Day Trip

The phone rang around four o'clock, startling Kitty awake and causing Mercury to squeal in alarm and try to burrow under Cammie's shirt. Cammie woke up more slowly, alerted more by the cold nose in the ribs than by the repetitive ringing of the phone. Kitty answered it after fumbling for a moment, and she reached over to click on the bedside lamp as she listened.

"Hello? Okay... Right... be ready in ten," Kitty murmured in response to whoever was on the line, probably George or Bulldozer. She then turned to Cammie, who was sitting up blearily.

"That was Bulldozer. There's been an F3 about 15 miles southwest. Turner's team was on the scene, and they've offered to share some of their data with us, so we're heading down immediately. I said we'd be ready in ten minutes."

"Right," Cammie said, sitting up more and pushing Mercury gently out of her shirt. Bob Turner had a team from University of Oklahoma with a grant from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last time she checked, they were studying the way geography affected the path of a tornado. Since Bob and George were friends, they often exchanged data.

Cammie hurried out of bed and began gathering all her things and tossing them into her bag. She changed into a more suitable pair of pants as well. Lastly, she tied The Bag around her neck again and leaned down so Mercury could crawl into it. Once that was set, she tossed on her coat and made a last check of the room before slipping on her boots. They were still slightly soggy, despite being placed by the heating duct, but they would have to do. She was used to wet feet anyway.

When she and Kitty were both ready, they left and went outside to meet George and the rest of the team.

"Are we coming back here?" Cammie queried as she approached George and the others.

"Yes, we should be back before checkout tomorrow afternoon. If not, I'll give them a call," George responded. "Now, let's get up to Garret. I don't want to keep Bob's team waiting on us. There's a lot of activity working its way in from the southwest... should be here later in the day. Before then, we have to finish the data exchange and grab some lunch somewhere. Saddle up!"

George, Bulldozer, Lupe, and Weather Channel headed to the truck, and Beethoven, Wes, Kitty, and Cammie moved to the trailer rig. The engines were soon started and the team was on its way.

Mercury was looking more alert. Once they were in the trailer, he immediately started wiggling out of The Bag and settled down in Cammie's lap. His head was up, and he kept cocking his head, as though he were listening for something.

"What's up, Merc?" Cammie asked, noticing his animation.

*Marbles...* he remarked, bouncing a bit.

"Where we're going?"

The gray hatchling bobbed his head, then turned suddenly to nuzzle Cammie's arm.

*Sorry...*

"For what? The hand? I already forgave you," she returned, pulling him into a hug. Mercury churred with contentment and closed his eyes, letting himself lie across her arms.

Come to think of it, I really should take some more aspirin. This hand hurts more today that it did yesterday. Cammie thought to herself, reaching for her bag. After foraging through it for a moment, she again brought out the bottle of aspirin and her water bottle. There wasn't much water left, but it was enough to take a few of the pills with. I'll have to get some more when we stop, she noted.

After a short time, they found themselves in Garret. The tornado hadn't gone through the center of town, but on the southern outskirts, there was a path of destruction. Cars, roofs, and trailers had been tossed around and smashed by the powerful storm. Most of the homes in the path were mere walls, and some less than that. Emergency crews were already there, working to give aid to the familys and starting to clean up the mess left behind. The team's trucks crawled through town until Bob's team was located. They were holed up in the local lunch wagon. The trucks parked the best they could on the street, and everyone piled out and headed into the restaurant. Cammie put Mercury back into The Bag and zippered up her coat before exiting the trailer.

"Now stay down in there. The people here can't see you," she reminded him, hoping to God that nothing would go wrong.

"George, good to see you!" Bob called as they entered, waving his hand to catch their leader's attention. Bob was in his early fifties, balding and grey-haired, with wire-rimmed glasses and his usual checkered shirt. With him in his booth were three others. Cammie recognized Joan, Bob's wife, but the other two were unfamiliar.

Must be new grad students, she observed. Inside her coat, Mercury shifted slightly. Try to keep still, Merc, she thought at him. It's going to look weird if my coat is moving on its own...

Cammie suddenly felt a strong sense of hunger, and her stomach growled. The smell of food in the restaurant was alluring, but it wasn't just she who was hungry. She hadn't fed Mercury since dinner the previous day, and she knew for a fact that babies were hungier more often than adults.

Stupid, she admonished, then added, Sorry, Merc. We'll get something to eat soon, I promise.

Luckily, the meeting didn't take long. George and Bob agreed on the terms, and everyone headed out to get together the equipment. George's team got their portables and met at Bob's trailer to exchange the data. After a bit of talking, George decided to move most of the people inside. Weather Channel, Kitty, and one of Bob's grad students, Ben, would stay to do the last bits of the transfer.

"Don't worry, I'll bring you out some grub," Cammie vowed. On the way into the restaurant, she spoke to George. "I'm going to get some takeout for the guys and head out to explore for a bit. That all right?"

"Right, gotta complete your mission," George quipped with a wink.

