Nothing like a little action to liven up a story. Grim is in combat again. Enough said.
Several readers wrote with info about how Grim should have used a different rifle or a specific ammunition, or how such and so a round would have penetrated body armor, or how he should have seen the armor. A few general comments.
First, it was the middle of a cool night; terrorists are people too and may have been wearing jackets. Second, at the range Grim shot from, a frontal hit with NATO 7.62 from an M-14 might have penetrated body armor, but there are different types of armor, and he was firing from the side, not straight ahead. Would that make a difference? More on that later. Finally, why use an M-14 and not something more modern or specifically tailored to the task? As I mentioned earlier, the rifle was Grim’s personal weapon, a weapon similar to one he carried on his second tour in Iraq. The M-14 is powerful, accurate, and reliable. It is old school, heavy duty, and hard core. Want a description for Grim? How about old school, heavy duty, and hard core!
Every once in a while, somebody asks where I come up with the names of characters. They’re usually pretty normal names, but every so often I have to give into my strange sense of humor. Brutus and Beefy, two of the cops at the hospital, were named after some English Bulldogs various in-laws owned.