Chapter 1
Team one had been called out because of a man who was holding a hostage then he pointed his gun at the cops.
Edward Lane was the sniper that day because he had to put a subject down after several times of pointing his gun at police officers. And so Ed's boss and close friend, Greg Parker, called it.
"Scorpio."
"Copy." Ed pulled the trigger and ended the threat.
Now months later his son, Petar Tomasic, wants to kill the man that killed his father.
But the Police are very good at what they do and kept him locked inside the bullet proof armored truck. So Petar decided the only way to draw him out would be to shoot one of his team members, and unsurprisingly it didn't take them long to find his quote unquote hiding place.
"This is Black I have a vantage point."A female voice said over the walkie-talkie in Halloran's hand. "I'm set up and ready in one minute."
"Copy that Colonel." Commander Norm Holleran. Spike and Ed were surprised when Commander Holleran opened the door and climbed inside the armored Truck.
"Commander?" Ed asked in confusion.
"Let me know when you have him in your sight."
"Copy."
"Commander is everything alright? And who was that, that you were talking to?" Ed Lane asked confused
"Colonel Black former USMC Force Recon Long Distance shooter, specializing in Urban Warfare." he pulled foward a seat. "Give me updates?"
"He's after me, he killed a cop not long ago trying to draw me out." Ed Lane said.
"Commander patch me through to the rest of the team and do it now or you'll lose two officers at once." The three of them shared an alarmed look before Spike quickly linked the two channels.
"I've got you, you're linked." Spike said.
"Braddock, Callaghan, It's a fake get back he's drawing you out."
"Who is this?" Sam called back.
"For the moment I'm your superior officer get back inside now, I'll find him."
"We have to check this roof." Jules said as she to scanned roof tops nearby, she was confused as to why Sam had turn around and began running toward her he was almost on top of her to shove her back inside and then, she felt it before she heard it, she had just been shot, she hit the ground, she was having a hard time breathing. She saw Sam went to a knee and he stuffed his hand between her vest and the bullet wound.
"We need help, Jules is hit." And then the bullets started flying. "Get up here, we're under fire. Someone get an ang..."
"Target acquired." There was a female voice.
"Scorpio." Holleran said. There was one more shot and Sam knew that someone had just shot a 50 cal.
"Subject down." A female voice said over their head sets.
Everyone was surprised mostly because it had taken so little time for her to find and eliminate the subject.
"Who took the shot?" Sam asked over his headset to Holleran.
"Officer Black is former United States Marine Corp Force Recon." Holleran answered.
The EMS were stabilizing Jules while they got her on a back board for transport.
"We'd like to meet her before we head to the hospital." Ed said.
"I'll see what I can do." He said. Before he and Spike ran out of the armored truck ran into the building, after that they followed Jules down the flights of stairs.
As the team stepped outside to help load Jules into the Ambulance, they saw a women in cameo's with long blond hair, braided that hit the back of her knees, and when she looked at them they saw blue eyes that weight them each by mind, body and soul, she nodded to them, that was when they saw S.I.U. following behind with a 50 cal. Rifle. At this point they were so shocked by Jules being shoot, that they didn't even know what to say or do for the Officer that had killed the person responsible for hurting Jules. And then she was gone, on her way to S.I.U. headquarters to answer questions.
Earlier… News Report
Shelley was have a day of peace and quiet which was a it was a unusual day her kid's were at a play date until tomorrow.
"Breaking News. A sniper has begun shooting in city hall, so far we have an injured security guard shot in the leg, so far no other injuries. The cops are say this guy is trained in Urban Warfare." Shelley was up and moving toward the basement before the end of the news broadcast.
She swiped her hand in front of a ordinary stone you would find in a castle over a thousand years old but this was no ordinary castle, a plate opened she put her palm on the scanner.
"Face, Voice and password recognition enabled." A light ran over every face. " Identity confirmed Black, Shelley. Voice and password required." A computerized voice was heard.
"Zulu-25-Foxtrot-63-Alpha-22-Omicron."
"Voice and password confirmed." A huge door opened inside was an armory most militaries would kill for.
Shelley changed into cameo's, grabbed her go bag, and her 50. cal rifle, she called the finisher. As she stepped out, at the same time the armory closed when her phone began to ringing she grabbed her purse on the way out. She picked it up as she got into her car.
"Hello."
"Colonel Black I'm in need of your assistance."
"I'm already leaving commander put a call out, if any of your see's a Dodge Journey with its flasher going don't pull them over, because otherwise I'll never get there." She was already flying down the road, it would take her twenty-five minutes to get there if she drove the speed limit. "I'll see you there."
