

Ther

Sara's Paradox

By J.R. Bowles

Published by J.R. Bowles Smashwords

Copyright pending 2018

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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CHAPTER 1

Sara reached up and straightened her garrison cap, while wishing she hadn't shipped her combination hat. She sure hoped they wouldn't be upset and she wouldn't get into trouble. She was supposed to report in her full dress uniform and that included the combination hat. At least she was glad she had cut her hair short. Now she wouldn't have to worry about it falling out of the pins like it had in boot camp.

She squeezed her green canvas sea bag to settle her nerves as she clanked up the gangplank. The 157 feet buoy tender swayed against the dock from the wake of a slow passing tug boat. The metal plank ease way screeched as she got her first taste of the sea's motion. She had never seen the ocean until she joined the Coast Guard. She tried to tell herself that was the reason she had joined but down deep she knew she just wanted to get away from home—the demons. She shuddered as a memory flashed through her mind and she gave a silent prayer for strength. They weren't real, she told herself, but she couldn't help glancing down at the scar on her wrist. The doctors had diagnosis her as paranoid-schizophrenic and said she had tried to commit suicide. She hadn't though. It was the one she called Lutz that had severed her vein. Of course she had lied to the Coast Guard on her entrance physical when they asked her about mental disorders. That hadn't been a lie, 'they' were real. It wasn't a disorder, demons were real, but she had lied about being hospitalized. It was over now, anyway.

Sara inhaled and straightened herself, standing taller while audibly exhaling she continued up the gangway, remembering the procedure for boarding a ship. "Salute the flag--the ensign," she -corrected herself, "and then salute the OOD, the Officer Of the Day." When she got to the top of the gangway she glanced swiftly around and found there was no OOD shack. She groaned inwardly and saluted the flag and stepped onboard.

Sara wondered where the OOD was. In boot camp that was what they had taught them to do. Salute the ensign and then the OOD and ask permission to come aboard.

Suddenly a door in the white bulkhead opened. "Not a door," she corrected herself again "a hatch."

"Can I help you?" A distinct male voice asked.

Sara stared up at the Chief Petty Officer and pulled back her shoulders. She was more nervous than she realized and she inhaled to steady her voice.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown, reporting sir." She snapped a very military salute and with a faint smile.

His steel gray eyes stared coldly without response or expression.

Sara stood at attention holding her salute and slowly lost her smile waiting for him to return it. After several eternal seconds the Chief spoke.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was harsh and demanding.

Sara blinked several times in confusion. Was the man stupid? She had just told him she was reporting for duty. When she realized he wasn't going to return her salute she awkwardly dropped her hand back to her side. She swallowed a thick lump of confused fear at his question.

"I'm reporting for duty, sir!"

"First of all, didn't they teach you anything in boot camp? I'm a Chief Petty Officer, not a sir. I'll have you know we don't allow women on this ship; and second of all, we don't allow any women on this ship."

Her eyes widened slightly as she tried to control her discomfort. He was worse than the Chiefs in boot camp, although he looked too young to be a Chief. What maybe if he's lucky twenty six—eight at the most. "Here's my orders, sir, uh, Chief."

Chief Donnelly stared down at the orders she handed him and shook his head. "Must be some mistake." He mumbled and huffed to himself "Come in and sit down on the mess deck while I find out what's going on." He turned and walked back through the hatch.

Sara wearily picked up her sea bag, following after him. "Oh god," she prayed silently, "please don't let him be the Boatswain Mate Chief."

Sara stepped over the door lip and set her bag on the floor. She turned and fiddled with the complicated handle of the door hatch and finally secured it. She let out a quiet sigh as she glanced around the small room with six built into the deck tables and a stainless steel galley counter. She was a little relieved there were only two other people there. A seaman in his dress uniform sat on a stool in the corner where he could stare out the window and answer the phone. She glanced at his name tag. Carson. She figured he was about her age, although he may be a little older, but no older than twenty-two. His short black hair accented his coal black eyes. In the back of her mind the phrase Jersey Shore zipped through and she had to catch herself to keep from grinning.

He opened his mouth and she felt he was going to greet her but then she saw him glance at the Chief. His mouth snapped shut and he stared down at what appeared to be a manual.

"Hello. Welcome aboard." A very tall muscular black man, around twenty two years old, came around from behind the stainless steel counter. "I'm Douglas Kelly." He flashed a warm ivory smile. Wiping his hand on his apron he offered it out in greeting. "I'm the cook."

Sara reached out and clasped his hand smiling. Finally, she thought, a little common courtesy. Although he was tall and muscular his demeanor was very gentle. She froze as the Chief's voice pierced the silence before she had a chance to speak.

"That's Petty Officer Second Class Kelly." The Chief snapped, correcting Kelly's informality.

Kelly glanced unemotionally at the Chief and then looked back at her. "Just call me Doug."

Sara felt relieved at his suggestion but nervous butterfly's swarmed her stomach as she glanced at the Chief. She nodded. "Seaman Apprentice Sara Brown." She figured she would stay with protocol and apologize later. Chiefs were gods, weren't they? She sure didn't want to upset this Chief, especially if she had to work for him.

"Sit down. I'm going to have to call the old man." The Chief snapped and stormed off.

Sara sat down trying not to fidget.

"Don't mind him." Doug Kelly said. "It's almost seven and I was just securing the galley but I can fix you a sandwich."

Sara removed her cap and draped it across her knee. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

From the corner of the room Carson finally spoke up. "Are you really assigned to the ship?"

Sara turned and nodded.

"You're sure? We've never had a woman onboard. We don't even have a berthing area for you." He stood up and drew his pants up slightly as if to draw her attention to his bulge.

Sara glanced away trying not to stare and reprimanded herself for such a wicked thought. She finally shrugged. "I don't know why. That's the orders they gave me out of boot camp."

Carson had started walking over to her but backed up when he heard the wardroom door open.

Sara watched nervously as the Chief's form appeared from the short corridor behind the galley.

"I spoke with the old man. I'll have to put you in the Engineers' stateroom for tonight and they will have to figure it out tomorrow." He didn't even look at her as he spoke even though he stood directly in front of her and then he turned to Carson. "Here's the key for the Engineer's wardroom take her there." Then he looked at Kelly. "Answer the phone until he gets back." He turned and headed back to the wardroom.

"I don't have duty." Doug spoke up. "I'm headed on liberty." He wouldn't have minded if he had asked him but he just told him.

Chief Donnelly turned, his face was devoid of emotion except for a faint twitch in his jaw. Sara though he must be gritting his molars. "Listen, Kelly, ODD stands for Officer of the Day and in case you can't remember what that stands for, the OOD takes the Old Man's place when he's not here. You are in the Coast Guard twenty four-seven, whether you're on duty or off duty. If you're here you fall under my command and I'm the one that grants liberty."

Doug's eyes flashed with anger. "Aye, aye, Donnelly." He answered curtly in response to the Chief using only his last name.

"That's Chief Donnelly!"

"That's Petty Officer Kelly." Doug stared back in defiance and watched as the Chief turned then headed back into the wardroom.

Sara sat frozen at the confrontation watching as Doug went over and nodded at Carson. After he sat down on the stool Carson had been sitting on, he smiled at Sara. "He's right. He is the OOD but it's just the way he comes across that makes everybody so damn mad."

Sara didn't say anything. There wasn't really anything she could say. She stood up and watched as Carson walked across the mess deck to the steps leading below deck. "The ladder," she corrected her thoughts. "Stairs are ladders, even if they're not ladders."

"Come on." Carson said grinning as he curled his hand in gesture. He stopped and watched as she picked up the heavy sea bag, then walked back towards her. "Let me carry that for you. "

Sara watched as he reached out to take the heavy burden. She really wished she could let him carry it. God knows she had been toting it through two airports and then the taxi. She couldn't let him do it even if she wanted to, it just wouldn't be right. He wouldn't offer to take it from her if she were a male but how did she say no without offending him.

"That's okay, thanks anyway. I've carried it so long today it has become a part of my body." She smiled in hopes he wouldn't be offended. She didn't know much about men but she did know men's egos were fragile. "It's like a Siamese twin, connected at the shoulder." She added with a nervous laugh.

"By the way, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Ken."

Her mind spun slowly. Ken and Doug. They both gave her their first name. Was it acceptable to call them by their first name. Well Ken was a seaman, one rank above her but still a non-rate like herself; so she figured that was okay but Doug was a Second Class Petty Officer. She wasn't sure if it was okay to use his first name. In boot camp they had taught them to address them as Petty Officer. She wasn't sure what she should do. She didn't want to offend Kelly by giving the seaman her first name but not him. Just as she opened her mouth to answer the hatch to the mess deck clanked open.

"Hello! Is anybody onboard?" A tall ebony skinned woman in uniform stepped onto the mess deck. She glanced around and then motioned behind her. A man, who apparently was the taxi driver set two suitcases down as she pointed at open space on the tiled deck. She fished around in her purse, pulled out some money, handed it to him and smiled. The man tipped his hat, took the money and left.

Sara, Doug and Ken stood silently watching the animated scene. "Well?" the woman finally interrupted their rude stares, "is anybody gone to welcome me aboard or are you going to just stand there?" She scanned Sara and Ken wearily and then spotted Doug sitting in the corner. Smiling she walked sensually over and offered out her hand. "I'm Tanika Brown and I'm reporting aboard."

Sara watched her style and self-confidence with envy. Of course she was a Seaman, one pay grade higher than Sara was, but she was definitely a dynamic personality.

Doug stood up so fast the stool squealed against the tiled floor. "Hello there." His smile was even brighter than the one he had given Sara. "I'm Doug Kelly and I'm certainly charmed to meet someone as lovely as you." He stared at her several seconds with awe plastered over his face.

Sara glanced around at Ken as he cleared his throat. "I'm Ken and this is Sara."

Sara glanced at Ken in surprise, touched that he had caught her first name so easily.

Tanika glanced over at the sound of his voice and then dismissed him almost as quickly. She didn't even look at Sara.

Ken spoke again. "You said you're reporting aboard?"

"Some boys can be so deaf sometimes." Tanika said to Doug and then looked back at Ken. "That's what I said."

Ken glanced down at the deck from her rudeness and spoke to himself more than to her. "I better get the Chief."

Sara watched as he walked up the short corridor behind the galley at what she now assumed to be the wardroom. He knocked gently several times and paused for a response. Sara couldn't hear the response but figured the Chief must have called out when Ken opened the door and stuck his head through. Sara heard amusement in his voice as he spoke. "We've got a Seaman Brown reporting aboard, Chief."

This time she heard the Chief's voice loud and clear. "Shit son, I already know that and it was Seaman Apprentice Brown. Carson I knew you were dropped on your head as a kid."

Ken answered with a definite chuckle in his voice. "No Chief, this is another Seaman Brown."

He backed away from the door and headed back down the corridor with the Chief close behind. Sara quickly looked down at the deck as the Chief glared at her with those cold icy eyes.

"What the hell is going on out here?" He stopped as he spotted Tanika and Sara could almost hear him groan. "Who are you?"

Tanika turned away from staring at Doug, somewhat disgruntled at being interrupted and spied the Chief. She smiled gloriously at him, obviously taken by surprise, the same as Sara had been by his handsome yet stern looks.

The Chief dismissed her blatant stare causing his face to become even harder. "I asked, who are you?"

"I'm Seaman Tanika Brown." Her body language became slightly more reserved and she handed out her orders.

The Chief stood at the corner of the mess deck and stared at the papers until she walked over and handed them to him. He glanced down and shrugged turning to Carson. "Log them both in and show them to the engineers wardroom."

Carson nodded and then stopped. "But Chief there's only one rack in there."

"It can't be helped. One of them will have to sleep on the deck. Here's the key to the linen locker, get some extra linen." He headed back to the wardroom grumbling. "This is the Old Man's problem."

Sara could almost swear that she heard him add "I hope," to the rest of his statement.

"Come on." Ken said and headed back towards the ladder leading below deck.

Sara watched Tanika with relief knowing that she wouldn't be the only woman onboard.

"Well?" Tanika said emphatically and tilted her head and looked at Ken and then to Doug.

Ken scratched his head in confusion. "Well what?"

Tanika turned back to Doug with a slight frown. "Are either of you strong men going to help a lady with her bags?"

Doug chuckled and grinned at Ken. "I have to stay and answer the phone. I would if I could."

Ken let out an audible sigh and shuffled over and grabbed one of the suitcases and complained from the weight. "What do you have in here, a body?"

"Honey," she gave him a definite once over, "with men built like you around, I sure don't need to bring one with me."

Ken only grunted but Sara smiled as she noticed his chest swell slightly as he forced himself to move the suitcase as if it weighed nothing. Sara looked away before he saw the amusement in her eyes. Once again he headed for the ladder and Sara fell in behind him.

Tanika picked up the lighter bag and smiled back at Doug. "I'll see you later." She raised her eyebrows, the question in her eyes even before she asked. "Won't I?"

Doug smiled. "I would like that. You too, Sara. After you get settled in I'll show you a little of the town."

Sara didn't answer but nodded at him shrugging noncommittally as she saw Tanika staring daggers at her. She fell in behind Ken as he lead the way down the ladder. On the next deck they took a sharp left. Straight ahead was a short corridor, the floor was tiled in a pale blue corrugation and the walls were paneled in beige Formica.

Sara glanced up at the ceiling tile. "Where's the pipes? I thought ships had pipes running through the halls. This is nice. Even the ceiling is tiled."

"That's the overhead and the hall is the passageway." Ken grinned. "It's still the ceiling to me too but don't let the Chief hear you call it anything else."

Ken turned slightly and pointed by nodding his head. "On the right there is engineer's berthing, straight up next door is deck force berthing and across from them is petty officer berthing. Beside them is the washroom."

"Washroom?" Tanika asked.

"Washer and dryer." He explained and then he took another sharp left dragging Tanika's heavy bag. This is the main corridor that runs all the way to the buoy deck. This first door on the left leads to the engine room. The next is the head. Men's head." He clarified. "On the right down that way is first class quarters, although we only have two first class on board now. On the left is the ship's office. I guess that's where you'll be working."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked not sure what he was insinuating.

Ken straightened his back. "As non-rates you'll still have to do clean ups. Probably some painting too but I don't think they will put you on the buoy deck. It's too dangerous."

"That's fine with me." Tanika said. "I sure don't want to work out on that nasty thing. I've seen buoy tenders when they get back into port and I sure don't want any part of it. They smell like fish sewers."

Sara opened her mouth too protest but snapped it shut. It wasn't the time or place to tell them she wanted to be a boatswain mate. If the men could do it she could too! But there wasn't any reason to talk to Ken about it. He was only a seaman like she was. Just another non-rate.

Ken cleared his throat. "By the way, I'm the leading seaman." Then he glanced back at Tanika's three white stripes. "Or I was. How long you been a seaman Tanika?"

"Three months." She answered.

"Good. I've been a seaman eleven months." Ken said with relief and then apologized when he realized how it sounded.. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"That's okay sugar." Tanika answered. "I've seen the job and I don't want it. There's nothing I want more than to work in a nice comfortable office."

"Well I'm sure you'll get too, although you'll still have to do cleanups and paint." Ken answered leading on. "Next door to the office is the Chief's quarters. Straight ahead leads to the buoy deck." He made a quick right. "And there is the Warrant Boats quarters and here's where you'll be staying, the Warrant Office Engineers stateroom. On the right this ladder leads up towards the Captains and Executive Officer's quarters. The one leading down below goes to the reefer."

"Reefer?" Sara asked. "I thought a reefer was what our jackets were called."

"It is but a reefer is also a freezer. Down there's where the meat and stuff is stored for the galley."

Ken stuck the key in the locked door and pushed it open exposing a small neat room. Blue indoor-outdoor carpet, a desk, a chair, a locker and one bed was all the room contained except for a door which stood open to a private bath. "Here it is your home away from home. I'll let you figure out who gets the rack while I go get some more linen." He set the suitcase down and left them standing.

Sara walked in and dropped her sea bag, rubbing the tired muscles in her shoulder. "Want to flip a coin to see who gets the bed?"

"That's a rack, sugar. Now you don't want to let the little old Chief hear you call it a bed, do you?" Tanika answered in amused mock imitation of Ken Carson. She glanced out into the passage to make sure Ken was gone and stared at the closed door to the Chief's quarters. "It's going to be nice having that good looking Chief right across the way from us. Did you see the buns on that man. Uh huh, child, he can float my boat anytime he wants."

About that time Ken came back around the corner and shook his head, not a hint of a grin on his face. "I hate to disillusion you, I couldn't help overhearing you but the Chief won't have anything to do with women. I would even wager to say he hates women. But he ain't a fa--gay or anything. He's just harsh and tough." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know exactly but you'll see what I mean and if you want to stay out of trouble listen. He's strict." He added with a mutter. "Too strict."

Sara took the extra linen and laid it on the chair. "Thanks."

Ken stood there for an infinite second and then smiled. "Well I guess I better get back to my watch."

Tanika inhaled causing her jacket to stretch taunt across her chest and gave him a beautiful sexy smile. "Thank you sugar."

Ken grinned and almost tripped on his feet as he spun around to leave.

Sara almost laughed and Tanika did.

Tanika rubbed her back and stretched. "I tell you I've dragged those suitcases around so much today my back is aching." She groaned for added effect and eyed the bed. "I guess you might as well flip the coin and see who gets the bed."

Sara grimaced at the soreness in her own shoulder. She didn't want to sleep on the hard floor--deck, she corrected herself, but it would probably be a lot easier if she just went ahead and let Tanika have the rack.

"You take it. Shoot what's one night." In the back of her mind Sara told herself she hoped it was only one night. "Besides I got so used to those hard racks in boot camp I wouldn't know how to sleep on a comfortable mattress."

"Thank you, uh, what did you say your name is?"

"Sara, Sara Brown." Sara offered out her hand.

Tanika shook her hand briefly and then picked up her suitcase and set it on the bed. "What do you know the Brown sisters." Tanika laughed.

Sara shrugged and opened up her sea bag. "Are you going to go out with Doug to see the town?"

"Yeah, I think I am but I'm not going to tell him I've been to Miami before. How about you? Are you going?"

Sara started to say yes but decided not to. Tanika didn't act like she wanted her tagging along. Two's company--three's a block. "It's been a long day. Would you tell Doug I'm just too tired?"

"Sure." Tanika said absentmindedly and pulled a white blouse and blue slacks from her suitcase. She took off her dress uniform and opened up the locker. "I guess that Warrant Officer still has his stuff in here." She walked over to the only chair and draped her uniform carefully across it. Slid into her civilian clothes and slipped into a pair of white open-toe sandals. She brushed her hair and opened the door to leave. "See you later."

Before Sara could say anything in response she was gone leaving the door open. Sara stood there with her blouse unbuttoned and just shook her head.

Footsteps clanged downward on the metal ladder and Sara pinched the blouse together hurrying to close the door before someone saw her. Just as she got to the door Chief Donnelly stepped from the ladder. Sara felt her face warm with embarrassment. Sara opened her mouth to explain but was quickly cut short.

"Shit! I knew you two weren't going to be nothing but trouble. What are you trying to do? Lure some guy in here and get the both of you into trouble." He shook his head.

"Oh no!" Sara muttered her heart pounding, her face crimson with uneasiness. She was already in trouble and it was Tanika's fault by leaving the door open. "Chief," she stammered staring at his cold grey steel eyes, "Tanika, I mean, Seaman Brown, just left and didn't shut the door. I, I was just going to shut it when you came down."

He stared at her. Was she telling him the truth? He wanted to believe her. He couldn't believe how much he was attracted to her. He quickly shoved the thought aside as trouble. "Okay. Just don't let me see or ever hear of this again." He turned without giving her a chance to respond, opened his cabin door and slammed it closed. Inside the cabin he exhaled loudly. He couldn't believe she had such an effect on him. He had to get hold of himself. He reprimanded himself for staring at her emerald eyes, so sweet, so unscarred. What was he doing? Eyes? Nothing but trouble. Probably contact lens anyway. She had been standing there waiting for him, her chest partially displayed. For him? Or was she just waiting for anybody? He would kill them if they dared to touch her. What was wrong with him? Where had that thought come from? Hadn't he had enough of women and their deceitful ways?

"Hell," he told himself, the next thing he would be doing would be thinking about how kissable her lips looked. Her lips? He had to stop. Maybe a cold shower would help.

Sara leaned against her closed door her eyes, shut tight. He acted as if she were some kind of slut. He hadn't even wanted to believe her. He was so male. She smacked herself mentally. Of course he was male. That's the last thing she needed was to be thinking romantic thoughts about her Chief. Her Chief. She liked the sound of that but then she felt a familiar sense of dread.

She had to force the evil thoughts from her mind and sexual thoughts were the worst. It was the sexual thoughts that drew Lutz. The other demons seemed attracted by lesser sinful thoughts. She emptied her mind and stared at the opened suitcase Tanika had left on the rack. She spread out the rough wool blanket on the floor then covered it with two sheets. She spent five minutes trying to get the huge pillow into the undersized pillow case but finally clicked off the light and laid down.

The cold hard deck seeped into her shoulder causing a slow painful throb. Finally after over an hour of rolling from one side to the other she drifted off into restless slumber.

At least she slept until the door opened and Tanika giggled. Sara opened her eyes and stared at Tanika standing there kissing Doug. She had laid her bed down to where she faced the door. She raised up on her elbow and reached for her watch. Two thirty! She blinked several times and stared at them. Her mind hazy, at first she thought she was dreaming. The passage lights were red and then she remembered that at night they used red lights. It was supposed to keep their eyes adjusted for night vision.

She was staring at them when the door to the Chief's quarters swung open and Chief Donnelly was standing there in his underwear.

"What's going on out here?" He barked roughly.

Doug quickly let loose of Tanika and backed away. "Sorry Chief. We didn't mean to wake you."

Sara's heart raced as she stared at his near nakedness. Her eyes slowly scanned his corded muscles dancing in the eerie red light and stopped at the incredible bulge in his briefs. She hadn't even realized she was staring until her eyes finally worked their way up to his face and he was staring back at her. Then she realized he wasn't looking at her face. She glanced down and found that her night gown had slipped down exposing her breast. Quickly she pulled the sheet up and closed her eyes.

After several strained seconds she heard the Chief snap. "Kelly, go to bed. We will talk about this in the morning." He slammed the door shut.

Tanika told Doug good night, closed the door and then went to the bathroom, switching the light on without closing the door. The bright light from the head glared causing her to squint. Now she realized why they used red lights at night.

Sara laid there angry at Tanika for waking her up and even more angry because she didn't offer an apology. Finally Tanika climbed into bed and Sara hoped sleep would soon return.

This time it wasn't her shoulder that kept her awake it was images of the Chief flashing into her mind. His hard body. A thin line of hair laid across his lean stomach leading down to that unbelievable bulge. Were all men like that? If they were then how in the world did woman accommodate anything so large. It must surely be painful. She stiffened when the air conditioner kicked on and the cool breeze licked at her cheek. She sighed audibly when she realized it wasn't one of them and emptied her mind as Dr. York had taught her.

Across the passage Trevor Donnelly tossed and turned as he kept seeing her tender inviting breast. The image of the nipple sticking out so hardy made him hard. He couldn't help wonder if the ruby red patch was real or only emphasized by the passage light.

11
CHAPTER 2

"Now reveille, reveille, reveille! Drop your cocks and grab your socks, it's reveille." The blare of morning wake up caused Sara to nearly bounce up to a sitting position. After a second her mind began to focus.

"Drop your cock?" She thought. Whoever was on watch must not realize that woman were onboard now. She couldn't help chuckle as she stretched. She glanced at Tanika's unmoving body and decided to go ahead and shower first.

Sara closed the door of the head because she wanted to be more considerate than Tanika had been. She toweled dried her short brown hair and almost regretted cutting it. Although it was a lot easier to take care of. She wondered if the Chief liked short hair. What made her think that? She had to quit that. It could only lead to trouble.

Sara pulled on her dark blue work pants and shirt. After she put on her shoes she decided she would wake up Tanika. She wanted to go up to breakfast but didn't want to go by herself.

"Tanika." She called. "It's getting late. Are you going up to breakfast?"

"No," she mumbled sleepily, "I don't eat breakfast."

Sara figured she would have to face them alone. She dreaded it. She might as well get it over with. She could forego breakfast but her stomach protested with that thought.

Pushing her hair behind her ears she pulled her ball cap down on her head. She quietly walked down the corridor towards the galley. She stopped at the bottom of the ladder listening to the sound of the TV blaring and people talking on the mess deck overhead. She inhaled and for what seemed to be one of the loudest walks she had ever made she ascended the ladder.

Slowly the voices died down as the back of heard came into view of those sitting on the mess deck eating breakfast. As she stepped on to the tiled floor she heard the already familiar voice of Chief Donnelly before she could turn to face anyone sitting there.

"Take that hat off!" Trevor snapped and then regretted it when he saw her jump.

Sara quickly jerked her cap off and was relieved when she saw Doug hurrying over towards her from behind the galley counter. At least a face she knew.

"Good morning." He smiled and then stepped between her and the Chief and in a low voice added. "It's okay. You're not supposed to wear your hat on the mess deck. You see when you're covered it means you have to surrender salutes. That's why the mess deck and galley are always uncovered." He glanced over at the watch stander sitting on a stool over in the corner near the phone. "Except when you have watch. Then you wear your cap. Most ships have a watch shack at the end of the gangplank but this ship is so small they just stand watch in the corner of the mess deck.

Sara let out a visible sigh of relief and then glanced at the group of fourteen or so men sitting quietly, watching her. "Thanks Doug. I appreciate you telling me. I didn't know." Sara had to catch herself from glaring at the Chief. What an asshole, she thought, and was then shocked by her improper mental language. What was wrong with her, she just didn't use language like that. At least she hadn't until she came into the Coast Guard.

Doug started to pat her hand in comfort until he glanced at the Chief. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I don't know. What have you got?" She eyed the stainless steel counter spread out with cooking utensils.

"How about an omelet?"

"Sounds good." Sara answered but knew it would take a while to fix and she was feeling uncomfortable with the Chief glaring at her. She didn't turn around and see him, she could just feel his eyes on her. Him and fourteen other men.

"Why don't you grab a pastry and juice or coffee and have a seat." Doug scanned the mess deck for a second and then nodded. "There's a seat across from Ken. Remember you met him last night? He was on watch."

Sara sure was happy that Doug was going out of his way making her feel so comfortable. That was more than she could say for the Chief. "Thanks again Doug." She left him and walked over to Ken. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Sure--I mean, have a seat." Ken almost stood up and then stopped himself. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Not too bad. Tossed and turned a bit." She laughed slightly.

"Who got to sleep on the deck?"

"I did, I guess that's why I tossed and turned." Actually, she thought, the hard steel had only been part of the problem. The disturbing thought of seeing the Chief standing there in his briefs had kept her awake a large portion of the remainder of the night, trying to recreate every aspect of the vision. Vision? Now why did she think that? He was more like a nightmare.

Ken introduced Sara to several other crew members but the names were so many they seemed to only flitter through her memory. Although the names stenciled on their shirts helped immensely.

Sara sat chatting for a while and then glanced up only to be struck in panic. Doug had a plate and had just started carrying it from behind the galley counter. She started to jump up but realized she was too late. She cleared her throat in hopes Doug would look up and see the mistake he was about to make. The Chief would go ballistic if he waited on her.

Doug looked up casually and grinned at the panic he saw in her eyes. He glanced at the Chief and then back at her.

Sara suddenly wished the deck would open up and swallow her. She glanced over waiting for the Chief to explode.

Doug continued walking slowly towards her, plate lifted up like a large platter displayed. When he spoke his voice was louder than usual. "I have my specialty ham and Swiss cheese omelet. Now don't you get up Seaman Apprentice Brown, I always bring the first meal a new crewman has onboard this ship or should I say crew person, or would crew member be better? Why, I even waited on Chief Donnelly. Didn't I Chief?"

Trevor pushed a whisk of hair off his forehead and stared down at the coffee held close to his lips. He didn't bother to answer Kelly. He knew what Doug Kelly was doing. He actually envied him, trying to make her feel comfortable. At least Kelly was able to talk to her and see her smile. His mind flashed to when she reported in. She had actually smiled at him, at first anyway, until he had become so belligerent. And last night. He could thank Kelly for making so much noise. When he had seen her lying there so soft and inviting. The image of her breast, so firm, laced lazily through his mind.

Sara sighed with relief when Doug walked over smiling. "Here you go, enjoy." He sat down as she eagerly dug into the delicious omelet. He beamed as she sang praise to his culinary artwork.

She hadn't been lying either. Her mother's idea of an omelet was chop something or other up and throw it into a scrambled egg, but this was folded and warped with delicious strips of Virginia smoked ham and Swiss cheese, with green peppers and spices.

Doug watched her eat for several minutes and then glanced at the clock on the bulkhead. "Was Tanika up? They hold muster at eight o'clock and I don't think she's going to have time for breakfast."

"She said she didn't eat breakfast but I'll go down and make sure she's up." Sara sipped at her coffee, savoring it's flavor. Her mother didn't allow coffee at home.

Sara finished her meal and scrapped the remains in the garbage and left the plate where Doug had indicated. She glanced over at the clock and realized it was fifteen minutes until eight. She hurried back down below to the cabin.

She opened the door and saw that Tanika was still sleeping. "Tanika!"

"Huh." She mumbled sleepily.

"It a quarter 'til eight. They have muster at eight. You better get up and get dressed."

Tanika shot up out of the rack and began scurrying around the room getting dressed. Just as she finished with in the bathroom. They heard the morning pipe.

"Now first call to morning colors. All hands muster on the fantail."

"What was that?" Tanika hurried out of the head.

"First call to colors." Sara put her ball cap on. "We're supposed to muster on the fantail.

Tanika relaxed visibly. "Good. That's right down at the end of the hall, isn't it."

Sara thought for a moment trying to remember what Ken had said. "I believe Ken called that the buoy deck."

"Well that's the biggest area there is. That must be it. A fan spreads out big. So that must be the fantail." Tanika said confident of her logic.

"I guess." Sara agreed haltingly. "It makes sense but he called it the buoy deck. Would they also call it the fantail?"

"Oh sure honey. You know how the military is. Look at the reefer. It's a coat and a freezer. It just the same word for something else."

"Okay." Sara opened the door and headed out into the corridor and took a right with Tanika close behind.

Sara stopped at the water tight door and shoved the steel handle to the left slowly pushing the heavy door open she groaned aloud. "I don't see anybody else headed this way."

"They probably already there." Tanika twisted the back of her hair into a knot and shoved it up under her ball cap.

Sara stepped out on to the spacious buoy deck and stared. Heavy chains were piled up and a large buoy laid on its side across the deck. Sara stopped. "Tanika there isn't anybody else here."

"Uh oh." Tanika stepped over the lip of the door on to the buoy deck and stared. "Oh shit. We're in trouble now. It must be on the other end of the ship."

Just as they turned to go back into the corridor they heard another pipe.

