Tilted Axis

Chapter:14

                               Gon POV

  "ALRIGHT LADS UP YA GET! IT IS NOW 0500! WE GOT BASIC DRILLS BEFORE TODAYS MAIN EVENT!" Sergeant yells into the barrack. My eyes flicking open the moment I heard the door slam. By this point Leorio and I have this in sync. Both of us already having pants on with boots laced.

   We quickly get our shirts on and run out the door get into formation in front of Knuckle. He simply smirks when looking at us and his pocket watch. Before too long the rest of our platoon files out the door.

"Once again none of you come even close to matching the time of these two. You are here to server your country! Not dawdle like your nans." Knuckle shouts as he begins to go over a quick uniform inspection.

"Because we will be using live weapons later today, I'd rather not have you bastards cock up with those. Last thing I need is a gun either exploding in your hands or somebody else getting shot."

He eyes down Stoller, Ray, and Van. "We will start with a 5 Kilometer run today." He continues. "Then before anything else you go straight to the obstacle course. I will be timing you on how fast you make it through your rounds and the course. Don't muck about either. Worst time will be punished!"

"Alright. Line up by the perimeter fence!" He shouts and we scatter to the fence. "Uhh how many laps would that be Gon?" Leorio asks me.

"I'd think it's about 3 laps. Lets give it a second and he will clarify. I'm sure I'm off."

"Alright lads. The perimeter fence goes all the way around. You will need 5 laps." He then points at the obstacle course. "Do not hesitate once those are done. Immediately go to the course and get through it."

He then turns to Leorio and I. "I wonder which of you will win today."

  "Place your bets sir. It will probably be close." Leorio grins.

  Knuckle simply laughs. "I'll save the betting for tonight boys."

  He turns and walks off and we join the rest of the platoon.

"Did you notice Sergeant?" Leorio asks me.

"What? His expression when he looked at the tosser trio? Was a pretty miffed expression."

"Miffed is a light take on it mate. Got a tenner saying he's keeping a close watch on 'em."

  "Probably right about that. Now focus ya cunt. We gotta show the others how it's done." I knock my fist against his shoulder.

  "Alright alright."

   We look straight forward along the fence. Sergeant just barley visible from the corner of my eye.

  "Alright maggots! Time starts." He pauses for a moment giving us all a hard look. "NOW! GO YA MUNTERS!"
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   The two of us inevitably tied in the end. 20 minutes for the 5k with an extra 6 minutes for the obstacle course. Sergeant threw in a few unexpected surprises in for the course.

  "I was ahead of you!" Leorio shouts at me grinning.

  "The hell you were you cock! I was ahead of you!" I shout back breathing heavy. I think my hand against his chest. "Had you by at least a meter."

  Sergeant chuckles at our squabbling. "At ease boys. It was a tie. If it makes you feel better it's a base record. A full two laps ahead of the others at that."

   "Ahh bloody 'ell!"Leorio huffs but he's still grinning.

"Go rest up a bit boys. Nurse Bisky will be by with some water in a moment."

"Sir, Yes Sir!" We exclaim in unison.

  We go and sit in the grass not far from the course and watch the others take their laps.

   "Kinda pain in the arse ain't it?"

   "What is?"

  "We set a base record for the run and course. But it's a shared record. No spotlight for just one of us."

   I roll my eyes. "I didn't take you for the type to want fame and glory."

   He chuckles. "I'm not. But would be nice eh? Future generations would be trained here and they would know the names of the best soldiers to be trained here."

  "I suppose. But what's to say the batch after us won't have someone who breaks that record?"

    "Let a man dream mate." He says nudging me.

   "Sure sure. But here's this to think about. We do all this training. All this hard work, never even knowing if we will ever see combat. Last I checked relations have been decent since the Great War. Kinda dull ain't it?"

   "Jesus mate. You that ready for combat? Why not become a mercenary? They get lots of combat. And great money to my knowledge."

  "Don't think that life is for me. Mercenaries don't have the best standards. What about you? Would you really wanna do all this training but never use it?"

  "Touché. Honestly, not sure how I would feel. I imagine part of me would be relieved and another part would be angry."

  "I don't want to be another Joe Bloggs. I want to do things. Is meeting my father on that list? Yes, but can I really say I've defended my country if I never see combat. You probably think I'm talking all guff huh?"

   He stands and stretches next to me. "Not quite. I can see where you are coming from. Honestly you sound like me. We both want to be that corker. But there still the fear or being just completely average."

He offers me his hand and he yanks me up when I grab it.

"Don't over think your place in this world Gon. Life has a funny way of working. My mum used to say 'Leorio, life can be like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.' When I was a kid I never quite understood. Like a box of chocolates? So it's gonna be sweet? More like you never know what kinda chocolate you will get. Or if someone switched one out for black licorice. Or if your nan turned it into her sewing box."

"Interesting saying but in the end chocolate is chocolate ain't it? It's all inevitably the same."

"Listen here ya cock, you're over thinking. Either that or the run has you buggered and your brain is leaking."

I punch his chest lightly. "Right. Right mate. Next time I'm over thinking just give me a good whack, yeah?"

He nods and gives me a punch in the shoulder.

"Boys! Come and get some water! Don't need you two passing out from dehydration!" Nurse biskys voice floats over to us. She had set up a table with big buckets of water and ready to use canteens.

"God just what I needed." Leorio says, his voice airy.

"What? Water or the nurse?" I elbow him.

"Ahhh. Piss off!"

(Hello peoples. I've had this chapter ready for a while just don't know why I haven't posted it. I'm sorry I'm so quiet in here most of the time. In case some of you didn't see what I said before, life is being life. I don't have any excuses really. New job again, school dragging my time. Just don't have much time, on top of that my motivation has been...lacking. I'm sorry. I promise to all of you that these stories will have an ending that will be satisfying for you all. I'm not gonna leave them unfinished like some other stories done by other authors. I thank all of you for being patient and supportive even when I'm basically non existent trash.