Let the Music Play, Chapter 44

[C James]

I keep wondering why some of the bikers were not around (closer to) Instinct's house. I understand that no one knew that a threat remained and that the cops and bikers did not play well together, but if the situation required three cops in and near the house, why not some biker patrols around the outside of the house? Why not some bikers at the entrance to the drive? Many of them are ex-military; they know about perimeter security.

 

That's a good point!!

 

OK, first, here's the paragraph that IMHO best sums up the situation;

 

Jim fielded that question.

[Drewbie]

Right all of them had bad luck, maybe camera's would of helped, all throughout the compound.

 

Dimitri's luck has been shown, just hope his luck will run out now.

 

Wonder if Eric or Jon will give the airforce a talking to

[wildone]

Something just occurred to me :wacko: .

 

The title for chapter 44 was El Vohzd.

 

Did anyone else find it weird that CJ chose to only write two paragraphs in the whole chapter about J/S? I know he usually has some misdirection from titles of chapters, but now that I think about it, this kind of worries me. All we know is the Paraguay is under siege, and that J/S is being referred by El Vohzd.

 

The other thing, is J/S's current location. With maps spread out over hay bales makes me believe that he is in a barn in a rural area, not anywhere near where the action is.

 

 

Anyone else concerned?

[TalonRider]

I'm thinking that he used this title to show that Dmitri was in charge. This would also really put the definition I posted earlier to good use.

[GaryK]

The other thing, is J/S's current location. With maps spread out over hay bales makes me believe that he is in a barn in a rural area, not anywhere near where the action is.

Scar has paid-off his officers. They know what to do. The take-over is underway. Why should Scar risk being near the action at this point? He could wind up as collateral damage!

[Drewbie]

Scar has paid-off his officers. They know what to do. The take-over is underway. Why should Scar risk being near the action at this point? He could wind up as collateral damage!

 

Right why would he want to be near the action incase someone tries to get rid of him.

 

 

 

I have a feeling the next chapter won't be a wrap up for Dimitri.

 

[wildone]

Scar has paid-off his officers. They know what to do. The take-over is underway. Why should Scar risk being near the action at this point? He could wind up as collateral damage!

 

I would imagine that even Paraguay has a 'war room'. Since it seems that the majority of the military leadership is now behind him, with the ones not eliminated, wouldn't you think he would be taking command at a control centre of some sort?

 

As far as I recall, the invasion of the capital is to seize the presidential palace (J/S bribed the presidential guards), and the parliament. Since the enlisted or rank and file soldiers are believed to follow their bought off commanders, really what harm could come to J/S?

 

Okay, I'll float an idea........What if J/S isn't even in Paraguay. Dimitri would have probably reported back to J/S that Mario was dead, and the band was still alive being guarded by the police and bikers. Would J/S be nervous enough to go back to the States where he could be closer to his "real" threat (Instinct and the possible knowledge of the bombs placements)? Being where things are on hay bales, could he be in Colorado himself? Will there be a short lived reunion between Dimitri and J/S?

 

CJ was just way too brief with this part for my liking. He mentioned a Peruvian solider, but he could have been with him. There is no reference at all to his current location. I think if it wasn't really an issue, CJ would have said something like:

 

In a barn just on the outskirts of Asuncion, The Scar looked over hix maps placed over hay bales.

 

Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree . I guess we will know shortly.

 

 

[GaryK]

I would imagine that even Paraguay has a 'war room'. Since it seems that the majority of the military leadership is now behind him, with the ones not eliminated, wouldn't you think he would be taking command at a control centre of some sort?

 

As far as I recall, the invasion of the capital is to seize the presidential palace (J/S bribed the presidential guards), and the parliament. Since the enlisted or rank and file soldiers are believed to follow their bought off commanders, really what harm could come to J/S?

 

Okay, I'll float an idea........What if J/S isn't even in Paraguay. Dimitri would have probably reported back to J/S that Mario was dead, and the band was still alive being guarded by the police and bikers. Would J/S be nervous enough to go back to the States where he could be closer to his "real" threat (Instinct and the possible knowledge of the bombs placements)? Being where things are on hay bales, could he be in Colorado himself? Will there be a short lived reunion between Dimitri and J/S?

