[Sweeping rewrite #4, 2/11/24]
2092 UNPC Universal Calendar.
—
"Your close quarters performance is extraordinary, but your long range tests need a lot of work." the handler assigned to the UNPC Augment Corps training division said, crossing their arms and leaning back in their office chair.
The handler was a pack animal, the slang term for the geeks that reside in the massive office building of Installation 001, making sure the world doesn't stop turning. Their nickname is derived from their tight knit culture, and nudist culture.
"I'd advise you to take some ammo, head to the perch, and get some lessons from your companion," she said, pulling a form from a folder atop his desk.
The woman was soft spoken, but assertive, like the head of HR for a massive corporation. The type of person you say the absolute minimum to, and try to distance yourself as far as possible from.
She scribbled a few words, and checked some boxes on the form in black ink, and then signatured it at the bottom. She handed it to Anton, who sat across from him, still wearing his armor.
"That's a release form for whatever you need, pertinent to your training development," she told Anton.
He nodded, folding it over itself twice, and stowing it in a pouch.
"Will that be all?" Anton asked.
Natchez nodded, and gestured for him to leave.
Anton did so, and found Kate where he'd left her in the hallway.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"I need long range time in the perch apparently" he replied, shrugging. "I guess that's what we're doing for the rest of the day."
Kate beamed, smiling from ear to ear.
"I'm sure you're going to love every second of it, aren't you?" Anton asked, returning her smile.
She nodded, blushing. "It's not everyday I get to teach you," she said.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Fuckin' A it ain't."
—
"Can you see the target clearly?" she asked, sitting cross-legged next to him, wearing a pair of earpro and her utility uniform bottoms, with her bloused bottom cuffs riding up her calf, with nothing covering her torso.
"I can see it, it's hitting it that's the issue." Anton said, softly exhaling slowly and ever so softly squeezing the trigger of his V-06.
The rifle's report rolled over the valley.
"Miss, high right" Kate relayed, making him sigh.
"Hey, don't get discouraged, everyone has to start somewhere" she told him.
"It's been four magazines and I can't even hit a torso sized target at four hundred yards." he said, turning to look at her, putting his right hand flat against the floor of the tower. "I fucking suck."
She frowned at him. "You just need practice, lord knows you know the fundamentals, you can hit it in combat but not at a range, your mind just isn't in the same place." She told him, looking back into the range finding spotter's scope.
He was mad, not at her, but at himself, and he acted in rage. He picked up his rifle, and sighted in on the 100m target, and fired. He hit the target, but before Kate could react, he was already sighted in on the 200m target, skipping the 250m.
He pulled the trigger once more, and repeated the process. He did it again, this time sighting in on the 400m target, and pulling the trigger twice in quick succession.
A muffled "tink-tink" accompanied the reports of the rifle, having fired faster than the projectiles could hit the target.
"I'll be damned," Kate said. "You're quick."
"Thanks," Anton replied, taking a deep breath, clearing his head again.
"That was good, do you think you can hit the four hundred with the rest of the bullets in your magazine?" Kate asked.
"Maybe?" He replied, looking back up to her.
"Give it a try," she told him.
He fired, and missed."Verdammt" he spat.
"Calm down." she told him. "I want you to try something."
"Go on" he said, still looking through the optic integrated into the top of his rifle.
"Aim off to the side until you can't see the target, then snap to it like you're doing drills and give it a Mozambique."
"Alright," he said. He aimed off to the left, and did what she told him to.
He hit the target three times, twice in the middle of the torso sized steel target, and once in the head portion.
"Nice, just do that every time." She said, "We'll work on furthering your long range fundamentals when you can reach out and touch something at a thousand meters."
"Now finish your mag on the four hundred target"
He did, and repeated the same method until his magazine was expended.
"Reload and try for the five hundred," she said. He reloaded quickly, then sat his rifle down. "What's up?" she asked.
"Thirsty" he replied, moving to his pack which laid down on the floor of the tower. Ten or so feet away, the shooter in the other compartment of the tower fired a shot with their 50 cal, making the panels of the perch shudder.
He found his water bottle, and took a drink, swilling half of the liquid in one go. "You're pissed, aren't you?" Kate asked, standing and stretching herself.
"Yeah" he sighed, putting his water bottle away and moving to sit where he was originally laying on his stomach.
"You're good at it, obviously." She told him. "You just need to turn your natural talent into practiced skill, just like you did with your close quarters stuff."
"Thanks." Anton said honestly, sighing again.
Hope I don't have to climb down those stairs again for more ammo.