Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

You will note that my last four postings have been deleated. This is so that they can be rewritten properly.

 

Don't forget, Kelsey has been thrust into the hectic environment that is a circus about to leave winter quarters. The posts have to reflect this.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Kelsey arrived at the Durant airport and was driven, by Linda Bergman Clark, who she had a faxed photo of, to the circus.

 

"We're heading for Sherman, Texas tomorrow morning," Linda said as they drove to the circus. "That's why I've got a lot of stuff in here."

 

"So I see," Kelsey said, looking at the six bags from Office Depot and the single Walmart bag.

 

"Got to stop here," Linda said, pulling into the post office parking lot.

 

"I'll come with you," Kelsey said.

 

"Fine," Linda said, grabbing the Walmart bag. Five minutes later, they were back on the road.

 

At winter quarters, Kelsey was given a two-way radio and some papers that were prepared for her. After looking through them, Holly was called to the office. She took Kelsey to the motorhome. Once Kelsey was settled in, someone yelled, "Flag's up!"

 

"What's that?" Kelsey asked.

 

"Lunch," Holly replied. "Let's go."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

During lunch, Holly introduced Kelsey to quite a few people.

 

After lunch, Holly walked to a 22 foot motorhome that was parked near the cookhouse semi. "This was mine when I was single," Holly said. "After I got married, I sold it to the show. Now Catherine 'Cat' Campbell, R.N.P., the show's nurse, uses it. Here she is now.

 

"All set?" Cat, a slender African-American woman wearing a navy blue flightsuit, asked.

 

"Yeah," Holly said. Turning to Kelsey, she said, "I'm an aerialist and human cannonball. Twice a day, I come here to have my hands looked at under an exam light and have myself weighed."

 

"Fine," Kelsey said. They entered. "Interesting layout."

 

"Yeah," Cat said. "They were expecting a practical nurse, not a nurse practitioner. Fortunately, I had my instruments with me. The show kicked in $2000 to upgrade this rig. I could do what I wanted, as long as I didn't ruin the motorhome's structural integrity."

 

"I see," Kelsey said as Holly took a digital bathroom scale from its holder on the bathroom door and weighed Holly. The reading was 125 pounds, which was normal for Holly. Next, her hands were checked. Everything was fine there, too. They left Cat and headed for the family motorhome.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

"Where do we go next?" Kelsey asked.

 

"Sideshow rehearsal, in costume," Holly replied. "After that, I get fired out of my cannon."

 

"Sounds risky," Kelsey said.

 

"It is," Holly said. "I pull 9 Gs when I leave the cannon and land in the net with 12 Gs deceleration. Compared to that, playing with a snake and being the electric girl is easy."

 

"What do you do in the main show?"

 

"Besides the cannon, I ride a horse, fly on a single trapeze, hang by my hair, assist my husband while he juggles, and fly in a cradle act. All the flying stuff is done without a net."

 

"Risky," Kelsey said.

 

"I know," Holly said. "I check everything every day because safety's important."

 

"A division of labor then," Kelsey said. "I keep you safe from assassins while you keep yourself safe from rigging failures."

 

"Fair enough," Holly said. "Of course, you'll probably want to learn about the big top and rigging, too."

 

"Of course."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Holly made a quick wardrobe change and grabbed a duffle bag. As she did, both ladies heard a soft "Merror?"

 

"Hi, Midnight," Holly said, scooping up her black cat. "This is Kelsey. She's going to be with us for a while." Kelsey held her hand up to Midnight's nose. In response, a red, wet tongue caressed her fingers.

 

"She likes you," Holly said. They left the motorhome and went to where the sideshow was set up. Nearby, the electrical and big top crews were hurrying and the band, and ringmaster, were practicing.

 

"Into the tent," Holly said. Inside, she dropped the duffle and picked up Sassy, a 16-foot Burmese python.

 

"Big snake," Kelsey said.

 

"If you say so," Holly said. "She's used to me. Should be. I've played with her since I came here." Sassy stuck her tongue out.

