Let the Music Play, Chapter 37

[GaryK]

Also, which character has the title of the story? "Let the Music Play"? As we saw in Prometheus, that was the command Jerry gave to order the annihilation of Toowoomba and a huge chunk of Queensland. So, Jerry has the title.

 

An antagonist winning? Is that possible? Hrmmm, anyone remember who, exactly, rde off into the sunset at the end of FTL with a suitcase full of cash?

If The Scar is the antagonist then it would seem to me that logically Eric has to be the protagonist. It was Eric who was suspicious of Jerry and took the lead in trying to uncover what J/S was up to, and who, more than once, came close to death as a result of his suspicions. But all along I thought we were led to believe Brandon was the protagonist. Therefore CJ has misled us all along. He's toyed with us. Played us for fools. And we bought it. Now he's trying to misdirect us again. First with the title of 38 and then with all this hooey about Shadowgod. I am so confused now I have no idea what's going to happen.

 

Edited April 29, 2008 by GaryInMiami

[Benji]

If The Scar is the antagonist then it would seem to me that logically Eric has to be the protagonist. It was Eric who was suspicious of Jerry and took the lead in trying to uncover what J/S was up to, and who, more than once, came close to death as a result of his suspicions. But all along I thought we were led to believe Brandon was the protagonist. Therefore CJ has misled us all along. He's toyed with us. Played us for fools. And we bought it. Now he's trying to misdirect us again. First with the title of 38 and then with all this hooey about Shadowgod. I am so confused now I have no idea what's going to happen.

 

 

.........Gary, I agree with much of what you've said except there are more twist and turns in this forum, it is hard to tell which direction the goat is leading us to. Is Eric going top wake up from a bad dream? (DOUBT IT) Is Brandon going to run out of gas and the plane just stops there in mid-air? (sounds right!) Are a flock of Canadian Geese going to guide the plane safely in (Sorry!) Will the missiles hit the in-coming F-16's instead? Will Brandon read the instruction manual and learn of the S-loop?? Stay tuned, the goat will be right back!!!!!!!

[Tiger]

Perhaps he will need some persuasion? Come on, everyone, let your voices be heard, call on Shadowgod to resume his rightful throne!

I would rather persuade him not to take the throne, because your cliffhangery is much more dastardly and evil than his. You have blown every single LiS cliffhanger out of the water. Therefore, you deserve the title along with a title in regard to misdirection.

[GaryK]

.........Gary, I agree with much of what you've said except there are more twist and turns in this forum, it is hard to tell which direction the goat is leading us to. Is Eric going top wake up from a bad dream? (DOUBT IT) Is Brandon going to run out of gas and the plane just stops there in mid-air? (sounds right!) Are a flock of Canadian Geese going to guide the plane safely in (Sorry!) Will the missiles hit the in-coming F-16's instead? Will Brandon read the instruction manual and learn of the S-loop?? Stay tuned, the goat will be right back!!!!!!!

OK, let's say the one remaining engine on the business jet dies and the missiles turn their attention to the incoming F-16s. That would explain the death from above part of the title of the next chapter. The band is still going to be dead. So what's going to be the death from below?

 

Will it be The Scar setting off another bomb?

 

Or could it possibly be that The Scar and Dimitri were a little too close at 20 miles out and got a good dose of radiation. How far could they have gotten in the short time between when they got in the Land Rover and the remnants of the explosion blew through where they had just been standing?

 

It's all just idle speculation on my part. But it gives me something to do while we all await the next chapter.

[Benji]

OK, let's say the one remaining engine on the business jet dies and the missiles turn their attention to the incoming F-16s. That would explain the death from above part of the title of the next chapter. The band is still going to be dead. So what's going to be the death from below?

 

Will it be The Scar setting off another bomb?

 

Or could it possibly be that The Scar and Dimitri were a little too close at 20 miles out and got a good dose of radiation. How far could they have gotten in the short time between when they got in the Land Rover and the remnants of the explosion blew through where they had just been standing?

 

It's all just idle speculation on my part. But it gives me something to do while we all await the next chapter.

 

 

..........Well, Scar could have tied up other loose ends, Mario knows too much, he could of have Mario killed also.

[Drewbie]

And Dimitri, Somehow in the end he will want all the money and power to himself. Think they played good cop and bad cop, with their employee's esp with vlad.

[GaryK]

Mario is in a "profession" where one is expected not to blab. Otherwise it will be a short-lived career choice. Then again he could change his mind once he learns about the nuclear explosion in Australia. Somewhere in the heart of a hit man there have to be some morals. However it's my gut feeling that Mario is irrelevant at this point.

