"I'll show you," Lyra said. She opened a drawer and pulled out Kate's sidearm, levitating it over the table. She didn't notice how warily Dale was watching it, or how he relaxed when she turned its profile towards him, allowing him to clearly see that the slide was racked back and the chamber was empty. "This is a gun. It is filled with small pellets, which come out the end, here. Kind of like a miniature cannon. If a pellet hits you in the right place, you die."