Carousel Incident #342838

The emergency medical team slid the injured woman onto a gurney and wheeled her away, leaving a smear of blood several feet beyond a low metal fence surrounding the carnival ride.

The officer kneeled to take a witness statement, and placed a small notebook on his knee. These two young ladies had apparently seen the entire thing.

"Zebras can't be domesticated", she said. The second girl nodded emphatically.

Max Harder (2017)

A veteran homicide detective, framed for the kidnap and murder of his wife and child, flees the country. He's recruited by a black-ops private security firm, and turns vigilante to hunt the narcotics operation he believes is responsible.

As the bodycount climbs, his killing spree is overlooked thanks to powerful allies in government and strong sympathies within international police forces.

The detective and an old enemy ultimately join forces igniting a war that will lead them to confront an even larger conspiracy.

Lies, Damn Lies, And Business Cards

NEW MOMBASA, KE - If anybody asked, Kobin told them he worked on the popular M12 Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicle. That was maybe half-true, but it was short and seemed to satisfy people. This was the flagship product of AMG Transport Dynamics. Of course, nobody ever heard of AMG outside the MIC - they were a white-label defense contractor.

Inside every Warthog was this On-Board Diagnostics that monitored fuel, power, vehicle, and weapon systems - to verify status and flag maintenance issues. It's not really exclusive to the M12, every vehicle had it. But nobody ever heard of the OBD, which was probably why they always had job openings.

In New Employee Orientation, everyone took selfies with the Warthog parked in the lobby. His actual job for the next eighteen months was to simulate and test the 10-Pin Wire Quick-Connect. Within OBD, they said this was considered prestigious since that tiny connector would be on the outside of the box - it would be seen.

At least his business cards said M12 Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, he thought. They let you put whatever you like on them.

The Cool Club Secret Handshake

TACOMA, WA - How long before we just have to suck it up? Zach figured he was going to fail his second decade - just a bug stuck-in-place. He needed something - he needed out. Zach was seventeen.

His neighbor had this classic car, in a thousand parts, under decayed blue tarps on his back lawn. It hadn't moved in decades until they opened the fence and pushed it across like a poker jackpot. Zach had bet everything on a '71 BMW 2800CS and a service manual.

People who never built a car told Zach the heap in his parent's yard was a terrible idea. They once tried a thing and failed, and that just goes to show you. But Zach also knew guys that had done it, and they had useful stories. That summer he learned some welding, wiring, and who to ask for help.

It was September when he finally got it rolling. Strangers waved and talked to him when they saw it - offered him wads of cash to buy it. They wanted a ride, and they asked his opinions. Folks shook his all beat-to-hell and dirty hands.