Shooting Range - VWAT Base

Description: It's a shooting range. Deal with it.

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Reaching back, he gently pulled an arrow from the simple nylon quiver resting on the back of his waist. Simple target practice, no need for the advanced quiver now. He placed the titanium missile in its proper place against the rest and brought his weapon up. Three fingers on the string he brings it back to his anchor point. Slight adjustment in his aim to account for drop. Let it fly.

Across the range a titanium arrow with a field point makes impact with one of its fellows on the target. The first arrow was just a hair off the center bulls eye. The second projectile stabbed perfectly into the nock of the first and remained there, driven into the titanium shaft humming lightly. A perfect "robin hooded" shot. A light smile appears on his features. Just as planned. The assassin reaches back for another arrow. He was already razor sharp but the effort to stay that way was considerable. After this he still needed to get in a session at the train tracks.

Hall stuff <---

A miserable ten minutes of searching had led to no sign of the living quarters. Walking through an open doorway (as opposed to clumsily checking the other doors in the area, which she'd come back for), a man with arrows appeared. She was no archer, not even a fan, but that shot was impressive regardless. Yuu continued watching, transfixed by the fluid motion with which he used his bow. She didn't want to interrupt, so she made a point not to make any noise.

The girl wasn't subtle at all. Then again, he imagined it would be quite difficult to even try considering the size of those mechanical arms. He'd read a small blurb about the Japanese sending over one of their agents in an exchange program of good faith. Seeing her now, the archer was slightly taken aback even if he didn't show it. Methodically, he continued going through his quiver without looking over at her. She seemed confused, probably lost. Cole loosed another arrow into the bulls eye of a separate target and let his left arm drop to his side. "So you're the new girl. You have a good reputation," the assassin said, finally walking over to her and extending his right hand out of reflex before realizing the awkwardness of the gesture considering her cybernetics. "My name's Brandon Cole."

Another arrow hit, another remarkable shot. She assumed the show was over after he lowered his arm and was a bit disappointed. Knowing she had a good reputation with the people here was good news to her; hopefully, it would be enough to convince people to overlook her appearance. Her slight rise in mood soon lowered back to its original despair upon being offered a hand -the second time that day- and being unable to return the gesture. Biting her bottom lip, she bowed low in respect to the man. "I am STRENGTH," she said, slightly above a whisper. She paused a bit before she answered that, not wanting to use her alias despite the order to do so. Overcoming shyness and her uncomfortable feelings around strangers, she managed to ask after a good ten seconds of silence, "Do you know where the rooms are?"

Nodding to return the gesture of her bow, STR's body language betrayed her to the archer. She was a shy, awkward girl obviously uncomfortable with her current position. That's what happens when you mess with civies he considered, briefly noting the similarities between her and the now deceased Advocate. Grateful that this one didn't seem to be a blood thirsty maniac, Brandon pointed towards the door she had come from and then jerked his thumb to the right. "Make a right out that door and take a left at the first available hallway. The rooms given to the non-criminals begin about 20 yards down. They should have yours labeled by now," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Also, I don't like dealing with code names. What's your real name miss?"

This man seemed nice enough. At the very least, he wasn't still on the subject of her body like the last one. Listening intently to the directions, she bowed again, saying "Thank you very much, Mister Cole." Somewhat unnerved at the request of her real name, she wrestled with herself on whether to tell him or not. She'd be in direct violation of what he superiors in Japan had told her if she did, and she'd risk him spreading it to everyone else; then they'd surely find out. On the other hand, he didn't seem like the type to do that sort of thing and she didn't want him to hate her. Shifting back and forth on her feet, she finally told him, "Yuu." She swallowed hard after, unsure of whether she'd done the right thing or not. Hopefully she wouldn't get in trouble; she didn't like being yelled at.

More hesitation from her. Guess her bosses over seas didn't want her speaking up too much. Human rights violation perhaps? The Japanese didn't have much to fear there. Every country's anti-midian force participated in it to some degree, the U.S. included. Though he didn't smile, the archer nodded again to try and convey his approval of her decision to share. If she was willing to do that there might be hope to gradually develop some trust in the field. That much he could work with. "Don't mention it, Yu. If you have any other questions I'll be here for at least another half hour," Returning to his original space at the shooting line, he readied another arrow and fired it with swift precision. "Stay if you like. Doesn't bother me either way."

Yuu didn't feel as pressured as before with his casual reaction. Nodding at the invitation, she took a few more steps inside, placing her fists against the ground and crossing her legs in the air; a skill she'd taught herself a while back for relieving herself from the need to stand. She waited in anticipation for the mesmerizing shooting to begin again.

