May 2076
Fort Ord Pacific Command Naval Base
Monterey, Pacific Territory
United States of America

“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without me, my rifle is nothing. Without my rifle, I am nothing,” Alex shouted in unison with the other recruits. He stood at the front of his newly assigned squad, as did each other Corporal of the other teams.

Dempsey had lined each squad up along the gravel road leading up to the barracks. The first two days after the formation of the new squads had been spent learning the rudimentary, but necessary, task of breaking down, cleaning, and reassembling an M4C3 Infantry Rifle. It was the standard weapon for the U.S. military and so it had been adopted by many private military companies and security organizations in service across the country and world. Today, the recruits were getting their first opportunity to fire the weapon. 

Alex was nervous. He hadn’t fired a weapon since the day he shot Forrest and Bryan. He had no idea what it would feel like to fire a gun again. Would he see them, standing out on the field, rather than targets? Trying to clear his head, he pushed the thoughts away, further back into the recesses of his memory. He knew he would have to face those demons one day, but he couldn’t let it get in the way of what he had to do in the moment.

“Today, we start marksmanship training,” Dempsey began. “It is the first of three major operational training weeks. Next week, you will be taught hand-to-hand combat and knife skills. The last week will be devoted to survival and medical skills training. The development of these three sets of skills is vital to ensuring the completion of the final exam, is this understood?”

“Yes, Drill Sergeant,” echoed the voices of the sixty-odd recruits facing him.

“Good. Good. I’m glad you are all excited,” he continued. “How many of you have experience with firearms?” Alex watched as about a third of the recruits raised their hands and felt his own hand rising. When Dempsey was satisfied that everyone with experience had raised their hands. “Next question. Keep your hands up if you’ve ever had to use a firearm against another person.”

Alex felt his ears burning and knew with grim certainty that he was going to be one of the few whose hands stayed in the air. When he looked down the line, his stomach dropped. He was the only one with his hand still raised. Worse than that, everyone was staring at him. Some had eyes wide with shock. Some snickered disbelief. He caught a glimpse of Sebastian who looked angry, as if Alex admitting to his past experience was an affront. Then he caught the eyes of Cassie. She nodded reassuringly to him.

“Corporal Samuelson, you seem to be our only recruit with real world experience,” Dempsey said as his eyes scanned the faces of the others. “Would you be willing to share the experience with the rest of us?” It sounded to Alex like an order, but something about Dempsey’s tone made him think twice about answering. You have to face it at some point, Alex, he heard his mother’s voice in his head, as if she were reprimanding him.

“My family’s farm was attacked. They killed my mom and tried to rape my sister. I was out hunting and followed them back to the house,” he said, glancing from face to face, searching for sympathy. “I killed two of them before they could hurt Rachel, but... I didn’t want to kill them, I just did what I had to to protect my sister, you know?” 

Alex felt the feelings welling up inside him. He had kept them chained down, kept a mask on for everyone else, but now they threatened to spill out again. He realized a moment later that Dempsey had come to stand before him. Alex straightened his back and quickly wiped away the tears forming in his eyes.

“You did what you had to do to protect your family, Corporal,” Dempsey said and for a moment Alex thought it was Rourke talking to him. “Did you regret killing them, afterwards?”

“I don’t regret killing them, in the sense that they were trying to hurt my family. But, no, sir, I didn’t want to kill them. I just didn’t know another way around it,” he said. 

Dempsey’s eyes softened, almost an imperceptible twinge at the edges. He turned and walked back to his previous position, to address the recruits as a whole. Each of them glanced at Alex, as if they knew what was about to happen.

“Corporal Samuelson, up front!” Dempsey said from his position next to the table holding the training weapons. Alex jogged up, conscious that every eye on the field now watched his every move. “Pick up the weapon and take your stance. We are going to start with a prone position, single fire setting.”

