{"id":5912,"date":"2020-08-30T22:37:16","date_gmt":"2020-08-30T14:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=5912"},"modified":"2020-08-30T22:37:16","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T14:37:16","slug":"wolves-of-babylon-chapter-5c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=5912","title":{"rendered":"Wolves of Babylon Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ghost Guns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lamb jealously guarded his privacy. A locked door led to the back of the shop, where a winding staircase awaited. A holographic keyboard, authenticated by an iris scanner, secured the door at the top of the stairs. Past the stairs was Lamb\u2019s personal workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment she entered, the smell invaded her lungs. Oil, lubricant, gunpowder, metal, plastic, the scents that came from working with guns and ammo for countless hours. Here it was thick and pungent, a fog that permeated the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precision machines occupied the room. She identified reloading equipment, a lathe, a mill, a drill, a gun safe, multiple 3D printers. Armies of tools hung on racks mounted on the walls. Even more tools awaited inside boxes and cabinets. Workbenches formed islands in the middle of the shop. Everything was neatly-organized, clearly labeled, positioned for easy and intuitive reach. At the far side of the shop, another locked door, also equipped with a keypad and iris scanner, blocked off access to the rest of the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb placed a black plastic box on a workbench, extended a half-dozen antenna, and hit a switch. A bright red light flared to life. Karim twitched a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are secure, as secure as we can be,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cSo, tell me, what is this assignment of yours?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been contracted to protect an establishment from Husks,\u201d she said delicately. \u201cThis contract may require pre-emptive measures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri had vouched for Lamb, but Lamb didn\u2019t need to know everything. It was simple operational security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat kind of Husks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShapeshifting were-creatures,\u201d Karim said. \u201cEnhanced speed and strength, natural armor, claws and teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClose quarters? Long range?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMultiple targets at close to medium range,\u201d Kayla replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOoh. Tricky. You\u2019ll need a fast rate of fire, high enough caliber to put them down before they get close, controllability for multiple follow-up shots, deep magazine. Am I right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeed armor piercing capability?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla and Karim exchanged a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know if they have armor, but they\u2019re probably not immune to head shots,\u201d Karim said. \u201cThey\u2019re not cyborgs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs this a one-off engagement, or a campaign?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping we don\u2019t need to use them. But if we do, we might need multiple follow-up jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese Husks, they belong to a Dark Power?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. We believe there may be multiple<\/em> Powers in play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His frown deepened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I take it you need to go black because you don\u2019t want them or their followers asking inconvenient questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Gods had agents everywhere. The BPD, the hospitals, the morgue, every institution was compromised. Whenever a soldier of the New Gods died violently, his master would receive a copy of the autopsy report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt could also be strategically advantageous if the opposition believed there are two sets of shooters at large, each armed with distinct weapons,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn, girl, you\u2019re playing with fire, you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot our first time around the block.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly reason I even let you in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have any recommendations for us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re running black, it\u2019s not enough to win the firefight. You have to survive the investigation. That includes firearms forensics. Rifling, firing pin, extractor, ejector, everything that touches the cartridge leaves a trace. You have to prevent the forensics techs from finding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start with the ammo. When you fire a round, the bullet expands and grips the rifling. This leaves striations. If the bullet is recovered intact, it can be traced to a barrel. A frangible round will disintegrate and leave nothing behind. A high-velocity fragmentation rifle round will also blow up\u2014but only at higher velocities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like frangibles for live ops,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the Husks we\u2019re up against have hardened skin, frangibles are worse than useless,\u201d Karim added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRifle rounds, then. The M95A2 round, fired from an M83 with a 16-inch barrel, will produce explosive fragmentation out to six hundred meters. Good enough for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll keep in mind,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe alternative is to use smoothbore barrels. No rifling, no striations. In other words: shotguns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShotguns are good,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll want semiauto shotguns. If you\u2019re fighting Husks, and if just the two of you, pump actions aren\u2019t going to be fast enough for multiple targets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSemiauto it is,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStriation marks are highly individual. It represents the profile of the barrel at the point of the shot. Microscopic striations will change after every three to five shots. If you absolutely have to hold on to a fired gun, you can run a mag dump or two before re-using it. Or run a steel wire brush down the barrel. Or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat said, the safest option is for you to simply toss the weapon down a sewer once you\u2019re done with it. If you really have to re-use a weapon, keep it in cold storage until you absolutely have to use it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will toss the guns when this is over,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better. You get caught with those guns, you never bought them from me. There ain\u2019t nothing linking them here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can<\/em> keep unregistered firearms, can\u2019t we?