9910/Shoring up defenses

Shoring up defenses
Date of Scene:	04 November 2019
Location:	Garage - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Samuel, Shannon, and Triage plan to buttress the school's emergency preparedness system. Logan joins, and offers good advice to improve their plan.
Cast of Characters:	Triage, Samuel Morgan, Nightingale, Wolverine

---

Triage has posed:
Hints of winter are in the air. The weather outside has become cooler, pushing trees to shed their leaves and plants to drift into dormancy. Still, not all have retreated indoors. Chris approaches the garage and steps inside, wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a jacket. As usual, his olive green medical satchel from a military surplus store, dangles from his left shoulder. He also carries his quaterstaff, although currently in a casual position in the crook of his arm and with his left hand clutching it. He looks around the room, noting where the workbenches, racks of tools and parts, and current vehicles under repair are.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The sound of an engine cranking over can be heard, repeatedly, coming from a certain berth that has seen a lot of activity over the last few weeks. It's theorized that the two bikes under active restoration in the garage are the reason for the sudden appearance of the 'frankenwelder', a fully articulated contraption supporting a precise arc welder that nobody admits to having built, possibly because half the parts were scavenged from somewhere inside the Mansion. Despite the repeated starting, there is no rumble of an engine note, the starter cutting out after a few seconds.

    The sound, of course, is coming from the berth holding the Honda Shadow that's being restored by the resident student troublemaker and former child soldier Bean. The door is open, but there is no music coming from inside today, only the repeated sounds of a starter motor running the crankshaft of a powerful engine that's refusing to turn over.

Nightingale has posed:
     One of the empty bays in the garage, as it turns out, isn't really quite so empty after all. Nor is it entirely silent. With power outlets easy to reach in each bay, and relative solitude, it's the perfect place for a would-be musician-turned-healer to hone their craft. Shannon's plopped herself down on the ground just inside one of the bays, with her headphones on, her laptop plugged in and open on her lap, and her little mini MIDI keyboard off to her right side and plugged into her laptop. She's humming an unfamiliar tune, with unfamiliar words, and seems to be testing out combinations of tune and lyrics. "No... no, that's not right, either," she mutters to herself.

     "FRAK!" The sound of the engine turning over proves that, perhaps after all, this was not the greatest place to work on her music, and results in a growling angel. Frustrated, she closes her laptop, packs it, her headphones, and little keyboard in her laptop bag, and stalks out of the bay she is in.

Triage has posed:
"Bad plugs or bad connection?" Chris calls when he hears the fitful attempt at a start. He heads toward the sound to peer at the project under work. However, before he can arrive, another familiar yet warning sound catches his attention. He looks past the first bay in time to see Shannon emerging and clearly unhappy. "Now might not be a good time," he considers.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The bike is up on the stand, the front engine cover off and laid down on a cloth on the work bench to preserve its painstaking gloss nickel coating. Thus revealed are all the complex parts that make an engine a functional power plant rather than just a means of cremating old dinosaurs. In particular, the cap is off the hydraulic reservoir, and Bean is topping it up with great care until it gets to the marked line precisely, and then the engine cranks over again. There is a faint gurgle, and the hydraulic fluid nearly entirely disappears into the system. So he stops the starter and begins topping it up again.

    Looking through the open door, anticipating visitor, Bean calls a response to the query. "Filling the hydraulic line. Forgot the valves are hydraulic in this engine when I filled it for the brakes and the transmission box."

Nightingale has posed:
     Tamping down her irritation as best she can, Shannon peeks into the bay from whence the awful gurgling, fitful starts are emerging, like some mechanical monster struggling to birth a new generation. When she sees it's Bean and Triage, discussing the hydraulics system of the bike Bean was working on, she smiles somewhat, though irritation melts into a hint of sadness and regret. "Dang... that's really come a long ways. I'm sorry for not helping you with it more."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods to Shannon and smiles warmly at the sight of her bag with the laptop and peripherals inside. He returns his attention to Bean and explains, "It looks good, although I'm not a mechanical whiz," he admits. "If I can help, I'll be glad to lend a hand, too." Then he adds, "This is nothing urgent, but after that attack in the garden, I think we need better plans for getting support to the a spot when it's needed."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I had a lot of time to work on it lately." Bean responds, actually smiling, trying to cheer up Shannon. "Most of it just putting bits back together like a really complex puzzle." And getting the whole frame in the tank to be plated had been an interesting exercise in logistics. Even as he talks, he continues to work... and it should become obvious fairly soon that he's cranking over the engine without going anywhere near the electronic starter.