Alex grabbed the rifle from the table. The M4C3 was a light battle rifle with a switchable fire setting that could be changed from a single fire setting to three-round burst setting. Alex quickly checked the action and slapped in a fresh magazine. He sighted down the top of the rifle, making sure the iron sights were straight and clean. Satisfied that the weapon was ready, he took the indicated position, laying flat in the dirt, his right leg bent at the knee to help support his weight as he settled the grip of the weapon on the sandbags piled to help support accurate shooting.

“Corporal, I want two shots on target four. That’s a hundred feet for those of you who haven’t been paying attention,” Dempsey barked. Alex found the target quickly and set about readying the shot. “You may fire when ready, Corporal.”

Alex slowed his breath and blinked his eyes clear of sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, knowing anything short of a close hit would be an embarrassment in the eyes of his peers, and perhaps even in the eyes of Dempsey. He slowly raised the rifle toward the target and then quickly squeezed off the first round. The rifle spat the round and the bullet ripped across the relatively short distance. Alex gazed at the target and saw a hole appeared about six inches high and to the left of the bullseye.

“So much for accuracy,” scoffed Sebastian from the back of the pack. A few near him chuckled at the insult. Alex felt his ears burn with embarrassment, but he fought it back.

“You’ll be next, Malwood,” Dempsey said, his glare quieting the group. “Second shot, Samuelson, let’s go.”

Alex nodded slightly, as much to steady himself as acknowledging Dempsey. He pushed out thoughts of the others watching, memories of his family, and the expectations of Dempsey. He couldn’t let them down, not now, not when it mattered. 

He emptied his mind and his vision narrowed. Everything seemed to stand still for a moment, as if the world held its breath, waiting for him to pull the trigger. He felt the trigger against his finger, smooth and sure, just like his shot had to be. The rest of the world seemed to fade at the periphery of his vision, his sole focus the target down range. It felt oddly similar to his experiences hunting, much like the detachment he had felt when he had been confronted by the assault of his family.

Alex didn’t hesitate. He squeezed off the second round and then realized his finger was working the trigger again, immediately firing off a third round after the second, as if it were some kind of natural response to the pressure of the moment. He almost thought he could see the rounds leaving the barrel and he knew for certain that they would strike home. It was the same feeling he had felt while hunting the bird, how he had known the shot would strike even before it did.

“I said two shot, Samuelson, not three! I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but...” Dempsey started to shout, but his voice died in his throat as he stared at the target downrange. 

Alex studied it too and saw only one new hole on the paper of the target. It was dead center. He heard muttered curses behind him. Most of the voices seemed impressed but a few seemed to not believe what they were seeing. Dempsey pulled out his holopad and tapped a few commands into its sleek interface. A miniature three dimensional rendering of the target and bullet trajectories appeared and Alex watched as the Drill Sergeant’s eyes widened, visibly enough for everyone to see. Then they narrowed and he gave Alex a suspicious look.

“I don’t know how you did that, Corporal, but I’ll be damned if I’ve ever seen someone fire two rounds back-to-back and have them travel the exact same path. According to the scanners, that second round went almost clean through the hole from the first,” Dempsey said quietly. 

He quickly punched in something else and then put away the holopad as he turned to face the rest of the group. He pointed to the target out on the range as he addressed the assembled recruits.

“That right there is your goal, boys and girls. The top three shooters, assuming any of you can get that close, will join Corporal Samuelson as my assistants for instruction in range practice for the next three weeks. You’ll also be given automatic passes on range instruction.”

That brought another chorus of whispering. Being given an automatic pass meant Alex was already a third of the way through specialization. He could focus on the other two components without having to worry too much about the range outside of mandatory practice drills.

“Well don’t just stand there! I want rounds down range in one minute or you’ll all be running laps until sundown!”

* * *

Jimmy staggered from the blow to his stomach as air exploded from his lungs. The recruit he faced was a wiry 16 year-old named Enrique, who Alex suspected was well versed in hand-to-hand combat before he even thought about entering Basic. Alex also suspected that Enrique had just pulled his kick to Jimmy’s stomach. Not that it mattered much. Jimmy was small for his age and that meant he was small compared to just about everyone else, including nearly all the girls. He doubled over on the ground as he gasped for air. Dempsey called an end to the bout as he hauled Jimmy to his feet.

