Summary:An outdoor range, two meta sharpshooters, and an explanation of powers. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
  |
It may be cloudy today but the temperature is edging towards forty degrees. It's a wonderful time for some cold barrel accuracy tests! This time when the text goes through it's a lot more specific.
'North Westchester, Benchrest Valley. 800 yards. Got all afternoon to cut loose.'
It's a spot not easily found without some GPS guidance and maybe a little luck. Dirt and gravel roads dip into the tree-lined hills which leads to a fairly small shooting stall which might comfortably hold eight people in a row. The intended audience of this facility is quite obvious at a glance. Ahead the hills dip down into a picture-perfect valley before curving back up with targets laid out every hundred yards past the 300 mark.
The somewhat older Grand Cherokee is already parked nearby with the tailgate left open and a busy little albino working on unloading her gear. What great timing! There isn't even that much wind thanks to the tree coverage.
*
Compared to the sound of a van arriving, the two wheels that approach crunching gravel might be next to silent. A sharp, piercing wolf-whistle cuts through the air and echoes off the tree-cover around them as Ava announces her arrival with two fingers to her lips as she guides her motorcycle in one-handed. Much like their last outing, her choice of vehicle has forced a massive rifle case onto the cyborg's back, and seated it pokes comically far above her helmeted head. "Lean over that tailgate a little more for me, will ya'!?" she hollers in greeting.
*
Did Domino jump slightly at the whistle? ..Maybe… A glance over her shoulder reveals a grin before she breaks out laughing at the sight! "One of these days I'm going to find out what the largest case is that you're willing to strap to your back and still take that bike."
Not that she leaves Ava hanging. With the promise issued forth Dom leeeeans inside of the Jeep to grab a ammo can which 'conveniently' wound up shifting toward the front at some point during the trip.
"Looks like we've moved past the 'call to arms' approach for our encounters. Next time I'll send a pic of my ass and call it done. It'll be a real time-saver."
Two Pelican rifle cases and more than enough ammo later the back of the Jeep gets closed up and the first trip of lugging the ordnance a mere thirty feet to the firing line commences. "We can take it slow this time. Promise."
*
Ava whoops good-naturedly and laughs as she rides around the back and pulls up alongside Neena's Jeep. "Go right ahead, but you still look better in motion. 'Sides it looks like we're alone out here. That means we can cut loose and have fun, right?" Flicking the kickstand out beneath her, the cyborg feathers her vehicle down onto its third leg and pauses before sliding off. The two-wheeler sinks its weight into the gravel and dirt, but ultimately keeps upright.
Doffing her helmet, Ava shakes out her hair then turns to rummage in the boot of her vehicle, removing her own ammo cases and depositing her headgear in their place. "Want a hand with any of your gear?" she offers freely.
*
There's no getting the huge grin off of the albino just yet. "You'll have to content yourself with some still shots today. This course isn't as easy to run and gun." Nodding once, she confirms "Yep. Just us on point, Anodyne." Then Neena pauses and smirks back to the cyborg. "I always cut loose and have fun. Feel free to join me."
Don't ask her why but she has to wait a moment longer to watch the bike settle onto its stand. Maybe she's waiting to see if it tips over so she can give its owner a hard time. Not today…
Setting down the two long gun cases she motions back to the Jeep with Ava's offer to help. "Sure, ammo and blanket." Why lie in the snow and mud if you have to, right? Besides, she's still going through her 'cold to the bone' phase.
*
"Got 'em both," Ava assures as she sets her ammo boxes on the tailgate and reaches in to grab Neena's remaining supplies.
The cyborg that clunks over a few seconds later could pass for a Christmas tree of ordinance, with her hands cupped together and ammo boxes piled in a pyramid upon both arms. The blanket on top almost completely blocks Ava's face, leaving just a tuft of white hair and a glimpse of forehead poking out as she takes slow, cautious steps.
"Where to?" she asks as she gets close.
*
When Domino turns around she at first stands there with wide eyes -staring- at Ava's current presentation. It isn't long until this shifts to an "Oh my god—Hahahah!"
The blanket is taken with a friendly kiss to Posse's temple and "You're a doof" before the thermally shielded cloth gets tossed out across the ground. "Here's as good as anywhere."
