The First SaR Mission Ch. 04

Loretta: Yes. He hooked up our commissary computer to the router an hour ago.

Jack: Good. Make a list of everything that you think you will need and get one of your staff to get on the internet and find the nearest business that we can re-supply from. If we can pay them to deliver it, then do so. If not, we'll send someone out to pick it up. Put it on the kitchen's corporate card. We'll do the accounting when we get back to the compound. This outing is in line with all of the Were Council's directives, so, I intend for them to pick up the tab. Oh, one other thing, I intend to turn Mari lose on the press very early tomorrow, so, the way that they have piled up outside the cordon, I expect that we will be mobbed. Offer them hamburgers and hotdogs, three times a day, no charge; coffee and donuts, 24/7. Do your best to keep them under control, though. Once the teams leave on the search mission, it should be easy enough to keep up with the load.

Loretta: Thanks, Jack. I'll get it taken care of.

Opening his bond to Mari...

Jack: Oh, Mari... Where you is?

Mari: Yes, Jack? What's up?

Jack: Are you up to dealing with the press? If you are ready, I'll brief you on where everything stands. Then, you may want to get the word out that the party starts at oh-four-hundred tomorrow morning. Maybe, there is a pretty significant spell-binder in the works, as well. I plan to give the press fairly free access in the camp, starting tomorrow morning, provided that they stay out of the way. Anyway, if you will meet me over at the operations room, I'll fill you in and you can meet the crew that is going to be the "spell-binder."

Mari: Ok, I'll be there in a few.

[19:47, Tuesday, the operations room]

Jack, kisses Mari: Hi. Where've you been hiding?

Mari: Oh, I've been rehearsing what I will say to the press. I have butterflies like you wouldn't believe.

Jack: You'll do fine. In fact, I think you'll blow them away.

One of the things that I want to tell you about is the special mission that our, (what was it that Leon called them? our "Black Ops Corp"), is going on tonight. This entire search and rescue mission hinges on their success. If they don't succeed, then we don't go in.

Jack fills Mari in on the discussions and revelations of the evening, so far.

Mari: And they are going to try to crawl along that ridge for two and a half miles and in the dark and in this weather? Jack, are you sure that this is a good idea?

Jack: Hon, this is the worst idea that I have ever had. It scares the shit out of me and I am terrified for my pack members, the panthers, but it's the only idea that anyone has come up with. Without communications, there is simply no way to conduct a search of those valleys, let alone, effect a rescue. I'm praying that the panthers don't get hurt, or worse. I made it a totally voluntary mission and promised that there would be no repercussions to them, for turning it down. I think that they understand what they are getting into. I have told them that, if they can't make it, or they reach a point that it is too dangerous, they are to turn around and come back, again, no repercussions to them. They are with Jim Bonner, our radioman, now. He is teaching them how to set it up and test it. Then they will pack it into saddle-packs. If they succeed in getting there and setting it up they are to test it by using it to radio back to us here.

I want them to get some recognition for their effort. You can tell all of this to the press. I'll even let them watch me sweat while I wait to hear from them. I am going to give them anything that they want when they get back.

Mari: Ok. Well, I'll alert the press.

Jack: Once the teams have had breakfast, we will fold up most of the tables and rearrange the chairs and I will brief the teams in here, and I suppose that we can allow the press into this area at the same time, so, that they can hear the briefing, as well. The teams will shift and leave from here, in fours. I suppose that we will have to arrange some sort of privacy screen. You need to figure out whether we tell the press about the possibility of the mission being called off if we don't get communications in place.

While Jack and Mari were discussing the interaction with the press, the panthers had completed the process of learning how set up and test the repeater and began packing it for the trip.

[20:13, the operations room]

The Werepanthers enter the ops room.

Jack: Oh, there they are, now. Mari I would like you to meet: Grace Venton, and Bobby Baxter. They are guests at the retreat. I know that you two are both from the pride in Minneapolis, are you mated?

Bobby Baxter: No, Alpha, but we have known one another since we were both, just kittens. We're, pretty much inseparable.

Jack: Guys, I'd like you to meet Mari, my lovely mate.

Grace Venton, shaking Mari's hand: How do you do.

Baxter shaking Mari's hand: Hello.

Jack turns to Mari: You know Harry Fontain. Harry, of course, is a permanent member of The Retreat.

Mari giving Harry a warm hug: Hi Harry.

Mari: Jack has told me of the mission that you are going out on, tonight. It scares me and I am, so, worried for you. Please, be careful.

Jack turns to Venton and Baxter: I want you to know that, no matter how this plays out; I will be sending a letter of commendation and of appreciation to your Alpha.

Jack, speaking to the group of panthers: So, where do we stand?

Fontain: Well, putting it together on a bench, in a nice dry tent, seems simple enough. I'm sure that it won't be that easy out there, but, it's all packed up, ready to go and I guess that we are too.

Jack: I can imagine that you all want to get on the road and get it over with, but as you know, it's cold and wet out there, and this night is going to seem mighty long. Would you like to get something to eat before you go? You can have anything that we have and all of it that you want.

Fontain looks to the others in a silent conversation and then says: I suppose that it would be wise to "charge the batteries" before we go. I know that this cold, wet weather is going to sap our energy quickly.

Jack: Come on. I'll walk you back there.

Jack steps to the partition curtain and pulls one side back and out of the way, indicating for the group to go through.