“You can step back, Gomez,” he said briskly and Enrique stepped back into the crowd of recruits.

“Sanders, what have I been saying, keep your hands up and take the blow with your arms or hips, not your stomach,” Dempsey shouted at Jimmy, who just nodded weakly. Alex didn’t see why Dempsey had to yell. Jimmy probably wasn’t listening anyway as he heaved breath after breath. “Alright, get yourself up. It’s time for a little experiment. Samuelson! Malwood! Reeves! Get in the ring, now!”

Alex accepted a brief pat on the back from Shawn as he stepped up to Jimmy’s side. They’d learned to fight in pairs, but Alex knew Jimmy, even at full strength, wasn’t much of a partner for a fist fight. He watched Sebastian and Jeremy warily as they hopped out across from he and Jimmy, who staggered upright, his face red with pain and exhaustion. Sebastian had proved to be indifferent with the fighting, but Jeremy seemed to find a particularly cruel enjoyment in hitting people with his fists. Alex saw him cast a sidelong glance at Cassie as he flashed her a smile. Alex also noted her face changed from impassive interest to a frown. Alex grinned.

“Corporal Samuelson, you and Recruit Sanders will be paired against Corporal Malwood and Recruit Reeves,” Dempsey announced, more to the rest of the recruits watching from around the circle. “Anyone who stays down for more than five seconds will be disqualified from the fight. This is two on two, so the first pair to fall is out. If someone is down, you stop any attacks, is that clear?” Dempsey glanced from face to face, but all he got was intent stares back. He nodded briefly, as if that were enough, then stepped back from the four recruits.

“Stay behind me. If you get hit too hard, just stay down and I’ll try to do my best to handle them,” Alex said to Jimmy, who nodded briefly. He was still trying to catch his breath when Dempsey chopped his hand down.

“Fight!” 

Alex heard the order, but he was immediately on the defensive as Sebastian moved in with a swift side kick. Alex ducked the kick but realized too late what the result would be. He heard a sickening thump as Sebastian’s boot caught Jimmy full in the face. The smaller boy had been waiting behind Alex, trying to catch his breath. He hadn’t even see the kick. Jimmy spun around completely and collapsed in the dirt. Alex rolled away from the battered younger recruit, seeking to put more distance between himself and his two opponents

As he rose to his feet again, he found himself facing Jeremy, who smiled maliciously at Alex while he crouched low into a fighting stance. Alex kept a wary eye on Sebastian, who was prodding Jimmy with his toe, waiting for him to rise. Jeremy’s fist snaked in and Alex barely got his guard up in time to deflect the hard blow with his forearms. Pain laced up Alex’s wrists, but he ignored it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jimmy make a feeble attempt to rise, only to be met by a savage kick to the chest by Sebastian. Jimmy cried out in pain, gasping for air that wouldn’t fill his lungs.

Alex felt a burning anger behind his eyes. Jimmy wasn’t going to be able to do anything, even if he did rise. Fair fights are for suckers, he heard Rourke say in his mind. Alex nodded, as if the old man was standing behind him like a boxing coach. You fight to win, Alex. You fight to win.

Alex heard a yell erupt from between his lips but he didn’t recognize the tone. It was a primal sound, an animal shout of rage. He briefly turned his attention to Jeremy, who for once seemed unsure of how to advance. The other recruit lashed out with a punch aimed at Alex’s throat. Alex parried the blow, pushing it to his left as he brought his body to within a foot of his opponent. His right elbow slammed into Jeremy’s gut at the same time his left fist connected with the center of the other boy’s throat. Jeremy collapsed in the dirt, clutching at his throat, gasping for breath. Alex ignored his defeated opponent and moved directly toward Sebastian.

Sebastian, to his own credit, kept his composure at the sight of his friend and teammate being felled in seconds. His reach was nearly a foot longer than Alex’s own and Sebastian used it to good effect. He lashed out a low kick to Alex’s shins, which was easily dodged. The two traded blows and dodges, blocks and counter-strikes, trying to find a weakness. Alex knew he would have to get in close, like he did with Jeremy. The opportunity presented itself to him as Sebastian became impatient with the fight.

