Classified

Chapter 37 - "Donovan, just talk to me."

Where Carter takes Donovan and Link to the gun range.

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The gray building before Donovan was familiar, it was one of the gun ranges he had gone to when he needed to be reminded of who he was. Carter couldn't have known this, but in some way, she must have understood. They climbed out, making sure not to hit the two neighboring pickup trucks with their doors. Donovan looked over the gun range, already feeling himself returning. Carter led the group to the front door and pulled it open.

The burly man, behind the long, glass counter, with a dark beard and a scar down his left temple, didn't blink an eye as he saw Cater walk in. His surprise showed when his gaze transferred to Donovan and Link.

"Hi Carter, where's Steve?" the man asked, in a voice fit for a bear.

"At work," Carter said, stopping before the counter.

There was something attractive to Donovan about the fact that Carter was so familiar with the gun range and the man who ran it.  Beside him, Link's head swiveled from one side of the place to the other. Every inch of the walls were covered in guns, ranging from sniper rifles to handguns. The wall behind the man was an assortment of selected handguns as well as photos.

Carter turned away from the man to face Donovan and Link, waving a hand between them.

"Mark, meet my friends. Donovan and Link, this is Mark."

Donovan took Mark's outstretched hand and gave a nod in acknowledgment. Mark narrowed his eyes, recognition hovering just beyond his reach.

"You look familiar. You been here before?" he asked.

"Few times," Donovan said.

Mark nodded and shook Link's hand, but barely gave him a second thought.

"What will it be today?" he asked.

"Three ear muffs, glasses and two guns. I'll take the usual." She looked to Donovan, silently asking his preference.

"I'll take an M45," he said. It was the gun he had first learned to take apart and reassemble.

"You got ID?" Mark asked.

Donovan handed it over and Mark checked it before going to work. He pulled out three large ear muffs, that looked like bulky headphones, three sets of plastic glasses, two target sheets and then grabbed two different handguns off the wall.

"How many clips do you want?" he asked.

Carter glanced at Donovan and raised an eyebrow.

"Two," Donovan said. He had the feeling that his thoughts were going to need more than one clip to be drowned out.

Carter tossed Link a pair of headphones and glasses, then grabbed her stuff. She guided them to a side door like she had lived there her whole life. Putting on her ear muffs and glasses, she nodded to Link, directing him to do the same. He followed suit.

She pushed into a long rectangle room. One long metal table ran the width of the room. Spaced out along it were metal partitions, dividing the table into stalls. The sound of gunfire rang off the walls, the sound muffled in their covered ears.

Carter moved down the rows of stalls and stopped at the last ones, far enough away from the room's other occupants. For some reason, she didn't bother setting up her target but stayed with Donovan in his stall. He found he didn't mind, even though her closeness was a mix of agitation and peace. In a matter of minutes, the black outline of a human torso was out in the distance and Donovan had his gun in hand. Link and Carter took a step back. Donovan set his stance, loaded his clip into the gun and brought it up.