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Doomsday By Design -- [STORY THREAD]

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posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 05:21 AM
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Once back at the gate, Sue-Lin positioned herself a little away from the others and waited for all of the shooting to stop. She had killed 11 of them before she ran through the gate so she didn't feel like cutting out. Besides, her primary mission was to protect their group and that is what she would continue to do.

After they ceased firing, many gathered together in small groups to talk. One such group of three came toward her. She checked the rest of her group to make sure that they weren't being approached but they weren't so she fractionally relaxed.

The lead older man introduced himself as Teddy. He said, "Easy, you are safe." Sue-Lin nodded.

Teddy smiled and said, "What do your friends call you as a nick name. Perhaps your first name, all I see is a bush." He said it with a big smile and added, "Your work out there was exceptional, you impressed me!"

Sue-Lin answered, "They call me Ninja Bush or Sue-Lin."

Teddy and his two friends laughed and Ted asked what she needed. All of her friends would be cared for in a similar way. They took her to a building and gave her some hot stew. While she ate, they asked her what else she needed. She answered that she needed to clean her weapons. Introducing himself as Pete, one of the men relieved her of the Steyr. As he sat down, a women smiled and handed Pete a very large military cleaning kit. He started cleaning her weapon.

After he finished, he reloaded it and handed it back to her. Then with a smile he asked, "Now Miss Cautious One, if you hand over the others we can clean those for you as well. Then perhaps a wash and a good sleep with you friends?

As Sue-Lin handed over her other weapons, she answered, "Who do I tell if I intend to go over the wall tonight and I need to see whoever commands the town's defense, please. It is very urgent. I have scouted that group out there."

The women nodded once and left the building. Sue-Lin closed her eyes to center herself thinking that it was going to be difficult to convince these people of what had to be done.



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 05:49 AM
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After speaking briefly with the people of Los Oculto, the ginger beside Sandra motioned for everyone to follow him into town. Some folks remained at the wall, guarding the town, while the rest of them disbanded for the time being.

"Come inside, an' have yourself a drop o' the pure. Take the edge off." The man told them, stepping into a moderately sized shack, which appeared to be a rag-tag restaurant. He sat at the bar, and the others followed him, sitting along the bar or at the table behind him.

It was a run down old place, built entirely out of wood, and sunlight was peeking into the building through the small windows and cracks in the walls... still, the endless posters and shelves of liquor gave the shack an oddly intriguing touch, and Sandra liked it. In fact, studying the posters on the walls and the ceiling, she realized that they all shared a similar theme, which was strikingly comparable to Dorian's bunker.

Sandra sat besides the Irish man, and Alan sat on the opposite side, both of them eyeing him. The others, sitting at the nearby table, watched them quietly, all of them unknowing what to say or do next.

Within the minute, a short, plump redheaded woman emerged from the darkness behind the counter, carrying as many bowls of stew as her arms would allow her to. The woman sat the bowls down carefully on the table, in front of Angus, Carol, James, and Marcus.

Sue-Lin had joined them, but she was at a separate table, deep in conversation with two Los Oculto inhabitants, and sipping on her new bowl of stew.

When the woman returned to the back of the bar, she handed the ginger man a particularly large bottle of yellow liquid, giving him a small, dry face.

"I don't like you drinkin' the stuff every day." She told him. "S'pecially with the world fallin' down 'round us o'er the past week. When're you gonna get it through yer thick skull, Seamus? We ain't got the luxury of drinkin' our problems away n'more."

The man called Seamus nodded, pouring himself a shot.

"Says the lovely woman runnin' the saloon." He muttered, smiling, raising his glass to her, making Sandra stifle a laugh. "M' not gettin' rubbered Maggie, just keepin' my spirits up."

The woman, Maggie, looked between Seamus and Sandra.

"Who're these new faces, Seamus?" She asked him.

Seamus turned his head to Sandra, looking very intense all the sudden, his emerald eyes bleeding into her cerulean blue ones.

"The others're friends of her's.. jus' along for the ride, tryin' to survive, like we all are. But this one here..." He placed a hand on her shoulder, still gazing into her. "Just guessin' by the looks of her... I think this one's me cousin."



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 06:00 AM
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edit on 12-6-2014 by 727Sky because: ...



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 06:12 AM
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Alen and Marcus did not hear Robbie's request to grab James on their way by so as the little fella started falling behind Robbie scooped him up.
"Yeah there James, how about a piggy back ride with Uncle Angus?"
The kid was already snubbing "wa..wa..where is San...Sandra?". James said.
Robbie had an idea and hoped it worked.
"Oh she is just behind us. No need to be scared for her. I REALLY need your help James, you see my eyes don't work so good sometimes. Do you think that if I put you on my shoulders you could guide me to the town over there?"
Robbie figured that giving the kid something to do might help calm him down.
"I..I..could do that, I will help. I couldn't help momma but I can help you!"
Robbie stopped long enough to position James on his shoulders, then stumbled off towards the town as fast as he could. James shouting out unneeded instructions all the while.
Once through the gate they were greeted by a kind looking older lady. She winked at Robbie and spoke to James.
"Hello young man, what's your name" She asked.
"I'm James, I helped Angus get here cause his eyes ain't so good" James said, with an unusual amount of confidence.
"Did you now? Well you just come with old Aunt Bell, you're a hero and there are other kids over in the Mess Hall that would love to hear about you're adventures!" Aunt Bell gave Angus a slight nod and he set James back on the ground.
"Thank you James, I could not have done it without you" Truth was, that Robbie WOULD not have done it without him.
"I'ma go with Aunt Bell, will you be ok now? James asked Angus.
"I will be fine, and thanks again"
With that the two left Angus and went hand in hand to the mess hall. The gun shots and screaming seeming to have little effect on them.
Robbie made his way to the top of the gate just in time to watch the last of the raiders fall.