 

CJ was just way too brief with this part for my liking. He mentioned a Peruvian solider, but he could have been with him. There is no reference at all to his current location. I think if it wasn't really an issue, CJ would have said something like:

 

In a barn just on the outskirts of Asuncion, The Scar looked over hix maps placed over hay bales.

 

Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree . I guess we will know shortly.

 

 

In his improvised headquarters, The Scar studied several maps that he

[Tiger]

I have a feeling the next chapter won't be a wrap up for Dimitri.

 

I have some serious doubts about that. I think there's going to be a showdown and an evil cliffhanger in the middle of it.

 

[GaryK]

I have some serious doubts about that. I think there's going to be a showdown and an evil cliffhanger in the middle of it.

I guess it depends on how much detail CJ gives us. I think it's safe to say The Shadows will discover the vehicle at the bottom of the ravine has no passengers in it. So the next logical thing to do is start scouting for places where Dimitri might have gone. If that leads the posse to the cave entrance things could get messy really quickly. Outsiders looking in won't have much of a view. Insiders looking out will have a perfect view and a great bunch of targets.

 

ADDED: Too bad TheBitch™ isn't there to get the AF general on the phone and have him send in some troops armed with concussion grenades and such to stun anyone in the cave and then storm it.

Edited June 22, 2008 by GaryK

[Drewbie]

Helen could just haunt the General

 

Pretty sure it will get close then, the chapter ends. Goat has his ways.

[MikeL]

Did anyone else find it weird that CJ chose to only write two paragraphs in the whole chapter about J/S? I know he usually has some misdirection from titles of chapters, but now that I think about it, this kind of worries me. All we know is the Paraguay is under siege, and that J/S is being referred by El Vohzd.

I don't consider the small amount about Jerry/Scar unusual. (It could pass for what Fox News would call, "fair and balanced".) After all, next to the action in Telluride, what's another Latin American coup?

Okay, I'll float an idea........What if J/S isn't even in Paraguay. Dimitri would have probably reported back to J/S that Mario was dead, and the band was still alive being guarded by the police and bikers. Would J/S be nervous enough to go back to the States where he could be closer to his "real" threat (Instinct and the possible knowledge of the bombs placements)? Being where things are on hay bales, could he be in Colorado himself? Will there be a short lived reunion between Dimitri and J/S?

I'll concede there is no indication of where Scar is. I would think at this point there's no way Scar could get into the US. He'd be on every watch list that exists. Further, how would he get a Paraguayan captain into the US with him? Lastly, what purpose would be served by Scar taking the risk of entering the US?

I think it is clear from the story that Scar is in Paraguay.

Edited June 22, 2008 by MikeL

[Bondwriter]

My feeling about J/S: he's in Paraguay, the deception of the author wouldn't go as far as this.

 

But don't other readers feel like me that Toomawoomba was the apex for the Scar? I think that he could manage building/ planting the bomb, which shows he had some leadership/ engineering skills, but since he's scared the planet s***less, it's going down the hill, because his HR management are quite poor, beyond having people they'll be highly paid and then killing them.

 

I don't think he can manage a coup in Paraguay. The dynamics in South America are not the same than they used to be, and Paraguay has been democratic since 1992. Hence, since this is supposed to happen in 2010, he has to deal with people who've known democracy for almost two decades. He would need to have the land owners and the big company owners, plus the police AND the military if he wanted to succeed and enjoy a few years of peace. He'd have been better off buying an island in the Caribbeans (or in the Pacific), with one bomb cleverly hidden.

 

I think the wiping out of Instinct was poorly planned. It should have been in the blueprint of his general scheme, and handled way before, and he should have had a B-plan for the last bomb, not relying on the same "band cover-up" stuff for all of them. Plus relying on someone like Dimitri is kind of stupid, since he's quite unreliable. (The fear of height, the killer's instinct...)