 

Dimitri might still be needed as the guy who takes delivery of the gold. After that I tend to think that Dimitri will become a liability that The Scar will have to do away with.

[Tiger]

Mario is in a "profession" where one is expected not to blab. Otherwise it will be a short-lived career choice. Then again he could change his mind once he learns about the nuclear explosion in Australia. Somewhere in the heart of a hit man there have to be some morals. However it's my gut feeling that Mario is irrelevant at this point.

 

Dimitri might still be needed as the guy who takes delivery of the gold. After that I tend to think that Dimitri will become a liability that The Scar will have to do away with.

I'm inclined to disagree about someone who kills for cash having morals. As a general rule, people don't do that unless they enjoy killing people. :wacko:

[shadowgod]

I'm inclined to disagree about someone who kills for cash having morals. As a general rule, people don't do that unless they enjoy killing people. :wacko:

 

I'd argue that tiger, Just because one is adept at a profession does not mean they enjoy it. Enjoying something, and doing it because the money is right is not the same thing either.

 

As for this other foolishness... Blackmail CJ? you and I both know you are way better then that. Surely you could have thought of some other way of getting me to reclaim my "supposed" throne. But if that is the game you want to play... I can offer 38 to anyone who doubts your cliffhanging supremacy

 

Steve

[GaryK]

Steve, what's this going to cost? Will you provide a bank account actually exists?

[C James]

I'd argue that tiger, Just because one is adept at a profession does not mean they enjoy it. Enjoying something, and doing it because the money is right is not the same thing either.

 

As for this other foolishness... Blackmail CJ? you and I both know you are way better then that. Surely you could have thought of some other way of getting me to reclaim my "supposed" throne. But if that is the game you want to play... I can offer 38 to anyone who doubts your cliffhanging supremacy

 

Steve

 

 

Ummm, your Shadowyness, I find us in agreement. You have just offered 38 to anyone who DOUBTS my cliffhanging supremacy.

Well, Here you have it folks: Shadowgod is campaigning to get his throne back!! (and no, i didn't edit anything here, and the only thing I changed in the quoted text was to bold the relevant bit).

 

Well, Okay, I wouldn't call my kind offer to resolve the cliffhanger by posting 38 early blackmail, but, if you prefer to reclaim your throne by other means, you have my full support!

I'd say this calls for a poll.

 

Okay, now, I will say that it would be cruel to keep y'all waiting for resolution on this cliffhanger.. So, I'll propose a little game.

The cliffhanger is indeed resolved, one way or another, in LTMP 38, Death Above and Death Below.

 

The question is, how is it resolved? I'll be honest, I doubt anyone can figure it out. The facts needed to do so, however, are contained in the posted chapters. I'll say this; it's fully realistic.

 

So, here's my offer. If anyone can figure it out, I'll post chapter 38 immediately.

 

Or, we can just install Shadowgod back on his throne. Your choice.

 

So, post your guesses here, and don't forget to include the how.

 

Edit to add; more than one guess per person is fine. However, no one who has actually seen CJ 38 can win.

[Graeme]

Edit to add; more than one guess per person is fine. However, no one who has actually seen CJ 38 can win.

Excellent! I haven't actually seen CJ 38 I read an early draft of chapter 38, but that's different.

 

Okay, so my guess is....

 

 

Something happens, and that something will determine what happens next.

 

[GaryK]

The one remaining engine on the jet Instinct is in fails, the plane falls out of the sky and the death below results from the plane hitting the ground and killing everyone on board. Death above are the Sidewinder missiles finding new targets, the incoming F-16s, and blowing them out of the sky.

 

Meanwhile The Scar and Dimitri are hoping to board a plane out of Australia so they can carry out the rest of their plan...

Edited April 30, 2008 by GaryInMiami

[wildone]

Well I'm back, and first want to apologize for my outburst. Needless to say this chapter and this story has been captivating and frustrating at the same time.

 

Second thing I want to do is to thank CJ for sharing this story with us. I think few of us can really criticize the way the story has developed and become something that we all wait for every week .

 

I just finished reading Chapter 37 once again, and made some notes, but I'll make some guesses later.

 

What I want to really comment on is how CJ made this chapter very realistic, and pulled on my emotions and I'm sure others.