edit on 12-6-2014 by Quadrivium because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 06:36 AM
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As Robbie surveyed the carnage a familiar voice spoke to him.
"Well, well, how are you doing Angus, I have not seen you in a while". It was an older gentleman by the name of Skip. Robbie recognized him from the NAR meetings.
"Nice to see you and this little outpost, Skip. I thought we were done for." Robbie replied.
"We saw you coming and we had already prepared a party to go out to help if needed. Looks like you all made it in safely and the bandits are all dead." Skip said.
"No, that was only about a third of their force. The rest will be here soon. Skip does the outpost have any large baskets or corn sacks?"
"Well that's a strange request, but yes we have large baskets we use for laundry. What do you need them for?"
"Do you think you could get the baskets and a couple more people? There are a lot of guns and ammunition down there" Robbie pointed at the battlefield, "it might be a good idea to get any spent casings as well".
Skip smirked "Ah, still the thinker I see, no worries, give me a few and we will head out. I will make sure the alarm is sounded if the watch towers see any sign of danger, as well".
True to his word Skip returned a few minutes later with 4 young men and a stack of baskets. They headed out onto the field and started the gruesome job of digging through bodies while Robbie followed Sandra and the rest to the mess hall.


edit on 12-6-2014 by Quadrivium because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 09:55 PM
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A man that had been talking to Sandra walked over and asked, "Well Teddy, who do we have here!"

Teddy answered, "Seamus, this is Sue-Lin or Ninja Bush, and she is mine."

Sue-Lin moved her hand to the Steyr, looking at Teddy and said hauntingly, "The last man that decided he owned me, died with a knife through his throat. I put it there. I was ten at the time. Perhaps you may wish to rephrase?"

Ted looked at Sue-Lin and replied, "Seamus, this very lovely, very deadly young lady falls under my jurisdiction if she is willing. I control all of our scout groups and what we have here is a scout and a damn good one."

Seamus nodded saying, "Well, that is one I do not need to worry about. Teddy, try not to antagonize the wee lass. We really do need you." Turning a little to Sue-Lin and smiling, he said, "Lass, Teddy is an ex Captain of the Green Berets. These other two gentlemen have similar wonderfully colorful backgrounds. I really do need them, so easy with your knives please little darlin."

Seamus moved away and only moments later another older Irishman sat at the table and introduced himself as Patrick. He just sat and listened.

Teddy said, "Well Ninja, before you jump the wall, you need a little more local knowledge. The most important bit of knowledge is that, out there somewhere is a guy with a .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle. We do not know who he is, we do not know what he wants and we have been warned, by .50 rounds at our feet, not to try and find him. He is the best I have seen. He helped you even if you didn't know it."

Sue-Lin smiled saying, "I may be able to help you with that, give me a few minutes please." She took out her radio and sent a message then waited for the reply.

Then she asked, "Do you know what an Archangel is in the Spec Ops field.

Teddy answered, "Yes, they are special detachments of the Australian SAS used to augment their standard groups. They are some of the best Snipers in the world, equal to the best of the best in any country! They work in teams of three or five. Please don't tell me that we have an Archangel out there!"

Sue-Lin smiled saying, "No, that guy is not 'an' Archangel, he is 'the' Archangel. He is an ex Captain of the SAS, the one who formed and developed the Archangel concept. He is no threat to you or to anyone in this town. He is positioned to provide over watch for me. He just arrived well before I did."

Teddy asked, "Why does an Archangel, rather, THE Legendary Archangel, protect you?"

Sue-Lin put on her best girly smile, tossed her head and replied, "Cause he's my Daddy!"



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 10:13 PM
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The three men looked at her and Teddy continued the gentle interrogation. "I assume he trained you."

Sue-Lin answered, "For the past seven years, since I was ten, he has trained me. Prior to that, from birth to ten, I was trained in the arts of Ninjitsu, to be used as a child assassin. I did not like the sex ed part so I killed my Master. That is when Daddy found me. He offered me a new life, so I changed my mind about killing him. Best decision I ever made, well, after the decision to kill the General. I guess the hordes of assassins that may have, one day, come after me are probably not going to materialize in this brand new world, but I was trained to survive such odds."

Teddy looked very seriously at Sue-Lin and said, "We would be eternally grateful for any Intel you have on that group out there and if you do not mind, we could help with whatever plan you may have. Adding local knowledge to a plan is always useful."

Sue-Lin provided the Intel she had and explained her plan. Then her little plan was augmented as was her little foray, she would not go alone.



