Sharp Shooter

Twenty Questions

I pulled the pin off the grenade and counted two seconds before tossing the frag right into the middle of the target and ducking behind the sandbags as it went off, dropping all six.

"Well done Sargent", Sterling said, "cadets, note that frags tend to roll on sloped surfaces, think twice before tossing one up hill, your all dismissed."

The recruits turned and walked for the mess hall as Sterling turned to us, "you guys still want a run?"

"Yeah", I said.

"Get to the starting line then", he said, "gimme a minute to reset everything. By the way Ren, there's a pile of magazines down on a weapons table, feel free to replace what you burnt off."

I nodded as Sterling went to the bunker, we descended a flight of stairs I grabbed a few magazines off the table and stuck them into my vest. I walked up to the starting line as Sterling came over the radio and the chain link gate opened.

"GO, GO, GO!", Sterling shouted.

My team and I ran out into the Pit. In front of us were six or seven sand barricade walls that were set up in a way that made them look like an hour glass. Also scattered around were five or six small, plywood pyramids which turned out to be where the targets were.

"Targets front", Sterling said as the dummies popped up.

"Grab some cover", I ordered as I slid into cover behind one of the sand barricades.

Sorra and Syren slid in next to me and Uncle Tommy dove slid in behind one another barricade with Ivan and Navi next to him. Val was really too big to hide behind anything though, which was a problem.

"Tossing a frag!", I shouted as I tossed the grenade over the barricade.

I waited for the frag to go off before I vaulted over the barricade and aimed down my sight at two of the paper cutouts. I pulled the trigger twice, one for each target, dropping them with head shots. Syren popped out and fired at a cluster of three targets. At first I thought he had his M16 set to three round burst, but then he fired a fourth shot at the last target, it was set for Semi Auto.

"Push up!", I ordered as I broke from cover. Ahead of us were more target pyramids and a building that had been hastily thrown together to simulate a middle eastern hotel, or an empty building of sorts. Seven targets appeared in front of the building, inside were five or six tangos with MMG's and up top were snipers. The simulation ammo rained down on my team and I as we ducked behind the barricades. I exchanged my m27 for the Dragonov.

"Val", I said, "MMG gunners, put 'em down. Sorra, Uncle Thomas, throw a flash to cover him, I'll take the snipers up high, Syren and Raji, you got floor targets."

Sorra and my Uncle pulled the pins off of two nine bangs each and tossed them out. We waited for the grenades to go off and then Syren and Val popped up. Syren put that freakishly fast aim and finger of his to work and Raji let out a loud bark before jumping over the barricade he was hiding behind and charging the nearest dummy as I dropped the bi-pod on the Dragonov and took aim at the first target dummy. I sighted it in and sent the round down range. It impacted the skull of the plastic manikin and sent it down in a burst of plastic and metal fragments. I changed to the next target and sent my round down range as I heard what sounded like a safety come off.

"Firing M203!", Sorra shouted.

There was a low thump as Sorra lobbed the 40mm chunk of plastic explosive down range. The grenade landed inside the building and exploded, dropping the rest of the targets inside.

"Move forward!", Sterling shouted.

I exchanged my Dragonov for my m27 and lead my team through the course and into the house, inside, a target popped out of absolute no where with an RPK. Before any of us could raise our rifle to react, Raji barked loudly and grabbed the plastic human by his throat, tearing it to pieces.