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remain inside of the tree line, out of sight, and behind cover.  From there, he would be able to engage any threats at or near the farmhouse with his Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag.  He brought along his "Remy" on every outing to act as the designated over-watch, while Evan or Griff took up the point position with a high capacity intermediate weapon such as an AR, AK, or VZ.  Today Evan had brought along his beloved VZ58 side folder.  For their runs outside of the Homefront, he loved its incredibly compact and easy to carry size when folded, especially when traveling via mountain bike.  This combination of both a Remington 700 and a VZ58 gave the pair both a high rate of fire and long range capability, allowing them to address the myriad situations that may arise during a run.  Once in position, Jason clicked his hand held radio mic three times indicating to Evan that he was now on watch.  This meant that Evan could approach the house with the confidence that he was in Jason's kill zone for fire support, in the event things were to go south.
    Evan heard the clicks through his earpiece and slowly emerged from the side of the road.  He began to walk in plain view towards the house, so that Ollie and Mildred could visually identify him.  As he approached the house, the front door opened and Mildred came out and said, "You're just in time for coffee," which was their phrase to let them know they were not under duress, whereas she would use tea instead of coffee if someone was known to be listening or observing. 
    Evan clicked his mic four times to notify Jason that the home was secure and said, "Good, I could sure use a cup."  With that, Jason emerged from his position, slung his rifle over his back and proceeded to the house.  Evan kept a watch over Jason while he proceeded towards the house.  Once he reached the front porch, the two men joined Mildred inside.
    "Good morning boys," she said with a smile.
    "Good morning Ma'am," they both responded.
    "Ollie is out checking on the cattle in the back pasture, he should be back anytime.  So how was the ride in this morning?" she asked.
    "Nice and uneventful," Jason said as he reached out to accept the cup of coffee that she was handing him.
    "Yep, other than having to wait up for Jason it went smooth," Evan said with a devious smirk as he looked at Jason who was taking a sip of his coffee.
    "Yea right," Jason said.  "I was just trying to set a slow pace for the old man here so he wouldn't overdo it," he said as he returned the smirk.
    "You two remind me so much of my boys, always picking at each other in fun," Mildred said with a smile, although Evan and Jason could both see the hurt in her eyes of not knowing what had become of her own children.
    Just then, they heard the back door open with Ollie's familiar knock to let Mildred know it was only him entering the house.  He had told her that if she ever hears someone enter the house without a sign that it is him, to run to the basement and lock herself inside.  Their basement, being completely underground to act as a root cellar, had become their bug-in or panic room if anything were to happen.
    Ollie walked into the room and said, "Well hello Gentlemen.  How are things over on your little piece of the world?"
    "We can't complain about a thing Sir.  How are things going in the livestock business?" Evan replied.
    "Mostly OK I guess," he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. 
    "Mostly?" inquired Mildred with a concerned look.
    "Well, it may be nothing, but there are a few head of cattle I can't account for.  They may have slipped through the fence somewhere, or maybe I missed'em in the count.  I'll count'em again tomorrow," he said trying to dismiss his concerns as nothing to worry the others about.
    "Why don't Evan and I patrol the full length of your fence with you while we are here to see if there is a place they could have gotten out?" Jason said.  "We came all of this way, we might as well help."
    "I