Topher Lydon

Will suffers a nervous breakdown. Completely understandable, it sets the pattern for his career going forward into politics. the worry throughout Carter's order, and eventually his second breakdown in Carter's Throne. This story, while hard going, is important to the over all story of the series. Without this story, Canada would have fallen so much sooner in the Annexation.

this book is a tough one. I was... unhappy when I wrote it, if you have read Ottawa tales, you know why, this was right on the heels of Duncan I was... not myself.

little Peter's preference for technicolour was one of his first defining traits.

Tomorrow, Oliver front and center

that and Orel's got a secret that not even Orel knows about.

He does. And tomorrow we find out WHY he has to control Orel so badly.

it is 2024, also IT WAS NOT an American attack on Enrico, it was a Russian one. I was very careful in researching the drone used in this. The Russians intercepted Enrico's plane as a reprisal for Enrico screwing the Russians out of state of the art Targeting chips (earlier in the story)

Or he provides the Lawyer that uses the video, the police search, the mistakes to get Finn off. Tarquin has his ways. He also has the means to bury Finn in the system. So it's difficult for a kid like Finn, who has ZERO reason to trust police or the system to help him, to see a path out of this. Orel, however, smarter than your average water bear.

Well it isn't impossible, controlled crashes happen Key Survival Factors (Case Examples) Vesna Vulović (1972): Survived a 33,333-foot fall without a parachute after her plane broke apart. Her survival was attributed to being trapped in a tail section of the plane, landing on a steep, snow-covered, wooded mountain slope, and having low blood pressure, which caused her to pass out instantly (preventing her heart from bursting). Juliane Koepcke (1971): Fell 10,000 feet into the Amazon jungle strapped to her seat, surviving with only a broken collarbone and severe injuries, then navigating the jungle for 11 days. Annette Herfkens (1992): Survived a crash in the Vietnamese jungle, living for eight days despite 12 broken bones, using insulation material from the plane to gather water.

Ok need to get these ages on track. Graduation in Ontario 17. At the start of the Asset and the Liability Garrett and Kyle have been out of school for 18 months. Add 3 months for this story to start. so Kyle and Garrett are late 19 early 20. It's been two years since Capt. vs Goofball, making Lydia 15 and now 17 It makes Steve and Kenny 18 Brian was almost a year older, so he is 19, Alex is a year younger than Brian at 18. Both Orel and Finn are the same age as Lydia, so in the 17/18 range. Oliver is the same age as Tabby... Tabby was born in 2002, making him 23/24. Alvin is described as a year or so older than Tabby making him 25. Tarquin is a few years older so he's in the later Twenties early thirties at a stretch. Which fits their dynamic and why he was guardian over Orel after Alistair Merrick died. Axl Fraser is described as 16-ish. Same age as Ethan and Aiden McCormick (Tabby's younger brothers the Twins) Charlie Levesque (a future story) is also 16 at this point. Phil Blanchard (Again a future story) is the same age as Garrett. making him 20-ish at this exact moment. For those interested Jacob Carter is 17 in 2025, as is Tommy though Tommy is a little younger than Jake. Ned, in 2025 is just about to turn 30 (there that covers the Carter boys) If I have forgotten anyone I am sorry... it's complex when it gets to this stage of interwoven book narratives. If I make mistakes understand it's because I am writing a story and while fix dates and established continuity is nice, sometimes it has to give way to narrative need. Sorry for the stats, this is for my head, and to clarify it all for me going forward. It's getting to a point where I need to create index cards for all these characters.

Indeed, and THIS all comes in handy later, I sort of need it to fall apart quickly. But it is a catalyst for a scared 17/18 year old who doesn't know better to do something stupid. And for Orel to prove, once again, why he isn't incapacitated. Orel knows what to do.

Jerk, putting logic into my story. Yeah it's a little weak but you know... story... I never said it has to hold up. Finn isn't a lawyer, he's a school drop out mechanic street kid. Police are terrifying, and never take his side. So even if the O.P.P. proceduraly did something wrong, it plays right into Tarquin's hands, makes it easier for him to get the case dismissed. "Look Finn, I got rid of this problem for you, now you owe me..." Just... let me have this one. Just one time... :: big writer puppy eyes ::

Indeed, useful that. I wonder who is going to remember it exists... Small town, always wise to check things out, and if the doors weren't locked up. There is probable cause, waves hands in a wishey washey writer kind of way...

A violation with that exact intent. The more I write of this SOB the more dirty I feel. I want to bad end him... I know it's a mark of a good villain when he makes the readers want to punch him... but when the writer wants to punch him as well... yep.

Chapter Seventeen: The Dinner and the Devil The Alibi Ottawa felt less like a city and more like a stage set built by people who believed beige was a personality trait. The drive in Garrett’s Chevelle had been a masterclass in tension management. Garrett drove with white-knuckled precision, treating the highway like a hostile negotiation. Kyle managed the playlist—an eclectic mix of 80s pop and synth-wave that he claimed was "soothing," though Garrett looked ready to defenestrate the s

Now as for fine dining, there are a few extremely expensive restaurants in Ottawa, with a dress code. But one thing in Canada is that we have disability access laws, VERY strict ones. There must be NO barriers to those with special needs to any establishment. Orel clearly falls into that category. Most establishments would accommodate, even go out of their way to make said person comfortable inside of the establishment. Considering there is literally a television News Studio across the road from this restaurant... it would 1. Open the restaurant up to a lawsuit. 2. Be on the news in no time flat. and 3. in extremely poor taste by Canadian standards to turn Orel away. It's nice to have a country where such rights are enshrined, upheld, and respected not just by the law, but by the general populace as well. There are exceptions, there always are... but in the Nation's Capital... steps away from the CBC Ottawa studios... not a good idea at all. Oh and there is one other... teeny.... tiny... little reason Orel MERRICK might get away with it.

I will play renegades now

There we go I have replaced the missing section, and Marked it with *** Apologies again that it ate it. And by Bear I mean the two legged Russian kind, who have a reason to want Enrico dead for a certain warehouse full of useless parts instead of guidance chips. Naughty Coyote, poking bears of the Russian State variety

Le sigh, and again my editing software gobbled up the middle section of this chapter... sending it... to somewhere... :: rubs temples :: A whole section from the cabin to the helicopter bit, explaining what happened to Enrico's leg... :: ugggggh :: I apologize, this chapter, it seems, came out a bit mangled. It was flavour text, nothing dramatic... Enrico vs a Bear... and not the San Francisco kind in leather and a hat... I will endeavour to find a back up... it's not needed... but... uggggh I think I will just edit what's here so that it makes sense. Apologies again, I have no idea why it does this... I need an editor... or a beta reader... or a shotgun wielding T-800 who wants to chew on wires and spit out ram.

He found Tarquin's horde

shhhhh... shhh... shh. they were in the tail... with that stewardess and a bunch of people who are hungry in the snow. And that Cooper fellow... and the cast of Lost.

It will be interesting to see which of Ned's uncles, step-dad or Dad finds out first, because any which way, Graves is going to feel pain.