Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 01:55:58 -0600
From: Dan VW <dan.vanwinkle@cox.net>
Subject: Sojourn Chapter 37

The story below is a work of fiction and contains erotic and/or sexually
explicit behavior between consenting males. If you find this type of
writing offensive, or if you are underage and it is illegal to view it,
please do not read further, but exit now.

The author reserves all copyright privileges. This work may not be
reproduced, except for personal use, without permission of the author, and
may not be linked to any pay sites.

Author's note - Another long chapter for you.  Hope you enjoy.  Special
thanks to Andrew, Bill, Brewster, Cyril, Eric, Gerry, Gordon, Matt, Nick
and Peter and many other people for the wonderful emails.  You don't know
how motivating those emails are. As always, keep the emails coming. Note
the slight change to my email address.  Pnskid61@cox.net

Sojourn Chapter 37

Dan had really enjoyed himself.  He couldn't remember walking into a house
and instantly feeling so much love and friendship.  He was sure it had to
do with Rick and Ethan.  They seemed to be beautiful people and the quality
of people around them really is a testament to their own goodness.  Dan of
course had seen Rick's financial information and had expected something
very different than what he found.  Nothing pretentious.  No "airs".  Just
regular folk.  What Dan hadn't really put together was that the Ethan
mentioned during the hearing was Ethan West the reputed billionaire.  The
down to earth guy he met sure didn't seem like a billionaire.  He just was
a regular guy that was obviously in love with Rick.  Maybe he really wasn't
the same guy.  Oh well, one thing he did know for sure, Adam would be in
good hands with these two.

Of course he couldn't stop thinking about Sarah.  It had been a long time
since he felt so comfortable with a woman.  Her dry British wit and her
tough exterior belied a special heart.  It was obvious that Adam absolutely
adored her and kids are great judges of character.  Dan was thinking about
how they just fell into a smooth pattern cleaning the kitchen - almost like
they had been doing that for years.  The conversation in the backyard was
so easy.  They talked a lot about Adam and Rick and Ethan and about Dan's
work with kids.  He didn't learn much about Sarah.  He didn't even know
where she lived or what her phone number was.  Perhaps he would go by
Rick's after his morning hearing to see if he could get some contact
information.

The morning at the house in Destin was picking up steam.  Everyone was up.
Adam was hyper and was demanding a lot of attention.  Sarah was on the
phone with the office and seemed to be concerned.  Rick was making
breakfast and chasing Adam while Ethan was on his cell phone with Sean.

Ethan wanted Sean to come back over to Destin and to accompany him to meet
with Ruth and Buddy.  Even though the case had been closed and the outcome
was far better than expected, Ethan still wanted to go ahead with his plan.
He was sure that Sarah and Rick wouldn't agree but for Ethan it was a
matter of principle.  Sean would be over in a couple of hours.

Sarah hung up the phone and looked frustrated.  She sat at the kitchen
table and Rick made her a tea and joined her.  Ethan came in and the three
sat at the table enjoying a moment of calm in the day of Hurricane Adam.

"Ethan, we have received some threats.  They have been coming in pretty
steady.  The security team has been looking at each one of them. They think
we have some serious ones now.  We have doubled the security for the ships
in each port of call and access to the ships is severely restricted.  The
current turn around ports of Port Everglades, San Juan, and Los Angeles
have had extra security put in place.  We also are having some issues with
suppliers.  They are concerned that we are having financial problems as a
result of the boycott and security issues and they are demanding cash
payments.  I am afraid that we are going to have to go back to ENW for some
cash.  We have a bit of a cash flow problem on our own at the moment."

Ethan absorbed the information and nodded.  "We have plenty of cash up at
ENW and we will transfer what ever is needed back to Compass Cruise Lines.
The safety of our passengers and crew is priority one."

Sarah nodded, "I know and I have gone so far as to hire a firm to come in
and review all of our safety and security procedures.  They were very
impressed but they did make some recommendations which I have already
implemented.  They also reviewed our crisis management and disaster
management procedures.  They gave us high marks for having such detailed
plans and that we have run frequent drills.  But the fact remains, we are
having serious troubles.  Passengers and suppliers are getting nervous."

"Sarah, this will pass.  But that being said, I want to convene a meeting
of the Compass Cruise Lines executive team.  I also want to invite the head
of the airline as well.  The airline has also been having some problems but
they have been operating with heightened levels of security since the New
York attacks.  Would you please make the calls and set a meeting up for
Monday in Ft Lauderdale?"

