| DAY 1, June 2002 |
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| The weather was fine and evryone was raring to go. It was another HARDCORE 24 Hour game @ SAC. ALPHA TEAM : DODGER (Co) TMF + USUALEXCUSES (new 4 man team) CHARLIE TEAM: PAPABEAR (Co) TMA + PAXO + G.I.JOE Alpha won the toss and chose the eastern end of the land. Both teams got ready at the oppersite ends of the SAFE ZONE. Carrying all their kit, they had a quick briefing and awaited the whistle. |
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| GAME ON: ALPHA struck out along the river, heading towards the gorse bushes. Safeties were off and they checked their rear for tales. CHARLIE moved off quickly, MANTIS hanging back to cover the rear. Reaching the foxholes, the pace slowed and PAPABEAR took point. Circling round to the east, the patrol neared the JUNGLE. Papabear, cleared the area, then signalled up the team to set up a covert camp in the dip, below the pillbox. |
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| PapaBear radioed PHANTOM and sent him out on a recon, alone. Phantom dropped his webbing and set out quickly uphill. Nearing the plateau, he pressed on along the edge of the fern fields, still confident that no ALPHA would have reached there yet. Dropping down onto the Sniper Path, he began to switch on. Something caught his peripheral vision, as he appraoched Sniper Point. He froze. It was a Deer 70m downhill. Phantom remembered his ambition to shoot a deer, with an Airsoft gun. He stalked closer. |
| Now within 20m, Phantom could see the deer, was actualy an adult Doe, grazing on the grass. Keeping low, he edged closer. The doe, stopped chewing and looked straight at PHANTOM. He froze. The deer, moved it's head up and down, trying to see what was so strange about this treestump. After 10 seconds, the doe returned to feeding. Phantom watched through his 3-9X40 scope. The deer then moved off 40m and headed uphill. Phantom slowly turned in his kneeling position, keeping the deer in his scope. Once on the same contour, the deer headed back, walking straight towards PHANTOM. He remembered his Airsoft ambition (to shoot a deer) but realised it was now too easy. The doe was now only 5m away. Phantom took his finger off the trigger. |
| The Deer looked into PHANTOM's eyes and smelt human. It bolted, springing 40m away to the ridge. Turning to try and workout what it had seen, before moving out of sight towards the Gorse Bushes. This had been an omen for PHANTOM; the spirits of LOWNORTH were watching over him............ |