Selinsgrove Shootouts...
01 MAY 03/0500
Travelling NORTH on RT 15
5 KM south of Selinsgrove, PA

[Tyler]
"Gunners, stand by your weapons. Everyone else, come here."

The soldiers that have been under Ryan's command for awhile automatically fanned out in a circle around him facing outward. They left five meters between each person so that a grenade won't take out more than two people. Ryan then spoke up.

"It's going to be daylight soon. Top, make the arrangements to bury the Sergeant. Valdez, see if you can find a good hiding spot for all of us until dark again."

Both of Tyler's squad members headed off to complete their assignments.

[Tyler]
"Mister McCain, if you would be so kind, why don't you see if you can find us a fresh supply of water?"

[McCain]
"Will do..." McCain grabbed his Tommy and slung a few canteens across his back. He headed off looking for congregations of birds or wildlife paths leading toward a watering hole.

[Tyler]
"Mister Slade, how good are you at vehicle mechanics?"

[Slade]
"Uh, Captain, I'm really a machinist by trade, but I have tinkered with a GTO for a coupla years. I can have a look. What are you having problems with?"

[Tyler]
"We are uncertain at this point about the maintenance record of either the HUMVEE, or the tracked vehicle, which carries the designation M163. I'd like you to go over both of them, and give me your findings. I think you will find some basic tools in the M163."

[Slade]
"Yes, Captain." Slade gave a half-hearted salute, and went about his work.

[Tyler]
"LT Jones, when he gets back, I want you to get with Mr. McCain, and scout the southern approach to the next town, while the rest of the squad gets some proper rest. Harper will be going with you, too. It's called Selinsgrove, and is about 5 klicks north." Tyler pointed the town out on the map. Our destination, Lewisburg, is here, about 30 minutes north of Selinsgrove if we can make good time.

[GM]
The map should is at: http://www.sunlink.net/~greyelf/bbmaps.html

[Tyler]
Captain Tyler waited a few moments, then continued speaking with LT Jones. "Selinsgrove is the largest town we've come across since we left Harrisburg. I just want to be sure what we're walking into before we move the vehicles up. Don't go looking for trouble. Just get in, and get out. And remember the SALUTE format for the info." Tyler handed Jones a PRC-77 radio, and then clapped him on the back. "And good luck!..."

Soon, McCain was back with full canteens, and a 5 gallon jug that he had "liberated" somewhere.

Slade had made a basic check on both vehicles, and had found that they were both fairly functional. There were no major things wrong, although some more time, and more appropriate tools would give Petey a better picture.

01 MAY 03/0540
Travelling North on RT 15
5 KM south of Selinsgrove, PA

[McCain]
"Well, LT...looks like you got stuck with me...ready to head into town when you are... I recommend we follow the road by the tree line, it'll give us a quick hiding place if needed. If we get spotted, the story will be...we're trying to flush out some rabbits.

[Jones]
Agrees. The group would follow the road at the tree line ready to jump into cover at any sign of people.

01 MAY 03/0545
Travelling on RT 15
5 KM south of Selinsgrove, PA

Jones ditched his BDU top before heading out, and asked around, trying to get his hands on some optics (bino's or maybe a scope.) Then he and Mr. McCain followed the road north, sticking near the tree line as suggested.

[Jones]
"Well, Mr. McCain, let's get this over with. I'm anxious to get back and get some rack time myself. I been drivin' all night."

[McCain]
"I know what you mean Lt Jones. Me, Petey and the Sarge, God rest his soul, have been humping it pretty hard too."

[Tyler]
Tyler asked Appleby to loan you his binoc for the little snoop-session. Appleby produced a pair of 7x50's with a case. Tyler loaned Harper a silenced pistol, "just in case". [GM] Pretty nice!

So the three-man scout team(LT1 Jones-CO, SGT Harper, MR McCain) headed north, hugging the treeline. Harper carried Tyler's silenced Mk 23 pistol, the PRC-77 radio, and an M79 grenade launcher. Jones and McCain had their usual weapons and equipment.

Soon the road split into two roads, seperated by about 50m of grass. The southbound lane was on the left, and the northbound on the right. It was a straight shot north for several km. After advancing stealthily for 20 minutes, the RT 35 Exit for Selinsgrove loomed into view.

