Story Market Day

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Garen was down at the training building now. He was crawling around under Terry’s Suburban with Zed. Heidi and Kara were just watching and listening but Garen and Zed were talking in shorthand and it was tough for them to follow.

“Doorplate says 3500HD and factory payload is 4405 lbs.” Zed told Garen.

“Well that alone would squeak us by but Terry’s brother used to work on uparmored SUVs in Iraq and told him stuff to get done to boost that. They borrowed the shop here to do some of his upgrades as well.” Garen replied as he slid under the Suburban on a floor creeper.

“Unless he put a tank engine in it, it won’t be very fast.” Zed told Garen’s ankles.

“Well I know he had a bunch done under the hood starting with an engine swap to diesel and exhaust and chips and stuff but he always said it was about getting somewhere more than getting somewhere fast.” Came Garen’s voice from under the Suburban.

Zed slid in underneath next to Garen.

“Portal axles? I know those weren’t factory. What are they from?”

“I don’t know. Terry was talking a mile a minute to his brother when they swapped them and I couldn’t keep up. Volvo? Unimog? Something else? I just know he went with them so he could get more ground clearance without jacking the whole thing to the moon.” Was Garen’s semi-frustrated reply.

“Well if they were adding all this box channel reinforcement and augmentation to the frame, they are probably something rated double what they were taking off.” Zed said as he ran his hands over the welds and box tubing.

“Yeah, same thing with the springs and airbags and bump stops. Terry told his brother to figure on building the belly and drive train like he was doing one of the super armored jobs, but without the armor.” Garen said as he was searching around and checking the skid plates around the two fuel tanks.

“Well this thing is like a semi-civilized rock crawler under here. Lockers, dual range, portal axles, fairly long range of travel on the suspension…His brother is a wizard.” Zed’s voice was very appreciative.

“Yeah, he might have been a wizard with a wrench, but he was horrible at judging people and even worse at managing his money and resources. Last I knew, several years ago he got put away for fraud, embezzlement, grand theft, conspiracy to commit, and a bunch of other things once he got roped into building armored vehicles for some gang members with cartel connections.” Garen’s voice was full of both sadness and scorn.

“Well,” and Zed ran out of what to say.

Garen rolled out from under the Suburban and stood up. He looked over at Heidi and Kara.

“OK, the thing can haul the load from what I’ve seen. Do you agree, Zed?”

“Yeah” came the disembodied voice from underneath the vehicle.

“So, lets shift the tank around a bit to balance the load some more, then we will fill it completely, then you guys finish packing gear and such. Does that work for you two?” Garen asked them.

“Sure thing. We will get on it.” Heidi said for the both of them.
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Enough suspension & frame to handle up armor on a 3500 4WD? A chipped diesel engine swap with who knows what other enhancements? Portal axles?

Sounds a little Killer B but on a serious steroid over dose!

No way I can afford one like this but I need to back up from the PC or all this drool is gonna cause havoc w/ something!
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Enough suspension & frame to handle up armor on a 3500 4WD? A chipped diesel engine swap with who knows what other enhancements? Portal axles?

Sounds a little Killer B but on a serious steroid over dose!

No way I can afford one like this but I need to back up from the PC or all this drool is gonna cause havoc w/ something!

That's kind of what they were built for. They were only available as fleet sales, and all the beefing for the factory example 2017 Chevrolet Suburban 3500HD 4WD Suburban- GVWR of 11,000, Payload of 4405, but it suffers greatly with a massive drop in towing to max 3000 lbs

They only made a little over 500 of this particular iteration I'm referencing 2015-2019 and they still get a premium price used. Most were snapped up for things like Armored SUVs.

Terry's brother is who put him on to it, already knowing about them.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Emilia, Allyson and Angelique were making dinner while Bekka and Jesse were burning up the airwaves and pouring over the maps. Soon, Zed and Garen returned from the training building.

