The cold underground chamber waited a hundred and fifty years, dark and oxygenless. Near one end sat six high-tech coffins, glass frosted by temperatures within the hovered far below freezing. Another far larger shape squatted unseen nearby.

Suddenly, relays began clicking as the computer received the long-awaited ELF recall code signal. red lights began flickering to life on the control panel.  First one, then another, then a dozen. One by one the red lights turned green. Red emergency lights came on, reflecting off the rough concrete walls and smooth floor with a dim reddish glow. The inert gas filling the room was sucked out, replaced by oxygenated atmosphere. Batteries were charged. The magnetic bottle in the Ranger's power cell was powered up and the fusion reaction initiated.

The computer lacked a CRT screen, not even a monochrome one. Instead, it possessed a primitive analogue display where idiot lights, dials and displays conveyed a bare minimum of information. Thre was a clicking as the computer read out an alphanumeric code that was backlit for visibility:


RECALL    CODE
AUTHENTICATION A U 1 6 8 B B 3 D 0 0 9 R 4 1

  CURRENT DATE 02 02 2141

Then it shut down.

All at once the freeze chambers lit up from within. Microwaves warmed flesh. Drugs were injected into veins. Pneumatic arms delivered CPR to start hearts beating again. Soon, the sleepers awoke, confused and disoriented as the lids to their cryotubes hissed and opened to the cold air.

They were alive!

You awake as your tubes open, clad only in your underwear. IV tubes stick out of your arms. Pads trailing wires are stuck to your scalp, torso and limbs. The room is dimly lit but still, the light hurts your eyes.

Around your neck is the MPID card that will unlock the locked drawers at the base of the tubes that hold your clothing and weapons.

WAKEUP PROCEDURE:

1. Get fully dressed.
   
2. Verify bolthole integrity with visual inspection.
   
3. Determine cause of wakeup via analogue console display. If wakeup was initiated by breach or structural failure, initiate immediate evacuation and defensive protocol.
   
4. RTO and/or TL verifies recall code is authentic via display.
   
5. If recall code is authentic, Team Leader deploys periscope to raise antenna.
   
6. RTO contacts Prime, Regional or Group command while TL surveys outside area.
   
7. After receiving instructions from command via radio, team undergoes post-wakeup medical examination, equips personal gear, cleans and loads their personal weapons, inspects the team equipment, loads and preps vehicle for exit.
   
8. TL may elect to have one or more team members exit via personnel exit to provide cover for vehicle exit and inspect door for exterior blockage.
   
9. Controls for main vehicle door and hydraulic rams are activated.
   
10. Any and all remaining team members mount up vehicle.
    
11. Vehicle exits bolthole.

FINAL NOTES:

• Nominal time period between wakeup and full team deployment is around 2 hours. This leisurely pace is predicated on the fact that after years of dormancy the team will not be able to function at peak efficiency if pushed too hard, too soon. If they waited that long they can wait a little longer and make sure they are really ready to go.
• If the TL deems it necessary he or she can order the team to arm up immediately, but as team weapons are coated in oil to preserve them a cleaning is recommended first.
• Authentication was via daycodes cross-referenced in code books (CEOIs) carried by the team RTO.

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Tue 17 May 2016.

Jimmy MacGuire (Who answers variably and amiably to "Jim" "Jimmy" "Jerry" "Mac" and even at times "Hey you" of "Fatass") slowly sits up and shivers as he smacks his tongue inside his mouth audibly, before gingerly slipping to the floor and opening his locker.

"Anyone find the mouse that was sleeping in my mouth?"  He grimaces slightly then chuckles.  "Cause I can still taste his wee little arse!"  Jimmy could be rude and crude at times, and waking up after cold sleep was apparently no exception.

He looks around a moment to make sure the rest of the team is waking, and the bolt hole seems normal, then he goes about the business of getting dressed.  Him dressing is a mercy for some, for skinny was something Jimmy was rarely accused of, not that the Project or the military every let him get actually fat, but he tended to carry a few extra pounds.. blame it on his genetics if you will.

After dressing in his green MP coverall and pushing his feet into his boots he slips into his webgear and does a quick check on his weapons before holstering them and picking up his pack and personal box and heading over to the table to sit down... his eyes drifting over to the computer console and brows shooting up.

"Fuck.. does that thing really say 2141?  Hope that was the only malfunction that beastie made."

He looks back to his team mates as they join him, and around the vault again, as if to confirm all is intact.  He shakes his head and starts the process of oiling his weapons and making certain they are ready to perform.  Jimmy had picked loadout #2 (M16A1 w/ 203) as compact and utilitarian.  He didn't trust regular grenades much, too much chance of a drop or fumble.

Jimmy makes quick work of his firearms cleaning, he'd picked the M16 out of familiarity and utility, being a US Army vet, and in this lethargic sortof groggy state that helps.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Tue 17 May 2016.

Alice lies there and shiver, oh mother that is so cold. No you idiots she thinks you did not explain the effects accurately.
Okay well if I am awake that means I have survived.
"Would some one please put the coffee on and send out for some bagels" she calls out.
"Mean time I deserve another 30 minutes of lie in"

Blinking was painful and so was swallowing. Tim took a minute or two to realise where he was and what was going on and then he started removing the various tubes and cords attached to his body. Squinting against the light it took him a couple of tries to get his card in the slot and to get his drawers open. After getting dressed he holstered his automatic, waiting until more pressing concerns were dealt with to clean it.

Tim looks at the readout that Jimmy had pointed out as he made his way to the console display to see what was going on. As he cracked open the code card he says "All right lets get this show on the road. I will authenticate the wake up code anyone who does not have a task right now can begin on their personal gear and don a combat load-out."

Looking over the jumble of letters and numbers on the card versus the read out on the screen he taps the card a couple of times on the screen as he speaks. "Looks authentic so we are a go. I will deploy the periscope now and Mahalina you should be good for making contact with command."

-

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 4):

The day-code was authentic. (When Mahalina checked her CEOI, she concurred.) Tell-tales indicated that the wakeup cycle was initiated by reception of a recall code. Further, all systems seemed to be in the green. Bolthole integrity wasn't breached, power was on. Atmosphere was obviously safe, all boltholes were initiating their revival cycle and all six were in the green.

The computer had also initiated power up of the Ranger's fusion-electric power plant. A several-million volt current was shunted from the bolthole's fusion cell to the Ranger via a thick black umbilical cable. Assuming it hadn't come loose or malfunctioned, this would have powered up the magnetic containment bottle and initiated thermonuclear fusion.

There was no thick layer of grey dust in the bolthole, although the walls and ceiling were made of rough, unfinished concrete. Evacuation of the inert gasses and the flooding of the chamber by breathable oxygen as part of the wakeup cycle had seen to that.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 4):

Sighing, Bobby sat up.

"Christ. I feel rode hard and put away wet. Yeah, probably the date counter is wrong. Piece of crap."

Sliding awkwardly out he held onto the side of the tube to maintain his balance. Dressing quickly in his BDUs, boots,and beret. He threw on his pistol belt, charged his Hi-power, safetied and then holstered it.

"Hey Chief," he addressed Tim. "I'll inspect the Ranger. It's a little ahead of schedule but better to find out sooner rather than later if the power plant's started ok." He wandered over to the Ranger and pulled off the cover sheet, opened the driver's door.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:16, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Robert 'Bobby' Michael Kastelein (msg # 6):

Tina dressed as well. Instead of her sidearm she grabbed a flashlight and began charging it by cranking the handle. There was an annoying whine from the flywheel inside.

