The First SaR Mission Ch. 05

Episode: The First Search and Rescue Mission

Chapter 5:

Walking a tight rope...

To the reader:

I want to say thank you to all that have read and rated my work, thus far. I especially want to thank those that have taken the time to comment. The ratings tell me, in the most general way, whether, or not, my editing of my last posting improved the story for the reader. However, only your comments can tell me what about it was right and what was wrong. This posting, (Chapter 5), is a distillation of what were the original chapters 8, 9, and, 10. We're burning through the original 33 chapters, rather quickly. With this posting, I have taken the story back toward a standard presentation, about as far as it will ever go. There are still character flags in front of the first paragraph of a character's monolog. I have removed the flags from subsequent paragraphs, until the character focus changes. Because I wrote the story from the POV of the 'fly on the wall'; to remove all of the flags would leave the story in a chaotic confusion. I now understand that point of view is the 'writer's death on a stick'. To change that would require a re-write, and I am hard pressed simply to accomplish the editing required to get each week's posting ready. So, it is what it is and, maybe, all it will ever be. I am pleased with the reception that my story has had, even if I am not satisfied with it. Thank you again, and it is my hope that, if for only a few minutes of your day, you are entertained.

PN

[22:08, Tuesday, the radio room door]

Jack: "Oh, Jim, could you install some sort of loudspeaker in the ops room to monitor the comms? That's where I expect that I will be during most of the operation."

Bonner: "I'll install a base station radio in there, so, that, if you need to, you can speak directly to the teams in the field."

Jack: "You are our radioman and I want a professional to handle most of the communications. But, if you can manage it, an intercom between the radio room and the ops room would be a good idea. That way I can relay decisions through you to the teams."

Bonner: "Yeah, I can do all of that. I'll get on it right away. By the way, if you have a computer and monitor in there I can set it up to display the tracking information from locator beacons on all of the saddle packs. What you will see is a Topographical map with little blue numbers moving around on it."

Jack: "That would be great, especially when Mari is trying to explain things to the press. Dig around in some of the boxes that had the computer gear. There is an LCD projector in one of them. Set that up as a second monitor. That is pretty sweet. Did you make that?"

Bonner: "Ah, unfortunately, no. I wish I had, but it was the same guy that designed the locator beacons."

"Another nice feature is that if they press the emergency buttons on the locators, their unit numbers on the map will turn green and flash for the green button, red and flash for the red button and yellow and flash if both buttons are pressed."

Jack: "Wow! I'm impressed. Well, how did we happen to have a map for this area? And, does all of this data coming over the radio interfere with voice communication?"

Bonner: "We didn't, already, have a map. All that I had to do was to download a USGS topo map. They are available online at no charge. While running the display program, you click a "virtual button" and the program captures it as an image. Then, it prompts you to move the cursor to each of the four corners of the map and click. Each time it captures the latitude and longitude coordinates from the website. The USGS website tracks your cursor and reads out the coordinates at the bottom of the screen. It's pretty neat! And... the data being sent from the locators is actually coming in on the comm channel. Everything is digital and if you were to try to listen to the frequency with an old fashioned radio, if you heard anything at all, it would, just sound like hash or static. Both the data and the voice information is 'digitized' and sent as a mishmash of numbers. It's 'P25' and 'LTE' compatible. That's like your cell phone's 3G and 4G. You have to have the right type of radio on both ends, and the same is true for the repeater, too, but, you can send a lot more information over a single channel."

Jack: "Wow! And, I was lost when they made everyone get rid of our analog TVs!"

Bonner: "Yes, Sir. I hate to say it, but a lot of these changes have taken the fun out of being a radioman and Ham radio. I used to spend hours tweaking and tuning my radios to get the absolute longest distance out of them. I'd set up all night sometimes just trying to swap callsigns with someone, somewhere that I had never talked to, before. Now, you just pull your 'not-so-smart' phone out of your back pocket and call china or, just about anywhere. Of course, the dumb asses have missed something. Even, though you can walk out into traffic 'texting' someone or take 'selfies' or play video games, you can't understand someone talking to you, even if they are just across the street. They seem to have forgotten that they were supposed to be telephones in the first place. But, I'm not bitter!"

