C James

Welcome, Lurker!! Thank you for raising an excellent point! I did indeed consider EMP, but EMP effects are mainly caused by gamma and x-ray radiation causing a free-electron cascade. The optimal location for this is at very high altitude (over 10 miles but under 170) At that altitude, you can have massive EMP effects for enormous areas (over a thousand miles across) Wikipedia has an article on it here that is mostly accurate. Generally speaking, EMP affects electronics in direct proportion to the exposure surface area. However, you can shiled electronics quite easily; placing them in a metal box (assuming the box is insulated from its contents) is one way (assuming they have no external components such as power leads or antena). Even foil would suffice. For something the size of a cell phone, the receiving area is so small that it would likly be unharmed even by a edge-of-space massive EMP. The Land Rover's electronic ignition would be more vulnerable, but at twenty miles from a one hundred killoton ground burst, my guess is it would be unaffected. The EMP at that range would be real, but quite weak (from a ground burst). If the detonation had occured in the stratosphere of higher, you are quite right, the EMP damage would have been over an enormous area. And thank you very much for joining us, and this is certainly not intrusion, but rather a point I'm delighted to see. (and the same would be true if I'd made a technical goof; that's how i learn. I originally had them at 30 miles, but after mulling it over decided that twenty would be safe enough. Yep. The blast wave would diminish with distance, massively. It could knock down a building at a mile, but not even break a window at 5 miles. We'll see what the effects are at twenty miles. The biggest danger (not counting fallout) at that distance would be being blinded by the flash if they were looking directly at it. That's why they turned around. The personel who have been affected would have either been far closer, or would have been affected by fallout rather than the blast itself. The fallout issue is why Dimitri checked the weather for wind direction. For the sake of simplicity I omitted the fact that he'd also be wise to check high-altitude winds (which are often different in direction from surface ones) but he did check the winds and basically the wind is to the north, and they are to the south. To give an idea of the safe distances, many of the observers at the Bikini and Nevada test sites observed tests from five miles away. Most of the resulting health damage came from the fallout, not the blast itself. Another example is the Castle Bravo test. Some observers, out in the open, were less than 25 miles from it. The test (the first test of a solid-furled (Lithium-deuteride) thermonuclear, was expected to yield around four megatons. However, due to an oversight on the calculations (A reaction was missed) the yield was 15 megatons. The fireball alone was four miles wide, but it was survivable at 25 miles, *IF* you weren't in the fallout. (and even for most of those that were). To give an idea of the size difference here, the device in LTMP is 102 Kilotons, and Castle Bravo was 15 megatons (15,000 kilotons, a megaton is 1000 kilotons). CJ

The problem is that the info is out there. It's part of nature (physics) and after that, it's all engineering. It's far from complicated to build a 15 kiloton nuke; the Hiroshima design, for example, was so sure-fire (gun-assembly of U-238) that it was never tested. (the Trinity test was an implosion device, not gun-assembly). And this was before they had the knowledge that we have today. I wouldn't say anyone could do it. Actually, yes, with Uranium, a decent machinist could. I probably could, given a decent metalworking shop and a gunsmith's shop. It wouldn't need kryton switches of advanced electronics, or even an exacting design tolerance. Plutonium? Nope, i couldn't. I don't have the math skills to calculate, say, the shape and congiguration of the explosive lenses, or a plethora of other things. You would need, at a minimum, millions of dollars worth of specilaized equipment. Could it be done as The Scar did it? In my opinion, yes (otherwise I wouldn't have used that method). But it took his special access to components and equipment (he's an arms dealer, which helped). But, yes, *IF* someone has weapons-grade fissionable materiel, making a nuke is not hard to do. It's also why the fissionable material itself is such an issue. Once someone has that, they can make nukes. Also, the cobalt salting I portray, which vastly increases the fallout (by a factor in excess of 100) is very real. Leo Silzard one calculated that 60 such bombs coudl render the surface of the earth uninhabitable for in excess of twenty years. That's true, sort of; they would have to be aerial detonations, and would have to take place at numerous locations on both sides of the equator due to varying wind patterns. But, given a rudumentray delivery system (no accuracy required) and a string of them fired in a line streaching a thousand miles each side of the equator, and that oughta do it. And you can do this with small, crude nuclear weapons. It's insanely easy; for a simple fission warhead you use cobalt metal (Anyone can buy it) as the tamper. For a multi-stage weapon (thermonculear; an H-bomb) you sinply encase the bomb in it. Also, due to the massive neuton cascade from the third stage of a thermonuclear, you don;t need as many bombs; I'd guess 15 would do it, but 20 surely would. The information is freely out there. The hard part is obtaining the uranium or plutonium. The rest is just engineering. Very scary. CJ