"I'll do the visual inspection of the bolthole."

Proceeding to do just that she commented, "Looks intact and structurally sound. No evidence of moisture or significant damage. Some spiderwebbing the walls, ceiling and floor near the rear wall... Southeast corner, I guess, by the antenna attachment point. Could have been a nuke strike or even seismic activity."

"Let me know if you need a hand with that radio set Mahalina.  Tina.. any sign of that damn mouse?"

He shook his head and got back to cleaning and inspecting his gear, looked like the 'Contact Man' was going to be one of the first ready for rock and roll, it makes him smirk.. just a moment.

He mutters under his breath, loud enough to be understood by most if they wish.

"Toujours Pret, motherfuckers." And with that, he had seated the bolt in his M16 and stood up.

He spoke up "Tina, me lass, I know we are in slow mode but us scouts should probably be the first ready to be hot.  Where are you at with your weapons?"

He wobbled a moment on his feet, grimaced.

"But don't stress yourself..."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 8):

She grinned back as she finished her inspection.

"Considering we ain't at the "get loaded for bear" part of the checklist, but we are at the "inspect the bolthole" step, I'm not stressed at all. You might want to relax there, cowboy. Doesn't look like anyone's gonna burst in here the next couple minutes.

"Me? I'm gonna have a drink, we all need to re-hydrate."

"Ah right.  Let me get that for you..." Jimmy wobbled a little more and sat back down on the bench.  "Or might you be a dear and get that for me?"

He pulled out a harmonica, tried to get some spit going and shakes his head, tucking it back in a pocket.

"I will regale you all with a song, once I have spit again... I think that mouse pooped on my tongue while he was nesting..."  He rises again, much more stable.  "I have the water, lass."

Saying that, he checks stores and tries for some starting water for everyone.  If found he passes it on out.

Lina woke slowly.  Her head hurt and her mouth was very dry. This was worse than the first time she got drunk.  Her older brother and his girlfriend let her drink all of the peppermint schnaps that she wanted.  The day after, she never wanted another drop of it.

She slotted her card and pushed up the canopy.  Lina slowly sat up removed the various electrodes stuck to her and pulled the IV.  A few drops of blood dribbled down her arm. She slid off of the bed and stood uneasily.  When she got her equilibrium, Lina pulled her gear out and got dressed. She left her her pack and carbine at the foot of tube. Lina slipped a magazine into the butt of her Browning and holstered it. She grabbed her web gear on, leaving the belt unbuckled. Good enough for now, she thought.

She went across the bolthole and climbed into the Ranger through the back doors as Bobby was in the front. She lifted the closest PRC-70 off it's mount on the bulkhead and a battery out of the charger.  She took it all over to the command console and assembled it. She screwed the antenna down into it's port and powered it on.  The test procedure she was taught showed her that it was working fine.

"I got it, Jimmy.  Just leave me alone for a few. And it's just Lina. How many times have I told you guys?", Lina replied, sounding a bit annoyed. Only her mother had called her Mahalina and it didn't sound right to her when others said it.

She flipped through the laminated cards on a lanyard around her neck and confirmed the CEOI.  All of the codes were authentic and as expected.

"Hey, Tim! Radio is up!" Lina said loudly.  Tim was already herding the team and was distracted.

"The authentication codes for team activation are correct. I'm going to scan the freaks to see if anyone is out there. No transmissions until you give the word."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:17, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 10):

Going over to the OD Green wall locker marked "EMERGENCY SUPPLIES LOCKER #1", he opened it and found the dehydrated ration pack (camp stove and purification tablets included) and Large Medkit.

In the bottom half were several plastic jugs filled with water, lids capped with breakaway tabs to ensure they were not previously used. There were also several boxes of juice.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 10):

"Well thank you suh. Quite the gentleman. Just the thing for my parched throat." She smiled again, flirting with Jimmy a little. An effect spoiled by a dry cough from a parched throat.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 11):

"Great Lina, let me know when you have command on the line." He moved the periscope down and began to scan the surrounding area while taking note of the readings being give by the sensors.

The date kept flashing into his train of thought as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 14):

The periscope was power-assisted to allow it to push through a metre or so of dirt.

When it broke through the surface, it showed that it was daytime. They were in a thick forest (not unexpected, most of this part of Washington outside the I-5 corridor was forest; logging was a major source of revenue). They were in shadow dut to the trees.

It was raining.

In reply to Project Director (msg # 15):

Tim gave the periscope several 360 degree turns before taking his head away from the eye piece. "Listen up everyone. We are in somewhat dense forest and it is raining as expected. I saw no signs of human activity and all the sensors seem to indicate everything is O.K atmosphere wise outside of the bolt hole. So we are moving out in 120 mikes. I also need a volunteer to egress via the personnel exit to check we are going to be able to open the main doors. Once you have finished with your personal gear I want everyone to work up the ranger and load it. Any questions ? Alright lets get to it."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:43, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 14):

"Copy that.  Breaking radio silence on your command.", Lina answered.  She consulted the laminated card on her lanyard and then set the radio to the appropriate frequency and crypto code.

She listened for a few moments.  Then she keyed the microphone twice and waited.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 16):

Once the periscope was raised it could measure the atmosphere for chemical, biological or radiological hazards. The first two were clear, which was not terribly unlikely. Without knowing their exact location it was impossible to know the natural background radiation for this area but nevertheless the count seemed quite low.

This was also to be expected. The whole point to freezing teams for up to five years post-war was to wait for any fallout to decay away due to a very short half-life. At this point isotopes with longer half-lives would probably be washed away or buried at this point. Even the rain didn't seem to be radioactive to any degree. It was probable that areas closer to the reactor at Hanford or the sub base at Bangor were still highly radioactive due to the extremely long half-lives of the isotopes stored there. Most cities would be safe by now as long as they were hit by nuclear airbursts.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:38, Tue 17 May 2016.

Jimmy grins when he gets the cabinet open.  "Hot damn folks, we have juice.  Bringing the water around for canteen fills, though it sounds like we have plenty right on outside."

True to his word, Jimmy will pass out juice and places large bottles on the table, and in the Ranger for ease of access for canteen fills.

"Glad to know there is still a world out there for us to look at."

When he gives Lina her juice he winks at her "Didn't want the leader to be all alone in that, you know Lina?"

He finishes with Tina, sitting on the floor near her after handing off her juice to her, and water.

"Sounds like you or me are going topside, who wants the honors?"  He grins and leans back, cracking his own juice and sucking half of it down before making a face.  "I think the wee rodent may have crawled in the juice."  He peers into the container a moment, then shrugs and takes another sip.  "Still the best thing I have had for years."

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 17):

Tim moved over to the radio and Mahaline and waited for command to answer. Again if the clock was correct, and Tim was finding it hard to believe it was not, would anyone answer ?

After a little fluids Jimmy finally pulls out a harmonica, and greets the new day/year/whatever (if that clock is somehow right on date).

Take Me Home Country Roads seems somehow appropriate, and upbeat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg9lwAknbFE

He figured that a little music might lighten the situation, ease some nerves.  He used the same trick when he was in the Cav, and packed mouth harps with good intentions for morale and relations with new folks.  Music, everyone loves it, right?

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 22):

Tim gave a visible start when the noise began to reverberate around the closed concrete box. He turns and with a somewhat pissed look on his face asks. "If you want to play that you do it on your own time and not while we are trying to make a comms check on a 150 year old radio. If you have finished with your own gear help with the ranger."

He turns back to the radio.

