Morrow Project Recon Team MI-R-08

[natehale1971]

Morrow Project Recon Team MI-R-08

Morrow Project Recon Team MI-R-08 was assigned to operate in the Upper Peninsula of the State of Michigan. As such was equipped for the rough winters that the area was known for. To ensure that the team would be well prepared for the harsh six-month winter snow storms and blizzards that the region is known for, MI-R-08 was equipped with Morrow Project arctic survival gear, and provided with extra training in arctic survival at the top-secret Morrow Industries Alaska training grounds. Bruce E. Morrow took a special interest in the recruitment of the personnel for Morrow Project Recon Team MI-R-08, and personally recruited the team leader (LTC James Braddock) and directly took executive action by placing two personnel onto the team (Clifton Forrest and <name>). When asked why he was taking such a keen interest in this team that was going to be placed in a backwater assignment, Bruce E. Morrow would just smile and say "I have my reasons, and let's leave it at that shall we."
Morrow Project Team MI-R-08 was placed in cryogenic hibernation on Friday 15 February 2008, and placed in their bolthole the following day on Saturday 16 February 2008.

The Team

LTC James 'Gentleman Jim' Braddock (US Army Retired), Team Leader: adult Caucasian male Charismatic 3/Leadership 7 (10th Level). LTC James Braddock was recruited by Bruce E. Morrow himself as his twenty-five year career in the Untied States military was ending because of the continued interference by both of the US Senators from his home state of Massachusetts. And it was the fact that LTC Braddock served for almost twenty-five years in the United States Army Special Operations Command that had almost precluded him from being placed in charge of a Morrow Project Recon Team, since the recruits to the Morrow Project with his qualifications had always been assigned to one of the MARS Teams or one of the RAT (Rapid Assistance and Tactical) Teams. Many on The Council For Tomorrow had believed that Morrow had wanted LTC Braddock for the Phoenix Team, and were stunned when they learned that Morrow himself had recruited him to SPECIFICY command Recon Team MI-R-08 that saw him included into the Morrow Project Recon Branch. Morrow also allowed LTC Braddock to recruit almost half of Recon Team MI-R-08 himself. Thus the higher than average number of former military personnel assigned to the team, all of whom had served under LTC Braddock in the past that he had absolute trust in. LTC Braddock is one of the six people who know what cased the extensive scaring on CW3 Speight’s face and chest. During his military career LTC Braddock was able to earn four Bachelors Degrees, three Masters Degrees and a Doctorate. He is fluent in over nine different languages, and can speak at least another eight.

Jacob 'Jake' Pace, Deputy Team Leader: adult Caucasian male Charismatic 3/Dedicated 3/Leadership 2 (8th Level). Jacob 'Jake' Pace was a Boy Scout growing up, and rose through the Boy Scouts and eventually become an Eagle Scout. After graduating high school Pace joined the local police force and was decorated several times in the line of duty. As a police officer he also took part in a great deal of volunteer work in his community, which included him becoming one of the local Boy Scout Troop Leaders. After the murder of his wife, children and parents by the growing gang problems, Pace found his life without meaning and left the police force, and decided totally lost himself to grief. Pace spent two years on the streets homeless, until he was recruited by the Morrow Project by a former co-worker who was able to offer him a second chance to get his life back on track. While Pace knows he was not LTC Braddock’s choice as deputy team leader, neither man has not allowed this in any way to color their working relationship. Instead the two men have discovered that they work well together as a leadership team, whose styles of leadership and life experiences have tended to compliment each other quite well.

SSG Brandon 'Bronco' Smith (US Army Retired), Team Driver-Mechanic: adult Caucasian male Fast 2/Strong 1/Transporter 4 (7th Level). SSG Brandon 'Bronco' Smith was a football star all throughout high school, but he was unable to win a college scholarship. Thus SSG Smith enlisted in the United States Army, were he excelled as a mechanic. On a lark, he tried out for and was accepted in the United States Army Special Forces. SSG Smith was one of the best drivers and mechanics ever to carry out active field work during several of the 'black bag' operations that LTC Braddock had oversaw. SSG 'Bronco' Smith was the third person whom was recruited by LTC Braddock for Recon Team MI-R-08. Among his personal items are his collection of tee-shirts with all kinds of odd sayings, and his collection of comic books from around the world.

Lamont Wilkinson, Back-up Team Driver-Mechanic: adult African-American male Smart 3/Greasemonkey 4 (7th Level). Lamont Wilkinson was a professional automotive mechanic and small-time inventor who was assigned to be the back-up team driver-mechanic of Recon Team MI-R-08, and has been assigned to drive the Commando Scout car. Lamont Wilkinson and Bronco Smith work extremely well together, and both share the same sense of humor. So much so that Courtney Colby has commented that the two must definitely share the same brain.

