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Post by solo on Mar 25, 2022 14:01:15 GMT -6
I am enjoying this part. Reminds me of the Training scenes in "Spy Games". I am seeing Cole as Brad Pitt and Hooker as Redford.... Right? Not really. That was just some training similar to what I went through in the service. I don't think I've ever seen the movie.It is a good one. Redford sticks it to them!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 25, 2022 19:45:30 GMT -6
Chapter 27 - Missions and Travel
They signed in at the building at Ft. Belvoir, assigned temporary rooms and told to report back in the morning at 0900. There was no unit mess hall so they went to the PX complex and got a burger and fries for dinner.
"We've got to find some better food around here." Cole grumbled.
"Tastes pretty good to me!" Jake said, wiping the mustard off his mouth with a paper napkin.
"I wonder what kind of unit this is?" Gail mused.
"I guess we'll find out in the morning."
The next morning they reported back to the building were told to wait. They sat in a break room until, just before 0900 in walks T.J. Hooker, in civilian clothes. His hair was a little longer than the last time they'd seen him.
"Boyle, Hinton, Morton, follow me!"
They followed the Sergeant Major down the hall and into a spacious office.
"Take a seat."
"They sat down in chairs in front of the Sergeant Major's desk and waited for him to get around his desk."
"By the reports given me, you three did extremely well. I was sure Hinton would make it through, I wasn't sure you two buttheads would come through with all your fingers and toes."
"Now, I'm sure you're wondering what you are doing here. This is an information gathering activity. It's not even shown on anyone's TO&E. We do what we are asked and give them back accurate information. Your missions may be for any of the numerous government entities in the area or world. There is no formal headquarters, just me and the Colonel. You may or may not meet other members of the unit depending on mission requirements. There are no barracks, per se, but we have a block of apartments a couple of miles off post you will be living in. Don't worry, you'll have a housing allowance, food and a clothing allowance. As in your training, you need to blend with the populace. We have assets that can get us the clothing you need when you are required to go into a foreign country. You will be on relaxed grooming standards while you are assigned here, but don't get stupid. Remember, you are to blend in. Don't stick out like a sore thumb."
"Just what will we be doing?" Cole asked.
"Just like I said. Gathering information. Sometimes it may be doing security assessments ahead of a Secret Service team in advance of some dignitary going on a 'Fact Finding Tour,' sometimes you might be called on for security. It changes up all the time. That's one of the reasons you were selected. You've shown you can adapt."
"How long do we have to serve here?" Jake asked.
The Sergeant major smiled. "Don't worry, I'll have you out of here before you can burn out. Truthfully, this is an intense assignment and before it's over, you'll wish someone would take the pressure off and just shoot at you."
"Thanks Sergeant Major." Jake said facetiously.
"My pleasure." Hooker said. "Check with the second office down the hall and get you housing assignments and get settled in. Each apartment has a phone and an answering machine. I'll call you Wednesday."
The three walked out numb. This was crazy! They got their apartment keys and directions to the complex and went and cleared their temporary rooms. Cole led out and they drove to the apartment complex.
They were given simple missions as advanced party several times then in late October they were sent to Germany to "sense" what was going on. There was a lot of dissident activity and every intelligence agency was pouring as many native speaker agents into Europe as they could. Cole and Jake fit right in and Gail played Cole's Romanian girlfriend. They got adjoining rooms at a hotel on Mühlenstraße where Gail and Cole would enter the room together but Cole slept in the adjoining room with Jake. There was a lot of talk about re-unification and people on both sides of the wall were talking. The removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria and the Pan-American Picnic got the slow ball rolling. The transitions were relatively peaceful but they were directed to stay in place and continue reporting. They were there when the Wall came down and were part of the crowds cheering, watching the mauerspechte chipped away at the wall and started removing sections. They were finally recalled back to the States and went through an intensive debriefing, not for the information they had collected but for their operational techniques.
They finally finished the debriefings and were allowed some time off. It was a week before Thanksgiving so they all put in for two week's leave. The Sergeant Major took their leave forms and put them in his desk and told them to get out of there, stay off the blotter report and told them he would see them December the 1st. Cole called his parents and asked them if they could put up with him and a couple of his friends until after Thanksgiving. They were thrilled to have them all for as long as long as they could stay. They quickly went back to the apartments, packed a bag, met in the parking lot and piled into Cole's Suburban and were headed out the gate before noon. They stopped outside Roanoke and had a late lunch at a family restaurant. Arriving home at 1900, a cheerful and tearful reception awaited them. Cole's mother was tearful and his father was cheerful. After introductions, they took their bags to their rooms.
Cole came back downstairs first and joined his parents in the Great Room.
"So, have you been busy?" Liam asked.
"Yeah Dad we've been really busy."
"Have you had anything to eat? I can fix you something." Ginny said.
"I'm not hungry right now. We had a late lunch in Roanoke. If we get hungry we'll fix a sandwich."
"That's not a military haircut you have there son."
"No Sir, the type of work we've been doing requires us to blend in with civilians. We were out of the country."
"Oh! You haven't been in any danger have you?" Ginny asked.
"No Momma. We do a kind of research. It can be boring at times. Sorry I haven't been able to call."
"We figured you were involved with something you couldn't talk about."
"The girl. Are you and her…"
"Oh, no Momma. She's just a friend. We are all on the same team. She and Jake didn't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving so I dragged them home with me."
"Well, they are more than welcome here. Are you going to be able to come home for Christmas?"
"I'm sure I will. How are Dave and Ellen?"
"They are fine. They'll be with us for Thanksgiving dinner too."
"That's great."
Jake and Gail came down the stairs and joined them.
"You have a beautiful home Mr. & Mrs. Boyle." Gail said.
