(Originally Posted Wednesday 8-18-21)
These pics are similar to the ones used in CP#131, friends having a good time. But what makes it different though is the direction we’re going in with this story.
In CP#131, the friends weren’t the focus, they were just there to build up the threat of what was out in the cornfields. In this one, the friends are the focus.
I’m thinking they’re on vacation. Either in Miami or maybe Mexico? Somewhere tropical/warm for sure. They’ve rented a 2 or 3 story house right on the water. Like a lake/river type. Not the ocean. I don’t get a beach vibe from these pics.
But it’s definitely summer vacation type vibes. Now whether that’s for a week, a month, or all summer not sure yet. I don’t think it’s a long weekend type stay. Feels more like we’re settled in for a spell, no rush to leave, and we’re going to enjoy ourselves sort of thing.
The main questions would be, who are the friends? What do they do? What are they on vacation from? I kinda like the idea of doing a ‘Graceland’ style group. A bunch of men and women from various government agencies getting together to unwind finally. Or maybe they were all part of a Special Taskforce that failed some big assignment and they were all forced to take a leave of absence. That could work really well actually. And it would give another pool of federal agents to draw from and sprinkle throughout other stories in The Merc Series Universe.
Plus, maybe while they’re all here, they stumble into something else a week or two into vacation. Enough time has gone by to make some good summer memories and then this big thing happens to them. Maybe they uncover a smuggling operation in the town their house is in. That could work and I have a new smuggler character that could get involved. Especially if we go with the location being in or around Miami.
One direction I wouldn’t go in, is it wouldn’t be related to the big case they lost. No secret twist connecting the two things/events. That’s over and done with. Not that there’s anything wrong with that angle but not for this particular story idea. I see this one easily being able to be a novella length story too. We’ll see.
