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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 11, 2021 16:52:37 GMT -6
Cal sat on the horse and pulled up his collar. There wasn't a cloud in the caerulean sky but the wind was picking up. He had ridden out to check the areas of the range that had been planted with Timothy grass during the spring. They'd let the cattle in this section to eat the dried grasses in a couple of weeks. With the stock tanks and the terracing they had done, the range was holding water better than it had before. Satisfied, he knee-turned the horse and trotted over toward the lake to check one of the arroyos they had dammed up to see how it was holding.
When he had shown the Gilmores and the Hartmans the Shelter suites, they seemed as if it was kind of much, that he was being paranoid.
Cal didn't care. It was okay for them to be skeptical; but it's better to be ready and not need it, than to need it and not be ready. It would be hell trying to play catch-up when the crap is coming down.
Cal rode around the lake checking everything, especially for signs of muskrat activity. They had killed several during the summer after finding holes they had dug near the dam. Stopping the horse, Cal admired he rock walls and picnic tables Kengo and the men had built. He'd like to do something like this along the state road sometime. Not seeing anything out of place, he rode on over to the fields to check the winter wheat and cover crops. He was pleased. Sylvio was doing an excellent job managing the farming. They'd had excellent yields again this year. It was a plus Sylvio worked well with Dawn and Ellen in coordinating the plowing of the gardens and maintaining the orchards. Cal rode on back to the upper barn and unsaddled his horse. After giving him a good rubdown and a scoop of feed, he went back to the house.
Darryl carefully measured the malts and added them and the yeast to the carboys, After adding water from the Berkey filter he placed the stoppers and bubbler airlocks on the jugs. He hoped he could surprise Cal with this. He took the rest of the malt and prepared it for smoking. He wanted to try distilling Scotch whiskey.
Mary filled another butter mold from the churn and handed it to Harriet.
"I saw you and Bill Jennings talking Sunday. You two got something going on?" Mary asked.
Harriet grinned. "No, not really. We were talking about the fried apples I made. He said they reminded him of the ones his Mama made when he was a boy."
"Looked like he was interested in more than fried apples." Mary grinned.
"Maybe. He is nice."
Harriet scraped the butter mold level with the wooden spatula and placed it on the tray.
"He asked me out to dinner at Casey's." Harriet muttered.
"Well now! He is showing some interest. Maybe it's more than just fried apples." Mary grinned.
Harriet blushed and sat the tray of butter molds in the freezer.
Sonia sat the Frogmouth down on the knoll just before dawn. They repositioned the drones every day, maintaining visual and electronic surveillance. They continued to use the older, more visible drones for regular patrols. A prairie dog didn't move without them seeing it. It was she who spotted the lone rifleman crossing through the boundary fence, carrying a scoped rifle. Sonia notified Andy, who rushed to the Monitoring Room.
"What's up Sonia?"
Sonia pointed to a screen of the replay of the person coming through the fence. Andy watched quietly.
"Doesn't act like a sniper. Maybe a hunter. Launch an armed Frogmouth with the Paineaalto rounds. Fire a round 50 meters in front him."
Sonia launched the drone and flew it to a position parallel to the intruder's line of march. When the round was fired, the individual dove to the ground a looked around and waited a few minutes. After nothing happened, he got up again and started forward again and another round exploded closer this time. They watched as the man turned and ran back to the fence, crawled through, then trotted to a pickup truck and left. Sonia used the Frogmouth to track him until it reached a county road and headed toward Glade Park.
"Just someone looking to kill a cow." Andy said.
Juan and several of the men had brought back six loads of logs from the national forest. Several others were processing the logs into firewood and placing it on ½ cord pallets and banding it. They had 75 pallets built now and added more as they had time. Cal paid them for the wood used on the Ranch but they sold a lot to the neighbors around them and in and around Grand Junction. The K bar S usually bought six pallets a year. Much of their payment from outside the Ranch was in barter which was used by the loggers families or held for barter of other things.
"Cal, Western Slope Guns and Ammo in Fountain is closing. You might want to check it out." Charlie said.
"Do you have contact info?"
Charlie laid a piece of note paper on his desk pad.
Cal picked up his phone, motioned Charlie to stay, and dialed the number.
"Mr. Hastings, please. Yes, my name is Cal Coleman, I understand you are closing your store. Is the inventory for sale? Are you available tomorrow? Okay, I and my associate will be there before 12:00 tomorrow. Thank you, I'll see you in the morning."
"Be prepared to take a ride with me in the morning. He opens at 10:00 so I want to be there then. I'll have Craig fly us over. Be at the airfield at 0845."
"WILCO!"
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 11, 2021 17:02:28 GMT -6
Craig flared the helicopter and sat them down in the parking lot.
"I'm going to top off the tanks. Give me a call when you're ready to leave." Craig said.
"Sure thing" Cal said, before he and Charlie took off their headsets and got out of the helicopter.
The two walked around to the front door and went in and over to a counter.
"Mr. Hastings?" Cal asked the older man behind the counter.
"Yes, you must be Mr. Coleman."
"Please, call me 'Cal'. So, why are you going to sell your business?"
"I can't make any money. I stocked this place to the gills with all the gun sales going on at the time. Now, with the prices of everything going sky high, I'll be lucky to break even."
"Do you mind if we looked around?"
"No, help yourselves. Let me know when you want to check the stock rooms and I'll show you those."
"Wow! He's got the latest in reloading equipment and plenty of brass of all the calibers we use." Charlie commented.
The display cases were filled with every handgun you could think of. Racks of rifles, two high, lined the of the walls in a separate display room. There were very few "cheap" guns. The majority were quality guns. They made their way back the front counter and Mr. Hastings.
"Ready to see the stock rooms?" Mr. Hastings said.
"Sure." Cal replied.
Mr. Hastings activated the automatic door lock and led them through a door. In the hallway, he unlocked the first door. Cases of ammunition were neatly sacked on heavy duty shelving and in large groups on the floor, just about covering the entire available floor space. Cal nodded and they went out and went to the next room. This room held all types of firearm accessories and reloading equipment, including bullets, powder in fireproof cabinets, casings and primers. The next room contained firearms still in the boxes. Again, the shelves were stacked full.
"Well, you are definitely well stocked. Do you have a printed inventory of everything you have?" Cal asked.
"I sure do. I printed one off this morning in expectation of your visit."
They went back up front and Mr. Hastings took and binder with the inventory out from under the counter and handed it to Cal, who immediately handed it to Charlie.
"Off-hand, what are you asking for everything?"
"The property is leased. For the inventory, $5.7 million dollars. I'm completely leaving the area when I sell. My wife and I have a cabin down around Carbon Peak. I don't think things are going to get better for a good while. We're just going to sit this one out."
"Do you mind if Charlie and I sit down and go over the printed inventory for a bit?" Cal asked.
"No, not at all. Come on back to our break room and have a cup of coffee and go over it all you want.
Charlie and Cal got their coffee and sat down at a table. Charlie pulled a calculator out of her knapsack and opened up the inventory.
An hour and a half later, They both sat back and stretched.
"Well, as near as I can figure, IF he sells for $5.7, he'll be doing a little better than breaking even." Charlie said.
"I figured as much. I'll make him a better deal at a lower price though."