"Oh please! Call me Ginny and he's Liam. Thank you for your comment. It may seem desolate to some but I love it here."
"The views must be beautiful from here."
"Yes they are. You'll have to make Cole take you out and show you around tomorrow."
Jake smirked. "She's trying to match them up."
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Post by gipsy on Mar 25, 2022 21:41:13 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 25, 2022 22:23:04 GMT -6
I have no idea how you do it but am glad that you can.
Thank You phill
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 26, 2022 8:26:32 GMT -6
Chapter 28 - Homecoming
When they didn't have a mission, to kill time, Cole went to the Secure Compartmented Information Facility to read highly classified materials. What he really enjoyed was some of the plans written for times of war. It let him see what the different Generals and their staffs' mindsets were. Most were very similar but he saw the differences in their trains of thought. Stuck back in the back of the huge safe was a three inch length plan for Extinction Level Events. At first, Cole thought it might have to do with nuclear war, but the more he read, the more he was fascinated. They were talking about what the steps they would take if an asteroid or comet hit the earth, wiping out most life. There were locations listed for locations for government officials to transfer to tin order to implement continuation of government. When Cole finished reading the document, plans to save as many of the people outside of the government as possible were starkly absent. This bothered Cole to the point he dug through what he could in the areas his security clearance allowed him and found nothing that covered saving people except those plans for continuation of government. Cole filed that away in the back of his mind.
Cole was coming up on his 4th year in the military and was due to re-enlist and right now, he was hesitant. The more he came in contact with the politicians and government officials, the more cynical he became. He couldn't stand the duplicitous, back-stabbing self-aggrandizing POS. He had just redeployed back from Saudi Arabia after Operation Desert Storm. They both had been with a German Chemical Decontamination Unit during the whole operation. The only Iraqis they saw were either dead or were prisoners. He didn't understand why they didn't kick Saddam's ass all the way to Baghdad and hang his ass, but Bush call the dogs off. He had a suspicion someone would have to come back later and clean this mess up. It should have been total war, but nobody wanted to win wars these days. Politics interfered and kicked the can down the road for someone else to have deal with later. With three months left before he had to sign on the dotted line, Cole decided he was going back to Tennessee.
Jake, Cole and Gail sat on the little patio in the back of the apartment building.
"So, you're not going to re-enlist?"
"No, I'll miss the comradery, but I don't want to be a pawn to those crooked politicians any more. No, the only time they make a decision is to further enrich themselves or maintain their political power. I'd rather go back to Tennessee and improve the land and get ready for when the government collapses for one reason or another." Cole said.
"Well, I have to re-enlist one more time to get my twenty. I don't want to lose that." Jake said.
"When do you have to re-enlist, Gail?"
"I've got another six months."
"Well, I'll miss you guys. Feel free to stop by if you are traveling through." Cole said.
True to his word, Cole didn't re-up and was given an honorable discharge and he headed back to Tennessee. On the drive down, he hadn't forgotten about the E.L.E. plans and decided to continue his father's preps and focus on an event like that. That level of preparation would cover any lesser event.
As he drove up the hill he felt exhilarated to be home. He just wish Pete was there to greet him. The first thing he was going to do was get another dog, hopefully an Aussie like Pete. His father and mother greeted him as he stopped and there were hugs all around. When they went inside, Ginny ha a banner that said "Welcome Home Cole" hanging on the south wall of the Great Room. Liam got him a beer and they sat down, except Cole stayed on his feet and moved around while they talked. His butt was numb from driving so long.
"So, what are your plans now? Liam asked.
""Well, let's talk about that tomorrow. It's going to take a while to tell you my plans and the reasons why. I'm a little tired to get into it tonight."
"What about that girl, Gail? You have any plans for her?"
"Momma, being in the same outfit as her complicated things. I'm going to keep in contact with her and maybe we can work something out some day."
"She's a beautiful and sweet girl." Ginny said.
"Yeah, she is." Cole said, taking a swig of beer and staring out the patio doors.
Cole and his father walked through the bunker inspecting the improvements Liam had done and Cole told him about the corruption he had observed and about the E.L.E. plan.
"So, they're really not going to help the civilian population?" Liam asked.
"Not from what I read. They've got installations set up to receive Congress, the Senate and the Cabinets, but everyone else will be left out in the cold."
"So, what will happen if an asteroid were to hit the earth?"
"Well, first, scientists estimate an object needs to be about 60 miles across to wipe out all life. Obviously, living things at ground zero for a meteor strike will die. Many more will die from the shock wave, earthquakes, tsunamis, and firestorms. Those that survive the initial impact would have a tough time finding food, as the debris thrown into the atmosphere would change the climate, leading to mass extinctions. Even a smaller one would cause problems. If it hit the ocean, hopefully it hits well away from the continental shelf so there would be less debris thrown up. However it would throw up a lot of water and water vapor and change the climate for a while, blocking out the sun. On top of that, you would have the tsunamis that would devastate shorelines. Depending on the size of the object, you could have waves a thousand feet high racing hundreds of miles ashore at hundreds of miles an hour."
"We'd be pretty much protected by the Appalachians, wouldn't we?"
"Yes, however there would be flooding in the lower areas around here. Water will find its way through the natural and man-made passes."
"So we're protected here?"
"Yes, I'd think so."
"So, all we'd need is to have supplies to last us what…three to five years?"
"Yes, something like that."
"Then, I'll get a greenhouse and we could grow food year round." Liam said.
"That would be good. I picked up a couple of magazines that have advertisements for bulk grain sales by a couple of Mormon owned companies in Utah. We need to look into that and about purchasing a grain mill."
"Yeah, we've got a lot of planning to do."
