Dreaming in Static

Chapter 20

Andromeda

Jack led her and Ali to the armory to let them pick out their weapons.

It was a high-ceilinged room, every surface of sleek, once-shining grey now masked in grime. Ali was seized in a coughing fit as they entered. "We don't clean up much," Jack told him, waving a hand in the dust-filled air. "But you can go ahead and pick out a gun."

Plasma guns, pistols, laser guns, and rifles hung from one wall, barely adding up to ten in all. Andromeda ventured forward, scanning the selection. (Ali was making excited noises beside her.) She turned to Jack. "Any of them?"

"Well, we don't have much of a budget, so you're obviously limited to one," Jack replied. He walked closer, eyes on the weapons sitting on the racks. "Andromeda, you're a slightly above-average runner, but you seem to have amazing upper-body strength. I mean, the only reason I can catch up to you at all is because I've had about twenty enhancements on top of my original cyborg-ness." He pointed at a sleek grey plasma gun that was about half Andromeda's size. "Try Gemini."

She took the weapon off the rack, the weight settling comfortably in her arms. Andromeda pointed it at Jack, who didn't even flinch. "Doesn't activate until I enter the code."

Andromeda nodded. "I figured." She moved it from one hand to the other. "Kinda bulky."

"That's why..." Jack reached forward and swiped something on the side of the gun, releasing the top half from the bottom. Andromeda took one part in each hand, relishing the balance and power it brought. "Castor and Pollux. The Gemini twins."

She shook her head. "Weapon names are ridiculous."

"Accurate, though," Jack prodded, smiling. "It's got more force when it's put together, and it's easier for most people to handle. Fusion reactor right here"--he tapped on the large globe forming the base of the gun clutched in Andromeda's right hand--"usually provides energy for the ray gun, so when it's detached, Gemini forms a ray gun--Castor--and a rifle, Pollux. But when the two halves are put together, the energy from fusion is used to propel the bullet through the rifle. And man is she powerful."

"Okay," Andromeda said, weighing the two weapons in her hands. "So this is a ray gun, this is a regular rifle, and if I put them together it's a super-powerful ray-rifle."

Jack laughed. "Basically. Like I said, it's easier to handle when put together, but it's much more versatile when it comes apart. You like it?"

Andromeda nodded. "Does Ali get one?"

Ali snorted. "I don't think I could take Gemini. I'll get a pistol, yeah?"

"Take Ninja," Jack told him, nodding toward a small, black pistol. "It's pretty basic, but it'll be for defense only if there's an invasion. I doubt you're gonna be on the field much."

Ali took the pistol in both hands, and Andromeda looked him up and down. It fit him, somehow. In his black hoodie and slim-fitting jeans, trying to go unnoticed, Andromeda figured a larger rifle or plasma gun would make him feel out of place. Besides, as Jack said, Ali wouldn't be on the field with her; she didn't have to worry about him.

"Cool," Andromeda said, sliding Castor and Pollux back together until she heard the click that meant they were stably attached. "We can leave now?"

Jack was staring at Ali, his thumb over his lips. "Mmm...Ali, here." He grabbed a black cylinder from the wall next to him and tossed it to Ali, who fumbled with it for a moment before catching it securely. He twisted the cylinder, and it slid open, unfolding to reveal a large black shield that covered most of Ali's body. The weight made him stumble a bit, but he leaned back and recovered quickly.