The group headed down to the back of the black ops division HQ. The automatic glass door opened as they approached. The sun blazed in the morning, hovering between the massive skyscrapers. The group was now in the Black ops division training center which had many training facilities for elite soldiers like them.
"To the shooting range, fellas." Henry quickened his pace.
"Hey, slow down!" Eira followed Henry.
The others followed the couple to the shooting range. The shooting range was divided into seven sections meant for the seven units of the Black ops. They paced down to the last range and entered the first units shooting range. Missio closed the wired door and turned around. Krishna and Henry had already picked out their weapons while the girls were still choosing theirs.
Henry and Krishna put on protective glasses and stepped into their positions, eyeing their respective targets. Krishna held an assault rifle while Henry held a sniper rifle. Their gazes were focused on the target like those of a hunter. They aimed their guns and held them steadily.
"Hey, Wanna see who can hit more bullseye?" Krishna looked at Henry.
Before henry could answer, Krishna pulled the trigger. The bullet shot forward and hit the target. Henry locked eyes with his friends. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments…for a few minutes…a while. Henry opened his mouth, saying in a dumbfounded voice.
"Did you just try to look cool by hitting a bullseye without looking?"
"…Yes." Krishna said sheepishly.
They both looked towards Krishna's target. The bullet had landed at the very edge of the target.
"You pass all the tests for being an idiot." Henry adjusted his glasses.
"I'm blind! Like legally blind. How did I miss?" Krishna blurted.
"Vision is one of the most important senses." Henry sighed.
Holding his gun, he fired twice with extreme precision. Two perfect shots turned the bullseye into a dark smear.
"That's how you do it." Henry stated. "By the way, where are the girls?"
"Their over there." Krishna pointed beside himself.
"What guns are they using?" Henry asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Krishna inquired.
"Never mind, keep on shooting. Don't talk to me." Henry eyed his target again.
"Alright…" Krishna also locked onto his target.
Mary and Eira had picked out their weapons after a bit of consideration and made their way to their respective targets. They both picked up protective glasses and put them on.
"What type of gun is that?" Eira asked.
"An assault rifle." Mary replied.
"Nice choice. I went with something sleeker — semi-auto. Easier to show off with." Eira said.
"Let's get to the targets, shall we?" Mary aimed at hers.
"Of course." Eira did the same.
They both started firing, practicing their shooting. After a while, Eira stopped. She heard a strange sound coming from somewhere which really distracted her from her practice.
"Hey, what is…that sound?" she looked at Mary.
"Yeah…your right…" Mary looked around.
The girls both looked at the boys. Krishna and Henry were shooting rapidly at their targets. The targets themselves were moving in random directions to make it harder to shoot but somehow, they were still being hit.
"First one to miss is a rotten potato!" Krishna shouted between shots.
"I'm not taking that bet!" Henry replied loudly.
Eira and Mary stared at the duo in utter confusion. Then, Eira commented.
"Yeah…he's definitely taking that bet."
"Well, at least their passionate about it. Most give up after missing once." Mary said.
Missio then smacked the two on their heads. Krishna and Henry stopped firing their guns, clutching their heads in pain.
"Does you guy want to finish all our rounds!? Stop, you're done for today." Missio exclaimed.
"Okay – okay, we understand." Krishna whimpered with fake sadness.
He looked at Henry. "Guess we're both the mashed kind."
"Is that the only thing you thought about?" Henry straightened his back.
"Girls, finish up quickly." Missio went to his range, preparing to shoot.
"…Okay…" Eira turned back to her range.
***
After the session ended, the team moved to the sword range where the air buzzed with energy. Missio unsheathed his katana, Henry pulled out his daggers. Krishna, Eira and Mary stood back since they didn't use swords. Henry stepped back and threw a dagger at a dummy's head. The dagger landed perfectly between the dummy's eyes. He flipped the other dagger, gripping the blade. He threw it again and it landed directly under the last dagger. He smirked and went to retrieve his daggers.
Missio, on the other hand, was practicing his swordsmanship. He swung his sword diagonally downward. Henry watched Missio move. Even after years, that precision still unnerved him. Missio slowly turned, swinging the sword smoothly around himself. He went with the flow, spinning the sword in unpredictable directions.
After a while, he stopped and pointed the sword at the dummy. He narrowed his eyes and flashed near the dummy. He cut the dummy; his sword stuck in its body. He exerted force and pulled out his katana.
"What are you practicing?" Henry asked.
"The basics." Missio replied.
"Really? What rank are you again?" Henry gripped his dagger.
"Grandmaster." Missio swung again, cutting the air.
"I thought you were a saint." Henry replied.
"People think that but… I've yet to take the exam to become a saint." Missio kept swinging his sword with the flow, like he was river, swerving and curving freely to his wishes.
"Let's continue. No more talk." Henry threw his dagger, which landed on the dummy's heart area.
"Agreed." Missio replied.
***
They finished training in the afternoon and went to do their own tasks. Missio was burdened with doing most of the paperwork for the division which had him extremely stressed. Luckily by the end of his shift, he had barely finished all the work. Missio smiled weakly as he finished signing the last document.
"Finally…all finished." He stretched his arms.
He took another look at the papers and stood up.
'Time to go home.'
He tidied his desk, sheathed his katana and exited his office. He locked the door using his insignia and descended to the ground floor. He waved the lovely receptionist goodbye, the doors unlocking for him as he passed the two guards who had stopped him in the morning. His teammates had already left the HQ ahead of him and now it was being filled with night shift workers.
He stepped onto the sidewalk and lifted his head. He saw skyscrapers that pierced the clouds, glowing and buzzing with advertisements and neon billboards. Characters and letters were sprawled across the area of the building, creating a captivating view. He paced to his bike, and it unlocked when it saw his face. He got on it and drove off into the night. As he sped off, the sky above the skyscrapers flickered — just for a moment — as if reality itself blinked.