Extracted by Haywood RR

Author:Haywood, RR
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503941861
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2017-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

It looks enormous. It is enormous. The grain of the wood shows clear from the base of the stock to the underside of the long metal barrel.

‘That for me?’ Harry asks, picking it up from the table. That the rifle is for him is beyond doubt. Ben watches him slide the bolt back and check through the barrel while getting the balance and weight of the weapon. Harry grunts in approval and pulls the bolt back several times to feel the action.

‘Winchester Magnum four five eight bolt-action hunting rifle,’ Safa says. ‘They make bigger and more powerful now, but I figured you’d be used to something like that. Apparently it’s big enough to bring an elephant down with one shot.’

‘They weren’t elephants,’ Harry mutters, holding the rifle one-handed while he opens the cardboard box containing the huge brass bullets.

‘Well, we’re a bit short on tanks right now,’ Safa says, picking up the holster containing the squat black Glock pistol.

‘What’s that?’ Harry asks, nodding at the pistol in her hand as she checks the weapon.

‘Glock. Nine mill.’

‘That bring an elephant down too, will it?’

‘No, but I’d be on my arse if I fired that thing,’ she says easily, glancing at his rifle. ‘I’ll need to practise before I use something like that.’

Ben watches them. The sudden seriousness of it all slamming home at the sight of the weapons. Real guns with real bullets. Safa attaches the holster to her belt, puts a magazine into the pistol and slides it in as Harry pockets a load of the bullets before slinging the rifle across his back.

‘You not loading it?’ Safa asks him.

‘In here?’ Harry asks. ‘I’ll load it outside.’

‘Ben,’ Safa says, holding out the binoculars. ‘You get these.’

He takes the black binoculars without comment but feeling incredibly inadequate. Malcolm and Konrad watch from a short distance, both silent and obviously nervous of Safa. Malcolm shifts position and clears his throat, getting ready to tell them they shouldn’t really shoot dinosaurs because the bullet could be found later. He doesn’t say that though. Instead, he opens his mouth but stays quiet.

‘Ready,’ Safa says, looking at them both.

The two workmen lead them from the main room through the corridors to the back door and the stainless steel panels that form the porch effect.

‘That it?’ Safa asks, as blunt as ever. ‘Looks like a metal detector.’

Malcolm nods as Konrad presses a switch on the right side panel. Lights come on. Small blue LEDs on all three panels.

‘They use them in labs,’ Konrad explains. ‘Like computer labs and places that need to be sterile.’

‘This isn’t sterile,’ Ben says quickly.

‘Works though,’ Konrad says, pressing another switch. A low hum sounds from the panels with the noise of air hissing. Like a much quieter version of the hand dryers in public bathrooms. Ben goes forward, holding his hand towards the door and feeling air being blown from the three panels.

‘That’s it?’ he asks with a frown.

‘That’s it,’ Konrad says. ‘Go through it on the way out and same when you come back in.

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