[b][u][center]Sector Zero - Training Grounds[/b][/u][/center]

"Good luck, future Mercenaries." Hector's voice reached even the outer edge of the forests from where Ishigo watched the gathering, perched upon the branches of a tall tree. He scoffed softly, knowing that only a few of these people would choose to remain Golden Mercenaries after breaking out. It was just tradition, Ishigo assumed, to bid them good luck as they began their training. From his view, he could see each and every person on the training grounds as they all separated to find their preferred starting station. He smiled at the sight of Julian deciding to start with the cardio training, and even chuckled at the sight of Kisheto beginning at the combat maneuvering station. 

[i][b]'He really wants to make up for his mistake back when we were up against the Saints,[/i][/b] said Jin from within Ishigo. Ishigo nodded and spoke softly with confidence in his words: "He will." 

Ishigo then looked at the other hosts and smiled as he saw them oblige to Hector's request. They were willing to cooperate, meaning Ishigo had picked out the right crowd. He was thankful for their presence, and he knew that the rest of the world would be as well once they heard of their contributions towards Sovereign's freedom.

---

"Damnit, lad! I said CLOCKWISE means take the rear. COUNTER CLOCKWISE means form up! We spent the first hour practicing signals, what's wrong with you?!" Trent yelled as he halted the simulation. There were 12 men in his group, all non-hosts. Kisheto was among them, and he frowned as he received the scolding from the squad leader. "I'm sorry, yo, they're real similar." Trent rubbed his right eye and mumbled, "Damn it's too early for this..."

"Look," he began, putting a reassuring hand on Kisheto's shoulder, "All signals are done with the right hand so think of it like this: if the hand moves towards my head, take the rear. If it moves away, form up in the circle we showed you." Kisheto listened carefully and then nodded, holding his rifle closer to his chest, "Got it."

Trent smiled and signaled for the squad to form up. "We're heading for a supply run," he began, describing the mock-situation that he would simulate, "We get ambushed and need to escape quickly. You know the signals, use what you learned." Everyone nodded and Trent walked towards the front of the group. "This is no time to walk, we're on the move. On my mark - 3... 2... -" Trent then fired his rifle off in random bursts, causing most of the trainees to either run or fall to the ground for cover. Only Kisheto and a few other men stood, unfazed by the gunfire. Trent looked back and smiled, "Nice job ladies. For real this time... 3.... 2... 1... WE'RE UNDERFIRE ON MY 6, TWO COVERING, EVERYONE ELSE FULL THROTTLE LETS GO GO GO."

Almost immediately, two of the twelve men nodded to each other and ran towards the back of the squad, choosing to cover their rear flank while running backwards. Everyone else formed the traditional "full throttle" position: two columns of five men each running forward. Trent let them sprint for a good minute before starting his storm of orders.

"L2, CUT IN COVER FOR THE TREES!" he yelled. It took a second for the men to figure out where they were standing, but sooner than later, the second man in line in the left column broke off to take cover behind a nearby tree and provide mock-covering fire. 

"L3, R3 SWITCH FOR REAR!" he yelled. Kisheto was R3, and he nodded instantly, having figured out his position the second they began running. He swiveled off to the right, breaking away from the neat line in which the squad was running. He held his gun up to create mock covering fire as he ran forward and switched places with one of the two men providing cover for their "6." 

Trent let the men sprit for another few seconds before falling to floor. He put his hands behind his head and yelled out, "SQUAD LEADER DOWN, LEADER DOWN!" before falling completely silent. The men instantly panicked, losing their formation and shuffling about to try to decide what to do. They did know the protocol, but the adrenaline overpowered their critical thinking skills. Kisheto shot a few rounds into the air before running to the front and jumping over Trent's "dead" body.

"ON ME, FULL THROTTLE, THREE IN THE REAR WATCH OUR 6, GO GO GO!" The squad looked at each other, but within fifteen seconds, managed to form an alternative full throttle to accommodate for the odd-number of soldiers that remained.

Trent smiled from his position, [i]'Damn, these guys learn fast...'[/i] he thought before getting up and watching the squad continue the drill from a distance.