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discussion, each person looked through the sunburst sight in the middle of their mirror and practiced aiming the sun's reflection at trees and bushes. This spot of light would be aimed at a pilot flying above them. The teens took road flares from an olive-drab ammo box in the back of the SUV and began setting up the flare signals as directed. Jess knew when directions were orders and when his father had gone into command mode. It was evident that Lynn did too.
    Lynn and Jess joined the two men.
    “Okay, we are in a survival situation,” Dennis said, looking at the teens. “What is the procedure?”
    “Survival situation? We just have a broken truck,” Jess said.
    “And broken radios and broken phones,” Dennis pointed out. “I think we're fine, but when things start going wrong you must take control of the situation before it takes control of you. Survival procedures, please.”
    “STOP—Stop, Think, Observe and Plan,” Lynn said, looking pleased with herself. This was the mantra CAP cadets were taught to use in an emergency.
    “Good job,” Dennis said. “Captain Herrero and I are not sure what has affected our electronics. It might be a solar flare. If it is, it may last for hours or days.”
    “Hours or days?” Lynn whined. “Will we have to wait for the search planes to find us?”
    “If our electronics are down, theirs may be as well. There may not be any planes up to search for us.”
    “What, we walk home?” Lynn's voice was more shrill.
    “Well, I don't think we know enough yet to make those kinds of decisions,” Dennis said, “but we should be thinking about all of the possibilities. Our first priority should be to take inventory of all our belongings and determine what does, and does not, work.”
    “I'm not walking home,” Lynn said throwing herself into a chair. “Do you know how long that would take?”
    “As long as it takes,” Dennis replied. “I don't need the attitude.”
    Lynn exaggerated the sullen look on her pretty face. Jess stood with his mouth hanging open slightly and gawked at Jose. Jose shot him a fatherly glare as if to say, Don't go there with me, son . Jess set his jaw and stood a little straighter.
    “Now get up from there,” Dennis directed. “I didn't do this just to inconvenience you. We'll just have to make the best of it.”
    Lynn stood and walked toward the SUV, putting her feet down heavily for emphasis. The others followed her.
    Each member removed a small daypack and a larger backpack from the rear hatch of the SUV. The smaller packs, known as twenty-four-hour packs, were designed to be carried in the field while searching. They held items needed to conduct a search and equipment to survive for twenty-four hours. The contents of the twenty-four hour pack, together with the contents of the backpack, formed a seventy-two hour pack. As implied by the name, they were designed to sustain searchers for seventy-two hours in the field. Because of the packs, the team was well equipped with camping and survival gear plus socks, underwear, and a change of clothes.
    A gear check showed that the GPS devices and walkie-talkies did not work. Packed in the truck were ten gallons of drinking water, a large ice chest containing “real food”—not the MREs kept in the search packs—a high lift jack, a tool kit, a pull strap and a rope.
    The tents remained stored for the time being so they would not have to be packed if help came before nightfall.
    The afternoon was passed discussing theories of what caused the radio and general electronic failures. After much discussion, they agreed that theoretically, it had the hallmarks of an electromagnetic pulse—an EMP—but who might have done it, they did not know. Through it all, the group watched the sky and strained to hear any engine noise from airplanes above or from the roads below in the valley. Not a single aircraft or contrail was sighted.
    As evening approached, wood was gathered. Tents were unpacked and flat, rockless