Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:44:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: James Robinson <juzjamie20@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: Atlantic Express Ch 36

This story contains sex between males; if this is not your cup of tea or if
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    Atlantic Express, Chapter 36, by justjames17.


Foxhound slewed away from the huge dark menacing shape, her hull heeling
over as she raced away into the darkness. Bradley, Bryce and Mark slid
across the steel deck to fetch up against the hot funnel in a tangle of
bodies arms and legs flailing about trying to arrest their movement. The
hot steel burning their bare flesh caused them to throw themselves away as
the destroyer righted her heel and straightened up. The black night was
suddenly bright as day as a searchlight flashed on behind them illuminating
the fleeing destroyer as the vessel behind them spat fire and smoke, the
sound of 15inch guns deafened those on her decks and bridge as the roaring
rush sounded as the massive shells passed overhead to splash down far ahead
of her bows.

Huge gouts of spray soared high into the black night as Fox Hound began to
weave from port to starboard to throw off the gunners on the enemy
battleship, the enemy destroyers gave chase but stayed to port and
starboard giving the capital ship an open range on the tiny fleeing
destroyer. The heavy guns boomed again and again but their accuracy was out
one shell glanced off the aft funnel as it passed overhead ripping it out
of the deck snapping the wire stays and sending it crashing overboard,
Bradley, Bryce and Mark were lucky it was the aft funnel not the forward
one they were close to. The three scrabbled to get off the open deck and
under cover; the gaping hole where the aft funnel once stood belched fumes
and sparks as the engines strained at maximum revolutions driving her
slender hull through the calm but shell splashed seas.

Slowly the Fox Hound opened the range on the slower battleship but her
escorts still came after her shelling her unmercifully, luck was with the
British as the Italian gunners were hopelessly inaccurate and the Fox Hound
had the edge in speed the enemy pursued her for some distance before
turning about and racing back to take up their positions guarding their
massive consort. Fox Hound sped on, her crew breathing a sigh of relief,
Charles was worried they had been seen and hoped the enemy didn't realise
where she was bound. She raced on through the night arriving off the coast
before dawn; Fox Hound crept close into the harbour cautiously not knowing
if the enemy had seized it or if it was still in allied hands. She crept to
the long wharf in the gloom and gently nudged her hull against the rubber
tyres hanging as buffers the squeal of tortured rubber on steel shattered
the quiet early morning air as she stopped. A group of figures appeared
from the loom of a long shed and an Australian voice called out, "What
ship?"

Charles called back, "H.M.S. Fox Hound bringing commandoes to help you beat
back the Germans."

The voice replied, "Thank God for your arrival we need every man we can
get, the Jerries are nearly into the town."

In the distance Charles could hear the sounds of gunfire as the commandoes
formed up on deck to go ashore, Bryce and Bradley stood talking to young
Mark wishing him good luck and hoping he would be ok. The commando's
colonel ordered the men to fall in and the men soon filed off to march
proudly away into the night, the Australian officer asked Charles if he
could lay down some heavy fire on the large hill looming over the city as
that was where the enemy were moving on and their forces were falling back
to the outskirts of the town. Charles peered through his binoculars into
the gloom, which was lightening as dawn approached. He told the officer he
could lay down fire as they moved out of the harbour if he thought it might
assist and the army man thanked him as he checked with his radio operator
that their own forces were clear, he told Charles all was ready if he could
lay a barrage on the hill it would help them greatly.

Charles agreed and asked that the wounded be quickly brought aboard, a line
of stretcher-bearers appeared carrying the wounded troops to the destroyer
where they were quickly loaded aboard and taken below decks. Fifty three
wounded men were taken on and Charles thanked the officer and ordered the
lines cast off and the mooring lines were pulled aboard.

Fox Hound cast off and her engines running astern she moved slowly out away
from the wharf and turned broadside on to the shore as her guns moved to
line up on the now visible hill. The order given, her guns belched shaking
her narrow hull as she slowed and drifted, broadside after broadside roared
flinging their harbingers of death and destruction towards the brooding
hill. Flashed lit the early morning air as her shells impacted exploding
violently amidst the rocks and trees. She peppered the hill with shells
doing huge damage to the overconfident massed enemy, who were not expecting
a warship to be there pounding their advance. Confusion set in as men and
equipment were pulverised by the shells, fire broke out in the area where
much of this units munitions were being stored, the dry scrub catching fire
adding to the confusion.

