Free I Am Automaton: A Military Science Fiction Novel by Edward P. Cardillo Page B

MR.UD back to Lieutenant Farrow. “Thank you, Lieutenant Farrow.”
    Farrow nodded.
    Peter turned to Major Lewis. “I have a question.” He felt as if he was in school again, and the sentiment was not a comfortable one. “How exactly do we wrangle these things?”
    “Lieutenant Birdsall, follow me.”
    Peter accompanied Major Lewis, this time, to the firing range. Sergeant Lockwood was waiting for them.
    Peter felt awkward. He was still pissed off about the exercise in the Labyrinth, but Sergeant Lockwood was the one who got him out in one piece.
    Peter addressed Lockwood. “So, I understand that you are the one who was responsible for keeping me alive in the Labyrinth.” That was the closest he could come to an actual apology for punching the man who saved his life.
    Lockwood nodded tersely.
    “Sergeant Lockwood, “Major Lewis interrupted , “I think it’s time to show the Lieutenant what kind of firepower he’ll be using.”
    “Yes, sir.” He walked over to a table and picked up an unusual looking weapon. “This is the future of military weaponry. This is the FLASH electric ignition 12-gauge shotgun.”
    He handed it to Peter, who took it and immediately gauged its weight and feel. “This weapon was developed by a private corporation in the United States. Now let me ask you, Lieutenant, what’s the biggest problem with conventional army weaponry?”
    Peter looked up from the shotgun. “You mean carbines and AK’s?”
    “Yes.”
    “Jamming.”
    “Exactly. There are an unacceptable percentage of fatalities in combat situations due to jamming, because as you know, the rifles typically used involve moving parts.”
    “So how does this one work?”
    “Well, let me put it this way. You felt how scary it was to have one of these ID attacking you.”
    “Yes,” Peter tried not to look bitter about it.
    “Well, imagine if you had fifty or one hundred ID swarming you. In such a scenario, jamming is not an option. This weapon has no moving parts. It utilizes an electrical ignition system. So, when you pull the trigger, a pulse is sent up to ignite the ammunition. Look…”
    He took the weapon from Peter and disengaged a tube. “Because there is no need to stack ammunition, it is loaded in tubes where they are spring-loaded back-to-back. As one is ignited and leaves the chamber, the one behind it immediately slides up. No moving parts. No jamming. And you can get off more rounds quickly. It’s semi-automatic, so wasting ammo in a panic is less likely.”
    “Wow,” Peter was genuinely impressed, “that’s amazing.”
    “Generally, in a swarm scenario you don’t want to panic. You’ll want to make every shot count. You’ll also be equipped with FLASH handguns. Some of your team will have automatic rifles to address flanking by unfriendlies, insurgents, and such.
    “The only kill shot with an ID is to the brain, which is why you’ll be using blunt impact munitions rather than scattershot in the shotguns. Scattershot would normally have effective stopping power at close range, but for a live target. Scattershot won’t even slow an ID down. You need to damage the brain.”
    Peter was doing his best to process all of the information being presented to him. “So when we’re out in the field guiding these ID towards targets, what’s to stop us from being the targets? You said so yourself, Major, that they do not have any thoughts. How do they know who the bad guys are?”
    “Show him the suit,” Major Lewis instructed Lockwood.
    Lockwood unfolded and held up a black suit.
    “That looks like the suit the ID was wearing in the maze,” Peter reflected.
    “It is,” replied Lockwood. “But this one is modified to be worn by a live soldier.” He held out an arm of the suit. “The live soldier’s suit is designed to glow. There are fluorescent lines running up and down the arms and legs to help you see in the dark and identify each other.”
    Lockwood then pointed to the shoulder. “As you can see,