"Now attention to morning colors!"

"What are we supposed to do?" Sara cried out.

"Uh salute the colors." Tanika answered.

They spun around in a circle several times almost bumping into one another and then they spotted a crewman on the raised portion of the ship on the other side of the buoy deck. He was hoisting a flag.

"That must be the flag." Tanika said and came to attention and rendered a hand salute.

Sara followed suit and watched as the man pulled at the cord. Her eyes flew open when she saw the flag he was raising, the blue cut out portion of the flag with only it's stars showing, no red stripes. It was the jack!

"Tanika." Sara gasped. "That's not the ensign. That's the jack. We're at the front of the ship. The stern is where they fly the flag when a ship's in port. That must be where they're holding muster."

The pipe rang out again. "Now carry on, carry on!"

"Come on." Sara ordered as she spun and headed back through into the corridor. Sara glanced around to see if Tanika was following only to see the man who had hoisted the jack staring at them and laughing.

They ran down the corridor and up the ladder onto the mess deck. Looking around Sara decided that they must have to go back out the door towards the gangplank and then to the fantail. As they came around from behind the mess deck's external structure they found the rest of the crew mustered at attention.

Sara almost stopped and wished Tanika was a head of them but she didn't. She crossed over to the short metal stair ladder and started down. At the bottom she stopped and Tanika ran into her back.

Every eye was on them. Oh god, she thought, I didn't want this. She glanced up and saw Chief Donnelly standing in front of seven men. He nodded at her and then turned his head slightly and glanced behind him. She hoped she recognized the nod to mean that she was supposed to fall in at attention with them. She headed toward him then realized a Lieutenant Junior Grade was standing in the center and was staring at them. She hadn't noticed him at first. He was rather short. Not just rather short. He was shorter than she was and she was only five four.

Sara fell in at the end of the line and then took one step to her left to allow Tanika in, since Tanika was her senior and they always went from senior to junior.

Sara was standing there at attention when she realized Tanika was taking her good old time crossing over to them. She couldn't believe the nerve she had.

"Good morning, sir." Tanika said to the officer watching them. "We got lost." She added with a smile walking slowly and proud, almost strutting as if it was her moment of glory, her fifteen minutes of fame. Like a contestant in a beauty pageant.

Sara almost smiled at the sheer look of confidence Tanika exuded. Almost was the key word. They had been late for muster and they would surely be in trouble. When you're late that means you're AWOL. She groaned. Would they place them on report? Surely not, she thought, but then she glanced at the back of Chief Donnelly's head realizing he would probably get pleasure at doing it.

As soon as Tanika fell in line the Lieutenant Junior Grade spoke out.

"Report!"

First the engineer warrant officer spoke up and saluted. "All personnel present or accounted for, sir!"

"Very well." The LTJG returned his salute.

Then the warrant boatswain spoke up, repeating the same ritual and also received a 'very well.'

He then saluted a first class who wore an apron. Behind the first class Doug stood and another seaman. Sara figured he must be the senior cook.

"Men, uh, crew," the JG began, "at ease."

Sara relaxed only after she saw everyone had and watched the thin man.

He continued. "I see that we have two new crew members. Apparently Chief Donnelly thought our two new female crew members were a mistake, but it isn't. We received the orders several months ago and we were already supposed to have the berthing ready." He turned to the engineering warrant with an emphasizing pause. "I expect you to have your stuff moved and have the racks in before the end of the day."

"Aye, aye sir." The warrant replied.

Sara thought it seemed amusing to see this old man. Probably in his early forties saying aye, aye to this young short, baby faced LTJG. The JG didn't look to be more than twenty three, twenty four at the max. His combination hat fell down almost to his brows. His sandy moustache was obviously grown to make him look older. Although it didn't help much. His face still had the appearance of a boy. Sara missed the rest of what he was saying and then she heard him raise his voice. It almost squeaked.

"Company, attent-hut." He said. "Take charge of your men. Uh, personnel and turn too." He clarified and saluted each warrant; and then turned and walked away.

The warrant turned and addressed Chief Donnelly. "Chief take care of your people. I guess it's time to change mess cooks, pick one of the new people."

The Chief nodded as the warrant left and then turned and faced them. "As you can see we have three new crew members. I expect each of you to act like adults. Now I have to appoint a new mess cook to help Petty Officer Stover and Kelly in the galley. As is the tradition the newest seaman apprentice or the most junior person is given the job but everyone will have to do it. That includes you Seaman Brown." He looked at Tanika, not expecting a reply and showed his annoyance when she spoke.

"I don't mind." She glanced at Doug Kelly as he walked up the ladder. "I would prefer it actually."

"Well the tradition is that the most junior member does it for a month. There are two junior to you. Now if we get another seaman apprentice in before it ' s your turn then you still won't have to do it." Trevor fought back a smile at her obvious disappointment. He knew she wanted to be around Kelly.

He looked at Sara and she knew she was the one. Damn it, she thought, and then admonished herself for the curse. She knew it was fair, she just wanted to be on the deck. She almost shrugged in acceptance.

Trevor watched her disappointment with hidden surprise. He could tell from her expression she didn't want to mess cook. He had a rush of desire to comfort her and was shocked at his own compassion. What was getting into him.

He cleared his voice. "Well we have two new seaman apprentices . "

Sara almost glanced around to see who it was. She had been so worried about being late for muster she had failed to notice anybody she might have gone to boot camp with.

"We have Seaman Apprentice Brown there." He said and nodded at Sara and then he looked on the other side of Tanika. "And we have Seaman Apprentice Stiff."

"Stiff, here!" Sara thought with hidden amusement. She liked him and felt sorry for him. He sure was feisty though. Of course then anyone with a name like his would have to be. She couldn't help remembering the first time she saw him in boot camp. They had been calling out muster and as usual in the military they inverted the first and last name. She was Brown, Sara. And the company had roared with laughter when they called his name. "Stiff, Dick!" He didn't react even though everyone, including herself, roared in laughter.

She guessed he had to deal with it all his life and was used to it. She got to know him later and had asked him why he didn't go by the name of Richard or Rich instead of Dick. He told her that was his name. Dick Stiff, and in fact he was a junior. His father was named Dick not Richard. She couldn't help but admire the way he always took the kidding.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown." Chief Donnelly's voice pulled her from her memory.

She took a step forward feeling rather awkward. "Aye, aye Sir, uh Chief."

She felt her face flush when several of the men chuckled quietly.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown you will take the second turn at mess cook. You'll work on the deck force first but you'll have to do it as soon as a month is up." Trevor was surprised by his own last minute change in plans. He had planned to have Stiff work on the deck force and hopefully he would be able to get rid of both Brown's before long. One woman was bad enough but two! He surprised himself by the decision but the truth of it, and he hated to admit it even to himself, was he didn't want to let her out of his sight. Especially give her all that time alone with that pussy hound, Kelly. He wanted to protect her. Damn it, he had to quit thinking like that.

"Seaman Apprentice Stiff you'll be mess cook for the first month." He cleared his throat. He might as well get the rest of it over. "Well Stiff, by what name do you go. The rest of the deck force are going to call you something other than your last name."

"I go by Dick, Chief." He stepped forward. His lean body at attention.

Some of the men immediately burst into laughter and then the slower ones laughed as the realization hit them.

Chief Donnelly let them laugh for few seconds and then cut them off. "Okay. We've had our laughs for the day." He raised up his hand and made a victory 'V with his fingers and twisted his hand back and forth. "Now turn too."

He turned to a Second Class Boatswain mate. "Petty Officer Jones you take the two Browns with you and start them chipping the ATON cleat on the buoy deck."

"Okay Chief." The red headed man nodded and then glared at them with resentment and barked, "follow me!"

Sara groaned inwardly as she recognized his disdain. She quickly stifled her own animosity at his attitude before it drew one of her demons but she was afraid it was too late.

Tanika and Sara followed him up the ladder, across the mess deck and back down to the passage below. Sara could feel anger radiating from Petty Officer Jones and apparently so could Tanika for she tried to lighten the mood.

"Sara, I hope our shoulders don't get as big and muscular as Petty Officer Jones from working on the buoy deck."

Sara shook her head grinning, when she saw his back straighten and shoulder puff tightly, although he didn't turn around.

Sara watched his arm flare thickly as he grasp the bar to open the water tight door, flipping it to the left. He shoved it hard and it flew open. Just as he started to step over the edge the door jerked out of his hand and slammed shut.

"What the fuck caused that?" He said as he barely snapped his foot out of the way of being crushed and mumbled, "the wind must be getting up."

He pushed again holding the door and stepped through. He shook his head. "The wind ain't blowing, it's still."

Tanika grinned flattering him. "Why sugar, it's those thick muscles of yours. You're so strong the force must have hit something and bounced it back with the same force."

18

Sara paled as she glanced behind the door at the pile of chain on the deck. It couldn't have bounced back, it should have wedged against the chain. It was one of them!

A faint smile played at the corner of Petty Officer Jones's lips before he turned and strutted across the buoy deck. Weaving between two large buoys and several piles of chain towards the forecastle.

Tanika grinned at Sara and gave her wink. "You just got to play these men."

Sara gave her a half-hearted conspiratorial smile but couldn't help thinking about the door.

CHAPTER 3

Sara toweled the steam collected on the mirror and stared at her rounded face. She felt exhilarated—a party, she couldn't believe it, she was going to her first party.

It hadn't been a bad day at all. They hadn't gotten into trouble for being late for quarters and the rest of the day she felt useful. They had spent it with a pneumatic wire brush removing layers of paint from the ATON cleat and then covered it with primer. Of course the Chief had come by asking them why they weren't wearing protective goggles but he hadn't fussed at them. She heard later that he had chewed out Petty Officer Jones. Jones had come back angry and tried to blame it on them. But then Tanika, wonderful Tanika, had set him straight. She told him he was the supervisor and that he should have told them to wear them, they didn't know any better. He had said, maybe the boot might not, since she was just out of boot camp but she was a seaman and she should have. Tanika then told him that she had worked in a district office delivering mail. He finally just snapped his mouth shut and stormed off. She didn't want him as an enemy but then it had been Tanika, who stood up to him, and not her. But the best was lunch, when Doug ask her to join him and Tanika at a party tonight.

"Girl, hurry up in there!" Tanika pounded on the door.

"Almost done." Sara answered. She stared at the reflection of her breasts, cupping her hands beneath them and lifted. They weren't small, of course then they weren't as big as Tanika's, but then not many women were. She grinned an even smile at herself. She was being catty, wasn't she?

"Hurry up." Tanika pounded again.

"Okay." Sara opened the door and strolled out. "I'm done, it's all yours."

"About time." Tanika hurried into the small head.

Sara finished drying and laid her towel on the rack they had secured to the bulkhead above the other. She stared at the heavy bolts and hoped they held. Tanika had insisted on taking the upper rack and she hadn't argued. Of course if it fell, it would probably hurt like hell.

Sara opened one of the two small lockers they had added and began digging for shorts and a blouse. Doug had said it was casual and shorts would be fine.

The Warrant Officer had his gear moved over to share a room with the only other Warrant. She just hoped they didn't hold it against her. She shrugged at the thought and slipped into her clothes and then stared at the small mirror on the inside of the locker.

Maybe it was time to buy a little makeup, lip stick, eye liner,. Possibly even an eyelash brush might soften her cow eyes.

Tanika opened the door and unabashed, strutted naked across the room.

"That was quick," Sara said, trying not to stare at her enormous breasts.

"I don't keep a good looking man waiting. Now if he was fugly, I'd make him wait."

"Fugly?"

"You know--fucking ugly--fugly." Tanika sucked in a big gulp of air. "Well, anyway, if he's fugly, then he can wine and dine me all he wants, and I still ain't going to give him none."

Sara felt herself blush.

"But now, when he's fine, like Doug," Tanika continued, "you better believe I'll be nibbling on him like fleas on a dog's belly."

"Aren't you afraid of getting pregnant?"

"Where have you been, girl, haven't you heard of the pill?"

"Uh, ... but it don't always work."

Tanika finished drying, tossed her towel over the chair, and reached in her locker for clothes. "It does for me. I've been taking them since I was thirteen and I ain't never had no problem."

"What about disease?"

"You've heard of safe sex? Well sugar, I believe in safe fax. Ain't no man better be trying to send me a fax,unless he uses a cover sheet. Girl, you better believe it when I say, I'm not going to let some man play in this here watering hole without his rubbers on. Hell, I've made some of them wear two at a time. It makes their staying power longer."

"Oh." Sara turned away trying to hide her embarrassment. She had never spoken to anyone so explicitly, not even her mother.

Tanika glanced over at her back and inhaled. "Don't you be telling me that you're still a virgin."

Sara didn't say anything.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you a virgin?" Tanika shook her head in exasperation.

"Not exactly," Sara mumbled.

Tanika cocked her head to the side, and tapped her on the shoulder until she turned around. "There ain't no such thing as a 'not exactly,' a virgin. You either are or you're not. You either rode the flag pole or you done kept them legs shut."

"I don't want to talk about it." Sara snapped but the image of Lutz flashed in her mind. Her clothes being ripped off by an unseen force, her breast bruised, and her legs spread. Unconsciously she rubbed the scar on her wrist caused by Lutz when she had fought it. She shook her head to force the thoughts away.

"Just suit yourself, don't make no never mind to me, anyway." Tanika slipped on a blue silk blouse and a very short black skirt.

"I'm sorry," Sara apologized. "It's just wasn't uh--any good. I mean—I'm not a virgin. I guess you could say I was raped."

Tanika frowned and shook her head. "Honey, I know what you mean. My brother's friend forced me my first time. Just don't think about it. If you dwell on it, it'll come back to haunt you. Believe me, there's a lot of guys that are good out there but you can't find them unless you try." Tanika smiled and gave her a quick hug. "Now let's go paarrr...ty!"

Tanika grabbed her purse and headed out the door. "Come on."

"I'll be right there. I dropped the back to my earring and have to dig another one out." Sara squeezed at her ear. "Where are you meeting Doug?"

"We'll be on the mess deck. So hurry up." Tanika closed the door.

Sara opened her purse and started to dig, wishing that she had her jewelry box. She had most of her personal belongings with her mother until she could afford to get an apartment.

Sara finally gave up looking for a back and pulled an eraser off a pencil. Just as she began pinching it on she tilted her head listening. She heard a thump of what almost sounded like porcelain against porcelain, then a distinct trickle of water. She glanced over at the bathroom door standing ajar and rolled her eyes. Tanika must have left water running but what was the sound?

She slowly pushed open the door and glanced in. Tanika had turned off the white light and the automatic red night light glared. Flipping the switch the white light glared and she stared at the sink—not it. Maybe the shower?

She walked toward the shower but then glanced at the commode. That was odd? The seat was up, as if a male had been there but surely Tanika wouldn't have left it up.

Easing over she stared at the water watching as concentric circles vibrated as if...no! It was impossible! She forced herself to dismiss the possibility that someone had just used it--a male someone or something. Something? It was just the constant motion of the ship, she told herself and she put the seat and cover down.

Sara turned off the light and pulled the door closed, grabbing her purse she reached for the door to the passage. Just as she twisted the knob she heard the commode flush. She fled into the passage, jerking the door shut behind without turning off the light.

She stood a moment in the vestibule which was perpendicular to the main passage and inhaled slowly, trying to calm down. "Oh no," she thought, "I left the light on." She inhaled again and forced herself to turn around and slowly open the door. She reached in and felt for the light switch and clicked it off. As she withdrew her hand something touched the back of her hand and she jerked it hard and slammed the door.

Her heart hammered in her ears as she backed up and then the handle moved. Sara turned in terror, tangling her feet, and tripped, causing her to fall against Chief Donnelly's door. The door snapped open and she fell, sprawling halfway into his quarters.

Trevor's face froze in surprise. He was standing naked with nothing but a towel which he had been using to dry his hair It took only a moment for his anger to flare at her obviously blatant attempt to seduce him. He lowered the towel to his side, not bothering to cover himself.

He opened his mouth to tell her to get the hell out but then her eyes met his, and he was shocked. Her face wasn't filled with surprise or even flirtation--it was masked in terror. Something had frightened her. His anger quickly died in confusion. Unconsciously, he leaned down to help her up.

Sara's eyes ran down his body as she realized his state of undress. Her face suddenly changed from fear to embarrassment and she rolled away from his hand scrambling to her feet then dashed down the passage towards the mess deck.

Trevor grinned to himself and peeked out into the passage glad that no one else had seen the incident. He might have been embarrassed if face hadn't turned from pale to scarlet. He wondered what had terrified her. It wasn't from mere fright but horror. Then as she had realized she was starring her emotions had quickly changed. He chuckled aloud, realizing he should be angry but for some reason, he wasn't. He couldn't help but wonder who had frightened her. With that thought his anger strangely returned. As soon as he found out who caused it, they were in for trouble. Why did he feel so protective? He forcefully dismissed the thought, telling himself he had to treat her the same as everyone else. But could he?

  * * * *

Sara stopped at the foot of the metal steps leading to the mess deck. She had to regain her composure. Rubbing the back of her hand she tried to convince herself it had only be her imagination, but then the Chief hadn't.

How was she ever going to face him? That was twice and she hadn't been onboard twenty-four hours yet. He must think she was throwing herself at him. If that wasn't bad enough she was throwing herself literally at his feet. She smiled slightly as the image of his body ran through her mind. The muscular smoothness, the patch of dark hair on his chest trailing to a thin line down his hard stomach, and the thick maleness nestled in the water glistened hair made her stomach tighten. She wondered if he manscaped or was it natural.

She exhaled and went up the ladder, hoping her face was no longer red.

"Well it's about time." Tanika said.

Doug smiled and walked over to greet her. "You look very lovely this evening, Sara."

"Thanks," she mumbled, not being use to compliments.

"Let's go," Doug said, "Ken's going with us."

"Hi." Ken said.

Sara opened her mouth to respond but only nodded when Tanika interrupted. "Come on, we can talk in the car."

CHAPTER 4

Sara stared in curiosity and a bit of awe as Doug punched in several numbers and the wrought iron gate opened. The landscape terrain edged subtly down to the roads edge blocking any sight of a house. Doug eased the gas down and slowly the foliaged thinned revealing an older Art Deco styled mansion totally renovated.

Even Tanika sat quietly in the front seat at the ostentatious splendor of the grounds and house.

"Who lives here?" Tanika broke the silence.

"The C.O.." Doug answered nonchalantly.

"The C.O.?" Tanika questioned. "As in the Commanding Officer of the ship?"

"That's right."

"You're joking?" Sara asked in doubt.

"Ask Ken." Doug said.

"Really." Ken nodded.

"You mean the Captain of our ship lives here?" Sara still questioned in doubt. "How? I mean...he couldn't be more than a lieutenant. I haven't met him yet but surely he couldn't afford to live here. I doubt a real Captain, 0-6. paygrade, could even afford this, not here in Miami."

Doug chuckled. "He's one of those rich kids. Silver spoon and all that—the Coast Guard's just a hobby for him."

"Is he married?" Tanika grinned. "And if is, does he need a girlfriend?"

"He's not married but he's got more women than he can keep count of." Doug laughed.

They joined several other cars parked along the drive and got out. Doug led the way to the double door and pushed the bell.

Sara's eyes widened as she stared at the blond haired woman who opened the door. If her swimsuit hadn't been bright orange it would have been impossible to tell that she was wearing one at all. The round fullness of her breasts were completely exposed and only two small patches covered her nipples but even more shocking was the bottoms—or the lack of bottoms. She had had to shave more area than the material covered.

"Hello Doug—Ken." She smiled brightly, her golden skin was accented by the gleam, her right hand sensually pushing her long hair backward. "Who's your friends?"

Doug nodded—then smiled back. "Hello Sharon, you're looking lovely as always." He turned nodding. "This is Tanika and this is Sara. They're new crewmembers."

"Hello, welcome—it's so much fun when Lake's crew comes over. I'm Sharon. Do come in. We were just having drinks by the pool. Doug, would you show them the way, I was just headed upstairs for a moment." She glanced over at a young man in tight trunks staring anxiously at her. He made no effort to greet them or hide his obvious state of excitement.

Tanika and Sara stood mutely as she gracefully walked away exposing no back to her swimsuit; none at all--neither top or bottom.

As soon as she was out of ear shot Tanika leaned towards Sara and whispered, "That reminds me, I need to get some dental floss." Then added, "how the hell does she keep those pieces on? Or was it just paint. I didn't even see a thread."

Sara almost choked on her laughter as they followed Doug and Ken's lead.

"Who's Lake?" Tanika batted her eyes, rolled her head, and curled her fingers through her hair in imitation.

"He's the Commanding Officer." Ken answered grinning.

"That's his last name?" Sara asked.

Doug shook his head. "No—first. Van Classen's his last. Off the ship he has us call him Lake, on the ship we call him Captain, although if we slipped up and called him Lake on the ship; I don't think he would care. He's pretty laid back. The Chief hates him."

Sara started to ask but came to the conclusion, Chief Donnelly didn't like anybody that wasn't by the book.

"Are there going to be other people from the ship here?" She asked instead.

"Probably." Doug glanced back. "Usually the new people are invited over and uh, ...."

"Hello Doug, Ken--I see you all made it." A male voice greeted.

Sara and Tanika both came to an abrupt halt as a golden haired man approached them, his blue eyes twinkling and his smile was warm.

Sara felt herself blush as she worked hard to not stare at his near naked body. His muscular suntanned was clad in a suit that hid little to nothing. A pale blond hair feathered his chest trailing downward puffing out what might be called a suit. As he turned around to set his glass down on the bar he exposed the back of his suit, his bare buttocks resembled the golden tan of the girl that had answered the door.

"I'm glad you could make it." He turned, grabbed Doug's hand as if he were an old friend and then Ken's. Then he smiled at Tanika but his eyes came to rest on Sara. "I'm Lake and I understand you're our newest crewmembers."

Sara felt relieved when Tanika moved forward smiling, extending her hand. "Hello Lake. I'm Tanika Brown it's a pleasure to serve under you."

Lake grinned and held on to Tanika's hand for several long seconds. "And who is this?" His eyes once again rested on Sara.

Sara felt her heart hammering. Trying not to glance down she stared at his eyes and smiled timidly, holding her hand out as Tanika had. "I'm Seaman Apprentice Sara Brown."

He moved close, his right hand glided into her barely extended hand, gently his left hand eased against her elbow. "I'm sure glad you two were able to make it here tonight."

Sara stood speechless as she felt his extended touch. The closeness of his near naked body blanked her mind for what seemed to her an eternity. Finally, she found her voice. "Thank you for inviting us."

Lake turned to Doug. "If you will excuse me for a few minutes I'll join you again in a moment. Why don't all of you see the bar tender and then if you will, show them the dressing rooms." He smiled and turned and walked over to a small group.

"Dressing rooms?" Sara whispered harshly. "What does he mean?"

Doug grinned sheepishly. "It's a pool party didn't I mention that."

"No!" Tanika and Sara snapped in unison and Tanika added, "We didn't bring any suits. I've been planning on buying a new one but haven't had a chance yet."

"Don't worry. Lake always has brand new suits. You find what you like, wear it and then you get to keep it. He doesn't mind."

"Now that's my kind of man." Tanika said.

Sara lowered her voice and whispered to Tanika, "I can't wear anything like they're wearing here!" She glanced at the handful of people gathered around the pool clad in similar or a same style of suits as both of their hosts.

Doug grinned, having heard her whisper. "Why not—you both have wonderful bodies."

"I'm too white." Sara almost wailed.

"You white folks sure spend all your time trying to change your color." Tanika said with humor. "But Doug, she's right about the suits."

"What do you mean?"

Tanika rolled her eyes up. "It would take us an hour to shave enough of this kinky hair to come out in public." She shook her head. "Men can be so dense."

Doug laughed. "Ladies, just settle down. All the suits are not that revealing. I'm sure you will find something suitable. The rest of the people here are regulars. After a while it's no big deal. Besides as the evening goes along—who knows, maybe we'll all skinny dip, anyway."

"Not me." Sara folded her arms adamantly, looking to Tanika for support but saw from her face that she was entertaining the idea. Then she added. "I want to go."

"I tell you what. Just look at the suits. Everything else is up to you."

"Sara," Tanika said, "it won't hurt to look. I've been needing a new suit anyway and the price is right. You're in Miami girl, you might as well get used to the skin."

Sara shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "I'll look but if it's not decent I'm not wearing it."

This time Ken grinned. "That's the whole idea. Just don't wear one."

Tanika ran her eyes slowly down Ken's body and then Doug's. "Are you telling me you two men wear one of those little biddy bathing suits?"

Doug lifted his eyebrows. "Maybe—maybe not. You'll have to find out for yourself." He paused. "Well...?

Sara nodded. "I'll look but I won't promise. Tanika?"

"Honey I'm not going to pass this up."

"Follow me ladies." Doug headed across the large pool area glancing down at the couple in the in ground hot tub then he looked back. "Now that looks inviting."

Feeling the soreness in her shoulders from holding the pneumatic wire brush she had to admit to herself it did. She only nodded at him.

Doug stopped on the other side of the pool in front of two doors. "The male symbol is ours and the female is yours. You do know what the biological symbols for male and female are?" He grinned and didn't give them time to respond. "Male is a circle with a line sticking out of it with a pointed head on it because men's genitalia is a protruding appendage. See?" He traced the symbol. "And woman has a little crossed 't'." He rubbed the crossed letter suggestively. "That's because female's genitalia is a little split."

Tanika whorled her head back and forth in dismay. "The circle with the arrow is because men only have one thing on their mind and women's is crossed because if they keep their legs crossed so men won't get none."

It wasn't funny but Sara laughed anyway. She enjoyed the easy freedom of their sexual banner.

Doug smiled, "we will see." He reached for the door knob to the men's dressing room. "I imagine it will take you longer than it will us, so Ken and I will meet you back at the bar."

"Come on." Tanika led the way through the other door and scanned the large room with racks of swimsuits, robes and towels. "Holy shit. Looks like a department store."

Sara stared in disbelief at abundance and the posh décor of the changing room with individual showers and changing rooms. "Well I can always wear a robe," Sara said agreeably and then began her hunt for comfort.

After twenty minutes of trying on suits Tanika settled on a florescent pink two piece which accented her rich flawless skin.

Sara had fussed for the first twenty minutes because there weren't any one piece suits. Finally, she settled on a pale blue two piece which covered more than Tanika's but was still more revealing than anything she had ever worn in her life. She stared at her figure respectfully. At least boot camp had improved her body, she just wished her skin wasn't so pale.

They hung their clothes up in the lockers provided. "This guy, Lake, thinks of everything," Sara said. "He's nothing like I imagined an officer to be."

"You got that right, sugar. Come on." Tanika headed out with Sara close behind.

"At least it's starting to get dark." Sara mumbled more for her self-assurance than to Tanika.

Sara looked in the direction of the bar for the guys and then came to a complete halt. There stood Chief Donnelly taking with Seaman Stiff. She felt her face go white as the embarrassing memory played through her mind. He had looked up and seen them. She turned to dart back into the dressing room and slammed into Ken who had come up from her left side.

"Are you okay?" Ken said, grabbing her shoulders to steady her and himself.

She nodded unable to speak, realizing she had created a scene. He was close to her and he was wearing trunks that fit tight. His body brushed up against her.

"I'll get you a drink, come on." Ken gently took her hand and lead her towards the bar before she could regain her resolution to escape.

Sara stared down at the tiled deck as they approached the bar.

"What can I get you two?" Doug said from behind the bar.

Sara looked up to speak to Doug and glanced over at the Chief who stood staring at her. When his eyes met hers, she glanced down, immediately regretting it, as her eyes traced the hair down his chest to his legs. He was wearing normal looking trunks, unlike the skimpy things most of the guys were wearing but the image of his naked body flashed vividly.

Trevor almost smiled as he saw her embarrassment and at first thought she deserved it for the incident in his berthing room. As her color paled even more he took pity on her. "Seaman Brown, was just telling me the two of you completed the ATON cleat today. That's good. How was your first day?"

Sara paused a second to regain her thoughts as she realized he wasn't going to say anything. At least not in front of everybody. Slowly she nodded. "It was good Chief."

"Sara, what can I get you to drink?" Doug interrupted.

Sara glanced over at him standing behind the bar and couldn't help wondering what kind of suit he had chosen. "Uh, I don't drink." she answered.

"Not at all?"

"I tried it but I just don't like the taste."

"Ah!" Doug said, "I know just the thing for you. A slow gin fizz."

"Slow gin fizz? she repeated.

"Yep, a nice sweet drink. That's the way most people start. Alcohol is like buttermilk, you have to acquire a taste for it and the sweeter the better. So what do you say?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders and glanced at the others as they seemed to be waiting for her answer. "Okay, what the heck." She turned back to the Chief, who was still staring hard. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get side tracked Chief. The first day was good." She started to say fun but felt the Chief wouldn't appreciate the remark, particularly since she had seen him naked. She blushed with the thought. "I can hardly way until we get underway."

"You'll get your wish, Monday." He said as he sipped his drink, watching the crimson color return to her face. He knew she was thinking about him. He wanted to laugh but he couldn't allow it.

"Sunday, midnight, to be exact," he continued.

"Midnight!" Tanika interjected. "The middle of the night?"

"That's why they call Lake, Captain Midnight." Doug said, handing Sara a drink. "Here Sara, see what you think."

Sara took the drink and moved the paper umbrella to the side taking a slow sip with dread. Her eyes flew open in surprise as she took a bigger taste.

"Be care," Doug warned, "it's taste can fool you. It just creeps up on you."

"Let's get in the hot tub and pretend we're somebody." Tanika yelled back as she stuck a toe into the warm water.

"I'll join you in a minute," Doug called, "as soon as I mix us up a couple of pitchers for us."

"Come on Sara." Tanika coaxed.

"I'm coming," Sara answered. "Excuse us Chief."

Doug followed with pitchers in hand and stopped in front of Seaman Stiff. "Dick why don't you join us. I'm sure one of Lake's lovely friends will probably join us."

"Sure, thanks." Dick glanced over at the Chief. "Thanks for bringing me Chief. Uh, why don't you join us?"

Trevor nodded. "Maybe in a while. I want to talk to the Captain first."

Doug approached with Dick at his side staring down at the steamy bubbling water. Ken had sat down between Sara and Tanika. "I ask Dick to join us. I hope nobody minds."

Tanika looked up and grinned. "Well if it isn't Dick Stiff. Honey I can always use another stiff dick, come on in."

Ken and Sara watched Dick's face until he laughed and they all joined in.

"How about another one of them slow gin fizz." Sara held out an empty glass, noticing that Doug's tight swim trunks were almost the same color as his skin.

"Certainly," Doug filled her glass and then set both pitcher's down. "I've got to get me a glass."

Dick eased down in the water and moved over near Sara quietly.

Ken glared at Dick and then turned to talk with Tanika. They spoke quietly and neither Dick or Sara could hear them over the roar of the jets.

Sara smiled at Dick. "So how was your day as mess cook.?"

