Visionless Reality

Eleven

        All the team members looking at each other, having zero trust on the other person, were confused what to do further. Bending to pick up a pistol first, I tried to collect all the information about the weapons for surety, just by touching it. I wasn’t able to distinguish my assembled weapon for every weapon was similar. But one of them was different actually. Holding the pistol, the trigger was free. I remember Recruit-147 losing his trigger spring. So that one was to be avoided. 3 pistols left in the crate. It was all my luck who could save me in the task. I picked up the pistol and checked it for its components. Everything seemed fine to me. The USP I got hold of, was not mine because the serial number on my weapon ended with 3 and it was a 7. I was still not sure whether this would work or not. I was freezing replaying the same thought in my head again and again. After all other picked up the pistols, I was satisfied to know that Recruit-38 got the weapon that was assembled by Recruit-147. Thinking about the second crate, it was again a bidding time. Once again trying to figure out the weapon just by its touch, it was difficult to figure out what to expect from my teammates. This time all the weapons were fine, and there was no difference which could let me kick out an option.

        Finally, by the look of the frowning teammates, I was forced to put my thinking at a halt and act fast on my decision. I picked up a random g*n and sighed, for this time, it was the one I assembled. I was sure about the other teammates of being insecure of their choices for they were unable to trust anyone. When they can’t welcome their teammates with a joyful face and some adorable words, how could you believe anyone of them? I was confident, for if one of the weapons fail to work, I had the surety of the second one to do its job.

‘Alright fellas. There you see different targets. Here is the ammunition. Load it into your weapons and shoot every target thrice with each weapon. You will be awarded points on the basis of your speed and aim. Please come forward one by one and perform the task.’-Major.

        Loading the ammunition was not a big deal in the USP, but loading it in the P90 was a bit hard. Having the capacity of 50 bullets, and a different kind of magazine, it required strength for with each bullet inserted the spring was tensioned, making it harder for another bullet. The shooting range had 5 targets. First one was 10 meters away, second at 20m and so one till 50m. I was very much confident about my aiming. It was Recruit-399 first who went. He was brilliant with his aiming. How could a recruit be so awesome with his aims? Each and every shot was near to the center. While using P90, his aim was a bit disturbed. Looked like he was annoyed by the fire rate of the g*n. He put his g*n on the table and returned back to his position, calm and quiet as usual. Recruit-38 was next. I was not sure how would he perform but I knew that he had an aggressive personality. With his USP loaded, he looked at me like a smiling maniac, as if he was going to shoot me. I felt the chill go down my spine. Setting his aim at the target, he felt that the trigger can’t be pushed as the spring was missing. He became frustrated and while giving me a frowning look, switched to his P90. He used the automatic fire and missed most of his shots. He was looking at me like I was the reason behind his aggression. Throwing the guns at the table, he returned to his position too. I was sure that I would not perform bad at all.

        Holding the USP, stiff and straight, I squeezed the trigger, pointing at the target and hit the first target at point. Second one was affected by the recoil, but then got the flow of shooting. Hitting the targets with USP and switching over the P90, I peeked to see the teammates and Recruit-38 was still frowning at me. Pointing the P90 at the target and squeezing the trigger, it ran faster than expected. It was terrible with high fire rate. The trigger too was very sensitive and I was not able to control it properly. It was running without providing proper result. I was satisfied by my aim for I was not used to with such high fire rates. It was a spontaneous and pretty great experience for me. Last was the Recruit-147. Moving scared and with an uneasy feeling face, he stood aiming the target with his USP. Firing the first bullet, he stood there with his legs shaking and eyes closed. Looked like it was his first time using a weapon. He opened his eyes and saw his missed shot. He aimed again and tried harder this time, make a better call this time. Third time was the worst. He actually hit his nose with the USP for his hands were not stiff enough to control the recoil of the pistol. He was bleeding, but still he carried on with his task. This showed his dedication towards his work. Ending up with the USP, he picked up the P90 and was unable to figure out how to hold it. Holding it with the utmost uneasiness, he pulled the trigger but nothing happened. It was like something was missing inside the weapon, making it not able to shoot. He ended up surrendering the P90 weapon. We all could have done better, but the time was gone.

