritage. Truth be told, though, he looked more white than Latin, though he supposed he had his mother’s Polish genes to thank for that. He noted the thick five o’clock shadow he was sure he picked up from his dad’s side of the family. Though he wasn’t really a fan of shaving, he figured that he’d have to shave tonight, unless he wanted to look like a ragamuffin.

He cracked his back and his arms as he stretched, popping each joint as it moved. He was grateful that his musculature was decent. Benjamin wasn’t heavily built, but he wasn’t a weakling either. He was what most people would call trim, but he was a far cry from fit or built. Ben finished putting his jacket on before grabbing his lunch bag and walking out the door.

He collected his stained uniform first, depositing it into the ‘to be washed’ bins outside the locker room. Ben still had a few more uniforms to go through before he’d have to get clean ones, but that was a problem for another week. He was happy that it was Friday, and that he was going home, with nothing to do over the weekend!

Although he relished in the solitude he had at hand, Ben was still a lonely guy. Having little to no friends was as much a curse as it was a blessing, since he had no one that he could hang with. There were some online friends he had, which he chatted with on the Xbox sometimes, but they were all far away. Some lived on the other side of the world, so meeting and hanging out in real life wasn’t an option.

He supposed that he had his mental state to thank for his lack of friends. Ben had grown up for most of his life, devoid of any real friends. He always had trouble making and keeping them, since there was much about socializing and such that he did not get. It was a little over a year ago, just before his twenty-eighth birthday, that he learned that he had Asperger’s Syndrome.

Though it was on the Autistic spectrum, he didn’t exactly present as a typical autistic man, like from the movie Rain Man. Ben had no issue with school or any academic subject really, it was in social circles that he fell short. Tells, hand signals and body language, which most people understood, went right over Ben’s head. It was because of this that he found himself with few real friends.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t try to fit in and make friends; it was that no one was willing to take the time to help him through. Had someone been kind enough to help him navigate the social scene, which was a common part of life, he would have managed. But, as fate would have it, pretty much everyone he’d ever met in school was indifferent, or outright cruel, to the poor guy.

Various pranks had been pulled on the poor man as a boy, which left him bitter once high school had ended. It was because of several of these pranks that Ben fell into self-destructive patterns in which his marks suffered. His previously stellar academics had floundered, and he almost didn’t graduate high school.

With few options, Ben found himself in a technical school to become a machinist. He thought it had been a good option at the time. There was a serious shortage of machinists, among other trades, with everyone going into computers. He figured that it was a good trade and that he’d be working with his hands. That he’d craft many various and unique pieces and get paid well for it. The reality of it was far different from what he’d expected.

He’d underestimated just how rapidly technology was advancing. Not long after attaining his journeyman’s papers, he found himself working for a shit wage. He was also doing boring, repetitive jobs that belonged to first-year apprentices, not a fully certified Red Seal Machinist. With the way the economy was going, it was a miracle that he even had a job, since much of what he did was outsourced.

Putting that line of thought out of his head, Ben punched out and walked outside to his car. It was a 1967 Shelby GT 500 that his dad had owned, and it had been his for the last thirteen years now. Ever since his parents had died in that car accident just after his sixteenth birthday. Putting yet another unpleasant thought out of his mind, Ben turned the car over and left the parking lot.

He got on the 401 heading west and continued until he came to the Mississauga exits and took one. After taking the exit, he turned south and kept going until he got to Lakeshore. He turned west again until he came to a small cluster of shops and turned down the street next to them, before he turned down the alleyway behind the shops. He went down the alley until he came to the building where he lived.

He parked in his spot and locked his car up, before heading to the back door which led to his apartment. Ben looked back to his car and couldn’t help but smile. It had been his father’s pride and joy, having spent years hunting down authentic, working parts for that vehicle. He spent easily as long putting the damn thing together, rebuilding cars not only as his hobby, but his regular day job as well.

Victoria Lopez was leery of letting her husband spend so much of his time and hard-earned money in restoring it. Though, once it was finished, when Ben was ten years old, she had to admit that it was a thing of beauty. She also didn’t mind letting Ezio Lopez take her out on date nights, which always had her giggling like a little girl whenever they got home.

Ben smiled at the many happy memories that were associated with this car. Even though there was a terrible point in time associated with it, there were too many good ones to justify selling it. Not only that, he couldn’t bring himself to sell it, despite the many ruinous sums of money that had been offered to him for it.

Turning back to the door, Ben unlocked it, retrieved his mail from the mailbox and trudged on upstairs. He took his boots off and sprawled all over the couch, picking up his controller before turning on his gaming system. He played through the Witcher 3 for about an hour, before he decided that he should wash up and check his mail.

Deciding to check the mail first, Ben found that there was little of any real interest, as it was mostly bills. The last letter grabbed his attention like a hot plate in his hands. It was a letter from CryoTek Industries, addressing him and him alone. Opening the letter, he read its contents and was surprised by what he was reading!

Dear Mr. Benjamin Lopez,

Thank you, sir, for taking the time to take part in our tests, as the data we have collected is invaluable. Congratulations are in order, as you have been selected to take part in our sociological and scientific experiment. You have no doubt read up everything about this initiative, and we hope that you are eager to participate in it.

The battery of tests that were conducted on you have concluded that you are eligible for the full Gold standard test of ten years. With this letter, is also a list of items you may bring with you to store and how much space you are being given to hold your effects. Because of your Gold Standard status, you are being given significantly more space to store your things.

Also included in this letter is your Gold Standard passcard. It will grant you immediate access to the facility, at any time you wish to use it. Also included is the address of the facility nearest to you and they will be expecting you. At your earliest convenience, please make your way to this cryogenics facility, so that testing may begin. Again, congratulations sir and thank you for participating.

Jason Adler, CEO

CryoTek Industries

Ben couldn’t believe what he was reading! He’d been selected?!? Him, of the thousands and thousands who had applied to it?? He couldn’t believe his luck!! Getting into this program had been something he’d dreamed of for months! Now that he had received this acceptance letter, everything for him changed!

The experiment was advertised to be testing out the effects on cryogenic freezing on humans. The big catch was that only certain humans, of certain genetic structures, could go into one of these tubes and come out alive. The technology of it was still in its infancy, but the fact was that it worked! Because of its unfinished state, the only thing to do was to test it on those who were fit and to go from there.

One of the biggest selling points of the experiment was the financial compensation. Jason Adler was a billionaire, one of the biggest, and he offered anyone who took part in the experiment, financial compensation. The compensation wasn’t pennies either, but it ranged up to fifty thousand dollars per year spent in cryo sleep. That was incentive enough for most people and plenty for Ben!

He no longer had to work at that dead-end job of his anymore! He could go into the tube and wake up ten years later, with a massive amount of cash waiting for him! He could see the future and be one of those young enough to properly enjoy it! This was the fresh start he was looking for, and he would be taking it without question!

For Ben, though, this was perfect, because he really had no one to leave behind. His parents were gone, and his father’s parents, Cristof and Claudia Lopez, were long dead. His mother’s parents had disowned her when she married his father, but he didn’t care about them. Cristof Lopez had died of a heart attack when Ben was thirteen and Claudia Lopez had passed on of natural causes two years ago.

He thought some more about who he might have to say goodbye to, and only one person came to mind. Samara Rodriguez, a woman who had been his only friend when he was a boy and his former girlfriend. They had parted on amicable terms and stayed friends for the past year, as Ben was still figuring things out with his mental state and coming to terms with it.

Though they weren’t officially dating anymore, Samara did sometimes stop by his place to hang, chill, and have the occasional booty call. Ben still had a tough time reconciling the fact that a woman like her would still be interested in a man like him. He always thought of himself as an ordinary schlub, not worth a second thought or glance.

Samara, on the other hand, was pure dynamite! She had both the looks and the brains to do whatever she pleased and have whoever she wanted, when she wanted. Figuring that if he was going to go under and be gone for ten years, he might as well have something good to dream about while he was gone. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Samara’s number. She picked up on the second ring.

“Ben! I wasn’t expecting you to call for a bit yet! Thought you might have been to see your therapist!” she said to him, her voice smiling through the phone.

“My therapy sessions ended last week, Sam. Anyway, are you busy tonight?” Ben asked her.

“Not doing anything, really. Why? Did you want to hang out or something?” she wondered, her low alto voice rising an octave or two in excitement.

“More than just hanging out, Sam. Would you be up for a proper date tonight?” he asked her.

“Absolutely! What time were you thinking?” Samara asked, her voice rising even more.

“What do you say to me picking you up at eight? I have something planned and dress in something nice, but something you’re able to dance in,” he told her, smiling to himself.

“Oooooh! OK! Where are we going? Tell me, tell me, tell me!” she begged him.

“Nope! You’re just going to have to wait and find out what I have in mind!” he said with a snicker.

“Spoilsport!” she pouted.

“I promise that you’ll take on a different tone before the night is over,” Ben promised her.

“I’ll hold you to that, mister! See you tonight!”

“See you tonight, Sam! Bye!” Ben finished before he hung up.