"Doug's okay but the First Class is a bit of an ass."

"Sorry, you got stuck with the job first."

"It don't matter. At least I'll get it over with, besides the mess cook doesn't have to stand duty."

Sara nodded and flicked her tongue out to catch a drop on the edge of the glass. "I guess you're right. They're going to break us in on standing watches starting Monday." She glanced over at the Chief engaged in what seemed to be a somewhat heated conversation with Lake. "Wonder what that's about?" she mumbled.

Dick's eyes followed her line of vision. "I caught a ride over with the Chief. He didn't say anything bad about the Captain but I got this feeling he doesn't care for him much."

"Sure looks that way now." She stretched her leg and felt Ken's hairy leg move against hers, although he was still engaged in conversation with Tanika.

She wasn't sure why but she didn't pull her leg away. "Dick, did the Chief mention Tanika or me on the ride over." Sara wondered if he had said anything about her falling into his room.

"No, nothing really, just that he was surprised they put woman on a buoy tender. All the heavy work and stuff, you know." He paused and frowned slightly. "Actually, I was sitting on the mess deck eating chow. Doug had invited me here but I didn't have a way here. I had to wait to clean up but anyway, the Chief did ask where you two were off to tonight, and I told him. That's when he said he was coming here tonight and asked if I wanted a ride."

"Move over Tanika, Doug is back in town." Doug came over to the edge beside Tanika and took the deep step directly down beside her.

Tanika scooted over and Ken was forced against Sara, his long thigh rested firmly against hers.

"Isn't this cozy." Doug said.

"Sure is," Ken agreed glaring at Dick.

Dick sat there for a few seconds, stood up stretching. "It too hot for me. I think I'll go cool off for a while."

"Don't you cool off too much, sugar," Tanika called to his back, "or we'll be calling you limp dick."

Sara started to tell Tanika to ease up on him and then saw the Chief headed towards them.

"Here comes the Chief," Tanika said. "If I didn't know better I think he was just waiting for Dick to leave. He sure looks fine in those trunks. I wonder what he would look like in those little tinny things like Doug's wearing? Probably ain't got much to show anyway, that's why he hides it."

Sara felt her face turn red as she thought, "if you only knew."

"Mind if I join you?" Trevor glanced down at the group with a smile.

"Come on in Chief," Doug answered, knowing nobody would dare object. "It'll make you feel like a lobster."

Trevor placed his hands on the rail easing into the water and sat on the steps.

At that moment Sharon walked over with the man she had went upstairs with. "Move on in Trevor, so we can join you."

Trevor glanced up behind him and started to move over beside Doug.

"Boy-girl, boy-girl." Sharon said waiving her finger. "You sit beside the pale little girl with short hair, I'll sit beside you, and Joey will sit beside me. I'll be sandwiched in the bread between two hunks of meat. Doug, you scoot down."

Sara felt sandwiched in-between Ken and the Chief. So, she thought, 'Trevor is his name.' She wondered how well he knew Sharon. She certainly acted as if she knew him intimately the way her hands had caressed his shoulders when she came up behind him.

As if the hot water and the gin fizz's weren't bad enough, she was now forced snugly, skin to skin, between Ken and the Chief. Every few moments she felt Ken's thigh muscles tighten against her leg and the Chief's leg was as equally threatening. Although his thigh felt like unmoving soft steel against her leg it was the image of his naked body flashing in her mind that made her stomach twist in knots.

"How about a refill, Doug." Sara held out her glass.

"Sure, anybody else ready." He passed the pitchers around and they sat quietly for several minutes listening to the Miami flavored jazz like salsa music.

Trevor felt Sharon's hand slowly moving up his thigh, grateful that the darkness and the streaming bubbles blurred her action. He wanted to move her hand away and yet he didn't. He hadn't been with a woman in so long he hurt. As her hand came closer to her destination his senses betrayed him and he became more aware of Sara. The feel of her leg pressing firmly against his made him feel as if he were ready to lose control.

Sara almost jumped when Ken's unseen hand came to rest on her thigh She didn't push his hand away and she tried to think why she didn't. Her mind felt fuzzily content which she contributed to the drinks, the sensual jazz, the darkness, the heat and his closeness. But it was the feel of the Chief's skin assaulting her senses, not Ken's hand.

"What a cozy little group." Lake's deep mellow voice pierced their thoughts and they looked up behind them standing there in the shadows with a big smile.

Trevor groaned mentally as Sharon moved her hand away and several in the group were visibly startled.

"Sharon, I trust you are keeping everyone entertained?" Lake walked around so they wouldn't have to turn to look at him.

Sharon raise one eyebrow and smiled mischievously. "I've certainly been trying."

"Speaking of entertainment," Doug interjected, "what's on for tonight?"

"Entertainment?" Tanika straightened up in the water and glanced at Doug and then looked up at Lake in anticipation.

"That's why I came over. Entertainment will begin in about fifteen minutes. So if you want to dry off we'll be gathering in the rec room." He turned and walked towards the house.

"What's on for tonight?" Doug cupped his hands together and called out.

Lake glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "It's a surprise."

"Entertainment?" Tanika asked again, "what kind?"

"All kinds." Sharon offered. "He's had musicians, magicians, a couple of psychics. He always tries to outdo himself."

"Let's go." Tanika stood up and straightened her swimsuit top and reached below the water continuing the adjusting.

"Need any help?" Doug offered.

"I think you've helped enough," and she shoved him laughing.

They slowly climbed out and toweled dry.

Doug took Tanika's hand. "We'll meet you in the rec room."

"Wait for us." Sharon grabbed Joey's arm and hurried after them.

"I'm going to fix another drink," Ken said looking at Sara and then glanced at the Chief. "Can I get either of you one?"

Sara nodded. "Another one of those slow gin's, would be good." He was going to leave her here alone with the Chief. She sighed. Well if the Chief was going to say anything now is the time. She might as well get it over with.

"Chief?" Ken said.

"A scotch and water. Thank you."

Trevor watched as Sara continued drying her hair. It was so sensual. He wondered if she was being deliberately manipulative or was she just naive as to how enticing she looked.

He cleared his throat. "About this afternoon...."

Sara froze and looked up at him. "Chief it was an accident. I didn't mean to fall into your room like that. I'm so embarrassed but something scared me."

"Scared you? What?" He furrowed his brow as his jaw began to twitch.

Sara's mind rushed to find a feasible answer. She couldn't tell him that she thought it was demons. "I feel stupid but I heard a strange noise--it must have been the ship bumping against the dock or something. I ran out of the berthing and tripped over my own feet. I'm really sorry."

Trevor forgot what he was going to say when her warm brown eyes pierced his soul. He felt his heart pound as he stood fixed for an instant lost in the moment, a feeling of shared intimacy.

A faint smile tugged at his eyes as he glanced at her lips. "Did you like what you saw?"

Sara felt the blood rush hard to her face. She couldn't believe he said that. Oh, but yes! She had liked what she saw as her eyes involuntarily traced down his near naked body reminding her. She stood speechless.

"Well?" he prodded.

What could she say? Lie—the truth? Even if it had only been for an instant, it was etched in her mind.

"Here's the drinks." Ken interrupted looking suspiciously at the two of them. "Doug made them. Sara are you okay?"

"Yes fine," she answered with a faint smile.

They took their drinks and Ken grabbed Sara's hand pulling her possessively towards the house. "Let's join everybody else."

Sara didn't resist Ken but glanced at the Chief wondering why he stood there frowning.

Trevor followed wondering to himself how quickly she was getting to him. He was going to have to talk with Seaman Ken Carson. But what could he say? They were both non rates and there wasn't any fraternization rules against it. Now he was a different story. Not so much the rank, but the fact that he was her direct supervisor wouldn't be tolerated. Of course the Captain wouldn't ever say anything. He would probably even join them. Lake was about as deviate a person as they come and he suspected that he may have even sleep with a few of the male crewmembers.

Trevor tried to shake the thought away. He had no proof and really didn't care as long as it didn't affect their mission. But how could it not affect their mission?

Now the XO of the ship was a different story. You could depend on him. He was an Academy graduate and Lake had attended some Ivy League school before going to Officer Candidate School, a ninety day wonder was a good description.

As they entered the rec room they found every one sitting on the tiled floor in a circle still in their swimsuits except for a lone figure. A white robed woman was sitting at the far end and the only light was provided by a large candle in the center of the circle

"It's about time," Tanika remarked. "We've been waiting for you guys."

"Sorry," Ken muttered, as several people moved aside making room for the three of them to join.

Trevor watched Ken pull Sara towards the floor and then he sat down on her other side with Tanika to his left.

"So what's going on?" Trevor whispered.

"We're going to conjure up the bogey man." Tanika giggled rather loudly and elbow Doug, who sat on her left.

"What?" Sara audibly gasp, as her mind repeated, boogey man. Surely she hadn't heard her correctly.

Ken snorted in laughter, "The boogey man? You mean the devil?"

"That's right, sweet cheeks," Tanika answered.

Sara began to stand up in shock, shaking her head and mumbling. "No, no way. I'm going to...."

"Ah, come on." Ken said pulling her back down to the floor. "It's just for fun, besides there's no such thing as the big bad boogey man."

"It's okay," Lake spoke up, "it's just for fun. There's nothing to be afraid of." He turned to look at the robed woman knitting his eyebrows. "Alice? Can you help me out?"

She slowly pushed back her hood to stare out at the group. Her pale eyes flashed with the flicker from the candle light making her appear ageless, stared at Sara while pushing back her thick black hair.

"Hi everyone. Thank you Lake for inviting me here. I'm Alice Bailey and I want you to know there is little to fear," her voice was husky and warm, "for what we are attempting to do is not as many may think. We merely desire to speak with the second power of the universe. Usually when people speak of the second power, they call him by many names as your friend did; the Boogey Man, Old Scratch, the Devil," she swayed her head gently as if in disbelief. "These are but a few names. These titles are caused by mankind's own inadequate fears.

Lucifer adopted the world when God gave man and angel the ability of free choice. There has been much blamed on Lucifer and he is not guiltless. But all that man sees as bad cannot be blamed on him." Alice paused and looked around the group. "There is so much misunderstanding and our fears keep us from believing the truth. The truth is always very hard to believe but then truth is not a constant. What is true now at this moment may not be true with the passing of time. But as for the truth that is something else for a later time. As for now, I will try to explain without blaspheming God. God created Lucifer, his most perfect creation, but then God, being as the Bible even states, a jealous God, he did not want Lucifer to grow. He was after all the creator. His toys—his way. There are some parents like that--they do not want their child to achieve greater than they. Lucifer's sin was desire-desire to be as great or equal to God--his creator. He just wanted to grow up. Is that bad?"

Alice shrugged and looked from bland or contorted face to face filled with curious expressions, waiting patiently for a response.

"What about evil!" Sara finally broke the silence with the accusation, not a question.

"Evil," Alice repeated her eyes took on a faraway look, "cannot all be attributed to Lucifer. Let me ask you to define evil?"

Sara's mind screamed 'I was raped by a demon,' but she couldn't say that. She looked around the group for help. "Murder?" she asked in substitution.

"Man of free choice, murders. Let me ask you a hypothetical question. You have Venus, Mars and the Earth. Venus is the planet of love and Mars is the planet of war. Mars wants to destroy the Earth and Venus wants to save it. Who is the good, and who is the evil?"

Sara sat thinking. The answer was too easy--it had to be a trick question.

"That's obvious," Ken spoke up, "Mars is the evil planet it wants to destroy the earth and Venus is the good planet."

Alice gave him a faint smile. "Then let me ask you--is it God or Lucifer that will destroy the Earth?"

"Lucifer." Ken answered quickly.

"Are you sure?" Alice opened her eyes wide. "Doesn't most religions indicate it will be God who shall judge the world and then destroy it. He will take those children he has chosen and create a new heaven and earth."

"Are you saying God is Evil and the Devil's good?" Tanika's eyebrows rose high in challenge.

"No, I'm not saying that. You have to define good and evil before you can answer that. But let me ask you, can something perfect create something imperfect?"

Ken jumped to answer. "You're telling us that God made Satan and therefore he made imperfection, therefore he's imperfect."

"I'm not telling you anything...." Alice began.

"I know how perfection can make imperfect," Tanika interrupted excitedly, "it's the free choice thing. The Devil was perfect until he chose differently. God made him perfect but then he chose to be evil."

"I assume you believe God made everything?" Alice asked.

Tanika nodded.

"Well if God made everything that would have to include any and I quote, evil, that Lucifer could choose from to do. Even if Lucifer did choose an action of evil he chose from something and that something was created by God."

"So you're saying God is not perfect." Tanika stated flatly.

Alice slightly shrugged and challenged her with a questioning look.

Tanika frowned in skepticism. "Then would you please define evil for us?"

Alice slowly looked around the group with a silent sigh. "Most people think of evil as that which causes chaos, or to be more specific that which hurts and destroys. Evil is usually seen as chaos. It causes pain and trouble. It is also changing. Everything that exists is never constant. The definition of good and evil constantly change. Frequently it is perception. What one person says is good is another's evil. Murder is evil, but to murder a murderer is it good? One man's sin is another man's bacon.

In your Bible, Cain and Abel made a sacrifice to God, as God requested. Cain gave God the fruit of the trees and Abel gave God a slaughtered lamb. God was pleased with Abel for murdering a lamb and displeased with Cain for giving that which did not have to be murdered. God's response caused emotions of jealousy in Cain and he murdered his brother. Then God punished Cain for reacting the same way God, himself had acted, when he was jealous that Lucifer may become his equal."

"But what about demons, not just Lucifer, but demons?" Sara blurted out before she realized she had even spoken.

"Like man, demons do exist but they are not the children of Lucifer. He did not create them. God did. They did fight God with Lucifer but Lucifer has little control over them, although he recognizes their right to exist. Demons are lost angels, entities entirely to themselves. Lucifer strives to control them for the work they do creates action within all existence. Many demons can be classified in the truest definition of evil. They work to hurt or create chaos for self-gratification or pleasure. Simply put, evil is static. It's chaos. Yet it is in choice that most things come into being. God gave Lucifer dominion over the earth but not over the demons or people. Lucifer wants the earth to continue for without it he has no power. It is the demons that disrupt his work but know that static is also the precursor to change and creation. Therefore aren't the demons changing energy not part of God's plan?"

Alice straightened her back. "Now, Lucifer is like a rainbow. He is light. Energy. His light is a variety of vibrations creating an energy spectrum. When we call him he comes in different colors. He is the lord of light. God's most perfect creation. When we call him we will see him in light. If he comes in white this is his pure form—blue is love—green is envy or jealousy--yellow is desire, particularly sexual energy or lust- orange is the knowledge of good and evil--violet is anger and red is hatred. If Lucifer comes in red he will choose a soul to take with him. Now if you would all join hands we will attempt to contact him."

Sara shook her head and began to stand. I'm not going to have anything to do with this."

"Come on Sara," Tanika said, "It's just a silly game. All this stuff before is to psyche us up."

The rest of the group joined in trying to talk Sara into staying.

Trevor looked up wondering why Sara was acting so nervous. He guessed it was probably just her religious training. It even sounded bizarre to him but it was just bullshit. Maybe even a good laugh.

He cleared his throat and whispered up to her. "Sara, I don't think you really have anything to worry about. I'll bet it's a magic trick, some kind of sleight of hand. "

Sara stared down at the Chief's warm brown eyes. He had called her Sara, not Seaman Apprentice Brown, of course she had been the only one that heard it but it made her feel warm inside. He was probably right, she was just feeling spooked." She nodded lamely and sat back down.

"Now if you will all join hands." Alice began. "We are like magnetic coils. As a magnet spins inside a copper wire it creates an attraction. When we think on something it will come to us in some form. We draw it to us. In a circle we create a coil in a coil. Now I asked you also to let your knees touch the person on each side of you.

Sara felt an erotic sensation when first her bare knee touched Trevor but nothing when Ken shoved his knee against hers.

Trevor was shocked by her exciting touch.

Alice inhaled deeply and rolled her head in a circle. "Lucifer, lord of light, we call you. May your power pour through us. May your love of life come into us. Let us forget ourselves and join with you in your glory. May we fulfil our part in your plan that the world shall last forever and ever."

The candle in the center began to flicker and the sound of silence amplified their emotions. Gasps where heard as the candle suddenly blazed brightly, illuminating the room with wavering shadows.

An electrical force grabbed them running in a clockwise direction, slowly at first, then faster and faster until their hands and knees seemed fused to the ones they touched. Everything was spinning.

Then as it began it slowed then ceased, silently each person began to see their own perception of hues twisting in vibrating shades. The candle burst forth in brilliant light blinding them, causing them to scrunch their eyes closed and then it abruptly stopped.

Several of them jerked their hands free from those they held and gasped in surprise.

"Wow!" Doug was the first to exclaim, "what fireworks!"

Tanika shook her hands as if they still tingled. "Unbelievable, all that yellow light."

Doug grinned. "Yeah, it was yellow. Alice, what did you say yellow was?"

"Lust." She stood up, studying each of their faces until she stopped and stared at Sara.

"Yellow," Ken nodded in agreement, "I saw it too."

Several of the others mumbled to each other that they also saw yellow and compared notes as to what those around them saw.

Sara held her breath for several seconds listening to their excited conversations. They were all saying they saw yellow but she hadn't, what she had seen was pure unadulterated white. She groaned inwardly. Was it just her? Alice, had said white was Lucifer in his purest form. Did it mean anything or was it just a parlor game. Should she tell them she saw something different? What would they think?

Lake stood up and reached out to Sharon grinning. "That reminds me I wanted to talk to you." He grabbed her hand, winked at Joey. "Come on you two." Ignoring the rest of the group he lead her away with Joey following behind.

Sara glanced around the group to see if the others might be thinking the same thing she was but they didn't seem to notice the trio's departure.

Ken turned to Sara, "let's go get a refill, join me?"

She nodded, "I'll join you in a minute, I wanted to ask Alice something? Would you make me another of those sloe gin fizz."

"My pleasure. By the time you get back to the bar I'll have it ready. You won't be long, will you?"

"Just a few minutes," she answered but stared at Alice.

"Well, what did you think?" Trevor's voice penetrated her thoughts.

"It was different. How about you? What did you see?" Sara was startled by the Chief's attention. She had been listening to the others talking about what they had seen.

"Truthfully," Trevor's voice dropped to a near whisper as he shook his head, "I didn't see yellow." He glanced around to see if anyone was listening, satisfied they weren't he continued. "I saw a green light. I've never seen anything that shade of green before. That's what got me confused. It has to be some kind of trick but that's what I don't understand--how could they see yellow and I saw green. It doesn't make sense."

Sara's eyes widened in surprise and relief. She hadn't been the only one that hadn't seen yellow. "I didn't see yellow either," she paused for a reaction.

"You didn't? Did you see green?"

"White." She said timidly, "the truth be known, I've never seen anything quite so white. It was frightening."

Trevor had to stifle the feeling to take her in his arms and comfort her. He sighed unintentionally, trying not to stare at her inviting body. "It was just a magic trick."

"But how?"

"That, I can't answer. But why don't we have a talk with this Alice woman."

"I want too." Sara glanced as the last of the group walked away from the woman. "That's why I was waiting but I wanted to talk to her alone."

"Alone," he repeated blandly, giving a curt nod he walked away.

Sara stared at his strong back wondering why he had suddenly turned so cold. She signed internally, it was just as well. It couldn't really go anywhere, after all he is her supervisor.

"I believe you wished to speak with me." Alice's husky voice interrupted her thoughts.

Sara flinched, grasping rapidly at fleeting questions she had running through her mind but suddenly seemed unable to call them back immediately due to sudden surprise, perhaps even because of the sloe gin.

Alice patted Sara's arm understandingly. "I believe I know what you wish to ask. You want to know why you did not see what the others saw?"

Sara managed a nod.

"The man you spoke with, he also did not see the yellow?"

Sara barely found her voice and what sound to her own ears was a gurgle, came out "green."

"I see--and perhaps you also see green?" her voice sounded doubtful.

"Uh--white."

Alice's pale eyes flew open wide in surprise and she smiled sincerely. "So seldom in my life have I met someone else who is able to see the white. It pleases me to meet you, for you are exceptional."

Sara stared unblinking.

"Come, let's sit down," she scanned the room, "in a chair--the floor makes my back ache."

Sara followed her to two chairs as the woman removed her robe, revealing her small frame clad in jean shorts and a gray pullover top. The dark garment and the dimly lit room had hid her age but now Sara was able to see her better she appeared to be in her early sixties. Her body was athletic and her face smooth with only few laugh lines around her eyes.

"You are the one that asked about the demons?"

"Yes, I...."

"And you believe in demons?"

"I don't know," Sara shrugged.

"I think perhaps you do but you are afraid. Am I right?"

Sara shrugged again. This wasn't going the way she wanted it too.

"Fear is a learned thing. We all have it. From our very beginnings we are taught fear: Fear of falling, fear of fire, fear of strangers--we are taught fear to protect us from ourselves and our environment. Without them, we would do grave damage to these vessels in which we live. But when we learn why we fear then we no longer need fear. Do you understand?"

"Uh--well, it makes sense—it's just not easy to overcome fear." Sara managed to answer.

"I think you have many questions--more questions than I am able to answer at this time."

"But why did I see white and just about everybody else saw yellow?"

"Sara," Alice patted her hand, "what you saw was a parlor trick."

"A trick? Then it wasn't real?" Relief suddenly filled her.

"A trick-yes and no. Sara there is so much for you to learn it's not easy to try to explain. The light you saw was real."

Sara tensed again.

Alice inhaled and continued, "the story behind it was not. You give the customers what they want. This is the way I make my living. I sell them what they want. Life, its self is a paradox. We bring into our lives the things we seek. Like a magnet, we draw those things to us but we are not the only creatures that exist in this universe. There are greater and lesser beings that exist. Your friends are living for carnal pleasure, that is why they saw yellow--the man who saw green, obviously is envious or jealous of something. That is what happens. As for you--you saw white and white is the pure energy of the universe."

"Lucifer?" Sara blurted out.

She shrugged, opening her hands outward in a sign of acceptance. "Be aware of your fear for it feeds on fear. You ask Lucifer? Yet you cringe. Lucifer is called the father of the lie and yet the lie is the knowledge of good and evil. Can one exist without the other? Positive without negative? In our present state of existence they can't but in another unknown state, who knows, perhaps they can. You must learn that all that exists, as we know it, is energy—pure energy. As you seek knowledge--knowledge seeks you."

"Sara!" Ken entered the room. "Here's your drink. I thought you were going to join us back at the bar?"

Sara looked over at him in frustration, she wanted to talk to Alice.

"I tell you what," Alice interrupted her dilemma, "here is my card. Call me tomorrow and come and visit me, we'll talk more." As if reading Sara's thoughts, she added with a grin. "No charge. What is your name, dear?"

"Sara," she took the card and managed to whisper, "thank you. "

"Now you go and join your friends." Alice stood, draping the robe over her arm and slowly almost gliding left the room.

Sara took the drink offered. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Out the door to the left and down the hall on the right. Want me to join you?" His eyes lazily tracing her body he flicked his eyebrows hopefully.

"That's okay, I think I can find it." She walked rapidly past while dismissing his lusty perusal, still in contemplation of Alice's words.

The house was much bigger than she had realized and although Ken had said "take a left and down the hall,' it was longer than she had expected with closed doors on each side. The carpet was thick against her bare feet and the faint light was provided by a small lamp on a table at the end of the hall. She figured that must be where a bathroom was.

She glanced at the paintings on the wall, stopping in front of a portrait of Lake. He was certainly handsome so regally posed in what she concluded must be polo clothing. She couldn't help but think of him as a spoiled little rich kid. He was pleasant enough though.

When she reached the lamp she looked at the closed doors on her left and right. One of these must be it, maybe someone was in there.

Timidly she tapped on the right door, after no answer she turned the knob and pushed it open.

A gasp caught in her throat as she looked on the most startling scene she had ever witnessed. The room lit with candles cast a pale yellow glow over a bed with three naked bodies, piled into a sandwich. Their heads were away from her but she could tell it was Lake on top, Sharon and then Joey. Creases of tangled legs framed two syncopated thrusting shafts filling Sharon's vagina and anus. Lake's hands reaching around squeezing her breasts as Joey held her waist and bucked his hips upward. As he withdrew, Lake plunged hard as Sharon rolled her head and moaned.

Sara's heart was pounding from surprise as she pulled the door closed. She knew her face must be scarlet and she felt light headed from the sloe gin and blood rush. As she turned she bumped into Ken, who had silently came up behind her, causing her to drop her drink. She watched as the glass tumbled from her hand in a slow perception of time and Alice's card fluttered after.

She started to speak as Ken's hands came up to her shoulders and pulled her against him.

"Don't!" She glimpsed the lust in his eyes just as she turned her head and tried to pull away.

His hand moved up to her head and forced her to face him. His mouth came down so hard she felt his teeth mashing her lips.

"Ken quit!," she forced the words out, "you're drunk."

Panic hit her as he pushed her against the wall with his body, his hands squeezing her breast harder. When she felt his thickness against her stomach fear shot through her and with every ounce of strength she could muster, using the wall as an anchor she shoved him back. He fell against the other wall, her eyes immediately flew to the threat she had felt. His still erect penis was flaring out of the top of his skimpy trunks and that's where she kicked him. He crumbled to the floor in an unconscious heap.

She could barely breathe as her body shook violently.

"Nice little display." Sara jumped at his voice turning to see the Chief standing three feet away, her thoughts were too jumbled to respond.

"What's the matter did you change your mind?" he sneered.

Slowly her mind grasped his implication. He thought she led Ken on and then said no.

"What!" she screamed. "You think I invited this." Her body still shaking as her hand flew up slapping him and then she gasped as she realized she had hit a superior.

The slap had stung Trevor but it wasn't the slap that made him change his mind, it was the angry terror on her face that made him realize he was wrong in his assumption. Just because he had been burnt once he shouldn't assume. She hadn't lured Ken on, she had been attacked and here he was only adding to her turmoil.

Sara turned away as a trembling sob broke her last resolve of any semblance of control. This just wasn't fair, she had almost been raped and now she would be the one brought up on charges for assault.

"Sara, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Trevor suddenly wanted to comfort her, to hold her, but now wasn't the time to touch her. What was he thinking, he could never touch her. "I misunderstood. Let me take you back to the ship."

Sara, through tears, glanced up at him. She had been waiting for his harsh condemnations but not this soothing tone--he was apologizing. Slowly her mind focused. "I didn't mean to slap you I was just..." she couldn't find the words.

"It's okay," Trevor reached out to touch her and then pulled back his hand. "I think we should get dressed and go back to the ship. I'll find Stiff and tell Kelly you'll be riding with me."

Sara shook her head in protest. "I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"I think it's time for you to go back to the ship."

Sara started to object but then nodded her head in concession. He was right, it had been too much.

"And tomorrow," Trevor glanced down at Ken, "I'll see the XO about having formal charges brought against Carson."

"No," Sara gasped.

"You have too, what he did was criminal."

"I won't do it. Did you see everything?"

Trevor didn't answer and she knew he hadn't by his reaction upon arriving.

"It would just be his word against mine--besides I won't be the cause of another military sex scandal."

Trevor almost grinned at the direct way she spoke to him. None of the other Seaman who worked for him had ever been bold enough to talk back to him, let alone slap him. He almost unconsciously touched his cheek, remembering the sharp sting.]

He gave her a brief nod. "You're probably right." He walked back up the hall several steps, stopped looked back making sure she was following.

Sara paused and glanced down at Ken. "Is he going to be okay?"

The left corner of Trevor's lip turned up. "It's not half of what he deserved. He's okay." Then he smiled brightly. "You kicked him pretty good."

Sara's was surprised when his smile erased his usual stoic expression.

He startled her when he grabbed her hand leading her up the hall.

Surprised, it took her a moment to remember Alice's card as she pulled her hand free. "I've got to get Alice's card." Hurriedly she scooped up the card and empty glass and returned to where he impatiently stood.

Trevor glanced at the card but refrained from asking what it was and lead the way through the house to where they found most of the group in the hot tub.

"Stiff, I'm ready to leave. If you're not ready maybe Kelly will give you a ride." Trevor looked at Stiff and then glanced at Doug Kelly whose arm was around Tanika. "Kelly, Seaman Apprentice Brown, here, said she's ready to go back to the ship. If you're not ready to leave then she can ride with us."

"Hey Doug," Dick asked, "could I catch a ride, or are you heading back?"

Doug glanced at Tanika. "Did you want to go?"

"Not yet, it's not even twelve and I don't have to get up early." Tanika ran a slender finger along his cheek. "Let's stay."

"You can ride with us." Doug said to Dick and then looked up at Sara. "You're sure you're ready?"

Nervously Sara nodded her head. "I'm getting kind of tired."

Ignoring Trevor, Doug asked, "Are you sure you want to ride with the Chief?"

"That'll be fine." Sara couldn't help being shocked at his rude question and right in front of the Chief.

Trevor turned towards Sara. "Change and then meet me back here." He then stalked towards the men's dressing room.

Sara watched him walk away until Doug interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"I really am ready to go." She kept from meeting his eyes, afraid he might see just how stressed she felt.

Doug glanced at the Chief as he closed the door. "You don't mind riding with that asshole?"

"He's okay." Sara smiled at Doug appreciatively. "Thank you for your concern, I'll be fine."

Suddenly, the light's in the pool and the surrounding area flickered several times and then went out.

"What?" Several voices were heard exclaiming.

"Watch your hand?" Tanika voice pierced the dark, followed by the sound of a splash.

Then the lights came back glowing red for several seconds—blinked off--then back on to its normal pale amber.

"Did you see that?" Sara almost cried. "It was red."

"Weird," Doug answered.

"It was red—wasn't it?" Sara mumbled.

"I saw red." Doug answered but stared at Sara. "What's wrong Sara? It was just a fluke."

"Didn't Alice say the color red meant a soul was going to be taken?" Sara glanced nervously around.

Several of them laughed.

"That old bitty—that was all just a game—you can't believe anything she said," Doug said. "Besides didn't she say yellow was lust and we all saw yellow." He glanced around as several of the others nodded and then to Sara. Something was wrong with her, she hadn't seen yellow. He could tell by her response. He started to ask her but changed his mind. He didn't want to embarrass her and she already seemed extremely uncomfortable.

"I..., I'm going to change," Sara said. "Would you tell the Chief I will meet him in a few minutes out in front?"

"Sure, but...," Doug began but she was already out of sound distance because of the noise of the tub jets. He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong.

Tanika leaned over and whispered to him. "Do you think Sara and the Chief are going to do the 'wild thing?'"

Doug shrugged and forgot about Sara as Tanika's breath sent a chill down his spine in spite of the hot water.

CHAPTER 5

Trevor waited outside the front door wondering why Sara wanted him to meet her there instead of by the pool. He guessed she had just had enough. The humid Miami night salt air was thick and he slapped at several mosquitoes wishing she would hurry.