Going by the labels on the ammo coming from the Jeep she's brought a 6.5 Creedmoor and a .338 Lapua Magnum today, some respectably serious loads.
"I'm betting you brought something more serious than a Blackout today" she comments while crouching down to pop the latches on the first case and toss the lid open. Inside is an all black Tikka T3x Tact A1, one of the more modern bolt action precision chassis rifles on the market. Naturally the scope riding up top is suitably powerful for the 6.5.
*
Ava smiles warmly as she unloads the ammo boxes and lines them up by caliber before finally dropping the coffin of firearms that was strapped to her back. Even a casual attention exposes the cyborg's ease of movements under the heavy loads and though she's not moving fast, she's also only slightly out of breath. "Nice~," she intones to the rifle she spies before smiling shamelessly. "Will I get another kiss today if I say I brought Blackout too?"
*
Dom barely has the Tikka out of the case when she's arching a brow to Ava's question. "Ambitious" she replies with a look back to the other woman. It's not impossible, Neena knows the odds of reaching that far out with the intermediate .300!
The Tikka's bipod legs get snapped down then the bolt is palmed open. "How about a friendly wager. Six hundred with a three hundred gets you a kiss. Eight hundred with it gets you free drinks. Alternating shooter. First to make contact takes the gold." Smirking, she clarifies "Prizes are not mutually exclusive."
Setting the first rifle aside she repeats the process with the second case, this time hauling out a tungsten grey Cerakoted Barrett MRAD. If the Tikka was nice then the Barrett would be starting to approach supermodel territory.
Sitting back on her heels with the .338 in hand she turns to give Ava an expectant look. "You gonna admire the goods all day or are you gonna show me whatcha got?"
*
"So first to hit the target takes the prize?" Ava asks to clarify as she taps the lock of her case and begins to open it as Neena pulls out her MRAD. The white-haired vet pauses with her box half-open and hunches forward as she starts to laugh. "Oh our shooting day is so ed…!" Slamming the case shut again, the cyborg deftly taps a different lock and swings it back open, exposing the oiled wood grain of an M1 Garand, neatly in line with an M1 carbine… and a gun-metal grey 10" long pistol.
*
And -another- grin breaks out across the albino's face! "I figured we'd be taking turns with your Blackout, girl. This is more about skill and luck than another rousing battle of 'mine's bigger.'"
Besides! After she had teased Ava about bringing a Barrett to the killhouse it somehow seemed fitting to bring one on this trip. Though it still can't compare to what Ava brings out. It's like the albino brought a Ducati while Posse brought a classic Harley. With a sidecart! Curiously oldschool.
"Oh hey, it's history class!" She points to the Garand, "Thirty." Then she points to the carbine, "Thirty." Then..the hilariously large semi-automatic pistol. "Aaaand the hell is that?"
*
Ava steps back to give Neena room to browse and she can't help but smile at the reaction to the smallest weapon in the compartment. "Dessert - also thirty," she answers, patting its steel frame with her matching metal hand. "This little guy's my ing flamethrower. You can have first dibs after we do the M1s."
*
"You're the only person I know who brings a three course meal to a gun range, Ava" Domino says with what could be respect while reaching for the oddity. It's a lot easier to identify once she reads the label. "Holy shit. Wait..I've heard about this company before! They tanked like two decades ago? Heh."
Holding the Automag 3 in a two handed grip has her feeling like she should be on the front of an action movie. Or quite possibly Miss December of the Babes and Bullets 2020 calendar… "I think I love you." Ava, or the gun?
Setting the pistol aside she motions downrange with her head then drops prone onto the blanket, reaching for her ear pro. "Alright. Let's see whatcha got, Patton. I'll spot." Pause. "..Don't say it."
*
Ava folds her arms as Neena tries out the feel of the massive pistol. "It's a pretty hot shooter ain't it? That's a good look for you. Maybe unzip your top a little, do a low port…" The cyborg grins shamelessly at the tease and waits for the gun to return to its home before shutting the case and reopening the next compartment up, exposing her tried and true AR. A deft few seconds sees the weapon married to its long-range attachments before Ava turns and joins the mercenary on the blanket, sidling up ejector-side to Neena. Friends don't let friends catch brass.
