Chapter 132

"Master Sergeant, I have a job for you", the Commandant said as soon as his appointment walked into his office.

"What is that, sir?"

"The Utopians are under the impression that they're chasing a ghost. Well, I wanna give them a ghost to chase. Well, several in fact. I want you to start a training program to create the ELITE of the ELITE in snipers. You're the best the Corps. has to offer. Let's show the Utopians who's REALLY boss when it comes to snipers."

"Aye, aye, sir. Did you have a list of candidates in mind for the training, sir?"

The Commandant slid a sheet of paper toward the Master Sergeant without even looking at him. "These are the first men to receive the training. I want them to be able to hit a target from a minimum of 120yrd. like you did with former President Gentry. A max of 500 unless you can do further."

"Sir, I can hit a target from 1500 yrs. I've put in that kind of training."

"Good, Master Sergeant. If you succeed with this first class, those rifles will become a diamond and you'll be known as First Sergeant. Understood?"

"Aye, sir."

"Commence training at 0430 tomorrow morning. The men have already been informed that they will be receiving this special training. Dismissed." The Master Sergeant did and about face and left the room to work on the training regimen that he was going to have to teach starting the next morning at 0430. That meant another sleepless night, but he was used to those. Recon wasn't a job for the faint of heart, especially Force Recon; being a sniper.

--------------

David's phone rang a 6:30 in the morning. He growled and turned over to grab it off of his bed side table. "Who the hell is calling me at 6:30 in the God damn morning?" he asked when he answered the phone.

"Well, good morning to you too, David", the Commandant said.

"Commandant, don't you have anything better to do with your time rather than call me and wake me from a dead fucking sleep?"

"I wanted to give you the most recent plans of the Resistance."

"Can't it wait until later in the morning or possible this afternoon?"

"It could. I'm sorry to wake you."

"Ok, you and me, we're going to have to set some ground rules here. First, don't call me before 9:30 in the morning. Second, don't show up here until after 10:00 in the morning and please at least have the decency to call the day before if you plan on making an early visit so that I'm actually awake when you bang in the door. Ok?"

"Absolutely, David. Again, I'm very sorry to have woken you. I'm just very excited about where the Resistance is going with its efforts to end this war."

"Well, Commandant, now that you have my undivided attention, why don't you go on and tell me what has your boxers in a bunch."

"We're giving the Utopians their ghost. I have your brother in law training a new breed of sniper as we speak. I had him start an hour ago. Remember, we're an hour behind you here in Colorado."

"Cool, so you're giving the Utopians a bunch of ghosts to chase, thinking that they MIGHT catch the man responsible for killing your old school mate. Whooptiedo. That was not worth waking me up at 6:30 in the morning, Commandant."

"Will I need to call you back in a couple of hours to give you the information again?"

"Probably, just so the guys can hear it for themselves."

"Not a problem, David. I'll call you back at 11:00. How does that sound?"

"Like a good fucking idea to me, Commandant. Until 11:00." David hung up and dropped his phone in the floor.