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 11:11 PM
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Very late that night, four people went over the western wall. Sue-Lin, Teddy and two other ex spec ops guys went far out into the dessert coming at the hostile horde from the rear.

Penetrating the ring of guards was child's play. Once inside the perimeter, the four of them laid down on the ground and looked like any other small knot of sleeping hostiles.

They had left themselves plenty of time to penetrate the guard ring so they just had a rest for a little over an hour. Then, suddenly, all hell broke loose on the main defensive line between the group and the town. There was sporadic firing made worse when the hostiles opened up, there were small explosions, it was becoming very busy.

All the sleeping hostiles jumped up, grabbing their weapons, and moving hurriedly to the front line which was the ridge line of a wide wash. As all the hostiles moved forward, so did the party of four, just moving forward with everyone else.

They passed extremely close to the four guards watching the prisoners and after they had passed the guards were nowhere in sight. So too, to the four guards that protected the four vehicles. When leaving home, Sue-Lin had grabbed her only cherished weapon. When she was only 10 and just coming to know her Father, he had given her a wakizashi as a gift. It was folded steel and extremely sharp. He had said to her, 'If anyone tries to hurt you, use this. Perhaps it will let you relax just a little. I love you Sue-Lin, I want you to feel safe.'

Tonight was the first time she had used it and she had used it well. She had taken out the throats of three guards with extreme efficiency.

By this time, the edge of the encampment bristled with guns and hostiles, all looking worriedly out into the dessert for any possible attack. It took only two minutes to load the prisoners into the three Armored Personnel Carriers and set two small explosive charges on the remaining truck and its trailer.

The three men then checked the hitches on the trailers that the APC were towing. Finding it all to their satisfaction they entered the APCs, closing the back doors. Sue-Lin was the last one on board and went straight for the twin .50 Cal Turret.

The engines started and they drove straight out into the dessert, running over a few people in the process. In the confusion of an expected attack, no one fired a single shot at them and as such, Sue-Lin did not get to play with the mounted fifties. She raised her arm out of the APC's turret and pushed a button on the remote detonator. Two close explosions saw the demise of the truck and its trailer.

Twelve minutes later they sailed through the open gates of the town to many cheers from the townsfolk.
edit on 12/6/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 12 2014 @ 11:46 PM
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The gates closed and the area where the three APCs had stopped became very busy. Sue-Lin and Teddy walked a little away just watching as other people did their part. The prisoners were all untied, given water and led away to be checked by the town's medical group.

Other people started unloading the APC's and cataloging the supplies they held. Food went on one pile, weapons on another. Sue-Lin spied a small caliber machine gun with three belts of ammo and went over and took it.

Teddy asked, "Don't you have enough weapons?"

Sue-Lin answered, "I promised Church I would find him a better weapon. This should do nicely."

Teddy laughed and said, "Sure thing, all yours!"

Seamus joined them saying, "Well Lassie, it was your little raid so please report."

Sue-Lin replied, "They fill up their water bottles every morning. They are allowed about a pint per day from what I could tell on my last scouting mission. One of the trailers we towed in holds water, the other two hold what is left of their supply of diesel. The only other water they had was in the tank being towed by the truck they had. The trucks engine no longer functions due to a charge of C4 and their remaining water is soaking into the dessert sand."

She paused to collect her thoughts and continued, "They have zero water remaining. They have to walk out or attack. There is no other water out there. They attack us or they die of thirst. That is now their reality."

Another man walked over and gave a report, "Seven belts of .50 Cal to run the machine guns, nine rounds for the cannon, the rest is small arms ammo. About 200 odd gallons of diesel between the two tanks. Much of it is contaminated, we can clean it. Oh, and three APCs."

He said the last with a grin and left to organize the storage of the fruits of the raid.

Seamus left with a smile saying, "Your a wee lass you are, but a cherished lassie as well. Glad you could join us. Well done! We won't have long to wait for them to try us on. I better go and warn everyone. Good job all of you."

Sue-Lin nodded to Teddy and went to find a quiet corner to just curl up and get some sleep.



posted on Jun, 13 2014 @ 02:08 AM
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6:31 pm, Los Oculto Saloon


----------------


"What?"

It felt like years before Sandra finally spoke.

Seamus revealed a small, sly smile, his green eyes shining as they rested on her. He massaged his ginger mustache, still examining her rather closely.

"Yer' dear ol' uncle never brought yeh out here, did he?" Seamus asked. "I'd think he'd 'ave given ya' the low down on this ghost town. Rather important place nowadays, now that our wors' dreams 'ave come to pass."

Sandra gaped at him.

"You... you're my cousin?" She breathed, staring at him.

"Ay, yer uncle's cousin from the free Irish nation, lassy." Seamus explained. "And by extension, I'm yer cousin too. Always wanted to meet ya', I did... but for some reason or another, yer uncle never brought yeh around."

Because I never wanted to, Sandra thought sadly.

"I didn't know I had any family besides Dorian." She told him.

"Yeh didn't?" Seamus asked, his voice cracking, his scraggly red eyebrows raising. "Yer bat-sh!t ol' uncle never told yeh about us, did he? Blasted little..."

"Well, its not really his fault..." Sandra began. "I kinda.. well... had other stuff going on. I wasn't really interested in... everything he was doing. But... I guess I should've been..."