01 MAY 03/0610
Travelling on RT 15
500 M south of Selinsgrove, PA

The excellent cover that the group was taking advantage of does not, unfortunately, continue on the other side of the road. Across the four lanes of hiway, there was a large forested area that must butt up against the town. At least if the group's map was right, a little common sense would say the woods was all but right in the town's back yard.

There was a good bit of fog coming up from the river, limiting visibility. Nothing could be seen or heard from the town. Then again, the group was several hundred yards away, and the sun still can't be seen. Just that orangish, spooky half-light that would lead into dawn.

The group was just south of the intersection of RT 35 and RT 11&15.

[GM] FYI-- RT 15 and RT 11 are the SAME road at this point. The main hiway bypasses the town, so the map is not 100% correcto. Just to fend off confusion...

[McCain]
McCain had been through the area once or twice. But not the actual TOWN of Selinsgrove. He remembered a two-lane iron bridge just north of town, a college, a mall, and a State Center for people with disabilities. In fact, RT 11&15 had what was once known as a "Strip", a high concentration of stores, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, and businesses along a major road. Perhaps some of it remained? Probably not...

[Harper]
Harper consulted the map. "RT 35 will take us into the south end of town. If we stay on RT 11&15, we'll bypass most of the town, and be at the north end. Your call, LT..."

The group consulted with each other for about 45 seconds.

[McCain]
"Well LT, which way do we head? May be wise to bypass the town and come in from the other way. At least they couldn't back track us as easy.

[Jones]
Jones had the group cross the highway one at a time, under the cover of the fog. Then they scouted for a vantage point from which they could view the town after the fog burns off, staying on the 11/15.

The group took turns resting, two down and one up, keeping an eye on the town, looking for signs of activity. They planned to radio back to Tyler hourly status reports.

01 MAY 03/0615
Woods near RT 11/15
500 M south of Selinsgrove, PA

Jones, McCain and Harper made their way across the road, and set up in the woods, keeping an eye on both the town, and the road. They sent Tyler a quick message.

"Chickenhawk to Shadow, in position and A-OK..."

[Shadow]
"Shadow here... message received..."

The town seemed to be asleep -- or empty. There were no vehicle sounds, no animal sounds, no people sounds. The fog lifted just enough to see the outlines of the buildings. There was no smoke from any of the chimneys seen. Nor was there the smell of fire or breakfast cooking. The town of Selinsgrove looked to be deserted.

[McCain]
"LT... Want me to go in and get a closer look?"

[Jones]
"Be my guest, Mr. McCain. The sergeant and I will cover you, but I expect you'll find those buildings have been empty for quite some time."

[McCain]
Nods.

[Jones]
"Just the closest buildings there. Be careful, and don't take any chances."

[McCain]
Tim moved in close to one of the buildings and see what state it was left in. His mind raced with several questions he hopefully could answer.

Did they pack or leave in a hurry ? (food still on the table etc) How long ago did they leave?

01 MAY 03/0620
Outskirts of Selinsgrove, PA

[McCain]
While Jones and Harper covered him, McCain struck north and west for the town of Selinsgrove. McCain made his way through an area thick with brambles, cursing himself as he scared a deer from an unseen part of the thicket. He froze, waiting. Then satisfied that he was not seen, he continued toward the town.

McCain continued through the thicket, then belly-crawled a smallish, overgrown field. The remains of rotted pumpkins from last fall were still here, gooey on the ground, and gooey on his clothes. At last he reached the edge of the field, and looked 30m past a burned out house, into the town. Still no sign of life, human or animal...

McCain made his way down an alley, past several more burned out houses, a convenience store, and a bar. All were a complete shambles. He peered around the corner, and saw what must be Main Street, although no street signs were still there, no traffic lights worked, and most of the power lines were down. Still no people.

The nearest intact building looked to be a "double" -- a pizza place called Nicky's on one side and a bar named Mr. Kelly's on the other. How convenient, he thought...

Elsewhere...