Finally one of the double doors opened and Sara hurried out. The flood lights from the landscaping illuminated her sensual strong body.

"Chief, thanks for waiting. I'm sorry it took so long but when the lights went out I...." Sara halted as she glanced up at his piercing eyes, her eyes wandered down to his lips. Nervously she glanced away towards the near dozen cars lining the drive. "Where are you parked? I hope you can get out."

"Forth one back." He pointed and started walking.

Sara began to follow but couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She gasped and jerked her head around as a shadows motion drew her attention.

Trevor heard her and turned to get a fleeting glimpse of a shadow moving over the face of the house and then vanish. He glanced to see if something was in front of any of the lights. Nothing was there--but what had caused the shadow.

"You saw it!" Sara exclaimed, "Didn't you?"

"Saw what?"

"That shadow. It moved across the grass and then under the front door."

Trevor nodded. "It was just a bug to near one of the lights. Don't let it bother you."

"No. It wasn't caused by the light. It was thick. It seemed to roll or flow. It wasn't like a shadow cast from a light."

"You're letting your imagination run away. It's all that talk of demons. Come on, you'll feel better when we're away from here. "

His car was older make. He started to unlock her door first and open it but changed his mind. He unlocked the driver's side and then punched the unlock button. They got in, sat silently as he started the engine and then drove slowly down the drive. Neither one saying anything but Trevor could feel the tense apprehension coming from Sara.

When they were back on the main road he glanced over at her. He couldn't help but feel she was angry at him because he had said it was just her imagination--but what could he say? He had only seen a glimpse of the dark shadow in the short moment before it disappeared--and yes, it had seemed unusually black but it couldn't be anything sinister, just a moth, and the fact that she had too much to drink.

"We're getting underway Sunday night." He decided to change the subject.

"I heard." She answered flatly and then fell silent.

After several more moments of silence he tried again. "Are you looking forward to it? Will this be your first time out on the ocean? "

"Yes, I am, and yes, it will be." She answered curtly.

Trevor's patience snapped his voice took on the usual gruffness. "I'm sorry if I've offended you when I said it was just your imagination but, what else could it have been."

Sara turned her head and glared through the dark blurting out her fear. "How about a demon?"

Trevor gritted his teeth to keep himself from saying it was her imagination, again. "Demon? There's no such thing."

"Can you be so sure? What about what we all saw? And did you see the red light?" She already regretted saying anything. It had just slipped out.

Trevor forced the frustration from his voice and spoke softly. "Auto suggestion from the hypnotist woman. And the red light was a power surge or something but I'm sure it can be explainable." He glance away from the road at her.

Sara sighed in partial defeat, "Whatever you say." How could she convince him differently, he probably didn't even get a good glimpse of the shadowed thing. She shook her head silently. She didn't know him at all. Besides, he was her supervisor, how could he believe anything she told him? Why should he? Nobody else had.

"Sara, don't be like that?" He said gently.

"Like what?" she whispered, again surprised he had used her name.

Trevor glanced again and ran over what had happen to her tonight. "I know with the hocus pocus stuff and then Carson trying to—well trying. You've had a lot of stress and a lot to process but the demon thing was placed there by that woman."

"Chief, let's just say I believe in demons. Call me old fashion, a religious heretic, or whatever, but I believe, so leave it alone. No disrespect intended."

Trevor's mind clicked, the image of Sara falling into his room earlier and the fear that had been on her face. Something had happen and she believes it had something to do with demons. She's a nut case! God knows he didn't need these kind of problems. Not again.

"Did you have a run in with a demon earlier today when you fell into my room?" He tried to make the question non accusatory. He didn't want her to lie and just about anybody would lie rather than admit they believed they had a run-in with a demon.

Sara's face flushed as she remembered his naked image, the experience and the cause of her ending up at his feet was momentarily forgotten. Then the memories of the flushing commode and something touching her hand, when she tried to turn off the light, flooded in, increasing her fear. She didn't want to go back to the cabin alone.

"Chief, I'm so embarrassed about that, I apologize—I didn't mean too."

"Something scared you. I want you tell me what happen."

"I was just startled by some sound. It's all new to me."

Trevor shook his head. "I think it's more than that. Tell me Sara. I promise not to tell anyone. If something happened it was probably some of the guys playing a trick on you. They do that to all new boots. I bet if you ask Stiff he's had tricks played on him too."

Tricks. Was it possible? That could be it. "What kind of tricks?"

"They send you to get bogus things, such as, a fallopian tube, or send you to find Charlie Noble. Do you know who Charlie Noble is?"

Sara slightly smiled with the thought. It really was possible somebody had been laying a trick on her. But how? They probably had some way to get into her cabin through the overhead. That had to be it and she would bet it was , probably Jones, he didn't seem to like her or Tanika. Then she realized he had asked her a question. "Who's Charlie Noble?"

"Charlie Noble's the name for the smoke stack."

"What other kind of tricks to they play?"

"I won't tell you too many, it's the crews way of initiating you, accepting you but you might find yourself on the bow looking out into the ocean for a mail buoy." Trevor could sense her relax as the uneasiness seemed to drain away. "So Sara, tell me what happened?"

She sighed, she might as well, he was probably right about it being a trick. "The toilet seat was up and...."

"What? You mean to say that...."

"Would you let me finish! If you want to hear this listen and then comment."

Trevor tried to hide his grin. She had a lot of spunk. He would at least give her that and she had handled Carson pretty well. "Okay, okay, go ahead." He couldn't help add a laugh.

"The toilet seat was up. And women don't put it up or have you be around guys to long to know that?" She didn't give him time to respond and continued. "I heard a tinkling sound of water in the bathroom, I'm sorry I mean in the head, well anyway I went in there and the seat was up, and the water in the bowl was vibrating like someone had just used it. Okay, it was strange but I decide Tanika probably left the seat up. Why would she do that? Now, that I can't answer. So I turned the light off in the head, shut the door and got my purse to leave the cabin. Then I heard the commode flush. That's when I ran into the passage. When I was outside the door I remembered I had left the light on in the cabin I cracked the door open and reached in to turn it off and something touched my hand. That's what scared me and I jumped back, my feet got twisted and I fell into your cabin."

Trevor bobbed his head in small nods. "It sounds like somebody's playing a trick on you. Somehow they must have been hiding in there." Trevor just couldn't figure where they could be hiding.

"You're right, I guess I let my imagination run away from me. They must have been hiding in the overhead. There's nowhere else anyone could have been."

"I told you there was an explanation and there's an explanation about all the hocus--pocus at the CO's house too." Trevor's didn't want to tell her there wasn't any possible way somebody could have been in the overhead, there just wasn't room, but someone did do something, and he was going to find out who.

Sara felt better than she had all evening. He might be her boss but he made her feel comfortable.

Trevor turned off of MacArthur Causeway and pulled up to the red light at the bridge leading over to the base. They sat there waiting for the gate watch to give them the green and then drove in.

Trevor pulled up in front of the ship and stopped. "I'll let you out here and then park the car. I'll stop by your cabin before I turn in and make sure nobody's hiding there."

"Okay but there's no need to check on me. I'll be fine." Sara said."

"That's okay, you go ahead. I wanted to check something on my car before I turn in for the night."

"Thanks for giving me a ride back." Sara unconsciously patted his arm before she realized what she was doing. "And thanks for reassuring me I'm not losing my sanity."

Trevor watched as she got out and walked up the gangway before pulling off. He felt guilty that he hadn't wanted to be seen coming back aboard with her, even though most of the crew at the party knew he had given her a ride back. The less talk the better. He couldn't afford to be caught fraternize, again. It had almost cost him his career. He dismissed the thought, after all, he had learned his lesson. Women couldn't be trusted and they weren't worth losing your career over.

CHAPTER 6

"Hello," Sara said to the Seaman on watch. She glanced at the clock, almost twelve thirty. It wasn't as late as she had thought it was.

"Hi, Sara." He said and scribbled on a piece of paper.

He knew her name and she was embarrassed she didn't know his but then she was new. "I'm sorry, I've just met so many people since I've arrived I can't remember all the names yet."

"Antonio Sergio Diaz, everybody calls me Tony." He stood and offered his hand, his smile illuminated his dark hair and hazel eyes.

Sara clasped his hand firmly and then began to feel uncomfortable when the handshake was held longer than she felt appropriate. She tried to tactfully pull her hand away and when she did his hand tightened until she finally jerked it free.

"What's the matter?" He grinned. "Do I make you nervous?" His eyes glided down and rested on her breasts.

Sara ignored the question noting they were the only people on the mess deck she feigned a yawn. "Well, I'm tired, I'm going to turn in. Nice meeting you and no you don't make me nervous."

"That's a good idea. Would you like for me to tuck you in." His grinned suggestively and raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe tuck me in?"

Sara had enough confrontations for one night and she ignored his overtures. "Tanika and Doug will be back soon, would you ask her to not wake me if I'm already asleep?"

"You could come down to my rack. There's only four people on board and nobody's else will be there."

Sara turned without saying a word and headed down the ladder. Was that all anybody ever thought about? Sex? At the moment she didn't think she could fight off anybody else, besides even if she wanted too she couldn't do anything. In boot camp they had told them that the 'pill' was available but she had chosen not to take it but now she was beginning to wonder. Even if she didn't decide to climb in somebody's rack she's might be forced. These guys didn't seem to understand no. Of course she had never literally said no. She was just going to have to be more cautious. She had better lock the door, he had looked strange when he said there were only four people aboard. Well the Chief was close and he would be onboard in few minutes. She felt safe with him but then after the thoughts she had been having about him she wondered if he was safe.

Sara walked down the passage towards her cabin, the red night lights reminded her of the 'surge of power' at the CO's house. She turned the corner and walked the few feet to her door, stooped and listened. It was quiet except for the constant whine of something mechanical somewhere distant in the ship. Slowly she turned the knob, reached in and flicked on the light. Cautiously she moved into the room looking behind the door, under the rack and then she opened the door to the head switching on the light.

47

Nothing there. She exhaled audibly not realizing she had been holding her breath. She stared up at the overhead tiptoeing and pushed on several areas. It seemed firm. She wondered if someone could have come through that way.

The alcohol effect had eased somewhat but she felt sleepy. The Chief had said he was coming by to check on her so she would have to wait to change into her night-clothes.

Trevor had stood outside the mess deck watching the interaction between Sara and Diaz. He could hear what was being said but he could tell by her body language that she was becoming nervous. He figured Diaz must be hitting on her and he had to stop himself from barging in to stop it. He couldn't understand why he was filling so protective-so possessive. Hell, hadn't it been a woman's fault that he had been kicked out of the Officer's ranks. Sara would have to learn take care of these things herself, he couldn't always be there to protect her. Then again, he hadn't protected her at all yet. Shit, he had even accused her of leading Carson on.

He smiled when she jerked her hand away from Diaz and stalked off. She handled Carson--she could handle Diaz too. Diaz was pushy but he wouldn't force it. But then the thought that Diaz could be pretty persuasive, made him frown.

Trevor waited several minutes after Sara left to go in.

'Evening Chief," Diaz said.

"Diaz." He nodded in conformation. "Has everything been quiet?"

"Yeah, only the duty section onboard except for that new babe. The white chicky."

Trevor started to say something but then figured he was partially responsible for Diaz's statement. He had never made it any secret how he felt about women in the Coast Guard. They would think it pretty strange if he suddenly started taking up for them.

"Well, good night." He said curtly and went down the metal ladder.

In front of his room he paused before opening his door, glancing at her door, and smiled after all he had promised he would check her room for anybody. He wondered if it was wise to be alone with her and she was probably still a little intoxicated. Looking down the hall, insuring nobody was around, he walked over and tapped lightly.

"Sara," he said softly and waited.

He tapped again a little harder and waited—nothing. He didn't want to pound on the door even if there was only the duty section onboard, he knew they couldn't hear him but he didn't t want to take any chances.

Slowly he turned the knob. Locked. This time he pounded harder and waited. Still she didn't answer. She must have passed out from the sloe gin or was in the head.

He shrugged in frustration. It was just as well he didn't need to be alone with her. Of course, he did have keys to almost every lock on the ship in his cabin. He could glance in just to make sure she was okay. What was he thinking? He stopped to think. He liable find himself trying the same thing Carson did. Was he like that? It had been a long time and he couldn't help but feel she might be more receptive than she had been with Carson. The way her eyes had lingered over his body when she caught him naked.

He shook his head the flash of her breast lingered and the way the swimsuit conformed to her body. What was the matter with him? He was becoming engorged remembering it. He was aching. He wanted her so badly it was confusing his thoughts. It was a craving.

He walked the few steps back to his cabin and unlocked the door with the intention of getting the keys. He headed straight to the desk and picked them up. The coolness of their metal brought his awareness back to what he was intending. What was wrong with him? Slowly he exhaled and leaned against the desk, he felt flushed. Quickly while he still could he left the room turning left and went out to the buoy deck. He was in such a hurry he had left the hatch open.

Trevor stood there staring up at the hazy sky, listening to the water slap against the ship from the wake of a passing tug. He was no better than Carson or Diaz. What was it about this woman that made all the men she met respond the way they did. Was it the fact that there were only two women onboard?

He had been clutching the keys so hard the pain stabbed into his palm but it had helped clear his head. He wasn't a rapist! Even the court-martial had found in his favor she had been willing. Willing?--she had seduced him. But this was different. Once he had been lucky he had been fortunate that someone had overheard the woman come to his room.

Sara sat in the only chair in the room waiting for the Chief. She was sure he had been right about somebody playing a trick on her but she wished he would hurry up, so she could go to sleep. She was so tired she closed her eyes to rest them. The image of his naked body came vividly to her mind and she wasn't sure what she was feeling. She wondered what it would have felt like to touch him.

Slowly fantasies of him removing her clothes enveloped her thoughts. He was caressing and kissing her....

A dull continuous thump from the bathroom caused her eyes to fly open. Her heart hammered as she stood up and moved slowly towards the sound. She picked up a hardback book ready for confrontation and she would lay odds it was Jones--or maybe even Diaz. He knew she was here.

As her fingers touched the knob the door jerked open and a blind yellow light assaulted her vision. She managed a short startled scream before a dark flowing shadow engulfed her, drawing her strength, forcing her to the floor.

She couldn't move, much less scream, as she felt a heavy pressure working its way up her feet and legs.

"Not again please!" Her mind screamed.

A muffled scream pierced Trevor's thoughts and he scrambled over the buoy chains back into the passage. It had been Sara. He was certain of that. He ran to her cabin, stopped and stared at the bright yellow light bleeding beneath the door. He fumbled with the keys, unlocked the door and flung it open.

He froze, his mind spinning, there was Sara lying on the deck covered by a thick black fluid substances.

Unconsciously, Trevor blinked, and then it was gone. He stood there only a moment, then hurried into the room, stepping over Sara he looked in the head.

Nothing! There was nothing there. He stared down at Sara's unmoving form, her eyes staring blankly, a single tear trickling down her cheek.

Slowly he knelled down and scooped her easily off the deck laying her on the lower rack. He brushed her hair off her forehead.

After several quiet moments Sara's fear eased and her breathing returned to normal.

"Did you see...?" she began.

"Shh!" Trevor brought his finger down and touched her lips. "We will talk tomorrow."

"Well, well, well!" Tanika said from the door way. "What have we here?"

Trevor jumped up banging his head on the upper rack, rubbed the pain and turned to face her. "It's not what you think."

"Chief, I wasn't thinking a thing," she smiled mischievously.

"Sara, uh, Seaman Apprentice Brown, yelled and I thought something was wrong. She must have being having a nightmare."

Nightmare! Sara's mind screamed. He thought she had been having a nightmare. Oh no! He hadn't seen it.

Trevor looked down at her giving his head a slight shake, hoping she wouldn't talk about it.

"What's going on?" Doug said, coming up behind Tanika.

Tanika rolled her eyes so only Trevor could see. "Sara was having a nightmare."

"Oh!" Doug moved into the small room. "You okay now Sara?"

Sara managed to nod and sit up.

"You two missed everything by leaving so early." Tanika stopped, enjoying the moment of tantalizing them with what had happen.

Trevor waited patiently for her to continue and then finally in frustration he growled, "What?"

"The police."

"The police, what happen?"

"And a body."

Sara gasped aloud. She had killed Ken.

Frustrated Trevor turned to Doug. "Would you tell us what happen?"

Doug opened his mouth but Tanika interrupted. "Dougie, you said I could tell them."

Doug winked at her and nodded.

"What body?" Trevor growled in a no-nonsense tone.

50

"They found that man Joey, you know the pretty boy, the one who was messing around with Sharon, well they found him dead." She rolled her eyes. "Butt naked, semen all over him, Sharon found him dead in the CO's bedroom."

Sara's shoulder's relaxed, it wasn't Ken, but she had to be sure. "Where's Ken?"

"Oh he got drunk and we had to carry him back. That's where Doug just came from, putting him in his rack."

"I had to stop for him to throw up in the laundry room." Doug added. "So Chief, you will know it was him and not make someone else clean it up in the morning.

Trevor nodded and saw the worry in Sara's face ease knowing she was thinking about Carson. Thank goodness it hadn't been Carson, even if he had deserved it. "Well, Seaman Brown, you're obviously enjoying telling this story, so would you please be so kind and finish the damn thing?" Trevor barked.

Tanika was unfazed by his gruffness for now she had a divot up on him. She had caught them. "Well, they don't know what killed him but the cops suspect a blood vessel in the brain popped. I think little miss Sharon melon tits humpity humped him to death. Anyway the cops took the CO and Sharon in for a statement."

"They arrested them?" Sara asked, as the image of the three people in the bed splattered her memory.

"No, they're just going to question them." Doug answered. "Sara are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You looked stressed when you left Lake's. Did something happen? Did you see something?"

Sara didn't won't to tell about what she had seen in the bedroom or that Ken had attacked her. Of course if the police questioned her she guessed she would have to tell them. "It was the long day combined with those sloe gins." She fanned her face. "I'm not used to alcohol."

Doug shook his head and looked at her quizzically. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, it just that Ken seemed to be in a lot of pain. I guess he just had to much to drink but he kept mumbling...." He let the sentence dangle, watching her expression.

"Mumble?" Sara tried to act nonplus but she was worried he had said something. She didn't want to have to explain it, not tonight, anyway.

"Something about a she-demon." Doug laughed. "Said a she-demon tried to bust his balls."

She-demon! Of all the nerve, she would show him a she-demon. He wouldn't know what got hold of him when she finished.

Doug glanced over at the Chief challengingly. "What are you doing here?"

Trevor paused and glanced at Tanika to see if she was going to say anything. He felt relieved when the look in her eyes and a slight shake of her head told him she would keep quiet. "Seaman Apprentice Brown had a nightmare and was yelling. I thought something was wrong."

Sara nodded. "Uh, thanks Chief, and Doug thanks for your concern but I've had too much excitement for one day. I don't think I will ever drink again. The room is spinning. I want to turn in."

They spend several minutes telling everyone good night and as soon as Tanika closed the door she turned to Sara. "Okay girl. I want to know all the down low on the Chief. You two making out, or what?"

CHAPTER 6

"Now reveille, reveille, reveille, all hands--reveille,, reveille, reveille." A male voice piped loudly. "Now for the information of all hands, liberty is hereby cancelled as of 0800, Saturday. All hands will muster on the fantail at 0830. That's all hands will muster on the fantail at 0830. Chief Donnelly and Chief Campbell your presences are requested on the Bridge. Now, Petty Officer Waitkcross lay to the ship's office."

Tanika groaned, leaned over the side of the top rack and picked up the clock. "It's only 7:30. It's Saturday, what the hell do they think they're doing." She groaned again, swinging her legs over the edge she let them dangle. "My head hurts."

Sara rubbed her eyes and stretched groggily. "Me too. I got some aspirin in my purse. Want some?"

"Please."

Sara fumbled through her purse and pulled out the aspirin. Stuck to the side of the bottle was the card she had gotten from Alice. She repeated the phone number several times to commit it to memory. Last night she almost lost the card and she didn't want to take the risk of not having it. Perhaps, just perhaps, Alice would be able to help her with her problem, her questions.

Sara dry swallowed a couple of aspirins, handed the bottle to Tanika and donned her uniform. She wouldn't have time to shower if she wanted to grab chow before muster.

"I'm going up for breakfast, you coming?" Sara asked as she brushed her hair.

"I've got to take a shower, I still smell like chlorine."

"Me too, but I figure there's not time to and get something to eat. Want me to bring you down something?"

"Coffee and a roll." Tanika said and then surprised herself when she added. "Thank you. That's so nice. You're really are sweet."

Sara blushed, ignoring the thanks. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Hot and black," she answered grinning.

"I'll be back in a few, maybe I can find out what's going on."

Sara made her way down the passage just as one of the men left the male head wrapped only in a towel and hurried to his berthing. She grinned and couldn't help look through the door he had left open and saw one man standing in his briefs shaving. He looked up and grunted then continued shaving.

There was the watch stander reading a magazine and only two other people already sitting at a table. She had seen their faces but she didn't know either one of them by name. She looked for Doug but he wasn't there, neither was Stover. There was an assortment of food laid out that had already been cooked, plus hamburgers and everything that went with them. She stared blankly, was she supposed to fix it herself.

53

"It's brunch on weekends." A Third Class Petty Officer spoke up. She recognized him as one of the Machinery Technicians. "It's help yourself, until 1300. I guess they laid it out before they found out liberty was cancelled."

"Thanks." She gave him a smile and began filling a plate with already fried bacon, an easy-over egg and a muffin. Darn she hadn't had to hurry, she could have taken a shower.

When she filled a plate she headed over to sit alone at one of the other tables.

"Hey, Deck Ape, care to join?" The same man ask.

"Thanks." She answered unoffended. She knew that's was what the engineering department called the deck force. She set her plate down and glanced over at the 50 cup coffee pot. "Let me grab a cup of coffee." She spoke as she got a cup and flipped the black lever. "I'm Sara." She offered her hand out upon approach.

The man who had spoken nodded showed her a grease stained hand in explanation for not offering out his hand. "I'm Dan and this is Phil. I'd shake but I just wiped the grease off."

Sara sat down, taking a sip of the steaming black coffee wondering how could anyone eat food with hands so grimy. "Ugh, that coffee's strong."

"You get used to it," Phil said.

"Yeah, you'll even get to like it," Dan added.

"I don't know about that." Sara set the cup down and stared at it. "Tastes like diesel fuel." Realizing she may have just offended the two Machinery Technician she wondered if she should apologize. "Uh, I didn't mean...."

"You're wrong." Phil grinned. "Diesel fuel tastes better."

She gave him a chuckle and smile. "By the way, does either of you know what's going on? I thought they didn't hold reveille on weekends."

Dan glanced at Phil then back. "I guess it's not a secret but we're getting underway this morning. That's what we're doing here. Hell fire, neither one of us even had duty but they recalled us, anyway--so we could light-off the main engine an hour before we get underway. Shit, the duty section should at least have been able to light it off." He slurped at his coffee. "My wife was pissed. I just had duty last weekend and we were underway 'til Wednesday night, the day before you reported in, and duty on Thursday. Last night was the first time I've seen her in three weeks. Week before last we were underway."

Sara hadn't thought how married life might be affected by being in the Coast Guard. It didn't sound as if you got to see your family very often and she could only imagine the time away if you were stationed on one of the larger cutters. All she could do was nod and try to look sympathetic.

"Yeah, it sucks." Phil agreed.

"What time are we getting underway?"

Dan glanced at his watch. "Nine we got to get down to the engine room in ten minutes."

Sara remembered Alice's card. She needed to talk to her before they left. "Do you know when we will get back?"

"Knowing Captain Midnight, it's hard to say. Could be tomorrow--could be a couple weeks."

Sara glanced at the phone near the watchstander. "Can we use that phone for local calls?"

"Fraid not," Dan said. "There's a pay phone on the other side of the base but you might try the one in the ship's office. I heard them pipe Fatcross there, earlier. You don't have a cell?"

"I dropped, then it got trampled while I was carrying my sea bag through the airport. Who's Fatcross?" Sara shrugged.

"Waitkcross," Phil corrected. "He's the ship's yeoman. If you can talk him into letting you use the phone. He's the XO's puppy. Just don't tell him anything you don't want the XO to know."

"Thanks," she sighed, "but I really need some privacy." Sara hoped she could talk Petty Officer Waitkcross into letting her use the phone but she wouldn't be able to talk very candidly with Alice if he were listening.

Dan leaned over towards her, lowering his voice. "He had duty last night, so he'll have to do morning colors. If you hurry maybe he will let you use the phone while he's gone. They pipe First Call five minutes before 8:00." He glanced at his watch. "If you go now that gives you about two minutes to persuade him before he has to leave. That will give you about six minutes for a phone call. Will that give you enough time?"

"I think it will." Sara stood, picked up her tray and cleared the refuse stacking it with several others. "Thanks again, I appreciate that." She hurried down the metal ladder and headed up the passage past the male head. She grinned. Someone had finally closed the door. Then she stopped at the next door on the left and tapped lightly.

"Come in."

"Good morning Petty Officer Waitkcross."

"Morning." He nodded and added curtly. "What do you want? I've got to do color." He stood and put on his hat his belly hanging over his belt he turned sideways to get past her through the door.

"Could I use the phone? It's really important and..."

"No. It's not for personal calls." He pushed past her closing the door and headed for the forecastle just as 'First Call to Morning Colors' was piped.

Sara's was stunned by his rudeness and stared at him as he left the passage to the buoy deck she tried the door knob. He hadn't locked it. She glanced down the hall then hurried into the office closing the door.

There were only two desks in the small office and one phone. She picked up the receiver dialed 9, and then Alice's number she had memorized.

"Hello," came the response after three rings.

"Hello, may I speak to Alice?"

"This is she."

"Alice, this is Sara Brown from the party last night you gave me your number and asked me to call. I really hate to bother you so early but the ship I'm on is getting underway and I wanted to talk to you. I really am sorry to bother."

"That's fine dear, it was time for me to get up anyway. What's wrong? You sound upset."

"I can't talk but a minute. I'm using the phone on the ship and apparently I'm not suppose too. Anyway, last night, or sometime early this morning Joey, one of Lake's guests died. They don't know what happen to him yet, but just before I left the lights went out then flickered on red."

"I see." Alice said patiently.

"Well I also had something attack me last night. Well to be exact a guy attacked me--tried to uh, well you know force me but the terrifying thing is that when I got back to the ship I had something, a thing--a shadow, paralyzed me and I don't know what would have happen if the Chief had come in then."

"And what color was this 'thing?'" Alice's voice was calm with no sound of disbelief.

"Black."

"Black," Alice repeated her voice a little more anxious.

"I don't know what to do. Alice, I've never told anyone but this isn't the first time I've had something like this happen. I can't go into it now, I don't have time, but I'm frightened. I think it's demons."

Alice remained quiet for several moments. "When will your ship be back?"

"I don't know. They haven't said."

"Sara, I want you to call me as soon as your ship returns but for now I want you to listen carefully. Keep these thoughts in mind and they should help you. First you are special--everyone is special but you are gifted, you saw white. White is the ultimate power of the separating universe. While the energy of the universe is separating and weakening it is the white power that fuses. It is the joiner and collector of the lesser energies. With your mind you have the ability to form thought energy. It is these thought forms that, like the electromagnetic coil, draws and repels. Like the saying you are what you eat, more important is you are what you think."

Alice exhaled into the phone giving Sara a time to focus on what she had been saying. "Also, I want you to try and not be alone. It is when you are alone that the power of your own mind draws these energies that can cause destruction. Have you got that? Basically one, control your thoughts; and two, don't under any circumstance be alone. When you get back I will teach you how to control this force that is within you. Have you got that? The energy is everywhere. The controller is you."

Sara felt confused. She didn't like being alone so that wasn't a problem, at least not on the crowded ship, but it sounded like Alice was saying she caused the problems by her thoughts. Is that what she meant? "I understand but...." Sara stopped and listened to the piping of morning colors. "I've got to go they just finished colors and I don't want the yeoman to catch me in the ship's office. I'll call you as soon as I get back."

"Good," Alice said, "now you go before you get into trouble. Don't worry. Worry creates only darkness. Good-bye dear."

"Bye." Sara said hanging up the phone, hurriedly opened the door glanced down the passage seeing it was clear. She stepped out into the passage just as the hatch leading to the buoy deck clanked open and Waitkcross came down the passage towards her.

Sara's heart thumped, had he seen her?

"I see you're still waiting here. You don't listen very well do you. The phone is not for personal use, besides I've got to continue recalls and get everyone back."

Sara nodded and almost smiled. He hadn't seen her come out. "What happens if everyone doesn't make it back?"

"We're on Bravo-two, that means they're supposed to be able to get back to the ship within two hours or they'll get booked. I've been calling since five this morning, when the OOD woke me and told me to begin recall." Almost to himself he added, "I've been able to get hold of everybody except the XO." He went into the office and closed the door.

She eased her bitterness at his rudeness a little alleviated by his explanation. He had been busy doing his job, perhaps he hadn't meant to be so abrupt. She turned remembering Tanika's coffee and headed back to the mess deck.

It was empty. She started to get a Styrofoam cup, changed her mind picking up a glass cup, filled it with coffee, and grabbed two cinnamon buns with a napkin.

She held her breath as the roar of the engine starting up vibrated the ship. It was so loud she wondered if she would be able to sleep tonight.

As she headed down the passage towards her cabin she kept running over in her mind what Alice had said. 'Don't be alone and watch her thoughts.' She was alone now and nothing was happening.

The Chief's door opened quickly and the Machinery Technician Chief stopped in the doorway and stared at her.

"Food isn't allowed down below." He said, but offset the words with a smile. "So don't let anybody important catch you."

"Thanks Chief, I won't do it again."

She balanced the cup and rolls, managing to open her cabin door.

"Hi," Tanika, freshly showered and dressed in her dark blue work uniform, said hurrying to empty her hands. "You should have kicked the door or something. Thanks."

"You can still catch breakfast if you want. Actually I found out they're having brunch most of the morning. But guess what? We're getting underway this morning."

"Underway." Tanika groaned. "I thought we weren't getting underway until tomorrow night. I wanted to go to the movie tonight."

"I guess something's up that's why they're holding quarters in twenty minutes."

CHAPTER 7

"Now Officer's Call, Officer's Call! All hands muster on the fantail."

Sara and Tanika had been on the fantail waiting when they piped muster. As others from the deck force began to arrive they fell-in, according to rank.

Chief Donnelly arrived after several minutes with Chief Campbell, walking over to their respective departments.

"Atten-hut!" Chief Donnelly ordered, pausing momentarily. "Cover down, people!" He waited while they turned their heads to the right, brought up their left arm in an angle resting their hand on their hips and then in turn scooted down until they touched the elbow of those on their right, while lining their feet with those on their right.

"Too!" He ordered and all arms dropped heads turned forward. He then did an about-face and stood at attention.

Without moving her head Sara glanced around noting there were several crew members not present. The crew stood at attention for several minutes quietly waiting for the XO to pass on orders.