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo long as they\u2019re for personal use.\u201d His eyebrows waggled. \u201cThese are<\/em> for personal use, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep them out of sight all the same. If someone asks, you gotta explain how you put the guns together. That could be inconvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo kidding,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, on to tool marks. The firing pin, extractor and ejector will leave marks on the cases. You must recover expended case where possible. This means brass catchers on your long guns. Yeah, they throw off the balance, but better that than the alternatives. For sidearms, go with revolvers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t used one before,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe neither,\u201d Kayla added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKids these days\u2026\u201d He shook his head. \u201cIf you use pistols, they go down the sewer if you fire them. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019ve recovered all the brass or not. Dump the guns. You won\u2019t have time to recover fired bullets, and there are no pistol-caliber fragmentation round worth a damn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if we just replace the working parts?\u201d Kayla replied. \u201cThe parts that contacted the rounds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suppose you could. I could sell them to you. But you need to re-zero your weapons every time you do this. And, again, your best bet is still<\/em> to dump the guns the moment you don\u2019t need them anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d better. It\u2019s all our asses on the line. I\u2019m only doing this because Yuri vouched for you. If you were anybody else, you wouldn\u2019t even be here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI appreciate you taking the risk to help us,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb laughed sardonically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne last question before we get started. Do you want factory or shop kit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the difference?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want accuracy and absolute reliability, nothing beats factory-made weapons. But those are expensive and higher risk. Shop-made kit is untraceable and cheaper, but as you can see, I don\u2019t have the precision equipment the big factories do. Shop stuff is less accurate and less reliable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much less?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to win any competitions with this stuff, I can tell you that. And you sure as hell shouldn\u2019t be carrying this gear into a war zone, or in any kind of environment that needs you to bang the guns around. But if you treat your weapons right, store them properly, they should go bang every time you fire, and put rounds within minute of bad guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could also split the difference if you want. Factory kit for parts that need precision and reliability, shop kit for everything else. Hybrid guns, built right, will give you the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHybrids,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgreed,\u201d Kayla added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlright. Y\u2019all have an idea of what kind of hardware you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Kayla and Karim said as one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s build us some ghost guns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb slipped on a pair of cotton work gloves, grabbed a toolbox and settled himself down at a workbench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start with pistols. You\u2019ve got a specific model in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhichever is cheapest,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat means Ozzies. Unless you haven\u2019t you trained on those?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich size grip module do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMedium,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmall,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cColors?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb opened a drawer, revealing boxes of OZ pistol frames. The lower half of the weapon, the frames contained the pistol grip, trigger guard, accessory rail, and just enough plastic to hold everything together. The frames came in a range of colors: black, green, tan, pink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPink?\u201d Kayla repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised how popular these are among the ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb placed two frames on the table and wiped them down with a rag. He opened another drawer and dug out two compact grip modules, flat black panels that went over the handle. Aggressive checkering ran down the palm-facing sides of the panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose aren\u2019t factory grips,\u201d Kayla observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI printed them. These panels are grippier than factory stuff. Unless you want to go with stock?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll use these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb wiped down the panels and expertly screwed them into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFire control group. Do you need match triggers, or is a stock trigger good enough?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStock,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much for the match trigger?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFifty bucks for an Apex Action Enhanced Trigger. More for higher-end stuff. On the other hand\u2026 what are you planning to use this for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast ditch self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSave your money. You don\u2019t wanna ditch expensive factory stuff if you can help it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a third drawer, Lamb produced a pair of fire control groups. An odd metal construction, this was the part that housed the trigger, the part seen as the firearm in the eyes of the law. In the bright light, Kayla noticed that neither group had serial numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStriker assembly group, extractor, ejector, all the other working parts\u2026 We\u2019ll use shop kit. For your purposes, they\u2019re no different from factory kit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb fished out the parts, wiping and assembling them as he spoke. His hands moved like lightning, with the surety and ease of long practice. Mere seconds later, they were fitted in the frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBarrels. Factory or shop?