lid. Inside were three neat stacks of mines, canvas carrying bandoleers, a cluster of M57 “clackers,” and a pile of M4 blasting cap wire assemblies. He lifted out one of the convex-shaped mines.
“How do they work?” asked Cobb.
“They’re pretty much idiot-proof as long as you heed the sign.” He pointed to the words stamped on the face of each mine: Front Toward Enemy . “Once you place the mine, use the peep sight at the top to line it up, insert a firing pin into one of the detonator wells, roll out a little wire, attach the other end to the clacker, and squeeze it.”
“How far away do you need to be?” asked Bell.
“Get at least twenty yards behind it and find cover.”
She nodded. “Twenty yards, got it.”
Cobb picked up one of the mines and shook it slightly.
“What’s inside?”
Mason gently took it from him.
“A pound and a half of C4 and seven hundred steel ball bearings. Enough to make a mess of things. Officially, the effective range is fifty yards, but I can tell you from experience they’ll reach out and touch someone much farther than that.”
Rodriguez picked up one of the clackers and looked to Mason for his approval.
“It’s safe as long as it’s not connected to the blasting cap.”
He flipped off the safety bail, and squeezed the handle. It made a loud click .
“It’s a three-step reaction,” explained Mason. “The handle generates electrical current, the current blows the blasting cap, and the cap sets off the C4.”
Cobb snatched up another of the clackers and gave it a squeeze.
“It’s like one of those ignition buttons on a barbecue grill.”
Rodriguez shook his head, saying only, “Can it be reused on more than one mine?”
“It can. Just pull off the spent wire, and the clacker’s ready to go.” Mason unfolded the mine’s telescoping legs and stood the unit upright on the tailgate. He bent down and demonstrated how to use a pencil to align the peep sight.
“It’s not exactly a precision instrument, is it?” said Bell.
“On the contrary, it’s an area-of-effect weapon. But don’t underestimate its potency. A Claymore mine can clear a room unlike anything else.”
She said nothing more as she studied the mines with newfound respect.
Mason stuffed six bandoleers with a mine, clacker, and a roll of wire. He handed one to each cadet and another to Leila. He took the final two for himself.
“Any other questions?”
Everyone looked to one another, but no one spoke.
“All right, then. Let’s go get Claret.”
Chapter 5
When a more thorough search of the Abner Cloud House revealed no additional clues about Dr. Jarvis’s whereabouts, Tanner and Samantha accepted that their choices were rather limited. They would either have to seek him out, operating on a hunch that he had returned to the hospital, or they would have to wait. Neither of them were very good at waiting, and it took only a few minutes to stuff their belongings into their packs and head out.
They trudged around to the back of the building, scaled the small stone wall, and stepped out onto Canal Road.
“Which way?” she said, looking left and right.
He nodded to the right. “That way.”
“That’s the direction we came in last night.”
“Yep. And it’ll take us all the way back to the Key Bridge, which I’m pretty sure comes out onto M Street.”
“All right,” she said, starting off down the road. “Might as well get going.”
Tanner followed behind, occasionally glancing back to make sure they didn’t miss Dr. Jarvis, should he happen to stroll in from the opposite direction. No such luck. If they were ever going to see him again, it would require a little looking on their part.
Canal Road was a cozy two-lane thoroughfare with a small stone wall on one side and a twenty-foot embankment on the other. The canal itself flowed through a small ravine on the other side of the wall, and from their vantage point, they had a clear view of the shiny green
“How do they work?” asked Cobb.
“They’re pretty much idiot-proof as long as you heed the sign.” He pointed to the words stamped on the face of each mine: Front Toward Enemy . “Once you place the mine, use the peep sight at the top to line it up, insert a firing pin into one of the detonator wells, roll out a little wire, attach the other end to the clacker, and squeeze it.”
“How far away do you need to be?” asked Bell.
“Get at least twenty yards behind it and find cover.”
She nodded. “Twenty yards, got it.”
Cobb picked up one of the mines and shook it slightly.
“What’s inside?”
Mason gently took it from him.
“A pound and a half of C4 and seven hundred steel ball bearings. Enough to make a mess of things. Officially, the effective range is fifty yards, but I can tell you from experience they’ll reach out and touch someone much farther than that.”
Rodriguez picked up one of the clackers and looked to Mason for his approval.
“It’s safe as long as it’s not connected to the blasting cap.”
He flipped off the safety bail, and squeezed the handle. It made a loud click .
“It’s a three-step reaction,” explained Mason. “The handle generates electrical current, the current blows the blasting cap, and the cap sets off the C4.”
Cobb snatched up another of the clackers and gave it a squeeze.
“It’s like one of those ignition buttons on a barbecue grill.”
Rodriguez shook his head, saying only, “Can it be reused on more than one mine?”
“It can. Just pull off the spent wire, and the clacker’s ready to go.” Mason unfolded the mine’s telescoping legs and stood the unit upright on the tailgate. He bent down and demonstrated how to use a pencil to align the peep sight.
“It’s not exactly a precision instrument, is it?” said Bell.
“On the contrary, it’s an area-of-effect weapon. But don’t underestimate its potency. A Claymore mine can clear a room unlike anything else.”
She said nothing more as she studied the mines with newfound respect.
Mason stuffed six bandoleers with a mine, clacker, and a roll of wire. He handed one to each cadet and another to Leila. He took the final two for himself.
“Any other questions?”
Everyone looked to one another, but no one spoke.
“All right, then. Let’s go get Claret.”
Chapter 5
When a more thorough search of the Abner Cloud House revealed no additional clues about Dr. Jarvis’s whereabouts, Tanner and Samantha accepted that their choices were rather limited. They would either have to seek him out, operating on a hunch that he had returned to the hospital, or they would have to wait. Neither of them were very good at waiting, and it took only a few minutes to stuff their belongings into their packs and head out.
They trudged around to the back of the building, scaled the small stone wall, and stepped out onto Canal Road.
“Which way?” she said, looking left and right.
He nodded to the right. “That way.”
“That’s the direction we came in last night.”
“Yep. And it’ll take us all the way back to the Key Bridge, which I’m pretty sure comes out onto M Street.”
“All right,” she said, starting off down the road. “Might as well get going.”
Tanner followed behind, occasionally glancing back to make sure they didn’t miss Dr. Jarvis, should he happen to stroll in from the opposite direction. No such luck. If they were ever going to see him again, it would require a little looking on their part.
Canal Road was a cozy two-lane thoroughfare with a small stone wall on one side and a twenty-foot embankment on the other. The canal itself flowed through a small ravine on the other side of the wall, and from their vantage point, they had a clear view of the shiny green
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