For a moment, the seven men of the Jericho storm chase team stood, mesmerized, in a nearly hypnotic state. The three tornadoes had touched down. One to the southwest, one directly west, and the third to the west, northwest. No one knew quite where to look.

Chris, on the roof of the Radar On Wheels semi, had the best wide angle view. He could easily get all three tornadoes in his lens. Roman and Shawn had the best view of the southern most storm. Hunter, Adam and Dean had the western storm, and Seth watched three screens at once on his computer. The poor boy nearly went cross-eyed.

All the various GoPro cameras on the three vehicles were also focused on wide angle to catch all three twisting, finger-like clouds.

Chris sighed deeply. He knew he should be down inside the ROW, to lead his team. Jericho, the former photographer, battled with Chris, the leader of the Jericho Storm Chase Team.

Seth got up from his chair, he went to the door of the office. He had no idea where Chris had gone. "CHRIS?" Seth called out as loud as he could against the wind, thunder and power of nature.

Chris heard Seth call. With great reluctance, he put his camera down. At least the GoPro would catch nearly the same shot. By the time he'd climbed down the ladder, Seth had gone back inside, all the radios were talking at once.

Chris went inside and closed the door behind him. There was too much dirt in the air. They could not put all the delicate equipment at risk. Seth was very glad to see Chris. If he hadn't been so flustered, he would have chuckled at the way Chris' hair was blown in ten directions.

"Sorry, Seth. It happened so fast, I just couldn't stop watching and filming. Warnings to the town out?" Chris and Seth had to communicate through their headsets because of the noise of the storm.

"Yes. Scout is staying in place for now, they are out of any path of danger. Rover wants to know what to do. Chris, I think the two are going to mesh with the northern storm. North is nearly stationary, south is rapidly moving to west. West is also nearly stationary." Seth sounded more excited than anything.

Chris took a breath and put his leadership cap back on. "Okay. South is one, west is two, north is three, always numbers it's easier. Seth, there is no time, you are in charge of Scout, I'll take Rover. Their safety is in your hands. Seth, if I didn't have faith in you, you wouldn't be here. Now, let's get to work." Chris spoke with utter confidence. He was also very calm, which helped Seth.

"Yes, sir. Don't worry I can do it. I have everything recording double, we can't lose a minute of this." Seth had calmed, because of the confidence Chris had given him.

Chris flipped a switch on the radio. "ROW to Rover, Row to Rover." He hoped to hear his Kitten's voice.

"ROW this is Rover. Go ahead, Chris." Hunter responded. His tone was slightly aggravated. Adam had refused to come down from the roof. At least now, Dean was up there with him.

Chris scowled, but now wasn't the time. "Stay where you are for now. You're safe there, until something changes. One is moving toward two. Can you report any damage?"

"One is still about EF one, if that, but it is spinning fast. There have been some transformer flashes. We can get a probe into two, if we move now." Hunter as usual was all about the probes. Chris sometimes had a hard time keeping a storm amped Hunter under control.

Chris shook his head, typical Hunter. "Not yet, Hunt. It's too unpredictable right now. Stay put. By the way, where is my man?" Chris brow arched. Hunter couldn't see it, but he could hear it.

"Up on the roof, but he is perfectly safe. Dean just went up there to film too. Wait… wait… one is… oh my God, Chris. Are you seeing this?" Hunter spoke in a near tone of awe.

"Hold on, Hunt." Chris snapped his finger. When Seth looked up, Chris held up three fingers. Seth nodded, pressed some keys and the GoPro live feed from Rover came up on the screen.

Chris eyes opened wide. "Seth!" He wanted conformation of what he looked at. Chris glanced at Seth.

The tornado to the north was moving south towards tornado number two, as the tornado from the south, also moved to the western tornado. It was one in a million or even higher that a tornado would move from north to south. Nearly one hundred percent of the time, tornadoes moved from the southwest to the northeast. It might wobble at times, but even then it moved from south to north.

"Chris, please, let me try to get a probe into the rogue storm. I still have time, but only if I go now." Hunter almost sounded like he was on his knees and begged.

Chris rubbed his chin. "Alright, but Hunter, double check your exits, fire the probe and then get the HELL out of there. Go!" He knew Hunter wouldn't be stupid, but Adam was with him.

"Thanks. On our way, and yes, Adam is coming down. Rover out." Hunter spoke so fast Chris could hardly understand him. At least it got Adam off the roof.