They got their things together and went back out front.
Mr. Hastings, you do have an impressive inventory. What would you say to an offer of $5 million?"
"Mr. Hastings frowned. I'm barely breaking even on $5.7 million."
"I will pay you in gold Eagles, Eagles of varying denominations."
"Gold?"
"If we go with dollars, you couldn't spend it fast enough for it not to lose its value. Gold is going up every day."
"You're right about that."
"You also wouldn't have to got through the paperwork drill with the ATF, if they're still around. Her is my FFL number."
Mr. Hastings stared at the counter for a moment. "When could we close the deal?"
"As soon as I could get back here with the payment and men and equipment to haul everything away."
Mr. Hastings held out his hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Cal."
"Mr. Hastings? Can I get an electronic copy of the inventory database?" Asked Charlie.
"Certainly! Come over here to the computer."
While Charlie and Mr. Hastings were downloading the database to Charlie's portable hard drive, Cal called Craig and said they'd be ready to leave in 30 minutes.
When Charlie and Mr. Hastings came out of the office, Mr. Hastings handed Cal a set of keys and the alarm code.
"Won't you be needing things out of here?" Cal asked.
"Oh, me and Millie already have everything we need. I just wish I'd bought more of those long term storage foods."
Cal looked at Charlie and nodded.
"Mr. Hastings, would you be interested in two one year packs of food for one person?" Charlie asked.
Mr. Hastings eyes lit up. "Of course!"
"We'll bring them on our way back. Also will give you heirloom seed kits to grow your own food." Cal added
"Millie was wanting a garden when we finally got settled."
"We'll meet you back here Thursday morning with the trucks and men to load them." Cal said.
"Thank you Cal. You came just in time. I've got to go tell Millie. She's probably gonna start packing tonight!"
They locked up the gun store and set the alarm when they heard Craig arriving. Cal shook Mr. Hastings hand again and Cal and Charlie went around back and got on the helicopter.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 11, 2021 17:12:00 GMT -6
"What are you going to do with all those guns?" Charlie asked.
"It was a good deal, but mainly to keep them off the streets." Cal answered. "Eventually, someone would have hit that store and people may have been killed. Mr. Hastings and his wife may have a chance back in their retreat."
When they got back to the Ranch, Cal got with Andy and Sylvio to coordinate security and manpower to empty the gun store. Cal wanted everyone going to be weapons qualified. When he told Siobhan what was going on, she started making plans to provide food and drinks for the trip and started calling some of the ladies.
Thursday morning, at 0330 the convoy of two 18-wheelers, a box truck, two escort vehicles and a van pulled out for the five and a half hour drive to the gun store. Actually, it took 15 minutes longer when Andy led them off Interstate 70 near Frisco and took them down highway 9 to 50 and on to Fountain. Mr. Hastings met them there and unlocked the store while Andy deployed security. While some began loading the trucks, others were packing guns off the racks into their original boxes that Mr. Hastings pointed out to them. Mr. Hastings had already done about 1/3 of them over the last two days but there were still dozens to do. They broke at lunch and brought out the fried chicken and potato salad with bottled water and assorted sodas. They were quickly back to work and by 1700, everything was loaded on the vehicles. Nothing was left but the dust bunnies where the shelves used to be. Cal had the men bring in the four aluminum cases of gold from Cal's Suburban, sat them on the floor and opened them up for Mr. Hastings. Cal signed the ATF paperwork and kept his copies.
"I'm sure we will never hear from them, but we'll keep this legal." Mr. Hastings said.
"It has been a pleasure dealing with you, Mr. Hastings. If you should ever need anything, we are less than an hour's helicopter ride from you. You have my phone number and here is a radio frequency and packet radio information we monitor."
"Thanks Cal. It was good doing business with you. Man! I'm glad I brought the twin-axle trailer with me. My truck wouldn't haul this weight easily."
Cal had the guys carry the gold out to Mr. Hastings trailer parked in the rear of the store and loaded it. Andy got all the first shift of return drivers together and went over the route they would be using back to the Ranch.
"We're taking 50 out of here all the way back. We'll change drivers in Parlin. Keep your radios on channel two and don't stop for anything unless you get the okay from me."
When they reached Parlin, the security team was in place as the trucks pulled to the edge of the highway and exchanged drivers. They hadn't met one vehicle on 50 since leaving Fountain. Things were calm as they entered the outskirts of Grand Junction and saw only the occasional car. All the way back to the Ranch was basically a boring ride. As they pulled through the gates Cal had the drivers back the trucks into the Maintenance Bay and drop the trailers. Cal told everyone to go home, that Charlie, Gary and Del would take care of the inventory the next day.
Cal walked through the corridors of the Shelter to the house. As he came into his study, he took off his coat and continued to the foyer to hang it up. He found Siobhan in the Great room in front of the fireplace.
"How did it go?"
"We got everything. No one tried to stop us, so I guess you could say it was a worthwhile trip. Oh, and the men sent their thanks for the food." Cal replied.
Siobhan smiled. "That was easy. Hard working men are always ready to eat. Oh, Diana stopped by to pass the word she'd finished the cut-through to the empty supply room next to the Armory. You need to do something about a door though."
"I'll have Darryl help me tomorrow to install it." Cal said. "I have one in the workshop. I just need to build the jamb."
The next morning, after helping get the kids fed and off to school, Cal went down to the woodwork shop to work on the door jamb. On the way he called Darryl for his assistance. He rolled the cart with the door over to an assembly table and began measuring the lumber for the jamb pieces. As he finished cutting one of the side pieces, Darryl came in.
"What's up?"
"I need to put a door in the new storage room in the Armory. This sucker is heavy."
"What are you going to use for a lock?"
"Doesn't need one on this door. The door to the corridor already has a security lock on it. This door goes from the storage room into the Armory."
"Well, I'll just fabricate a slide bolt closure for it while you work on the jamb parts.
Cal continued measuring, cutting, drilling and countersinking the drill holes in the pieces. By the time he was finished, Darryl had finished the slide bolt. Getting lag bolts, washers, lead anchors and a power drill, they loaded everything on the back of an EV34 and hauled it up to the Armory. They drilled the rock and emplaced the anchors and bolted the jamb to the stone door opening. They leveled the door in place and bolted the hinges to the wall. While they were working, Gary had started bringing in rifles and shotguns, in their boxes and setting them aside in the new storage room.
"Sorry Gary, I forgot. The shelves are in the box truck. We'll get them in here next." Cal said.
"No problem, Charlie is taking it slow, verifying serial numbers and sorting through the stuff that can be stored in Supply. Hey Del! Do you want all the scopes and associated stuff up here?"
Del looked up from the weapons table. "Yeah, that would be good."
Cal called on Joshua, Ben and Odell to help them with the shelves and racks. By the time they had everything in place and bolted to the wall with earthquake straps, it was nearly noon. Everyone broke for lunch and Cal went back to the house.
"MaryAnne and Millie are coming out tomorrow to she what they need to furnish their houses." Siobhan said.
Cal took a sip of tea and nodded. Make sure you show them the safes and give them the combinations. They may want to start keeping their valuables and papers out here."
"I was going to tell them to furnish them to occupy like they had to leave their homes in town with only the clothes on their backs." Siobhan said.
