Let the Music Play, Chapter 43

[YaP]

...........I'm afraid Helen is done, the wounds are too life threatening, and they are in a remote area. Perhaps the General can get help in, but that is iffy!! ....I can't believe I fell for that 'would ya'll mind if I post the next chapter in 10 days..instead of my normal week". I should of known he would have pulled this most eviliest of cliffhangers on us.

 

Well, there always is hope.... but I agree.. severe internal wounds... thats not good :-(

And we don't know how (and how bad) Jon was wounded. Yea, maybe the military can get help in fast enough. Maybe help is already on the way because that Air Force dude was on the phone when the first shots could be heard...

I can't beleive anybody would agree to CJames posting later.. especially at this point in the story where everything builds up to the grand finale...

[C James]

Groan. Now I regret telling CJ it was alright to wait another week before posting 44.

 

No worries! Now we can all just blame you and Tiger.

 

 

Surely Eric has got to realize Dimitri isn't going to be satisfied with only one member of Instinct being killed. So why does he seem so willing so sacrifice himself in what will surely be a failed attempt to save the others?

 

Eric and Brandon are both in a difficult situation. Dimitri is slowly cutting Chase's throat. There just isn't time to think things through, and in a situation like that, one reacts on (no pun intended) instinct. I'm not saying what Eric's motives are, just giving a case of what they might be; he sees his little brother's life on the line, and offers up his own.

 

........I would guess that as a former KGB agent he would have perfected his English.

 

Dimitri has a Russian accent, but with practice he can say a sentance or two without an accent.

Dimitri tapped on the locked door as he said in a calm, rehearsed, unaccented voice,

[GaryK]

Brandon definitely has a dilemma; he's only got a split second to decide.

What kind of shot is Brandon's gun loaded with? Is it possible he could swing around and shoot Dimitri in the head before Dimitri has a chance to slice Chase's throat, and without injuring Chase in the process?

[Tiger]

No worries! Now we can all just blame you and Tiger.

I was simply agreeing with you for once. Besides, I did not know about the evil cliffhanger. I also didn't know that Eric's life would be in peril. I was mislead. Thus, I should be absolved of all blame.

[MikeL]

What kind of shot is Brandon's gun loaded with? Is it possible he could swing around and shoot Dimitri in the head before Dimitri has a chance to slice Chase's throat, and without injuring Chase in the process?

I think Chase's head is immediately in front of Dimitri's...no chance for Brandon to kill Dimitri without killing Chase.

Using his left hand, which still held the .45, Dimitri spun Chase around as Brandon and Eric, guns leveled, approached from the other side of the open door. With a knife at his throat, Chase had no choice but to comply as he became a shield for Dimitri.

[C James]

What kind of shot is Brandon's gun loaded with? Is it possible he could swing around and shoot Dimitri in the head before Dimitri has a chance to slice Chase's throat, and without injuring Chase in the process?

 

Mike (below) has it right; Chase is in the way; Dimitri is using him as a shield, and Brandon's gun is a shotgun (loaded with standard shot). Brandon and Eric can't fire at Dimitri without killing Chase.

 

I was simply agreeing with you for once. Besides, I did not know about the evil cliffhanger. I also didn't know that Eric's life would be in peril. I was mislead. Thus, I should be absolved of all blame.

 

Now, now, I think blaming you is the idea solution!!

Works for me!

 

I think Chase's head is immediately in front of Dimitri's...no chance for Brandon to kill Dimitri without killing Chase.

 

Yep! Brandon is thus in a dilemma.

 

BTW, There will be a sequel to LTMP; Changing Lanes. in fact, that's what I'm working on right now.

 

The sequel will feature some of the same characters, plus some new ones, and be a very different storyline. LTMP will wrap up the current storyline.

 

CJ

[GaryK]

I think Chase's head is immediately in front of Dimitri's...no chance for Brandon to kill Dimitri without killing Chase.

I guess it's up to the bikers and the AF guy to come to the rescue.

 

I'm rushing to finish beta-reading a chapter for an author. I shouldn't even be posted here. So I don't have time to look back at the chapter right now. Sorry about that. Are all the concussion grenades accounted for? Has Dimitri dropped any of them?

[Tiger]

Absolve- v. to free from guilt or blame or their consequences

 

Thus, I should be absolved of all blame. I am sweet and innocent, for I have not been an influence on any stories as of yet that I am aware of.

[GaryK]

I feel betrayed. Betrayed I tell you.

 

I thought the goat had good intentions when I agreed to a postponement in the posting schedule.

