C James

I've heard that plastic surgery is good for getting rid of Scars... So far, no one has caught a huge item in chapter 37. Helen made General Bradson a promise of an interview, merely to avoid offending him unnecessarily. At this point, I can guess that the interview would be.. brief. LoL Absolutely correct. LOl.. that would be a very tight fit... That was a big van, much akin to the ones used for airport shuttles, seating close to 20 people. It would still have been a very tight fit; most of the wedding party (including guests) are still at the resort. Thanks Kevin!! Okay, some reader e-mails have caused me to decide to explain some political aspects in the story. First, this story is set in the near future, just a few years (less than 5) as indicated by a few vague references (such as Mount Saint Helen's eruption being "over three decades ago". That eruption was on may 18th, 1980. Changing Lanes was plotted out well before last fall's election. The sections in the chapter were written long before North Korea's memorial day unsuccessful nuclear weapons test. I wasn't playing off current events. Also, I'd like to say that this chapter was written long before today. The fact that the General is slamming the US and the world for accepting Iran's nuclear program and the claim that it is "peaceful" in such strong terms has nothing to do with the fact that today, the current president in our world declared that "Iran has a right to a nuclear program", though specifying peaceful use, and thus echoing the Clinton and Bush administration's past similar pronouncements on North Korea. I did not write the political aspects of this story to slam the current administration and response to North Korea, and I certainly did not write chapter 39 today to slam today's comments by the current president. Is Changing Lanes political? Yes, in some ways. However, given its timeframe (near future, up to five years) the administration in the story was not intended to be the current one. Indeed, when this was plotted, the current one looked unlikely. The similarities, and there are many, between very recent events and some of the policies criticized in Changing Lanes are coincidental. I'll make no bones about it, I oppose the current administration, but Changing Lanes was not written for me to use as a soapbox, and as I've said, the plot was laid down long ago. I have strong opinions on nuclear proliferation (I consider it the single greatest threat for human extinction and thus take it seriously) and have often ranted regarding the bungling of this issue by this and prior administrations, but any matches between the current administration's actions and Changing Lanes are coincidental. I've tried to keep the facts in the story accurate, to the best of my knowledge. The gasoline-import issue sounds like a nonsensical claim, but its true. So too are the nuclear sites listed, (including the earlier links to satalite maps of the Kerman site, where the rescue mission took place) the refineries, etc, etc. If anyone wants to discuss the political aspects of the story, agree, disagree, or whatever, please feel free to do so in this thread or in this forum. At most, I might move the posts to a seperate thread if that discussion becomes very active. The only thing I ask (and due to GA rules that apply site wide, I must insist on) is that we keep it civil. Okay, have at it.

Well, the scene Graeme is referring to is this one; Okay, errr, yep, that's the relevant bit from a story... but can I say "no comment" on the rest?

Miketx, thank you. You made my day. Okay... I'll share some info. I won't reveal my legal name online, but... CJ is what I'm called, online and off. It's not on my birth certificate though. It's a nickname, or rather, the initials of one. I've had it since my early teens, and it stuck. I also like it. I used to surf, and it was a surfing nickname, based on something I was noted for doing. A way of getting into the water, (I even used that method for a character in once of my stories, but I won't say which one:P) and though I only did it a few times, down in Baja, mainly during storms and heavy seas (when paddling out through the breakers would have been impossible), some of the guys I was on safari with ragged me for it, said I was nuts (well, I've never denied that) and gave me a nickname. The two words of that nickname got shortened to their first letters, C J.

Chapter 39 is slightly late, becuas eI just got home and had to finish the HTML. It will be up, sometime within the next half hour.

I can say, without fear of contradiction, that either it is, or, it isn't. Well, hrmmm... I can't give spoilers, but I can say that the words "Zeus Triumphant" appear in chapter 36, Prometheus, of Let the Music Play.

ACK!!! Goat testicle stew?? ACK!!! Ummm, maybe I should mention the title of the next chapter: Zeus Triumphant

Good point. Brandon and Jim go back a long way, and they were close. Eric and Jim were close, too. Maybe The Scar will be in a more congenial mood, now he has one of the nuclear warheads he's been after? Thanks Kevin! Great point on shifting from the passenger side. I've done it, and found it easy, but that's perhaps because I'm used to driving from the right seat (right-hand-drive vehicles). Linda, though... she wasn't listed as having driving experiance in right hand drive vehicles, so it might have been a bit rough. Ack! Now, now, Eric... I didn't kill anyone, it was the Scar's henchmen who did. No need for goat-roasting!

OMG... a fanfic! Thanks Linxe, this made me smile. And Jane... yep, if she is upset about the volcano, how will she feel about Nukes?

Well, some goats do enjoy flailing away at a keyboard, so yes. From what I can see, they would have done better offering the roadside service package for the goat.

Thanks! It wasn't an easy chapter to write; Jim was one of my favorite characters. I'll miss him.

