Story Market Day

[ComCamGuy]

Zed was evaluating his ‘combat load’ for his upcoming mission as well. He didn’t want this to be an assault on another group. He wanted information. He also knew he had to prepare in case it went sideways. In this, he had confidence in his pick for the trip. He wanted to do this more like a cross between Kit Carson and the Viet Nam Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol guys.

He had quite a few magazines for his Valmet 62. The Finnish AK variant was a wonderful find in the bin of AKs in Garen’s stockpile of captured and recovered. He spent long hours searching the magazines for the right ones for it as well. He wished he had one of those South African battle vests to put it all in, but those all got snapped up after they were made famous after being used in some movie.

If this evolved into a firefight, they were doing everything wrong. They were supposed to be ghosts, floating along unseen, gathering data, striking only when and if they had to. That was why he picked who he did. He kept reminding himself light and lethal. He needed every pound to be justified. He would remind the other two when they got ready as well.

Camera, monocular or binoculars, lightweight sleeping bag, bivy sack, dehydrated food, rope, flexi-cuffs, and so on and so forth. Zed tried to think and then tried to eliminate as much fluff as he could. The weather here made more gear necessary than walking in the bush in Africa. He tried to think about this as a hunting reconnaissance. Couldn’t let the game see you and spook. Had to see where they were and what their habits were. They might get the opportunity to discuss the situation as well.

Zed tried to keep his brain moving. He was reminded of something his grandfather told him. ‘Old men need their sleep, but they don’t need a lot of it.’ He was still quite awake and could do these things while the others got some rest.

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[Sportsman]

Thank you. Moving right along now.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Valmet 62

 

[ComCamGuy]

No one felt they had enough rest to really be ‘rested’ but they knew they needed to move forward. Allyson was in the lead. She wanted to get everyone back to Garen and Bekka’s. They were worn out, she was worn out and everyone needed to decompress. She didn’t know where everyone was going to sleep or where they were putting everyone, but it would be better than the front seat of a truck in the middle of a cemetery.

She had a bunch of post-it notes across the dash of her vehicle for all her turn points. With the new route they were taking, she was worried she would miss a turn and get them hopelessly lost.

 

[ComCamGuy]

In the back of the group, things were a little different. Andrea was still worried about Sabine, but she knew Sabine was now in the best hands they could manage. She was still confused by her new co-pilot.

Angelique or Belyana, or whoever the **** she is, was a confusing person. It took a bit until she caught her with her guard down to realize how young she was. Andrea knew she couldn’t be more than maybe twenty but when they first met, there was absolutely no way she would have thought that. In a strange way, she reminds her a tiny bit of a young Sabine; all fierce when she needs to be, but a completely different person underneath.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Kara, Paige, Karl, Karen, and Heidi. They stood in a small circle discussing the route and the order of driving for the next leg of their journey. Five vehicles, four with trailers of some sort. They needed to think things through. The pros and cons of positions were debated and argued a little but it came down to methods and capabilities in the end.

Heidi in the Suburban would be the lead vehicle. She knew where they were going. They put Karen next in the appropriated SUV with the little farm truck trailer next. Karl was the center of the formation with the big pickup and trailer carrying the tractor and supplies. Next would be Kara in the van with the trailer. This put the other person who knew where they were going at almost the other end of the convoy.

Paige was bringing up the rear. Her Cherokee and trailer were more designed and loaded for maneuvering and long distance travel. She also had the other main firepower in case it was necessary.

Some more time was spent getting all the frequencies they could be using programed into the radio in Karl’s truck. This gave them three powerful radios to work with. With the new route they were taking, it would be four or five more hours at best, but probably more before they got to Bekka and Garen’s house. Then they might be able to relax.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Bekka and Olivia found a spot they could hunker down in until Jesse gave them more of a direction or place they needed to be. It was on the back side of a hill, halfway up. A stand of pines covered an area at least fifty or sixty feet across intermixed with rock outcroppings and would provide shelter from most of the elements. Bekka picked a spot for them to fortify against the weather.

“Here’s the plan Olivia. We need to stay hidden as much as possible. I’m going to string up this tarp to keep the rain off of us, but we need to keep it hard to see. I need you to go to the other trees and gather armloads of pine needles. We are going to use those to make us comfortable. While you do that, I’ll work at camouflaging the tarp so we can have a fire in here without glowing like big fireflies holding a ‘come get me’ sign up.”

Bekka pulled the shemagh off her neck and handed it to Olivia. “Here, use this to hold the needles. Don’t go beyond the trees, otherwise, they might see you.”

“OK, Bekka, be right back.”

Bekka watched Olivia take off with that boundless energy of youth.

