Changing Lanes, Chapter 28

[MikeL]

Cliff James has released Chapter 28 of Changing Lanes. The chapter is titled "Blood and Time".

 

"The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito." Guess who.

[AFriendlyFace]

Cliff James has released Chapter 28 of Changing Lanes. The chapter is titled "Blood and Time".

 

"The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito." Guess who.

Yay!

 

I can't wait to go read it! LOL, but I'll have to since I have to get back to work soon

[MikeL]

Another great chapter, Cliff! Lots of action in this one, especially in Iran.

 

Cliffhanger free? Not by a long shot. The chapter ends with a very explosive, unresolved situation.

[Benji]

Great chapter, I wonder what Wilheim had planned! Blooper, in one scene you have Eric leaving for the airport and yet in the next scene he is still drinking with Jansen and Keith telling them he will see them in the morning???? CLIFFHANGER FREE, I think not!!!

[MikeL]

Great chapter, I wonder what Wilheim had planned! Blooper, in one scene you have Eric leaving for the airport and yet in the next scene he is still drinking with Jansen and Keith telling them he will see them in the morning???? CLIFFHANGER FREE, I think not!!!

Benji, the way I read that, Eric planned to go to the airport later:

Nodding, Eric remembered something he had to do and said, "I've got to get to the airport to talk to those pilots. Let's give that a try tomorrow or the next day. I've got a car arranged."

[Drewbie]

Good chapter, I hope they survive, I think willhelm will be an issue later on, more then now, he'll probably tell The Scar.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Drewbie

[Benji]

Ok, I thought the 'dance' lesson was being put off; 'Let's give that a try tomorrow or the next day.' Ok, re-reading it, I see that, although I don't know why Eric needs Jansen & Keith to go with him.

[MikeL]

Ok, I thought the 'dance' lesson was being put off; 'Let's give that a try tomorrow or the next day.' Ok, re-reading it, I see that, although I don't know why Eric needs Jansen & Keith to go with him.

Maybe he likes one of them.

[Benji]

That did cross my mind!

[Ruckus]

The funny thing is, it took me twenty-eight chapters to finally figure out the fact that the 'changing of lanes' is about Eric, and therefore, this isn't really a direct sequel to LtMP, as much as a different story featuring characters from LtMP.

 

I remembered reading CJ's comment, some while ago, that this story received less feedback than LtMP. I can't speak for everyone, but when I started reading this story, the thing that crossed my mind was, 'okay, it's about those guys, again, great, the Scar's alive, yada, yada, yada, who cares.' My interest level wasn't all that high, and I read it simply because it was there, and I had nothing better to read.

 

But in fact, this story is much better (both in the plots and in the style) than LtMP. The action is a lot tighter, and not too burdened with minutiae about the Scar setting up his secret labs, and the machinations required, before we know what the hell he was doing. In CL, the prelude to the action is actual action, not just descriptive details of how one might build a bomb.

 

CJ, if you're still receiving too few feedback notes, I suggest changing the descriptors of the story, and tell people that it's not really about Brandon and Chase, but rather about Eric. This might pull in more readers, though at chapter 28, I think just about everyone will already know about this new story of yours. In the romance area, the 'is-he-is-he-not going to' of Eric is actually very exciting, and the little hit-and-miss mating dance he does with Jansen is actually very sweet, and more interesting to read. It certainly breaks away from your usual 'boy meets boy and falls deeply committed to each other, instantly.'

 

While on the romance front, this story is more engaging than LtMP, on the action front, CL is *far* superior to LtMP. I went from being mildly interested to not being able to wait until the next chapter is released. Kudos on this story. What a fantastic follow-up to LtMP. In my humble opinion, you're growing in leaps and bounds as a writer, and I feel privileged to have watched it happen, from FtL, to LtMP, and finally CL.

 

Once again, thank you for having written, and for sharing it with us in cyberspace. Keep it up, please. I can't wait to read more!

[C James]

Another great chapter, Cliff! Lots of action in this one, especially in Iran.

 

Cliffhanger free? Not by a long shot. The chapter ends with a very explosive, unresolved situation.