“Well, the Suburban will work for tanker duty. At 7 lbs per gallon for diesel, plus two hundred for the IBC tote frame and poly tank, we are still only at half the rated weight. Two-hundred-seventy-five gallons should be enough fuel to cover two thirsty vehicles plus itself for the return trip.” Garen proclaimed as he filled his plate.

Zed added to the statement from Garen. “The biggest worry will be that much mass having a life of its own while they are driving. Look at the route carefully. Rapid changes of direction or anything else making them lean or maneuver would make things squirrely.”

“I added four fire extinguishers to their load. Not that it would do much other than put them out if they were on fire not the Suburban. Heidi and Kara are down figuring out the rest of their load plan now and will be back up later.” Garen said after shoveling some food into his stomach. “Hey, this stuff is great! What is it?”

“Stir fry with mystery meat.” was Allyson’s reply. They had been trying to clean up and clear out leftovers and partial half open containers to free up space and eliminate clutter in the kitchen. This led to interesting and creative combinations lately. Most of this one was Emilia’s concoction.

After the food was finished, Garen, Zed, Jesse and Bekka got back down to work on the link up point.
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
What race? Its just a little mosey down and drop off some fuel. Where's the rush?
No rush UNTIL the local badges & their hangers-on get all squirrelly about appropriating assets and maybe some vengeance. Apparently Penguin & some one in local gov’t have a less-than-positive history and there is the matter of a little firefight …….

Pizza’s coming; grilled chicken, feta, spinach etc & I’ve got some Shiner Bock in the fridge so, I’ve got time …..

Ready when you are.
:)
G.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Late in the night, Jesse finally tapped a resource he was reluctant to use. He contacted someone he knew from long ago who lived just shy of the ‘run dry’ line. After the pleasantries, he got right to the point.

“So, I am guessing at this late hour, this is more than a social call.”

“Yeah, ‘fraid it its. I got some close friends traveling through your parts that need a safe place to link up with some other friends of mine who are helping them get to me up here.” Jesse didn’t want to push it. He was just asking a friend for a safe spot to meet.

“Shouldn’t be a problem if all they need is a place, as long as you vouch for them.” The older gentleman’s voice was wary but positive. “How soon until I should expect them?”

“About five days. I’ll sent you the frequencies, call signs and other details.” Jesse paused “Thank you for this.” He said a moment later.

“It’s a small favor. You know I will help.” The other gentleman replied.

The radio was quiet. So was Jesse. He stood up and stepped over to the table where Zed, Bekka and Garen were sitting. They looked up at him expectantly. He leaned down over the table, his eyes searching. Finding what he was looking for, he placed his finger on the map.

“Here. We can meet them here.” Once he was sure they had the spot he was pointing to, Jesse walked away. Moments later, they heard the door outside open and close. Zed looked at Bekka and Garen.

“You guys get planning. I’m going to check on Jesse.”

Zed walked outside to find his friend standing in the middle of the courtyard, staring up at the moon.

“So, you found a solution. What’s the problem Jesse?” Zed said as he walked up.

“I didn’t want to involve him.” Jesse said.

“Involve who? He sounded like he would help you, so what’s the problem? I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t want to involve Karl. He still feels guilty, even after all these years.” Jesse said with a sad tone.

“OK, Jesse you’re going to have to make more sense than you are right now. I don’t follow you.”

“Hell, as much as I’ve tried, I don’t know if deep down I ever forgave him either. I just know I gave up the anger.” Jesse seemed to be talking more to himself than zed.

“Forgive him for what?”

Jesse turned and looked at Zed.

“It was supposed to be his mission. I did him a favor and went instead of him. Because I wasn’t going to be home for a couple of months, Karen went on the trip. Because I went in his place, she was on that plane.”

“Oh, God” It slipped out before Zed could stop himself.
 

