Chapter 34 It Only Takes One Part 3

[Bullethead]

The colony is much further southwest.

Thank you, was not sure.

"The Box" is the local nickname for the training area immediately surrounding Fort Irwin.

Thank you, for some reason in my mind it was some place a bit further away than Irwin.

I found that a little jarring. In most of the earlier satphone conversations the Fort Irwin end started the call with a challenge, looking for a password response. Even in the heat of the battle for Boulder the person answering the phone was circumspect in how they answered the line. Now, suddenly, Michael is a chatterbox?

Precisely, though he has no way of knowing Scratch is on the other line, you all and I know she has a great memory and will recognize that voice. So for that reason I am concerned with his lack of protocol.

As for Michael being a chatter box, phrase/counter phrase would probably only work when everyones properly briefed. He didn't give much away by saying Irwin. Anyone near a Satphone would probably already know Irwins around.

Though you're right that it only works when people are properly briefed there are secondary protocols to follow when the challenge and pass are incorrect. If it is say a bumbling nervous wreck with a sat phone like Datu, Irwin can work with the person in question meet him at some random site and asses if he should come back to Irwin. However if its some psycho like our dear gal Scratch, they again can arrange a meet in a random spot, asses the person in question, and leave her ass to die. Thus the reason why we have Challenge and Pass.

Now that he has exposed his location, regardless of the other end of the line knowing who he is, they know that there is someone at Irwin. Someone with some sophisticated technology. All the mystery person needs is a map and means of travel and Irwin is no longer as safe as it once was.

Finally,

Catch me if I'm wrong, but I think KC has come down pretty hard on radioactive zombies, and no.

^^This^^