In an effort to stop the men who plan to hike into New Hampshire and blow up a railroad bridge, Susan, Paul, and Charon visit Doug. This, so Charon can send a coded message back to his handlers in the Coalition. They reply told of an operative at a farm near Bellows Falls. Now, the three have to concoct a plausible reason for them to be traveling all the way up there (10 hours by horse and wagon). There will be several checkpoints. Charon is less than pleased with Susan's solution. Enjoying Susan's Raid? Help keep the stories coming by keeping Mic awake and at the keyboard. Right after you read this, go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. He will really appreciated it. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of Susan's Raid to read. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too!

Brian, Mic, and Jeff take another look at AI. This time, not in the fictional (and tyrannical) form of Skynet or Colossus, but as a here-and-now influence in our lives. Will AI replace humans for many jobs? Will AI tend to isolate people from each other? For preppers, is AI a good thing, or a bad thing? Links: CNBC: Bill Gates says humans won't be needed for most things (after AI) CNN Business: Tech experts worry we'll rely on AI too much Psychology Today: How AI could shape our relationships and social interaction The Stepford Wives: Movie Review If you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are great too! All support appreciated.    

Susan sneaks out of Boyd's Farm in the dark of night. She meets Charon in the woods outside of the little Deerfield airport. They make their way to the plane without being detected. Charon plants his explosive under the wing, but people start coming from the house. He has to cut the fuse very short and run for cover. The plane explodes just as the people arrive. They put out the subsequent fires quickly. There was no detonation of the Feds' explosive cargo. It was not aboard the plane yet. The airport boss tells the pilot and two helpers that they will have to carry the explosive package in on foot and blow up a bridge themselves. BE the person people ask, "And then what happens?" Monthly members at Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon  get to read many chapters ahead. You can be that person-in-the-know. But, if you're okay with suspense, you can still help keep the stories coming by buying a virtual coffee at BMAC 

Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss the challenges of staying prepared when traveling long distances. They share a few of their travel "horror" stories too. With TSA's restrictions on what can be brought as carry-on, a prepper is more limited in their travel EDC. The guys discuss what they have done to stay as prepped as they can while traveling. Links: Official TSA page: What's allowed and not allowed in baggage. If you are finding value in these topical episodes, consider buying Mic a one-time cup of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee, You can also become a monthly supporter at Buy Me A Coffee, or. a Patron on Patreon.  

Susan, Paul, and Charon set out to a farm near West Dover, VT with a load of manure. That, as cover for them checking out the small plane that the Coalition sent Charon to deal with. En route, they encounter checkpoint guards and a skeptical farmer who had no idea why they were there. Enjoying Susan's Raid? Help keep the stories coming by keeping Mic awake and at the keyboard, by buying him a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of Susan's Raid to read. Become a member. Read ahead!    

The eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is one of those mega-disasters that some preppers worry about. Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss two movies, one with the irresistable title of Volcanic Doom. The second is Supervolcano. The latter actually being about the catastrophic eruption of the Yellowstone volcano. They use those movies as jumping off points to discuss some of the realities of a huge volcanic eruption.  Links: Movie: Volcanic Doom — Free YouTube version. (original title: Magma: Volcanic Disaster (2006) Movie: Supervolcano (2005) BBC/Discovery faux-documentary about the Yellowstone volcano erupting catastrophically. Movie review: Crack in the World (1965) — a similar global crisis as in Volcanic Doom, with a similar solution. (Nukes) Article about 1816: The Year Without a Summer. USGS Page about predicted Yellowstone ash fallout. If you are enjoying these "doom" episodes, show your appreciation by buying MIc a coffee at Buy Me A Coffee, or becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a BMAC monthly member.

Charon's presence is almost discovered by a surprise inspection of area homes following reports of strange sounds over the village of Marlboro. Charon is hidden just in time and inspectors search for clues. After they leave, Charon outlines his mission -- to find and neutralize the small plane that has been hindering Coalition efforts in the backcountry of upstate New York.   Enjoying Susan's Raid? Help keep the stories coming by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of Susan's Raid to read. Become a member. Read ahead!