 

What explosive, unresolved situation? One measly little thirty three pounder does not make for a cliffhanger!

 

Ok, I thought the 'dance' lesson was being put off; 'Let's give that a try tomorrow or the next day.' Ok, re-reading it, I see that, although I don't know why Eric needs Jansen & Keith to go with him.

 

Benji... If you were wrong about the blooper, then you were wrong about the chapter not being cliffhanger-free, no?

 

The funny thing is, it took me twenty-eight chapters to finally figure out the fact that the 'changing of lanes' is about Eric, and therefore, this isn't really a direct sequel to LtMP, as much as a different story featuring characters from LtMP.

 

I remembered reading CJ's comment, some while ago, that this story received less feedback than LtMP. I can't speak for everyone, but when I started reading this story, the thing that crossed my mind was, 'okay, it's about those guys, again, great, the Scar's alive, yada, yada, yada, who cares.' My interest level wasn't all that high, and I read it simply because it was there, and I had nothing better to read.

 

But in fact, this story is much better (both in the plots and in the style) than LtMP. The action is a lot tighter, and not too burdened with minutiae about the Scar setting up his secret labs, and the machinations required, before we know what the hell he was doing. In CL, the prelude to the action is actual action, not just descriptive details of how one might build a bomb.

 

CJ, if you're still receiving too few feedback notes, I suggest changing the descriptors of the story, and tell people that it's not really about Brandon and Chase, but rather about Eric. This might pull in more readers, though at chapter 28, I think just about everyone will already know about this new story of yours. In the romance area, the 'is-he-is-he-not going to' of Eric is actually very exciting, and the little hit-and-miss mating dance he does with Jansen is actually very sweet, and more interesting to read. It certainly breaks away from your usual 'boy meets boy and falls deeply committed to each other, instantly.'

 

While on the romance front, this story is more engaging than LtMP, on the action front, CL is *far* superior to LtMP. I went from being mildly interested to not being able to wait until the next chapter is released. Kudos on this story. What a fantastic follow-up to LtMP. In my humble opinion, you're growing in leaps and bounds as a writer, and I feel privileged to have watched it happen, from FtL, to LtMP, and finally CL.

 

Once again, thank you for having written, and for sharing it with us in cyberspace. Keep it up, please. I can't wait to read more!

 

Thank you!

 

You're quite right: I'll change the descriptors in the announcement and on my website.

 

And thank you for noticing the departure from my prior two stories, where, indeed, the romantic entanglement starts very early. I very much wanted to do something different.

 

I have a confession to make... The reason there is a great deal more action in Changing Lanes is self-indulgence on my part: I love writing it, and so I laid out a plot that allowed it. For LTMP, there were three chapters that I was very happy with, and also most enjoyed writing: 36, 37, and part of 38. (Basically, from the detonation of the bomb in Toowoomba through the bomb on the plane, the NORAD reaction to the detonation in Australia, to the scenes at Edwards Air Force Base, where we first meet General Bradson.) So, I decided to have some fun in that regard with Changing Lanes. I have to admit, I'm having a blast.

 

Thank you VERY much for your comments above. I really appreciate it.

CJ

[MikeL]

What explosive, unresolved situation? One measly little thirty three pounder does not make for a cliffhanger!

 

As a former artillery officer, I can assure you that a single 105mm howitzer round has enough punch to immobilize a C-130. An airburst above the plane could kill everyone on board.

 

[Benji]

That was great!!!! Whose arrangement/music was that with it? Almost something I'd expect from Pink Floyd!

[C James]

As a former artillery officer, I can assure you that a single 105mm howitzer round has enough punch to immobilize a C-130. An airburst above the plane could kill everyone on board.

 

 

Well, true, but, we don't know for sure that the Iranians were shooting at the C-130, do we? So, no cliffhanger.

 

Besides, that 33 pound shell has what, 18 pounds of HE in it? And that's what you're worried about? (and yes, this is a very big hint).

