History Literature / Deathlands

* ForbiddenZone: The United States of America, also known as The Death Lands. Heavily populated by mutants and frequently scoured by deadly weather and hazardous terrain.

* GeneralRipper: Way too many to count in the Death Lands themselves, but "Pilgrimage to Hell" (the first book) showcased that one of the factors that caused the end of the world as we know it was one of these getting the "luck" of being the sole remaining military leader in the aftermath of the [[DecapitationStrike nuking of Washington, D.C]].

* GunPorn: Oh so many weapons. Many fire arms are given detailed information through out the novels from descriptions to how they work. Rare, high quality, or unusual guns are often found on assorted key characters at any one point.

* HandGuns: Everyone seems to carry them for one reason or another and they are depicted in every size and shape from pocket pistol Derringers up to massive hand cannon like revolvers.

** [[spoiler:Kelber, Strasser's chief torturer, dies in this manner when he accidentally swallows a carnivorous insect he'd been planning to force feed to his prisoners.]]
** [[spoiler:Baron Zeal, who previously burned one of Trader's men alive with his special torture chamber of doom, eventually tries escaping an imminent explosion by jumping in said torture chamber; however, while the thick-walled torture chamber survives the massive explosion it eventually winds up in the bottom of a crater of a destroyed refinery surrounded by burning fuel and oil, with the door wedged shut. Zeal ends up burning alive for weeks.]]

* KickTheDog: The various villains and miscreants do this to one degree or another simply because they can and to quickly point out the bad guys in the book.
* KnifeNut: One of the main characteristics of Companion Jak Lauren is having about a dozen knives (at ''least'') on his person at all times and being very good with them.

** In the ''Crater Lake'' VolcanoLair there's a whole ElaborateUndergroundBase full of them. Their madness is amplified thanks to inbreeding and isolation from end of the war to present day of the books.
** The Cerberus Scientists are described as mad scientsists throughout the stories.
*** [[spoiler:Dr. Tanner is a victim of the Cerberus scientists time travel experiments that violently ripped him from his time.]] His recollections of the scientists of Cerberus and their related projects paints a picture of a veritable army of {{MadScientist}}s.
** The Scientists in ''Genesis Echo'' are this.[[spoiler: They have a cloning project that they have going with some of the Guards and at the end of the novel.]]

** The book ''Pandora's Redoubt'' revolves around the Companions managing to get hold of a tank that was {{MacGyver|ing}}ed by another gang from military vehicles left in a Redoubt. The tank is described as being very makeshift, trying to be tank, APC and (eventually because of the BigBad getting hold of it and doing modifications) mobile throne room.

* MoreDakka: Auto-Rifles, Assault Rifles, and Sub-Machine Guns are favored for their ability to spit hot-leaded death and for their firepower in close quarters.

* MysteriousPast: Ryan Cawdor and Doc Tanner. [[spoiler:Ryan is the son of a wealthy baron, forced to flee after a palace coup by his WickedStepmother and EvilPrince brother. Doc turns out to be from the 19th century, and had been time-trawled into the 20th by Project Cerebus scientists. When he kept trying to escape to his own time, the scientists sent him a hundred years into the future [[KickTheDog simply to get rid of him]].]]
* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: Sometimes making sure it is nearly impossible to miss is the best option and frequently used with weapons like shotguns with gory effect.

* NuclearOption: Both sides in the war used this to blast each other and a good part of the rest of the world to hell and back.
* PortalNetwork: The MAT-TRANS devices. They create a network of teleporter devices that link many locations inside and outside of the Deathlands [[spoiler:and even to a limited extent different points in time.]]

* PoisonedWeapons:

** Poisoned weapons are a serious worry and any melee weapon or non-fire arm projectile wounds are frequently checked for a possible trace of poison.
* PuttingOnTheReich:
** Varous armed thugs or vicious soldiers are depicted as wearing obviously evil clothing of some sort another.
** The Sec forces of Mocsin. They were the patently {{obviously evil}} black uniform-wearing bad guys.