    "We probably need some better way to get medical equipment across the grounds. I mean, we got lucky with the attack on the garden that there were no neck or spinal injuries, because those stretchers would not have made it over the sodden ground. What are you thinking of? Spinal boards? Or something a bit more... substantial?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Still... would have liked to help with that. Maybe another time." Shannon's voice is soft for a moment, tinged with regret, as looks on. She is amazed anew at Bean's gift as the engine seems to be trying to crank itself over. But she knew better. "You know," she mused, a small, quirky smile beginning to tug at her lips. "It'd be funny as hell on April Fool's Day to have every single car in here start up at once, with their owners in the room--and none of them inside the vehicles."

     A nod of agreement is given as she listens to the turn the conversation has taken. "I haven't tried it yet, but I'm wondering if I might not be getting to the point where I could actually airlift someone out of there if need be. It'd be worth a try, and if it doesn't work, well, then I work on the strength training a bit more."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods again to Shannon. "I look forward to that, but until then, we need plans to meet current needs," he explains. "Spinal boards certainly help but I was thinking more about the moving," Chris answers. "If we need to take someone from the lake to the mansion, for example, that's a long haul over rough terrain. We have people who can fly, but even that means risks. I wouldn't want to see someone trying to fly while carrying Andrea in her fighting form and barely conscious." He frowns "We might need some specialized vehicles."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The cranking of the engine stops when an airbubble comes back through the line and disturbs the tranquil pool of the liquid in the reservoir for a moment... and Bean ponders. "That's a good point, actually. It takes a lot of strength to carry someone. I mean, I'm in good shape but I'd struggle to lift some of the people in the mansion, let along sling them over my shoulder and carry them half a mile. And that's assuming they can be moved like that." Ponder... ponder ponder ponder. He even taps the luckily near empty bottle of hydraulic fluid against his chin as he thinks. "We're talking ATV's here, aren't we?"

    Which brings him back to the topic of the april fool's joke, which gets a grin. "Oh that's tempting. There's a couple of cars here that I can't start, but all the others... Shannon, you're evil. I like it."

Nightingale has posed:
     The otherwise seraphic sophomore gets a rather devilish grin on her face, wings ruffling as she looks over at Bean. "Dooooo eeeeeeeet! You know you want to!" She actually... cackles. It's a frightening sound, coming from her, betokening mischief and mayhem for those who hear it. Beware, world!

     While a little annoyed at the lack of ability to be able to help in such a scenario, Shannon nods. "That's not a bad idea, but in a rescue situation, consider the fact that the first thing an enemy is going to target will be your medics, and the vehicles they use. How can we protect both?"

Triage has posed:
"You might be on the ground helping with the wounded, Shannon, even when you can lift that much, which should be soon if you keep at the push-ups and other workouts," Chris answers, "We're a team, remember?" Then he nods to Bean. "I don't know the market for this, but we need to be ready. If even one group knows how to get to one student here, it's the camel's nose in the tent." Returning to Shannon, he agrees, "We'll need to consider that, too, protection for ourselves and the medical staff. We might even need to stash first aid kits at strategic locations and train people. This should be a thorough effort."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I'm all for teaching more people first aid. Sign me up for that, actually." The reservoir is topped off and the engine cranked over once more. The camshafts can be seen to rotate, the timing chain rolls across its guide rollers, pulling the gear for the water pump and not a single bubble can be seen to rise in the hydraulic fluid. With a smile, the teen fills the little tank to the ideal fill line and then caps it off, wiping down the metal afterwards to clean up any spillage, no matter how minute.

    "It's starting to sound like what you're looking for is a decommissioned IFV, or a civilian production of a battlefield ambulance. But before we go that far, what kind of terrain are we going to be dealing with? A tracked vehicle won't do us any good over rocks, a wheeled vehicle is pointless on soft terrain or anywhere with restricted clearance." Ah yes. Logistics. Well within his wheelhouse.

