It's sad that I feel the need, but I should probably include a trigger warning. This installation includes a vivid description of the use of firearms.

Chapter VIII: Brotherly Bonding

After spending so much time with all of his siblings as a group, Logan thought it was time to start spending time with each one individually, starting with Lincoln. He walked into his family's house to see Lincoln finishing up his homework alongside an African-American boy with glasses.

"Oh, hi, Logan! This is my best friend, Clyde," Lincoln said.

"Clyde McBride, nice to meet you," the boy introduced himself and shook Logan's hand. "Lincoln's told me so much about you, and so have my dads!"

Huh, so the McBrides have a kid now. They must've adopted him after I left, Logan said in his thoughts. "Nice to meet you, too. Hey, Lincoln, wanna hang out, just the two of us? Clyde can come along if you want him to."

"Oh, no thanks. I have to help my dads file their taxes. Thanks for the invite, though," Clyde said and took his leave.

"I'd love to, Logan! Where are we going this time?" Lincoln asked. Logan was about to answer when his phone rang. His father's name was on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Logan! Can you come pick up me and Junior at the middle school soccer field? Ol' Vanzilla broke down, and the tow truck is taking her to the shop."

"Sure, Dad, no problem." Logan hung up and said, "First we're gonna bring Dad and Lynn home, then I'll show you."

...

After dropping off both Lynns at the house, Logan and Lincoln drove nearly half an hour to a place just outside Detroit.

"Uh, Logan, why are we at a gun range?" Lincoln asked. Logan answered with a question of his own.

"How would you like to learn how to shoot? With a real gun instead of those digital ones in your games?"

"Really?" Lincoln began to grow starry-eyed, only to falter when he realized something. "But wait, won't Mom-"

"Find out? Not if this stays between us," Logan interjected with a wink. Lincoln grinned.

"Oh, man! I've been wanting to do this ever since Pop-Pop showed me the inside of his gun safe!" The range was expansive and open-air, so after showing a permit to the gatekeeper, the two brothers drove inside. Logan first parked his car at the rifle range, and Lincoln helped him set up paper bull's-eye targets. Logan opened his trunk, and Lincoln was amazed at the sheer variety of firearms his older brother possessed. Logan thought it would be best to start Lincoln with a very basic rifle, the Ruger 10-22. He showed Lincoln how to load the ten-round magazine with .22-caliber bullets (hence the name of the rifle) and insert it into the firearm itself, then set him up at one of the tables.

"Now, are you right-eye dominant or left-eye dominant?" Logan asked.

"Right-eye," Lincoln replied. With this information, Logan showed Lincoln how to hold the gun so that he could use his right eye to aim.

"Remember, finger outside the trigger guard until you're ready to shoot. Close your left eye and look through the scope with your right. Can you see the target?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Can you see the thin black lines and the little red dot where they cross?"

"Yup."

"That red dot is where the bullet is going to hit. Line that dot up with the specific spot on the target that you want to hit. When you're ready, take a deep breath. As you let that breath out, squeeze the trigger." Lincoln followed Logan's instructions to the letter, and all ten shots were grouped close together, not exactly in the center of the target, but much closer to the center than Logan had expected. "Wow, Lincoln! You're a natural!"

"I am?"

"Yeah! You're way more accurate than I was when I first shot a gun!" Logan thought it would be good to bump Lincoln up to a different kind of rifle with a bigger caliber of ammunition. He also got out a new kind of target, a bottle filled with a mixture of chemicals that would explode upon being struck by a bullet. "Okay, Lincoln, this rifle works on the same principle as the ten-twenty-two, but will kick a little harder because of the bigger bullet. Unless you want a great big bruise on your shoulder and possible hearing loss, you should probably wear these." Lincoln was handed a mesh vest with pockets and a built-in silicone pad placed right where the stock of the gun would rest against his shoulder, and a pair of earmuffs. Lincoln put on the vest and earmuffs and took aim.

Bang-BOOM! There was a fraction of a second between the sound of the gun going off and the sound of the target exploding. Lincoln's aim was even more impressive this time, because the bottle was both smaller and farther away than the paper bull's eye. Logan congratulated Lincoln before the two put everything back in the car and drove to the pistol range. The first pistol Logan introduced Lincoln to was a standard six-shot revolver that fired more of the .22-caliber bullets. Lincoln was far less accurate with the revolver than he was with the rifles, but that was to be expected. He managed to hit two of the six soup cans Logan set out for targets.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Linc. All you need is practice," Logan said. "I had to practice long and hard to get as good as I am now. Observe." Without even looking where he was aiming, Logan drew the Browning Hi-Power on his left hip and shot the remaining four cans in rapid succession.

"What exactly did you need to practice shooting for? Is it one of your job requirements, or something?" Lincoln asked. He'd meant it as a joke, but his eyes widened when Logan showed him his CIA badge. "Holy smokes! You're a spy?!"

"Not really. It's more like vigilante heroism without going to jail," Logan explained. "Think you can keep this a secret from our sisters? I don't want them to find out quite yet."

"You bet your boots, Logan! You're secret's safe with me!" The two brothers drove home soon after. The next morning, Lincoln got a video call from his friend Ronnie Anne...

I was born and raised in a family of small game/waterfowl hunters, so everything about guns in this installment came from my own knowledge. I was taught how to shoot by my own dear old dad. I competed in the 2022 Colorado State High School Trap Tournament. I personally own two guns, a rifle and a shotgun (both of which I use responsibly). Last but not least, I am a Second Amendment Rights enthusiast.