"We oughta take all the ones we're gonna use apart, Preston, and help yourself" Dan replied with a grin and a shrug. He was a believer in checking weapons and the entire group knew it, but he also knew that Preston knew his way around guns and would figure out what he liked "and then we gotta sight in any of the ones we're gonna put scopes on. Good thing your buddy threw in the laser."

Dan was stripped down to his short sleeves and a pair of jeans in the cabin, and while there were only ten cans left, he wanted at least one while he did the work. He had the oil, the cloth and the other tools handy, including the screws, tape and so forth to work with the weapons. Dan had tattoos up and down his arms, starting at wrist and going all the way up, notably a vivid one of an angel with a sword on the right arm. He'd never explained how the son of a Vermont senator got all that ink, and he didn't say much about the past. But he knew the weapons, the explosives, the heavier stuff. Until now, Dan had been one of the less utilized guys, backing up Joe or Gigger in their dealings, learning and watching as those guys took the lead and worked their relatiionships. Now, it was shifting...

The M4A1. This one still was brand new, finish intact and came out of a case that a guy out in the Northeast Highlands, a friend of the Gigueres knew. A national guard type that needed some morphine for whatever reason -- no one asked questions. The gun nut buddy was fine with letting them zero on the range and Dan insisted on doing it. Unzeroed weapons were far less effective. He selected a couple more for Nari and Joe. The Special Forces guys provided familiarization with the weaponry and other items, along with interesting courses on the handlng of explosives.

Other horse trades got them some optics and other accessories, magazines and load bearing equipment. He'd also grabbed some ski masks, because those were going to be necessary. 

"There's a pump action in there, Joe." Dan lit his own cigarette, even as he went to work on adding accessories. Mostly, he was concerned with the scope, paracord and a sling, and other things. The way the rifles were today, there was no sense not putting one of these new sights on gun...

A couple hours later, the decision to start breaking out the weaponry ahead of any concrete orders was vindicated. Their burner rang just as Dan was making sure things were being put away in places where they could get to the equipment as necessary, stored after being broken out from the sort of deep storage they had all the gear in before.

It was Morse and Park, green berets, the guys running the Green Mountain Boys. Training, command, control, intelligence, orders. They were calling to make sure they wouldn't get shot at as they came in, and if they were coming in person, it meant they wanted to talk about something important. 

Though they'd probably want some of the beer too. The Giguere boys were starting to get antsy about their supply, they might have to devote resources to homebrewing for morale and trading.