Nightingale has posed:
     "See, this is where maybe I could help out a little bit, if staff's game for it," Shannon adds. "Something Chris and I were going to do was hook up a body cam to me while I'm in flight, so I could maybe finally share with my family what it's like to... well, to be me. Something that, even though they love me a lot, they could never really fully share in." She crosses her arms, leaning back against the entrance to the bay, one knee crossed over the other in a casual sort of pose, her laptop bag hanging from her left shoulder. "I'm wondering if that might not be turned to this purpose, do an aerial survey of the campus, and ferret out these little problems, and bring them to staff for consideration."

Triage has posed:
Chris grins when Shannon mentions the camera. "That's great!" he agrees. "This shouldn't be once and then forgotten. We need to start a routine of planning and training for emergencies, including inspections to be sure that everything is in place and working." He looks to Bean and wonders, "This should be part of securing things, too. What if someone else decides to target this place?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That's the aerial survey sorted out." Bean agrees with a smile, carefully lifting the front cover of the engine and fitting it back on to the bolts. "Saves us having to fabricate a drone. Once we know the rough layout, we can do a quick CQR..." he stops himself there, and looks at the others. "Sorry, I mean a close quarters recce. Basically have a look at the place by going there and walking it. Because if we can get to it, someone else probably has as well, and we need to know every last half inch of the grounds if we want to help anyone... or, y'know, defend it."

    Nuts go onto the bolts, and out comes the torque wrench. "It might surprise you, but I've actually given this a bit of thought over the past few weeks."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Why would that surprise us? That's just how you are. You're putting all that training you've had over the years to good use, protecting people. That's a good thing." Shannon positively beams with pride, ruffling and then extending her wings. She does burst out giggling, though, giving Bean a mock-severe stare. "Oh, so now I'm a drone, am I?" she quips. "Nice. Real nice."

Triage has posed:
"It doesn't surprise me, Bean," Chris answers, shaking his head. "Someone attacked our people, on our home turf," he adds, punctuating each word with his fist. "I've been settling into my new role. Now, I'm looking around." He waves to the door leading to the front yard. "That's why I was hiking out there, to get a first look at things. I suspect that if we ask, staff will say that they've looked into some of this, but we should show them that we're concerned, too, and want to help with keeping everyone safe." He looks to Shannon. "Your footage should help to uncover things that I've missed, too."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Let's just say this is going to be easier here than at most other places, purely because of the available talent." That's as far as Bean is going to be drawn on the drone comments, no matter how jocular, and the need to survey and defend currently unknown territory. The engine cover is tightened up, great care taken not to chip the finish on the nuts themselves which have, much like the vast majority of the metal work, been nickel coated. "It would probably help if we went to them with options. See what Stark-Fukijawa, LexCorp or Wayne Corp can do, and for what price. Once we have the requirement sheet, that is."

Nightingale has posed:
     "And we're doing what we can to help, without getting involved with something supremely dangerous or stupid. As a matter of fact," Shannon muses, pursing her lips in a thoughtful sort of way. "I'm tempted to say let's bring this one to Cannonball, see if we can make this a New Mutants project." Nodding, Shannon grins at Bean and Chris. "Good idea, we could maybe get Stark or X-Corp involved on the business end of things, too, once we know what we're going to need. For that, I'd say we go to Kitty and Doug."

Triage has posed:
"I was thinking about going to Cannonball first. He seems most approachable for these sorts of things," Chris confirms. "I'm not part of the New Mutants, or any group for that matter. Somehow, it simply never happened. But I wouldn't mind it. By doing this, we'll assure everyone that all of the work is paying for itself, and it will set a good example for younger students."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "X-Corp..." With a final click, the last bolt tightens into place and Bean sits on the floor in his coveralls, wrench in hand, idly tapping it against his left palm. "Might be a good way to go if we don't want to purchase to be traced back to us. But that's financial, let's burn that bridge after we cross it..." Again, he stops, correcting himself. "... cross that bridge when we get to it. First we need... what..."