In the Rover, Adam and Dean barely got in the vehicle before Hunter gunned the engine. Hunter explained what was happening as they sped towards the three funnel clouds. Adam began to prepare the launch panel.

"… so, first you have to warm it up. By the time we get there, it's ready. Then Hunter will stop or slow down just enough for me to launch, then we run like hell and hope we hit. I only wish there was a way to aim it, but we haven't worked it out yet." As Adam finished his explanation to Dean about how the probe launch worked, Hunter brought the Rover to halt. He had just turned down the road they would take to make the launch.

"Okay, it will have to be on my side. Dean, you will have to help Adam line it up. Good Lord…" Hunter commented as he watched the three tornadoes.

The one from the south had slowed down, while the one coming down from the north had sped up. The one in the center was still nearly stationary, like it was waiting for the other two to join it.

"We want to hit the north cloud. Okay, ready, set, go!" Hunter sped down the gravel road at around sixty miles per hour. Adam and Dean hung on for dear life.

At the ROW, both Seth and Chris watched the blue dot that indicated where the Rover was on the map. Seth could see that Chris' lips moved, but nothing came out. Seth wondered if the man was praying. At that thought, Seth realized that Dean was in the Rover as well… his lips too began to move.

Hunter began to slow down. "Get ready. Dean, watch now. Adam, finger on launch. We've got about thirty seconds." Hunter had one eye on the road, and out of his side window.

Dean slid over in the backseat and looked out of the window. Adam was ready for Hunter to stop or at least slow down. Lightening flashed, thunder crashed and the inflow winds buffeted against the Range Rover like a sledge hammer. So far there was no rain or hail, but it wouldn't be long.

Hunter smashed on the breaks, the Rover slid to a stop. "FIRE!" Hunter yelled so loudly it nearly burst his passengers ear drums.

Adam pressed the button for the driver's side third position probe rocket. He fired a second one, just in case. It was something he rarely did, but this was a special event.

As soon as the rockets launched, Hunter once again gunned the engine. Gravel and dust blew in the wind as they sped towards safety.

It was as if the rocket launch woke the storm up. Before Hunter could make the turn onto the escape road, the three tornadoes became one. The storm that was once nearly stationary took off like the rocket that had been fired at it. The bad thing; it was headed in the same direction as the sleek, black Range Rover.

In the ROW two things happened at once. The computer alerted to the fact that the probe had entered the tornado. A split second later, the alarm sounded again, the second probe had also entered the storm, but at a lower point.

Chris and Seth were so enthralled about the double probe strike, they failed to notice the incredible danger the Range Rover was in.

Hunter's eyes went wide as he looked in the side mirror. "Tighten your fuckin' seat belts." Hunter barked as he turned down a barely there road that cut through and empty field. They were half a mile from their planned escape route.

Adam looked out his side window. "Dean! Shoot it! Fucking shoot it!" He gave Dean his beloved camera that he had in his lap.

Dean grabbed the camera and spun in his seat. He managed to climb over into the back of the Range Rover. The graduate student was too busy to worry about the fact that the tornado was only a thousand yards behind them, tearing up the field like a giant plow. The dirt swirled around the tornado like smoke.

Dean fought to keep the camera steady as they bounced more than drove across the field. Both Hunter and Adam banged the tops of their heads against the roof, more than once.

"Go, Hunter, GO! It's getting too close!" Adam had rolled down his window and stuck his head out long enough to look. Even with his long hair pulled into a pony tail, it whipped against his face so hard it stung like a million bees. It brought tears to Adam's eyes. He leaned back in and rolled up the window with a press of a button.

While Adam settled back into his seat, Hunter increased their speed. "I'm trying, Adam. Damn it. I should have listened. I'm sorry." Hunter felt bad and extremely guilty for pushing the probe yet again. Visions of Shawn filled his mind as he drove like a demon through the field.

At the ROW, Seth had the probe data recording on two different drives, one for each probe. Seth did things with computers that no one else had even thought of. Chris finally had a moment to look where the Rover was. He'd been sure Hunter would easily get out of the storms path.

"Holy fuck. No… no… oh fuck… no..." Chris' entire soul sank to the floor as he stared at his computer screen.

That got Seth's attention. He leaned over to look at what Chris was seeing. "Oh Dean…. Dean..." Seth muttered softly.