* RareGuns: They usually fall under a form of AKA47 trope as weapons like the H&K G-12, which is the Real Life G-11, and Calico series weapons are also mentioned.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In the FilmOfTheBook it's the only outward sign of mutation presumably to save on special effects.
* RuleOfCool: The book contains plenty instances of this to help keep the story interesting. Expect characters to do incredibly implausible things or beat impossible odds. Sometimes it is even used to set the theme or mood for where they are currently.

* ShootTheMessenger: In "''Neutron Solstice''", Baron Tourment delivers this fate to a Bocor seer who warns him of the arrival of the protagonists, [[VaguenessIsComing but can provide no further details]].
* SniperRifle: Proper sniper weapons are a bit more rare as the scopes are fragile or easily damaged but those that do exist are functional enough to be deadly. Krysty Wroth tends to be depicted in cover art holding a bolt-action SniperPistol, despite the fact that she'd have [[MoreDakka little use for such a weapon]].

* SuicidalPacifism: Throughout the novels it is mentioned that pacifists don't survive long in The Death Lands. Those who choose to live more violently and prey on other people inevitably attack and wipe them out one way or another.

* BoomHeadShot: Done with often gory details about eyeballs, teeth, and fragments of bullets and bone doing nasty things and often portrayed as one of the few sure ways to kill even tough enemies such as mutants.
* CarFu: The drivers of the Trader's caravan use this to great effect. Also used in general through out the books.
* ChekhovsVolcano: The Wizard Island Research Base. It is stated that when they blow the dooms day weapons intended to finish off the world that it would very likely set off the dormant volcano. Sure enough when they blow the facility the volcano erupts.

* CoolGun: The various personal fire arms of the characters get this treatment in the novels with a fair bit of description given over to the details of the weapons and what makes them unique, useful, and/or effective.

** Nerve Gas grenades make a few appearances in a few books. Due to the old age of the weapons, they are not always as lethal as they could be or even dangerous to handle.

** Easily Concealed small weapons like derringers and knives also are used in this role with various characters including villains using them to get out of a tight spot.

** The description of what happened to Ryan and how he lost his eye, as well as his occasional nightmares about it when his remaining eyes is threatened.

* FutureSlang: [[{{mutant}} Muties]], [[ImAHumanitarian cannies]], [[{{mooks}} sec men]], [[WeaponizedCar war wag]], [[HiredGuns blasters]], [[DeadlyEuphemism chilled]], and [[UnusualEuphemism fireblast]] are the common future slang found in the books.
* GeneralRipper: Way too many to count in the Death Lands themselves, but "Pilgrimage to Hell" (the first book) showcased that one of the factors that caused the end of the world as we know it was one of these getting the "luck" of being the sole remaining military leader in the aftermath of the nuking of Washington, D.C.

After being in print since 1988 the series has become currently out of print because Gold Eagle Publishing closing down in 2015.

** The group find some [[CrateExpectations sealed crates]] and J.B. starts going into [[GunPorn excessive detail]] over what exotic weapons might be in them. Everyone, except J.B., bursts out laughing when the crates turn out to be full of thousands of plastic zippers.
** Any number of the Redoubts that are scattered all over the U.S. and other locations. The companions frequently find nothing of real value in the old fortifications.
** There are many things left over in various facilities and other bunkers from the war that have often proven to be very dangerous. The characters will often scavenge these locations anyway hoping to find anything of value. Many of the dangers they find include killer robots and the remnants of experiments that were left to run away and go wild.

* AlternateHistory: Premier Gorbachev dies in a plane crash in 1993, and a bloody civil war in the USSR presages the elevation of a hardline Soviet government, though it is another faction ''within'' this group that starts the war, alarmed over the decline of the Soviet Union and other events such as a civil war in South Africa, the assassination of Fidel Castro, and an active Strategic Defense Initiative.

* AnyoneCanDie: Any character that is not part of the long running group of characters frequently referred to as "The Companions" can be killed off during the course of a single novel or survive fore a few novels before dying.

* BadassLongcoat: Ryan is known to wear a longcoat that he scavenged, on occasion he takes it off when the heat is too much, such as the beginnings of book three when he leaves the coat at the redoubt due to the humidity and temperature of the swamps.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The nature of the Deathlands makes this a fact of life. People are flawed but there are some really bad people out there who just need killing. Expect to see a shoot first and ask later attitude due to the often justified belief that others will do the same or worse.

