Chapter 21

While Chloe and Morris worked on creating and rigging the file, Audrey was slowly formulating a plan. It was bold and incredibly risky, but she was determined to try. Without a word, she slipped away from the bullpen and headed towards the firing range.

The agent in charge of the armory, a man named Steven Regan, greeted her with a smile. "Hey there, Audrey. What can I do for you?"

Audrey rested her palms on the countertop. "I'd like to get some target practice in. Is there an open spot on the range?"

Steven nodded. "William McDonnell is the only one there. All the other spots are open." He placed a case containing a 9mm Beretta handgun on the counter. "Here you go," he said with a smile. "Trying to beat Jack, eh?"

Slightly apprehensively, Audrey smiled back. "Something like that, yes." (With the Secretary of Defense as her father, Audrey had acquired a reasonable amount of knowledge on the handling and firing of various handguns and rifles. She prided herself on being quite a good marksman. Jack had brought her to the firing range several times to allow her to practice and train. Audrey enjoyed the playful competition between them, and was constantly trying to better her skills and challenge Jack.) She prayed that her nervousness didn't show. Her plan depended on Steven's agreement, and for him to become suspicious would ruin everything. "Actually," she said carefully, "I think I'd like to shoot something besides the Beretta, if you don't mind."

Steven nodded. "Sure. What's your fancy? Glock? SigSauer? H&K? Walther?"

Audrey hesitated. "I'd like to work with one of the rifles."

Steven immediately reached towards the locked case behind him. "Why don't you try—?"

Audrey interrupted him. "I think I'd like to try one of the assault rifles."

Steven arched his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I can let you do that. Those require a bit of training. The AR-15 and M-16 are mighty powerful weapons. They'll leave a bruise the size of California if you're not holding them properly."

Audrey laughed slightly. "I know. But I want to try."

Steven shook his head. "I'm sorry, Audrey. I can't let you do that. Someone would need to work with you—one of the weapons specialists, Chloe, Jack, or me—and none of us have the time right now." He glanced sideways at her. "Why is it so urgent that you learn to handle the assault weapons?"

Audrey shrugged nonchalantly. "No particular reason." She met his gaze. "Look. You can trust me. I'm not going to try to pull anything, if that's what you're worried about."

Steven shook his head. "I wasn't. That thought hadn't crossed my mind." He handed her the case containing the Beretta handgun and ammunition magazines. "Tell you what. Take the Beretta for now, and I promise that I'll work with you on the assault weapons when I have time later."

Audrey sighed. "All right. Thanks." Slightly reluctantly, she accepted the case, collected a pair of safety goggles and a set of earplugs, and opened the door to the firing range. What was she going to do now?

The sound of gunfire greeted Audrey as she stepped onto the range. She saw that William McDonnell was expertly handling an assault rifle, and she shook her head.

William spotted Audrey, and placed his rifle down on the table as he raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there."

Audrey smiled. "Hi." She nodded towards the cases sitting on the table. "What are you shooting?"

"A SigSauer P228 and an M-16," William told her. He rubbed his shoulder, smiling ruefully. "The M-16 probably wasn't the best choice. Don't tell Dr. Carlson. She'd strangle me. I don't think I'm supposed to be shooting this soon; my arm and my side probably aren't fully healed yet. But I couldn't resist."

Audrey laughed. "Your secret's safe with me." She glanced at the sleek black rifle that William held. "Do you think I could try the M-16?"

His eyebrow arched, and he looked at her questioningly. "You? Why?"

Audrey shrugged nonchalantly. "No particular reason. I just want to see if I can do it."

William laughed. "Trying to impress Jack, eh?"

Audrey smiled. "You could say that."

William nodded. "All right. I guess it couldn't hurt." He handed her an ammunition magazine. "Here, load that for me." Audrey did as he asked. "Nice," William commented. "Have you done that before?"

"Not with the M-16," Audrey told him. "I've loaded plenty of pistol magazines, though, and I got a crash course on how to load and handle an AK-47 when my father and I were trying to escape from Habib Marwan."

"The M-16 is nothing like the AK-47," William warned her. "The AK-47 is the weapon of choice for a lot of terrorists, and it's designed to be light and easy to handle. The M-16's recoil packs quite a wallop." He glanced sideways at her. "Still think you're up to it?"

Audrey nodded. "Only one way to find out," she said with a slight smile. "Show me what to do."

William helped her bring the rifle up to her shoulder and showed her how to hold it. "There you go. Now, release the safety catch and put your finger on the trigger. There, that's it. Ready, and... fire."

The recoil took Audrey by surprise, and she flinched as the rifle butt slammed into her shoulder. "Ouch!"

William chuckled. "Don't say I didn't warn you. You want to try again?" Audrey nodded. William helped her position the rifle more firmly against her shoulder and adjust her grip on it. "There, see if that helps."

The lesson continued. William was a decent instructor, patiently helping Audrey learn to handle the rifle; gently correcting her mistakes, and showing her what to do. "Nice job," he commented after she scored several perfect bulls-eyes in a row. "I think you're getting the hang of it. Do you think I can leave you alone now?"

"Sure. I think I've got it." Audrey smiled. "Thanks for the help."

William nodded. "No problem." He placed the rifle and pistol in their cases, collected them, and left the range.

Audrey turned her attention back to the rifle and the targets in front of her. She was slowly forming a plan, and she prayed that it would work.