‘Bravo recruits… You all did great. It was a pretty good task wasn’t it? Let me tell you one thing. You are here to be the pillars of knowledge and justice. We are here to train you… not only with the weapons or physically, but also mentally. This task, being all about testing your speed of grasping information and bringing it into real life, was not all about it. Many other tests were also hidden instead. One of which was the team spirit. How much faith do you have on your teammates? Answer to this question, proves the stability, and decides the fate of your team. You all have been assigned points depending on your performance and skills and your current rankings have been updated on the noticeboard. You may go to the lobby and wait for the instructions for the next task to come.’-Instructor.

        Returning to the lobby, I straightaway went to the noticeboard to get a glimpse of the ranking but the place was crowded already. I somehow saw that I was ranked 13. That was cool enough. But the urge to see my ranking was not enough. I wanted some competition from my teammates and saying this, tag of the 3rd person on the noticeboard, flashed into my eyes. It was Recruit-399. I was sure that he would be enjoying his victory but no… He was sitting on the couch, looking at the clouds in silence, without any expression. He was not feeling good. Sitting beside him, I tried to start some conversation but…

‘Hey 399. You saw your rank? You are number 3 in the list!’

‘Yeah whatever.’-Recruit-399.

‘What? Aren’t you happy for your achievement? It was great seeing you shoot. You were rocking like a pro out there with all the bullets flying away in slow motion, all to the same spot. I mean wow.’

‘What is so wow about it?’-Recruit-399.

‘Why are you being so negative? Is there any problem with you? I think you are sick or something.’

‘Tell me one thing. What will you get from this competition? Fame, money, justice? What will you achieve from it finally?’-Recruit-399.

‘I don’t know. I just came here to have some fun.’

‘Yeah I knew it. You too are like those little brats, risking your lives, just for fun. Do you even know how much risky these things are?’-Recruit-399.

‘Well I can’t understand, what is so risky in assembling a pistol and shooting with it in the testing field?’

‘Never mind. You can’t understand me.’-Recruit-399.

        I was confused by the thoughts about him. He was being protective for his teammate. Was he trying to back me off from the competition and get a higher ranking or was he serious? This is the most special truth about life. Everything in life is a bid. You don’t know who is protecting you and who is plotting against you. Looking at his face, he looked like he was much older than his actual age. With all the wrinkles on his face but with a healthy body, it looked like he has been under intense pressure for long time. Most probably pressure to become perfect in this particular field. Looking into his eyes, at the reflection of the cloud, it reminded me of the black cloudy shadow that stood outside the windowpane. I remember focusing at his dried tears and his painful face, trying to say something. I wish I had been more courageous, to stand by his side and listen to his pain.

‘So you are in love with this guy now? After wrecking my task?’-Recruit-38.

‘What? Are you psycho? What is all that nonsense?’

‘No, let me ask… Why did you not assemble the USP properly? You know it did cost me hard. You are going to regret this.’-Recruit-38.

‘Sorry to interrupt… but the USP you took hold of was mine. I lost the trigger spring during the assembly. I apologize for my mistake.’-Recruit-147.

‘You apologize? You are going to pay for that.’-Recruit-38.

‘Hey man… just chill! 38’s P90 did betrayed him. Did he say anything to anyone? If he is not that furious, why are you so?’

‘What do I have to do with him?’-Recruit-38.

‘Can’t you all keep your mouth shut? Quarrelling like old ladies out there. Why are you even bothering any other’s presence? Just stay within your limits or I’ll have to take some serious actions.’-Recruit-399.

‘Oh really! What serious actions can you take? I don’t think that the top scorer would like getting busted for behaving improperly inside the lobby. You know that indulging in a fight would cost you a lot don’t you?’-Recruit-38.

‘I think we should all stay calm and work together. With the assistance of the other teammates only we can gain more points than others out there.’

        And with some words of mine, everyone settled with their issues. At a sudden, I realised that my belongings were missing from the lobby. And it was not me only, it was the whole crowd of recruits who were not with their belongings. I thought of asking other people but gave it a rest, thinking it was a part of the security measures. I was still thinking about what the next task could be when the instructor came online.

‘Recruits! After waiting for so long in the lobby, it is time for the task 2. Get ready with your energy and brains. The next task would be a rigorous one. You will have a drill, in which you have to cover a certain area, that is designed and structure by our Major David. The whole circuit is of 4 miles which you have to cover, keeping the running time in mind. Points would be distributed with respect to the time you take to cover the whole circuit. This task will test your patience and strength.’-Instructor.

        The thing I was scared of, was in front of me. I was always trying to escape physical exercise due to my weak stamina, and this is the task that requires ultimate stamina. I was falling inside the fear of mine.