“Good, then they can manage without you. Captain Friday will handle that while you assist Taylor. Your continued combat experience while he has been recovering should be valuable.”
Chandra moved to confront the command, but Phillips interrupted her.
“Major, you two have more combined experience in close combat with this enemy than anyone I can think of. You’ll be back to the front line before long. Any work you put in now could save just as many lives as you being out there.”
Both of them knew there was no sense in arguing any further. The more Chandra thought about it, the more she had problems she wanted solutions for. She knew Reiter was the man for the job.
“We’ll get on it, Sir.”
“Good. Your Company is on base duty until further notice while you work on R amp;D.”
The three officers saluted the Commander and quickly turned and left. None of them spoke until they had got out of the building and once more into daylight and fresh air.
“Captain, we may well have a couple of days rest here. Giving us guard duty was just a simple way of getting our people out of any hard work, and they’ve earned it. We’ve got plenty more numbers than are needed for the area we have been posted. Be sure to get some e-readers and music up there. There are also beds that you can use on rotation.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“This is a rare chance for the Company to recuperate, so use it well.”
Friday nodded as he turned and strode quickly back towards the Company who lay scattered about at a staging ground.
“I am guessing that nose wasn’t busted in a fall?” asked Taylor.
Chandra smiled. It was one of the many near-death experiences she had faced of late. Having survived it, she could now look back on it with humour and analyse it further.
“Those things are deadly up close. I was lucky.”
“Then clearly we have an agenda for Reiter.”
Reiter sat in his office chair with his back to them. He stared out of the tall pane of glass that looked onto his research centre. A few employees worked casually in the room, but it was the quietest Taylor had ever seen it. The two officers could only see the scientist’s mostly baldhead. A small grey patch of hair was all that remained of his hair. Even though they could not see his face, they could both tell he was frowning.
“Sir? You okay?” asked Chandra.
He swivelled round in his chair and glared at the Major.
“I hold no rank here. You are the officer. You can call me Doctor Reiter, or by my first name, if you would consider us close.”
“What’s going on here, Doc? Production is delayed, and we need the kit. Why’s this place so quiet?”
“Manufacturing is out of our hands. We’ve been ordered to move on with further development of new ideas.”
“Well, why aren’t you?”
Reiter sighed at the insult.
“Mr Taylor. I have not stopped working my entire life. But without the resources and manpower I need, there is little more I can do.”
“What do you mean?” asked Chandra.
“Most of my staff has been re-assigned to manufacturing plants to oversee the production of the equipment I designed. I am getting few deliveries of the supplies and resources I need. There isn’t a lot I can do.”
Taylor sighed and paced around the room.
“I am sure this has all been necessary, Doc. The only thing that matters right now is getting that hardware into combat.”
Reiter nodded.
“Then why are you here?”
Taylor shook his head. He realised that he was asking just the opposite of the wise scientist.
“Command wants us to oversee your future developments.”
Reiter coughed. He was in part amused and insulted at the same time.
“I appreciate the problems you are dealing with,” said Chandra. “But you have to understand, we all face the same hardship. Our Company isn’t getting the replacements we need. We aren’t getting the support we need. Times are tough, and we have to manage.”
Reiter nodded. He knew what the Major was saying was right before she’d said it, but he couldn’t help but feel sidelined.
“I can’t believe you’ve got nothing new on the drawing board?” asked Taylor.
Reiter swivelled around in his chair once again and smiled, as he looked out into his facility with his back to the two officers. Taylor squinted to look at a large item that two of the staff were lifting up onto a table. It appeared to be of a similar construction to the armour of the Reitech suits, but in a large rectangular sheet with grips on one side and a small window. He stepped around the scientist’s desk to get a closer look but could not identify what he was looking at. He turned quickly to ask a question of Reiter but was interrupted.
“I am still working with what I have, Major.”
The scientist smiled. Chandra stepped around to join the other two and marvel at the object. She already knew it would be a fascinating creation, but she just didn’t know its purpose yet. Taylor couldn’t wait any longer.
“What the hell is it?” he insisted.
Reiter gestured towards the suit Chandra was still wearing from her mission.
“The armour on the suits which you are wearing has proven successful, yes?”
“Damn right. It has saved more than a few lives.”
“But its coverage is still limited. A suit of such armour would weigh more than double what the exoskeleton could hope to manage. That doesn’t even take into account the problems of joints and other such weaknesses.”
“Then what?” Taylor asked.
“My dear, Major, we do what fighting men have done for centuries. Carry a shield!”
Mitch looked into the lab with a dumbfounded expression. A shield was something utterly quaint and antiquated to his mind. He turned back around with the same shocked look.
“You’re not serious?”
“I most certainly am, Major. The shield has throughout history proven to be the simplest, cheapest and most effective protection, when all things are considered. It provides the most coverage for its weight. It can be manufactured quickly and repaired just as easily.”
“Then why aren’t we using them already?”
“Look at the thing,” exclaimed Chandra. “Those two techs are struggling to move it.”
“Indeed. A shield that can withstand such high ballistic and thermal conditions will weigh eighty kilos or more, and a weight that will present no problem to the wearer of that suit.”
He pointed to Chandra’s equipment with pride.
“Come on, let’s take a look.”
Moments later, they stood before the huge slab shield which lay on top of the table. The construction was crude with huge visible bolt threads and a handle that looked as if it had come off a truck.
“We have salvaged what parts we could for this project. Things are a bit short, right now.”
Taylor stepped up beside the shield and passed his hand over the metalwork. It felt cold and dull, just like the armour they wore with a slightly rough mottled texture. The composite material had remained a secret ever since it had been fitted to armoured vehicles two decades before. He slipped his fingers beneath it and attempted to lift. Mitch’s face strained as his muscles tensed, and the shield didn’t move.
He placed his other hand alongside his first and put some effort in, lifting the shield edge from the table before dropping it clumsily back down onto the table. The vast shield landed with a crash that made the scientists cringe.
“Jesus, this thing weighs a tonne!”
Taylor took a step back and shook his head in astonishment at the creation.
“You think our suits can handle this?”
Reiter turned to Chandra and gestured for her to try. She stepped forward uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the pessimistic Taylor. She circled the table as she intently studied the device. It was so simple, and yet to her it was utterly alien. The Major reached forward, placed her hand on the grip of the shield and lifted.
Taylor gasped as Chandra lifted the device as if it were a bottle of water. She twisted it in to a comfortable grip as she moved it around and studied its coverage. The viewing window was made from inch thick ballistic plastic, affording at least some visibility. She turned head on to Taylor and hunched down behind the shield to allow him a view of its defensive ability.