Spider-Man : The Story of a Hero

TENTH WEEK — GRENADE TRAINING AREA

From the very first hours of the morning, all the recruits were already up. On both the boys’ and girls’ sides, the instructors didn’t even need to intervene to brutally drag them out of their sleep like they had during their first few days.

By the time they were supposed to get up, everyone was already awake, dressed, and ready to begin another day. After more than two months spent at the camp, the routine that had once been so difficult to endure had almost become a habit for them.

Accompanied by their two usual instructors, the recruits climbed aboard several large military trucks capable of transporting both equipment and personnel.

The journey took them far away from the facilities they normally used, eventually bringing them to a vast, isolated outdoor area surrounded by a thick forest.

But when they finally arrived, it wasn’t only the change of environment that caught their attention. More than fifteen other instructors and sergeants they had never met before were already there, seemingly waiting for their arrival.

Some recruits, like Amadeus, almost immediately began to understand what awaited them. All she needed was to observe the area and the precautions that had been put in place to get a pretty good idea of the kind of training they would be doing that day.

Others, like Flash, still had absolutely no idea what they were about to do and couldn’t help looking around with curiosity.

Yet even without knowing the answer, one detail was impossible to ignore: never before had so many instructors gathered to supervise one of their training sessions. Their presence alone was enough to make it clear that whatever came next was being taken extremely seriously.

One by one, the recruits climbed out of the trucks before gathering together and standing perfectly still, silently awaiting their next instructions.

The spontaneous conversations that would certainly have broken out during their first few weeks were now almost nonexistent. In front of them, Sergeants Mark and Morasson stepped away from the group and positioned themselves a few meters ahead, while the other instructors remained farther back, standing straight and silent.

Sergeant Morasson then spoke.

— ”You’ve been here for more than two months now. And in one week… your time here will come to an end. As your instructors, we’ve watched all of you closely since the day you arrived… and we’re proud to say that every single one of you has improved tremendously.”

After those few words, Morasson let his colleague take over. Sergeant Mark stepped slightly forward in turn, slowly sweeping his gaze across all the recruits standing before him.

— ”You’ve learned how to listen and how to take it when necessary. And despite everything you’ve done… all of that is nothing compared to today’s training.”

A slight tension immediately spread through the ranks. After ten weeks spent here, the recruits knew perfectly well what their instructors were capable of putting them through.

They had run until exhaustion, learned how to fight, shoot, navigate through the field, operate in darkness, and make decisions under pressure.

So hearing that all of that was nothing compared to what awaited them today was enough to awaken a certain amount of concern among several of them.

Mark deliberately paused for a moment. His already serious expression hardened even further before he continued.

— ”Today… alongside several other highly qualified instructors and sergeants, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about grenades.”

At the mention of that word, several recruits felt a slight shiver of excitement. For many of them, this would be the first time they would ever get close to and handle something so dangerous.

A few quick glances were exchanged, while Amadeus remained much calmer, having already figured out what awaited them before their sergeant had even announced it.

But that brief excitement lasted only a few seconds. No one dared make the slightest comment, and everyone almost immediately returned to standing still, aware that it was probably better to wait for what came next before showing too much enthusiasm.

And they were right.

— ”So listen carefully: we will tolerate ABSOLUTELY NO SCREWING AROUND!” Sergeant Mark shouted.

His voice cracked brutally through the silence, instantly wiping away the last traces of excitement from several faces. Morasson immediately followed, his expression every bit as uncompromising.

— ”We don’t want to hear any jokes, any laughter, any games, or any other stupid crap like that. We expect absolute seriousness, attention, and concentration from every single one of you. Is that clear?!” Sergeant Morasson added.

This time, even Amadeus was slightly taken aback by the harshness of their tone. She obviously knew that a grenade was an extremely dangerous weapon and that handling one required particular precautions, but hearing their instructors insist on it with such severity suddenly made the situation feel much more real.

As for the recruits who, only moments earlier, had mostly felt curiosity or excitement, the atmosphere had now changed completely.

A heavy pressure settled over the ranks.

Everyone already knew that a grenade wasn’t a toy. No one had needed to wait until their tenth week of military training to understand that.

Yet their sergeants’ warnings seemed to magnify that obvious truth in their minds. What they were going to handle today could actually kill someone if a mistake was made.

And as that thought settled in, a certain fear began to appear among several of the recruits, boys and girls alike. Even Flash, who had become much harder to intimidate after all these weeks, felt that pressure run through his body.

For several seconds, no one answered. The recruits simply remained still, as though each of them had just realized in their own way the true significance of what awaited them. Sergeant Mark observed their silence before suddenly stepping several paces forward.

— ”Did you hear him?! IS THAT CLEAR?!”

His voice immediately snapped them out of their thoughts. As one group, the recruits regained their composure and straightened even further.

The fear or nervousness some of them felt hadn’t disappeared, but no one allowed that pressure to stop them from responding with the discipline that had been drilled into them for more than two months.

— ”YES, SERGEANT!”

Mark and Morasson silently observed them for a brief moment. From their expressions and the firmness of their response, they understood that their warnings had produced exactly the effect they wanted. Any thoughtless excitement was gone. Now, everyone seemed fully aware of the seriousness of the exercise that was about to begin.

Morasson gave a slight nod before turning toward the area where the other instructors were already waiting for them.

— ”Good. Follow us.” Sergeant Morasson ordered.

TO BE CONTINUED.