* FilmOfTheBook: [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci-Fi Channel]] did a fairly decent adaptation of ''Homeward Bound'', where Ryan Cawdor returns to the barony from which he was outlawed. Be prepared however for {{Narm}}ish acting, [[ColorWash too much]] [[RedSkyTakeWarning red tint]], no Doc Tanner or Lori Quint, ex-porn star Traci Lords as a LadyMacbeth-style baroness, and a complete absence of giant mutant monsters.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: The first novel was written in 1986 and states that WW3 began in 2001, so the series has now become 'honorary' AlternateHistory.

* PsychicPowers: Some mutants have these. [[SpiderSense Sensors]], [[{{seer}} precogs]], Doomies who vaguely sense bad events before the happen, and Krysty has powerful [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities as well as potent precognitive powers]].

** In one redoubt the characters find a stash of what appears to be well preserved food; an often valuable find in the Death Lands. Unluckily said food leads to a [[RealityEnsues severe case of food poisoning]].

** [[spoiler:Baron Zeal, who previously burned one of Trader's men alive with his special torture chamber of doom, eventually tries escaping an imminent explosion and being the victim of [[{{Gorn}} a violent and goretastic explosion]], jumps in same torture chamber; however. The thick-walled torture chamber eventually winds up in the bottom of a crater of a destroyed refinery having survived the massive explosion and surrounded by burning fuel and oil. At the end of the book Baron Zeal was being burned alive as the door was wedged shut in the destruction of the refinery. Giving Zeal the ironic treatment of burning alive for weeks as he had done to others.]]

* FogofDoom: The Cerberus active defense system found guarding a few bunkers in the books. The fog is an active weapon system left over from before the war described as actively attacking and tearing apart whatever it gets ahold of.

* FrickinLaserBeams: [[spoiler:Finnigan is killed by a faulty one in ''Crater Lake'',]] and the effects are depicted with graphic details.
--> [[spoiler:Finnegan]]: ''"FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK-! (death gargle)"''

* ShootTheMessenger: In "''Neutron Solstice''", Baron Tourment delivers this fate to a Bocor seer who brings him bad news.

** The book ''Pandora's Redoubt'' revolves around the Companions managing to get hold of a tank that was MacGyvered by another gang from military vehicles left in a Redoubt. The tank is described as being very makeshift, trying to be tank, APC and (eventually because of the BigBad getting hold of it and doing modifications) mobile throne room.

* TankGoodness: The book ''Pandora's Redoubt'' revolves around the Companions jumping into a Redoubt that had been entered by another gang already, who had MacGyvered a tank out of the vehicles in the bunker's motor pool ([[NoHonorAmongThieves and then they all killed each other apparently trying to take full control of it]]).

* {{BFG}}:A variety of popular weapon options for use in the Deathlands. Examples are M-60s, .50 caliber machine guns, auto-cannons, and grenade launchers to name a few.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Mutants are discriminated against and subject to pograms. Even Ryan lets some prejudice slip through on one occasion; Krysty Wroth is not amused.

** In one redoubt the characters find a stash of what appears to be well preserved food an often valuable find in the Death Lands. Unluckily said food leads to a severe case of food poisoning.

** '''Jak Lauren:''' HeroicAlbino (a {{Mutant}} in the film), KnifeNut, ChildSoldier, ScarilyCompetentTracker.

* FutureImperfect: The leader of a Russian war party declares his intention to invade the former United States, having read in the old books about how it's a land of wealth and [[ForeignFanservice beautiful women]] instead of the CrapsackWorld it is in reality.

LongRunningBookSeries of action-adventure novels (currently out of print because of Gold Eagle Publishing closing down) set in an AfterTheEnd North America, now called [[MeaningfulName Deathlands]]. A detailed prologue in the first novel explains how a [[RenegadeRussian hardline communist faction]] tried to [[DecapitatedArmy decapitate the entire US political and military command structure]] by detonating three briefcase nukes during the Presidential inauguration, as a preliminary to a surprise nuclear attack. Things [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] and the resulting nuclear, chemical and biological conflagration turns Earth into the equivalent of a DeathWorld.