 

I'd bet CJ could open some workshops in some remote location in the Arizona desert (there seems to be mine shafts galore over there, perfect for this kind of events), World Domination 101: Soft and Hard Skills to Become a Faultless Criminal Mastermind

[GaryK]

I'm a huge comic book fan. When I look at all the classic villains they've all had one thing in common. Personality problems that resulted in ultimately screwing up their plans. Case in point, look at all the inept morons Lex Luthor from Superman has surrounded himself with over the years. He's never been able to achieve his goals.

[W_L]

Well, the legion of doom could have been made stronger, but the balance between good and evil should always slide a bit more to the good guys.

 

Back to the story, I get a feeling that the coup will not go as planned and it might ultimately fail. I think Scar would escape from South America at some point. Dimitri is a dead duck (not goat!); he needs to die soon.

Edited June 23, 2008 by W.L.

[wildone]

Well it looks like The Scar's plan to put Paraguay in upheaval is well on it's way.

 

Just read this news story out of Asuncion from Friday.

 

It looks like there is more people wanting less technical data from CJ, and more loving .

 

How timely

[BlueSoxSWJ]

Hey all. I've been busy at a new job lately, so I've kinda disappeared from these threads since I managed to call Jerry as the Scar. But, I had some time this afternoon, and to prove I'm still reading closely, here are some picky thoughts:

 

1. The rock climbing scene has actually become hugely meaningful, not just for the climbing ability. Remember, it wasn't until Eric's reported death that Helen contacted Jim about the bikers helping Instinct.

 

2. I'm surprised it's only been mentioned once, and that in passing. Dimitri is taking cover in an abandoned mine. Mines have large holes in the ground, that are really deep. Dimitri was revealed thoroughly to be afraid of heights [ch 7], but it hasn't come up lately. This seems like such an obvious connection to me that I almost put this one in spoiler tags, but then I realized that everyone just reads everything in spoiler tags anyways.

 

3. Another obscure reference that might come into play: in chapter 19, Eric and Jon underestimate the speed and agility of Jim, since he's such a big guy. As a bigger guy myself, I can say that this is common - while big guys tend to have low TOP speeds, agility [short-term quickness] is more about muscle control, reaction time, and good instincts. Perhaps Dimitri will underestimate a biker in the same way, and CJ will be on here pointing out how obvious the foreshadowing was that it would happen [or would have, if I hadn't called him on it first. You're welcome, everyone else, that he can't gloat now.]

 

4. Dimitri is loyal enough to the mission to risk his life trying to finish it instead of sneaking away and surviving, yet wouldn't hesitate to detonate the nukes? Talk about losing sight of the forest for the trees ...

 

5. The whole cave/mineshaft thing reminds me of a tangential trivia question that I heard recently - why did pirates wear eye patches? The answer has nothing to do with looking intimidating, injuries, or any of the commonly guessed reasons. The real reason:

It kept one eye adjusted to darkness, so that they wouldn't have to wait for their pupils to dilate when going below deck, they just switched which eye was covered.

 

 

6. Do we know for sure Paraguay is the Scar's real target? There was a quick reference, back in the high teens somewhere, about using Paraguay as a springboard to attack a critical natural gas supply to Argentina and Brazil [iirc]. Perhaps the Scar is actually in one of those locations (one step ahead of us, literally).

 

7. CJ, you missed a spectacular opportunity to pull a neat little tie-back with this chapter. When the grenade went into the house, you had a chance to pull out a detail from all the way back in the single digit chapters! In chapter 9, Brandon is revealed to have played varsity handball, a possibly useful skill if the grenade were to have taken a particularly high bounce towards him.

[C James]

I guess it depends on how much detail CJ gives us. I think it's safe to say The Shadows will discover the vehicle at the bottom of the ravine has no passengers in it. So the next logical thing to do is start scouting for places where Dimitri might have gone. If that leads the posse to the cave entrance things could get messy really quickly. Outsiders looking in won't have much of a view. Insiders looking out will have a perfect view and a great bunch of targets.

 

ADDED: Too bad TheBitch

[W_L]

sounds like a good title, "blood and sacrifice"; knowing your penchant for in-bedding hints in titles, who's blood will be spilt and who will be sacrificed?

 

CJ, the producers of 24 need some one like you for the next season, who else can establish a high tension plot with cliffhangers every other chapter.

