A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post. Enjoy!
Grace moved slowly to the edge of the camo cover and peered out. She tugged the cloth tight as a police helicopter flew over. It slid roughly over her exposed skin, her hands, her face. "I cleared the path. All of the surveillance in the building below will fail if we have to use the alternate exit route."
Alexandra nodded, and tugging lightly to settle her cap brim low over her eyes, she leaned into the rifle. Her hands were itching for activity but she had to be still. She had her lens capped to keep from glinting. There was little risk of being noticed, but she would not lose the shot because of sloppy work. She had ranged in the dark so this moment would be as quick as possible. She chewed her lip and found herself stilling.
Grace watched her lover and assignment. Alex had a still dead look on her face only occasionally marred to a lip chew. This was the Alex that Amanda had worked so hard to raise from the ashes of her dark witch mind fucking. This was the Alex that divorced her instincts and skills from the woman herself. Grace's lip curled. She turned to the weather station. "Wind still steady," she noted calmly and quietly. The machine was ready to roll.
Alexandra's eyes flicked. "First of the escorts," she announced. The target would arrive in the middle of the cars coming to the conference. Not early, not quite fashionably late. He was important at this conference, but not that important. The importance would arise when he laid out his so called peace plan. She reached for the scope lens cap. She leaned in and began to sweep the kill zone slowly. She watched as early arrivals left their cars. Alex noted where they exited to walk between the cops at the end of the steps. Her breathing slowed as she and the weapon melded.
Caitlin's breath caught as she slowly swept her binoculars over the nearby buildings. "Flash," she noted.
"Where?" Rachel responded as she brought up her own rifle. Alexandra had spent hours teaching her. She was already a fine shot, but Alex had helped hone her, mold her into a capable sniper. She smiled sadly as she thought of her lost love. She adjusted her grip and moved to the sill beside her soon to be wife. She dropped down into position. The rifle steadied and she leaned into the lens of the scope. The stock nestled perfectly and she looked out of the scope looking for her target.
"Across, roof, over three... no four." Caitlin said as she continued to stare through the binoculars. "Nikita, your assassin will be on the account firm tower."
Nikita came through their coms. "Sending a team to round up and clean up. Stop the assassination any way you can."
Rachel clicked the range finder and swept the roof til she found her counterpart. She tried to find the quiet between heartbeats that Alex had taught her about and her finger moved from the guard to the trigger. Caitlin, the room, everything faded to white noise as she found her target. A camo sheet and a hat obscured the face that was already half hidden by the weapon. Rachel began working out the effects of the slight cross wind. She let the small target fill her whole world. Nikita wanted this one alive, just as well. The odds of hitting the flesh of the other guy's body was slightly better than the sliver of head showing. She took a breath and squeezed between the heart beats.
Grace caught a flash as she scanned around. "Alex," she said just as the other woman bucked. Her face was spattered by the mist of blood. Her eyes opened wide. "Alex," she cried out. She opened the comm. "Merlin hit."
Rachel pulled back the rifle. "Hit. Clean up aisle five." Her lips pursed. She never stopped hating shooting people no matter how much they deserved it. She turned to Caitlin. "Let's bag this crap and give the pick up crew some back up."
Caitlin tossed her gear into her bag. "Nikita, topside team going to back up. Let's bag this guy."
Nikita came through. "The team is almost to the top. You two can stay on the ground level in case he gets past. Just keep your eyes open."
A whimper came from Alexandra who was barely supported by Grace. "Ops, We were hit before the job," she updated. Alex was trying to stay steady in the shock and blood loss, but she was in trouble. She trembled.
"Team two is dispatched. They'll take care of it. Status?"
"Merlin bleeding heavy. We need medical."
"Get her out of there."
Grace snorted. "Hadn't thought of that." She opened the roof door hoping to go down the stairs so they could raid a first aid box on the way. She cursed. A door from the top floor of offices was opening. With only a couple extra flights between that door and the roof, there was not much time. Alexandra was bleeding heavily but was able to move her feet. Grace snagged the camo and pushed Alex onto the window washer platform pushing the cloth over her. She dropped them several floors before she counted off twenty. She stopped the drive and pushed Alexandra under the control panel wrapped in cloth as best she could. She grabbed the squeegee and spray and wiped at the window.
The cleaner and his Division team looked around the roof. He cursed and waved his team to check the rest of the roof. He frowned as he knelt beside the apparent location of the nest. "Nikita, taking a blood sample at point of impact. No sign of the assassin. Maybe we will get a hit in the computer?"
Nikita responded swiftly. "Get everything you can." She opened the comm. "Rachel, Caitlin, the assassin got past. We didn't get what we came for but we did stop an assassination. I call that a win. Good job. Take a final look around and then head home."
Caitlin smiled. "Nikita, engagement party tonight if you can get away." She smiled bigger at the whoop through the line.