Seamus gazed fluently into her eyes, giving a couple of very subtle nods.

"I hear ya'." He said. "You try livin' in Ireland in this day and age. This is the first doomsday havin' experience Amerca's had, right? Not Ireland. They've seen revolutions left an' right, and my home town Dublin's been on the map for over a thousand years. Place is runnin' rampant with rebellion nowadays, lassy... gettin' the heat from the European Union, see... a few colonies won't surrender their independence, and they shouldn' have to. I was a part of all that mess... till I got a call from your uncle a couple years back."

"My uncle called you? When you lived in Ireland?" Sandra said. "Why?"

"Said he needed help with his preppin' an' whatnot. Makin' his bleedin' doomsday plans and all that..."

"But... he had that bunker and everything before I ever came to live with him. What did he need help with? It seemed like he already had everything figured out."

Seamus gave her a profound, odd look.

"Said he had somethin' new to prepare for." He told her. "Somethin' he wasn't sure he could take care of by himself. He wanted me and me lovely ol' wife to join his NAR--"

"His NAR?"

"Ay. Good ol' uncle Dorian was the founder of the NAR. He figured he had enough eatin's and guns, but he only had himself to hold his fort, all by his lonesome. He figured he needed a bit of networking, and the NAR was a good start, but he needed people he could trust with his own. His family. So, he called me over, an' here I am."

Dorian's cassette message played through her mind again. Wait a second...

"You were going to Las Nueva Era, weren't you?" Sandra asked.

"Ay. Sure was." Seamus nodded. "We couldn't get anywhere near the town. Kept running into refugees from Las Vegas, more an' more of 'em every day. We even lost a couple of good people out there cause of them raider folks. So, I had me buddy send out a radio message... hoped you'd find yer way here. And here ya' are."

He smiled, patting her shoulder again.

Sandra gulped.

"Where is Dorian?"



posted on Jun, 13 2014 @ 10:37 AM
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Chapter 3


Los Oculto






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Seamus's expression softened, and he looked down, pondering on Sandra's question. He very well knew the answer, but wasn't sure exactly how to word it...

"I dunno, lassy." He finally told her in a regretful tone. "Wasn't here very long before he disappeared. I wasn' sure where he shuffled off to, but I assumed he went lookin' for you."

"But he was here?" Sandra said. "He came here the day everything happened?"

"Well... ay... but not willingly, mind you." Seamus informed. "He and I had ourselves a little meetup that day, early in the morning... me and the misses did both." -Maggie stopped cleaning the glass she was holding, and began to listen intentely- "Talkin' bout the landmines out in the open space near his ol' bunker. Told 'im that was a bad idea, but... insisted that I help set 'em up. Next thing I know, guns are goin' off bout a mile off, and..."

Seamus paused.

Sandra examined him.

"We go for the car, but Dorian won't go with us. Says he ain't leavin' the town until he finds you. So, uh..."

"So I throttled him o'er the head with me club." Maggie interrupted. "Took 'im with us by force. Bleedin' nutter woulda' gotten himself killed if he stuck around that hellhole."

"So you basically kidnapped him." Sandra said to her.

"Ay, and I do it again." Maggie replied in an oddly proud way, smirking, completely missing the seriousness in Sandra's voice. "Saved his life, I did. When he woke up, we was already halfway here, there wasn't no turnin' back after that, despite all the swear words he spewed at me. Anyone who can make an Irish woman gasp at the amount of swear words they use, my goodness... that's one foul-mouthed ballbeg."

"When did he leave?" Sandra wondered, turning back to Seamus.

"The same day he arrived." Seamus told her. "I'm surprised you ain't seen 'im by now. Granted, its a rougher road when yer travelin' by yer lonesome, and on foot, no less... but still... he shoulda' made it back to the bunker before you all left. Musta' got side tracked or lost."

Sandra suddenly felt uneasy.

"Hey. Not to interrupt the family reunion or anything..." Alan said. "But what are we supposed to do now, exactly? What, do we stay here? In this town? Is that the plan?"

Alan continued asking questions, which seemed to be aimed at everyone, not just Sandra. But her mind had already drifted away, barely hearing anyone... her uncle was missing... he wasn't here, with his friends, like he was supposed to be... he was actually missing... damn it all, this is my fault... if I didn't run off that morning, I would've been with him when all the sh!t hit the fan... we never would've been separated...

"Sandra, are you listening?" Alan asked her, recognizing the uninterested face she was making. "I can tell when you tune me out, Sandra. I've had enough practice. Are we supposed to stay here, or what? Have you thought any of this through?"

"Yes, I have. And none of it involved you being here." Sandra answered forwardly. "I left you all in the bunker because there was more than enough supplies in there to last until the NAR found a way to rescue you. I thought I only had myself to plan for, because I left by myself. And don't get me wrong, I'm glad you all followed me.." -Sandra realized that Alan's expression had become appalled- "But I didn't think you'd all be here. And I thought..."

I thought Dorian would be here, and everything would be okay... but I was wrong... nothing's changed... in fact, it seems like everything's gotten worse...

"You didn't think that much, or we wouldn't be in this mess." Alan told her. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't follow you, Sandra?"