“Enough bouncing, it’s time to end this,” Sebastian growled as he unloaded a powerful high kick aimed at Alex’s head. But rather than duck as he had done before, Alex lunged into the kick. As Sebastian’s foot reached the top of its arc, where he expected it to connect with Alex’s head, the taller fighter found only empty air. Alex leaped in to close with Sebastian. As he did, he brought his knee up in a full-strength blow between Sebastian’s legs. He let his momentum carry the rest of his weight up in a blow to Sebastian’s solar plexus with his shoulder. The two fell in a tangle to the dirt and Alex quick rolled away, rising to his feet ready to meet another kick.

But as he kneeled in the dirt of the ring, he saw the fight was clearly over. Jimmy and Jeremy had been led away by other recruits to catch their breath, but both would clearly require hours to recover. Sebastian lay in the dirt, sobbing uncontrollably in pain, clutching both hands between his legs as he gasped for breath, eyes screwed shut as tears streamed unabated down his face. 

Alex glanced around at the other recruits. Some looked amazed while others just stood in silent shock at the brutality and speed displayed by Alex in his takedown of the two other recruits. A few even looked at him with open fear. Shawn and a few of the others grinned, but Alex could see their eyes held the same shock as the others. Even Dempsey was silent as he watched Alex rise to his feet.

Alex didn’t know what to do. He simply stood there, waiting to see what would happen.

“Samuelson, come with me. Woods, Hawthorne, get Malwood over to medical and have them give him something to get him asleep,” Dempsey said quietly. 

Alex grimaced as he passed his team, as if to apologize for what he did. Shawn just nodded as he moved to hoist Sebastian up over his shoulder. The beaten recruit moaned in pain as he was lifted and half dragged up the hill towards Medical. Alex jogged to catch up to Dempsey. When they were well away from the rest of the group, Dempsey whirled and delivered a punishing blow to Alex’s side. He staggered from the unexpected impact and let out a low groan of pain.

“What the hell was that for?” Alex squawked, all pretense of respect for Dempsey gone.

“To show you what it feels like to get hit by someone the way you just did to Malwood and Reeves,” Dempsey replied as he kicked Alex’s legs out from under him. Alex collapsed to the ground and let out another grunt of pain as his shoulder slammed into the sharp gravel.

“Sebastian, Corporal Malwood, was hitting Jimmy while he was on the ground. He took a cheap shot and I let him know I don’t let my friends get pushed around like that,” Alex said through clenched teeth as he hauled himself back to his feet.

“This was an exercise, Samuelson, not some sanctioned slugfest where it was kill or be killed. You’ll get to that soon enough, I promise you that,” Dempsey yelled back. “You are in training, Corporal. This is where we teach you to survive and do your job. We teach you how to defend yourself and, yes, if necessary, kill. But we aren’t in the business of creating animals or reckless idiots who go off half-cocked every time someone they care about gets hurt!” He emphasized his last point with a firm backhand slap across Alex’s face.

Alex reacted without thinking. He let his body whip around front the slap and swung his left fist in an uppercut aimed for Dempsey’s chin. But when his hand passed the sergeant’s head and found only air, Alex felt another punishing blow pummel into his side. He twisted in pain as he clutch ribs that were most likely bruised, if not broken.

“You know what your problem is, Samuelson? You think the whole world is out to get you,” Dempsey said, circling Alex as he spoke. “You think you are the only person who ever had to kill to defend his home? You think you are the only one here who has an excuse to be angry with the life you’ve been dealt? Wake up, Corporal! The world doesn’t give a damn about you! So if you find yourself at the final exam, where lives are really on the line and the bullets are real, and you do something like the stunt you just pulled, you’ll be dead in minutes, I promise you that!”

Alex didn’t know what to say. Dempsey wasn’t anything close to an enjoyable person to be around, but he tried to refrain from any open hostility unless you deserved. Alex felt his ears burn as blood rushed to his head. But instead of anger, he just felt ashamed. Ashamed and sick, the way he had at the trial.