Finally they heard the hatch which lay just beyond the mess deck and out of visual range screech open then slam shut.

Although they weren't supposed to talk in ranks several whispers were heard when they saw the Captain approach. Something was up and where was the Executive Officer?

Lieutenant Lake Van Classen walked briskly to the center glanced over at the senior warrant from the engineering department and nodded. The Warrant broke ranks, stepped out and did a right face then saluted the Captain then turned to the engineering department.

Chief Campbell stepped forward pausing.

"Report!" The Warrant said.

Chief Campbell saluted. "Engineering department present and accounted for with the exception of Petty Officer Marlin and Petty Officer Bland."

"Very well." The warrant returned his salute.

"Deck force report." Lake ordered.

Chief Donnelly saluted briskly. "Deck force present and accounted for with the exceptions of Warrant Officer Blisten, Petty Officer Flint, and Seaman Fijiakana."

"Very Well."

Sara listened as the two other departments reported all total she counted eight people were not onboard. She wondered how that would affect the running of the ship when the normal compliment was twenty seven. She stared as the warrant turned and saluted the Captain.

"Very well." The Captain returned. "At ease."

Sara stood several seconds still at attention until several others relaxed and then she did the same making sure to keep her left foot in place. She couldn't help think of what she had seen last night. The three naked bodies and his was on top yet here he stood although he looked slightly weary around the eyes, otherwise he seemed fine, full of his usual self-confidence.

"Crew," Lake began, "we will be getting underway as soon as quarters is over. A ferry boat has sank off of Haiti and we have been called on to assist. It won't be pleasant. Apparently the boat was over crowded hauling over five hundred people at least two hundred over its capacity. There were only seventeen survivors and we have been given the task of assisting the retrieval of bodies. I know for some of you this will be a new experience and a most unpleasant one at that so if at any time any of you need to talk to me, my door is always open." He sighed and glanced directly at the two women. "Also the XO won't be making this trip, I realize that we will be working with a skeleton crew, watches will be doubled, and before we're back every one of us will be stressed out. So please remember when a crewmember becomes curt he or she is as tired as you are."

"Take charge." He said to the warrant.

"Atten-hut!" The warrant ordered.

"Dismiss the crew and set the Special Sea Detail."

The warrant saluted and turned to them. "Dismissed and set the Special Sea Detail."

The crew broke ranks just as the announcement to set the Special Sea Detail was piped.

"What's the Special Sea Detail?" Sara whispered to Tanika.

"That's your billet, the place you go, when we cast off." Tanika grinned. "Mine's right here on the fantail."

Sara pulled out the little green book she had been making notes with and found that she was a sound powered phone operator on the forecastle.

Sara made her way rapidly through the ship, across the buoy deck to the forecastle. Chief Donnelly was already standing on the forecastle watching her as she looked around for the sound power phone. She wondered how he got there so fast and where did they keep the sound powered phones. She knew what they looked like from boot camp and felt confident on how to use them.

Trevor stood quietly watching her look around in confusion. He knew what her billet was. He had been the one to assign it. "The sound power phone's under the forecastle near the paint locker.

Sara nodded and went under the structure found the box on the bulkhead labeled sound power phone and retrieved it. She climbed the vertical ladder to the forecastle and looked around wondering where they were to be plugged.

"It goes in the jackbox, there." Trevor pointed at a screw off brass cap and watched as she slipped them over her ears, then plugged it in.

Remembering the class on sound power phones, she hooked the breastplate support and adjusted the yoke, which held the transmitter, in front of her mouth. She spread the 50 foot cord along the deck insuring she wouldn't trip on it. She inhaled then immediately dispensed the button and spoke. "Bridge, forecastle, testing."

"Forecastle, bridge, test verified." She smiled at the sound. She knew the phones were used all over the ship in circuits, similar to a party line, although she wondered if they were all attached to the same circuit since the ship was so small. She listened as other's reported, each one identifying their location and then addressing the bridge. She also knew that if the mouth piece was ever damage you could talk directly into either one of the ear pieces and if they lost power on the ship the phones would still work, that was why they were called 'sound power phones' and still used.

Doug nodded and grinned at her as he walked over to the jack staff. "This is my billet. I take in the jack flag when we get underway."

Sara nodded and turned to watch the Chief and await instructions.

Her heart thumped as they called on her first. "Forecastle, bridge, take in number one line."

"Bridge, aye, aye." She depressed the button and then turned to the Chief and repeated loudly the order received to the Chief. He nodded and leaned over and shouted to the seaman standing in a life jacket on the pier. "Take in number one line."

Sara listened as one by one each line was ordered taken in and jumped when the ship's whistle blared it's thick heavy horn indicating they were underway.

"Shift colors." Someone piped over the ships PA system. "Secure the Special Sea Detail.

Sara stood there for a moment waiting.

Doug walked up, grinned and laughed. "That's all there is. A little anti-climactic."

Sara couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "All that, and that's all there is to it. Couldn't they have just piped it?"

Trevor had been listening and walked up. "They could but it's not always so easy. Getting underway is usual a piece of cake but sometimes when we tie up, particularly if we're tying up at a poorly constructed pier, or the waters are rough it can get confusing, telling each station when to pull in the line or when to slacken them. By the way, you handled yourself very well."

Sara nodded. "Thanks Chief." She removed the jack from the jackbox, held it in one hand and backed off on its collar. Then she made sure not to jerk the lead cord but pulled it out slowly. She began to make up the phone by removing the headband and draped it over its yoke, then she coiled the lead cord beginning from the headset, making 10-inch loops in her hand, removed the breastplate, unhooked the neck strap and folded the yoke flat. After it was compact she headed off beneath the forecastle to return it to its box.

Trevor watched in admiration at her ability in making up the phone to return it to its place. She had paid attention in boot camp, most boots didn't take that much care with the proper way to replace the phones. At least not the first time they put them back, not until he got a hold of them, chewed them out, demonstrated the proper way to replace them without damage. But she needed no extra instructions. She rewound them perfectly. Too bad, he couldn't help but think, it would give him an excuse to spend some time with her.

Sara came out from under the forecastle and looked up at the Chief. "What do I do now Chief?"

He glanced down at her. "Find Petty Officer Jones, he'll give you your watch schedule and put you to work. We probably won't be working any buoys this trip out." He climbed down the ladder and headed across the buoy deck.

Jones, she thought, her stomach became a bundle of nerves at just the mention of his name. He had been such a pain their first day onboard she dreaded having to deal with him.

Trevor stopped just before opening the hatch looking back at her. "Find Seaman Brown and both of you report to Jones."

Sara stared at the closing door and then stared at the passing shoreline, splattered with wealthy homes and private docks. Her exhilaration at going out to sea began to return. Even Jones couldn't take this away. The smell of the tangy salt air made her giddy. She had dreamed about this for so long and finally she got to go out on the ocean. The image of drowned people pelted her suddenly and the exhilaration ended abruptly. She shrugged, telling herself she had to be strong if she were going to earn the respect of the men. She had to dismiss the thoughts forcefully from her mind before she worked herself into a nervous panic.

Twenty minutes later Sara and Tanika found Jones sitting on the mess deck sipping coffee reading the newspaper.

"Where the hell you two been?" Jones' eyes narrowed in contempt.

"Why Petty Officer Jones, we had to do a few woman things." Tanika answered before Sara could even open her mouth.

Jones shook his head and grunted. "Since there's so many men not onboard the Chief has ordered you each be broke in on helm watch this morning. Then tonight you will stand watch alone.

"Alone?" Sara mouthed the words.

Jones squinted his eyes in contempt. "White Brown, you will have the helm alone, you will not be alone there. The OOD will be there at all times. So both of you be on the bridge at 1000 for instructions. After that you will each have two hour port and starboard watches until you are qualified to steer the damn ship without someone staring over your shoulder." He turned to Tanika and opened his mouth to add.

Tanika interrupted him, "you better not be getting ready to call me black Brown! You and I will have it out here and now.

"I...." He stopped and added again. "Port and Starboard watches for you both.

Port and starboard? Sara wanted to ask but didn't want to rile him anymore, she would just have to wait and ask Tanika.

Jones stared down at the newspaper. "The Chief, said not to assign any normal work assignments this trip, we are going to be busy enough spearing floaters." He looked up from one to the other. "So go do what you want. Stay out of trouble and be on the bridge at 1000." He looked back down as they stood there waiting. "Oh yes, always relieve the watch 10 minutes prior to your watch. Now get out of my face."

They went below heading for the buoy deck without saying a word.

"What an asshole." Tanika finally said when they were outside.

"I don't know what his problem is but he has the angriest eyes I've ever seen on anybody." Sara agreed as she walked over to the port side and gazed down at the waterline glancing at conical-shaped nun buoy.

"Just 'ig' him. He's not worth the wasted energy." Sara added as she thought about her usage of the term wasted energy.

They talked for several minutes and then headed up towards the bridge. Tanika led the way back into the passage, up the ladder outside their quarters. Sara glanced around as they turned the corner on this level known as 'Officer's Country' at the two cabins, one labeled 'Commanding Officer', the other 'Executive Officer'. They rounded another narrow corner and then up another set of metal stairs, turned a corner passing a door labeled 'Radio Room,' and a shorter flight.

"Permission to enter the bridge." Tanika stated loudly looked around, spotted a Quartermaster First Class and saluted.

Sara didn't say anything since Tanika was the senior but saluted in-kind.

"Permission granted." He returned their salute.

Sara looked around the bridge for the giant spoked wheel that did the steering. She didn't see it then she remembered the smaller ships had what they called 'joy sticks.' Except for Tanika and herself there were only three people on the bridge; the first class, a third class quartermaster, who was bent over a chart and Seaman Diaz sitting in a very high cushioned chair staring at a compass, his hand on a chrome plated stick.

They walked over and stopped beside him.

He nodded to Tanika and grinned wickedly at Sara, speaking in a low voice so only they could hear. "Sara, are you here to take my joy stick?"

Tanika glared at him and answered for Sara. "Yeah, baby, I want your joy stick, if you think you can find it."

Sara stood there dumbfounded. He certainly had nerve. At the sound of footsteps on the metal ladder she turned around and almost groaned at the sight of Petty Officer Jones.

He ask permission to enter the bridge then walked over and relieved Seaman Diaz at the helm.

Sara was surprised when he spent the next hour showing them how to steer, explaining the helm commands and after they were out on open water he let them take turns at the helm.

After a while Sara felt comfortable with the steering and remembered most of the commands from boot camp. When it was her turn she had been a little afraid Petty Officer Jones would start screaming when she over responded to the joy stick. But she found it was like a car, at first you move it back and forth just to keep the course steady. She was thrilled when she had to make a course change.

The First Class Quartermaster had told her to "come right to 075."

She repeated the order as he spoke it to insure it was understood as was proper procedure. It was the only time you said sir to a Petty Officer or Chief. "Come right to 075, sir." Then slowly she moved the handle of the joy stick to the left, the stick pivoted in the middle, which connected it to its main mechanism, and the top of the stick pointed right, causing the ship to turn.

She watched the compass as he proceeded from course 060 towards 075 and then passed. She had given it a little too much rudder but the Quartermaster didn't get upset.

"Shift your rudder." He ordered.

She repeated the order and then shifted the joy stick back and the compass began to slow on 085, ten degrees past then it started back. Sara realized what she had done and as the compass began to move back toward 075 she eased the stick back to the right and the compass stopped on 075.

"Mark your head." He said.

"Zero seven five, sir." She answered and almost smiled proud of her accomplishment.

"Very well." He answered.

Shortly after that Petty Officer Jones relieved Sara. He told them they could go below but that Sara had the first watch from 1200 to 0200; Tanika 0200 to 0400. Then they would rotate ever two hours, standing watch with either; Seaman Diaz or Seaman Carson until they were certified helmsmen. That was considered port and starboard watches--one on, one off. After they were certified they would stand helmsmen watch every six hours. At the present Diaz and Carson were the only seaman who qualified as helmsmen. That's why they had to hurry up and become qualified.

They went below wandering around the ship for a while and ended up on the mess deck to see if Doug was there.

They talked for a while but avoided talking about the party since the mess deck was so busy.

"Now set the 'A-to-N' detail! Set the 'A-to-N' detail." The PA blared.

"What's that?" Tanika asked Doug.

"That's work time for you two. A-to N, means the aids to navigation detail. You're going to get your first taste at working buoys."

Tanika's lip snarled. "I guess we go to the buoy deck then?"

He nodded. "Afraid so."

When they got to the buoy deck Carson and Diaz were already there. Sara hadn't seen Ken since last night and wondered how they were going to respond to each other.

"Hello." Ken called cheerfully and glanced down at his green coveralls. "You need to suit up." He pointed towards the forecastle. "There's some coveralls and hard hats there. The life jacket and goggles are inside the paint locker."

Sara nodded mumbling her thanks. Surprised at the way he was acting. He apparently didn't remember what had happened last night or chose not to. Oh well, she certainly wasn't going to remind him. She just wished she could forget it as easily.

They worked their way through the various piles of heavy chain towards the forecastle. As they started beneath it they ran into Petty Officer Jones already suited.

"Well I was beginning to wonder if you two were going to join us." He stated with thick sarcasm. "Now get dressed, and grab a chain hook. "

They hurried and returned shortly in coveralls, hard hats, life jacket and goggles. Sara was glad that she had asked yesterday what shoes they should wear and was told to wear the boon Dockers, because the heavy boots had steel toes.

Jones had Carson and Diaz doing something on the other side of the buoy deck and he motioned for Sara and Tanika.

"Now, you see that chain there." He pointed. "I want you to pull it out, drag it over here and flake it? Do you understand?" He growled, his voice condescending.

"Flake?" Tanika asked.

He huffed and under his breath Sara thought he mouthed the words 'dumb bitch.'

"You take the chain and run it in four foot strips, back and forth, like the teeth of a saw."

Tanika opened her mouth to say something but Sara grabbed her arm pulling her towards the chain.

They were busy dragging the chain when Chief Donnelly came on the buoy deck and called everyone over to him.

"There's a buoy off station up ahead, we're going to pick it up and move it." He turned to Petty Officer Jones? "Who do you have working the boom?"

"Chief, I thought I would."

Trevor shook his head. "I've got to stand safety watch on the forecastle since the Warrant Boats isn't here. You'll have to stand down here to direct the operation, and give the hand signals to the operator. Have Diaz do it." He looked at the chain they had been flaking and counted the number of flakes then kicked it with his foot. "Cut it there." He turned and looked at Sara and Tanika. "Have either one of you used an acetylene torch?" They shook their head back and forth indicated no so then he turned back to Jones. "Teach both of them how to use the torch. We might as well change the battery while we have it on deck. It'll save us from having to work it next year."

The five of them stood for a moment watching as the Chief walked underneath the forecastle then Petty Officer Jones, glared at the four of them. "Diaz, get up to the boom shack." He ordered. "Carson break out the torch and show them where it's kept. Now hurry up, get back here and show them what to do. Soon as you're finished tie it off." Jones headed towards the Flushmount Ladder leading to the boom shack which was built into the superstructure just below the port side of the bridge.

As Sara's eyes followed his movement she noted the control booth for the crane or boom as they called it. It was at least twenty feet high up to it. When she faced the stern it was on the her right, when she turned to face the bow it was on her left. The port side of the ship. Port had four letters and so did left. Easy to remember. While on a ship if you face the bow the port is on the left.

Ken looked at Tanika and Sara and then went towards the forecastle just as the Chief came out suited in hard hat and life jacket. After several minutes he showed them how to use the torch and they cut the chain. He then stretched a fifteen foot strip of chain to round metal eyes built into the deck. He tied small pieces of hemp line to fastened to the chain they had flaked out alongside the open port side of the ship.

"What's that do?" Sara asked.

"We hook into the buoy; the main pulls it out of the water." He pointed towards a black steel teeth mechanism along the port edge. "The buoy is lifted up so the chain is dangling, then the chain is hooked into the buoy stopper." He pointed at a double fingered cleat near the edge of ship. "That's so it won't slip back into the water. The buoy is laid on the deck--we break it free from the buoy--then we repeat everything and hook into the chain bringing it aboard about twenty feet of chain at a time until the two ton sinker is pulled out of the water. We bring the sinker onboard remove the old chain--hook one end of the new chain to the sinker and the other end to the buoy. Then we put the sinker over the edge and hook the chain above the sinker into the stopper and let the sinker dangle over the side of the ship. When we're ready we pull out the pin on the stopper. Hit it with a sledge hammer, it tilts over and lets the chain free, dropping the sinker and chain. All the time we have the buoy, battery and light changed and now it is hooked and in the air waiting to let it go when the chain hits the ocean floor.

He grinned. "Of course we don't let it go until the bridge gives the word. They triangulation the position of the buoy, if we don't do it just when they tell us we have to pull it up again and drop it all over.

"Sounds like a lot of work." Tanika said wide-eyed. "I always wondered how they got those buoys to stay put."

"That's just part of the work. You have to take the buoy hammers to break the chain cleat from the buoy. After it's all out of the water, buoy and chain that is, then you scrape the barnacles off the buoy, paint it, put on new reflectors with numbers and then open the drums in the body of the buoy." He grinned at the internal humor he created. "I like the sound of that. 'The body of the buoy.' Anyway then we pull out two to four battery packs that must weigh two hundred pounds each then put new ones in and then change the bulb and lens if it's cracked. Then we do the other to put it back into the water.

Tanika groaned. "I wonder if I can talk Stiff in changing with me and let me be mess cook. This sounds hard and it stinks out here." Her nostrils flared in revulsion.

"You think it stinks now; wait 'til the buoys on board and the sinker's usually covered in mud and slime.

Sara felt a little overwhelmed herself by the amount of work that went into maintenances buoys and there were just so many of them. Especially as she remembered an instructor in boot camp saying there were over 50,000 federal aids and 48,000 private ones throughout the U.S., and Florida had to have more than their share.

Suddenly the deafening roar of the main came into action and Jones came back down the ladder walked to the middle of the buoy deck. He stared up at Diaz pointed his index finger in the air and gave a circling motion. The hydraulic lines leading to the fifty foot crane twitched as the solid steel, lifted off its cradle.

"Carson!" Jones yelled over the roar, "you better hook the buoy since those bitches don't know what the hell they're doing."

Sara glanced up at the Chief standing up on the forecastle watching them. She knew he couldn't hear what Jones said over the noise.

The ship began to slow. Sara stared out at the buoy bobbing in the water, guess-ta-mating over twelve foot stuck out of the water and it was around nine feet in diameter. Why had she chosen a buoy tender as her billet? There must be at least twice, no three times, the length beneath the surface.

Ken leaned over the open buoy port held on to the bulwark of the ship with his right hand , the hook of the main in the other, and after several attempts he hooked the eye of the bobbing buoy.

"Jones gave the hand signal to Diaz and the steel cable began drawing the buoy up out of the water into the air.

Twenty five foot of buoy dangled, dripping water, the chain hooked to the buoy barely three feet from the waters' surface. Then Jones pointed two fingers starboard telling Diaz to move the steel main slowly across the deck pulling the chain towards the buoy stopper. At first the buoy began to move swiftly but Jones pinched his thumb and index finger together rapidly and Diaz slowed the movement of the main.

After the buoy was stretched across the deck; Ken with chain hook in hand, hooked the chain and pulled it into the cleat of the buoy stooped.

Then Jones swirled his finger downward and the buoy came to a rest across the width of the ship almost covering the entire deck.

Jones turned to Sara yelling loudly. "Take the buoy hammers and pound the cotter pin together and unhook the chain!"

Sara glanced around and picked up two small hammers, one in each hand. She hurried over, stopped one foot on each side of the chain bent over and stared at the split cotter pin. It looked like an oversized bobby pin which had been put through the eye of a needle and had been bent open. It looked easy. She could handle this. All she had to do was force the pin closed then punch it out of the eye so she could remove bolt from the horseshoe shaped cleat.

Suddenly a hand gripped her arm squeezing hard and jerking her to the side. The pain of the grip was unbelievable as she looked up in confusion at the rage on Jones' face. What was wrong with him he was bruising her arm.

"If you ever," he screamed only six inches from her face, "step across that chain again, I'll wrap this god damn chain hook around your fucking neck." He shook a chain hook in empathizes. "Do you understand?"

Sara nodded although she was confused. What was wrong with him and why was he threatening her? Something about stepping across the chain but the noise and the ship swaying back and forth she felt confused.

Sara's anger towards him simmered for the next thirty minutes as Jones broke the chain from the buoy. Then they pulled in the chain and sinker, hooking in new chain. Then they pulled the heavy batteries pack stacked four high, out with the help of the main, replacing new ones; scraped the barnacles then painted the buoy and put on new self-adhesive reflective numbers.

During the entire time Sara fumed. Her anger building. Who the hell did he think he was? He had threatened to kill her. The son-of-a-bitch! What had caused his anger?

A patch of fog had been slowly moving in on them while they had been busy working and now surrounded the ship. The sun's brightness hazed and shades of faded violet light began to give an eerie damp feeling to Sara. Shards of violet rays occasionally broke through the thick mist bathing them in pools of purple light.

They had the buoy back in the air hanging from the main and the chain hooked back to the buoy, the sinker dangled from the chain stopper. Suddenly a heavy wave caught the 157 foot cutter causing it to rock in heavy rolls from side to side. The dangling buoy began to sway, jerking violently across the deck.

Sara backed towards the forecastle where Tanika had already ran and stared up at the hook slipping around in the buoy eye. She glanced down at Jones who was hand signaling Diaz to take up slack in the main's cable. She stared back up at the hook. It was going to slip out and fall on Jones!

Without thinking Sara scurried out, with one step she climbed on a pile of chain and did a flying leap tackling Jones, pulling him with her as she rolled towards the super structure. As her body hit his, her peripheral vision caught grey images of the buoy pulling out of the mains' hook and a piercing 'twang' ensued. The deafening noise of the buoy slamming on the deck made her ears ring. Her hold on Jones tightened as she used her feet to roll further away from the threatening shadows coming towards them. With adrenaline pounding temples she clutched Jones's gut, bending him at the waist, her body hunched over his as they were forcefully wedged between two piles of chain—her back ramming against clumps of hardness. Shades of grey-brown darkness engulfed her as her lungs spewed empty. The sound and black shadow of the monster baring down against the chain grinded in horrifying grunts of static thumps as the buoy bounced against the deck and the chain.

Darkness engulfed her mind from lack of air only for a moment. Then she heard voices and noises of scrambling around her. Jones' back was wedged against her so tight she could only manage shallow gulps of air. The darkness that had loomed above them disappeared and she opened her eyes as the Chief bent over them.

"Sara," he paused, "Jones, can you hear me?"

Sara felt Jones stir with a groan as he slowly moved. Her eyes began to focus and Jones pulled out of her grip. She tried not to groan but couldn't help it from the dull pain in her back. Leaning on one elbow she began to access her condition. Nothing felt broken, although she knew her back must be bruised. It was certainly sore.

Jones was standing flexing his body, slowly his eyes still glazed with shock began to focus, his face pale filled with awed surprise. "My God, Brown, you saved my life!"

Sara didn't say anything as the Chief took her arm, helping her to stand. "Is anything broken?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"You two go to your racks." Trevor ordered. "I'll get two of the snipes to help us get this buoy off. Seaman Brown," he turned to Tanika, "would you go with them and make sure they're okay."

Trevor watched as Sara and Jones slowly walked away. His own heart hadn't slowed down from the shock. He thought he had lost her. What a stupid--and brave, he added, thing she had done. She must have leaped ten feet diving into Jones. She saved him but she almost got herself killed doing it. What kind of woman was she that she would be willing to sacrifice herself trying to save someone that had only showed her animosity from the beginning. Trevor shook his head in disbelief. He hadn't been fooled he had seen how Jones had treated her--treated both of them.

Trevor spent the next fifteen minutes putting the buoy back in the water. He noticed the fog had vanished and couldn't help thinking of the violet color that had engulfed the ship just before the accident. 'Violet.' Hadn't that woman named Alice, said something about violet. What was it? Memories began replaying in his mind. The first incident of color had been when he had seen green at the party. Now that was easy to remember--green. Green with envy or jealousy. Then as they were ready to leave the party the lights blared red and they had found out that Joey died. He searched his memory harder. Hadn't he seen yellow just before he found Sara flattening Carson.

The corner of his mouth twisted up in humor with the memory of her small frame in action. Then he shrugged, reprimanding himself for even questioning the coincidences. Was any of the woman's mumbo-jumbo shit possible? It seemed highly unlikely but it sure as hell seemed to be too much of a coincidence. Violet? Had it been anger or hatred, or both?

CHAPTER 8

Sara lay flat on her back staring at the bland beige color of the bottom of the upper rack. She couldn't help feeling that she should be on the buoy deck helping get the buoy back over the side but the Chief had ordered her inside. They would say she was shirking her duty--and the Chief? Was he angry? He probably blamed her for the buoy, the same way he had when he thought she had come-on to Carson and then rejected him. She wondered about the look the Chief had given her after she had recovered her sense and stared up at him. A strange unreadable look. What had it meant?

She raised her head off her pillow at the gentle tap at the door. Trying not to sound as if she were in pain she called, "come-in."

Petty Officer Jones opened the door slowly and stuck his head in. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she managed to mumble.

"Can I come in?" he said with gentle hesitation.

"Sure," Sara answered and sat up slowly on the edge of the rack.

He lumbered into the room making sure he left the door open. "I won't keep you, you should rest but I just wanted to make sure you were all right." He paused and ran his hand over his forehead pushing back a shuck of red hair watching her.

"More stunned than anything else," she stood up wondering what he wanted. She guessed he wanted her to go back to work. "I'll grab my hat and be right out."

"Hat?" he asked in confusion. "No!" He blurted out. "You rest. I didn't come her for that--I, I just wanted to make sure you're okay and to thank you for saving my life."

Sara stared at him blankly and then realized he was blushing and blanching at the same time. He was thanking her--she couldn't help feeling anger well up--he had threatened her with a chain hook and just because she had saved his life he was doing a turn-about. She shook her head in silent disbelief, her anger increasing.

"I wanted to apologize for cussing you too."

"Cussing me!" Sara snapped indignantly her jaw dropping. "You threatened to wrap a 'god-damn chain hook' around my neck."

"I'm sorry. It came out wrong." He stared down at the floor unable to look at her. "I'm not use to dealing with women...."

"What does being a woman have anything to do with it? A man might have kicked your ass."

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I, I--well you were in danger and I responded wrong...."

"Danger?" Sara felt confusion coating her anger.

He looked up at her. "I'm sorry, I should have told you what you did but my fear made me respond wrong. You straddled the chain."

Her anger began to fade as she concentrated on what he was saying.

"The chain was still attached to the buoy and still attached to the sinker in the water--the only thing that caused the bottom of the chain to have slack was the chain stopper. If it had jumped out of the stopper the buoy would have jerked off the deck and killed you instantly. I just went about it wrong." He stared down at the floor again. "My fear wrapped around my tongue and made me spout off like that. I should have explained but I was startled. I hope you'll accept my apology and again--I want to thank you."

Sara nodded more to herself than to him as the image of the buoy flying around the deck returned. If she had been standing over the chain and it had slipped out of the stopper—she would have been cut in half. "Petty Officer Jones, I accept your apology and I want to thank you. You could have very well saved my life and believe me, although the way you told me what I did wrong, hurt--I understand and I won't forget and step over it again." Sara stuck out her hand. "Could we start again?"

Petty Officer Jones quickly and vigorously shook her hand. "Thanks and I want to apologize for the way I've been treating you two. It just that the Chief don't like woman in the Coast Guard and I guess some of it has just rubbed off on me. I promise to treat you the same as I do the guys."

Sara's eyebrows rose up in mock humor, she was prepared to test him but she couldn't help grinning hoping he wouldn't be upset. "How's that? Like shit?"

He grinned sheepishly answering, "Yeah, I reckon that's the truth."

"Do we go back to work now?" She asked as she released his hand.

"You're sure you're okay?" He looked at her with doubt.

"A little sore. I'll probably be more sore tomorrow but for now I'm really fine."

"Well if you're really sure it truly would help if you can take your next helm watch. Especially since we're so short of men--uh, people."

Sara glanced at her watch nodding. "I can do it."

"Good." He nodded and turned to leave.

"Uh, Petty Officer Jones, one question if you don't mind?"

Stopping and turning he said, "Sure what's that?"

"You said the Chief doesn't like women in the Guard—why?"

He glanced out in the corridor and then looked back speaking quietly. "I don't know the whole story but some woman brought him up on sexual harassment charges. I understand the charges were dismissed for lack of proof but ever since then he's had nothing good to say about woman in general much less in the Guard."

"I see." Sara nodded. "Thanks."

Sara followed him to the door and closed it as he left all the time wondering about the Chief. No wonder he had thought she came on to Carson but then he had apologized. If he had such a bad experience with some other woman it was no wonder he acted the way he did. Of course, truthfully speaking, he hadn't been overly friendly with anybody as far as she had seen. He had certainly given Doug a hard time but then maybe he was just an all-around bigot. She just wasn't sure—she guessed time would tell—it usually did.

***

Trevor closed the door to his cabin as he heard Jones turn to leave. He shouldn't have been listening but he couldn't help stopping when he heard a male voice in her cabin. Of course the door had been open but until he understood what they were talking about he had had an attack of severe jealousy. Then the jealousy faded to be replaced by anger at the thought of Jones threatening her with a chain hook. He wished he had heard him say it when it happened but it seemed they had straightened it out so he couldn't say anything now, not unless she brought it up.

He couldn't believe Jones told her he didn't like woman--that wasn't true—was it? Was that the impression he gave the crew? He groaned inwardly at what everyone must think about him. He did like woman—he just didn't trust them. Was that the same thing? As a matter-of-fact he really didn't trust anybody anymore. He guessed he had just been more vocal about woman.

***

Sara felt better by the time her watch began, and Tanika and she, spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening, standing port and starboard helm watches. At 2200 that evening she was certified on the helm only to go off watch to rest two hours before standing her first watch alone at midnight.

Sara sat alone on the mess deck sipping coffee. The coffee was as strong as ever but it was just what she needed. She didn't want to go to sleep before watch, afraid she would be too groggy to do a good job. Sara stared through the steaming coffee at the sound of footsteps coming up the ladder.

Her stomach tightened as she saw Ken's head slowly rising. She shrugged internally realizing this was as good a time as any to confront him over the incident. She wondered if he was angry, although she was the one that should have been angry.

"Long day," he mumbled as he poured a cup of coffee. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Sara nodded and glanced at the seat. "I'm glad we have this opportunity to talk--alone."

"About last night," Ken began as he flopped down across from her, "I don't know what happen. I'm not like that--really I ain't. I could say it was the alcohol, but I've been drunk before; and never have I done anything like that. I just wanted to say I'm sorry and thank you for not turning me in."

Sara stared at him blankly. What could she say? It was okay? It wasn't okay. He had been an animal.