Cal nodded and took another bite of the Rubin sandwich.
After swallowing and taking another sip of tea, Cal said, "Tell them not to tarry. They should have everything out here as soon as they can. When the mess finally collapses, they should just close the door and run."
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 11, 2021 19:14:37 GMT -6
Fantastic story always worth the wait. THANK YOU
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Post by gipsy on Oct 12, 2021 9:07:16 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 16, 2021 7:38:35 GMT -6
Several women were down in the root cellar sorting out apples that looked as though they might be going bad or reaching there 'expiration' date. The women could tell by the feel of the apple whether it was time to pull them out. They were cutting the bad areas out and freeze drying them for later use.
"Are we going to freeze dry all of these?"
"No, we're doing to dehydrate some. They make better fried pies."
Ben was outside getting the steam engine ready to run the generator. Odell lifted the tarp over the coke bin and checked to make sure there was enough. Ben checked the water level in the boiler and added ten gallons of water. They were ready to fire it up.
"Cal, when you have time, can you stop by the Armory?"
"Sure Del. I'm in Supply now. I'll be by there in a few minutes."
Cal walked in to the room and saw three wooden boxes on the table.
"Whatcha got Del?"
"Before you are three cases of 30.06 API ammo in 8 round clips."
"Well, we have a few M1 Garand rifles ." Cal said.
"Yeah, and quite a bit of ball ammo for them. I'd like to take 500 rounds of this and reload it for 7.62."
"That's fine with me. Anything else?"
"Yeah. We now have 25 Burris AR-332 3x32mm Prism Red Dot Sights. What do you think of mounting them on some carbines for the women?"
"Talk with Andy on that and let him figure if it fits in the security plan. I have no problem with it."
Cal was on his way to talk to Andy down at the Facility when Mike called him from the tower.
"Citation inbound."
"Roger, on my way. " Cal replied.
Cal turned onto the airfield road and watched as the Citation landed. It pulled up to Hangar #1 so Cal drove the EV out on the apron. The airstairs came down and Gillum trotted down and climbed into the EV.
"How's everything going Cal?"
"Not bad Bob, not bad."
Nothing more was said until they got to the SCIF. When Andy closed the door Gillum started chuckling.
"You wouldn't believe those ass-wipes in D.C. They are all pointing fingers at each other and trying to figure where to get more money to dump into the cesspool they created."
Cal shook his head. "They just need to change their policies and laws they enacted and the system will right itself."
"They are too proud for that. They'll let this country crash and burn before they backtrack on anything. It's Groundhog Day, every day, within the beltline. Seriously though, you guys doing all right?"
"We're doing fine Bob. With a little luck we can hold our own here."
"Bob, can you get us some body armor?" Andy asked.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Small, medium, large, and extra-large, all with chicken plates….100 of each size."
"Just so happens I've got plenty in a warehouse at Winchester Regional. Let me line up an L-100 and I'll get them out here in two or three days. How are the Vipers?"
"They maintain their training, only doing night flights. Those pilots are good men. They blend in well around here."
"Well, I put them here to keep them out of the clutches of the ass-hat officers that have permeated the military. Several are pissed because we won't release the pilots in the name of National Security. On that, can the bunker down the line hold any more ammo?"
"I haven't been in there so I don't know how much room is left." Cal said. "We can go check it out."
"Yeah, let's do that. I want those birds to have as many combat loads as possible."
They took an EV34 down to the Ready Shack and went down into the bunker. Gillum walked around and looked at the pallets stored there and wrote down some notes.
"I'll get more ammo shipped in here. It will probably be by plane. There's been a lot of hijacking of transport trucks lately. Is there anything you need while it's coming?"
"Never can have enough linked 7.62 for the M134." Cal said.
Gillum nodded and made another note.
"I'll add in some extra goodies. I'd rather have them here than sitting at Aberdeen. I need to clean out a warehouse and spread the stuff out. How much storage room do you have?"
Cal hesitated a second. "Come with me."
Cal took him down to Hangar #6 and drove inside. Keying the security door, he led Gillum into the northwestern Shelter entrance and took him down to a series of 20 x 50 foot storage rooms.
"Well, you've done better than I thought." Bob said.
"We can shelter everyone the Ranch, and then some, if we need to."
"Good. Reminds me of Site 'R'. If you've got this much space just for storage, I'll send a few more things. It's contingency things for Congressional Retreats, but if things go really bad, they would never be able to deliver them. Some of the stuff I don't even know why they are stockpiled for politicians. Be prepared to receive a minimum of three planeloads, including the ammo."
"Don't bother with food. We have plenty." Cal said.
"Hadn't planned on giving you food. This is everything from weapons and ammo to office supplies. FEMA is in charge of the stockpiles, but those nimrods are all scurrying around like rats from a sinking ship."
"Do you have somewhere to go when things go down the drain?"
"Yeah, we've got a place set up in the Boise National Forest, much like you have here, except for an airfield. We use Mountain Home for 'official' flights."
"Well, we need to exchange contact info for 'after',"
"I already have a packet for you along with some communications gear we'll use. It's not time yet."
Cal nodded. "Don't take long. You know what they say, 'Man plans, God laughs."
What I'm shipping you, including the ammo, is all in 20 foot steel shipping containers with M1022-A1 Dolly Sets for each container. I'll have to give you a call on the final number of containers. They're weatherproof, so if you have to leave them out, they'll be all right. I'll go ahead and stick the comms gear in the 1st container."
Cal took Bob back to his aircraft and waited for him to leave. As the plane took off, Cal felt cold drops of rain hitting his face.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 16, 2021 7:43:51 GMT -6
Cal went looking for Mike Douglas, the senior Viper pilot, He found him hanging out with Bill and the guys in Hangar #6.
"Mile, there'll be some planes coming in 2 or 3 days with ammo for the Vipers. It's all in CONEX containers with dolly sets. Have you ever used those before?"
"Yeah, that's how we moved our equipment on overseas deployments."
"I'm going to send Gary, one of my supply people, to see you. Can you get him blued up on the operation of the dolly sets?"
"No problem, I'll have all the guys help when they come in. Are they all going to be ammo?"
"No, there's more stuff too. I hope they are kind enough to send a manifest or inventory."
"No kiddin'."
"Cal, I need to talk to you." Charlie said.
Cal surprised stopped and waited. Charlie didn't come to him like this unless she had had something constructive.
"Cal, we need some help with the food distribution. The storage area could really use a full-time caretaker."
"Okay, Charlie, I'll start looking around immediately."
"We can set up a computer with a Point of Sale program tied into the main database to maintain the inventory. Two people would be even better."
"I'll look into it. Has Gary talked to Mike Douglas?"
"Yeah, they've talked it over and have a plan."
"Great! Okay, let get started looking for your managers."
Cal went up to the house and found Siobhan talking on the radio with Diana. When she ended her conversation, Cal told her about his conversation with Charlie.
"Let me check with Diana. I'm taking some things over to the Women's Shelter this afternoon."
"Okay, I'll leave it in your hands. I think Charlie is right. We need a full-time grocery manager to stay on top of everything."
Darryl was putting the finishing touches on the piece when Cal walked in.
"What is that?" Cal asked.
