Soldiers' Wives by Fiona; Field

answer to one of them. He was worried that he’d done something to upset her. He hoped he hadn’t because he really liked her. He tried reassuring himself with the thought that she might have lost or broken her phone, but he knew that was unlikely. Lee sighed and pushed the worries to the back of his mind as his section corporal arrived and unlocked the door to the indoor laser range.
    The twenty or so guys in Lee’s section filed in behind the corporal who flicked on the light switches, went to the control panel to the side of the screen and began selecting the program. While he did that, Lee’s section took up their firing positions, grabbed their weapons and waited for the instructions.
    â€˜This is the way to spend time on the range,’ said Lee’s neighbour, Jack, who was lying next to him on the firing point.
    â€˜Because it’s where the deer and the antelope play?’ asked Lee.
    â€˜Twat,’ said Jack, grinning all the same. ‘Who wants to be on a real range in real weather, when we can be tucked up in here in the warm and dry?’
    â€˜Listen in,’ shouted the corporal, interrupting all conversations. ‘Twenty rounds at the target, in your own time. Fire.’
    In front of each firing position the screen showed a line of Figure 11 targets, the standard army target used on training ranges everywhere: a cartoon of a ferocious-looking soldier, charging forwards, bayonet fixed and with an evil snarl on his face. The lads picked up their electronic SA80 rifles and began firing at the screen, just like they were playing on a giant Wii. Each target showed realistic bullet holes as and when the soldiers scored a hit. Once all twenty electronic rounds had been fired from all the guns, the picture changed, new instructions were issued and they began firing again. This time they weren’t aiming at static targets, but at completely realistic video footage of enemy troops thundering over open ground, hell-bent on annihilating Lee and his mates.
    Even though Lee knew that this was all make-believe, that it was just a computer-generated image, he found his heart rate rocketing and sweat breaking out on his back and under his arms. Ten minutes later, the exercise was over and Lee felt drained. Suddenly he completely understood how Chrissie must have felt in the hellish exercise involving the fake injuries and make-believe traumas. No wonder it had all been a bit much for the poor lass.
    The scenario on the screen changed to a different battle scene and once again his section had to fight for their lives, while the computer scored who made the most direct hits on the available targets. By the time Lee’s section had finished their training session on the DCCT, and they’d been given their scores – ‘Well done, Perkins, good shooting’ – he felt wrung out. On the other hand, it was lunchtime so plenty of time to recover before the afternoon session on helicopter recognition.
    Lee made his way out of the warm comfort of the DCCT range and headed for the cookhouse. As he collected his chosen meal of steak pie and chips he saw Immi sitting at a table on her own.
    â€˜Mind if I join you?’ he asked as he plonked his tray down.
    â€˜Be my guest.’
    Lee hooked a chair out with his foot. ‘No Chrissie?’
    â€˜Nope.’
    â€˜Is she on leave?’ asked Lee innocently.
    Immi shook her head. ‘No, I don’t know what she’s getting up to, as she’s working all hours down at the medical centre. I hardly see her these days except for when she’s yelling at me in the gym, or making me run up and down Brandon Hill. Honestly, that woman’s a sadist.’
    â€˜So why’s she so busy?’
    â€˜Search me. If she isn’t working, she’s out training with one sports team or another. Is there any sport she doesn’t want to play?’ Immi shook her head in bewilderment. ‘And when she’s not