by John Darling
This shooting range was a highly sophisticated area with thirty different shooting lanes. Each one had a human shaped target at the end of it that moved back and forth or could be set at a certain distance. Each target also had a light at the top of it that turns green if you hit the head or heart of the target. Unfortunately, it turned red if you hit anywhere else on the target. Clearly, getting headshots was a top priority. There was one other color associated with the targets; they turned purple if you missed the target completely. I didn’t think I was going to be getting a lot of green lights right away but I did hope to at least achieve a decent accuracy score throughout the upcoming training sessions.
The last lane of the range was the only one being used and I quickly became fascinated with what I saw. I wanted to sign out a weapon and focus on my own shooting but I can’t ignore the other person in here. They were using some sort of sniper rifle, lying down on their stomach. From what I could tell, the target was set to at least three hundred feet away; I didn’t think the target could be set any further than that. One amazing aspect of this person’s shooting was their incredible accuracy. I watched in awe for over an hour as every shot this person fired made the green light go on. I started to count each green light but lost track after thirty-six; it was unbelievable. He must have been setting all kinds of shooting records down here, and he wasn’t stopping. Green light after green light after green light. It would probably take me a decade to get up this person’s level. I have to find out who this person is. Maybe they could give me some tips to help my own shooting.
The mysterious figure wasn’t wearing any of our issued clothes. I couldn’t even see the person’s face due to the black hood they were wearing. With that kind of shot, he must have had years of experience in the field. Maybe he was an ex-Striker and just practiced to maintain his skill. The pile of ammunition next to his legs was getting smaller and smaller. Only two clips remained. Pretty soon he was going to have to go back to the armory to get more. My best opportunity to talk to him was most likely when he gets up.
After five more shots, he reached for his last magazine and placed it into his rifle. I counted down the green lights as he shot them. About a minute after the fifth one flashed, I began walking over to his lane. He wasn’t getting up like I expected him to. Instead, he was still lying on the ground and looking through his scope. Even though I probably should have stopped and waited, I kept walking toward him. There were only about two feet between us now and I reached out to tap him on the shoulder.
Just as my fingers brushed his shoulder, his leg swept in-between my legs and knocked me right on my back. Within another second he jumped up, pulled out his sidearm and pointed it right at me. It all happened so fast. I put my arms up and looked right at his face in shock. The black hood came off in the process of jumping up however, the person wasn’t who I expected to find at all. More specifically, I hadn’t expected the shooter to be a girl.
“What’s wrong with you?! You should never come up behind someone like that when they’re shooting! I could have killed you! I should kill you for being such an idiot.”
I continued to look at her in shock. Just then, I realized that she was one of the girls from my class. I wasn’t not sure what her name was, but I had seen her a few times. She was quiet and didn’t interact much with any of the other recruits. In fact, the first time I had noticed her had been on my first day when I noticed that she was sitting alone at the end of one of the long tables. I would have felt much better if I had at least known her name.
She yelled at me again as I lay flat on my back. I was shocked, confused, and embarrassed all at the same time. A girl younger than me had just been shooting with 100% accuracy and now she had a gun pointed at my face. She could have killed me in a second. How was she this good? It doesn’t seem possible for someone her age to be this skilled with a sniper rifle. All I wanted was some shooting advice and now I feel like a turtle unable to get up.
“Uhhh… uhh… I’m sorry! I just wanted some shooting tips! I didn’t mean to startle you! Please don’t shoot! I’m sorry!”
I sounded like a moron as I begged her to not hurt me.
“You want a tip. Here’s one. Stay the hell away from me.”
She returned her sidearm to her holster and tucked her brown ponytail back into her hood. I watched as she slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder and then gave me one last dirty look. She stormed off into the armory as I got to my feet. Who the heck was that? And why was she practicing at this hour? I didn’t even get her name. I cautiously walked toward the armory and glanced inside the room but she was gone. Maybe Alexei knew who she is, and why she had such a good shot. She must have been from some crazy good special ops team. I hadn’t noticed any kind of accent in her voice so I assumed she was American. Then again, she could have been from somewhere else. I hadn’t gotten that great of a look at her. So much for that “never point a weapon at anyone” rule.
What happened tonight really had spooked me. That girl had taken me down with one move and I was somehow supposed to keep with trained military personnel like that for the next few months? I had been hoping to find other people here that I could keep up with. Clearly, her skills were far beyond my abilities. And there were fifty-something other men and women here who could probably kick my ass just as fast as she did. What the hell am I doing here? I may have been able to get through an obstacle course, but there is no way I’d survive any kind of one-on-one confrontation with someone like her. Besides, I wasn’t a fighter. My Dad had said in his video that I had the potential to help a lot of people. So far, I didn’t see how I can help anyone.
Doubt plagued my mind. Everything I had accomplished thus far and the little bit of confidence I had built up had vanished. I should have just left her alone and watched her shoot. Perhaps there was something bothering her and she needed to relieve some stress. If she really wanted to shoot, she could have waited until a few hours from now when we went into the range as a class. Regardless of what she was dealing with, I definitely did not want to interact with her ever again if I can help it. I have my own training to focus on.