SFC Cooper 'Coop' Nash (US Army Retired), Team Communications Specialist: adult African-American male Smart 3/Specialist 4 (7th Level). 'Coop' Nash is the team communications specialist for MI-R-08, and works closely with both the Team Leader and Team Contact Specialist in maintaining open lines of communications with not only the other members of the team, but with the outside world as well. Unofficially, Nash is the third in the chain of command of Recon Team MI-R-08. SFC Cooper Nash was the second person recruited by LTC Braddock for Recon Team MI-R-08.

Clifton 'Cliff' Forrest, Team Contact Specialist: adult Caucasian male Dedicated 2/Charismatic 2/Negotiator 3 (7th Level). Clifton 'Cliff' Forrest was a police officer whose twelve year career was ruined after a blotched hostage negotiation ended with the deaths of twelve people. Cliff Forrest blamed himself and quit the force and he quickly found himself unable to find work anywhere, forcing him to take a job as a security guard at one of the subsidiaries of Morrow Industries where he found himself recruited into the Morrow Project by Bruce E. Morrow himself. 'Cliff' Forrest was one of the two people who were assigned to the Recon Team MI-R-08 by Bruce E. Morrow.

Roberto 'Bob' Delgado, Team Engineer: adult Hispanic male Strong 2/Smart 2/ 3 (7th Level). Roberto 'Bob' Delgado was a well respected civil architect and civl engineer who had worked for Morrow Industries for almost 10 years before he was recruited to join one of the Morrow Project field teams. Delgado jokes that his assignment to a Recon team was an accident, since he says that he was meant to be assigned to one of the Morrow Project construction teams. But in reality, Delgado volunteered to be assigned to one of the Morrow Project Recon Teams.

CW3 Christian Dobbs 'Chief' Speight (US Army Retired), Team Reconnaissance/ Infiltration/ Acquisitions Specialist: adult Caucasian male Fast 3/Recon 4 (7th Level). CW3 Christian Dobbs Speight is the a quiet and reserved man whom prefers to remain distant with all but those whom are the closest to him, but he does show an ability to interact well with other people and normally leaves a good impression with them. CW3 Christian Speight served almost his entire military career with LTC Braddock, and the origin of the horrible scaring on his face and chest directly comes from his overwhelming loyalty to both his commander and his fellow troopers. CW3 Speight started his military career in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and continued on to join the US Army Special Forces where he served under LTC Braddock who convinced him to become a Special Forces Warrant Officer. When LTC Braddock was recruited for the US Army Special Forces Detachment Delta he took CW3 Speight along with him. CW3 Speight was the first person that LTC Braddock had recruited for Recon Team MI-R-08, originally Braddock intended on Speight being his deputy team leader. But resistance from higher authorities within the Morrow Project precluded the assignment of Speight as deputy team leader, much to his relief.

SFC Felix Ironknife (US Army retired), Team Weapons Specialist: adult Amerindian male Fast 3/Recon 4 (7th Level). SFC Felix Ironknife was the fourth and final person that LTC Braddock recruited for Recon Team MI-R-08. LTC Braddock was able to place enough pressure that allowed for the inclusion of Ironknife’s highly trained specialty dog, 'Maverick', on the team. While out in the field, SFC Ironknife and CW3 Speight work together providing a security detail for the rest of the Recon Team. When encamped, Felix Ironknife takes a great deal of time and effort to ensure that all of the teams weapons are cleaned and well maintained. His nightly weapon inspections are a standard part of the evening routine before every meal. SFC Ironknife is one of the six people who know how CW3 Speight received the horrible scaring on his face and chest.

Prof. Kenneth 'Ken' Phillips Ph.D., Team Applied Sciences Specialist: adult Caucasian male Smart 3/Field Scientist 4 (7th Level). Prof. Kenneth 'Ken' Phillips Ph.D. was an associate professor, until a scandal involving rumors about him sleeping with his students ruined his teaching career. 'Ken' Phillips at times is rude and inconsiderate of his other teammates, so much so that LTC Braddock had attempted to have him replaced on the team since it was causing problems during the year of team training. Phillips holds the military in utter contempt, and was a member of the anti-war movement on the university campus he taught at until he disgraced himself when he was caught sleeping with his students in exchange for giving them better grades while flunking former military personnel who had been taking his classes. 'Ken' Phillips and LTC Braddock do not get along at all, especially since they both have many of the same degrees and end up in heated arguments over key social and cultural issues.