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim\u2019s eyes popped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou make your own barrels here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy not? It\u2019s just a metal tube with rifling cut into it.\u201d Lamb thumbed over his shoulder. \u201cSee that tool over there? With it, I can build a barrel from a metal tube within an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it accurate?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccurate enough, if you\u2019re not shooting for trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go with shop,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you need threaded barrels?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrel threads were for mounting suppressors. The New Gods don\u2019t usually use suppressed pistols. Not unless they wanted to make a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo thanks,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat size do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompact,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb produced a pair of short metal tubes. Visually they were indistinguishable from factory barrels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want custom slides?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust slides that fit the frame,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb fitted the slides to the pistols. Now the guns had taken form, instantly recognizable as pistols. Except for one critically important detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSights. I can throw in factory sights for free\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHell no!\u201d Kayla exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OZ line of pistols were cheap, rugged, reliable, the choice of the everyman and the pro. But their one fatal flaw was the factory sights. Tiny plastic nubs, damn near impossible to pick up under stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThought so. For a hundred bucks, I could throw in a Red Sun TOS55 red dot sight. Not the cheapest, but the most value for money. They\u2019ll hold zero even if you knock them around some.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds good,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow for everything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb paused for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSix hundred fifty per. That buys you the pistol, the red dot sight, three magazines, and one hundred rounds. And you can use however much ammo you need to zero them in the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat kind of ammo are you offering?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWilson Defender Tactical. The same load the STS uses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrier blind, deep penetration, maximum expansion, exactly what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd mags?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShop-made thirty-rounders. I\u2019m throwing them in for free. I could get you factory mags if you want, but that\u2019s extra.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A skeptical expression crossed Karim\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou sure they\u2019ll stand up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, it\u2019s me you\u2019re talking about. Of course they will. I tested the design myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShop mags it is,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlright. Now, long guns. Shotguns or rifles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The duo exchanged a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He laughed. \u201cNow you\u2019re talking. Let\u2019s go with shotguns first. What\u2019s your use case?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGeneral purpose gun,\u201d Karim said. \u201cFrom point blank to a hundred meters, though it\u2019ll mainly be used in close quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much ammo do you think you\u2019ll need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll never have enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow important is it to you to shoot from the prone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat rules out box feds. Unless you don\u2019t mind five-rounders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne shot, one kill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A predatory glint entered Lamb\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue. Do you need the ability to switch loads on the fly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, then. I have two options for you: the Revolution and the USG-15. You trained on those, haven\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cQualified. Nothing spectacular, but we qualified,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, what the STS called \u2018qualified\u2019, everybody else called \u2018expert\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USG-15 was tempting. 14 shells in two tubes, plus one in the chamber. A huge amount of firepower in a compact package. But\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe USG is too long,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow important is concealment to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what we\u2019re up against. So we need a gun that can do it all. From deep concealment to close quarters to hundred-meter shots. It has to fit under a coat or in a bag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what the Revolution is for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He strolled to another workbench and settled himself down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreat thing about the Revolution, you can customize it however you want. Fixed stock for simplicity and accuracy, folding collapsible stock for concealment. Ten-inch barrel for close work, longer ones if you need to reach out and touch someone. What set-ups do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConcealment,\u201d Karim said. \u201cI want to be able carry mine under a cover garment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGot it. And Ms. Kayla?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I need a long gun, I\u2019ll be stacking bodies at range. I\u2019d like the long barrel, but keep the collapsible stock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEighteen inches work for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb placed two identical lower receivers on the table side by side. Then two different barrels, one short, one long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you want the long or short upper receiver?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShort,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong,\u201d Kayla replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out came two mismatched upper receivers, two similar collapsible stocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeed any custom parts?