Lain Ogden was quick to pledge his support to Grant and his desire to front the Trioli Universities scientific expedition to Alaska. A team of professional mercenaries and researchers were gathered within two weeks and Grant set off for North California to meet with them. At a warehouse in San Francisco, equipment and gear were in the final stages of preparation.

Upon arriving at the warehouse, Grant was greeted by a technician by the name of Terrance Paulson. He was a skinny man in a dirty grey jumpsuit. On his head sat a Coca Cola baseball cap.

“One hundred and fifteen men and women in total,” said Terrance, as he showed Grant around one of the garages. “A lot of them have combat and reconnaissance experience working in rough outdoor environments. We’ll be travelling to the island on our research vessel the Sea Guard, named after our company. She was modified from a decommissioned navy dock landing ship and can carry several landing craft as well as four helicopters.”

Terrance stopped in front of a long table with various weapons and gear sitting atop it. Grant recognized grenades, assault rifles, shotguns, communication equipment, and tools. Terrance picked up one of the rifles.

“Beretta ARX 150,” he said proudly. “Our standard issue rifle of choice. Favored by the Italians. A solid 600 rounds per minute. It’s a gun that shoots as good as it looks.”

“This is a research vessel?” said Grant, gently touching a glock that rested on the table.

“Well we are a private security company,” said Terrance, smiling. “We don’t have any tanks but our armored SUVs and trucks can take a lot of punishment. All terrain of course and we got some pretty start of the art outdoor living equipment. We’ll all be sleeping quite comfortably on this trip I assure you. We got three sets of specially made trailers fitted with all sorts of fancy scientific and medical equipment. Our staff can get the mobile command center running within minutes.”

“Well this is certainly beyond what the university can provide,” said Grant. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” said Terrance, beaming. “I love talking about our hardware. I love showing off our hardware! I’ll show you the drones if you want.”

Grant’s phone went off and he held up his hand to say, “Gimme a second.”

Terrance nodded and went to inspect a partially assembled quad bike.

Grant checked his phone. Shreya had texted him and had arrived with her fellow anthropology students. He ran out of the garage and to the parking lot in front of the warehouse. Two minivans were parked there and Grant could see several college students stepping out. Among them was Shreya in denim short shorts and a black crop top.

“Welcome to the shop,” said Grant, addressing all the students. “I’m Grant Foreman and I am representing this expedition.”

“Wow it’s so nice to finally meet you,” said a petite blonde girl wearing sunglasses. “We’re really thankful for allowing us this opportunity. I literally can’t even. This is insane. I think I saw a helicopter peeking out from behind this building, like what?”

“Yes I called in a favor from my uncle Lain Ogden,” said Grant. “He is the CEO of High Guard Security.”

“Holy shit,” said a skinny student in a high pitched voice. “You got some friends in high places man.”

“Well I did save his son from being uh...I guess you could say dragged into a toxic relationship some time back.”

As expected the students exchanged looked as if unsure as to how to respond. There were six students in total including Shreya. It was fewer than expected which was good. For Grant it meant fewer guests to entertain.

“Let me introduce you to my team,” said Shreya brightly. “First is one of my good friends Amanda. We’ve been friends since the first week of freshman year.”

Amanda was the same height as Shreya. Grant paid special attention to the fact that her red brown hair was held back by a green headband. Grant hadn’t seen a girl wear a headband in quite some time. Amanda was pretty and looked intelligent. She also looked a little less friendly, perhaps even skeptical of Grant by the way she eyed him.

Shreya continued on with her introductions, pointing to the boy with the nerdy voice.. “Next we have Townsend.”

A skinny hispanic boy with short brown hair and a loose grey t-shirt gave Grant a small wave. Despite his short beard Townsend looked boyish. Grant thought he had an unusual name for a Hispanic.

“Kevin is the only senior here,” said Shreya.

Kevin, the tallest and palest of the bunch looked like he didn’t get much sleep. His eyes were tired looking and he slouched with his hands deep in the pockets of his green hoodie. His dark brown hair was slightly long and greasy, covering his eyebrows at the ends.

“Murphy here is an assistant to one of my professors.”

There was no doubt that Murphy was an athletic type. His blue polo shirt was a little too small for him though Grant figured it was a deliberate choice to make his pecs and arms stand out. He didn’t like the look Murphy was giving him. It was almost like he was sizing him up and looking down on him at the same time. His pants were tight too and his shoes looked expensive.

“Last but not least we have Shelley, who happens to live in the same apartment building as me.”

