The overhead lights flicked on. The instructor stepped out from the observation gallery. "Time: 22 seconds. Good flow, but Jax, you flagged Elias’s vest on the entry. Do it again. Faster. Cleaner."
A silhouette target popped up at the end of the hall. Jax dropped to a knee to shrink his profile, delivering two controlled "thumps" from his training carbine.
The air in the concrete "kill house" was thick with the smell of damp dust and spent brass. Team Lead Elias raised a closed fist, and the four-man element froze instantly. Silence was their primary weapon until the first breach. "Status," Elias whispered into his comms.
"Room clear!" Elias announced, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Kael didn’t kick the door; he turned the handle with surgical precision and shoved. Jax, the "Point Man," flooded the room first. He didn't look center—he snapped his muzzle to the left corner, the "near-deep" threat. Elias followed a split second later, crossing Jax’s path to sweep the right corner. "Clear left!" Jax barked."Clear right!" Elias echoed.