Unexpected 2: Junior S.W.A.T.

Chapter 7: Nothing happened!

"Ok, kids." Miss Rita began, after ten minutes of the officers getting acquainted with their appointed teen. "Now, we'll let each of you spend some time with your assigned officer. Remember to be polite and to take in as much as possible. This is a wonderful opportunity that they are offering you! Listen to them and take notes!"

She didn't have to remind them because many had their goody bags in their hands already, taking out their notepads and pencils. Leyla was so excited; Rubio and Street were all smiles; Tan had already shown some sniper moves to Chen; Hondo and Deacon had shared some advice to the young recruits; and Luca was having as much of a blast as Kelly.

20 minutes later. Nichelle came in with a service cart carrying two big carton boxes. Tan took one and Chen took the other. They placed each on the table to the right front side. Each box was labeled 'SWAT Training'. The group slowly quieted down, until almost a soft murmur was heard, probably coming from Kelly and Luca who were sharing their favorite action scene from one of Denzel Washington's flicks.

"Alright, kids." Nichelle called to order, as she signaled to Hondo with a hard nod.

"20 squad, step up!" the officers followed his orders, and stepped in the front. They stood side by side. "Aint no one can keep up and do this job without proper conditioning. So-" he paused, stretching his arm towards Nichelle, who by this time stood behind the box in the table, ripping the tape.

"So, Miss Rita and I thought it'd be a great idea if you did some training. How's that sound? Work one on one with a real SWAT officer!" the kids answered with a collective YEAH. "We have cleared some rooms here with light weights, and you can certainly use the parking lot. We have reserved a couple of parking spots for space."

The kids were roudy now, super excited to get an opportunity to work with real SWAT officers.

Especially Rubio, who let out a loud "Que duro!" (Cool)

[Cultural Note: 'duro' is a slang expression used by young Puerto Ricans to refer to something cool, great, awesome...this has different meanings in different Spanish speaking countries]

"You'll have a chance to channel all that energy with the officers, wearing this-" Nichelle paused as she dug into one of the boxes, and took out a pair of transparent glasses, gloves, black sweatpants and boots. The kids cheered even louder!

When they finally settled, Miss Rita stepped in the front and said "Ok, now, children. Let's thank these wonderful officers for such fantastic gifts."

"THANK YOU OFFICERS" was heard from the choir in the seating area.

Each officer grabbed their recruit and headed towards the table. One of the main rooms of the center, to the back, was set up with portable closets that served to divide the space into stalls. This sped up the process so all the boys could change quicker into the gear. The two girls were taken to the bathrooms for more private dressing. As they changed, each officer was briefed by Nichelle and Hondo as to materials, areas and options to keep the kids entertained. Everyone had two hours for basic training before meeting at the entrance of the center.

It was a wonderful site: Hondo and Deacon headed towards the parking lot to do drills and suicides with their recruits, while Tan and Luca took theirs to the next room. Nichelle had taken one of the boxes and placed it to one side on the floor, and the other just beside it filled with craft materials. Tan and Luca instructed the kids to work together to make a model of the first floor, that they would replay several scenes for them to decipher how to breach. Kelly and Chen couldn't be more excited, as they grabbed the scissors, hot glue, legos and different materials. Meanwhile, Chris and Street took their recruits to work on physical strength and self control. Hondo gave them special instructions because Leyla and Rubio both needed to learn how to properly channel all their energy and the importance of trusting others, of building bridges between themselves and others.