SEED

Chapter 13

Today, we had weapons training. Our first session was with Agent Joseph Colt, one of the best shooters in N-Tek. We had a combined class, which meant I got to see all the people from classes 1-A to 1-C. We were supposed to work on our shooting skills, and we were grouped according to our skills. I was the only one in group D since I had no experience with a gun, but I was surprised when I saw my three buddies in group A. I was shocked when they told Hailey to be my trainer.

"I'm being forced to babysit you, so I'll set my rules straight. My first and only rule is don't talk until I tell you to, understood." She commanded, and I nodded. She began to teach me how to fix a gun from scratch. I watched in silence as her hands worked magic.

"Alright, your turn," She said as she dismantled it. I got into position and reconstructed the weapon on my first try, remembering all that she did. What can I say? I guess I'm a natural.

Next, she taught me how to load a gun, which I also got right, but now it was time to shoot. "I guess you're not a hopeless loser after all but let's see if you can do this," She declared and fixed two rounds. She managed to hit the head and shoulder of the drawing on the practice board.

"Your turn, pipsqueak." She said and handed me the gun. Okay, now here's something I left out. I wasn't actually listening when she gave me a vivid explanation on how to fire a shot, so as soon as I fired a shot, the recoil of the gun caused it to fly back and hit me on the head.

"Owww!!" I yelled in pain and held my forehead. I looked at Hailey, but she said nothing. I got enraged and began to fire effortlessly at the board, but I didn't even strike it once.

"That enough, I'll help you," She said as I exhausted the rounds of bullets. She moved behind me and stood at my back. She reloaded the gun and put it in my hands, holding it from behind. I felt a little spark between us as I felt her body next to mine. "Calm down and aim. There's no need to rush it," She whispered in my ears as she held my hands towards the board. "Take a deep breath and fire," She whispered as she moved my finger and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit a headshot, and I was quite pleased.

The door to our booth slid open, and she pushed me away. "Hey," I yelled as I studied my ground and saw Angela walk in. "Hey cole, I saw you were having problems with Hailey over there, so I asked Agent Colt to change your tutor," she proclaimed.

"Fine, this loser can't even hurt a fly if he tried," Hailey scoffed and left in a rage. "Was that bitch a bother?" she inquired as the door slammed close. "Not really," I answered.

It turned out that Angela was better than Hailey with a gun, and she wasn't as arrogant as she appeared to be. The truth is, I enjoyed myself around her, and besides, she was the first pretty girl to admit to having an interest in me. The only problem I had with her was her boyfriend—Brad Smith, who walked in and gave me a beat down during our training.

The next lesson I had was with Agent Carl Thompson. My body still felt sore after my beat down, and I had to avoid Angela throughout that lesson. "Alright, youngsters, today I'm going to show you how to operate the byfi goggles." Agent Thompson declared and began to share the goggles with each student.

"These are modified goggles by N-Tek to aid field agents. They are equipped with infra-red to enable you to see in dark places and have heat sensors to spot nearby infected. They can also detect the type and stats of an infected". He relayed. This information gave me an idea for strike two. After Anne and I first encountered the infected, Mr. Grayson has upped security around the café to prevent me from sneaking in. I was going to steal the byfi goggles and use them to smuggle food.

"I'm going to turn the lights off and show you how to operate it," Agent Thompson exclaimed as I discussed my plan with my three accomplices. There was a goggle on his table, and I would use my speed to get it before he noticed it was gone.

As soon as he turned the lights off, I bolted at the goggle. I hoped the school's cameras didn't have infra-red as I grabbed the goggle and ran back.

"Where is Mr. Pierce?" Agent Thompson inquired as he couldn't see me. "Over here," I said as I sat in my seat. He shrugged and went on with the lesson.

I rushed out of the school as soon as the class was over to avoid Angie, but to my disdain, Mr. Grayson wasn't there to pick me up. The phone I was given to by Miss Monroe rang, and I answered the call.

"Hello," "Cole, it's Mr. Grayson; I called to tell you I'm not coming to get you, so you've got to come home alone. Don't take a detour route and cause any trouble ..." He was saying, but I spotted Hailey walking out.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I won't," I said and ended the call without hesitation; I decided to follow her.