 

After the rehearsal, Holly went into the wardrobe trailer, a converted schoolbus, to make a quick costume change. As she did, Kelsey noticed a golden retreiver in a guide dog harness at the feet of Kara Smith, one of the two wardrobe mistresses. "That's a beautiful dog," Kelsey said.

 

"I know," Kara said, rubbing the dog's neck. "She's a good friend. With a visual field that's 12 degrees in diameter, you need all the friends you can get."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

The press was waiting for them when they left the wardrobe trailer. All of them wanted her take on what was going on in Washington. "Who or what is an NID?" Holly asked. "Come to think of it, who or what is a Kinsey?"

 

"Haven't you been paying attention to what's going on in the nation's capital?" one reporter asked.

 

"No," Holly replied. "I'm too busy to do so. Got to run, folks," she said, pointing. "I'm about to get shot out of that cannon." She trotted off with Kelsey following.

 

"How'd I do?" Holly asked when they arrived at the cannon.

 

"What do you mean?" Kelsey asked.

 

"With the press," Holly replied as a worker passed by with electrical cables draped over his shoulders. "I do follow the news, but I also think there's more important things in life than what Congress is up to or what some low-level functionary thinks about something."

 

"KInsey isn't a low-level functionary," Kelsey said.

 

"Of course he is," Holly returned.

 

"He's a powerful senator," Kelsey explained.

 

"Same thing," Holly said. "Come. I'll explain this cannon to you."

[Superskrull]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Just a thought here, but, have you considered using other characters from your fusion scenario such as the esteemed Senator Robert Kelly, who despite being a liberal advocated mutant and by extension superhuman registration?

 

How about Amanda Waller? Sure she's DC-centered but the Wall is so useful for a combo of government heavy & espianage stringpuller. She's also worth mentioning as Batman or some iteration therof tends tend to be mentioned by you. For that matter, Henry Peter Gyrich is an awesome foil for story-telling purposes. He's definitely a Marvelverse character that is worth mentioning.

 

How about the Committee on Superhuman Affairs? Valerie Cooper and all the rest are certain to be sticking their noses into anything remotely interesting.

 

What about ol' Thunderbolt Ross? You remember him, right? General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, military head of the Gamma Bomb project? Hulk's father-in-law?

 

Nick Fury needs some screentime too. C'mon, he's an immortal ex-special forces guy from WWII turned CIA operative who then took the helm of SHIELD.

 

These guys gotta be making some ripples in governmental waters. They're big fish, after all.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Just a thought here, but, have you considered using other characters from your fusion scenario such as the esteemed Senator Robert Kelly, who despite being a liberal advocated mutant and by extension superhuman registration?

 

How about Amanda Waller? Sure she's DC-centered but the Wall is so useful for a combo of government heavy & espianage stringpuller. She's also worth mentioning as Batman or some iteration therof tends tend to be mentioned by you. For that matter, Henry Peter Gyrich is an awesome foil for story-telling purposes. He's definitely a Marvelverse character that is worth mentioning.

 

How about the Committee on Superhuman Affairs? Valerie Cooper and all the rest are certain to be sticking their noses into anything remotely interesting.

 

What about ol' Thunderbolt Ross? You remember him, right? General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, military head of the Gamma Bomb project? Hulk's father-in-law?

 

Nick Fury needs some screentime too. C'mon, he's an immortal ex-special forces guy from WWII turned CIA operative who then took the helm of SHIELD.

 

These guys gotta be making some ripples in governmental waters. They're big fish, after all.

 

Good points. I owe you rep.

 

I suspect that most of these people would ignore Holly and, if they got wind of her, concentrate on the campaign's version of Black Widow.

 

Also, keep in mind the timeline. We're near the beginning of the Jack Ryan book Debt of Honor. I don't think I have to tell you what happens at the end.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

A few notes this time.

 

I've managed to attatch a partial roster of the Ross Brothers Circus employees to this thread.

 

The circus cookhouse is where all staff members eat. The pie car is, more or less, a snack bar. In some shows, they are two different semis. Here, they are on opposite sides of the same semi.

 

Circuses are required, by federal law, to employ someone who knows first aid. More often then not, this person is a member of the cookhouse staff.