The friendliest looking girl in the group aside from Shreya gave Grant an enthusiastic wave. Her blonde hair was tied back in a short ponytail and Grant noticed a thick scar on her jaw. Her light blue eyes were astoundingly bright and dense with confidence.

“Pleased to meet you all,” said Grant. He eyed the vans they came in. “I see you all packed heavy. That’s ok cause we got plenty of room on the ship. We still got a few hours until all the equipment is ready to go. Unfortunately we might all have to sleep here tonight. Tomorrow we set off for the ship.”

“Are there beds?” Amanda asked. “My sleeping bag isn’t so comfortable and I have trouble sleeping in a seated position so the van won’t do.”

“We got a trailer here,” said Grant. “I haven’t seen the interior but one of the tech guys tells me it's like a high end research RV.”

“Sweet,” said Townsend.

“Well let’s move to gear into the warehouse,” said Shreya. “Come one people. You’ve had plenty of rest on the ride here. Let’s put those muscles to work!”

“It’s someone else's turn to carry the boxes,” said Kevin. “I’m barely keeping myself awake.”

“Alright I’ll do it,” said Amanda. “You can take a rest Kevin.”

“Thanks,” Kevin mumbled and trudged towards the warehouse.

Once everyone was inside the warehouse and all the equipment from the vans unloaded, Terrance set up several folding cots for the team to sleep on.

“Sorry,” said Terrance, when Grant asked why they couldn’t stay in the trailers. “My guys are still doing some maintenance. The onboard computers need to be set up and we are still installing the heating system. Also it's got this chemical smell to the place. You’d probably not find it very pleasant.”

“The cots will do,” said Shreya. “We got to get used to the outdoor sleeping conditions anyways.”

“There are a lot of guns here,” said Towsend. He sounded uneasy. “What’s the deal with that?”

“Like I was telling Grant here we are a private military and or security company,” said Terrance. “This is an island with a lot of unknowns. I believe the saying is that I’d rather have a gun and not have to use it than need a gun and not have one.”

“Well said,” said Grant. “I’ve also called in a few friends of mine that I trust and prefer to work closely with on projects like these. I know everyone’s excited for this expedition but it is imperative that we stick together and not get sidetracks while we are on this island.”

“The Aleutian islands are cold,” said Terrance. “Our island is south of Akutan Island. Now we don’t have satellite images of the place but all of the Aleutian islands are very mountainous and rocky. Some have volcanoes on them. In addition to the cold there is also fog and a lack of trees. Try not to get sick or injured. The ship is equipped to deal with all sorts of bad business but none of us are professional surgeons. The settlements on the other island are small, barely even 2,000 people at most. Don’t think we’ll be able to ship you to a hospital at a moment's notice. Now I am a patient guy but the others might not. Try not to drag the whole team down.”

“Don’t worry we won’t,” said Shreya. “We really appreciate your support in our research.”

Later when night came, Terrance and some of the other technicians served some chili that they had made themselves. Shortly after everyone went to bed. Terrance had promised not to let any of his men work through the night to disturb their rest.

After brushing his teeth in the warehouse restroom, Grant received a text. It was from Monty letting him know that he had met up with Rourke in San Francisco and were sharing a hotel room.

Grant smiled. Rourke was always available and dependable. The wandering street fighter had accompanied Grant on all of his past adventures. Though Rourke had never opened up to Grant about his personal life, the two of them shared a quiet but strong friendship. Even though Grant’s uncle Lain was financing and backing the expedition, he and his children were not coming along. Sophia was busy with school and her older brother Franklin was as well.

Grant put his phone back into the pockets of his sweatpants and grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste before leaving the restroom. A figure in the dark came right up to him and he stumbled back against the door in fright.

“Shit!” Grant yelled.

“I’m so sorry!” said a girl’s voice. It was Shelley. She was wearing a white undershirt and cotton short shorts. “I didn’t know someone was in there.”

“It’s alright,” said Grant, regaining his composure. “It’s 10 pm and I was absent minded. This warehouse is pretty dark. Nearly stubbed my toe on the way here.”

“Yeah I bumped into something in the dark too,” said Shelley. She brushed back her hair which was no longer in a ponytail. “Anyways, I was actually looking for a shower. Is there there one in there?”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask Terrance though I think he’s asleep.”

“Ah ok, missing out on a shower for one night is a first world problem anyways right?”

“Yeah I suppose so.”

They stared at each other in the dark. Grant tried not to acknowledge the uncomfortable silence. A few seconds later he realized his misunderstanding. “Oh my bad you still need to use the restroom. Guess I'm the rude one here blocking your way.”

