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hc_bingo fest. This fest encourages the creation of boundary-pushing material that explores what happens when things go horribly wrong and people actually care about each other. I'm hoping to attract some new readers for my writing.
The following story belongs to Schrodinger's Heroes, featuring an apocryphal television show supported by an imaginary fandom. It's science fiction about quantum physics and saving the world from alternate dimensions. It features a very mixed cast in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation. This project developed with input from multiple people, and it's open for everyone to play in. You can read more about the background, the characters, and a bunch of assorted content on the menu page.
Skip to Part 3, Part 4. This is a crossover with BBC Sherlock. You can read how these characters found each other in "THE Woman," and the beginning of the morning after in "Texas Sunrise" and "Seeing Things."
Fandoms: BBC Sherlock / Original: Schrodinger's Heroes
H/C: Hostages
Medium: Fiction
Summary/Preview: Sherlock is hungover when the incursion alarm sound and hostile aliens burst into the Teferact compound. He struggles to get his brain working enough to figure out what's going on. He's almost fast enough.
Content Notes: Consequences of overindulgence in alcohol. Alien invasion. Problem-solving and teamwork. Combat violence. Safe ending.
"Fighting Through the Fog" Part 1
An alarm wailed, stabbing into Sherlock's hangover-tenderized brain. He wallowed on the couch as he tried to kick his way free of the asexual-pride afghan wrapped around him.
"Weapon, I need a weapon!" John was yelling.
"Under the loveseat," said Quinn while opening a wall safe to pull out a Glock 21 pistol. John reached under the loveseat and came up with a Condor El Salvador machete.
"What does the alarm mean?" John asked.
"Incursion alarm, something coming through from another dimension, could be hostile," Quinn said at speed. "Are you in or out? We can use your help if you're good for it, or protect you if you're not ready yet, but we need to know which, now."
"I'm in," John said instantly. "Sherlock?"
"Of course I'm in, don't be absurd," Sherlock said. By the time he scrambled to his feet, John and Quinn were both armed and braced for attack. More people poured into the room, hastily introduced by Quinn. Sherlock's brain stumbled into action.
Alex: pale and slender, huge glasses so cares more about function than her appearance, fast speech and large vocabulary so perhaps not an idiot.
Bailey: mixed-race, small scars and callouses on the hands marking him as a handyman, confident but clearly looking to Alex for guidance, interesting rank dynamics in this group.
Alex commandeered the telly to display an image of several large furry creatures around a shorter, thinner one. "These creatures just materialized inside the Ring, armed and apparently hostile," she said.
"I didn't expect to wind up fighting yetis," said John.
Sherlock peered at the screen, trying to push aside his lingering headache enough to focus. "They have an ursine appearance," he said. "Look, the claws resemble those of a black bear, while the facial shape and dentition are closer to a brown bear. Those can do massive damage in a mauling. I don't recognize the high dome of the forehead on that shorter one, though ..."
"Cave bear, historically," said Ash, "but in aliens it's more likely an indication of intelligence due to a large brain."
Aliens ... intelligence ... Sherlock's brain skipped and skittered over the impossibility. He concentrated on the familiar details of weapons and bustling people until it settled again.
Kay arrived (Spanish ancestry, combat readiness and scars indicating military experience, larger-than-standard first aid kit so combat medic) with several Remington Model 7400 rifles in hand. She handed her spares to John and Chris. "We're loaded for bear," she said.
"Good, because you'll be shooting at yeti-bears," Ash said with a nod toward the telly.
"We need a plan, and we need to know what's going on here," Kay said. The room turned into a gabble of half-arsed ideas.
Sherlock ransacked his brain in search of something to contribute, some way he could apply his deep but narrow experience to the challenge at hand. Suddenly the answer flared like magnesium fire, cutting through the fog of hangover. "Motive and opportunity," he said.
"Sherlock, this isn't a murder --" John began.
"What do they want here? What damage could they do, or what could they take?" Sherlock persisted. "If we can figure out their goal, we may stop them before they reach it."
Then he waited for the inevitable, for John to step on him again, for someone to tell him to piss off and let the professionals handle it.
"Great idea! Sherlock and Quinn, you get right on that," said Alex. "Tim, Ash, and I will try to shut down their dimensional access. John, I'm sure Kay and Chris could use your help on security."
Wait, what? No, that wasn't --
Sherlock had never meant for his brilliant idea to split them up. But John was already trotting out of the room behind Kay, rifle slung comfortably over his shoulder.
* * *
Notes:
The Glock 21 is a .45 semi-automatic pistol highly recommended for home defense. It's one of the team's favorite guns for general stock in case of emergency, because it's powerful yet easy to use. They keep guns in assorted safes throughout the compound.
