Vulcan's Fire

actually working for the Israelis who need a cutout for political deniability, but the IDF is sending us where we seem to be needed the most. I believe, therefore, that most of the Lebanese will be receptive.”

Mohammed took a marker and underlined each topic. “I have tentatively assigned each of you two areas of expertise: a primary and a secondary. For instance, Mr. Malten and Mr. Brezyinski are rated medics so they will mostly teach combat trauma with weapons as a secondary subject. Similarly, Mr. Wallender specializes in communications and doubles as a tactics instructor. Your briefing packets contain your specific assignments.”

Frank Leopole walked to the easel and stood beside Mohammed. “Actually, weapons and tactics will be our bread and butter, pretty much like it is on most of our training contracts. That’s why most of you were selected for this job. We’ll break into five-man teams and discuss some of the specifics before we meet again this afternoon and hash out any questions about doctrine. The main things to keep in mind: keep it simple and keep it consistent.”

While Leopole circulated among the team discussions, Mohammed sat in on the weapons group for starters. Consulting his notes, he began, “Many experienced fighters in the Middle East have expended thousands of rounds without hitting anybody. At least not that they can tell. Mainly it’s cultural. The more radical Islamists do not even bother to zero their rifles. They just point toward the enemy and pull the trigger, trusting God to guide their bullets, inshallah. I am told that such attitudes are rare among the Druze who, after all, are not Muslims.”

Pitney wriggled in his chair, apparently concerned about something. Mohammed noted the movement. “Yes, Robert.”

“Well, sir, I think we should emphasize the fundamentals: grip, cheek weld, breathing, sight picture, trigger control, and follow-through. Especially trigger control.”

Mohammed regarded the champion shooter. Obviously he was speaking as a national-class authority on the subject. “You seem to be saying that the trigger is more important than the others.”

“Well, Doctor, they’re all important. I mean, I wouldn’t gloss over any of them. But the trigger’s the man- machine interface, you know? When I was in high school we would’ve said it’s where the rubber meets the road. In my experience, if you get a shooter to concentrate on a good surprise break every time, he’ll learn a lot faster than otherwise. And he’ll be more accurate as well.”

Bosco fancied himself as a marksman and had some theories of his own. “You know, I’ve always wondered about follow-through. I mean, how can the shooter affect the shot when the bullet goes three thousand feet per second?” He spread his hands. “That’s different from an early flinch, of course.”

Mohammed looked to Pitney for a response.

“Sir, once I computed the dwell time in the barrel for a 5.56 round. I forget exactly but it’s a few ten- thousandths of a second. So Bosco’s right, once the primer goes, the shooter can’t influence the course of the bullet. But if the shooter follows through on every round, pretty soon he begins to notice where the sights were, and that means he can begin calling his shots. After that, he can start correcting himself.”

Mohammed appreciated Pitney’s throwing a bone to Bosco. The ex-Ranger was a good shooter and a better rappel instructor, but Pitney could have turned the exchange to his own advantage. Instead, he remained professionally neutral. He’s trying to fit in, Mohammed noted. Good for him.

“Now, I might add something. There’s a saying: ‘One round, two sight pictures.’ What does that mean?” Since he knew that Pitney could write an encyclopedia on the subject, he looked elsewhere. “Anybody?”

Phil Green beat out Bosco. “It means you immediately get a second sight picture after the round goes.”

“Correct. Whether you need it or not.”

Chris Nissen asked, “What about full auto? I mean with rifles, not belt-fed guns.”

Mohammed looked at Pitney who had his own thoughts on the subject but thought better of addressing a purely military subject. The snipers, Barrkman and Furr, gave each other disapproving looks while mouthing the words: Waste of ammo. Finally Green spoke up again. Though primarily a SWAT cop, he had done a tour as an artilleryman. “Doesn’t that depend on how much time and ammo is available? From what we’ve heard about this job, it sounds as if we’re not going to have much chance to teach more than the basics.”

“That is probably the case,” Mohammed replied. “But Sergeant Nissen’s question is well taken. Undoubtedly most of our clients are accustomed to firing their AKs on full automatic. We can either show them the folly of that technique or try to teach them how to do it right.”

Nissen said, “Sounds like a distinction between the beginners and the more experienced people. In other words, a syllabus decision. Now if it was just up to me, I’d say semiauto only at anything outside room distance.”

Mohammed nodded in agreement. “Unless anyone has other thoughts on the subject, we will make that a doctrinal item. Full auto only at close quarters.”

Pitney had a thought. “Doctor, are we likely to have people with sub guns?”

“You mean submachine guns?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I don’t know. It hasn’t come up.”

The speed shooter bit his lip. “Sometimes it’s better to have a pistol than a buzz gun, especially in tight spaces. I’m just wondering if we should decide if we want to try teaching SMGs or handguns. I mean, there probably won’t be time for both.”

Now Bosco’s curiosity got the better of him. “You saying that a pistol’s better than an MP-5 up close and personal?”

Pitney blinked his green eyes. After two heartbeats he replied, “I know it’s better for me. And probably for most guys. Look, you don’t have as much risk of leading with your muzzle around corners, and retention is easier with a handgun. There’s no real advantage in the ammo, and in fact the pistols I’d carry are all bigger than nine-millimeter.”

Bosco squirmed in his seat. “Yeah, but with one trigger pull of an MP you can dump ten, twenty rounds into somebody.”

“What if there’s two or three of them? I’m not trying to pump myself up here, but I can show you on the range that a pistol is better than a buzz gun against multiple opponents up close.”

The erstwhile Ranger recognized an opportunity. Robert Pitney seemed to be challenging Jason Boscombe to a man against man contest. Bosco’s Heckler & Koch against Pitney’s Springfield XD.

“What sort of test would it be, dude?”

Pitney smiled. “Say, five targets at ten yards.”

“What kinda targets?”

“Oh, eight-inch steel plates. Starting with both guns at low ready.”

Bosco thought for a moment, then leaned back and laughed. “Hey, dude, I only look stupid. That’s the kind of games you play all the time. I’d end up buying you a case of beer or something.”

“No, no,” Pitney insisted. “I’m not trying to sandbag anybody. I’m just saying that I’ve run that test several times, and the pistol usually wins. It’s because the distance is too short for the sub gun’s sight radius to be a real advantage, and that HK trigger can’t be tweaked like most pistols. When we switch guns, after a few runs the guy shooting my pistol does better.”

“Better than you?”

Pitney tried suppressing a grin and failed. “Well, better than he did with the buzz gun.”

“That’s what I thought.” Bosco laughed.

Part 2 ISRAEL