[Jones and Harper]
McCain disappeared from sight, making a concealed approach to the town. Every now and then, the two Army troopers saw brambles moving, or tall grass in a field swaying unnaturally, so they could track McCain's progress. Even though they were a mere 100m or so from him, they could not see McCain.

01 MAY 03/0621
Main Street, Selinsgrove

[McCain, Jones, and Harper]
A shot rings out in the town!

[McCain]
The bullet must have whacked into Mr. Kelly's wall. McCain went down, although unhurt. He just tried to make himself very small...

"Where did that shot came from?", thought Tim. Tim scanned his surroundings for a building entrance or other type of cover?

[GM]
Tim's best guess would be that the shot came from across the street somewhere, from the west. The door to Mr. Kelly's is about 3 meters north of McCain. There is a picture window, shot out, that is about .9 meter from the sidewalk, and only 1 meter from you. (Would require a jump/dive...) The picture window is 2 meters tall, and stretches about 2.8 meters (almost to the door).

[Jones & Harper]
Jones and Harper stayed down and kept watching. Jones was convinced that whoever fired that shot [GM- most definately a rifle, for those who asked!] couldn't have been aiming at McCain, there's no way they could have seen him!

[GM] Based on what? ;)

01 MAY 03/0621
5 km South of Selinsgrove, PA

In the direction of Selinsgrove, a shot was heard. It broke the quiet of the tranquil morning like a rude noise during High Mass. Petey's thoughts raced to an image of his friend, Tim McCain...

[Tyler]
CPT Tyler orders everyone "Mount up! We'll approach the town with the M163 in the lead and the HUMMER in back. Move it, Move it, Move it!!!...."

[Slade]
"Aye, Aye Cap, hey, a point of interest. I'm from this area and you might like to know there are rumors of Indian caves a couple miles from here. They are pretty big."

With that, Slade got in the M163, after checking that his guns were loaded.

[Tyler]
"Well, at this point, they still are rumors. If they're not too far, maybe we could use them for a temporary base. We've gotta get to the town, right now, though...

=======================

[McCain]
Cursing under his breath, McCain lurched forward and dove through the window. "I hate these shoot first, ask questions later towns."

Mccain crashed on into the building, and perfectly tucked and rolled as he landed. Somehow, he managed to miss the shards of glass still in the window and on the floor.

As the glass on the floor beneath him cracked with his every move, Tim yelled out. "Hey!! Stop the shooting, you guys greet all vistors to your town like that!! I just came into this town to buy some supplies, anyway."

McCain's question/statement was rendered moot by more gunfire... Luckily, McCain was not hit in the barrage of small arms fire.

To McCain, it was obvious that rising up to get an idea where the fire originated would mean certain death.

[GM] Elsewhere...

[Harper & Jones]
SGT Harper and LT Jones heard the steady stream of fire chewing up the building they were sure McCain had just entered. They both searched around, and spotted some muzzle flashes from the steeple of a church perhaps two blocks from McCain's position.

The church was not a "typical" church building. It was a very 1970's-ish, "mod" affair, built of bricks. No two walls in the thing were connected by a right angle, and that went for the roof as well. It was, in short, ugly. Plus the fact that all of the stained glass was broken, and the side of the place was scorched and blackened from fire.

The one notable thing about the church from a tactical standpoint was that the "steeple" (and that's using the term very loosely) was *way* out of proportion to the rest of the building, and was at least at the 5th floor level, nearly 30 meters high...

Jones hastily radioed in the situation to Tyler, and peered at the steeple through binoculars.

As Harper and Jones focused on the steeple, the firing from there stopped. But there were at least two shooters in the steeple...

Elsewhere...

[Tyler]
Message received. Use your judgement as far as going in, or revealing your position. Just let me know so we don't end up waxing you guys. We're on our way. ETA 6-10 minutes."

Back at the firefight...

The church was 40 meters from McCain's position, the steeple was 30 meters high, so that would make the distance from McCain to the top of the steeple 50 meters.

01 MAY 03/0622
Main Street, Selinsgrove

[McCain]
Hearing an HE round go off, McCain took a peek. It seemed that the way back to his buddies was clear. There was no firing coming from the church. It could be ok, but then again... He did hear firing off to the north, probably 2 or 3 blocks away, but it didn't seem to be "generally directed in his general direction". Even in this tense moment, Tim smiled, thinking this would be how the character Radar from M*A*S*H would have described the action.