[TalonRider]

Ok, I thought the 'dance' lesson was being put off; 'Let's give that a try tomorrow or the next day.' Ok, re-reading it, I see that, although I don't know why Eric needs Jansen & Keith to go with him.

He might feel guilty if he invites one and not the other. Plus, they've both gone with him when he was making all the arrangements.

[hh5]

He might feel guilty if he invites one and not the other. Plus, they've both gone with him when he was making all the arrangements.

 

Their partners and friends ... and they stick together

[AquariusGuy]

Contrary to what everyone else says.... Great Chapter CJ If it wasn't for the cliff hangers... there wouldn't be a need to constantly check for the next chapter. It would also make for a very boring story. So where your cliff hanger crown proud.

 

Seems like Jansen and Eric are moving in a positive direction. Hopefully things will progress nicely for them.

 

Things with the General really make me wonder if he's going to make it or not. He and Felicia seems to be coming closer together and I think she will protect General Bradson at all cost.

 

 

Edward

[MikeL]

Things with the General really make me wonder if he's going to make it or not.

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone will make it. Horst said:

We've got three minutes left on the surprise package.

I assume the surprise package is a nuclear explosion using the Iranians own weapon against them. There was discussion in the bunker about rigging a bomb:

Joachim shrugged, peering into the bomb case. "I see an electronic command circuit. It would appear that a specific code is needed to fire the main charge and propel the uranium hemispheres together. Given half an hour or so, which we do not have, I can probably bypass it. An easier way would be to detonate the main charge by other means. Given this design, there is no need for it to be symmetrical. One of our shaped charges would suffice..."Enough, Joachim, we have not the time for history lessons. All I need to know is if it will work. Rig this one." Wilhelm sent one of his remaining men back as a runner, to lead Horst's force in. Wilhelm had a dilemma; from the look of the unassembled nuclear devices, he thought it highly likely that, somewhere close by, were several more 'physics packages'

[TalonRider]

The depth that the bomb is underground might be the key factor in if the C-130 makes it out. It might be a rough ride, but the explosion might help the plane get off the ground.

[C James]

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone will make it. Horst said: I assume the surprise package is a nuclear explosion using the Iranians own weapon against them. There was discussion in the bunker about rigging a bomb: Three minutes is rather close for that. How can the C-130 be far enough away to survive? They are 20 kiloton bombs...not gigantic, but still deadly.

There are three bombs on the truck, so there was one left behind. BOOM!

 

See? I told you that the howitzer shell wasn't a real concern, and thus, no cliffhanger.

 

And I was right! So, could we please have an Amphibious Cerification of Cliffhanger Free?

 

And what of Wilhelm? He's not on the plane. All horst had to say was, "No chance, none at all, sorry" when Felecia asked.

 

Hrmmm, one other thing I should mention... I don't think this is a spoiler, becuase it is merely me relaying factual tactical data.

The Iranians now know that their base is under attack. The C-130 is hundreds of mile inside Iran (6 miles northwest of Kerman, to be exact.). Getting out would be a heck of a lot harder than getting in.

 

Also, do bear in mind that the Iranian officers at the base are by now becoming truly desperate (Francois stole the keys to their officers' latrine).

 

The depth that the bomb is underground might be the key factor in if the C-130 makes it out. It might be a rough ride, but the explosion might help the plane get off the ground.

 

I can't comment about that, but, if anyone thinks the "Iranian Nukes" angle is far-fetched, please keep in mind two things. One is that Changing Lanes is set in the future (A few years, but otherwise unspecified). Then, have a look at articles like this, from a few days ago, which describe some of the state of Iran's nuclear program.

 

CJ

[wildone]

Hey Cliff, great chapter and sorry for not commenting sooner, sometimes life gets in the way of enjoyment .

 

A couple of things mentioned in above that caught my attention.

 

The comment about the numbers of posts in your forums dropping off made me think that may be the result of the great team you have assembled to help make this even a better story. If we look at FTL and LTMP, a lot of the posts were from Graeme, Shadowgod, Emoe and Bondwriter and Captain Rick. In CLiFF, all of these people are part of your team, and may be more reluctant to post in case of accidental giving away spoilers. I must also pause this thought to bring up it may have been your evil plan to recruit all of them so they would post less and thus tease you less as well .