 

[ComCamGuy]

Bekka pulled out the surplus British Basha tarp from her pack. It was the British equivalent to a shelter half; nothing more than a camouflage tarp with loops and eyelets. She kept half a dozen bungee cords in the stuff sack with it. She could set up a tent-like structure quickly with it.

By the time she had the tarp in place, Olivia was coming back with her first bundle of pine needles.

“Cool! Put those right here. We probably need about three more loads like that. If you run across small sticks and such, snare them as well.”

The late afternoon moved into evening as they prepared a spot to hide and wait. Once the area was hidden, they inventoried the equipment and resources they had. Bekka consolidated stuff from her two bags. Some of it she gave to Olivia to use or put in her bag, including a shemagh of her own. One of the things Bekka pulled out to pass the time was a pair of playing cards. She had the plastic cards in the bottom of her pack for occasions just like this; needing to pass the time in the middle of a trip.

The evening wore on. Dinner was splitting an MRE supplemented with some jerky. After dinner, they played rummy for a couple hours before calling it a night. The Stadium blanket was laid out as a ground cloth and the super-compressed sleeping bag went over the both of them like a blanket. With Olivia snuggled up to Bekka, the two slept. Trying to recharge seriously depleted batteries.

 

[Sportsman]

Thank you. Moving right along now. Appreciate the multiple chapters in one day!

 

[Lake Lili]

Thanks CCG!

Lili

 

[ted]

Thank you.

 

[Tsam]

Thanks

 

[ComCamGuy]

Allyson led them through the dark of the night. She felt the weight of her responsibility. Looking in every corner, at every bush, she was wearing her nerves out at an exponential rate. It was different when she had Angelique beside her. They split the load and responsibility on the way out. Now, there were three other vehicles and their occupants depending on her. The hours seemed to stretch forever and the miles seemed to creep by, but they were making progress.

Isadora was worried. She hated being separated from everyone, all alone in her vehicle. She was, in a strange way, a social creature. Not in the standard ‘social butterfly’ sort of way per say. She just was used to having her family always around in one way or another. To occupy her mind, she tried to think about which things needed planting in what order for the garden as she drove behind Allyson’s truck.

David tried to keep his mind on task, but it kept drifting. All of the things they still needed to do, all of the things he was scared they would forget or not know how to do. He wondered if this was what his parents felt like in Sarajevo.

Andrea and Angelique were in the last position. Andrea was driving, freeing up Angelique to follow the map and keep look out for trouble. Several times Andrea tried to start up some conversation with Angelique to pass the time but Angelique wasn’t up for it. She was too busy trying to stay on top of everything Allyson had told her to pay attention to, especially since, if anything happened to Allyson, it would be up to her to take over leading the remaining group.

 

[txs]

In post 5007 it says there are 5 vehicles, this posts says 4, please elucidate! And thank you Sir!

 

[ComCamGuy]

In post 5007 it says there are 5 vehicles, this posts says 4, please elucidate! And thank you Sir!

The group with Paige, Karl, Heidi, Karen and Kara has five vehicles
The group with Allyson, Andrea, David, and Isabela has four vehicles

 

[txs]

thank you sir i got confused. I'm going to have to make a flow chart to hang on the wall to keep track of all these folks.

 

[ComCamGuy]

thank you sir i got confused. I'm going to have to make a flow chart to hang on the wall to keep track of all these folks.

Talk with Griz3752, he has a full venti and herringbone flow chart, wit 27 8x10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the backs of each one

 

[txs]

and then there is the aerial photography.

 

[Shooter]

Twenty-seven 8 by 10 colored glossy pictures, and the judge walked in, sat
Down, with a seein' eye dog and he sat down. We sat down

Obie looked at the seein' eye dog then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10
Colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the
Back of each one and looked at the seein' eye dog and then at
The twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows
And a paragraph on the back of each on and began to cry

Because Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American
Blind justice,

 

[Sportsman]

Thank you, that's a great morning fix. But, it'll soon be afternoon!

 

[ted]

Thank you

 

[Freebirde]

Quoting "Alice's Restaurant" goes to further show that you are my kind of people.

 

[Cohickman]

thank you sir i got confused. I'm going to have to make a flow chart to hang on the wall to keep track of all these folks.

Shheeeeessssse, keep up dude. This story is easier to follow that the yellow brick road.

Sarcasm off. LOL I think CCG is doing a great job if keeping our mental synapses lubricated!!!

 

[Griz3752]

thank you sir i got confused. I'm going to have to make a flow chart to hang on the wall to keep track of all these folks.