"I can understand if you can't forgive me," Ken fidgeted with the cup, "and I surely would understand if you never trusted me again. I just can't explain it. I felt possessed. It was like I was pushed away in the corner of my mind and I was watching what I was doing but it wasn't me." He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "Does that make sense?"

"No," Sara answered after several seconds, "but what can be said. It's over and done with." He looked so sincere, what could she say? "Let's just try to forget about it."

Ken stared sadly at the coffee cup in his hand. "I wished I could change it but I can't."

"Let's just drop it." Sara snapped and felt bad when she saw him cringe. Damn it. Why did she have to be so soft hearted? He was the one to blame.

Ken sat quietly then looked up. "That was an incredible save you did today."

Sara tried not to blush as she answered, "thank you." She had spent most of the day embarrassed every time someone congratulated her and she really didn't know how to handle it.

Sara felt relief at not having to talk about it as she heard someone else coming up the steps only to see the Chief's head appear. What was he going to think about her sitting with Carson? Would he think she was trying to lead Ken on, again?

Trevor rounded the top, stopped and stared for a moment. He felt an immediate stab of anger. Hadn't she learned her lesson? He caught his thoughts. Where had that came from? He had no reason to be jealous. She was not in his purview. But even as he reasoned why he couldn't his eyes traced the angle of her face, the fullness of her mouth--damn! He had to get a reign on his lust. Lust! That was it; just a physical need but was that all? He wanted to protect her too. Was that it? Love and lust make jealousy. Love? Not hardly. He didn't even know her and even worse--he couldn't. Love, he wasn't sure of but lust was a most definite. Oh, but jealousy was so real he could smell it, like the tingle of a tangerine assaulting his senses.

Then it hit him. At the party he had seen green--green was jealousy but green was a combination of two colors—yellow and blue. Yellow was supposed to be lust and blue was--love.

"Hi Chief," Sara interrupted his thoughts, the expression on her face was a mixture of uncertainty and relief.

"Evening." He nodded. "I thought I'd grab a cup of coffee before watch."

"You've got the next watch?" Ken twisted around and looked up.

"Yeah."

"Me too," Sara said.

Trevor responded to her with a shake of the head and went about filling his cup. He already knew she had the next watch. He had set up the watch list.

He turned and looked at them. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all," Sara gestured gracefully to the empty sits at the table.

Trevor sat down wondering what he was going to say. He shouldn't be putting himself into such a close proximity with her. He shouldn't have scheduled her for watch at the same time but he just couldn't help himself. He took a deep sip of his coffee and looked at Sara. "I see that you and Seaman Brown are qualified. That was pretty fast. Normally when we have a full crew we break you in a lot slower but now, well, being so short on people we didn't have much of a choice." Trevor realized he was ignoring Carson and glanced at him. "I'm sure Carson and Diaz appreciate your efforts."

"Sure do," Ken said, "I was getting pretty tired of port and starboard. I don't know if we could have continued without collapsing. Two on and two off, sucks." Ken glanced over quickly at Sara and cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry, it stinks. At least with two on and six hours off we'll be able to get a little sleep."

Sara smiled at his embarrassment. He was so different than the way he had acted last night. "You're right, it does suck."

Ken grinned with relief. "I was just saying to Sara, uh Seaman Apprentice Brown, how impressive that save on the buoy deck was."

Trevor glanced over and she stared down at the table. Her cheeks slightly pinkened. Her embarrassment at her heroic deed was so different from what he was used too and such a sweet quality. "Seaman Apprentice Brown, it truly was impressive." Especially since the son of a bitch had just threatened her. His mind drifted to the violet fog. Violet! Anger! She had to have been angry at Jones' threat. He started to blurt it out to her but he caught himself realizing Carson was still there. He needed to talk to her about the colors and the woman Alice. But he couldn't say anything about green or she would know about how he felt. Maybe he would get a chance to talk to her during their watch then he groaned inwardly realizing that the quarter master on watch with them would be Pendleton. The ships biggest gossip, and as rumor had it, he and the old man were buddy-buddy, literally. Pendleton was always hovering around him when he had the watch and several times he had caught him staring at his crotch so he didn't doubt the rumor, nor did he care as long as he left him alone.

"Chief?" Ken said, "are you all right?"

"Sorry," he jumped and shook his head. "I'm afraid I got side tracked." He looked over at Carson. "Guess it's the beginning of fatigue."

Ken gave a smirked smile to Sara and exhaled. "Well first she just thanked you and then asked when we would be in Haiti."

"About ten in the morning." Trevor caught the look he had given Sara and felt like reaching over and smacking the shit out of him. Finally he shook his head. "Sorry about that, I've just got a lot on my mind with the party and now this rush down to Haiti."

Sara gave Trevor a knowing look. He was thinking about what happened in her cabin last night. "I know what you mean."

Ken grimaced. "Chief, I apologized to Seaman Apprentice Brown and she accepted. I really am sorry about the whole thing. I don't know what came over me. Too be truthful I don't completely remember exactly what happen and I don't think I want too." He groaned. "Chief, you've know me for a while and have you ever seen me act like that?"

Trevor looked at him a moment and then to Sara with sincerity. "Now that he asked I've never even heard him swear," and with a grin he added, "other than say something 'sucks.'" He then turned to Carson and all expressions of humor fleeted. "But to have done what you did last night, well to answer you I've never see you act like that. But let me tell you this; the alcohol doesn't excuse you and you had better never ever try anything like that again." He frowned his usual sternness. "Jones wasn't the only person, she saved today. Let me tell you I was ready to hang your ass last night--then and there, but she talked me out of it." Trevor shook his head with disgust and not all of it was felt towards Carson, much of the feeling was towards himself. He was getting angry again because of this damn jealousy he was feeling--angry at himself.

Abruptly Trevor stood up, with a cursory look, nodded to Carson and then with some hesitation looked at Sara, "I'll see you on watch." He walked over and refilled the coffee cup and swiftly quit the mess deck.

Sara stared at him as he left with some bewilderment and looked away as she realized Ken was watching her watch the Chief.

"Strange character," Ken cleared his throat and said as the last clang of the Chief's foot step on the metal ladder faded away.

"Strange?" Sara's eyes flew wide. "If anybody's strange it's you."

"Whoa, don't get your hackles up. I don't mean strange bad--just strange different--sort of standoffish. But then with his job I guess if you try to be too friendly people end up taking advantage of you."

Sara nodded in agreement her anger having been sufficiently diffused. "Well I've got the next watch too. I'll see you later. I've got a couple things to do before I go up, besides I've got to get my eyes used to the dark." She rose tucking her uniform shirt into her trousers, adjusted her belt, then walked over and put her coffee cup into the deep sink.

CHAPTER 9

Sara spent the next thirty minutes in her cabin alone. Tanika was on the helm now. She left the overhead red lights on to allow her eyes to gradually reduce the white light blindness before she went on watch. Although, she had to admit it probably wasn't necessary since she didn't need to see out into the night but to just sit for two hours staring at the green luminous compass.

Sara was ready to go on watch when she heard the Chief's door close and she knew he was headed up towards the bridge. Grabbing her hat, she waited until she was sure he was already on the bridge and then headed up as quietly as she could.

At the top of the steps at officer's country she heard voices from Lake's cabin.

"Thank you Eddy," she heard Lake say. "Has anyone else seen this message?"

"No," a muffled voice responded. "I was just headed up to relieve watch early when it came over the radio. I told the OOD that I would take it. When I saw what it said I brought it directly here before giving it to the OOD."

"Who has the conn?" Lake ask.

"According to the watch list Chief Donnelly's getting ready to relieve. Martin's there now."

Sara started to proceed quietly as silence ensued. She wasn't sure what was going on but it sounded important.

"Here give this message to the Chief and tell him it's the one that came in." Lake said.

"But that's just a routine aids to navigation message, you mean you aren't going to tell them that the district has ordered you relieved of command pending further investigation about last night?" The voice Lake had called Eddy asked.

Sara froze in her tracks trying to listen. Had she heard that right? The Commanding Officer had been relieved of duty, that would mean one of the Warrant's would be in Command since the Executive Officer wasn't onboard.

"I don't know what they think happened last night but they can't relieve me just because Joey died." Lake's voice became warm and soothing. "I didn't kill him but the fact that he had sperm on him, my sperm, the Coast Guard can't let me live my own life they have to get involved. He had a brain aneurysm. I told him he shouldn't mess with that amyl nitrate but he wouldn't listen. The stuff must have caused a vessel to pop. The cops won't do anything about the sperm I'm sure they'll find me innocent but the Guard's a different story. They don't like us doing the things we like. Like this!"

Sara heard a low male moan and images of the three in the bed replayed.

"So what are you going to do?" Eddy said.

"I've called for the skipper of my boat to meet us in Caicos. I'm going to deserting."

"What? You can't do that. If you desert you'll never be able to come back in the country."

"Eddy, I don't have a lot of choice. I don't particularly cherish the thought of spending time in the brig for unnatural acts. Even if the Guard finds me innocent of any foul play towards Joey they'll find me guilty for doing what we did."

"How can you even think of doing such a crazy thing? They got rid of don't ask don't tell." Eddy said.

"We're not talking one on one sex. I don't think the new policy covers a fucking orgy. I don't want too desert but what can I do? I want you to give the Chief this ATON message instead of the one you received. I'm sure that Martin will have told him a message came in and then I want you to send the district a message and tell them we are returning and will be back in Miami tomorrow evening. That should give my boat time to meet me."

"And if I say I won't do it?"

"I'll name names and you don't want that to happen do you?"

Sara listened closely for a response but didn't hear one.

"Now get up to the bridge and assume your watch. I'll get back to you on a course change."

Sara couldn't believe what she had heard. She hurried towards the next flight of steps and moved up as quietly and quickly as she could.

Almost out of breath she adjusted her hat as she came on the bridge. The bridge was dark except for a red light over the chart table and the small lights from the instrument panels.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown requests permission to enter the bridge and relieve the helm watch." She said, realizing her voice was trembling.

"Very well," Petty Officer Martin answered.

Trevor glanced over at her curiously staring through the dark shadows. The red glare from the chart table outlined his face.

Sara hurried over to where Tanika was siting and after formally relieving her she sat down and took over the joy stick stirring the ship on course 160. They were still headed south east.

Tanika stood up and stretched. She looked over at the Chief and then whispered to Sara. "What took you so long? I thought you were going to be late."

"I can't say right now but I'll tell you after I get off watch. Who's on watch with us?"

"Chief Donnelly is reliving Petty Officer Martin and the quarter master on watch is Pendleton. He was here a few minutes ago but a message came in. He took it down to the Captain." Tanika leaned closer to Sara. "You look frightened. What's wrong?"

Sara shook her head. "I can't tell you here but it's important. I'll wake you up after I get off watch."

Tanika shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say but if you wake me up it better be important. I'll see you later."

Sara sat quietly listening to Tanika's footsteps descending and footsteps arriving. Then she turned around trying to see who the footsteps belong to that just arrived. It was the quarter master, Pendleton. Was he Eddy?"

"Pendleton, where's that message?" Petty Officer Martin called out.

"Here it is," he answered his voice came out high and startled.

"This is the same message that came in this morning." Martin said as he stuck the message under the red light on the chart table.

"I guess they made a mistake and didn't realize they sent it twice."

"Well Chief," Martin said as he headed off the bridge, "I stand relieved. Chief Donnelly has the conn."

"Aye, aye," Sara and Pendleton answered almost simultaneously.

Pendleton must be Eddy, Sara thought but she had to be sure. She cleared her throat as he walked past her towards the chart table where the Chief still leaned over.

"I don't believe we've met," she said, "I'm Sara Brown."

"Hi," he glanced at her nervously and then towards the Chief, "I'm Eddy Pendleton."

Eddy. Her suspicions confirmed she wasn't sure what she should do now. Could she tell the Chief? Would she even get a chance to tell him?

Trevor glanced over at them a faint smile hidden. At least he didn't have to worry about Pendleton coming on to her but was she just being friendly or did she have an ulterior motive. He hadn't seen her be so overtly friendly with anyone.

Trevor groaned loudly to himself. "Shit, I forgot my coffee." He looked at Pendleton, he could order him but he knew Pendleton always responded better if asked, he sighed. "It's going to be a long watch, would you go down to the mess deck and bring up a thermos of coffee and some cups?"

"I'm not really supposed to leave the bridge," Eddy said.

"We're in open waters, I think it'll be okay, besides you weren't here when I came up."

"I had to take a message down to the Captain."

"So what's a few more minutes." Trevor said, surprised by his own cordiality.

Pendleton shrugged loudly. "Okay, black?"

"Bring up some cream and sugar separately. Seaman Apprentice Brown, do you want any coffee?"

"Please," she looked over at him curiously.

"Bring three cups," Trevor said, "that is if you want some too. While you're down there would you see if there's any sweet rolls? I missed supper chow."

Eddy grunted and then muttered, "Sure."

Trevor stood at the chart desk until he heard Pendleton's steps fade away and then he walked over and stood beside her.

"Sara, we need to talk about what happened but we can't here. This thing with the colors and...," he started to say demons but he didn't want to upset her, "everything, seems to have some thread of truth to it. I think we should talk about it when we pull into port tonight. From the reports we've been receiving we should be finished getting up the bodies by evening. I want you to meet me at a pub called the La Maison Blanc, when liberty's granted but I don't want anybody to know about it. You know fraternization being what it is, can only cause talk. Talk we should avoid."

Sara strained her eyes trying to see his features through the shadows. She realized she had to tell somebody what she had overheard and even if she told Tanika, Tanika wasn't in any position to do anything about it. Tonight would still be time, wouldn't it? "I'll do it," she answered, "just tell me how to find it. I've got something important to tell you."

"I'll draw you a map and give it to you. It's not far from where we usually tie up." Trevor reached out to touch her arm but pulled back before he did. "Today's going to be rough on everybody. I want you to be prepared for it. It won't be pleasant. I understand a ship out of Puerto Rico has already completed most of the cleanup but we'll still have to look for floaters they missed. It's going to be rough and if you find it's too much I want you to take a break. The first time you have to pick up floaters is the worst. It affects everybody, they can't help it and you'll probably find that they make a lot of crude jokes. Try not to take offense by what they say. It's just their way of detaching themselves from the fact that they were once living men, woman and children."

Sara was only half way listening. She knew that the district had ordered them back and if the Captain had followed orders they wouldn't have to pick up floaters now at all but she supposed eventually she would have to deal with it. It was part of the Coast Guard, if not this time, then another. Even if she told the Chief about what she had overheard, would he believe her? She didn't have any proof. Just her word against the Captain's and that wouldn't go very far. Besides she knew the Chief already thought she was a flake. She couldn't help remember how he patronized her when they had driven back to the ship and then later in her cabin.

What she really needed was proof, but what? Unless, she could somehow get that message and show him. But how could she do that? The Captain had it. Before tonight she would get it, she had too.

After several eternally quiet moments she answered his worries. "I'll be all right. I made of pretty stern stuff but about meeting you, I agree. The sooner the better. I've got something to tell you that won't wait. I just don't know how to convince you."

Trevor opened his mouth to ask her what had made her so upset but heard Pendleton's return. He moved back towards the chart table before Pendleton arrived on the bridge but stopped and turned. "Tonight then at twenty hundred."

CHAPTER 10

"Wake-up girl," Tanika said, shaking Sara.

Groggily Sara's eye lids fluttered and opened. "What time is it?"

"Quarter 'til Six. I thought you were going to wake me up after you got off watch?"

Sara opened one eye lifting her head to see that Tanika was already dressed. Rising up on her elbow she watched as Tanika sat tying her boon Dockers. "I tried, but at two in the morning you were dead to the world. So was I--I still am. I've only had four hours sleep, less if you count the two minutes it took me to fall asleep."

"Well I hate to disappoint you but by tonight you're going to be dead tired. It's no wonder these guys learned to sleep at any time or place. I saw Carson lean against a buoy yesterday and fall asleep, he didn't even fall. I guess they take naps to keep them going."

"I thought you went on watch at six?"

"I do. That's why I'm up but I've only got five minutes for you to tell me what you were so upset about last night."

Sara nodded her head and gave Tanika a brief review of what she had overheard outside of the Captain's stateroom. She then told Tanika that she was going to tell the Chief but she wanted to get a copy of the message, she just didn't know how. She wasn't sure why but she still hadn't told Tanika what she had seen in the bedroom at the party.

Tanika put on her hat and headed towards the door. "That's some pretty serious shit. I'll think about it but I've got to go now. Why don't you go up for chow and see Doug, if anybody can help us he can."

Twenty minutes later Sara found Doug alone on the mess deck and retold the incident. He told her that he had to clean the Captain's stateroom and if the message could be found he would find it and with a grin he said he had an another idea. Sara tried to get him to tell her what it was but he said she would just have to wait to see if it worked.

"I want you and Tanika to meet me in number one hole after she gets off watch 0815," Doug said.

"I can't. I have to go on watch at eight, I relieve Tanika, and I won't be off until ten."

"Okay meet me there at ten fifteen."

"We're supposed to be picking up by then." Sara said as the image of the task that lay before them flashed.

"They changed our estimated time of arrival to the area to 1100. So meet me there as soon as you get off watch."

"Where's number one hole?"

He grinned at her. "Go out on the buoy deck, go to the starboard side, there's a dogged hatch there on the superstructure. Inside is a hatch on the deck which leads straight down. Watch the ladder it's pretty risky, particularly if the swells get up and we start to rock. "

Sara nodded and watched as he went back to work. She finished eating and went below to her cabin wondering what she was supposed to do until time for her watch. She sat down in the chair and before she realized what had happened she fell asleep.

Her eyes flew open with a start. Quickly she found the clock to find it was already 7:30. She had been asleep for over an hour and nobody had bothered her. She straightened her hair and decided to relive Tanika early. She didn't know if she would get to talk to Tanika on the bridge so she quickly scrawled a note for her to be at the cabin waiting when she got off watch. As an afterthought she added it was so they could go meet Doug. She knew that would insure Tanika would be there waiting if at all possible.

She went quietly through officer's country up to the bridge.

Tanika stared with surprise when Sara told her she was ready to relieve her. After they formally changed watch Sara slipped the folded note into Tanika's hand and nodded, insuring that the Captain hadn't seen her. He and the First Class Quartermaster were on watch. Lake was outside the bridge on the wing and the quarter master was leaning over the chart table.

Tanika quit the bridge and Sara sat quietly stirring course 154. The sun was fifteen degrees up and to the port so she figured they were still headed south but more eastward than the southern course they had been on during her early watch. Several dark groups of land stretched out in the distance on both sides and the clear emerald green of the water made it seem shallow with a sandy bottom. She couldn't help but wonder if they were in a channel. She knew the ferry boat had went down off Port-au-Prince but she couldn't help wonder how far Caicos was from there. Doug had said that West Caicos was north of Haiti.

Lake came in from the bridge wing and walked over towards her. Sara watched the compass but with her peripheral vision she could tell he was coming over to her.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, sir," she responded trying not to appear uncomfortable.

"Well you've certainly had an eventful arrival, haven't you. "

Sara glanced over at him unconsciously not sure of what to say and was embarrassed as he readjusted his private parts.

The sound of a voice clearing came from the ladder of the bridge startled her and Lake. Quickly she glanced over her shoulder, she hadn't heard anyone coming up the steps.

Trevor felt the blood rush to his head as he watched the Captain deliberately handle himself in front of her. She was on watch early. He would have been even more angry if he hadn't seen her embarrassed reaction. He was getting used to her subtle but noticeable expressions and the green demon of jealousy kept attacking him. He had to do something about it but what? He must have been crazy sitting up a rendezvous with her tonight. He kept telling himself it was for her sake, her very sanity, not his. His finger touched the hand drawn directions to the 'Maison Blanc' in his pocket that he planned to give her.

"Morning Chief, I didn't hear you." Lake turned away from her and walked over to the chart table. "Seems everybody is relieving early today."

Trevor glanced down at his feet. "New shoes. So where are we at?"

Sara sat trying to listen as they talked about their course but found herself thinking about meeting the Chief tonight. She couldn't help wonder if he was a little interested in her. She knew that she certainly found him attractive. She caught herself smiling as the vision of him standing naked in his room played erotically through her mind and forced it away. She had to get a grip, she was becoming as lust crazed as everyone else on this ship.

""Chief Donley has the conn," Lake announced.

"Aye, aye," she answered automatically.

"I'm going below to my cabin if you need me, Chief." Lake turned to the First Class Quartermaster. "Pendleton will be about fifteen minutes reliving you. I told him to meet me in my cabin so we could write a message to district."

"Aye, aye, sir," he answered.

Sara felt herself panic, the Captain was relived early, what if Doug had figured what time he would get off watch and was caught snooping. She had to do something.

"Captain?" she called out to him just before he left the bridge. Her mind spun trying to find something to say just to delay him a few minutes maybe all the time Doug needed.

"Yes?" he stopped at the head of the ladder waiting for her to continue.

"I just wanted to thank you for having me at your party." She inhaled deeply trying to sound at ease. "It was unfortunate about your guest but those things happen."

She couldn't see his face but she knew he was still standing there watching her. She was going about this wrong. She didn't want to remind him of the problem, she just wanted to delay him.

"It was, as you say, unfortunate." He answered her solemnly.

She inhaled deeply, she had an idea but what would the Chief say. She would have to explain it to him later. Making her voice light and cheerful she sighed sweetly, then almost groaned as she realized how it had sounded. "Well, those things happen but the party, except for that, well it was the most exciting thing that I've ever done in my life and all the people there were so, so titillating."

Trevor's head snapped around. What the hell was she doing? Was she flirting with the Captain?

Titillating? Had she said titillating? She was getting nauseatingly desperate but she couldn't stop now. She heard him walk toward her and stop several feet away. Glancing up she smiled, what she hoped was a seductive look, she wasn't sure it would work, she had never tried it before. His eyes brightened and he smiled back. She guessed it was working. She let her eyes roam down the front of his uniform and stopped at his crotch, consciously she looked back up and moistened her lips with her tongue. She hoped that wasn't laying it on too thick.

"Oh," she softened her voice to what she hoped sounded sexy, "I had so much fun, it only makes me long for bigger and better things." This time she only made a quick downward glance and almost grimaced at the overt display her bogus words had aroused.

Trevor clinched his jaw rapidly, the muscles in his cheek vibrated in nervous anger. She was coming on to him! No doubt in his mind about this time.

The Captain was standing too close to where she sat. The bow of the ship dipped forward, outlining them with the background sea. The image of pale aquamarine, flaked with shimmering spasms of reflected sun blinded him.

Trevor shoved his hands in his pocket as he realized he had his fists balled. His body began to tremble. He wanted to shake her and punch the hell out of Lake. The son-of-a-bitch had better stay the hell away from her!

The ship jerked with a rumble! A grinding roar from the keel to the bridge vibrated the entire metal fabric of the ship. Then the "White Cedar" ground gratingly to a shaky halt. The crew on the bridge and throughout the ship, lurched forward, hands scrambled to catch their balance.

"We've run aground!" Trevor yelled as he moved swiftly to the engine levers and pulled them back. "All engine's to a halt! Helmsmen mark your helm!"

Sara didn't hesitate and answered. "1 5 4, mark!"

"The channel must have shifted." Trevor said more calmly as the engine's ceased their forward thrust. "We hit pretty hard Captain. I think we better have a diver go down and see how the props are."

Lake stood silently for a second. "Very well, Chief. We'll stand aground until we get a report. I'll be in my cabin." He turned and left the bridge.

"Helmsman, you are relieved." Trevor said gruffly as he walked over to the phone flipped a switch and cranked a handle. "Engine room, bridge, have Berkeley suit up and be on the fantail in ten minutes." He hung up and turned to see Sara was still sitting at the helm.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown, you've been relieved," he repeated.

"Relieved! I didn't do anything. I was on course." She protested.

He stared at the frustration lined with self-confidence on her face. He was being unfair, he glanced over as the First Class interrupted.

"Chief, I've got to go get the number five flag and hoist it to warn of our breakdown."

"Very well," Trevor answered and waited until he had left the bridge, then turned to Sara, exhaling loudly. "You're not being relived for anything you've done. It's just while we're broke down here, a helmsman isn't needed. Okay?"

Sara nodded her head with understanding and felt embarrassed she had misunderstood him.

As she rose from the chair Trevor moved directly in front of her blocking her way to the ladder, and gritted his teeth. "Just what were you trying to do a while ago?"

Sara tried to look confused but she understood that he was asking her about the come on to the Captain. "Chief, I know what the impression you got, was that I was flirting--well I was, but it's not what you think." She raised her eyebrows for his reaction.

"Huh?"

"This has to do with why I need to talk to you. I was flirting with him but it was necessary." She looked towards the steps as she heard someone coming. "I swear to you I can explain it all. I just had to delay his departure from the bridge." Nervously she glanced again at the ladder. "I'll explain to night. Trust me."

Trevor looked at her in confusion. Trust her! He had seen the way she was acting and the way the Captain acted. He just didn't know. As the noise of the steps grew louder he reached into his pocket and pulled out the map he had drawn thrusting it into her hand feeling a sensual jolt as his palm met hers. He forced his stern look at her fighting the mixed feelings and nodded. "Tonight, eight o'clock." He moved away from her. "Seaman Apprentice Brown, you may return when we get back underway. I'll have you piped."

"Aye, aye, Chief." Sara hurried off to find out if Doug had found the message. All the way down the ladder she kept touching her hand, his touch still felt present. Thoughts of him touching her leg and the image of his naked body teased her mind. By the time she got to her cabin she felt flushed and had to force herself to dismiss him from her thoughts.

"Well girl, what did you do?" Tanika grinned as Sara entered.

"We ran aground and I swear I didn't do it. The channel has shifted or something like that." Sara closed the door behind her. "Have you seen Doug?"

"I sure did."

"Well?" Sara rolled her eyes in exasperation.

She handed her a sheet of paper. "He said to try and get a copy of it so he can return it. Then he wants us to meet him in number one hole."

"He said to meet him after ten." Sara said as she scanned the message which confirmed what she had heard. They had been ordered by district to port immediately, without delay.

"He said he had something to rig up down there and would be there whenever we arrived. So how are you going to get a copy made? The only copy machine onboard is in the ship's office and you know how Waitkross is."

Sara slumped down in the chair trying to think of how she could get a copy made without the yeoman seeing what she was copying. Finally she looked over to Tanika and shrugged. "Any ideas?"

"If Doug wasn't down in the hole, we could get him to make something good to eat and lure him to the mess deck."

"He would still lock the office." Sara said.

Tanika grinned. "You could always offer him your body."

Sara shivered. "Ugh, he's gross, besides I don't want any man." But in the back of her mind she thought about the Chief and had to admit perhaps that was a lie.

Tanika grinned. "Sure you don't girl. I've seen how the Chief's been wagging his tongue around you and you've been doing a good job wagging back." Tanika shook her head and added seriously. "You know that ain't nothing but trouble."

Sara ignored the comment and jokingly attacked back. "You said he liked food, well I bet he likes chocolate."

"Go-on girl." Tanika laughed. "He wouldn't know what hit him but seriously we need to hurry up so we can give that thing back to Doug."

"I've got it. I'll tell him I want to check my health record to see how old my tetanus shot is--tell him I scrapped my self yesterday on a rust chain after all that banging around on the buoy deck. He'll let me in and then you go up to the mess deck, call the bridge and have him lay to the fantail. He probably knows we've ran aground by now and they will be out there helping the diver. He'll probably think he's needed to write something down, or order something. It should take him a few minutes to ask who piped him, by that time I'll have the copy made."

Tanika eyed her with respect. "Sara, that's down right devious. I love it. Let's go."

"Okay, give me about two minutes in the office."

Sara with message in hand, followed Tanika down the corridor and stopped outside of the office watching Tanika continue towards the ladder to the mess deck. She waited several seconds and then knocked.

"Come in."

Sara opened the door and stared at the man sprawled out in the chair feet kicked up on the desk edge. "Hi, Petty Officer Waitkross, I was wondering if I could check my Health Record to see when I got my last tetanus shot." She rubbed her shoulder. "I got scratched yesterday by a something rusty and I just wanted to see if I might need a booster."

He rolled his head to one side and glared at her while adjusting a button that had popped open covering his big belly. "Brown, you just got out of boot camp so I'm sure all your shots are up to date."

She hadn't thought of that. Now what? She eyed the copy machine. "Well could I should just get a copy of it to send to my mother just so she won't worry."

He chewed his lip silently for a moment. "Kids in the Guard." He groaned as he stood up shaking his head, opened a file drawer, pulled out a blue folder and handed it to her. "Just hurry up. I'm busy."

She nodded and sat it down slowly, hoping they would hurry up and pipe him.

Then Chief Donnelly's voice boomed through the speaker over the desk. "Now, Petty Officer Waitkross, lay to the fantail, that's Petty Officer Waitkross, lay to the fantail, on the double."

"Now what the hell?" He sputtered, as he put on his hat and grabbed a clip board. He looked at Sara and huffed. "Make your copy and then get out. Close the door when you leave." He fingered the brass clip of keys attached to his belt loop and stomped off.

Sara hurried over and made a copy of the message all the time wondering how Tanika had got the Chief to say 'on-the-double.'

As soon as she had finished she closed her Health Record and pulled the door closed making sure it was locked. Then she went to her cabin.

"Did you get it?" Tanika asked as the door opened.

Grinning she said, "sure did. How did you get the Chief to pipe him on-the-double?'"

Tanika rolled her eyes, smiling broadly. "I just told him you wanted it done."

"No, seriously, what did you tell him?"

"Honey, I am being serious. I just told him in my sweetest voice that Seaman Apprentice Brown, wanted to know if he would pipe Waitkross to go to the fantail."

"You didn't!"

"Sure 'nough did. He wanted to know why and I told him I wasn't sure but it had something to do with all the secrecy you've being going on about. He didn't even question me after that."

"I can't believe you did that." Sara shook her head in disbelief. "He must think I'm chasing every man on the boat."

"Why's that?"

Sara didn't want to tell about Carson but she figured it was okay to tell Tanika about the flirting with the Captain.

Tanika laughed. "Sugar, between you and me, we'll teach these men a thing or two."

"If they don't hang us first." Sara shrugged, wondering what the Chief must be thinking. "Oh, well. Come on, let's find Doug."

They scanned the corridor to make sure nobody was watching and made their way to the buoy deck and then to the vestibule that led down to the hole.

Turning the water tight hatch, Sara, lifted the heavy door and called down. "Hello."

"I'm here. Come on down." Doug's voice echoed up. "Watch the ladder."

Sara looked around at the piles of chain and crated batteries tied to the bulkheads until her eyes came to rest on an android tablet Doug was fiddling with. She handed him the original message. "What are you doing?"

Doug puffed up his chest, his hand waived open towards the tablet as if he were presenting somebody. "This is a little trick I learned from an old cook." He fingered a wire that ran from the recorder to the phone and smiled. "This lets us listen in to everything that is said in the Captain's cabin and we can even record it with an app I have on there."

"Isn't that illegal?" Sara eyed the set up dubiously.