"Why you uncouth barbarian, don't you recognize a prie-dieu?"
"A what?"
"A prie-dieu. A kneeling bench, a prayer bench, whatever you want to call it."
"Oh. For the Reverend?"
"No, Siobhan asked me to build it."
"Siobhan?" A surprised Cal asked."
"Yep. And the Reverend has asked me to add kneelers to the benches in the Church and the Shelter Chapel."
"Hm-m-m-m. Okay, you have enough materials?"
"Yeah, no problem. Finally found a use for that bolt of Burgundy Cordura in Supply. Padding is going to be memory foam."
"Sounds good. I'll leave you alone."
Cal left the woodworking shop and went down to the General Store to talk to Logan and Sally.
"How are things?" Cal asked.
"Selling a good bit of hardware to the locals. No one really wants to go into town after that shoot-out at Home Depot." Logan replied.
"I can imagine. Inventory good?"
"We're still good. The Tractor Supply inventory was extensive. If you get anything else, we're going to need more containers."
"I've got some coming in soon. We still have plenty of storage in the Shelter if needed."
Cal walked into the Café corner and got a cup of coffee. And sat down at the local's table.
"What's up Jeb?"
"Waitin' for Arturo to finish wrappin' up my beef. I had him slaughter a steer for me. He's pretty reasonable."
"Yeah he is. How's the ranch doing?"
"Hanging in there. It's a good thing we canned a lot this summer. Canned goods in town have gone sky high."
Yeah, and it's not getting any better."
"You still going to have a stock sale in the spring?"
"Planning on it if we can get buyers."
"That don't sound promisin'."
"We have to play this day by day Jeb."
Cal finished his coffee and left.
When he got back to the house, Cal went into his study and turned on the computer and went on the NOAA website to check the national weather. He saw some heavy storms in Canada, but nothing that looked like it was coming their way. He shut down the computer and headed toward the kitchen when he heard noises from the Reading Room. Cal peeked in and saw Alice and Siobhan moving a lamp table to a different area.
"What's going on?"
"Making room for my prie-dieu."
"About that. Why do you need a kneeling bench?"
"Call, I have to do a lot of praying to keep you from going to hell."
Alice partially stifled a giggle.
"Really?"
"No, no really, but it will give me comfort."
"Okay, fine. Did you talk to Diana?"
"Yes, she thinks she has someone. She'll talk to them and get back to me."
"Okay, thanks."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 16, 2021 7:53:45 GMT -6
Ben was using the loader to fill the dump truck with coke. They were running low at the forge. When he was finished, he parked the loader back under the shelter and drove the load back to the forge. After dumping the load, he returned the truck back to the coke mine and returned to the forge in an EV34. When he got back, Odell had already cleaned up the spillage and was helping Joshua at the forge.
"What do you have going today?"
"I need to replace this wagon tongue from one of the wagons and this End Cap needs to be replaced also. Won't take long. Get the brace and bit out to drill the holes in the tongue."
Joshua formed a new end cap and put holes in it for the bolts. After Joshua marked the holes on the end of the tongue, Ben began to bore the holes through the tongue.
"How are you and Tanya getting along?" Joshua asked, grinning.
Ben hesitated then continued boring through the oak.
"We're doing fine."
"Has your Mamma met her yet."
Ben shrugged. I don't know."
"Well, why don't you invite her to sit with us on Sunday and you can introduce her then."
"I'll ask her."
Ben finished boring the holes and Joshua put the end cap on. Odell got two bolts and tightened everything down.
The week before Christmas it snowed 8 inches, hardly a bother but they cleared all the Ranch roads anyway. It stayed cold and the snow hardly had a chance to melt during the day, only to freeze again that night. Some of the sloped areas on the roads required an application of gravel and sand to maintain traction.
All the women were in heavy preparation mode for the annual Christmas Party. Darryl, Cal and Joshua were had been working for weeks, detailed to make different wood and metal gifts to give out. Siobhan and the ladies went through the storage rooms for clothes and toys for gifts for the young people and children. No one was going into town these days for shopping.
The planes begun coming in at night, except they weren't getting what they expected. Instead of the usual 20 foot containers, each L-100 carried one 40 foot sea-land container with an M1022-A1 dolly set. Three aircraft came in the first night then two more each night for three consecutive nights. Thankfully, Gillum had the container numbers and contents listed on a manifest sealed in an envelope that was handed over by the Loadmasters. After identifying the contents, Gary and the Viper pilots got the ammo stored away. The 500,000 rounds of linked 7.62 went to the Ranch ammo storage areas. Charlie went ballistic at what the other containers contained. There were hundreds of khaki pants and shirts, combat boots, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, dental floss, medical supplies, and on and on. At least they had the contents of what they had. It would be after Christmas before they would be able to inventory and stock everything because they had to take the palletized items from the outside of Hangar #6 and through the 1/4 mile of corridors down to Level 3. Between Charlie, Gary and Cal, the prioritized the container unloading and began the process.
Everyone was excited on the day of the Christmas Party as everything was being prepared. As the last day of school, Kathy had activities planned for the children and kept them at the school until 1640, instead of releasing them at 1300. This gave the parents a little more breathing room and time to get everything set up in the Community Center. When the children were released, the busses took them straight to the Center where they were reunited with their parents. Becky, Sonia, Lilly and Tinka had activities ready for the children as they arrived. The women bustled around getting the food and Christmas treats ready while the men did what they were told.
The Reverend began the evening by readying from Matthew of Jesus' birth, followed by a live manger scene conducted and narrated by some of the children. Amy was walking around, filling data cards with the pictures of the activities. After the children's chorus finished, everyone filled their plates and got down to some serious eating.
Cal stood off to the side and watched the people mingle. Another year gone by with no serious problems, He wondered how long it would last. So far the worst problems were occurring around the urban areas where, as hard as they tried to keep a handle one it, law enforcement were getting overwhelmed with the crime.
Cal was sipping on a cup of coffee when his phone vibrated.
"Yeah."
"Cal, Jay down in the Monitoring Room. I'm monitoring a couple of vehicles that have pulled off the road about a quarter of a mile past the General Store. Six men are sneaking back toward the store and all are carrying long guns."
"Roger, we're on it."
Cal got Andy's attention and gave him the signal to suit up with 5 men. Andy quickly gathered the men and they pulled their gear out of the locker in the storage room and Cal brief them on what was going on. Andy went back and got two more men who were snipers and they grabbed their gear. Cal grabbed a vest, NODs and his carbine and slipped out with the group. They took the quiet EV34s down to the Facility and deployed from there. The snipers took position on the roof hide of the Facility while Cal moved into position to cover the vehicles while Andy and his men went to confront the armed group. When everyone was in position, Andy's people made contact with the armed group who were in the process of cutting a lock off of a shipping container behind the General Store.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" Andy shouted.
One of the men raised his weapon in the direction of Andy's voice and was promptly shot in the thigh by Dave. The rest of the men dropped their weapons and bolt cutters and raised their hands.
Andy's men moved in and put the men on the ground and flex-cuffed them.
Andy called Cal and told him they were secure and were sending down a couple of men to check the vehicles. Dave and Adam showed up and the three moved forward cautiously and found the vehicles unoccupied. They checked the vehicles and found both vehicles were registered in Green River. The three walked up to the General Store and met with Andy, out of hearing distance of the prisoners.