Still, McCain figured that going back out onto the street would not be the wisest choice, so he crawled over broken glass, empty shotgun shell casings, and other debris, until he made his way to the back door of the establishment. Although the smell was horrible, he did not see the source of the offensive odor. By belly-crawling, Tim estimated he could reach his friends in perhaps a minute, barring unusual incidents...

And he wasn't sure, but it sounded like Jones or maybe Harper was calling to him...

[GM] Jones and Harper were about 100m behind McCain. So the distances would be about 140m to the church, and 145m to the top of the steeple.

[GM] To recap Harper's loadout:

Harper has the M79, (5HC,6HE,5ParaFlare,2HEDP), a Mk23 .45 pistol with silencer.(borrowed from Tyler) with 3- 10 rnd mags, and his M16(270R).

FYI- About 15 seconds ago, some firing was heard in the general area of the red star on the diagram. From Jones' & Harper's position, they saw that railroad tracks led into that general area...

[Jones]
Jones instructed Harper to put a HE round into the steeple, and load another.

[Harper]
Pegs the steeple dead-on with the M79 round!

[GM] At approximately 01 May 03/0624:30....

[Harper]
The SGT pops two rounds of HC smoke in between the mill and the boxcar.

Then yelled for McCain to maneuver back to their position, shouting to get his attention.

When McCain began to move, he told Harper to put a second HE into the steeple, and load another.

[Harper]
The HE round goes short, landing on the top step, near the front door of the church.

[GM] The M79 is now loaded with 1 HE and the assault pack carries: 5HC,4HE,5ParaFlare,2HEDP.

[McCain]
While the sniper fired at McCain, he crouched low beside the wall and looked back in to the store, noting details. This was actually the "bar" side of the pizza parlor/bar that shared the "double" building. It looked as if it had been fairly-well kept-up, and except for the bulletholes and broken glass, the place looked to be decent shape.

At this point, more than his eyes, McCain relied on his nose. The smells were clashing, conflicting, and... seperate. One smell was probably spoiled milk. The other was nearly as familiar to McCain in these times. It was that of death. Or more correctly, a dead body.

Hearing an HE round go off, McCain took a peek. It seemed that the way back to his buddies was clear. There was no firing coming from the church. It could be ok, but then again... McCain figured that going back out onto the street would not be the wisest choice, so he crawled over broken glass, empty shotgun shell casings, and other debris, until he made his way to the back door of the establishment. Although the smell was horrible, he did not see the source of the offensive odor. By belly-crawling, Tim estimated he could reach his friends in perhaps a minute, barring unusual incidents...

And he wasn't sure, but it sounded like Jones or maybe Harper was calling to him...

[McCain]
McCain pauses for a moment and takes another look around for that foul odor. "A rat..maybe a dog" he mutters to himself.. Hearing someone call, he stops all movement and tries to verify it is one of his companions. McCain continues his belly-crawl out the back and on towards his friends.

[LT1 Jones]
"MR MCCAIN! You ok in there?"

[McCain]
"Yes, LT. I'm fine. I'm just checking something out. I'll be back in a moment..."

[McCain]
His curiosity piqued by the perplexing foul odor in the place, McCain continued to search the place. It was behind the counter, with it's chest-high shot-up clear plexiglass barrier, that he found the source of the obnoxious odor. There, behind the pizza make-table, was a decomposing body. It was a very large man. It was quite bloated with fluid. Occaisionally, the corpse wriggled with maggots. It would appear that he is several days gone, and it also is evident that maybe rats, cats, or some other smallish animals (other than the maggots) have be feasting on him somewhat.

[McCain]
Takes out his handkerchief and places it over his mouth and nose. A muffered gag quickly subsides. He looks to see if the man has been shot with a shotgun or bullets. He wonders what his killers were after, and takes a look at the man's area...

The drawer to the cash register remained wide open. In fact, McCain damn near banged his head on the thing. Scattered on the floor is around $5.35 in small change.

After that McCain returned to the back door and bellycrawled back to his buddies.