"How 'bout we walk this out from the hundred to make sure she's all zeroed in?" the white-haired vet suggests as she files a couple rounds into her magazine then slots it in and giving the slide an ever so quiet rack in her peculiar fashion. The *click* of the AR's forward assist stands in for the expected *clack* of the charging handle.
*
To the 'pretty hot shooter' remark Neena casts Ava a sidelong glance. "She sure is." So not talking about the gun. The next casual reply is "Less outdoors, more skin. I don't have time in my schedule to pencil in hypothermia."
Posse's AR is starting to become a familiar sight. Neena might start scoring some proficiency with it by osmosis! "One hundred, check" she confirms while shifting her .338 and adjusting the focal plane. "Slow and sexy—STEADY" she quickly corrects herself.
Ava's peculiar method of chambering the AR earns her another glance, Dom's absolutely taking note. That's some spec ops manual of arms there. Or an assassin's. Someone who spends a lot more time behind a can than doing it live.
Despite the suppressor already being situated on the .300 Neena gently clears her throat then reaches over to her nearest rifle case where she conveniently has another set of electronic muffs ready to go. These she offers to Posse without a word.
*
"—Right. Forgot I'm not shooting subs," Ava confesses as she leaves prone to slip the earmuffs on. "Get some bionic ears one of these days," she mutters to herself before resetting and sighting on the 100 yard silhouette. "100 yard board, contact. Metal outline, grass berm 10 o' clock, impact cluster upper-left of target," the white-haired cyborg lists off, then pauses on a breath. "This the target?"
*
She's just going to go ahead and smile. Neena always knew those extra earmuffs would come in handy sooner or later. "That'd be nice. Then you could hear me giving you shit uninterrupted."
Back to the Barrett's optics the albino goes, automatically filling her lungs with air then slowly breathing out. "Target ID confirmed. Aim center and send it."
*
Breath exits Ava's lungs slowly and quietly in tandem with Neena's instruction, and then…
*Bang!*
Even suppressed, the blast that escapes Ava's rifle this time is fully super-sonic, with all the hallmark of 125 grains of metal leaving the barrel with all haste towards the metal silhouette down-range. At 100 yards it should be no difficult shot for a trained marksman with cold and stale air…
And a sharp *ping* of impact in the target's head-space assures that Ava possesses at least a little first-round luck.
*
Not so much as a flinch from the prone mercenary as Posse takes the shot, the musical impact quickly following suit. "Confirmed kill. Got her dialed in nice, adjust for two hundred aaand…" she shifts the MRAD a little further downrange to the next row of plates. "Right-side silhouette who's missing an eyebrow" she describes where a chip of paint has been scored off of the pitted metal right around where the left eye would be.
Posse may be too focused on the magnified targets to notice that Neena's wearing an idle smile. She's in her happy place.
*
The white-haired shooter shifts out and refocuses, but pauses before taking her next shot. "Give me 300. That was aimed center-mass."
*
"Copy, skipping a grade" Dom confirms. "Hold that thought. We're starting to get into my territory."
Her workspace gets reorganized so the Tikka is brought into play, soon followed by five rounds loaded into the mag and one closed into the chamber.
"Got eyes. Show me some of that sweet elevation action."
*
"Holding," Ava cautions as she flips her safety without lifting from her sight. Neena's fresh assurance has the safety flipped back down and earns an emotionless, "Hot and engaging." Another breath follows and with the last gasps of air in her lungs the cyborg quips, "You're a sniper aintcha'?" A fresh supersonic crack punctuates the question and this time the round lands dead-center - at most two inches off the middle mark of the target.
*
Before answering Domino calls the results of Posse's second shot. "Solid hit, two inches left."
Ava's at a disadvantage with her AR. Every step further out she'll have to work that much harder to hit the plate and Dom knows it well. It's also a key element of the secret game she's about to play.
"I've done some distance work in my time" comes her somewhat vague answer to the cyborg while she carefully clicks the scope turrets. As her hand returns to the grip she suggests "Whatever gets the job done" while tucking the stock deeper against her shoulder with the left hand.
Another breath comes in then goes out, lining up the crosshairs on the same target Ava had just struck.
*Blam!*
*Ping!*
The next impact lands almost directly on top of where Ava's .300 had struck.