Sportsman

Veteran Member
That network of old friends is usually your most reliable resource when the chips are down. Having to remind an old friend of his pain is hard.
Thank you.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Bekka and Garen briefed everyone in the morning. They had packets with routes, call signs, radio frequencies and everything. It was a familiar format for Kara and Heidi from years in the military. Allyson was fairly familiar with this version as well from her work at the Center and could translate from all the SWAT briefs as well.

“So, everybody take time, make notes figure questions. You guys” Bekka pointed at Kara and Heidi “leave out in three days, two days to get there. That gives plenty of time to creep through the area down to them.”

“Allyson and Angelique, you guys will be the ‘oh shit’ crew. If something goes wrong, you can probably get there the fastest since you’re on roads. With two shooter/medics, you can help stabilize things in a hurry.” Angelique was almost quivering with excitement and Allyson was grinning as well. Bekka continued.

“If it’s not a medical emergency per say, Doug and I will be ready for problems like extrication and or a medical evacuation since the Stokes litter fits better in the Subaru than the truck. If we know it’s more of a mechanical problem, depending on timeline, Zed will hop in with Allyson and Angelique or with Doug and me. Zed, if you can get with Garen and figure out what tools you might want or need to fix or modify vehicles so they can be recovered and or fixed enough to make it back to here.”

Zed grabbed a piece of paper off of the table and started to make a list. While he did this, Garen started talking.

“Depending on what happens, once one crew leaves, the next in line gets ready to be the emergency response. There is no AAA. We are the only ones we can count on to save us. Zed, Jesse, Emilia and I will start looking at what we might need if we need the horsepower or size of the big eight-wheeler. I don’t expect any problems that big, but we will have it ready, just in case.”

“The only thing I could think of would be a mass casualty recovery or something needing a lot of weight carrying capacity. I’ll have prepackaged med bags and cases next to it by the end of today which means, Emilia, you are with me on medical. For the most part, I think we will all be sitting here waiting for Kara and Heidi to take their little drive and bring back our four new teammates.”

Bekka spoke up again.

“OK, guys, we all need to go over routes and tune things up for our places in the dance. Doug, think rescue; vertical, confined space, water, and anything else, but remember, we only have a small amount of space. Allyson, Angelique, since you have the medical duty, make sure you have a couple of litters of some kind in that rocket ship of yours. Kara, Heidi, make sure you get with each of us so you know what we have prepacked in case you need something specific, you know what you’re getting or calling for.” Bekka looked over at Jesse.

“Jesse, can you back check me on all the comms stuff and help me load frequencies and cheat cards in all the mobile radio and the personal radios?”

“Sure Bekka.” Jesse said as he walked over to her through the crowd as they left to get to work.

“Garen, Bekka, I don’t know how to thank you all for everything you are doing to help my granddaughter.”

Garen spoke first. “Bekka said it the other day. You are family so she is family. Family will always rescue family.

For the first time Jesse saw the limited edition G.I. Joe Action figure Bekka kept over her radios and it truly sunk in what Garen was saying.

“Well Audie I guess I can believe them.”
 
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Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
For the most part, I think we will all be sitting here waiting for Kara and Heidi to take their little drive and bring back our four new teammates.”

Yep, a little drive thru what may be hostile territory, but probably hostile knowing ccg's proclivities. :)

Texican....
 

Lone_Hawk

Resident Spook
For the most part, I think we will all be sitting here waiting for Kara and Heidi to take their little drive and bring back our four new teammates.”

Yep, a little drive thru what may be hostile territory, but probably hostile knowing ccg's proclivities. :)

Texican....
Yeah, well, we know the shit show they are driving into, not what they have to drive through to get there.... Just saying...
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The next couple of days were filled with plenty of activity. From checking and rechecking fluids, to tire pressures, to med kits. Everything was looked at, then looked at by another team. The evenings were spent looking at maps, all kinds of maps. Bekka had dug out a couple old National Geo disks with topographical maps to augment the atlases and paper maps they had on hand.