In the year 2104 life in Deathlands is nasty, brutish, short, and frequently mutated. However the HiredGuns of the Trader have things better than most. Travelling from one [[WretchedHive feudal barony and fortified town]] to another in their heavily-armed wagon train, they've become adept at locating the [[ScavengerWorld hidden stockpiles of weapons and equipment]] left by the now-defunct US government.

After an attack on their convoy the Trader's war captain, Ryan Cawdor, saves and is saved by a stunningly beautiful female captive called Krysty Wroth. She is convinced that a [[ThePromisedLand gateway to a better world]] lies in the Darks formerly known as the Glacier National Park in Montana. This is an old UrbanLegend and Ryan is naturally skeptical, but events force him and several companions to seek it out. What they discover there leads them to a series of adventures across the Deathlands and beyond. Their wanderings lead them to battle an endless array of [[EvilOverlord power-hungry warlords]], kill-crazy marauders, mutant monsters, {{Mad Scientist}}s and various other villains. Expect loads of {{Gorn}} and GunPorn, over-the-top characters, cool events and some crazy landscape. To date the series has reached over 100 books with multiple authors, making for some interesting adventures for the characters.

There is also ''Outlanders'', a spin-off series set a hundred years on from the events of ''Deathlands''. LostTechnology has been used to bring the chaotic Deathlands under the despotic rule of a centralised government backed by mysterious forces; the series depicts the efforts of a group of renegades operating from the Darks to oppose them. Employing conspiracy theories and myths from all cultures as underpinnings, ''Outlanders'' quickly distanced itself from the gun-fixated survivalist tone of ''Deathlands'' and struck out in new directions, providing explanations for many of the unresolved science-fiction elements in the earlier series.

LongRunningBookSeries of action-adventure novels set in an AfterTheEnd North America, now called [[MeaningfulName Deathlands]]. A detailed prologue in the first novel explains how a [[RenegadeRussian hardline communist faction]] tried to [[DecapitatedArmy decapitate the entire US political and military command structure]] by detonating three briefcase nukes during the Presidential inauguration, as a preliminary to a surprise nuclear attack. Things [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] and the resulting nuclear, chemical and biological conflagration turns Earth into the equivalent of a DeathWorld.

** The Cerberus Scientists are described as mad scientsists through out the stories.

* MilitaryMashupMachine: The Trader's assorted caravan vehicles called war wagons. A personal transport, shelter, trading vehicle and weapons platform.

* AfterTheEnd: Civilization as we know it is gone.

* ColdSniper: The snipers that do show up are usually this.

* DepopulationBomb: Large numbers of the worlds population are killed off in the apocalyptic war that spawned the Death Lands.
* DoubleTap: Sometimes the characters really need to make sure something is dead. This applies especially to mutants because their internal anatomy is not always the same as humans. Also the events and chaos of battle means not every hit stops enemies cold and some are able to continue fighting unless a follow up shot is made.

* FogofDoom: The Cerberus active defense system guarding the bunker in the first book. The fog is an active weapon system left over from before the war described as actively attacking and tearing apart whatever it gets ahold of.

** [[spoiler:Baron Zeal, who previously burned one of Trader's men alive with his special torture chamber of doom, eventually tries escaping an imminent explosion and being the victim of [[{{Gorn}} a violent and goretastic explosion]], jumps in same torture pit; however, the torture pit eventually winds up in a crater, burning alive as the door was wedged shut, giving Zeal the irony treatment of burning alive for weeks.]]

* HumansAreBastards: After the survivors of the nuclear winter came back out, apparently the bad got worse. It is noted that those that try to live peacefully and morally are frequently [[SuicidalPacifism wiped out by those who choose not to live so]].

** Various military stockpiles and old bases have gear and weapons stashed.

** Ryan Cawdor the main character started out as this and built his reputation on his capabilities as a Blaster.
** Quite a few people often start their careers as Blasters or Sec. Men when they are young.

* PrehensileHair: Krysty Wroth has bright red hair that moves according to her mood, wrapping tightly around her head when she is in danger.

** There are many things left over in various facilities and other bunkers from the war that have often proven to be very dangerous. The characters will often scavenge these locations anyway hoping to find including killer robots and the remnants of experiments that were left to run away and go wild.

** Any number of the Redoubts that are scattered all over the U.S. and other locations. The companions frequently find nothing of real value in the old foritifications.