"I just set crypto and tuned it in. listened for a bit.  Nothing yet.  Broke squelch a couple times but no voice.  Waiting to see if anything is going to happen.", Lina said.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 24):

"I did not think they would answer right away, that would be to easy. Would the forest be interfering with the signal ?"

"Maybe. It could be trees or it could be the terrain.  I don't exactly know where we are so it's hard to know for sure. I can try morse.  It can be received over a greater distance and with a weaker signal.", Lina replied.

"You know, maybe we should get loaded up and ready to move before we start broadcasting any more.  Just in case."

Edit: spelling
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 26):

"Yes that sounds wise. We will start again when we are thirty mikes out from egress and perhaps they will contact us during the next hour and a half." Tim began to prep his own gear and then he unpacked and cleaned the MAG-58. He mounts the machine gun on to the ranger and after inspecting several boxes of linked ammunition he also adds one to the mount cradle and loads the MG.

He then lends a hand loading the various boxes and packs that also need to go in the APC.

Lina turned the radio speaker to full blast and retrieved her gear. She sat near the radio and cleaned her weapons. Then she grabbed several boxes of ammunition and started loading magazines.

Every one bring me your radios for new crypto keys.  That way everything will be secure when we need them.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 06:55, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 28):

There was a reply almost immediately after the radio was first turned on.

Prime, or whoever, was obviously standing by. The recall code had been transmitted via ELF band radio, the same that was used to communicate with submarines at sea. This was a very hard to track and would go through most terrain but was an extremely slow way to communicate; minutes would pass for a single character. Ideal for sending the one-way recall codes but not for two-way voice communication.

Long-range voice communication would occur via the UHF band (aka AM radio), which was good for transmitting long-distance because it wasn't as affected by trees or mountains as the tactical VHF band (aka FM signals). This was because it used atmospheric propagation or "bounce" to travel long distances. The UHV/AM signal could be modulated via a technique known as "Single Side Band" (SSB) to carry a voice; otherwise you could use CW (Morse Code).

Normal radio protocol was to use your call sign, and Prime did so instead of waiting for the team to transmit.

"Kilo-Romeo Fower Fower, this is Alpha Wun. Do you read me? Over."

"Alpha" was the call-sign of Prime Base. "Kilo Romeo" referenced a RECON team in Region Kilo, their region. "44" was their designation. It sounded like Prime was calling them!

As well, it wasn't likely the signal would be traced unless there was a dedicated signals warfare unit trying to do so relatively nearby. Even then, the odds were around 20%, higher if they had sophisticated computer. Not impossible but probably not a concern if they kept it short.

PD Note: I do appreciate your eagerness! But please don't assume that if I don't reply immediately, nothing has happened and so you can move along. In this case there was no delay as Prime was actually standing by.

Sometimes I want to wait for other players to post, and in this case we have a couple PCs that are getting finished up. Other times, like tonight, I just can't post immediately.

I was intending on clarifying your call sign is KR-44, and all transmissions should include this. You guys got a little ahead of me before I could clarify! As well, you'd know the chance of random RDF intercept would be minimal, although there are a lot of unknown factors. Hills and trees will affect short range tactical UHF transmissions but not long-range VHF.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:58, Mon 23 May 2016.

"oh, crap." she said to herself. She had not expected a reply from just a couple clicks of the handset.

"Tim! I have Prime! I got them."

Jimmy stops playing the harmonica and pockets it, patting the pocket and rises, finishes his juice.  then he mutters softly with a smile.  "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the Apocalypse..."

He perks up when the radio cuts into the air, then grins, addressing Tina with a low voice  "Looks like Prime is up and going, other than that clock.. hopeful.. malfunction... Let's get you all ready."  He will shrug and assist Tina with getting her stuff together, nodding his head.. then he nods.

He moves over to the center, places his empty juice box down.  "Tim, I think sending a team of two makes more sense."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 31):

Finishing up her own juice box, Tina gave Jimmy a sympathetic look when he put the harmonicas away. Although she did understand why it might seem a little intrusive under the circumstances if not distracting.

She was grateful for his help in getting her geared up. "Thanks."

"Yeah, boss. A pair of eyes up top seems like a good idea to me. I can be ready to head out in a minute. I'll want to clean my rifle at some poing but it shouldn't be a problem for now."

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 32):

Alice gets dressed and checks her equipment over including  her private items.
Then wanders over to the Ranger and starts to check it over getting it ready to drive. Alice seems to be listening to what is said just hasnot got any thing worth saying to add to the conversation

Jimmy snorts and gestures for Tina's rifle.

"Give er to me Tina, I will square it away fast, cosmoline can really gum it up.  You folks act like you never went out drinking for a week, and wake up every morning to hit the dunes at sixty miles per hour scouting in a FAV.  It's mind over matter, if you don't mind, it don't matter."

A lopsided grin, and if Tina coughed up her rife he'd settle at the table to give it the same fast, efficient clean and lube he'd done for his M16.  Everything that mattered, but nothing that didn't.  Meant you'd want to go over it better later, but it would do fine in a firefight.  They'd all learned everything the project issued, anyway.

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 32):

Bobby climbed out of the Ranger. It was still up on hydraulics, power umbilical still attached to the contact point on the hood.

"Good news, chief. Fusion cell is up and running. Batteries are charging. Computer is booting up, Autonav's spinning up. Should take a few minutes for the gyroscope to get zeroed.

"Give the word and I'll hit the switch to lower her, and take off the power cord.

"Also, the Autonav has a zero point loaded for us to calibrate the autonav. We seem to be about ten klicks or so east of Bellingham and I-5. We're in Sudden Valley on Lake Whatcom. Looks like it was a golf course before the war? Anyways, it's out of the way. There's a landing strip and seaplane base practically next door at Dutch Harbor. It's on the way to Bellingham if we take Lakeway Drive."

Through Morrow Aerospace, the Project had military-level access to the then-new GPS network. This model Autonav could automatically use it (at least when out of doors). It was assumed that navigation satellites would be high-priority targets during the war and the GPS network would be down or there would be gaps in coverage. Therefore, all model Autonavs used much older technology: microfilm map libraries coupled with inertial location via measurements taken from a gyroscope, much like you'd find in an older jet (like the Phantom) and was still used on submarines. It was effective but required a calibration point to zero-in and time to first spin up the gyroscope. It also required re-calibration every so often (days or weeks, depending on overall movement) which could be done automatically via GPS or manually.

Most Morrow Project Vehicles (MPVs) were also equipped with a Morrow Project Computer (MPC). Newer models had a powerful processor equivalent to a 486, and several megabytes of RAM. The Morrow Operating System was UNIX-based but there were emulators available for DOS, Windows and Apple operating systems. There was a tape drive, along with disk and diskette drives, newer models even had a CD-ROM drive(!). The MPC was interfaced with the Autonav and could be used to update and load new maps (although not the microfilm library), add markers and information. Data could also be sent via radio uplink, although this would require a Project Relay station for long-range or satellite transmission.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 34):

Tina looked taken aback. She seemed insulted, but quickly recovered.

"No thanks, but thanks for the offer. I stayed awake in training, and I can clean my own rifle!"

She understood Jimmy was just being helpful, eager to get going. But back in the Hendry County SO she was the first and only female deputy. Aside from overt sexism even bordering on harassment she was constantly asked by "helpful" colleagues if she needed them to help her with basic tasks like driving the shitty Dodge Diplomat police cruiser, handling prisoners, making arrests, and maybe she should stick to parking tickets because those were much easier and safer for a pretty lady like her, and oh yes, cleaning her weapons.

