Ninety Degrees Out

Catherine turned down the volume on the local base station.There was a second radio tuned to the frequency Rico used.It was eerily silent and had been every time she came in to listen to her Volcano Safety Net.Daily reports on volcanic activity came through at three in the afternoon.

She set the HF radio to the correct frequency, and hoped the conditions were right for clear communications.The disaster around Yellowstone caldera was growing, and the hot spot in the atmosphere above it was spawning low pressure storm systems which punished the surrounding areas with violent thunderstorms and almost weekly tornados.

Oregon was now on the edge of the magma flows.Most of Wyoming disappeared under yards deep magma radiating heat which melted the rubber off the research team’s ATVs.One corner of Montana was gone.Utah lost several highways, and Salt Lake City was now cut off from supplies.Food would have to be flown in, but discussions were underway to evacuate the entire population.

Although Utah’s wheat crops were pretty much unscathed, as well as beef production, the magma flow was unpredicted.Most of her colleagues thought it would be an ash cloud with a meter deep fallout over most of southwestern Canada and all over the states which did the damage.But the explosive eruption required never happened.Instead, the dome of the caldera slowly melted, and magma rose relentlessly until it escaped.

Smaller volcanoes like the one under Crater Lake exploded more forcefully.But so far, the ash particulate in the upper atmosphere was lighter than it might have been.As per history, Mount Ste. Helen exploded, blowing out the opposite side of her crater.

She heard the call for the beginning of the Volcano safety net but the sudden voice on Rico’s radio, sent a violent tremor down her back. She grabbed a pen and pulled a sheet of paper down from the package on the shelf above her head.

When the door to the shack slammed closed, she spun around, shaking a bit.

“Sorry, Cat!I should know better by now.”

Jett took the other chair as two radios crackled to life.

Cat reached up to turn down the volume on the volcano net and pointed to the other radio.

“Listen.I’m going to try and write down what their saying.At least the main points and anything that might give us a clue as to what they’re up to.”

Jett nodded as she spoke, pulling his own sheet of paper down.

“Rico man, I’m almost to Anchorage.”

“Turn right at the first exit past Dahl Road.Come into the warehouse building.I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot.There’s only four of us left.We’re going to need reinforcements.The damn ranch is like a fucking military base.”

They heard Rico’s disgust clearly in his terse words.

“I’m Bran.I’ve only got a couple of my guys left.God damn Alaskans shot first.Just looking for fuel.Not so easy, but If you want, we can go back to some of the farms.If you have a tank, there are some fuel stores on the farms we can raid.”

“Good news.Three more are enough.We’ve got explosives to plant.Been working on them for a while now.”

Rico hissed the words, and Cat lifted her middle finger toward the radio. Jett nodded when he saw her gesture.

“My feelings exactly, love.”

He scribbled down a few words as he spoke.

“Get off the air.We don’t know if they have this frequency monitored.”

Rico sounded tense.Cat grinned.

“Damn right we are listening.Almost always someone in here paying attention to what’s going on.”

“Ten four, buddy.”

Bran was harder to read his voice a steady monotone.

Cat waited for another thirty seconds, the turned up the volume on her other radio.

“Good, I didn’t miss my check in. Lots of stations reporting in.It seems the ash in the air is at just the right altitude to propagate good bounces on this frequency.”

“I’ll get this to Hakan and Erik. Now we know why Rico’s been so quite.I’ll let Randy and Aaron know to keep their eyes peeled when they’re up on the roof. We need to know if those jerks move.Hopefully, we can strike before they do.”

Jett stood up grabbing Catherine’s notes and his own.

“That exchange took less than thirty seconds.Too damn easy to miss.I’m so glad I was in here,” Cat said.

“No kidding.I’ll be back.I know this net can take a while before it’s done.”

“Considering who’s coming in now, we’re going to get an update on Antarctica and Africa as well.I’ll let everyone else know later.This is going to be interesting.”

Cat turned her head up for a kiss when Jet bent toward her.

“Outta here.Love you.”

She smiled when he made sure the door didn’t bang shut behind him.He really was the best thing that ever walked into her life.

As she listened to the updates coming in, she reminded herself to talk to her dad and Alicia.She wanted in on the wedding day.Why not?Alicia had a great idea about establishing their own traditions.

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Sara gritted her teeth and went up the ladder.There was no way a little bit of fear was getting in the way of helping her men.

When did I start thinking of Randy as mine? He’s such a bear, but he’s like Aaron.He’d give me anything if it’s in his power to do.I feel like there’s never a chance for anyone to get to me.Not like trying to get out of Seattle with all the fires and water creeping through the streets.Finding my way to the ferry terminal was a week of hell.

