he was a warrior.
He glanced at the tank behind him and nodded to himself, apparently satisfied that everything was in good order. Then he turned around, and tilted his head, seeming to look at some spot just beyond and above us. He didn't say a word.
Time dragged out. I and everyone else remained at attention, stiff, unmoving.
Waiting was always the worst part of any fight. And I was certain this was about to be one of the biggest fights of my life.
"Drop," Instructor Reed said quietly.
" Drop! " the class responded, and we dropped, every one of us assuming the starting position for a pushup, also known as the "plank."
I and everyone else held that position, because we hadn't been given permission to get up again, or to do actual pushups.
The seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.
My arms were beginning to shake from supporting my body weight.
One minute.
One minute thirty seconds.
Two minutes.
"Push 'em," the instructor said.
"Push 'em!" Jaguar echoed.
" Wooyah! " the class said, finally doing the first pushup.
"One!" Jaguar said.
" One! " the class responded enthusiastically.
"Two!"
" Two! "
After counting out twenty pushups we returned to the "plank" starting position, and waited once again. My arms were just in agony, and shaking worse than ever.
There was no command to recover. No command to continue pushups. Nothing. We just held that starting position.
I risked a glance up.
Instructor Reed hadn't moved. He merely stood there, gazing blankly across the ranks from behind those sunglasses.
"Again," he said, finally.
We did another twenty.
"Again," Instructor Reed said.
Twenty more.
"Again."
"Again."
We were up to one hundred pushups in total now. As I held that plank position, sweat dripped down my pecs to pool at the center of my shirt. More perspiration oozed down my forehead, along my cheeks, and dripped from my nose. Along with mucus.
"Again," Instructor Reed said.
Twenty more.
"Again."
I pushed my butt higher into the air, trying to take the pressure off my burning arms. Others around me were doing the same.
"Again."
Men started dropping around me. They just couldn't take it. I was about to collapse myself. My arms were just jackhammering.
"Recover."
At first I thought I'd imagined the word, because Instructor Reed said it so quietly.
"Feet!" Jaguar said.
" Feet !" the class responded. Not a roar anymore. More like a bunch of choked chickens.
I staggered to my feet. Around me, other students fell flat on their faces, their arms too weak even to get up. They managed to stand at attention with help from other students. Alejandro and I had to help Ace up.
"Report, Mr. Robinson," Instructor Reed said.
"Class eleven-oh-eight is formed, sir," Jaguar said. "One hundred eighty-two men assigned, one hundred eighty present. One man on watch, one man at medical. Sick call."
Instructor Reed nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned to the rest of us. "Seats."
" Seats! " We hit the concrete, and sat cross-legged.
"He is best who is trained in the severest school," Instructor Reed intoned. "Who said that?"
"You did, sir!" a trainee near the front answered.
"Drop and push 'em for being an idiot," Instructor Reed said.
The student immediately complied.
"Anyone else?"
I knew the answer. During downtime I'd read History of the Peloponnesian War , which was on the recommended reading list, but I didn't say anything, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
"Thucydides, sir!" It was Ace who answered, seated two students down from me.
"Excellent." He glanced at Ace. "Drop and push 'em for being too smart."
Ace's face fell, and he obeyed.
"Thucydides also said, the strength of an Army lies in strict discipline and undeviating obedience to its officers." Instructor Reed looked us up and down. "We are here to teach you both these things."
He toured the room, pa ssing between our ranks. He paused beside one man. "Why did you enlist?"
"I enlisted to kill me some SKs!" the trainee said.
He glanced at the tank behind him and nodded to himself, apparently satisfied that everything was in good order. Then he turned around, and tilted his head, seeming to look at some spot just beyond and above us. He didn't say a word.
Time dragged out. I and everyone else remained at attention, stiff, unmoving.
Waiting was always the worst part of any fight. And I was certain this was about to be one of the biggest fights of my life.
"Drop," Instructor Reed said quietly.
" Drop! " the class responded, and we dropped, every one of us assuming the starting position for a pushup, also known as the "plank."
I and everyone else held that position, because we hadn't been given permission to get up again, or to do actual pushups.
The seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.
My arms were beginning to shake from supporting my body weight.
One minute.
One minute thirty seconds.
Two minutes.
"Push 'em," the instructor said.
"Push 'em!" Jaguar echoed.
" Wooyah! " the class said, finally doing the first pushup.
"One!" Jaguar said.
" One! " the class responded enthusiastically.
"Two!"
" Two! "
After counting out twenty pushups we returned to the "plank" starting position, and waited once again. My arms were just in agony, and shaking worse than ever.
There was no command to recover. No command to continue pushups. Nothing. We just held that starting position.
I risked a glance up.
Instructor Reed hadn't moved. He merely stood there, gazing blankly across the ranks from behind those sunglasses.
"Again," he said, finally.
We did another twenty.
"Again," Instructor Reed said.
Twenty more.
"Again."
"Again."
We were up to one hundred pushups in total now. As I held that plank position, sweat dripped down my pecs to pool at the center of my shirt. More perspiration oozed down my forehead, along my cheeks, and dripped from my nose. Along with mucus.
"Again," Instructor Reed said.
Twenty more.
"Again."
I pushed my butt higher into the air, trying to take the pressure off my burning arms. Others around me were doing the same.
"Again."
Men started dropping around me. They just couldn't take it. I was about to collapse myself. My arms were just jackhammering.
"Recover."
At first I thought I'd imagined the word, because Instructor Reed said it so quietly.
"Feet!" Jaguar said.
" Feet !" the class responded. Not a roar anymore. More like a bunch of choked chickens.
I staggered to my feet. Around me, other students fell flat on their faces, their arms too weak even to get up. They managed to stand at attention with help from other students. Alejandro and I had to help Ace up.
"Report, Mr. Robinson," Instructor Reed said.
"Class eleven-oh-eight is formed, sir," Jaguar said. "One hundred eighty-two men assigned, one hundred eighty present. One man on watch, one man at medical. Sick call."
Instructor Reed nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned to the rest of us. "Seats."
" Seats! " We hit the concrete, and sat cross-legged.
"He is best who is trained in the severest school," Instructor Reed intoned. "Who said that?"
"You did, sir!" a trainee near the front answered.
"Drop and push 'em for being an idiot," Instructor Reed said.
The student immediately complied.
"Anyone else?"
I knew the answer. During downtime I'd read History of the Peloponnesian War , which was on the recommended reading list, but I didn't say anything, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
"Thucydides, sir!" It was Ace who answered, seated two students down from me.
"Excellent." He glanced at Ace. "Drop and push 'em for being too smart."
Ace's face fell, and he obeyed.
"Thucydides also said, the strength of an Army lies in strict discipline and undeviating obedience to its officers." Instructor Reed looked us up and down. "We are here to teach you both these things."
He toured the room, pa ssing between our ranks. He paused beside one man. "Why did you enlist?"
"I enlisted to kill me some SKs!" the trainee said.
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