> >> >> Location: The hills northeast of Mutha and the ranch
> >> >> Ship time: 0997.261.1100
> >> >> Ranch time: 0997.261.1200
> >> >> Characters: Woof and Jezebel
>
> >> >Jezebel keeps trying on the sat-cell to see if she can
> >> >get in touch with anyone.
>
> >> >"If the next lake has one Woof, I'm getting wet, that
> >> >thing bothers me, bothers me enought to want to get a
> >> >better look at it."
> >>
> >> >>>Woof rides with Jezebel...
> >>
> >> >>The pair crest the ridge and ride across the valley
> >> >>beyond. It takes them an hour to come to the top of
> >> >>the ridge on the otherside of this valley, and as they
> >> >>ride, Woof notices they are riding more and more in
> >> >>shadow.
> >>
> >> >After the forth no service she hands the phone to Woof
> >> >before she throws it away, "No fricking back
> >> >up, it's like being on GD Cathay again."
>
> The phone not working is a surprise to Woof. Being out of service for
> a short bit wasn't abnormal, but not for an extended period like this.
> Something must be wrong...
>
> >> >>Glancing up Woof sees scattered clouds, high cumulus
> >> >>clouds the sort that spawn thunder showers in the
> >> >>afternoon heat. This is normal for this time of year,
> >> >>but by all accounts has been rare the last few very dry
> >> >>years. As they near the top of the ridge, he hears a
> >> >>rumble to the east, and when he turns to look that
> >> >>direction he sees a wall of dark clouds stretching from
> >> >>the southeast horizon all the way to the northeastern
> >> >>horizon.
>
> >> >Jezebel looks at the clouds then over at Woof. "That
> >> >would be about par for the course that is my lifetime.
> >> >If it starts to rain to hard we may have a real problem
> >> >here. I don't know how big the collection areas are for
> >> >these streams but you can imagine what a quarter of a
> >> >million litres of water every minute might do down
> >> >here."
> >
> >"Might make the lakes rather full, wouldn't you say? And
> >us a might wet."
>
> "Wet I can handle, I don't think the kind of wet I'm thinking about they
> can
> handle down stream."
>
"Me neither!" Woof says.
>
> >> >She looks down towards the valley where the next lake
> >> >is, "We should double time it down there and see if we
> >> >have another one of the mystery objects here."
>
> >> Looking down from the rise, this valley looks eerily like
> >> the first with a lake being where one should not be, and
> >> no sign of who created it, or why.
> >>
> >> You've come up a quarter mile up the valley from the dam
> >> and will have to ride down, toward the southeast, to
> >> reach the blockage across the stream.
>
> >"Let's go down there, and see. Race you!" he shouts, spurring
> >Traveller down the slope...
>
> The horses gallop down the slope throwing up small clouds of dust and
> causing pebbles to clatter down toward the blue water below. As you
> race along the lake shore you see another object in the water near the
> earthen dam. This time the water hasn't completely covered it, leaving
> the
> top couple of centimeters still exposed.
>
> ---
>
> Jezebel hangs on for dear life as the horse gallops after Woof, she tries
> her best to look as graceful as possible, but barely manages to stay
> upright
> in the saddle.
>
> ---
>
> A long antenna protrudes from a cylinder sitting atop what looks like
> another metal cylinder..or pipe..lying in the water. The metal is
> shiny, corrigated, and you can't see any markings on the part of it
> that is above the water line.
>
> ---
As Woof leaps off Traveller, Jezebel comes up and the horse stops.
> As the horse pulls up she looks out into the water at the cylinder. "Ya,
> I'm betting this isn't some sort of cosmic co-incidence."
>
"You're right," Woof agrees, then as he starts wading in, Jezebel hands him
her jacket and weapons.
> If the cylinder is on this side of the lake, Jezebel pulls off her jacket
> and starts handing weapons to Woof. "Looks like I'll be wet before you,"
> she pauses for a moment as she hands him her rifle, "you know how to use
> one
> of these?" As Woof takes a hold of the rifle she pulls a flat butterfly
> holster out from the behind her back and puts it down by the where they're
> standing before pulling off the shoulder holster.
>
"Wha~?" Woof asks. "I was going in! OK, you win. Yes, I know how to use
one of these. Point the pointy end towards the bad guy and press the stud.
Fine." he says with a grin, accepting her weapons. "I like a well-armed
woman," he says, smiling at her weaponry.
> She looks up at Woof as she starts to unlace her boots. "I hate
> reloading,
> slows the whole thing down." A little smirk crosses her face as she pulls
> her first boots off and starts to unbuckle her pants.
>
Woof kind of turns his face away from her...
> She looks up at her horse. "There's a single bladed knife in that pack on
> the right there. You want to grab that for me? I'll need something
> scientific to propperly perform my analysis."
>
"Sure, Jezebel," Woof says, going to the pack and getting the knife. "I'll
take some pictures, while you're at it."
He sets her weapons carefully on her jacket which he lays down on some
grass. He takes out his digital camera and begins to shoot the stripping
girl... No, he begins to shoot the cylinder...
Woof