Chris reached over and put a hand on Seth's shoulder. "My Kitten. Go, Hunter, go." Nothing else mattered. All the Doctor of Meteorology could think of was his beautiful, wonderful husband.

The Scout truck had moved to a place about three miles from the tornado, on a small hill with a perfect view. The winds flowed towards the storm. There was too much lightening to stand outside. Roman was mesmerized by the different patterns the electric strokes made as they struck from the sky to the ground.

"I bet Adam and Dean are getting great footage." Shawn sighed. Sometimes he wished he could take good pictures, he liked the excitement. But then again, his real talents were as the group "psychologist", Pastor and Nurse. All very important parts of the team.

"Too bad they didn't have a chance put a probe up. It blew up too fast. Oh… hang on, here comes the hail!" Roman also sounded a tad jealous, but he knew his job was just as important as Dean's or Seth's. They were so mesmerized by the storm, they failed to listen to the radio contact between ROW and Rover.

"Yep. Hold on." Shawn reached over and pushed a button on the dashboard. There was a mechanical sound. Several steel plates extended out from the roof. They were the hail shields that had been custom made.

The steel plates extended about a foot out over the front windshield, the door windows and rear windshield. They protected the glass from hail. The original idea had come from Kevin Nash, and Chris had loved it.

Roman was still impressed with the idea. "Those really are fantastic." He exclaimed as the panels expanded.

Shawn explained where the idea had come from. "… there is also one that rises up and extends out over the equipment on the roof..." He was interrupted by the crackle of the radio.

"Rover to Scout. Shawn, baby boy, I love you." Was all Hunter said before the radio went silent again.

Shawn looked at Roman with question filled eyes. "What… Roman?" His heart banged in his chest.

Roman shrugged. "Hang on, I'll call Seth." Roman reached for the radio, Shawn stopped him.

"No, Roman. They will be busy with that..." He nodded to the now more distant tornado. "I'll just… have to wait… and pray." Shawn knew Hunter was in dire trouble. His call was the secret code they had devised for trouble.

Roman had the same sudden thought that Seth had earlier. "If Dean… oh… Dean…." He felt Shawn's hand in his. Together, the two men prayed for the men they loved, Adam included.

The Rover was pulled by the wind. Hunter had the gas pedal to the floor, but they were losing ground. The vehicle shook like a rag doll in a dog's mouth.

Dean diligently filmed the roaring tornado as it drew closer and closer. If he was going to die, he would die with a camera in hand.

With a shaky hand, Adam took the radio mic from in front of Hunter's lips. He'd held the mic while Hunter called had called Shawn. Now, he had to do the same to his Lion.

Adam held the mic up to his mouth. He sniffed and swiped the tear from his cheek. He wasn't afraid to die, Adam just didn't want to leave his Lion, alone and hurting.

"R...ROW… the… this is Rover." Adam prayed it would be Chris who responded. "ARGH!" Adam cried out as his head banged once again on the roof of the truck.

"Kitten! Kitten!" Chris heard Adam cry out in pain, was it too late?

"Lion! I'm… okay… I… love… you..." Was all Adam could say, and all he intended to say.

In the safety of the ROW, Chris had other ideas. "Hunter get out of there! You're too close!" He screamed into the radio.

"He's doing… we're…. it's… pulling us… we're… in… a field… if it… starts… to rain… we're… sunk… it's… we… turn… it… follows… ARGH!… head… hits… roof… bounce… lo… ou..." Adam's voice vanished.

Chris could barely hear as Adam's voice broke up as the radio failed. "Oh Kitten, please…. don't be dead..." He let out the most mournful cry Seth had ever heard. The younger man began to sob.

"Dean, Oh I love you… come back to us..." Seth sobbed through his hands.

All Chris and Seth could do was watch, hope and pray. They watched as the red and green blob on the radar got closer and closer to the blue dot. The both jumped out of their skin. The probe alarm went off again. Sure enough, another rocket probe had been fired, but why? Was it a last stand or a goodbye?

Like a robot, Seth began to record the data onto a third external disc drive he kept ready, just in case. Chris couldn't stare at the computer any more. The blue dot had vanished as the red/green blob of the tornado finally over took it.

Chris opened the door, it poured rain and wind made the drops feel like BB's as it pelted Chris' skin. He was too numb to feel it. His Kitten was now a piece of debris in that red/green monster. He fell to his knees and sobbed his heart out.

