The Jericho Storm Chase, Incorporated armada pulled out of the Jericho's driveway at eleven o'clock on Wednesday morning, June 22nd. It was a very late start, but Chris wasn't upset, he was worried.
Adam had woken up at three in the morning with a raging migraine. Chris had to call Shawn to come give Adam an injection of strong medication. Shawn kept it on hand at all times. At six, Shawn gave Adam a second shot and said if it didn't work, they would have to take Adam to the emergency room. The second injection worked. The college students had slept through the whole thing on air mattresses in Chris' office.
Even though Adam still felt ill, he refused to let Chris call off the chase. They had to be in Lamar, Colorado by tomorrow.
Shawn and Chris turned the back seat of the Range Rover into a bed for Adam. Shawn rode shotgun, to make sure Adam was alright. Kenny kept Hunter company in the Scout. Roman drove the Radar On Wheels, with Dean in the passenger seat and Seth sat in the office and worked on the forecast.
The sad part was, because of their late start, they couldn't stop in Guymon like they'd planned. Kenny called Detective Sergeant Kyle Miller and explained. Kyle was disappointed, but understood. Kyle told Kenny all the paper work was done and John "Morrison" Hennigan was just a file. It was all done and over with, for good.
With stops, the 441 mile trip on US-412 West would take around eight or nine hours, depending on Adam.
The dance of the chase continued.
They stopped in Woodward, Oklahoma. Adam wanted to get some fresh air and a clear soda. He was a bit nauseous, but not to the point of actually throwing up. His migraine was now just a dull thud. Adam was determined to keep going.
The armada pulled into a Sonic restaurant that had special parking for semi trucks and a picnic area under shade. Adam walked with support from Shawn and Chris.
Adam sat at the picnic table with the others. They all looked at Adam with deep concern. He smiled at his friends.
"I'm alright, guys. The shots make me a bit… loopy for a while, especially two of them. I just need some ginger ale and salty french fries. A good sleep and I will be my old self. I think I did something to my neck yesterday when we worked on getting Red Shoe unanchored." Adam explained to his worried companions.
Roman, Seth and Hunter went to place their order. Dean spoke. "I am sure getting rocked around in the car didn't help either. Anything you need?" He was really worried about his mentor.
Adam smiled again. "Could be, it didn't help. Still, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. No, I am alright for now, thanks. How are the GoPros?"
Dean shrugged. "Not sure yet. I will clean them when we get to Lamar. I would do it in the ROW, but I need a stable surface to work on. I'll do it in the ROW though if you want." He was afraid Adam would be upset with him.
Adam laid a hand on Dean's arm. "It's okay, Dean. Waiting till we get to the motel is fine. I am not upset with you. Are you alright, Dean?" Now he was worried about his student.
Dean nodded "Yeah, I'm fine. Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I..." He was halted by Adam.
"Don't worry about it. It was funny. Things like that don't bother me. So, forget it, okay? Neither Chris or I are upset with you." Adam gave Dean a wink.
Their food arrived and Adam took a big drink of ginger ale. He even managed to eat a plain hamburger with his fries. Both Shawn and Chris were glad to see Adam willingly eat. It was a good sign that he felt much better.
Later, when they were back on the road, Adam slept like a log. Chris and Shawn chuckled together when Adam began to snore like a chainsaw. The stopped two more times and by the time they got to Lamar, Colorado, Adam was wide awake.
Chris led the armada to the Blue Spruce Motel. It was on the southwest side of town and was in a very quiet area. It was surrounded by a forest, made up mostly of blue spruce trees, it was a very beautiful location.
Like most motels, it was older, but was extremely neat and clean. It was privately owned by an older couple and their son and daughter.
There was a small pool, which made Seth happy. The rooms were all outside, ground floor. Shawn had picked the motel because trucks were allowed to park in front of the rooms.
The rooms were standard kings with a sitting area. A coffee maker, fridge and microwave were in each room. They had the usual adjoining four rooms. It was spacious and very nice.