"Copy that Colonel, I will see you there. See you soon."The line disconnected. She turned on her radio listening to her country music trying to calm her pounding heart, it had been months since she had to shot to kill.
She'd been driving for five minutes when a cop car moved in front of her she rode his left bumper, she drove for another five minutes before pulling up to the blocked point. It took her only two minutes to run up to a tower that over looked town square, and another two to run up the stairs to the roof. Her ear piece was in place.
"This is Black I have the vantage point. I'm set up and ready in one minute."
"Copy that Colonel." Commander Norm Holleran. She could hear he was just getting into the command truck. "Let me know when you have him in your sight."
"Copy."
In the background she heard. "Commander is everything alright? And who was that, that you were talking to?"
"Colonel Black former USMC Force Recon Long Distance shooter, specializing in Urban Warfare. Give me updates?"
Shelley was scanning the roof tops.
"He's after me(Ed Lane) he killed a cop not long ago trying to draw me out."
When Shelley spotted the dummy she knew he was close, and then Braddock, Callaghan opened the door and began swiping, what they didn't know what they couldn't know was it was a fake.
"Commander patch me through to the rest of the team and do it now or you'll lose two officers at once."
"I've got you, you're linked." She heard a younger man voice say.
"Braddock, Callaghan, It's a fake get back he's drawing you out."
"Who is this?" Sam called back.
"For the moment I'm your superior officer get back inside now, I'll find him."
"We have to check this roof." Jules said. Shelley not only heard the shot she saw the muzzle flash, she lined up her target. As he began unleashing everything he had at Braddock.
"We need help, Jules is hit." And then the bullets started flying. "Get up here, we're under fire. Someone get an ang..."
"Target acquired." There was a female voice.
"Scorpio." There was one more shot.
"Subject down." Shelley said over their head sets.
"Who took the shot?" Sam asked over his headset to Holleran.
"Officer Black is former United States Marine Corp Force Recon." Holleran answered.
"We'd like to meet her before we head to the hospital." Ed said.
"I'll see what I can do." He said.
Shelley sat down and waited for S.I.U. to arrive. It didn't take long.
"You understand were going to have to question you?" the officer asked in a condescending tone that had Shelley's back up and her on her feet with her hands on her hips, so fast the officer stepped back and didn't dare draw his gun.
"Officer I may not be a police officer but I'm far from stupid, and if you ever take that tone with me again, I'll put you over my knee and spank you until you understand the proper way to speak to someone like I do my own children. Do we understand each other?" the other two cops were so surprised that they didn't even think of stepping up to help there boss.
"Yes, Ma'am." He stuttered out. Shelley nodded. "We will obviously have to question you." He said again more as a statement of fact then as a jerk. They wrapped her gun, and she followed them down. As she headed toward the S.I.U. car, she saw Team One come out of a building with Julianna Callaghan on a back board. When the team saw her they all looked surprised, when she meet their eye's she weighed them each by mind, body and soul, and knew that they were each good men. She nodded and then she was in the car headed towards S.I.U. HQ.
Three Hours Later
Team One
Julianna 'Jules' Callaghan, would live but it was going to be a while before she was back in the action. Close to six month in fact. Team One had been given a week off to get over the shock.
Following Friday
Team One decided to head to the Barn (SRU HQ). When the team entered the briefing room they were all surprised to find Holleran there with a single folder, he looked up and gave a small grimace. He slid the folder over to Greg and stood.
"What is this?" Greg asked as he pulled the folder to him, but he looked up questioningly to Holleran.
"Your next member has been fast tracked." He answered and again he grimaced. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I received my orders from the Chief, but he received orders from so high up that when I spoke to him he was white as a ghost and shaking."
"But, we have us is that not enough until Jules gets back?" Sam demanded
"Teams are run in seven's Sam that's how it's always been, I'm sorry this had to be thrown at you right away." He said.
"Why can't we just select our own team member?" Greg asked.
"Because this is what's best, or so I'm told." Holleran paused for a moment. "I'm giving you a week to go over her file, then I'll call her in myself if you won't." and then he left. Though they were angry they also knew that they didn't have a choice, so they decided to pop a beer and review her file. And it quickly became obvious why she had been selected.
The File
Name: Shelley Black
D.O.B. 3-26-1979
Marital Status: Divorced
Child(ren):3
Born in US. Given Citizenship by Queen Elizabeth.
United States Marine Corp, Force Recon.