01 MAY 03/0630
Jones' & Harper's position
outside Selinsgrove

[Jones]
"What'd you see, Mr. McCain?"

[McCain]
"I found one maggot filled corpse in the pizza parlor. Looked like a small time robbery...the cash drawer was wide open. Guy didn't look to be dead that long, the body was bloated, but not in the later stages of decomp. I saw several shotgun shells on the floor and there were bullet holes in the counter, but I'm not sure how long they have been there. Other than the guy shooting at me from that wacked-out-looking church, it looked fairly deserted."

[Jones]
"I'd like to check out that other source of gunfire. They quit firing about 7 minutes ago, so they could be anywhere. Doesn't sound like they have military weapons, nothing's firing full-auto, probably just pistols and rifles. Saddle up! Let's look sharp..."

[McCain]
I'm ready. Let's just be careful, these guys definitely are not friendly.

[Jones]
Even as the first round exited the grenade launcher, Jones wondered how he would ever explain this one to Captain Tyler.

01 MAY 03/0624

[McCain]
McCain finds cover behind something heavy. When things quieted down when the smoke rounds went off, McCain yelled out in his best New England accent "You boys better get on outa here or we'll have to arrest you under the Federal Emergency Act 537."

Elsewhere....

===============================

01 May 03/0600
DogTown

[Sean]
The hangover pounding in Sean's head almost masked the tingle in the back of his neck. Sean looked at Guiness and noted that the dog also seemed to sense danger.

Sean looked around slowly and crept back toward the doorframe of his "house." Once inside the door Sean locked and loaded his .45 and headed upstairs. Once on the second floor he packed up his belongings, keeping a vigil on the windows. Once his gear was packed he told Guiness to sit and stay just inside the doorway of the room, knowing his loyal friend was better then any alarm system.

Sean moved from window to window trying to see where the danger was that had perked up his senses. With .45 in hand Sean waited to see what would be the next chapter in the adventure that was his life.

[GM]
Specifically, Sean has been holed up in a little 4- square block area once known as Dogtown.

The building is also diagrammed there. Dogtown is really just a neighborhood of Selinsgrove. The most notable structure there is the building Sean is in, a feed mill. It is a shambles, a total wreck, but it is still better than any other building in town.

There are silos out back, a small office, a railroad siding, a parking area, and the building itself is 4 stories high in spots. There are feed conveyors that angle up from the ground level up to the 4th story.

The radio is an old (tube-job), yet fairly high powered civilian Amateur Radio. The antenna consists of a grounded cable that stretches high up to the 4th floor level, just outside the building.

BTW -- Sean, ever the life of his own private one-man party, has a fierce hangover, and it is early in the morning. Both Sean's and Guiness's "danger sense" kicks in at about 0600, (the current time...) Nothing he can put a finger on, but he definately gets the feeling...

[Sean]
Sean checked and rechecked his .45. His senses on hyperdrive he continued to scan the surrounding area. Sean hoped to get a tell tale sign (birds taking flight, etc) to show from which direction his perceived danger was approaching...

The hairs on the back of both Sean's and Guiness's necks *bristle*. A clatter was heard from the direction of the office.

Sean edged toward the 2nd-floor window, as Guiness bared his teeth, and emitted a low growl, loud enough to be heard in by Sean, and hopefully by no one else.

[Sean]
"Shiite", Sean muttered as he heard someone approaching. "Hush ye miserable beast!", Sean whispered to Guiness.

Sean approached the shot-out window from the side, and peered out, down toward the aluminum office building. His heart stopped for 6 seconds, as there were 6 heavily-armed men searching around the office. The nearest one was 15m, and the furthest, about 30m away.

Sean supposed that the first floor of the main building would be next. The first floor where his Harley Davidson was parked...

Sean moved as quickly and quietly as he could, down to the office. He positioned himself and Guiness with the Harley between them and the door. "Those Bastards won't get my ride with out a fight!"

01 MAY 03/0621
Feedmill, in Dogtown

[GM]
Sean made his way downstairs to where his cycle was hidden. He quietly drew back the tarp covering the Harley, and glanced out through the shards of shattered glass, only to see a figure peer in. Sean double-tapped at the figure, and thought maybe one round caught the figure... [GM--first blood! mark off those 2 rnds!....]