The Jericho's were in room 1, on the corner. The Helmsley's in room 2, the triad occupied room 3 and Kenny Omega was in room 4. Everyone took the time to settle in, then they gathered in the Jericho's room, to discuss the plan for the next days chase.
Chris and Seth sat the table in the sitting area with their laptops. Hunter and Roman sat with the probe repair box between them. The did some much needed maintenance work on some of the probes. Kenny helped Dean with cleaning the GoPro cameras, as they sat on the floor. Adam rested on the bed, propped up in the pillows. Shawn made coffee and sandwiches. No one really wanted a big meal, they had all over snacked on the road.
Chris winced. He'd forgotten about the cut on the bridge of his nose when he went to rub the area. "Ow! Forgot about that. Anyway, I can't decide about tomorrow. The front just stalled again. It was moving our way, and then it stopped. I never never seen weather like we have had this year. Seth, what do you think?" He looked at his student, brow arched.
Seth wasn't sure, was Chris testing him? He looked at his computer again. He'd made a forecast, using Chris' methods, but was it right? All he could do was give his best answer.
"Well, until the front stalled, I thought storms would move in from Las Animas county, across the northwest corner of Baca county, along the Bent and Prowers county lines. There could be a possible split further up into Bent county. But, now it's wait and see if the front moves and if so, which way? Maybe it's trying to decide to left or right split? Maybe the weather is thinking?" Seth spoke with a bit of a laugh. The weather certainly wasn't behaving like it should.
"Okay, that's it. I am officially redundant. That is exactly what I wrote down. You're right, it does seem like the weather is thinking. We just have to figure out how to out think it… again." Chris rubbed his nose again, his glasses irritated the cut.
Seth shook his head. "You are not redundant. Remember, it's really you on the computer… well your method. You know what I mean. So, I guess we made poor Adam suffer the hurried trip for nothing."
Adam protested. "No, Seth. It's fine. We had no way of knowing. If we had waited a day, we could have missed a big storm. I'm fine. So no more fretting about lil ole me. Shawnie, can I please have a P. B. and J. sandwich?" He drug out the word please so long, even Hunter covered his ears.
Adam's antics made everyone laugh, and that broke the tension in the room. Seth spoke again. "You know, we don't need a mechanical siren, we can just give Adam something to whine about, give him a megaphone, and put him on top of the ROW." Again the room broke out in laughter, with Adam laughing the most and the loudest.
Thursday wakened to a cloudy, hot, humid day. The storm chasers were the only motel guests in the dining area. The motel provided a huge, free, continental breakfast. All kinds of cereals, pastries, rolls and condiments were served with several choices of juices, milk and coffee.
Dean chewed on a butter laden croissant. "You know, there is something unique about Lamar. I wonder if it could have an effect on the weather." He didn't realize he'd actually spoken his thought out loud.
Chris swallowed his bite of food. "What are you talking about, Dean? What is so unique about Lamar?" He was curious, maybe things did affect the weather.
Dean ducked his head. "Guess I was thinking out loud again. Anyway, Lamar is globally opposite to Ile Amsterdam, which is an island in the southern Indian Ocean. Lamar is one of only three places in the US, that is opposite another landmass on earth. That makes Lamar an antipode. I don't think it would actually affect the weather, but, look at Roman's lightening theory. Maybe… anything is possible."
Seth pushed some buttons on his open laptop. "Ile Amsterdam… Indian Ocean…." His fingers danced over the keys. Everyone was now curious as they leaned in or stood up to look at Seth's computer.
"Holy hell… will you look at that..." Seth pointed to the laptop. He had looked up the Island in the Indian Ocean, then found a current radar image of the area.
"It's just out there, halfway between Australia and Africa. What a desolate place. Wonder if anyone actually lives there?" Adam was more curious about the single landmass in the vast ocean.