With that, Tina quickly broke down and cleaned her Stoner and Hi-Power, reassembling them efficiently. Not the quickest time but competent enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Tue 17 May 2016.

Prime repeated its call-sign. This wasn't unexpected. They'd presumably been waiting to hear from KR-44 and would keep transmitting until they did.

Their weapons would be easy to clean, as they were packed in oil and sealed in silver Mylar bags, not Cosmoline. Cosmoline was a petroleum product mainly used in WWII and after to preserve weapons and grease down artillery pieces. It was highly effective but was now considered obsolete (although still used in the Eastbloc nations) because cleaning it required a lot of time and effort, especially if it was hardened to a waxy coating. Like, hours of effort, careful applications of oven cleaner, ect.

As-is their weapons could be used but there was a slight chance of a failure to cycle and load a new round automatically.

PD Note: a little correction on your team name and call sign. It's KR-44. K is your Region, R for RECON, 44 is your code number and unrelated to the other two prefixes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:20, Tue 17 May 2016.

Alice comes out from the drivers position and places her weapons on the table smiles at Tina, as she strip and cleans her rifle and pistol.
Making sure all the preservative gunk is removed and the weapons clean and ready to go.

Jimmy might well pick up on that tenseness, he is good with people after all.

"Maybe I should go over my own again, just in case, then?  No offense lass, in the Cav we happily dumped weapons cleaning on anyone willing to do it.  Usually meant we went to lunch and brought them it back for the favor.  Ain't no insult."

He shrugs, starts going over his gear again.  "Different culture I suppose."

Alice looks up and smiles, "Ah cultures is it" she says softly. "Families clans and cultures three times three born on the Sea".
What sort they from the lost land over time and sea?
She blushes, "sorry Jimmy a line from a tale told in another place and time"

Jimmy shakes his head slightly.

"Lovely that.  Truly.  Tina is from a police culture, and I from a military culture, and of that I think certain things may have flavored it more.  The Cav isn't like the rest of the army, and Tina will have to fill us in on anything else on her end."

A slow breakdown and inspection on what is in his hands, to keep them busy.

"You ken me part Scot meself, and part other things too.  Americans, eh?"  That half grin again.

Tina smiled. "No offense taken. In that case, in the future you can clean my weapons any time. I'd like that, handsome."

She started reassembling her rifle, after finishing with her pistol. She was very quick and thorough, the process only taking minutes.

PD Note: Now I'm getting ahead of Mahalina on the radio! Just assume this is going on in the background as this won't affect that interaction.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:32, Tue 17 May 2016.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 30):

"Great Mahalina, great..." There was a palpable sense of relief in the tone of his reply as he moved back to the set making sure not to crowd the RTO as she did her job.
When Jimmy arrived at his shoulder Tim turned and agrees with a two man team going up top.
"Good idea both of you go and get eyes on the main door and also check the surrounding area, not to far out though. There should be a set of binoculars in the rangers gear if you need them."

Once Bobby gave the update on the Ranger and their location he says "Yes drop her down and continue prepping for our exit as we have command on the line it looks like we will not be staying." He pulls out a map and orientates himself to their location closely looking at the surrounding area and the points Bobby mentioned. If the road was not blocked the route he suggested was probably going to be the one they took.

-
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Tue 17 May 2016.

Alice grins "so where does one who flew Air-Sea Rescue with the  Coast Guard Auxiliary fit into your world"

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 43):

Nodding, Tina slung her Stoner and went to the Personnel Exit hatch.

"Jimmy, after you?"

The Personnel Exit tunnel was clear, not cofferdammed with sand or other materials. There would be a metre or so of backfill once the top hatch was opened and it would fall down into the shaft. Better Jimmy than her!

In reply to Alice Maura McCloud (msg # 44):

Waiting on Alice, Bobby stood by the power coupling on the hood of the Ranger.

The switch to lower the Ranger was on the wall.

"After you hit the switch, I'll remove the power cable.

"We still need to pack everything into the Ranger. Clean load and mount the MAG-58. We can't even mount the gunshield until we exit due to height restrictions but we can still put the gun on the top ring."

In reply to Robert 'Bobby' Michael Kastelein (msg # 46):

Alice smiles "do I look like a gun Bunny"?
"No on  second thoughts do not answer that"
She shakes her head and goes to mount the MG before heading down into her drivers seat

A slight laugh "Higher than Air Force, I guess?  You guys are special, like angels.  Not angels I needed in the Cav, but angels to many I am certain."

A wink to Tina as he sets his (badly cleaned) m16 aside and gets his full gear settled, then adds wet weather gear on top of it before heading to the ladder.

"Right Tina, stand clear while I open it.  This will probably be a mess!"

Jimmy looped web belt into the ladder at the top, cleared the security with his ID, then looked at it to see if there was any way to remotely open the damn thing and not be under a shower of dirt and mud. If he can't.. so be it.  At least he had his wet weather gear on.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Tue 17 May 2016.

Alice chuckles "angels with broken wings". "Did'nt do my Mum and dad any good in the end the storm still got them"

Just before he went up the ladder he nods.
"That was a bad storm, it got a lot of people.  Sorry."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 48):

Studying the ladder, Tina said, "if I recall the briefing, sand and dirt is laid on a ground sheet like a vapour barrier."

She went to the nearby locker, getting out the collapsible pole. She drew her bayonet and screwed it into the end socket. She handed the completed pole-arm to Jimmy.

"Here. If you open the top hatch and there's a plastic sheet or covering, poke it with this to let the ground covering out."

In reply to Alice Maura McCloud (msg # 49):

Bobby was waiting for Alice to hit the switch to lower the Ranger. It was a knife-type switch mounted on the wall.

"Ok, Alice. Any time you're ready. Once she's down I'll prep the MAG and mount it."

Lina picked up the handset and pressed the key switch.

"Alpha One.  This is Kilo Romeo Four Four.  Alpha One, Kilo Romeo Four Four. We read you. Over", she replied, slowly and clearly.  She dug a notepad and a pencil out of her cargo pocket and got ready to take notes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:00, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 53):

"Kilo Romeo Fower Fower from Alpha Wun.

"I authenticate, ah, as follows: Whiskey, Mike, Tree, Six, Niner, Niner, Tango, Too.

"Do you have, ah, good copy? Ovah."

Whoever it was had a wicked Bahstan or at least Massachusetts accent!
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:00, Mon 23 May 2016.

"Roger that, Alpha One. Good copy. Stand by."

Lina checks the code against the CEOI card for a moment and puts the handset back to her ear.

"Prepare to copy.  Authentication follows. I authenticate, Romeo, Sierra, Seven, Zero, Five, Bravo, Three, India.  Standing by."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:00, Mon 23 May 2016.

Jimmy sighs, a long heartfelt one.  He then opens the hatch.. and if the vapor barrier is intact he will accept the offered "polearm" and will start the process of clearing.

"How did I end up being the one doing this?"

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 55):

"KILO ROMEO from ALPHA.

"I, ah, authenticate ROMEO, SIERRA, Seven, Zero, Five, BRAVO, Tree, INDIA. I have good copy.

"Requesting to speak to Kilo Romeo Actual. Ovah."


Whoever it was wanted to speak to Tim, personally.

Over at the Personnel Exit, Jimmy opened the hatch and was relieved to find out the black plastic vapour barrier, while old and with a few holes, was intact. Accepting the pole from Tina he cut an "X" in the centre, then got out of the way.

Dark earth began cascading down in a column.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Mon 23 May 2016.

Tina giggled. "Because, uh, chivalry isn't dead? My hero! You're sooooo strong and brave!"

