Explanation of abbreviations used in this chapter: APDS (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot), LTL (Less-Than-Lethal), UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
With a second coffee in her system, Kess was finally beginning to feel more energetic. She headed back to the computer hub, and Lambert headed the way towards the workshop. Her and Sam followed behind, with Sam walking slightly ahead of her. Kess watched him walk, noting the confident way with which he held himself. He was certainly intimidating with his muscular build, and the unsettling way he peered at people helped that as well. Kess watched his arms swing in time with his steps as he walked. His biceps were big and solid, honed by years of training, laced here and there with bulging veins. Huh…for an older guy, he's kinda hot, Kess mused. Too bad he's so jerky.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam noticed Kess examining him and turned his head towards her. Kess quickly looked straight ahead. Sam gave her a skeptical look and then turned his eyes back to the hallway.
Soon Lambert stopped at a big steel door. He picked up the keycard hanging around his neck and stuck it in the reader slot beside the door. A green light flashed on the reader and Lambert pushed the door open, with Sam and Kess following behind.
"Well, here we are," Lambert announced, motioning around with his arm. "You can build or mod weapons to your heart's content here, Kess - it should have everything you need."
Kess looked around. It was a large, grey, warehouselike room with metal shelves lining the walls. There were boxes full of parts on one side and tools on the other. There were power outlets spaced around the room and rolls of extension cords hanging on the wall.There was a large wooden table in the centre of the room with a couple stools to sit on by it, and a big light overhead. Lying on the table was an assault rifle.
"That's Sam's gun," said Lambert when he saw her notice it. "Have a look at it."
As Kess reached out for it, Sam said, "Be careful now, that's a dangerous weapon."
Kess bit her lip hard to keep from saying something she might regret, and Lambert shot a death glare at Sam. "Fisher…" he began menacingly.
"Sorry, sorry…" Sam mumbled.
Kess picked up the rifle, checking to make sure there was no magazine loaded, and then turned it around in her hands, examining it. "Hmm, nice, an SC-20K…30-round, selective fire 5.56 x 45 mm NATO bull-pup assault rifle with suppressor…" She held the gun up and looked through the sight," "…1.5x reflex sight…what's this?" She wondered aloud as she spotted the launcher attachment below the muzzle. She slid the chamber open and a look of recognition crossed her face. "Ah, yes! an undermount 40 mm variable launcher. Nice weapon."
Sam stared at her with a look akin to amazement. Kess didn't notice, but Lambert did, and smiled a little to himself.
Kess examined the rifle some more. "This has already been modified, yes?" she asked. "Standard models come with a 4x full scope, not the 1.5x reflex sight. Why didn't you stick with the more powerful scope?" She looked up questioningly at Sam.
Sam worked his jaw, trying to say something but was speechless. Lambert grinned and decided to answer for him. "With the smaller sight, we were able to mount additional modular configurations to the undermount."
"Ahh," Kess said. She turned it upside-down and looked over the undermount. "Yes, I see. Looks like you can carry two modules at once...the launcher and…" Kess gripped the undermount and it clicked as she switched modules. "Foregrip as well. Much more accurate when using automatic fire. What other modules do you usually equip?" Kess asked."
Sam found his voice again and answered, "Shotgun and sniper."
Kess looked up with surprise. "Sniper! What kind of round does it take?"
"20mm APDS. The module has a full scope and modified barrel, too." Sam told her.
"Holy shit," Kess said, looking back at the gun. "They went all out with this. I've never heard of a sniper module for the SC-20K before."
"That's because we're the only one who has it," Lambert explained with a smile.
Kess grinned, then commented, "That's got to have the highest penetration power in your arsenal, Sam. You could take out some small UAVs with that thing. Must be loud as hell, though – I bet you don't use it a lot."
Sam gave her a half-smile. "You're right – and I don't."
Kess put the gun back on the table. "Well, now I'm excited. Let me see the launcher attachments."
Lambert chuckled and went over to some metal ammo boxes that were sitting on one of the shelves. He opened several of the smaller ones, and pointed each one out to Kess. "Sticky shocker, sticky camera, gas grenade, airfoil round. There are others, but these are the ones that are usually included with Sam's loadout."
Kess went over to the boxes. "Huh, all LTL devices, I see…quite effective I bet, though."
Sam smiled. "I'm pretty happy with 'em."
"So, Kestrel, you think you can modify the SC to improve it even more?" Lambert inquired.
Kess picked the gun back up and looked it over again. "I'm sure I can…but it's going to take awhile. The rest of the day at least, and maybe tomorrow as well."
"Not a problem. We wouldn't expect less for good work. You're free to work on it for that time – you'll have the workshop all to yourself. There's a radio on the top shelf so you don't get bored. Lunch hour at 1300 hours, and then you're dismissed for the day at 1700. Next day begins at 0800 again. Report back to me tomorrow afternoon at 1400 hours and let me know your status. If you need more time, I can arrange it. When it's ready, we'll have Sam try it out at the firing range to see how it performs. Sound good?"
"Yes, Sir," Kess agreed.
"Very well, then," Lambert said. "I'm looking forward to the results. Talk to you later." He gave her a nod and left.
Kess began to rummage through the tools, noting that Sam was still hanging around. You can go now, she thought at him. She sat down on one of the stools and began to take apart the gun, trying to ignore Sam's presence.
He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, watching her work for a few moments, then said, "I'm impressed."
Kess looked up at him. She was quite surprised at this, but let her demeanor remain neutral. "Oh, yeah?" she casually asked.
"Yeah," Sam answered. He stepped away from the wall and winked at her, then walked out the door.
Kess smiled to herself and went back to working on the gun. Maybe he's finally giving me a chance, she thought.
Chapter 4 coming soon!
