Our group leaves the classroom and heads back to the barracks to leave the notes we had taken there before heading to the shooting range. Every one of us seemed to be excited to be going to the range, but in the back of my mind I try to let the lesson I had just left sink in. It was all about teamwork; a concept I knew very little about growing up. I was always the lone wolf of my town, or maybe just the black sheep. All of the kids in Nibelheim were so stupid and bratty except Tifa, who was always nice to me. But with everyone else around, I barely got to spend any time with her, even though she was my neighbour. Maybe if I was a little braver I could have joined in more. It was strange how I had no problem with getting into fights with the other boys in town, but I couldn't deal with them not giving me their approval.
Leaving my notes on my bed, I return outside where the Captain was waiting, determined never to be the last one out. The last thing I wanted was to be on his bad side. Especially after the mood he'd been in after Farron attacked Baker. She'd come across as abrasive from the beginning, but I wonder what the hell happened to make her snap to the point where she's hospitalised the girl. I certainly wasn't going to ask though.
"Everyone get in formation! We'll be marching to the weapons range where you'll be issued a weapon and trained in the basics of how to use it. If there's ANY messing around or anything I deem dangerous occurring, you'll be spending all day and night on your hands and knees picking up brass! Is that clear?" The captain barks, noticing the excitable expressions on our faces.
"Yes, Sir!" we all shout in reply.
It felt like we were marching for an hour by the time the unmistakable sight of the range came into view. Targets in the rough shape of men were lined in front of a dirt backstop about a hundred yards away from a row of tables that look to be full of rifles. Just off to the left I spot Farron and another soldier stood in wait. I was so excited to begin shooting, but I try to keep focused. This was just a stepping stone to a SOLDIER uniform and their famous broadswords.
"Has she been useful or a burden, Sergeant?" MscMillan asks.
"Private Farron has been very efficient at completing the tasks I have given her, Captain," the man answers.
"Very good. Farron, stack up with the other recruits," he orders the pinkette. "All right, listen up! You are to each position yourself at the table in front of a rifle. That rifle will become your issued weapon for the duration of your service in the Shinra military. On the stock of the rifle you'll find a blue number. Make note of it, as it will be a way for you to identify your rifle should it be placed down with other weapons. During the exercise, you will be given the orders 'load', 'chamber', 'fire' and 'make safe'. Most are self explanatory, but I'll explain the most important. If you hear me or Sergeant Browning shout 'make safe', I expect you to remove the magazine from the rifle and manually cycle the bolt to confirm there isn't a round in the chamber and then place the weapon on the table. Is that understood?!"
"Yes, Sir," we reply in unison.
"Find a place at the table and pick up your weapon," the Captain orders.
Everyone including myself heads towards the table as quickly as possible without giving the impression of rushing and stand in front of a rifle. I pick it up and look at it, enjoying the cold blued metal in my hands. It was a little heavier than I expected, but I'm sure that in time I'd get used to it. Turning the rifle over, I glance at the blue number painted on the left hand side of the butt stock. Number 7.. I take note. This was MY rifle. Now I was a soldier. Now I was a man.
"Oh, great.. Just great.." Chris sighs at the side of me.
"What's up?" I ask, frowning at him.
"Of all the luck. Bloody 13! I'll probably blow up in my face!"
"Give it here, I'm not superstitious," Farron's voice says from behind, offering up her own rifle.
"Awesome!" Chris beams, trading rifles with her. "I take it back, you're not a psycho after all."
My eyes dart to the pinkette's to try and read her expression while I try to quickly decide if I like Chris enough to jump in front of them should the need arise. Thankfully Farron just rolls her eyes and returns to the other side of me. She seems far less interested in the rifles than we are, but I just put it down to her being a girl.
"Load!" The Captain shouts.
With my left hand, I pick up a full magazine from the table and locate the top where the bullets came out. I clumsily try to insert it into the rifle, taking a few attempts to get it seated, but eventually it goes in with a positive click.
"Chamber!" We're commanded, and with one swift pull, I load a round into the chamber. "Fire!"
I raise my gun up and look down the sights, carefully lining it up with the target. The weight of the gun made it difficult to stay steady, but I feel confident and pull the trigger. Nothing happens, leaving me confused and then a single gunshot a second later makes me jump. I look to my left to find it was the pinkette's gun that had fired, where as everyone else was just looking around confused.
"Private Farron. Why is it that everyone but you is looking around, confused?" The Captain asks her.
"Because I was the only one who took the safety off, Sir," she replies softly, probably hoping she wasn't in trouble again.
"Correct, Farron. Glad to see keeping you here wasn't a mistake. Safety off and fire!"
Silently cursing myself, I flick the selector lever to semi auto and fire my rifle for the first time ever. There was something so cool about the whole experience. The noise, the recoil and the occasional blast of fire out of the muzzle overloaded my senses and I couldn't help but grin.
"This is cool!" I shout to Garret, who turns to me with an equally wide grin.
I turn back to the target and continue to shoot, quickly realising I'd probably wasted half a magazine of bullets just enjoying myself. I scald myself for not taking it seriously, telling myself that a SOLDIER would always stay focused as I take aim again. The last dozen shots were far more precise and I guess I hit the target more often than not. The sheer mass of bullets on the table tells me that I was going to get quite a bit more practice thankfully.
"Make safe and reload your magazine!"