It was only four o’clock, so Benjamin had some time to prepare and get himself ready for the night. Since he would be asleep for the next ten years, he wanted to have a good send off. And what better way than to spend it with the one person he cared about most? He couldn’t imagine a better last night for the next ten years, so he got to planning and setting things up for the night.

Once all the necessary calls were made, Ben then picked up a small notepad and a pen and made a list of things that mattered to him. He had reread the letter to be sure it was genuine before he went over the rules and what he was allowed to bring with him to the facility. One vehicle and all the contents which he could fit into it was permitted and no more. And, of course, no firearms or related weapons.

Knowing he could bring some things he wanted to keep was good, as he didn’t want to give everything away. Ben started with the most important things first and did some mental work about how it was all going to fit. Once he’d gone over that, he removed the less important things, so he could make room for his toolbox.

Though he didn’t want to go back to his place of work again, the tools he had were left to him by his dad. Some tools he had were one of a kind pieces that were no longer being made, making them literal gems as far as he stood. Once he’d come up with a plan on how he would fit everything, Ben double checked the list to be sure he had everything that mattered.

Once he was certain he had everything on the list, he put it down and went to get ready for his date with Samara. The first thing he did was get in his car and take it to a nearby car wash to clean and detail it. There was no way he would let Samara get in his car with it looking filthy and reeking of machine oil and such. He took the better part of an hour before he was satisfied with his work. With that done, he drove back to his apartment to get cleaned up.

He showered, shaved, and styled up his short hair into something that looked messy yet good. Ben picked out the best suit he owned, which was a gift from Samara, and laid it out on his bed. She had taken him to a top end tailor downtown and fitted him for his own tailor-made suit. Despite his protests, Ben found that he looked pretty damned good in it! Plus, the smoldering looks he got from Samara and how crazy she was that night didn’t hurt things either!

Ben shined up his shoes with a fresh coat of polish before he got dressed. He also picked out a nice pair of cufflinks and a proper tie, as he knew that Samara was a stickler when it came to details. Checking his reflection in the mirror, Ben admitted that he looked good and knew he would knock Samara’s stockings off tonight!

He chuckled with that last thought, hoping that he’d be able to manage that last part. After double checking that he had everything, Ben left his apartment and got into his car. He took the QEW downtown, heading for Samara’s apartment building. Traffic had died down enough when he left, so it didn’t take him long to get there. He took the exit ramp into her neighborhood and his mind drifted to the woman he’d be seeing shortly.

Samara Rodriguez had always been an enigma to him, befriending him as a boy, when he was ten. Ben had always wondered why she had shown such interest in him, and he was stumped about it constantly. They’d gone through elementary and high school together and had always maintained their friendship. It wasn’t until grade ten that the dynamic between them had changed.

Samara was a late bloomer, but when she bloomed, her looks and curves outshone every other girl in school. Hell, she looked even better than Ms. Gerontas, who was the hottest teacher in school, that every boy wanted to bone. Some girls were instantly jealous of her good looks and tried to make her seem like some kind of slut. Ben had feared for what would happen, but he needn’t have.

Samara hit back nearly instantly, calling them out for all the shit they had pulled, and she wasn’t gentle about it. Not only did the snobby bitches plan backfire, it wound up exonerating several girls and a couple of boys whose lives had been ruined by that pack of jackals. The resulting backlash was so severe that all seven of those girls had to move to different schools just to escape the ridicule and scrutiny.

After that incident, Samara instantly became the school heroine and sought after by many of the guys. The popular ones, the jocks, not a single guy passed up the chance to ask her out and make her their girlfriend. Unfortunately for them, she wouldn’t have a single one of those guys. There was only one man she had eyes for and that was Ben, but he didn’t know it.

A lot had happened since those days, both him and Samara going their own ways, his service in the military, among some darker events in his life. Eventually, they found each other again after all that time and realized how they felt about one another. Ben and Samara couldn’t believe just how much time they’d wasted. They hadn’t seen what was in front of them, and they spent every waking moment making up for lost time.

Even though they were in love with each other, the past year had been rocky, putting a strain on their relationship. Ben had learned that he had Asperger’s Syndrome and wasn’t even aware of it. He had started seeing a therapist to help him come to terms with it and bettered himself as he went along. Though he enjoyed spending time with Samara and how they were looking at moving in together, Ben had put it off. He had promised that once he’d gotten some things in order, they would move forward.

It was during this time that he concluded and felt Samara was wasting her time with a guy like him. Though he was good at what he did, there was little in the manner of money for it and he felt like he wasn’t doing enough as a man should for her. Though Sam could have helped him, he was a proud man and needed to do things himself. It wrenched him to do what he was doing, but he felt that was the best option for everyone involved.

Still, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have one last date with her and, if he was lucky, one final romp in the sheets. He refocused back on the road after that brief jaunt down memory lane and found that he had arrived at her apartment complex. He parked his car under the carport, killing the engine and letting himself out.

Ben gazed around at the well-manicured grass and garden that decorated the property. He also noted how clean and neat this place was and it didn’t surprise Ben, this place being in a ritzier part of the city. He walked on up to the front door and saw it was Julius who was manning the door today. Julius was always a stand up sort of guy, having taken a liking to Ben instantly, despite his humble origins.

“How you doing, Ben? Figured your shit out? Haven’t seen you by in a while and was wondering if the rumors were true,” Julius asked him.

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“Just some shit that was started by that blonde bimbo living with old Sarkov. Nothing to concern yourself with,” the older white man told him. “I assume that you’re here to take young Ms. Rodriguez out on a date, then?”

“Damn straight. Been a while since I took her out. So I thought, now that I have my shit together, I’ll get back up on that horse,” Ben said, lying through his teeth. He felt like shit for lying to the man, but Ben had already made his choice.

“Wonderful! Go on in! She might be waiting for you by the time you get up,” Julius said with a wink.

Benjamin chuckled as the man opened the door for him, and he walked into the building. He hit the button for the elevator and waited for it to arrive, so he could pick Samara up for their date. The elevator dinged and opened, revealing Samara Rodriguez standing patiently in the elevator cart. Her beauty always struck him, no matter how many times Ben saw her in person.

She stood at around five-foot-nine, with straight black hair and green eyes, which was always set off by the dark caramel of her skin. She had a proper hourglass figure, making her thirty-eight DD cup and her forty-five inch hips pop even more. Her features were a mix of classic Latina and ebony goddess, making Samara that much more alluring. The way this woman was built would have had Kim Kardashian seething with envy at her looks.

She worked out almost religiously, but she wasn’t a fitness nut by any means. She had the shape and musculature that would best be described as ‘thick fit’. Any additional fat she had on her was placed correctly, which made her curves seem nearly impossible. Ben knew better than anyone else that it was all her. She was wearing an emerald green dress, which hugged her frame like a second skin, while flaring out in the correct places to leave a good deal to the imagination.

“Ben! You’re here early!” she said in her low alto voice, surprised to see him there so soon.

“I thought I’d show up early and surprise you!” he told her.

“Well, consider me surprised! Shall we?”

In response, Ben offered his arm, which she took, and they walked out of the building, arm in arm. As they walked out, they saw a couple of residents walking in for the evening. They stopped and stared at the couple; the guys staring at the vision of beauty with Ben, while the women glanced at Ben with lust in their eyes. Samara looked up at him with a similar look, but mixed with adoration and love.

He opened the car door for her, and she got in, with Ben closing the door after her. Once he got in and started the car, Samara grilled him about where they were going.

“So, where are we going? Please tell me?” she begged, doing an almost believable pout. Chuckling, Ben teased her with a clue as he pulled away from her building.

“Well, first we are going to have dinner over the world, then have ourselves a night of dancing,” he told her.

“Not fair! You’re saying I have to guess?” she mock berated him as he turned them back to the QEW.

“As I said, you’ll just have to wait, but not very long,” he told her with a smirk on his face. Samara gave him a mild stink eye but let it slide, her smile one of acceptance. She knew that if Ben wanted to surprise her, he would keep her in the dark until the last possible moment.

He took the QEW until it turned into the Gardiner expressway, getting off at Spadina Ave. Ben then negotiated the streets until they were at the Metro Toronto Convention center and he pulled into the south parking lot.

“Dinner over the world?” Samara mumbled as she looked up at the CN Tower. “You didn’t make reservations up there, did you?”

“I called the 360 right after I got off the phone with you. As luck would have it, someone cancelled their eight o’clock reservation, and I snagged it,” he said casually.

Samara squealed with delight and once again took his arm as they walked out of the parking lot and to the CN Tower. The elevator ride up took a few minutes, but only after they disembarked and waited for maybe an additional five minutes, they were shown to their table.

Samara had always wanted to dine up here, but after all the years they had been together, dining at the 360 restaurant had fallen by the wayside. Considering everything that had transpired to the both of them over the years, some things had never happened because they were too focused on everything else.

“I’m so happy, you have no idea right now!” Samara said as she pored over the menu.

“Oh, I think I have some idea,” Ben told her with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed her passionately before being seated himself. Sam’s chest rose and fell rapidly, as her head was awhirl with the kiss, feeling all the passion that Ben had put behind it. Her cheeks flushed, and she then buried her face in her menu.