 

In fact he knew all along this was gonna be one heck of a cloudhanger and that he'd be leaving us hanging for an extra-long amount of time.

 

Bad goat!

[Graeme]

I can't post early; 44 isn't even back from final beta and zeta yet.

 

HOWEVER, I don't like making everyone wait for 10 days (9, now). So, I have asked for, and received, a special dispensation from the Anti-Spoiler Echidna. With his prickly blessings, I will post this weekend, here in this thread, the first four paragraphs of LTMP 44, El Vohzd. Those four paragraphs complete the scene with Eric, Brandon, and Dimitri.

 

We must all thank the Echidna for making this possible!

Anyone who believes that those four paragraphs will make any difference to how they feel about the ending of this chapter should go back through ALL the old chapter discussion threads. I can't remember which one it was, but CJ made this offer once before, and it turned out to not help. In that case, the opening paragraphs of the next chapter were to do with The Scar and his plotting, and nothing to do with the situation that had everyone concerned.

 

I think it was in the discussion thread for chapter 19, but I'm not sure.

[Tiger]

Graeme, that does not surprise me. Evil goats love to misdirect.

[GaryK]

Graeme, that does not surprise me. Evil goats love to misdirect.

Evil goats is redundant.

[AFriendlyFace]

I do think we should seriously save our fingers from typing the big long word cliffhanger, and just abbreviate the word to CJ. Think about it....'Should we nominate Dom, DK, and Steve for the evilest CJ this year?' or 'Can you believe the CJ that Kevin ended the his chapter with?'

 

Me?

 

HAHA, no way!

 

On the other hand I will admit that the next chapter of BMAD has the nearest thing to a cliffhanger that there's been up to this point, but it certainly isn't a cliffhanger. Certainly not compared to this! That's like comparing a baseball to Jupiter

 

Surely Eric has got to realize Dimitri isn't going to be satisfied with only one member of Instinct being killed. So why does he seem so willing so sacrifice himself in what will surely be a failed attempt to save the others?

CJ's already mentioned it, but I didn't think it was odd at all. It's not like they've had time to sit down and work out the logic. The WHOLE THING since Dimitri entered the house has lasted what? 30 seconds? Dimitri is trained for this sort of thing and they're not.

 

 

Also, there is an air force officer near the house. Most air force officers wouldn't normally carry a sidearm in the US, but he is an investigator, the military is on alert, and everyone else at the ranch is armed.

I agree that much depends on the AF investigator.

 

I also think that Jon would be able to help. I mean, he was shot, but CJ didn't specify where, unlike Helen, with whom he mentioned that she was shot in the abdomen.

Good point, there's been no mention of Jon. So either he's dead, CJ is planning to use him as a tool in the next chapter...or CJ just didn't feel like mentioning him.

 

 

Also, the bikers would surely hear the shotguns, and if not them, then the airforce officer would surely...

Exactly, it seems fairly certain to me that Dimitri will not make it out of that house alive (unless maybe he gives himself up and they take him into custody or something, but unlikely). The bikers must be on their way now.

 

The key might be the Air Force Officer. He is after all, outside the house the last we knew. He might be able to get a clear shot thru a window. That is as long as the bikers don't jump him first.

A good point.

 

Well, there always is hope.... but I agree.. severe internal wounds... thats not good :-(

And we don't know how (and how bad) Jon was wounded. Yea, maybe the military can get help in fast enough. Maybe help is already on the way because that Air Force dude was on the phone when the first shots could be heard...

OK here's my theory, help is on the way, and I suspect it was ALREADY on the way. CJ said that the AF guy walked west while on the phone...not sure why west, but the point is we didn't hear the end of his conversation. It's possible he's still on the phone (indeed it seems a bit likely that he either is or that he's just finished up and is on his way back to the house since he's not IN the house), but there's a good chance after giving the initial part of his report the general ordered someone back to the house to pick him back up, or maybe to pick up the others (or any combination of them, maybe just Joe). So I think they may already be on their way anyway, and they'll probably have some sort of emergency first aid kit (plus the choppers to life the wounded away).

 

Eric and Brandon are both in a difficult situation. Dimitri is slowly cutting Chase's throat. There just isn't time to think things through, and in a situation like that, one reacts on (no pun intended) instinct. I'm not saying what Eric's motives are, just giving a case of what they might be; he sees his little brother's life on the line, and offers up his own.

Yeah, that does seem reasonable.

 

The title for 44 is "El Vohzd"

"The Boss" At least I think that's what Dimitri said it meant.