"You good for four?"
*
"Supersonic or subsonic. Three was my zero," the other marksman replies calmly as she looks up from her scope to spot the next target, then realigns her rifle and drops back down. "Rumors of my sniper training have been greatly exaggerated," Ava cautions while making her own adjustments. "How fair you want to play when we get to six?"
Another pause, another bang. This time right and low, but still on the target.
*
"I was wondering where you had it set" Neena calmly replies while spotting the next plate. "Didn't hear any rumors, though I did get a pretty good look at your medals." They don't often lie.
How fair? "All's fair in love and war" comes the albino's suggestion while palming the bolt and kicking the spent brass right into the rifle case. "Though if you start tickling me when it's my turn I'm gonna kick your ass."
Calling Ava's shots feels like a formality. She's on point and she knows it. All that's left is for Dom to double down with the purpose built precision rifle. Right and low, the fresh splotch of grey across chipped white paint soon grows in diameter as the 6.5 again overlays the .300 with a *Ping!*
*
"Well, if you want to play that way…" Ava begins as she looks up again to adjust targets. The cyborg almost sounds… disappointed? But if there's anything in the pause in her voice, it's gone by the time she returns to her sight and corrects parallax. "We can have a friendly game meta to meta."
*Bang!*
The fourth shot lands wide of center again, in the D area and low but still on the target.
*
Domino's just cycling the bolt again when she stops short, the chamber left open with the third round ready to leave the mag. Both of Posse's responses caught her notice and both of them feel worth bringing up.
"Alright, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting" Dom first says to what sure sounded like disappointment from the other woman. "And what's this 'meta to meta' business?" Ava's not a meta, right? She's an enhanced human. And Dom -never said a word- about being anything special…
*
"You tipped your hand at the shoot-house," Ava explains casually, still peering through glass until she realizes Neena's shot isn't following behind. Lifting her head back up, she glances to the albino with a disarming smile and much the same friendly (if occasionally teasing) look in her green eyes as ever. "Give me some credit. I know what kind of hot dog it is to dual-wield like you did. You've got an edge."
*
Neena's quick to show a disarming smile of her own. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Learned that playing Counter-Strike."
Honestly, it's funny. Dom's power can be a subtle creature. It's amusing to think that her using two pistols at once is what tipped it off.
It's even more funny that she sometimes -completely forgets- that she's still rocking some aftermarket mods courtesy of a trip to Hell. She shouldn't be so surprised to be called a meta by someone who works with a metahuman response force!
Returning her attention to the target the bolt glides back into battery. A few more clicks are made to the scope. "Return to point one. You sounded unhappy for a moment. Did I miss something? Thought you'd like playing a little dirty."
Finding Ava's mark on the target is a guess. It probably hit low so that's the speck she focuses on when taking the shot. If the ground wasn't so cold and wet the muzzle brake would be throwing up a fair amount of debris. Lucky for Ava!
*
"Bull-sierra. Come on~, Tamara, I wasn't born yesterday," the white-haired vet implores after the shot while sliding her rifle distractedly to the 600 target. "You're talking to a registered meta-human and there is some seriously high-speed tech in my suit. I'm shooting on normal mode so far, but if you want to get powers involved I'll bring 'em out and we can play a fair super competition."
*
A quick forced chuckle comes from the albino at 'bull-sierra.' Upon hearing that Ava is an actual registered meta is a surprise, though one Domino is careful not to show. The suit is enough to elevate her to that level? Curious.
"Alright," she offers without sounding upset. Once more the bolt is drawn back and left open, the Tikka left to rest upon the mat as her attention returns in full to the cyborg with a soft, lengthy sigh.
"It's easy for me to take the 'dirty' approach because what I have doesn't come with an off switch. That said, I wasn't implying that we bring powers to the field. Gods know what kind of supercomputer you're running alongside your grey matter, I can't compete with that. So maybe we try to play this one fair."
*
Ava's look back is less forced. Honesty relaxes the cyborg and she gives Teena a look of comradery. "All I've got is a targeting system and limbs as steady as a table clamp, and if it makes you feel better, beyond a 6-plate is a stretch for my wind sensor. Besides no amount of shooter makes 300 into 6.5 Lapua…. The badass don't turn off though - that's like yours," she adds with a wink.