Cole, his father, and Dave sat down and made up a list of projects and decide to prioritize the greenhouse first. Cole found a commercial greenhouse supplier outside of Nashville and bought a 30'x100' model. Dave got a guy and did some creative land adjustments and cleared out a wide area on a nearby, fairly flat ridge. They left the trees along the sides if the ridgetop to conceal the greenhouse from the highways. They bought manure from some of the nearby farmers and started their compost pile and building rich dirt to plant in the planting beds in the greenhouse. The chicken house provided some manure. Liam purchased a small composter from Lowes to give it a try and then had Oaky Jerome build him a bigger one, which could turned out five times the amount of compost. They could now run the straw bedding from the chicken house through and the heat from the compost would kill the weed seeds mixed in the straw. The finally had enough soil built up to fill a couple of beds in the greenhouse and planted some turnips and mustard greens. They'd add more vegetables as they got more beds built. A magazine on farm living gave them the advertisement on outdoor furnaces made in Minnesota. They had a dealer down between Pigeon Forge and Maryville so Liam and Cole went down with their big trailer and purchased one. This would keep the greenhouse warm in the winter time.
Gail sat on her bed and dialed the number. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.
"Hello?"
"Ginny? It's Gail Hinton."
Gail! When are you coming to see us?"
"I'm not sure. I'm getting out of the Army and thought I might stop by, but I don't know if Cole would even want to see me."
"Oh, I think he'd like to see you just as much as you'd like to see him."
"Really? Could I talk to him?"
"He's not here Honey. He's gone down to Marysville to pick up a wood furnace. They won't be back until late today."
"Oh."
"Now don't let that stop you from coming. When are you planning to come down?"
"I was going to leave here tomorrow."
"Well, let's keep this a secret. I know they'll be down in the greenhouse putting the furnace in, probably most of the day. You come on down and you could be get freshened up before he gets back to the house."
"Okay, I'll come then." Gail said.
"I look forward to seeing you and I know Cole will be thrilled."
Gail hung up and smiled.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 26, 2022 9:19:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. We need an update on the big rock.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 26, 2022 10:39:32 GMT -6
And the family grows, with her training she will be a valuable asset.
Thank You phill
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 26, 2022 21:01:03 GMT -6
Chapter 29 - September 1991
Gail pulled in and parked in front of the garage at a little after 1400. After signing out, she had driven non-stop, except for fuel and a bathroom break, the whole way. Stiffly, she got out of the truck and was met almost immediately by a grinning Ginny.
"Good! The guys had lunch and are working down at the greenhouse now. Grab your bag and come one in. Have you eaten?"
"I had a Coke and some chips."
"Well, why don't you go up and freshen up, take a shower if you like, and I'll fix you a salad and a sandwich."
"Okay, thanks."
Gail did take a quick shower and changed into jeans and a sweater. When she came back down to the kitchen Ginny had her a ham and cheese sandwich made and a bowl of salad.
"Thousand Island dressing okay for you salad?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, that's fine."
"So, are you happy being out of the Army?" "Yes, it just hasn't been the same since…."
"Since Cole left?"
Gail blushed. "Yes."
"Well, you're home now."
Gail looked up at Ginny.
"What I mean is you can stay as long as you like. Let yourself unwind and decide what you want to do."
Cole started filling in the trench while his father was connecting the heat exchangers. The installation of the 1400 pound furnace was fairly easy using the tractor forks. It had fit right in between the posts of the cover they would put over the furnace to protect it a little from the weather. There was room enough under the shelter to stack a couple of cords of wood. When Liam finished connecting the exchangers he went out and helped Cole finish filling the trench.
Cole maneuvered the tractor around and Liam ran a strap through half of the roofing trusses for the shed they had tacked together and Cole lifted them up. When they were in place and squared, Liam tacked them down with four hurricane ties to keep them in place. They then lifted up the other half and set them in place. Cole moved the tractor and helped his father secure the rest of the trusses. They brought down the OSB sheeting and nailed it on then laid on and secured the tin roof Liam had pre-cut. When the ridge cap was finally down and secured, they decided to call it a day.
They put the tractor and tools away and went to the house. Cole didn't see Gail's truck because Ginny had told her to move it on the other side of the shop. When he walked into the house, Gail was standing next to the breakfast bar.
"Hi Cole."
Cole stopped dead in his tracks.
Gail…."
Gail ran over and hugged him.
"You are so obdurate! Tell me you missed me you big goof!"
He hugged her tighter. "I missed you, you big goof." Cole said, smiling.
You smell like dirt and wood. Go get cleaned up. Your mother and I have cooked you a delicious dinner."
Cole backed away and headed for the stairs.
"I like your hair down like that." Cole said over his shoulder.
Gail smiled, pulled the hair over her left ear and went back to the stove and began pouring the gravy into the gravy boat.
"I told you he would be thrilled. He's been working hard around here trying to keep his mind off of you." Ginny said.
"Well, maybe she should leave then." Liam said walking in. "I'd hate to lose a hard worker."
"Shut your mouth Liam Boyle!" Ginny scolded.
"Don't listen to him, Gail. He just wants free labor." Ginny said.
"I can help. Just tell me what you need done."
"It'll wait until morning."
Cole came back down and they had dinner, after which the women pushed the men into the Great Room while they cleaned up the kitchen and whispered.
"You know they are in there scheming, don't you? Liam asked.
"I know." Cole grinned. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
"We'll move a couple of cords of wood and stack it in the furnace shelter. Sometime this week, your Momma wants to go up to Kingsport and stock up at Sam's Club."
"How did you get those large couches down in the recreation area?"
Liam chuckled. "Your Momma bought those at a yard sale, had me help her take them apart piece by piece so she and Ellen could see how they were covered and Dave and I took the frames apart and took them down and put the wood frames back together. Ginny and Ellen worked on those things for almost two weeks and made them more comfortable than they ever were before. Sometimes I go down and take a nap on them."