Continuing with his practice, Brandon was already running through scenarios for how to deal with the new girl. Her specialty towards raw power was painfully obvious. Those bulky arms would render traditional fighting styles impossible. If necessary, even he might be able to hold his own up close. Frontal attacks from range were not an option. Too much armor on those arms. It would need to be from behind. That spine of hers seemed to be a weaponized weak spot. He'd need to review her available files to double check what other secrets were in those arms. While he considered all this, he continued on with his practice, eventually exhausting the entire quiver into the five targets sitting at various distances across the range. Good grouping, acceptable rate of fire considering his mental distractions. It would do for now. Motioning for STR to join him down range, Brandon moved to retrieve his arrows. He had a few more questions and didn't feel like shouting across the room. "I'm sure you've met Steeler by now. Has anyone else introduced themselves yet?"

Nearly hypnotized from the shooting, she was surprised to see him address her again. Running up to him, she helped to pull the arrows out for him, being as careful as possible not to bend or break them. Gathering a small pile, she held them out to him on her palms. At the question, she was reminded of the awkward meeting in the hall earlier. "I saw someone. I don't know their name." It was becoming easier to talk to this man, which surprised her. The only one she could really communicate with properly was the doctor, who was probably just boarding the flight at this point.

Yanking several of his arrows free of the targets, Brandon collected the bundle Yu had gathered and returned them to his quiver. "Thank you," Marching back towards the shooting line, he started going down the list of potential individuals she might have encountered. Russo and Disteere were currently away on a mission as were Sheffield and that one armed swordsman Steeler had just taken in. Cole had yet to examine his file fully. The only truly notable agents currently on base were Branwen and Volke. Either one of them could have easily given the girl a poor first impression. "Middle aged man with knives decorating every square inch of his body or a short woman with a silver streak of hair?" he asked, reaching the shooting lane and nocking an arrow. Rather than fire from a stationary position, this time Brandon kept moving, firing as he slowly walked down the shooting line.

Continuing to follow Brandon, she moved behind him and returned to her suspended position in the air. She thought for a moment, recalling who she'd spoken to earlier. "It was the man," she remembered, trying not to make too much noise with her fists as she moved behind him. She didn't want to have to speak much louder than she already was, both out of respect for his shooting and because of her timid nature.

Reaching the end of the shooting line, Brandon began working his way back at a quicker pace this time with no noticeable drop in his accuracy. She was still shy but getting better. Hopefully this talk would have the desired effect and make her easier to deal with in the field. Then again, she might have a separate mentality for operations different from this little girl persona making it a pointless effort. "He's a strange one," he said, nocking another arrow but lowering his arm to look at her. "Decent soldier but like many around here he can be a rabid dog," he raised his arm and fired on the last target without looking. Not a bulls eye but a center mass hit. "Don't shrink so much. It doesn't suit you," was he commented, returning his gaze to the targets.

His increased pace was concerning; she couldn't keep up without making a lot of noise, so she was forced to hang back. The talk was helping to calm her nerves and make her feel more secure in the new environment (potentially more so than her old home, even). From the way he talked, it seemed like her last encounter was simply a bad time for the man, so she was hopeful that something so awkward wouldn't happen to her again. A small blush appeared on her cheeks. Did he compliment her? Probably not, but encouragement was the quickest way to win her over. Pulling her head deeper into her coat to hide her red face, she stood straighter than before, not quite making eye contact, but looking towards his upper body as opposed to his feet.

Nock, aim, fire. Nock, aim, fire. The process went smoothly and simply until he had once again exhausted the arrows in his practice quiver. A brief glance backwards told him that she girl had straightened up a bit. Se responded well to positive reinforcement then. His initial assessment that she lacked maturity seemed to be correct. That or there were some very deep emotional scars regarding her experiences with authority figures. Maybe both. In any case, it wasn't his job to be her therapist. He needed a base understanding of her and enough confidence in her to rely upon her on missions. So long as he had that the relationship was acceptable. Leaving the arrows where they were, Brandon rested the bow against his shoulder. And went over the rest of his day's schedule. He still planned on visiting the train station later on but a report would need to be made to Steeler regarding his last mission. Hopefully while avoiding that secretary in the process. Sighing to himself, he headed down the range again and began collecting his arrows for the final time. That was enough practice for the moment. "I can tell you're still a bit nervous. I'm sure you have questions so ask them. Should make things easier."

Going to help collect again, she stopped upon his request for her requests. She thought for a minute about everything she wanted to know. There was no way she could ask all of that, but one or two could probably be mentioned. "Why do you want to do this? she asked, hoping it wasn't too personal a question. With how depressing and unhappy this line of work made her, she couldn't imagine why people would volunteer to do it. At least, she assumed he was a volunteer and not a criminal. Even if he was a criminal, he was the nicest felon she'd ever met.

Reclaiming the rest of his arrows, he returned them to the quiver and removed the belt from around his waist. Her question was an odd one. Rather than ask about the organization she directed her curiosity at him. How would an older child handle a situation like this? Most likely try and get life experience from their seniors. Now it was beginning to make sense. The suspicion of her being a drafted subject was all but proven now. Mulling over the question, he set his bow and quiver belt down on a work table and began the process to unstring his weapon. "Nothing better to do I suppose. I have a useful talent and appreciate the challenges. Patriotism comes in at a close second."

