Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 10:28:38 +0000
From: Charles Underwood <lankymon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Life Saga-Life Begins: Chapter One

Disclaimer: This story contains scenes and actions of an adult homosexual
and homoerotic nature. If you are resident in a country where your age does
not permit you to view such material, please leave this page immediately.
This story also contains references to real people. The author makes no
claim to know the sexualities of any of the characters within the story
including in particular the members of the Backstreet Boys. This story is
entirely fiction and does not represent the views of any of the members of
the sites with which it is affiliated. Thank you.

Life Begins:

Chapter One: Marie's Death

Charles woke with a start. Something had disturbed his thoughts. As he lay,
sweating in the sheets, trying to piece the dream back together without
success, he felt the ship lurch. Overheating and suffering from the mackerel
from last night's dinner, he quickly clutched at his mouth and ran to the
bathroom. A few moments later, he felt far better since the fish was now
lining the basin and not his stomach. Cleaning up, he allowed himself a
quick look in the mirror. Shuddering at the average face with mousey hair
and thin features, he closed the cabinet door. As the light moved, he caught
a glimpse of his star-blue eyes and sighed. One feature he did approve of.
He closed the door completely, moving the mirror away from his gaze.

Heading back into his cabin naked, he opened the wardrobe and tugged on
boxers and joggers before locking his door and heading out to the open deck.
It was early. Sunrise was not for another hour and the ship was passing
through rough waters. He pulled out a small black mp3 player from the
trouser pocket and plugged in. He reached the door to the open deck just as
the jukebox found the right track and began to play. Heavy trance pulsed
through the speakers into his brain. He moved smoothly outside in perfect
time with the music. The spray lashed his hard chest, but he did not care.
As he ran around the outer deck, he passed several sailors who stared at him
in wonder and surprise. He didn't care if they thought him a fool. Whatever
the weather, he had always gone for a morning run since he was twenty.

Now, five years later, the exercise had done him good. He did not look that
old and although in relative terms he wasn't, he felt better about himself
because of it. As he ran, he felt his muscles easily cope with the added
resistances of the weather. The wind blew the spray hard into his torso and
face and his feet searched for grip on the wet deck. In total, he had been
on board three weeks and now knew the route well enough to do completely
blind. As he rounded the four mile course for the third time, he relaxed and
came to a halt. Stretching on the starboard side, he watched the sun rise
smoothly into the sky. In a matter of minutes, the sky turned from a dark
blue to a dazzling array of oranges and reds to a pure azure that reflected
on the waves and set the perfect postcard view.

There was no land in sight for this section of the cruise took the ship over
the Pacific Ocean. In two days they would reach Hawaii and once there, he
could meet his contact. Embracing the morning air that was already heating
up, he headed back to his cabin to change. Showering down and removing the
techno music from his ears, he set the device to charge beside a photo of
himself in a large group with faces he had not seen for years. It was his
only copy and having finally sorted out the graphics issue on the laptop, he
was going to scan it in. He took the picture from inside the frame and,
picking up a black case headed out to the dining area.

Breakfast this particular morning was being served outside. The morning sun
had really begun to heat the air and the rough wind had at least for a
moment, subsided. The usual array of fresh fruit, cereals, bread with coffee
and tea was neatly laid out on several large, white-clothed tables. He
walked past the common area where the majority of passengers ate and after
briefly acknowledging the man standing beside the ship, went through a small
gate into the private quarters. If there was one thing the company knew how
to do well, it was booking first class.

He allowed himself a smile, the same smile he used each morning when he came
here. It was a quiet and relaxed atmosphere and the people were courteous
enough not to bother him if he worked while eating. He sat down at his usual
place on the captain's table. "How are you this morning, Charles?" asked the
man dressed in smart naval uniform. "Not so bad, thank you John. And
yourself? Any news?" he replied casually. For a slight moment, the captain's
brow narrowed but it cleared just as quickly and he replied, "No. Nothing at
all to report. We should make excellent time to Hawaii as predicted..." the
captain turned to the other guests sitting at the table and Charles ignored
the conversation.

The other guests were mainly rich businessmen and women with large shares in
the company. A couple of waiters brought a trolley with an assortment of
food and drink to the table and after serving the captain turned to Charles.
"Just the usual if you please," Charles told them, not looking up. He was
busy undoing the case and removed a slim line computer as the sailors obeyed
silently. No one bothered to pay any attention to him as he linked the mouse
and booted the machine. He nearly always worked at breakfast. In fact, it
was unusual to see him without the laptop. He loaded up his interface and
executed the usual background commands, preventing all remote access to the
machine, before ejecting a small device from the side and loading a basic
graphics program.

He sipped the tea that steamed in front of him gently and chewed slowly on a
piece of toast as the photo slowly appeared on screen. He removed the
red-eye and enhanced the colour, allowing some time for the memories of
times with those faces to recall themselves. They were nearly all strangers
now. How close they had been. He snapped out of the past and returned to
work. Saving the image, he disconnected the scanner and returned the
original photo to the case before running the trace program and beginning to
hack.

He easily bypassed the main security and returned to the place he had
reached the previous day. "Damn," he muttered under his breath as the
command lines failed. The access codes had changed; he would have to break
them again and this time he could be certain that he would be watched. He
typed a few more lines of code, hiding his presence for the time being,
before sitting back and staring at the screen of numbers while finishing the
food and tea. Stumped for the moment, he closed the lid of the computer and,
picking up the case in the other hand, left the deck and headed back to his
cabin.

He walked slowly and coolly, not letting anything show; a completely blank
façade. Yet inside, he was fuming. How could he have been so certain that
the codes would have remained the same? He had let his guard down and would
have to spend more time and work harder to repair the damage. He could not
let them discover his location. The knowledge in the laptop was too
dangerous. Inside the workings of the device lay months of carefully
collected data on possibly one of the most dangerous men in the world. He
could not let that time and effort go to waste. He would never hear the end
of it from the company for a start let alone the effect it would have on his
further job prospects. He could not afford to fail.

He opened his cabin door and walked in leaving the door open. He placed the
case on the side table and returned the photo to its frame before leaving
the room again. He had not gone a few metres along the corridor before the
entire ship lurched to one side. A dull explosion sounded beneath his feet
and the hull lurched again. Another explosion, louder and nearer was
followed by a creaking and groaning sound that reverberated throughout the
vessel. All around him, people were shouting and lying on the floor. He had
managed to keep his feet, but not for long. With a shuddering reluctance the
floor moved to the left. The ceiling moved to the right and the walls
rotated.

Furniture crashed through the thin chipboard walls and knocked people
unconscious to the ground. A heavy glass table shot through an open door and
careered off the debris in the tilted corridor before slamming hard into
Charles' face. Darkness fell at once as he fell. Those who were outside did
not stand a chance against the failing ship. At the first lurch, most of
them fell overboard straight into the freezing Pacific waters. By the time
the motion subsided, no one could have survived unless they were on the
inside of the vessel. The cruise ship lay completely upside down in the cold
crystal waters. A gaping hole in her starboard side let the sea eat into her
hull and another near the bow made her sink faster. The capsized liner
Marie-Claire wasHe He  damaged beyond repair. For the remaining passengers
on board, only God could save them now.

*  *  *  * *

OK first chapter written. You get the impression that this is not going to
be very sexy at all well trust me it will be! Just give me time to build an
atmosphere and a real story and then I'll let the emotional and sex guns
fly! As ever, email: lankymon@hotmail.com