Ben was grinning from ear to ear, knowing he had set Samara on her heels with that kiss. Another thing he knew about Samara was that if you kissed her well, she would get horrendously turned on. If you didn’t know what you were doing, or were sloppy with your kiss, she wouldn’t let you have another. The server came by to take their order and after he was gone, Samara spoke up.

“So, why did you ask me out again, after all this time?” Samara wondered, happy that they were rekindling their relationship, but still curious. Inwardly, Ben wrestled with what to tell her, as he knew how much of a woman Samara was and how he hated to disappoint her. He thought about telling her the truth, but settled on the well thought out lie.

“It took me a while to get my shit together and deal with how everything was affecting me. Sure, it was a bit of a chore to do it, but I concluded that we should be together and give what we have a proper shot,” he said to her. Ben had been practicing this one for a while now and knew that Samara would be hurt, but that it would be for the best.

“I’m glad to hear it!” she said to her man, her smoldering look catching his attention. Ben smiled back, and they continued their conversation for a bit until the food arrived, along with the bottle of wine they ordered. They enjoyed their meal, reliving good times over their food and conversation. Ben then paid for dinner before they left the CN Tower and headed back to his car.

“So, where are we off to now? You said dancing, but where?” she asked him. Ben just smiled and told her the next clue.

“I hope you’re up to date on your salsa moves.”

With that, he drove them out of the parking lot and headed northwards, until they reached Dundas St. Once they got there, Ben hung a left and continued on until they reached Dufferin St. The moment he passed Dufferin and found a parking spot just before Brock St., Samara knew exactly where they were going dancing.

“Lula Lounge?!? I’ve been trying to get you to come here for years!” she exclaimed, amazed that Ben was making all this effort, but slightly suspicious as well. Ben eased that suspicion with his next sentence.

“What better way to show you I’m more open to things?” he said with a dazzling smile.

He put the car in park and helped an ecstatic Samara out of the car before he locked it up. It was just before ten PM, so the line wasn’t overly long as they waited to get in. Many people had come here to dine, as it was an eatery and a dance club. They checked their coats up front and walked into the lounge, letting the music wash over them.

They went straight for the dance floor, the live band playing an upbeat tune. Once the two of them migrated onto the floor, it was like everything and everyone else had dropped away. They danced in time with each other, like they had before, each one knowing what their partner would do next and moving with them. In those moments in which they danced, nothing else in the world mattered.

They didn’t know how long they danced for a few minutes, a few hours, but that didn’t matter. Before long, they were both feeling a bit winded and slowed things down until they stopped. After another dance or two, they took a break and headed off to the bar to grab a drink. As Ben and Samara moved away from the dance floor, they both picked up on the stares of many people in the room.

They both had the grace to blush, as the dancing they had done had tapped into their feelings for each other, which had come to the surface. The energy they had channeled radiated outwards and affected anyone who watched them move. As Ben and Samara ordered their drinks, a few of the people in attendance stared, as if wanting to approach.

The lust in the eyes of the men was clear, as was the same look in the women’s eyes. Ben put a protective arm around Samara, as he didn’t want his evening ruined by having to deal with anyone wishing to take her from him. He directed a glare at some men who were openly staring, and they had the good sense to look away. The women, however, weren’t so easily cowed and kept on looking at both him and her.

“I haven’t danced like that in ages, Ben! What’s gotten into you?” Samara wondered as she took her drink and sipped at it.

“You did. It’s been too long since we did something like this and I wanted to do this again,” he told her. Samara blushed at this declaration and finished her drink in a single pull, her eyes on him.

“Did you have anything else planned?” she asked, the smoldering heat in her voice rising.

“I was thinking of a walk through Sunnyside Park after we’re done here,” he told her, as he took a swig of his beer.

“Let’s skip the walk tonight,” she told him in no uncertain terms. “My place, now! Unless you want me to jump you right here, in front of all these people.”

“You’d do that??” Ben asked jokingly.

“And I’ll make all the men wish they were you and every woman wish they were me,” she proclaimed boldly.

Seeing that she wasn’t joking, Ben grinned and took her hand, guiding them to the exit. It was a bit of a press, but they went to the coat check, picked up their coats and were out the door quickly. Once they were in the car, Ben pulled out and gunned it, redlining it back to Samara’s apartment. They encountered a few stoplights on the way, and Sam used this as an excuse to grab at Ben’s crotch.

“Stop that!” he rebuked gently.

“What, you don’t want me playing with your little soldier?” she pouted, while grasping his cock through his suit pants. “Because he seems thrilled to see me!”

She punctuated this point by unzipping Ben’s pants and reaching in through the hole. Once her hand had found his swollen member, she carefully pulled it out. Ben would have protested, but she brought her head down to his exposed dick and enveloped it with her mouth. The sensation alone almost made Ben swerve into oncoming traffic, but he held it together.

“Keep your eyes on the road, dear. Let me do this for you!” she told him, popping her lips off his dick before swallowing his tool again.

Ben nodded as he kept his focus on the road ahead. Samara was making this very good for him, as the sensations that coursed through were beyond what he had imagined! The humming she was doing with her mouth, on top of the licking and sucking, was nearly enough for Ben to lose his head completely! She sucked and caressed his cock with her mouth, letting him know that she was teasing him, but enjoying herself as well.

He took his time, wanting to get to Samara’s apartment in one piece as he took the regular streets instead of the highway. Ben mustered every ounce of concentration and focus that he could, while Samara did nasty and naughty things to his dick. Soon enough, they had arrived and Ben told her as they pulled up.

“Head around to the underground parkade. I have my passcard in my purse,” she told him before taking his cock back into her mouth again. Ben knew which passcard she was talking about and stopped the car while he looked for it. He rummaged around in her purse until he found it about a minute later.

Putting the car into gear, he approached the parkade and waved the passcard at the sensor. As he drove on down, he could feel Samara’s mouth tighten on his dick, trying to get him to give up his pearly essence to her. Ben was trying his best to hold off, but he was losing, as he felt his balls boiling with need. He moved his car along until he found the visitors’ parking stalls and pulled into one.

The moment he put the car into park was when Samara clutched at his ball sack and squeezed gently. He groaned silently before letting out a massive roar as he came, filling Samara’s mouth with his seed. She gobbled up the offering, not letting a single drop escape her. She bobbed her head up and down some more, cleaning Ben up properly before she removed her mouth and sat up.

“Holy… what the… God damn… shit…” Ben breathed as he tried to compose himself while slipping his dick back into his pants.

“Good to know I still have that effect on you!” she giggled, licking her lips. “Had anyone else since we split?” Samara asked apprehensively.

“There’s been no one but you, Sam. It’s always been just you,” Ben told her honestly.

“Me too, Ben. It’s been too damn long,” she said as she leaned over and snuggled into him. Ben hugged and kissed her, setting her passion alight and lighting the liquid fire of his own, ablaze once again. His hands wandered to her breasts, feeling the soft firmness of them through her dress, and Samara moaned at the touch. She then grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye.

“Let’s go upstairs and finish what we started,” she said to him huskily.

Growling an affirmative noise, they got out of the car and were practically skipping to the elevator. On their way, they saw an older couple with a pair of young kids staring at them. The woman was glaring, while her husband was grinning like an idiot. He gave them both the thumbs up while his wife wasn’t looking.

They had evidently heard him while he came, and Ben just smiled and shrugged. The wife turned and caught her husband doing the thumbs up and glared at him. He shrugged and grabbed his wife, kissing her as she fought against him. Then she melted into the kiss while their kids looked up at them with bizarre looks on their faces. Ben chuckled to himself as he shook his head and both he and Samara waited for the elevator.

“What’s so funny?” Samara asked.

“That couple out there, I think we inspired them to find their kinkier side. The wife was staring at us like we had committed a serious crime, while the husband was grinning like an idiot while giving us the thumbs up. His wife caught him and next thing you know, she was being kissed and she liked what he was doing,” Ben laughed.

Samara burst into a fit of giggles as they boarded the elevator and went up to the twelfth floor. Ben, while waiting for the elevator, was feeling emboldened by Samara’s earlier action and came up with a good idea. He drew Samara into him, so her ass was pressed up to his crotch and she felt his cock, which was re-inflating at a rapid pace.

“Mmm! Nice, but I think that…” her sentence was cut off as Ben snaked his hands towards the front of her dress, reaching underneath it, seeking his prize.

“Ben…” she breathed before a moan escaped her lips as his fingers found her moist and gooey center. He stroked her beneath the dress, his hands having an instantaneous effect on her. She shivered, vibrating under his touch, wanting more of what he was giving. They were then rudely interrupted by the elevator bell, telling them they had arrived.

Ben withdrew his hands and pulled Samara out of the car behind him. They embraced, and she pressed her body to his, the intensity of it telling him of her need and want. Ben kissed again, his hands going for her ass this time, pressing his revived hardness into her molten core. Samara let the kiss go on for a long moment, before she backed away from her lover and dug around for her keys.

She found them and once she had them in her hand, she literally ran to her door, with Ben on her heels. Samara fumbled with the lock for a moment, before she found the correct key and unlocked her door. Once open, the young couple stumbled into the apartment. Ben took in the space for a moment as they crossed inside and smiled. Samara had left this place exactly as he had remembered it, which left him feeling happy.

The door slammed behind them and Samara locked it, before turning on Ben with the frenzy of a crazed animal. She was well beyond horny and Ben knew that he would be in for one hell of a wild night! He smiled as he peeled Samara out of her dress while she took him out of the suit he wore. Despite her frenzied state, Samara was a patient woman, wanting to take her time with having her boyfriend back.

Ben likewise wanted to make this last, as this would likely be the last time he would see her in the next decade. It didn’t take long to divest Sam of her dress, which left her in nothing but a metallic green thong. Most of it was already soaked with her being in the state the entire drive back, but neither of them cared. They both wanted this desperately, and they would have what they wanted.

Ben kept kissing her, letting her know just how much he missed her, but letting his tongue do all the talking. His hands played against her naked skin as she removed the last stitch of his suit. Now Ben was just as naked as Samara was, clad only in his boxers, with his dick standing at full attention.

He kept his body close to hers, as he then took a firm grip on her ass cheeks and hoisted her upwards. The strength he had picked up from his day job and his martial arts lessons gave him the musculature he needed to lift Samara like this. She squealed in delight, as she loved being manhandled by Ben like this. Breaking the kiss, she stared at him with lust hooding her eyes as he walked them both to the bedroom.

Samara held onto Ben, trusting in his strength to ensure that they didn’t topple over. Soon enough, Ben’s legs bumped the end of the king-sized bed and he quickly deposited Samara onto it. She giggled as she flopped down onto it, sinking into the soft memory foam. Samara was about to say something when Ben pounced on her, taking hold of her legs and dropping his mouth over her steaming core.

A yelping moan escaped Samara’s lips as she trembled at the feeling of Ben’s lips. He sucked on her moist treasure right through her thong, using the heat of his mouth to tease and tantalize the woman. He could feel her writhing beneath him, as Samara took in everything he was giving and begged for more.

Ben took his time with her, knowing he’d drive Samara mad with desire before it was over. He kept at it, basting her throbbing pussy with his heat, sending her into small fits of pleasure. After a few minutes of this, he stopped teasing Samara and peeled her panties off, leaving her exposed to him.

He descended on her once again, devouring her essence with his mouth and tongue, lapping up any moisture he could find. Her moans became yelps and peeps, each sound denoting that he was sending Samara closer to the edge. With how much she was leaking, Ben could tell that she was riding the edge between a pleasure high and orgasmic bliss.

A devilish smile crept onto his face as Ben kept using his tongue to tease her slit. He basted his right forefinger in her essence and once he was sufficiently coated; he drove the finger into her wanton hole slowly. Samara’s eyes flared open as she cried out at this new and welcome intrusion. She could feel every ridge and fold of it in her quim and knew what Ben had planned, which made her smile.

Once his finger was fully seated within her, Ben curled his finger in a come here motion, which tapped at Samara’s G-spot. The touch of his finger pad on her most sensitive place sent Samara over the edge and she cried out in ecstasy. She convulsed as she came, writhing and thrashing like a spooked horse.

Ben wasn’t done with her yet though, as a plan came together in his head. The moment she had calmed down enough, Ben inserted another finger into her, widening her channel slightly. Samara yipped as Ben slid both fingers into her and her mind went into complete meltdown at his next action. Like he had done with the one finger, Ben tapped her G-spot again, but with both fingers.

He could feel Samara’s inner walls contracting as another orgasm was firing through her, setting her nerves alight. He started by tapping her sensitive place with each finger, much like he was playing a snare drum. Ben then changed things up once more, using both fingers to pull down on her G-spot, hard. Samara’s moan of ecstasy transformed into a screaming wail of orgasmic bliss, as every nerve in her body exploded with pleasure.

Her limbs no longer thrashed about, as the intensity of that orgasm had almost knocked her out. She passed out momentarily before coming back to consciousness with a start. Samara looked down to see Ben withdrawing his hand from her soaked pussy and then snapped to his cock. It stood out, rock hard and proud, aching for some attention, which she would be all too happy to give.

“Ben. Cock. In me. NOW!” Samara commanded him, as she reached into her nightstand drawer.

She pulled out a condom to roll onto his large member, needing the correct size to fit onto his thick, nine-inch cock. The moment it was encased in the protective sleeve, Samara grabbed Ben and threw him onto the bed, putting her Judo lessons to use. Before Ben could protest, she had mounted him, stuffing his turgid dick into her wet sheath.

“Ungh! You are much tighter than I remember!” Ben grunted as her wet heat enveloped his cock.

“There has been no one since you, Ben,” Samara moaned as she acclimatized to his dick. The feeling of fullness enraptured her to where she didn’t want to do anything else, just be. Samara just sat there, resting on her lover’s pelvis, stuffed full of his dick, while she enjoyed the feeling of it. She felt Ben’s hands roam up her legs, heading towards her rear.

“Mmmmm! I missed the feeling of your hands all over me! It’s been too long!” she murmured.

“Yes, it has!” Ben growled as his palms grasped her meaty globes, pulling her into him. She squeaked at the sensation of being pulled like this and grinned. Samara then ground her hips into him, gyrating slightly, before riding her man. It had been too long since either of them had been with each other, and they were both a bit rusty. But the memories of what they enjoyed came flooding back, like it was yesterday.

Knowing that Ben had a steady grip on her, Samara cupped her tits in her hands, keeping them from wobbling about too much. As she bounced up and down on Ben, she pinched her nipples, letting the electricity of the action fuel her even more. She moaned with each thrust, the feeling her man’s cock too good to want to stop riding him.

Ben felt every flutter of Samara’s inner walls clutching at his steely dick, keeping him well rooted within her. He didn’t mind that in the slightest, as he knew there was nowhere else he’d rather be. He took hold of her ass firmly as she rode him, her cheeks jiggling with each rise and fall of her hips. Ben had taken the initiative and thrust upward each time she came down on him, setting their pace to a vigorous frenzy.

Samara realized, when she felt her second orgasm rising, that Ben always enjoyed watching her ass when they fucked. She knew that he was an ass man, through and through, but his fascination with her butt was bordering on obsession. If she was being honest with herself, she loved the attention he lavished on it.

Mainly because it made her feel both appreciated and empowered in some ways. That she could reduce this man, whom she loved, into a melted, quivering mass, was a bit of a turn on. Her grin suddenly turned devilish as an idea popped into her mind. Sure, it may have been evil, but Samara was sure as hell going to make sure she would have him lose his shit.

Planting her feet to either side of Ben, Samara stood up slowly, letting his cock slide out of her. She felt the loss immediately, but knew that she would have him back inside her in moments. Ben looked like he was going to complain, until she turned around, with her ass facing him. She then squatted down, reaching for his still hard dick. Excited, Ben helped guide her hands until she found her prize and tucked back inside her hungering quim.

Once they were joined, Samara bobbed her hips up and down once more. This time, though, she leaned forward and away from Ben, so all he could see was that big, round booty of hers. Ben was amazed, as always, by that gorgeous round ass of hers and had spent many days worshipping it. His hands jumped to it instantly, taking large handfuls of her sumptuous flesh.

Samara squeaked at his touch and shivered at the delightful sensations that were spreading through her nethers. She could sense the rise of another orgasm in her, dancing just out of reach. Ben’s hands gripping her like they did brought it a slight bit closer. The feeling was coursing through her when his hands disappeared from her ass.

She was about to complain about the loss when they came back down on her rear end, slapping it. Samara gasped when she felt the sting of it, but the lightning bolt that surged straight to her pussy was too powerful to ignore. It had been a while since either of them had done anything other than just basic sex, but this was something new. Ben had never been demanding or rough at all with her, which she had always wanted to try out, but he was always too timid.

“Where did that come from??” she moaned as the warming sensation of being slapped spread through her cheeks.

“I felt it was time to let go of what’s safe and just go with what I want,” Ben ground out.

He raised his hands and slapped Samara’s ass once again, with both hands this time. Samara cried out, another wave of sexual energy coursing through her with the blow. The orgasm she felt that was dancing beyond her reach was now approaching at a breakneck pace. She knew her body well enough to know that if Ben slapped her again, she would cum and cum hard.

Almost as though he was expecting her release, Ben slapped her cheeks again. First the left one, then the right. Samara screamed; her keening cry was nearly high enough in pitch to shatter glass. She convulsed haphazardly, her eyes rolling as the wave of pleasure overwhelmed her senses and shorted out all rational thought. Samara jittered like this for a while yet before she stopped, falling backward into Ben’s arms.

Catching his lover, Ben cradled her as he kissed her lips, losing himself in the feel of her mouth. Samara kissed him back weakly, almost drained of every ounce of strength she possessed. She’d forgotten what it was like when Ben took her the way she wanted, which usually left her with a smile on her face for days. Only Ben wasn’t done yet, as she could feel his hardness against her ass cheeks.

“Mercy, Ben?” she faux pleaded.

“Never!” he said in a dark, lustful tone that woke her up. He was almost never like this! Not that she was complaining, as she was more than ready to give her man what he wanted. He hoisted her up and put her on her front, where she propped herself up on all fours. Ben shuffled forward a bit before he entered Samara’s weeping pussy, filling her up with his cock again.

Gripping Samara by her hips, Ben cast aside any thoughts of being gentle as he embraced the darker side within himself. The carnal hunger that consumed him now would not be sated easily. It wanted to do nothing but have this woman beneath him cry out for mercy, because the pleasure was too much to handle.

Growling ferally, Ben slammed his hips into her again and again, savaging her drooling quim with his dick. Though she had just cum, Samara could feel her endorphins shoot through her system, riling her up again. Having trouble focusing her sight, Samara ignored being able to see and focused on being able to feel. The things that Ben was doing to her with his tool was too delicious to bother with anything else.

He kept hammering into her, making her squeak and squirm with each thrust. Samara’s nerves were practically dancing as Ben took her, letting out his inner monster. He picked up the pace, going faster and faster, chasing his own orgasm, while Samara was closing in on her third. Ben plowed her ever harder, nearing release, and he finally found it, just as he slapped Samara’s ass once more.

The exquisite pain and pleasure that lanced through her set Samara off to where she howled like a she-wolf, her voice echoing through the apartment. Her inner walls clenched Ben’s cock, the velvet sheath coaxing him to fill the condom. He roared as his essence shot out of him, stretching the rubbery material until it was fit to bursting. Bottoming out in Samara, Ben stayed like that for over a minute before he toppled backward, sprawling onto the bed.

His chest heaved with the strain and effort, trying to catch his breath. Samara came to first, that third orgasm dazing her beyond what she thought possible. She crawled up to him, peeling the condom off before she enveloped his gooey cock with her mouth. Ben’s head snapped up, before he dropped it down, the pleasure of Samara cleaning his dick off nearly too much for him to handle.

“Mmmmmmm! I love how you taste! I’ve missed it!” Samara told him between licks and sucks, before she finally cleaned his now flaccid dick.

“And I forgot how much of a freak you are and how much I love it!” he growled before he dragged her up to kiss her. Samara returned the kiss, then snuggled into his chest, loving the feeling of his embrace.

“I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you,” Samara confessed.

“I missed you too, babe! I never want this to end,” he told her honestly.

“Then don’t let it end. Stay the night. Please?” she asked him sweetly.

Sighing in gratitude, Ben nodded, pulling Samara into him. Samara squeed with delight as she hugged him back, burying her head into the crook of his neck. Quickly, Samara broke away from him and crawled under the covers of the bed, beckoning Ben to join her. Tired but wanting to cuddle with his lady, Ben crawled in with her, snuggling up next to her as he settled in. Soon, the both of them were out like lights, both young lovers having fucked each other into blissful oblivion.

******************************

Benjamin cracked his eyes open and turned his head to look over at Samara, only to find that she wasn’t there. Almost instantly, he felt something warm and wet covering his dick and moaned as it was applying pressure to it. He looked down and saw a big lump beneath the covers, right where his cock was. Ben twitched the blanket aside to find Samara there, practically inhaling his tool.

“Took you long enough to wake up! I woke up horny as fuck and I need this cock in me. Now!” Samara told him as she popped his dick out of her mouth and scrambled to get on top of him.

Ben, however, had other ideas and took hold of Samara, tossing her on her back. Taking her legs in each hand, he bent them back until her knees were nearly touching her breasts. Now that she was exposed to him like this, he lined up his cock and slid it into her, filling up her already wet pussy. He started into her, slowly for maybe a minute, before he let her have it, jackhammering his cock into her mercilessly.

“Oh fuck! Yes, Ben! Pound that little pussy like you own it!” she cried out, egging him on.

Ben continued to give it to her, piledriving his dick into the woman, making her want it all the more. He could feel her walls fluttering, knowing she was near her release. With the way he was savaging her, he knew that he wouldn’t be far behind and was wondering what he’d do. Samara saw the confusion on his face and beat him to it.

“It’s OK, Ben. I want you to cum in me!” she told him breathlessly.

“Are… are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes! I have some morning-after pills here, so it’s no big deal. Give me your cum! I want to feel it inside me!” she begged.

Samara begging him to cum in her?? This was a side of her he hadn’t seen in a while! But he supposed that because they had done nothing in a while, he saw no reason to deny her. It was always a turn on for him, when he could fill her like that. It must have been some primal reason why it got him riled, so he gave her what she wanted.

He grunted and groaned, knowing he’d lose it soon. Samara then peeped and squeaked as her peak hit and her pussy contracted on his dick, trapping it within her. Ben shouted out his release, his balls emptying for the third time in the last twenty-four hours. He felt his seed soak her love channel and Samara felt it as well, moaning at the feeling of being filled by her lover.

Ben and Samara came apart, the both of them huffing and puffing with exertion. Lying next to each other, they caught their breath before turning their heads to look at each other. Smiling, they continued to stare until Ben’s stomach growled.

“Ben!” Samara chastised playfully.

“What? Pleasing my woman is hungry work,” he responded. “You can’t expect that kind of performance out of a guy without him getting hungry, now can you?”

Samara opened her mouth to rib Ben about that comment, but closed it just as quickly. It made logical sense, and she hated it when he was right about that sort of thing.

“Damn you and your logic,” she groused, before her own belly rumbled. She blushed prettily as Ben smirked at her.

“Don’t you say anything!” she said to him while shaking her finger under his nose.

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” he said as he continued to smile. “We probably should get showered though, if I’m going to take you to breakfast.”

“You treated me to such a lovely evening last night, so I will take you out for breakfast. No buts!” she told him when she saw that he would complain.

Ben kissed her before he got up, groaning all the while. Samara supposed that she had worn him out quite well, and the thought of it made her happy. Though Ben had worn her out just as equally, since she was so sore, she would have trouble walking for at least a day. She had never seen this side of Ben before, but was glad it existed.

Although Ben was an ideal boyfriend, he was still unsure of himself in many ways and hadn’t really been as assertive as she had hoped. She figured that was his mental state that had kept him that way, as Asperger’s didn’t only affect how he interacted socially. It also affected how Ben perceived people and was one of the biggest shut ins that existed.

If his therapist had helped him this much, then Samara was excited as to what Ben was like now. Ben looked at her for a moment, before she shooed him away to the shower, telling him she’d be along in a minute. She looked over to her bedside drawer and thought about the morning-after pills she had and contemplated downing one.

Though it was the third time he unloaded, and it was inside her, she wasn’t sure if she would get pregnant. Stranger things had happened, and she thought about taking one, but had already made up her mind. She wouldn’t take it, as she had been certain of making Ben hers for years now, and she would. Samara wouldn’t have any children, unless they were his, and if one was brewing in her now, so be it.

She heard the water running in the bathroom and then the shower head hissed as it activated. Samara pranced along, entering the well-furnished room before hopping into the shower with Ben. She smiled up at him as the water cascaded on their bodies, warming them up as they stood there. Samara let the water soak her hair, as she had inherited her father’s straight hair, which didn’t require as much maintenance as her mother’s.

“So, where did you want to go for breakfast?” Ben asked as he shampooed his hair.

“There’s a place that I’ve tried a few times and they always have great food! You heard of Evviva Breakfast and Lunch?” she asked him.

Ben shook his head, and Samara gawked at him, but she was hardly surprised. Ben liked his favorite haunts for eats far more than most people. She figured it was the familiarity of them that drove him to these places, but his recent change was promising. So, she launched into what the place looked like, and how good the food was.

“Sounds like a place that we could both enjoy. The only problem is that I don’t have any clean clothes to wear and that my suit would make a bit overdressed for breakfast,” Ben stated.

“Well, you do still have some clothes you left here. I never emptied your drawer,” Samara told him with a smile.

“Sam…” Ben started before he leaned in and kissed her. Of all the women he’d dated, Samara had been the only one who had truly cared. Who tried to make him feel welcome in her life, rather than an intruder who she wasn’t sure she wanted around. That’s how it had felt with the other women he’d dated, and that’s why doing what he was going to do was so damned difficult.

“Let’s get washed up and go get some food. I’m starving!” he said.

Giggling, Samara agreed, as she felt that hole in her middle even more now. They hurriedly washed up and dried off before getting dressed. Samara dressed in a green cami and stretchy jeans, while she directed Ben to the clothes of his that she kept. He had a few choices, but ultimately decided on a faded Batman T-shirt and a pair of khakis.

Samara had to admit that he looked great with his shirt stretched over his frame like that. If she hadn’t already had a good and thorough pounding from earlier, she wasn’t sure if she could keep her hands to herself. Her throbbing and sore pussy reminded her of this and kept her from doing anything to him. They left the building and walked the fifteen minutes to where Evviva was located.

It was just past nine AM, so the restaurant wasn’t full just yet. A server directed them to their seats and took their order, the both of them ordering chicken and waffles. They sat and chatted for a little until their food came. As Samara had promised, it was superb food, which had Ben smacking his lips. They were just settling the bill when Samara asked Ben what else he had planned besides the walk.

“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it much, but I know that I wanted to spend some time with you,” he told her, as he was wondering how he would break the news to her.

“Oh? Why is that?” she wondered, all smiles.

