A tech next to him got excited by the new sensation, and tried jumping. The man laughed as he sprung meters into the air, over and over. David wished he could be so easily amused�
With his hand still over his pistol he stepped out onto the dry surface, and looked around him. The sun had just risen, which meant they�d have about another twelve hours or so to get everything set up before nightfall. It was still chilly out, a mere �5 degrees Celsius. By midday it would be 10, and at night it would drop again to a freezing negative twenty. Normally it would be dozens of degrees colder, but the plant life and artificial atmosphere helped.
N�tn�see, William and Jean stepped out next to him, gazing at the sunrise. David took a few steps forward, and turned to face them. They instantly snapped to attention.
�My fellow soldiers, we have no duty with the ships. We are under direct order from command to regroup with the rest of the AGF�s at the abandoned air recycling facility. It�s not far, so we�ll be walking over. Take what gear you need, and let�s be off.� The last survivors of the 113th division nodded their heads once, and hurried back into the ship. David went in with them, and grabbed his rifle. He knew that the meet would probably just be a briefing, but he never took chances. The rest of his squad had done likewise, and they left the dropship together.
David�s boots didn�t seem to make any sound against the dusty surface, and he made sure not to step on what little plant life was out here.
After only minutes of walking, the team finally came to the towering air recycler; it looked like and awkwardly bent isosceles triangle standing on a pillar, with that sitting on a round base. The gray steel didn�t shine in the rising sun, and had spots of rust and dust that covered its exterior.
The team approached the entranceway, whose doors were being held open. Inside of the structure was a much different story than its outside; polished titanium, bright lights illuminating the hallways, and a slight reflection of David stared back at him from under his boots. The place looked like it had just been built.
David�s eye implant illuminated an invisible green path along the floor to take them to where they had been told to go. Several others walked along side them through countless hallways, but eventually they reached a T. David and his squad went left, but the rest of the AGF�s turned right to head to the conference hall. The path David took did not go far; after only fifty feet it came to a door. His hand drifted to the panel, and pressed the green knock button. The soundproofed door made it so that David couldn�t hear the tone on the other side. The panel turned red, then blue, and the door eased open.
David walked inside, and stopped. He did not recognize the man that stood before him, nor the boxes that lay strewn across the floor, but he saluted the man none the less. His AGF�s followed suit, and the man slowly returned the gesture.
�Officer David Jackson, I presume? Good to meet you, I�m your armor agent, Gifford Ulton.� The man placed his hand out in front of him, offering a handshake to David. David cursed himself; he had saluted a civilian. He took the man�s hand with a firm grip, and was surprised by the strength he got back. William took a step forward and shook his hand.
�Armor agent? What kind of goods are you in charge of?�
�Oh, basically body armor, weapons, small vehicles, and explosives. Actually, here�� The man took a step back and picked up a datapad off of his desk.
�This is a list of my inventory right now, but you can request anything through me and I�ll pull some strings for ya.� David took the pad, and William read it over his shoulder. From the sounds that William made as he scrolled through, David knew he was obviously pleased.
�As for right now, the techs over at command have set aside some items I�m supposed to give you right now.� He walked over to a corner, picked up one of the crates with a considerable amount of effort, and set it on a table near Jean. He opened it, and pulled out what looked like a suit.
�These,� he said, �are your new combat uniforms. They weigh about ten kilos, but they�re worth it.� They looked like regular black uniforms, but with gunmetal-colored sections of armor. It had a chest plate, back plate, cover over the knees, shins, arms, groin, and just about everywhere else David could imagine not wanting to take a hit.
�The armor will deflect most small calibers, and cushions against explosions a little. The black material underneath interfaces directly with your neural implants, and the suit will pressurize itself in areas of injury to comfort against shock. The back plate and the hip plates also serve another function. Suit up, and I�ll show you.�
At that, each of the AGF�s stripped down, and began putting on the new suit. So far, David found the armor to be quite comfortable. The final piece buckled into place, and he felt the suit pressurize on his abdomen. It was protecting his vital organs.
�Now, Mr. N�tn�see, please hand me your pistol.� N�tn�see reached for his gun he had left on the ground, unclipped the holster, and handed the high capacity revolver to the civilian butt first.
�The hip plates have a special opening, as you may have seen. They are designed to interlock with sidearms, such as this here pistol.� He walked over to N�tn�see�s side, and placed the revolver into the groove on the side. It clicked, and the revolver sat there on his hip. N�tn�see tried jumping up and down, but the sidearm stayed in place.
N�tn�see reached for the revolver, and upon gripping it the lock disengaged, allowing him to pull it free.
�Normally, the hip plates are designed to interface with the standard .44 semi-autos, but N�tn�see�s was specially fit for his sidearm preference. As for the back plate, would you kindly hand me your assault rifle, David?� David, too, complied with the civilian and handed over his weapon.
�Turn around, please.� David turned on his heel until he faced the door. Gifford took the rifle, and aimed it muzzle up. The top of the rifle slid into place on David�s back, much like a sling. Only this was much more secure.
�The armor has a pivoting ring around the shoulder, so if you press this button here, the rifle swings out under your armpit, aiming straight ahead.� David tried it, liked it, and instructed the others on how to use it.
The tech gave them some more basic tips on their armor, and handed each of them the crates that still contained several items.
�There�s more in there, but for now you�ll just have to refer to the manuals. I�m supposed to be at the briefing, so please excuse me.� He walked out of the room, leaving the AGF�s alone. David clicked his rifle and pistol into place, and went towards the door to leave for the briefing, and behind him he heard William say,
�Forget what I said. This is going to be the most kickass babysitting job ever.�
