"Hmm."

Jennifer was deep in thought, examining the firearms Lena and I had brought with us.

Even someone like Jennifer couldn’t skip classroom lessons entirely, so after our field assignments, we’d resumed lessons from textbooks. Today, however, was our first chance in a while to practice in a setting more like real combat, but our weapons weren’t exactly ideal for a “mock battle.”

Bolt-action rifles and shotguns posed no issue, as both require reloading after each shot or two. Anyone with a keen eye could observe from afar whether or not someone was trying to cheat.

The same went for …