The Scout truck had survived the golf ball sized hail storm. The rains had gone from heavy sheets to a steady drizzle. Shawn had pushed the button to retract the hail shields. His heart wanted to pick up the radio and find out what was going on.

"Shawn, just call." Roman had watched Shawn's hand reach for the radio, then go back, about ten times.

Shawn sighed. "With that tornado on the ground, the are busy in the ROW. Also, look… that call from Hunt? It was our code. We agreed to make a call like that if there was a chance of… you know. We also agreed, once the call was made, not to call again. Hunter could be trying to concentrate on driving or something. A call could just interrupt. It's only happened a couple of times and we're both still here, so I don't want to jinx it. It's just… hard." The coppery blond let out another sigh.

The student nodded. "I suppose I can understand it. Well, it's still on the ground. Should we follow?"

"Yeah… we've got a job to do. We've got to get ahead of it again. If we swing around, we can go round it from the western side. It's also the safest. Better gun it, the hail really held us up." Shawn pointed out the road to take on the computer screen.

Roman fired up the engine. "Buckle up." He put the red truck in gear and sped off like a bolt of lightening. Shawn flipped the switches that turned on all their flashing amber warning lights. One good thing, at there wasn't any traffic to contend with.

Seth had managed to get Chris back inside. He dug a beach towel out of his bag in the storage compartment in the cab of the ROW. Seth gently towel dried Chris' hair, then wrapped the towel around the older man's shoulders.

Seth opened a thermos and poured two cups of coffee. "Here, drink this, it's still hot. We're not sure, Chris. I've been watching. Shawn and Roman are moving to get ahead of the storm. I've also been listening to the SkyWarn radio. The tornado has shifted again, it's going to the west of Amarillo. They are estimating it to be an EF three. And, so far, no reports of injuries, so that's good." Seth tried to be positive even though he felt as bad as Chris. Dean was as gone as Adam and Hunter.

Chris' hand shook as he went to sip his cup of coffee. "The won't… they were sucked up… Oh God… my Kitten. My beautiful, sweet, funny Kitten..." Chris put the cup back down. He could care less about the tornado or the weather, his life was over.

Roman kept a steady speed as they flew down the gravel road. They had passed the tornado and were now trying to get enough ahead to watch its progress. They didn't have a scouting job to do, but, Shawn's job was to stay ahead of the storm.

"If it's not raining, I can run some FLIR footage. Or, you can, your hand is much steadier." Roman stated as he made a turn down another road, so they could watch the tornado in safety.

Shawn watched the radar closely. "If you go five more miles, we are out of the rain band. The tornado is steady, no sign of roping out. NWS says it's and EF three, no injuries reported, and will go west of Amarillo." Shawn listened to the NWS radio with an earbud, as to not disturb Roman's concentration as he drove.

Roman made the required turn. The storm was visible through Shawn's passenger window. Both men were silent as they found a place to park and watch the storm. It wasn't a rise, but it was flat and had an unobstructed view of the tornado and the path it would take for several miles.

"Good spot. Let's do our jobs." Shawn's heart wasn't in it, he was too worried about his husband, Adam and Dean. Dean, who had made so much progress.

Roman sighed. "Yeah. I could care less either… Dean. But, if they are… we owe it to them to keep on doing our job. Sorry if that came across as… bossy." Roman forgot for a moment that Shawn was his elder and way more experienced.

Shawn gave Roman a slight smile. "Thanks, Roman. I needed to hear that. You're exactly right. Come on, let's film this damn beast." He opened the passenger door and stepped out. The air was oppressive and heavy, as it had not yet been cooled by rain or hail.

Shawn filmed with the thermal camera, while Roman worked to get some lightening shots with his camera. No matter what, lightening absolutely still mesmerized the grad student. He almost forgot his worry… almost.

Chris finally managed to pull himself together. It had helped when Roman signaled that there was footage incoming. It made the Doctor of Meteorology wake up and realize he wanted all the data he could get on the storm that had claimed his Kitten. Chris vowed to make sure no tornado ever took another life.

Seth looked at both the regular and thermal footage sent by the Scout team. "I think it's spinning out soon. The upper level winds are tearing the tops apart." He pointed out the activity to his leader.

Chris had to put on his glasses, his eyes ached from crying and the strain of watching the computer screen. "Good eye. You pay attention. I'm still impressed with that FLIR. Transpose it, Seth. I want to see what the temperature of the upper level winds are."

