C James

Steve moved slightly, his blue eyes batting open as the morning sun drenched the room. I loved watching him wake up in the morning; it never ceased to amaze me how good he looked, even with a riotous case of bed hair. His arms sought me out, pulling me closer as he yawned, mumbling, "What time is it?" I looked over the top of his head at his alarm clock, "We have to be at school in half an hour..." Steve groaned, heaving himself to a sitting position, "At least we're already showe

Watching my rearview mirror, seeing the Piedmont cruisers fall further and further behind, I felt relieved that my ordeal was almost over. The county line was coming up fast, but I concentrated on keeping the Charger on the road, forgetting to watch the gauges, so I was caught unawares by the first slight cough of the engine. I scanned the gauges immediately, noticing that the gas gauge was hard over on empty. The second, slightly stronger hesitation from the engine confirmed my fears; I wa

The first bullet whizzed past my nose, kicking up a cloud of dust as it slammed into the concrete an inch from my shoulder. I frantically scrambled backwards, desperate to get out from under the table, knocking over a crate of car parts, which scattered all around me as I did. A second bullet slammed into the jumble of car parts, and I felt a sting on my arm from the shrapnel it blasted loose. Leaping to my feet in the narrow walkway, I ran back in the direction I had come. A flashlig

Sheriff Buchanan, to my surprise, didn't take Sheriff Johnson's gun, but stood aside as a Lonesome Valley deputy, wearing gloves, took the revolver and carefully placed it in an evidence bag, while avoiding the Piedmont Sheriff's withering glare. The Piedmont Sheriff warned again, "This ain't over, Buchanan, not by a long shot," as he turned and lumbered out of the building, his rattled deputy bringing up the rear. Sheriff Buchanan smiled coldly, calling out after the departing Sheriff

I heard the doorbell ringing, its unwelcome sound intruding into my troubled dreams as I fought to wake up, shuddering from having relived my ordeal on the stakes. I glanced at the clock as the cobwebs cleared; noticing that only a couple of hours had passed. Steve staggered out of bed, pulling on his boardies and heading for the front door. I pulled on my own shorts and followed, stumbling a little in my exhausted, half-asleep condition. I'd just entered the living room when Steve opened t

I watched Steve's muscles strain, sweating as he struggled against his bonds. Hearing him cry out, I ceased my own struggles, telling him, "Steve, it's no use. You'll just hurt yourself." "Chris, we have to do something. I'm already baking and I know you are, too. Eric's gone and even if he comes back, you heard what he's gonna do." "Yeah, roast my dick. But I don't think we'll be alive if he comes back. We're dehydrated from the alcohol last night, and the Ketamine. We're staked out i

The ride was far shorter than I'd expected, because we didn't go directly to Hidden Springs. Instead, Steve wheeled into the hospital parking lot, grinning, "Don't forget Officer Jacobs. Dad told me to make sure you stopped by to see him." As we climbed out, Steve dug in one of the backpacks, producing two sleeveless T-shirts, tossing one to me. As I pulled it on I said, "So, you really did pack a few clothes." Steve laughed as we made our way to the entrance of the drab, single-story

Time seemed to slow down, and I noticed that two of the guys behind Redhead were carrying baseball bats. The Redhead was the largest and the closest, so I aimed for him, reminding myself to only use one trigger and not shoot off both barrels; I knew I'd likely need the second barrel for his companions. Redhead spotted me and took one, and only one, step in my direction before stopping, his eyes having found the business end of my 12-gauge pointing directly at his ample gut from a dozen feet

But but but.... isn't that sort of like blaming a parent for what their children grow up to do!?!?!? Bridget, for example, was my first try at creating the stereotypical sweet, grandmotherly type character. I's not my fault that she went on to have a few little unpleasant personality traits.

The story on GA stories is incomplete, I'll see if I can get that fixed this week. Sorry, I really meant to have that done by now... I'm going through each chapter and fixing little typos and such, so it takes time. In the meantime, the entire story is available here. A sequel should appear this year.

The story is complete on my site at http://cjames.gayauthors.org/ftl.php I just need to finish uploading it to GA stories. I thought I'd have it done by now. Sorry!! I should have it totally uploaded within a week, but in the meantime, all of it is on my site. Sorry!!!