Jack: "Yeah, things have changed faster than you can keep up with. It's all more complicated, but, sometimes, I'm not so sure that it is better. It all could be better, if those that invent all of this new technology would, just hold quality as dear as they do sophistication."

"Well... This is going to be a long night. I'll be in the ops room."

Bonner: "Ok, I'll start installing all that stuff, so, I'm afraid that I may be clattering around in there for a while."

Leaving the radio room, Jack heads for the dining hall to get himself a Thermos of coffee and a cup. Realizing that he needs a desk in the ops room, he leaves his coffee by the coffee urn and goes to the storage room and gets a folding table, and takes it to the operations room. Deciding that there should be two, he repeats the operation and then retrieves a half dozen folding chairs. Finally, he returns to the coffee table in the dining hall to collect his Thermos and cup. Jack pulls out two of the chairs, next to his new "desk", sits down and pours a cup of coffee, then kicks his feet up on the second chair, trying to get comfortable to settle in for the long wait...

[00:25, Wednesday, the operations room]

Jack is awakened by the sound of Jim Bonner moving the other table around. Jack is annoyed when he takes a sip from his full cup of cold coffee...

Jack: "Oh, hey, Jim. I guess that I dozed off."

Bonner: "I'm sorry, Alpha, I was trying not to wake you."

Looking around, Jack can see that there are several new pieces of equipment in the room. He also notices the soft hiss of static.

Bonner: "I'm just about done, here, as soon as I reboot this computer. I hung the projector up there on the center pole of the tent and this plastic coated canvas seems to make a passable screen. The intercom is over here next to the computer monitor. And, I hung a speaker box in each corner, on either side of the 'screen'."

There is a beep and the Windows logo appears on the front wall of the ops room.

Bonner: "The tracking software should be up and running, now."

The projected image flashes through several 'boot screens', and then a map appears.

Bonner: "It may take, up to, a minute for this computer to acquire the locator transmitters of the cats. A 'zero', about here..."

Bonner moves the cursor to a spot on the display...

"...will be the base camp. I have a locator, set to 'unit zero', sitting on top of the radio in the 'shack'."

After a few moments delay, small blue numbers appear on the map. A 'zero' indicates the location of the base camp and the numbers '101', '102' and '103' showing to be about a quarter of the way along the ridge to their ultimate destination, the high peak shown on the map.

Jack: "I see them! How long was I asleep? What time is it?"

Bonner: "It's around twelve-forty-five. You were asleep about an hour and a half."

Jack: "It looks like they have gone about a half mile. They are making good time."

Bonner: "Alpha, if you'll look at this end of the ridge, it's sort of triangular shaped where it joins this ridge in front of us and the lines are relatively far apart. That probably means that it's broad, narrowing down to here where the lines get really close together. I would interpret that to mean that this area..."

Bonner is pointing to the triangular area on the map.

"...is wide and flat and, probably heavily forested. For the cats, that would be relatively easy going and fast to travel. Where they are, now is getting very narrow and, because of that, I would imagine rocky. The soil, if there ever was any, would have washed away, leaving exposed rock. That means that, very likely, it will be slow going. There are a few wide spots along the way, but, mostly, it's very narrow. I'm praying that none of it is impassable."

Jack: "That sounds like a pretty astute analysis. I'm impressed, but not pleased."

Bonner: "Yes, sir."

Jack settles back into his chair, again, to wait.

[02:10, Wednesday, on the ridge]

Grace:"What happened? It has gone from a stroll through the woods to a stone 'tight-rope'.

Fontain:"You couldn't tell too much from the map that they had, but I think that it will be like this for most of the rest of the way. What worries me is that, looking off to the sides, I'm seeing either, fog or, Gawd, cloud tops and not a single flat spot on the way down. So, step carefully".

Baxter:"And to think that I used to get butterflies just trying to jump from one tree to another."

Fontain:"Well, I don't know how far it goes, but so far, this game trail is passable, even if a little disconcerting at times."

Baxter:"Yeah, probably made by a bunch of dumb goats! That's what they needed to have sent to do this! Goats! Say, are there such critters as a 'Were-goats'?"

Purring-snickering can be heard from the other cats...