Chris also looked something up on his cell phone "Wow. It does fall under the Köppen Climate classification, and so does Lamar It's a potentially volcanic island. There is a research station on the island with about twenty eight people living there, sometimes up to thirty. They do studies of biology, geomagnetism and get this, meteorology. It also has a very active amateur radio station and relay. And, as Seth pointed out… there is a stalled front to the west of the island. Could there be a tie? Because of the alignment? Seth… just… keep an eye on what happens. We can compare the data." He was totally lost in thought.
"Just what we need, more data to compare. I am kidding, guys. I find it interesting. Maybe it proves the Chaos Theory." Hunter gave a shrug. His own science filled mind began to churn.
Chris leaned back and put his cell phone back in his pocket. "I will decide at one. Maybe after the warm air collides with the front, it will move. I have a feeling, once it breaks, it will be fast and furious. Seth, let's go to the ROW. Roman, fire up the generator, please. Let's collect some pre-storm data. Um, Hunter could I ask you a huge favor? Go fire a probe? About fifty miles to the southwest." Chris looked at Hunter with hope.
Hunter gave a nod. "Be glad to. Adam, you up to it? How's the head?" He looked at the handsome blond.
Adam stood. "Head is fine. Yep, I'll get my camera, you never know. We could wake it up with a probe." Hunter gave Adam a nod of respect. No one could say Adam wasn't a team player.
Shawn gave Hunter a kiss and Chris kissed Adam. Hunter and Adam headed out in the Rover. Roman went to the ROW and powered up the generator. When all the lights turned green, he pressed the button to open the Doppler Radar's protective case. The radar slid out of its home and went to work. Kenny and Dean finished up their work on the GoPros. They were going to put them back on the ROW.
As they drove to their probe launch point, Hunter spoke. "So, what was it really like, Adam?" He was curious about the tornado hit.
Adam sighed. "Between us? Promise?"
"You know it is, I promise. It was an after stress migraine, wasn't it?" Hunter spoke firmly. He knew there was more to it than what Adam had actually said yesterday.
Adam nodded. "Yeah, it was. I honestly wouldn't have passed up the chance. It was the most exciting thing ever. But, all I could really think of was seeing the Escalade being sucked up like a piece of paper and being tossed back down. Thinking Chris was in the car, and I'd not only lost my husband, but my whole world as well. When the actual tornado hit us, all I could think of was, what was going through Drew's mind. Was he terrified? Was he so far gone in his mind he didn't even know what was happening? Did he know he was going to die? Did he know and want it? I know we will never know, an no, I don't feel guilty. But, I will always wonder about Drew's last moments. I know how scared I was, but I knew we would be alright. I guess it all clobbered me at once; Morrison, barely escaping that time warp tornado, Drew, yesterday…. My head just exploded. I honestly feel a lot better now. As I said, I will always wonder about Drew, but, I will never dwell on it." Adam finished with another sigh.
Hunter smiled at Adam as he parked the Rover. "I can understand all of that It was much the same for Shawn and I, as we watched. Then I got a bit upset. We remembered that day, six years ago, and then we deliberately sent you and Chris into the direct path of a tornado. Later, we both realized it had been the right thing to do, but, the guilt was still there. I am glad you and Chris are alright. I was also very glad Chris has been cured of his desire to get close. Well, let's fire number six and see what happens." He nodded to the launch panel in the console.
Adam warmed up the launch control panel As he waited, he keyed his radio mic. "ROW, Rover. Will fire probe shortly. What do you want us to do after probe retrieval?"
"Rover, ROW. Ten-four, fire on your ready. I will get back to you. We'll see if the probe wakes her up. So, stand by for further. ROW, out." Chris' tone was all business as he responded.
"ROW, Rover. Ten-four. Standing by for further. Rover, out." Adam put down the radio and looked at Hunter. "All green."
"Fire six." Hunter gave the command with a nod to Adam.
Adam pressed the button for probe six. It took off with a "thwap". "Probe away!" Adam stated as he watched the probe fly into the sky.