Courtney Colby NP, Team Medical Specialist: adult African-American female Dedicated 3/Smart 3/Field Medic 4 (10th Level). Courtney Colby was an extremely popular and well-liked nurse practitioner who had worked with two medical doctors at a successful small family practice in the late-1990s, until her family was killed in a horrible car wreck. Heartbroken, Courtney left the family medical practice and joined several non-profit organizations that traveled to third world countries providing extensive medical care. It was during this time that she was approached by Morrow Project recruiters who were able to convince her to join the Project. Courtney Colby NP and 'Gentleman Jim' Braddock have a mutual attraction that neither of whom have been willing to recognize nor acknowledge exists.

<name>, Assistant Team Medical Specialist:


Assigned Team Equipment and Vehicles

Team Vehicles: Cadillac Gage Commando Scout Recon Convoy Escort w/ 20mm turret 4x4 armored car (1), Cadillac Gage V-150 Commando APC 4x4 light armored vehicle (1), Ford Motor Company XR-311 4x4 ground combat vehicle (2).

Auxiliary Team Vehicles: Yamaha Motor Company Grizzly 660 automatic 4x4 all-terrain vehicle (3), Yamaha Motor Company Phazer RTX Snowmobile (3).

Due to the nature of the terrain that Morrow Project Recon Team MI-R-08 has been assigned to operate in, the team has been given several auxiliary light all-terrain vehicles that have been stored at their designated emergency shelter, and these vehicles are meant to allow the team greater maneuverability in the varied winter terrain of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These small vehicles are battery powered, and can be recharged by any fusion powered MPV.


The Team Bolthole

Recon Team MI-R-08 was placed in a standard modular Morrow Project bolthole. Thus they were placed within the standard storage and freezing facility that has been used by the Morrow Project, and as a rule, they are the same throughout the Project and differ only in size (the more members in the Team or the more vehicles they are issued, the bigger the bolt hole will be). The Bolthole is basically nothing more than just a buried room, designed to be completely self-contained, air tight, reasonably blast proof and protect the occupants against radiation exposure.
The bolt hole is made steel-reinforced concrete, one foot thick in the walls and ceiling and five feet thick in the floor (all of the complex maze of wires, tubing, pipes and gas canisters necessary for the operation of the bolt hole equipment are buried in the thick concrete floor). The "hole" itself contains the Team's freeze tubes, a built-in computer, vehicle, two wall lockers of emergency supplies and tools, and a large metal "picnic table" for use by the Team after waking (for cleaning and oiling of weapons, planning of travel routes, etc.)
There is also a periscope in the bolt hole, which is lifted up through the earth cover above the bolt hole hydraulically. The periscope is designed to view the immediate area above the 'hole and is equipped with gear to monitor the levels of radiation in the area as well as the presence of any chemical or biological hazards. A radio antenna completes the periscope package, and is designed to be hooked to a AN/PRC-70 radio (there is one in every MPV). The antenna allows the Team to contact Prime Base after wakeup, as well as permitting contact with other MP teams in the immediate area. The antenna contact point is located on the wall near the vehicle.
Every standard bolt hole in the Morrow Project has two wall lockers which contain escape tools and emergency supplies. These items are all set up and ready for use. The Ration Pack is complete, the batteries in the Medkit are being charged as the Team wakes up, the tools are hanging on pegs, and the empty Berretta M 92F pistol has one 72 round carton of 9mm ammo and three empty magazines with it. This permits the Team to be able to grab the equipment on the run when making a rapid exit in the event of an emergency, such as the bolt hole filling with water.
Locker #1 (located near Personnel Exit: 1 Ration Pack: feeds 6 people for 10 days, 1 Large Medkit, 1 Beretta M 92F Pistol w/3 empty magazines, 1 Carton 72rds of 9x19mm ammo).
Locker #2 (located near the Emergency Exit: 4 Shovels, 1 two-handed Axe, 2 Picks, and 2 Crowbars).

The Bolthole Exits

The bolthole has three exits; and all three have been designed to be blast-proof and difficult to detect by casual outside observation. All Morrow Project members are aware of how the exits are set up and how they operate, as every MP member has received this training, as well as being required to participate in one "wake-up drill," in the Bolt Hole Simulator at one of the Morrow Training Facilities.