Doing as instructed, I pull on the empty magazine to no avail. I look at it confused for a moment until Farron reaches over and silently points to a little lever just behind the mag. Gripping the mag with my hand I use my thumb to push the lever forward and it pulls free. I turn to the pinkette and give her a nod of gratitude. She nods back in silence; neither one of us wanting to be shouted at for talking. I had no idea how long we were at the range for, or how many rounds I'd fired, but by the time the Captain stopped the exercise I had become a pretty good shot and my hears were ringing.
"Not bad, recruits. Ensure all guns are clear and all magazines are empty. While on the base, rifles will be carried at all times unless stated otherwise, but they MUST NOT be kept loaded. You're now going to march back to the mess hall to eat. You'll have till 1300 hours and then you better all be on the parade yard looking presentable. Dismissed!"
Without a seconds hesitation we all quickly march towards the mess hall, eager to eat before we're back to the uncertainty of the rest of the day. All I can think about is every minute we spent marching is a minute we loose eating and resting. If I wanted to get into SOLDIER I'd need to be in peak physical condition.
"What do you think we're doing after lunch, Cloud?" Chris asks me.
"Something quiet, I hope. As cool as that was, my ears are ringing," I reply.
"I wonder how long until we get to see some real action," Chris ponders aloud.
"You seem awfully eager to die," Farron scoffs, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
"Not me. I'll be mowing down hoards of Wutaian warriors. Besides, everyone knows bullets beat swords," Chris says matter of factly.
"Tell that to SOLDIER members. Don't they carry swords?" Farron points out. "All I wanna know is when we get some time off."
"We've only been at it a couple of days. You had enough already?" I ask the pinkette.
"I could run rings around you two clowns with my eyes closed, or didn't you see my grouping?"
"She did outshoot us to be fair..." Chris laughs.
We finally made it to the mess hall and sit down with our bland but still very much welcomed food. There was still twenty minutes before we had to head out to the parade square, but I notice out of the window Captain MacMillan and some other infantry setting out heavy looking backpacks on the floor. I nudge Garrett and gesture out of the window, and he took looks as confused as I am.
"What do you make of that, Farron," he asks the pinkette, never taking his eyes off the Captain.
"Great…. I think we should eat as much food as we possibly can," she answers bizarrely.
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Those bergens. They're usually what you'd take on massive hikes or wild camping trips. I think we could be in for a long day," the pinkette explains with a concerned tone.
I was quite impressed with how perceptive Farron was, although I don't think I'd ever tell her in case it went to her head. We all took her advice however and quickly got up to shovel in more food. The minutes of rest quickly counted down, and with less than five until we needed to be outside I stand up and head to the parade yard, knowing the consequences of being late would no doubt be severe.
"That's impressive, Garret!" The Captain shouts as we approach. "Please share with the group how you were able to camouflage your rifle so effectively it became invisible?!"
"Shit.. Sorry, Sir!" Chris answers sheepishly, running back to the mess hall to retrieve his weapon.
"Everyone stand in front of the bergen that has the same number as your rifle. This pack is the most important part of your issued kit. It usually contains everything you need to survive in most environments for up to a week, however only two days worth of rations are present now due to the ease of the task," MacMillan explains. "You will split into groups of four, climb into the trucks and will be driven to an undisclosed location. Your task is to make it back here and ring a bell that will be placed where I'm stood. Anybody not back within twenty-four hours will be removed from basic training and thrown out of the Shinra military. The first group back under the time limit will receive special treatment. Select your four man teams."
I immediately turn to Chris, who just nods at me understandingly as I walk up to him. Up to now, I trusted him the most and I was determined to win this to get some recognition. We spot Alex hoisting the heavy backpack onto his shoulder and wave him over, leaving us with only one more person to select. The three of us look around as everyone is slowly starting to form their own little groups, narrowing our options. The last thing we wanted was to fail the exercise because of one person though, so we needed to choose wisely.
"Farron!" Chris shouts, waving his hand in the air to get her attention.
At first I thought he must be mad, but there was no denying she was competent and a quick learner; albeit with a firearm and not navigating. She was perceptive enough to understand what was about to happen before anybody else did though. By the time the pinkette had walked up to us, I'm fully on board with the idea of her being on our team.
"Wanna join us?" I ask casually, realising for the first time she could say no.
"Sure," she replies after a worryingly long pause, as if considering us to be worthy of her presence.
"Listen up!" The Captain roars, silencing us all. "There are a few important rules. You will carry your rifle at all times, but you are not to use it unless your life is in immediate danger. As recruits who have yet to qualify from basic training, you do not possess the rights or influence of a qualified soldier. This means you cannot use the Shinra name to help you complete the task. Once inside the trucks, the rear door will be sealed and you are not to look outside. Finally, you are not to check the contents of your bergen until you have been removed from the vehicle. Load up!"
With our brief over with, the four of us climb onto the back of one of the trucks, having the door sealed shut behind us. Benches lined the two sides of the rear compartment and in the centre we threw our bergens. I figured with a twenty four hour timeline we'd be on the road for a few hours, so I close my eyes and try to sleep, knowing my motion sickness would be easier to deal with if I got a few hours rest.
Waking up to such nice reviews has made me want to get this one out to you quicker. I've sat here for a couple of hours with a now empty bottle of crystal skull vodka and somehow a chapter has been written. I'm glad you liked Light being from Costa Del Sol. My initial thought was under junon, but budhum was such a nice, tranquil place. What I'm now trying to do (because im very sad and detailed about silly things) is how to space out everything in the world. If I go off the AC signpost, Kalm is 51 miles from Midgar. Using that measurement as a key, the actual planet is about 1000 miles around. About 8 times smaller than earth. Maybe I should scale it up, or maybe is shouldn't drink so much and work stupid stuff out XD