"Did you call the Sheriff?" Cal asked.
"Yeah, but they told me the jail was full and the just didn't have anywhere to put them. Earl said to use your discretion."
Cal swore. "I knew it would come to this. Stand the men up."
The six men were stood up and Cal faced them.
"Just what were you men looking for?"
"Whatever we could find. Money is tight."
"You all should be shot right now. Andy, did they have any identification?"
"Yeah, we got wallets from them all."
"All right. Make copies of their I.D.s and get mug shots of them all. We'll need something to give to their next of kin."
A couple of the men began to cry while their photos were being taken. When Andy had finished, The men were marched down to their vehicles.
"We'll have to get rid of the vehicles too." Andy said, smirking.
"We will. They'll never be seen around here again."
The prisoners were beginning to whine.
Cal lined the men up beside their vehicles with Andy's men ten feet in front of them, checking their weapons.
"Ple-e-e-ase….."
"Here's what we are going to do." Cal said. "We're going to keep your guns and ammo. Andy, get a battle dressing on that criminal's leg. You are going to get in your vehicles and go back to Utah. If we see you, or hear that you have crossed back over the Colorado state line, you will be shot on sight. No negotiations, no excuses. Do you understand?"
"Yes," they all responded.
The cuffs were cut off them and they quickly got in the vehicles and left.
"That was easy." Dave said.
"Yeah. I hate killing anyone around Christmas." Cal said. "The Fruitcake just doesn't taste the same."
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 16, 2021 9:52:10 GMT -6
Thank You so much for all of your hard work. Love the story as you tell it.
Phill
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Post by gipsy on Oct 16, 2021 10:55:20 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by iamnobody on Oct 16, 2021 13:11:36 GMT -6
Cal nodded. "Don't take long. You know what they say, 'Man plans, God laughs."
And that is the truth.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 16, 2021 20:25:01 GMT -6
Cal is right. The fruitcake just doesn't taste the same if you have to kill someone around Christmas.
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Post by udwe on Oct 16, 2021 21:18:31 GMT -6
Another great segment!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 17, 2021 18:52:47 GMT -6
They returned to the Christmas party and few knew they had even left, except for Siobhan and a couple of other women. Astrid assured Siobhan everything was being taken of. The men slipped in and returned the gear to the lockers and returned to the gathering.
Dan was busy, as Santa, handing out the gifts to the children. Ben and Tanya were Santa's helpers this year. Ben didn't really like it….he really looked like a goofball in green but he did it because Tanya asked him to. Then the crowd grew silent as Siobhan sat down on a stool and pulled the harp toward her. Kathleen sat with a cello and Lilly put on a boom microphone. It was then Lilly began singing "Oh Holy Night." The people listened in awe as her angelic voice carried through the building. Then Aileen joined them on stage and got behind the keyboard while Lilly switched to the mandolin. Aileen sang "Silent Night." Aedan and Sean joined them on stage and Sean sang "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear." Then, to liven things up, Sean and Aedan sang "Grandmother Got Run Over By a Reindeer." They returned to seriousness and followed up with "Angels From the Realms of Glory" with Cal on the keyboard, and Aileen switching to the accordion.
The singing soon turned to non-Christmas favorites the crowd wanted the girls and Cal to sing. They had done several numbers when Mary called out, "Cal, sing something to Siobhan!"
Siobhan grinned at Cal and shrugged. Cal got up and got a guitar off of its stand and pulled a stool over in front of Siobhan and sat down and began singing "Keeper Of The Stars."
It was no accident me finding you Someone had a hand in it Long before we ever knew Now I just can't believe you're in my life Heaven's smilin' down on me As I look at you tonight
I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars He sure knew what he was doin' When he joined these two hearts I hold everything When I hold you in my arms I've got all I'll ever need Thanks to the keeper of the stars
Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine It takes my breath away Just to look into your eyes I know I don't deserve a treasure like you There really are no words To show my gratitude
I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars He sure knew what he was doin' When he joined these two hearts I hold everything When I hold you in my arms I've got all I'll ever need Thanks to the keeper of the stars
It was no accident me finding you Someone had a hand in it Long before we ever knew
As the party wound down, Reverend Lambry got up and gave a blessing to the people and the season. Everyone left that night with the Spirit of The Season and boxes of cookies.
The day after Christmas had everyone getting ready for a big storm bearing down on them from Utah. The men set snow stakes and readied the equipment and the women began baking bread and making sure they had plenty of eggs, butter and milk. Cal had purchased two more ToolCats and implements from the dealer before they went out of business in Grand Junction. He also bought the last six UV34XL gas powered utility vehicles and had them converted to electric. After the equipment was ready, everything was moved to the Maintenance Bay for the duration and the men returned to their homes.
Chase had just gotten back when he heard the knock on the door. He opened it to find Gale there cradling a fresh loaf of bread.
"What is it with a snowstorm, milk and bread?"
"Instinct…making sure the family stays fed."
"Come on in. Want some wine?"
"Sure. I'll put this on the counter to cool."
""What's up?" Cal asked.
"We're testing out the drone operations in the storm. We've left two out in positions that offer observation of D S Road. We have it programmed to start up, spin rapidly to throw the snow off, and go back to observation mode. They will alternate so at no time is the road not under observation."
"You think they are going to work?"
"I think so, but again, that's why we're doing the test."
Cal left the Monitoring Room and went to check on Donald and Lisa in their quarters. They had moved to the Shelter until the storm was over to be near the Infirmary in case they were needed.
Cal knocked on their door and Lisa answered.
"Hey Lisa, when you two get settled, come on up to the house and have dinner with us."
"We'll be up in about an hour, Cal. Don wanted to take a nap."
"Of course. We'll see you later."
As Cal opened the door into the study he was met by the smells from the stew Siobhan was making from the hump meat of a bison. He walked into the kitchen and watched as she added the carrots.
"Can you bring me a bottle of Merlot?"
"Any label?"
"The Yellow Tail will do."
Cal retrieved the wine and opened it then handed it to Siobhan. She added a cup of wine to the stew and a pinch of Thyme and two tablespoons of tomato paste she had reconstituted from tomato powder. Cal started to taste the broth but Siobhan slapped his hand.
"Let it simmer a bit to let the flavors mingle. I'll probably have to add more Thyme."
"I'm already hungry." Cal said.
"Well, there's fresh bread on the counter. Cut and butter a slice and leave the stew alone."
"Yes Ma'am."
Cal got his bread and went into the Great Room and put on a CD of traditional Irish songs and sat in his chair with a glass of Michael Collins Irish Whiskey. Siobhan soon joined him with a goblet of wine. They sat there quietly listening to the music as the fire in the fireplace crackled. Then the intercom buzzed.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 17, 2021 19:00:52 GMT -6
"Cal, I've got eyes on a car parked about ¼ of a mile up from the intersection of DS and 16 ½ Road. IR shows the engine losing heat rapidly. I think they may be in trouble."
"How much snow are we showing?"
"A little over 18 inches."
"Okay, I'll get the SnowCat out and go see what the problem is."