"Alan, I appreciate it and everything... but you've never once implied that you gave a damn about anyone but yourself. And the rest of them.." -she waved an arm at the table occupied by her friends, who were eavesdropping- "... they don't have any reason to care, either. We're in a safe place, in good company... what in the hell do you have a problem with?!"

"Alright, alright, yeh've both made yer points. Enough squabblin' now, the both of ya'." Seamus held up a hand between them. "We've got a bigger problem on our hands, kiddos."

"What?" Sandra said.

"Them raiders... that ain't all of them we killed." Seamus elaborated. "That was only a small portion of 'em, see... Las Vegas was a heavily populated place, and those remainin' survivors are gonna hit us full force any day now."

"You guys handled the other ones pretty well." Sandra responded. "None of your people even got hurt..."

"That's 'cause we were prepared. And because them petty looters were small in numbers when they followed yeh here. That won't be the case next time around, oh no... now that word's gotten 'round about this lil' town, they'll be preppin' to take us over."

"Have you got a counter plan?" Alan asked. "Ah... a defense strategy, I mean. Some way of planning around their plans."

"That's what I'm gettin' at." Seamus held up a finger, nodding. "We oughta' make us a plan, so we might have a chance when hadies comes knockin' on our gates. Maggie, lemme have the bottle, I've got some thinkin' to do."

When Maggie grimaced and handed him the bottle of liquor, Sandra hid her amusement.

Seamus stood, pointing his head towards the table which was occupied by Sandra's comrades. "Com'ere. Let's all have a little chat together. Plannin' works better that way."

Sandra, Alan, and Seamus sat at the table, joining Marcus, Carol, Angus, and Church. Sandra waved Sue-Lin over to them, and everyone remained silent for a few seconds, each of them waiting for someone else to speak first.

"Well..." Sandra said, trading eyes with all of them. "We have a big ass fight coming our way, guys. Anyone got any ideas?"



posted on Jun, 13 2014 @ 12:23 PM
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Robbie looks around the table, no one seems willing to break the ice so he speaks up.

"Seamus, are or were there any stores around that sold toys?" Seamus cocks an eyebrow at him.

"Toys or more to the point remote controlled air planes or helicopters. Don't laugh, but if we had a few, I could increase their flying radius, implement a small on board digital camera and you would have a few good reconnaissance drones. They may come in handy for spotting weak spots in the oncoming forces front lines or just scouting in general."

Robbie rubs his chin in thought and adds "if the RC plane was big enough, I might even be able to add a small caliber hand gun, perhaps a .22 although it would probably be more accurate on a RC helicopter. Just a few thought I have been mulling over."

edit on 13-6-2014 by Quadrivium because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 13 2014 @ 04:49 PM
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Robbie sat and listened but his mind was wandering. He pondered the implications of what he had suggested. The idea tumbling around in his head.

Machines of war...........that is what I just suggested. What would my dad have to say about that? He abhorred killing and fighting. Yet here I am volunteering my gifts to be used to kill others..........

When he was a child his dad had started calling him MacGyver, after the guy on the popular TV series in the '80s. His dad meant it as a compliment but Robbie hated it. As a joke his dad stopped calling him MacGyver and started calling him Angus.
Robbie did not understand why at the time. Later he found out that MacGyver's first name had been Angus. By this time most of the town folk had picked up on the nickname and it stuck, though few knew the reason behind it.
He had never thought of ways to hurt or kill people before but now he found that all kinds of ideas were flooding his mind. From RC toys to ways of improving the existing weapons they had.
He kept telling himself that they were living in a different world, that if he did not help they all would die. But with each new idea that popped in his head he would cringe.
In his mind he could see the carnage as his ideas came to life.
That's how his mind worked. His ideas usually formed and built themselves in his mind. He could see how they would work, what they would do and what could go wrong. He had a saying
"If I can ever see something in my head, the hard part is done. All that's left is the 'doing'."
He would have to come to terms with what he was thinking, with the things he was thinking about making and the lives they would take........but it would have to wait.
He hated the ideas as they formed but he could also see that they were needed.

This will change me........or maybe I have already changed?


edit on 13-6-2014 by Quadrivium because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 13 2014 @ 10:20 PM
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Sue-Lin answered, "We should consider the various elements they have and work out a defense against each one. On several rooftops, sniper positions complete with sandbags have already been installed. We will have the advantage of height so those armed with hunting and sniper rifles can eliminate or at least keep busy any of their snipers so that they don't pick off our people at the wall."

She turned to Angus and said, "If you can do that with RC toys, could you carry a little weight above, perhaps a grenade, or would it be too heavy? We could do with some bombs. Alternatively, small siege engines could throw explosives. Great for sticks of dynamite if the town has any. It does not take long to turn dynamite into grenades."
edit on 13/6/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)

edit on 13/6/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 02:25 AM
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Sandra noticed Seamus smirk.

"Ain't seen you 'round recently, Angus, but you ain't changed much." Seamus told him. "Yeh' sound just like ol' Dorian, goin' on about riggin' some toys into weapons. That inner mad scientist is why yer' both so damn priceless, and useful. Yeh' know?"

Sandra thought of her uncle, not realizing that she was wearing a small, proud smile. Then, she looked at Angus, who appeared to be thinking along the same lines.