Sarah left to make the calls.  Ethan took this opportunity to talk to Rick
about moving forward with his plans for Ruth and Buddy.  Rick tensed.

"After the hearing she had a few choice words for me and wished me to burn
in hell.  I heard what you said about not doing anything bad to them and I
agree.  But I really don't like the plan.  Please Ethan."

"Rick, you are going to have to trust me on this.  I have to do this."
Ethan replied.

Rick knew that when they had their discussion about Ethan sharing things
with him and involving him in major decisions that it didn't mean that
things would always go the way he wanted.  He just didn't expect to see
that played out so soon.  He could tell that Ethan wasn't going to back
down and decided to trust in Ethan and his wisdom.  He gave the go ahead to
Ethan and could see the gratitude in Ethan's eyes.  But there was something
else.  It was pride.  Ethan was so proud of Rick.

Sarah came back and said the meeting was set for noon at Compass
headquarters.  She also had received an update that work on Quest in Mobile
was moving along and she suggested they go over to Mobile to have a look.
Ethan lit up at the suggestion and they set the plan to go over the next
day for a tour of the ship.

Sean and Ethan arrived at the bowling alley and went to the front desk.
Ethan had never met Ruth but she looked like he expected.  Leather skin, no
make-up, a smile that dulled a room.  She was thin and looked old beyond
her years.

"What the fuck are you doing here," she said to Sean. "Haven't you and your
faggot lover done enough to us already?  You can get the hell out of here
and tell faggot boy I meant what I said.  You can all burn in hell."

"Hi Ruth.  Always a pleasure to see you too.  Ruth, we have come here to
talk to you.  It is important," Sean said coolly to Ruth.

"Who is the guy.  Some lawyer?"

"No, my name is Ethan West.  I think it is important that we talk.  Is
there an office we can go to?"

"Oh, you are that rich queer that is sucking Rick's cock these days.  Well
I ain't got nothing to say to you or Sean.  So get going."

"We can do this the easy way or we can make it difficult.  Your choice.
But I think you should talk with us now," Ethan said in a matter of fact
tone never losing eye contact with Ruth.

Ruth called for someone to cover the main desk and took Sean and Ethan into
an office.  She lit a cigarette and blew smoke into Sean and Ethan's faces.

"OK, make it fast.  I ain't got a lot of time for your types."

"I will get right to the point.  I have something I want to talk to you
about.  I want you to hear me out."

"You don't have anything to say I want to hear.  You got the brat kid, what
else do you want.  Fuck you and fuck Rick.  But I guess you are already
doing that," she blew out smoke and let out a cackling laugh.

"The way I see it you have two options."

"Oh, so now Mr Bigshot Cocksucker is going to tell me my options."

"Listen Ruth.  In 30 days, there will be a new owner of this bowling alley.
Rick and I have secured an agreement to purchase this property.  Your two
options are very clear to me.  You can continue to shoot off that filthy
venom trap of a mouth and you can be out on your ass in 30 days.  I can
imagine a situation where information concerning your treatment of Adam and
your foul mouthed bigoted views could somehow make it into the press.  Be
assured, Ruth, that nobody would hire you and I can only imagine how your
husband's employer will feel about things as well.  So with the very few
meaningful skills you have you will be up shit's creek - a term I am sure
you understand."

Ruth took a deep breath on her cigarette realizing that for once in a long
time she had to do some listening.

"The second choice is this.  Rick and I will lease this property back to
you.  As owners of the property we will provide an improvement fund of up
to $200,000 to bring this place up to code and to make it a decent place.
We will lease it back to you for $1 a month."

"You are full of shit.  There must be a catch." Ruth hissed.

"I can assure you I am not full of shit.  There are a few conditions."

Ruth cackled again.  "OK, here it comes."

"We will have a 30 day termination clause in the lease.  We can terminate
without cause and you waive all rights to challenge this right.  Rick and I
would only terminate the agreement if you fail to live up to the upcoming
conditions or if you try to interfere in Adam's upbringing in any way.  I
am sharing these conditions with you verbally so that you know where we are
coming from.  The item about Adam will not be written into the contract.
The contract will state we can terminate without cause.  You will have to
trust my word that we would only do so on the conditions I have outlined."

"You will donate 25% of your gross takings to two organizations.  The first
organization will be specified to you but it will be a local charity
organization that assists battered children.  You will donate 15% to them.
The other 10% will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign.  This group
fights for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
individuals.  You will make these donations each month from gross takings.
Not net - gross.  The donations come off the top before any other bills are
paid.  We reserve the right to audit your books, at our discretion and
without advance warning, to ensure you are meeting this goal.  If you
don't, the 30 day termination clause is activated.  These charitable
contribution conditions I just described will be outlined in the contract."