"They look comfortable. " Cole said.
"Ginny has been buying up every movie tape she sees too. Most of them she's not even looked out. Says there'll be time later. You and Gail want to go down and watch a movie, do it. There's a popcorn maker down in the kitchen and sodas in the fridge too."
Cole nodded.
Ginny and Gail came in and joined them.
"So, how was your drive down Gail?" Liam asked.
"It was fast, but I only stopped once to get gas. Inside the combo store they had quart jugs of maple syrup and it made my mouth water, thinking of those blueberry pancakes I had here. I'll go out to the truck before the evening is over and bring it in."
"Ohhhh, that's sweet. Well, I don't have to figure out what to make for breakfast in the morning!" Ginny said.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Cole asked Gail.
"Sure."
Cole took Gail's hand a stood up. "We'll be in the Rec Room." Cole told his parents.
Ginny grinned at Liam as the two headed for the basement.
"Don't be knitting any baby booties just yet." Liam said.
Cole led Gail into the basement and over to the steel door. He opened it and turned on the lights.
"What is this?" Gail asked.
Cole silently led her down the stairs into the Rec Room.
Cole stopped at the edge of the room and said, "Gail, this was…."
Gail grabbed him by the neck and kissed Cole, passionately at first, then slowly softened. When she broke the kiss she backed up a step and looked at him.
"I've wanted to do that for years Cole. I'd go to bed each night, my heart aching for you."
Gail, I wanted to hold you so many times I can't count. After I got out, I was afraid I'd never see you again."
"Cole, the day you drove off Fort Belvoir, I knew I'd never re-enlist. I was going to follow you wherever you went. I will be here for as long as you want me."
They hugged again and Gail began kissing Cole's neck. Gently nipping his earlobe with her teeth, she whispered "You are so damn abstinent."
They never even turned on the tape player. They awoke in the early dawn and returned to their rooms.
Ginny was cooking blueberry pancakes when Gail came down the next morning.
"There's coffee made and orange juice in the fridge." Ginny said.
Gail poured cup of coffee and added creamer.
"How was the movie last night?" Ginny asked.
Gail walked over to Ginny. "We never even turned on the tape player!" She whispered.
Ginny giggled. "Good girl!"
"That good girl better get some food in her belly. We're hauling firewood this morning." Liam said, walking in.
Gail blushed and sat down at the breakfast bar.
Cole walked in, rolling up her sleeves. "Who's a good girl?"
"Nunya. Finish these pancakes and I'll do the scrambled eggs." Ginny told Cole.
They moved over to the dining table and had a wonderful breakfast. Gail was stuffing herself with pancakes when she stopped.
"Oh! I forgot to bring in the maple syrup last night!. Gail cried.
Ginny giggled. "Don't worry about it. I had plenty in the pantry. There will be more mornings."
Gail finally sat back and sighed. "I'm going to have to work hard to keep that from going to my hips."
"What? You're nothing but skin and bones now!" Liam said.
"Thank you, but I'm not listening to your gibberish. Anyone want more coffee?"
Ginny chuckled. "She's got your number!"
Gail warmed up Liam's cup and set the pot back on the burner.
"I'm going up to change into work clothes." Gail said, and headed for the stairs.
"Boy, you'd better hang onto that girl. She's a keeper."
Going up the stairs, Gail heard what Liam said and smiled.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 26, 2022 21:45:58 GMT -6
About time. Thanks for the update
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Mar 27, 2022 9:24:06 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 27, 2022 10:54:05 GMT -6
LOVE your work!!!! Thank You phill
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 27, 2022 20:11:21 GMT -6
Chapter 30 - Preparing For The Future
Cole and Gail began walking to the greenhouse while Liam went to the equipment barn to get the tractor. Cole was coming out of the greenhouse with a pair of work gloves for Gail when Liam drove up.
"You two take the tractor up to that woodpile I cut last year and fill the bucket up. You can dump it by the furnace and Dave and I can start stacking wood inside."
Cole climbed in the seat and Gil sat on the ledge in the cab and Cole drove to the stack wood about 300 meters from the greenhouse. They quickly loaded the bucket and drove back down and brought another load back. They soon had the pile of wood depleted and moved to the next cord. They'd learned how to stack the wood in the bucket so as to get as much in the bucket as they could. A few loads later, the space in the furnace shelter was full and Liam lit the fire to test everything out. It was going to get down in the fifties that night and he could check the thermostat out.
"You did good city girl!" Cole said."
Gail grinned. "It felt good. I liked it."
"Come on, we'll get the four wheelers and I'll take you down to the garden."
Cole checked the fuel and oil in the quads and they rode slowly down the road to the garden. The cover crop had come up and was looking good. They walked up to the dam and Cole explained how the ram pumps were used and they walked around the pond making sure muskrats hadn't taken up residence. It was near lunch time so they rode back and put the quads away and went inside. When they walked into the kitchen Ginny was setting the food on the table.
"Can I help you?" Gail asked.
"No Honey, everything's ready. Wash up and take your seats."
Liam came in, washed up and joined them.
"What do you have planned for this afternoon?" Cole asked his father.
"Your Momma wants to go to Kingsport and stock up on some things at Sam's. Why don't you two come with us. It's probably going to take two flat carts."
Cole looked at Gail and nodded.
They all helped clean up the dishes and got ready to go. Cole helped his father hook up the enclosed trailer. When they had the wiring harness hooked up and had checked the lights, Liam handed Cole a business card.
"I picked this up the other week when I was buying a Christmas present for your Mother. I thought you might could use it." Liam said. Cole looked at the card. At the top of the card was printed "Zale's."
