Go time
I hope you've been enjoying the story thus far this I think is a pretty poignant chapter in the story up to this point but there's still many things yet to come I really do appreciate all the support that this story has been getting and I hope it continues in future chapters but anyway onto the boring stuff I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always I don't own COD but I do own Anchor.
My week with Ashley grew to a close with us looking over a few houses but we decided to leave it for a bit just so we could let the idea sink in. I arrived back on base at around half eight and I approached the billets where I could hear Wozzo going ape shit.
"You lot are a fucking disgrace!" He shouted as I walked in and placed my beret over my head, "What the fuck are you even doing here? You can't even clean your shit up?" I walked into the room where he was absolutely bollocking the newest group of candidates. "Ah, Colour Sergeant Jacks, can you show these fuck ups how to tidy their racks and get their shit together!"
"Yes, Warrant Officer Pitchings." I said as he left the room, I observed the candidates as the relaxed when he left the room. "Alright you lot, I'm Colour Sergeant Jacks and I will be in charge of PT and field craft, so can someone show me how to arrange their locker properly please?" I ordered across the silent room. I walked up to a tall man who looked rather ropey, "You show me," I ordered as I looked him in the eye he was about my height so he stood head and shoulders above most of the other candidates.
"Yes, Sir," He said in his droll Leeds accent. It took him about a minute and a half but he had organised his locker into the fashion that we deem appropriate in the marines.
"Look at what Mr. Sean Bean has produced for us," I laughed as I turned addressing the other candidates, "All is in order take note this is what we expect when you next get an inspection we expect this, take notes and get your shit together!"
"Yes, Colours!" is what greeted me in response as I walked into the gangway between the bunks.
"Good, now take note and get your shit in line for the next inspection Wozzo won't be so lenient next time." The corporal said to the candidates as he stood next to me in the room.
"Alright then, that's enough for one night," I said as I walked over to the door nodding for the corporal to follow, "Dismissed." We both exited the room leaving the candidates to it.
"So how was your week off?" The corporal asked me as we walked towards the NCO mess for a swifty.
"It was good," I smiled and nodded to him.
"So, come on, what is the verdict?" He then asked as we entered the room.
I ignored his comment for the moment as we headed over to the fridge and pulled out two Carling black label lagers, bottled because we are classy in the marines, from the depths of the fridge.
"Right you two, we're off out on field craft," Pitchings ordered as he burst into the mess as I opened the two beers.
"But we just clocked that group off and we got beer," The corporal said as he took a gulp from the bottle.
"One it's not that group and two that's not beer it's piss water, grow some balls and drink dark ale," He laughed as he left the room suddenly.
"What do we do with these?" The corporal looked at me confused.
"Chug is pussy!" I told him as I started necking the lager. The corporal did the same but I got it down me a few seconds faster than he had managed to be.
We rolled up outside the billet which had a several trucks and a set of mastiffs outside it, the lieutenant was stood ordering a group of final stage candidates into the trucks they were the group which I had started off with.
"Sir, what vehicle are we going in?" I asked as the corporal and I stood to attention.
"You're rolling in 2-2, the Mastiff with the L2 on top," He nodded over to the huge, twenty two and a half tonne vehicle, "Jacks, you're commander, maps on the blue force, Corps, you're driving that big fucker, don't ruin it," He smiled.
"Aye to that sir," I said as we headed over to the Mastiff.
"You two fuck wits ready for this," Pitchings demanded as he climbed in the driver's seat of 2-1 the lead Mastiff.
"Fuck you, we'll kick your fucking ass in if you don't get a move on," The Corporal said calmly as he climbed in the driver's seat of our Mastiff. "Let's do this," he then chuckled as he turned over the engine.
I casually looked back into the rear of the Mastiff which contained about eight of the candidates, "You boys ready?" I asked into the rowdy crowd.
"Hell yeah, Colours!" They returned in unison.
"Good, you will get fucked up on this one guys, but just remember that beret is what you're after and once you get it you'll never want anything else, I can promise you that!" I said laughing into the rear of the vehicle.
"All units, we are go to the AO, maintain speed 30 kph and twenty metre dispersion," The Lt ordered down the radio as we continued onto the main road outside the camp.
"So how are you doing peg leg?" One distorted voice echoed through the rear cabin of the Mastiff.
"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself arsehole," I laughed back to him as we rolled down the road towards the AO.
I could only hear him chuckle in the background, "That's you doing several laps of the pit tonight," Corporal said to the candidate as he drove down towards Woodbury Common.
"Ah fuck!" the goby twat shouted from the back of the mastiff.
I looked at the blue force and saw we still had about six km to the common but we would be spending the entire night, following day and that night too there.