Seconds later, the figure threw an object in the window. The object glanced off the Harley's seat, and smashed against the far wall. It shattered, spewing flame all over the wall. The wall where the door was... [GM--the Molotov went 8 meters long, missing Sean, but it had to stop somewhere...]

Guiness snarled, and bounded out the window, scattering a few more shards of glass. More snarling, growling, and then a shot, although somewhat more distant...

[GM we go to rounds now...]

01 MAY 03/0621:10

[Sean]
Sean hopped on his Harley and hit the ignition button. As it roared to life he popped the clutch and launched himself out the door.

He saw no people as he hastily exited the burning mill, but he heard yelling and several shots.

01 MAY 03/0621:15 I=3
Once clear of the building and fire, Sean looked for cover and steered the big bike toward it.

He chose a beat-up railroad car on the same railroad spur that led into the Mill. It was across Main Street, and 50 meters from the Mill. Sean gunned the bike for the boxcar... He heard more yelling from the direction of the Mill.

01 MAY 03/0621:20 I=2
Sean jumped off the bike. He landed HARD on the ground, damn near knocking the wind out of himself... He crawled under the boxcar, and put the nice, big, thick, metal wheel between him and those who would see him dead...

01 MAY 03/0621:25 I=1
Sean sighted down the barrel of the .45 looking for a target. At the same time he let out a low whistle ending on a high note, hoping Guiness would respond..also hoping the shot he heard hadn't signified the end of his only friend's life!

No targets are seen at this time. Sean did hear screaming, and yelling.

01 MAY 03/0621:30 I=6
You hesitate, sweat, feel the throb of your heart, etc... (You can't act on INIT=6 or 5). You hear more yelling.

[Voice]
"Hey, biker-boy! You just f****n' shot my brother. I'm gonna kill that damn dog of yours, and then I'm gonna kill you, ya bastard!!!"

01 MAY 03/0621:35 I=5
More sweating, & throbbing, you finally catch your breath.

[Voice] "Biker-boy! There's 7 of us, and only one of you. How's it feel to be outnumbered?!?!?!"

[Sean] "If I killed your brother, that is one less bastard son your mum will have to feed! As far as being out numbered, you friggin' rocket scientist, you should have checked the area more carefully...yer about to have a world of hurt be-fall ya!"

Sean hoped his bluff would slow his attackers down long enough to let him gather his wits and figure something out.

01 MAY 03/0621:40 I=4
Sean bought himself up into a low crouch and and looked out from below the box car. However badly he wanted to shoot, he simply did not see anyone.

01 MAY 03/0621:45 I=3
[GM]
Sean heard a thud, and looked to his left (south). Guiness had his jaws clamped on the throat of a scruffy-looking person, some 30 meters away. Apparently the man was mostly unhurt, albeit wide-eyed with terror, as Guiness (a Rottweiler!!!) has knocked him down, and has his forepaws firmly planted on the man's chest. Guiness looked to Sean, awaiting his command.

[Sean]
"Guiness Kill!"

Sean heard a cracking sound that reminded him of the last time he removed the shell from an undercooked lobster....

01 MAY 03/0621:50 I=2
Glancing forward, Sean saw two figures dart across the street. The distance was about 30 meters. He fired a double-tap at each, and a follow-up shot at one...

[GM]
Sean's gun is now empty. Double-tap back in the mill, and 5 more rounds here=7 rnds total

[GM]
The first 2 rounds hit guy#1 in the abdomen and rt. leg. He went down, and moved ever so slightly.

The next round hits guy#2 in the chest. He goes down, but fires an M16 at Sean. The burst goes wild, and whacks into the upper part of the boxcar.

The second round of the double-tap on guy#2 is a miss. The follow-up round is also a miss.

01 MAY 03/0621:55 I=1
Sean took cover behind the heavy wheel of the boxcar, and reloaded his .45 with a fresh magazine....

The guy with the M16 sprayed several rounds into the boxcar. Sean was unharmed.

01 MAY 03/0622:00 I=6
and 01 MAY 03/0622:05 I=5

are both taken up by 10 tense seconds of hesitating, sweating, heartpounding, etc.