Cal got up from his chair and put his parka on, with his shoulder holster going over that.
"You're going to take someone with you, aren't you?" Siobhan asked.
"I'll grab Nick. He the closest to the shed."
Cal got a set of snowshoes out of the closet and took them out on the porch. He'd have to shovel the porch when he got back. Taking his radio out he called Nick hand asked him to go with him to check the situation out. After letting the SnowCat warm up, and checking the emergency supplies, Cal drove the Cat out of the shelter and over to Nick's cabin. Nick was waiting on the porch and quickly ran out and got in.
"No one should be out in a car in this storm!" Nick said.
"Yeah, I'm afraid they are stranded."
It took 25 minutes for them to get there and at first, Cal could see no movement through the frosted windows. Finally the door opened and Cal's headlamp show a woman and a young kid inside.
"My car just quit!" The woman said.
"Well, come on, you can't stay out here." Cal said.
They help her and the little girl out and got them seated in the warm cab of the SnowCat. Nick got their one suitcase out of the car and placed it in with them.
"What will happen to my car?"
"We'll come back to get it when the storm is over." Nick said.
Cal drove the Cat up to the house and got them inside while Nick took the SnowCat back to its shelter.
Siobhan had laid the rag "snow rug" in the vestibule and they took off their coats there, and took off their shoes and boots. Cal herded them to the fireplace so they could warm up. Siobhan came in with hot coffee and cocoa for them.
"This is my wife Siobhan and I'm Cal Coleman."
"Thank you. I'm Mary Lucero and this is my daughter Linda."
"Dinner is almost ready. Enjoy your drinks and I'll get things ready." Siobhan said.
"What were you doing out on a night like this?" Cal asked.
"We were headed to Ignacio, but I guess I got lost."
"To the Reservation?"
"Yes. We have relatives there. We were living in Fort Duchesne but things are pretty bleak there. I thought I could get to Ignacio before the storm caught us."
"I know the Tribal Chairperson, Donna Nelson. I'll give her a call in the morning to let them know you are safe."
"Thank you Mr. Coleman."
"Please, call me 'Cal' and my wife is 'Siobhan'."
"Thank you Cal."
Siobhan came in and led Mary and Linda to the bathroom to get cleaned up for dinner. As they left, Lisa and Donald came in.
"Lazy evening." Donald said.
"Nothing much to do but shovel snow off the porch. It's nasty out there."
"You've been out?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah, Nick and I had to got out in the SnowCat and rescue a stranded woman and her daughter on the other side of Glade Park Store."
"They were lucky!" Lisa said.
"They sure were. If we hadn't had the drones out testing them, we'd be pulling out bodies in the morning."
Siobhan came back and brought the pot of stew over to the table and sat it on a large trivet. She went back and got a ladle and began dishing the stew out into bowls while Cal cut slices from the round of bread. Setting a platter of bread slices on the table, Cal went into the pantry and got out another booster seat. Amy and the rest of the kids came out and took their places at the table, followed by the grown-ups.
"Everyone, we have guests tonight. This is Mary Lucero and her daughter Linda."
The kids all said "Hi" and began eating like they were starved.
"Whoa!" Siobhan said. "Why are you eating so fast?"
"Our movie is on pause." Amy said.
"What movie are you watching?"
"Goonies."
"Oh Lord! Well, it will still be there so slow down and mind your manners. Maybe Linda would like to watch with you if her Mother says it's okay?"
Linda looked at Mary and Mary smiled and nodded.
"Siobhan, this isn't beef stew is it?" Lisa asked.
"No, it is bison. Is it not good?"
"No! It is delicious! I don't think I've had bison before."
"Cal gets one every year. The roasts are delicious."
The children finished their dinner and asked to be excused. Linda looked at her Mother and got a nod that sent her scurrying after the other children.
The adults finished and the women shooed the men out of the kitchen to tell lies in the Great Room.
"So, she's stranded?" Donald asked.
"Yeah, about a quarter mile from the Glade Park store. It's lucky the Monitoring Room spotted her."
They sat and talked about the country's economic situation until the women came in.
"As soon as we can start clearing the roads, Mary, we'll get your car over to Miguel's and have him take a look at it." Cal said.
"Thank you." Mary said, and frowned.
"I….I only have $300."
"We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 17, 2021 19:09:06 GMT -6
Cal was up early the next morning. He put on a pot of coffee before going out to clear the porch of drifting snow. The storm seemed to have blown on through but the wind was still up. He'd have to check the weather radar and forecast so see if they were going to get any more snow.
After cleaning the porch off, he took off his mukluks and went back to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Taking his coffee into the study, he turned on the computer and let it boot up. He logged in and checked the local and national forecasts and it looked like the storm was over. Cal sent out a message on the RanchNET telling everyone road clearance operations would commence at 1000 hours. He then followed that with a message over the radio network. Next, he picked up his phone and called Miguel and asked for his assistance with Mary's car. He would talk to him during the clearance operations.
Siobhan was in the kitchen when Cal left the study.
"I checked on Mary and Linda." Siobhan said. "They were both sleeping like logs."
"Yeah, she seems pretty stressed. Talk to her. I think she's got more problems than she's letting on."
Cal started putting together pancakes while Siobhan was frying sausage and bacon. It wasn't long before a bleary-eyed Mary came into the kitchen.
"Siobhan smiled. "Good morning!"
"Good morning." Mary said. "That the best nights sleep I've had in a while. Thank you."
"Pour yourself a cup of coffee. As soon as I get the kids up, Cal will start the eggs."
"You really have a lovely home." Mary commented.
"Why thank you. It took us a few years, but I love it." Siobhan said.
"I've got enough for three pancakes each. That enough?" Cal asked.
"Should be plenty. I'll go roust the kids."
Cal picked up a piece of bacon with the tongs and handed it to Mary. Mary took it and took a bite.
"Mm-m-m-m. I haven't had bacon in a while."
"Things pretty rough up there on the reservation?"
"Yes. The government food is not much. It won't be long until people will be close to starving. That's why I wanted to get Linda to Ignacio. I'm told they grow their own food."
"Yes, I haven't talked to them for a while, but I know they have in the past. How close are you to your relatives down there?"
"Not very. I thought since we were related, they would take us in."
"What about Linda's Father. Is he in the picture?"
Mary bowed her head. "No, he was killed in a logging accident 8 months ago."
"My condolences. I'm sure it has been tough. I've been through that."
Siobhan came in, riding herd on the kids. Cal scrambled the eggs while Siobhan poured orange juice and milk for all.
Cal emptied the pan of scrambled eggs in a large bowl and sat it on the table, followed by the large platter of pancakes. Siobhan and Mary helped the kids butter and put syrup on their pancakes and gave them their choice of meats. The meal was interposed with comments from the kids on the sledding they would do that day since school was closed.
Cal quickly finished his meal and got his cold weather gear and headed to the Maintenance Bay using the Shelter corridors. Once there, he did pre-op checks on the ToolCat and cranked the engine to let the heater warm it up. Others began showing up and prepared their vehicles. Cal briefed Ron on clearing the road to Mary's car but to wait until the Ranch roads were completed first. Ron would call Miguel when he was ready and Miguel would follow him out.
