Chapter 14

We trooped out and loaded up. It didn't take long as it was late enough that most of the commuter traffic had cleared and what was still there was headed in the other direction. We hadn't called ahead for reservations but we were earlier than most others wanted to dine, so while there was a wait it was only a short one. We adjourned to the bar and had a drink. I had a beer while Dane had white wine.

After an excellent sea bass steak with a fresh salad and real veggies I was feeling much better. We decided that while we were in the area we would drop down a couple of blocks to the downtown Weapons World. I was interested in a couple of things and Dane just wanted to browse to see if anything new was available.

Talk about a kid in a candy store you should have seen Dane's eyes light up when we went in. We walked around looking and the first thing you knew Blake was in a huddle with one of the clerks that he knew. Cain and I were interested in some different bullets. When I asked a clerk about stun rounds Cain agreed.

"Usually it takes a while to get them but we do have some on hand now. How many do you want?"

"We'll take a couple of hundred between us and I want some flechette rounds for a Roomsweeper. Do you have them also?"

"We have some, how many rounds do you want?"

"Do they come in the usual 25 to the box? If so I'll take two boxes."

"No they're ten to a box, do you want 5 boxes? Stun rounds are the same, 10 rounds to the box."

"Ok, we'll take thirty boxes of stun rounds in 9mm, five boxes of flechette rounds in 12 gauge and a case of 500 9mm rounds. Also want twelve more sticks for an H&K 227. Oh, and a small can, jar or however it comes of dayglo orange paint."

The clerk just looked at me. He knew better than to make a comment about such a purchase. In this place it was a 'normal' sale. He was gone for a short time and soon returned with an ammo canister. He opened it to show us the correct number of boxes of rounds, the paint and in a separate sack were the magazines for the '227. Cain paid part of the bill and I covered the rest. I took the canister and he took the sack. Looking around we found and soon joined the others.

They each had something with them and were ready to leave so we walked out. Back in the car I told Blake, "You owe me 2200 nuyen. I picked up some things for the group that should come out of the expense account. Why don't you just take it off what I still owe you."

"Cancel what you owe me. That has been more than repaid with what we have made off this stuff and your gesture of giving us most of what would normally be your share of the split."

I could be as big as him. "In that case forget repaying me. I picked up a case of 9mm rounds and a dozen more magazines for the '227s. I'm only going to load them with 25 rounds per stick and then they'll be stored in the armory ready for anyone to use. Don't anyone grab the magazines that have the dayglo orange on the ends. Those will be loaded with stun rounds not regular ammo. All this killing is new to me and I don't like it. The stun rounds will take the bad guys out of the way and remove them being dangerous to us. Cain agrees with me. We'll still have magazines with regular bullets in case they're needed but we'll be using stun rounds mostly from now on. Just thought you should know."

Blake spoke quietly, "I though that might be the case after the shoot-out back at the safe house. This business is not normally what we encounter on a run. Things like that Go-gang that jumped us that first night is normal, not having people break in on us. As new as you are to this kind of thing I can see where it could bother you. I have no objections to you and Cain using stun rounds and by letting us know ahead of time we'll know what to expect in a fire fight if another one comes up."

It was quiet in the car for the rest of the trip while we each pondered the problems we had encountered on this run so far. What with the Go-gang, the brief fire-fight at the meet, the two guys at my flop and the break in at the safe house I had killed seven, possibly eight and wounded at least two more. No, at least three, I was forgetting the humanist I had shot in the foot. Dane and I both fired at Leafcutter and he was dead. We didn't know who did him in as we both use the same caliber bullets. Before that the only things I had shot were plastic cans and paper targets. Say what you want, it takes a whole different mind set to think about killing someone and then putting those thoughts into action.

When we got back to the house we first checked to make sure we hadn't had any visitors while we were gone and then we went about our normal stuff. I took my purchases into the room I was using and set about loading up the extra magazines. That took six of the ten boxes of ammunition. I then unloaded the Remingtons and reloaded them. I alternated the rounds, single 0 Buckshot and Flechette round. I then painted the base of two magazines for Cain's Predator and two for my Ultra. After they had dried I loaded them with stun rounds and placed the rounds I took from the magazines into one of the empty boxes. Thinking about it some more I emptied and painted six of the '227 magazines and then loaded them with stun rounds as well.

Our armory was looking very respectable. We had the four '227s with about twenty extra magazines, three extra Predators and an extra Ultra with three additional magazines for each. All magazines were loaded and we had a couple of hundred extra rounds. I just hoped we never needed that much ammunition, however I have always been an advocate of the idea that I had rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

After checking on the computers I went to bed. Cain woke me for my turn at guard duty and I again checked on the computers. They were through with the assignments I had given them. Later when I could spend the time I would check them over.