The Condor El Salvador is a bolo machete made with high carbon steel, popular and well suited for heavy bushwhacking or combat. It's one of the team's favorite all-purpose blades. They keep sharp things within easy reach, but out of sight, in a lot of places.
[To be continued in Part 2 ...]
hc_bingo fest. This fest encourages the creation of boundary-pushing material that explores what happens when things go horribly wrong and people actually care about each other. I'm hoping to attract some new readers for my writing.The following story belongs to Schrodinger's Heroes, featuring an apocryphal television show supported by an imaginary fandom. It's science fiction about quantum physics and saving the world from alternate dimensions. It features a very mixed cast in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation. This project developed with input from multiple people, and it's open for everyone to play in. You can read more about the background, the characters, and a bunch of assorted content on the menu page.
Skip to Part 3, Part 4. This is a crossover with BBC Sherlock. You can read how these characters found each other in "THE Woman," and the beginning of the morning after in "Texas Sunrise" and "Seeing Things."
Fandoms: BBC Sherlock / Original: Schrodinger's Heroes
H/C: Hostages
Medium: Fiction
Summary/Preview: Sherlock is hungover when the incursion alarm sound and hostile aliens burst into the Teferact compound. He struggles to get his brain working enough to figure out what's going on. He's almost fast enough.
Content Notes: Consequences of overindulgence in alcohol. Alien invasion. Problem-solving and teamwork. Combat violence. Safe ending.
"Fighting Through the Fog" Part 1
An alarm wailed, stabbing into Sherlock's hangover-tenderized brain. He wallowed on the couch as he tried to kick his way free of the asexual-pride afghan wrapped around him.
"Weapon, I need a weapon!" John was yelling.
"Under the loveseat," said Quinn while opening a wall safe to pull out a Glock 21 pistol. John reached under the loveseat and came up with a Condor El Salvador machete.
"What does the alarm mean?" John asked.
"Incursion alarm, something coming through from another dimension, could be hostile," Quinn said at speed. "Are you in or out? We can use your help if you're good for it, or protect you if you're not ready yet, but we need to know which, now."
"I'm in," John said instantly. "Sherlock?"
"Of course I'm in, don't be absurd," Sherlock said. By the time he scrambled to his feet, John and Quinn were both armed and braced for attack. More people poured into the room, hastily introduced by Quinn. Sherlock's brain stumbled into action.
Alex: pale and slender, huge glasses so cares more about function than her appearance, fast speech and large vocabulary so perhaps not an idiot.
Bailey: mixed-race, small scars and callouses on the hands marking him as a handyman, confident but clearly looking to Alex for guidance, interesting rank dynamics in this group.
Alex commandeered the telly to display an image of several large furry creatures around a shorter, thinner one. "These creatures just materialized inside the Ring, armed and apparently hostile," she said.
"I didn't expect to wind up fighting yetis," said John.
Sherlock peered at the screen, trying to push aside his lingering headache enough to focus. "They have an ursine appearance," he said. "Look, the claws resemble those of a black bear, while the facial shape and dentition are closer to a brown bear. Those can do massive damage in a mauling. I don't recognize the high dome of the forehead on that shorter one, though ..."
"Cave bear, historically," said Ash, "but in aliens it's more likely an indication of intelligence due to a large brain."
Aliens ... intelligence ... Sherlock's brain skipped and skittered over the impossibility. He concentrated on the familiar details of weapons and bustling people until it settled again.
Kay arrived (Spanish ancestry, combat readiness and scars indicating military experience, larger-than-standard first aid kit so combat medic) with several Remington Model 7400 rifles in hand. She handed her spares to John and Chris. "We're loaded for bear," she said.
"Good, because you'll be shooting at yeti-bears," Ash said with a nod toward the telly.
"We need a plan, and we need to know what's going on here," Kay said. The room turned into a gabble of half-arsed ideas.
Sherlock ransacked his brain in search of something to contribute, some way he could apply his deep but narrow experience to the challenge at hand. Suddenly the answer flared like magnesium fire, cutting through the fog of hangover. "Motive and opportunity," he said.
"Sherlock, this isn't a murder --" John began.
"What do they want here? What damage could they do, or what could they take?" Sherlock persisted. "If we can figure out their goal, we may stop them before they reach it."
Then he waited for the inevitable, for John to step on him again, for someone to tell him to piss off and let the professionals handle it.
"Great idea! Sherlock and Quinn, you get right on that," said Alex. "Tim, Ash, and I will try to shut down their dimensional access. John, I'm sure Kay and Chris could use your help on security."
Wait, what? No, that wasn't --
Sherlock had never meant for his brilliant idea to split them up. But John was already trotting out of the room behind Kay, rifle slung comfortably over his shoulder.
* * *
Notes:
The Glock 21 is a .45 semi-automatic pistol highly recommended for home defense. It's one of the team's favorite guns for general stock in case of emergency, because it's powerful yet easy to use. They keep guns in assorted safes throughout the compound.