"You will receive the full benefit of the tax write-off for these
contributions.  The rest of the business and funds are for you to manage
and all profits, or losses, are yours.  I have done research on this
operation and comparable operations in the area.  Ruth, you and Buddy could
have a good income and not have any money worries if you manage this
properly."

Ruth sat stunned.  "Why.  Why would you do this?  I see, you want us to get
dependent on this place and then you will pull the rug out from under us on
some trumped up claim and leave us high and dry with only 30 days notice.
Well, fuck you."

"Ruth, I have explained to you the conditions that would cause us to
terminate this agreement."

"Ok then answer me this question, why?  Why would you do this?" Ruth asked.

Ethan laughed, "that seems to be the big question of the day.  I have to
say that I seem to be the only one that wants to do this.  But I see it
this way.  You are Adam's only blood relatives besides Rick.  While I don't
want you to be a part of Adam's life and I could easily hate you for what
you, your husbanc, and your daughter did to him, I also think that you
haven't had a chance to make a new start in a long time.  I am giving you
that."

"I ain't giving money to no gay rights group." Ruth hissed lighting another
cigarette.

"Well then, Ruth, I guess Sean and I will be leaving now."  Ethan stood up
and so did Sean.  "Be looking for your termination letter in the next few
days.  I'd also be getting the paper every day.  You are about to be
famous."

Rick and Sean picked up the documents and were walking out the door.  Sean
couldn't breathe - he felt as though he had been holding his breath through
the whole discussion.  Sean's respect for Ethan had grown enormously.

"Wait, wait just a second.  Do you have papers there?" Ruth said as she
jumped up from the desk and walked towards Ethan and Sean.

"Yes, you can have your lawyer review them.  But please pass this on to
your lawyer.  There will be no negotiation and no changes.  This is a take
it or leave it deal.  Our purchase of this facility is going forward
regardless of any agreement with you.  I expect to have a signed agreement
from you and Buddy in Sean's hands by close of business Monday.  If not, we
will proceed with our plans to secure a new management team," Ethan passed
the documents into Ruth's skinny talons.

Sean handed Ruth his card with contact information and then Sean and Ethan
left.  They got into Ethan's BMW and Sean let out a whoosh of air.  Ethan
turned to Sean and laughed.

"Can you believe that bitch?  I wanted to smack her senseless."  Ethan said
to Sean causing him to laugh.  They both laughed.  The tension of the
meeting easing as they drove back to Rick's.

Sean was like a kid retelling the meeting to Rick and Sarah.  Sarah was
still very much against this whole deal.  Rick had given in and had decided
to be supportive.  Everybody had a laugh at Ruth's ignorance.  Everybody
packed up and loaded up Ethan and Rick's cars and headed to the condo in
Pensacola.

By the time they arrived it was time for dinner.  They turned on the news
at 6pm.  The headlines were normal.  At the first commercial break everyone
stopped in shock.

"Coming up next on News at 6, Pensacola's very own billionaire.  Find out
about Ethan West and the vast ENW empire in our special investigative
report... The Man Behind The Money."  This was accompanied by the typical
fast paced music and closed with two stacks of money and a blacked out head
with a question mark on it.  This was low cost schlock but it got the point
across.

Sarah was immediately on the phone calling the media group at Compass HDQ.
Rick ran and put a tape in the VCR and pushed record.  Everyone took a seat
to watch the report.

The commercials ended and the anchor introduced the story.  The reporter
was stationed in front of Quest in Mobile for the intro and close pieces of
the story.

************ "Just who is Ethan West and exactly what are his various
business interests.  While Mr West's company, ENW, is a private company and
therefore is not required to provide public reports, we have been able to
piece together some insight into the vast holdings.  Core to ENW is Compass
Cruise Lines which has been the center of a boycott by the Southern
Baptists.  Compass Cruise Lines is highly rated and has won several awards
for providing high levels of service.  Headquartered in Ft Lauderdale,
Compass includes five large ships including Quest which you see behind me.
The cruise line employs almost 7,000 people and provides its employee with
the highest wages and best benefit programs in the business.  Another large
piece of ENW is Compass Airlines which has a fleet of state-of-the-art 777
aircraft.  Again, the employees are well taken care of and Compass Airlines
enjoys high customer satisfaction and a perfect safety record.  Unlike most
of the airline industry where management and employees are always at odds,
the employees of Compass Airlines are very happy and have voted on more the
one occasion to not join unions.