I quietly snuck back to my room and slowly opened the door. As soon as I pushed on it, light crept into the dark hallway. I stuck my head inside and found Alexei typing away on his computer. My computer was locked with a password of some kind, and I’m hoping at some point the OICs would tell us what the password was. Although, Alexei is already using his and has been since I moved into the room. Either he had figured out what the password is, and knows something I don’t know.
“Hey, Trevor. What happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shut the door behind me and sat down in my chair. Alexei stood up and tossed me a water bottle from the fridge.
“Yeah, I just had a little run-in with one of the girls in our class down at the range. I’m not sure what her name is.”
“Can you describe her for me?”
“She’s average height with brown hair and looks like she can beat the crap out of anyone. She can also shoot better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Alexei sat back down and began typing away on his computer.
“Ahh, I think I know exactly who you’re talking about.”
“You know her?”
“Kind of. It’s a long story. One I’ll have to tell you another day. There is something I want to say now, and I just want to thank you for helping me through the course yesterday morning. I know I’m not in good shape. I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a kid. The OICs have issued me an official warning for my performance yesterday. That’s why I didn’t come back to the room last night.”
Alexei’s sincerity was appreciated, although I had done what I did because I thought we were supposed to do that. I hadn’t helped him through the course just because he was overweight, I had done it because it had been the right thing to do. When someone on the team was struggling, you doubled back and threw him over your shoulders. Leaving someone beh
ind is something I’d never do. Although, I didn’t think I could put Alexei on my shoulders.
“It was no big deal, Alexei. I’m sure you would do the same for me.”
“I would, actually. You’ve only been here a few days, but I can tell you’re different from everyone else. It’s obvious that you’re not a Navy SEAL or anything like that, but that’s OK. Neither am I. Well, that’s probably obvious too.”
Alexei laughed and I couldn’t help but do the same.
“Anyway Trevor, I need to tell you something.”
Alexei’s mood switched to serious and he turned his chair away from his computer.
“I don’t know how you’re processing the news we got yesterday about the infection. It took me a long time to really understand. However, that was mostly because I found out when I was twelve. None of the other recruits know this, but I’m actually already a Stormer, and have been for several years now.”
Alexei surprised me. The first thought that popped into my head suggested that he was either joking or lying, but for some reason, I don’t think he is. Why would you lie to your roommate about this at two in the morning?
“How are you already a Stormer? Don’t you have to go through this training first?”
“Well, yes you do, if you want to be a Strike officer. Three years ago I completed S.T.O.R.M.’s computer engineering school, like Commander Bradshaw had, except I became a Cyber Defense Officer. Specifically, my job was to get to the hotspots before the Strike Teams did, and prevent anyone from capturing footage of the team’s movement during a mission. My team and I monitored media, emails, phone lines, and anything that could be used to reveal information about us to the public. If someone did see something, we had to either eliminate the information or the person. Sometimes, we had to do both.”
Well, Alexei had more than convinced me that he’s telling the truth.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but if you were happy in the other division, why are you here?”
“My Dad.”
I immediately chuckled to myself. What a coincidence. Out of all the guys I could have been paired up with, I had gotten the one who was also here because of his Dad, how ironic.
“Yeah my Dad is a Stormer too, and he’s convinced that one day S.T.O.R.M. will not be able to contain an outbreak, which will lead to the world falling apart. He understands that my skills lie within the realm of cyberspace, but he thought it would be good to get a few years of field experience in case his crazy theory really does come true. I understand he wants me to have survival skills but honestly, if the world does somehow fall apart under S.T.O.R.M.’s watch, I already know where I’m going.”
So Alexei’s Dad was a Stormer too. I wonder if he had known my dad at all. They must have crossed paths at some point, or heard his name? I understood that S.T.O.R.M. was a worldwide organization, but I’m sure people found ways to stay in touch with fellow Stormers.
“What division was your dad in?”
“He was actually a Strike officer just like your dad.”
My heart jumped and I got goosebumps on my left arm. They must have known each other.
“By any chance, did our parents know each other?”
“Quite well actually.”
Alexei grinned and climbed back up into his bed. I stood up and eagerly waited for him to elaborate.
“How well?”
“Oh, your dad was actually trained by mine. He was one of his apprentices, and I believe he referred to Trent as his best one. The other recruits may not realize it but I know you’ve got some big shoes to fill. I’m sorry about what happened to him by the way. It’s a real shame, but I imagine that’s why you’re here.”
Alexei kept talking but I had stopped listening after he said that my Dad had been his Dad’s apprentice. Now, this really seemed like too big of a coincidence. Anger came over me as I realized that Alexei probably knew more about my dad’s career than I did. He needed to tell me everything he knows, and fast.
“Hey, can we talk some more tomorrow?”