The Condor El Salvador is a bolo machete made with high carbon steel, popular and well suited for heavy bushwhacking or combat. It's one of the team's favorite all-purpose blades. They keep sharp things within easy reach, but out of sight, in a lot of places.
[To be continued in Part 2 ...]
(no subject)
Date: 2012-11-30 02:34 pm (UTC)After all, they support the right to arm bears, don't they?
(no subject)
Date: 2012-11-30 04:51 pm (UTC)G21's, properly tuned, are amazing. Being the paranoid BOFH that I am, I prefer older, simpler sidearms for use in the wild, but for shooting things for fun rather than defence? PURRRRR.
Thoughts
Date: 2012-11-30 07:15 pm (UTC)Further discussion of this topic is welcome. It's easy to find advice columns on the best guns for home defense or target shooting. "My characters need to save the world under X conditions," not so much.
However, for shooting in the rough, Ash has an antique gravel gun handed down through her family. It came to her when relatives found out what she was doing. It almost never breaks, can be repaired by hand if necessary, and as long as powder is available then running out of ammo isn't a problem. There were several models of shotgun like this on the frontier, plus some that were compiled individually from parts rather than made commercially. They drove the cavalry bugfuck, because while they lacked the aim and range of rifles, the resistance fighters could keep them working under the worst conditions. And unlike the stash guns, this one is Ash's personal gun. Nooooo touchie.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-11-30 07:48 pm (UTC)But hmmm, a weapon for the serious wilds. If I have access to components and reloading gear but am limited to a single weapon, it's gotta be the 12-ga shotgun. By varying the powder and shot loads, you can do anything from _just hurt_ (using salt instead of shot - stings like a mother, but non-lethal beyond 10-12 feet) to taking down anything from the most delicate grouse to a Kodiak bear.. that latter load is also good against vehicle engines and such; a slug the size of Morgan's thumb stepping out past the sound barrier will put the hurt on anything that doesn't have serious armour...
Stepping back a century or two... A good companion to Ash's shotgun is something like a Kentucky Long Rifle. Muzzle-loading, doesn't take primers, and you can cast your own lead bullets from scroungings (or if you're really good, recovering the bullet from your target)... the British considered using one against troops conduct unbecoming a gentleman and would hang you for it rather than confining you to a POW camp... needless to say, folks like Nathaniel Greene and Francis Marion *loved* them. Fit one with a peep sight and you're good out to 300 yards, where the scattergun gives up at about 40. A competent smith can make one using 18th-century tools, assuming he's got a source of flint, iron, and hardwood... 'course, that means each one is unique, unlike Whitney's rifle of 1801... but that gives'em *character*.
Not that SH isn't a bunch of characters already.... but that's what makes them interesting :)
But, yeah. Bunch of muskets on the main field, as "cover" for snipers wide on the flanks under concealment? Can be pretty devastating. :)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2012-12-01 12:18 am (UTC)Yes, that's important. Almost all modern weapons have lost that crucial DIY character. If you're guaranteed access to a modern tech base, they can do more. If not, they become shiny clubs alarmingly fast. So for travel to certain dimensions, there's a hard argument for weaponry that can be repaired and reloaded from a very low tech base.
>> If I have access to components and reloading gear but am limited to a single weapon, it's gotta be the 12-ga shotgun. <<
Yep. The team members with moderate combat skill often use shotguns, while those with better aim use rifles. Ash can go either way.
>> By varying the powder and shot loads, you can do anything from _just hurt_ (using salt instead of shot - stings like a mother, but non-lethal beyond 10-12 feet) to taking down anything from the most delicate grouse to a Kodiak bear.. that latter load is also good against vehicle engines and such; a slug the size of Morgan's thumb stepping out past the sound barrier will put the hurt on anything that doesn't have serious armour... <<
See now, in dimensional combat any creature could theoretically be vulnerable to any substance, and other needs will vary. In particular, you want ready choice of low-penetration maximum-damage and high-penetration pinpoint damage ammunition. The former is good for tearing up unarmored attackers, while the latter is necessary against natural or technological armor (or equipment).
Happily expense is not a limitation for Schrodinger's Heroes, so they can afford to load their stash weapons with better ammo than most people could. They can also afford to practice with stuff that most people wouldn't buy more than one box of for home defense emergencies.
>>A good companion to Ash's shotgun is something like a Kentucky Long Rifle.<<
Oh yeah, those frontier longguns were splendid.
>>Bunch of muskets on the main field, as "cover" for snipers wide on the flanks under concealment? Can be pretty devastating.<<
Enfilading fire <3
Thoughts
Date: 2012-11-30 08:15 pm (UTC)The fun thing about smart, powerful heroes is that you can stack them against quite formidable opponents and still have a balanced conflict where lesser folks would just be swept aside.