Thanks! I very much (largely through necessity... I don't have the mathematical skills) avoided actual engineering specs for the bombs; no numbers, no diagrams, no actual designs. All I portrayed was a concept, not a detailed design. Also, when books like Rhode's "Dark Sun" (an excelent book on the early hydrogen bomb project) are about, it makes what I did look quite trivial. For anyone who shares my interest in nuclear engineering, I most highly recommend that book. It makes the math understandable, as well as the design concepts, as it recounts the history of the nuclear program (including some interesting failures). So, if they NSA is interested in my for this, LoL, they need to go take a peek in the bookstore or on the internet sometime. She found out what he did for a living. Joe discovered the body before The Scar could get rid of it. Is it any wonder that Joe was one messed-up kid? That could be! BTW, what did y'all think of Jerry's fax? It showed that those who predicted an auction were partially right, and also so were those who predicted blackmail. Incidentally, his demands might sound outlandish but they're not. He literally could cause more in economic damage than he's asking for by merely informing the press of nukes in the cities. Anyone figured out by what he intends by ?

The physics, to the best of my knowledge and ability, is accurate EXCEPT in the inner core configuration; it would be a little harder than I described to achieve a cylindrical implosion from a spherical implosion; forming the shock-front is complex and requires varying densities of material. I glossed that over mainly becuase the description of the construct would have taken about a page. (To anyone who thinks the tech was long-winded as it was, bear in mind that I could have easily stretched that page to about 5 chapters, easily. ) I made similar short-cuts regarding the neutron source, and in past chapters I really cut down on the detail of the fabrication process. (Trust me, it could have been a book in an of itself, easily). Oh, one other aspect; using litheum hydride as a fusion neutron source. That's highly appreviated. To do it the lithium hydride (it would be far more normal to use lithium deuteride, biut that is made in reactors and The Scar would not likly have access to any) ) requires special treatment. Used in the way I portray, I'm not positive it would work. I also freely admit I took a guess at the efficacy of the fusion-boosting; I've long forgotten how to do that kind of math so all I could do was guess. I know I'm in the ballpark, but that's it. I picked a factor of three becuase I figured 4 for the top end and 2 at a minimum. Fusion neutrons are ideal for feeding a fission reaction due to their higher energy (+11 MeV, or 11 million electron-volts). Also, i tried to keep all the math out, as that would have given lots of people headaches. It sure gave me one when i came up with the design. I had to do my own theoretical design; the Plutonium being sub-weapons-grade made it essential; I couldn't do a simple spherical implosion as the PU-240 would give it about a 50-50 chance of preignition (resulting in a subkilaton yield. This is likely what went wrong with the nuke the North Koreans tried to test). So, I have to come up with a different design. There isn't enough posted detail in mine for anyone to actually make use of it, and there are errors and ommisions. Consider this a minor spoiler (The echidna is away, so the goat will play! ) or a very large hint; there is a specific reason for everything there to be there. For example, the thermocouples for an battery-charging source; they had to be there to give the bombs a ten-year shelf-life. Now we know why; they were designed for nuclear blackmail, long-term. There is also a reason for the reader to understand the way in which a nuke detonates, but that's for the future. Ahh, but there was no cliffhanger here!! The bomb detonated, we know it, so no cliffie! Actually, one of the reasons this chapter is longer than normal was so the entire scene could be included. Originally, I had the chapter break halfway through the detonation (ending 36 with the fluorescent tubes flashing), which would have been a bit of a cliffie. So, I avoided one! I do the same thing with Chapter 37: It's even longer than 36, in part to avoid any cliffie. It actually took very little research to plan the chapter; I'm familiar with nuclear weapons design. I did need to confirm a few things, but interestingly (and scarily) all the info is freely available. Yes, Jerry, I'm afraid, may have sullied his image as a father by including his son in the target list for the hit. I'm not certain, but I think taking out a hit on your kid is a potential disqualifier for the father of the year award?? Lol, who said anything about aroused? To give you an idea on how I view repeated sex scenes, think what LTMP would have been like if I had, say, a dozen nukes, all with very similar but slightly different designs, and then had a technical description of one in every chapter. LoL. I once saw a story where the author had, quite literally, written two sex scenes, and then pasted them into his story, alternating them, page after page, dozens of times each. No variation, identical right down to the typos. Good point. I do include the "animation" as I describe the actual effects of the bomb once its energy starts to release. I blew it in describing the scene between Joe and Phil. I meant to have the resolution to that come in later but it didn't work out. I should have added a sentence. I meant to make it obvious that The Scar killer her (via garroting, which seems to be one of his favored methods.). The Scar's "Let The Music Play" is the reason for the title of the story. I did say in the last chapter thread that we'd learn the reason for the title, and it wouldn't be what anyone thinks. Did anyone ever guess that the title was The Scar's? The Scar sure likes his theatrics. And me? a nucleomituphiliac? Awww, sweet, innocent me? OK, in Prometheus, I tried to bring it all together; Jerry's mysterious letter (the details of his plan). Also, Vladimer's fate, along with the rest of the crew. I've been forshadowing and hinting at that all along; Vladimer did ask to see the detonation, and both Dimitri and The Scar adore Irony. That's also why Dimitri made a few remarks such as Vladimer having a bright future (very bright, due to being as hot as the surface of the sun). Mario now has his final go ahead for the hit, so no more waiting for that. Also, someone (I forgot who, sorry.) thought is incongruous that Adam Weston's body would be stashed inside a spare steel case and just stuck in the back of a storage shed at the towoomba facility. I couldn't say why, then, but now we know; Jerry and Dimitri knew the place would cease to exist in a few weeks. Prometheus also begins the final sequence of the story. It's closing in on the end. The next chapter, 37, is called "Fire in the Sky."

