Real Life Training
A young raptor finds out that training can be more realistic than he thought.
A commission for strangleddragons on FA.
Real World Training
The young raptor hid in a dark room, hoping he could last the set time-limit for the exercise. He was still surprised he had been chosen for Full Combat Simulations - one of the most advanced training techniques the Armed Dragon Forces used. His task was to play an escaped prisoner and avoid recapture.
The compound was pretty small, but with lots of dark corridors and small rooms to hide in. He had tried to memorise the map and chose a very remote space. He currently hid in the narrow area between a supporting wall and the underside of a flight of stairs. This way his head would be protected if they decided to fire their airsoft ammunition at him. He considered relocating when the starting Klaxon sounded.
He sat still, knowing that the unit would be trying to find him. Within minutes, he heard them kick open the door to the room he was in, and could see the flickering lights of their flashlights.
"I smell him." "Guard the door, spread out. Assume he's armed, aim to disable. Move out" The unit spread throughout the room, following their training plan for fanning out. One member quickly spotted the raptor, despite his hiding place.
"Visual! HANDS UP!"
The young raptor tried to run past the advancing "guards", but received the stock end of a rifle to the side of his face, knocking him onto the ground.
"Fuck! Dude, what the hel-UFF!" The air was pushed out of the raptor's lungs as a knee on his back. His arms were pulled behind him and quickly cuffed together while he was stunned.
"Captive apprehended, sir." "Good job. Unit, stand down."
"Get... off... please, can't breathe... AH!" The raptor shouted in pain as he was pulled to his feet by his now restrained arms. Pain lanced through his shoulders from the rough treatment.
"Relax, guys. You got me." "Shut up. We'll make sure you don't escape again. Take him to the field, soldier." "Yes sir!"
The unit leader grinned as he walked behind the "prisoner". He always enjoyed how the young recruits complained at their heavy-handed approach. A real soldier wouldn't complain, but would take the punishment without question or protest. Of course, a REAL soldier would be in a proper unit and armed. The only ones that became targets in these "simulations" were the ones that failed basic training.
The unit led the "prisoner" out of the scenario area and into a long open room. The only notable objects in the room were a large number of spent bullets and a few grim stains on the concrete ground.
He was pushed down until he was kneeling, still looking around the room aprehensivly.
The unit leader moved to a battered looking metal closet off to the side of the room and removed a long length of thick rope.
"Think fast!" called the leader as he tossed the rope towards the squad. One of the soldiers managed to catch the rope before it fell to the ground.
"Good catch! You get to tie the knot and throw it up. The rest of you can hoist."
"What... what's going on?" the kneeling raptor said as he noticed the distinctive form of a hangman's noose being crafted with the rope. "Didn't you hear? You weren't just any prisoner, son. You were on death row. Since you're a flight risk, we moved up the date to right now." "But... but this is a sim. This ain't real, man. I'm corporal-OW!"
Another pistol-whip was enough to silence the babbling raptor long enough for the soldier that held him to force his head through the noose. Once the knot was pulled tight behind his neck, the soldier tossed the other end as hard as he could. On the first attempt, he managed to pass the rope over a high round beam near the ceiling. The other soldiers took hold of the dangling rope end.
"No... NO! PLEASE! I'LL DIE-agh" The unit leader took the slack end of the rope below the hands that had raised the raptor and looped it through a mount on the wall to stop the rope coming free, keeping the young raptor raised off the ground.
He always enjoyed this part, watching the look of fear turn into pure terror and then overwhelming pain as their bodies began to fight for air and life. This guy was no exception, trying to twist his arms in front of him so he could grab at the rough rope digging into the soft flesh of his neck. All that his struggling accomplished was to cause his body to spin. Strangely, his legs appeared locked straight. They did not kick, or peddle in the air. It almost looked like he was trying to keep them stiff to support himself, toes splayed and straining against nothing. As the unit filed to the other end of the room, the unit leader moved clear of the dangling trainee.
"Okay, Johnson you're up first. Take-down shot. Go"
A second later there was a loud BANG! as Johnson's pistol was discharged. Inside was live ammunition (just like every other training scenario the Armed Dragon Forces conducted). The fresh wound that appeared on the hanging raptor's hip was quickly inspected by the unit leader.
"Clean entry, clean exit. Some organ damage. Not bad, Johnson, but if you clipped his kidney he could die before medics get there. Work on that." "Yessir" "Next, take-down shot. Go"
The raptor heard rumbling sounds from the soldiers around him, unable to make out the words through the red mist of pain and the growing darkness in his mind. His side hurt, and he did not know why.
A second "bang" sounded, and he felt his leg collapse - pain lancing up his leg strong enough that it overcame the agony of his throat. He tried to cry out again, but a weak gagging sound was all that escaped past his swelling tongue. Wetness and warmth began to flow down his leg.
Eventually his stressed (and dying) brain was able to process the thought "I've been shot". He spun slowly on the end of the rope, occasionally stopping as firm hands gripped him to look or prod at a new bullet wound.
His eyes, no longer able to see since his vision had faded to black, began to stream with tears.
(bang) - the sound was so distant now, barely audible over his heartbeat which had began to slow. But I'm a prisoner. You need to catch me. It's training... Help... ple- please...
"Unit, at ease" the leader called as a dark wet spot of raptor piss grew on the fatigues of the hanging failure. He was impressed with this batch of soldiers - none had missed the moving target. Even more impressive was the fact none had questioned their mission.
He took one last look at the hanging body - its head bent at an odd sideways angle below the distended neck, many bullet holes visible on limbs and a few on non-vital areas of the torso. His shoulders had finally slumped and his tail no longer arched backwards.
Taking out his own pistol, the unit leader placed the barrel against the young raptor's forehead and pulled the trigger. The blood spray and chunks of brain matter falling onto the ground were always his favourite part of these exercises. He growled in pleasure, eyeing the gore as it fell to the ground appearing in slow motion as endorphins flooded his brain. He went over to the mount on the wall and released the rope, causing the corpse to fall face-down on the ground - exposing the open wound and cracked skull better.
"Already. Johnson, you got cleanup duty. Hopefully you can pack a body bag better than your aiming." "Fuck sake, sir, you always give me the dirty work" "Is that insubordination, Johnson? You'll do what you're fucking TOLD, and then you'll visit my tent for a little re-training. Understood?!" "...yes, sir." "Good. I'll be waiting, so don't dawdle. And don't bother showing up in a dirty uniform. You'd better be naked. Understood?" "Yessir"
Johnson moved over to the cooling form of the dead raptor and hauled the bleeding corpse onto his shoulders. He had been to the unit leader's tent once before, so he knew a little of what was in store for him.