Fontain:"I don't know, but I'm fairly certain that there is, at least, one 'Were-jackass', though. So, just worry about where you put your paws and keep moving."

[02:25, Wednesday, the operations room]

Jack, speaking to Jim Bonner: "They seem to be slightly over half way there. Gawd that must be hell. I'm worried."

On the ridge...

Fontain, in the lead:I guess that it was a good thing after all that we wore these ponchos. My damned ears hurt and my feet are numb and this fog is starting to worry me. We haven't been on anything that looked like a trail in the last hour. If this fog were to get too dense... What if we couldn't see our footing?

Grace:"Well, I suppose that we would just have to lie down and try to wait it out. When the sun comes up, even if it is still drizzling, there is bound to be a little wind that would carry the fog away."

Baxter:"Grace, hon, I love you. Even in this, you are hope and a ray of sunshine."

Fontain:"I'll second that."

"We have, what looks like, a small rise ahead. It looks like it widens out, but, I think that we are going to have to leap up on it. Let me go first and see what is up there. Look, you two... If something happens to me, if I screw up and don't make it, then, this mission is over. You two turn around and make for the camp. Are we clear?"

Baxter:"Understood."

Grace:"Yeah. Harry, be careful."

Fontain backs up a couple of steps then runs and leaps...

Fontain: "Umph!"

In a very un-cat-like fashion, Fontain lands on his belly with all four paws splayed. He carefully pats his paws around where he lies and discovers a gritty, eroded granite surface.

Grace:"Harry! Are you alright?"

Fontain:"Yeah... yeah, I...I'm ok. It's kind of domed shaped up here. A lot of loose granite flakes and sand. It's a bit hard on the feet. Let me get on the other side, out of the way. Grace, back up a little bit and take a running leap. It feels kind of unnatural, but try to land on your belly with your paws spread out. I think that if you land on your paws, that you might cut them up pretty bad. I'll be, just on the other side. I'll lie down and grab you to help stabilize you. Give me a "yowl" as you leap. Ok, ready when you are."

Taking several steps back, Grace runs and leaps...

Grace: "Yerraoowl!"

Grace lands like a sack of beans...

Grace: "Umph!"

Harry lunges forward and throws his forelegs around hers.

Fontain:"Grace, we have got to stop meeting this way. My heart can't take much more!"

"Alright. Come on around me. There is plenty of room."

Grace shambles to her feet and rounds Fontain...

Fontain:"Alright, Bax', you heard the procedure?"

"Ok, then. Ready when you are."

Baxter backs up, hunkers down and twists his hind quarters from side to side and then charges forward.

Baxter: "Yowlll!"

"Umph!"

Fontain lunges forward again to grab Baxter.

Baxter:"I see what you mean. It's like walking on broken glass, up here."

Fontain:"Yeah, I was afraid it would be slick. It wouldn't do to slide off of here."

Baxter:No. I guess not.

The team gathers themselves and trek on. The trail grows slightly wider, with a definite rise.

[04:00, Wednesday, the operations room]

Mari: "What's happening Jack? Thirty minutes until I have to let the press in."

Jack: "They don't seem to be far from the peak, but they have slowed down. I guess that the path is becoming more difficult. Go ahead at the promised time and bring the reporters in out of the rain. The teams will be coming in at about 04:30 to have breakfast. Tell the reporters that they are not to interfere with them. Let them finish breakfast. You can tell the press of the mission to place the repeater and the consequences if that does not happen. At 05:00 I intend to brief the teams on everything. After that, I will take questions from the teams. Then, I will turn the room over to you. The reporters may interview team members, if and only if each team member agrees to be interviewed. I will take questions if you want me to. I don't intend to hold anything back, including Werewolf questions. If we've handled this right, then it should mostly be good press. Watch out for some stupid reporter trying to gen-up a story where there isn't one. Also, watch for those that are, obviously, out to get us. We'll, just do our best and hope this works. If it spirals out of control, then we'll have to shut it down as gently as possible."

[04:05, Wednesday, the ridge]

Fontain:"I'm sure glad the rain has tapered off, but this fog has gotten awfully thick."

Baxter:"Need I remind you where we are? I think the drizzle quit because we're in the clouds that were producing it."

Grace:"Bax', sometimes you are, just a bundle of cheer."