"Probably, but so is stealing messages out of his cabin. If you're going to be court martialed, you might as well go for the big time. But wait 'til you hear this." He punched at the rewind button on the app and they waited.

"So how does it work?" Tanika asked watching it rewind.

"Easy, I just took the microphone I had cut it and spliced it into the wires of the sound power phone in the Captain's cabin, spliced another wire to the phone here and plugged it into the input on the tablet's recorder and there you have it. Then all you have to do is turn the switch on the phone as if you were going to ring his cabin and you can listen and wait 'til you hear."

"I don't give a damn about your excuses," Lake's voice sounded, "I just want you to meet me there at midnight." Pause. "I'll take a boat out of Raton Pier, just be there."

"It's quiet for a few minutes but just wait." Doug said.

"Who was he talking too?" Tanika asked.

"I think it was somebody on his private boat."

"But how?" Sara asked even as she realized the answer. "A cellular phone signal?

"Probably satellite service. That's what money will buy. Wait, here it is listen." Doug had to suppress a chuckle.

The sound of a knock at the door. "Come in." Then the sound of the door closing. Then another sound.

"Was that a kiss?" Tanika's eyes flew open.

"Sure was," Doug said, "but wait."

Sara looked away from the recorder to Tanika. "It's Pendleton."

Doug grinned as Tanika's jaw dropped and said, "not this time."

This time Sara's eyes widened as she heard the accented voice.

"I just thought I would stop in during all the confusion."

"It's Diaz!" Sara and Tanika blurted out together.

"I don't think I want to hear any more of this, if it's what I think it is." Sara looked at Doug. "Do they mention anything else about him deserting."

"No, but it gets juicier."

"What they do in their privacy is their business. I don't want to hear it and I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it if they knew we were listening." Sara turned away feeling queasy. "They just shouldn't be doing it while on duty."

"Well boys, will be boys." Tanika smirked. "But save it, Doug; you and me will listen to it later."

"I think we have all the proof we need." Sara closed her eyes briefly. "I just hope it's enough."

"Enough for what?" Doug asked.

"We can't let the Captain desert." Sara gave him a befuddled look.

Doug snapped up his head to look at her. "That kid, Joey was a drugie. Lake didn't kill him."

"Maybe so, maybe not, but it's not up to us to decide." Sara said wearily. "It's up to the civil courts and the Coast Guard. If you try to run from your problems they don't get better; they just fester." Sara realized she was talking about herself. She had been one too run. Run from unseen demons. What right did she have to judge the Captain? Maybe she should just let him run. She unconsciously shook her head. She didn't think he killed Joey either, but if he ran he would be running the rest of his life. Just like she was. Whether he liked it or not this was to help him. The civil courts would probably find him innocent--probably wouldn't even go to court; but what would the Coast Guard do. She nodded to her thoughts without realizing it. The Coast Guard would definitely take his commission for his sexual attitudes; but would they give him brig time? Sara frowned, not knowing the answer.

Sara flushed as she looked up to see Doug and Tanika grinning at her.

"Have a nice little trip?" Doug asked.

She grinned back sheepishly. "Some people talk out loud. I talk quietly in my mind and then my head bobs around its own arguments."

Doug laughed the reread the message in his hand. "Sara, if we turn him in the Guard will hang him."

Sara tightened the muscles in one cheek and pursed her lips tightly then shook her head. "If he deserts he'll be running for the rest of his life. He'll never be able to return to the country. Even the suspicion of murder...," she raised her hand out in front of her in a stop motion before he could interrupt. "Even being wanted for questioning could get him extradited back to the U.S. if he ends up in the wrong country." She stared hard at both of them. "The Captain has money but it's probably in U.S. banks; I don't know, but if it is, then who knows what the government might be able to do. I know we probably shouldn't but this is truly for his own good."

Tanika looked at Doug hunching her shoulders up with a sigh. "Doug, she's probably right. He seems likeable enough and I don't think he's a bad guy. He's just in the wrong place, doing his own thing; which, the military just happens to consider wrong. But if he runs--he'll run forever. Money or no money, it ain't worth it. He won't like it now but some day he'll probably thank us."

"Yeah, right!" Doug said skeptically, "and Alice's demons are real."

Sara stared at him blankly for several seconds. Then the speaker on the bulkhead crackled as Chief Donnelly's voice broke the silence, "Now, Seaman Apprentice Brown, lay to the bridge. Seaman Apprentice Brown, lay to the bridge.

Sara exhaled loudly as she realized she had been holding her breath. She turned towards the ladder muttering. "I've got to go. I guess we're ready to get back underway."

CHAPTER 11

Trevor stared blankly at the chart, the clanging sound was Sara's footsteps. While they were checking for damage to the screws he sat thinking about the rage he had felt towards the Captain. The image of the Sara teasing; Lake growing excited by her words and both framed by the surrounding sea of green. Green--like his jealousy. It added logic to his theory but he needed to know what had happened to Sara in her past that made her believe so adamantly in demons.

"Seaman Apprentice Brown, reporting as ordered, sir. Request permission to enter the bridge." Sara held her salute until he returned it. The memory of him failing to return her salute when she first had reported to the ship flashed vividly in her mind and he said you weren't supposed to sir him. He had said his parents were married. She wondered at the way he acted sometimes.

"Very well." He returned her salute. "Take the helm."

"Aye, aye." She answered as she climbed up in the padded chair and touched the 'joy stick.'

"Helmsman, stand easy." Trevor ordered.

"Aye, aye, sir." Sara pulled her hand away and leaned back, staring out at the shallow waters.

"Petty Officer Pendleton would you go down and tell the Captain that the diver reported the prop is not damaged," Trevor ordered. "We can get underway as soon as he gives the word and ask him if he wants me to take the helms or if he wants too."

"Aye, aye," he answered and scurried down the steps.

Trevor waited until he was out of ear shot. "Sara, I want to know what's going on. Why did Brown say you wanted Waitkoss piped to the fantail?"

Sara glanced nervously at the steps and then motioned him closer. Suddenly her stomach fluttered and she wished he hadn't moved quite as close as he did. Swallowing she stared at first at his Adam's Apple, then quickly glanced at his eyes and whispered. "Chief, the Captain's getting ready to desert."

"What?" Trevor took a step back looking at her with disbelief. "Have you gone crazy?" Then he felt confused as he saw hurt and anger line her face. He wanted to say he was sorry but he wasn't sure what he had said that had caused this reaction. Surely, she wasn't so sensitive that questioning such an outrageous statement would have caused her to respond as she did.

Sara felt a tear well-up behind her eyes. He thought she was crazy, but then so had her mother and the doctors. She forced herself to fight the sudden surge of despair and pushed forward. She narrowed her eyes and stared hard into his eyes. "Chief, I swear I heard him talking in his wardroom and I have a copy of a message that the district sent, saying we were supposed to return to port because he is under further investigation."

Trevor was dumbstruck. He didn't know what to say. He could tell by looking at her, she was telling him the truth or she certainly believed it was true. That thought made him regain his senses and he challenged. "Where is this message?"

With a look of smug control she dug down into her pants and pulled out a folded piece of paper holding it out. "Here! I didn't know who to go too." Sara suddenly had a wave of doubt slam into her. Could she trust him? She thought so but she wasn't sure. What if he gave it to the Captain--then what? She shook her head unconsciously, brushing away the doubts as she watched him read it. He had given her the impression that he didn't really respect the Captain.

Sara felt terrified as angry lines embellished his face. She felt like running but she was trapped.

Unconsciously Trevor grabbed her wrist tightly and then suddenly at the shock of her flesh in his palm he loosened his grip.

"Where did you get this?" He snapped, before he realized how harsh it sounded.

Her heart pounded hard as she cried defiantly. "I stole it!" She wasn't going to tell him or anybody else about Doug or Tanika's part in it. If anybody went to the brig it would be her and her alone; that is of course until she told the district that the Captain was going to desert. Then real fear stabbed her. What if he didn't desert? If she said he was, and then he didn't, she would be the one in trouble. If the Captain lied and told district he didn't get the message? He might say she had stolen it. She was sure Pendleton would lie for his boyfriend. What if the Captain didn't desert? She hadn't thought about that. They would never believe her after the fact, if he didn't leave.

Trevor glanced at the photo copy and then softened his voice while still holding her wrist. "Where's the original?"

She knew Doug couldn't have returned it yet, the Captain was still in his cabin. "I hid it," she glanced away hoping he couldn't tell she was lying.

Trevor let loose of his grip on her wrist and watched as it dropped into her lap. He calmed himself and gently. "Listen, the date time on this indicates it came in 2330 last night." In his mind he realized they should already be on their way back to port—but they weren't. Something was seriously wrong. Could she have faked the message? Was she truly insane?

"Sara," he began, "tell me exactly...." He stopped at the sound of footsteps and glanced at the fear in her eyes.

Sara exhaled with relief as he pocketed the message and walked out on the port wing of the bridge.

"Chief, uh, permission to enter the bridge, sir." Pendleton cried loudly his voice shaking.

Trevor surprised by the tone came back in. "Very well."

Pendleton looked at Sara nervously then back to the Chief. "The Captain said for you to get us underway. He is having Sparks put a lock on the paint locker. He's arresting Kelly."

"What?" Sara cried out unexpectedly.

"Arrested?" Trevor said in disbelief. "For what?"

"Theft. Captain says Kelly stole some money from him."

Trevor observed closely as Pendleton avoided looking him in the eyes as he relayed the information. He was lying. Could Sara be right? Trevor moved close to the younger man giving him his infamous stern stare. Clearing his voice he added more bass for effect. "Why is he locking him up? We're at sea, where can he go?"

Eddy swallowed hard, looking like a scared rabbit he shook his head. "Chief, I don't know."

Trevor leaned forward invading the man's natural space and blared. "Did you say he plans on putting him in the paint locker? That's inhuman."

Eddy shrugged. "Uh, well, it does have an exhaust fan."

Trevor raved louder, leaning closer. "That's to keep the damn thing from blowing the hell up! It don't put air in. Has the 'ole man' lost his fucking mind."

Eddy stepped back his eyes began to dart from side to side as if he were looking for an exit.

Trevor watched as he began to unravel. He knew more than he was saying, with just a little more pressure he would break and tell whatever he was hiding—and it was definitely something.

Trevor narrowed one eye evil, cocking his brow his features grew dark and threatening. He tightened the muscles in his shoulders, arms and chest, deliberately for effect. Slowly, with methodical precision, he opened his hands wide stretching his fingers out in a flexing motion and then clutching them into hard fists.

With a low guttural growl he leaned slightly closer for effect and said. "I-want-you-to-tell-me-what's-going-on."

Nervously Eddy glanced to Sara as if she might give him some assistance.

Suddenly the sound powered phone rang and Eddy literally jumped in the air as if he had be shocked. Rapidly he scurried past Trevor and answered the phone.

"Bridge." He said then glanced at Trevor the early fear had somewhat dissipated. "It's for you. It's the Captain."

Trevor roughly snatched the phone out of his hand and answered. "Chief Donnelly." Then paused. "I'm getting ready to get underway, now. Pendleton was just telling me about you having Kelly put under arrest. What's going on Captain?"

Sara leaned back in the helmsman's chair and watched the Chief as he listened in silence for several minutes, all the time wondering what the Captain was saying. She glanced over at Eddy and saw that he was still pretty shaken up. She had never seen the Chief appear so angry; sullen, yes, but not as overtly threatening as he had been with Pendleton. She had thought he was going to physically take a hold of him and in a way, the raw power had frightened her; but it also comforted her. It had been as if, well almost as if, the Chief had taken her side in these things that were happening. She watched the Chief as he spoke.

"Yes, sir, I will, but I want to register a formal complaint on locking Kelly up in the paint locker. Very well." Trevor said into the phone, then turned the black switch on the phone and cranked at the ringer. "Engine room--bridge, put the bow thrusters on line." Then he hung up, picked up the address microphone and piped to the crew. "All hands standby to resume underway as a possibility of heavy drag as we come off the sand bar." Then he walked out to the port wing of the bridge and took over the controls of the ship.

* * *

The remainder of Sara's watch was uneventful. Pendleton made an excuse to work in the radio room and the Chief didn't get an opportunity to further his questioning of him. The First Class Quartermaster came up, even though he wasn't on watch to plot courses and she wasn't able to talk with the Chief. She couldn't help glancing at him but he was either truly busy or he was ignoring her.

Sara turned to see Diaz arrive on the bridge and ask to relieve the helm. Diaz swaggered over to her grinning and whispered. "Have you been gentle with my joy stick?"

Ignoring his comment Sara loudly told him their present heading and asked for permission to leave the bridge. The Chief grunted with a nod but his eyes caught hers for a brief second with a look she couldn't quite read.

Hurriedly she left the bridge and as quietly as she could descended the ladder, past the Captain's quarters down to her cabin.

She rushed in but was disappointed when she found it empty. She wondered where Tanika was and on a hunch she headed for number one hold. As she crossed the buoy deck, climbed over the mounds of chain towards the port side she glanced forward at the sound of metal against metal but couldn't see anyone. The clanking sound came from under the forecastle where the paint locker was located.. She continued to the hole and slowly opened the outer door and saw that the hatch leading down was still open. She knew this was a not supposed to be open because it reduced their water tight integrity.

Sara cupped her hands leaning over and called, "hello!"

"Sara, hurry up get down here," Tanika's voice echoed up.

As she stepped off the bottom of the ladder she looked over to find Tanika alone and leaning over the recorder with earphones on. She opened her mouth to speak but Tanika glanced up and indicated for her to be quiet by pressing her index finger against her lips. Then she pulled out the earphone plug and the small speakers activated on the tablet.

"Okay Kelly," Lake's voice rang out angrily, "what did you do with the message?"

"Captain," Doug's voice was distinct, loud and defiant. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't seen any message."

"Listen, you can make it easy on yourself, or you can make it as hard as you want, but I want that message. Who else knows about it?"

"I told you. I don't know anything about any message. What's this all about?" Doug's voice was calm and collected.

"Very well," Lake said, "if that's the way you want to be, I'm going to have you locked up." Several seconds of silence followed with the exception of movement sounds and then; "Sparks, this is the Captain, have you finished with the lock yet?" He paused. "Good, get up here and escort Petty Officer Kelly to his new quarters." Then the sound of him hanging up the phone was heard.

"You've got one more chance to avoid being locked up. Where's the message?"

" I told you . I don ' t...."

A knock at the door interrupted him as Lake called, "Come in."

"Petty Officer Sparks, reporting, sir."

"Take Kelly and lock him up." Lake ordered.

"Captain..., " Sparks began, "the fumes in the paint locker are pretty deadly, are you sure...?"

"Are you questioning my orders!"

"Uh, no sir. Come on Doug."

The sound of feet shuffling and then the door closing was heard .

Sara stared at Tanika in disbelief and whispered. "He can't be serious. Doug could die in there—if nothing else it could do permanent damage to his internal organs."

Tanika nodded in agreement her eyes wide as she punched the rewind button on the recorder and watched the counter. "Listen to this, shit. After you went up for watch, Doug and I continued to listen. Girl, you ain't heard nothing yet."

After several seconds she pushed play on the recorder and listened to silence.

Tanika saw the question forming on Sara' s face and answered before she spoke. "It's after Diaz and him—you know, well they started talking. Just listen."

"Tony," Lake's voice broke evenly through the silence.

"Yeah?"

"I want to show you something." The sound of footsteps and then paper rustling was heard then angrily Lake said, "where the hell is it? It was here."

"What?"

"A message we received from district—-it' s gone, and nobody's been in here except you, Eddy and myself." He paused, his voice became pensive. "Except Kelly cleaned in here earlier. "

"What are you talking about?" Diaz asked.

"The district ordered us back to port for further investigation into Joey's death. Pendleton gave it to me and I hid it but it's not here now.

"Hid it? You're not making any sense." Diaz said.

"The message ordered us back in. Only Pendleton and myself knew about it. I put it up because I don't intend to obey it. Tonight, I'm leaving the ship--deserting. I'm having the Frisky Maiden meet me when we pull in tonight. I'm leaving the country."

"Are you crazy? They'll courts-martial you."

"If they investigate this any further, they'll courts-martial me anyway."

"Lake, you can't do it. Joey's death was an accident. The worst that could happen is they'll kick you out of the Guard and you don't need it anyway."

Several seconds of silence followed. "Accident?" Lake repeated, "well, yes and no. I meant for him to die--just not at that moment. When they do an autopsy on him they'll find arsenic. He was blackmailing me. He had a movie of me, him and Sharon; and he kept threatening to turn it over to the Coast Guard. I couldn't let him do it."

"But why that night? Why didn't you wait until he was somewhere else," Tony asked.

"It wasn't supposed to happen then. I had been putting the arsenic in his coke. He made me keep him supplied--part of his blackmail, that and money. He never even noticed it. What's a little more white powder, anyway? I just didn't expect for it to happen that night." He groaned aloud. "If I hadn't had sex with them that night, he probably would have died somewhere else and they would have never discovered it. But they found semen on him and they'll find it's mine."

"But why didn't you get rid of the body that night?"

"I would have but while we were in the act I looked up at the mirrored headboard and saw the reflection of Seaman Brown, the apprentice, Sara Brown, opening the door watching us.. It was so strange! As I felt her watching us the room blared bright yellow--we became more frenzied. When she closed the door my mind felt confused and I begin to feel nervous about her seeing us, so I got up to confront her. When I got to the door I heard Carson outside the door coming on to her. Then scuffled sounds, apparently she decked him but before I could open the door Chief Donnelly came along. Sharon called me back and I resumed where I left off. It became more weird. I couldn't control myself. I've never been so sexually high in my life and then about ten minutes later the candles flared bright red and I shot-off, all over both of them. I slipped back in my trunks and tried to find Brown; but she had already left with Donnelly. When I got back upstairs Sharon was sitting on the edge of the bed pale as a ghost with the phone in her hand. Very calmly she told me Joey was dead. I didn't think the woman had that much sense but she didn't go to pieces--I wished she had--the dumb bitch had already called 911 for assistance. She went and told everybody at the party that Joey was dead. Hell, I couldn't stop her then, she had already called the cops. I didn't even think about my semen on him until the cops started asking us questions. I didn't even have a chance to clean him up. They found semen on him they figured it was his but Sharon told them, she and somebody else had had sex with him."

"She didn't tell them who?" Tony asked.

"No. Not yet but I know she will. Hell even if she don't Brown still saw us. But that doesn't matter the Coast Guard has a DNA tag on all of us now."

"Listen, Lake, even if they do an autopsy and find coke and the arsenic, they can't prove you gave it to him. Worst they can do is tell the Coast Guard and the Guard will kick you out."

"Yeah? You think so? Joey had the video and he told me he kept a log of all the payments I made him. When they find that they'll connect the arsenic with his blackmailing me. I wouldn't have a chance."

"And you checked his apartment for the tape?"

"Of course--nothing there. I think he kept it in his locker at work."

"Well maybe the cops will never find it."

Lake grunted. "I wouldn't bet on it. He worked for Metro-Dade government, out of the Government Center, repaired elevators and escalators for the city. They'll probably clean out his locker and turn it all over to the cops because of the circumstances surrounding his death."

There was silence for several minutes and then Tony sighed loudly. "Listen, why don't we go back to port, like the district ordered? We'll find Joey's locker and clean it out before the cops get to it?"

"There's still Sharon and Brown, and what do I tell district the reason for ignoring their message." Lake's voice sounded weary.

"Kill both of them," Tony said, "and tell district you never saw the message."

"Kill them," Lake repeated, "you mean blatant murder. I don't know about that but what about Kelly. He had to be the one that took the message and he would tell the district he took it from my cabin."

"So you tell them he took it before you got a chance to see it. You said Pendleton was the only other person that knew about it. He'll lie for you. If he don't it's your word against theirs. Just nip it before you get back. Find the message, tell district it was mislaid. That's why you didn't return until after the Haitian ops. Hell fire, I don't see how you ever became an officer, you're going to have to kill Kelly, too. Say he stole something and have him locked him up," Tony paused, "lock him in the paint locker. Then fix it so the fumes will kill him. I can secure the power to the exhaust fan and insure it happens."

"How do I explain his death in the paint locker?" Lake sounded hopeful and doubtful at the same time.

"Tell them you had no idea the exhaust fan would go out. Hell, blame it on Chief Donnelly. He's responsible for the paint locker being in proper order. Tell district you locked Kelly up because he became violent and threatened to kill you after you caught him stealing. That you had no idea the paint locker was so deadly. Tell them you figured it was safe since all of the cans were secured--hey, after all, secured cans can't seep fumes."

"What if the can's really are secured and just cutting off the exhaust fan don't do it?"

"I'll pipe in a little benzene, a little chloride."

"Will that do it?" Lake asked.

Tony laughed. "It should."

"It might work," Lake said. "You know it might just work. I'll do it. As soon as we finish with the Haitian pick up we'll head directly back to port."

"We can still put it off another night. As long as we're back in Miami by tomorrow evening that should give us enough time to get to his locker. Let's pull into port at Jeremie, a nice rough little port. You can grant liberty, then who knows what terrible thing could happen to little Sara Brown--who knows. Maybe even rape and murder. You know how bad a port it is especially since the earthquake."

"What if she want go on liberty?" Lake asked.

"Hell, you're the Captain! Order her! If she acts like she's not going on liberty order her to go to pick up something needed for the ship."

"It might work. Will you help me?" Lake asked.

"Glad too, I'll even consider it to be a pleasure, my pleasure." Diaz forced a hateful laugh.

"How about Eddy? Should we ask him to help?"

"Hell no. Pendleton's too much of a mama's boy." Diaz laughed. "He gives good head thought." He laughed harder. "Almost as good as you--come here." Then the tape grew silent.

Sara looked at Tanika. She knew her face was pale. While listening she had leaned against the bulkhead for support. Her head was spinning in utter disbelief. Lake was bad but Diaz was beyond reality.

"Is that it?" She asked Tanika.

Tanika nodded. "Pretty much." She pushed the stop button and then fast forwarded. "I'll fast forward it to where he was finished talking to Doug just in case anybody else comes in and put it on voice activated record."

"What are we going to do?" Sara said, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the situation made her voice tremble.

"One of us has to stay close to Diaz at all times so he doesn't have a chance to get at Doug."

"He's on watch right now and we should be busy in about an hour with the pickups." Sara rubbed at her temples trying to concentrate. "I need the Chief to hear this. How can I get this to him?"

"I know," Tanika said. "I'll put a copy on my phone and then you take my phone. Just don't break my phone like you did yours."

"Okay, that will work. I'm supposed to meet the Chief tonight. I'll let him hear it and I promise I will be careful with your phone."

"Can we trust him?"

Sara shrugged. "I don't know who else we can trust but as for Doug, well, you're right. I don't think they'll try to harm Doug until we're in port tonight when nobody's around, so if one of us is always close to Diaz he won't have a chance to do anything."

"They're planning to kill you, too. What are you going to do?" Tanika finished transferring the recording to her phone and handed it to her.

"I'll just have to be careful. At least I know what they're planning so I'm one step ahead of them. I think we should get Doug out of there as soon as we pull into port." Sara groaned. "I just realized we're not going to pull in at the port where the Chief gave me directions to meet him. Somehow I've got to see him alone before liberty. Hopefully, he'll know of another place to meet but before we go anywhere tonight we have to break Doug out."

"Let's hide the tablet, incase somebody comes down here." Tanika moved the machine to the deck and pushed it up against the bulkhead. "Help me push those batteries over here in front of it."

They spent several minutes at the task and wound the wire that ran to the recorder into a seam.

Sara stared at their attempt with just a little doubt and a whatever shrug. "It's dark in here, unless they're looking for it, it shouldn't be noticed."

Tanika glanced up at the overhead light nearest to the entrance then climbed on top of a battery pack and took her shirt tail and unscrewed the bulb. Jumping down she nodded. "That should do it."

"You know we make a good team," Sara said.

"I just hope it's good enough. Now we need to make some plans."

Sara nodded. "I need to see the Chief alone and we need to make more duplicates of that recording."

"Maybe you'll get a chance to say something during the Haitian pickup." Tanika closed her eyes and leaned against the battery pack. "I'll keep my phone for now and see if I can find something to copy it too or if I get a signal I will send it to the clouds. I think we need a gun, too. I'll get you the phone before liberty."

"A gun?"

"Two would be better but these guys plan to kill you and Doug. If they know I'm involved they'll kill me too." Tanika pointed out.

"I've got it. Tonight, after dark we'll use the acetylene torch and cut the lock off the paint locker. Even if Doug has to hide out in Port Jeremie at least he'll be safe—we all may. After we cut Doug out we'll cut the lock on the armory."

"Why don't you just sweet talk the Chief out of his keys. Him, the Captain and the gunner's mate are the only ones that has keys to the armory. I doubt he has a key to the paint locker though. It was all a spontaneous make shift creation. We might even need a gun for protections while we're busy getting Doug out."

"I don't know if I'll get much of a chance to see the Chief alone but if I do I probably won't have time to convince him for keys or tell him what's going on." Sara shook her head. "I don't think he totally believes me about the Captain."

"We better be getting out of here. If they find us they might get suspicious about what we're doing down here and find the tablet."

"You're right." Sara agreed. "I'll meet you in the cabin but we better be careful what we say in there. They might be bugging us. If we can do it, so can they. Besides, I heard some noise the other night, when I told the Chief, he said it's probably some of the guys trying to play tricks on us."

Tanika nodded. "We better go one at a time but how are we going to communicate."

"Pencil and paper?"

Tanika snarled her up lip. "It'll work but it sure is a pain."

"Better idea?" Sara raised her eyebrows.

Tanika shrugged. "I'll meet you in about ten minutes but if we pass a note we have to get rid of them."

Sara answered with a nod and said "eat them." She laughed as Tanika rolled her eyes and left the area. After what felt to be an eternity Sara turned off the light and climbed the ladder. At the top she turned the hand wheel making sure the hatched was dogged properly and headed for their cabin.

As Sara opened the door from the buoy deck leading into the passage to her cabin, noon chow was piped. Although, she couldn't see her cabin door yet, she heard the door open and Tanika came around the corner.

"Hello, girlfriend," Tanika said loudly, "let's go eat. I'm hungry."

"Me too." Sara answered almost as loud as Tanika had when she saw her glance at the Chief's cabin and nod. "I wonder what they're having?"

"I don't know," Tanika answered, "but it has to beat the bugs in our room."

Sara nodded knowingly. "Come on."

When they got to the mess deck they discovered that it was crowded and there wasn't two seats together except at the Chiefs table, which seated four people.

"What're we having?" Tanika said as she got her tray and stood in line.

The man in front of her turned around and grinned. "Seagull."

"Seagull?" Sara's eyes flew open as she tiptoed trying to see what was being served.

Tanika laughed. "It's chicken."

"Oh." Sara relaxed and scanned the chairs. "Where are we going to sit?"

"Let's sit at the Chiefs' table." Tanika answered and elbowed Sara slightly and nodded just as Chief Donnelly arrived on the mess deck. He got his tray and headed for the front of the line and no one protested because rank has its privileges. Chiefs and watch standers always went to the front of the line.

Sara leaned forward and whispered. "We can't sit there. It's reserved for the chiefs."

"Sure we can." Tanika said. "Watch." She stepped slightly out of line. "Hey, Chief Donnelly." He turned around and looked at her. "Can Sara and me sit at your table, since all of the other seats are filled?"

Trevor, opened his mouth, surprised by the question. It was unheard of. Before he said anything he quickly scanned the mess deck and then briefly glanced at Sara's reddening cheeks. He nodded and then turned back to get his food.

Tanika gave Sara a 'told you so,' smile, just as an unidentified voice called out from the back of the mess deck.

"Hey, Chief, how come the women get to sit at your table, when we can't?"

Trevor glanced around until he found the speaker giving him a look as if he were stupid and said loud enough for everybody to hear, even over the constant chatter. "Nobody else has ever asked."

That drew several laughs and the noise returned to its normal deafening level.

Sara followed Tanika and they sat down across from the Chief at the four seated table, designed with a raised edge in case they took a heavy roll the food wouldn't slide to the deck. Tanika had forced Sara to sit directly across from him.

Sara stared down at the chicken feeling uncomfortable about him watching her eat. All the problems they were facing and here she was being silly about having him watch her eat chicken.

They sat there silently eating the greasy chicken, frequently wiping their fingers with napkins and picking at the assorted vegetables.

"Chief," Tanika broke the silence at the table, "have you ever heard of a port called Jerieme?"

"Yeah, why?" He asked in between bites.

"Oh, I was just wondering. Is there any good bars or restaurants there?"

Sara watched as curiosity crossed his face.

"It a pretty rough town, at least the area down around the piers is and it's pretty hard to get a cab. Certainly not much to see. "

Tanika nodded absently. "But if there was any bar or restaurant you would recommend which one would it be?"

Trevor shook his head in though. "There aren't any."

Tanika gave him a slightly frustrated look. "But if you had to name one, which one would you recommend." When he didn't answer immediately she gritted her teeth into an exasperated smile. "Let's say, I had this beau that I wanted to meet in private--where could I meet him where nobody would be around watching?"

Trevor was quiet a moment wondering what she was talking about. They knew something and she was trying to tell him. It just didn't make any sense. They were supposed to tie up in Port 0'Prince and he was going to meet Sara at Maison Blanc; unless the plans had been changed and somehow they knew about it. But how? And why? Jeremie was on the end of the peninsula. If they tied up there they would have to drop the bodies and then steam for a while to get there and Port 0'Prince was a better port—both for liberty and so was the structure to tie up. It just didn't make any sense but he guessed he would play along.

Trevor cleared his voice. "Well, if I was going on liberty there, I would probably--no, not probably--I would definitely go to Le Chatte Noir, the Black Cat." He nodded several times and caught Sara's eyes questioningly. "That's definitely where I would go. Best time to go there is around eight o'clock. Yep! Eight o'clock. It's just down the pier to Beirdon Street, take a left and go three blocks. It's on the right side. Nobody could possibly miss it. That's left on Beirdon and go three blocks."

Sara gave him, what she hoped was a understanding nod. He didn't know they weren't going to pull into Port 0'Prince but he must have understood what Tanika was asking him just by the way he answered. God she hoped so. She would hate to go there and not find him.

Tanika took several bites of chicken and stared up at the radio playing a soft harmonious rendition of an old rock song. "They've done it again. They took a classic Funkadelic tune and turned it into grocery store music. Chief, do you like music?"

"Some of it." Trevor looked at her with curiosity. This woman was clever and she had something else she wanted to tell him. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondered. Do you, by chance, have anything that you could insert a flash drive into, and down load some music on board?"

"Yeah." Trevor glance at Sara as her eyes darted in surprise at Tanika and then back towards her plate.