“It is because we hadn’t done this in a while and I wanted to do this,” Ben said, chickening out with telling her the truth. He knew that if he told her what his plan was, that she would talk him out of it. Even though he could see that he made her happy, he had to let her go, because he knew that she deserved better than him.

“Mmmmmm!” she squeed. “I like the sound of that! So, we could start with that walk,” she started, threading her arm into his. Suddenly, her phone rang, the ringtone being the sound the TARDIS made whenever it left.

“Agh! I’m sorry, Ben, but I need to get this!” she fussed as she dug her phone out and answered it.

Ben grumbled slightly at this, but let it slide. It was an occupational hazard of being an on-call nurse, where she could be called in at any time. She was yammering at her phone, not happy with what she was hearing, but eventually slumped her shoulders in defeat. She acknowledged what was being said and then hung up with a look on her face that said she should have let it go to voice mail.

“I’m sorry, Ben, but I’m going to have to cut our weekend short. There was a massive crash on the Gardiner Expressway and they are funneling everyone involved to us first. They need all hands on deck,” she apologized as they walked back to her building.

“Hey, it’s all right. You have a job to do and there are people who need you. Go and be their heroine,” he told her gently.

“Ben, this has been great, and I hope that there will be many more nights and mornings like this?” she inquired hopefully, as they arrived, walking in the front door.

“Count on it,” he told her smoothly, the lie rolling off his tongue with ease. She hugged him then, fooled that she would be seeing him again soon. Samara kissed him, letting him know just how much fun she had on their date. She finally broke away from him as she went inside to get dressed in her scrubs before leaving for work.

Ben headed down to the parkade to retrieve his car. Once he got in, he sat there for a few minutes before starting it and leaving. His heart ached to have to lie to Samara the way he did, but as far as he was concerned, this was the best option. He didn’t want to drag her down with him, with what little he had to offer her. He was a sinking ship at the moment and refused to let her doom herself.

Putting the car into gear, Ben pulled out of the parkade and was on his way home. As he was navigating the highway, he figured that he should probably head to his place of work and collect his tools. Even though it was a Saturday, there were several guys who came in to work on weekends.

Ben often wondered why people would so willingly trade their free days for more time at work. They often said it was because the extra money was always good. Ben didn’t believe their words, not for a single moment. He believed that it was because many of these men, who put in overtime, considered it a badge of honor. They came from a generation where there wasn’t much in the manner of things to do and were instilled with the belief that the job mattered more than anything.

Ben, like many others in his age bracket, believed that working so damned much wasn’t just bad for you physically, but mentally. He’d heard of the things they’d all gone through and shuddered at the thought of it all. Ben could tell that working like they did had leached all the fire and lust for life out of them long ago. He would be damned if he would be a drained and empty husk, like many of them were.

After getting onto the 401, it didn’t take him long to get to the off ramp to the industrial sector. Finding his way to the shop in short order, Ben pulled in and parked his vehicle before heading inside. Though a good deal of the shop crew was at home during the weekend, there were still enough people who showed up for the weekends to justify keeping the lights on and the machines running.

Ben made his way over to his workstation and quickly located his toolbox. It was a short plastic thing on rollers, but he didn’t care about the box itself. It was the tools he kept inside it that mattered most to him. He’d brought a reusable bag with him to collect and contain his tools, while leaving the box behind. It didn’t matter to him in the least, and his co-worker, Tony, would have more use for it than he would.

“Hey Ben! I never see you here on a Saturday!” Tony said as he ambled up behind him.

Ben turned around and smiled at his Italian co-worker. Tony had worked at the shop for some years now, longer than Ben had, and it showed. His face was worn, but still handsome enough that women looked on favorably. Something that his wife, Maria, knew of, considering she was protective of her husband to where it bordered on jealousy.

“Just here to collect my tools, man. I’m done with this place, because I caught the break of a lifetime!” Ben said to him.

“You won the Lotto/Max?” Tony asked incredulously.

“Nah, but something that’s just as good and even cooler!”

Ben then launched into an explanation of the letter he’d received and took the time to go over everything. He detailed that he’d go under for ten years and come out with enough coin to afford himself a fresh start. As he finished telling him about it, Tony’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Damn man! That’s one hell of a fresh start you’re getting! And you stay just like you are for ten years? No getting older or anything?” the older man asked.

“Nope! I can finally say goodbye to this place and start a new life in the future!” Ben exulted, his enthusiasm apparent.

“Future? What future? Your future is here and best you not forget it!” came a snarky and snively voice from behind him.

Inwardly, Ben groaned as he turned around and looked upon Robert Nowak, the vice president of the company and the owner’s son. Since the day he started at the shop, Ben always knew that he’d butt heads with Robert, or ‘Little Robbie’ as he called him. He had the typical looks and frame that was associated with most European men, but he lacked the charm or the grace.

The way Little Robbie threw his weight around in the shop had generated a serious dislike for the man. There was also the fact that because he was the owner’s son, he could do or say whatever he wanted, and his father would always believe him over anyone. This was something that Ben had a hard time swallowing but because most machine shop jobs rarely employed manual machinists these days. Ben simply had to roll with the punches and deal with it.

The sniveling little shit loved lording this over Ben, as they had almost come to blows on more than one occasion. If Ben hadn’t been so even-tempered, Little Robbie would have much more than harsh words to remember him by. He stood up, towering over the reedy man by several inches, and looked down at him.

“Not anymore. I am leaving this place and taking everything that is mine and you can’t say shit about it,” Ben stated firmly.

“Where will you go? You won’t find work that pays as well as we do, not for your measly skill set! You are going to stay here because we pay you better than anyone else!” the smaller man sneered.

“If that’s what you think will keep people in line, Little Robbie, then you’ve got another thing coming. I’m leaving and if you want to stop me, you are going to have to bodily put me down. And I’d like to see you try!” Ben said with an edge of malice in his voice, letting the daddy’s boy know that he wasn’t playing around.

“My name is Robert!” he shouted, angered that Ben had taken a verbal jab at him. “And if you do anything, I’ll let the boss know and he won’t take kindly to you doing anything to me! You will not leave because you’ll be leaving us shorthanded! No one leaves us shorthanded!”

“Little Robbie, you need to understand this fact of life; people are not your slaves or servants to do your bidding,” Ben growled, his voice rising to match the burning anger within him. “My life is my own to live, my own to decide! I will not have it dictated to me by some arrogant little daddy’s boy, who thinks he’s better than everyone else because he was born to money!”

“You are little more than a sad weakling of a man who needs daddy’s support to prop him up! To make him feel like he’s important enough to spit on everyone without consequence and act like his shit doesn’t stink! Newsflash boy; it does, and you stink worse than a horse’s ass! I’m done with you and your bullshit! Now get out of my way before I crush you beneath my boots!” Ben raged, his voice echoing across the shop.

Robert shrank away from the furious man, fear replacing the arrogance that had just painted his face. Ben took a step and Robert took several, backing away from him in a hurry. Smiling, Ben hefted his bag of tools and slung them over his shoulder, before he turned to address Tony.

“Tell Graham that he can have my toolbox. I won’t be needing it anymore. Have yourself a good one, Tony, and say hi to Maria for me!”

“Will do, buddy! Good luck!” Tony told him, shaking his hand.

Ben shook his coworker’s hand and had an eerie feeling running through him at that moment. Even though he was going under for ten years, he felt as though this would be the last time he’d ever see him again. Shaking away the weird feeling, Ben walked out of the shop, feeling like a new man. The sun was out and shining brightly, which he took as a good sign.

After he got in his car, Ben made his way home, feeling like a million bucks. He’d always wanted to tell that little shit off, but doing so without repercussions would have been an impossibility. Now, with his life changed, there was nothing that would stop him from doing what he wanted, when he wanted. He had no fear of the future and what it would hold, as it was his now, with a fresh start waiting for him.

He pulled up to his apartment and walked on upstairs, taking his list off the table from where he had left it. Ben went over it and saw that there were a fair amount of things to get in order. Figuring there was no time like the present, Ben got to work with organizing and dismantling anything he was taking with him. As he predicted, it all fit into his car snugly and he double checked to make sure he had everything.

Once he’d gone over the list three times, he then cataloged everything that was being left behind. Most of it was furniture and some larger items that wouldn’t fit in his car. Not like he wanted to take any of it anyway, since it held no sentimental value to him. Ben wondered what he would do with it, but most of all, what his landlord would do.

Then he knew that his landlord, who was a miserly and greedy old bastard, would likely sell everything there. Not that it mattered to Ben at all, since everything that held any real monetary value was already in his car. He sat down and composed a note to his landlord, telling him he was done with renting and that everything there could be sold off. Ben knew that the old bastard would be excited at the prospect of easy money.

Finishing the note, he left it on the kitchen table to tack it to the front door when he left the following day. After that, he called up Domino’s pizza and ordered a small Hawaiian pizza for himself. As he waited for the pizza, Ben went over the apartment one last time before being satisfied that he hadn’t missed anything. The pizza arrived quickly, and Ben tipped the delivery guy generously.