"Rover, ROW. You'd better stay in the field. Go recover the probe, then move twenty five miles to the northeast. Sending Scout out now, fifty miles to the southwest. Front moving rapidly. Move as fast as you can, but don't make any roads ROW, out." Chris spoke quickly and firmly.
"ROW, Rover. On our way. We just retrieved the probe. Will call when in place. Rover, out. Scout, Rover. Dean, you need to still shot, I only brought video. Rover, out." Adam ended his radio calls as he and Hunter sped down the road.
Roman had quickly helped to get the Scout ready. He, Dean and Shawn sped to their destination. Dean picked up the radio and keyed to talk.
"Rover, Scout. Will do, Adam. Shawn wants to know if you have enough water." Dean waited for Adam to respond.
"Scout, Rover. Yes, I threw in a cooler. Stay safe guys. Rover, out." Adam replied with a smile in his voice.
At the Radar On Wheels, Chris stood on the steps. He looked to the southwest. Kenny Omega was on the ROW roof, and filmed the clouds as they changed.
"Hey, Chris. Just… the front is on the move toward that island. It broke loose at almost the same moment as ours did." Seth called out over his shoulder. He'd been casually watching the radar over the island in the Indian Ocean. He'd been stunned when both fronts broke within minutes of each other.
Chris went back inside the ROW and sat down. "That is very interesting. Guess we have another theory to study..." He was stopped when the NWS radio came to life.
"ROW, Scout. We have rotation but… no visible thunderhead… sending FLIR." Shawn's voice sounded astonished.
Seth looked at the FLIR footage, he too was amazed. "It was just a thunderstorm warning for Las Animas county. This rotation is in Bent county, fifty miles ahead of the storm. How?" He couldn't believe what was showing on his computer.
"ROW, Rover. We are going to probe this. We have a way in and out. Can we go? Need to know, now." Adam's voice was also filled with astonishment.
Chris looked at the radar and keyed his radio. "Rover, ROW. Go for probe, then go twenty-five, northeast of Scout. ROW, out."
"ROW, Rover. Ten-four. Rover, out." Adam replied simply.
Dean filmed the odd storm, but didn't run a live stream. "I am going to wait a bit for a live stream, or wait… do I need to warn the people now?"
Roman looked at Dean. "Make an announcement. Tell them to prepare and that you will go live when necessary." He gave his best advice.
"I agree, Dean. Let them be advised, but no need to panic everyone." Shawn kept his eyes on the FLIR as he spoke.
Dean set his camera on a tripod, then stood in front of it. He went live on their social media sites. "People in Bent and Prower counties need to prepare for a possible tornado. This includes the town of Lamar. Stay alert and heed all warnings. I will return with a live stream as things develop. Again, be prepared, but don't panic. Listen to your media devices. Thank you." Dean ended the live announcement.
In the ROW, Chris grinned. "Dean sure has a great way of putting things to the public just right. Warn but don't panic. What is going on? That rotation is getting stronger..." He stopped when the probe alarm went off.
Chris spoke again. "Oh! They got two in! That's my Kitten. This is insane. I've never seen such strong rotation so far ahead of the base storm." His voice faded as he watched the radar.
As the Range Rover sped away from the rotation, Hunter gave a laugh. "You didn't mean to do that, did you?" He glanced over at Adam, who looked a bit sheepish.
"Um… no, I didn't. I hit number three when I meant to hit power. Oh well, two probes won't hurt anything. I've never done that before." Adam felt stupid for making the mistake.
Hunter turned on to a small, narrow gravel covered dirt road, that led to their waiting point. "Yeah, not a big deal. Who knows, maybe the second probe will get some extra information that the first one won't. Shawn always quotes that Bob Ross guy. It's not a mistake, it's a happy accident, or something like that. You know, we've had rotation ahead of a storm before… but never this much ahead. Well, Chris' lab students will have plenty to do next term." He brought the Rover to a halt on a small rise of land.