Seth made the adjustment. He layered the thermal footage over the normal footage. Chris made a "hum" sound. He then made a couple of mathematical calculations. He had Seth double check his math. Chris wasn't sure how accurate he'd been in his state of mind.

Seth passed the paper back to Chris. "A plus, Professor. If warm air rises, why is the cold air on top?" He decided to immerse himself in their work to get his mind off Dean. Maybe it would help Chris as well.

Chris shrugged. "I can only guess it's because the jet stream winds blow stronger as they move from the south to the west, to the northeast. It's starting to break up. I wish I could get more excited. These are the best kinds of storms to study. No homes in the way." He sighed deeply.

Seth looked at his computer. "Oh no… it's getting stronger again." Seth's voice drooped with his shoulders. Maybe the tornado was just getting started, maybe Amarillo would have a Terrible Tuesday of its own… not something to celebrate.

Chris shook his head. "No, there's not enough inflow. The hail and rain have cooled the air too much. It's making a last roar. I hope… he's not a… a broken doll… I can't… it wasn't even a big… tornado…. Oh God, no… they can't be… not my Kitten..." Tears flowed down Chris' face as he hiccuped his words.

Seth huffed. "No, they aren't dead… my Dean can not die!" He refused to cry, but the tears were there.

Shawn and Roman both filmed the dying storm. It had tried to grow and strengthen, but after several blasts of cooler air, it rapidly broke apart. The tornado was now no more than a dangling, twisted thread, then with a poof, it was gone. Rain fell in gray curtains and the lightening was only an occasional flash, like a sheet. It took longer and longer for the echo of thunder to be heard.

"Well, that's it. Hurry, it's going to rain." Shawn exclaimed as the first drops of water caused dark, wet stains to appear on his clothing. Roman shut down both cameras and hurried behind Shawn to the truck.

The younger and older men sat there, not knowing what to do. "I've had this feeling, something was going to happen. I thought…. It felt like we were being watched, but… maybe it was Mother Nature watching… Roman… what will I do? We've been together for nearly thirty years..." Shawn turned to look at Roman, his turquoise eyes were red rimmed and tear filled.

Roman caressed Shawn's cheek as a gesture of support. "I don't know… Dean is our heart and soul. We don't know, the could be alive… there is always hope. You're a Pastor, don't you have the answers?" His dark eyes matched Shawn's.

Shawn gave a guffaw, an almost sarcastic chuckle. "Hardly. Being a Theological student only raised more questions. But… never give up hope and keep the faith are the utmost. Let's go back to the ROW, Seth needs you." He gave a nod to the keys in the ignition.

Roman started the truck. "Chris will need you. You'll need each other. I just… not even two weeks into the season… what… will… are we done?" Roman slowly pulled out onto the main gravel road and headed southeast.

"That will be up to Chris and the University. I'm… until we know for sure… I just… they have to be alright… they just have to be." Shawn spoke firmly. Hunter, Dean and Adam could not be dead, they just couldn't.

After about ten minutes, Shawn cried out. "Stop! Roman, stop!" He was excited about something, but what.

Shawn fumbled with his seat belt. With a growl of frustration, he finally freed himself. Shawn opened the door and ran down the road a few feet. Roman watched as Shawn bent down and picked something up. It dawned on the student, Shawn had recovered a rocket probe.

When he got back to the truck. Shawn held the probe as gently as a newborn babe. "He… made this." Shawn muttered as he cradled the spent probe in his arms.

Before Roman could put the truck in gear, the radio came to life. "ROW to Scout. Come home." It was Seth's voice and he sounded utterly shattered.

Roman grabbed the mic. "We're on our way, baby. It will be okay. I'll be there soon. I love you." He replaced the mic and put the truck in gear. He glanced over at Shawn, it was pitiful. Tears slowly dripped down Shawn's cheeks and fell onto the probe in his hands. Roman didn't notice the tears that dripped down into his neat black beard. He sped down the road, his Sethie needed him.

Chris and Seth sat on the steps. They had to breathe in some of the fresh, storm cooled air. They could hear the radios if they called or gave a new report. They also had their hand held radios, just in case.

"Seth, do you have Dean's cigarettes? I'll buy him a new pack." Chris asked in a nearly robotic voice.

Without a word, Seth got up. He returned a few minutes later with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "They are menthol." Seth stated as he handed them to Chris.

"That's what I smoke. Thanks." Chris already had a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He took a drag so deep, half the cigarette turned to ash.

Both their heads turned when they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. When the flame red Scout truck came into view, Seth and Chris both slumped. They had hoped to see black, not red.

Roman parked behind the ROW. Seth got up and walked toward the truck. Roman got out as fast as he could. Soon his arms were filled with a heartbroken Seth.

Shawn got out of the truck. He carried the probe in his hands. Chris looked when he saw Shawn stand in front of him. He was startled to see the probe Shawn carried.

"Is that all you found? No… nothing else?" Chris looked at Shawn with sad, blue eyes.

Shawn knew exactly what Chris meant. "No… no signs of anything else. What do you know? Please, Chris. I need to know." He nearly begged as he sat on the steps with Chris.

Chris lit another cigarette and told Shawn all he knew. It was hard, very hard. "...I'm the one that cleared the probe launch. I knew they had an escape route, the tornadoes were far enough apart. Just before the radio went out, they got one last probe into the storm. I just… can't believe what happened." Chris finished with an exhale of smoke.

Shawn kept his grip on the probe. "Hunt would be glad to know he got three into one storm. I guess you've tried calling?"

Chris lit a fresh cigarette off the butt of the other. "Nothing but static. Shawn, what do we do?" He turned to his older friend for help.

"Maybe we could search? Maybe they are just stuck in a ditch or hurt and waiting for us. I can't… I have to find them." Shawn spoke firmly, with a fire in his eyes.

Chris nodded. "I agree. Boys?" Chris called out to the college students. Roman and Seth stood and clung to each other. When Chris called, they walked over, hand in hand.

"Shawn and I want to search. Maybe they are stuck or hurt. You two take the ROW and come from this direction. We'll go to the place where they turned to escape. We should meet in the middle. Roman, if the way looks like the ROW is too heavy, call, don't get stuck. A semi tow out is over a thousand bucks, plus the radar is too delicate. If you see anything, radio, we'll do the same. Let's go." Chris gave his orders in the same voice he used to direct a chase.

Chris and Seth shut down the radar and locked in place. It slid back into its protective cover. The also shut down all the computers. Seth had already double saved all the data. It took about thirty minutes. All while they worked to get ready to leave, ears and heads perked and turned at every sound, but no Range Rover appeared.

The Scout, driven by Chris went one way, the Radar On Wheels the other. The rains had stopped and the skies had begun to clear. A rainbow appeared in the eastern sky, but not one of the four men saw it. They were too busy looking for signs of the Range Rover.

"Ro, what are we gonna do? It's so… Dean felt so much better. Why? Why now?" Seth asked in an emotion filled voice.

Roman sighed as drove slowly and scanned with his eyes. "I don't know, baby. I really don't know. I know I won't leave you, ever. I love you too much to ever leave you. I also know Dean would want us to go on and finish our degrees, and make him proud. Or, he could be sitting in a wet, muddy ditch wondering where we are." He hoped to give Seth something to cling to.

Seth let out a whimper. "Do you really think so? Roman, you didn't see what Chris and I saw..." He went on to explain about seeing the tornado on the radar over take the blue dot that represented the Range Rover. By the time Seth finished, the tears rolled down his face once again.

Once Roman heard Seth out, he didn't have much hope to cling to, but he had to hold himself together for Seth. "Baby, we just have to hope, pray and keep the faith. No matter what, we have each other."

Seth said nothing, but his hand rested on Roman's thigh as his eyes scanned for any kind of clue as to where the Range Rover had gone.

Shawn listened as Chris finished telling him the same thing Seth had told Roman. "...then the radio went dead and the dot vanished. A couple of seconds later, a probe started to send data. It was their way of saying goodbye… my… Kitten..." Chris finished with a sniff and a drag off a cigarette. He blew the smoke out of the open window.

Shawn's eyes clouded over, he swiped them with his fingers. He had to stay focused as watch for debris, or any other clue from their missing loved ones.

When Chris saw the amber bar lights of an approaching vehicle, both he and Shawn held their breath. Was it the Rover?

The closer the vehicle got, the searching me knew it wasn't the Range Rover. It was the tank-like vehicle of Kevin Nash. Chris' whimper of disappointment escaped before he could stop it. Chris slowed down as Kevin did.

"Hey Chris, Shawn. Man, that was another rogue wasn't it? We were a quarter mile from being in the center. Next time maybe. What are you doing out here? I thought you stayed in the radar truck?" Kevin was bright eyed with excitement as he spoke a hundred miles an hour.

Chris pulled himself together. For some reason, he couldn't tell the truth. "Looking for our rocket probes. They managed to get three hits. We found one, gotta keep lookin'. You'll get your shot, Kev. No one has more determination than you. Well, we'd better keep looking while we have daylight. Say, if you see something like this, call me, okay?" Chris asked as he held up the rocket probe Shawn had brought.

Kevin smiled. "Will do. Stay safe. See ya down the line." He pressed the gas pedal and the heavy vehicle pulled away.

"You did good, Chris. No one needs to know until we do. Come on, let's go." Shawn took the probe and held it firmly. It was his link to Hunter and what held him together.

The two vehicles followed the path of the Range Rover, but they found no signs of the broken car anywhere. There was one tiny good thing. Seth and Roman happened to find the other two rocket probes. One had fallen on the road, the other in the field where the Rover had raced to escape the tornado.

The were now parked just off the paved highway that would lead them back to Amarillo. "We should keep looking. Maybe we missed something." Seth looked at their leader with red rimmed eyes.

"It's getting too dark. We will go back to the hotel. I'll call the Sheriff. The are still saying no injuries, but maybe… I dunno. Shawn?" Chris looked to their elder. If he ever needed Shawn's fatherly advice, it was now.

Shawn sighed. "It's the best option right now. I say we go back. It's also where Hunter, Adam and Dean would go. We also need to… be together." He finished with another sigh.

With everyone in agreement, Chris drove the Scout truck and led the ROW back to the hotel. Needless to say, the four hoped to see the missing Ranger Rover in the parking lot. Hopes and hearts flopped again when the Rover wasn't there. The final loss of hope came when they found their rooms cold, dark and empty. No Adam curled up like a kitten in the bed, nor no Dean or Hunter.

Fifteen minutes later, Shawn, Seth and Roman listened while Chris phoned the Potter County Sheriff's Department. Chris carefully explained who he was and why he called. He answered several general questions, names of the missing, what make, model and color of the vehicle, what their last known location was and a few questions about the storm chase.

When Chris hung up the phone, several more minutes later, three pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly. Chris began to speak.

"They are sending a Deputy over. They of course want pictures, and to see our map. They couldn't figure out where I was talking about. It's possible they were actually in Vega county. If so, they will have to work through them. The Deputy did assure me, they know of no accidents or injuries or… deaths. All we can do now is get some pictures ready. The Deputy will be here soon. It's the best we can do right now." Chris gave a shrug. There was nothing to do but wait.

Seth was confused. "Why didn't we find anything? How can a car just vanish into thin air? It's just not possible." He was angry, hurt and upset. Especially when Roman had pulled a picture of Dean out of his wallet and laid it on the table.

Shawn's robotic voice replied. "Seth, think about it. They could have vanished in air. The tornado could have picked them up and dropped them miles and miles from where they were. There was a report of a semi being picked up by a tornado and dropped fifty miles from where it was picked up." It was horrible to say, and worse to think, but it was possible.

"Oh my God, I just… I should have… Oh God." Seth began to sob again as Roman held him close. Seth was never emotional about things, nor childish, but this strongly affected him and no one could blame him.

Both Chris and Shawn had also pulled out pictures of their husbands for the Deputy. They also felt like lost children. Chris just wanted to crawl into bed and sob his heart out.

Roman managed to sooth Seth, but he still held the smaller man in his lap and rocked him gently. Shawn nursed a cup of peppermint tea, the rocket probe and his Bible were in his lap. Chris sat on the bed, close to where Shawn sat in a chair. He rocked himself and chewed on his fingers. Four strong, courageous men had been reduced to frightened boys. It was a very heartbreaking thing to see.

All four jumped when a loud, authoritative knock echoed on the door. Chris stood. "The Deputy is here." He stated as he walked to the door.

Seth slid off Roman's lap and into a chair, and wiped his eyes. Shawn closed his Bible and Roman held Dean's picture. Chris opened the door.

A tall, older, yet handsome Potter County Deputy stood there, a stony expression on his face. "Chris Jericho?" He waited, as Chris nodded.

The Deputy spoke. "I have some news for you."