Yes, you're right, the boatbuilder (Ned) will have to order a lot of stuff. Literal tons of it. And, some of it isn't normal inventory material anywhere, so will have to be ordered and made before shipping. Trevor would want (and indeed, need) to be in frequent touch with Ned during this process, to pick out what to order (for example, what make and model of electronic nav gear, what style of cabinets for the galley, etc). but a phone would suffice for much of that. (and those items could wait... the mechanicals would need to come first anyway). But... will Trevor do it, or be emotional and stubborn and stay put? We find out in the coming chapter. Hey! I'm the shy and quiet lurker around here! And yes you're mean... you've even accused me of cliffhangers! That I can answer, as it's been in the text... She placed no restrictions on them. they have it anytime, and have keys. The guesthouse, though, is on the street side of Bridget's waterfront property, and is shielded from the house by the landscaping. Bridget's house, plus a wall, blocks the street side of her property from the waterfront side (where she has the dock, tennis court, and gardens), She has a very large, ornate house. But, as she pointed out, this makes the guesthouse very private from the main house, and allows Lisa and Joel to come and go as they please. She's a very hospitable host. Yep, she's shown playing the tapes... absolutely a recording device in use. However, sometimes they listen in live. Yes, and no. A bug detector... a good one is a multifaceted device, and even so it won't detect all kinds of bugs. Generally, some bugs are wireless BUT these have a drawback of needing their batteries changing. Police departments often use wireless ones due to ease of planting. Hardwired bugs would be more like you'd see in a more permanent situation, such as a bugged embassy. (hardwired are also a bit harder to detect). one thing a good detector should have is a.. (excuse me if I manke the name, I'm going from memory here) a nonlinear junction detector. Those use radio waves and an effect I can't remember to detect electronics, even ones that are shut off. Also, not all bugs have microphones. One type is the "spike", a mental spike with a peizoelectric pickup, placed into the opposite side of a wall from the target room. It essentially turns the wall into the diaphragm of a microphone. You also have bounceback laser bugs, which do the same with a laser bean and a window (from up to a mile away with really top gear and good angles.. the laser emitter is not at the same location as the receiver). One of the most creative is the microwave cavity bug. It has no wires, no electronics. It's simply a hollow metal chamber with a diaphram that, by virtue of it's size and composition, is tuned to a specific microwave frequency. Sound waves make the diaphram vibrate, attentuating the tuning, and thus the reflected tuned waves are modulated (carrying sound just like normal radio.. which they are). The Soviets were kind enough to make an ornate Great Seal of the United States and give it to an arriving American ambassador as a gift. It was swept for bugs and then put in his office in the in Moscow. Only... it had one of these turned cavities built in. It worked for a long time, until the US noticed that the Soviets were bombarding them with microwaves, and wondered why. The never did figure it out, until a Canadian radio operator at the Canadian embassy heard American voices on an open channel. Oh, then there's induction taps for phones. Unlike a regular tap, these operate by just winding the phone wire around a metal core (such as a nail) so the current flow acts like induction coils in a motor, and generates a tiny magnetic field. The field is then detected by a bug. That kind of tap can be anywhere on a phone line, and is nearly impossible to detect. The US made one especially noteworthy use of that... operation Ivy Bells. It involved using submarines and scuba divers to tap Soviet internal communications cables (such as near Murmansk and between Vladivostok and Kamchatka) where they were run under the sea to cross massive bays, etc. It was highly sucessfull for years, though a few sub skippers have some hair-raising tails about near misses (they were deep in Soviet waters and got detected in a couple of cases... and the Soviets would tend to start shooting) Also, the US was insane enough to let the Soviets build the US (The US paid for it) a new American embassy in Moscow. To the suprise of absolutely no one with the mental capacity to tie their own shoes, the soviets built in so many bugs that it could not be cleaned, and eventually ended up being torn down. There are other bug types as well, but the above should give you a good framework for this case. The ones in Bridget's guesthouse are police issue, and may be wireless or hardwired. (we'll see soon). Depends on quality... cheap wireless bugs? YEah, he might be able to do that. Decent ones? Probably not. Many use burst; they record the info, then at preset times compress it and transmit it in a burst of under a second. Also, real good ones are freqency agile as well; each burst, which may be hours or days apart, will be on a different frequency, with the next freq to be used known only to the sender and the receiver. Also, carrier signals are utilized... some bugs piggyback on cellular frequencies or other expected freqs. a foolproof bug sweep is impossible... you can only find the obvious ones. The RAMP (Royal Australian Mounted Police)... I'm not sure what they are called in other languages. One has to be careful though, to keep it polite and respectful, because otherwise the RAMP are know to get hopping mad... I did share some basics, above, but much of that is based on my imperfect memory. And what? Me, sneaky? Oh, BTW... you really ought to clean your computer desk... it's no place for empty soda cans, empty coffee mugs, plates with crumbs, and all those bits of notepaper.... and you might want to learn to dust.

