“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
-Aristotle
The familiar pops went off, up and down the range. One by one, the grunts in their khakis sighted down their weapons and placed their shots, best they could. Most were still having trouble hitting the targets square in the head, but at least they habituating themselves to conserving ammo.
Most of the recruits had come to them raw and stupid, spraying their shots willy-nilly as if they expected to magically connect. They were doing better now, firing like people who actually understood firearms. But that didn’t make them suitable for active duty just yet.
“Aim for the head, recruits!” he yelled over the din of gunfire. “Body shots are non-fatal. And if you’re hit em center mass, you better pray you knock em down. Otherwise, you might as well roll up your sleeves and say ‘bite me’!”
The shots continued until they had emptied their magazines. One by one, the grunts turned to look at him, waiting for his appraisal. Braun walked up and down the range, inspecting the target nailed that were at the far end, nailed against pieces of plywood.
“Terrible… horrible… awful…” he said, commenting on each one. “Acceptable… passable… morbid… you’re dead.” His appraisal complete, he stood at the opposite end of the firing line and shook his head. “You gentlemen and ladies don’t seem to understand. Your enemy does not know fear. They barely know pain. Unless you stop em dead in their tracks, they are not going to stop until you’re a meal!”
He took a deep breath, his words hanging in the air. It was hard to know what it took to mold recruits anymore, and he was getting that sinking feeling that he was failing them again. He could tell from the looks on their faces that they felt the opposite way, but that helped little.
Short of giving them the live exercise that he had been holding off for some time now, he wasn’t sure how to press the matter home to them. And subjecting them to that would only put them in danger he knew they couldn’t handle yet. Experience was the best teacher, but not everybody passed that test…
That gave him an idea.
“I think what’s needed here is a more effective demonstration. What we need here is some live targets…” That got their attention. All twelve of the recruits began looking up at him with a newfound sense of keenness. “Strip down your weapons, report to Sergeant Hale for PT. This afternoon, we’ll try this again.”
The grunts all got to work on their weapons, cleaning out their chambers and returning their weapons to the weapon’s table. As soon as that was done, they began to file out towards the barracks. Braun was left alone, shaking his head once he was sure he was all by himself and no one could see him.
It was shit. All of it. Babysitting the new and uninitiated when what he needed was to be out in the field. Even away from the front lines, the official scuttlebutt was making its way back to him. He knew that the patrols were not turning up anything anymore. For all intents and purposes, it seemed that the valley was now clear. It would be some time before they could start sending people back into the area to resettle it, but it also meant the Rattlesnakes would be moving onto bigger and better things.
He needed to be with them. He needed to be back with his fellow soldiers and comrades-in-arms. Most of all, he needed to be back with Saunders. Being away from her after all they’d been through, after how he’d left things, was not right at all.
But of course, thinking about it didn’t help. If anything, it just made life unbearable in the here and now. At the moment, there was nothing to do but buckle down and focus on the task at hand. Being a drill instructor was not the ideal position for him right now. But given the alternative, he was lucky to have that much going for him. Otherwise, he would surely be languishing in some meager apartment in the big city, his only comfort to be found at the bottom of a bottle. He shuddered to think…
He caught something in the corner of his eye and looked up. In the watchtower overlooking the firing range, he spotted a telltale silhouette looking down at him. He chuckled when he realized she must have been watching him for some time, probably through a pair of binocs. Just enough zoom to see the look of self-pity on his face…
He turned to her and saluted. He received a quick one in return and then saw her motion in her direction. Braun nodded and began double-timing it to the tower. Suddenly, his day was looking up. She only ever dropped in when something truly interesting was up…
* * *
“Lieutenant…” she said, negotiating the last few rungs of the ladder. “I see you’re ingratiating yourself to the new recruits.”
Braun smiled and lowered his head. To say he had been berating them would have been an understatement. Still, he wondered just how much of it she had witnessed. Some of it had been worse than the rest.
“Just trying to make sure we turn out the best soldiers possible, Colonel. Every replacement has to be ready to face the horror of an undead enemy.”
