Michele was working on his computer when iCal chimed an alarm, noting it was 15:00 hours and he had an appointment on the outdoor firing range with Kara and Claes. He unlocked his gun safe and removed the cases for his Heckler & Koch VP70-M pistol. He also removed a box of 9mm ammunition and placed it an area of the foam specifically hollowed-out to accept it.
Kara and Claes were waiting for him when he exited the handler's dorm. Kara was dressed in a black tactical jumpsuit with her Bundeswehr-issue combat boots. Over one shoulder she had slung the gun case for her XM8 rifle and over the other she carried an olive drab duffel bag with ammunition and eye and hearing protection. In her right hand she carried a dual-pistol carrying case for her and Michele's HK P2000SKs. The whole ensemble weighed around 100 kilos, but Kara carried it as if filled with feathers. Claes wore a brown knit dress over a white sweater with black leggings and tan leather boots.
It had been a bit over week since the shooting near the Palazzo Viminale and Claes had asked Michele if he would allow her to fire his VP70-M. She'd had Triela inquire as to whether the Armory had such a gun and was informed they had, but it had been "lost" some time back. She'd held Michele's gun last year and it had seemed natural to her when she had.
They loaded everything into the back of an electric cart and drove the roughly 2km to the outdoor firing range. Kara set up some targets at 100m and proceeded to engage them with her XM8 assault rifle.
Michele placed a dozen new cans on top of a set of posts and stood back 10 meters from the closest post. He prepared his HK P2000SK pistol and fired off all 12 rounds in the clip, successfully hitting 9 of the 12 targets.
"That's pathetic, Michele," Kara commented, though her tone was light-hearted.
"Just warming up," Michele replied. He reset the cans and fired again, this time taking all 12.
He set up them up again and watched Claes first remove her glasses and then put on a pair of safety glasses. She prepared the VP70-M for shoulder firing by attaching the plastic holster, which also served as a butt-stock. She verified the weapon was set to single-shot mode, placed the butt of the stock on her shoulder and emptied the 18-round clip, hitting 4 of 12.
Michele's first thought was he was glad she'd taken her kill-shot in Rome shot at point-blank range. His second was she hadn't fired a gun in at least the year he'd been there, so it stood to reason she was terribly rusty and her aim was off. He also noticed that the gun tended to shake in her hand, causing her to continue to re-acquire her target.
Kara, meanwhile, fired her own P2000SK, hitting 12 of 12 from 15 meters.
"If you're pathetic, then I must be deplorable," Claes noted as she watched Kara eject her clip and go reset her targets.
"Without practice, even a Maestro loses their touch," Michele noted. Claes ejected the empty clip and inserted a fresh while Michele reset the four downed targets. Claes fired again, and this time hit six of twelve.
"You're tensing too much," Michele noted. "It causes your aim to wander, which is affecting your accuracy. You need to relax. Take a deep breath and hold it before you pull the trigger, then release it in a single, smooth motion."
Claes nodded and re-loaded both magazines from the box of bullets. Her third try was only seven of twelve, but her stance looked better and the gun did not move as much between shots.
They all fired for another 20 minutes, Michele and Claes alternating while Kara fired continuously. Claes averaged between 8 and 10 hits, but she still couldn't get all 12 cans in one clip, even firing all 18 rounds.
"Okay, let's call it," Michele ordered.
"I'd like to stay and finish this box, if I may," Claes said.
Michele checked his watch and saw dusk was due to fall within the hour.
"I want you back by nightfall," he ordered. "There is a storm due this evening and I don't want you caught in it."
Claes nodded and helped the others clean up. They headed back and left her behind.
Dusk formally fell at 17:40 and the rain had started to fall just before then. Just after 18:00 Michele's cellphone rang.
"Hello?"
"Michele? It's Triela. Have you seen Claes?"
"She was at the outdoor range with Kara and I earlier, but I told her to be back before dusk."
"She wasn't at dinner and her bed is still made from this morning, so I don't think she's been here."
"Ok, Triela. I'll contact Kara and find out if she's seen her," Michele said. Triela thanked him and hung-up. Michele called Kara's cell and she replied she had not seen Claes since the firing range, either.
Lightning flashed outside his window, followed by the roll of thunder. He pulled on his jacket and grabbed the keys to his F430. He dashed down the steps of the handler's dorm to his car and started it up, heading towards the firing range.
The rain was falling steadily, but there was sufficient light for Michele to see in case Claes was walking back. He drove through the open gate and into the range proper. Up ahead he saw a figure standing in the rain and as his headlights fell on it, he realized it was Claes. She was surrounded by scores of spent shell casings.
"Claes! What the hell are you still doing out here?" Michele demanded as he exited the car.
"I'm sorry, but I still can't hit them all every time," Claes replied. Her clothes were fully soaked-through and he could see her shivering in the cold. Michele removed his coat and wrapped it around her.