The allied forces opened fire engaging the disorientated paratroops driving
them back up the hill, Charles ordered cease fire and saw the army officer
on the wharf wave his thanks as Charles ordered the ship slow ahead and
steer 090, Fox Hound slowly turned her bow to the east and the open sea and
began steaming away from the port. She increased speed her white frothing
wake spreading behind her on the blue Aegean as she made good her departure
from the troubled shore, hoping the enemy air force were too busy elsewhere
to attack a lone destroyer.

Fox Hound raced at flank speed until well over the horizon as she steered
towards the island of Crete, Charles day dreamed of the fleets of yore that
sailed these waters. The Greeks sailing to do battle at Troy and the
Phoenicians and Roman galleys that plied around both the Mediterranean and
Aegean seas. Charles sat on his stool at the windbreak day dreaming of the
daring adventures of Jason and the Argonauts in their search for the Golden
Fleece. The bridge crew watched their captain as he sat head on hands
staring into the distance.

Charles awoke from his reverie and shook his head looking about the bridge,
the crew snapped alert as he turned and the lookouts scanned the horizon
with renewed eagerness. Charles stretched and stood up paced across to the
port bridge wing to look at the upper deck where the aft funnel once stood,
he saw the heat fumes and hoped the engines were not affected by the change
in draft. He walked to the engine voice pipe and blew into it listened then
hearing the chief's braw Scottish accent asked him if all was well below
since the rude demolition of the funnel. The chief chuckled and said, "Och
aye sir it takes more than that to upset my engines, they are fine sir."

Charles grinned and thanked the chief then told the first lieutenant he was
going below to see the wounded troops and he was to be called if anything
untoward occurred. He made his way below and began working his way from
stretcher to stretcher seeing the pale unshaven faces some swathed in blood
soaked bandages, the dark circled eyes staring back at his as he spoke
quietly to each wounded soldier. The sick berth attendant was busy changing
dressings and trying to make the tired and pain filled men as comfortable
as he could with the limited supplies and medical knowledge he had, Fox
Hound had no surgeon to take charge so the young sailor was doing his best.

Charles complimented the youth and told him he was doing a sterling job
then made his way back to the bridge, his mind filled with the visions of
pain and misery he'd witnessed below and the moans of the wounded echoing
in his ears. He took a deep breath of sea air to get rid of the smell of
blood, sweat and excrement as he looked about the ship; he picked up his
binoculars and scanned the horizon looking for any sign of enemy
retaliation. Nothing blemished the shining blue sea and Charles turned Alan
his first officer and said, "I think we need to give young Purvis a helper
he is overloaded with all these wounded men to look after, designate
someone to give him a hand number one."

Alan turned to Charles and said, "Aye, Aye sir, what about I send Bryce
below to assist?"

Charles nodded and said, "Carry on number one, I'll get Bradley to also
give the lads a hand, he has some first aide training."

The problem dealt with Charles resumed his constant scanning of the sea and
sky searching for any trouble that might be coming their way, all was quiet
and peaceful and Charles breathed a sigh of relief that they had escaped
retribution for their act of shelling the German forces. Only time would
tell if their luck continued but the further away the steamed the safer
they were from attack. Crete loomed on the horizon as Fox Hound made good
her escape, the island was well off the starboard bow when the port lookout
called out, "Torpedo tracks off the port bow."

Charles spun around and there in his glasses he could see four crisp white
wakes heading straight at their side he bellowed hard to port trying to
swing the boat to head towards the submerged missiles so Fox Hound could
comb the tracks allowing the torpedos to pass on each side. The bows swung
as the huge rudder gripped the resisting water dragging the hull around,
the bridge crew held their breaths as the bows swung towards the racing
missiles, time seemed to stop everything in slow motion but eventually the
bow centred between two approaching wakes and the torpedos raced past the
destroyer's hull.

