"Hey, why are you back so early?" May asked Keira when the latter arrived for their six-hour course. They were being briefed on how to hold a hand grenade, how to correctly throw a hand grenade, and how to get into a safe position after one was thrown.
Keira pouted her lips and replied, "There’s an obstruction."
She was referring to her cousin Xander and hearing Xander’s name, May giggled because she had a crush on Keira’s cousin.
"If this grenade explodes, please make sure to take me to Yang Global Hospital!" Chirped May.
"Shut up, May! That’s not even a good joke," Lana exclaimed.
Their usual morning training that day began with a briefing about safety measures at the practice bay. Soon they would be having their grenade using skills assessment in the open field when they would be using real grenades.
"The practice bay briefing exists to give you more experience in throwing a grenade before going to the open field," stated Sergeant Park.
"Learning how to appropriately steady and position yourself so you throw the grenade straight instead of at an angle, like how to get the right aim down," added Sergeant Cole as the recruits positioned themselves for practice.
"The objective is to throw a grenade so it will land at least 35 meters away from you," stated Keira lazily.
"I don’t want to hold a real grenade," murmured Lana that was heard by Torin. They were already at the open field to do the throwing with real grenades.
"Having a real grenade in your hand, to some people, is a scary experience. After all, it’s explosive. Your life depends on whether or not you know how to properly use and hold that hand grenade. It’s a big confidence booster once you succeed." Whispered Torin at Lana’s ear that almost made her jump.
"Don’t do that again, Lieutenant, please!" Lana hissed.
May laughed and interrupted, "You will give her heart attack. Do that during the real grenade throwing and both of you will be dead!"
"I’ve used hand grenades when I was in Country D. We used them in doorways with improvised explosive devices. For the enemies, implementing IEDs was their way of fighting us. Grenades can also be used within ambushes so that you can quickly maneuver through enemies," Torin reflected on his own experience with hand grenades as he continued to boast about his hard experiences.
Keira rolled her eyes because Torin was obviously trying to impress Lana by giving her a one on one briefing.
"How nice would it be for Wolf *cough* to do the same right?" May teased because she noticed how Keira seemed to be envious.
"Look who’s coming?" May added before she focused on her own dummy grenade.
Keira turned around and saw Jeru with his smiling face heading her way.
If you look closely, Jeru’s physical appearance was not bad at all. He would surely break a lot of hearts too. But of course, in her eyes, only Zach stood-out in all aspects and only Zach was the sole person who could break her heart.
She could feel that Jeru was trying his best to break the wall behind them, but what could she do? Her heart was already locked up.
"How are you feeling, Soldier Chan? Are you sure you’re already fit for the training?" Asked Jeru as he stopped at Keira’s position.
"I’m already good, General. Thank you for your concern," Keira answered as she smiled back.
Jeru did not leave and assisted Keira with the training.
May teased her every now and then with her gaze. Keira pursed her lips, thinking how nice would it be if Zach was the one giving her one-on-one training to assure she was safe enough to throw a real hand grenade.
"You have to relax and enjoy what you are doing," Jeru said with a smile as he encouraged Keira.
The loud noise, the explosive power, the shrapnel flying was heard after Keira threw her first real grenade.
"Pretty awesome!" Keira gasped with a big smile on her face.
She was extremely excited and had a lot of fun, smiling from ear to ear.
She noticed Lana was nervous so she said, "Don’t be scared and make sure you do everything according to how we were taught."
Lana couldn’t hide the fear in her eyes as she was thinking about how she got something in her hands that can potentially kill everybody around her.
"Throw that grenade, Lana. Trust me, there is nothing to it," encouraged Keira with a wink.
Lana’s eyes finally light up and a big smile curved her face as she sighed and followed Torin’s instructions.
’Boom!’
"Hand grenades are the basic, handheld, close-quarters weapon that we have other than a rifle, pistol, and bayonet. It allows you, soldiers, to go down range to protect yourselves and your comrades," Sgt. Cole said.
Next was the high and low walls, where Keira and the others rehearsed throwing practice fuse grenades from the standing and kneeling positions.
"Looked at that smile," Field Marshal Chan whispered as he watched his daughter from a distance. She was like him when he was undergoing military training.
He let out a long, deep sigh because his wife was too worried about Keira’s welfare and strongly convinced him to do something, so Keira would quit.
He understood his wife very well because Keira was their only treasure in this lifetime.
"I hope you did not get offended. Please understand, Ester, she’s just thinking about Keira’s welfare." Field Marshal Chan continued.
Zach let out a long, deep sigh and smiled at his superior.
"I fully understand, Sir, and to be honest, I do have the same opinion as Mrs. Chan. I know what I have to do, Sir." Zach said with a stoic face.
"Thank you, Zach... Don’t worry... I know my daughter well... When she says she has fixed her eyes on things and people - trust me that she has really fixed," said Field Marshal Chan as he gently tapped Zach’s shoulder.
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