In the Ruins (Metahuman Files Book 2)
Page 34
Chatter: Chatter is a signals intelligence term that refers to the volume/quantity of intercepted communication, whether between people or electronic methods.
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency. Spies! There’s way more to it than that, but basically, spies!
Chest candy: Military slang for the medals and ribbons worn on a dress uniform. It can be used in a positive or negative manner.
Delaney, Sean: Former CIA officer specializing in deep cover, currently an agent in the MDF’s intelligence division, metahuman (phase power), code named Wraith, hails from New Seattle, Washington.
DOD: United States Department of Defense. Oversees all agencies in the United States that are tasked with national security and all branches of the United States Armed Forces.
Dvorkin, Alexei (Staff Sergeant): Former Strike Force operative, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a close combat specialist, metahuman (pyrokinesis), code named Inferno, originally from a refugee city in the Ukraine, hails from Boston, Massachusetts.
Exfil: Extraction, also exfiltration. Military term for immediately removing and relocating personnel out of a hostile environment and taking them to a secure area.
FOB: Forward Operating Base. A forward military position that supports tactical operations.
GRU: Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye. English translation of the Cyrillic acronym for the Russian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate. Similar to the CIA.
Jansen, Nikolaas: Facilitator of black-market deals between buyers and sellers who run the gamut of social and class status, metahuman (empath), originally from Amsterdam, Netherlands, currently from London, England.
Kompromat: Compromising personal material of a politician, public, government or military figure used for blackmail purposes within Russian political, business and criminal spheres.
LOS: Line of sight. One of many definitions, but basically what you see in your sightlines when shooting at a target. If you can’t see your target, you have no line of sight.
MDF: Metahuman Defense Force. A hybrid federal agency/military group in the United States that deploys metahumans and humans on a domestic and international basis to deal with metahuman terrorists.
Metahumans: Humans whose natural immunity to Splice changes them into people with various powers within the story.
Nazari, Amir (General): Director who oversees and leads the Metahuman Defense Force.
NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer. A military officer who didn’t earn a commission. Usually they are of an enlisted rank and are promoted to officer. In contrast, a commissioned officer usually receives training in leadership through a military academy and don’t come up through enlisted ranks.
Night Stalkers: A special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter and other aviation support.
OTH: Other Than Honorable discharge. An OTH is an administrative discharge, carrying with it the implication of misconduct. When a veteran is discharged, any unfulfilled military service obligations are voided. A discharge is different from a separation or retirement from the military.
Ovechkina, Ekaterina “Katie” (Sergeant): Previously a Recon Marine, currently second-in-command of Alpha Team, communications specialist and hacker, metahuman (telepathy), code named Viper, hails from Chicago, Illinois.
Pavluhkin, Stanislav: Son and heir to a Russian oligarch and the Presnenskaya Bratva, metahuman (precognition), hails from Moscow, Russia.
Presnenskaya Bratva: A Moscow-based Russian gang originating in the Presnensky District, the largest and most powerful crime syndicate within the Russian mafia, one with a wide international reach.
Railroad tracks: Military slang for a captain’s ranks, which is two vertical bars.
Reborn IRA: Reborn Irish Republican Army. An organization still fighting in the future for full autonomy from the British government in order to bring about a united Ireland.
Recon By Fire: A military term for a warfare tactic where a military force will fire on a likely enemy position to get a reaction and confirm their location.
Sanchez, Trevor: Previously a Recon Marine, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a medic, metahuman (telekinesis), code named Bones, hails from Dallas, Texas.
SAS: Special Air Service. A special forces unit of the British Army.
SOCOM: United States Special Operations Command. Unified command that overseas all Special Operations command across all branches of the military.
Splice: Toxic chemical within the story that has a 95% kill rate. Those with immunity to it get turned into metahumans.
Stirling, Ranisha (Rear Admiral Lower Half): Deputy Director who supports the Director in running the Metahuman Defense Force.
Strike Force: My made up alternate version of the very real Delta Force, a highly classified special forces operational unit.
UMG: United Metahuman Guardians. The United Kingdom’s equivalent of the United States MDF within the story.
Wessex, Liam (Lt. Colonel): Youngest son to Prince Samuel, Earl of Wessex, thirteenth in line for the British throne, former Special Air Service, currently leading the Royal Legion, metahuman (electrokinesis), code named Knight, hails from London, England.
Williams, Donovan: Previously a Recon Marine, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a transport specialist, metahuman (enhanced spectrum eyesight), code named Tank, hails from Atlanta, Georgia.
Author’s Notes
Thank you so much for reading this story! I really hope you enjoyed it. I couldn’t have wrangled it into order without the help of my alpha and beta readers Kelly, Pilar, and Leslie Copeland. They kept me from veering off-course, for which I’m incredibly grateful. Good beta readers are hard to come by and they do their jobs wonderfully. Thanks as well to the lovely Bear, she of the amazing formatting skills and encouragement and just plain awesomeness. Also thanks to Jersey Devil Editing for the incredible amount of nit-picking she did to polish up this monster of a story. Kasmit Covers did the cover and she was amazing to work with, as always.
Again, I have never been active military, so if I got any of the terms and actions wrong, my apologies. I tried to extrapolate as best I could when accounting for the story theme and its timeframe in the future. I also know nothing about the CIA and spies, and am therefore winging it, but hopefully the winging works.
I would be thrilled and grateful if you would consider reviewing In the Ruins on Amazon or Goodreads. I appreciate all honest reviews, positive or negative.
www.haileyturner.com
Cover design by Kasmit Covers.
Professional Beta Reading by Leslie Copeland: lcopelandwrites@gmail.com
Edited by Jersey Devil Editing.
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Other Works By Hailey Turner
Metahuman Files
01 – In the Wreckage
02 – In the Ruins
03 – In the Shadows
04 – In the Blood
05 – In the Requiem
A Metahuman Files: Classified Novella
01 – Out of the Ashes
Thanks for reading!