But but but.... I do admit (Indeed, I proclaim) to be the slowest writer in the world lately... but it's very unfair to blame me for things I didn't do, such as the pirate attack on Trevor... That was Ali and the pirates, not me! Sent by Sanchez and Bridget, not me! And the bomb... I had nothing to do with that either! Bridget, George, and Sanchez are clearly the culprits there... I'm innocent!

Thanks!!! I... hrmmm, I can't really comment on anything above without giving spoilers. All I can say is, thanks, and I like it. Wildone! LoL! Yep, I made a typo. (I fixed it, but I had "thing" instead of "think" in the chapter) This is a great time for me to point out that I welcome (and very much appreciate it!) whenever anyone points out a goof of mine; I can't fix it if I don't know it's there! I do indeed make a lot of typos. But, hey, it's hard typing with hooves, what do ya expect? However speaking of Wildone... he sometimes makes truly outrageous and preposterous attacks on me in the forum (he's very mean!) by accusing me of using cliffhangers, which, as we all know, I utterly and totally avoid. I'll share a secret about Bridget.... sometimes, she's not very nice. Yep, it would be all too easy for Lisa and Joel to mention a placename or something else that could land Trevor a starring role in a future production of "the headless horseman". They have no way to know they are being overheard. Thank you! I highlighted part of your post that I really want to call attention to, about the comments and discussions in the forum. That's very much true for me, too. I love it; it lets me know how things are coming across, and also, it's just fun for me. In fact, this forum, and all of you here, are my primary motive for posting stories. :king: So, a big thank you from me to all the posters here. :2thumbs: That bug is indeed an issue... and it's the whole reason Bridget gave Lisa and Joel use of the guesthouse; a place to hang out, and a place to have sex. And, of course, a place to talk. Plus, for a while they were using her phone (also tapped by Bridget.) You're right about Trevor's best bet: get away. He can always keep in touch with the boatyard by phone. But... would he be willing to be parted with Atlantis for so long? Thanks for the confirmation. Yep, as Fowler mentioned to Trevor, they watch the coast due to smuggling. Also, the tactic of customs officers returning to a yacht later, when it's unoccupied, for a second search is not uncommon. Here's a link to a bust in Gibraltar that went down that way. Maybe, instead of a gun, there's a garlic crusher, just in case Trevor is missing the one he left lashed to the log in the Southern Ocean? And, I was about to forget to release the name of the coming chapter: Shell Game.

Lisa and Joel are in a dangerous position there... their love nest is next to a viper's nest. The question is, just who are Lisa and Joel going to investigate? They seem rather focused on Dirk, and now don't trust Gonzalez at all. Good point.. all we know about Sanchez's call was it was to Australia... who knows what it sent in motion? Maybe he was just ordering some Vegemite? The bugged bungalow is bugging Lisa and Joel too, they just don't know it. With all their talk of their upcoming trip, one might expect a mention of Carnarvon... and that's not the only thing they could find out and inadvertantly let Bridget hear. And Lol, yep, Trevor did stick up for himself. It made me smile when I wrote that part, especially when he asks the officers how many times someone has tried to kill them, lately... The officers were in a awkward position; they have to enforce the law. They also had a legal duty to search Atlantis once suspicious. They did have both a legal right and a legal duty to investigate, including a search if they suspected anything illegal. The Australian law is rather strict on firearms, and all firearms aboard are not only supposed to be declared, but turned over. They are then transported to your port of departure, and returned to you there. (Gun laws for visiting ships vary from country to country, and Australia's are far from the strictest)... Their decision to search... you raise a good point. They didn't just do a fast check (what would be required) they really worked at it. Technically, once suspicious, they would be supposed to... sort of. They had evidence that Trevor had a hiding place, NOT that there was anything illegal in it. (There's no law against having a hiding place). I can't say more, but, you do raise a good point here. Good catch: yep, Gonzalez was choosing his words with care, to a degree, and with Bridget in mind. Unfortunately, one result is he made Lisa and Joel very suspicious of him. The best laid plans, and all that. Trevor now has a massive problem; the press. He's quite right to believe that getting revealed in the press would be hazardous to his health. The two attempts on his life have made him a touch paranoid in that direction, but sometimes, paranoids are right. (and after two attempts, paranoid probably isn't a valid word... it's reasonable for him to assume somebody probably wants him dead). Trevor would be well advised to skedaddle from Carnarvon, but Atlantis can't. And we know how Trevor feels about Atlantis. He'd have to leave and stay gone. We know how he feels about Atlantis... would he do it? The press horde is on the way... what will Trevor do? What can he do? Even if he hides Atlantis somehow, news of him is already all over town. CJ

