The former frogman acknowledged her. “Fabrication was completed late yesterday, and in consequence, this gathering was executed on rather short notice. I made every attempt to disseminate an announcement to those living nearby, though it might not have reached all parties. My apologies.”
Jade shrugged. “It’s all right. No harm done.” Craning her neck, she studied the actions of the current shooter. Lauren was moving methodically about the range, having just performed a textbook transition from rifle to sidearm. “Damn. She’s really good, isn’t she?”
Woo Tang nodded slightly, and a smile began to emerge, but he obscured it along with any semblance of pride. “She…has her moments.”
Jade analyzed Lauren’s form with a keen eye. “Her technique is solid, far from pedestrian from where I’m standing. And are you always sparing with your praise?”
“In contrast,” Woo Tang replied, “I am not one who believes warriors necessitate praise.”
“Oh.”
“Lauren Russell possesses a variety of talents, has and displays proficiency in most, and is as prone to impress as she is to make mistakes.” He smirked. “As I said, she has her moments.”
Jade smirked back at him. “I think that statement might hold true for just about any of us.”
“And I would not disagree with you.”
After finishing her run with a final shot from her Glock, Lauren holstered it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She verified the rifle’s chamber was clear and made her way back to the starting point, retrieving her abandoned empty magazines along the way.
Several members of the unit, Will Sharp included, held approving thumbs in the air while others golf-clapped and offered renditions of an Olympic-esque judging system using their fingers.
Lauren, tuned-in now and out of breath, smiled in approval but humbly waved them off. “Thank you, gentlemen, thank you, but please, hold your applause. I’m not a figure skater.” She made small talk with them, diverting away after seeing their latest visitor. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Right back at you,” replied Jade with a smirk. “I was in the neighborhood…doing my rounds. I’m not used to hearing rapid fire this early, so I came to see what the commotion was about. You, uh…looked pretty good out there.”
Lauren lowered her head bashfully. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Well, Jae?” Lauren shifted to her mentor. “What say you? Do I still got it?”
Woo Tang held out both hands, indicating his desire to inspect the M4 he’d loaned her. “I believe you still have it. Though you did appear off form, to some extent.”
“Off form?” Eyes narrowing, she handed the rifle off to him. “What do you mean by that? I know it’s cold outside, but I busted my ass out there.”
“I am not disputing the climate or your efforts, only calling it as I see it. There were specific points during your run when you stopped to think before acting. That hesitancy is not indicative of accumulated muscle memory.”
Lauren scowled somewhat. “That’s a fine way of saying I’m out of practice. I haven’t spent a lot of time at the range lately, and I think you know why.”
“I do, and your justification is reasonable,” Woo Tang said. “It is fortunate that we now possess the means to mitigate the issue. Shooting is a perishable skill; moving in tandem with shooting is one and the same. This cannot be overlooked. It would behoove you to train with us every morning from here on out.”
“Fine. I’ll do that. Not like I have anything else going on.”
“Good. It will be a tribute to have you join us, almost like…old times.” Squinting, he smiled at Lauren, then sent a kind eye to her counterpart. “Jade Hensley, the invitation to train alongside the unit is open to you, as well, if that is suitable. I do not wish to impose.”
Jade pushed out her lower lip and playfully shifted her hips. “How sweet. I thought you’d never ask. I could use some range time.”
“Very well,” said Woo Tang. “And given that gentlemen with manners maintain that ladies must always go first, if you prefer, you may try your hand at the Gauntlet next. Or you may wait until later, your choice.”
“The Gauntlet?” Jade murmured under breath, then studied all the expectant eyes gazing upon her now, especially Lauren’s. She shrugged. “Well, the gesture is charming, the courtesy itself is rare, and there’s never any time like the present. I’ll…just need a few minutes to get my act together.”
Woo Tang lowered his head a tinge. “Take all the time you need; the men will ready the course while you prepare. For your run, we require two empty rifle magazines and two empty pistol magazines. Should either or both of your firearm selections not adhere to NATO standardization, we must ask that you provide ammunition for the ones that do not.”
Jade racked her brain, peering off in the direction of the APC, feeling somewhat unprepared. “My firearm selections…”
“She can use mine.” Lauren retrieved the empty rifle and pistol mags from her dump pouch and handed them off to Will and the others, then regarded Jade. “You carry a Glock 19, right?”
Jade grinned and patted the weapon on her hip. “Gen four, same as yours.” She beckoned Lauren to draw near. “Thank you for that, almost fell flat on my face. I, uh, could use a little coaching on this…Gauntlet thing. Would you mind giving me the rundown?”
“Not at all.”
Jade beamed. “Cool. Ride my heels.”
The two women strolled together, though not necessarily side by side, to the Marauder. Once there, Jade led Lauren to the rear door, pulled it open with a creak, and fished for a pair of lengthy tubular nylon duffels stowed beneath the rear deck seating. She unzipped one and stretched the opening into a wide oval.
Lauren stared wide-eyed at the contents. “Now that’s a shitload of guns.”
“I can only claim a few of them,” Jade said. “The rest were gifts.”
“Whoever gifted them to you must’ve been feeling incredibly