 

When the Campbell family came to the circus, the Ross family thought that Cat was a practical nurse, or L.P.N. They didn't realize that she was a nurse practitioner until she showed them her credientals.

 

Besides the show-owned motorhome she was given the use of, she was given $2000 to upgrade it with the provision that she didn't hurt the vehicles's structural intregity. Most of the money went for a new generator (the old one was shot) and two ceiling-mounted exam lights. The rest of it went for a digital bathroom scale and a holder for it that was fastened to the bathroom door. Cat, fortunately, brought other stuff, including medical instruments, with her.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

As she explained the cannon and its net to Kelsey, Holly also inspected and, as necessary, adjusted it. Finally, she was satisfied.

 

"Now, a test shot," Holly said. "It's a sand bag that weighs what I do."

 

"Good idea," Kelsey said. BOOM The sandbag flew 195 feet 6 inches and landed in the net. "Sweet," Kelsey said.

 

"Yeah," Holly said just before they were mobbed by the press. "Once we get that sandbag down, it'll be my turn."

 

Circus staffers made sure the press stayed out of the cannon's range. After the shot, someone told her about Vice President Cheney's death.

 

"Raul," Holly called out.

 

"Yes, Holly?"

 

"Mr. Cheney just passed away. We should sent his family a sympathy card."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Circus cannons can be either built onto either self-propelled, usually on a truck frame, or towed. Holly's was built on a Mack truck chassis. A truck that was parked near it held the net and poles, sandbag, stakes, sledge hammer, and other gear. Once the cannon and its gear were secure, they returned to the motorhome.

 

After supper, at 6:45, Barbara, one of the owners, held a meeting in the cookhouse. She announced Mr. Cheney's death and introduced Kelsey. She then said, "We have a five o'clock call tomorrow morning. I want the first flying squad vehicle rolling by 5:10, the big top crew bus at 5:30 and the cookhouse at 6. Make sure you pick up your route slips from Toni. She'll be in the pie car until 10:30 tonight. That's all."

 

Individual team meetings followed. The cookhouse crew met in the pie car. The two wardrobe mistresses, like several other groups, met at their area.

 

After the meetings were over, the cookhouse crew, including Cat, tore the cookhouse down and stowed it away. While they were doing that, people ran around, stowing gear for the trip to Sherman.

 

(A/N: Although Cat is the show's nurse, she's also a cookhouse staffer. The cookhouse manager, her mother, Janice, can ask her for her help with help when she needs it. Cat, of course, can get help, when needed, from either the cookhouse roustabouts or the cookhouse buyer.)

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

As they were heading for the pie car after their meeting, Holly and Kelsey saw Kara Smith sitting on a knee-high wall and petting her guide dog. "Isn't that wrong?" asked one of the reporters that had been there all day, getting human interest stories about the circus.

 

"That is my daughter's guide dog," Paul Smith, the band's drummer, replied.

 

"She's not my dog," Kara said. "I'm her person." She then cooed, "Isn't that right, Sugar?" Sugger first nuzzled, then licked Kara's left ear. Kara giggled, then kissed Sugar on the head.

 

"THey're bonding," Paul's wife, Fran, the show's organist, said before ducking into the pie car. Paul, Holly, and Kelsey followed, as did the sounds of stuff being stowed in the back of the truck.

 

Eventually, everyone settled down to sleep. They were roused at 5:00 am by the sounding of a horn. "What?" Kelsey asked, shaking herself awake.

 

"Five o'clock call," Holly replied from the back. "Time to get up, Kelsey. Coffee and some kind of pastry at the cookhouse."

 

"I'm up," Kelsey said. Raul, Holly, and Kelsey left the motorhome together. He paused to retract the power cord and drain hose, then joined the ladies.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Once the vehicles rolled onto the Sherman lot, Mary "Cowgirl" West, the show's 24-hour advance agent, who always dressed like a working cowgirl, guided the vehicles to their proper place.

 

The first vehicle on the lot was the spool truck, which carried the rolled-up vinyl big top. The pole truck, seat wagon that also carried the poles, big top sidewalls, and other suuff followed. The two stake drivers/water tanks followed. Witgh them were the elephant semi, the generator, office, and veterinary semis as well as Cat's motorhome. More vehicles followed.

