Heaven in Hell

Mean it!

Prescott's POV:

I barely make it to the classroom at 0900 hours with dead abs and jelly feet. The damn laps are also making my eyes burn and they are dying to just shut down. Damn that chlorine!

But it is time for technicals. Chief may be excellent in breaking your body and building it back up, but when it comes to technicals, his expertise is unparalleled. I hope the team has brought their brains because he is going to make them use it very well.

The moment my ass is about to make contact with the chair, Chief speaks, "Get in full gear. You are doing the demo. Be here in ten." I swear he can't see me sit or relax even for a minute. It is like God put him on earth only for that one job. He does his job well though. Ten fucking minutes to run to the room, change into full gear wearing thousands of things with precision, ensure that these clothes are back in its place properly, get a rifle and reach back while my feet are jelly. God could not have made a better model for this job.

---

"What is a CQB?" I hear when I enter the room. Damn! Viva by minute ten. Told you, he is damn good at this.

"It is a technique to safely and effectively enter and clear a room, sir" replies Ashwin in clear loud voice

"What is the full form, Kyra?"

"Close Quarter Battle, sir"

"And what are the five principles, Officers, in the correct order?"

"through the door, clear your near corner, run your wall, collapse your sector, and communicate" both reply with precision. For them, this is not entirely new.

"Now, let us learn some basics. Before you enter a room or any structure that you have to clear, you must prepare for your entry. How do you prepare for your entry, Prescott?"

"Intelligence, explosives and stacking, Chief"

"Not to me. To your team, Prescott, in words they can understand"

"First, gather as much intelligence as you can regarding the structure and construction of the building, the security i.e. number of guards and their shift timings, cameras, explosive rigging, door open and shut, lockdowns, etc. Then, decide the entry point. Now, when you enter a room or a structure, you are the most vulnerable. Anybody could be sitting inside ready to shoot you through the door. So, ensure that there is no indication of you being outside to enter. Keep radio silence when you are preparing to enter. Don't take too much time.

Stack outside. Stacking means standing to the wall behind one another. Now, you keep your explosives, grenades, flash bangs ready to throw inside the door before you enter. But that will alert everybody. So, if your choice is to keep your entire mission silent, this step must be skipped. Instead, when you are ready to enter, the last person will come and silently break the lock or chain and stand with his back firmly to the wall on the side where the hinges of the door are. The others will enter the room and the last person would follow"

"Anybody has any questions?"

"No, sir" I release the breath I had been holding.

"Prescott, you are the first man. Let's stack"

With a nod, I bend my knees slightly, keep my feet shoulder width apart, side facing the wall, my eyes on the door and my gun to the ground but ready to be raised.

Chief stands behind me in a similar posture with one hand holding mimicking a gun and other on my shoulder.

"Now, you can either have your hands on one another's shoulder and when it is go time, squeeze the shoulder to give the 'Go' signal. Or keep yourselves ready and tap on the elbows or shoulders when it is time" He says demonstrating what needs to be done.