 

I find it interesting that some of us are totally interested in the developments between Eric and Jansen and Keith, while others are interested in the developments going on in Iran. I must applaud you for maintaining two separate but inter related stories going that I'm sure is keeping all of us interested.

 

I want to comment on the surprise package that Mike brought up.

 

I got to thinking about the loading of the aircraft. Flight One, is no longer around and we are still left with the cliffhanger from that chapter on what happened to all those lemons , leaving this to be much of a larger cliffhanger involving lemons than we have ever seen before at GA .

 

Flight Two, I imagine is in Oman to await for Flight Three with fuel to carry on the rest of the voyage, to where? I believe The Scar is in the Sudan awaiting his precious cargo.

 

As far as a quick take off in case of the one bomb going off in the bunker, remember Flight Three have the four JATO packs, which will help with a quick takeoff under high payload, which they now are especially with the truck with the bombs on it as cargo.

 

The secret package? I remembered this:

 

The work took two days, and General Bradson, taking a brief break, checked his e-mail via satellite phone, to find the expected encrypted e-mail from Bill, containing his final intelligence and weather update. One item caused him to raise an eyebrow, as it explained very much indeed. General Bradson mulled the development over, deciding that there was nothing he could do except proceed, though he did decide to arrange a little insurance.

 

The next thing I pulled out was this:

 

With General Bradson busy giving a final briefing to the pilots and jumpers of Flight Two, Felecia busied herself with checking and re-checking the weapons load on Flight Three, re-inspecting the Russian-made RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade launchers and the satchel charges. General Bradson didn't know about the latter items, which Felecia had hidden in one of the weapons storage crates. After a quick glance over her shoulder, Felecia checked on four other items. They were small, and not weapons, but were they to be discovered by General Bradson, Felecia had no doubt that he would instantly deduce the real purpose of the mission. Working quickly, Felecia checked the batteries in each device, ran a check in test mode, and returned them to their hiding place.

I was thinking that this may have been the four Geiger counters that Felicia gave to Wilhelm and Horst, but there was also the note from the General that said he knew the mission was a cover but if she eliminated them they were all toast trying to take off. Both the Marines have the solution to this in their pockets, and Felicia still doesn't know the solution.

 

I guess we don't really know what the secret package is, but I'll wager with Mike on it being the rigged bomb back in the bunker.

 

Thanks again for the chapter CJ

 

Steve

 

Edited February 27, 2009 by wildone

[Graeme]

The comment about the numbers of posts in your forums dropping off made me think that may be the result of the great team you have assembled to help make this even a better story. If we look at FTL and LTMP, a lot of the posts were from Graeme, Shadowgod, Emoe and Bondwriter and Captain Rick. In CLiFF, all of these people are part of your team, and may be more reluctant to post in case of accidental giving away spoilers. I must also pause this thought to bring up it may have been your evil plan to recruit all of them so they would post less and thus tease you less as well .

Partially right, at least as far as I'm concerned. Because I've usually seen unpublished chapters, I'm reluctant to join in the discussions. Also, because I'm generally a chapter ahead, the newly posted chapter is not fresh in my mind, so I'm less likely to have comments to make.

 

Having said all of that, I don't regret helping CJ. My interaction with the story isn't the same (I read a lot more critically than if I was just reading for enjoyment), but it is still one fantastic story to read

[C James]

Hey Cliff, great chapter and sorry for not commenting sooner, sometimes life gets in the way of enjoyment .

 

A couple of things mentioned in above that caught my attention.

 

The comment about the numbers of posts in your forums dropping off made me think that may be the result of the great team you have assembled to help make this even a better story. If we look at FTL and LTMP, a lot of the posts were from Graeme, Shadowgod, Emoe and Bondwriter and Captain Rick. In CLiFF, all of these people are part of your team, and may be more reluctant to post in case of accidental giving away spoilers. I must also pause this thought to bring up it may have been your evil plan to recruit all of them so they would post less and thus tease you less as well .