His answer was interesting. Maybe it was a cultural thing; she'd heard that Americans were sort of desensitized to violence. It wasn't a long leap to figure that was why he could so easily kill. She watched as he unstrung the weapon, paying attention to the knotting that went into the original tie as it came undone. She had another question to ask now. "Who is your partner?" She'd heard this group sent out most missions in pairs, and was trying to get an idea as to what type of person she'd be made to go with based on his response.

As he finished removing the string from his weapon, the archer wrapped it up and placed it in his pocket along with his shooting glove. "Varies. Steeler customized the pairings depending on the mission and the available agents. He might be hesitant to use you considering you're a guest. Tough call though," Cole said, gathering his effects and gradually making his way towards the door. After dropping his weapon and arrows off in a secure locker in his room he could continue on with the rest of his afternoon obligations.

This was good news to her. With no permanent teams, she could potentially be paired up with someone nice like Brandon. Secretly, she hoped he was right in saying the leader wouldn't use her. A short holiday would be nice, considering she'd never been allowed on one before. Following him to the door, she was somewhat wishing to walk with him to the rooms. When they arrived, she could wait inside her own until the doctor arrived. He'd most likely want to do a physical to see how the flight had affected her. It would give them time to talk, too, which was always a pleasure.

With his quiver belt in one hand and his unstrung weapon in the other, Cole exited the shooting range with STRENGTH apparently in tow. Making an immediate right and subsequent left, he made his way towards the living quarters. His was the second door on the right, a reinforced steel door with a double electronic deadbolt. He was a bit paranoid about felons wandering into his room to say the least. Pausing to punch in his code to enter, he noted that the cleaning staff had indeed found the time to properly label STRENGTH's room. It was good to see that they could keep up a respectable time table afterall.

"Welcome to V.W.A.T., Yu. Good to have you," he said before stepping into his room and immediately depositing his weapon and arrows in a private locker which dwarfed even his room door in security. Nobody touched his bow but him. Nobody. His ending to his conversation with Yu had been a bit abrupt but that was simply his nature. He had no reason to be hostile to the girl but he also had no obligation to be overly doting.

Following closely behind the man, she had to jog slightly to keep up, the heavy weight of cybernetics always being a problem when it came to speed. Stopping behind him, as they had evidently reached the rooms, she bowed to him again before he left. "Thank you for your help," she said, showing a small smile. As the door closed in front of her, she scanned the hall, locating her own. Opening it, she entered.

===>Effectively exiting the topic

--------------> Entering from Volke's room.

Volke now equip with a multitude of throwing knives approached the practice targets with one drawn and pondered what he could possibly do with his knives that he had not already done. He began to throw the knife up in the air and catch it as it came down almost as naturally for him as was breathing other individuals. But after starring at the target for so long he began to get slightly annoyed. There was virutally nothing he could do that he hadn't practiced to perfection. With knives at least...

Volke backed up to about fifty feet with his knives and lazily threw them at them at the target. They easily hit the target and even at such distances landed against it powerfully thanks to his enhanced cyborg strength. Volke threw the next four knives all around the first forming almost a plus sign as he finished.

Volke left the knives their as well as the sash which carried them. Then made his way to the weapons locker where he pulled out a Glock. And loaded it with a magazine. He took three extra magazines with him as he made his way back to the target range. He took aim with his gun in what appeared a practiced motion very fluid, very fast, nothing much wrong with it. Then he fired. Once, then twice, three times, then four. The first shot was at least seven inches from the bulls eye. The second three. The third five. And the fourth two.

Looking at them with a blank expression he merely hoisted the gun up again and began firing once again making a slight adjustment to his stance and the position of his gun. This time the grouping was considerably better and all of the bullet's were within three inches of the bulls eye. Volke then calling up four targets to shoot at in the range. Took another stance and this time sent one bullet into each of the targets. He was glad to see that once again the bullets came within three inches of the bulls eye. But not really any closer than that.

Volke loaded the second magazine into the gun and once again began firing four shots at each of the targets. He did this repeatedly even going and grabbing more magazines until finally most of the bullets upon hitting the target either glanced the bulls eye's side, or came within an inch of it.

Volke pleased with his results was not however done yet. He went over to the lockers again, but this time pulled out a rifle and loaded it with a magazine.

The shots with the rifle were going considerably better. Mostly because he took his time to aim, to shoot slowly. He still wasn't hitting very many bull's eyes but at least he kept his skills well oiled he told himself. True, he was a knife fighter. But he was also aware that this was the modern day and guns played a plarge role in today's warfare. Puttign the gun back where he found it and collecting his knives he made his way back to the weapons lockers where he would store two of the knives off his belt. The ones that shot holy water. And replace them with two more exploding ones. Sure they weren't as safe as the other but thinking it over. Volke decided he didn't care.

------------> Exit to wander