 

One Holly was parked, Kelsey asked, "Where to now?"

 

"Cat's rig," Holly replied. "Kelsey, where do you plan on being when I'm performing?"

 

"I don't know," she admitted. "As far as I know, we've never had to protect someone who worked at a circus before. I was told to protect you, but to make it as comfortable for you as possible. If you don't like something, tell me. I'll change it."

 

"The way I see it, you have two choices," Holly said. "You can either wear black clothes and watch from the back door, like Rumiko, our veterinarian does whenever an animal is in the big top, or wear the same jumpsuit the prop crew does and work with them. You'll still be watching from the back, but anyone seeing you will think you're part of the prop crew."

 

"Prop crew," Kelsey said. "After all, Andrea Price, your mother's agent, wears a lab coat while guarding your mother at Johns Hopkins."

 

"Fine. I'll introduce you to Paul Lopez, our prop boss."

 

"Wonderful."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Paul talked to Kelsey and agreed to her plan. She then rejoined Holly, who was inspecting her rigging. "Looks complicated," Kelsey said.

 

"It is," Holly admitted. "A lot of us hang things from the big top. While it's being raised, we attatch pulleys to the roof and thread ropes through them. Later, we come back and attach the rest of the equipment to them."

 

"I have a lot to learn," Kelsey admitted.

 

"Yeah."

 

The big top went up on time. As expected, there was a crowd watching everyone and taking photographs. "It's circus day," Holly commented.

 

"So I've noticed," Kelsey said. The morning trip to Cat's motorhome didn't turn up any problems. Cat did, however, after treating a cut on Kelsey's left hand, recomend that she should buy a good pair of leather work gloves."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Plans were made and on Friday, the day after they drove to Sherman, Kelsey and Holly spent a few hours shopping and doing laundry.

 

The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, were quiet, too.

 

Monday, which had shows at 4 and 8 pm, was, except for Mr. Cheney's funeral, quiet. The next day, the President announced that Senator Edward Kealty, from Vermont, was his choice for Vice President. Like Jack Ryan, Ed Kealty was anti NID, which angered Senator Kinsey.

 

Wednesday and Thursday were quiet, then on Friday, at noon, the bottom fell out of the financial market. At the same time, the computers that recorded the transactions started recording gibberish.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

For those of you wondering about the Fair Trade Act, the incident that provoked it occurred while the circus wasin Sherman. The act itself was signed the Wednesday before the stock market went crazy.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

The next week passed by without too many incidents at the circus.

 

Although the news outside dealt with the financial crisis and rumors that Vice President Kealty had sexually assaulted several women while he was a senator, the big news in the circus had to do with the two new rigs that the show was getting.

 

One rig was a new 26 foot motorhome for Cat Campbell that contained an area for nursing. The old motorhome would, once Cat's gear had been removed, would be turned over to two nuns who had decided to join the circus.

 

The second was that the pie car would be moved to its own semi, leaving the old one for the cookhouse. Janice Campbell would run both the cookhouse and pie car.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

A quick note or two.

 

Some of the ideas for Holly Vasquez were taken from the character "Holly" in The Greatest Show On Earth.

 

Ronna is taken, in part, from Rona, who appeared in the llast season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

 

The Ross Brothers Circus is meant to be a small circus, like the Kelly Miller Circus, but with a cat act, a nurse, and a cannon act. In circus's like this, there are many families, both large and small.

 

One idea I had was to use The West Wing as the basis for the President. In that, Holly and Ronna would be the daughters of Robert "Bingo Bob" Russell, President Bartlet's second Vice President.

 

Another idea was to use the movies First Daughter, First Target, and First Shot as the basis for the President. In this version, Ronna's father would be the Vice President appointed after the first was arrested at the end of First Target and Kathryn Yarnell, who we meet in First Shot, is Holly's mother.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

I forgot to add a veterinarian to the above list.

 

I'm thinking of rewriting the circus staff list slightly and adjusting how Holly gets her Secret Service agent. The revised one has Holly, her siblings and her mother getting their agents about a week after Jack gets his.