She began scooping out the dirt that collected in the bottom of the shaft using a short-handled shovel.
This message was last updated by the player at 05:04, Wed 18 May 2016.

"Copy that, Alpha.  Stand by for Actual. Over."

She set the handset down on the bench and yells across the room.

"Hey Tim!. Get over here. Prime wants to talk to you!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Mon 23 May 2016.

Jimmy grabs a shovel himself and joins her in clearing the dirt.

"You'd have thought the bastard would have died in the Apocalypse.  Bastard."

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 59):

"Thanks." He takes the handset "Alpha One this is Kilo Romeo Actual. Over."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 61):

"Kilo Romeo Actual from Alpha Wun.

"To confirm, the current date is the second of February, 2141.

"The time now is 1249, Local.

"Your location is Grid Reference Alpha Hotel Three Three Four Six, Mike Tango Seven One Eight Three.

"Do you copy? Ovah."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Project Director (msg # 62):

Tim felt a sinking feeling in his stomach "Alpha One I understand... That is quite a difference, over."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 63):

"Kilo Romeo from Alpha.

"Roger, it is. Welcome to the future.

"Your instructions are as follows: Detachment Kilo Zulu One Six Seven is en route to your position.

"RV with Kilo Zulu, then proceed west to Grid Reference Alpha Golf Three Two Four Seven, November Tango Seven One Seven Four.

"Contact this station for further instructions at that time.

"Do you copy? Over."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Mon 23 May 2016.

Jimmy stops clearing the falling soil and debris and stares in the direction of the MPV, eyes widening.

"Well... fuck."

A shadow of something crosses over his face, regret, sorrow possibly, but he grins shortly after.

"I left the oven on, hope I didn't burn the house down."

In reply to Project Director (msg # 64):

"ALpha One understood, over." Tim rubs the back of his head with his left hand. He reads out the coordinates so Mahalina can write them down in her note book.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Mon 23 May 2016.

Jimmy will work at the dirt, though he pauses for the speech, looking thoughtful, then he is back at it.

He does take a break to get a good look at the map, checking a few things to commit to memory.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:57, Thu 19 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 66):

"Kilo Romeo from Alpha.

"Please put your radio on speaker if you are on handset. The following is generally addressed to all Project members.

"This, ah, situation no doubt comes as a shock. As you can guess, circumstances prevented us from activating your team and the rest of the Project immediately after the war. The USA ceased to exist as a political entity soon after that terrible day in 1989. Since then, without our help, recovery has been very slow, minimal in most places.

"But the American people do not need radio or TV or mass media to tell them who they are. They already know this sd their birthright. It cannot be taken away from them. The great nation that you, all of you, gave up so much to protect, nurture and shepherd to greatness again is not dead. It only sleeps, awaiting your help to awaken it, to once again become a beacon of freedom and prosperity in the world.

"And you will not be alone in these efforts! Right now, teams all over America are receiving their recall codes and activating. They are meeting with, helping and organising the people they meet around them, like you were all trained to do. There is a great amount of darkness across the land, darkness of ignorance, oppression, tyranny and lawlessness. But there are also islands of light where civilisation as we know it survived, occasionally helped by Project teams that was activated for some reason on their own. By their efforts and sacrifices, and yours too, we will prevail in this difficult and monumentally important task.

"We as Americans are capable of this. Our people once walked on the moon. We will succeed in this task as well because we must, and also because the American people deserve no less from us. With the Almighty on our side, and the hands of the people to assist us, we will win over all adversity, pay any cost, near any burden. We will triumph.

"Over."

Whoever it was speaking was a gifted orator, with a great deal of experience in public speaking. Regardless if this was understood on a conscious level, everyone felt their spirits lifted and buoyed up, as if maybe things weren't hopelessly fucked up after all despite all evidence to the contrary. And maybe so but all it would take was a bit of elbow grease and American ingenuity and know-how to put things right again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Project Director (msg # 68):

Tim picked up the handset again and answered. "Understood Alpha, One Kilo Romeo out" He gives the handset to Mahalina before turning and addressing the group. "Well as you all heard we have been asleep for slightly longer then we signed up for and the good news is we are not alone, there are others out there. So the egress time stays the same and once we have eyes on the outside we can access how hard that is going to be. Then we will wait for Kilo Zulu." Tim lays out a map on the picnic table.

"I am going to pin point the grid reference we have been given and just before we leave the bolt hole I will give everyone a look at the map and a chance to jot it down. That will be our rally point should something happen and we scatter for some reason. Standard operating procedures are in effect, you can only fire if fired upon etc. Are there any questions ?"


-
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Mon 23 May 2016.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 69):

Bobby waited for Alice to hit the switch to lower the Ranger. Then he would disconnect the power umbilical from the hood.

Jimmy and Tina were almost done. The dirt started to pour down. It was dark at first for about a layer of a metre, then a kind of odd strata of greyish powdery kind of dirt for about a foot or so, then another foot of more normal seeming dark earth. Finally it stopped, but still there was no sunlight.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 69):

Over at the Personnel Exit, Tina chuckled at Jimmy's comments. She stopped and straightened up when they heard the pep talk. After, she smiled at Jimmy. "Well now. I was a little worried there for a moment, but I guess it don't matter much one way or another. We knew it was a-gonna be bad when we signed up, and I ain't the kind of gal that quits before I begin. Once the goin' gets tough, then I quit!"

She nodded at Tim. "I think we're almost done, chief." Taking out her flashlight she shone it up the shaft. "Well I'll be. Looks like a mat of roots and such. Doesn't look too thick, ain't no tree grown over the hatch. Guess we'll just have to cut through. Tell you what, handsome, hand me that short handled shovel. That should cut through nicely."

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 71):

Tim moves over to the expanding pile of soil poring out of the hatch. "O.k guys as we are going to have company arriving so lets keep it close to begin with O.K. ? Check the doors, the flanks and rear then set up a perimeter to the front we will drive out if we can and then park setting up security on the vehicle with yourselves and the dismounts, then we wait. Good luck."

He returns to the map on the table and begins to plot a course to the grid reference.

"Right, I'm the same way Tina.  Good to go until I come apart all at once, like a grenade.  Careful of the schrapnel."

He will come back down the ladder, checks the map after the radio speech from Prime.

"Sure, get on up there Tina.  Ladies first!"  He'll even hold the shovel and hand it up.

Lina sat quietly taking in the content of the broadcast from Prime.   She sighed and them plugged the next squad radio into the manpack to synch it.   Four down, two to go.

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 74):

Bobby collected personal radios from Tina, Jimmy and Alice.

He took them over to Mahalina. "Hey, 'Lina. Here you go. Need a hand?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 73):

After some cutting and chopping upwards, Tina was treated to her own shower of dirt knocked down from the carpet of roots and rootlets. They hung down in a tangle and she used the shovel to cut through them.

"Blegh! Lots of dirt... up in these here... roots!"

It looked like she was getting nowhere. "You know what would work here? Some C4. That's what my instructor said in Project demolitions class. "There is no problem that can't be solved with the proper application of explosives." True dat."

Jimmy stayed well clear of the action so that he was not needlessly showered with dirt.

He did a quick Radio Check "Jimmy, Radio Check."

Then looked up to see how Tina was doing.

"We might have to try the other exit, I don't think we want to announce our presence with explosives.  I wonder if we might have a chainsaw or sawzaw in the kit thought?"

He looks the way of the vehicle and nods "Nope.  Tina, if it wears you out let me take over and hack at it some more.  Maybe the Machete will help?"