Cole and Gail followed his parents in his truck on their way to Sam's.
"How often do they go to Kingsport to stock up?"
"At least once a quarter. They try to keep prepared if they aren't able to get groceries for a while."
"Survivalists?"
"Not in the context that has become widespread. They are preparing to do without. Even sometimes in the winter we can't get out for days. If there was a nuclear war, it would mean months in the bunker. That's why it was renovated to make living down there as pleasant as possible."
They pulled into Sam's and Cole Liam got a flat cart each. Ginny had her list but kept her eye out for new things. She picked up a couple of cases of dehydrated hash browns. They had begun storing foods for a longer by flushing the sealable containers with nitrogen they got from Airgas up in Bristol. Supposedly, dried foods could last up to 25 years when stored that way. They picked up their normal rotational foods and added personal hygiene supplies, laundry and cleaning supplies. When everything on Ginny's list checked off and the carts were piled high, they went through checkout and loaded the trailer.
"We're going to head on home." Liam said, winking at Cole. "You two come on home when you're ready."
Cole and Gail got into his truck and watched as Liam and his mother pulled out. Cole rode down the street to a Lowe's and they went in and bought several pairs of work gloves that were Gail's size, which she appreciated. He then went down a couple of more miles to the Ft. Henry Mall. Going in, Cole checked the directory and led Gail to Zale's.
"What are we doing here?" Gail asked.
"Well, I was hoping to find an engagement ring to fit you." Cole grinned.
Gail's eyes got big and she flushed. "Are you asking me to marry you?"
"That I am ma'am."
"Well, it's not very romantic, but I'll take what I can get. Let's go!"
They found a ring she liked and it didn't even need sizing. Cole wouldn't let here wear it just yet. He had the ring placed in a ring box and put it in his pocket. They left the mall and went to a nice little restaurant and after finishing their shared dessert, Cole got down on one knee and proposed to Patricia Gail Hinton…..and she said "Yes!"
Gail and Cole were married in a small ceremony conducted by Rev, James Hitchens, three miles down the road at the Mount Olive Baptist Church. The wedding was attended by Ginny and Liam Boyle, Dave and Ellen Wilson, and Jake Morton and his fiancé Sandy Miller.
Cole and his father frequently discussed different scenarios where they might have to go into lock down in the bunker. They reviewed and updated or added new things to the inventory. One of the things they were lacking in were weapons to defend themselves. Cole began building a pretty good arsenal and building ammo stocks. He frequented the Army Surplus Stores in the surrounding areas and had everyone outfitted with field clothing and equipment, he, and Gail made sure everyone knew how to use it. Ginny made sure everyone had plenty of clothing stored in the store rooms and maintained and added to their cloth and sewing supplies. Gail got very good at making clothing, thanks to Ginny, and designed and made a multi-pocket vest for Cole because he was constantly wearing holes in his pants pockets. Liam and Dave were envious so Gail made one for each of them too. Falling back on their training, Cole and Gail became involved in amateur radio and got their own rig and several 2 meter radios that they modified some channels on them to transmit off-frequency and blur the transmission making it difficult for anyone to understand what was being said. Gail developed a code sheet that was easy to memorize and cut transmission times. The men made it a habit to carry the radios in their vests.
Popular Science and Popular Mechanics were two of Cole's favorite magazines. When they came in the mail, he read them from cover to cover before putting them down, then stored the magazine for reference materials for others. The latest issue of Popular Science had a lengthy article on life ending global catastrophes and Cole highlighted several events that were possible in their lifetime. An asteroid or meteor impacting the earth could cause huge problems. The Chicxulub crater event that killed the dinosaurs was a 10-to-15-km asteroid that hit Earth with 100 teratons of TNT, creating intense infrared radiation and firestorms that caused a greenhouse effect. The impact would have created a dust cloud that blocked sunlight, leading to a nuclear winter for three years. This killed off plant life and eliminated dinosaur food chains. They had heirloom seeds that would store for years they could replant after staying in the shelter until things would grow again. But one thing that concerned him was if the impact was off one of the coasts of the United States it could generate a tsunami wave possibly up to 2000 feet high, sweeping the coast hundreds of kilometer inland and instantly killing millions of people and wiping wildlife out. He and his dad checked the seals on the door into the shelter and all the escape hatches every year. They had it marked on the maintenance calendar. There would probably be some leakage but they had a good chance of surviving a wash over by a wave without drowning.
Global warming and cooling didn't faze Cole. They were cyclic events in the history of the earth and there was little they could do about it except adapt. Pandemics could pose a problem, but they could quit having contact with people. They would have plenty of supplies stocked up, so they wouldn't have to go in or they could just do without. An article in Popular Science talked about the Yellowstone super volcano and its effects. Magma would be flung more than 50 km into the atmosphere. An explosion would have a force thousands of times that of Mount St. Helens. The thousands of cubic km of ash that would shoot into the atmosphere would block out light from the sun, making global temperatures fall dramatically, leading to a volcanic winter. Most of the plant life could be killed by the ash and there would be massive food shortages. Animal life would also be killed by breathing the deadly ash. That too would be something they would have no control over. All they could do was shelter until things stabilized and try to get things growing again.
They constantly looked over their plans and preparations to try to plug every hole they could in the dike of uncertainty.
The next small bump moved the asteroids within a few hundred meters of each other, making it hard to discern whether the two masses were one object or not. The two continued their long journey through cold space on their long journey. Gravitational pull was changing their speed, the sling shotting effect increasing the speed exponentially.
They thought they'd found a new asteroid. It's shape was different from what should have been anywhere near that path. From the largest astronomical observatory in the world on top of a dormant volcano called Mauna Kea on the southern Hawaiian island of Hawaii, the researchers from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu recorded the odd shaped asteroid and reported it. They gave it the number 12387 but one of the researchers, an avid reader of graphic novels, also tagged it with the name Ka Mea Luku, meaning, "The Destroyer."