1. PRIMARY EXIT: The Primary Exist is also known as the 'Vehicle Hatch', this is the exit normally used for egress by the Team and their vehicles; usually, this exit consists of a simple drive-through tunnel which slopes upward towards the surface. The Primary Exit is sealed at the bolthole end of the tunnel by a pair of airtight doors that swing out of the way to permit access into the tunnel. At the other end of the tunnel is a pair of large, armor-steel doors weighing a couple of tons each, buried under a good three or more feet of earth cover. These doors, which can only be opened from the inside, are forced open by powerful hydraulic rams running off of the bolthole's power system. The exit is large and slow to open, as the doors are quite heavy and must be pushed open through several feet of earth cover, and thus is a very conspicuous way to leave the bolt hole.
2. PERSONNEL EXIT: The Personnel exit is a small, vertical concrete and steel shaft rising up to within three feet of the surface; the shaft contains steel rungs set into the wall for egress and is designed to permit personnel to exit the bolt hole; it was intended that this exit be used in circumstances where the newly awakened Team decided that opening the massive Primary Exit doors, which are VERY conspicuous, would attract too much attention. Exit is simple: the Team climbs up, inserts an MPID card into the slot, retracts the bolts and swings the stainless steel hatch downward into the shaft. This exposes the ground cover above, which must be hacked through with shovels before the Team can reach the surface (This hatch, identical to the kind used on caches, is the one through which the Morrow Industries people entered to do the equipment updates. Opening the hatch from the outside is possible through the use of a MPID card and normally awakens the sleepers, but a special Morrow Industries card can be used to bypass the wake-up routine).
3. EMERGENCY EXIT: The Emergency Exit is a corrugated steel shaft similar to the Personnel Exit mentioned above, but it is sealed at both ends with a barred manhole cover and is completely filled with sand to ensure that this exit remains intact even if the other two exits are somehow crushed or collapsed by blast or other outside forces. Locker #2, on the wall near this exit, contains the tools necessary to remove the sand, un-bar and remove the upper hatch, and break through the outer earth cover. This exit should only be used when it is impossible to open or use either the Primary (Vehicle) exit or the Personnel exit. As with the Personnel exit, the Emergency Exit is nowhere near as conspicuous as the Primary Exit when opened.

Stored Equipment and Supplies

Except for the pistol and supplies stored in the two lockers located in the bolthole walls, all material in the bolt hole has been placed in storage. The vehicle weapons are aboard the vehicles, in crates; munitions, supplies and ammunition are also in sealed containers: boxes, cans, crates, and the like. All personal weapons, web gear, medkits, backpacks, etc. are stored in the lockers beneath the individual cryotubes. All battery-operated gear (Medkits, MI/PRC radios, etc) have had their battery packs removed while they are kept in storage. The batteries are located in a special charger inside the cryotube lockers, and are automatically charged during the wake-up cycle when the Team is being brought out of cryogenic hibernation.


The Designated Emergency Shelter

The typical Morrow Project Emergency Shelter is a one-and-a-half story shed made of steel-reinforced concrete. Normally the visible shed walls look like concrete block. This was done to make the building appear unappealing to the eye: utilitarian and cheap. The roof was made from several sheets of rust-proofed steel supported by steel I-beam framing and welded together to provide a continuous sloping surface. Morrow industries engineers coated this roof to look like a cheap, common tern-metal (sometimes referred to as "tin-metal") roof. The double doors are big enough to admit a truck, and the windows have swinging metal shutters that are designed to be fireproof. Morrow Project Emergency Sheds where intended to be few in number and are only found in remote areas. The most common way of disguising one in the mountains was to place it at altitude in a forested region and then have Morrow Industries workers "age" the building so that it appeared to have been abandoned 20 or more years ago.
The normal cover for the majority of Emergency Shelters has been US Forestry Service Fire Equipment Storage sheds. And the designated shelter that was set aside for Recon Team MI-R-08 is no acceptation. The small exterior building has all of the appropriate government signs in front of the building proclaiming the building as "US Forestry Service," "Firefighting Equipment," and "United States Government Property."
Inside, the Morrow Industries engineers had placed a great deal many things that made it appear as though various items had once been stored here, and there are empty racks obviously designed to hold shovels and hardhats, plus other storage areas now all empty. Everything would point to a time, once, when this shed had been placed and stocked for an emergency.
But the exterior shed just hides the actual entrance to the Morrow Project Emergency Shelter, and access is gained through a stainless steel panel that has been set into the floor underneath the base of the ladder to the roof. This access has been constructed in a manner as to allow it to appear to be nothing more than the floor-pad for the ladder. The unmarked card slot is located on the wall behind the ladder, obviously only a Morrow Project team member would be looking for the access panel would start looking around the floor-pad and its surrounding area for a card slot.
Once access to the emergency shelter has been made, the engineers used a standard modular bolthole to house all of the team auxiliary vehicles, and to house the additional personal belongings of the team located here, along with the emergency supplies and equipment that will normally be found in the standard Morrow Project Emergency shelter.