He will go to get the machete, and stand by.  If she comes down he will take her place hacking at the roots.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 77):

Reluctantly, Tina climbed down the ladder and exited the tunnel.

"No guarantee that it'll be more clear. Could be I've got the wrong tool? Go ahead, Take your best shot!"

She accepted her radio back when Mahalina was finished with it, handing Jimmy his radio (Assuming that Jimmy doesn't refuse Bobby when the latter takes it to the team RTO to setup, as would be standard practice.)

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 74):

Setting all team radios on the proper channels and checking the encryption was a simple task for Lina.

PD Note: All players can assume they are on the correct freq. No roll is required by Lina to accomplish this. She can make a Comms check (Routine difficulty, +20% to skill) to draw some conclusions from Prime's transmission.

"No promises, but we don't need to kill ourselves with hard work right on the heels of that long freeze.  We will cycle in and out until we can get it clear."

Jimmy will hand off his radio and take both shovel and machete... and with a little thought, the damn pickaxe as well up the ladder and into the hole.  He takes a good look at what he has and tries first with the machete to start chopping a route through the roots.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 80):

If anything, Jimmy seemed to be having less luck than Tina! It seemed clear that maybe a tree had grown over the hatch location. After several minutes of trying it was obvious that this wasn't going to work. Time to try the Emergency Exit.

She understood the transmission.  She was just thinking about what was said and the unexpected turn of events.

Jimmy Tries harder, apparently.

"GAh, it's a damn tree!"

"Let's try the emergency exit."

He'll lead the way over to that exit, and set to work opening it and letting the sand pour out, then on to digging.
Not illustrious work, hard work.

"I think I am awake now."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Fri 20 May 2016.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 83):

"Shee-it. C'mon, Let's get this over with."

Tina sighed and, following Jimmy, trudged over to the shaft marked Emergency Personnel Exit.

The other exit was labelled "EMERGENCY PERSONNEL EXIT". Unlike the other one, which had an open shaft until 1m under the prewar ground level, this one was filled with sand. When they opened the hatch at the bolthole level, this filler material spilled out onto the floor. They scooped it out and let gravity do it's work. Then they climbed up the other shaft again and opened the exit hatch.

More borwnish clay dirt, a metre's worth, then the 30cm strata of grey powdery dirt, poured down. Then more roots and rootlets hanging down in a dreadlock-like snarl. Tina tried first, then Jimmy. They dug and chopped for a while.

PD Note: I'm going to leave it here for now. Let's let the other group catch up!

In reply to Project Director (msg # 85):

Bobby lowered the Ranger and disconnected the power umbilical.

While he was waiting for the recon element to clear the surface area, Bobby assembled his kit. He cleaned and reassembled his weapons. Aside from the Stoner and Hi-Power was his personal sidearm, a .45ACP Colt Commander pistol and custom barrel threaded for a Sionics suppressor.

"Ok, chief. Ready to go with my personal gear. Alice, let's load the Ranger."

PD Note: Thanks for waiting a little, I think the other group is underway now.

Jimmy takes turns with Tina (Tina Turner?) clearing the roots.  Hopefully this time a full sized tree did not block the exit.  There is hope, yes?  150 years can grow a mighty fine tree.

He starts humming, then singing...

"Working in a Coal Mine, going down down."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAzAucMOE0s

Alice and moves to help glad to have some thing to do. "You know some one was having a bad joke when they gave us this".
She adds as they work "the V150 has far better road holding ect"
This thing was designed for patrolling air fields for the USAF.
And they did not think much of them either

Jimmy laughs, pausing his "work song" and winks to Alice.

"I was Cav, we like to ride.  Prefer a FAV myself, it's like a tactical dune buggy, Fast Attack Vehicle it's called.  But hey, anything that rolls if preferable to walking."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 89):

Alice grins "now that is true and yes I have ridden in some right death traps in the Ambulance service, doing 60 plus in bad conditions with gas bottles in the rear is not rational let me say"

Jimmy chops at a few move roots, whistling low in reaction to that.

"Well, ouch.  I got a bad feeling us scouts will be walking anyway.  When you trail-blaze folks tend to be walking out in advance when the vehicles are delicate."

Alice smiles "yes it has to be said I prefer walking in many cases".
"I have covered a fair amount of this country on foot"

Jimmy chuckles, chops some more.

"Impressive!  I try to avoid walking when I can ride, but that said me and the LPCs have covered a lot of distance."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 93):

Finally, the tunnel mouth is open in a shower of wet earth. The final layer is rich forest loam and detritus (rotting needles, leaves, twigs, pine cones).

Above Jimmy is wan overcast sunlight, weakly shining through the forest tree cover overhead.

The autonav display seemed to indicate this was once a patch of forest near a couple of buildings just NW off the intersection of Lake Whatcom Road and Lake Louise Rd.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:09, Mon 23 May 2016.

"And Daylight breaks!  Tina, we're up."

Jimmy gets his gear back together after partly stripping to do that heavy work, takes a last drink of water and with Tina will climb the ladder up and into a new century.  Well, ok it's a forest, but it'll be his first real look at a new century.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 95):

"Holy crap! You bet! Yeah, let's get a look at a new Millennia!

"You first. Looks like it's raining out there."

She picked up her Stoner, pulled back the charging handle. The bolt snapped back, loading a round. Safing her weapon she slung it over her shoulder, muzzle down.

"I think it will be very foresty."

Jimmy chuckles.  He keeps chambers a round in his M16 as well, makes sure the dust cover is close, and keeps it under his poncho anyway.  He heads on up the ladder slowly and carefully and will push his head slowly through the new hole, looking around slowly at what lies immediately up top.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 97):

Jimmy sees he's under heavy tree cover.

Under the trees themselves is relatively clear because not enough sun falls here to allow for much undergrowth although there were still bushes and saplings so it wasn't completely clear.

He can see about 10m in each direction, save for the many tree trunks blocking his low-down perspective. The trunks are around 1m in diameter. There is no one in sight. It is silent save for the quiet patter of water dripping off the branches as the rain had slacked off to a drizzle.

Jimmy ducks back in to report.

"Looking clear and woodsy, follow me up buttercup.... oh.. fuck.  One moment."

Jimmy pulls his m16 out of his poncho, pops the reciever open and reseats the bolt, closes it and sets the pin back.

"I had me a single shot M16 thing going on, that should do it.  You did good cleaning your own weapon, lady."

He does SPORTS on the M16 real quick to check it over, then he pushes all the way out of the hole and onto the forest floor.  He takes a covering position laying on the ground with a good field of fire, his feet towards the hole and waits on Tina to come on up the ladder.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 99):

At Jimmy's signal, she climbed out lay down, taking up a position covering the other direction.

Jimmy waited a minute for them to soak in the surroundings, then started moving in the direction of the vehicle door to check out that, he moved slow and stayed crouched, taking cover.  He would survey the area once he got there to see if it was looking dicey.

"Tina, cover me."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 101):

Tina nodded, scanning the woods.

She decided against taking her binoculars out due to the limited field of view in the forest.

Checking the Autonav, Tim verifies that they are to RV with KZ-169, then proceed to the city of Bellingham to the west. Lord knew what shape the city was in.

As well, Jimmy had checked the Autonav, carefully recording the compass bearing and distance (the vehicle door opened to the north at 20m).