 

This, of course, means that Kelsey joins the circus while it's on the road. For her, things will get interesting, fast.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Okay, we're going to do a retcon. Holly, and her mother, brother and sisters get their agents about a week after Jack does. That's how it happened in Debt of Honor. What this means is that Kelsey joins the show while it's on the road.

 

I'm also making minor adjustments to the show's staff and vehicles. That will be reflected in the show roster.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

I deleated the original circus cast list and. since I couldn't remember where it was, the new one's here.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

"Here our are, Agent Innis," the sheriff said as he pulled onto the lot. "The Ross Brothers Circus."

 

"Thank you, Sheriff," Kelsey said, looking at her watch as she grabbbed her duffle bag. It was 5:45 am. Looking around, she noticed a small motorhome parked by the entrance, the vehicles, probably spectators, off to the side, and the woman, dressed like a working cowgirl, walking toward her. The two women exchanged greetings and credentials.

 

"What do you think of our lot?" Mary "Cowgirl" West, the show's 24-hour advance agent, asked.

 

"Looks okay," Kelsey replied. "I see a circle of tiny wooden stakes and two shelters."

 

"Yeah, the stakes mark the big top stake line and I'm putting the cookhouse, pie car, and nurse's office in the shelters. There are also sewer grates in the shelters and along two sides of the lot. Those sides will get the front and back yards.."

 

"You do this every day?" Kelsey asked.

 

"Yep," Cowgirl replied. "Once everyone's here, I'll return to our previous lot and return here, removing the arrows I put up as I do. Then, once I get back here, I'll arrow the route to the next lot."

 

"Any idea when Holly Ryan Vasquez gets here?"

 

"Nope," Cowgirl replied. "She'll get here when she gets here."

[Superskrull]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

 

"Any idea when Holly Ryan Vasquez gets here?"

 

"Nope," Cowgirl replied. "She'll get here when she gets here."

 

 

OK, since you tend to post a lot of expository dialogue & scene setting, I'd like to interject something here. First, drop in some descriptions of background actions, sounds and general sensations. Let's face it, a circus doens't smell much like the parking lot at a Wal-mart. Mention the pounding tools, whine of engines and background chatter or it seems like your characters are wandering around onstage in front of a canvas backdrop. If you like, just have them be the observations of the main character, IE

'A stray breeze carried the smells of the food carts to Kelsey as she walked across the lot. Around her, the circus folk chattered and laughed as they went about preparing for opening night.'

Second, I NEVER hear anyone in real life trot out the full name of people when speaking about them. It's almost always going to be Mr/Miss/Ms _____ or their first name. So, a stranger like Kelsey is going to call Holly Miss Vasquez, not the overly stiff-sounding Holly Ryan Vasquez.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

OK, since you tend to post a lot of expository dialogue & scene setting, I'd like to interject something here. First, drop in some descriptions of background actions, sounds and general sensations. Let's face it, a circus doens't smell much like the parking lot at a Wal-mart. Mention the pounding tools, whine of engines and background chatter or it seems like your characters are wandering around onstage in front of a canvas backdrop. If you like, just have them be the observations of the main character, IE

'A stray breeze carried the smells of the food carts to Kelsey as she walked across the lot. Around her, the circus folk chattered and laughed as they went about preparing for opening night.'

Second, I NEVER hear anyone in real life trot out the full name of people when speaking about them. It's almost always going to be Mr/Miss/Ms _____ or their first name. So, a stranger like Kelsey is going to call Holly Miss Vasquez, not the overly stiff-sounding Holly Ryan Vasquez.

 

Good points. There will be a lot of things going on once the trucks start rolling in. Kelsey is just early. As far as using Holly's full name goes, she wanted Cowgirl to know exactly who she was talking about. Cowgirl would've known who she meant if she would've just said "Holly", but Kelsey didn't know that.

[Superskrull]

Re: Thoughts on the Secret Service questions

 

Hmm. So, is Kelsey going to have a cover position or just try to blend in with the carnies?

 

This reminds me, you totally have to have the Circus of Crime show up. Maybe work in a reference to the Quentin Carnival that Johnny (Ghost Rider) Blaze worked at.