The map sets included more than just the primary and secondary routes. Those were marked on transparencies but were encrypted with a basic method. Each clear sheet had not only the route, but several stops and an anchor point. The anchor point was a dot to be lined up on a particular town or feature. If they did not know what one to put it on, the route made no sense.

Bekka and Jesse also laid out a complex radio plan. There were separate channels for talking to Penguin, Sprout, and each other. There was a primary set and an another back up set in case things were compromised or otherwise became necessary. All the personal radios were tired back to the mobiles in the vehicles as repeaters.

Angelique thought back to her training exercise. She thought she had thought of everything back then, plus some. Now, seeing this real mission planning complexity, she was humbled, impressed and a little embarrassed she had thought her own planning work good.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“You’re doing laundry again?” Kara asked Heidi.

“Well, we leave tomorrow and I didn’t bring a steamer trunk full of clothes from the cabin.” Heidi replied.

“Shoot, I didn’t even think about that.” Kara said. She started thinking on the issue. A few moments later she remembered something. “I might have a solution. Once you get that load started, come with me.”

Heidi wasn’t sure what Kara had up her sleeve.

Not long after, Kara and Heidi were walking round the connexes down at the training building.

“So, you were saying there’s a stash of clothes my size down here.” Heidi asked once again.

“Yeah, I didn’t think about it earlier. There should be at least some stuff you and Emilia can fit into.” Kara said as she opened the connex she was looking for.

The first thing they saw when Kara opened the door was a full-sized carousel horse. There were stacks of boxes and more clutter in the connex. Kara knew Garen had swept through here at least twice looking for stuff, but that was before Christmas and he had no reason to make note of clothes no one here at the time could wear.

Kara also remembered going connex to connex collecting any box marked toys when they put together gifts for Larrissa’s kids.

“Alright, we are looking for boxes marked ‘Brooke’. There should be some in here with her clothes. I’ll go through the bags over here by the door.” Kara pointed at some bags of stuff thrown haphazardly just inside the connex under the horse. She knew Garen tossed them here when they put away some of the stuff from Terry’s Suburban. They should have clothes and stuff Terry, Kelly and Brooke had with them on their escape trip.

For some time, all that was heard was the shuffling of boxes as one then another were opened and rummaged. After Kara had a small pile of things, she swapped places with Heidi so Heidi could go through the pile Kara had made. She started checking sizes and holding things up to herself to see about fit.

Kara was towards the back of the connex now, her headlamp throwing crazy shadows. She came across one box marked ‘shower’. This intrigued her. Opening it up, it seemed to be stuff from a bridal shower and other assorted naughty bits. She made a mental note of its location for another project she had in mind for later. She kept digging.

Heidi was finishing sorting the pile when she heard a triumphant ‘aha’ from Kara in the back. Kara came up towards the front, a box in her hands and a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

“Hang on, I found just the thing for you.” Kara said as she put the box down and opened the lid.

“What did you find?” Heidi asked apprehensively.

Kara opened the box and pulled out a t-shirt. Heidi tried to read the writing on it.

St Elizabeth Jr High
Varsity
Cheerleading

“Ha Ha, very funny!” Heidi shook her head at Kara’s joke.

“I’m not kidding. It’s the right size to fit both of you. There are at least a dozen in here, along with a couple of full uniforms and sweatshirts.” Kara said, her grin still in place. Her grin was both disarming and infectious. Kara continued. “Now, if I could only find the pom-poms” she mused.

Heidi was giggling now in spite of herself.

“OK, you win. T-shirts and sweatshirts, I can deal with. I am not wearing the cheerleading uniform though.” Heidi said with mock seriousness.

Kara thought for a second. She hadn’t thought about the uniform. An image of Heidi in it flashed in her head. To defuse the thought she started talking again.

“Maybe we give the uniform to Emilia.” She posed to Heidi.

