Space Rescue One (36 page)

      "Nice going, Amanda!" Richard shouted.

      "Pants, everyone!" Amanda shouted.

      Shelly watched as Richard dropped his pants and stepped out of them. She hardly cared or noticed that the two women beside him were almost eagerly dropping theirs. She did notice that one of them sat very close to him when they took their seats. The woman's bare legs were right up against Richard's.

      "You're up again, Shelly!"

      Shelly took her ball from the return holder and approached the lane. She was a bit more used to the curvature of the lane and managed to send the ball down the lane without another gutter ball. Those were what most bowlers were making despite how well they bowled on Earth. She didn't even watch to see how her ball struck. Instead, she turned and walked to the return holder to wait for her second throw.

      "Strike! You got 'em, Shelly!" Midge hollered.

      "What do you want us to take off?" April asked.

      "Make Mike have to take his pants off!" Midge hollered.

      Shelly glanced back at the alley to see that a strike was registering for her. She said, "Okay, whatever Midge wants."

      "In that case, girls, your panties are also going since that's the only pants you have left," Mike said.

      "What?" exclaimed April.

      "Check it out with Sheila if you don't believe me," Mike said.

      April called over the pit seats, "Hey, Sheila! What do we have to take off if pants are called and we're down to panties?"

      Sheila replied, "Doff 'em, gal, if they're what's showing and pants are called. That or leave. You all agreed to abide by the rules or leave."

      Mike grinned as April and Midge removed their panties to stay in the game.

      "I'm sorry, I didn't know," Shelly said.

      "It's my fault. I asked you to call for pants. I should have known better. Well, maybe our bare asses will keep Mike's attention off his bowling. We might beat him yet," Midge said.

      Shelly turned her attention back to the other pit. She watched Richard throw two gutter balls with enough force to make the gutter rattle loudly. It wasn't easy for her to tell, but the set of his face appeared to be anything other than him having fun. It was as if he was attacking something and didn't mind guttering, especially when he showed no disappointment.

      Moments later, Amanda shouted, "Right on, Sheila! What do we have to take off?"

      "Pants! I want to see Richard blush!" Sheila shouted.

      Shelly watched as Richard and one woman doffed their under pants while Amanda removed her pants. The woman sat back down beside Richard with her body pressed against him once more. Try as she might not to, Shelly felt anger welling up in her.

      "You're up, Shelly!"

      Shelly got up from her seat, took her ball, and made her approach. She stopped as she overheard someone shout, "Hey Richard! Synchronize your swings!" Shelly stopped just short of the foul line and glanced over to see Richard foul as the remark caused him some embarrassment. His ball guttered as before. Shelly backed up and made her approach, her temper ready to burst at how he was being treated. She loosed her ball down the lane harder than usual and turned immediately to wait its return, certain that she put too much curve on the ball and wouldn't get anything.

      "Strike! You did it again, Shelly gal! Get the rest of Mike's pants!" Midge shouted.

      Shelly nodded. Before she could say "Pants," Mike was removing his under pants to stand half-naked in the semi-darkness while Midge and April removed their shirts since those were the only outer wear they had showing.

      Minutes later, Shelly saw Sheila make another strike. Richard removed his shirt while Amanda removed her pants. Just about everyone was intent on trying to embarrass every other bowler by getting them partly naked as soon as possible. Shelly realized that it wouldn't be long before Richard was disqualified for a second game. He hadn't thrown a single ball yet that made it down the alley without guttering.

      Richard suddenly realized with a start that he wouldn't be bowling anymore if he was disqualified. He made his next approach with more intent than force. He finally put one down the alley without guttering. He wondered if it would be enough to keep him in the game since it was the other bowlers whose abilities could disqualify him.

      "Way to go, Richard! That's the first one you didn't gutter!" Amanda shouted.

      "Thanks," he replied before sending his second ball down the lane.

      "A spare! That ought to count for something!" Amanda shouted.

      "Strike! Ladies in my pit area, remove any last pants now please!" Mike shouted.

      Shelly heard Mike shout and knew he meant her. She slipped her panties down her legs after standing to do so while the other two women removed their undershirts. She sat back down on her clothes after adding the panties to the pants lying on her seat.

      "Do I get to finish out the game, Sheila?" April asked.

      Sheila glanced over at April who was naked save for her shoes. Sheila answered, "You can finish the game, but your strikes don't count against the other bowlers."

      "I don't believe it! Richard got a strike! Yay, Richard!" Amanda yelled.

      Shelly glanced over at Richard's pit to see that the woman who sat close to him was finally naked and disqualified like April was, though she could also continue to bowl the one game. Like Richard, Amanda was down to her undershirt while Sheila was still wearing her outer shirt as well as her undershirt.

***

Shelly looked at Mike who appeared determined to win as the second game started. Amazingly, Richard was still bowling though he only had an undershirt on. Sheila still had both her shirts. Amanda possessed only her undershirt. In the last set of lanes, two more male bowlers went at it while wearing only undershirts.

      Shelly listened as some of the women cheered Richard on while she did her best to concentrate on remaining in the game as long as he did. Then she realized that it didn't matter whether she stayed in the game or not.

      "You're up, Shelly. Throw a gutter, gal!" Mike exclaimed.

      Shelly tossed the ball hoping to catch the gutter at mid-lane only to see it curve back inwards and hit behind the lead pin. For once she was watching as she made a strike. As she turned back to return to her seat, Mike was dourly taking off his shirt.

      "Guess I shouldn't have taunted you. You seem to play better when mad," Mike said.

      "I don't mind the taunts. Anyway, it was just luck, really," Shelly replied.

      "All right, Richard! That's a strike! You've got her on the run now! One more strike and you'll have her bare!"

