Transcript For Strip 576

Panel 1
Nicole, Seamus and Murphy enter the front section of Bernie's Blast'Em Shooting Range. Ernie, a jovial Beltape, greets them from behind the counter.
Bernie: Hi! You must be the Nicole Oresme who belongs to the Witness that just materialized in my fabber.
Nicole: Assuming I like this pistol, yes.

Panel 2
Ernie walks around the counter. He has a full-sized Glock in a holster on his hip. He's holding a box in one hand.
Bernie: Well, let's take this puppy in the back and get you two acquainted.
Bernie: You need protection?
Nicole: Um, yeah, that's why I'm buying a gun.
Panel 3
The back of Bernie's Blast'Em Shooting Range is set up in a fashion not unlike contemporary indoor gun ranges. There are five lanes here, with baffled shooting stands at one end, and a slug-absorbent material at the far end. Targets are carried on frames which run fore and aft on magnetic tracks. Here, Bernie helps Nicole get set up at a stand. They are wearing clear, protective visors.
Bernie: At the practice range you should always wear your visor, and your ear plugs, if you like your hearing.
Panel 4
Closer 2-shot of Nicole and Bernie. Nicole is contemplating her pair of ear-plugs, which are connected by a string.
Nicole: If I'm in a shoot-out will the bad guys stop and let me put my ear-plugs in before I blast them?
Bernie: No, but if you survive the shoot-out you can get your eardrums fixed later.

Panel 5
Properly outfitted, Bernie holds up the Witness and a loaded magazine.
Bernie: Okay, now put these together and rack the slide like I showed you, to load a cartridge in the chamber. Keep the gun pointed downrange at all times.
Panel 6
Nicole holds the Witness in a two-handed grip, pointed downrange, sighting toward the target (OP). Berrnie stands behind and to one side.
Bernie: Okay, line the sights up like I told you, take a deep breath, then a half-breath and hold it, while you slowly squeeze the trigger.
Panel 7
Nicole squeezes the trigger and the gun fires.
SFX: BLAMM!!!

Panel 8
Same shot, only Nicole is now on the ground just beyond Bernie, her feet sticking up in the air from the bottom of the panel.
Bernie: Er ... I guess I should have explained recoil a bit better.
Bernie: You need to brace yourself in the low gravity we have here.

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