She caught it deftly. Hey, careful with that.
Foaly snickered. Dont worry. The trigger hasnt been coded yet. Nobody can fire this weapon until its computer registers an owner. Even if this weapon did fall into goblin hands, it would be useless to them. One of my latest developments. After the Bwa Kell rebellion, I thought it was time to upgrade our security.
Holly wrapped her fingers round the pistols grip. A red scanner light ran the length of the plastic butt, then switched to green.
Thats it. Youre the owner. From now on, that Neutrino 3000 is a one-female gun.
Holly hefted the transparent gun in her fist. Its too light. I prefer the 2000.
Foaly brought the guns specifications up on a wall screen. Its light, but youll get used to it. On the plus side, there are no metal parts. Its powered by kinetics, the motion of your body, with a back-up mini-nuke cell. Naturally, its linked to a targeting system in your helmet. The casing is virtually impregnable and, if I do say so myself, its a cool piece of hardware.
Foaly passed a larger version of the gun to Root. Every shot is registered on the LEP computer, so we can tell who fired, when they fired and in what direction. That should save Internal Affairs a lot of computer time. He winked at Holly. Something youll be glad to hear.
Holly leered back at the centaur. She was well known to IA. They had already conducted two inquiries into her professional conduct, and they would just love the opportunity to conduct a third. The one good thing about being promoted would be the looks on their faces when the commander pinned those majors acorns to her lapel.
Root holstered his weapon. OK. Now we can shoot. But what if we get shot?
You wont get shot, insisted Foaly. Ive hacked into the terminal scanners, and Ive planted a couple of sensors of my own too. Theres nothing in there that can harm you. Worst-case scenario, you trip over your own feet and get a sprained ankle.
Roots complexion reddened all the way down his neck. Foaly, do I have to remind you that your sensors have been fooled before? In this very terminal, if I remember correctly.
OK, OK. Take it easy, Commander, said Foaly under his breath. I havent forgotten about last year. How could I, with Holly reminding me every five minutes?
The centaur lifted two sealed suitcases on to a workbench. He keyed in a number sequence on their security pads, and popped the lids.
These are the next-generation Recon suits. I was planning to unveil them at the LEP conference next month, but with a real live commander going into action, youd better have them today.
Holly pulled a jumpsuit from the case. It glittered briefly, then turned the colour of the van walls.
The fabric is actually woven from cam foil, so you are virtually hidden all the time. It saves you using your magical shield, explained Foaly. Of course the function can be turned off. The wings are built into this suit. A completely retractable whisper design, a brand new concept in wing construction. They take their power from a cell on your belt, and of course each wing is coated with mini-solars for above-ground flights. The suits also have their own pressure equalizers, so you can go directly from one environment to another without getting the bends.
Root held the second suit in front of him. These must cost a fortune.
Foaly nodded. You have no idea. Half of my research budget for last year went on developing these suits. They wont replace the old suit for five years at least. These two are the only operational models we have, so I would appreciate having them back. They are shockproof, fire-resistant, invisible to radar and relay a continuous stream of diagnostic information back to Police Plaza. The current LEP helmet sends us basic vitals data, but the new suit sends a second stream of information that can tell us if your arteries are blocked, diagnose fractured bones and even detect dry skin. Its a flying clinic. Theres even a bulletproof plate on the chest, in case a human shoots at you.
Holly held the suit in front of a green plasma screen. The cam foil instantly turned emerald.
I like it, she said. Green is my colour.
Trouble Kelp had commandeered some spotlights left on-site by the movie company, and he directed them into the shuttle ports lower level. The stark light picked out every floating speck of dust, giving the entire departures area an underwater feel. Commander Root and Captain Short edged into the room, weapons drawn and visors down.
What do you think of the suit? asked Holly, automatically keeping track of the various displays on the inside of her visor. LEP trainees often had difficulties developing the double focus needed to watch both the terrain and their helmet screens. This often resulted in an action known as filling the vase, which was how LEP officers referred to throwing up in ones helmet.