When we last saw our intrepid duo, they were sailing aboard the Slow Dance and heading for Nassau in the Bahamas. They had eluded their enemies and finally had a couple of days to relax. That was then. I wish I could announce to you that those responsible for the interuption of this thread had been sacked, but alas, to the best of my knowledge, they have not. In any event, we now return to our story and hope to have an update or 2 per week as RL issues have affected our lovely leading lady as to computer time available. Now, without further ado, we bring you:

The Slow Dance Revisited

Hammy and JT huddled together in the life raft. Adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Cold and confused, tears fell from their eyes. JT looked to where 10 minutes ago The Slow Dance had been hit by a 90’ wave that broke her back and within minutes had sent his dear friend to the bottom. JT had managed to grab the waterproof bag containing their wallets and papers and somehow, the infamous key ended up in his pocket.

What they would not find out for a few days was the course of events that led up to this nightmare. Across the Atlantic in the small emerging nation of Invision Free, an inexperienced crew of engineers had allowed a melt down in their nuclear power plant. The ensuing earth quake had caused a huge tsunami to head across the Atlantic. An hour earlier, in deep water, this wave would probably not have even been noticed but The Slow Dance had reached the extreme shallows of the Bahamas Bank. They never stood a chance.

The good news was that the prevailing currents would take them right into the Bahama’s in a couple of days if nobody found them sooner. The life raft contained plenty of water and food so all things considered they were in good shape. JT had no idea if in fact the EPIRB had activated or not. Theoretically, it started transmitting the second it hit the water.

“We are going to be OK Hammy!”

Hammy looked at JT wondering if insanity had made him say that or if he knew something she hadn’t figured out yet.

hehe

it's back!!!!

Unbeknownst to Hammy and JT, The Bahamas had a few hours earlier heard about the nuclear test and a flotilla of Guided Missile frigates, submarines, amphibious assault ships and a NIMITZ-class carrier hastily borrowed from the US Naval Base in Nassau were at this very second churning their way across the seas towards them on their way to the tiny island nation. The President of Invisionfree, Augustus Fong, was refusing to take their calls and was also refusing to speak to the UN, who wanted to talk to him about the Charter for a Nuclear Free Caribbean that he’d been signatory to a couple of years earlier. Fong was a recluse and former civil servant who’d been elevated to president of the fledgling country some 20 years earlier upon the death of the former president simply because nobody else had wanted the job. Having dismissed him in the past as a harmless and benevolent hermit, Invisionfree’s neighbours were now seriously concerned that they were harbouring another Kim Il Jong II in their midst.



Back in the life raft, Hammy & JT had spent another couple of lethargic hours eating corned beef, rubbing suntan lotion on each other and discussing what they’d do when they finally reached land…a shower was first on Hammy’s list but JT had another idea…

Yes, JT did have another idea. Having checked his hand held GPS a little while ago, JT knew that they would be in sight of the Abacos in about 12 to 15 hours where rescue was guaranteed. Knowing they had plenty of fresh waterm and that he could bathe before they arrived, JT's mind was on a nice juicy steak and a nice comfy hotel bed.

He sat there looking at Hammy as it was a very easy and pleasing thing for him to do. JT took her hand and looked into her eyes.

"You know, there is a part of me that wishes we would never be rescued. So much about you has captured both my mind and my heart. The thought of having to share you again with the rest of the world is driving me mad. Or wait, perhaps it is what I feel for you that is driving me mad. In any event, I have now done what I swore I would never do to a woman again. I have opened my heart to you."

JT leaned towards Hammy and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. As he pulled back, he wiped a lone tear from his eye and smiled.

"And now, I have a suprise for you."

He reached into the "non essentials" bag and pulled out a solar shower, soap and shampoo.

"We might as well be presentable when we're rescued eh?"

Hammy listened to JT's touching speech with more than a little bemusement. Surely he hadn't forgotten that magical week they'd spent together in Mucho Grande? And come to think of it, hadn't he said exactly the same things then? Poor JT, thought Hammy, perhaps he does have a slight case of sunstroke after all. She was very careful to mop his brow with a lot of cold water in the 'shower', which was a plastic cup with holes poked in the bottom that JT held outstretched above his head. Crude, but effective.

Meanwhile on the beleaguered island of Invisionfree, Augustus Fong was looking with interest at the tiny blip on the screen of his GPS unit that was Hammy & JT's life raft. Another couple of kilometres west and they would be smack bang within Invisionfreen waters. "What do you make of that, Grant?" he asked his Naval Commander, Odysseus S. Grant. "Is it a giant squid or something slightly more sinister?"

"It's moving too slowly to be a guided missile, at any rate,"said Grant helpfully."I'll despatch a couple of subs to check it out."

"Can you take that bloody phone off the hook before you go?"said Fong. "Bloody thing hasn't stopped ringing for the past 3 hours. Damn fool UN. You think they would have got the hint by now."

*Squinting at what seemed to be something on the horizon, JT starts to point, he suddenly feels lightheaded and collapses unconcious. He falls to the floor of the life raft, his head landing on Hammy's lap.*