“Sure you’ve got enough tools?
He shrugged. “Enough tools, enough coffee. Theoretical concepts.“
In the James Bond movies of yore, it took the resources of a major national government to get 007 geared up to a properly cinematic standard. This is the 21st Century, and things have changed since Connery played Bond.
I’m going to be talking about some brand name products here. Said brand names are the property of their owners, and I have no connection with the companies or their products, except that I own some of them (the products, not the companies).
When delineating a character, especially the hero of a thriller or mystery, one of the things that’s going to matter is their Everyday Carry (EDC). In the articles on building characters I’ve seen, there has been discussion of everything from hair colour to romantic tastes, but not this.
EDC is what someone has on their person when they walk out the door in the morning. For many people, this adds up to watch, wallet, cellphone, and keys. The miscellaneous oddments that get thrust into a purse or pocket and forgotten about don’t count.
There are some, including me, who take EDC more seriously. I’m hardly unique in that regard. Leatherman is the premiere manufacturer of multi-tools. They aren’t in business for their health, and they have plenty of competition.
I carry their high-end tool, and it’s part of my belt. My watch is a Casio, rugged, solar powered and self regulating. My cell phone is a Note 10, with a plain black Mil-Spec case. My pen has five colours and a pencil. Yeah, not a metro-sexual.
So, now let’s see what specifying a character’s EDC does to give some insight into their personality. Neil Mulroney, the male lead of my mystery thriller “Dance of Swords”, is a private investigator who operates internationally, in the world of fine art. His EDC has story relevance and helps define his personality.
He dresses well, and can afford to. We’re not talking about Sam Spade in a seedy office. His watch is a high-end Casio, extremely rugged and with lots of features, and for all practical purposes absolutely accurate anywhere in the world. It isn’t wireless capable at all. Watches, as Sherlock Holmes observed, tell a lot about someone.
The next forty miles is a weapon. Sometimes he will need a little more than sweet reason to deal with the bad guys. Neil is a Canadian who operates internationally. In the US concealed carry of a sidearm is common, commonplace even. In Canada, there are at any given time perhaps a bakers dozen of private citizens licensed to carry concealed, and doing so without a license is good for significant jail time. The UK has much the same restrictions. Let’s not even talk about Japan.
Neil is a Black Belt in Aikido, an almost completely defensive martial art. He is also very good with a knife, specifically throwing one. When he’s working, he carries three, which can be thrown or used hand to hand. If he brings a knife to a gunfight, the bad guys will have something to worry about.
He carries a Leatherman Charge multi-tool and a Swiss Army Champion. I bet you saw that coming. Smaller things can also be useful. Cable ties are cheap, expendable, light and unremarkable. Someone tied up with them will get free when he’s cut free.
Now, of course, there is the indispensable part of just about anyone’s EDC in the 21st Century. The smart phone. A normal Android phone isn’t enough here, and I’ll just say right out that Steve Jobs and I parted company a while ago. For a variety of reasons, I wanted a rugged phone with a built in thermal infrared camera.
Well, well. Did you know that Caterpillar (Yes, that Caterpillar, bulldozers and such) makes cell phones? I didn’t, until researched it. Dual Sim Card capability for the globetrotter, the aforementioned infrared camera, and very rugged. Put that in your pocket, Neil. You’re good to go.
His big stash of high-tech gear includes things like a high-tech stealth drone and a VR controlled robot, but that is for later.
A practically indestructible watch with GPS and solar cell recharging? Search Amazon, and you have the choice of makers. Casio and Garmin are duking it out for market share right now, but the competition will be hot on their heels.
Neil’s laptop, on which he does a bunch of stuff the local cops might raise their eyebrows at, is built to be very secure indeed. Operating system gone over line by line for security holes, multiple layers of encryption, manual kill switches for camera, microphone, wireless and Bluetooth. Q isn’t needed. Google Purism Librem, and you’re good to go.
Gearing up your hero these days doesn’t need the resources of a government. Amazon makes a good Q section, and all you need is a credit card.
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