Cammie waited at the counter for the takeout, several meals of french fries and hamburgers and a bag full of condiments and bottles of soda and water. After she had received the stack of boxes and the heavy bag, she walked out to Bob's trailer.

"Lunch!" she proclaimed to the group, passing out a box to each person, as well as a soda and a water. She also scooped out a load of condiments from the bag and dumped them on the edge of one of the desks.

"Thanks, Cammie," Weather Channel expressed, and it was quickly seconded by the others in an echoing chorus.

"No prob," she pronounced, then returned to George's trailer, where she could safely feed Mercury.

"Ready for some food?" she asked, unzipping her coat so Mercury could get out of The Bag.

*Yes!* he affirmed, eagerly nipping at the boxes until Cammie had one open. He attacked the french fries, swallowing them so quickly that Cammie scolded him.

"Chew! Chew before you swallow!" she said in astonishment. "I don't want you choking."

Mercury then discovered the hamburger, which was quickly flipped apart and the patty inside digested.

"I sure hope all this is safe for you to eat..." Cammie muttered. She had no idea what to feed him... last night's food hadn't upset him, but she still worried. She opened her own meal and started eating. At some point, she broke open the bottles of water. She had to delve through the trailer for a bowl, which she didn't find, and she ended up filling a large cup and tipping it so Mercury could suck up the liquid.

When both she and the hatchling were fully fed and watered, she straightened up the mess and turned to look at Mercury. He was staring at her expectantly.

"Marbles?" she guessed. Mercury bobbed his head and chirped. Cammie opened up The Bag and let him clamber in. She then zipped her coat and headed out. She had her cellphone on her, so if there was an emergency, George could call her.

Cammie headed immediately for the path of destruction to the south of town. If there were marbles, they should be close by. She frankly was surprised that one hadn't appeared already.

Any idea where we should head, Merc? she asked him silently.

*There,* he answered, which she took to mean that she was going in the right direction. She soon reached the beginnings of the devastation. Her eyes skimmed over the wreckage. It was amazing and terrible, the force that would be needed to rip apart sheets of metal and entire house walls. She had gone quite a way before Mercury piped up again.

*Marble!* he asserted. Cammie felt her attention being drawn to the ground on the left. She didn't see anything right away, and she had to start lifting up corners of debris to find the small glowing gem, this one bright red.

This it? she questioned, remember that Mercury had said "Marbles" on the way over.

There was a slight pause, then, *Yes... for now.*

Cammie nodded and pocketed the marble. She would add it to their small collection when they got back to the trailer.

A half hour later, Cammie was at the computer, putting the final touches on a letter that she had to write. It was directed at the director of her division; it was brief and to the point:

I regret to inform you that as of this moment, I am giving my two week's notice to cease employment with FEMA. I have been offered an opportunity that will require me to remain in one location and will encompass a large portion of my time and efforts. After recent events, I have decided to accept this new position. I thank you for all my years with FEMA, and I wish you the best of luck in future projects.

Sincerely,
Camilla Murphy
FEMA Disaster Response, Division 6

To anyone reading the letter, it would sound like Cammie had become spooked after her tangle with the tornado in Mississippi and decided to seek employment elsewhere. She sighed, checked it again for typographical errors, and then printed several copies. Most would be mailed to different offices within the division, and one she would keep for herself.

Mercury, meanwhile, was napping on the seat, covered with Cammie's jacket in case someone from Bob's team walked into the trailer unexpectedly. Cammie's headphones were wrapped around his head, and Queen was playing from them at an acceptable level. Right now, it was "Seven Seas of Rhye".

Storm the master marathon, and I'll fly through,
By flash and thunder fire,
and I'll survive! I'll survive! I'll survive!
I'll survive! I'll survive! I'll survive!
Then I'll defy the laws of nature and come out alive.
Then I'll get you.

Be gone with you, you shod and shady senators.
Give out the good; leave out the bad evil cries.
I challenge the mighty Titan and his troubadours,
And with a smile,
I'll take you to the Seven Seas of Rhye.

Cammie put away the letters in a folder and stuffed them into her bag. She would have to find a post office in order to mail them. She sat down next to Mercury and listened to the faint echoes of Queen, taking a few deep breaths and wondering how many more marbles were out there.

Five so far... and how many more? Five? Ten? Dozens? Hundreds? No telling... and for what? No clue. At least there's the stormchasing...

The young woman leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Some time later, she heard Kitty and Weather Channel come in. The chatted about the data for a few minutes, then Weather Channel left.

"Cammie, we're heading back to the motel before it's check-out time to return the keys and settle the bill. Then, we're heading west. The front there is still strong and the satellites have been tracking some areas of severe weather for a few hours now," Kitty relayed. Cammie nodded without opening her eyes.

"Understood," she said. She had already taken all her belongings from the motel, so she would be able to catch a nap until the team was ready for action again. It was nice to be a guest for a change. She moved her hand over to rest on Mercury's back and dozed.

Mercury shifted uneasily in his sleep. Something was bothering him... something he couldn't quite figure out. But he could feel it... something was coming.