Chapter 6 - THE SILENCE ON LANE 4
The heat of the afternoon seemed to intensify, trapping the group of operators in a heavy, suffocating stillness.
The young SEAL Instructor swallowed hard, glancing nervously between Jack and the vintage rifle. He had pulled the weapon from the secondary armory rack an hour earlier, assuming it was simply an outdated training piece left over from previous decades. He had never seen Master Chief Reeves react to anything with such raw, unadulterated shock.
"Master Chief," Grace repeated, taking a half-step closer to Jack. "My father gave me that rifle case three weeks before he passed away. He told me it was a competitive target platform from his early days in the Corps."
Jack’s jaw twitched. He carefully engaged the safety catch on the rifle, his fingers moving with practiced, protective care as he set the weapon down onto the rubber shooting mat.
He looked at the surrounding operators, his voice instantly regaining its sharp, commanding authority.
"Clear the line," Jack ordered coldly.
The operators hesitated for half a second, stunned by the sudden directive.
"I said clear the line!" Jack barked, his voice booming under the corrugated roof. "Instructors, secure the line safety gear. Clear all visitors from Lane 1 through 6. Now."
The SEAL Instructor didn't argue. He immediately turned to the watching operators, gesturing for them to fall back toward the main briefing room. "Move it out, guys. Step back to the ready room."
Within thirty seconds, the crowd of elite operators had retreated down the concrete walkway, leaving Grace and Jack standing alone under the shade of the firing line. The distant desert wind whistled softly through the steel target frames eight hundred yards away.
Grace stood her ground, her arms folded behind her back in a formal parade-rest position, her brown eyes refusing to yield.
"I think you owe me an explanation, Master Chief," Grace said quietly.
May you like
Jack looked down at the rifle resting on the mat, then reached into his tactical vest pocket and pulled out a small leather-bound range notebook.
"Your father was a great man, Captain," Jack said, his gravelly voice tight with emotion. "But he carried things that never made it into his official military record."