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want a swinging trigger guard,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere we go then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb flowed like a well-oiled machine, assembling the weapons by hand. He fitted the guns together, fishing out parts from bins and boxes, working entirely by touch and motor memory without shifting his place from his seat. Within two minutes, two Revolutions lay on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were mean-looking weapons, guns from a grimdark future. Bulky, crude, martial, they were all hard lines and angles, instruments of mass butchery. A long accessory rail ran down the upper receiver. Negative spaces slashed across the handguard, ready to mount additional accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sheer genius of it was that it was an almost entirely open source design. A sufficiently resourceful gunsmith could manufacture one in a workshop by hand. Only the metal working parts had to be factory-bought\u2014or hand-milled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo sights?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny you\u2019ve got in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cQuickFire Micro Red Dot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood choice\u2026 if you\u2019re on a budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you, Ms. Kayla?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSame.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFlashlights could come real handy with the sights too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive us the cheapest you got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb walked to another cabinet, armed himself with a basket, and grabbed accessories off shelves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeed anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSlings,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBudget?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb returned to the workbench, grabbed his tools, and began installing the add-ons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much for everything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne grand per. That\u2019s for the Revolution, sights, flashlight, sling, brass catcher, four five-round mags, and fifty shells. For an additional ten bucks per, I could upgrade them to ten-rounders. Extra two hundred for a drum mag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo drums,\u201d Karim said. \u201cThey\u2019re big, bulky, heavy, and most of all, unreliable. It\u2019s a range toy, not for serious work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuit yourself. I take it you don\u2019t need full auto, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFull auto. With a shotgun. Are you crazy?\u201d Kayla exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb laughed. \u201cYou won\u2019t believe the kind of special requests I hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to replace two five-rounders with ten-rounders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSame,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd ammo? What do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven mix of #1 buckshot and slugs. Federal, if you got it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat I do. Need anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much for a battle rifle?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuilds start at two grand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim recoiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo grand? That\u2019s over double the price of a DIY rifle!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want cheaper, you can build it yourself. With my builds, you get rock-solid reliability, combat accuracy, ergonomics, the kind of performance you\u2019d expect back in the STS. You can reach out and touch someone all day long with this.\u201d A short pause. \u201cAnd if you need it, you can go rock-and-roll.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim and Kayla exchanged a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo grand is still out of our reach,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you still need a second set of long guns?\u201d Lamb asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIdeally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got something you might be interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb ambled over to a corner. Here stood the largest gun safe Kayla had ever seen. It was a double-doored monster, towering over the world. Lamb unlocked it with his iris and fingerprints and opened it to reveal an arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guns hung on door-mounted hooks. Guns rested inside storage racks. Guns lay on shelves. All kinds of guns. Rifles, shotguns, pistols, enough weapons to equip an army. Semiautos, bolt actions, pump actions, revolvers, weapons large and small, weapons she hadn\u2019t even seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb grabbed a long gun and swung the safe closed. He returned to Kayla and Karim and set the weapon down on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was unlike anything Kayla had seen before. She recognized a stock, handle, trigger and muzzle. But nestled on the grip-facing side of the stock was a dense metal bottle. The oversized trigger guard would accept a gloved hand, or one transformed into massive digits. A full-length accessory rails ran down the 12 o\u2019clock position. More rails occupied the 3, 6 and 9 positions on the handguard. A break in the clean lines at the business end of the weapon revealed the muzzle and the long cylindrical device attached to it. The magazine was a long flat block almost as long as her palm, yet almost as thin as the first phalanges of her fingers. The only thing she recognized was the low-power variable optic mounted on the top of the weapon and the grip pod, a vertical pistol grip with extended legs split open to form a bipod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is that?<\/em>\u201dshe asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA railgun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room went quiet. Kayla\u2019s heart thumped in her chest. Supercooled blood rushed through her body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA railgun,\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect. This specimen was confiscated three months ago during a raid of a safehouse belonging to the Guild of the Maker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Guild built a man-portable railgun?!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFive, actually. The PSB found five railguns in that raid. But those are the only ones that we know of. There are others out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow the hell did they do it? Railguns were supposed to be vehicle- and ship-mounted weapons, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it Godtech?