Bear in mind that if concrete has fallen in some places, it is likely almost read to in others. LoL I doubt anyone other than a true denizin of heights, such as His Shadowyness, would go up there. However, a lot of people who go on that walkway are rockclimbers (hrrrrm, and come to think of it, so is Steve.... coincidence? I think not!) And, umm, yes, I do like rollercosters. I also like flying. Airobatics are a favorite of mine... and I've skydived. However, it's vertical surfaces (such as cliffs) that I can't go near; it makes me dizzy just thinking about them. <shudder>

Aww, I just posted it, with NO connection to you, becuase I knew that everyone would instantly associate you with it. The dizzying heights, the precipitious drops, the crumbling, tattered path clinging to the edge of the abyss... I don't know how you do it. I was in Sedona the other day, four-wheeling, and had a short stretch of shelf road to deal with. (a road, a dirt trail in this case, notched into the side of a mountain). It wasn't even a hundred feet down to the rocks below, and I still got nervous every time my tires came within six inches of the crumbling edge. Of course, logically, a hundred feet is as bad as a thousand; both would be fatal. I just do not share your love of the dizzying heights, sorry.

What makes anything think that this video is anything to do with me? Unlike His Shadowyness, I don't like dizzying heights. As for the video (I fixed the link) it was the most fear-of-heights inducing thing I've seen the immortal cliffhanger of LiS 26. Here's a wikipedia page on the walkway.

Propaganda? Not so!! I never even said why it was here, I just let everyone guess! Now, if I was trying for Propaganda, I'd have mentioned that it was you taking the video, but did I say that? Noo! OOOps, I guess that cat might be out of the bag on that one...

I don't think I'd do that even if the walkway was in good condition AND I had a parachute! <shudder> His Shadowyness likes such things, but not me. It's in Spain, BTW, and called El Camino Del Ray. It's 700 feet up the side of the sheer cliffs of the gorge, and has been in disrepair since about 1925. Several people manage to get themselves killed on it every year.

I'm not one to post videos, but I felt this was a must-see. I'll leave it to y'all to deduce why this is so appropriate for this forum.

You were right on that! OK, now, on to some official buisness for the Cody Liberation Front! Cody has a concert paycheck coming, plus an extra thousand $ from Eric. So, will His Shadowyness let Cody have the $, or will there be yet more mistreatment of Cody? LET CODY KEEP THE MONEY!!!!

Kind of gives a whole new meaning to "making the earth move", no?