“No no,” said Shelley, stepping past Grant as he moved out of the way. “The fault is mine. I snuck up on you in the dark. Uh, anyways it’s a real honor to meet you by the way.”

“Please don’t,” said Grant. “I’d rather people not think I’m some kind of celebrity.”

“Fair enough. Uh, say do you know where I can get some water? I left my flask in the van and I don’t really want to open a plastic bottle.”

“Yeah there is a water dispenser in the building,” said Grant. “It’s uh.” he struggled to find a simple way to explain how to find it. “Never mind, I can show you once you're done.”

“Oh ok. Thanks,” said Shelley, and ducked into the restroom, shutting the door.

Two minutes later she was out.

Grant led Shelley through the dark interior of the warehouse, winding through tables, boxes, and stacks of equipment. After a minute of navigating the mess of tech related objects, Grant arrived at the water dispense which was located between two boxes of tools.

“Here we are,” said Grant. “There is hot water too.”

“Thanks,” said Shelley, grabbing a tall paper cup from the dispenser. “I’ll let you go to sleep. I can find my way back and I’ve troubled you enough.”

“No it’s fine,” said Grant. “I kind of want some water too. Besides, I think you’re good company.”

“Oh,” said Shelley quietly. “Well, we haven’t really known each other long but I enjoy your company too Mr. Foreman.”

Grant raised an eyebrow at her as he filled up his cup of water. “Did you really just call me Mr. Foreman?”

“Sorry, oh I’m sorry,” said Shelley. “You just told me you didn’t want to be treated so formally too.” She downed her water and threw the cup in the plastic trash bin beside the water dispenser.

“We’re going to be working closely for a couple of days at least on this expedition. No need to be so nervous around me. I’m just a student at Trioli just like you.”

“Yeah I guess you are right,” said Shelley with a sigh and leaning back against a small table behind her. “It’s hard for me though. I’m getting the shakes just being around you.”

Grant stepped up to her and took her hands into his. They were cool to the touch. “Maybe you’re just cold. You should have some more hot water.”

Shelley flashed a small smile. “There's more than one way to keep warm. Besides, I already threw my cup away.”

“What do you have in mind then?” Grant asked, grinning.

“Hold me.”

Grant drew her in. He could feel the front of her shorts, her breasts on his chest. She wasn’t wearing a bra beneath her undershirt.

“Yeah you’re a lot warmer than I am,” said Shelley breathlessly. Her hands were slowly running over his back and slipped back and downwards towards his abdomen. She gently lifted his shirt and touched his skin.

“Yike’s your hands are cold,” said Grant, chuckling.

“They need to be covered,” said Shelley, and slowly undid the knot on his sweatpants before carefully slipping her right hand down and under his boxers. Grant let her pull down his sweatpants, exposing his lower body. He was already hard.

Grant bent down and, using the tips of his fingers, took his time pulling down Shelley’s short shorts. His hands went to work exploring the smooth skin of her bottom, feeling the hair on her frontside.

Shelley turned and leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. She let out a soft grunt as Grant slipped into her and then began pumping.

For a few minutes Grant slipped in and out of Shelley, savoring the warming sensation of her fluids covering his member. Without warning her, he let himself release his hot seed inside. He held himself deep inside until all of it had flowed out.

“You ok?” said Grant as he slipped out. She responded by turning around and kissing him. As they stood there kissing, Grant could feel his now softened organ just barely retouching the hairs between her thighs. His tongue was tasting her’s and his hand was taking pleasure in feeling her bottom. Grant kissed her for what felt like a full five minutes before she pulled back to look into his face.

“I'm not really that tired right now,” said Grant. “I don’t want to be tired though when we head for the ship tomorrow at San Francisco.”

“Want to go to bed then?” said Shelley, between pants.

Grant grinned, “Nah,” and continued to kiss her. Shelley began to move her hips in waves against him so that her frontside rubbed against his member with each wave, pushing out some residual cum onto her.

They continued until Grant noticed a little light coming into the warehouse from outside. The sun had just begun to rise. Shelley must have noticed it because she pulled away and began to get dressed. She pulled up Grant’s sweatpants for him.

“I know you came in me,” said Shelley. She was not smiling but her expression remained suggestive. “I don’t mind much though.”

She turned and went in the direction of the cots. Grant downed two more cups of warm water before heading back his own cot. He slept for two more hours before the voice of Terrance rang out throughout the warehouse. He was banging together what sounded like tools to serve as an alarm.

“Rise and shine everyone!” said Terrance. “Have some bagels and prepare to move out! You can all ride in the trailers if you want. We set out for San Francisco at 11pm. Don’t make us leave you behind!”