Frustration:: The feeling of being upset or annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve something

oo oo o

"Rifle up. Eyes open," a voice reminded him before the buzz.

Robert Higgins lifted his morita and pulled the trigger on the on- coming bug swarm. The rat tat tat of rounds leaving his rifle echoed between his ears as he tried the best he could to bring down as many as he could, knowing that his allies were also in the vicinity doing their jobs- killing those damn screeching warrior bugs coming for them.

Although, if he was being honest, all he wanted to do was to succeed in not hitting anyone with his friendly fire. He could feel the adrenaline pump through his veins as the bug he was aiming for toppled down. The edges of his lips lifted ever so slightly in satisfaction.

A buzzer rang through the small space. The bugs and the the troopers in his view quickly faded away- it was all hologram after all- but his grin remained. He lowered his morita, turning to face the trooper behind him controlling the simulation. "I'm getting better right, Andy?"

The girl just shrugged, lifting a finger just as his score blasted through the speakers. "Higgins. 30 seconds. Twenty enemy hits. Eight trooper hits," the cold computer voice reported.

Higgins sighed as the computer just punctured his hopes of actually doing better when in fact, he's killed more troopers now more than ever. It's a wonder how they still let him in the battlefield. The reporter trudged back towards control room, deflated. "I give up," he announced when he saw the waiting girl spinning along with her seat.

"Aw, don't give up, Higs," Ashley Anderson said as she steadied her seat to face him. "It really isn't that bad."

"Not that bad?" Bobby Higgins eyed the newest Roughneck with disbelief. Teaching him how to shoot was the punishment Rico and Zim gave her for being caught hacking SICON's systems when the CHAS went haywire in rain. However, she was just sitting there, like she did for the last four sessions, breezily playing with the chair she sat on. Like nothing was wrong with how he was shooting. "Andy, I just shot the whole squad and more," he pointed out with increasing frustration directed at himself and at her.

He saw her shrug again. "Well, technically, if we stayed behind you, you won't be able to shoot us," she argued with an amused smile.

"Of course. Bank on you to give me a logical answer," he replied under his breath.

"Bank on you to be so doomsday about things," she shot back, spinning on her chair once again.

"Are you even taking this seriously?" he finally asked.

"Of course I am," she answered.

But Higgins ignored her. "This is our fourth session and I'm not getting any better. I can get us killed out there!" he continued. "You don't even need the bugs to buy the farm. All you need is to put yourself somewhere in my field of vision and I will very likely shoot you."

"If there are no bugs, then there's no reason to shoot now is there?" she countered lightly.

"Andy!" he cried out, exasperated.

To which she mocked, "Bobby!"

"You're suppose to be teaching me how to use this thing," he reminded her, waving the rifle in the air.

"I am," she replied with a matter of fact tone that absolutely confused the reporter.

Higgins sighed again. No wonder Doc described her as a "question stuffed in mystery and wrapped in an enigma" kind of person. He was sure that to herself, she made perfect sense. Unfortunately, she didn't have the habit of explaining herself so that "normal" folk such as themselves could understand her.

"How exactly?" he demanded. "You know, at least Rico had some advise to … squeeze and... remember to breathe. You just have me running simulation after simulation."

And that's when she stopped spinning and met his gaze. "Look, Higs, it's not going to help to do the Rico way," she answered.

He felt his brain hurt as he sank deeper in that pool of confusion. "What? Why?"

"Well, what do I tell you everytime you go in?"

"Rifle up and eyes open," he replied, heatedly. "That's what everybody says. What does that have to do with anything?"

She winced. "Because you keep squeezing your eyes shut."

"Wait. What?"

"You keep squeezing your eyes shut," she repeated, running a hand through her dark hair. "Half the time you're trying to shoot at something charging for you, you shut your eyes before you pull the trigger," she said, standing and reaching for a rifle herself. "So no wonder you're missing targets and hitting folk, you can't see what you're aiming for," she continued, hitting a switch that let the screen between the simulation room and control room down. Several holograms of a charging warrior bugs appeared on the other end. "Now I can teach you how to look down the barel of the rifle, keep your stance steady, take a breath, squeeze the trigger, and breath again," she said, while demonstrating the procedure letting out a short burst that killed the holograms dead on the tracks. "But it's not going to help if the first thing you do is close your eyes," she explained.

Higgins paused to reconsider his position while he eyed the hologram of dead warriors flickering away. "So how do I keep my eyes open?" he inquired.

"You get used to the fact that bugs are trying to kill you," she stated plainly.

"And how do I do that without actually having the risk of being killed?" he challenged.

The girl furrowed her brow, confused. "Bobby," she answered pointing at the adjacent space. "Simulation."

The reporter paused meeting her do-you- get- it -now expression with his own, "Oh."

She sat down and started rotating her seat left to right once more. "So get back in there time for a few more," she said.

He did as he was told. By the corner of his eyes, he saw her place her hands on top of the console, flipping through screens no doubt looking for a scenario he hasn't done. "This looks fun," he heard her say through his helmet. "Ready Higs?" she called out in warning. "Remember. Rifle up-"

"Eyes open," the report finished for her just as he raised his rifled and the buzzer sounded.