C.E. Martin's Blog, page 26

MONSTER MONDAY: Vampires!

What would a horror series be without the Big Three- Vampires, Werewolves and the other Undead?

Stone Soldiers does indeed have Vampires- but they're not quite what you might be used to.

When I considered adding a vampire to the series, I struggled with what kind to go with. Classic, B&W, Bela Lugosi camp, with opera capes, fangs and a penchant for long, hypnotizing stares? Or maybe trailer-trash bandidos out to enjoy an eternity on the run, like those from the awesome movie Near Dark?

In the end, I decided to just take the most interesting characteristics of all the cinematic vampires and mix them up with a healthy bit of parody of the more sparkling, hedonistic vamps popular in the past couple of years.

Enter Dr. Laura Olson.

Poor Laura. She was a promising medical student in 1972, working her own way through medical school with dreams of saving lives. Then a blue-jean wearing, long-haired Vampire stumbled into the diner she'd been working at- pursued by the military who wanted to put him down.

Laura, your average, mid-western girl with long red hair, quickly found herself being drained not just of blood, but of her lifeforce. When she awoke, the vampire that turned her was dead and a strange super soldier was about to cut off her head. But something stayed the hand of then-Major Kenslir, and instead of putting Laura down, he offered her a job.

As a vampire, Laura shared an empathic bond with others of her kind- a sixth sense that let her locate vampires wherever they gathered in the world. This aided the military in its mission to keep the undead out of America.

But you can't trust a vampire. Laura found herself coordinating military strikes from behind bars. On Alcatraz.

While she hungered for freedom, Laura didn't hunger for the blood and lifeforce she needed to stay alive. The government allowed, maybe even encouraged, her to prey on the super-powered inmates of Alcatraz, draining them of the energy they needed to manifest their many paranormal abilities. Posing as a Doctor for the prison, Laura stayed young, and well-fed, for decades.

In 2013, it all changed. Someone else was interested in Dr. Olson's foodstock. His name was Tezcahtlip, and he was a prehistoric shapeshifter set loose in the modern era. By eating the hearts of his victims, Tezcahtlip could steal their form, their memories, and even their powers.

The shapeshifter came to Alcatraz and in one night killed everyone on the tiny island. And he stole Dr. Olson's heart. Managing to escape her attacker, Olson waited, battered and broken, barely able to cling to life thanks to her vampiric abilities.

When Colonel Kenslir returned to the island, hot on the heels of the shapeshifter, he shared some of his own unending lifeforce with her. And once he realized the magnitude of the shapeshifter's new threat level, he even agreed to let Dr. Olson put her vampiric tracking skills to use in the field. For the shapeshifter was now a vampire as well.

With Dr. Olson's help, Detachment 1039 travelled to Mexico and put down the shapeshifter once and for all. Along they way, they discovered the undead doctor was able to use her powers for more than killing. And so, she became a member of the team and had her freedom once more.

Follow Dr. Olson's vampiric adventures beginning in Book 3 of Stone Soldiers, Blood and Stone, on sale now.

WEAPONS WEDNESDAY: UMP-45

    While H&K's MP5 is an acknowledged leader in the submachinegun category, used around the world by police and military, it does fire a fairly small caliber round- the 9mm Parabellum. This is great if you happen to be carrying a 9mm handgun- you have interchangeable ammunition (remember Die Hard- Bruce Willis was able to take ammo from a seized MP5 and use it for his Beretta 92 pistol).   But sometimes you might want something that packs more of a punch- and that's where the UMP-45 comes in.   Firing the .45 ACP cartridge, which is half again as heavy as the 9mm, the UMP incorporates a lot of the MP5's features, but in a much more target-stopping round. (There's also a variant that fires .40 S&W)   With more power though, there's more recoil, which meant the cyclic rate had to be dropped to only 600 rounds/minute (less spraying, more praying). The UMP can fire single shot, 2-round bursts and full auto. It features many polymer parts, reducing corrosion. It accomodates a number of attachments, from different sights to aim lights and more. There are versions that will accept silencers. And its straight-magazine holds 25 rounds.   For the Stone Soldiers, the UMP offers superior stopping power for light targets, like parahumans. Weight and recoil aren't much of a consideration for the stone soldiers, but as they are trained to be accurate, the reduced cyclic rate is not a factor. Additionally, the .45 ACP round is interchangeable with that used in their Mk23, Mod 0 sidearms.   All in all, an effective weapon, introduced into the series in Book #6, Armageddon Z.     

WEAPONS WEDNESDAY: The Mk 23, Mod 0

  Used by U.S. Special Forces today, the MK23, Mod 0 handgun is a .45 caliber weapon designed for Special Operations use, built by H&K. Based on previous H&K models (the VP 70z, P-9 and P-7) the handgun incorporates a variety of features and precision manufacturing.   The match-grade pistol was adopted by SOCOM in the 1990s and incorporates a laser aiming module and removable suppressor. It also features a twelve-round magazine, expanding the MK 23's ammo capacity to thirteen- a significant inprovement over the M1911's 7+1 (seven round magazine, plus one chambered round).   The pistol features an ambidextrous safety and magazine release, and a decocking lever on the left side of the weapon. The magazine release is larger than some other handguns, to accomodate users' gloves. The pistol is waterproof and corrosion resistant.   The MK 23 further offers excellent accuracy, able to make a 2-inch group at 50 yards. It can also use a wide variety of .45 caliber ammunition, including .45 +P ammo, which packs more punch than a standard .45 ACP round.   In Stone Soldiers, the MK 23 is the back up weapon for most, the main sidearm for others. When used in conjunction with the H&K UMP-45, the Mk23 offers a common ammunition for light targets, such as paranatural humans.

