Page 48 of Seamus: Unconventional
Cort nods and points to Ben. “Ben asked about the land.”
“Scotland or Virginia?”
Ben waves with a nod. “All of it. Are you holding onto the Pennsylvania land?”
I shake my head. “I’ve never seen it and forget about it.” Someone left it to my mom.
He laughs.
I shrug. “You can have them. The land was being sold for the compounds and a good life for my partners if something happens to me. We worked out a way for them to be on elder compounds if they’re not service K-9s for someone. Chances are they’d go before their human partner.”
Ben’s head tilts. “They’re enhanced.”He’s got a point.
“My two aren’t injected with anything. They’re chipped and their line has enhancements so it’s DNA for them. The others are younger now but aren’t ready to retire. When they are, they’d still need work which is where service K-9 training comes in.”
He nods. “I didn’t think of it. Cort tells me they’re more human than Zeus and our K-9 Protectors.”
I nod. “Zeus is different and close to human. A chip would put him close to someone like you and Cort. The Brother sees bigger than me. Mine are chipped, have lived with a wider view than most K-9s but have lived and trained to use that wider view for years now. They’re trained in whatever branch plus training with us and anything new we get. They don’t play chess so they’d need a job even if it’s light work.”
“My dad is like that. He’s training dogs now and pissed he’s not called for Ops. He’s too old for Ops but don’t ever say it.”
I laugh. “You know what I’m saying then. I think the more training, the worse it is when they retire. Light may retire at whatever dog eighty is and he’d still play host at the restaurant or bartender at a Club.”
He laughs at me. Cort nods. “I think you’re right. He did a virtual training at the range showing how he can shoot your rifle. He’s got the six-shooter so it ratchets down on Ops.”
I nod smiling at Ben then turn to Cort. “I can adjust them for special sizes but the cuff we made is close to universal. Jackie from Delta came over and is making them for the others. He said he’s got a shop for it and can have them all done in a week. Juan is printing me the expanding post.” I lift my sleeve and show the piece of metal that connects to what looks like the snap of a cuff. I tap it and the posts or what he calls ratchet expands with the little gun. “They have the laser but Juan made the magazine to hold six bullets. It’s like Alder’s little gun so it wasn’t a problem he said.”
Cort smiles. “I want one.”
I nod. “We can make it. I have the parts and we’d need to measure you all the way through. You’re a lot bigger and mine was a pain in the ass because it kept getting caught on my shirt then wrist. That’s why we used the steel rod.”
“Huh. Yeah, I want one. What does the rod do?” Cort is into the hidden gun.
“It allows the gun to slide down even with the shirt. Your arm doesn’t bend so you don’t feel it or I didn’t think so. When the gun slides down, I’m not bending my wrist to catch it. I think the rod reminds me that it will fall to below the cuff. It’s probably psychological.”
Ben laughs. “We got time. Let’s make steam punk gun slingers. Jackie must love this.”
I laugh. I’m not sure that’s a thing but we can try. “Jackie showed me some of the shit he makes and this fit right in there. He blinged out Light’s with paint that helps keep it camouflaged even when he’s shaved.”
We get to the shop and the door opens for me. “Keylan and Anchor got the doors set on tracking for me. If I’m in the chair, or out, they’ll open.”
We spend three hours building completely useless but very cool pistol ratchets or steam punk gun slingers as they call them. I’m not Jackie and don’t have whatever paint he used but they got some washers they made look like gears on theirs where it looks impressive.
“We got a target outside to test them.” I hit the button so the door stays open and show them the target by hitting the button on my cuff and pointing my little gun at the picture of an old-fashioned clock on the fence. There’s reinforced cement behind the picture but they must know because they're shooting at the pictures that showed when I hit the center of the clock.
“Hologram pictures like the auto shop.” Ben finds this fun.
“I didn’t see that but the Bits showed Shadow how to program so the reaction to a shot to the clock is other targets show.”
He stops shooting so I do. “Your dogs program?”
“Partners and yeah.” I hand him another little magazine.
“Partner, sorry, Brother. It’s habit for me, not a slight and never disrespect.”
This surprises me. I nod. “Thanks. You wouldn’t think it but it bothers me to hear them called dogs.”
He watches me. “You see them as human, partners, equals.” He’s a seer and has weird ability I don’t need to know about. He’d see that.