“NO! Poor Brody would have a stroke!” Heidi burst out laughing followed by Kara. Both could picture Brody vapor locked and drooling on the front step with Emilia, pigtails, pom-poms and all standing in front of him.

When they had recovered from their laughing fit, they boxed up what they were taking back up to the house. They still had a lot to do before they left tomorrow.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Kara and Heidi stood next to their vehicle. This was the last minute checks and double checks. Kara could hear Garen’s voice mimicking the Senior Master Sergeant.

‘Survive with what is in your pockets. Fight with what’s in your webbing and pouches. Live with what is in your pack.’

She went through things with Heidi, who was taught similar lessons early on as well. They talked though the first half a dozen rally points if they got separated and or lost the vehicle. They checked maps, food, water, batteries, chargers, spare radio comms check, and so on and so forth.

Their packs were just inside the doors to the back seat, along with the bags of extra ammo and their bigger long guns and the ammo to feed them. The carbine sized weapons were up front with them. Helmets with night vision goggles were ready and checked. A handheld thermal monocular was in the center console. Finally, Heidi knew they were just stalling. Time to get on the road.

Everyone came out to see them off. Hugs all around, admonishments to be careful, Garen and Bekka asking last minute questions. All of this was over quickly. Soon, the Suburban was slowly rolling down the road to the front gate. Angelique and Emilia were standing on the rear bumper, hanging onto the roof rack like old school firemen on the back of a pumper truck.

At the gate, Angelique showed Emilia the combination and where the release for the road gate was, their whole purpose in coming down. This also meant Kara and Heidi didn’t have to get out and delay while they messed with the gate.

Once the gate was opened, Kara and Heidi drove through into the diminishing light of the late afternoon. The idea was since sound travels better at night, they didn’t want to be making a bunch of noise right at the gate when it would carry the best. Heidi waved at Emilia as they went by. On down the road they went.
 

Landcruiser

Contributing Member
How many miles is it to the destination?
I'm wondering how long it will take the Quick response team to get to the Farm once the fun starts... but the info would also be pertinent to Kara's current trip.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Well, Henrik said they were going to run short a couple hundred miles from their goal, and that's also what Jesse relayed. The route for Kara and Heidi and the reduced speed of travel, they are doing it over two days.

As for how fast the QRF can get there? good question!
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
On down the road they went.

Been away for a few days trying to help In-laws w/ some aging-in-place stuff which went as well as you might expect :bhd:
Anyway, we all survived and I'll be hot on the trail of our crew later today; some catch up reading to do, first.

Looks like I made it back JIT :)
Even knowing we're approaching a hellish transition point hasn't lowered my pulse CCG so, when you're ready. I'm still quite interested in how or if Penguin & clan factor in, going forward.

:applaud::applaud:
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“So we have a crew out. That means, you guys are now on short leash. Your truck outside under the carport along with my Subaru. All your stuff is ready, right?” Bekka asked Allyson and Angelique. She knew Allyson understood standby alert type of posture, but it was something new for Angelique.

“Vehicle prepped and ready, topped off, spare everything in the truck, ready to go. We have the passenger side back seat empty incase Zed is going for a mechanical emergency.” Allyson confirmed for Bekka.

“And my tool set is packed and by the door to the garage, along with the rest of my gear if I’m needed.” Zed said before Bekka could ask.

“Depending on who is doing what, one of us will ride down in the back of the truck to take care of the gate.” Garen added.

Jesse just stood in awe. Everyone was moving heaven and earth to make sure his granddaughter made it here. The way they went about everything was with so much planning and organization. It put most things he ever did in the military to shame. Most of it seemed to flow from Garen and Bekka. They seemed to be the sort where if they didn’t start out in charge, they would be quickly unless someone kept a tight rein on them.

With the team out the door, Jesse knew he better get some sleep. He had late night radio watch tonight and needed to be rested for it.
 
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ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Kara was driving while Heidi kept up with the navigation duties. For the most part, it was a bit spooky. They saw no other vehicles out on the road. It’s simple to say and think. It was eerie to behold after a while.

“So, you still good with the ‘go a few hours, stop, eat, go some more then sleep‘ plan?” Heidi asked Kara.

“Yeah, that will put us close enough to roll in tomorrow evening without being exhausted as long as we do a mid-day stop for a nap and food.” Was Kara’s reply.

“My bio-clock is all kinds of screwed up anyway. Just let me know when you want me to drive.” Heidi offered.

“OK. I’ll probably want to do most of the driving though. If I’m sitting over there, I have a tendency to fall asleep as a passenger.”

The miles slowly rolled under their wheels.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Allyson could only watch Angelique twitch and sputter for so long. This was the part she herself hated, the waiting. At least she had practice at it and didn’t annoy everyone else around her with the twitching and the nervous energy. Angelique was going to wear herself into a frazzle at this rate if she didn’t do something.

“Angelique. Why don’t you go do something? Your dad and Emilia are downstairs with Garen going over some medical shit. Why don’t you go join them, or read a book, or watch a movie or something?”

“I don’t want to be in the middle of something if they call” was Angelique’s quick reply.

“Look,” Allyson paused “you won’t be any good if you wear yourself out before they call, which they probably won’t. It’s an inverse proportion thing; the more ready the response is, the less likely it is they will be needed. They will get there tomorrow night, refuel them, start back the next morning, and get back here. We are just in case something happens they can’t handle. Think about that part. For us to be needed, it has to be too much for Kara and Heidi.”

Angelique saw the wisdom and more importantly, the experience in Allyson’s words. She wasn’t saying don’t be ready, she was saying if you are ready, then don’t stress about it. She didn’t know what would be too big a problem for Kara and Heidi to deal with or skirt around.

“Yeah, I guess you are right.” Angelique conceded.

“Tell you what. Why don’t you go take a shower, relax, maybe read one of those trashy romance novels you have hidden on the bottom shelf of the bookcase up in the room or take a nap. I’m going to crash out on Kara’s couch in the garage so I will be right downstairs if anything happens.”

“OK” Angelique squeaked. She was a little embarrassed Allyson saw those ‘novels’ on the bookcase. Calling them novels implied a storyline. She also knew Allyson was right, she needed to relax her mind and charge her batteries. If they were needed, they needed to be rested.
 

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The shower felt good and seemed to bleed off some of the tension in her muscles. Angelique didn’t know what to do though. She couldn’t seem to get her brain to lock onto anything. She stood there wrapped in a towel looking at her gear and clothes. She thought back to a conversation she had once with Kara.

She had asked Kara something about always being in so little clothing when she was running around the house. She had mostly asked because she didn’t understand it, being so shy herself about such things. Kara’s answer made sense and was from a completely different direction than she expected.

“Basically, I’m lazy. I hate doing laundry, and I figure to get dressed for what my need for the day is. Until I know what that will be, I don’t put a lot on that I will have to take off to really get dressed for something.”

With that mindset, Angelique re-evaluated what she was going to put on vs what she was going to have ready. All her gear was already loaded into her pants and warbelt, her plate carrier and her smock were in the truck already. What did she really need to wear to speed up getting out the door compared to being comfortable and relaxed? As long as she was hanging out up here in her room, she decided on underwear. Socks, panties and a bra should be enough. She still had too much modesty and wasn’t as bold as Kara to run around topless, even here in the room while she was sharing it with Allyson, and besides, she had a little more than Kara did to keep from bouncing around.

She figured it wouldn’t take more than twenty or thirty seconds to slide on her combat shirt, pull on her pants and cram her feet into her boots. Then she would put on her warbelt as she got moving. She could lace up her boots in the truck. She looked over at the bookshelf then decided on a nap instead.
 
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