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