CHAPTER 14: PREPARATIONS

PREPARATIONS


Ryan walked over to the hallway closet and pulled out something’s from a cardboard box.

“Can you sew?”

“Yes,” Trisha answered.

“Here this should fit.”

“What’s this?”

“Your uniform, tonight.”

“This is a janitors uniform.”

“It’s a pair of coveralls, take this fishing net, cut it to fit the back, and sew it on.”

Trisha did what he said, she laid out the coveralls face down on the carpet and laid the fishing net across the back and cut it to fit, then she took a field sewing kit and sewed the fishing net to the back of the coveralls.
Ryan walked in from the kitchen,

“Good job! Make sure you double sew it to make it durable.”

“Ryan what the hell is this?”

“Well its going to be your invisible suit.”

“ A What?”

“Its called a ghillie suit and all military snipers have to make there own.”

“A ghillie suit.”

“Call me when you are done double sewing the fishing net.”


Ryan went to the bedroom and unlocked the walk-in closet pulling out a large rectangular suitcase, and carried it out to the living room setting it on the coffee table.

“What’s that?”

“This my dear is a Barrett M82A1 fifty caliber heavy sniper rifle. It fires the .50 caliber round at two thousand feet per second, its range is between one thousand and fifteen hundred meters, and it has an approximate gravity drop of nine to eighteen mils, it weighs twenty-eight pounds loaded with a ten round magazine. We wont be firing regular fifty caliber rounds we will be firing hardened dogwood bullets with a silver nitrate center, so every thing I told you about the fifty cut in half. In other words your rounds will ignite at around five hundred meters, because of air friction.”
“I don’t mind flaming a few vamps.”
“Good idea, we’ll try it, but no more then seven hundred meters out or you will be hitting them with charcoal briquettes.”



Trisha stood up and steeped in front of Ryan.

“Close your eyes.”

“Trisha, I thought we already…”

“Shut up and close your eyes.”

Ryan closed his eyes as Trisha gently kissed him on the cheek.

“What was that for?”

“It was for everything, dummy, its not a sexual thing, it’s more like a daughter giving her father a kiss.”

“Yeah, well don’t be so damn happy…you’ve got to carry the fifty.”

Trisha sat back down and started working on her ghillie suit, wondering if she may have been out of line.

“Trisha…thank you!”

Trisha just looked up and smiled.


Ryan walked over to the cardboard box in the hallway closet and pulled out different colors of burlap sacks green, brown, and tan.
He threw her the sacks.

“Trisha, cut these lengthwise.”

She did so with a look of confusion on her face, but didn’t ask any questions.
Ryan sat down on the floor next to her.

“Trisha, I want you to listen to me, I’m going to have to get mean with you, I have to cram six weeks of sniper training in just a few hours. From here out, I will have to pour twenty-three years and seven wars into your head. There will be times when you may not like me very much. I want you to know that I do this, because I don’t want anything to happen to you. It does not mean I don’t care for you, one thing has nothing to do with the other. Do you understand?” Ryan told the young girl.
“Yes, I understand completely, I won’t let you down.”



“Alright, stand up! Hang your ghillie suit on a hanger and hang it from that air vent. Good, now take the strips of burlap, and starting from the shoulders working down; hang the strips from the fishing net, alternating colors to each row of fishing net.” Soon it started to take the form of a mop head.
Ryan had her do the same thing to an old camouflaged green jungle patrol cap. “Trisha, take your ghillie suit in your room and strip down to your underwear and put on your suit, its going to get hot.” When she came back out she looked like a miniature Bigfoot.


“Tuck in your hair and come hear.” Ryan took out a small kit and started to apply camouflage to her face and back of her hands using his favorite; tiger stripes of light green and loam.
“Alright, when you are on mission keep your eyes narrowed and your mouth tightly shut, because you can see your smile and the whites of your eyes farther out then you think.”
“Hummm, a fifteen year-old girl with her mouth completely shut, good luck.” Trisha said.
“Trisha!”
“I know…I’m on board here, just cracking a joke.”
“No jokes until we are back here, understand?”
“Yes.”


“The sniper team consists of a shooter and a spotter, I will be your spotter using a PVS-10 night vision scope.”
“Your primary weapon is the fifty and your secondary weapon system is twin forty caliber Baby Desert Eagles. I will carry the sawed off Mossberg Viking twelve gauge shotgun and the twin fifty caliber Desert Eagles,” Ryan stated.

Ryan demonstrated the low, medium, and high crawl and had Trisha perform them silently up and down the hallway. On the six trip Ryan had her take apart the fifty and put it back together, he had her do the same after he retrieved the twin Baby Eagles.
Ryan instructed her on the basics of rifle marksmanship- steady position elements, aiming, breath control, trigger control, follow through, and calling the shot. Ryan stood in front of a large white board and started to draw. “Trisha, listen up! The muzzle velocity is the speed of the bullet as it leaves the rifle barrel, its measured in feet per second. Line of sight is a straight line from the eye through the aiming device to the point of aim, any questions so far?”
“Why can’t we just go out and blow a few of them away? Why does it have to be so damn complicated?” Trisha asked rolling her eyes.


“Because, if you don’t even know the very basics then someone will die tonight, and I made a promise.”
“To who?”
“To your family, while the Police had you in questioning, I went down to see them. I told them that I would watch over you, alright; and if you wont even take the time to learn the basics, then your not coming with me tonight.”
“Ryan, I’m sorry that was my other personality speaking…before, I want to learn.”
“Just make sure you bring the right personality with you.”


“There are certain elements that have an effect on the bullet as it travels along its trajectory gravity, drag the slowing effect that atmosphere has on the bullet, temperature, humidity, and the altitude that you are operating in, also; natural bullet drop caused by gravity.”
“Ryan, I thought army or marine guys were supposed to be a bunch of really stupid no necks?”
“You thought wrong, princess.”




“So…you wouldn’t have a problem with, you know me dating a Marine?”
Ryan just looked at her his deep blue eye’s penetrating her soul, the tiny muscles on his jaw were visibly twitching “I’d rent a freezer and a wood chipper” Ryan said with a smile.
“Oewww I saw that movie Fargo!” Trisha said as she jabbed him in the side.
Ryan winced at the pain.


“You big sissy! I didn’t hit you that hard, hey…you’re injured, when did this happen? Let me see.”
Trisha pulled up his shirt and saw a large slice across his stomach, take this off it needs changing.
She went into the back bathroom and came back with some medical supplies, Ryan’s back was turned and for the first time she caught a glimpse of him without a Death from Above tee shirt or his Ranger Tee. His tanned body was rock hard, not one ounce of fat, his muscles rippled under the bronze skin, like bundles of cable. A body developed to its peak, at forty-two Ryan looked like he was ten years younger; he had nothing to do since his family died, but to train.


“Sit down, why didn’t you tell me? Did this happen the other night?”
“No, it happened the night before we met.”
“Why did you keep it from me, this is pretty deep.”
“It’s not that bad, and it wasn’t a topic for discussion.”
“Not a topic for discussion,” Trisha said her hazel eyes steaming, she poured half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide across the wound.
“Ouch! Damn girl! That hurt.”

Trisha bolted for the backroom, laughing, as Ryan caught her in the center, the two played around alittle bit and Trisha finished her bandage, for a brief moment she forgot everything that had happened to her in the past few days. Their two eyes met, briefly, Ryan quickly turned away.
“Come on its going to be dark soon, I still have to give you your briefing,” Ryan motioned her to the couch as he taped up a map of Cleveland, Ohio.