Baxter:"Yeah, I just can't help myself."

Fontain:"There is some sort of rock shelf in front of us."

"It's about ten foot up and I don't see any way to, just climb up on it. That's a big jump, carrying the extra weight of these packs. I guess this trail is safe enough to back up and get a good run at it, though. Do both of you feel like you could take a running jump and make it?"

Baxter:"I'm hungry as hell, but, yeah, I can make the leap."

Grace:"Yeah, But, when I get back, I'm going to curl up and sleep for a week!"

Fontain:"Ok, let's back up and I'll go first."

The three panthers turn around and trek back down the trail about a hundred feet.

Fontain, turning to face the high ledge again:"Ok, here goes nothing!"

Fontain begins running and accelerates until the sound of his paws hitting the hard rock is loud in his ears. He reaches a dead run, his heavy tail held high. Then, he momentarily drops into a crouch, his forelegs punch the rock suddenly, heaving his body up to, almost, a forty-five-degree angle. An instant later, strong back legs, driven by huge muscles spring out together, launching Fontain into the air. As the momentum of his leap carries him up, the momentum of his run carries him forward. When he senses his weightlessness, passing through the apex of the arc of his jump, he pulls his massive tail down. This gives his body the moment of rotation to begin a forward tumble. An experienced jumper Fontain's timing is very good. For having jumped onto unknown terrain and in poor visibility, Fontain's rotation is only slightly more than was required and huge paws and strong forelegs absorb the excess momentum in a controlled collapse, back legs respond similarly as they take the weight of his body's descent from the arc. Fontain lands softly without rolling or sliding.

Fontain: "Umph!"

"I'm up. Give me a moment to look around."

The visibility isn't good and Fontain carefully pads along, approaching the edge of the table rock. Without getting too close, he walks all around the rock to locate the edge.

Grace:"Is everything all right, Harry? Are you ok?"

Fontain:"Yeah, I'm fine. This rock is rough but pretty flat. It must be a hundred... hundred and fifty feet across. It's almost flat and level with the edge that you can see from down there, so, jump for that height. If you have to, you should be able to run out your excess momentum."

Grace:"Here I come!"

Grace begins to move forward, accelerating with every pull from fantastically strong, sinuous legs, the wind rushing past ears, that are laid flat, as if to streamline her flight. Reaching the point on the path that she intuitively knows to be right...

Grace: "Umph!"

Grace lands without apparent exertion or effort and leisurely strolls clear of the landing area.

Grace:"Ok, Bax. Let's see if a Were-jackass can fly!"

Baxter: "Umph!.."

whump!

Baxter:"Ok. Ok. So, I didn't flap my long ears hard enough and my hooves landed a little hard."

purrr-giggle...

Fontain:"Well, from the map that they showed me, the peak, that we were supposed to set the equipment up on, was the highest and widest point on this ridge. For the last quarter mile, the trail has definitely been climbing higher and the ground on either side of the trail has broadened out until I almost feel safe. Boys and girls, I think that we have arrived."

"So, does anyone want to do this?"

Baxter:"Not if I don't have to. I'm cold in my cat form. I don't relish the thought of being a bare-assed human, up here."

Fontain:"Grace?"

Grace:"It's your show, Harry."

Fontain:"Ok, well then let me see if I can get this poncho and pack off."

[04:45, Wednesday, the operations room/dining hall]

Mari: "Alright, ladies, and gentlemen of the press... As I have explained previously, we are not to interrupt members of the search team during their breakfast. This is a simple matter of practicality. They need to pack in as much energy and protein as possible. Once they decent into the first valley, they will be on their own and if the search takes longer than a few hours they will be "living off of the land," as it were. Our Were metabolism runs at about half again that of a mundane human. So, it is necessary for them to pack it in, while they can. I see a hand up, over there. Yes, sir?"

Reporter: "Ma'am, Rob Landen, NCN; Are all of these people Wolves?"

Mari, craning her neck to look over the gathering: "Mr. Landen, As best as I can see, yes they are. I should qualify that answer, however, because everyone in this room is actually human. What I mean by that is that when we Weres are in our human form, we are, just like you. All of our "icky-bits" are in the same place, and for every purpose under the sun, we are human."