* AnyoneCanDie: Any character is not part of the long running group of characters frequently referred to as "The Companions" can be killed off during the course of a single novel or survive fore a few novels before dying.

* KickTheDog: The various villains and miscreants do this to one degree or another simply because they can and quickly point out the bad guys in the book.

** In the ''Crater Lake'' VolcanoLair there's a whole ElaborateUndergroundBase full of them. Their madness is amplified thanks to inbreeding and isolation.

* MoreDakka: Auto-Rifles, Assault Rifles, and Sub-Machine Guns are favored for their ability to spit hot-leaded death.

* NuclearOption: Both sides in the war used this to blast each other to hell and back.
* PortalNetwork: The MAT-TRANS devices. They create a network of teleporter devices that not link many locations inside and outside of the Deathlands and even to a limited extent different points in time.

* SteamPunk: Steam-powered trucks.

* TeleportersAndTransporters: What they find in the hidden redoubt beyond the [[FogOfDoom Cerberus fog defense]]. It's later revealed they provide the ability to TimeTravel as well.

* YoungGun: Ryan Cawdor the main character started out as this. Quite a few people often start their careers young.
* VulnerableConvoy: Noticeably averted with the Trader's convoy, which is attacked by mutant marauders who assume his reputation is exaggerated. They turn out to be very, very wrong.

* TeleportersAndTransporters: What they find in the hidden redoubt beyond the Cerberus fog defense. It's later revealed they provide the ability to TimeTravel as well.

* FilmOfTheBook: SciFiChannel did a fairly decent adaptation of ''Homeward Bound'', where Ryan Cawdor returns to the barony from which he was outlawed. Be prepared however for {{Narm}}ish acting, [[ColorWash too much]] [[RedSkyTakeWarning red tint]], no Doc Tanner or Lori Quint, ex-porn star Traci Lords as a LadyMacbeth-style baroness, and a complete absence of giant mutant monsters.

* HopeSproutsEternal: Seen in the first novel, and used as a continuing theme in book covers and the RidingIntoTheSunset ending for the SciFiChannel adaptation.

LongRunningBookSeries of action-adventure novels set in an AfterTheEnd North America, now called [[MeaningfulName Deathlands]]. A detailed prologue in the first novel explains how a [[RenegadeRussian hardline communist faction]] tried to decapitate the entire US political and military command structure by detonating three briefcase nukes during the Presidential inauguration, as a preliminary to a surprise nuclear attack. Things [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] and the resulting nuclear, chemical and biological conflagration turns Earth into the equivalent of a DeathWorld.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pilgrimage_to_Hell1_3072.jpg

** [[spoiler: Subverted Outside the very first redoubt one of the party fleeing into the darks is critically wounded by arrows. They are forced to leave them behind because the arrow wound is so bad.]]
** In FilmOfTheBook, where Krysty Wroth yanks a crossbow bolt out of her shoulder).

* ChekhovsVolcano: [[spoiler:The Wizard Island Research Base. It is stated that when they blow the dooms day weapons intended to finish off the world that it would very likely set off the dormant volcano. Sure enough when they blow the facility the volcano erupts.]]

* CoolGate: [[spoiler: The portal booths that the characters frequently used often taking them to a new location every time they are used.

** When the Trader finds a stash of nerve gas, he buries it and destroys the evidence that lead him there in the hope no-one will ever use such weapons again. [[spoiler:Unfortunately it doesn't work; half his convoy gets gassed with nerve agents]]

** The description of what happened to Ryan and how he lost his eye, as well as his ocasional nightmares about it when his remaining eyes is threatened.

* PortalNetwork: The MAT-TRANS devices. [[spoiler: They create a network of teleporter devices that not link many locations inside and outside of the Deathlands and even to a limited extent different points in time.]]

* TeleportersAndTransporters:[[spoiler:What they find in the hidden redoubt beyond the Cerberus fog defense. It's later revealed they provide the ability to TimeTravel as well.]]

* AntiMatter: Implosion bombs use Anti-Matter in some fashion.