*
There's a fair bit of weight behind this discussion and Neena's taking notes. That Ava immediately seems to feel better when the truth is admitted to is key. It brings a pang of guilt to the pale lady that she's been pretty untruthful with the cyborg on some important details. Ava still only knows her by a false alias.
Part of her wants to set the record straight here and now before this gets any further out of hand..but it isn't so simple anymore. Not after she used the fake ID to get through RESCUE's checkpoint. Admitting that the name wasn't real would only raise MORE questions. Questions which Dom really does not want to deal with.
While the thoughts spin about in her mind she's smiling back to Ava as though nothing were amiss. "So if it's a sub-600 engagement then I know you can make the tough shots. Good to know."
The compliment is met with a head-dip and an upward turn of her hands, the merc preening a bit. "And you don't need the shiny bits and synthetic muscle to rock my world. Though it helps."
*
"If I could rock you the way god intended you know I'd do it. But hey, at least I got lucky and you've got a metal fetish. Makes up for all the lost tattoos a little," Ava assures, ready to let the conversation lift to a brighter topic. Glaringly bright even - next time the cyborg might need sunglasses.
"And I'm still no sniper, just better with auto-windage. Now it's all laser crap so it took special asking to get a wind-read package, and even that's not secret squirrel level." Rolling onto her side, the markswoman thinks for a moment while her eyes hang on Neena's face. "How about this? I shoot stock-human, and if I hit the 8-plate before you…" Here Ava leans over and whispers into the albino's ear.
*
"Given the circumstances I have zero complaints to file" Domino offers while reaching to rest a hand on the back of Ava's nearest shoulder. "It might be a little more cold than I remember but who wouldn't want their own knight in shining armor?"
Lasers—"You can get laser rifles?" she suddenly chimes in looking intrigued as hell.
The question doesn't have long to sit in her mind as whispered thoughts give her a few other new ideas to consider. One brow hooks upward. "Alternating shooter or are we going full-on mag dump here? Not that it changes my answer" she confirms while readying her rifle. "I'm a betting kind of lady."
*
"Oh the list of people who want me dead is long and international," Ava jokes with a tinkle in her eye before returning her attention to her rifle. No explanation is given to the question about lasers.
"Let's shoot 'til we hit one target at a time. Alternating on my Blackout, otherwise your Creedmore will mop the range with me."
And just like that, the former operator goes to glass, flips her safety, and lines up her shot.
*
|ROLL| Posse +rolls 1d100 for: 89
*
|ROLL| Domino +rolls 1d100 for: 11
*
|ROLL| Domino +rolls 1d100 for: 19
*
"Yeah? Well fortunately for you..I am not one of them" Neena offers with a smile.
Ah, they're alternating on Ava's AR. It's the right call if they're going with fairness, either of Dom's rifles would absolutely have the edge at such a distance. So she flicks the safety on and goes back to spotting through the Tikka's scope.
There's a healthy silence between Ava's shot, the cycling of the action, then the final *ping!* from waaaay off in the distance.
A low whistle comes from the pale lady. "That's a hole in one. Way to set the bar high. Alright, let's see this rig of yours."
It's the first time she's laid hands on Posse's weapon of choice. It isn't long before Dom's tapping a fingertip on the -green- mag release button. "You two have matching eyes" she teases before adjusting the stock's length and settling in for the shot.
Then -completely fucking misses.-
"Okay, I lied" she says at length with a sigh. "My power totally does have an off switch because I apparently just found it."
*
Crawling back once she hands off her weapon, Ava rises to a spotter's crouch and squints into the distance, at least attempting to spot for the albino unaided. A metal hand darts out in time to catch the spent brass that flies out her rifle and the operator waits… and waits… and waits, with no distinctive metal *ping* to reassure a hit.
The cyborg looks down to Neena and shrugs. "Does it care you're using a new gun? You've got two left. Shoot it 'til you're warm and I'll pick brass," Ava suggests before dropping onto her hands to snatch up her other spent shells.
*
|ROLL| Domino +rolls 1d100 for: 95
*
It's not a serious bet. This is not a life or death situation. But Domino's feeling embarrassed now and it's got her heartrate elevated. Win or lose there's a confession waiting in the works on just what the heck her power is.
