Everyone woke up the next morning full of energy and ready to go. Then we remembered that we still had six days before we left. Since all of our equipment would be arriving later in the day or tomorrow, we had nothing much to do. A lot of people went jogging or to the gym to work out. Others read up on dinosaurs or South America. And , of course, Kimmy went to the lab.
I decided to do something more constructive, so I went off to the hardware store and bought some lumber, nails, and tarps. When I arrived back with the materials, I set to work building a shooting range. At first, it was just me. Then ASIG came out came out to lend a hand. Ashley, Tigs, and Lisa came out later as well, although for Ash and Tigs, it was mostly to watch. Everyone came out from time to time and helped for a while, sometimes returning inside, sometimes remaining for an hour or more.
Most of our gear came sporadically, throughout the day, drawing people inside. Despite the distractions, by the end of the day it was nearly done. When it was finished, I planned to have a rifle, shotgun, pistol, and knife throwing range. It was turning out rather nicely.
I sorted through all of the supplies that were for me, and was pleased to see that nearly everything had already arrived! I went to sleep with that knowledge, ready for the next day.
The next morning was nearly a repeat of the previous morning. We finished the range at around 10:00, with a lot of help from the rest of the group. Since there wasn't much else to do, I headed for the library. I read up on the anatomy of dinosaurs, so that if we were attacked, I would know were to aim. I also read the original Malone diary (which Ashley was gaping at in awe) to see what we might encounter.
I received a call at around 6:00. The guns were in. I hopped in to one of the pick-up trucks in the garage and told the chauffeur to drive to the gun shop. When we arrived, boxes were everywhere. It took the chauffeur and I nearly 15 minutes to get everything in the truck. "I would tell you to bring your friends, but I'm afraid what they might order." Said the owner before we left. I was up late that night checking the weapons and cleaning them (the AK-47's were packed with cosmoline that took forever to get out).
Now that we had the guns, we had something to do in the morning. I set out everyone's weapons and then put a nametag on them. The entire group was awake by 8:00, so after breakfast I announced that everyone was to be at the range in a half-hour.
Somehow, everyone arrived within the half-hour as I specified. I gave a very brief speech on the use of all of the weapons and safety before we started. "We will work with the long arms first." I said. I watched for a few minutes to make sure everything was going smoothly, then I sat down on a bench and started to sight in the scope that I had put on the Remington 700 APR .300.
We were halfway through the long arm part of training when I decided to try out the .470 NE. I slid two of the massive cartridges in to the double chambers, snapped the breech shut, and took aim. "BOOM!" The report echoed throughout the entire country, I believe. Everyone else stopped their firing and stared at me, who was in turn staring at the rifle and rubbing my shoulder. I definitely needed more practice.
Next it was off to the pistol range. I needed some serious practice on the .45's. Everyone else did fairly well with their .38's. Lex did fine with her Webley even with its weight, Sarah shot like an FBI agent with the Sigs, and Ashley and ASIG had fun acting like cowboys (and girls). Christina was an excellent shot with everything. Eva shot expert with the rifle.
Finally we ended up at the knife throwing area. Since I didn't know anything about knife throwing, I left the instructing to Tigs and Christina. I went back to the pistol range (I was pitiful with the .45's). I stayed at the range until dark, when I went in and started the arduous task of cleaning the guns. "The next thing I'm going to do is show them how to clean these things." I thought as I got started.
And so I did the next day. The schedule was the same for the next day as well. On the fifth day, we rechecked everything and decided to order mosquito nets (at the insistence of Nadya), ammunition for the explorers, and some knives for Veronica.
After the orders were placed, and my trip to the range was done for the day (I had become quite proficient with my guns after the constant practice), I decided to see how everyone else was preparing for tomorrow, when we left for South America where the time machine was waiting.
Ashley was in her room, writing in her journals as she had for the past week. Eva was cleaning her rifle. Christina and Tigs were sharpening their knives. Kimmy was in the lab, preparing God knows what. Sarah was trying to find places on her person to hide her many knives and other weapons. Caitlin was testing her cameras and trying to find her jar of peanut butter. ASIG was banging away on his laptop. Lex was horseback riding. Nadya and Sobek were fencing. Danielle was on the computer, looking at a dino site. Lisa and Rissy were in the gym. CalGal was looking at the Malone diary for the fourth time. I decided sleep was my best option, and retired for the night, awaiting a busy week.