[20:28, Tuesday, the dining area]

Jack: Loretta, this is Grace Venton, Bobby Baxter, and Harry Fontain. They are all Werepanthers, "black panthers." Leon has dubbed them our "Black Ops Corps." They have volunteered to undertake a mission tonight that is vital to what we came here to do. They will be going out in this cold rain all night. I want you to feed them anything and everything that they want. They are going to need all the energy reserve that they can get.

Jack, speaking to the panthers: Guys, I suppose that when you finish here, you can just go back to Jim's office and shift and he will help you get loaded up. Then, you can, just head out from there. Guys... really... good luck and don't take any unnecessary risks and get back here safe. We will be thinking of you.

After shaking the hand of each panther, he and Mari leave to return to the Ops room.

Jack: Mari, I suppose that you can tell the press that they will be let into the camp as of oh-four-thirty tomorrow, while the teams are having breakfast. They will be permitted into the back of the dining hall and to sit in on the team's briefing. Tell them that it will be crowded and they are not to interfere with the teams having breakfast or the briefing. Once the briefing is over, you may take over if you want to, at that point, you may, at your discretion, allow them to interview team members or anyone else, provided that person is willing to be interviewed and that they do not interfere with that person's work. Once the teams have all departed to the search area, the dining hall and ops room are yours to use as a pressroom. The kitchen will keep a supply of coffee, tea, and pastries available, no charge. They will be serving four meals each day and the press is welcome to dine with us, again no charge. This will be an experiment to see if we will offer to feed the press, during any future search and rescue missions. Does that sound fair enough?

Mari: That sounds great, to me. They should like this setup. I'll get the word out.

Jack: I think that I have done all that I can do, for a while. I'm already feeling useless. I'll be in the ops room. I think that I going to try to catch a nap. This is going to be a long night.

Mari: I'm going to go beat on some doors and invite the press to descend upon us tomorrow and then if you don't need me, I'm going curl up on one of the cots, up by ops, and try to get some sleep. I will need my wits about me to stay ahead of the reporters, tomorrow.

[20:55, Tuesday, the operations room]

The three panthers enter the ops room through the curtain partition.

Fontain: Alpha, we just stopped by to say thanks for the meal and to let you know that we are going to the radio room to shift and get our packs.

Jack: I'll walk you all up there and help with your packs.

[21:00, Tuesday, the radio room]

Jack: Jim, are the packs ready to go?

Bonner: Yes, Alpha.

Jack: Well, lady... and gentlemen, I suppose that it is time go. Were you all assigned bunks over in the barracks and did you mark your footlockers?

A chorus of yeses comes from the panthers.

Jack: Good. If you will stack your clothes on the workbench here, before you shift, then, I'll take them over and put them in your lockers for you.

Do you all want the ponchos put on?

Baxter: We were wondering, if they easy to get off, without help. Since we are going to be out there in the weather for so long, it would be nice to be able to stay a little bit dry for as long as possible, but we are concerned that, if we needed our agility, quickly, would we be able to get out of them in a hurry.

Jack: We wear them around the compound, a lot and I find them very easy to get off. You, just grab those tabs with your teeth and pull. The Velcro closures will separate easily. You don't need to separate the closure under your tail. The poncho will just slide off your back. Now, I'm a wolf, of course, so I'm put together a bit differently than you, but you are much more flexible than I am, so, it should be even easier for you. You can even put one back on, without help, but it's better to have someone that can pull it up over you while you stand.

Baxter: Well, then, I guess that we all want to wear one.

Jack: Jim, does it matter who has which pack?

Bonner: No, sir. All three have to get there and I distributed the weight between the three packs, as best as I could.

Jack: Ok, if you folks will go ahead and shift, Jim and I will get you loaded up.

The three people disrobe, stacking their sweat suits and shoes on the workbench and then morph into three very large, sleek and deadly looking, black felines.

The cargo-packs have been configured similarly to wolf saddle-packs. Each saddle-pack has two large, rectangular, cloth compartments with attached cloth covers, zippered on three sides and emblazoned with "SEARCH AND RESCUE" and a red cross. The two compartments are connected together by short, adjustable straps so that they hang on either side of the cat's back. Shoulder straps are clipped to the upper, front corners of the compartments, run forward and cross over on the cat's breast, then under their forelegs and back up to the front edge of the opposite compartment. Another strap is clipped to the bottom edge of each compartment and runs under the cat's body. All of the straps consist of two pieces of webbing that overlap and are joined with Velcro-covered surfaces. This serves, not only to connect the straps but to make them adjustable in length. Short, free hanging tabs at the joined ends of each strap, allow the animal to grasp the end of the strap with their teeth and peel the Velcro closure apart.

Jack and Jim place the saddle-packs on the backs of the cats and adjust the straps to fit snugly. Jim then clips a Personal Locator Beacon to each pack and sets them for the locator only function. Then the two men cover each animal with a poncho and adjust those straps. The task is finally, complete.

Jack: Luna be with you guys. Get yourselves back here in one piece. Now go, before this scene gets too mushy!

[22:05, Tuesday, just outside the radio room door]

Jack and Jim step out into the dark, drizzly night and watch in reverent amazement as the big cats, quickly, vanish into the gloom.

Jack: Gawd, they really would be the ultimate unseen death in a night battle.

Bonner: Yes, sir. I would not want to be on the wrong side of that fight.