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb\u2019s face went grim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made entirely of commercial-off-the-shelf and 3D printed parts. Print and buy everything you need during a day trip at Electric City, then come home at night and put everything together, and boom! Your very own railgun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla went pale. Karim muttered something dark and terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Guild invented an untraceable open-source railgun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect. The bottleneck for 3D printed weapons isn\u2019t parts or printers. It\u2019s gunpowder. Gunpowder is extremely dangerous to handle in bulk, and few hobbyists are dedicated or crazy enough to make their own. But with a railgun? If you have a metal 3D printer and the right feedstock, you can print ammo all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBabylon will burn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly a matter of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe sure dodged a bullet taking these guns off the street,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you get it? Anyone with the blueprints can build railguns. And have. Over the past few months, there\u2019s been reports of railgun fire all over Babylon and the surrounding cities. A dozen and counting. The Guild is testing their weapons. It\u2019s only a matter of time before railguns flood the street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYa Allah<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you get your hands on this one?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been contracted to study this weapon. Big G wants to know how it\u2019ll perform, what it can and can\u2019t do, how it might be altered and upgraded over time, and most importantly, how it can be used against us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been collaborating informally with the big brains in the big labs. They have the instrumentation for precise tests, and dot mil has the resources to put it through testing grounds. My job is to play red team. To figure out doctrine, upgrade paths, availability, proliferation methods, methods to counter them, all the things you can only learn from the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the past few weeks I\u2019ve been toying around with this baby. I\u2019ve put thousands of rounds downrange. I\u2019ve torn it apart and put it back together dozens of times. I\u2019ve matched it to a wild range of optics and accessories. But this is all known distance range work. Not the same as using it in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy are you selling this to us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy running and gunning days are over, and I don\u2019t expect to have to fire this in anger. You, on the other hand, you look like you could use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where we come in,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWon\u2019t you get in trouble if you hand it out?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb gestured at his 3D printers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they ever ask for it back, I can just fab me a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody will notice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can they? No serial numbers, no official logs, this gun is completely deniable. If they ever ask, I can just say I made my own mods to it, or that it blew apart on me, and they\u2019ll be none the wiser.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat can the railgun do?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt shoots a five-millimeter flechette at two klicks per second. It will rip through any kind of body armor out there on the market. The trajectory is flat out to eight hundred meters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHoly shit\u2026\u201d Karim whispered. \u201cWill it tear through people too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou betcha. The basic load is an armor piercing flechette. It will blast through everything that isn\u2019t a tank. But it will also leave a clean five-millimeter tunnel through people. You use that on people, best aim for the brain housing group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe eggheads have been working on a tumbler design. This one is supposed to tumble on impact, fishhook like a demon, and fragment explosively. And<\/em> can be manufactured with a 3D printer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes the tumbler work?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn ballistic gelatin. Fishhooking, yawing and fragmentation within one inch, penetration out to eighteen inches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut no organic medium testing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you can get this performance from COTS and 3D printed parts?\u201d Karim said, incredulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWelcome to the new world, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I want to live in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the mag size?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the fatal flaw in the design. The magazine holds twenty shots. The original hydrogen fuel cartridge also holds enough juice for just twenty rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve modded the design somewhat. The cartridge you see here is larger, heavier and bulkier than the original. It will also give you sixty shots before it needs to be replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRate of fire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe other<\/em> flaw, depending on how you look at it. The supercapacitors need time to recharge between HV shots. Four, five seconds, about the same ROF as a bolt-action rifle. Try to touch off a round before they fully recharge, you\u2019ll get a lower-velocity, lower-power shot. May be useful, but don\u2019t try it if you aren\u2019t experienced with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you know it\u2019s fully recharged?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSee this window at the end of the accessory rail? There\u2019s a small and deeply recessed LED in there. When it\u2019s green, it\u2019s ready to fire. When it\u2019s red, it\u2019s recharging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA light could give my position away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat it could,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThe other guy has to be really close to you to see it. If you need maximum stealth, you can close the cover and count down from five after every shot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny way to integrate the indicator somewhere else? The sight maybe?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat needs an integrated optic custom-made for the railgun. The scientists are working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow many shots can the rails fire before degrading?