 

I guess it's up to the bikers and the AF guy to come to the rescue.

 

I'm rushing to finish beta-reading a chapter for an author. I shouldn't even be posted here. So I don't have time to look back at the chapter right now. Sorry about that. Are all the concussion grenades accounted for? Has Dimitri dropped any of them?

Dimitri has one grenade in his pocket that he isn't planning on using because he needs both his hands where he has them. The other 3 are still in the truck.

 

Graeme said (out of quotes):

Anyone who believes that those four paragraphs will make any difference to how they feel about the ending of this chapter should go back through ALL the old chapter discussion threads. I can't remember which one it was, but CJ made this offer once before, and it turned out to not help. In that case, the opening paragraphs of the next chapter were to do with The Scar and his plotting, and nothing to do with the situation that had everyone concerned.

 

LOL, exactly what I was thinking at first, but this time he did specify that it resolved the scene we were on. So I think it's 'on the level'.

 

 

One final observation that I'm shocked that no one's made

 

The chapter title "Dead Man's Hand" obviously refers (perhaps among other things) to Eric's Ace's and 8's in the poker game. That is known as the "dead man's hand". So it maybe just be a reference to what's already going on...or it may perhaps foreshadow his fate.

 

 

 

Looking forward to reading the next four paragraphs, lol!

 

Take care all,

Kevin

Edited June 11, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[MikeL]

One final observation that I'm shocked that no one's made

 

The chapter title "Dead Man's Hand" obviously refers (perhaps among other things) to Eric's Ace's and 8's in the poker game. That is known as the "dead man's hand". So it maybe just be a reference to what's already going on...or it may perhaps foreshadow his fate.

See: https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/index.php...st&p=137053

[AFriendlyFace]

Ohh, didn't see that

[JimmyZ]

Mr James you are a cruel cruel man. Leave us with such an exciting cliff hanger and then delay the next chapter. MEAN!

[Tiger]

Mr James you are a cruel cruel man. Leave us with such an exciting cliff hanger and then delay the next chapter. MEAN!

Jimmy, welcome to the forums! Yes, that was cruel especially considering that we must wait longer than usual to find out what happened. I just hope Eric lives. Otherwise, the punishment in the poll may have to reach fruition.

[Bondwriter]

44 was sent back from zeta 3 minutes ago.

[wildone]

Mr James you are a cruel cruel man. Leave us with such an exciting cliff hanger and then delay the next chapter. MEAN!

 

Welcome Jimmy ,

 

Good to see that CJ's cliffhangering has you posting .

 

 

44 was sent back from zeta 3 minutes ago.

 

CJ, that was 55 minutes ago !!! What's the wait

[Bondwriter]

CJ, that was 55 minutes ago !!! What's the wait

You know me, I'm usually not the last one to badmouth the goat, but I'll come to his rescue (this time); he needs to encode it in HTML, and then send it to Joe, who apparently is busy at the moment, before it's eventually posted.

(Hey! I just wrote a sentence CJ-style, notice the commas and the indented clauses )

[GaryK]

You know me, I'm usually not the last one to badmouth the goat, but I'll come to his rescue (this time); he needs to encode it in HTML, and then send it to Joe, who apparently is busy at the moment, before it's eventually posted.

(Hey! I just wrote a sentence CJ-style, notice the commas and the indented clauses )

The HTML part is easy. However Joe still appears to be trying valiantly to salvage Mason's reputation so this might be a long wait, LOL.

[Graeme]

Mr James you are a cruel cruel man. Leave us with such an exciting cliff hanger and then delay the next chapter. MEAN!

Welcome, Jimmy! It's always good to meet another person who recognises the truth when they see it.

 

You know me, I'm usually not the last one to badmouth the goat, but I'll come to his rescue (this time); he needs to encode it in HTML, and then send it to Joe, who apparently is busy at the moment, before it's eventually posted.

(Hey! I just wrote a sentence CJ-style, notice the commas and the indented clauses )

Can I point out that as an admin, CJ has the ability to post his own chapters? He can't blame Joe for any delays....

[GaryK]

Can I point out that as an admin, CJ has the ability to post his own chapters? He can't blame Joe for any delays....

There's a big difference between the ability to do something and the capability to do something!

[Tiger]

Can I point out that as an admin, CJ has the ability to post his own chapters? He can't blame Joe for any delays....

Ummmm... I think you know why he has Joe do it. However, that is probably not general knowledge, so I shall shush.

[BeaStKid]

Ummmm... I think you know why he has Joe do it. However, that is probably not general knowledge, so I shall shush.

Tease!!