Stanislawksi dismounted the ladder and landed on her heels. Turning to face him, she hummed thoughtfully and nodded. “Spoken like a man who misses that horror.”
Braun blinked a few times and drew back, feigning surprise at her statement. “Ma’am, I’d have to be crazy to be missing hordes of stinking creatures, broken teeth trying to bite me all the time. What kind of person would trade a cushy job and a comfy bed for sleeping rough and fending off death all the time.”
She laughed at that, said smartly, “Given time, Lieutenant, a person can get used to anything. Even abject insanity. It’s like they say, you can take the soldier out of the field, but you can’t the field out of the soldier.”
Braun chuckled under his breath and tried to smile. If she had come just to talk philosophy, then his day really wasn’t likely to improve. But knowing her, she would get to the point of her little visit soon.
“I caught something about live targets…” she said next. “Care to explain what that’s all about?”
Damn, she has good hearing, he thought. Was this something that came naturally to her, or had her spot in the watchtower given her more than just a good view?
“I… uh, just though the recruits would benefit from a little target practice with some live targets. I happen to know we have some live specimens languishing in the base, the research team was done with them.”
The Colonel looked to the range and nodded approvingly. “Ah, chain them up and then let the recruits shoot at them until they land a fatal shot? Not bad. Certainly would be instructive. I imagine it would piss off some people higher up too.”
Braun chuckled again. “Hadn’t really thought of that. But I guess so…”
“Not the best idea for a man looking to get back into the field is it?” Braun stopped chuckling and dropped his head again. “But that’s precisely why I came to see you. It seems that a situation has emerged, and it might just present us with the opportunity to help each other out.”
Braun looked back up at her suddenly. Had she been listening in on his thoughts as well? Naturally, he was a bit skeptical and needed some further explanation.
“What kind of situation?”
Stanislawski looked over her shoulder to the nearest building and motioned at him to follow. “Let’s walk and talk. Its warm out and I could use a little shade.”
They proceeded to the munitions bunker and mounted the steps that led inside the improvised shack. Inside, a series of lockers were arrayed on either side, with dozens of M16′s, M4′s, sidearms and grenades kept inside. The Colonel proceeded to one located towards the back, where through the mesh door, she spotted several confiscated rifles and other assault weapons that they had incorporated into their arsenal. For some reason, she seemed to favor this one and looked back at him.
“Interesting collection in here…” she said, running her hands along the mesh door that gave her a limited view of what was inside. “Do I spot some actual AKs in there?”
“Yeah,” said Braun. “Taken off a group of roamers that came this way awhile back. Tried to fight their way into a settlement, only a few survived. Their arsenal got passed back to us.”
Stanislawski shook her head. “Some AR-15s and shotguns too. Wonder where they got it all from.”
Braun shrugged. “Who knows where anybody gets anything anymore?” He reached into his pocket and produced his set of keys. “You wanna take a look?”
“Please,” she replied. Moving out the way, she let Braun unlock the door, and proceeded to inspect the contents quite closely. Just about everything inside had the same worn look about it. Weapons that weren’t properly maintained for some time, but which had since been lubed up, stripped down and reassembled. The magazines that lined the shelf were much the same way.
Stanislawski took hold of an ammo box next. The ample supply of 7.62 ammo had been placed in some clear plastic cases, since the previous owners hadn’t exactly kept good care of the boxes the bullets had come in. Opening one of them, she removed a bullet and took her time appraising it. In time, she simply sighed and then placed it back inside.
Braun watched and waited, wondering if this had anything to do with the subject at hand.
“Lieutenant, you’re no doubt aware that the situation has changed vastly in the last year. Under Haynes, we’ve made some crucial gains in the field, but that’s come at a cost closer to home.”
Braun frowned. “How do you mean?”
“I mean,” she said, wiping gun oil from her hands, “that we’re beginning to feel the pinch when it comes to supplies. Ammo and fuel are in steady supply right now, thanks to all the stockpiles we seized. And we’ve heard estimates that say our communities are pretty much self-sufficient in terms of food production. But sooner or later, we’re going to start running out things.