"Get in the car right now," he ordered. Claes nodded and put the gun down on the table. Michele checked the box of ammunition and saw there were only a handful of rounds left. He shook them out into his hand and put them in the gun case along with the weapon. He then snapped it back shut and returned to the car, putting it on the floor in front of his seat before getting in. He set the climate control to maximum temperature and fan speed, aiming the ducts towards Claes. He then did a J-turn and started back for the dorm.
They parked and Michele headed for his room, ordering Claes to follow. When they got to his room, she followed him into the bathroom. Michele took his coat off her and hung it on a peg and then removed a fresh towel from a cabinet.
"I want you to undress, take a hot shower and warm up. I'll have Kara pick up some dry clothes for you, but for now this t-shirt should be long enough to cover you when you get out. There is also another towel in there, as well."
"I can just do this back at my dorm," Claes said.
"You're still shivering," Michele replied. "I don't know if you can catch pneumonia with your artificial lungs, but I don't want to risk it."
"Michele…" Claes said.
"You're the one who decided to stand in a cold rain for an hour. Now please stop arguing with me and get in the shower."
Claes nodded and Michele closed the door as he exited.
Michele called Kara and asked her to get a pair of underclothes and outfit for Claes from her room and bring it to his room. He started a kettle of water on the boil and then pulled his gun-cleaning kit out from a cabinet and opened the gun case after wiping it down. He wiped the water off his VP and then disassembled it, drying it with a rag and a can of compressed air to blow out the crevices before cleaning it.
There was a knock on his door and Kara came in with a bundle of clothes. Michele indicated the bathroom door and Kara nodded. She knocked and shouted to Claes that she was coming in to drop them off, which she did before returning and sitting on the bed.
Michele put his pistol case back in his gun safe and returned the cleaning kit to the cabinet. The bathroom door opened and Claes came out wearing a brown button-down long-sleeved dress shirt tucked into a denim miniskirt.
"Hand me your boots, please," Michele asked and Claes did so. He removed some leathercare products from his wardrobe and after drying the boots off, started working on them.
"You absolutely soaked these inside and out, so don't bother with socks when you put them on to go back to your room," he informed Claes. "Give them at least a day to dry out. Hitting the insides with your hair dryer might not be a bad idea, either. The stuff I am applying will take care of the outside so you can put them near your radiator."
"Thank you," Claes said. She took a seat on the bed next to Kara. By now, the kettle had announced the water was ready so Michele prepared three large cups of hot chocolate and distributed them.
"Why were you still shooting in the rain?" Michele asked again.
"You told me not to leave until I could hit every target," Claes said.
"I did no such thing. I told you to come home before it got dark and the rain started," Michele said. Claes looked to Kara who nodded confirmation of Michele's words to her.
"I…I…" Claes' brow furled in concentration. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you."
"Uh huh," Michele said, his tone clear he didn't believe that. However, he let it drop.
"You've missed dinner. Do you want to go get something in town? Or I can make you something in the kitchen," he offered.
Claes shook her head. "I have some fruit in my room. I'll be fine."
The two girls finished their hot cocoa and Michele gave Claes a plastic bag to put her wet clothes in. She pulled on her boots and they could hear the squish of water as her foot pressed down on the inside of the soles. Michele gave Claes one of his spare umbrellas to use and sent them both on their way back to the cyborg dorm.
At the door, Kara grabbed the umbrella she had used to come over and they both stepped out into the driving rain.
"Seriously, why did you not come in?" Kara asked as they walked across the parking lot to their dorm.
"I could have sworn he told me to stay out there until I could hit all the targets with one clip. Even as I was doing it, I had this weird sense of déjà vu, like I had been there before in the same situation."
"Shooting targets in the rain?" Kara asked and Claes nodded.
"Who would make you do that? Even Jean's not that heartless," Kara opinioned.
"The water squishing around my toes feels terrible," Claes noted. As soon as they were inside, she removed her boots and wiped her feet on the mat to dry them. They climbed to the top floor and went their separate ways to their respective dorms.
"Where the hell have you been?" Triela demanded when Claes came through the door.
"Target shooting," Claes replied.
"That I know. What about after? And why did Kara come get you those clothes?"
"I…lost track of time and ended up getting caught in the storm. Michele loaned me his shower to warm-up and get me a change of dry clothes."
"You should carry an umbrella with you. Or stick with the indoor range. This is the second time you've been caught in a rainstorm on the outside range," Triela said with a laugh.
"What did you say?" Claes said.
"I said this is the second time you've been caught out in the rain practicing at the outdoor range."
"When was the first time?"
"Uh…Hmm… You know, I can't recall, exactly. I do remember you showed up looking like a drowned rat. You took a shower, changed into your pajamas and then Jean came by, said something to you and you left with him. I was asleep by the time you came back."
"Did I mention where I went?" Claes asked.
"Not that I recall," Triela said.
"You're sure?" she pressed.
Triela shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly the image just popped into my mind when you mentioned you'd been caught in the rain. As quickly as it came, it's gone now. Sorry."
"It's okay," Claes said. She placed her wet clothes in the laundry hamper and laid her boots on their side with the tops pointing at the radiator. She grabbed an apple and a banana from a bowl and her book from the shelf and sat down at the table to eat.