 

One of the most powerful paragraphs and brought back not so good memories and exposed emotions was:

 

Only Jon was old enough to have vivid memories of 9-11 and those recollections came flooding back: sitting in front of a TV set, seeing what he thought was a strange movie, one that soon confused his ten-year-old mind. He had flipped the channel, only to do so again a moment later, soon discovering that the 'movie' was on every station. At last, he'd understood that it was real. The memory of the shock, and the feeling that the world had changed forever, were foremost on his mind

 

I believe CJ used the memories we all felt when we heard about or saw 9-11 to evoke the feelings we had at that time. Maybe 'used' isn't a good word, but it built the tension to the story ten fold.

 

One other paragraph really stood out:

 

Veoting that idea, Brandon said, "Thanks bro, but no, I can do that myself; I need you in back, keeping an eye on Chase. If you two both survive, just tell him I love him, okay?

 

Wow. Here's the guy that all of us fell in love with since the beginning of the story, realizing that he has to make the ultimate sacrifice for his new 'family', and he is professing his love for Chase. This hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

Before I take a wild guess, I want to thank CJ once again for this amazing chapter.

 

 

Steve

[GaryK]

Wow. Here's the guy that all of us fell in love with since the beginning of the story, realizing that he has to make the ultimate sacrifice for his new 'family', and he is professing his love for Chase. This hit me like a ton of bricks.

In the second post in this thread I asked if anyone else was in tears near the end of the chapter. That was the section of the story I was referring to.

 

Now let's see your guess...

[shadowgod]

 

Ummm, your Shadowyness, I find us in agreement. You have just offered 38 to anyone who DOUBTS my cliffhanging supremacy.

Well, Here you have it folks: Shadowgod is campaigning to get his throne back!! (and no, i didn't edit anything here, and the only thing I changed in the quoted text was to bold the relevant bit).

 

Well, Okay, I wouldn't call my kind offer to resolve the cliffhanger by posting 38 early blackmail, but, if you prefer to reclaim your throne by other means, you have my full support!

I'd say this calls for a poll.

 

Go ahead, create your poll CJ, I just ask anyone who goes to vote for me, to please contact me ahead of time. I sure I could persuade a vote in the other direction. You have proven you are not above blackmail, I am not above a bribe... or however many it takes to secure your precarious perch in a throne you so deftly weild.

 

Okay, now, I will say that it would be cruel to keep y'all waiting for resolution on this cliffhanger.. So, I'll propose a little game.

The cliffhanger is indeed resolved, one way or another, in LTMP 38, Death Above and Death Below.

 

The question is, how is it resolved? I'll be honest, I doubt anyone can figure it out. The facts needed to do so, however, are contained in the posted chapters. I'll say this; it's fully realistic.

 

So, here's my offer. If anyone can figure it out, I'll post chapter 38 immediately.

 

Or, we can just install Shadowgod back on his throne. Your choice.

 

So, post your guesses here, and don't forget to include the how.

 

Edit to add; more than one guess per person is fine. However, no one who has actually seen CJ 38 can win.

 

One thing I find deliciously intriguing, is Gary guess that the weapons will acquire a new target one the bizjet falls from the air. I could see if these were heat seakers but from what i recall of the chapter, they are not.

[GaryK]

One thing I find deliciously intriguing, is Gary guess that the weapons will acquire a new target one the bizjet falls from the air. I could see if these were heat seakers but from what i recall of the chapter, they are not.

IIRC, the first set of missiles were radar-guided. The second set, the Sidewinders, are heat-seekers.

[C James]

Well I'm back, and first want to apologize for my outburst. Needless to say this chapter and this story has been captivating and frustrating at the same time.

 

I fully understand.

 

I also know you had high hopes for Gunter. Sorry.

 

 

I believe CJ used the memories we all felt when we heard about or saw 9-11 to evoke the feelings we had at that time. Maybe 'used' isn't a good word, but it built the tension to the story ten fold.

 

Yes, I did. Good catch.

I remember my thoughts and feelings on that day. I felt I needed to capture the shock, the surreal feeling of unreality, that is present on such a day.

 

Wow. Here's the guy that all of us fell in love with since the beginning of the story, realizing that he has to make the ultimate sacrifice for his new 'family', and he is professing his love for Chase. This hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

He had to do what he did, for Chase's safety, even at the cost of never seeing him again. I have to admit, that scene, and Eric's offer to stay plus his comment about burying a brother (Brandon), brought a tear to my eye when i was writing them.

[jfalkon]

I'm really late to this discussion!

The cliffhanger has really reached new hights! Now where did we leave all that tar and feathers?

