0630

As was all routines, Julien had his firmly in play. Five o'clock was the time that he got up, dressed and by 0630, he would arrive at the gun range, his Remington 700 in the case as he began to unpack it. Julien settled his case at the back, the targets the furthest possible distance that was still in range of his sniper and took up a prone position.

Closing his non-dominant eye, he took a breath in taking first pressure; lining his sights up with the target's head. As he breathed out, he applied the remaining amount of pressure as the rifle fired. In battle, it would be a whistle then nothing as the target dropped - never his favourite part of the job but something that one had grown used to.

Julien continued slow breathing as he pulled the bolt back, inserting another round as he slid the chamber back into place with a solid click - eye never taken off the target. He was not going for speed, but precision - speed would only come with time and practice.

Again, he fired. The rifle kicking slightly into his arm as he did so.

Susan had been up since 0430. She was already at the firing range with her family's sniper. Even though she was with the Marine Corps Military Police, she still got in her training for her sniping skills. She had her radio earbud in her left ear and an earplug in her right. As she filled the Dragunov with blanks, she smiled before stepping up to the range box. She placed her silencer on her gun and attached a red dot sight scope. Susan then lined up her shot at the targets in the windows of the makeshift buildings. As she closed her non dominant eye she looked through the sight and fired her first shot. She watched as the paper figure's head flew off before moving to the next window.

When Gunny Foxwell showed up she had already been through two clips of blanks. "Morning, sir. Resetting the range now." she said as she fired another shot and reset the simulation for him. "Attention all units. We have a possible (code goes here). Officer Maloney is requesting backup at the firing range. All available units please report to him immediately." the dispatcher said. As Susan heard the code she hit a button on her headset and said, "Dispatch, this is Staff Sergeant Markington. That's a negative on (code here). The only ones out here are Gunny Foxwell and myself. Officer Maloney is not at the firing range. Over."

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, Open

"Morning, sir."

Being in the zone, Julien hardly heard voices around him. It was moreso the volume had been turned down - low enough so it didn't distract him, but still loud enough to know what was going on. His cheek was pressed against the stock as his gaze was trained on the sights, muttering something along the lines of a greeting. He slowly moved his aim to the next target.

Breath in.

Breathing out, his finger pushed against the trigger in a smooth, well-rehearsed motion. It had been drilled into him after he had completed sniper school, the fact he had not changed under pressure was a trait that came in useful for a sniper. Julien was brought back to the days when he had been deployed on missions with his team back in MARSOC - or even with his Marines. It certainly required skill to target a vessel moving at rapid pace on board a helicopter, separating engine from vessel.

Pulling the bolt back, Julien was about to load in another round when Markington spoke.

"Dispatch, this is Staff Sergeant Markington. That's a negative on (code here). The only ones out here are Gunny Foxwell and myself. Officer Maloney is not at the firing range. Over."

He pushed the bolt back with more force this time. He had come to the firing range to unwind, instead, it seemed he was being pulled back into the fray. But, for the meantime, Julien shifted position, getting up to the knelt position - making do with the limbs that he had and firing another shot. Though the bullet found it's target, he was not happy with it - something to practice for next time.

Or after a short interlude of a break.

"How did you even manage to pass sniper school, staff sergeant?" Julien said, placing his sniper down on the table provided.



Tag: (@susan)

"Sniper school, sir? I just picture the person or target as an animal, like a deer or gator. Makes me feel like I'm with my dad hunting during the summer in Florida." Susan said as she dug out her hunting license and showed him proof. As she put her license away she flashed him the identification and permit for the weapon as well. "I'm cleared to use my family's weapon at any firing range while on base." she added as she removed the silencer and put rubber bullets into the chamber. She fired off a full clip at the targets while standing up, kneeling and lying prone.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell, OPEN

"Sniper school, sir? I just picture the person or target as an animal, like a deer or gator. Makes me feel like I'm with my dad hunting during the summer in Florida."

It was certainly one way of looking at it.

Julien began to check his weapon wouldn't end up jamming on him as he continued to listen to Susan on how she was cleared on using her sniper rifle on the base's firing range. Only glancing over his shoulder to study the license that had been presented to him before watching her load rubber bullets into the chamber of her Druganov. Julien stood by, as he observed her marksmanship. "An odd choice, using rubber bullets. Why not actual bullets, Markington?"

Waiting for her answer, he performed his final checks as he reloaded his rifle, readjusting the sight and then moving into prone and firing off his first shot - falling to the left slightly as he made the necessary adjustments based on the wind speed, pulling the bolt back and pushing it back into place as he slammed it into play, firing off yet another shot. He was determined to get some practice with the M110 SASS once he spent the brass on the Remington. Though versatile was his nature with the sniper rifle, Julien held preference for the Remington 700; from the design to the simple bolt action. "So, you just cleared to use it on range?"

Tag: (@susan)

"Waste of ammo, sir. Rubber bullets are used before actual ones. It injures but doesn't kill." she replied as she switched to her sidearm and emptied the clip from her M9.

She then watched him train for a bit. She listened to his next question and said, "Yes, sir. Unless they require it for an intense situation like a standoff situation." She sat on the bench and reloaded her sidearm before putting it back into the holster on her right hip. She listened to the Ginny's weapon fire and watched as he hit his mark almost every time. Susan looked at her watch and saw that it was almost 0630. "See you later, sir. I need to report for gate duty after getting some chow." she said as she picked up her Dragunov and strapped it to her back.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , OPEN

"Waste of ammo, sir. Rubber bullets are used before actual ones. It injures but doesn't kill."

Did he hear that correctly? Julien perked an eyebrow, giving her a glare and a second to rethink her statement. He was sure that the Marines were trained better than this. He watched as she switched to her sidearm, emptying the clip before going back to his own business. He shook his head, disregarding the statement - simple research would be enough to inform one that rubber bullets were not as non-lethal as some would have put it.

Either way, he preferred his blanks or actual bullets.

Julien listened as Markington left for chow before deciding to switch up his weapons - using his sidearm on his weaker hand. For him, it was an important skill to master as in a situation where the dominant hand could potentially be hit - it was important to be able to still defend oneself. He liked his M9 and his Remington but he wanted to try out with the L86 at some point again.

Watching where the bullets hit, Julien grimaced. He was not keen on how inaccurate many of his shots were - showing that it was something he was in dire need of practicing. Reloading, Julien attempted another go.