The two businesses are the core of ENW and I have to say that ENW runs a
class operation.  ENW also owns properties in the UK and owns several
condominiums on Pensacola Beach including Tranquility, The Breezes, and The
Point.  With Mr West's holdings in Pensacola and Ft Lauderdale we estimate
that he is one of the largest private tax payers in the state.  Mr. West
certainly has made a significant contribution to the economy of the State
in terms of job, tax revenue, and the ripple effect of his operations.
Compass Cruise Lines recently had another of its ships here in Mobile for
repairs and you see Quest behind me now.  The impact of this work on the
Mobile economy is in the tens of millions of dollars and comes at a time
when the city really needs the money.

Perhaps the most surprising and most telling insight about the man behind
the money is ENW Charities.  Since this arm of ENW is a non-profit
operation, we were able to get some information from various governmental
organizations.  ENW Charities has an annual budget of over $300 million per
year.  Over $280 million of that sees it way to various charities focusing
on senior care, shelters for abused children, health awareness programs
provided in various schools around the nation, and an award winning program
providing mentors for under-privileged children. Not only is Mr West a very
successful businessman but he is also an extremely generous benefactor of
enormous proportions.

There has been a lot of public discussion about Mr West's private life.  Mr
West has always shied away from making public appearances and has never
discussed his personal life.  We spoke with several people that are close
to Mr West but nobody would discuss his private life.  We do know that Mr
West has a partner and they are raising his partner's son.  Mr West and his
partner and son live in Pensacola and spend a good deal of time in Ft
Lauderdale.

Bob, I have to say that I went looking for something scandalous and I came
up with nothing.  ENW seems to be a well run organization, with quality
products and happy employees.  ENW charities is one of the largest
privately funded charity organizations in the United States and has had an
impact on people in many walks of life.  I can only surmise that all of
this is a reflection of the man behind it all.  I think we should be proud
that he calls Pensacola home."  *********

You could hear a pin drop at the condo.  Nobody had expected this.  No
religious fanatics, no scandalous accusations, no innuendo.  Sarah had the
phone line open so that the media team in Ft Lauderdale heard the report.
Sarah spoke to them, thanked them for listening, and planned to talk with
them in the morning about next steps.

"Well, ahem, well...  that was interesting."  Ethan said.

"The great Saint Ethan has spoken, listen and learn," Sarah cracked.

Ethan shot Sarah a look but soon everyone was smiling and laughing.

"Ah, honey, I think you forgot to tell me something," Rick said.

Fearing he was in trouble again, Ethan felt his stomach tighten.  "If I did
forget to tell you something it was because I forgot, I don't have anything
to hide," Ethan said sounding a bit more defensive than he should.

"I didn't know you owned this building and the others mentioned in the
report.  Ethan, I can't help it, the look on your face..." Rick then burst
out laughing.

Sarah's cell phone was ringing.  She answered it with a stern, "Sarah
Williams."  But then she went all girlie which caused Ethan and Rick to
look at each other and then at Sarah with looks of curiosity.  Sarah shot
them the bird and went in the other room.  In stereo sound the guys said,
"Dan."

Dan has said that he just saw the news and that he didn't fully realize
that the man eating chicken with his fingers and running around after Adam
the night before was a billionaire.  He said he thought it was him but now
he knew for sure.  Sarah laughed and said, "Oh him?  It is just Ethan.  He
is just a regular guy that happens to be rich."

Dan and Sarah had some small talk before Dan could muster up the courage to
ask if he could see Sarah again.  She said that they were going over to
Mobile to see the work underway on Quest the next afternoon and he was
welcome to come along and then they could go out for a nice dinner, just
the two of them, when they got back to Pensacola.  Dan was pleased and said
that he didn't have any hearings in the afternoon and would take her up on
her offer.  Sarah was walking on air as she went in and faced the third
degree from the guys.

Friday morning arrived and Ethan and Sarah were on the phone with the gang
in Ft Lauderdale.  The Today Show and Good Morning America had called
asking for interviews with Ethan.  There were also calls from CNN and also
from Time, Newsweek, and Business Week.  The media team thought it best
that Ethan accept the interviews since the interest was mostly positive and
could possibly turn things around for Compass Cruise Lines.  Ethan
reluctantly agreed.  This was certainly the end of the privacy he had so
cherished.  After the team meeting on Monday in Ft Lauderdale he would fly
to New York for interviews on Tuesday with the morning shows and magazines.
Wednesday he would meet with CNN in Atlanta and be back in Pensacola
Wednesday evening.

