Fade to Grey (Book 2): Darkness Ascending (90 page)

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10/22   A .22
caliber, semiautomatic rifle made by Ruger. Shipped from the factory with a 10
round magazine, the gun is available in multiple finishes. Aftermarket items
are extremely prevalent for this well liked rimfire weapon. Folding stocks,
extended capacity magazines, custom triggers, barrels and much more are
manufactured specifically for this firearm. Extremely durable and field tested
for many years, it is probably the most popular semiautomatic .22 in the world.

11-87   Semiautomatic
shotgun manufactured by Remington. Available in a wide range of configurations
and gauges, it is exceedingly popular with American sportsman.

AED    Automatic
External Defibrillator. Small, portable heart defibrillator designed to analyze
irregular heart rhythms in cardiac patients, providing an electric shock to
correct them in many cases.

ACOG  Advanced
Combat Optical Gun Sight. Internally illuminated telescopic sight often used on
top of military rifles. Manufactured in the United States by Trijicon.

            Aguila
 
SSS ammunition  Specialty subsonic
ammunition for .22 caliber firearms. It features a 60 grain bullet and requires
a faster rifling twist rate to stabilize properly.  

AK-47  Soviet
bloc main battle rifle. 7.62 mm. The AK-47 was the primary rifle issued to
communist forces throughout its history. Military versions are generally
selective fire weapons, capable of fully automatic functioning if required.
Civilian versions are usually semiautomatic capable only. The AK-47 is
legendary for its durability.

AO  Area of
Operations.

APC  Armored
Personnel Carrier. Military vehicles designed primarily to safely transport
infantry in combat conditions. Manufactured in a bewildering variety of
configurations. The American M113 and its variants are currently in service
worldwide. Most versions are equipped with a light machine gun for defense.

AR 15  Civilian
version of the M4. Mistakenly called “assault rifles”, they are limited to
semiautomatic firing only. Highly popular for competition shooting.
Manufactured by many different companies. A wide variety of aftermarket
components and upgrades are available for the AR 15.

ATN ARES 2-3P 
Generation 3 night vision scope. It features all weather capability, 2x
magnification, and runs on a single AA battery. Due to the total darkness
infrared system incorporated into the 2-3P, it still retains functionality even
in complete darkness.

BOB  A small,
backpack type survival kit usually containing enough food, water and basic
supplies that would enable someone to survive for a short period in emergency
situations. BOB stands for “bug out bag.” Several other acronyms are equally
applied. GHB, “get home bag,” and GOOD, “get out of dodge,” are two of the more
common.

BRADLEY  American
made infantry fighting vehicle. Lightly armored and modular in design, it is
capable of being equipped in both anti-personnel and anti-armor rolls.  Most
versions carry a crew of three, and up to six fully outfitted soldiers. The
M2A3 Bradley is the most recent variant

CDC  Center
for Disease Control and Prevention. United States federal agency located in
Atlanta, Georgia that is dedicated to protecting public health and safety. The
CDC is heavily involved in research on pathogens that can possibly affect the
public health sector.

Colt Mustang 
A scaled down version of the classic 1911 45 caliber GI semiautomatic handgun.
Available in 380 caliber, its small size makes it a favorite for concealed
carry.

CZ  Initials
given to a line of weapons produced by Česká Zbrojovka, a manufacturer
located in the Czech Republic. Renowned for their accuracy and durability, CZ
firearms are extremely popular in many parts of the world. Eric’s duty weapon
is a CZ-75 SP01 tactical model chambered for 9mm.

DHS  Department
of Homeland Security. Federal Agency created in response to the 9-11 terrorist
attacks. Broad reaching powers and limited governmental oversight have enabled
the DHS to virtually take over many agencies and systems whenever they desire.

DOD  Department
of Defense. Headquartered at the Pentagon, the Department of Defense is
responsible for coordinating all agencies of the United States government
dealing with national defense.

DMZ  Demilitarized
Zone. A narrow strip of land separating North and South Korea. Approximately
160 miles long and 2 miles wide, its name is a misnomer as it has one of the
highest concentrations of military buildup in the world.

Gator  Utility
vehicle manufactured by John Deere. Constructed in both gas and diesel models,
two and four wheel drive, and available with either four or six wheels. Most
models have a cargo bed for hauling loads.

            Ghillie suit  Camouflage clothing
generally designed with a three dimensional aspect to further break up a
person's outline. Netting, leaves, moss, strips of cloth. etc. are incorporated
into the material either during manufacture or in the field.

