"Not bad, not bad. Now try lying down."
The apprentice did the same thing and hit the same spot, again shooting with only one hand – obvious talent was evident.
"Are you going to shoot with two hands after all?" "I'm more comfortable…"
"Try it though."
The sniper leaned his other hand against the barrel, which made the latter shake with such force that the bullet hit the "milk". It was clear that either he had only fired a pistol before, or there was something wrong with his hand.
"What's your name, kid?" "Michael Williams."
"Two, never tell me your name." "I see."
"Third, you must have at least five other names instead of your real name." "I see."
"Come up with some." "Michael Williams." "It has to be different." "I see."
"So that not even the initials match." "Uh…"
"Since you can't come up with one yourself, I'll come up with one." "I see."
"Your name is Amanda Last." "I see."
"Do you agree?" "Completely."
"Fourth, it has to match your gender."
"I see."
"So what?"
"It doesn't fit."
"That's right. You'll be James Last." "Good."
"So, James – I had already braced myself for another wave of misunderstandings, but nothing like this – Fifth, you need to stand out from the crowd as little as possible." "I see."
"So, what does that mean."
"I have to hide behind someone all the time…"
"No. If it's hot, you – walk in light clothes, if it's cold – in warm clothes, your gait is loose, your stride is not too big or small, you don't make eye contact or turn your head often and sharply. Things like that."
"I see."
"Sixth, you shouldn't drive around in a Ferrari either, but you should drive less. Use public transportation more often, and best of all, walk, that's for sure."
I remembered walking twenty kilometers once for safety reasons. "So, show me how to walk."
He strode through the hall as if he had been kicked out of the institute twenty minutes ago and was now facing the army.
"Now you walked too slowly, dragging your feet and hanging your head, and that always attracts some attention. You should walk freely, as if you were going for bread and nothing else interested you."
"I see." "Try again."
This time his gait meant that the chief was not in the mood today. "To hell with the gait," I thought.
"Okay, seventh, you need to be completely healthy, lest another firefight reveal you have a broken leg in four places."