Preston also found a sort of peace at the range. Aside from the gym, this place was a sliver of normalcy from his old life. The smell of gun powder on his clothes and hands, the weight of a loaded weapon with live rounds... even the feel of the muffs cupping his ears and squeezing his head all made him feel... normal again. It was moments like these, in this room where he didn't feel like a prisoner or an experiment. It was a simple way for him to work out some aggression and frustration like the old days. Of course, he missed the AR-15s and AK-47s and other heavy artillery that came with military life, but even in the barracks, he'd hit the range on off days with his small stash of handguns and practice. Technically, with no plans for Inferno training scheduled, this was his day off. So why not reminisce with a semi-automatic 9mm, a couple clips and box full of hollow-points?
As he approached, he spotted Paulson in the galley with another agent, Gabriel. Preston didn't recall ever speaking to the man socially, though he'd communicated with him through training sessions, and found his abilities to be quite impressive. He couldn't replicate Gabriel's body modifications--the limits of which always gave him comfort and suppressed his guilt about being a leech of sorts--but his aquatic abilities couple possibly be used. While Paulson got Preston's station set up, Preston stood back and observed Gabriel's form and accuracy. When the other man issued his final bullet--a clean kill shot to the target--Preston spoke.