Drone Wars 1: Day of the Drone Read Free Page B

for combat, with all components of the eight-bladed octocopters made of lightweight yet virtually indestructible composite materials; even the lenses of the gimbal-controlled cameras were made of one-inch thick, shatterproof plastic.
    Xander brought his huge drone to a hover in front of the men. The Viper carried .20mm dual machines guns mounted under the carriage, along with side-mounted .5mm’s above. The UAV also carried two banks of pencil-missiles—a total of thirty missiles in all—and all this firepower now pointed directly at the three men hiding behind the flimsy wooden kiosk.
    “Cease your fire, dammit, we’re from the RDC!” Xander called out through the speakers on the drone.
    The men kept firing, even to the point where two of them had to reload.
    “I said we’re from the RDC. Now stop firing and take cover!”
    “Bullshit!” one of the men cried out. “How do we know you’re really from the RDC? All you damn drones look alike.”
    “How can you tell? You’re still alive, that’s how! Now stop firing and take shelter immediately. The crisis will be over shortly.”
    The Viper hovered momentarily until the three men lowered their weapons, then it sped off again.
    “Everyone okay?” he asked his team.
    “One of those dudes was a damn good shot. I took three hits. No damage, however,” said Charlie Fox.
    The trio of RPAs had now reached the end of the main concourse, which split off at ninety-degrees to the west and east. This wide corridor formed the outer walkway for the mall in a huge racetrack-like configuration. Looking both ways, the team could see and hear the signs of aerial combat taking place, as battles raged between individual autonomous drones from each side, following their programming with regards to offense and defense.
    Xander noticed that the majority of the enemy drones were basic quadcopters—four-bladed, box-shaped units that had been painted to resemble the RDC units.
    Even a cursory knowledge of the units the government deployed, as compared to those used by terrorists, an observer could easily tell who was who. The government units were much larger octocopters, with blades hidden within protective rings. They were heavier, with double weapons platforms above and below, as well as forward and rear-looking cameras. The bad guys often used off-the-shelf civilian drones—which were mainly inventory items now that the unregulated sale of over-the-counter drones had been outlawed a couple of years before.
    Yet even with their simple design, what turned these once innocent and harmless toys and tools into lethal weapons was the installation of a tiny module within their flight controls called a killbox . Outlawed throughout most of the civilized world, these miniature, pre-programmed computers were manufactured by rogue nations such as North Korea, Iran, and the Islamic State. Each compact device contained everything the aspiring terrorist or anarchist would need to turn their kid’s toy or aerial photography platform into a killing machine, including simple plug-and-play operation through standard USB connections.
    Several years ago, Congress passed a series of laws requiring that all drones contain restrictive programming, covering flying altitude and limiting their access to certain public areas, such as airports, government buildings, sport complexes—and even shopping malls. Yet, as was common with such laws and restrictions, only law-abiding citizens and companies were impacted. Now with a four-hundred dollar killbox, those with evil intent could override any government-mandated operating restriction and carry on without missing a beat.
    Xander had no idea where the autonomous drones for this particular attack had come from. Even with drone sales highly regulated, they were still allowed to be purchased with the proper permits, screening, licensing and education; however, there were literally millions of older drones left over from the time when UAVs were the latest rage.