      Shelly tried to ignore some of the other comments from one woman about the prize he might win from one of them. She couldn't ignore his excited state as the women in his pit did their best with words and pressed up against him as he sat down in order to arouse him.

      "Your turn, Shelly," Mike said.

      Shelly got up and threw her ball forcefully down the center of the lane with the intention of just releasing some of her anger at how Richard was being pawed at. The ball began to drift, then caught itself to curve back toward the center just before slamming against the pins. The pins tumbled down and the lane signaled another strike. Shelly didn't know she had a strike as her back was already turned until she noticed that Mike was removing his last garment. She glanced back to see the results and did her best to smile briefly before turning her attention to the other pit.

      Richard was now bracketed by two naked women who didn't seem to care about where their hands roamed. Had it been any darker, Shelly was certain that both women might have taken things a bit farther. Then Richard was up to the line once more.

      Shelly watched him make his approach despite his aroused state that drew more comments from the women. "Hey, no fair, Richard! You're using an aiming device to help you!"

      Richard fouled and guttered as he threw. Shelly couldn't help but laugh some as he turned back to wait on his ball when she briefly saw that he was blushing a deep red. His second ball was a spare since no one tried to disturb his throw as he couldn't be credited with a strike for the frame. Even so, Shelly could see that he actually was trying to bowl and stay in the game despite what was going on around him.

      For her own bowling, it didn't much matter. She was the victor in her pit and would go on to play whoever remained to play against from the other two pits.

      Then there was a slight uproar from the other side of Richard's pit as one of the two men lost his shirt and the victor there became known. It was only in the center pit where any competition remained alive. There, Richard and Sheila bowled in only their undershirts as they each tried their best to win.

      The tenth frame approached and Sheila went up to bowl. She lined up her throw and made a smooth approach. Moments later, her lane lit up announcing a strike. Shelly watched as Richard doffed his shirt before stepping up to bowl his last frame. Shelly could tell that he was disappointed at being disqualified. He didn't put as much into the throw as he usually did. Worse yet, he bowled a strike.

      "Hey, Richard ought to get to bowl again since he got his strike in the same frame! That or you should be disqualified, too!" Amanda yelled.

      Sheila said, "I guess you're right. I'm disqualified, too," as she took off her shirt to let her breasts flop freely about.

      Shelly was a bit stunned to find that she was going against the other man while Richard would be sitting naked on the sidelines among all those other naked women. She tried to bite her lower lip gently to remind herself not to say something that she might regret. In the process, she almost actually bit herself hard. "Damn!" she muttered.

      "Okay, this is probably the game that will decide the grand winner. Both of you move into the center pit and begin bowling!" Sheila announced.

      Shelly picked up her clothes and carried them into the center pit, grateful that she wouldn't have to constantly crane her neck to see into it. Sheila tossed a coin and Shelly called it. She lost and sat down to let Russell bowl first. He bowled a strike on his first ball. Without comment, Shelly took off her shirt amid the hooting and hollering that was by then normal each time anyone made a strike. She did her best to imitate a stripper as she removed her shirt among the hummed strains of off-key stripper music coming from both men and women.

      "Go get him, Shelly!" Richard shouted from his seat.

      "Yeah, get him, Shelly! Fight back!" Midge roared out.

      Shelly made her approach. As she was about to let go, she couldn't help overhearing some comments meant to distract her. Her ball plopped into the gutter only ten feet down the lane. Without any real distraction on her second ball, she picked up the spare.

      Then Russell was back up to bowl. He threw his first ball and picked up a spare with his second throw before it became Shelly's turn once more.

      Shelly made her approach. She threw without letting the comments get to her despite how crude some of them were. Leaving a split, she barely managed to pick up another spare. Russell followed her, receiving comments just as rough about his own virtues, particularly from the women as most of them sided naturally with Shelly. He just missed getting a spare on a similar split to Shelly's.

      Shelly went up with her ball. The cheers of the women and Richard easily drowned out the men as she made her approach. She loosed her ball down the lane only to see one pin refuse to fall. Grimly, she picked up the spare once more, wondering if she could beat Russell or not. Russell stepped out onto the lane as she stepped aside into the pit. She watched him make his approach and followed his ball as it wound down the alley and struck the pins forcefully at the conclusion of a smooth graceful arc that threw all of them about on the end of the lane. Before the chanting and off-key singing began, she had hold of her undershirt and pulled it off to stand naked in front of the crowd.

      "You still have a turn! Strike his shirt off, Shelly! Don't let him win yet!" Midge shouted.

      Shelly approached the ball return and picked up her ball. She felt stranger than before as her mind was aware that all of her was showing to a crowd of people, most of whom she didn't know. It wasn't like before when she walked naked from her quarters to Richard's. There was an overriding reason and purpose to that which permitted her to do so with her head held up with intense pride and dignity. Then again, only her friends had seen her those times. Besides, it was difficult not to see each other occasionally in the common areas of their quarters. Carefully, she lined up her approach and tried her best to concentrate on her one remaining shot that counted. Perspiration gathered on her body making her feel even more self-conscious about herself as it reflected what little light there was to illuminate her even more. Gingerly, she stepped forward as she swung her ball back to make her throw. Two steps, three, and she released the ball only to see it clunk into the gutter.

      There was a mass groaning among the women as Shelly saw her one chance to force a tie and perhaps a throw-off to determine the grand winner. She turned and watched as Russell leaped into the air in celebration while whooping loudly before he approached to extend his hand in good sportsmanship. Shelly accepted his handshake while glancing over at Richard who was standing with Amanda hanging around his neck. Awkwardly, Shelly replied, "Uh, yeah, thanks, Russell. Excuse me, now."