The Time from Before

Slow and Steady

"Alright, steady breaths..."

*Bang!*

The sound of a gunshot pierced the air, followed by a metallic clang as a bullet hit a tin can sitting on a rock. The can was instantly reduced to a crumpled mess of metal.

Allen and Sasha were having some shooting practice, taking turns to aim at a row of old cans that they had placed on top of some large boulders.

"Uh-oh... It won't shoot anymore." Sasha said, frowning as she pulled the trigger on the pistol she was holding. The only response was a series of clicks from the empty weapon.

"You used up all the bullets, goofball. Come on, reload it just as I showed you." Allen said, holding his rifle with a confident grip. He looked through the iron sights and squeezed the trigger, sending a single round flying towards the target. A dull thud echoed back from the range, as another can was knocked off its perch and sent tumbling to the ground.

The two of them were in a desert-like setting, with rusted pipes and other miscellaneous structures. They were standing about fifty feet away from their targets, which seemed like a reasonable-ish distance. But what was more intriguing than the setting was the fact that the environment looked seemingly fake. The sky above them was nothing but a grid of giant screens that projected images of blue and white clouds. And the desert they were in was actually a floating island that hovered in mid-air with no visible support.

Allen seemed to be used to this bizarre environment, as if he had been here many times before. Sasha, however, was terrified when she first saw it. She had no idea where she was or how she got here. It took some time for Allen to calm her down and explain that this was a secret place he had found, where he liked to come and practice his shooting skills. After a while, Sasha began to enjoy the novelty of it and even found it fun.

"And done!" Sasha said as she finished reloading the pistol. She pulled back the slide and checked that the chamber was loaded. She pointed the barrel away from herself and Allen, following the safety rules he had taught her. "Save me some!"

She aimed for a few seconds before pulling the trigger again, hoping to hit one of the remaining cans. But she missed by a wide margin, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

She clicked her tongue in frustration and tried again, taking more time to steady her breathing and align her sights.

"Sasha, breathe. And remember what I told you?" Allen said as he took another shot at a can. He hit it with ease, making another thud sound.

"Oh, yeah." Sasha said, suddenly recalling his advice. She got down on one knee and rested her elbow on her other leg, creating a more stable position. She pulled the trigger again and this time she heard a high-pitched 'dink' noise. She had just grazed the edge of a can.

"Hey, there we go. Keep that up, and you'll be as good as me in no time." Allen said, chuckling.

"Ugh. That's not fair. You have a rifle! I have this stupid thing. It hurts my hands to hold." Sasha said, complaining.

"It only hurts because you have tiny gnome hands. I don't have any gloves that fit you." Allen said, as he got up and took the pistol from Sasha. "Let's go. We've been here for too long. Oh, and take out your earplugs."

"Aww, but I was getting the hang of it!" Sasha whined as she removed two small bright orange plugs from her ears.

"I know, I know. But this place isn't going anywhere. I've locked the entrance anyway, so no one else can get in." Allen said as he started to walk towards a specific spot.

This desert island, or so it seems, is actually something man-made. Although not specifically designed and built by the Dominion, this dome environment was initially intended to be used as a training ground, designed by a military contract company. Although, bypassing conversation with Marina, Allen gleaned bits and pieces of information that these domes had been repurposed by something or someone else.