How the hell can she explain being lucky when she just MISSED what should have been an easy shot?
The offer for two more attempts is heard with a slow bobbing of her head, nibbling on a lip as she considers logistics which only her twisted little mutant mind can likely identify.
"Let's try for a two in one here. Are you a fan of Terry Pratchett?"
Neena hops up off of the mat with Ava's rifle in hand, lightly bouncing the front half in her left palm as if gauging its weight.
"In one of the books it was written that one in a million odds had a one in ten chance of succeeding.
As if to demonstrate this the albino lifts one leg off of the ground and holds her right hand back behind her head. The AR is leveled at arm's length downrange in her left. Then she turns to look at Ava, not even looking at the damn target!
Domino pulls the trigger.
..And nothing happens.
"Ah—shit, safety" she starts to say while shifting the AR closer, focused on anything BUT the target when she accidentally bumps the trigger.
*Ping!*
*
Ava looks up curiously from her brass picking as Neena stands and even poses with her nearly foot and a half of rifle. Sitting back on her rump, her brow raises with incredulous amusement. "No ing way you're gonna'—"
And then the ping, clear and unmistakable. It doesn't even matter which plate with the nearest a hundred paces.
Ava's entire expression goes slack as her brain detaches from reality and has to reboot. Then, the cyborg /laughs/, and pushes herself onto her feet. "Ho-ly Fuck, hahaha! That's your ing magic trick? And that's where your high-speed blind-fire bullseye came from too!" A hand is raise, cupped, for Neena to clap in congratulation. "So what you make a shot when you're not thinking about it?"
*
Even -Dom- looks dumbstruck that the shot connected! It still worked but not in the way she had expected it to! Subconsciously she's re-engaged the safety before setting Ava's carbine down, she also knows when to -not- push her luck.
What really makes it all worthwhile is Ava's reaction to the display. When she raises a hand Neena laughs and reaches for the clap. "Guilty as charged" comes her admission with arms held wide in a shrug. "I don't know. I really don't! Sometimes it leaves me hanging but most of the time things just..sort of fall into place. Take it as you will."
Shaking her head, she clarifies "Oh I'm usually thinking about it. I'm just… It's weaponized luck. I get the good parking spaces, I don't get held up by traffic, when I need to buy something it's on sale, I don't get carded…" Now she might be poking fun at herself.
*
For all the big reveal might imply for Neena, it's hard to say Ava's acting any differently than she would if the shot had been made mundanely. Smiling - genuinely /smiling/ at the lucky mutant's accomplishment, the cyborg chuckles and folds her arms. "'Weaponized luck' huh? Hell /I've/ got some of that. Remind me later to tell you a story. You wouldn't believe the kind of sierra that *hasn't* killed me."
"So…" she considers as her eyes sneak down-range for a moment before returning to the felicitous shooter. Back is the playfulness and that little glimpse of something else beneath the surface. "What do you say you hand me that empty mag and we find out who your luck wants to win our bet?"
"Oh, and RESCUE's looking for a little jar of luck and bullets to take overseas on a short trip if you're looking for fast cash. Might be worth it to apply."
*
Is it wrong that Neena likes seeing Posse smile..? It already seems that this flash in the pan connection they first had has grown into something more significant though it's still not something which could be neatly labeled and quantified. Lately the universe seems to be trying to tell her that she's not quite the lone wolf that she's always claimed to be.
Not to mention that technically she's more cat than wolf these days but that's another matter.
"Talk over drinks it is" she claims, glad to have an avenue of discussion open which focuses on Ava and not the albino!
Already Ava's playing with Dom's power. Should she be worried..? Reflective blue eyes shift back down to the awaiting AR but before she can reach for it there's something else for her to think about.
A freaking -job offer.-
"That so? Sounds exciting. You have my number."
Then she goes to retrieve the AR.
*
"Put it in through official channel. You'll answer to me so it's conflict of interest - I gotta' keep completely uninvolved in decision-making," Ava advises.
A metal hand grabs Neena's shoulder and pulls the mercenary back upright. "One more thing," the cyborg adds as her eyes narrow mischievously. "I just won a kiss."
Pouncing the confessed mutant, Posse locks lips with enough violence of action to take them both off their feet.
*