When they finished everything up that afternoon, Jon had the steam cleaner set up outside to clean the machine of ice and grimy snow before they were parked back inside the bay. Cal walked through the corridors to the house and found Siobhan and Mary sitting at the breakfast bar. He went over to the coffee pot and began pouring a cup of coffee when Siobhan said,
"Cal, we need to talk."
Cal over-poured his coffee and grabbed a handful of paper towels. He slowly picked up the coffee and took a sip before turning to Siobhan.
"Please don't use those words." Cal winced.
Siobhan and Mary giggled.
"Cal, did you know Mary worked inventory at the grocery distribution warehouse on the Untah and Ouray Reservation before it closed?"
Cal took another sip of coffee. "Nope."
"Well, since that woman from the shelter didn't work out, maybe Mary could be considered for the job in Supply."
Cal looked at Mary. "Mary, has Siobhan talked to you about this?"
Mary blushed. "Yes."
"Do you think you could handle the job?"
"I'm sure I could."
"Siobhan, I'm putting it all in your hands. I'm going to the Monitoring Room."
Sonia and Bill were in the Monitoring Room at the drone console.
"How did the tests go with the drones?"
Bill stood up. "They iced up a bit but it went well. Only a 5% loss of battery life over an 8 hour period. I think we'll build a proto-type with deicers and see what it does to the battery."
"Sounds like a plan. Do you still have video coverage of the crossroads?"
Sonia clicked the mouse and up came the image of the Oshkosh making the turn on DS Road and clearing up to Mary's car. Miguel's recovery vehicle was backing up to the car and they watched as Miguel attached a tow strap and pulled the vehicle free of the snow bank that had formed. Attaching a winch cable, Miguel pulled the car up onto the tilt-bed. After Miguel secured straps to the vehicle, they watched as he drove away, followed by the Oshkosh.
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Post by texican on Oct 17, 2021 20:23:07 GMT -6
"How's the ranch dong?" Sometimes spelling mistakes do cause one to think and laugh. Thanks ncsfsgm for the laugh. Texican....
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Post by udwe on Oct 17, 2021 20:32:57 GMT -6
I didn't see that til I looked again, thanks Texican!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 19, 2021 11:17:39 GMT -6
"Cal, that engine is shot, but I have one from a conversion I can put in."
Cal thought a moment. "Forget the engine swap. Just do a conversion. She couldn't afford the gas anyway. I'll pay you."
"You got it."
Cal walked back to the kitchen and took his metal bottle of water out of the fridge and took a swallow. He walked into the Great Room to catch a few minutes of Fox News. A few minutes was all he needed. Situation the same… FUBAR, as it was every day. The damn unions weren't helping either. During an economic crisis they decided they need to go on strike for more money. Cal wondered why God kept letting idiots breed.
Siobhan and Mary walked in.
"We were just down in supply talking with Charlie. Mary is familiar with the inventory software and is looking forward to start working. That two bedroom apartment is open so we'll get her and Linda situated there."
"Where is Linda?" Cal asked.
"She's with the kids in the play room. I'll call the housewarming crew together and we'll get the apartment set up."
"Have Donald and Lisa gone?"
"Yes, they went down to the clinic. Alice is here watching the kids. You go do what you have to."
"Hmph."
Siobhan made her calls as Cal left the house and went down to the woodwork shop. On the way he veered off to Darryl's brew house. Darryl was in there hooking up a Co2 hose to a stainless steel keg. Darryl looked up and grinned.
"Just in time! Come on in!"
"What are you doing?"
"Getting ready to sample a batch."
Darryl got two glasses out of the cabinet and filled them half-way and handed one to Cal. Cal looked at it suspiciously, but took a sip
Cal's eyes widened. "That's an Irish Red!"
Darryl grinned. "How is it?"
"It's good!"
"Well, I guess my experiment was a success."
"I would say it was." Cal agreed.
"I got these kegs from the bottling plant and a lot of Co2 tanks. I'm negotiating for bottles and caps and they'll get desperate soon."
Cal finished the ale and left. He went to the garage and got the command car out to do a drive around inspection. He pulled over and watched Shay and Dennis tearing through snow drifts with a couple of front-end loaders and dumping the snow into drainage ditches that would take the snow melt to the greenhouse pond and the pond by the gardens. He rode on down to the horse stables and saw the men scraping the snow off the paddock. The idea popped into his head to build another large cattle tank on the other side of the paddock and build drainage ditches to catch the snowmelt and direct it to the pond. He'd get Dennis on that as soon as the ground thawed a bit more.
He watched as a team pulled a horse-drawn manure spreader out away from the barn and headed for the fields. It was a good way to keep the horses in shape through the winter months. They had done a lot with the Shires during the summer cutting and raking hay, although they used the more modern balers to bale the hay. As soon as the snow melted and the ground dried a bit, they'd turn the soil in the test field and see what happened with using the stable manure and not winter cover crops.
He drove on past the complex and headed to Shire Hills. The road was good and on the way Cal checked the drainage on the roads. When he pulled up at the farm, Cal noticed the snow had been pushed to the edge of the paddock. He'd talk to them about putting in a tank here also.
'Hey Cal!" Jerry called out from the barn.
Cal walked down to the barn and shook Jerry's hand.
"What can I do for you?" Jerry said.
"Nothing. I was bored and was just riding around. Everything going all right around here?"
"Everything's fine. I was just setting out a couple of salt blocks for the horses."
"They are looking good." Said Cal, looking out over the paddock.
"Yep. They're coming along just fine. I've got two with foal but I held off with the others."
"Well, don't hold back. If we go to full-time farming with the horses, extras will help out."
"Okay then."
"You need anything?"
"Nope, Joshua is coming by to tighten up some shoes but other than that we're doing fine."
"Okay. I'd get out of your hair. If you need anything, just yell."
Cal walked up to the command car and drove slowly back to the Ranch.
Cal took a right at the intersection and drove to Dale's, checking the lake at a glance and rode up to the gate at the main road. He got out and walked to the closed gate to inspect it. Joshua had built the heavy gate and Matt had added a security lock to it. It was well built and whoever tried to crash it would be in for a shock. It was one ingress that had concerned Cal for a while. Hopefully, the wouldn't have problems in this area with intruders.
Cal's radio squawked. "Cal, Come to the Monitoring Room."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 19, 2021 11:28:10 GMT -6
Cal jumped into the command car and sped back to the compound. When he arrived in the Monitoring Room, Andy was there waiting for him.
"What's up?"
"Cal, Earl and two of his Deputies were ambushed this morning. Two of the Deputies were killed and Earl is in serious condition."
Cal's heart raced and from his neck to the tops of his ears began turning bright red.
"What's the situation?"
"We're continuously monitoring. Grady is in charge at the Sheriff's office and he's keeping us updated. Earl was hit twice and is in surgery now. One of the perps was killed and they've identified the other two and are tracking them down."
"What about Millie?"
Siobhan is with her. Craig is going to fly her in."
"Put Astrid and another P.I. with her."
"Already done."
"Okay, keep me posted."
Cal walked out of the Shelter through one of the access points and tried to cool down. He looked up and saw Darryl walking toward him. Cal just stood there breathing in deep breaths and staring at the horizon.
