Chapter 48

As slabs of armor started covering the SRT-8, Finn's dad snapped off his cutting torch and walked over to Liv and Finn, who were placing an armored section over the driver's door. "I've got something that might give you an advantage. Come on, give me a hand son." He motioned to Finn.

They disappeared into a back room and returned carrying two machine guns mounted to a heavy-duty plate. "What the hell is that?" Liv asked in disbelief.

"A remote controlled machine gun mount. It's specially designed to sit on top of a vehicle," Finn's dad said proudly. "It keeps the gunner from being exposed. I pulled it off an experimental, Bradley fighting vehicle that got hit by a roadside bomb. It originally had a fifty caliber mounted here, but the gun was completely torn up." He pointed to pock marks on the mount. "So, I improvised and mounted two Squad Automatic Weapons that I had lying around."

"You just happened to have two SAWs lying around?" Liv asked incredulously.

"I've got my sources." Finn's dad winked. "Besides, I was developing this for the army. I was hoping it would be mountable on a smaller vehicle like a Hummvee or," he gestured, "a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8."

Finn examined the machine guns lovingly. He checked their actions, while his dad went back into the room where the machine guns had come from. He returned with three packages that looked like small, green backpacks. On one side was written 'Front Toward Enemy.'

"I've been saving these to give back to the Army. Found them in one of their Hummers, under some debris. But I think you may have a better use for 'em," Finn's dad said grimly.

"You have SAWS and Claymores?" Liv stared at the deadly packages. During her paintball excursions, her dad's friends had talked about them, but she had never seen one in person. She knew that inside each Claymore mine were hundreds of 1/8" steel, ball bearings, packed on top of an explosive layer of C4. When detonated, anything unfortunate enough to be on the wrong side of the mine would be shredded by ball bearings traveling at murderous velocities. "Do you have a squad of Marines hidden back there too, because that would be really great."

"Nope, you've got all my goodies now," Finn's dad said wryly. "You're gonna need all the help you can get. Hell, just getting to the rehab center is going to be nearly impossible in this snow."

Finn's mom flipped her welding mask up and looked at the pile of deadly weapons. "Couldn't you just take Liv to a movie like a normal guy?" she asked with a wink. Ever since the attack, she had been working hard to cut the tension that had been created by the dead body lying in the snow, just outside the thin metal walls.

"There wasn't anything good playing at the theaters." Finn let out a laugh. But his smile vanished as a strong gust of wind rattled the building, reminding him of the blizzard raging outside. "We're gonna need some snow chains or something."

"I know where we can find an 'or something'," Liv said with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Jim, can I borrow the Ford?" Liv asked.

"Sure, whatever you need. Keys are in the ignition. You want the trailer unhooked?"

"Nope, it's just fine the way it is. Come on, Finn. Let's go pick up some supplies. But first, help me load some cinder blocks on the trailer." Although puzzled, Finn complied nonetheless.

"We'll keep armoring the Jeep," Finn's dad yelled as Liv and Finn got in the truck. As the F-350 pulled out, Jim turned, flipped his welding mask down and sent sparks flying.

Finn got in the driver seat of the big, four door 4 X 4 and started the diesel engine. The blizzard made the task difficult, but they were able to pull out of the yard. Snow was piled more than a foot and a half deep, and more was falling by the minute. The round trip seemed to take forever. By the time they returned to the salvage yard, three more inches of snow had covered the ground. Even with the chains and four-wheel drive, the truck had great difficulty grabbing the road. Liv and Finn were relieved to make it back to the warehouse in one piece.

"Where did you get those?" Danielle pointed to the snow-covered load on the trailer when they got out of the truck.

"I've got a local dealer here in town," Finn answered with a wink.

"Twenty-four hour self-service!" Liv laughed as they loosened the ropes that held their ill gotten gains to the flatbed trailer.