On top, he carefully paced off the distance. Sure enough, the doors were at least partially blocked by the growth of several Douglas firs partially growing on both sides of the doors. A single Douglas fir 2m in diameter was growing right in the way of the exit, even if the hydraulic rams under the doors were able to push aside the other smaller trees:

                  ^
                  |

            Exit Direction
               (North)

                  0   *
          O ______ ______
           |      |    * *
          *|      |      |
           |*     |     *|
     <---- | *    |      | ---->   Doors Swing up and out to sides.
          *|      |      |* *
        *  |      |      | 0
        *  |______|______|
           :             :*
           :   Vehicle   :
           :   Tunnel/   :
           :    Ramp     :
           :             :
           :             :
           :  Bolthole   :
           :     20m     :
           :             :
                  |
                  V

 0 = Douglas Fir Tree 2m diameter
 O = Douglas Fir Tree 1.5m diameter
 * = Douglas Fir Tree 1m diameter

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:56, Mon 23 May 2016.

Having folded up the map and placed it in a zip lock bag Tim got up from the table. Nothing had been brought to his attention so it was safe to say everything was moving along just fine. He walks over to the Ranger and after getting a quick run down on vehicle prep he begins to help loading it up.

Jimmy curses softly under his breath then picks up his radio.

"KR-44 Actual this is Jimmy.  We got some big tree problems.  As in, we have some damn big trees blocking the vehicle exit.  I don't think the rams will be able to move the really big one in the path, either.  You might want to come up and take a look."

Jimmy uses his bayonet to mark the boundaries of the door on the trees for easy reference as he awaits reply.

"Tina, can you adjust position to keep us all covered, please?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 105):

"Jimmy, Tim. Understood coming up now." Tim puts the last pack on the trailers and then picks up his rifle. He lets Mahalina know he is going up top.

Once out of the bolt hole Tim takes a couple of deep breaths and takes in his surroundings. Walking over to the door he says to the scouts. "Well they are not going to budge and even if they did we would still have to move the trunks. Any ideas ? I am thinking explosives, but the noise could be problematic."

"How far to the rendezvous?  We might want to send scouts at least to make contact.  If we do decide to blast I think we should get a look see around a bit farther than right here on foot.  Definitely get everyone out of the bolthole, and all the equipment.  Someone else might have a better idea, but I got a feeling that walking is our best option right now, grab what we can, stash what we can't, and ask Prime if we should scram our Ranger in it's hole."

Jimmy had been thinking a little while he waited on the commander to come up, and all the options pointed to a lot of walking.  He wished he'd dumped some of the other stuff in his personal stash for a really good pair of boots now.  He just hoped he would be regretting that decision for a long time to come.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 107):

Tim could do with a cigarette even though he had not smoked for 170 years. He walked around the main doors and when asked about the RV he handed over the map. "We are not going to make it now so yes it looks as if you guys will be going, I will radio prime to let then know you will be late. Leaving the vehicle will be a last resort and a few trees should not be enough to stop us. Does either of you have experience with demo ?"

Jimmy shakes his head, then grins.

"Sorry boss.  I'd recommend sending more than just us two if you can afford it.  I don't think we had one on the team, either.  Donno, if you want us to hurry up and hoof it I guess we can.  Let's see that rendezvous on the map."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 109):

Getting into position, Tina chuckled.

"Yep. I am fully qualified for demo. Just call me "Lefty". or "Four Fingers McGee"."

Not only was Tina the team Scout, she was also fully trained in demolitions. As well, she was a competent machinegunner (SAW and GPMG). Tina could even handle an autocannon and other Project vehicle weapons, if need be, although those were definitely secondary qualifications.

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 110):

"Great, so you are up. What is your assessment do you think you can bring them down and clear them away from doors ? Hopefully we can still leave at the allotted time and make our RV as long as nothing else happens on the way."

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 110):

The hard copy topographical and road maps indicated the shortest route to the RV point, Lakwway Dr. at I-5, was 10.5km. With a backpack radio a foot element could keep in contact with the team.

Gear and equipment was lavish and plentiful for the Project, at least within some limits. All-in-all abandoning the Ranger wouldn't be the end of the world. Especially as the bolthole itself seemed to be secure and undetected. The Ranger could be recovered at a later time.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 111):

"Cover me, slick," she said to Jimmy. Getting up, she had a look at the largest tree, then the one next to it. She looked at her explosives handbook for reference.

"Ok. There is a 2m tree and a 1m tree blocking the way about a metre apart. Call it 3-4 metres of det-cord and one M1 detonator to do both at once. Or else, uh, 160 grams of C4 and two detonators. A quarter of a block, most on the big tree. I can try to get them to fall out of the way but once we open the doors, we can use the Ranger's winch to drag the trunks out of the way."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Tue 24 May 2016.

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 113):

Tim looked at both trees and then said "great go with which you think is best. I'll go back down and let the rest of the team know what is going on and continue with prep. Radio when you are good to go."
Tim then returns down the escape tunnel.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 114):

"Sure thing, boss. I ain't rushing, so it'll be around fifteen minutes. Give or take."

Climbing back down after Tim, she rummaged around in the explosives locker. She removed a 125m roll of Det-cord (Primercord). More than enough to do the job. She also removed an M2A1 detonator/primer assembly. This was a small cylinder with a pull-ring. Pull the ring and it would blow any attached charge after an 8-second delay. They had ten of these and only 2 of the M1 type, which could be set for a 10-second or up to a 48 hour delay.

Putting those and some tools in her pockets she hefted the roll of Primercord and climbed back up the ladder.
This message was last updated by the player at 18:07, Tue 24 May 2016.

Jimmy gives Tina a 'thumbs up' and moves into a good position to cover both the escape hatch and the work to be done.

"Guess we are making some big noise.  We better stay ready for some attention, then, eh?  Light her up.. is it Kit?"

He settles in and sights in clear points with his 203 and M16 both.

Jimmy was likewise a backup with many things, having a diverse skill set.  Deer hunting in Upstate New York and Pennsylvania meant he had some pretty good wilderness skills, and his stint in the cav meant he knew basic maintenance and tactical driving, as well as a foundation for using heavier weapons.  He even knew a bit about Artillery!

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 116):

"Kit? Sure."

She walked over to the tunnel and called down, "hey, gonna be a big bang up here!

"Take cover, Jimmy. Behind a tree will work. Not gonna just be fragments but, like trees, falling down too. I did get some training on how to fell trees. Do enough of these in a row in a herring-bone pattern you can block an entire roadway. It's called "abatis".

"There's gonna be an eight second delay when I pull this."

She put her finger in the pull-ring on the detonator that was attached to the Primercord looped around the 2 trees.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 114):

From the side door of the Ranger Bobby looked up as Tim climbed down into the bolthole. "Hey, boss. We got about a half hour to get the rest of this gear loaded. Fifteen minutes if we push it."

In reply to Robert 'Bobby' Michael Kastelein (msg # 118):

Tim moved away from the tunnel entrance once Tina gave the warning. He waited for the boom before addressing Bobby. "No rush yet. We will have to see how the demo of the trees goes and whether we can get the doors opened."

He then returns to the surface to check how well the felling went.

Jimmy laughs

"Ok Kit, and I am Carson then.  Now I think I will do a get the crap out of here thing."

He gestures on up into the woods down the way they need to travel.

"How about I combine that with taking a little look see about?:


He walks a distance off in the their direction of travel, making sure he is still in sight, but away from treefall, even of those monsters Tina is working on.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 120):

Tina nodded her head in a roughly SE direction.

"There should be a 3-way intersection over there. Assuming it exists. From there according to the map to get to the Interstate, assuming it exists, we could go north along Lake Whatcom Boulevard to Lakeway Road, west on Lake Louise Dr. to Lakeway or south along South Lake Whatcom.