We eventually arrived in pitch blackness, I climbed out of the commander's seat, "Alright everybody out in formation now!" I demanded. The group of candidates climbed out of the rear door of the Mastiff, "Now you, ya lanky cunt, time to run the pit and show us how it's done, lucky for you it's getting on for minus ten out here and the trench is freezing solid," I grinned at him as I walked us over to the pit, which had been lit up by chem lights illuminating it in an ominous green light. "Right this is the pit, one hundred yards of pure unadulterated bliss," I shouted out into the dimly lit field of heather.
"What's the pit? Colours," The Corporal shouted over the shivers of the candidates.
"The pit is a circuit, a rite of passage, a means to the end. You do ten laps of this over the next few days and we grill your arses to the fucking ground!" Warrant Officer Pitchings exclaimed over the whines of the candidates.
"It sure as fuck is," I said calmly, "Now! Pass me a 226," I ordered to the Corporal, who passed me a loaded 9mm Sig Saur P226, "Let's get this started," I said as I fired a single shot into the thin icy surface, shattering the ice, "Now Lanky get the fuck in!" I glared as the Lt turned on the headlights of his Mastiff. "Thank you, Sir!"
"What about hypothermia?" He shrugged.
"Shut the fuck up, I'm a medic," I shouted as I pushed the poor bastard in, "Keep moving or you're fucking dead!" I shouted at him as he froze upon breaking through the remaining ice.
"Come on, move now, mate!" Pitchings shouted as he walked alongside the candidate as he froze up more in the icy water.
"You fuck ups of marines, you're joining a brotherhood and you're going to let him do it alone? Marines never fight alone!" I yelled over the cries of Lanky.
"No Colours!" The remainder of the candidates shouted as they piled in one by one.
"You boys make me proud to be a bootlegger!" I shouted into the pool of freezing bodies.
It took them a minute to do their first lap at which point we pulled them for the face that by the time Lanky was done his body temp had dropped down to below 35oC, "They're only doing a lap tonight mate, and we can't risk them yet!" I ordered to Pitchings as eventually all the candidates finished the run.
"Get them all in the vehicles," The Lt ordered as he stepped out into the now completely frozen air. We piled them into all the vehicles and set the heating on slowly raising their temperatures.
"Get your other kit on lads it will help warm you up and pull out your smocks and use it as a blanket," I ordered when the men returned to their packs in the rear of the Mastiffs.
"Yes, Colours," The shivering candidates uttered as they changed and huddled together in the rear of the Mastiff.
I got out, to have a quick chat with the Lt who told me that the men could sleep in the Mastiffs tonight as they had put in a valiant effort in the pit. Which I relayed to them, greeted by a cheer.
I slept in the commander's seat waking up as the sun crept over the horizon shining a blinding light in through the front windows.
"Right you lot, get up!" I ordered into the back hearing the unorganised groans of the candidates, "Oi, I said get your fucking arse in gear!" I got more firm with them causing them all to cluster fuck out the back of the Mastiff.
They eventually got in line with the remainder of their training platoon and the CO started to explain how their day was going to go, "Right lads, this morning you're going to be going through some basic specialisations, like those of you going to machine gunners, mortars, marksmen and whatever the fuck else you guys are doing," He said jokingly as he pointed at me I knew I would be spending a bit of time with the medics and then a small amount of time with the minimi gunners. "Alright you boys take over now."
Warrant Officer Pitchings took the front and started barking, "Right, the corporal and sergeant Annlyings are taking the machine gunners, Colour sergeant Jacks and Lance Corporal Harding are taking the medics, Marksmen you're with me, Mortars you're with the CO and the RSM, good luck, comms you're with the CSM and finally advanced rifles you're with sergeants Alex and Deans."
"Yes, Warrant Officer!" The candidates shouted.
"Dismissed," Wozzo said calmly causing the candidates to turn to the left and then bumble around not quite knowing what to do.
I stepped forward and called out, "Medics with me!" I shouted as a small man approached me, I saw his single tab on his chest I knew who he was, "Harding?" I asked as he stood next to me.
"Yeah, let's show them how it's done," He said attempting conversation but before we could continue the candidates lined up in front of us.
"You lot on me," I said as I lead the group over to the Wolfhound. "Grab a bag and get your rifle, we're heading about one klick north of here to begin our exercise." I nodded at the Lance Corporal as I climbed into the commander's seat of the vehicle, "Get back here in one minute!" I ordered as Harding climbed into the driver's seat of the wolfhound. I waited for a minute and all the candidates to return rifles in hand and day sacks over their shoulders, they all piled into the back of the Wolfhound which had several seats in the back and one huge open compartment in the rear for things to be put in.
We drove through the boggy heather fields of Woodbury Common but we eventually arrived at a large open grass field where a group of RN doctors were waiting for us with their Merlin helicopter.
I filed the candidates out in front of the officer who stood tall and proud in his number fours, I then nodded at him, "I am Lieutenant Commander Kipling, and I'll be giving you a brief run through of basic first aid which you will need for future courses in becoming a medic." He knelt down next to a rescue dummy on the floor and started to give the basic of the course.