Seamus poured himself a second shot of the mysterious yellow liquor, then swallowed it in a single swig with minimal effort.

"Landmines." Sandra blurted.

Everyone looked at her.

"Sorry, um... you said Dorian was working on landmines when you visited him, right?" Sandra asked Seamus. "He didn't buy them. He never just buys stuff, he always bought the supplies to make the stuff. What were they made of? Do you remember?"

Seamus continued to stare at her.

Sandra's stomach gave a tiny squirm.

"I... I don't know if landmines are useful, but I figured I'd throw it out there. Just..." She trailed off, trying to read Seamus's expression, and failing.

After filling his third shot, Seamus held the glass to his lips, smiling.

"Landmines could be real useful, if we end up usin' 'em right." Seamus said. "Set 'em outside along the biggest routes leadin' to our town, then we shoot whoever's left after the explosions, ay?"

Sandra resisted the urge to reply with 'ay.'

"If we have all the stuff we need to put 'em together, I'd say we have the perfect team for engineering them too." Sandra said, looking between Alan and Angus. "And if we need someone fast, quiet, and agile to plant 'em out there... maybe at night time, when there are a lot of bushes to hide behind..." Her gaze drifted to Sue-Lin.

"Got yer'self a useful little team here, lassy." Seamus said.

Sandra grinned.

"Any of yeh' interested in fightin' along the front lines?" Seamus asked them all. "It'd be nice to have a young soul to teach all 'bout defense and strategy when yer' at war, see... someone who wants to strengthen their backbone, y'know? Someone with some muscle."

Everyone looked at Church.

Church suddenly appeared incredibly nervous.

"I will." Came the sweet, timid voice of Carol.

The group's attention seemed to fix on her, all of them silently shocked, none of them having expected to hear such a request from her...

"I want to be useful." Carol explained. "Please."

"Ay." Seamus answered, gesturing with his shotglass. "Me and the misses will teach ya' all you wanna know, lassy. You're a brave one."

Sandra and Marcus met eyes from across the table.

"What should we do?" Sandra asked him.

"Join in with us." Seamus answered for them. "If I'm teachin' anyone, I'm teachin' you, lassy. You're me kin, and since we never got a proper introduction till now, its the least I could do. Yer a great leader, lassy, keepin' this misfitted bunch together... but you gotta be able to pull the trigger. If yer wantin' to protect yer people, you gotta practice shootin' without hesitation."

Sandra thought of the raider battle, sighing.

"You and yer two buddies there.." -He raised his hand, motioning towards Marcus and Church- "If you really wanna learn a thing or two, yeh've come to the right place."



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 02:55 AM
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James crawled onto Sandra's lap, then placed his little arms on the table, grinning at Seamus in a confident way.

"I wanna fight!" James exclaimed, raising his tiny fist. "Kill the badguys, blow their heads up with the shotgun! I wanna use the shotgun!"

"Kiddo.. a shotgun's kick would send you flying." Sandra told him, trying to lower his hand. "We can handle it, okay?"

"Are they zombies?" James asked.

"What...?"

"Are the bad guys zombies? We can play two player and kill the Nazi zombies... I want the shotgun!"

"You're kinda young to be playing Call of Duty, James..."

"That's my favorite game!"

"I can tell..."

"Alright, so... landmines." Alan broke them off. "Landmines and RC drones that drop grenade bombs. Is that what we're expected to build?"

"Pretty much." Sandra told him, smiling, resisting James's playful punches. "You and Angus can do that, right?"

"Well... maybe.. what kind of time frame do we have?" Alan asked. "How long have we got to build this bunch of nonsense?"

Sandra shrugged, allowing James to climb onto her shoulders. "No idea."

Alan and Angus exchanged faces.

"I have another suggestion to make real quick." Sandra removed James's hand from her mouth, then went on. "Alan and Sue-Lin are pretty damn good at planning. Whoever's planning the details, make sure they both have a say."

"Sandra." Seamus said. "We're all doin' the plannin' right now. Yeh' ain't gotta exclude yer'self from that. Yer' all gettin' a say so here."

"I'm no good at this type of thing." Sandra told him.

"Don't you go insultin' the family intelligence there, lassy. Dorian tried every day to teach ya' a thing or two, and our genes ain't full of cafflers." Seamus said directly. "We're a superior breed, we are."



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 03:49 AM
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Sue-Lin looked at Angus and Alan and said, "We need a great many remote detonators, all on differing frequencies or codes. I would rather detonate these mines a whole field at a time. Some artillery to bombard them along that ridge their hiding around. Simple flame thrower may be good at the main gate."

She turned her head to include everyone and added, "Lastly, start the conflict on your timetable, not theirs. We can start it anytime by opening up with out snipers."
edit on 14/6/2014 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 05:02 AM
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"A flame thrower would be pretty good crowd control at the front gates. Manage a large amount of people at once." Sandra commented. "Anyone with a sniper rifle... or binoculars... they oughta' be the ones in charge of detonating the mines, if we're doing it by remote. Whoever sets them off needs to be able to see out there... detonate the mines when there's a cluster of people near 'em."

Alan and Angus looked at one another again.

"Suppose we'll get started, then." Alan said, leaving the room with Angus following him closely behind.