Adam took his camera in hand. "True about what you said. Oh, let me show you what Dean just did." He pulled out his cell phone and showed Hunter the announcement Dean had made. Adam was a proud mentor.
Roman, Shawn and Dean ducked low when a bolt of lightening struck half a mile from where they stood. The thunder rumbled extremely loud, louder than usual.
"That was positive! We'd better get into the truck!" Roman spoke in a commanding tone. They needed to be undercover. As if to put a period on Roman's words, another bolt struck out from the angry sky.
As soon as the trio were safe in the truck, two things happened. Dean started a live stream and Roman made a radio call to the Radar On Wheels.
In the ROW, Seth listened to Roman. "… so, it was positive. Thunder was abnormally loud. Scout, out."
"Scout, ROW. Ten-four. Inform if lightening changes. Good job earlier, Dean. Good stream now. Keep them alert, but calm. ROW out." Chris spoke to his team. He then looked at Seth.
"Will you be able to tell if the storm was negative before the double probe hit?" Chris asked as he thought of Roman's theory.
Seth shrugged. "I will try. I'll have to break down and compare a lot of data. Then when I know what readings to look for, I will probably be able to tell. Sorry, I wish I could tell you more now. Roman can only know when he sees the lightening."
Chris smiled at Seth. "Don't apologize, Seth. You know you are not really a computer. Maybe you can figure out how to add that question to the probe program. If anyone can, it's you. After all, you have loads of time, it's not like your doing a paper for a doctoral panel or anything." Chris teased his student with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Seth laughed. "Adam is right, you are a smart ass. Seriously though, that is a great idea. I will work on it. It would be a great piece to add..." He was stopped when he saw the radar.
"ROW, Scout. We have a tornado! Looks like it is...anticyclonic! Scout, out." Shawn's voice was a mix of emotions that ranged from excitement to fear at the end.
Chris looked at the radar. "Where is the parent tornado? How can there be an anticyclonic tornado without a parent to spawn from?" He couldn't believe what he saw.
Kenny had come down from the roof because of the lightening. He stood on the ROW steps and filmed. He'd heard what Chris had said, and he was confused.
"Chris, can you explain?" Kenny asked when Chris got up to come out and look at the storm.
"Basically, anticyclonic storms are smaller, weaker satellites from strong, powerful tornadoes. They are caused when a storm splits and normally they move to the left of the parent storm. They always have a parent storm… but… there isn't one, unless it's invisible, which is impossible over dirt ground. I have never once heard of or seen an anticyclonic tornado without a parent. What the fuck is going on with the weather?" Chris explained it in very basic therms, but, it was correct.
Kenny gave a wry chuckle. "So almost like a virgin birth or something along those lines. I guess Mother Nature still has some surprises for us."
"That, my friend, is a severe understatement. Just… film it, Kenny. I am glad you're here." Chris gave Kenny a pat on the shoulder, then went back inside.
Dean spoke to their live stream viewers over the thunder that rumbled overhead. "… being anticyclonic, it is much weaker than a cyclonic storm. However, they can track over an area several times, and can move extremely slow. So, if you are in the path, get to your shelters and stay put. Just because it passes, does not mean it can't loop over again. Wait for an official all clear before leaving your shelter. I will now switch to the GoPro and I will speak to you again when needed." Dean made the switch and took a sip of water.
"That was really good, D. I bet Miss Janet and Barbara are watching. You said they told you they never miss a stream." Roman spoke to his husband with a pride filled smile.
Dean held his camera firmly as he pointed it at the storm from the window of the club cab. "I know Barb is, she posted a comment. What I want to know is, where is the big, bad parent tornado I've never heard of an anticyclonic tornado without a parent." He was as confused as Chris.
Much the same conversation took place between Hunter and Adam in the Rage Rover. Adam sat in the passenger seat and filmed He and Hunter had also decided to take shelter from the lightening.
"It's moving fast, but then it loops back. Like ten steps forward and three back. It makes them dangerous. Dean did a great job of warning people not to come out of shelter too soon." Adam spoke as he continued to film.