While he was munching on the hot pie, Ben went over how he would tell Samara. He knew that telling her outright was a dicey option, as she’d convince him to not go. Though his mind was made up to go under, it wrenched him to leave Sam behind. He thought the matter over more, before hitting up on the idea to write her a letter, explaining himself.

He sat down over the kitchen table once again and started composing his letter to Samara. Ben went through several drafts, iterations, and mistakes before he put one together that was worthwhile. He checked it over several times before he rewrote it, with no mistakes or issues. After he was done, he picked up an envelope and wrote her address on it, then sealed the letter inside it.

Ben decided that he’d mail the letter in the morning, after he’d left. It would take a few days to reach to her, but by then, he would be well into his long sleep, away from the world. He left the envelope on the table before he went back and finished the pizza he ordered. When he was done, he was getting a bit bleary-eyed, the events of the day having taxed his energy.

Stretching, Ben dragged his ass off to bed. As he entered his room, it seemed bare, with all the major items he normally kept in it, now sitting in his car. Cracking his joints, Ben crawled under the covers and dug into the bed. Killing the bedside light, he soon nodded off and was fast asleep.

******************************

Ben woke up nearly nine hours later, to sunlight streaming into his room. Blinking against the bright light, he sat up and rubbed away the sleep in his eyes. Stretching, he worked the kinks and knots out of his joints before standing up. He padded off to the bathroom to do his morning business, then came on out and looked over at the kitchen. He thought about prepping himself some breakfast, but decided against it.

Since this would be his last waking day on Earth for the next ten years, he was going to go out to eat. He mulled over a few choices before settling on Wimpy’s diner, which was down on Royal Windsor drive. He knew that the food was good, and the price was better than most places.

Setting himself, Ben got dressed in the clothes he had prepared the night before, while taking his old ones and tucked them in a plastic bag. Giving the apartment a final once over, Ben took in the memories of the place before he turned to the table to pick up the note and the letter. Bidding a final farewell to the place that had been his home, he walked down the stairs. Ben taped the note to the door before locking it and placing the keys in the mailbox.

Ben then moved along to the mailboxes that were nearby and deposited Samara’s letter in the local one. Having done that, he went back to his car, got in, and took Lakeshore Road to Royal Windsor. He arrived at Wimpy’s and secured a parking spot, as they were usually busy on Sunday mornings.

Killing the engine, he walked in, was assigned a table and ordered a coffee and an orange juice before looking over the menu. He picked up an admiring glance from the server, to which he smiled back. After going over his options, he settled on the Wimpy’s Scrambler. When the server came back with his drinks, he placed his order and waited.

Ben took in the diner’s décor, which hearkened back to an older time, well before his. Old metal posters and paintings of pop culture icons adorned the walls, and the color scheme left him feeling happy. There weren’t many places left like this anymore, and it made Ben sad that so much was being converted to the new, instead of letting the old stay in this world. The server was back fifteen minutes later with his food and he dug in.

The bacon, eggs, mushrooms, peppers and home fries filled the hole in his middle nicely, leaving him feeling full. Ben took a few minutes to just be sitting and enjoying his coffee. He flagged down the server as he finished his drink and settled the bill. Once he paid and left her a twenty percent tip, he was back in his car and on his way. He’d input the address of the facility before he left, making sure that he was headed the right way.

The facility was located about ten kilometers south of Creemore, which Ben found odd, but went with it anyway. He supposed that a company that wanted their tech to remain away from prying eyes had little choice but to set up shop out of the city. He took the route to the highway 400 north until he came to the highway 89 exit. Once he was on that road, he continued until highway 18 showed up on the signposts and turned right, going north once more.

He went through the town of Mulmur, heading further north, until he eventually came up on his destination to the left. As he pulled in, he saw that there was an old farmhouse that was on the property, and a rickety old barn. Ben pulled up to the farmhouse and got out of his car, looking around, confused. This was the address that was imprinted on the letter, and he thought he’d made a mistake.

Ben checked the letter once again and compared the address to what he had input on his phone. Seeing how he didn’t make a mistake, he stood there wondering where the facility was. He almost thought this was an elaborate prank that was pulled on him until he heard a noise. The noise in question was the door to the farmhouse opening and a man wearing a lab coat and casual attire beneath it stepped out of it.

“Hello, sir. Are you lost?” the well-groomed man inquired.

“I might be. I received a letter from CryoTek Industries, stating that they selected me to take part in their sociological and scientific experiment?” Ben asked haltingly.

“May I ask your name, sir?” the blond man asked, now curious.

“Benjamin Piotr Lopez. I was selected for the Gold Standard of the program.”

“Ah! Yes, here you are, sir!” the man stated excitedly as he went over a tablet in his hand. “My name is Simon, and if you will drive your car into the barn, we can get you situated in your pod, sir! Before we can begin, I will require you to shut down and turn over your phone, if you please.”

Mentally shrugging, Ben handed over his phone, got back into his car and turned over the engine, while Simon jogged over to the barn and opened the doors. He drove the car into the now open barn and obeyed Simon’s gestures, guiding it in until he was told to stop. Ben then got out and walked over to Simon, a question on his lips. That question died when suddenly, the floor moved, sinking into the earth. The motion startled Ben, who glanced around fearfully while Simon smiled.

“The facility is below ground. A decision which was made to keep the overly inquisitive from just walking into any of our facilities,” the man told him.

Ben nodded as they continued to descend, as floodlights turned on, bathing the entire shaft in luminescence. The hole that was above them closed via a sliding steel door, hidden beneath the dirt of the surface. They continued down the circular shaft, descending nearly ten stories before it stopped. Built into the walls was a security checkpoint and several security personnel walked over with various equipment in their hands.

“Your name, sir?” one officer asked politely.

“Benjamin Piotr Lopez,” Ben answered.

A series of questions followed, which ranged from where he was born to the way he liked his steak. He’d answered these questions and more when he took the questionnaire before he submitted to the testing. Once they were done, they took a quick blood sample and retina scan from him. After they heard and saw that everything checked out, they then retreated to their post and activated the elevator once more.

“Apologies for that surprise inspection there. Anyone who wishes to go into the facility must submit to such tests, so we know that they are who they say they are. Corporate espionage is at an all-time high these days, and many companies are desperate to get their hands on our technology. The gains they would see from it would be… astronomical,” Simon explained to him.

“That makes sense. I wouldn’t want that to happen or allow certain idiots, or populist politicians, to get their hands on this tech,” Ben said, accepting Simon’s explanation. Simon then laughed at that, chuckling richly as they descended the rest of the way in silence. They went down another twenty stories before the elevator came to a stop. The area before them looked like a parkade and Ben looked over to Simon.

“As a Gold Standard member, you are allowed to keep your vehicle and anything you possess in it. It will be kept safe while you are asleep, sir,” Simon told him.

Hearing that, Ben got into his car and drove in, with Simon following behind on a Segway. He went down a few levels before finding a nice little corner to tuck his car into. Once he’d done that, Ben rolled up the windows and locked his car. As he walked away from it, translucent partitions dropped from the ceiling, obscuring his vehicle from view. Then, the partitions merged to form a solid barrier.

“A measure of security that we give to all of our volunteers. The things they bring are important to them, so we make sure they stay untouched,” Simon said with a smile.

Nodding, Ben followed him to a nearby elevator where Simon dismounted from his Segway and produced a keycard. There was no button on the panel to call the elevator, but instead, there was a slot which Simon’s keycard fit into. After inserting it on the panel, the elevator opened and both Simon and Ben walked into it.

“Your keycard, please,” Simon asked him.

Ben fished around in his jacket pocket until he found it. Giving it to Simon, the man inserted it into the slot on a panel inside the elevator. The blank screen above the slot lit up with Ben’s picture and all the pertinent information displayed. It was highlighted by green lines, which were of an accept prompt, which then activated the elevator, sending them down.

“How far down are we going?” Ben wondered.

“At least another twenty stories. We at CryoTek leave nothing to chance when it concerns our technology,” Simon told him seriously.

The ride was over shortly and they both stepped out into a massive circular chamber, which housed easily hundreds of cryo pods, all waiting to be used. Some were currently in use, but few, and most of those were accented in silver or bronze. Ben noted that there were many green colored tubes in the outer zones, which he asked about.

“The color coding on our tubes allows us to discern who can stay under for however long their bodies will allow. Because everyone is built differently, there are different levels of cryo freezing they can handle safely. Those who are in the green pods can only go under for a period of three years,” Simon explained.

“Not because their minds couldn’t handle it, but because they would not regain full functionality of their bodies. Staying under for longer than your body can handle would be effectively like having a stroke. And like a stroke, it is chancy if you can come back from what crippled you in the first place,” the man continued.

“So, me being in the Gold Standard means…”

“That you will be capable of staying under for the maximum test time of ten years. You are among the few who are capable of such a feat. Though that is not where our testing will end, as we are actively trying to find a way past this handicap and allow anyone to go under for whatever period of time they wish. That is where you and the other volunteers come in,” Simon finished.

“To help you perfect this technology. I’m definitely game for that,” Ben stated as they made their way deeper into the cavernous room.

“I’m also certain that the pay helps matters as well, doesn’t it?” Simon stated with a knowing smile.