01 MAY 03/0622:10 I=4
Sean took stock of his situation, or more correctly, his ammunition. He had just double tapped after recently inserting the spare magazine... There were 5 rounds in the weapon. He cursed himself for the 50 round box of .45 ACP in his camera bag. Unfortunately, the camera bag was in the sidecar of his Harley. Christmas was last week! :) His bike was 10m south (left) of him...

[Sean]
"I make that four of yer men down," Sean shouted while he struggeled to find another target from behind his cover. "Three of ye Bastards left. Had enough???" [Sean] The Irishman scanned for any more visable targets...

01 MAY 03/0622:10 I=4

[Sean]
Sean searched for something to vent his anger on, something to shoot, something to kill. He could not see anything per se, but his other senses told him that his was not the only battle being fought in the area. There was more rifle fire, a few scattered shots, and then some automatic fire somewhere not too far from Sean's location. The bang of an explosion could be heard, only a few blocks away, at best. Perhaps 10 seconds later, a second explosion from the same general area, could be heard.

Suddenly, Sean heard Guiness snarl and turning, he saw why. One of his attackers had attempted to belly-crawl up to the boxcar, using the berm of the railbed as cover. Sean was suprised at how close the guy had gotten. The man was about 5 yards away, when Guiness lit into him.

[Man]
The man screamed in agony as the big dog chomped on his arms, face, and private areas. The man tried to swing a weapon around to shoot (a lever action rifle?), but Guiness's assault prevented that. The rifle discharged, and the bullet PANG!-ed into the steel wheel of the boxcar, inches from Sean's shaven head. Having failed in trying to shoot the beast, the man clubbed at the big dog with his rifle. He hit Guiness several times, fairly hard.

01 MAY 03/0622:15 I=3

[Guiness]
The Rottweiler was hurt, to be sure, but continued to bite at the flailing man who threatened his Master. The two figures spun around and around, finally falling to the ground to continue the fight. Both were somewhat bloodied from the encounter.

[Sean]
As Sean sighted in on the man he shouted "Release!"

If Guiness backs off then plug the bad guy...if not, wait.

01 MAY 03/0622:20 I=2
[Sean]
As Sean sighted in on the man he shouted to Guiness, "Release!"

[Dog] Sean's Rottweiler Guiness obeyed his master's commands, and released the man's throat, stepping back a half a meter.

[Sean]
Sean fired a double-tap into the man, both shots hitting him in the chest. The man crumpled to the ground, and was very still...

[GM]
The next several seconds are hesitation, etc... Sean can act at:

01 MAY 03/0622:40 I=4
[GM]
Sean hears more screaming, cursing, and yelling from the area of the mill. A few more shots ring out. Some of them whack into the railroad car.

[Sean]
"Guiness" Sean said as he pointed to the down man's gun, "Fetch Boy...bring me the gun!"

[Sean]
Sean hesitates some, waiting for Guiness...

[GM]
Don't push it!!!

[Guiness]
The big Fn dog picked up the rifle, a lever action piece probably about .30 caliber, and pointed the muzzle more or less in Sean's direction, providing just a moment of panic.

01 MAY 03/0622:45 I=3

[Dog]
Guiness returned the rifle to his master, who waited beneath the boxcar. Four or five shots whacked into the ground around the dog. All missed.

01 May 03/0622:50 1=2
[Sean]
"Good Boy!" Sean said as he patted his friends head. Sean carefully worked the action on the rifle, emptying it. He counted two shells. Two lousy rounds. The rifle is a 30-30.

01 May 03/0622:55 I=1
[Guy]
"You bastard, stick your head out so I can blow it off!!!..."

There is another brief fusillade of gunfire, and one round pinged off something metal in the boxcar, and slammed into Sean's right thigh. It bleeds! It hurts, but Sean has seen and felt worse.

[GM]
Sean suffers a Slight Wound, causing his INIT to be reduced to 3. He can still act this phase...

...AND since he has a target, he fires once.

[OOC]
wunst!

[GM]
Sean waited, and sighted on a muzzle flash about 50meters away, in one of the silos. He fired, and was treated to the sight of a person falling some 20 meters to the ground below.