Occupation: Long Distance Sniper
Service Number: 1C3-45-6K89
Service Record: 10/2000-8/2008
All Operations were Black-ops.
Ranked first in Long Range Sniper shootings worldwide.
Psychological Profile: Lies only when completely necessary, is effect at killing but if the situation can be resolved without killing she'd take that route every time.
Watching someone else being tortured is harder for her to bear, then to be tortured herself.
Would do anything or kill anyone to keep her family safe and out of harm's way.
Takes the death of someone under her command very personally, and she always sends a personal letter back to the next of kin, and to give her condolences but also to offer her assistance should it ever become required.
Retired after partner died by placing his body over hers to save her life, when there snipers perch was compromised. She subtly moved and killed the men that killed her partner.
Shelley was behind enemy lines and could not be contacted, while her whole family had been hunted down a murdered as retribution because they would not give up the location of her children to her ex-husband Thomas Kirkman, he disappeared. Shelley got back retrieved her children and niece, moved to Canada.
Here she started a company with several other retired military service men and women. The Safe House: They designed houses with Panic Rooms, Military Grade Alarm Systems, custom built High end-safes, Military Grade Encryption software, security forces.
"My God. I think I know who she is, she the Puncher." Sam said in surprise. Greg, Ed, Lou, Wordy and Spike looked up in surprise. "I only saw her once in Fallujah when my nest had been discovered and she laid down fire giving myself and my friend Ben time to escape, I met her for only a moment to thank her. She was also de facto leader of a group of Snipers that call themselves 'Punch-Cards'. And guys these people were the elite of the elite and it didn't matter what branch you were in or even if you served in a different countries military if you were good enough they'd seek you out." Sam watched as they all took this in.
"But who is SHE as a person? Is she a shoot first ask questions later kind of person? Is she a Negotiator? Is she kind person, or a spiteful one? We can't know that this report on her is factual or fiction." Greg asked.
"Well we can bring her in and ask about all that Greg, but what I'm curious about is this group 'Punch-Cards'? Ed asked
"It's my understanding that if for an example one of the groups child was abducted, they would assemble at the place of the crime A.S.A.P. or would be sent to places where they tracked the person so far. This isn't like a sanctioned organization like the 'Green Beret' that has a true leader that is held responsible by the higher ups in the Militarily for any wrong doing. The 'Punch-Cards' are independent and none militaristic group that started out at school together, and became the best of the best, after they finished training and got deployed, more were added like I said. But from what I do know of her reputation she's a good and honorable person, who would do anything for anybody if that meant keeping them safe."
"We should call her in on Monday to talk to her so that we can ask her questions and she may ask hers." Greg said. There were "goodnight" all around.
Monday Morning
Shelley had been called at 8 AM from Greg Parker asking to speak with her, she said it be an hour.
Greg had heard the baby screaming in the back ground so when she showed in 55 minutes. In a cream skirt that hit the floor and a purple blouse. She went to the desk, the lady was on the phone when Shelley got there she held up a finger, Shelley smiled and nodded.
The Team were watching from the conference room, they saw she was respectful of people that could be considered of lower rank as she use to be a Colonel in USMC and from the research that they all had conducted over the weekend she was also surprisingly Royalty not British or even among a Throne that existed anymore, but raised in a Preachers Household, her Father was a Preacher as was her brother, Her mother and sister-in-law were preacher's wives. Shelley herself start a ministry for Youth's which is still being run to this day. So she was raised to be respectful of other under every condition, so they couldn't be certain if she was being sincere.
But she waited for her to finish with a smile. When the lady finished with her call she turned toward Shelley.
"Hello welcome to SRU Headquarters'. How can I help you today?"
"Good Morning, my name is Shelley Black, I'm here because Gregory Parker asked me to come in for an interview." Shelley said with a nice smile.
"Sure hold on one second." She picked up a phone and pushed a button. "Boss, a Shelley Black is here to see you. Yes, sir. I'll send here in." She hung up her phone and turned back toward Shelley. "If you head toward the middle of that wall you can push open that middle door and Team One is waiting for you."
"Thank you. I'm sorry what was your name?" She asked.
"Leah."
"It was nice to meet you Leah." What did surprise everyone was when she stepped back a few steps a curtsied like people do for the Queen herself, Now that was something nobody expected and it said something very important to the whole of Team One, and teams watching from the work-out rooms, She believed herself to be as important as anyone and everyone else no one was above her but no one was below her either, and that was an important.
She headed toward the door's.
Let me know if you like it;)