In a grid-down situation, people will turn to alternate means to cook, for lighting, and to heat their homes. These alternates often involve fire — propane stoves, candles, propane heaters. These pose a higher risk of starting a fire in your home. And, at a time when the fire department probably isn't coming. What can you do? Mic's special guest for this episode is Brian Duff, a prepper and former fire fighter. He, Mic and Jeff discuss grid-down fire dangers. Links: Brian Duff's Mind4Survival.com website. Brian's Book Mind 4 Survival on Amazon. If you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You can also buy Mic a one-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee too. All support appreciated.

Susan and Paul prepare a night landing spot for the Coalition operative. He arrives in a not-quite-dignified landing. It's Charon. They gather up his paraglider gear and return to Paul's house. While Charon urges them to destroy the glider gear so it can't be discovered, Susan feels the gear is too valuable as a resource. She and Paul must figure out ways to hide the gear.   Enjoying Susan's Raid? Show your support by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of Susan's Raid to read. Become a member. Read ahead!

As a nod to winter, Mic, Jeff, and Brian, all watched the 2018 movie, Arctic, starring Mads Mikkelsen. He is the pilot of an airplane that crash-landed somewhere in the arctic. His survival skills have kept him alive for several weeks. When a rescue helicopter arrives, it too crashes due to storm gusts. Only the copilot — a young woman — survived, though gravely injured. He then tries to get her to medical care. The boys key off of this movie to discuss winter preparedness in general. Links: Movie, Arctic — (YouTube free version. What little is said, is dubbed in Portuguese) IMDb Page for Arctic -- Writer, Director, star list. Reviews. WinterReady tips from Ready.gov f you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You can also buy Mic a one-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee too. All support appreciated.

The story opens with Susan and Paul carrying food and water to some livestock hidden in a high woods. They are circumventing a new law that limits how much livestock people can own. Susan tells of discovering that the mysterious regular white van is carrying gasoline. She deduces that the gas is for an equally mysterious airplane the Feds are operating nearby. Back at home, they are visited by a Food Equity Inspector, eager to ensure that no one has more (or better) food than everyone else.  Later, Paul mentions that the Coalition is sending someone to deal with the airplane. You can show your appreciation for these ongoing stories in the Siege universe, by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of Susan's Raid to read. Become a member. Read ahead!  

Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss the 2014 movie Aftermath: an independent production about a group of average folks who gather in a north Texas farmhouse cellar to try to survive the radioactive fallout from a nuclear war. This is another of those Everybody Dies movies. The boys comment on what the writer did well for conveying prepper knowledge, and where he missed the boat. The biggest boat he missed was assuming that fallout stayed at toxic levels for over a month. Links: The Movie: Aftermath (2014) Free on YouTube The FEMA PrepTalk about the reality of fallout and how to protect yourself.   If you are enjoying these topical episodes with Mic, Jeff, and Brian,, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, Cups of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee

The final installment in the backstory of Harold Perkins -- the man who had the steel casting expertise to fix that broken locomotive. In this chapter, Red has dropped them off at the woods along the border. They have to travel by night, without lights that passing drones might see. Then, hope that they've stayed on course to meet the people who think they're trading engine parts for a sack of corn.   If you are entertained by these novelettes, you can show your appreciation by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting the chapters of the second novelette -- Susan's Raid.  

So much Doom! With inauguration just a short while away, the boys review some of the doom we've been told will befall us all. In a more realistic vein, the threat of terrorists remains, regardless of who sits in the White House. We're told that hacker-terrorists have infiltrated many infrastructure systems. If they strike and take down infrastructure, what is a prepper to do about that? And then, there are winter storms that can take down the grid too, albeit less catastrophically than terrorists, but with greater certainty. Links: Mr. Heater "Buddy" portable propane heater — emergency indoor* heat source.* With sufficient fresh air available. Best used with carbon monoxide detector. News story: Chinese Hackers in Infrastructure -- Jake Sullivan of Biden White House warns Americans of depth and breadth of CCP hacker infiltration.   If you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You can also buy Mic a one-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee too. All support appreciated.