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Post by gipsy on Mar 27, 2022 20:26:15 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by catspaw65 on Mar 28, 2022 3:18:58 GMT -6
I like your story. A couple of corrections though. Mauna Kea is on the island of Hawaii, not Oahu. And Destroyer in Hawaiian is ka mea luku.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 28, 2022 5:49:45 GMT -6
I like your story. A couple of corrections though. Mauna Kea is on the island of Hawaii, not Oahu. And Destroyer in Hawaiian is ka mea luku. I stand corrected...
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Post by texican on Mar 28, 2022 19:27:30 GMT -6
And Cole asked Gail not Ginny to watch a movie.
Texican....
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Post by udwe on Mar 29, 2022 17:15:30 GMT -6
Keep going, I want to know what happens next!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 29, 2022 19:03:59 GMT -6
Chapter 31 - Home Improvements
Cole purchased topographical maps from the U.S. Geological Survey and began studying them. He found potential areas where water could make it through the mountains if there were gigantic tsunami waves, but he believed it would be reduced to flooding in their area. The problem was he didn't have any way of knowing whether the flooding would be five or fifty feet deep. He was certain their almost 2000' elevation would keep them protected but Dave and Ellen's place would be subject to flooding and of course the cattle pastures would be inundated for who only knows how long. They needed to set down and see what contingenciest needed to be added to their survival plan. Liam decided they'd have a sit down with the group over burgers and talk over it as a family.
Ginny, Gail and Ellen took care of the sides and the men burned the meat. After everyone had eaten and the paper plates were tossed into the fire pit, they all settled around the fire and Cole told about his research and the probabilities.
"If water does flow down and flood the area from the northeast, that means it will be salt water, won't it?" Ellen asked.
"Yes, but probably diluted from the lakes and rivers. Depending how long the floodwaters lasted it might kill the pasture grasses. With a few rains, the salt would be washed away. We probably should stock up on pasture grass seed to have for replanting." Liam said.
"But what about the cattle?" Ginny asked.
"We would have enough advanced warning, hopefully, to be able to move the cattle to high ground." Cole said. "We need to think about having some high pastures already established and start keeping the big hay bales up on higher ground. It wouldn't be much more work to move them down when needed."
"You got an idea where to put a high pasture?" Liam asked.
"Yeah I think so. There is an area about a half-mile on the other side of the garden of about 30 acres we could clear. If we worked through the winter, we could have it ready for grading and planting in the spring."
"Well, we can start on that, but I think we're forgetting something." Liam said.
"What's that?"
"Dave's house would be hit too. It's practically on the same level as the pasture."
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
"There's a relatively level space about 500 meters to the west of here that would make a nice home site. It's even about thirty feet higher than here." Cole said.
"Dave, you and Ellen take a look at it and if suits you we'll get a well dug. Hopefully we can drill into the same aquifer with positive pressure."
"Cole, I was just about to tell you to start marking off the pasture but something came to mind. The quad dealer in Bristol has some all-wheel drive motorcycles that might suit our needs around here better than the quads. I want you to go up with me tomorrow and take a look. If you think they might work, we can pick up a couple and test them out."
"Liam, I don't think Ellen and I could afford the mortgage on a house right now." Dave said.
"Nonsense. You've got as much equity in this place as I do. You let me worry about a mortgage. So, we have a house and a pasture to get ready. Anything else?"
No one had anything and they just sat around and talked.
The next morning Ginny and Gail decided they wanted to go to Bristol with Liam and Cole. After the breakfast dishes were cleaned up they loaded into Cole's Suburban, pulling a trailer, and drove the 35 miles to Bristol. Gail grinned when she saw the bulky bike. The tires looked like miniature tractor tires, and it looked like it could handle any terrain. When asked if she would like to take a demo model for a spin on their track out back, Gail jumped at the chance. Both she and Cole had ridden dirt bikes across the desert out at the Ranch in Nevada and had no problem handling the Rokon. When she came back, Cole asked her what she thought, she grinned.
"It's not as powerful as the bikes we used out in….that we've used before, but I like it."
Liam bought two and got the cargo racks, which the dealer installed before they loaded them up and strapped them down. Gail was grinning the whole time. When they got back home, Gail wanted to go on a ride immediately. Cole fueled them up, checked the oil and they took off. Gail went down the drive and at the bottom, turned right and stayed on the edge of the woodline all the way to the end of the property line where she turned up a small ridgeline and went into the forest. She kept the speed down but skillfully maneuvered the bike through the trees. When she reached the top of the ridge she stopped and got off the bike.
"What do you think?" She asked.
"Like you said, it's not like the Kawasaki bikes, but I think they will work well around here."
"I'm thinking we need six more."
"Six! Why?"
I talked to Sandy. Jake is getting out at 20. We're going to need them here."
When they got back, Cole squeezed the bikes into the quad shelter and went inside.
"Well, you two were gone long enough!" Ginny said.
"Momma, we had our radios. You could have called if you were that worried." Cole said.
"Well….I thought you might be busy….or something."
Gail giggled and got Cole a glass of iced tea.
Gail walked over to Ginny and turned her back to her. "Ginny could you check and see if I have any twigs in my hair?"
Ginny turned and reached up to Gail then stopped and blushed. Cole snorted iced tea across the breakfast bar and started coughing. Liam walked in and asked, "What's going on."
"Ginny, her face still red said, "Nothing Dear," then whispered to Gail, "I owe you."
"Dad, the bikes are great. They are just what we need. Well, Curtis said he'd buy used quads so we'll take them in and buy bikes for everyone. I'll call and make sure he has enough of the Rokons in stock,"
"We'll need six more." Cole said.
"Six! We only have six people here!"
"Jake is retiring. I'd like to ask him to settle here."
Liam studied Cole's face for a moment. "Okay, I think I know where you're going with this. We'll talk later."
The next morning Cole and Liam moved a large bale of hay and put it in the feeder for the cattle and did a cursory check of the fence using the Rokons.
As they were putting the bikes up Liam said, "We need to build a bigger shed for the bikes."
Cole looked around. "What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking about building another shed over here and run a roof slanting that-way and be able to park the bikes under there. The shed we can use for spare parts and such."
"You mean a catch-all building?" Cole grinned.
"Well, you never know what you find you might could use later, You need somewhere to keep it. What's your idea of bring Jake in?"
"Well, he's a good friend, but also for security. Never can have too much. If something were to happen, people get squirrely. Starving people get dangerous. They will kill you for a biscuit. When it really gets bad people go feral and start running in packs, feeding off the weak.
"Yeah, I hope it never gets to that but we can't depend on wishes. DO you think we have enough ammunition?"
"We have plenty but it won't hurt to get more. What I'm looking at is the type of guns we have. Most are hunting guns. I want to get updated on those. There's a gun store down in Benton I want to visit and see what they have."
"Well, I'll let you and Gail handle that. Curtis has six more of the bikes. I told him to hold them for me and add those hitches to all of them. I've got an idea for a bike trailer for them that would be narrow enough to pull it through the woods."
"Well, I guess we need to start building a shed and get the transportation side of this over with."
Liam pulled out his newest DYI book of shed plans and they picked out a plan that would work. They took two trucks and trailers and brought back the materials from Johnson City. After taking measurements, they set the concrete supports down, digging them in slightly, and started laying out the floor of the 10'x16' building. Dave began putting together the side walls, each with two windows. The nail guns made the work go quickly and soon they were ready to put the plywood on the floor. They had set the building far enough away from the other building so they could park the Rokons and four trailers, still in Liam's mind, under the sloping roof and still have room to move around. They were about half-way through when they stopped that evening for dinner.
They finished the shed the next day, pulled the quads out and went ahead and loaded them on the trailers. Dave and Cole tore the old lean-to roof down, saving the tin roofing and what lumber they could, then built the new roof. The open rear of the shelter faced slightly to the northwest so Liam devised a roll-up canvas tarp wall that could be fastened in place to keep the rain and snow out during inclement weather. Now, to get the rest of the bikes.
Dave and Cole took the Rokons and marked the road to where Dave's house site would be. Dave then hired a crew of young men to help clear the roadway of trees before the bulldozer came in and built the road. The crew would take the firewood length cut wood and stack it to the side for later use. They finished the road and were ready for the bulldozer just before Thanksgiving, and they had a lot to be thankful for.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 29, 2022 19:29:31 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 29, 2022 21:37:18 GMT -6
Love all of the work on both stories, are you keeping up on your homework? phill
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Mar 30, 2022 9:57:20 GMT -6
Thanks for all your work.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 31, 2022 19:10:43 GMT -6
Chapter 32 - New Homes
Jake and Sandy arrived the day before Thanksgiving to a joyous reunion. Sandy immediately jumped in and helped with that preparations that were left to be done for the big meal the next day. The men settled around the nice fire in the fire pit and talked.
"I'd had all I could take, Cole. DIA was taking all our squeal and taking all the credit. Not that I care, but there is a new generation of delusive leaders that are far too political and more self-serving than ever. None of the teams know who to trust any more. It's nice to be here where there isn't so much tension. The farther we got away from there the better I felt. It feels like I can breathe again."
"Well, you are more than welcome here Jake. Cole has been excited for you to get here than I've seen him in a long time." Liam said.
"Yeah, I missed working with him too. Say what is this?" Jake said, holding up his mug.
"It's an ale Dave brews. I like it better than anything we can buy around here." Cole said.
"Well, here's to you Dave, to all of you." Jake said, lifting his mug.
"I've got a driller coming out to dig your well Dave. In fact, his father drilled the original well back in the early 60s. He's still got his father's drilling notes and getting into that aquifer won't be a problem. I've got the other house site picked out. We're going to have to get moving on clearing the road to it. I'd like to get the drilling started on it before Christmas. If we can, I want to fell the trees so they fall out of the roadway as much as we can and we can limb them later. Those that stick out inti the roadway, we'll go ahead and limb them and drag the logs out of the way."
Cole grinned. "Well Jake, looks like there won't be any danger of you getting bored."
"Slap a chainsaw in my hands and get out of my way!" Jake grinned.
Before it got too late, Gail and Sandy dragged Cole and Jake away from the fire pit to bring the bags in. Leading them back in Gail took them through the basement and down the stairs and to one of the six bedrooms that had been reclaimed from the old officer's quarters.
"Man, you didn't tell me this was here!" Jake said.
"Remnant of the old NSA site. We've done a little renovating. You'll like it here, at least you'd better get used to it. This is where you'll be living if the SHTF."
"Hey, you know me, as long as it's dry and doesn't have bedbugs…"
Cole left them with Gail and headed back upstairs.
"What did Jake say about the shelter?" Liam asked.
"He was impressed, but I'm betting he'll leave Sandy there to come back up for some more ale."
Thanksgiving day, they had plenty of food to eat into a stupor and a couple of days of leftovers to boot. Jake was ready to get to cutting the road to the building site. Dave was taking care of the construction of the road to his house site, and the spreading of the gravel on it. Liam, Cole and Jake all manned chainsaws and began cutting the roadway. The trees that were stuck in the roadway were limbed and left to lay. They would come back later and using a pulley system and the tractor, pull the logs out of the right of way. They had plenty of time to cut up the wood. Then Dave contacted a teacher he knew up at Daniel Boone High School and told him if he had any boys that wanted to earn some Christmas money that they needed some help. Ten farm boy's showed up the next day after school and Liam stopped cutting and worked with the boys on dragging the logs out of the way. Most of the boys had driven tractors a good part of their lives so one of the older boys took over driving the tractor while Liam began cutting the logs up for firewood and a team of boys ran the wood splitter and stacked the firewood. The road was finished to Dave's place and the well finished, with just as good a flow as Liam's well so he came over and took over from Liam and Liam began cutting again. In two weeks, they had the right of way cleared of trees and the ten boys walked away with $500 each in their pockets. Not all the logs were cut up but they had a lot of firewood stacked.
They were planning to start the construction on Dave's House after Christmas and start getting the road built to Jake's place. The construction would be slowed at times by the weather but the builder said they could get it done before spring. Liam went ahead and ordered two outside wood burning furnaces. It was going to cost a lot to get power run up to the two home sites but Cole had another idea.
"Dad, the government is pushing the use of solar power these days. They are offering a tax credit if it is installed in new buildings or if it's added to existing buildings. The residential energy credit is calculated at 30 percent of the first $2,000 spent on qualifying solar expenditures and 20 percent of the next $8,000 spent on solar for a maximum of $2,500."
"So, what would it cost to put it on the two new houses?" Liam asked.
"Around $25,000 dollars each." Cole replied.
"Well, that's hardly worth a spoonful of piss, but let's go ahead and do it, if it works."
"Oh, it works. The Canadian Army uses solar and wind power in their remote areas."
"Do your research and let's talk about it later. What happens if the sun doesn't shine?"
"The electricity is stored in a bank of batteries. The batteries are charged in the daytime and the power is taken from the batteries at night."
"I understand that, I read one of your Popular Science magazines. What if we don't get sunshine for days?"
"The wind generator could still recharge the batteries."
Liam nodded slowly. "Okay, see what you need to put a system together. Something Ginny said to me a few years ago about when the diesel runs out we'll be living in the late 1800's, sticks in the back of my mind."
Christmas was a warm and joyful time, except it turned out to be the coldest day they had that year so far. Of course no one counted the complaining Ginny did about the dearth of grandchildren at that time. Gail finally got Ginny aside and told her that next Christmas they should be pregnant. She wanted to plan the birth so she wouldn't be carrying the baby during the summer months. Ginny perked up and made a little list, she kept tucked away, of baby things she wanted to start stocking up on.
The road to Jake's site was bulldozed, graded and rocked. When the well driller came out and saw where they wanted to put the well, he grinned. He pulled out a map that showed the aquifer and the proposed site was well within the boundaries. It took him a week to go down to the 746' level, but the gusher they got proved he was on the money. Once the casing head with the flow control fittings was bolted on, flow was measured and they were getting almost 40 gallons a minute. Cole asked the driller how they could have that type of flow at that elevation. He just pointed to the mountains to the east.
"An arm of the aquifer extends to those mountains. The water seeps down from the higher elevations and pressurizes the aquifer. Although you are at about 2000' here, you're still getting pressure fed from the water coming from the mountains."
They helped him store his drill rods and watched as he collapsed the drill tower. Liam gave him his check and they waited until he was going back down the road then Cole took the tractor with the landscaping blade and smoothed the ground around the well. Wet and cold, Liam took the Rokon he'd ridden up on and Cole drove the tractor back to the equipment barn. The builder was happy to hire more people and they started to work on Jake's house two week after starting Dave's. Liam began doing some research on his own. How did they get power before they had an abundance of fossil fuels?
Cole hooked up the enclosed trailer and he and Gail drove his parents to Sam's in Kingsport. Ginny had her list of things that they could have loaded on one flat cart, but she told Cole to get another. The first aisle she stopped on was paper towels and toilet tissue. She loaded three large packs of each, then went down the aisle and she and Gail began stacking large packs of different sized baby diapers.
"Whoa! Whoa! Is there something I don't know about?" Cole said.
"No, just stocking up for the future." Gail said.
"What about cloth diapers?" Liam asked.
"That's our next stop." Ginny said.
Liam rolled his eyes and just pushed the cart. They did load both carts to capacity and Liam and Cole loaded the trailer while Ginny and Gail sat in the Suburban and talked, or should it be called "plotting." Anyway, Cole was directed to a nearby baby store where to two women bought dozens of packs of cloth diapers and diaper pins, sippy cups, and all kinds of paraphernalia.
"What are you going to do with that many diapers?" Cole asked.
"Oh, they make great weapon's cleaning rags and you can cut them up and make cleaning patches." Liam grinned.
Ginny wheeled around. "I'd better not find you two using my grandbabies' diapers to clean guns!" Ginny said fiercely.
Liam looked at Cole. "Whoa! Not only do we have a mystery baby, but it has multiplied!"
After making multiple trips with the shopping carts, Liam and Cole had everything packed into the trailer.
Ginny wanted to go to Golden Corral for dinner before they went home. She and Gail would be too busy sorting and inventorying things when they got back to cook dinner. Cole kept quiet and just drove.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 31, 2022 19:47:24 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. I did have a Solar water heater installed in the 80s in Cal. and got a rebate for it. My gas bill fell to about $5 a month
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 31, 2022 21:51:58 GMT -6
Liam is gathering an army for his fortress, training paid for by the .gov. Love it!!! Thanks phill
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Post by CountryGuy on Apr 1, 2022 7:02:27 GMT -6
Cole better look out... sounds like Gail's got baby fever and Ginny has Grammy fever. He's already been sucked into the tornado and doesn't even realize it. LOL
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