At this, Takako chuckled again. “No, physically alter. The room molds itself to what you need. And, until you take your watch from the shelf, it won’t mold to anyone else. People can come and go, but it’d be useless to them if they want somethingdifferent.”
As if in explanation, Takako chose that moment to open thedoor.
The entire room appeared to be a rather elaborate gun range, filling the area in both a width and a length that far exceeded what should have been possible based on the layout of the building. Targets were already set in place, each pulled back from the shooting booth at various distances, some going all the way out to what must have been at least five hundred feet, maybemore.
“So, firearms?” Jo sidled up next to Takako as she walked over to the side wall, the entirety of it lined with all manner of firearms from semi-automatics to long-range sniper rifles. Jo wasn’t deeply familiar with the logistics of gun use, nor would she consider herself a connoisseur. But that didn’t mean she was a noviceeither.
“I usually only use the recreation rooms to practice,” Takako answered, grabbing a few guns off the wall and placing them in one of the booths. She followed that up with a few boxes of ammo. “But sometimes, I also come when I need to clear myhead.”
“So, they—the rooms I mean—change for everyone?” Jo’s mind was already spinning withpossibilities.
Takako nodded. “It changes based on what youneed.”
Takako was loading bullets into her first gun, a semi-automatic if Jo had to guess. As she watched in silent appreciation of Takako’s almost elegant familiarity with the weapon, Jo couldn’t help but wonder what her own recreation room would look like. Maybe it would have a really elaborate, high-priced, decked-out desktop—like the one she’d always dreamed about owning one day. The sort of thing she’d only buy when she’d done her last gig, made all the money she could hope to make, and was wasting away her days in a penthouse suitesomewhere.
If she thought about it, she’d already crossed most of those things off herlist:
Last gig,check.
A magical mansion was better than a penthouse. So,check.
She didn’t really have any need for money, now. Damn, if she wasn’t careful she’d talk herself into thinking she had a sweet setup goinghere.
“All right, you ready?” Takako successfully pulled Jo from her own thoughts once more, placing the gun in front of her in thebooth.
“Me, first?” Jo blinked, looking down at it with a wary eye. She’d shot a gun before, sure; it was hard to avoid in the Lone Star Republic. But it had been long ago enough that Jo was in dire need of a quick safetyreview.
Takako seemed to catch on quick, thankfully, and smirked a bit as she reached over and grabbed two headsets off a hook to Jo’s left. She put one on, and then, without hesitation, reached over to place the second over Jo’s ears. Jo could feel the gentle touch of the other woman’s thumbs as they brushed her temples, could see the concentration in Takako’s eyes as she adjusted the earmuffs to where they completely blocked out allsound.
Suddenly, the sound of her own breathing, a bit rushed, seemed veryloud.
Before she could dwell on the other woman’s kind and careful action any longer, Takako was grabbing the loaded gun, clicking off the safety, and aiming. A deep breath, finger moving with practiced ease from the flank of the gun to the trigger, and then suddenly she wasfiring.
For the first shot, all Jo could do was watch her face. Takako’s expression never wavered, never flinched, both eyes open and zeroed in with a savage sort of focus. It was mesmerizing. It took Jo a substantial amount of effort to drag her eyes away and back to thetargets.
With each shot, no matter how far, a bullet careened easily and poignantly into abullseye.
Jo’s jaw dropped. It was incredible, like watching a pianist execute a perfect concerto, or a baseball player bat a perfect game. She could practically feel the energy emanating off of her, rolling in waves as each bullet left the chamber. It was as if she could see an aura radiating around her. Almost like,like—
Oh. It was likemagic.
Once all six bullets had been fired, Takako took off her headset and set it on the booth. Jo did the same, still somewhat slackjawed.
“So that’s your thing then?” she asked before she could stop herself, trying not to flinch at the lack of tact. “I mean, your magic. You’re. . . a goodshot?”
Again, Takako smiled at her, shaking her head a bit in amusement. This time, when Jo felt warmth spreading across her cheeks, it waswelcome.
“A ‘good shot’ might miss. A ‘perfect’ shot, however. . .” For the first time since meeting the woman, Jo swore she saw pride in her usually reserved expression. Takako’s posture radiated something Jo could almost call smugsatisfaction.
“Right,” Jo nodded. Takako was their sharpshooter. Jo was their hacker, even if being their hacker had been meaningless sofar.
Hacking.
The idea brought Jo right back to Yuusuke. But instead of anger, a new thought filled her, one of possibility. The recreation rooms could become whatever was most appealing to members of the Society, whatever they wanted. . . What Jo wanted right now, more than anything, was to make sure her sacrifice meantsomething.
“Okay then.” Jo nodded, grabbing her headset and placing the muffs back over her ears and allowing that notion to simmer in the back of her mind. She grabbed one of the loaded guns and aimed as best she could, trying to seem relaxed, like she wasn’t now buzzing with nervous energy. Before unlocking the safety, however, she glanced over at Takako, grinning. She hadn’t felt this good since before the Society. “What do I dofirst?”
Chapter 11