Hunter sighed. "Makes them impossible to land probe too. At least we got some data on it."
Adam chuckled a bit. "You are as obsessed with probing as Chris was about getting close. He learned his lesson the other day. You should have learned yours when you kept us from getting killed. Hunt, I am only teasing you I want to probe as much as you do, but it is not worth the risk." He briefly turned and gave Hunter an apologetic grin.
"I know, kiddo. But, I did learn one lesson. I am not a qualified road builder." Hunter laughed with a wink to Adam.
At the Scout, Roman and Shawn spoke. "When do you think it will be safe to track it? I don't want it to get too far ahead." Roman asked the older, more experienced storm chaser.
Shawn looked at his laptop with the radar. "Give it about ten more minutes. We can use this as an escape route if needed." He pointed to a road on the map.
"Scout, Rover. When will you track? And do you have a secondary exit?" Hunter's voice carried over the radio.
Shawn told his husband their plan. "… so, we will take that other road, away from the storm it it loops back our way. You two stay safe. Scout, out." He ended the call.
"Scout, Rover. Will do. See you back at the ROW. You stay safe too. Rover, out." Hunter replied with love in his voice.
Ten minutes later, the Scout began to track back to the ROW, in the trail of the small, odd tornado. Roman's eyes were glued to the road and Shawn kept an eye on the radar and the storm. Dean continued the live stream and occasionally explained what was going on.
Not long after the Scout moved, Hunter and Adam began their track back. They were just ahead of the tornado. Adam filmed the storm as they drove down the road.
In the ROW, Seth watched the red and blue dots of Scout and Rover on the radar/map overlay. Chris stood in the doorway and watched the storm. Kenny continued to film.
Seth glanced over at Chris. He could tell the man was utterly lost in his thoughts. He knew whatever it was, it would lead to more work in the lab and Seth honestly didn't mind.
"There has to be a reason, but what? How do you have an anticyclonic tornado and no parent? We will have research all of recorded tornado history." Chris mused his thought aloud.
Seth chuckled to himself. Yep, Chris' thoughts led to more lab work. Oh well, at least that kind of research was quick and easy, for the most part.
"Not a problem. Grazulis' book on significant tornadoes is on my computer at the lab. It won't take that long." Seth responded as he watched the radar.
The Scout sped down the road. "We'd better take that other road. The tornado is looping and it's going to loop on this road." Shawn called out over another rumble of thunder.
Roman nodded. "Hang on." He made the turn onto the escape route road. There was a loud "pop" as Roman fought to keep the truck from sliding into the ditch.
"Damn it! We've had a blow out! Dean, help me!" Roman hit the steering wheel, now was not the time for a flat tire.
In the ROW, Seth looked at the radar/map. "Why have they stopped?" He keyed the mic. "Scout, ROW. Why did you stop? You're too close to the loop back!" He waited for Shawn to respond. Chris heard Seth and turned his attention to the younger man.
Hunter and Adam heard the radio call. They could only keep driving and wait to hear what Shawn had to say.
"ROW, Rover, Scout. We've got a flat. Roman and Dean are fixing it, and putting a NASCAR crew to shame. We're alright, as long as the tornado behaves. Scout, out." Shawn mostly spoke the truth. No need to panic everyone with how close the tornado really was. Shawn stayed out of the way of Roman and Dean as they worked like demons.
In the Rover, Hunter let out a cross between a growl and a whimper. "Oh my little copperhead… please… be careful." He spoke under his breath.
Adam laid his hand on Hunter's leg in support. "They will be alright. Roman and Dean know what they are doing. Hunt, why do you call him copperhead, when Shawn's hair color is more dirty blond?" Adam was curious, but he hoped to help Hunter remain calm. Nothing calmed him more than talking about his Shawn.