"Well'p... its gettin' a bit dark out there right now laddies, but I'll take ya' to our little shootin' range at the ass crack of dawn." Seamus told the remaining members of the group. "Sweet ol' Maggie here will show ya' all to the empty barracks outside. We got plenty o' empty beds, whenever you wanna get some shut eye. Got a long day tomorrow."

After Maggie lead everyone outside, Sandra remained in the saloon, watching James dash away to join the group after hopping off her lap.

"Ain't you tired?" Seamus asked.

"I don't think I can sleep right now." Sandra replied honestly, ignoring the images of the dying raiders that continued to flood her mind.

"Me neither." Seamus said, filling his shotglass again. "That's what this is for. Would ya' like a drop? Yer' eighteen, right?"

Sandra nodded slowly, giving him a strange look.

"The drinking age is 21." She told him.

"My God, really?" Seamus exclaimed. "Well.. I don't s'pose the law matters anymore, now does it? Here, try this." He placed the full glass in front of her.

The scent of it hit her nose, a somewhat acidic smell with just a hint of sweetness. It was very odd...

"That's a special brew o' mine. Use it to weed out that nasty burn lots o' liquors tend to have." Seamus said. "Try it. You'll like it... its fruity."



Almost an hour had passed before Sandra decided to head for the barracks. When she stepped out of the saloon, the night looked gorgeous, more peaceful than she'd ever remembered it. Now that they were in Los Oculto, it seemed that night time was no longer a dangerous, unpredictable time filled with fear and anxiety... but rather, just a simple, peaceful time for rest and relaxation.

Sandra felt warmer than usual, and her mind--for the first time in her life--was finally relatively calm. There were no rapid, horrible flashbacks, and no awful speculative images regarding whatever might have happened to her uncle. Instead, her thoughts were simple, mild, and non-extensive... it couldn't have been the alcohol, though... Sandra had liquor a couple of times before, and it never affected her... she had a rock hard tolerance... that's why she was able to down six shots of Seamus's liquor so easily... it was a walk in the park... heh...

After crawling into one of the bottom bunkbeds in the old shack across from the saloon, Sandra took a glimpse at all of her sleeping friends, then snuggled into the blanket, squishing her head into the incredibly fluffy pillow... she drifted into the most comfortable sleep of her life...



edit on Xx60350530AM65 by XxNightAngelusxX because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 08:20 AM
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BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

Whatever Sandra was dreaming about departed her mind without a second to spare. She, along with everyone else, sat bolt upright, glancing around nervously, all locating Seamus, who was standing in the doorway, staring at them all just after hammering his fist into the wooden wall.

"Time to rise an' shine, laddies." Seamus said. "Ass crack o' dawn, just like I said. Ain't got a moment to spare, all those who're wantin' to shoot, come to the saloon an' have a bite to eat first. Come on, come on!"

BANG BANG BANG.

After a few final bangs, Seamus left.

Realizing the sun had barely begun to rise outside, Sandra stood, stretching, looking around, seeing that Alan and Angus were still missing.

Everyone sleepily strolled across the way, then stepped into the saloon, where a few other towners were having breakfast. Sandra sat beside Seamus, and Maggie asked everyone what they wanted for breakfast. After receiving all of their orders, she shuffled off to the back of the building to cook their food.

"Doesn't she expect us to pay...?" Sandra asked.

"Nah. Everyone here's already payed." Seamus answered.

When Sandra gave him a confused look, he continued.

"See those two men over there." Seamus said, pointing to two burly men at the corner of the saloon. "They both manage that lil' water tower at the back of the town. They also do as much huntin' as they possibly can, for snakes, lizards... hell... pretty much anythin' a man can eat. This place couldn't run without those two. Every body here contributes in some way or another, see... we all keep each other goin'."

"Living commune." Sandra said, remembering something her uncle once said to her about such a lifestyle.

"Living commune is wonderful, logically." Dorian had said months ago. "The hippies had a good thing going... apart from the wild sex and drugs. Okay... excluding the sex and drugs stuff, living commune is a very smart way to live. Utilizing every individual's strengths for tasks that they all need, and sustaining each other. Plus, numbers are on their side, so they already have a good defense, see?"

"We've got a clock tower in this ol' town too." Seamus spoke through her thoughts. "I betcha' saw it on your way in. Its right in the middle of town, that ol' hunk of shyte. That old clock tower's been around since the 1800s, it has. Still works, too."

"Who's town is this, anyway?" Sandra asked, having wondered about the origins of Los Oculto ever since she'd heard of the place. "This whole place looks like it was around during the old western days."

"Ay, it was." Seamus responded. "Los Oculto is a ghost town from the old west... its considered a historical landmark. That's why nobody's dared ta' tear it down."

"Who owns the land?" Sandra wondered. "This town is a pretty big landmark. Who officially owns it?"

Seamus gave her a peculiar smile.

"The state used to." He said. "Until 'bout seven years ago. Then yer dear old uncle sought to buyin' it. Made it ours. It belongs to our family now, but its officially in his name, Dorian Clarus."

Sandra couldn't hide her disbelief.

"Holy crap!" She gasped. "He never told me that--this place must've cost him a freakin' fortune!"