There are no words... I've glanced at the victim's site about their voyage a few times in the past. svquest.com It's been taken down now, though it's still probably available in sites such as the internet wayback machine or other archivers. I am immensely saddened, but not in the least surprised. The pirates have been threatening to do things like this for a while (execute hostages at any sign of interference). These are not the first seafarers to die at their hands. This may sound cold-blooded of me, but it may be a kindness that this happened now, rather than having to go through a long hostage ordeal and then die, as some have done. Many of those 600 hostages in Somalia have been captive for years, and I suspect that many are no longer alive. The pirates reportedly fired an RPG at a US destroyer, and then gunfire was heard on the captured ship (most likely the execution of the hostages). The rescue attempt was launched in response. I'm interested also in the two pirates who had been dead for a while. Did the other pirates kill them (that's my guess) or did they die in the initial seizing of the boat? People argue this in the yachting world (there are strong opinions on both sides, and some valid arguments) but tragedies like this are why I favor keeping guns on boats in hazardous waters. One high calibre rifle, held by someone who knew how to use it (and loaded with decent rounds) could have stopped this before it started. The pirates make their final approaches in small skiffs, either wood or inflatable, but both have exposed engines. They carry AK-47's by and large, plus sometimes RPG's and sundry small arms. A rife outranges them all, and can take out their engines as well. Once they are engineless, they can easily be avoided by even the slowest yacht. In this case, the tactical situation is not one of needing to outgun the pirates, it's one of using a weapon with longer range to rob them of their advantages of speed, numbers, and firepower. Once they are disabled, the yacht can just sail away, or, stand off at long range for a little target practice. (the AK has nowhere near the range of a good long rifle). A handgun might be useful, but far less so; the only hope with a handgun would be waiting unti8l the pirate skiff came along side and opening fire by surprise, but you're still going up against automatic weapons with a handgun. May the four murdered victims rest in peace... and may this scourge be ended soon.

Chapter 66, Double Buff, is up. Opps, I mean "Double Bluff". I would edit that to fix it above, but this way i can just blame Wildone.

Chapter 66: Double Bluff As Officer Mike Gonzalez walked out of the teleconference room, he glanced around the hallway, his jaw clenched, his blood running cold. Taking a deep breath, he made his way towards his car, flipping open his phone as soon as he arrived. He dialed Henry’s number, and as soon as Henry picked up, said, “Henry, I need your help on something urgent. I’m on my way to meet with Lisa and Joel down at the marina, near Dirk’s chandlery. I... There’s been... I need to spea

I hope they are rescued before making landfall, because it's likely to be, at best, a long and miserable ordeal for them once in Somalia. BTW, it's a garlic crusher (Also called a garlic press) and was last seen tied to a log in the Southern Ocean. For now.

Thanks, and Welcome to the forum!! The next chapter should be up within the hour. Funnily enough, Lisa and Joel are central in the chapter. If I get accused of a cliffhanger again, I just might put in a detailed sex scene... of Bridget and George. Thanks, and Welcome to the forum!

Sometimes, typos end up in really inopportune places. In one story, in a very critical, romantic scene, a central character in the scene is shirtless. Only... the author left the "r" out of shirtless, which totally wrecked the whole feel of the scene. :wacko: And yep, the fumble fingered author mentioned above is me.

Shane was just winding Trevor up with the bit about Yanks not being able to swim. Trevor did say he wants to see a kangaroo... Kangaroo races, maybe? **************************************** The next chapter title (Before I forget again, like last week,) is "Double Bluff".

My eyes opened wide at the sight of the two shotguns, but I suspected the reason, and Mr. Williams soon confirmed it; "With the way things are going, I want you to each take one of these and keep it in your rooms. I wanted to do this sooner but with Eric here it would have been too dangerous." We were each handed a 12-gauge and a box of shells with a final piece of advice, "If the Piedmont cops or the Fundies try coming in here, keep your heads, but do what you need to do." After the s

Steve lurched away from me, stumbling sideways, his eyes wide in shock. I thought the worst; that the bullet had... "I'm ok, it just made me jump, what the fuck happened?" asked Steve, as muffled yet frantic shouts coming from the living room drew my attention. We waited, hearing only the rising commotion from the living room. "I think it came from the living room, maybe we should..." I said, before nearly leaping out of my skin as Steve's bedroom door opened suddenly. Steve's fat

Our lunch was finished in an uncomfortable silence, due to both of us being a little rattled by strangers recognizing us as 'Chase and Shawn'. As we got up to resume our shopping binge, Steve tugged on my arm, "If we get 'recognized' again, let's try and push for more information. Maybe there are two guys around who are our twins? This is beyond weird and we need to figure out what's going on." We hit a few more stores, and then remembered that I wanted to find a gift for Steve's paren