Shortly after lunch, Dan arrived followed by Sean who had invited Kevin to
go along.  That meant seven people so they took Ethan's BMW and Rick's BMW
and went to Mobile.

Arriving at the shipyard Ethan's heart skipped a beat as Quest came into
view.  Quest was the first of his girls and he remembers the day that Quest
was delivered.  That was five years ago and now she was going through an
extensive refit.  Kevin had flown over the ships but had never actually be
onboard a cruise ship.  Dan had never seen one and was awed by the enormous
ship that stood as tall as a 12 story building and was about 3 football
fields long.

Everyone put on hardhats, including a small one for Adam, and they went up
the gangway and entered Quest on one of her lowest decks.  Captain Medina
met them and had a warm embrace for Ethan and Sarah and shook the hands of
everyone else.

"It is very rare to have my two bosses onboard.  I just wish we were at sea
where both Quest and I belong.  But, soon, very soon I think."  Captain
Medina said to Ethan and Sarah.

Dan was confused by the comment about two bosses.  Ethan clearly was the
owner and boss.  Oh well, he'd ask about it later.

Captain Medina led the tour.  He explained that most of the crew was on
leave but 162 people remained on board.  They ran the electrical plants,
computer systems, security, some kitchen support for the staff onboard, and
provided assistance to the contractors doing the refit.  Of course the
bridge was also manned with 3 people at all times since it was the control
center for the ship.

Most of the pastel décor that had been so popular when Quest was
launched was being replaced.  Cabin décor would now be similar to that
found on Tranquility.  All of the carpets through-out the ship were being
replaced.  Darker richer colors were being used.  The children's playroom
was being updated and renamed to Adam's Den.  One of the main bars was
being redone in the same style of the bar on Tranquility which it would
share its name - Rick's.  The main lobby was undergoing the most dramatic
change.  A new atrium sculpture was being installed, the old marble was
being replaced with new Italian slate, the pastel blue carpet being
replaced by deep blue.  The Scandinavian looking chairs were being replaced
by Italian styled chairs in bold red and yellow.  The transformation was
startling.  Quest would be even more beautiful than her youngest sister
Tranquility.

Captain Medina invited everyone to his private dining room for some snacks.
Sean, Rick, Kevin, and Dan explored the bridge and were fascinated that the
ship was fully automated with auto-pilot like that on R-1.  The ship was
steered by joy stick and once the destination was plotted into the computer
and the ship entered open sea, the auto-pilot using GPS technology took
over.  Radar, sonar, and various other high tech systems were visible.  The
entire ship's layout was shown on one console.  The ship was divided into
various watertight compartments and fire zones.  From the bridge any area
of the ship could be sealed off within seconds.  A similar control system
was in main engineering.  This was true with most critical systems.  In
fact the ship could be steered and fully operated from main engineering in
cases of emergency.  Redundancy had been built in to ensure that if one
area had a failure that no critical systems would be impaired.

The guys returned back into the Captain's dining room as Captain Medina was
handing some papers to Sarah.  She signed them all and asked some questions
about the figures on one of the documents.  The Captain answered her
questions and she then signed the forms.  Suddenly, the penny dropped for
Dan.

The gang thanked Captain Medina for his time and made their way back to the
gangway.  It was hard to imagine that Quest would be ready to go in two
weeks.  Wires were hanging, floors were bare, furniture stacked all around.
But it wasn't hard for Ethan to imagine.  He knew how these things worked
and was totally confident things were under control.  Quest would be back
home at sea in a few weeks.

At dinner, Sarah and Dan finally had time to talk.  Sarah explained her
history with Ethan and also about her current position.  She explained that
she lived in Ft Lauderdale, her mother was in the UK, and that she spent
most weekend with the guys in Pensacola.  She talked about her family, her
love for Ethan, Rick, and Adam.  She found she talked more about herself
that night than she had in years.  Certainly more than she ever had with
any man.  Well, besides Ethan.  Dan opened up too and talked about his
family and growing up in Crestview.  He had gone to Europe during college
and spent time exploring the UK and had an idea about the places Sarah
mentioned.  He had been married when he was in his early 20s but it didn't
work out. No kids.  He is now 33.  Sarah is 34.  They found they had so
much in common but there was one problem.  Distance.  At the end of the
evening, a light kiss was exchanged.  They both agreed that they would try
to work things out and she agreed to see Dan the next weekend when she
would be back in Pensacola.