"I can't believe he never told ya' that." Seamus said. "He told me he was plannin' on leavin' you the land once he passed. Figured he'd 'ave told ya' about it."

Sandra gulped, looking awestricken.

"Comes from a rather wealthy family, he does." Seamus told her. "We worked on this place for a while... course I wasn't really helpin' until the past couple years, but... Dorian put together this little preppin' network about a decade or so back, and we all put money into makin' this little ghost town livable over all that time. Even had new pipes buried, so we got runnin' faucets of water. Still gotta ration a bit, of course... but its nice to 'ave some utilities. Got solar panels too. Not very many, but jus' enough for us all to get by. Blasted thing cost an arm an' a leg, they do..."

Sandra nodded, but her attention wasn't on Seamus anymore.

Seamus, noticing her gaze shift, turned around, only to see Alan standing stiffly behind him, staring endlessly at Sandra.

"You look like hell." Sandra said. "Where've you been?"

"Working." Alan told her irritably, claiming a seat next to her and leaning on the bar, exhaling a massive breath. "Angus and I have the construction of the landmines figured out, mostly... now all that's left is putting them together."

"Well, that's good." Sandra said. She paused, examining him for a moment, then spoke again. "Have you guys both been up all night?"

Alan nodded, staring into the air tiredly.

"Where's Angus?" She asked.

"Still working." He replied.

Alan didn't notice that Sandra was watching him. After sitting in silence for a couple minutes, Alan began to nod off, and finally, he rested his head on the bar, slipping into a deep sleep. He soon became unresponsive to everything around him.

Sandra and Seamus ate their breakfast rather quickly (Sandra had never eaten snake meat before, and she tried very hard to savor its delicious flaver, even while eating rapidly), then, Seamus slid out of his seat, standing.

"Time ta' hit the range, kiddos!" Seamus called to Sandra's comrades. "Let's get to shootin' some glass bottles. Follow me."

Sandra stood as well, then glanced back at Alan, who was still sleeping on the table.

"Hey, I'll meet you guys there soon." Sandra told Seamus. "Lemme get him to a bed first, okay?"

"Ay... the shootin' spot is down on the far end of the town. Jus' follow north on yer compass, it'll lead ya' straight to us." Seamus told her, then marched away, waving at the others and ordering them to rise from their seats.

Sandra gave a couple of blunt slaps to Alan's back.

"Wake up, princess."

"Mngh."

Sandra shook him by the shoulders.

Moments later, Alan attempted to move. All the energy had left his body, and it was exhausting just to sit upright. Everything around him was blurring, and the room began to spin... he tried to stand...

"Hey--!"

Alan fell, and Sandra barely caught him before he hit the ground. His head was lying motionlessly on her collar, his hair brushing against her jaw. Sandra was sitting on her knees now, holding him... she looked down, trying to examine him... he was out cold...

"Oh no..." Carol said, approaching them. "Is he okay?"

"He's just tired. Holy sh!t... Alan... how long has it been since you slept, you moron?" Sandra uttered.

"He's been up all night, hasn't he?" Carol asked her. "Oh dear... poor guy didn't sleep at all on the trip here. He must be so exhausted..."

"He didn't sleep?" Sandra said, looking up at her.

"No, sweety... none of us could sleep when we came after you, or we wouldn't have been able to catch up with you. Of course, the rest of us got a good night's sleep last night... but Alan..." Carol trailed off, staring at Alan worriedly.

"Get up." Sandra ordered him, but he didn't move. A small, muffled groan escaped him, but nothing else.

"For God's sake..." Sandra slid Alan's arm around her shoulders, then wrapped her own around his torso. In one swift movement, she stood, hoisting him onto his feet and propping him upright. "Come on... bed time..."



-(Continued)-



posted on Jun, 14 2014 @ 08:29 AM
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Carol supported Alan from the opposite side, and together, she and Sandra lead Alan out of the saloon, across the dirt road, and into the barracks. They both gently laid Alan in one of the empty beds.

Sandra easefully slid the glasses off his face, placing them by his bedside, and Carol covered Alan in a spare blanket.

"Seamus already took off with the others, didn't he?" Carol said to Sandra. "You should go catch up with them, sweety."

Sandra looked between the unconscious Alan and Carol, seeming conflicted. Carol, noticing, smiled at her.

"I'll look after him, sweetheart. I was going to practice shooting, but... heh... I already know how, more or less. And who am I kidding... I'm a mommy first and a survivor second." Carol said kindly.

As if on que, James burst into the room and darted towards Carol, wrapping his little arms around her neck. Carol gave him a tender pat on the head.

"Babysitting is what I do." She said, allowing James to give her countless kisses on both of her cheeks. "Go on sweety, do your best. Make sure nobody gets hurt."

Sandra grinned, then turned and left the barracks.

It didn't take her long to catch up with the others, who were all huddled near a gigantic boulder at the edge of town, conversing, trading firearms, and gesturing to the glass bottles they were destined to shoot. They all seemed to be a fair distance from the rest of the town, so the gunshots wouldn't disturb or potentially endanger anyone, and the bottles were set up along the wall of the enormous rock, in the opposite direction of Los Oculto.

Feeling pumped, Sandra joined them, and the lesson began.







 
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