"All right, skedaddle. Look out for falling trees!" She waited until Jerry was on his way. "On my Mark. Three, two, one, Mark!"

She pulled the pin on the cylindrical tube attached to the det-cord. "Fire in the hole!"

Without a better option, she turned and climbed back down the exit tunnel ladder, stopping a couple metres down.

Jerry pulls out his compass, nods, and moves off as tactically as he can.  Doing that scouting thing.

"Carson, off!"

He makes sure he pauses behind a BIG tree when he hears Tina counting down, and it makes him grin.

"Well.. this will get people's attention."

Lina had just finished up with her gear and was working on her second bottle of water when an unfamiliar voice came up on the radio. She listened and wrote down the call signs and flipped over to the team channel.

<radio> "Limey, Sparks.  Come in.  I have incoming traffic from Kilo Zulu one six seven.  Want me to patch you through?"

In reply to Mahalina Rae Powell (msg # 123):

Tim was still at the bottom of the escape tunnel when he heard Mahaline he make his way to her station "Thanks Mahalina." Picking up the handset he spoke.

Jimmy arrived near the old intersection. He noted that the vegetation was heavier here and he could see more of the grey overcast sky. Now that he wasn't under the forest cover he noted the rain had started again after slacking off. He found a large tree and waited.

After a short delay, the Primercord detonated.

There was a muffled "BANG!" and puff of smoke when the det-cord blew. About that of a hand grenade going off. The shock wave knocked needles and branches off the surrounding trees, bounced off the surrounding hillsides and probably carried for maybe a klick. Startled birds took off, cawing, wings flapping.

After a brief pause there was a creaking and a rumbling and then crackling as both trees (the bigger one and the smaller one to the side) slowly toppled over. They hit with a double crash and thud, bouncing a little off the rich forest floor. There was silence after.

Jimmy shakes his head at the explosion, noting the needles falling and such.

Jimmy goes to cover and waits, watching and listening for any sign of anything taking notice.  He uses his hunting skills to examine the trails around here to see if they are just animal... or if a much more deadly predator, man, frequented this area.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 126):

Climbing back up, Tina examined her work. She stuck her head down the hole and reported, "I think the trees are mostly out of the way. I can use some C4 to blow the stumps or the Ranger's winch can do the job.

"Let me know. I am going to find Jimmy now. Keep him out of trouble."

Unslinging her rifle, she wandered off in search of her partner. When she found him at the intersection of Lake Louise Dr. and Lake Whatcom Blvd., where the trees seemed to have been thinned out, she commented, "Jimmy, I think this is a man-made trail. It's been abandoned a long time, but I think it's wide enough to run 4-wheelers down. Wonder where it's going, where it's coming from?"

"Probably a settlement, it is running one of the old roads...  How did that blast work out?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 128):

She looked around at the surrounding trees and leafless bushes, wet with the falling rain.

"Some fairly big trees grown up and lots of overgrowth. I'd say not used in a long time.

"The demo went well. Trees fell mostly out of the way. I feel dumb. I forgot the stumps were still gonna be there. Take about a half-block of C4 to blow them up. Or we can move them with the Ranger winch."
This message was last updated by the player at 02:03, Thu 26 May 2016.

Jimmy chuckles and shrugs, causing rain that was beading on his poncho to run off quicker.

"I thought that was in your equation.  Getting that ranger out of that hole is a big job, and it won't be done quickly.  Meantime, we announced our presence to anyone within miles."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 130):

"Sure was. I ain't gonna let you wander around here alone!

"We'll see if anyone turns up after that li'l pop. Then finish the job one way or another."

Jimmy nods, then settles in again in a reasonable amount of cover.

"If they do, I bet it will be a probe.  No telling from what direction either, but best guess is this old road.  Guess I will hang out until the boss has something better for us to do."

He pulls out his field glasses and starts scanning the greater afforded distance with the somewhat clear area.  Hopefully his cover includes a reasonably good vantage point to watch out.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 132):

Jimmy and Tina were at what was once a 3-way junction where Lake Louise Rd. ended in a T-junction with Lake Whatcom Blvd. The road bed itself was buried but still formed a hump a couple feet above ground level. They were at the NW corner, and there was no place that afforded them a good view in all directions that wasn't itself in view. From where they were they could keep en eye on the old trailway.

The old trail came in from the west along Lake Louise Rd., then turned north along Lake Whatcom Blvd. So far they could hear nothing approaching.

It was quiet save for the rain pattering down on the trees around them. There were no tracks that Jimmy could find, human or otherwise. But then the near-constant rain fall this time of year would make that almost impossible unless the tracks were fresh.

No! Wait! Jimmy found a fresh boot print in the mud!
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:46, Thu 26 May 2016.

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 132):

"I'll go set the C4 on the stumps. When we're ready to go I'll blow them at that time. Give anyone listening less of a chance to bounce us.

"You got things here, Jimmy?" she asked, getting ready to plant more explosives.
This message was last updated by the player at 18:49, Thu 26 May 2016.

"Sure I got it..."

He notices the fresh boot print and does a quick comparison to his and Tina's boots....

"Mahalina let the scouts know to guide in the visitors and let us know when they are topside." Tim will go an help load the ranger and prepare to open the doors when it is done.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 136):

Tina set a half-block of C4 to clear both stumps, connecting them again with Primercord to an M10A1 detonator with an8-second fuse.

She called down the hole, "Ok, chief, I got both stumps set to blow. I think we should do it just before we open the main vehicle doors. Give the word."

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 137):

"Blow them and hopefully they won't need anymore." Tim let everyone know there was going to be another bang.

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 138):

"OK." Grabbing the detonator she said, "three, two, one, Mark!" and pulled the pin. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" she repeated as she climbed down the ladder a couple metres.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:02, Fri 27 May 2016.

In reply to Tina Marie Lassiter (msg # 139):

There was movement to the SW, coming along the trail that followed Lake Louise Dr. from Bellingham and the RV point with KZ-167. Whoever it was, they were at 50m range and approaching quickly. There was little sound except for a quiet hum as the small vehicle rolled along. There was still too much vegetation to get a good look for a few seconds at what was approaching.

At 30m he could see (with difficulty) it was a woman wearing Project clothing (coveralls, gloves, helmet with face shield, Kevlar vest) all covered in a rain poncho. She was riding an electric-powered 3-wheeled Honda ATV loaded down with Project gear and towing a small 2-wheel trailer. The front cargo rack held a pack and M10B shotgun. A radio antenna whipped back and forth from over her shoulder as she approached.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" came the warning call behind him, followed by a sharp "BANG!" that was noticeably louder than the Primercord detonation. Twin C4 charges blew both those offending stumps to smithereens! A puff of grey smoke shot out above the trees and hung there. Debris made of wood splinters, stones, dirt, branches, needles and pinecones rained down around him and into the surrounding woods.

"Well.. shit..."

Just as Jimmy was about to wave, he heard fire in the hole.  So he repeats it in a yell to the figure on the ATV.

"Hello there!  FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

In reply to Tim Charles White (msg # 136):

"Got it, Tim."  Lina replied.

<radio> "Carson, Kit.  Sparks.  Be advised that Project team Kilo Zulu One Six Seven in enroute to our location.   Keep an eye out for them.  If you find them, establish ID and bring them in to meet with Limey. Over."

One explosion later....

<radio>"Yup...This is Carson, I think I see em, they got an ATV and a fresh shower of toothpicks."

In reply to James (Jimmy) Gerrold MacGuire (msg # 143):

The echo of the explosion rolled throughout the hills.

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