“It’ll start with fuel, then move onto ammo and munitions, and eventually lead to replacement parts for our planes and vehicles. We also need engine oil, medical supplies, and a number of other things we can’t generate for ourselves.” She paused. Braun waited for the final details to fall into place. “And there’s the threat of another attack coming from the east. Like it or not, there are other armed units out there, and not all of them are friendly. We need to be prepared to deal with those when the time comes.”
Braun nodded and answered finally. “So what does this have to do with me getting back into active service?”
Stanislawski smiled. “I can always count on you to cut to the chase, can’t I?” She took a few steps towards him and placed her hands behind her back. “Most of the supplies I’ve mentioned can come from one source and one source only. A military base or supply depot. I’ve talked it over with General Haynes and we agree, a search and seizure operation is necessary, and we have a target in mind.”
“A target?” Braun asked. “Where?”
“Holloman Air Force Base,” she said flatly. “Ever heard of it?”
“The… test facility… down south? Outside of White Sands?”
The Colonel nodded. “Back when the Mage was in charge, he maintained communications with a number of other bases in the field that hadn’t been overrun. Holloman was one such base. Unfortunately, a few months before you and your team went into LA, he lost contact with them. Much as we can tell, the place has been compromised. No telling if it was Whiskeys, bandits, or it was simply abandoned in the midst of the chaos. In any case, it has munitions, fuel, and a number of other things which we need… and which cannot be allowed to fall into someone else’s hands.”
Braun bristled slightly. He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but was inclined to ask anyway. “Classified things?”
The Colonel smiled. “Smart boy.”
“Okay,” he replied. “So what do you need from me?”
Stanislawski brought her hands in front of her and held them together. “I need a recon mission to go south and assess the status of the base, and I need an experienced officer who used to insertion operations to lead it. If it’s been overrun, we need to clear it out. If it’s being occupied by some third party, we need to retake it. Once that’s done, we can land some Alpha Charlies on the airstrips and start stripping the base of everything that remains.”
Braun nodded. That all made sense. However, he had to ask the obvious:
“Why me? I’m not exactly the most popular person in this outfit right now.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Lieutenant. Regardless of how the General feels about your leadership or professionalism, I know better. You led the most important mission of this war into hostile territory and got all your people back. You even saved a few lives. And when we were under attack, you and your unit protected a key asset from falling into enemy hands.”
Braun shook his head. “Not how some people remember it.”
A hand reached up and smacked him in the face. He looked at the Colonel, a little sore and more than a little shocked. He hadn’t seen it coming, and even more incomprehensible was the reason for it.
“That’s for feeling sorry for yourself,” she said, by way of explanation. “You know as well as I do that every decision has consequences. The last thing you can afford is to start doubting yourself. It’s fatal.”
“Yeah,” Braun said, rubbing his cheek. “Especially when you’re around.”
Stanislawski looked about ready to slap him again, but put her hands behind her back again. “Point is, Lieutenant, I need a combat veteran I can trust to lead this mission. And I can think of no one better suited than you. You want the job, or do I have to give it to someone less competent?”
Braun didn’t take long to think it over. There really wasn’t much choice in the matter, not when he considered the alternative. Given all that he’d endured in the past few months, any opportunity to get back in action seemed preferable. Plus he suspected that his refusal would result in a more “tough love” from the Colonel. How could he refuse?
“I imagine Haynes had a few things to say about this…”
“He did,” replied Stanislawski, “but Special Ops are my department. I choose who I want to lead my missions. Besides, knowing that it would put you out in the field and away from him seemed to win him over. Hell, I even played up the risk factor, since I was sure the thought of you getting killed would play well with him.”
Braun nodded cautiously. “Did it?”
She cocked her head sideways and smirked. “I swear I saw a twinkle in his eye as I said it.”
Braun laughed, but it was halfhearted at best. Somehow, he suspected she wasn’t entirely joking…