GMRS  General
Mobile Radio Service. U. H.F., (ultra high frequency) FM (frequency modulation)
radio service primarily used for short range two way communications. Line of
sight usually limits transmission ranges to under three miles in flat terrain,
usually much less in hilly or mountainous areas. Elevated antennas and
repeaters can increase ranges to over thirty miles in certain situations.

Glock  Polymer
framed semiautomatic pistols designed in Austria. In use worldwide as the
primary sidearm for many police officers and military personnel. Famous for
their reliability, they are available in many common handgun calibers.

HS  Homeland
Security. Abbreviated acronym for DHS.

            Lake
City XM855  5.56x45 ammunition loaded to NATO specifications. Currently in
service with the United States military, it features a steel penetrator tipped,
full metal jacketed lead core bullet.

M 240  7.62
caliber belt-fed gas operated machine gun. Heavily used by infantry forces, it
is also highly adaptable for mounting on different platforms. Currently
manufactured for U.S. forces by FN Manufacturing.

M35A3  A
medium duty military truck in the 2½ ton weight class, often referred to by its
derived nickname as the "deuce and a half." Capable of serving in
many different roles, the M35A3 is the newest incarnation of the classic troop
truck.

M4  A gas
operated, select fire weapon currently issued to United States and other
countries’ military forces as a main battle rifle. 5.56 caliber, it is a
direct, and refined descendant of the Vietnam era M16.

Mossberg 590  A
12 gauge pump action shotgun capable of holding up to nine rounds. Frequently
used by law enforcement or special forces teams for close quarters combat.
Available in a wide variety of configurations and finishes.

NATO  North
Atlantic Treaty Organization. International alliance of 28 member states based
in Brussels, Belgium. Members agree to a collaboration of military defense if
outside forces attack. Recent worldwide political upheaval has resulted in
accusations that NATO forces are being transitioned to a role of global police.

NBC  Nuclear,
Biological, Chemical.

Quark AA  High
quality LED flashlight power by two AA batteries. Waterproof and shockproof,
this small light is machined out of aircraft grade aluminum. Fully adjustable
in intensity, it can produce up to 210 lumens of light at its max setting.

Remington 870 
A pump action shotgun available in many different gauges and styles. Popular
for hunting, trap shooting and other sporting uses, they are also offered in
designs geared for home defense or law enforcement purposes.

RTB  Return To
Base.

Ruger Mark III 
22 caliber, 10 shot semiautomatic pistol produced by Ruger. Renowned for
accuracy and durability, these pistols are often used in competition.

SIG  Acronym
for Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft or Swiss Industrial Company.
SIG Sauer is a manufacturer of firearms with German and Swiss origins. The
United States division is located in New Hampshire, and produces many varieties
of rifles and pistols, primarily used by military special forces and law
enforcement agencies. Records indicate approximately one third of United States
local, regional, state and federal police departments are equiped with SIG manufactured
sidearms. 

Smith and
Wesson M&P  A line of weapons manufactured by Smith and Wesson originally
designed for use by “Military” units and “Police” departments in the United
States. Available in both rifle and pistol configurations and a wide variety of
calibers.

            Sparrow  High end sound
suppressor manufactured by SilencerCo. Common threading allows it to be used on
a variety of rimfire weapons. This unit is user serviceable for cleaning, and
rated for full auto fire.

Springfield
Armory  A large firearm manufacturer located in Illinois. They produce many
different types of weapons, including custom built models.

TOPO  Topographical
maps, usually provided by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) that show
terrain and elevation changes. Previously available in paper copy only, they’re
now commonly found downloadable in electronic formats.

UPS  Uninterruptible
Power Supply. Battery backup power often used on computers and other sensitive
electronic equipment to allow safe shutdown in the event of a power failure.
Larger capacity UPS’s can provide for extended run times when no AC Power is
present.

USAMRIID  United
States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases. Military
facility located at Fort Dietrich in Frederick, Maryland. Dedicated to research
for defense against biological warfare threats, it has often been speculated
that they are involved in the creation of biological weapons as well.

USFW  United
States Fish and Wildlife.

WCO  Wildlife
Conservation Officer. Locally known as game wardens, wildlife officers,
wildlife troopers or conservation officers.

Winchester
model 70  Bolt action rifle manufactured in New Haven, Connecticut, primarily
by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Exceedingly popular with sportsman,
the model 70 has been chambered in over two dozen different calibers. Models
produced before 1964 have a higher collector value due to perceived
manufacturing quality.