The Zombies are Coming!

Just in time for Halloween, Stone Soldiers #6, Armageddon Z, will be releasing as a Kindle exclusive!     When a psychic who can only see his own future begins experiencing visions of a zombie apocalypse, he sets out to discover the source of zombie plague and travel back to before it is unleashed on America. Can the Stone Soldiers help stop the end of the world, or have they finally met an enemy even they cannot stop?

Ben Affleck as Batman?

I have to agree- this is a bad decision. I don't hate the idea, but I just don't think Affleck can play the psychopathic, perpetually mad Dark Knight. He's too pleasant and mild looking.   Now, he is 6'4" tall, so he could make a decent hero if he bulked up. I might even be willing to cut him a deal on optioning Stone Soldiers if he'd like to take a crack at Colonel Kenslir.   Shoot me a line, Mr. Affleck- I appreciate you at least tried with Daredevil.

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WEAPONS WEDNESDAY: The Desert Eagle

  Ever since it was first introduced, the semi-auto magnum from Israeli Military Industries has been a favorite for film and books. It's appeared in the hands of darn near every action hero and heroine to grace the screen and comics.   The pistol has been in production since the 1980s, in over twenty variants and at least five different calibers. It is a magazine fed, semi-automatic handgun boasting a unique triangular-shaped slide and utilizes a gas-blowback system normally found in rifles.   For the Stone Soldiers, the Mark XIX variant is used, in .50 Action Express caliber- a round sufficiently strong enough to drop any human, and most inhuman targets (which is understandable given the round's design for use in medium to big game hunting). With a seven round magazine, plus one in the chamber, the XIX offers a much larger, and far more powerful round than the aged M1911 once used by the Detachment. Weighing in at over 4 pounds, the Desert Eagle is a heavy weapon best left for use by super soldiers.

WEAPONS WEDNESDAY: The Bowie Knife

Like any tool, there are a wide variety of different designs for the knife. Some are for cutting, some for skinning, some for stabbing. Knives have been an integral part of a soldier’s kit for many centuries.
The Bowie Knife is a multi-tool of sorts, designed in the 1800s for the famous explorer/adventurer Jim Bowie. The knife rose to popularity after the Sandbar Knife fight.

A Bowie knife is wider than most other knives of the time- it is able to be used to chop wood, and it has a clip point ideal for stabbing. Modern Bowies often incorporate a serrated or sawtooth edge on the top of the blade, further adding to the knife’s versatility.

Most modern US Military forces use the M9 Bayonet as a knife. While similar to a Bowie, the M9  is more designed for use as a stabbing weapon, attached to the end of a rifle, or as a simple knife.

The Stone Soldiers need something considerably more durable. A Bowie knife with its wide, heavy blade, available in lengths rivaling the gladius of ancient times. The Bowie can be thrown, used to slash or stab opponents, and is of thick enough construction to withstand the heavy abuse a superhuman soldier might inflict upon it while dispatching monsters.

WEAPONS WEDNESDAY: The USAS-12

Time for another installment of Weapons Wednesday when we examine the weaponry of the Stone Soldiers series...


I consider there to be two kinds of firearms in the world: those intended for killing people, and those not intended for killing people. The shotgun seems to fit nicely into both categories. With variable loads, the shotgun can be used for taking out human and animal targets, and, on occassion, vehicles. That makes the shotgun a likely choice for battling the inhuman enemies of the Stone Soldiers.

And King among shotguns is the Atchison AA-12. A stainless steel, plastic-enclosed, magazine-fed monster, the AA-12 can unleash a devastating amount of firepower in the form of .12 gauge rounds. It is fed by either removable magazines (8 round) or a drum (20 or 32 round). With a fire rate of 300 rounds per minute, the AA-12 is easily capable of felling human and inhuman alike- and it’s the longarm of choice of Adrien Brody’s character, Royce, in the 2010 movie Predators.

Not only can the weapon’s recoil-absorbing design allow it to be fired by even the most delicate of shooters, but its stainless steel construction means it will stay cleaner, longer, with no oil needed.

Alas, the U.S. military seems to have instead adopted a derivative of the AA-12 for use- the USAS-12. Produced by DaeWoo Precision Industries, the USAS-12 features a more familiar design, with an M-16-style grip and carry handle. It’s .25 kg heavier than he AA-12 (at 5.45 kg). But, it does pack a little more whallop though, with a 10-round magazine or a 20-round drum. However, the stats I’ve found list it as only firing 260 rounds a minute.

Why then did I choose the USAS 12 over the AA-12 for Colonel Kenslir? Well, I don’t believe the AA-12 made it into regular U.S. inventory. And a semi-auto only version of the USAS-12 is made in my home state of Indiana.

You can see the USAS-12 in a number of Stargate SG-1 episodes- particularly in the Replicator episodes where it rains pellets of destruction down on swarms of the little robots.


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