MS Project or Visio work great or you can do it in Excel

Bite the bullet and really think about how you need the info presented. Way back I was just tracking the story as it unfolded but had to redo the whole thing showing the separate books w/ lots of notes referring fwd & back and that was prior to learning this could be 6-9 volumes!

I want to see how many whiteboards he has in his writing area!

 

[Griz3752]

Talk with Griz3752, he has a full venti and herringbone flow chart, wit 27 8x10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the backs of each one

Got to redo the whole thing; the last transition plus my computing/SW upgrades are not playing well so, wipe - reload - start again on a clean slate.

And TXS, he's blowing smoke about the 8x10s; I have some Polaroids and a tote full of coloured stickies and legal pads but that's it.

 

[Remedy]

Got to redo the whole thing; the last transition plus my computing/SW upgrades are not playing well so, wipe - reload - start again on a clean slate.

And TXS, he's blowing smoke about the 8x10s; I have some Polaroids and a tote full of coloured stickies and legal pads but that's it.

Requesting copies please.

 

[Chapulin]

CCG can post pictures, where are yours? Are you telling me your cell phone can't take pictures? I guess the string fell out of the cup.

 

[Griz3752]

Requesting copies please.

Ahh... I sense a business opportunity how best to gladden the mercenary heart of an old sales guy?!!?

 

[ComCamGuy]

The part to worry is it’s all just in my head, no whiteboard.

 

[Sportsman]

Actually the part to worry about is that ccg keeps it all in his head ALONG WITH his day job info!

 

[Lone_Hawk]

The part to worry is it’s all just in my head, no whiteboard.

That is why I read, let it just flow around me, and enjoy... Oh.... BTW.... MOAR!!!

 

[Griz3752]

Actually the part to worry about is that ccg keeps it all in his head ALONG WITH his day job info!

We'll have to be nicer to him - no stressful demands & such; purely self serving of course but if he strokes out, we're pooched.

 

[ComCamGuy]

We'll have to be nicer to him - no stressful demands & such; purely self serving of course but if he strokes out, we're pooched.

wife already told me if that happens, she will just start making up random shit and claiming it was in my notes

example from her- Sabine hallucinates in drugged stupor and beats Andrea to death then makes it look like Paige did it, telling everyone Paige killed Henrik and Sabine covered it up for Paige

 

[Lake Lili]

wife already told me if that happens, she will just start making up random shit and claiming it was in my notes... example from her- Sabine hallucinates in drugged stupor and beats Andrea to death then makes it look like Paige did it, telling everyone Paige killed Henrik and Sabine covered it up for Paige

The Queen of your Realm has an evil twisted sense of play... I like it... [bowing to the Queen]

 

[ComCamGuy]

Actually the part to worry about is that ccg keeps it all in his head ALONG WITH his day job info!

teaching EMT Refresher all day. Thats why today’s entry was small

 

[Griz3752]

wife already told me if that happens, she will just start making up random shit and claiming it was in my notes

example from her- Sabine hallucinates in drugged stupor and beats Andrea to death then makes it look like Paige did it, telling everyone Paige killed Henrik and Sabine covered it up for Paige

but those could work!!!

 

[Cohickman]

CAB, Rapid assessment, DCAP-BTLS, secondary assessment, high-flow O2, transport, transfer to higher medical authority.

Ok class over, now back to the important stuff!!!

 

[ComCamGuy]

“ATC to all Aircraft. NOTAM. Remote lights inoperative. Radio prior to arrival to give us a chance to turn the lights on.”

Everyone at the house were wiped out. Garen was napping in an office chair rolled into the makeshift infirmary slash guest room. He was keeping an eye on all three of their patients. He had Doug sacked out on the day bed in his and Bekka’s bedroom figuring one of them needed to be rested. No telling if they would have more casualties coming in.

Emilia was asleep in one of the rooms down in the training building. She knew her primary job would be to open the gate for the crews coming back. That wasn’t the part that worried her. Zed told her if there was an emergency, it would be him and her going out. She wanted to step up, sure, but this would be a huge step. He told her to get her kit together and get rest. Her stuff was as ready as she knew how. She tried to sleep.

Jesse was resting on the couch. He sent the radio call for people to call in before arrival so they could unlock the gate. With Emilia down in the Training Building for that, now he was laying on the couch in a light sleep. The group was too small and spread out for twenty-four-hour shifts, something for them to remember for any future endeavors.

As Jesse was drifting off, he wondered about Zed’s plan for recovering Bekka. He knew if anyone could do the driving, Paige should be able to. That wasn’t the part he worried about. It was Zed out prowling with Angelique and Kara. They had no real way to help them in a hurry since Zed didn’t even know if there were roads in the area they would be sneaking.

 

[Sportsman]

Thank you. A nice installment before starting the day's chores.