    Now Bean closes his eyes and makes a quick list, adding them to a note on his phone even as he speaks. "An outline of the limits of the area we're going to cover, an aerial survey of the area, a hike to the more remote or non-conforming sections, actually sectioning the area into grid locations, make a risk assessment of every grid, and work out our equipment necessities based on the final assessment. That's on top of the proposal to offer first aid training."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods firmly. "Yeah, I'd say it's time to go to Cannonball and maybe Logan with this one. Get the go-ahead for the project, then take it and run with it. We can worry about X-corp and all the rest later. First things first. Plus, I'd say we let Cannonball know about the request for further first-aid training, because that's something that could be handled to some degree in the danger room. In fact, that'd be ideal."

     Something else seems to niggle at Shannon, though, causing her to go silent for just a moment. "You know," she adds. "One thing that really saved our bacon during the coronation in Genosha, was the fact that some of us had a bluetooth headset hooked to our phones, sort of a jury-rigged comm device. I'm almost tempted to suggest we make that a thing for anyone involved with the project, because if we can't coordinate... pardon my language, but we're fucked."

Triage has posed:
Chris inclines his head to Shannon. "That's an excellent point, and one that we never should overlook. We might need something beside regular cell service, too, for security. Also, when all's said and done, Kitty and the others might decide to take the lead on this. I'm fine with that. They are our teachers and leaders. However, they should know that we're here, and that we're willing and able to help. It's like the old community fire brigades. All of us should help where we can. Also, we could use footage from that camera for more realistic simulations in the DR. Practice makes perfect." To Bean, he adds, "Once staff know about this, I'm sure that they'll have ways to fund it without drawing attention. X-Corp might be part of that, and should be. Can you imagine what would happen if nosy reporters noticed deliveries like that coming to a remote part of the county?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I suspect that a few hours after the first story, someone would be making a press conference on how Xavier's takes the safety of its students to heart and is investing heavily in on site medical care, since the winter ahead is expected to be particularly cold, and so on and so forth." Yup, Bean has a high regard for the level of subterfuge the school can bring to bear. Mostly because he had spent quite some time tracking down secret bases for HYDRA, and yet had never even heard a single rumor about this place.

    "Comms are always overlooked, and I agree, we need to standardise on something. Something... innocuous. We can't start walking around with military spec radios."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods a little bit, scratching the back of her head. "Yeah, that could be a problem. So could using bluetooth headsets over our phones. That worked in a pinch, but could get to be a problem real fast. I'm almost tempted to ask Doug or Alek on that one. They're the tech experts. As for the PR, if any of this ever got out, well..." The young winged mutant grimaces, crossing her arms once more and furrowing her brows. "It could either go the way Bean's thinking, or it could blow up in our faces real fast. I'd say the more quiet we could keep things, the better."

Triage has posed:
"We are talking about a school that has managed to stay under the radar a very long time, and a team who would be elite professionals, like the Seals or Green Berets in the regular world," Chris notes. "Leaders in both know how to handle the PR, but I still wouldn't want to risk someone discovering this place due to our neglect. Our goal is to improve security." Then he nods to Shannon. "This might call for something special, beyond the stuff that we can get from the local cellular shop. Again, the schoool's staff and the X-Men should have better ideas because they've dealt with this for a long time. That's why I have no problem with taking the ideas to them as soon as possible, and offering to help them where they see fit."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Bean claps a hand over his heart when Shannon calls Doug and Alek the real tech experts. "Wounded. To my core. Alas, how shall I survive such a mortal blow?" A wink and he's back to being serious, though still smiling as he puts his tools away. "For the moment phones work well enough. But if we've already got other tech, let's ask about it."

    Now it's time to clean off and buff all the metal on his bike, which he sets to with a will, aiming to make it look pristine before the first test of the engine.

Wolverine has posed:
    "Sounds like a lotta bad ideas are brewin' up in here."

    The voice rings authoritatively through the garage, deep, gravely, and unmistakable. James "Logan" Howlett. The Wolverine. His voice is damn near as iconic as his hair, and that's saying something. The man himself steps through the door at the back of the garage. He's dressed down, even in this cold, wearing nothing more than a blue and grey flannel shirt, and a pair of jeans and workboots.

