Free Dark Rising by Greig Beck

the latest in para-aramid synthetic fibres. I say thermally because there’s no stitching; it’s actually grown then fused together. Strength-to-weight ratio is about five to one – we use this stuff in warplanes now. Its basic design is to keep out heat, sand and dust but retain moisture. It won’t stop a bullet, but it will stop a knife thrust, unless someone like you is doing the thrusting. What will stop a bullet is the plating – what you thought was a polymer structure is actually a zirconium dioxide ceramic. This stuff ranks an 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Steel is only about a six. It’s light, won’t melt, is non-conductive and non-magnetic. Helmet is the same material and has all your communication equipment built-in.’
    ‘Wow, can it fly?’
    Hammerson laughed. ‘Soon. That’ll be in the next gen.’ He sat quietly for a moment watching Alex before reaching for a folder and speaking again. ‘There is one more thing; the exoskeleton and para-aramids will need to be upgraded for radiation shielding. The material will be compressed to simulate the dense atomic structure of lead, with only minimal extra weight, and without the heavy metal toxicity.’
    Alex nodded slowly. ‘Hmm, you think the Iranians are still leaking radiation?’
    Hammerson gave a shrug. He opened the folder and lifted out a photograph. He looked stonily at the image for a few seconds before he slid it across to Alex.
    A disfigured body was displayed with half its torso flattened and stretched over ten additional feet. It was spread out on a canvas sheet and displayed like the rotting carcass of a washed-up deep-sea animal. Pieces of white material and road tar were still embedded within its mass.
    Alex shook his head and frowned as he slid the photograph back. ‘Radiation does that?’
    Hammerson shrugged and looked down at the image. ‘We have no idea what does that. Or how that . . . man, came to be on American soil. What we do know is that he was a German national by the name of Rudolf Hoeckler. He was one of the leading theoretical particle physicists in the world. We’ve since learned through our intelligence networks that he passed into Iranian territory eighteen months ago, and our agents have told us they believed he was still there. It was our firm belief that Hoeckler was assisting them in their uranium enrichment program. We don’t know how he got to Colorado Springs, but he still wore his Iranian ID tags and lab coat.’
    He sat back. ‘Autopsy report said he was frozen to 2.7 degrees kelvin, and had been in a vacuum – to quote the report, “predominant symptoms of someone who had been in a non-terrestrial atmosphere”.’ Hammerson raised his eyebrows, then grinned humourlessly. ‘That’s not all. The corpse was heavily irradiated and caused some secondary contamination before it was sealed in a lead casket. You see now why we’re including some heavy particle protection built into the suits.’
    After a moment, Alex nodded. ‘Yes, understood.’
    ‘Let’s move on.’ Hammerson turned the screen back around to face himself and keyed in a few more commands. ‘As usual, I’ll let you choose your own small weaponry, but there is something new I’d suggest you consider. Say hello to the KBELT – Klystron Beam Emitted Light Technology.’
    Alex could see the major’s eyes moving admiringly over the images; he knew that sometimes his superior officer missed the fieldwork. He turned the screen back to Alex again.
    Welcome to the twenty-first century , thought Alex. The shoulder-mounted rifle was all black, but a list of palettes below told him he could have it in a camouflage colour to match his terrain. No stock, held like a sawn-off pump action, with a square casing over the trigger. The barrel started to smooth and round until it ended in a moulded bulb effect at the muzzle. Hmm, too small for a hardened projectile , Alex thought. Must be another compressed gas round device.
    Hammerson was staring at