Fallout 4: AR

6. Lessons in Marksmanship

Going over the selection of weapons with MacCready, we picked out a combat shotgun, something called a pipe pistol, and a laser pistol, a gun I had never heard of before but was interested in trying, to accompany the rifle already by my side. We loaded up with rounds for each of them and left to make our way to an old tunnel underneath the basement of the Old State House to do some target practice and make some final decisions. It was the first time I had left Hancock's office since arriving in Goodneighbor. My stomach was full of butterflies as MacCready and I descended the creaking spiral staircase, passing several armed guards on the way, both human and Ghoul. They gave the two of us mildly curious looks, but the sight of us openly carrying weapons and ammunition caused no comment.

We made it to the tunnel without incident. The far end was collapsed, dirt and rubble spilling into the passageway. It was as good a place as any to test out firearms, though my ears were going to be hurting from the noise of gunfire. We lined up the selected weapons against the side wall, and I began with the most familiar of the lot, the rifle.

It had been a couple of years, but I soon fell back into the rhythm of loading the magazine, cocking the bolt to load, sighting on a target – a chunk of discolored rotten wood – switching the selector lever from safe to semi, and squeezing the trigger. MacCready stood behind me watching, arms crossed. My first shot wasn't too bad, but it was off-center. I adjusted my sights and tried again.

This time, when I put the butt of the rifle to my shoulder, I again felt the tingle of electrical assistance from my Pip-Boy. Wait, shooting too? My hands steadied, and it seemed like the whole world slowed down, allowing me to hyper-focus on my target. I squeezed off another round in this trance-like state, almost unsurprised when it hit the piece of wood dead center. Though much more accurate, I also felt more fatigued for a moment, like the act of assisting my aim drained my energy in a way not reflected during lockpicking.

"Nice shot," commented MacCready.

"It wasn't just me, though." I set the rifle against the wall, turning to show him my Pip-Boy. "Look." The screen now had a second line of text, this one reading "V.A.T.S." I sighed. Another acronym. I swear it's like I'm back in the Army.

"Huh." MacCready took off his hat to scratch his head, revealing a thick mess of unkempt light brown hair. "That's useful, I guess." Replacing his hat, he shrugged. "Not 'Inventory' then."

"I think it means 'Invoke.'" I hazarded, hoping he wouldn't scoff at the idea. "Like invoking special technology? I can't explain it, but it's almost like it sends signals through these wires to assist my movements. I can feel it happening."

He looked thoughtful for a brief moment, stroking his beard. "That's as good a guess as any." Aside from that one comment, he seemed completely indifferent to my revelation. Picking up the shotgun, he handed it to me. "Try this one."

And so we passed most of the day in the tunnel. MacCready, despite his prickly aloofness, was a pretty good instructor, gruffly teaching me how to most effectively use the firearms we brought down to try. When I admitted I had never seen a laser weapon before, he took the time to show me how to load the cells, where the safety was, and how to line up the sights.

At my insistence, we also tested the limits of the "V.A.T.S." assistance from my Pip-Boy. Unlike the automatic aid during lockpicking, I discovered I had to focus in a particular way to trigger the Pip-Boy's support. Each shot was much more accurate than I could manage alone, but also tired me out more quickly, limiting the number of rounds I could fire that way before I had to release my control. MacCready was rather apathetic about the endeavor, commenting only that it may come in handy for moving targets.

By the end of our session, I had decided to keep the original marksman's rifle, its similarity to the M16 a familiar comfort. The second weapon was a tough choice, and MacCready strongly suggested I take the laser pistol. As much as I personally disliked handguns, (they were too easy to aim in an unexpected direction) he pointed out that it was pretty powerful for its size and weight, and would be more easily hidden if I needed to be stealthy. He was the expert, so I grudgingly strapped it to my leg.