“That is also something I’m looking forward to once I wake up,” Ben admitted.

“Which is nothing you should be ashamed of. Now, I believe that you wish to get started by stepping into your pod then?” Simon wondered.

“Yes.”

“Well, first, shower and get changed into your cryosuit. It will allow us to monitor your vitals and how your body is adapting to the cryo solution. If you will follow me, please,” the man said.

Ben followed along behind him as they went towards one wall. A control booth and what appeared to be a storage area was situated in the direction they were headed. They went to the storage area, where several people dressed similarly to Simon were waiting and going over inventory. As the men approached, they were noticed and one of the people, a beautiful east Indian woman, addressed them.

“Hello Simon. Another volunteer today?” she inquired.

“Yes, Sima. Mister Benjamin Lopez, here to collect his suit and his storage container.”

Smiling, Sima checked the tablet she held before bustling off to collect the items. She returned not even five minutes later, with a suit that was wrapped up in cellophane plastic and a small lockbox that was maybe a foot of cubic space. She tapped a few entries to show that Ben had arrived, had claimed his suit and storage container.

“There is a change room just over that way, sir,” Simon said, pointing towards a door past the control booth, while handing Ben the items. “I will wait for you here until you have showered and suited up.”

Nodding, Ben turned and walked over to the change room and strolled on in. He saw that he was the only one in there and noted how neat the whole place looked. It almost looked like a locker room from the future, with sleek and spotless white walls and a surgically clean floor. There were benches every few feet, shower stalls coupled together, and toilet stalls and urinals clustered next to each other. Next to the shower stalls were shelves that were lined with white, fluffy towels.

Ben knew that all this work cost some serious money and was impressed with it all. Seeing no further need to delay, he disrobed and neatly folded up his clothing before stowing it in the box. He also placed his wallet, car keys, and other personal items in the container. Once it was all contained, he took a towel off the shelf and hung it on the hook outside the shower stall he’d picked.

Stepping inside, Ben turned on the water to a pleasant heat and saw that there were small dispensers that were labeled shampoo and soap. Using generous amounts of each, he washed and scrubbed himself, sluicing away any dirt and body oils. Once he was clean, he stepped out of the stall and dried off with the towel. When he was suitably dry, he opened the bag containing his cryosuit and put it on.

It felt very much like a wetsuit, with the way the material felt against his skin. It flexed and moved in much the same way. Unlike a wet suit, it had various ports in it, like one would attach a hose to. It covered his entire body, from his neck to his toes, and Ben had to admit, it felt nice.

Once he was done admiring the suit, he picked up the box and closed it. Only it wouldn’t close, and Ben looked all over the lid and the sides of the box but found no lock. All he saw was a plastic-looking tab on top of it. He walked out of the change room then and made his way over to where Simon waited. He held the box in front of him and explained his predicament.

“I loaded the box, but I do not understand how to close it,” he said.

Sima just smiled and gestured for Ben to hand her the box. He did so, and she took it in hand, pressing on the tab which engaged the locking mechanism. She then gently removed the tab, which had a series of rectangular protrusions beneath it. On the box, where the tab sat, was a number; zero-zero-zero-five-seven. She then flipped the tab, which displayed the same number, stamped on the tab. Simon then took the tab and tucked it into a small pocket that was on Ben’s suit arm.

“It’s a little something we designed just for the volunteers, so they have peace of mind when going under. No one will be able to go into your box without your specific tab. The only other way would be to break the box and for that, you’ll need some heavy duty power tools to cut through them,” Sima told him in her lilting voice.

“Well, that’s good to know!” Ben said, sighing in relief.

“Now, let’s see about getting you set up in your pod,” Simon told him, while leading Ben away from the storage depository and over to where the cryo pods waited. They walked past the green bronze and silver pods, heading right for the center of the room, where the gold accented pods waited. Simon consulted his tablet for a moment before heading to one specific pod.

“Here we are,” Simon said as he entered another sequence and the pod opened. The whole thing looked like an elongated glass egg, with titanium braces all over it. Some of the metal was accented in gold, which denoted Ben’s status in the program. Simon placed Ben’s card into the computer that was attached to his pod and the readout showed that it accepted the card and the pod opened.

A slight hissing sound escaped the pod as the canopy came apart in two pieces, before arcing upwards away from each other. Ben took a deep breath and clambered on inside, making himself comfortable on the gel like bed that was inside the pod. As he lay down, Simon leaned over and reached into the pod, attaching various hoses that lay inside to Ben’s suit.

Once he had attached each hose, Simon stood up long enough to take a piece of metal that looked like a metallic spiderweb. He then leaned back into the pod and fitted it over Ben’s head, before attaching several wires near the top of the pod to the headgear. He stood up once more before entering another sequence into his tablet.

“Anything you wish to say before I enter the final sequence?” Simon asked.

“Here’s to a new life on the other side!” Ben said excitedly.

Simon smiled at that before hitting the activate button. The pod closed instantly, sealing itself shut as it began its cycle. A cooling fluid was pumped through the hoses, filling the suit. Once it was done filling the space within the cryosuit, the temperature dropped rapidly, but in a controlled manner.

Ben could feel his heart rate slow, as he felt unimaginably drowsy and cool. His breathing steadied and slowed down to where he was maybe breathing once a minute until he stopped altogether. The temperature dropped to below freezing, chilling the air until Ben was frozen and had entered suspended animation.

******************************

Simon checked his tablet, and everything was looking good so far. Benjamin Lopez had gone under in almost textbook fashion, as Mr. Adler had said he would. He said that about all the gold and silver candidates, as their genome made cryo sleep easier for them. The bronze and green candidates needed more adjustments to make it work. He reviewed the man’s vitals and after seeing that everything was in the green; he walked back to the control room.

“Hey there, Simon. Got our first Gold candidate, eh?” Jason asked. Jason was one of the older techs, had overseen the construction of the pods and their testing before they were put to use.

“Yes. Benjamin Piotr Lopez. He’s in his pod and sleeping soundly,” Simon confirmed.

“It’s a shame we had to lie to these folks, telling them they’d be going under for a few years,” Jason lamented as he entered the information into the pod registry.

“It is necessary for the survival of the species. You know as well as I do what Darius Beauregard is up to. The man is far too powerful and influential to be stopped. This is the only way to overcome him,” Simon reminded the man.

“I know,” the older man sighed. “It just seems such a shame that they won’t know what’s going on until they come out of their sleep. What kind of world will they inherit?”

“That is something that we have to dedicate our lives to finding out. In here, we will be able to monitor what exactly is going on and what can be done about it. We all have our jobs and it’s not like we are expected to die in futility. Not with everything that is in place to help us survive.”

Jason grunted noncommittally before turning around and asking, “Do you know if Sima is seeing anyone?”

“Not that I know of. Why? You want to go for her?”

“If no one else is, I’d like to try. I think she’s gorgeous!” Jason said with a glint in his eye.

“If you must, but just make sure you don’t neglect your duties!” Simon told him, sighing.

“Wouldn’t dream of it! Still have a ways to go before we can say the automation program for the pods works properly,” Jason said, getting back to monitoring the pods that were working, while going over the code strands for the program.

******************************

Ben’s mind drifted, awash in new and various sensations as he dreamed. He imagined that he was off on a grand adventure through space. That he was an all powerful cosmic being, to whom the laws of the universe didn’t apply. He saw himself remake the cosmos, to turn everything into what he wanted, as he saw fit. There was nothing he couldn’t do and nothing that stood in his way.

He walked among the multitude of worlds that existed. Met the various life forms that inhabited these worlds, from the lowliest grub, to the most advanced peoples. Everything he wished was made into reality and anything that did not exist, he willed into existence. Nothing and no one could stop him, because he was immortal, eternal and enduring. But just then, at the apex of his existence, he disappeared, wiped from reality itself.

******************************

Ben heard a hissing noise and felt a chill run through his body, and he slowly blinked back awake. His mind came to and became aware of who he was, where he was, and what he was doing there. His limbs felt sluggish as he tried to move them, responding like a snail covered in molasses. The chill he felt running through his limbs abated, and warmth bloomed through it.

It was slow at first, but the heat ran through him as Ben slowly came back to full consciousness. He reached for the edges of the cryo tube and gripped the sides, pulling himself up. His joints cricked and cracked as he sat up, and Ben groaned at the effort of the motion. Stretching out his jaw, he turned his head left, then right before bringing a hand up to his eyes to rub them clear.

The moment his vision cleared, Ben looked around the facility, expecting to see Simon, or one of the other attendants, coming to greet and help him. Instead, what he saw was a place that was nowhere near as pristine or clean as he had left it. The more things came into focus, the more questions that tumbled through his mind. Taking a deep breath, Ben wondered why it looked as though he’d been under for generations, when he should only have slept for a decade.

******************************

And this is where it will end for now! Don’t worry about me taking too damn long to crank out another chapter. As you all know, I have now narrowed my focus on only two other stories, which will help the speed of their arrival! Feel free to speculate or comment on the story and what may or may not happen! With so many ways it can go, the options are limitless!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you’ve enjoyed it! I’m open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don’t be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!