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo, maybe three hundred full-power rounds. Personally, I\u2019d recommend replacing the rails past shot one hundred and seventy-five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo many? Most man-portable railguns fall apart after a handful of rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the Guild\u2019s major innovation. They created a special coating for the rails that reduces erosion and developed the muzzle device. The smuzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe what<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmuzzle. Suppressor and muzzle device. A railgun, when fired, produces a massive arc flash, which also erodes the ends of the rails. The smuzzle captures and dampens the flash, reduces the report, and<\/em> redirects the blast to reduce recoil. When wet, the noise will be reduced by another five to ten decibels. It\u2019ll still be loud, but it won\u2019t deafen you, at least, not right away. The important part is there won\u2019t be a visible flash to give away your position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn\u2026 isn\u2019t this the perfect assassination tool?\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure is designed as one, isn\u2019t it? And you know the best part?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not legally a firearm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo way!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a smoothbore, so it\u2019s neither a rifle nor a handgun. It can\u2019t be concealed on your person and it doesn\u2019t use gunpowder, explosive, or any kind of propellant, so it\u2019s not a shotgun, a destructive device, or any other weapon. It doesn\u2019t shoot lasers or particle beams, so it\u2019s not a directed energy weapon. Tech like this is so new, there\u2019s no law on the books covering it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter all, it\u2019s not even a firearm,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly. If the cops find it on you, if you\u2019re not shooting it at anyone, they can\u2019t even touch you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim cursed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs this why the Guild invented it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou bet. It\u2019ll give them an edge everywhere, at least until Congress gets around to passing a law to ban it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut everyone knows that only the Guild can build railguns?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly until the other gods figure out how to reverse-engineer it. For now, though, this may be useful if you need to obscure the identity of the shooter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing the Guild into this conflict would make things much more complicated. On the other hand, if the evidence pointed to everywhere but Galen, if the Street Wolves and the Pantheon believed that the Guild was attempting to take advantage of the situation, or, better yet, turn them against each other\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could have recommended this to us earlier,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegular guns, I\u2019ve got plenty of. But railguns, I only have one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim and Kayla looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou should take the railgun,\u201d Karim said. \u201cYou\u2019re better with a long gun than me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamb opened his mouth. Closed it. Thought for a moment. And spoke again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo hundred bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo hundred?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bargain, isn\u2019t it? For that price, I\u2019ll throw in a set of spare rails, an extra fuel cartridge, three magazines, and a hundred each of penetrators and tumblers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust two hundred? Tech like this is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCheap. Obscenely cheap. Remember: everything you see before you is either 3D printed or COTS. If you have the blueprints and know your way around tools, you can put one together in a day. Besides, dot gov and dot mil already paid me for the weapon, the sights and the grip pod. Wouldn\u2019t be fair to charge twice for the same product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not everything you\u2019re asking for, is it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A subtle expression crossed Lamb\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been contracted to study the railgun. I\u2019ve got plenty of test data. But there\u2019s one data set I\u2019m missing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla\u2019s eyes hardened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCombat data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou got it. I don\u2019t need to know the whys and wherefores of every shot. But I want data on your shots. Range, temperature, wind speed and direction, type of target, environment, ammo type, velocity, every last detail. Including and especially description of effect on target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWonderful. If you\u2019re going to hang on to the railgun, I could ship you prototype parts and upgrades. You can use them for free. Just feed me data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds good. What if I need more ammo or spare parts?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust hit me up and I\u2019ll get you sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Kayla understood what was going on. Lamb wasn\u2019t being altruistic\u2014at least, not completely<\/em> altruistic. He was looking to build a relationship with her, with Karim, and possibly the rest of the Black Watch. His store might attract many customers, but the black side of his business was something else. He\u2019d have to rely on word of mouth, reputations, relationships, and most of all, trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if she were going to stick around in Babylon, she<\/em> needed a gunsmith she could trust too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an offer like this, there was only one logical choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want more stories of Karim and Kayla? Check out BABYLON BLUES on Amazon here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stay up to date on my latest writing news and promotions, sign up for my mailing list here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ghost Guns Lamb jealously guarded his privacy. A locked door led to the back of the shop, where a winding staircase awaited. A holographic keyboard, authenticated by an iris scanner, secured the door at the top of the stairs. Past the stairs was Lamb\u2019s personal workshop. The moment she entered, the smell invaded her lungs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[68,106,143,168,216,253,277,278,289,338],"class_list":["post-5912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-babylon-red","tag-cyberpunk","tag-free-story","tag-horror","tag-military-science-fiction","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fantasy","tag-science-fiction","tag-singlit","tag-wolves-of-babylon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}