She winced at the memory, but then stopped at the eave’s trough.No flashback.Finally. Her hand automatically went to her deformed ear.The scar would be with her forever, but Randy called it her war medal.She recalled the first time she saw him without his shirt, and the livid scar running across his chest from his right nipple up and across the top of his left shoulder.It looked like something tried to split him in half.

No one seemed to care about scars around here.They were just a part of you and treated with respect.Respect for survival and the tough courage it took to live with them.She clipped her harness into the piton climbing system and rope Aaron put up after the first couple of days of using the platform.

“Hey guys, I’ve got your lunch and a message.The base radio is on downstairs.I’m so glad we found the boxes in Mom’s hidden storage room.”

“Can’t believe Rico and his assholes didn’t find it.” Randy reach out to take the pack she had on her back.

“Not surprised.That sort never look for anything that might take a little effort.The storerooms in the back of grocery stores and pharmacies were barely touched.We were able to stock up on a lot of OTC medications on our way up here,” Aaron said.

“That’s what you had in the little trailer in the garage?” Randy asked.

’Mostly and burn dressings for Sara’s ear.Never thought the training we got in the Army would come in handy, but man I was glad I knew my way around dressings and wound care.” Aaron responded.

“He has the gentlest hands.And it’s part of why I fell in love with him,” Sara passed out sandwiches.She left the best surprise, dessert, in the knapsack.

“You said I left the radio on downstairs?” Aaron prompted her.

“Yeah, I told them I’d bring you the message.Rico has three new guys coming to join him.Something about bombs they have ready.We already know they figured out a source of explosives after what they did to the Trooper HQ in Anchorage.Looks like they’ve got plans for us.”

“Shit!” Randy’s disgusted grunt said it all.

“Can we pick them off before they get there?” Aaron looked at his buddy.

“Of course, the junction of our road to the highway is an easy shot.” Randy said.“No one’s been up the highway into town today.”

“Cat’s message said a guy named Bran is on his way up with two others.I think they’re on motorcycles, but they might not be.They talked about raiding farms for their fuel tanks along the way.Jett says he’s coming up here and bringing Hakan and Erik too.”Sara passed water bottles to Aaron and Randy.The warmth of Randy’s fingers as they slid along hers startled her.It was almost electric.

How am I supposed to tell them I’m falling love with Randy? Is Aaron going to be okay with it?

She felt Aaron’s eyes on them, and his enigmatic half smile flickered across generous lips.He winked at Randy.

Did I see that?How close are these two?

“Something you two want to tell me?”Aaron didn’t sound upset at all.

Sara took a deep breath, and Randy took her hand.He looked her square in the eye and then turned to face his friend.

“I’m falling for her.I can’t help it.Remember what we promised each other back when we went our separate ways after we got discharged?”

Aaron nodded.

Sara shifted her gaze from one set of eyes to the other.

“Well don’t keep me in suspense.I’m more than halfway in love with Randy.And I’m still all the way in love with you.”

“Don’t beat yourself up.” Aaron’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Tell her about our dream.And why we went in opposite directions.”

“We knew from the so called kinky relationship we had with one of the gals we served with, we are built to share a woman.It’s that simple and that complicated.We parted, vowing to stay away from each other, because it was always the two of us when we found a girl one of us liked.It was the unspoken no no which sent the three of us out.We weren’t punished with a dishonorable discharge, but we weren’t allowed to renew our contracts either.”

It was the longest single statement she’d ever heard from Randy.

“What about the girl?” She asked.

“She caught up with me a couple of months after we transitioned back to civilian life.I’m sorry to say, she wasn’t in great shape.She needed us, Aaron.We should have stayed together.”The deepening of Randy’s voice signaled bad news.

“What happened?” Aaron came scooted over to sit closer to them putting a hand on Randy’s shoulder, and an arm around Sara’s.

“There’s no easy way to say it.Pamela’s dead.She overdosed a couple of days after we talked.I found her in an alley in Portland.”

Tears flowed as Aaron’s body shook.Randy and Sara enfolded him in a three way hug.

Sara’s eyes overflowed.With Kanti’s marriage accepted without a blink, she had good news for these two.This time, there would be no judgement.No separation.She kissed Aaron’s tear stained face and turned to kiss Randy fully for the first time.

Her toes curled.

None of them noticed the van which slowed at the turn off the highway and then sped away. Dessert forgotten Sara bonded with her men.They needed her.