[Benji]

1. The rock climbing scene has actually become hugely meaningful, not just for the climbing ability. Remember, it wasn't until Eric's reported death that Helen contacted Jim about the bikers helping Instinct.

 

...........

I suspect that Wilde will find an air shaft and some how distract Dimitri

, too bad they (Shadows) didn't have their rock climbing gear with them)

 

2. I'm surprised it's only been mentioned once, and that in passing. Dimitri is taking cover in an abandoned mine. Mines have large holes in the ground, that are really deep. Dimitri was revealed thoroughly to be afraid of heights [ch 7], but it hasn't come up lately. This seems like such an obvious connection to me that I almost put this one in spoiler tags, but then I realized that everyone just reads everything in spoiler tags anyways.

 

........Are you suggesting that Dimitri may unintenionally fall into a vertical shaft??

But that would be like falling off a cliff, the goat would never

 

do such a thing!

[Drewbie]

Blood and Sacrifice... Second part doesn't sound good. Unless Dimitri goes then it's all good.

[MikeL]

I suspect that Wilde will find an air shaft and some how distract Dimitri, too bad they (Shadows) didn't have their rock climbing gear with them)

 

2. I'm surprised it's only been mentioned once, and that in passing. Dimitri is taking cover in an abandoned mine. Mines have large holes in the ground, that are really deep. Dimitri was revealed thoroughly to be afraid of heights [ch 7], but it hasn't come up lately. This seems like such an obvious connection to me that I almost put this one in spoiler tags, but then I realized that everyone just reads everything in spoiler tags anyways.

An interesting idea, but CJ is already trying to redirect our thinking away from vertical mine shafts:

BTW, setting off grenades of any sort inside an old mine shaft might be a touch hazardous; the roof might meet the floor.

Not all mines have vertical shafts. Sometimes, when drilled into a mountainside, there is just a main shaft that (when possible) slopes slightly upwards (so they won't need pumps or a drain shaft). there may be ventilations shafts, or side gallerys, and they may have vertical lift shafts (but not always).

 

I live in an area with a lot of old mines, and drive by several drifts (horizontal shafts) every day. One in particular starts near a valley floor, and had several levels, but the entrance is on the lowest level. Others, especially test shafts or mines where the vein tapers out, have just a single shaft. The most dangerous ones, though, are vertical shafts. Recently some kids riding on ATV's fell into one north of here (it was fatal). The old vertical shafts sometimes get covered with bushes, or aren't easy to see due to terrian. There's one not far from here that's so deep that you can't hear the impact of a rock tossed into it (I've tried a few times).

 

BTW, the title of Chapter 45, which will be released on schedule, is "Blood and Sacrifice".

CJ

Perhaps there is a sloping shaft built for drainage - which the Shadows will spot at the bottom of the ravine - that connects to the shaft Dimitri and Chase are in. Even without climbing gear, Shadow could get behind Dimitri and overpower, or at least distract, him.

sounds like a good title, "blood and sacrifice"; knowing your penchant for in-bedding hints in titles, who's blood will be spilt and who will be sacrificed?

CJ, the producers of 24 need some one like you for the next season, who else can establish a high tension plot with cliffhangers every other chapter.

Blood and Sacrifice... Second part doesn't sound good. Unless Dimitri goes then it's all good.

The sacrifice could be anyone - hopefully, not a member of Instinct. Dimitri's demise, IMHO, wouldn't be a sacrifice.

 

Is 24 ever going to return?

[Drewbie]

Oh yea...

 

I hope it isn't a shadow either.

[Benji]

Oh yea...

 

I hope it isn't a shadow either.

 

 

........The foregone conclussion would be that Brandon is the sacrifice, giving himself up for Chase (hasn't our hero done this before ) but the goat ever mindful of the fire pit awaiting him will change course, and Helen will have been the sacrificial goat!!

[Tiger]

........The foregone conclussion would be that Brandon is the sacrifice, giving himself up for Chase (hasn't our hero done this before ) but the goat ever mindful of the fire pit awaiting him will change course, and Helen will have been the sacrificial goat!!

I would definitely prefer Helen being sacrificed for the greater good. Brandon should live happily ever after with Chase.