I'm short on time so I have to make this quick.. I'll return with more later on the other points (thanks everyone!!) but I wanted to weigh in on the technical stuff at the end of the chapter. I knew when i started that reactions would be mixed. Some people, like me, utterly love a detailed technical description. Some don't. Both points are very valid IMHO. In the end, several factors weighed int my decision not to trim much of it; The first was that I knew some would enjoy it. The second was that (minor spoiler here) there is a need, later on in the story, for the reader to understand how a nuclear warhead works. (however, fear not, no more technical descriptions of same. ) The final and biggest factor in my decision is this: How is the technical stuff any different from a sex scene? Plenty of stories have sex scenes, yet the same criteria apply; some readers don't like them. I happen to be one of them. When I encounter one, I usually just skip over it. I made this chapter so much larger than normal for that reason; so, just like a sex scene (and this was no longer than many sex scenes I've seen) the reader can skip it if they wish, and yet it can still be here for those who like it. CJ

Something tells me I WILL have the last laugh here. *starts humming the theme from an 80's movie* Ack! How could you possibly have the last laugh? Hmmm, I sense Evil afoot... But then again, you are evil, aren't you?? And, one might ask, what is the name of the movie?? notice how you convieniently didn't respond to the no light = no shadows ?? Thats okay, I,and everyone else, did. Ahhh, but no light=everthing in shadows, as a shadow is merely the absence of light. Hrmmm to me this appears to be taken out of Context. what same fate? and was the info contained in the parenthesis there or did you add that diddy?? I only added the bolding for shadows.. The original page is here. And interesting, another little connection: "It was believed that Apep waited at Bakhu - the mountain of the horizon" Hmmm, and what do we find on mountains? Why, CLIFFS, of course. I never said he wasn't. Just imagine the scene though, they are all gathered around the airport, waiting to fly off to Telluride. Eric comes to the conclusion about what really matters in life and says "Uh guys, I gotta go!" and runs off to the ticket counter to buy a ticket to where he wans to be Cut to DnCW, Eric is next in line in the begalry. Stacey asks what he'll have.... "Cody" Hrmmm. But, Eric and the band have work to do. I could always write it the other way, Cody showing up to tag along to Telluride? lets see, there are only two real options you, or Jerry. seeing as I am of the firm belief that these two identities are the same... Lets just go with YOU!!! Now, now, Your Shadowyness, you know full well that Jerry is only partially based on me! Just a few things, key amongst them a shared love of Irony. Also a shared love of travel, and a tendency to get stressed out when a plan is coming apart. Also, a shared interest in weaponry of all forms... and, hmmm, a shared interest in history (remember Jerry in Rome?) but that's all! So And shame on you for saying such mean things about me!

If you don't let Cody keep that money, you are being horribly mean to Cody! I think I detect a job for the Cody Liberation Front! This injustice to Cody cannot stand!!! :2hands: :sword: :axeman: :battleaxe: :pickaxe: :fire: :battleaxe: :mace:

This is true! Cody does have an extra grand coming, plus the check he wasn't expecting. However, considering the eevil that his His Shadowyness, I suspect the "let's talk" was far more ominous. This is, after all, a 100% authentic Shadowgod EEEvil Cliffhanger, and those are always, always evil...

I still say you use EEEvil cliffhangers. There is,, er, was, a delay. I was going to post Monday night but couldn't. There are still problems on the site but the new chapter was posted a few minutes ago. CJ

Dayum, Mike, you are FAST! I think he posted about 30 seconds after it went online! I'll go post the announcement. Sorry for the delay, and this posting occurred only with some special help from Myr. Thanks Myr!! Enjoy the chapter! :nuke:

Not so!!! Well, okay, there was no poll for LiS 26 at the time. I blame myself for not thinking of that... There should have been! HOWEVER, you deviously twist the circumstances! Of course there was no question as to whether or not something of great import had occurred; of course it had! There was a question of whether he would live or die (I'm being vauge regarding whom here to avoid giving spoilers) and those terrifying words, "One last and final time" certainly made it appear that Death was imminent. Now, in LTMP 19, no one was ever in any real danger.. Just a slightly broken ankle. So, no, sorry, LiS 26 is, was, and shall always be, the masterful Mother of All Cliffhangers! All a shaddow really means is an absence of light? Why, thank you for proving my point! As you refer to physics, might I mention what any absence of light is? Why, by definition, it is a region of darkness where light is blocked. Therefor, the area of shadow is darkness. Therefor, shadowgod=god of darkness. Ahh, but look a little deeper into Apep. "The same fate awaits Apep's confederates and everything which formed parts of him, them, and all their offspring (their shadows, souls, doubles, and spirits)." Why oh why must you always blame sweet, innocent me? Ahh, but the band doesn't know that, so, they have no worries. I disagree! Eric is integral to the plot of LTMP! Cody could leave DnCW, and you could focus it on Joe and Julie. Ummm, whom are you referring to as the megalomaniac?

