The other guys in the car were pretty smart. One guy next to me, Mia was behind the wheel. The weather wasn't bad. It was what you'd call "an easy day". It was a light run. Wasn't a lot of gear needed. A carbine was all the off body gear we carried. We had a carrier and some cuffs too, but we couldn't really snag a FAST helmet through crevices of the warehouse. Team 2 was coming in fast after so we didn't see a purpose for full kit. We didn't even have on the multicams.


The kit was fairly simple. A storm grey banshee plate carrier fitted with level 3 AR-500 plates. I trust these plates with everything. I can take a rifle round and recover unscaved. It's a quick in and out type mission. Nothing too hard. Just hookers and blow. Nobody here I wouldn't trust with my life.


The radio came through loud. Sometimes I wish those PTTs didn't work so well. Blaring through. dispatch came through.

"10-12 Team two, radio check." Mia returned the call over.

"10-4. Solid copy. We gotcha load and clear." Mia was not an unattractive girl. She was above average in fact. She had a strong but light voice. She didn't quite have her c-clamp down but she could handle the flip of a Glock 22 like Chris Costa. I feared for her though. She had a smaller figure so here plates weren't exactly fitted. If she took a hit to the carrier she could very easily live, but it may break some ribs. Next to me was Big T. I don't remember his first name. He was a 5'11 African American gentleman who could handle an AR like it's nobody's business.

These training simulations were so real. It was ballahack training field. But it didn't feel like a training field. They had a warehouse out there. If I wasn't enrolled in this program I Probably would have thought it was some big sting. That's exactly what it was. The Drug Enforcement Agency coincides with the Department of Homeland Security to put on these two week training sims. It always feels so real. Guns loaded up with simunition. It's a real-steel firearm putting out paintball rounds, and the hurt.

We were driving down the street. We here were to tag a know dealer. Snake McKinnon. He was called snake because of a tattoo that ran down his neck. He'd been busted once before but his buddies broke him out. "Hey T?" I said. "You got anything on this guy?"

"We got this guy a few years ago for trafficking hookers and blow. Then some buddies broke in with super compacts and f**ked her up. Few weeks ago we tried to arrest him, shot and killed the cop. This f****'s a bad dude."

Perfect. The guys want this dude bad. I guess he's got some intel and they wanna question him hard. Easy-peasy." We watch crowds of people walk the streets. In one of these crowds we see our very own Mia called out.

"There's the f***** right there!" He ran. Mia spun the car around. The hub cap clipped the corner and dropped the car down. We stormed out of the car. I remember every little bit of this dude. He had red converse shoes, a bluish faded hoodie, and a black Adidas backpack. He had long dark hair and a chin strap.

We rushed after him down an alley as fast as we could and dropped behind a dumpster. Mia, being the driver, was a little behind. As he was running, snake turned around and retrieved a sub machine gun from his backpack and fired back at us. "GUN!" I called., The sputtering of the micro he had was almost deafening. The pattering and clanging of the shells hitting the ground never left me. Mia took a simunition round to the carrier. She dropped fast.

Sometimes things just get so real you forget it's a sim. I just watched someone I trained with for a week drop in front of me. It felt so real. T pulled her behind the wall. Dispatch came over again. Team two, stay frosty, Charlie team is rearing the building now." We didn't have time to give a full response. T was firing rounds to the doorway.
"10-4" we ran inside.

It was dark inside. I took the straight away and T curled to my 3. I couldn't see enough to stay at pace. I went for a simple stride through keeping compact and flashing the weapon mounted light on strobe. The strobe ability allows for lighting my area but also white-lighting and blinding anyone who jumps out at me. Snake was able to come out in darkness and fire two shots at me. He missed both. I couldn't see but it sounded like a hand gun. I dropped behind some crates and fired four back. I saw him run to a more lighted area and chased him fast. He ran through a doorway with some fabric hanging over.

I heard him call to some buddies. I ran in behind him. He kept straight through but I was now in a room with two armed dealers. One with a shotgun and one with an AK. Still running, I put six shots into the shotgun asshole. The other guy moved around the table shooting at me. I managed to drop behind a crate and fired back. I dropped an urban prone to mess his line of fire. I put 13 rounds into this not so gentle gentleman and two for the double-tap. One thing I won't forget is what was on their table. The had a brief case filled with bags of cocaine. I ran to the next room after snake. Hi fired two more shots and I planted my feet and returned with a follow-up nine shots. T was rearing around. I raised my rifle to him. "BLUE, BLUE, BLUE!"

Calling to check friendly. Snake fired 4 more shots at us. After realizing the magazine was completely empty, I switched to my sidearm. T dropped behind a wall and started firing at snake.

Snake turned around to return shots back at me. He was firing one handed. This opened up his torso. I put 12 shots from my Glock into his chest. T returned with a corresponding 8 shots. We peppered this guy. He dropped to the ground fast. The shots rang out and the clang of shells hitting the ground echoed. The reality of simulation was completely lost. It felt real.

I stopped and exhaled leaning against the cement wall. T sprinted to me. "BLUE!" He yelled again for clarification.

"Blue" I returned with little breath. T stopped and looked around.

"You good?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah"
"How'd that questioning go?" We both exhaled.

"Yeah." I exhaled in pain. "How's Mia?"

"Paramedics are loading her in right now" I sighed in relief and took off my glasses. "Easy day right?" He said jokingly. We laughed and look at each other.

"Yeah, easy day"