Charles was ecstatic the manoeuvre succeeded and as Fox Hound continued
down the fading wakes he ordered the asdic dome be lowered and the hunt was
on. Ping after ping echoed through the depths with no reply to indicate the
enemy was there and Charles knew it was only luck if a single hunter could
locate a submerged sub; the odds were heavily in the submarines favour as
it could dodge the hunting vessel easily. Charles also knew he couldn't
spend time hunting her as he needed to transport the wounded soldiers
quickly to Alexandria where they could be hospitalised and their wounds
treated.

The Fox Hound coursed back and forth over and across the area before
turning her bow back on course for her destination. The rest of the trip
was incident free except for the loss of two badly wounded troops. Foxhound
raised the breakwater at Alexandria and made her number to the shore
station as the old boom defence tug, puffing thick smoke into the clear
blue sky, opened the protecting antisubmarine net. Fox Hound steamed slowly
into port and made her way to the wharf she was directed to, as she slowly
moved alongside a fleet of military ambulances drove up to stop at her
berth. The mooring ropes were passed ashore and the brow or gangplanks run
out while the wounded were being brought on deck, Charles rang down
finished with engines and Fox Hound's engines became silent.

The wounded soldiers were swiftly carried to the waiting ambulances,
thanking the crew and were driven away towards the sprawling city. The Fox
Hound was safe in harbour surrounded by a huge fleet of warships, Charles
relaxed and went to inspect the damage done by the battleships shell, he
peered down into the black sooty outlet in the deck feeling the residual
heat still emanating from the now silent engines. The chief engineer
appeared with the second engineer to look at the mess and it looked like
they would be in port till the damage was repaired.

A signal was sent to the dockyard and Charles went to have a shower and
change out of his sweaty grubby uniform.  After showering Charles put on
the clean uniform Bradley had laid out for him and he sat down to eat the
hot meal prepared while he was showering. The ship was quiet without the
engines running and the huge fans silent that sucked air down into the oil
fired furnaces to create the heat to turn water to steam for the
turbines. Only the sound of the odd footsteps passing past the closed cabin
door as crewmembers went about their duties. Charles finished his meal and
relaxed pulled out a packet of Players cigarettes from his desk drawer and
took one out lighting it and taking a mouthful of smoke into his lungs,
Charles rarely smoked but he felt the need after the tension of the last
sortie.

He wondered how the defenders were faring against the Germans and hoped the
commandos were all ok especially young Mark whom he had found very
appealing and sexy, he heard Bradley pottering about in his nook and called
for him to come into his cabin. Bradley appeared wiping his hands and
Charles intimated that he sit down as he offered him a cigarette. Bradley
smiled and thanked Charles as he took a cigarette and lit it, Charles
looked at his old friend and steward and asked, "How were those wounded
lads Bradley? They didn't look in good condition when I checked on them."

Bradley nodded blowing a plume of smoke from his lips and said, "No some of
the poor devils were badly wounded and I doubt they will last more than a
day or so, we did all we could for them on the way here now its up to the
hospital to care for them."

Charles nodded sadly then changed the subject, "How was the little
adventure with Bryce and the young commando Mark, did you enjoy yourself?"

Bradley smiled and replied, "Immensely sir, that young soldier was
exceptionally tight and loved having sex and I'm sure young Bryce liked him
as well. We were lucky when that shell hit the aft funnel that we weren't
killed."

Charles smiled and said, "I'm glad you had some fun old friend and I think
young Mark will remember that voyage for ever, I just hope he is ok back
there in Greece."

Charles said, "I think we will be laid up here for some time with the
number of ships damaged during the convoy, a lowly destroyer will be last
on the list with capital ships having bomb damage. It will give the crew a
little time to take leave and check out the wonders of


Alexandria. They will be able to experience the delights of the East, it is
a bustling and very varied city where anything goes I believe."

Bradley grinned and replied, "It is that sir, I was here before the war in
the HMS Warspite, I had the most incredible time in the native quarters and
bazaars, sex abounded both male and female. I was glad to get back to sea
after a week."

Charles laughed and said, "That doesn't sound like you Bradley I thought
you were unstoppable in bed."

Bradley grinned and said, "If you haven't experienced a hot Arab lad sir
you don't know what it is like."

Charles raised his eyebrows and replied, "Hmmm I think I'm going to enjoy
this port."



			      To be continued


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