“What else do you know about my dad?! Do you know how he died? Or where he died for that matter?! Tell me!”
“Trevor all I know is that your dad died. I don’t have any other details. Overall, I don’t know much more than what I already told you. My father trained him and took him on missions until his apprentice time was up. My dad never told me anything specific about those missions, he just talked about how your dad was the best Strike officer he had ever trained. He even saved my dad’s life one time, but I don’t remember the details. Let me make you a deal.”
I begrudgingly agreed even though I wanted Alexei to tell me more.
“I need to sleep, and so you do since we need to get up in a few hours, but give me a day or two to think of everything I know about your dad. I even think I have some old mission files with his name on them that my father had given me a few years ago. Sound fair?”
As little as I wanted to admit it, Alexei was right and I did need to sleep. I agreed to his deal and turned the light off in our room. Overall, I was extremely grateful to have had Alexei as my roommate and, more importantly, as a friend.
Chapter Thirteen: It’s All About The Codes
Loud punk-rock music suddenly began sounding from the hallway and abruptly ended my brief attempt at sleeping. Staying up late last night had definitely not been the best plan and I had a strong feeling that I would be suffering from the consequences of that poor decision later. There was no time to be drowsy or slow now since it was time to get up. I looked over at Alexei, who was just as sluggish as me right now. As the loud music continued to hurt my ears, I encouraged Alexei to get dressed although I couldn’t tell if he could even hear what I was saying.
“Let’s GO! We don’t have time to waste, recruits!”
Commander Knight and the other OICs screamed outside our doors and I ran into the hallway seconds after I had finished lacing up my sneakers. Alexei did the same and ran out, however, he had forgot one crucial part of his wardrobe. Two OICs caught Alexei’s mishap almost immediately and informed him that pants were required if he wanted to participate in training today. A few recruits noticed and tried to hold back their laughter as he rushed back into the room. I had noticed a few nights ago that Alexei slept in his boxers, but I had never thought that he might forget to put on pants. He must have been just as tired as am, possibly more.
Like usual, Commander Knight led us through a vigorous PT session, stretches, and then to breakfast. Once we had all eaten and showered, I thought we were going back down to the range, however, Lieutenant Ward instructed us to remain standing outside our rooms. The entire class stood still as we waited for the next evolution. A few recruits started to whisper and speculate about what we were doing today. Just then, Commander Knight turned the corner and came roaring down our hallway.
“Good morning class! Everyone ready to start the day?!”
We all replied “Yes Sir” in unison. Commander Knight explained that today we would be going down to the range to get our weapons but we won’t be doing any shooting. Instead, we were going to bring our gear up here to learn about the tactics of clearing buildings and how to search for an infected target. Identifying who was infected and who was clean was a critical part of training which we had not performed yet.
We went down to the range and got our gear like he said to, and then returned to Deck Five. Lieutenant Ward split us up into teams of four and assigned each team to a different part of the barracks to use for the evolution. I had been hoping to be grouped up with Alexei, however, we were split up. I was with Marcus, Harold, and Mark. This should be interesting, I thought.
“OK, once you find your areas, the four of you will take turns leading your team through several rooms. As the leader, it’s your job to direct your teammates which way to go either verbally or by the use of hand signals.”
Commander Knight got called away before he finished giving us instructions. Harold and Mark began conversing about which one o
f them was going to take the lead first. Since getting here I had noticed a lot of fierce competition between many of the recruits and most of it came out during training evolutions. I questioned why order mattered since we had just been told that everyone would be getting a turn to lead. Harold didn’t respond well to my comment and asked me what my name was again, even though I had told him several days ago when we had bumped into each other in the armory.
I bit my lip and reluctantly told him again, creating an awkward pause before the conversation picked up again. I was insulted that he hadn’t remembered my name. I’d been here for a few weeks now and done everything I can to keep up with these guys, and despite my non-combat background, I thought I’d done pretty well. There was no reason why anyone here shouldn’t take me seriously unless they think I’m only here because of my Dad.
“Ahh right, you’re Trevor. I thought you had washed out of here by now.”
Marcus jumped in: “Relax Harold, there’s no need for that.”
My face turned red and I instantly got mad at him for saying that. I was about to say something in my defense when Commander Knight returned.
“All right Trevor, I want you to go first and clear that room with your team. Call out every direction you want your teammates to search. In a real life situation, you have to think quickly so you can allocate your men to either attack a target or support civilians. I will be grading you on your communication and speed. Don’t waste any time in there. Also, be aware of your surroundings. Whatever happens, maintain your focus. You are in charge of your team. Begin whenever you’re ready.”
Harold snarled in disgust as we put our gear on. I can tell he might be a little tough to work with. Regardless, he’s in my class and we have to work together. I took a few deeps breaths, slung my K-pack on my back and grabbed my rifle. It’s time to go to work.
“OK,, guys here’s the plan. Standard clearance of the dining room. Four man diamond formation. I’ll take point. Listen to my commands and shout out anything strange or unusual. Let’s go.”