"Sara has some new band I think you'll like." Tanika gently elbowed Sara. "It's a Techno Funk group named Master Big Plan. It's one bad-ass sound." Tanika looked at Sara. "Sara, why don't you give the Chief that flash copy I gave you." Then she looked back at the Chief. "Now Chief, I don't know if you'll like this group or not but it's one of our favorites. So I hope you give it a listen and see what you think. You know, most people don't like Techno, so you might want to use a head phone." She chuckled out loud and grinned. "I can just see the Chief now, standing in his cabin with these ear phones just a dancing away. Go ahead, Sara, give him the drive."

Sara tried not to look nervous and casually pulled the drive out of her pocket laying it down.

Trevor nodded at the drive and continued to eat.

"Well if it isn't the Brown twins." Tony Diaz walked up to their table with a full tray and looked at the Chief. "Looks like you're making exceptions to the Chiefs only rule at your table. Can I join or are you playing favorites."

Trevor shrugged and caught Sara's quick glance at the drive. "Suit yourself."

"Thanks, Chief." He sat his tray down beside the Chief and lifted his leg over the back of the chair and slid down in the seat. He picked up the drive, fingering it slightly. "What have we here?"

Sara reached for the it but he quickly pulled it close to his body shaking his head. "What's the matter? Is this a new way to send love letters? Can anybody see it? Maybe naked pictures?"

Before Sara could open her mouth Trevor cut in curtly. "Diaz, that'll be enough of that." He reached and took the drive from Diaz without receiving any resistance. "I believe they loaned it to me. It is music, not pictures. So get your mind out of the gutter. If you want to hear it after I'm finished I believe you had better ask them. Is that understood?"

Sara watched as Tony stared down at his plate and gritted his teeth but answered evenly, "yes, Chief."

"That's better." Trevor unbuttoned his shirt pocket, dropped the drive in, then stood up and picked up his tray. "I suggest everyone eat up. We're going to be busy soon."

Sara relaxed as she watched him walk away and glanced at Tony trying to be casual. "So how was watch?"

"Same old, same old." He answered with a less than friendly grin. "I see you two are trying to get in good with the Chief?"

"Were just being friendly?" Sara said politely. "There was nowhere to sit."

He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Trying to get in his britches, is more like it."

Tanika snapped her head back, adding a tight confrontational sway back and forth. "Listen, asshole, if you don't watch your mouth I'll bring you up on harassment charges so fast your head will spin."

Tony leaned back and grinned wider. "Go ahead. It won't do you any good. Who's going to believe a couple of sluts?"

Sara gasped and Tanika jumped up, picked up her tray with every intention of dumping it on him. Sara reacted quickly and grabbed her arm. "Tanika, don't. He's not worth the effort. Come on let's go." Sara knew Tanika was remembering what he had said to the Captain about killing Doug. She had to stop her from getting into trouble. Sara glanced around as the mess deck grew silent, all eyes staring in anticipation. She gave Tanika a gentle tug. "Come on."

Tanika stood frozen for several seconds then exhaled loudly. "Diaz, she's right. You ain't worth the effort to scrape you off my knuckles but you better stay out of my sight."

They headed towards the scullery to empty their trays. When they turned around one of the machinery technicians stood up and began applauding. Then several men joined the applause, while others joined with cheers and cat calls. Cups pounded the tables and voices were heard saying, "Way'to go Brown," and "give him hell, Tanika. Put a whoop-ass on him."

Tanika flashed them a bright smile and took a slight bow. Sara felt her face turning scarlet and as she pushed Tanika towards the down ladder, she glanced at the hatred in Diaz's face.

At the bottom of the ladder Sara whispered. "I don't blame you but do you think it was such a good idea to antagonize him like that. Now, how are we going to be able to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't hurt Doug?"

Tanika nodded rapidly and sighed. "He just made me so damn mad. I...."

"I know." Sara interrupted, walking close behind down the passage. "Forget it for now. At least you got the drive to the Chief and it sounds like he's going to meet us tonight."
CHAPTER 12

Sara and Tanika stopped by their cabin, then went out onto the buoy deck to enjoy the sea and check out the paint locker only to find Petty Officer Jones leaning over the rail, coffee cup in hand gazing out at the ocean.

"Come here," he called to them, "lookie, yonder!"

They approached him slowly and then looked out onto the water where he was pointing.

"Oh my gosh!" Sara squealed with delight. "It's a whale."

"Sometimes they follow along beside a ship but they keep their distance. We are still in the Bermuda Triangle you know." Jones looked at them to see their reaction.

"Bermuda Triangle," that's a lot of horse shit." Tankia said while watching the whale closely. "It's so big and beautiful. I wished it would blow the water out of its spout."

"Lots of people think the Bermuda Triangle is all horse shit." Jones said. "Some of it is real. I've seen some strange things happen out here. But we're at the lower edge of the triangle, we should be out of it soon."

"What kind of strange things?" Sara moved closer and leaned on the rail beside him.

"Planes and boats disappearing, never to be heard of again. Calls of help from the water only to find nothing there. Things popping out of the water, mermaids and such."

"It's all made up stuff, or somebody telling tall tales." Tanika said.

"You've been in the Guard for a while Petty Officer Jones, what have you seen?" Sara asked. "And don't stretch the truth."

"Humm, well this is a no-shit-er, it really happened. I was onboard the Mighty Mo, the Mohican, on the helm watch once when I was a seaman and the ship's compass fu—screwed up. It went hay-wire. The needle was all over the dial. Then once, we got a transmission of a mayday SOS, and went to the coordinates they gave and when we got there—there was nothing there. It's hard to get buoy's to triangulate in some areas. Some small stuff like electrical things mess up, clocks, watches, computers erasing themselves. But mostly I heard the stories of UFO's, flying fish, boats vanishing before your eyes."

"I'm sure most of it can be explained. Like yours. All electric or electronic malfunctions." Tanika suggested.

Sara wondered about it and just a little bit worried about the conversation on the flash drive.

"To change the subject a bit, what do you think of them locking Doug in the paint locker?" Sara asked.

"It's the dumbest thing I ever heard." Jones turned to look at both of them. "It's dangerous as hell and if anybody was going to steal anything they would steal it from his house. There's nothing in the Captain's stateroom worth stealing short of a credit card.

"I never did hear what was stolen now that you mention it. Did you?" Sara looked at him to see if she could tell if he was being up front and honest with her.

"We need to do something." Tanika said. "People have to eat and drink and go to the bathroom. This is fucking bullshit."

"I'm the Master at Arms, so I'm responsible to make sure he gets all that. You know I can check on him now if you like. He might need a head break." Jones didn't wait for an answer but grabbed the multiple keys on his clip and headed under the forecastle to the paint locker.

When he got to the locked door he examined the lock. "Sparks never gave me the key. I've got to go find him. I'll be right back, if you two want to see Kelly, wait here."

"We would like that." Tanika answered as she watched Jones walk away she grabbed a hammer and tapped on the metal door slightly. "Doug! You okay in there? Can you hear me?"

She stopped and waited. Nothing. She looked franticly at Sara and tapped harder and screamed. "Doug!"

"I didn't hear anything." Sara pulled her ear away from the metal door. "If Jones isn't back in ten minutes I'm going to cut the lock."

"I'm with you." Tanika said. "Do you remember how to used that torch thingy?"

"Yeah, there's nothing to it and if he isn't back in six more minutes I'm cutting that lock." Sara glanced at her watch.

"It must be 98 degrees under here I can't imagine what the temperature inside there is." Tanika commented while wiping sweat from her brow.

After several minutes of constantly checking her watch Sara went to the Acetylene Locker, undogged the hatch and started pulling out the long hose. She grabbed the metal striker, that held flint and looked like an oversize safety pin. She adjusted the mixture on the tanks, turned the vow on the nozzle and lit the gas.

She pulled the hose along the bulkhead back underneath the forecastle toward the paint locker. Just as she gave it a tug she heard a loud noise.

"Bang!" a shot rang out and she felt the pressure of a bullet hit the crank wheel near her and bounce somewhere so fast she couldn't tell what was happening.

"Put that torch down." Came the voice over the P.A. system.

Sara froze in her tracks and looked around to see who was watching. Slowly she looked up to see Diaz on the outside wing of the bridge looking down at her. He had a gun in one hand and the P.A. mic in the other.

He laid the microphone down and pulled back to load a bullet in to the rifle chamber.

The door beneath the bridge leading to the hall and the rest of the ship slug open with a thug.

"What the hell's going on?" Trevor rushed out the door, looked and then saw Sara with the torch, frozen in fear staring upward at the bridge.

Trevor twisted his head to look up and saw the rifle barrel braced over the rail pointing at Sara.

Without another thought Trevor ran across the buoy deck to tackle Sara to force her back under the forecastle.

Just as his body came between her and the rifle Sara grasped the situation and tried to grab him to pull him underneath the forecastle with her and Tanika.

Trevor dove at her as he did she grabbed him their bodies slamming together with a thud and then another shot rang out.

"Bang!" And then Blackness.

CHAPTER 13

Sara inhaled hard and fast. Everything was black although she was so disoriented she wasn't sure her eyes were open. Then slowly she inhaled deeply. She was breathing but it was difficult because someone was laying on top of her.

She laid still deliberately focusing her attention to her breathing and the pressure. She was flat on her back on something hard. It didn't feel like metal and it was very cold.

She was cold except for the heat of the body on top of her. As her breathing calmed her sense began to return with fragments of memory. Everything was still black. "Maybe she was blind?" Her hands were wrapped around a man. It must be the Chief he had jumped at her and she grabbed him as the rifle was being pointed. She hadn't felt him move and she wasn't sure he was breathing. She became very still as the weight of his body seemed to take her own breath.

Yes he was breathing. She felt him inhale and released her arms from around him.

"Chief is that you? I can't see. Are you awake? Are you hurt?" She whispered and waited but received no answer.

She wondered if he were shot. If he were it would be in the back. She pushed with her hands and twisted her body 'til she managed to get him to slide off and on to the ground. It was definitely dirt. She could smell it now and it felt like hard smooth dirt. If it was the Chief and she was fairly sure it was he landed face down on the ground. She felt around and turned his head to the side. She was going to have to feel of his back and see if he was bleeding.

What had happened? She couldn't hear anyone around her, no sounds except the grunting she was making and the sliding sound of the Chief as he hit the ground.

Reaching around in the dark she whispered. "Tanika, are you there?" She paused. "Anybody?"

How could she be on ground? Where was the heat? Why couldn't she see?" She was about to panic when she heard a distinctly male groan.

"Chief? Is that you?" She reached out and touched him, intending to feel around on his back to see if he might be bleeding. And if he were she wasn't sure what she could do."

She felt his hand grab her wrist as she touched his shoulder.

"Ouch!" She cried out and yanked it away.

"Where are we? Is that you Brown? Why can't I see? Did I pass out? Why is it so cold?" He verbally slammed her with questions.

"Whoa," Sara said, "I'm not sure what's going and I can't see either. I passed out too. I don't know for how long or where we are. When I woke up you were lying on top of me. I've only been awake a few minutes. Are you hurt or bleeding? I heard another gun shot."

"I think I'm okay. I can't feel any pain and I seemed to be dry so I don't think there's any blood. Hold on, wait a minutes, what the...?"

"What is it?"

"It's black in here but try to look around you. I know you can't see my hand pointing but there seems to be some light from there. I think we're in a cave."

Sara squinted hard all around her and then she saw it. It was a lighter shade of black. "Yeah, I think I see it. I can't tell how far it is. I'm going to go check it out." She got to her knees and stood slowly afraid if she were in a cave she might bump her head.

"Oh, I feel like someone rolled me down a hill in a log." She said as she straightened up.

"Hold out your hand and see if I can find it in the dark." Trevor stuck his hand out waiving it randomly through the air until finely they slapped palms. "There got you. Let's go together. Don't let loose."

"Don't worry." I can't believe it's so cold. I was sweating so bad I could hardly breath. The air was so thick and now I'm freezing." She said.

They slowly stood up and found they didn't bump their head.

"If this is a cave it sure is big." She said.

They held tight to each other's hand as they moved to the opening and then outside into an open area.

"Look at the stars!" Sara exclaimed. "They're so bright. What time is it? Were we passed out that long?" She punched at a button on her watch to see if it would light up. Nothing.

"You know this looks odd." Trevor tilted his head backward and stared up. "Those stars don't look right. It's like...."

"Like what?" She asked when he didn't finish.

"Like we further north. This looks like the night sky of in the north. Not close to the equator. Look there's the north star. High up in the sky. See the Big Dipper?"

"What's this mean? Did they drug us and ...and... I haven't got a clue." Sara finally said.

"Did they drug us and ship us north?" Trevor finished her though. "You've got me there." It's too dark to see the vegetation. But I almost swear that's the same summer night sky I saw while on the ice breaker."

"Have you got any fire? My teeth are starting to chatter and I'm shaking like a...I don't know what."

"Me too." He agreed. "Maybe we should go back into the cave a little ways just to get out of the breeze here.

Still holding hands they walked back into the darkness.

"You don't think there's any bears or snakes in here do you?" Sara stopped as the thought hit her.

"Well maybe, but nothing had bothered us earlier but let's stop here to be on the safe side. This doesn't make any sense. They must have knocked us out and dropped us here." He said as they stopped.

"I'm sorry, but I'm freezing would you warm me up? Your hand feels hot. Share a little bit of that body heat." She suggested.

"Good idea. Let's find us comfortable a place as we can on the ground and lay down and hold onto each other to share some heat."

After several minutes of tucking, sliding, adjusting with clothing still intact, they settled down to as comfortable position as they could. Legs and arms twisted and intertwined they relaxed for a moment. But it only a moment until they began to find their closeness discomforting in a different way. Face to face and lying on their sides they held tight for warmth.

Sara was feeling warm and then some, so she decided the best way to distract her wanton thoughts was to talk. "So what do you think happened to us? Did you get to listen to the conversation we recorded?"

"I think the old man ordered Diaz to shoot you and yes I listened to it. I would never have believed it. Would you be still!" He grouched feeling her slow fretful movements against him.

"I'm trying. I've got a freaking rock jamming into my hip. This isn't exactly comfortable for me either." She snipped back. "So where do you think we are and how did we get here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't a clue. The stars look familiar but it's impossible for us to be that far north. They would have had to drug us for days to get us as far north as those stars indicate. It just doesn't make any sense. What where you doing with that torch?"

"I was going to cut Doug out of the paint locker. The heat alone could kill him. I wonder what happened to him? I hope he's alright. I thought you were shot in the back."

"I thought you were being shot." He said.

"You were going to sacrifice yourself to protect me?" She whispered.

"When you put it like that—I guess I didn't think it through." Her body was beginning to distract him from every other thought possible. "Maybe we should try to get some sleep."

"Are you serious? My mind can't begin to cut off and ...," she started to say neither would her body. She was warm now and getting warmer.

He hadn't realized how close his face was to hers in the dark but her hot breath tickled his lips. All he wanted was just a taste and before he could stop himself, his mouth groped through the dark finding her lips. He felt her body stiffen and then slowly she began to kiss him back. Their mouths found the warmth and fired the heat for the rest of their urges.

Chapter 14

A noise startled Sara awake and she sat up. She could see the inside of the cave now. It wasn't a bad looking little cave and then she played the early morning scene through her mind. She straightened her clothes the best she could combing out her hair with her fingers and slowly got up. The hard cold ground made her body ache along with the other activities. They hadn't spoken much afterward but both of them fell asleep.

She stepped out into the early day break and her eyes widened at the majestic surroundings of a distant mountain range. A large body of water too big to be a pond but not as large as a lake was just 30 foot from the cave entrance. She still saw no sign of Trevor. The Chief, she reminded herself. Just because they did what they did, did not change their social status. She wondered where he was as she soaked in the awesomeness of the giant evergreen trees populating the mountains all the way down to the water's edge.

"Hey! Sleepy head." Trevor's voice cut through her thoughts. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wake up."

"Morning." She answered sheepishly and avoiding his gaze. "Any idea where we are?"

"Not yet but I think I saw a puff of smoke beyond that ridge over there. I figured as soon as you were up we might head that way."

"Uh, sure, but I've got to go find a moment of privacy."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...sure, uh, just go down that path and there's a group of trees that will suit you. I'll wait here."

After several moments Sara returned nodded at him as she walked past him to the water's edge bent down and washed her hands and face.

"Think this water is safe to drink?" She asked him.

"I didn't see any dead animals around it."

"Well that's reassuring." She said.

"You asked." Trevor said then cleared his throat. "About last night...."

Oh geez, he was going to get on his high horse. Probably say she threw herself at him. Maybe call her a slut. She didn't let him say anything else and interrupted him. "Don't mention it--we're adults, things happen. Let's get going and see if we can locate that smoke."

Trevor ground his jaw tight making his cheek twitch. Don't mention it rang through him. He had spent most of the morning trying to think of what he was going to say. He wanted to tell her how much he cared for her. Cared for her? Where did thought come from? Well he hadn't know her long enough to say anything else. Finally all he said was "Okay, let's go."

After walking for a while Sara decided she had pissed him off. She hadn't allowed him to fuss at her. Oh well, he would just have to get over it. She would change the subject. Which meant she started asking him questions.

"So Chief, where are you from?"

"After last night, I think you can call me Trevor at least in private."

"I better not. I might forget and say it at the wrong time." She answered.

"Well Seaman Apprentice Brown, I'm originally from Tennessee and you?"

"Ohio. I had never seen the ocean before I joined the Coast Guard."

Trevor laughed. "Me either to be truthful and I miss the mountains."

"So why did you stay in the Coast Guard you must have reenlisted at least once or twice to be a Chief."

"Yep, several times. Saving some money and someday I'm going to get me an anchor, throw it over my shoulder and walk inland away from the ocean.

"Away huh?" She laughed. "Tired of water?" So why an anchor?"

"Well, I'm going to throw that anchor over my shoulder and the very first person that asked me what I'm carrying is where I'm going to drop anchor and settle down with a real home."

Sara laughed. "Are you really that tired of the water?"

Trevor enjoyed her laugh and said, "I have so much salt in my blood, that if you cut me I'd bleed out so much white, I could melt the North Pole." He caught himself smiling at her soft laughter.

"So Chief, where the hell are we and how did we get here?"

"I haven't a clue and I'm getting hungry. He scanned the area they were at. "Any idea on what's edible?"

"I know a lot of the vegetation in Ohio but none of this looks familiar. I don't know about you but I'm still chilly." As soon as she said that she regretted it remembering the heat they had shared.

"Look, there's some more smoke over there. Maybe we will find out something there."

They made their way through a group of trees and spied a rustic wood cabin bellowing thick white clouds through the chimney.

"Hello!" Trevor called out. "I don't want to startle anyone." He said in a lower voice to Sara. "It seems we're in an isolated area so they might be hostile to strangers." He cupped his hands together and called out again as they cautiously approached logged cabin. "Hello, anybody home?"

They stopped as the cabin door slowly opened. A woman in jeans and a man's blue flannel shirt stepped out on the porch. She slowly eyed them a moment, they were both still in their Coast Guard work uniforms and then she nodded her head.

She nodded, eyed them and smiled at Sara. "Come on in, warm up and get something to eat. I'm Sharon Chase and I'll tell you what happened to the two of you." She mumbled to herself barely audible and shook her head. "Two of them. Now that's a new one."

Trevor and Sara exchanged befuddled looks and followed her inside. The spotless room was well decorated and invitingly comfortable. The heat felt so good they both huddled around a wood burning stove.

"Thank you, Ms. Chase." Trevor said.

"Sharon." She corrected him. "Coffee?"

"Oh yes, please. I'm Trevor Donnelly and this is Sara Brown and we're lost."

"I figured that by your uniforms. When you get warmed up, come on in the kitchen and help yourself to some coffee. I'll cook up some breakfast for you."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so hungry. Thank you so much." Sara said following her to the kitchen with Trevor close behind. "You seem to know more than we do. We're confused. We don't know where we are or even how we got here."

"Get yourself some hot coffee, have a seat at the table there and grab a sweet roll. I'll fix you something to eat. I know you're hungry." Sharon moved around the kitchen busying herself with a wood cook stove and began to prepare breakfast. "Well this is going to seem crazy but you two have lived it. So you will believe me."

They sat down at the table as she placed large plates of food on the table. "You two eat. I have some difficult explanations for you two. Let me ask you. Where were you before you found yourself in the woods?"

"On the ocean, off the Coast of Florida." Trevor answered, gulping down a long hot warming drink of coffee. "Where exactly are we now?"

"You're in Alaska, the center of the state. In a place called Yuk-on-Koyukuk, near Takotna; or as most call it the Alaskan Bermuda Triangle. It seems there are energy centers on the planet that are portals to those that know how to use them. You're not the first to appear here."

"That's impossi...." Sara began.

"Impossible? Really? And yet here you are. I've never seen two come through before, are yet here you are. One or both of you must be, what I call pushers."

"Pushers?"

"It's as good a name as any. One or both of you are manipulators of one or more of the forces of the universe."

"I would guess it is you, Sara. Am I right?"

Sara shrugged, unable to answer or explain easily what has been happening to her. She glanced at Trevor, and stammered. "I uh...."

"I see," Sharon continued, "you don't what's going on do you. You're a fledgling, a novice to all that's happened to you. But surely your seer would have told you about this."

"Seer?"

"The one who was assigned to guide you into the initiation of the first of the rays of initiation."

Sara looked at her in confusion and then at Trevor. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sharon stared at Sara for a moment and shook her head. "I see from your aura that you have had some cataclysmic life events. Something that broke you from the path of the one true soul of the universe. Something happened to your guide. The one that was to explain to you the ability you have to manipulate the energies and forces within the miasma we live within. Someone died, and you had no guidance into the next stage of human evolution." Sharon inhaled with an air of pity and sighed. "My poor child you must be devastated. The confusion you must have dealt with."

Trevor eyed Sara's facial expressions as Sharon moved closer and sat down at the table with them. He cleared his throat. "Listen, lady... er, Sharon, I'm not sure why or how we got here, but you're beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. I think it's time for you to tell us how to get to the nearest town, and we will be out of here."

"Of course, I apologize," Sharon responded. "I can tell by reading Sara's aura much of her recent history but the important thing I have to tell you is why you ended up here. Humanity is on the precipice of a jump in evolution. This was to have taken place in the 1930's but there was a fight and the approach to the new awakening was split. I'll call those the Black Lodge and the White Lodge. The crux of it all is there is one soul in the universe. Our life force is the energy coming off that thread of life. Hitler recognized the power that was evolving and used it for self aggrandizement. There was no other choice for others than to form a Lodge to withstand his greed. That is how the White Lodge was formed."

Trevor held up his hand for her to stop and stood up. "Sara I think it is time for us to go." He looked down at Sara's face and eyes and realized she didn't want to leave even though she didn't say a word. He sighed and sat down.

Sharon nodded inhaling deeply. "I know this is hard for you to comprehend but Sara feels it. Sara is one of the initiates. She was to have a guide but somehow or somewhere the guide wasn't there. When this happens it often creates disturbances in the smaller energies that seek life and disrupt her own life. They can often become harmful and even possessive. Many are diagnosed with metal illnesses such as schizophrenia."

Sara teeth clinched tight for fear she would tell what had happened to her. Her mind began to wonder if this was possible. She wanted to tell but not in front of Trevor.

Patting her hand Sharon continued. "You are the one that brought the two of you here. The earth has many energy vortex which allow those initiates that can control the power to travel across her body." Sharron nodded, "yes the earth is alive, just as you are alive. Somehow Sara you have passed through several initiations alone and stumbled here through the ring-of-pass-not. I often get travelers here and help them sort out their role to the one soul of the universe."

"Eat another pastry. It helps you center your mind from too much information and confusion. I have three instructions you. Three that will help you along your path.

One, you have within you the power to manipulate lesser energies of the universe. These energies are revealed to you through trials and tests. The energies you control and the energies others control may not be the same.

Two, you must work to flow with the river of life. Learn to recognize the path the One Soul chooses as your course.

Three, you must continue on to discover what the One Soul has planned for your part in the one work that makes all of creation possible."

"I will help you return to the place from which you came but you will have to trust me. Now that I know you are awake I will help someone find you to guide you along in your journey. I can tell you have recently offered up your own life to protect another.

I know you have a lot of questions but they will be answered I promise you. What we have to do now is to get you back to where you came from. When you arrive back there you will be slightly in the past from the point which you left. What seems like hours here has not occurred."

Sara shook her head no. "We can't go back someone was trying to kill us."

"You will remember all of this but your companion will not." Sharon sighed and then continued. "None of has happened as far as he will understand. The time you have had here will be only in your mind. Not his. For him it will simply be a moment of confusion. You must be ready to react to the situation from whence you came. Do you understand?"

Sara jumped up in protest with a quick thought of the closeness she had shared with Trevor. She would remember but he wouldn't.

"No!" Sara screamed loudly and then the room went black.
Chapter 14

Suddenly she was aware. Aware of the salt air, the heat of the sun, the listening of the ship. She was back but she was on the bridge. She looked around. Diaz was standing on the wing of the bridge with a rifle pointing downward. Nobody else was on the bridge.

She looked down at the deck below. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as she saw herself standing up under the edge of the forecastle with an acetylene torch. The Chief was there also. It was the moment before the shot. She felt dizzy.

She turned and scanned the bridge. There was no OD here, just Diaz and a rifle. Her mind went wild with fear and confusion. She needed a weapon, something to stop him.

"What did Sharon say?" Something about lessor energies. There was even a broom here. Nothing but charts, the helm, as she spied the compass, then thought about the electricity running through the wires in the bulkhead.

Was it possible? She inhaled deeply and stilled her mind. She let herself feel the energy in the room. She could feel it. It was real!

The ship turned sharply, the walls began to buzz as an electrical bolt struck out from the compass in all directions towards the metal gun in Diaz's hand.

She heard Diaz scream in pain and then in an instant she was back under the forecastle with the torch in her hand to cut the lock to release Doug from the paint locker.

She raised her head as the words of the Chief's yelling voice penetrated her confusion.

"Brown, can you hear me?"

Slowly she nodded her comprehension.

"Cut that lock off. I'm going to find the Warrant and tell him what's going on."

Without any further acknowledgment the Chief left.

Tamika came from behind the support station and yelled. "Who the hell is shooting. It must be Diaz but who's up there with him? There's always an OD up there."

Sara froze for moment remembering back to where she had been before everything happened to her and the Chief. She had been with Tamika under the forecastle, she was going to cut the lock off the paint locker and free Doug.

Sara paused a moment and asked Tamika, "What happened? I-I think I blacked out."

"Somebody shot at us twice. You just stood there. I hid behind there and I heard the Chief tackle you to the deck. Then he groaned and ran off saying he was going to find the Warrant. He said cut Doug out. So hurry up if you're sure you know how to use that."

Sara placed the flame against the lock and begin to wonder if she had been hallucinating...again. The Chief called her Brown, not Sara, and took off to fast to acknowledge anything that might have happened. She thought about Sharon, and the bridge.

The lock was broken. Sara turned off the flame and used the nose of the torch to push the fiery hot remains off the hasp.

Tanika grabbed the dog ears and twisted them to open then jerked open.

They gasped at the sight of Doug's body. Sarah's breath stopped and everything went black.

Chapter 15

Slowly her vision began to clear as she held her breath. The ship was no longer swaying with the oceans waves, the ships engines were quiet.

She was still on the ship but the ship was at their home dock. It had been day and now it was night. The shore lights and ships mooring lights were lit.

She ducked below the deck's siderail at the sound of a vehicle on the shore. Peeking over the edge she watched as a Taxi stopped and watched the backdoor open.

She stifled a gasp watching herself get out of the vehicle struggling with the sea bag filled with uniforms. She ducked so as not to be seen.

She had traveled through space again and now time. Back to the time she arrived at the ship. She was alone now. Trevor wasn't there to help but then nothing had happened. Not even the death.

Maybe she should call the woman from the party. She should be able to help her understand what was going on. She needed a phone and then thought that she had one. All she had to do was sneak into the stateroom and get her own phone. She chuckled internally at the thought of the sounds she had heard at her stateroom coming from the overhead. Now she knew it had been her going after her own phone.

She waited until time and then called the woman named Alice Bailey. It was awkward explaining who she was and then

Alice began, "let me start with an old paradox. If God is all powerful can God create a rock he cannot move?"

Sara immediately said 'of course,' then thought about it. If God created a rock he couldn't move then he wasn't all powerful. If he moved it he wasn't all powerful.

Sara shrugged. "That's why they call it a paradox. It's impossible."

Ah but let me say it is possible. And if you read your bible the answer is there.

"That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." You see, it was the promise that makes it possible. A verbal declaration. The oath to not break your word is the power. It's the force. It's the ...."

The room went black. When she opened her eyes everything was familiar...too familiar. She gasped as she realized she was at her house the night when the demon had attacked her eleven year old self. She immediately balled up on the floor in fear.

It was storming. Just like that night. The pounding sheets of rain on the roof assaulted her ears like the firing of an AK47. The power was off in the house and illuminated periodically by lightening. Then the windup clock chimed 11 p.m.. Shortly the demon she called Luft would arrive.

A tinkle of glass hit the floor at the front door and a dark hand reached through fidgeting with the lock and door knob.

At that moment in dawn on her as all the fears of her childhood rushed back, the stays in the mental hospital, the slashing of her wrists, the trail of Adam Luft.

A trial! He was only a man...not a demon who stabbed her mother, father and brother to death. Just an evil man, who had beat, raped and stabbed her leaving her for dead.

"No!" she screamed. "Not this time you motherfucker."

Startled, Luft turned shining a light in her eyes.

Her heart raced as he moved towards her. She could smell his familiar stench. She would not let this happen...not again!. She inhaled and raised her arm to give him a round house to the side of the head. As he raised his flashlight to block the punch, she dropped to her elbow and knee and swung her left leg into his right leg. She heard a snap in the knee region as he bellowed at an agonizing pain. Scrambling to her feet she slammed her boon Docker boot down into his exposed throat.

Sara's mind filled with flashing images, blood, pain, jury trials, hospitals, her families funerals all fading... Suddenly, tears came to her eyes as she saw the face of Trevor fading. She felt herself losing his touch, his smell, her memories of him.

"No," she thought. "I will lose all thought of him. No... I will live in his love as the seagrass lives in the sea, brought up by each wave as it passes, drawn down by each wave that recedes. Trevor Donley, I promise I will see you again in my life

Chapter 16

"Yes mom, thank you. It will look great in my new house. Bye for now." Sara said as she placed her phone in her shirt pocket. Bending several more holes in the soil, dropped in a few seeds and gently covered them up.

She stretched her back as she stood up dusting her gloves off across the street from her a move-it-yourself truck pulled up. Curiosity or plain nosiness overcame her and she kneeled back down and piddled at the soil.

A very handsome man got out of the truck, walked around opening the back. His muscular arms and back thickened as he reached in grasping what appeared to be a very heavy anchor. Heaving it over his shoulder he started for the gate.

Suddenly Sara, stood up and for some unknown reason to her she yelled as loud as she could, "What's that you got there Mister?"

A beautiful big grin reaching the corner of his eyes spread, anchor still firm on his shoulder he crossed the road to Sara.