01 May 03/0623:00 I=6

01 May 03/0623:05 I=5

01 May 03/0623:10 I=4

These 3 phases are all taken up by Sean's gloating over his kill :) you sick puppy, hesitation, heavy breathing and heartpounding...

[GM]
Sean became aware that there were two seperate groups in the area, now. The first was the folks he'd been shooting it out with at the mill, and the second was someone flinging smoke grenades. Sean was not sure exactly what was said. He was sure that it sounded kindof like an old file footage tape of Attorney General Bobby Kennedy questioning some labor bosses.

As to what Act 537 was or meant, he sure as hell didn't know.

At first he thought the cloud might be tear gas, but as some of it gusted his way with the wind, he was fairly certain it was just smoke.

[Sean]
Sean hoped the newcomers were friendly...or at least not hell bent on killing him. "My name is Sean Patrick Cunningham" Sean shouted as loudly as he could from his cover, "I am a journalist and have fallen pray to this band of brigands...can ye lend me a hand?"

[McCain]
"What are you doing out here? What did you do to get these guys shooting at you?" returns McCain. McCain stays behind cover, expecting any minute for a hail of bullets to home in on his voice.

[Sean]
"If you haven't noticed...there isn't exactly a front in this war...I'm just travelling to were ever the next story might be. As far as what I did to these men...nothing but seek shelter in an abandond building. I guess these days that is enough cause to murder someone!" As Sean tried to explain his situation to the stranger, he continued to keep a watchfull eye towards the mill, trying to look through the smoke to see if anyone had advanced on his position.

[McCain]
"You some kinda reporter? Sit tight where you are." McCain knocks off the New England accent at this point. McCain will relay the information back to the GIs, if they are out of hearing range. To the LT "Think we should save this guy's ass, LT? The army don't need anymore bad press you know."

[GM]
Sean, As far as the group you were trading shots with, you cannot get a fix on them right now. As for the "authorities", those with the New England accent, they seem to be SE of you, perhaps 75 meters or so. In any case, both Sean and McCain hear no more shooting.

[GM]
Tim, You can't get a fix on them. Jones said he thinks they booked... Harper doesn't agree, and urges caution...

[LT1 Jones]
Jones laughed at McCain's Bobby Kennedy routine. It was 5 or 10 seconds until he could respond. "Yeah, I guess we're the only thing that would pass for the Cavalry in these here parts..." He raised his voice.

"Mr. Cunningham, this is LT. Chuck Jones of the US Army. Hold tight until we're sure the area is secured."

Then to Harper and McCain. "You guys spread out a bit and cover me. I'm going to check this guy out. Harper, pop another smoke in between the boxcar and the mill right when I take off. If they start shooting, hit the mill with everything you got. I'll take my chances that this journalist is what he says he is. Still, Mr. McCain, keep an eye on the boxcar. Questions? Good..."

Jones took off his pack, stuffed 2-grenades into his harness, and checked his M16. He again smiled at his buddies, and then sprinted off for the railroad car in a low crouch. Thankfully no shots rang out in the cool morning.

As he neared the railroad car, he saw an overturned Harley Davidson with a sidecar. He slid to a stop there, some 10 meters from the boxcar. He called out to the person hiding beneath the boxcar.

01 MAY 03/0626
[Jones]
"Mr. Cunningham, this is LT Jones, US Army. You are surrounded. Throw out your weapons, and come out with your hands held high. Do this, and you won't be harmed."

[Sean]
"Man am I glad to see you boys!" Sean said as he sat upright with his back against the boxcar wheel. "There was 5 or six of em...me and my pal got 4 of 'em I think." Sean raised the Winchester over his head and worked the action several times emptying the rifle...he then tossed the rifle towards the soldier and pocketed the bullets. As he smiled at the soldier he casually put his hands on top of his head, "Thanks a million guys...I'll make you all famous for saving my arse!"

[Sean]
All the while, Sean had stacked the deck in his favor, just in case. As he I rolled over to sit up, he slid the .45 behind him between the wheel and himself. His plan was to not volunteer this weapon unless directly asked... [OOC] better safe then dead!!! :o)