    "What're you kids talkin' about that concerns things like PR and secure communication devices? Because it sounds like you're talkin' about a mission op, and mission ops should be discussed with your team leaders first. I get that sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, but trust me... that's a pretty scarce event 'round here."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just laughs at Bean and grins. "Is that Intel or AMD?" She pushes herself away from the entrance to the bay and moves over to give him a quick hug, chortling, her eyes twinkling with mirth. When the time comes to be serious, though, she steps back, inclining her head in agreement. "Phones may work well enough for now, but it may not forever. The sooner we explore other options, the better. Involving /all/ our tech experts." The last is said with a wink.

     The wink, however, becomes a raised eyebrow in short order, with a quirky smile flashed in Logan's direction. She waves a greeting, and motions for him to join the trio in the bay where Bean is working on his motorcycle. "Actually, we were talking about that, too. But it's not going to do any good going to anyone with a half-baked idea. We were actually hoping to talk to both you and Cannonball about this, and get some input. This one might be right in your wheelhouse."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods when Shannon explains some of their concerns. "The incident in the garden spurred all of this," he explains. "Since those outsiders wounded two of our people, we started to wonder about how to improve our response to that. Some of us can fly." He glances to Shannon. "But that might not help with getting wounded people to safety. If we can, we'd like to help with planning so that we'll be in better shape for the next incident."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It looks like Bean is about to respond when Chris does, and he wisely lets the man explain. There's quite a few smudges to get out of the nickel anyway, and then there's finger prints to be buffed out of the chrome trims and off the gloss black of the fuel tank.

    There is, however, one thing he feels like he should add. "It probably can't hurt to have a dedicated vehicle for medical emergencies at any rate. You can't fly everyone to safety... back injuries, neck injuries, head injuries, you want those in an ambulance as soon as possible. We're basically just figuring out what we need to fill our requirements."

Wolverine has posed:
    Logan turns his steely eyed gaze on to Shannon when she explains that this is something that might be in his purview. One of those thick, bushy brows hikes up skyward, but it's clear from the shift in his stance and body language to a more open, relaxed pose, that he's curious and all ears. Curious, but suspicious.

    And then Chris chimes in with his two cents. Logan's thickly corded arms cross over his chest, and here, the grizzled mutant killer's rugged features twist into a scowl, with his brows brooding low, casting his eyes in shadow, and his already thin lips becoming a tight, bloodless line.

    "So... what... you're tryin' to come up with a way to run a mutant ERT?"

    Shifting forward, Logan moves over to Bean, and claps a hand on the boy's shoulder, as he looks over the bike. With an upnod, he mutters, "Use a bit of coca-cola, by the way. Have that chrome shining like it just came off the lot."

    His thick, strong fingers give Bean's shoulder a squeeze, before Logan pops a squat to examine the bike.

    "Commications are tricky. Phones aren't secure enough. Or reliable enough. You can literally walk into a novelty "spy gear" store and find ways to peek in on cell phone conversations. And in emergencies, the cell towers are pretty much always the first thing to fail. Havin' a vehicle is a good idea, but you have to consider streets, and traffic. So, your solution is to have something that flies. It has to be small, but big enough to transport people who are wounded and might be on stretchers. It will definitely have to have VTOL capability. And it'd have to have someone who could pilot it."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon sighs softly, and runs her fingers through her hair. "Not so much a general thing, actually. I told you about the attack in the garden, the last time we were training out by the lake. We were lucky worse didn't happen. Next time, we might not be so lucky. We were barely able to get Andrea out of there, and I was down, too. As good as security is here, fact of the matter is, attacks still happen like it did that day, and we can pretty well count on it happening again. What we're trying to do is come up with ways to mitigate the damage from that, and if possible, see if there's any holes to be plugged up in the first place."

     The winged girl does take a moment to listen to each point Logan is making, seeming to take in each and mull them over. "We're not talking streets and traffic here. We're talking here at the school. I don't know what all that staff's got cooking along these lines if anything at all, but this is our home too, and we want to help. We were lucky that this attack was right in the garden, not too far away for someone more capable to get Andrea and I out of there. But what if it happened, say, on the other end of the grounds where the terrain's likely a whole lot less favorable? Minutes count. Sometimes seconds. One, is there a current aerial survey of the grounds to point out possible problem areas? If not, that is something I could actually help with." She spreads her wings just a bit, and chuckles softly. "I might be benefiting from the strength training both you and Cannonball insisted on, but I'm not quite sure I'm up to airlifting someone just yet. Might have to test that sometime soon."