Well, umm, I've been hiding. Jim was one of my favorite characters. He's been in LTMP and Changing Lanes from the start; he's the guy who gave Brandon a place to stay when Brandon's parents kicked him out. I'll miss him. Unfortunately, nobody knows that The Scar and his henchmen are on the island, so they weren't expecting this sort of ambush. Thanks, Graeme. I'll be honest, the ambush wasn't easy to write. On a lighter note, I'll mention that in the chapter draft, the scene where Helen is putting the people in the vehicles read just a little different. Helen put Brian in both vehicles. At the same time. Graeme noticed the goof and pointed this out during beta. So, thanks to Graeme, we don't have Brian in two places at once. Now, now, Bondwriter... In stories, as in life, sometimes bad things happen to good people. When Yuri found out about he nuke, he sent his force in. As is so often the case, it's the small things that lead to major problems; had the pickup truck the nuke had been on been just a little more sturdy, they wouldn't have had to transfer it to the truck, which is when the observers spotted it. I'd have to say that Yuri is to blame for this one, even though he wasn't actually there. Great point on Brandon and Jim; Brandon and Jim go way back, to Brandon's Phoenix days. Eric and Jim were close too, though that's mainly occurred in Changing Lanes. The California earthquake alert, after the smaller quake, was a bit of a premature alarm. As in real life, there's still a danger of a massive quake, it's just not as imminent as the geologist first thought. I've been through quakes when I lived in SoCal, and it was a similar occurance (a geologist making a dire, imminent prediction after a quake) that inspired that part. There are no plans at all for a sequel to Changing Lanes or LTMP. Only one person heard the gunfire; the man in a nearby house. The terrian is hilly, with stone walls, etc, plus you've got the sound-deadening effect of the ash (it's much like snow in that sense). The mercs wouldn't hear the gunfire from indoors. All I can say is, there's a reason that Eric wasn't so bad the last time. If course (looks around nervously for the Echidna) I should qualify that by saying that the reason might be that not every time Eric is on tequila is he bad, just mostly.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...5013016,00.html Hrmm, Why would anyone go for the no-goat package?

Due to the fact I was late with the chapter, I thought I'd better start the thread. (Edit: Drewbie beat me. ) I do have a special request for this specific chapter thread; could the first three or four posts use spooler spoiler spaces (from the menu to the left when replying) or, if you don't know how, shoot me a PM telling me to add 'em for you. This would be for any specifics of major events within the chapter. Chapter 38, Fallen

Happy Birthday, Eric!!!!

Actually, the deal I have with Graeme is better stated as: I don't give spoilers, and he doesn't make me into a sieve with those sharp spines of his of giving spoilers... However... <looks around nervously> that does not seem to preclude him from going after me for other things... So, I live by a simple ethos: Fear the Echidna.

Thanks!!! Um, speaking of the ticking clock... (The goat glances nervously at his watch) It's tuesday, almost noon, and I regret to have to say that Chapter 38 is not ready for posting. I was horribly late with it, and also made a few last-second changes for continuity with coming chapters, and as a result didn't get it in to Bondwriter for zeta until a few hours ago. Now, Bondwriter is stuck dealing with a train delay. (He attempted to take over the train by blocking the track and charging everyone a 100-euro extra fee... you know how mercenary he can be.) I do not expect the chapter delay to be more than 24 hours. Sorry for the delay; but I do want to make sure all the details match up, and that means that in some cases I can't send off a chapter until a much later one is fully drafted. CJ

Oh no, I did ask.. they just told me to shove it, and even gave me directions as to where... (helpful, they are...) And, um, no goat-hunting! If I'm dead, I cannot flail away at the keyboard!

Yes, one of the sworn duties of our team is to protect the poor author from accusations of cliffhangers. I informed Talonrider of this when he joined. I'm just hoping that he doesn't think to confirm it with any other team members.

Kevin, Shhhhh!!! Remember, Talonrider is our ANONYMOUS beta reader.

I call it a free lunch. Well, as those who know me will attest, my favorite food is anything that's free.

Shadowgod went on beta-reading hiatus months ago, so no conspiracy here. Not that I have anything against a good conspiracy... in fact, I love 'em, but, sorry, no conspiracy this time. I totally agree, it's a fantastic team and I am supremely fortunate to be working with them.

Definitely two different things and two different names, but... very similar pronunciation! Because he'd probably get it wrong. Therefor, we must decide for him. It's the least we can do. ROFL! Yes indeed... I just try to post stuff like this when he's not looking. Definitely no h...

But.... I'm a quiet and shy lurker who almost never posts... Lol... My posting dropped off a lot when I started to prepare for my trip, and then when I got back and had the flu, I hardly posted. I'm also a lot quieter than I used to be. I'm very much looking forward to being passed. ROFL!! Mark just called me.. OLD!!! ARGH!! I'm furious... well, actually, I'm just upset that I didn't think of calling him old first.

Well, at least you don't have to worry about any ongoing (or any kind) of cliffhangers in Changing Lanes, because there aren;t any. Of course not! Brandon was not hanging off a cliff, so no cliffhanger. He was in the air, with nothing to worry about except a bit of gravity. Not true. As you point out, that wasn't at the end of the story, but the penultimate paragraph. So, not a cliffhanger ending. And before anyone bring it up, I will; LTMP 19 was not a cliffhanger; it's true that we did have a member of Instinct falling off a vertical rock surface, and was then reported dead. However, we didn't know which member, and they'd already fallen and hit the ground, so not a cliffhanger. CJ

Due to his newness to the team, I have, unfairly and capriciously, decreed that Talonrider remain anonymous, and labor away in cruel anonymity, unmentioned and unthanked. Talonrider is, therefor, our Anonymous Beta Reader! So, please, welcome our Anonymous Beta Reader, the great Talonrider!