After about two hours I had to hike back to the base location to help out with the minimi training, when I arrived to could hear the thumping sounds of the 7.62mm GPMG which sent shockwaves through my chest like I was at a concert. I picked up one of the four training minimis that had been brought out for the session.
I cleaned the gun before the Corporal came over to me with a set of candidates who were ready to take up firing the minimi. "Okay, so this is the lighter machine gun used by the royal marines," I told them all jokingly, causing a few grunts, "I say lighter as it still weights about four pounds more than the L85, which sucks when you've been slogging the thing round for two weeks and baking your testicles in Helmand, not the sauce," I pulled open the dust cover showing off the inner working of the machine gun. "It functions pretty much the same as the GMPG, which I trust you've already had hands on with, only difference is it's chambered in 5.56mm, Corporal can you get me a belt."
"Yes, Colours," He replied with a small amount of authority in his voice. He returned two seconds later with a full fifty round disintegrating belt.
"Thanks mate," I handed the belt to a candidate and headed for the range where the GMPG guys had just finished. I got down on one knee next to the gun which had a bipod attached under the barrel. "Right lads," I said as I cracked open the top of the gun and placed the belt across the feeder, "Now I will give a single demonstration of how to fire the weapon and then it's your turns, aren't I nice, Corporal spot for me."
"Aye, Colours," He replied as he laid down next to me as I positioned myself behind the gun and peered through the magnified sight which was sat on top of the dust cover. "On your go, sergeant."
I took a deep breath and gently squeezed the trigger on the minimi letting rip a five round burst which took maybe a tenth of a second. "And it's as simple as that," I told the men as I stood up and dusted myself down. The rest of the candidates spent the next three hours hammering the surrounding targets until the cows came home, but soon after the CO called us back into the main area that we had set up it was time for the candidates run in the pit.
We stood at the precipice of the pit, the candidates shivered from their time in it the night before but it was warmer this afternoon about six degrees so we thought they might be able to run the whole thing.
"Right Lanky, you led last night, so you follow now, so get on with it!" The CO ordered as he ran the first candidate into the pit with a splash from his impact with the water. They ran through the pit for the best part of an hour achieving five more laps. They were up to six.
"Everybody out now! Time for PT!" I ordered as I watched their lips turn blue but not blue enough to make sure they were going to be able to do it without dying. They all climbed out and instantly started warming up first with a small run and then with a targeted hump in full gear with weapon.
We settled down for dinner at exactly sixteen forty five and had a full meal of chilli con carne and rice, with boil in the bag steam pudding for desert, afterwards we stood in a circle and the CO explained what was going to happen for the evening but just as he finished he ordered a further two laps. The temperature was now approaching freezing.
It took them half an hour to complete the course but they gave us two more laps and by seven we had all sat down in warm clothes by fires for some bonding they had come so far from those first tentative steps on becoming a marine, they actually now acted like marines, they cursed like marines and they even slightly looked like marines.
It got to half ten and they had all started to look like they were drifting to sleep and it was pitch black out. I stood up in the middle of the camp fires.
"Now you wanna be cunts, do you have what it takes to be the meanest, the cruellest, the most sadist unforgiving fuckers in Liz's creul gaze?" I shouted out into the faces of the candidates who looked mortified.
"Yes, Colour Sergeant!" They all eventually shouted in unison as they stood on their feet.
"Will you be able to one day say, yea, though I walk the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the badest cunt in the god damn valley?" Pitchings continued across the fire pitch from me.
"Yes, Warrant Officer!"
"Then get you're shit on and get in my fucking pit!" The Lieutenant ordered causing a frantic rumble of movement followed by the shooting of the ice by the Corporal. It was now minus four degrees and dropping very fast.
"This is your last two hundred yards do this and you're in with us, this makes you one of us," I told them from the top of the pit looking down at their squalor.
"Yes, Colours," Is the groan that met me.
After another twenty minutes they finally started to emerge from their misery, broken and battered. "Well done boys!" We all cheered as they exited the pit, greeting each one with a hand shake and the CO handing them their new beret which they would treasure for the rest of their days.
They lined up cold but proud with the only dry item on them being the beret, all the NCOs and the CO took a row ahead of them and saluted their hard work.
"Welcome to the club, crew and brotherhood of the Royal Marine Corps, now let's knuckle down for the night shall we?" The Lieutenant said proudly as the men look very weary.
"Sir, yes, Sir!" They responded in a bellowing tone.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it had to be a bit brutal but hopefully it paid off there will be more on the other side of the story with Ashley in the following chapter as I know some of you guys really like the human side of that part. But anyway I hope you have been enjoying the story so far and will enjoy what's to come until the next time…..PEACE!