     "But moving on from that, what do we have on hand that if, an attack should happen, and it does become necessary, wounded could be evacuated out of the area of conflict? And what about communications? You're right, when the shit hits the fan, cell communications are the first to go, but that's all us students really have access to and can riff off of. And this is just for starters. See why we wanted to talk to you and Cannonball on this?"

Triage has posed:
Chris inclines his head to Shannon while she covers the ground. Then he looks to Logan. "The school is our home and we feel responsible for the others here. We want to help, to make it as safe as possible for everyone while providing the training that everyone needs. So, we discussed things so that we could bring them to you and others for consideration. If we can help with all of this, we want to do our part."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The bike is not new. It probably rolled off the lot in the mid 80's of last century, given that there hasn't been a recent production of a Honda Shadow VT-1100 in some years and the true connoisseur will notice that the gearbox is mismatched to the model. But for all that, it seems to be in beautiful condition, with every bit of exposed metalwork either nickel plated or chromed, all the wiring re-done and the fluid lines replaced to comply with modern safety standards. The only things that give away that this bike isn't brand new is the occasional blemish on the frame where no amount of sanding or re-finish could hide the minute marks of repair welds, and the decidedly second hand tires on the re-finished rims.

    For his part, Bean nods at Logan's advice. "Thanks. I'll give that a try." A month ago few people would have dared to put a hand on his shoulder, but the teenager relaxes as he feels the strong grip. "What do you think? Haven't tested the engine yet, but I hope to learn how to ride in the Spring."

    To the topic at hand... "And even if we assume the school is never going to be attacked, and we're never going to take casualties if it does, let's not forget there's students around that might get injured away from the mansion. We've got people learning how to fly, kids climbing trees, teenagers trying to sneak a drink by the edge of the lake..." It's clear he's groping for suitable tropes here, having never actually experienced these things. Except maybe the tree climbing. Possibly. "Sooner or later, someone is going to get hurt on the other side of some pretty rough terrain and need to be taken away on a stretcher. The only ones we have don't deal well with anything except paved surfaces."

Wolverine has posed:
    Logan listens to Shannon and Chris give their input and shrugs one broad shoulder, his eyes still trained on the engine of the bike, examining it carefully as he mulls over the things they're saying. After both have spoken, the feral mutant rubs his stubbled chin, and says, "Attacks here ain't exactly the norm, but you're not wrong, either. So if you're considerin' vehicles to get across the grounds, ya gotta consider the terrain itself. Mostly wooded. Trails. Rocks. Lake. So you'll be wantin' ATVs. Somethin' like a skid unit. Problem bein' with that, you're lookin' at one person per skid."

    Logan peeks over the bike to Shannon, and gives an upnod. "Sounds like a good opportunity for you. Do some aerial mapping of the place. Get a feel for it yourself. Come to me, afterward. We can go over a map and you can tell me what you think are problem spots. We'll call it some "tactical training". See if I can't score you some extra credit for it."

    Logan's not a great teacher, by most metrics. But he's smart enough to know that educating the kids isn't about teaching them what to think but how to think in the first place.

    Back to the bike, Logan gives an approving nod. "Looks like you've put a lot of work into this. Looks good. I'd see 'bout gettin' a gearbox that matches the model. Not because it can't work, but it's a tricky thing makin' it all work. You have to force a square peg into a round whole, and the other issues it can cause down the line can be unpredictable. When the weather clears, though, I can take you out. Show you how to ride."