 

LoL!!

 

Well, I often find myself in similar straits. I have to be very careful what I say, because while the team might be a chapter or two ahead, I'm much further than that, especially when it comes to the plot. I often peek at the posted chapters before replying, otherwise I might slip. I've done that before, and then Graeme comes after me with the spines of his.

 

I'm the same way with Graeme's thread: I'm one of his betas, so I'm further ahead than what is posted. So, I glance at the posted chapter before opening my mouth, and perhaps giving away the key to his latest cliffhanger.

 

In Shadowgod's case, it's far easier for me, because I usually don't see his following chapter until well after the prior one is posted, so I'm pretty much dangling from the same cliff as the rest of his readers.

 

I find it interesting that some of us are totally interested in the developments between Eric and Jansen and Keith, while others are interested in the developments going on in Iran. I must applaud you for maintaining two separate but inter related stories going that I'm sure is keeping all of us interested.

 

Thanks! Interestingly, I have some readers who are reading only the General's storyline, and some who are reading only Eric's. I hope its not a spoiler to say that the storylines rejoin? It's actually not hard to write the two storylines; I tend to write one, then the other, and then figure out where in each chapter to place them.

 

I want to comment on the surprise package that Mike brought up.

 

I got to thinking about the loading of the aircraft. Flight One, is no longer around and we are still left with the cliffhanger from that chapter on what happened to all those lemons , leaving this to be much of a larger cliffhanger involving lemons than we have ever seen before at GA .

 

Not true!! Nothing, but nothing, can compare to Shadowgod's unforgettable, immortal, lemonade cliffhanger! Only he could make a cliffhanger out of lemonade!

 

Flight Two, I imagine is in Oman to await for Flight Three with fuel to carry on the rest of the voyage, to where? I believe The Scar is in the Sudan awaiting his precious cargo.

 

Correct on both.

 

As far as a quick take off in case of the one bomb going off in the bunker, remember Flight Three have the four JATO packs, which will help with a quick takeoff under high payload, which they now are especially with the truck with the bombs on it as cargo.

 

The secret package? I remembered this:

 

It's actually eight JATO's, four rockets on each side. That reminds me, I should post a link to a vid of one taking off under JATO power; it's quite a sight.

, BUT, bear in mind that this is the Blue Angels team transport, and they do a lot of airshows. Long story short, they use de-rated JATO packs: less thrust. That keeps them from accumulating too much strain on the airframe.

 

What the General was thinking (And I covered this poorly) when he wrote out the "insurance" was that Felecia and her team were after Chemical weaponry. As of the end of the posted chapter, he thinks the nukes are just enriched Uranium. He doesn't know they are nukes. As he didn't know about the nukes, we can safely assume that nothing in his plan calls for them.

 

You're right, the four devices Felecia hid are Geiger Counters.

 

Maybe the "Surprise Package" is just a housewarming gift?

 

Partially right, at least as far as I'm concerned. Because I've usually seen unpublished chapters, I'm reluctant to join in the discussions. Also, because I'm generally a chapter ahead, the newly posted chapter is not fresh in my mind, so I'm less likely to have comments to make.

 

Having said all of that, I don't regret helping CJ. My interaction with the story isn't the same (I read a lot more critically than if I was just reading for enjoyment), but it is still one fantastic story to read

 

Graeme helps TREMENDOUSLY. His critical comments help in every chapter. I can't say this loudly enough: Changing Lanes, like all my stories, is very much a TEAM effort. Without our team, there wouldn;t be any stories.

 

So, Emoe, Graeme, Shadowgod, Francois, and Captain Rick, THANK YOU.

 

BTW, The title of the next chapter is "Ignition".

 

 

Here's

, plus showing a bit of the Herc's maneuverability. It's a great plane.

[MikeL]

Hey Cliff, great chapter and sorry for not commenting sooner, sometimes life gets in the way of enjoyment .

It's great to see someone else using Cliff's proper name.

[C James]

It's great to see someone else using Cliff's proper name.

 

Why, oh why, do y'all insist on implying that I use cliffhangers?