"Cal, remember Sergeant Major Callaghan? Now that was one weird S.O.B. He'd go around quoting great philosophers at the most opportune and inopportune times. When Buzby got waxed outside of Jurf Sakhar, it had me boiling mad. I went and gathered more ammo and the SMG caught me coming out of the bunker and said,
'The German philosopher, Nietzsche, once said, 'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.'
It got me thinking. I was ready to go out and kill every rag-head in the district, but what he said calmed me down. I didn't want to become a monster. Times like these, we've got to make sure we don't become monsters."
Cal nodded and sighed.
They would maintain their security here. There wasn't much they could do for Grand Junction, but they could hold their own here. Where he could, he'd slip in a punch.
Darryl left Cal and went to the Monitoring Room.
"Did you see Cal out there?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, he's walking around, cooling off."
"Good, I was afraid he was going to lock and load and go hunting."
"Well, therein lies a problem. Cal makes his decisions according to the law of parsimony, making the simplest assumption when he's coming up with a theory. Occam's razor I think it's also called. Now, the theory that Earl wouldn't have been shot if those low-life scums had already been dead is a good assumption, ergo, kill all the scum and this won't happen again. Now, you know that brings up a whole other raft of problems. However, that doesn't leave out selective elimination. I'd go ahead and have a couple of armed drones up and ready just in case."
Andy looked at Darryl and slowly nodded and sighed.
"We'll need to find a way to make them come at us….away from the Ranch."
Cal went to the airfield and waited for Millie to arrive. Craig was preparing his helicopter for flight. Soon, Millie, Siobhan, Astrid and Paul Hemmer drove up. Cal opened the door for Millie.
"Millie, if there's anything you need, you only have to call."
"Thanks Cal. I just got a call from Grady. Earl is still in surgery but the doctors think he'll be all right short of any unforeseen circumstances."
"Okay. Astrid and Paul will be with you and Grady will have security there also. We can send as many people as needed at any time."
Craig started the turbine and Cal helped Millie into the helicopter. Siobhan and he backed away and the copter took off. Cal pulled out his phone and called Chief Deputy Grady Harrell.
"Grady? Cal Coleman. Millie is on the way in by helicopter. I've got two security people with her to augment. If you need to pull any of your people off the detail because of manpower issues, I can add personnel."
"Thanks Cal. I'll keep that in mind. We're not in a crunch yet, but it's good to know I can call on you."
"No problem Grady. I'll talk to you soon."
Siobhan touched Cal's arm. "Are you all right?"
Cal sighed. "Yeah. I'm calming down. We all figured it would happen sooner or later. I was hoping that if it did happen, it would be much later."
They walked arm in arm to the EV34 and rode back to the house.
An hour later, Astrid called. "Cal, Earl is out of surgery. Ben said he is going to pull through just fine."
"Ben was part of the surgery team?"
"Yeah, he got to him as soon as Earl was brought into the Emergency Room."
"Good. Andy will have a shift change for you this evening. If anything changes, please call."
"I will Cal."
Siobhan walked into the kitchen with an armload of dish towels.
"Earl is going to be all right. Ben was the first doctor to him when they brought Earl in."
"Thank God. I've worn my knees out on that bench this morning."
"Yeah, maybe it is a good thing you had Darryl build that for you."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 19, 2021 11:34:44 GMT -6
"Andy, take a look at this…." Jeannie said. "This location is about 14 miles outside of Grand Junction, off of 50. This house has burned down, these other two are seemed to be abandoned, but this one on the end has several people living there."
Andy walked over and looked at Jeannie's drone feed.
"Not unusual. If you think there may be something, monitor it."
Jeannie brought the drone down on a small hill that was around 150 meters from the house and 100 feet higher. She focused the camera lens and adjusted it to the space between the space between the house and the detached garage.
"I'll leave it for 24 hours and see if anything comes up."
When Jeannie came in the next morning, she checked the computer. There were two warnings flashing in the upper left corner of the screen. She clicked on the first warning and it opened up.
FUGITIVE IDENTIFICATION Antwain Desmonte Gilbert Murder, Attempted Murder, Conspiracy to commit murder
"There's one…" Jeannie muttered.
She clicked on the second warning….
FUGITIVE IDENTIFICATION Darius Jamar Jones Murder, Attempted Murder, Conspiracy to commit murder
"Gotcha!"
Jeannie called Andy and told him she'd found some bad guys. Andy said he'd be there in a few minutes. Jeannie launched another drone and moved it into place, relieving the previous one. She had time to set the new drone in position before the other drone got near the Ranch and went into recovery mode. While she was on the roof recovering the first drone, Andy came in. He poured a cup of coffee and waited. While he was waiting, Patty came in. Jeannie came down grinning.
"Facial recognition identified Jones and Gilbert at that house, those guys that ambushed the Sheriff."
Andy called Cal and asked him to come to the Facility as soon as possible. Ten minutes later, Cal arrived.
"What's up?"
"Jeannie found Jones and Gilbert."
"Where are they?"
Jeannie pulled up the map and showed Cal the location.
"Another thing…" Jeannie said. "…between 2000 and 2400 hours last night, there was a lot of heat generated within the garage."
"Meth Lab…"
"How many people are we talking here?"
"Three to four as near as I can tell."
"Okay run the tapes and see if you can spot anything else. Andy, can I talk to you?"
He and Andy went into Andy's office and closed the door.
"Tonight, when they light up that lab, I want to light them up."
"You want to send a team in?"
"No, use an armed drone. Punch a Paineaalto round through the window of the garage door. Precursors will do the rest."
"Roger that."
That evening, after dinner, Cal went to the Facility. Patty was making a fresh pot of coffee and Jeannie was working at her console. Andy came in behind Cal and walked over to Jeannie.
"Everything ready?"
"Yep. If they do anything, they'll leave the house in the next 15 minutes."
"Launch the Stinger."
They waited.
At 2013 four people came out of the house and walked into the garage.
"Where's the Stinger?" Andy asked.
"Two miles out and holding."
Viewed under IR, he building began to lighten as the heat built within the garage.
"Jeannie, bring Stinger in closer and acquire your target. I want you to put a round through a window in the door."
Andy and Cal watched the split screen of the monitor. The right screen showed the stationary, grounded drone video and the left show the Stinger screen with its crosshairs. Jeannie centered and locked the crosshairs and looked up a Cal. He nodded and Jeannie hit the F key. Flames shot out of the garage door windows and the walls bulged out. Part of the roof was blown off and flames shot through the hole.
"They certainly had something stored in there." Jeannie said.
"Recall Stinger."
They left the Frogmouth in place until they saw the emergency lights coming up the drive from highway 50.
"Recall Frogmouth."
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Post by paulk on Oct 19, 2021 13:38:25 GMT -6
Hadn't checked in a few days and what a wonderful surprise when I did. Thank you so much! Hope you are feeling OK.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 19, 2021 14:57:36 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 19, 2021 16:50:39 GMT -6
Good chapter. Mess with the wrong person and win the stupid grand prize. Meth lab explosions happen all the time.
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Post by texican on Oct 19, 2021 18:10:42 GMT -6
Cal wondered why God kept letting idiots breed.
Been that way forever. Sad.
N,
Thanks for the three enjoyable chapters.
Texican....
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