Triage has posed:
"If we can find ATVs that haul trailers, we might use those as ambulances around here," he mentions to Logan. Glancing to Shannon again, he adds, "We were talking about getting a body-cam so that Shannon could survey the area and update our view, literally, so that we'll know about those rough spots. Then I planned on hiking those areas to see how they are from the ground. We also discussed placing medical kits in easy to reach locations and training students in first aid, if we get the green light. The key is to minimize the time that anyone waits in that golden hour." Bean's work on the bike, and Logan's approval, gets a broad grin. "You'll have a real original there, Bean!" he declares.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon can't quite help a pleased little smile, a bit of color brightening her face somewhat. "You got it. Lines up with a personal project anyways, so it works out perfectly. Speaking of training, when's your next class?" Not a great teacher? Yeah, right.

     She settles back as the two gentlemen talk shop, peering closely and trying to learn a bit, grinning a little herself. "Oh lordy. Bean on the road? Look out, world!" Her eyes go a little shifty and she coughs. "Speaking of, I've got to work on my license as well..."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That'd be amazing, thank you." Bean honestly can't think of anyone better than Logan to teach him how to ride. "It'll have to be in the spring though, I'm not sixteen yet. Doing this one by the book." It'd be ridiculous to end up back behind a locked door for a traffic violation after all.

    "We don't necessarily need a trailed skid. There's enough tracked and semi-tracked vehicles that can get across rough terrain, in a few feet of snow. It's... just a matter of finding out just how heavy duty we really need, and then go ask around to see if anyone produces something like that."

    But now he looks at the gearbox, squatting down next to Logan and looking at his own handiwork. "The flywheel and the clutch pressure plate on the old unit were busted... actually, rusted clean through, and I didn't want to repair anything that has to handle that kind of torque. Got this one from another busted bike that came in, engine rating's nearly the same... but yeah, going to have to keep an eye on that. But you have any idea what an original Honda Shadow transmission set costs? I'll need to get a job somewhere to pay for that."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods, seeing that Logan intends to work with Shannon on the crucial first step of identifying the weak spots so that someone can address those for the school. Like Shannon, he steps toward the bike to learn.

Wolverine has posed:
    "I thought of trailers hitched to ATVs, too, but trailers can be unsteady, and in rushed conditions, prone to tipping over. Skid units are more stable," Logan offers back to Chris thoughtfully. As for his plan to hike out the locations spotted by Shannon, the old man nods his head. "That's good solid thinkin'. You should do the hiking as a group activity, though. More eyes. More perspectives. Plus, if somethin' happens to one of you while you're out there, you have the backup right there."

    He does look up, then, and rises from his squatting position next to the bike. "You should be bein' taught first aid, regardless, so if you haven't been that's an oversight that's gonna have to be taken up with the rest of the staff. But it'd be difficult peppering the land with first aid kits, and then keepin' up on them out in the wild. Might be easier to just have some packed up in the ATVs and ready to go."

    Looking back to Bean, Logan upnods and offers a faint lopsided grin, in return for the thanks. If he wanted to wait to be sixteen, that's fine by him. But Logan doesn't much care for those kind of semantics, personally. If a kid can fight in a war, he should be able to drive himself to it. And share a drink for surviving it.

    "Skid's just good because it has built in compartments for stretchers, and they're designed with exactly the thought of emergency rescue in mind. If there's an easier solution, go for it. I'll leave that up to you kids. But for the bike... The pitfalls of havin' an older model. The vintage Tax. It's what ya gotta deal with to keep up your Hipster cred."

    The sarcastic grin that sweeps Logan's lips at that remark makes it clear that he's just teasing.

    "Maybe if ya ask for one from Santa, though..."

    With that, Logan moves to a nearby standing tool box, grabs himself a socket wrench and a few attachments, and starts heading towards the door.

    "Lemme know when ya got the grounds all scouted out. I gotta get back to work."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon tries--and fails miserably--to suppress a giggle. Her eyes twinkle with mirth as she looks over at the grizzled, grouchy Logan, giving him a bit of an upnod. "Speaking of vintage tax..." One wing unfurls in something of a mock shielding motion, but the tone and the laughter make it quite clear that the young woman is just poking a little bit of good-natured fun at her mentor. "I'll look you up soon on both counts, don't worry."

Triage has posed:
"We'll do!" Chris calls to Logan before he passes through the door. Then he looks to the others. "We've passed that hurdle and have better ideas about what we need to do. Now to take the next steps." He looks at his watch. "Dinner, I think."