An Upgraded Soul

Aditya looked at the neat looking .22 long rifle in his hand with deep veneration while Munna explained this gun details to him.

"this is 87 model of Remington Nylon 66 synthetic rifle, it had been manufactured from 1959 to 89. the rounds are loaded through the buttstock with a maximum capacity of 14 in the magazine tube. It has got pretty high safety records so feel free to fire at your convenience." Munna spoke in his characteristic deep voice.

"it does not weigh more than two kg (about 4 pounds)," Aditya spoke as he tried to estimate the true weight of this rifle.

Munna nodded and also added, "Since this is your first time using a true firearm, let us start with smaller calibre. This .22 rifle is usually used for rookie practice and for hunting rabbits and squirrels."

"does that mean that guns with higher calibre are more destructive?"

"No, it's not higher calibre but larger calibre, calibre is nothing but the given bullet diameter, hundredth or thousandth of an inch. As to your question, it may or may not be as calibre only refer to the bullet size but not the amount of gunpowder used which is the actual determining factor for the lethality of the bullet. For example, the .308 Winc.h.e.s.ter rifle round is smaller calibre round than a .45 ACP handgun round. But the former travel at far higher velocities than the latter, making it significantly more destructive and lethal." Munna explained patiently.

Aditya turned his attention towards this indoor shooting range. There was the smell of air conditioning, cement, lead and another distinctive odour which Aditya could only describe as 'acrid and 'sour'. This must be the smell of gun powder Aditya thought when he remembered reading an article online saying that Apollo astronauts described the lunar aroma (moon smell) as being similar to spent gunpowder.

Acoustic foam panels were placed on the side walls and the ceiling to soundproof this area. Large air conditioning vents could be seen hanging from the ceiling. The back wall behind the paper targets was black which some white marks and bruises seemingly made of rubber from old tires.

There was a huge R symbol behind Aditya in made of golden colour which Aditya inferred that it was the logo for the Royal Club of Taarini. There was digital readout which indicated the distance between the firing line and the target. There was a number '50' on the screen which indicated that the target was 50 ft from Aditya.

"There is no need for wearing ear and eye protective wear for now as the sound produced by this rifle is minimal and the hot brass won't be ejected from the rifle but collected inside the buttstock itself. But in the future when you move on to larger calibre and more lethal guns, you have to follow my safety instructions to cover your eyes and ears, understand?" Munna asked sternly.

"Understood."

"Good, now lets start, you remember the stable firing position I demonstrated, right? Face slightly to the right as you are right handed and keep your body upright. Keep your left arm under the rifle, lock your arm against your c.h.e.s.t and rest the rifle on your hand."

"got it"

"Then what are you waiting for? Fire off" Munna spoke.

"I was waiting for Ms Taarini to come," Aditya replied as he looked around at the empty gallery.

"There are already watching, look at that mirror."

Aditya turned to look at the mirror which was above the gallery, it was reflective on this side but he understood that it must be a one-way mirror. Aditya's face darkened when he saw this. His nostrils flared as his lips curled in disdain. He took out the magazine and filled it with 14 rounds which felt cold.

He assumed the standard posture and started firing in continuous succession. Munna's face was becoming darker and gloomier as Aditya continued to shoot. After some ten rounds of shooting, he couldn't hold it anymore as he barked, "Stop it."

Aditya stopped and took back the rifle and held it in a standard resting position. He smiled innocently at Munna as he asked, "What happened?"

Munna's face became cloudier as he pressed a button which caused a metal track above to start moving which brought Aditya's target paper towards the firing line. He tore the paper from the clip and slammed it on the table as he asked in an icy tone, "What do you mean by this, Aditya?"

Aditya acted surprised at first and then put on a depressed expression as he said in a chaste way, "Oh, I couldn't get in even one shot but I tried really hard, brother Munna how about you give me one more chance? I will definitely prove myself"

Munna became a little puzzled when he heard the guileless voice of Aditya. Was he overthinking? Well, it was this kid's first time handling a firearm, but still, to not even get in one shot. Were they having heavy expectations? Maybe there was nothing special about this kid?

"Okay, last chance, if you can't get a shot in with the remaining rounds, there is no use spending so much time teaching you." Munna declared.

"Sure." Aditya had the same smiling face as he got into position and shot the remaining four rounds onto the new target.

Veins popped out of Munna's forehead in anger as he could now confirm that this bastard kid was just playing around. If this person was not the saviour of their little miss and that Munna himself possessed great restraint, he would have had taken out a gun by now.

"What do you mean by this Aditya?" Munna asked in an icy tone as he tried hard to control his rage.