 

Seriously though, great chapter. It does look like an imposible scenario. The only way out I can think of is if a large part of the plane came off. For example there was once an incident where the roof came of an airliner (Aloha airlines I think). Despite the gaping hole there was only one casualty. In our case the front of the plane is already damaged so it is possible that a large peice of the body may fall off. In that case what do the misiles follow, the piece that came off or the rest of the plane? They are not designed to follow anything that falls apart. A piece of falling debis could possibly be mistaken for an evasive manuver.

 

If that happens the part of the plane still holding together could escape. If at that point it was too close to Las Vegas to justify the use of more misiles they could have a slim chance at an awkward landing. From what little I know of aviation I don't think it is inpossible for an untrained person to land a plane. The main problems are knowing what speed to do it at and keeping the nose of the plane up.

 

The title of the next chapter doesn't tell us anything. With corpses piling up everywhere there is death on the plane, on the ground, and anywhere else you can think to look.

 

Bad Goat!

[Benji]

I'm really late to this discussion!

The cliffhanger has really reached new hights! Now where did we leave all that tar and feathers?

 

Seriously though, great chapter. It does look like an imposible scenario. The only way out I can think of is if a large part of the plane came off. For example there was once an incident where the roof came of an airliner (Aloha airlines I think). Despite the gaping hole there was only one casualty. In our case the front of the plane is already damaged so it is possible that a large peice of the body may fall off. In that case what do the misiles follow, the piece that came off or the rest of the plane? They are not designed to follow anything that falls apart. A piece of falling debis could possibly be mistaken for an evasive manuver.

 

If that happens the part of the plane still holding together could escape. If at that point it was too close to Las Vegas to justify the use of more misiles they could have a slim chance at an awkward landing. From what little I know of aviation I don't think it is inpossible for an untrained person to land a plane. The main problems are knowing what speed to do it at and keeping the nose of the plane up.

 

The title of the next chapter doesn't tell us anything. With corpses piling up everywhere there is death on the plane, on the ground, and anywhere else you can think to look.

 

Bad Goat!

 

.................The first missile hits the damaged engine and lodges itself in place but amazingly fails to detonate, the plane regains a little control as the missiles continues to burn its thruster, Brandon seeing the dry lake bed below dives to attempt a belly landing the 2nd missile is deflected by the wing by the sudden movement and the remaining missiles miss their target. As the plane dives, Brandon fights to keep the nose up and the plane level, the fuselage lands hard but straight, Brandons head hits the control panel and he loses conscious, the impact shears the wings off and the engines are left behind as the plane continues to plow into the lake bed finally coming to a stop, Eric is the first to realize that they have landed, checking his brothers he is amazed to find them with little injuries but they are unconsicous. Betty is not so lucky as Eric reaches out and close's her eyelids. Moving forward Eric finds Brandon slumped forward in his seat, but he feels a pulse.

 

On a nearby mountain a goat is taking in the scene below while munching on some scrub brush, he is momentarily perplexed as an object seems to grow in size coming at him, his last instinct is to jump, but fearing cliffs he freezes in place as the deflected missile greets him.

Edited April 30, 2008 by Benji

[GaryK]

You were doing fine until the last sentence, Benji.

[Benji]

You were doing fine until the last sentence, Benji.

 

 

.....What could I say, the Devil made me do it!!

[Bob D.]

Ah okay, I seen on tv last night (military channel) it happened two years ago an F-15 vs a mig 29 launched missiles, and missed the mig by a few.

 

Made a mistake I kept on putting it in here, when fired there not always lock, mostly they are locked, yet still miss a target, and doesn't mean this plane is moving trying to dodge it. is the missiles locked onto the engines?

 

I do have a roast, so if they do die, we can roast the author

 

 

Let's see... hot debris falls away from the jet: hot debris holds first missile's attention collides, goes boom! other shots behind follow suit into the fireball and self detonate... (Only possibility at this point, or a stray goose some how falls in the way...?)

[MikeL]

On a nearby mountain a goat is taking in the scene below while munching on some scrub brush, he is momentarily perplexed as an object seems to grow in size coming at him, his last instinct is to jump, but fearing cliffs he freezes in place as the deflected missile greets him.

You were doing fine until the last sentence, Benji.

I see nothing wrong with your last sentence, Benji. It might be a bit run on but the sentiment is dead on.

[Benji]

I see nothing wrong with your last sentence, Benji. It might be a bit run on but the sentiment is dead on.

 

 

........It was deliberate of course, you know!!