Andrew Mackay - Infinity Claws

“Jamie.”

“Yeah, I remember now. Jamie.”

“He knows she’s in good hands. We’ll look after her.”

“Yes, we will,” Hallo moved her nose onto Jelly’s and kissed her on the head.

“Meow.” Jelly rubbed her face on Haloo’s and licked the ends of her hair.

“Oh. She doesn’t do that with me!” Wool said, pretending to take offense. “Well, well, well… talk about allegiance.”

“Ha,” Haloo chuckled, pulling Jelly’s mouth away from her face, “Well, it could be because I have cleaner hair than you.”

“Dry shampoo?” Wool snorted held out her hands, “I doubt that. Can I have her back, now?”

“Sure.”

Haloo passed Jelly back to her. The cat licked her lips and got comfy in Wool’s arms.

“Swing by Medix when you have time. Don’t be a stranger.”

“I will,” Haloo smiled and waved at Jelly. “Bye-bye, sweetie. Have a good operation.”

“Meow.”

A metal boot slammed to the floor.

The laces tightened across the tongue of the boot and squeezed shut. The foot stomped onto the ground three times.

“Pure titanium, that is,” Jaycee said, looking down at his leg. “Absolutely impenetrable.”

Baldron Landaker stood beside him, impressed with his colleague’s footwear. “What’s that got to do with weapons?”

“This.” Two barrels swung out from the sides of the boot and armed themselves. “Stand back.”

“Okay.”

Jaycee lifted his knee and aimed it down the shooting gantry.

BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM !

Two bullets fired out alternately from each cylinder and hit the silhouetted mannequin target. Bits of plastic flew in all directions. Even at a clear fifty-foot distance, the boots provided a remarkably accurate shot.

Baldron wafted the bullet residue away from his face and pulled the creases out from his inner-suit. “So, if we come across any tangos, we just shoot them with our feet?”

“No, the footwear is for me. I just want you to know I have them.”

“Understood.”

“Katz wanted me to show you the firepower, so here it is,” Jaycee snapped his fingers. “Manuel?”

The holographic book appeared in the air and hovered around, awaiting instructions. “Yes, Jaycee?”

“Captain Katz has asked me to acclimatize Mr Landaker here with our arsenal. Can you avail Armory One, please?”

“Certainly.”

The book flickered into nothingness as Jaycee marched away from the shooting range and into the armory proper. Four bays stood before them, ensconced in the wall.

“Opening bay one…” Manuel’s voice advised.

“Wait till you see this,” Jaycee smirked as the bay doors slid open.

Baldron watched in wonder as an infinite assortment of weapons revealed themselves.

“What kinda guy are you?” Jaycee asked, approaching the first bay.

“Eh?” Baldron double-took, snapping out of his mire. “What kinda guy am I?”

“Yeah, you know, slow and measured? Or run-in-and-flank-on-a-whim-and-a-prayer type of guy?”

“Oh,” Baldron said, “I’ve flanked a few back in my service days.”

“And they thought you were the best for Opera Beta?”

“I guess so.”

“You don’t convince me. I can see I’ll have to test you.”

Jaycee unhooked a particularly vicious heavy machine gun from within the first bay. He threw the side lever down and cocked the barrel.

“Do you know what this is?”

“A gun?” Baldron tried.

“Very funny,” Jaycee flipped the catch down and slammed the under-barrel into his left palm. His right hand squeezed the grip, forcing his index finger around the trigger. “This here is the K-SPARK. Flick the switch down for semi-auto, flip it center for the single-most devastating proton blast the galaxy has ever seen. Don’t point it at anything you don’t want destroyed. Here.”

He passed the behemoth to Baldron, who buckled slightly under its sheer weight. “Whoa, this is heavy.”

“Yeah, it’s not exactly user-friendly. You should be used to the weight, right? Being an engineer?”

“Definitely. It’s not that heavy.”

“Good. It’s not my weapon of choice for mobility, but when this baby is ground mounted it’ll fend off swathes of bad guys.”

Jaycee watched on as Baldron tried to wrap his finger around the trigger. “Be careful with that, pal.”

“Why?”

Jaycee flicked the side switch up, locking the trigger down. “I have a feeling if you fire this baby, it’ll jump out of your hands.”

“Yeah,” Baldron passed the gun back to Jaycee and took note of his huge frame in the process. “Well, not all of us are seven foot and built like a brick house.”

“And don’t forget it,” Jaycee moved to the second bay and grabbed a cylindrical device from the shelf. “Do you know what the difference is between a smart bomb and a dumb bomb?”

He pushed the black grenade into Baldron’s chest. “Ugh, no?”

“A smart bomb can be deactivated once the pin is pulled.”

Baldron inspected the black grenade. “And a dumb bomb can’t?”

“Correct.”

Jaycee pulled the pin out of the grenade, causing Baldron to soil himself. “Guess which one you’re holding?”

“Uh, the smart bomb?”

“Nope,” Jaycee slammed the pin back into the grenade and snatch it out of his trainee’s hand. “That would’ve been a dumb move. Smart bombs are black. Dumb bombs are red. Remember that.”

“Okay.”

“Right, firearms. Ones that won’t slow you down,” Jaycee returned his K-SPARK onto its holster. “We have to start you somewhere. I tell you what. We’ll KISS it.”

“Kiss it?”

“KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid,”

Jaycee reached for a mini hand gun in the third bay and threw it into his right hand.

“The Rez-9. The lightest firearm we have. Standard issue release mechanism. One hundred per magazine. Once you’re used to it it’ll take three seconds to reload.”

Jaycee slid the catch back and tilted his at the sight on the weapon. “Two spares sit in the housing for easy refill. See what you think of this.”

He tossed it to Baldron, who caught it clumsily in his hands.

“Be careful you don’t blow your thighs open, there.”

“Sorry.” Baldron held the gun in his hand and pointed it at Jaycee. “Put your hands up, sucker.”

Jaycee chuckled to himself and held up his hands. “Oh no, you caught me. What did I do wrong, officer?”

“Ha.”

Without warning nor notice, Jaycee swiped the barrel out of Baldron’s hands, locked his arm around his back and buried the barrel into his temple.

“Agh, help. Help.”

“Don’t you ever, ever , point a weapon at people you work with. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, yes,” Baldron squirmed in Jaycee’s clutches. “I u-understand. Please let me g-go—”

Jaycee yanked his arm up his back and cocked the gun, threatening to blow Baldron’s brains out.

“—What’s your role on this vessel, cadet?”

“I’m… I’m Beta’s engineer, sir.”

“First Lieutenant, Mr Landaker,” Jaycee shouted in his ear, angrily, “I’m not a sir. What’s the first rule of USARIC’s Infinity Claws, one point one?”

“What?” Baldron asked, about to soil himself. Death was a hair trigger away.

“I said what is the first point in USARIC’s Infinity Claws?”

“That all v-ventures be manned appropriately with just cause and for the benefit of mankind.”

“That’s right. Good work,” Jaycee released the man and returned the Rez-9 firearm to the first bay.

Jaycee patted Baldron on the back, trying to coax him out of his impending coronary. “I like you, you’re funny.”