The moment has come. Harold and his family must sneak out of their guarded townhouse and into the secret compartment in James Reddimer's truck. Red manages to involve a guard in restarting the truck as a way of proving his truck was empty. Harold worries about many things as they seem to be traveling no place in particular. The travel authorization provided by Dorn gets them through a checkpoint. Beyond that lie a mile of woods an the New Hampshire border. If you are entertained by these novelettes, you can show your appreciation by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting the chapters of the second novelette -- Susan's Raid.    

Mic, Jeff, and Brian all watched the movie Homestead over Christmas week. This is independent Angel Studios' screenplay based on the book series Black Autumn. Originally planned as a series, the first two episodes became a movie. More episodes to follow, says Angel Studios. The boys look at prepper lessons to be learned from the film and touch upon some of the thorny issues a well-equipped prepper is likely to face. While the boys can't help but do a few spoilers, the story goes on in later episodes, so there's not ending (yet) to give away. Links: Black Autumn Book Series on Amazon. Angel Studios' website. Homestead movie trailer Ready Your Future exclusive email group. (membership is closed at the moment, but you can add your name to the waiting list.   If you are appreciating these prepper fiction episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee.

Casting Dorn's part cannot be put off any longer. Red has a one-shot plan to rescue Harold and his family. While it means escaping to "lawless" New Hampshire, it is better than certain death. Their conversation over the details is masked by the roar of the furnace. Red plans to sneak them out that evening. Dorn, however, orders them to be ready to leave in a half an hour. If you are entertained by these novelettes, you can show your appreciation by buying a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting the chapters of the second novelette -- Susan's Raid.

With renewed concerns of possible nuclear exchanges (Ukraine/Russia, Iran/Israel) Mic, Brian, and Jeff explore some of the reality behind nuclear blasts and more importantly, fallout. These were fairly topical among Americans during the Cold War, but with the fall of the Soviet Union, nuclear realities have slipped out of the mainstream American consciousness. The catalyst for this episode was a book by journalist Annie Jacobsen, that highlighted how precarious things still are. Below are links to items mentioned in this episode. Links: Annie Jacobsen's book: Nuclear War, A Scenario -- (amazon link) Not promoting her book so much as providing a link if you're interested. A Long-Form Interview with Joe Rogen A print article in the publication Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The 1983 Made for TV move The Day After (free on YouTube), cited by Jacobsen as influential in amrs talks in the 80s. FEMA PrepTalks about nuclear preparedness and after effects (You Tube) Show your support for the Siege podcasts by buying Mic a virtual cup of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee   If you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee,

While assessing their dismal prospects, (their work is doomed to fail) Harold discovers that a secret resistance organization has a couple of operatives working around the foundry. He recalls a neighbor of his down in Canton Boston telling him about the secret society. Harold confronts one of the operatives to request help. The operative makes no promises but says they will need time. Dorn, however, wants the project to commence the next day. If you've found these stories entertaining, consider buying Mic a virtual coffee on Buy Me A Coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting the chapters of the second novelette -- Susan's Raid.  

Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss how the holidays can be significant for preppers. Part of it is having to maintain one's situational awareness when out in crowded public places. Ne'erdowells seek out crowded places to cause trouble.A more positive holiday feature are the deep discounts. A good time for the shrewd prepper to save on preps. Links: Hot Holiday Offershttps://hotholidayoffers.com/CamelCamelCamelhttps://camelcamelcamel.com/   Show your support for the Siege podcasts by buying Mic a virtual cup of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee Better yet, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee,