second exam small change

After all the events that had transpired, Battle Stategist Hawk commended me, and Bradley for our bravery I'm the forest that night. The trainee, she was unconscious until yesterday night, once she found out who had saved her she quickly thanked both me along with Bradley on saving her. While this was all happening, I had seen hundreds of trainees returning from the forest while I rested, and practiced my sniping skills on the range. Then came the day to go see how many trainees had made it through the days of endurance.

While Battle Stategist Hawk, along with General White accompanying me, I simply tell myself that there might only be a dozen or so left, of the hundreds that went in. After the three of us arrive I'm surprised to see maybe a hundred or so that made it all the way to this point, "to all those that made it this far, I Daniel officially congratulate you on your success, however more of you will not make it all the way to the end, so once we are back at base all of you will take a day to rest, recover all the energy you need, for tomorrow all of you are doing the second test, search and recon!"

After all of them have assembled themselves into the back of the trucks, they all look exasted from the three days of, essentially, testing how long they can go out in the feild. However the second test now stands between them, and the last test, I also don't know if very many will last even for the last test.

The night before the the second exam starts, one of the trainees, catches up to me, I can see they were running, but what would they have to say to me at this late of an hour. "Instructor Daniel is it, hello, you obviously don't know me, but I'm known as Siler, the reason I came out here was to ask you if the search and recon part of the test will be hard?" The straight forward question has me thinking, but not for to long, "the search and recon will be difficult for both side's, it will be a multi day thing, one person will do recon will the other does search, the searcher will be looking for an item, will the recon person will be looking for the searcher, if that makes any sense to you."

The face he gives me is one of confusion, along with probably more questions, so I simplified it, "if recon finds the searcher first they are eliminated, if the searcher finds the item first the recon person is eliminated." After hearing this he hits me with another question I hadn't taken into account, "what if the person being eliminated is better at recon, but is absolutely tarible with searching?"

That question he hit me with makes me think very hard, to the point that I feel the second exam is basically useless, however I know it isn't useless, since both are much needed things. Just then an idea hit me, "then I shall make a small change in the exams, also thanks for the help Siler." The confusion on his face lifted a bit, but still seeming confusion he waves me bye, as I walk back to my room to think up the new test style I have in my head.

Once morning arrives, I look over the newly reformed second test, thanks to Siler I believe less people should kicked from the second test. While it is still a possibility for trainees to still fail, the chances have gone way down now, hopefully to almost zero. After I get done looking over the papers, I stack all of them together to take them all with me down to the training ground, where everyone should hopefully be waiting.

When I arrive, there is no one there yet, this is a first, I had told them all to meet up just before sunrise. When I see Hawk walk by I greet him, " good morning Battle Stategist Hawk, you don't suppose you know where everyone is at right now do you?" After saying that he too looks around, "hmm they are late, well can't be helped, Daniel take these, the halls your trainees are staying in are numbers eighty-four, eighty-five, and eighty-six, also what I gave you are blanks, just to give them a jump awake."

Once he walks off to his morning meetings, I head off to the barracks halls, where all of them are staying at. Soon as I get over to their barracks, I see all of them are still asleep, so I prepared the gift that Hawk had given me. After preparing it all, I see one of the trainees wake up from their sleep, "good morning, I'll have pity on you if your able to get ready quickly, and quietly."

There is no words spoken from him, all he did was nod, then change into his clothes as fast as he could. After he is out of the barracks, I quickly pull the trigger on the gun holding the blank, once it rings off all of them jump, a proper response from all of those who slept in. "Alright all of you, those who aren't down to the training ground in the next five minutes won't be having lunch today at the mess hall, now move it!"

The faces they give me are ones of being speechless, but once it all processes in their brains they quickly all rush to get there uniforms on. After getting back to the training grounds, I start to watch them all funnel in, slowly, then quickly, until all of them were present at the training grounds.

"Well well looks like there were no slackers, I'm proud of that, however I'm still angry that none of you showed up at the proper time, so that means twenty laps around the track, now then get to it!" After they all go off to do the laps, I'm starting to feel comfortable in the position I'm in right now, which reminds me, I wonder where James is.

After all he was also on the plane ride with me, so he must be of some importance if he was also on that plane ride into base. Thinking about it more makes me just wonder more where he is, but for now I should really concentrate on the work ahead, and infront of me.

Once the trainees all fall back into line, I can see that all of them were worn out just a little bit, " you all enjoy being late today?" They all couldn't speak since they were all trying to catch there breath, "no sir we didn't, we have learned that if we come late we will be punished accordingly!" When I look over to who said that, it was Siler, of all the people to speak up first, it was also him who helped me to revise the second exam.

Once all of them are silent after catching there breath, I stand there looking them all up and down, "so this is what I'm working with, the next time your all late, you all will be running until mid day, am I clear?!" "Sir yes sir!" After hearing that I tell them to all go eat breakfast, but to be back in an hour no later.

While I wait I can hear some shots out on the range, curious as to who it might be I go check. After I get there I see a familiar face, "long time since I last saw you James, where have you been?" Once he hears me he turns around to greet me, "hey Daniel like you I got roped into this, however I'm a weapons tester, so I'm currently testing out a new rifle for your upcoming snipers."

The look of the rifle was amazing, even the scope it had on it was big, my instinct to want to test it started to kick in. "Daniel you know if you want you can give it a try." Quickly accepting his offer, he hands me the rifle, after I lay down and get it ready to fire I notice that the scope is a high power one. "The scope James, how far can this thing see?"

When he busts out the paper work, it takes him a minute to find it, "they say it is a six power scope, but I think it's an eight power with how far this can see." After hearing that, I play with the gun just a bit, until I feel ready to fire. "Well don't keep me waiting I can't hit that target, so maybe you can with this thing," I plan to prove him right, and after squeezing the trigger, sending one down range, it only takes four seconds to hear that ding sound.

When I stand back up, I notice all of the trainees had gathered behind me, in complete amazement as to what they just saw. While walking back there are no questions asked, "that, what all of you just saw, I want to make all of you capable of doing, it will be hard, but by the end of this hopefully all of you will pass the second exam, since thanks to Siler I revised it."

When they hear that they all look at him, "the training will go with groups of five, each team will do search and recon, if your group fails both sections of the exam all five of you will be dropped, now as Siler mentioned to me last night, some might be better at searching, rather then the recon part, so hopefully by putting you guys into groups of five, we eliminate that factor, any questions?!"

After I finished talking I see one person come forward with a question, "sir I want to know, how long did it take for you to get that good of aim sir?" Eventhough it wasn't related to the training, I still decided to answer it, "that aim took me years, but I plan to make you guys learn it in just a few weeks, any more questions!?" Once I'm done speaking this time no body else comes forward.

"Alright then, I see that all of you have prepared yourselves for this, remember three things, one work as a team, two communications is key between the five of you, and the third is the most important, no hard feelings towards the other five, remember they are trying to pass just as much as you are, with all that said, everyone head to that same forest we took the first test in, after that let the second exam begin!"