Monday's meeting in Ft Lauderdale was tense but productive.  Ethan reviewed
the financial situation and it was not as dire as he had feared.  The cost
of the extra security was high.  Some competitors had recently added on a
security surcharge to their tariffs.  Compass would follow suit and charge
and additional $7.50 per passenger.  The cost would not fully offset the
additional security but would help, a lot, and would also not be too
burdensome for passengers.  Ethan also promised to personally contact some
of the troublesome suppliers.  He would call them later in the week from
Pensacola.

Each department head gave an update on their areas.  Sarah and the team had
been doing an outstanding job running things.  Ethan did have a lot of
questions but he didn't change anything major about what the team was
doing.

The media team gave their update following the news report that aired last
week and the fact that other news organizations had picked up on the story.
It had received extensive coverage across the US.  Apparently the public
was thirsty for a story about a good guy and Ethan was filling that need.
Then, in an almost embarrassed tone, the media director said that Ethan had
also become somewhat of a sex symbol.  Apparently Oprah had made a comment
about him "looking good enough to eat."  Ethan blushed and shrugged it off.

The interviews in New York and Atlanta went real well.  Ethan was
uncharacteristically tense for the Today Show interview.  He confided to
Rick that he thought that Katie Couric was hot and that if he ever had to
go straight he would want Katie.  Ethan was performed well for all the
interviews and after reviewing the footage it was agreed that things had
gone real well.  How could anybody not be taken by Ethan.  Charming, smart,
funny, handsome, rich, and generous.  Women across America were swooning.
Gay men were walking a little bit prouder too.  The calls to the Compass
Cruise Lines reservations center and hits to the web site had surged.
Suddenly suppliers were not requiring advance payment.  The magic of Ethan
had worked again.

Thursday night, Ethan, Rick, and Adam had curled up on the couch to watch
Friends and Will & Grace.  At 915pm, a few minutes into ER, there was a
news bulletin.  At the same time the phone rang.  Ethan left the room to
take the call.

"Sir, this is Randy in the operations center.  We have a code Red situation
and we have activated Disaster Plan 2 and 3 (DP2 and DP3)."

Ethan had to think about what those were and felt instantly felt sick when
the gravity hit him.

"The ship is fully engulfed.  We are not receiving any data transmissions
from the ship through the satellites at this point.  We are not able to
establish telephone contact.  All transmissions ended at 8:48 pm local
time.  Local authorities are arriving onsite.  From what we know so far we
have injured personnel, some severe.  We had 162 onboard tonight.  So far
we have 73 accounted for.  That is all the details we have at this point.
Ms Williams is on her way here and the other components of DP2 and DP3 have
been activated.  We will update you every 30 minutes or as we have more
details."

Ethan hung up the phone and felt sick.  He turned to see Rick in the door
looking ashen.  They went to look at the TV which had live images of the
fire.  Flames were shooting into the night sky. Quest was indeed an
inferno.  Injured people could be seen on the pier.  There was footage of
people running off the ship with clothes ablaze.  Rick, Ethan, and Adam sat
in silence unable to comprehend what was happening.  It was now 930pm and
their lives had changed dramtically.

At 8:45pm the first explosion occurred.  The blast detonated in main
engineering and destroyed everything in a large radius.  This blast ignited
fuel and other materials which led to a second explosion at 8:47pm.  At
8:48pm the next explosion occurred.  This one detonated just below the
bridge.  The powerful explosion sent a tremendous force upwards completely
disintegrating the bridge and officer accommodations.  At 8:49pm the final
blast detonated in the central atrium.  The force from this blast rose the
8 stories and sent glass shrapnel flying at supersonic speeds. The hundreds
of buckets of carpet glue and paint ignited causing a chain reaction of
mini explosions. With engineering and the bridge destroyed, the two nerve
centers of Quest were out of service.  She could not fight the fire
herself.  She could not close off parts of herself to contain the damage.
She could not do anything to help the crew that were onboard.  Her fate,
and theirs, was sealed.

The TV was the only thing lighting the crowded, dingy, dirty room.  Images
of the fire filled the screen.  Everything had gone to plan.  A smug smile
crossed his face.  The faggots were getting their due.  Hell's fire
consuming the symbol of the fag's arrogance.  He was sure that this would
be the end of the great Ethan West and his faggot friend Rick.  With that
hope filling his heart, he turned off the TV and went to bed.