“I’m sorry, Sergeant. I don’t know what happened. I was just so angry and I snapped,” Alex said quietly, still silently sucking in breaths as he sat up.

“Don’t apologize to me, Corporal. Apologize to yourself, and the other recruits. Because if you do this again, some of them are going to die because of it,” Dempsey said with finality as he stalked away, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts and pain.

* * *

Alex trudged up the hill toward the barracks. He had spent several hours thinking about the past few days and the previous few months. Dempsey’s words had stayed with him the entire time and he kept repeating them in his head. Don’t apologize to me, Corporal. Apologize to them, because you’ll get them killed, he heard in his head in Dempsey’s voice. He was so involved in his thinking that he nearly ran into the figure standing in his path.

“Whoa, Alex, watch out,” Cassie said as she danced out of his way. He looked up suddenly, caught off guard.

“Sorry, Cassie. I didn’t see you there. Guess I wasn’t really paying attention,” Alex mumbled quietly. He didn’t really feel like interacting.

“Well that was pretty obvious, Alex,” she replied crisply. He brightened a little as he looked up. Her face was still dirty from the fight training in the afternoon. He also noticed she had streaks of blood on the shoulder hem of her shirt.

“Uh, yeah, sorry.. I was actually heading up to see Sebastian. How’s he doing?” Alex said. He gazed into her eyes for a moment, but pulled away quickly. He had never felt uncomfortable around her growing up, but somehow he did now.

“You hit him pretty hard,” she said with a small laugh. It was happy sound and Alex found himself smiling without even realizing it. “His voice pitched up about an octave for the first hour. Don’t worry, though, you didn’t do any permanent damage. He’ll be having to walk carefully for the next few days though.” 

“I’d better get going,” Alex replied with a smile. 

Cassie just nodded as she stepped back and waved briefly. Then she turned and walked down toward a group of other recruits who were lounging on the grass outside in what little spare time they had. Alex forced himself not to watch the sway of her hips. Instead, he pushed thoughts of Cassie away and focused on the task at hand.

Ten minutes later, Alex found himself standing outside the door to the room Sebastian was using for the night while the hospital staff monitored him for any problems relating to his injuries. The nurse had asked him to wait while she made sure everything was ready. Alex entered the room as she passed by, waving him in.

“What the hell do you want, Samuelson,” Sebastian growled from the bed in the far corner of the room. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with the letters M-E-R-C printed in thick, black font on the front.

“Came to say sorry,” Alex said, his voice quiet.

“Sorry for kicking my ass in front of everyone?” Sebastian said, a note of bitter humor in his voice. “Save your apologies for something that matters, Samuelson.”

“I could have put you out of training, Sebastian. I could have ended your career before it started. We both know you are one of the best here. I got pissed when you kicked Jimmy while he was down. I didn’t think, I just acted and - “ Alex began.

“You went crazy, man,” Sebastian finished for him. “I thought I was going to die on the ground there. Just consider yourself lucky you didn’t kill anyone today, Samuelson,” he said, eyes knitted in a mixture of anger and pain. “My family has lots of sway in this part of the territory. Next time you try something like this, I promise you’ll live to regret it. But I wouldn’t hold my breath that dear sister does, if I were you.”

“If you ever touch her, I swear I’ll kill you,” Alex said, his hand lashing out and grabbing Sebastian by the scruff of his shirt. To his surprise, Sebastian just chuckled.

“That’s right, Samuelson. You’re a killer, don’t ever forget it. Me, I don’t need a gun to cause pain. I just need a phone. Remember that,” Sebastian said. Alex realized his fist was cocked back for a punch. He lowered it slowly and forced himself to calm down.

“I’ll leave you to your recovery. Just stay out of my way, Sebastian,” Alex warned.

“Oh, don’t worry about me, Samuelson. Worry about Cassie. She may act sweet around you and shower you with smiles, but don’t think for a second she won’t put a bullet through your skull if it’s more convenient,” Sebastian said. “Just some food for thought.”

Next Chapter: Ch. 8 - Field Exercises