Aditya turned to look at this person who had a similar physique like him but was at the end of his youth with some grey hair sticking out from the sides and said in an apologetic tone, "Sorry Mr Munna, it looks like I don't have what it takes to serve Ms Taarini. I am just a simple guy after all. I will take my leave then, the time you took to patiently explain to me in the past few hours is enough payback to me for helping Ms Taarini the other day. Convey my apologies to Ms Taarini for not reaching her expectations. I will take my leave. See you around." Aditya began to walk towards the exit after placing down the gun in its proper place.

Munna was stunned at what was happening, he did not know what to speak when he saw Aditya walk steadily. He looked towards the mirror as he wanted to know what was the meaning of Taarini little miss.

While the scene in the shooting range was calm, it was just the opposite in the viewing room. All the subordinates of Taarini had laughed when they saw that this kid who was deemed dangerous was actually just a nut. Raghav's face also reddened when he saw that Aditya failed so badly. Only Taarini's hands were trembling with exasperation when she looked at the departing figure of Aditya. Only she knew what had happened.

Taarini was a woman who was brought up in an abnormal environment surrounded by people who were either her brother's subordinates, beneficiaries or her enemies. She was never required to respect others and deal with them as true equals. Her brother's subordinates always treated her like a princess and she had gotten used to it. There were very few possibilities for her to meet normal people and have normal social exchanges. Because if she did, she would know how Aditya felt.

Aditya did want to assist her but it was not the only route for him. It might be a convenient one at best. He did not need her. She actually had the dire need of a sharpshooter which had forced her to almost blindly trust a stranger like Aditya about whom she had minimal information. In other words, she needed him more than he needed her.

Taarini felt the difference in Aditya's eyes when he found out that she and others were behind that one-way mirror but she chose to ignore it. Only now after he started to walk away did she understand. This person, whom she had unknowingly taken as a potential underling of her, was not here to serve her or impress her with his abilities to make a living. He was here to exchange his talent with her help to get to know the underworld. It was possible only when they treated each other on equal grounds. No one could be superior or inferior in this situation. And wasn't what she did by taking the high ground while positioning herself as superior examining the abilities of a subordinate violate this very rule?

As to Taarini's rage, it was understandable as she felt disdained when Aditya chose to deliberately miss all the gunshots. She who always was the main lead in her surroundings felt suddenly worthless in the eyes of this teenager when he did not speak a word before leaving the gun and walking away. It was like she was disposable to him. Though it was true in a sense and they had discussed the same point before, it was very difficult to accept when the truth was hit on her face in such a manner. She had always been confident on her looks, her strength and her ability to manage but for the first time, she came to know of this fault in her because of a teenager who did not allow himself to be looked down by anyone. She was impressed at this attribute of this kid but pissed off that she was the one who was on the receiving end of this scenario.

She calmed herself as she took the mic and spoke a few words to Munna, stood up and left the viewing room.

Munna who had received the instructions was stunned for a second before running after Aditya who had left the indoor shooting range long ago. He caught up with him at the entrance where he saw Aditya looking around with an embarrassing expression on his face.

Aditya discovered Munna who caught up with him, so he smiled awkwardly and said," Mr Munna, can you ask someone to drop me back at my place? It's far away from the city and it is inconvenient to catch a ride back."

Munna did not speak as he caught Aditya's hands and dragged him back into the indoor shooting range.

Aditya was puzzled as this action but as he did not observe any ill will from Munna, he allowed himself to be held. When they reached the shooting range, Aditya found Taarini waiting for him with an icy face. A small smile appeared on Aditya's face when he saw her but it quickly disappeared.

"Ms Taarini, am really sorry for letting you down," Aditya spoke while rubbing his head with an embarrassing smile on his face.

'how did I not notice that this kid was such a natural actor' Taarini cursed in her mind as she forced a small smile on her face and said, "it is not surprising to underperform during your first time, you don't have to blame yourself for it, how about trying it one more time?" she passed the loaded rifle to Aditya.

"Sure." Aditya readily agreed, he was not the kind to hold small grudges. Frankly, he was not here for charity, he needed Taarini's help too. As long as she could show her sincerity, he was glad to let that incident pass. He would not act c.o.c.ky like demanding a public apology or something like that, he still valued his life.

He skillfully took the rifle from Taarini's hand and was back in the standard firing position in a matter of seconds and started firing ceaselessly. There was not much difference to the performance beforehand and the present but all the followers including Munna had opened their mouths wide looking at the target paper while the Taarini's eyes brightened.