Free Beyond Armageddon: Book 02 - Empire by Anthony Decosmo Page A

there isn’t enough assault rifles to go around.”

      “Brett,” Jon Brewer said, “What can we do about cranking out more assault rifles?”

    Brett Stanton had obtained the specifications necessary for making just about any human firearm from ATF files in Washington , D.C. Brett’s people cranked out a variety of guns as well as matching ammunition on assembly lines.

    However, those assembly lines would not function without the transfiguration machines stolen from the Hivvans. Those machines morphed more plentiful materials—rock, wood, scrap, waste—into coveted resources such as metal, iron, petroleum, and rubber by actually changing the atomic structure of the substance. Without this alien technology, Trevor’s growing nation would not be able to maintain the war effort, let alone meet the energy, transportation, and manufacturing needs of the civilian sector.

    Yet only so many of the machines existed, particularly the big industrial-capacity ones. Furthermore, the process of metamorphosis required planning and time. The matter transfiguration machines were a thin funnel through which many needs must pass. On top of that, transportation of those raw materials to manufacturing plants required coordination with the railroads for access to the trains’ coveted cargo capacity.

    Brett Stanton answered Jon’s question, “Well I guess that would be one way to go. But wait, if I push the making of the actual guns to the top of the list then I’ll lose the capacity to make the bullets for them guns. We ramped up rifle and pistol cartridge production for the Raleigh thing. It will take a while to switch things over.”

    This sent everyone’s eyes toward Omar, the Director of Science and Technology.

    “Oh, now you all be just waiting one second here now,” the man said with a cigarette hanging from the edge of his mouth. The more aggravated Omar felt, the more he played up an Indian accent to match his complexion, as if trying hard to hit the stereotype on the head. “I will be saying that there is only so much I can be doing with the machines we have. It is a very delicate process and not something so simple as it sounds. The transfiguration equipment is very limited in what types of matter it can change into what types. It already is running at fullest capacity.”

    “The man says we need guns, that’s the priority now,” Gordon Knox jumped but Eva Rheimmer countered, “My department already has a request in for plastics and coolant, unless you want rotten produce showing up on your doorstep.”

    Lori Brewer added her voice to the cross talk, “We are already behind schedule for heating oil. A lot of people in Pennsylvania are going to freeze this winter if we don’t—”

    “Wait,” Trevor raised a hand and silenced the group. “Lori, have your people raid every damn military museum in our territory. Christ, there’s got to be five hundred Civil War museums alone. Also, hit every knife shop and sporting goods store. You’re looking for swords, maces, clubs, spears…primitive weapons, yes, but weapons all the same. I want them distributed to Internal Security to supplement their current fire arms.”

    “Swords?” Dante gasped. “How the hell can we expect to use swords to hold off a skip beetle or pack of Jaw-Wolves?”

    Evan Godfrey said, “Just pull some damn troops off the front line and give them over to I.S. That would solve the problem.”

    Brewer sneered, “Sure, and let the Hivvans retake North Carolina while you’re at it.”

    “Might as well,” Evan waved a hand in the air. “We’re not safe back here!”

    Trevor said, “No front line troops will be pulled out. We’ve got the Hivvans on the run now. Several thousand people were just freed and a lot more are waiting for us in Columbia .”

    “Thousands of people we can’t feed! They’re better off slaves for now because they’d just starve here!” Godfrey pushed.

    “End of discussion.”

    Under his breath