* {{BFG}}: M-60s, .50 caliber machine guns, auto-cannons, and grenade launchers to name a few.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The nature of the Deathlands makes this a fact of life. People are flawed but there are some really bad people out there who just need killing. Expect to see a shoot first and ask later attitude due to the often justified belief that others will do the same to you.
* BoomHeadShot: Done with often gory details about eyeballs, teeth, and fragments of bullets and bone doing nasty things.

* CoolGate [=/=] PortalNetwork: The MAT-TRANS.
* CoolGun: The various personal fire arms of the characters get this treatment in the novels.
* CrapsackWorld: Among the weather, landscape, mutants and other humans, the world is not a nice place to live.
* {{Cult}}: There are plenty of various and sundry cults through out the death lands.

** Easily Concealed small weapons like derringers and knives also are used in this role.

** One of the nicer things that can possibly happen to your eyes is getting them put out

* ForbiddenZone: The United States of America, also known as The Death Lands.

* FutureSlang: [[{{mutant}} Muties]], [[ImAHumanitarian cannies]], [[{{mooks}} sec men]], [[WeaponizedCar war wag]], [[HiredGuns blasters]], [[DeadlyEuphemism chilled]], and [[UnusualEuphemism fireblast]].

* GunStripping: Characters will frequently clean and maintain their weapons.
* HandGuns: Everyone seems to carry them for one reason or another.

** [[spoiler:Baron Zeal, who previously burned one of Trader's men alive with his special torture chamber of doom, eventually tries escaping imminent explosion and being the victim of [[{{Gorn}} a violent and goretastic explosion]], jumps in same torture pit; however, the torture pit eventually winds up in a crater, burning alive as the door was wedged shut, giving Zeal the irony treatment of burning alive for weeks.]]

* KickTheDog: The various villains and miscreants do this to one degree or another simply because they can.

* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: Sometimes making sure it is nearly impossible to miss is the best option.

* PuttingOnTheReich: The Sec forces of Mocsin. They were the patently {{obviously evil}} black uniform-wearing bad guys.

* PsychicPowers: Some mutes have these. [[SpiderSense Sensors]], [[{{seer}} precogs]], Doomies who vaguely sense bad events before the happen, and Krysty has powerful [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities as well as potent precognitive powers]].

* RuleOfCool: The book contains plenty instances of this to help keep the story interesting.

* WeaponizedCar: The War Wagons, War Wags for short, and the assault buggies.
* WretchedHive: Mocsin, and many other towns on the eastern seaboard.

In the year 2104 life in Deathlands is nasty, brutish and short (not to mention frequently mutated) but the HiredGuns of the Trader have things better than most. Travelling from one [[WretchedHive feudal barony and fortified town]] to another in their heavily-armed wagon train, they've become adept at locating the [[ScavengerWorld hidden stockpiles of weapons and equipment]] left by the now-defunct US government.

After an attack on their convoy the Trader's war captain, Ryan Cawdor, saves and is saved by a stunningly beautiful female captive called Krysty Wroth. She is convinced that a [[ThePromisedLand gateway to a better world]] lies in the Darks (formerly the Glacier National Park in Montana). This is an old UrbanLegend and Ryan is naturally skeptical, but events force him and several companions to seek it out. What they discover there leas them to a series of adventures across the Deathlands and beyond. Their wanderings lead them to battle an endless array of [[EvilOverlord power-hungry warlords]], kill-crazy marauders, mutant monsters, {{Mad Scientist}}s and various other villains. Expect loads of {{Gorn}} and GunPorn, over-the-top characters, cool events and some crazy landscape. To date the series has reached over 100 books with multiple authors, making for some interesting adventures for the characters.

* AKA47: Plenty of weapons get this treatment, as in the HK G-12 (a fictional variant of the Heckler & Koch G11 caseless rifle) wielded by Ryan in the early novels.

** The group find some [[CrateExpectations sealed crates]] and J.B. starts going into [[GunPorn excessive detail]] over what exotic weapons might be in them. Everyone (except J.B.) bursts out laughing when the crates turn out to be full of thousands of plastic zippers.

** [[spoiler: All of the Traders' vehicles have these placed into them to keep the wagons and their contents from falling into the wrong hands. When the switch is not activated after a certain period of time (because everyone's been nerve-gassed) the convoy blows up in front of the BigBad who'd hoped to seize it.]]