Hunter chuckled a bit "More from temper than hair color. Although, when we first met, he had more red in his hair, it shone like copper in the setting sun. But, also in our very early times, Shawn had a temper that would put Dean's to shame. Even after he sobered up. Injustice always made him angry. When he got fired up about something, he would strike like a snake, but not with fists but with words. I picked copperhead for his hair though. Rattler just didn't fit Shawn."
"That's why Dean was able to help Dean so much. He is the only one of us that could really understand Dean's pain. Dean is a different person from the start of the season… due to Shawn." Adam spoke with warmth and love for the Preacher.
"So is Chris. You helped change him, but so did Shawn. Where is the storm?" Hunter asked as he kept driving.
Adam looked at his laptop. "Looping along the same area. It's hard for me to see it now, rain bands between us and the storm. Chris changed because of Shawn. Shawn was so supportive when Chris was in jail on those fucking false rape charges. John, too. I miss him." Adam sighed.
"We knew Chris couldn't have done that horrible thing. I miss John too, and Randy. Shawn spent hours with them trying to council them. It was one time he just couldn't get through. Randy just… closed up. John wanted to try, to stick by Randy, like Randy had for him. John just couldn't take Randy's brooding any more. Randy wasn't abusive, but, he shut John out. Losing that promotion at the Fire Department didn't help, but Randy's Captain had no choice. Randy had shut down at work too. He stopped talking to his shift brothers and in that line of work, it led to not trusting Randy. So the Captain demoted him back down to paramedic. That was the last straw for Randy. John said, that night, when Randy got home, he started to pack up to leave. John begged Randy to stay and talk. Shawn and I begged him. But, Randy was done, and so was John by then. Broke John's heart, but, he is very happy now as you well know. I pray for the day Randy will contact me again. Thank God, Roman came along. He likes to talk sports as much as I do. It's my way of de-stressing after a chase. Bless Shawn, he tried but if it isn't hunting, it's not a sport. No dis to you guys, but you and Chris only talk hockey." Hunter spoke more in fifteen minutes than he had at once during the entire season.
Adam just listened. He'd heard all the Orton-Cena stuff before, but Hunter needed to talk, so he let him. Adam was about to speak, but a radio call stopped him.
"Scout, ROW, MOVE! NOW! GET OUT OF THERE!" Chris' frantic voice echoed like thunder in the Rover.
"Whoa, Hunter. Stop! Let me drive." Adam cried out as Hunter narrowly missed putting them in the ditch.
Hunter stopped the Range Rover. He could hardly breathe. He looked over at Adam with pure fear and panic in his eyes and deeply carved into his face.
"Oh Adam… Shawn, answer… please answer." Hunter was just short of a total breakdown Tears streamed down his face into his beard.
Adam hugged Hunter as they met in front of the Rover to trade places. "He will be alright. You well know, escaping is first, radio contact second. Come on, honey." Adam helped Hunter to the passenger seat. He buckled Hunter's seat belt and gave the older man another pat on the shoulder. Adam shut the door then went around and got into the driver's seat. He buckled up, put the Rover in drive and headed for the Radar On Wheels.
Seth stared at the radar/map. "The storm is over the road. I don't have their signal… maybe the blow out took out the tracking device. Rover is moving again. I bet Adam and Hunter switched seats. I know Roman and Dean, they can change tires really fast. I'm sure they are al...right… oh… both… my… hus… bands..." It had just hit Seth that the loves of his life were in the Scout, and in direct danger!
Chris realized how Seth felt. "I am sure they are fine. If it helps, I do understand. Adam has been in danger more than once, as you know. It's hard, but it's what we all love to do. Hang on to their love, just hang on." He put his hands on Seth's shoulders as he stood. Chris went to the doorway to look out.
Kenny Omega still filmed the storm. "It's roping out, but spinning faster." He reported what he saw in a close up view in his lens.
"Yeah, as a tornado ropes out, it does spin faster. Like when a skater spins and pulls their arms in to go faster. It makes them more vertical. A roped out tornado can do a lot of damage, but only in a very small area, so at least that is good." Chris explained absentmindedly as he worried about Scout.
At the same time Adam and Hunter pulled to the ROW, Seth got a radio call. "ROW, Scout. We are alright. It was close, but we are safe. We will be there soon. Tornado is almost completely roped out. Scout, out." Shawn sounded very shaky, but alive.
"Heard anything?" Hunter asked in a frantic voice as he reached the ROW. They had missed Shawn's call when he and Adam got out of the Rover.
Seth spoke over Chris' shoulder. "They are shaken, but fine. They are on their way back. Shawn just called. So you can relax, Hunter. I promise. Shawn, Dean and Roman are alright."
Hunter nearly collapsed with relief. Adam was right there to keep the older man on his feet. "Told you he'd be alright. Come on, let's get you some coffee." Adam led Hunter to a chair under the awning. He poured Hunter a cup of the coffee that Kenny had just made.
"Thanks, kiddo. I couldn't have made it without your support." Hunter gave Adam a grateful smile.
Adam sat close to Hunter. "How many times have you and Shawn been there for me? I am sorry for the reason, but, I am glad I was able to be there for you."
Hunter sipped his coffee then spoke. "I'm glad too. You can be very calming when needed. Thanks for taking over the driving too. Sorry I nearly ditched us." He gave Adam an apologetic look.
Adam grinned. "Don't worry about it, Hunt. I probably would have ditched if it had been about Chris. Now, stop fretting and drink your coffee. Want a sandwich or something?"
Hunter chuckled. "No thanks, son. I am fine. I will drink mine, if you drink yours." He raised his cup to Adam.
Adam raised his cup and tapped it against Hunter's. Chris came over to join them. He poured a cup of coffee and sat down.
"Seth needs a little time alone. He had both his husbands out there. It didn't even hit him until he noticed you guys had stopped, then started again. Poor kid." Chris gave a slight sigh and sipped his coffee.
"Well, nothing left to film." Kenny stated as he joined the others at the table.
"You did a great job, Kenny. Thank you." Chris' statement was simple but heartfelt.
Kenny smiled. "Glad I could help. I am not Adam or Dean, but I kept the storm in focus and centered… as best I could."
"I am sure you did a great job, Kenny." Adam spoke with a smile and happy sip of his coffee.
Hunter perked, and Seth came flying out of the ROW. The Scout had arrived.
Hunter rapidly moved toward his husband as Shawn got out of the truck. When he got to Shawn, he pulled his man in for a kiss to rival a triple X rated movie.
Seth fell into Roman and Dean's arms. He didn't care that the were covered in dirt from changing the blown tire. He kissed Roman then Dean, then Dean and back to Roman.
The others welcomed the Scout team back. "Glad you are all safe. You can tell us about it over dinner. Let's head back to the motel." Chris was anxious to get back. He wanted to look at some of the data.
"Yeah, I need to call Cole. We've got footage to sell." Adam nodded in agreement with his husband.
Later, at the motel, the storm chasers munched on pizza or pasta and listened to what happened to Scout.
"… so, we turned onto the escape road. We had a blow out. When we changed the tire, I saw a board with nails, so we, I rather I had hit it. We go the tire off and the spare halfway on when we got the call from Chris to move. The tornado had looped back. It was headed right for us. Dean got the last lug nut tight, and we took off. We couldn't respond right away, too busy trying to make sure it wasn't chasing us. Once we were safe, Shawn called in. I have never seen a tornado dance around so much. It was like a cat toying with a mouse. So, that's what happened." Roman finished the story. Shawn was still to shaken to talk about it.
"Wow, you were lucky." Kenny stated simply.
Shawn shook his head "no". "No, Kenny, we were blessed. God watched over us. That is as close as I ever want to come to a tornado." He laid his head on Hunter's shoulder.
Chris cleared his throat. "Guys, I have an idea, but we all have to agree to it." He looked at his team.
"Well, tell us." Hunter looked at their leader.
Chris' face turned serious. "What would you say to calling and end to the chase season now, and going home?"