Well, ummm, hmmmm, LiS 26 lives in infamy, what can I say? As for LTMP 19, that wasn't a cliffhanger. That was posted on Christmas eve, after all! Ahhem... Shadowgod can mean little other than Lord of Darkness; Shadow=darkness, after all. Agreed, I was wrong about Ra, and Amon does indeed fit. However, I'll stand by my claim of Apep's relavance; He's the god of evil and darkness. As such, one could say he's a god of shadows. Aww, I don't know about that, your ancientness. Okay, Hrmmm, I'd say that, as the manifestation of Evil, you can be in more than one place at once; the nether regions, and the malevolent precipices. ACK! Now, now.. OK, I'll fess up on one point. In actuallity, His Shadowyness wanted Cody and Eric to go further than they did. However, I must take issue with your statements.. How was your offer the more practical of the two? The storylines would have been combined no matter id Eric stayed in SF, or Cody hit the road with Instinct. I also felt that Eric would be safer LTMP, becuase Cody's mother is not in the LTMP storyline. (and she's evil). I do, in the interest of fairness, admit that the live nuclear warheads in Instinct's equipment container do represent a but of a worry, or rather, they did. Now that the bombs are safely planted, they are no longer in Instinct's gear, so no worries. And, ummm, Let the Meglomaniac Play?!?!!?

Sorry, I gave the wrong impression. I was referring to Dimiti promising Vladimer a Roast Goat, and as a goat, I was worried it might be me he has in mind for roasting. You're right about Dimitri's mixed feelings though.

I'm still sticking my my prediction of a timeframe. I know how much you enjoy proving me wrong, but I doubt you shall this time. If you do use utility bills as the explanation for the CLIFFHANGER, there's nothing at all wrong with that. It will merely prove that you love cliffhangers and are skilled at crafting them. Also, perfectly okay from a literary perspective too. HOWEVER, there is one aspect that is definitively NOT ok; if you have, indeed, spoken truthfully (doubtful, as Satan is known as the Father of Lies ) then you have just give a SPOILER! And seeing as the Echidna is still about occasionally, and furthermore will be back from his holidays in a week or so, he will likely find out. And you know that that means... You shall become a pincushion! Muahahahaha! Very much looking forward to D&CW 6!!! All jokes aside, I have no doubts that it will be superb. I'm still holding to my theory; Joe using Cody's computer was no coincidence, and is involved in some way with the cliffhanger.

Have I ever known you to do anything evil? YES! EEEvil cliffhangers! I do note that His Shadowyness has not objected to my claims that he's to blame for Eric and Cody not going further. Nor, in fact, has he disagreed with the proof I offered that hi is, indeed, the incarnation of Evil and Darkness (and thus, Satan himself). I hereby declare those points carried. As for any evil characters I have created.. Ahhem, Blackheart? Nope, sorry, I cannot claim credit for his creation. He's lifted from life, as they say... Actually, The Scar doesn't enjoy killing, he just has no scruples about it. Dimitri, on the other hand, enjoys it. If you want pure evil, I'd have to say: HAve a look at Cody's mother in Dreams & Cliffed Wings. now she's pure evil!!! CJ

This is true... Cody's mother comes across as vile beyond words.

Benji!! Aww, I'm not an antagonist! Everything is all sweetness and light in my stories! Take Instinct for example... They know of no real threats or difficulties, so no stress! They are happy! Innocent? You?!?!? <cough>.... Well, I blame His Shadowyness for not letting Cody and Eric go further... He's evil like that, you know... Also, I did, I think, prove my case regarding his avatar and him bieng Apep or Satan... Aww, but, I shall say again; LTMP is set in the very near future, so I'm sticking to my story that it's real, and being relayed to me from the future... Therefor, not my fault. Besides, how could I conceive of or create an evil character? I'm far to nice.. I'm just a quiet and shy lurker, who has an abiding love of Irony.