new, heavily
insulated cybernetics had come through without difficulty.
Hopefully the cyborg Shadow Men she might target with the blast
would not be so immune.
“That’s just a raw discharge,” Jackson said
as he stepped into the room with her. He detached the test cables
from the device in the vise, then opened its grip and removed it
from its hold. “Try this. Safety, trigger.” He handed it to her
sideways, rather than butt-first.
Jill turned the bulky pistol-thing over in
her hands. “Palm contacts meet up with the grip studs.”
“Right. You fire the discharge, which dumps
the power into the weapon’s capacitors. Pulling the trigger fires
an electromagnetic pulse tuned to what we believe are the Shadow
Men systems.”
“Why so complicated? Why not just put
batteries in the thing?”
The tech looked at her askance. “I’ll show
you. Give it to me. Remember, it’s unpowered now, so don’t freak
out.” He took it from her, then suddenly turned it on her and
pulled the trigger. “Pow,” he said. “Oh, look, I can’t use it. Only
you can. In fact, that gun only knows you. Not even another
friendly can use it.”
“Amusing. So EMP will screw me up too?”
“Assuredly.” Jackson handed the gun back to
her. “You wouldn’t be incapacitated but you will lose all your
cybernetics for at least a minute. Back to Eden Plague and nano,
and an extra ten kilos of useless crap to carry around. It should
reset after that, but…”
“Got it. How often can I use it?”
“Your bio-generator should recharge within
fifteen seconds or so. I know, that’s a long time, so we have some
other anti-Shadow goodies.” The tech opened a padded case and took
out a baseball-sized object. “This is just a mockup, but it’s fully
modeled, so you can practice. EMP grenade. Roll one into a room and pow , it will shut down everything with a computer or
unshielded electronics. Best you not be there with it, of
course.”
Jill nodded. “Okay. Anything else?”
“New Personal Weapon Twenties with the new
heavy Needleshock ammo. Fifty caliber. Five times the kinetic
energy, ten times the electrical discharge.”
“Sounds lethal. That could be a problem, with
the normals.”
Jackson pursed his lips and looked away.
“There’s a risk. Eighty percent of normals should survive one hit.
Ninety-five percent of Edens.”
“Hmm. I can live with that if I have to. I
can always carry a PW5 for the easy shots. Anything else?”
Jackson perked up again, a kid showing off
his toys. “Yeah, we have a whole bunch of stuff, more than you can
really carry.” He looked through the armored glass and remarked, “I
see your partner is here.”
“Partner?” Jill turned around to see a
familiar pretty face. “Rock!”
Roger “Rock” Muzik stepped through the door,
an Adonis with weary eyes. “Good to see you see you, Reap. I guess
we’re doing this thing together.”
“Great to see you too, sir.” She grabbed his
right hand and shook it warmly, but with a slight hesitation,
looking at his left. “Your arm…”
“Yeah, it’s regrown. Good as new. Took me a
few months…like your legs, I imagine.”
“Don’t remind me. So, other than new limbs,
how are you, Colonel?”
“Not Colonel, right now. My commission’s been
inactivated. We’ve both been handed over to the minions of Hell,”
he said drily.
“What?”
Muzik shooed the technician out of the
chamber, closed the door and lowered his voice. “By Presidential
order, we’re now part of the Agency.”
“Agency. CIA?” Repeth rubbed her arms, as if
a chill had come into the room. She didn’t like the feeling of
being detached from the military, as if suddenly unbalanced, with a
piece missing.
“Yes. And that also means I’m working for you
this time.”
A slow smile crept across her face.
“I see that suits you,” Muzik said.
“Well, McKenna had said I was going to be in
charge. Then when you showed up…”
Muzik waved his hands.
insulated cybernetics had come through without difficulty.
Hopefully the cyborg Shadow Men she might target with the blast
would not be so immune.
“That’s just a raw discharge,” Jackson said
as he stepped into the room with her. He detached the test cables
from the device in the vise, then opened its grip and removed it
from its hold. “Try this. Safety, trigger.” He handed it to her
sideways, rather than butt-first.
Jill turned the bulky pistol-thing over in
her hands. “Palm contacts meet up with the grip studs.”
“Right. You fire the discharge, which dumps
the power into the weapon’s capacitors. Pulling the trigger fires
an electromagnetic pulse tuned to what we believe are the Shadow
Men systems.”
“Why so complicated? Why not just put
batteries in the thing?”
The tech looked at her askance. “I’ll show
you. Give it to me. Remember, it’s unpowered now, so don’t freak
out.” He took it from her, then suddenly turned it on her and
pulled the trigger. “Pow,” he said. “Oh, look, I can’t use it. Only
you can. In fact, that gun only knows you. Not even another
friendly can use it.”
“Amusing. So EMP will screw me up too?”
“Assuredly.” Jackson handed the gun back to
her. “You wouldn’t be incapacitated but you will lose all your
cybernetics for at least a minute. Back to Eden Plague and nano,
and an extra ten kilos of useless crap to carry around. It should
reset after that, but…”
“Got it. How often can I use it?”
“Your bio-generator should recharge within
fifteen seconds or so. I know, that’s a long time, so we have some
other anti-Shadow goodies.” The tech opened a padded case and took
out a baseball-sized object. “This is just a mockup, but it’s fully
modeled, so you can practice. EMP grenade. Roll one into a room and pow , it will shut down everything with a computer or
unshielded electronics. Best you not be there with it, of
course.”
Jill nodded. “Okay. Anything else?”
“New Personal Weapon Twenties with the new
heavy Needleshock ammo. Fifty caliber. Five times the kinetic
energy, ten times the electrical discharge.”
“Sounds lethal. That could be a problem, with
the normals.”
Jackson pursed his lips and looked away.
“There’s a risk. Eighty percent of normals should survive one hit.
Ninety-five percent of Edens.”
“Hmm. I can live with that if I have to. I
can always carry a PW5 for the easy shots. Anything else?”
Jackson perked up again, a kid showing off
his toys. “Yeah, we have a whole bunch of stuff, more than you can
really carry.” He looked through the armored glass and remarked, “I
see your partner is here.”
“Partner?” Jill turned around to see a
familiar pretty face. “Rock!”
Roger “Rock” Muzik stepped through the door,
an Adonis with weary eyes. “Good to see you see you, Reap. I guess
we’re doing this thing together.”
“Great to see you too, sir.” She grabbed his
right hand and shook it warmly, but with a slight hesitation,
looking at his left. “Your arm…”
“Yeah, it’s regrown. Good as new. Took me a
few months…like your legs, I imagine.”
“Don’t remind me. So, other than new limbs,
how are you, Colonel?”
“Not Colonel, right now. My commission’s been
inactivated. We’ve both been handed over to the minions of Hell,”
he said drily.
“What?”
Muzik shooed the technician out of the
chamber, closed the door and lowered his voice. “By Presidential
order, we’re now part of the Agency.”
“Agency. CIA?” Repeth rubbed her arms, as if
a chill had come into the room. She didn’t like the feeling of
being detached from the military, as if suddenly unbalanced, with a
piece missing.
“Yes. And that also means I’m working for you
this time.”
A slow smile crept across her face.
“I see that suits you,” Muzik said.
“Well, McKenna had said I was going to be in
charge. Then when you showed up…”
Muzik waved his hands.
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