Case 1: Sniper, Part 8
Disclaimer: Same as before.
~ ~ ~ ~
12 May 2000: "Everyone in place?" came Ivy's voice over the radio transmitter.
"Sniper teams ready." Hal replied. He had taken a position on the roof, hidden inside a small shed. His rifle was set with a large field of fire covering the construction site. All he had left to do was wait for Spyde to get ready.
"We're in route." Ivy said.
"Right, be careful out there Ninja Girl, this sniper's got talent." Hal replied.
Ivy said, "Don't worry. Hal, you'll get him, I've got faith that you'll take him down."
Ivy turned towards the older man in an expensive yet tastefully conservative Armani suit sitting across from her in the limousine. Christopher Osborne Powers was a tall fellow, with a bit of silver creeping in at the temples of his combed brown hair.
"This Hal fellow, is he also in ACME?" Powers asked.
"Yes sir, he is." Ivy replied, "He's my new partner."
"How long have you been working together?" Powers asked.
"Only a few days. He's serving an exchange tour with us from the British military." Ivy said, not really wanting to say SAS.
"Ah, say no more." Powers said, with a knowing look, "He's from the Regiment, isn't he?"
With Ivy's silence, he took that as a yes. "They're known for not talking about their work." Powers continued, "So why isn't he with us here?"
"Well, he's coordinating the sniper teams covering your speech." Ivy replied.
"Ah, the infamous San Francisco Sniper." Powers began, "Back home my opponents were saying I wouldn't go through with my speech. But even if this sniper wasn't around I still feel I have to explain South Africa's progress against apartheid. My critics say I'm just trying to stay in power, but if I canceled appearances every time my life was threatened then I'd never leave my office."
~ ~ ~ ~
It was the big day, and Spyde felt no nervousness or fear. Just a sense that the loss he suffered would be avenged in full with Powers' death. He already knew the range from the stack of pipes he was hiding in to the podium was exactly 347 meters and he had set his crosshairs accordingly. Now all he had to do was wait till the traitor took his post and began to prattle on about the 'New South Africa' that left him bereft of family and home.
He knew killing Powers wouldn't bring back his fiancé and his parents, but he knew that the price of the traitor's blood would be paid and the balance fulfilled. He made sure that he knew the positions of every single opposing sniper. He had rather artfully snuck into the area by means of mouse holing through the sewer system and surfacing through the area which the pipes were set to be placed.
The area was perfect for the one shot kill, a clear firing lane, and a fairly good hide. Even if Hal was out there, Spyde knew he had the advantage of surprise, for Hal knew not when he would strike.
"Damn it get out of the way." Spyde groaned. A news van had just driven right into his line of sight, blocking the podium from his shot. Now he would have to go to a different hide, exposing himself to scrutiny and a bullet. But this was too rare an opportunity. He would have to chance it.
~ ~ ~ ~
Hal caught a brief movement in his scope. He confirmed it was a human figure, moving in the construction area, where no one was supposed to be. It was only a brief movement, but it was long enough to reveal that his contact was carrying a rifle, specifically an SVD Dragunov, Hal knew it was his quarry.
"Ivy, I have positive ID on our boy." Hal replied.
Ivy's voice replied over his earpiece, "Hal, where is he?"
"He's somewhere in the construction site. Right where I said he'd be." Hal replied.
"Great! I'll call a unit in to....." Ivy began.
"Ivy, that's the worst thing you could do." Hal said, "We'll spook him and lose his trail. I've got him. Trust me."
"Hal..." Ivy began and then replied, "You've got one shot, if you don't get him....."
"I only need one shot." Hal replied with grim certainty as his scope roamed the site.
~ ~ ~ ~
The parked bulldozer was too obvious a target, if he hid there it would be like hanging a neon sign around his neck. Spyde knew that it wasn't the right play to hide there. But there was the stack of steel girders, a partially completed building framework, and a low wall to choose from. He had checked each of those areas as potential hides and had the scope settings and ranges to his intended target perfectly memorized.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Damn it Spyde, where are you?" Hal said, forcing himself to stay calm. This was a cat and mouse game of patience where the life of a South African Defense Minister hung in the balance.
"If you're smart, you'll avoid the bulldozer. You are and you're also smart enough to know that there are at least three places in that area that you could shoot from. The question is which one?" Hal continued. He watched as Ivy opened the limousine door with two policemen flanking and three bodyguards and an aide followed Mr. Powers.
Now the target was in sight, it was only a matter of when Spyde would take his shot. Hal guessed that Spyde would wait until Powers reached the podium for maximum terror effect. If roles were reversed, Hal knew he would do the same.
Suddenly there was a glint, an odd bit of glass? Or a telescopic sight? Hal couldn't just shoot at it only to find out it was the former. For one it would reveal his position and Spyde would be alerted to his presence. For two, he only had one chance to eliminate his former student.
Powers took the podium, "Good Afternoon San Francisco. I'm here, on the behalf of the South African government to give a long overdue apology on apartheid and later this week to brief the United Nations on South Africa's attempts to overcome it....."
~ ~ ~ ~
Standard politician drivel, like that of a snake oil salesman at a country fair, that's all he was saying. Spyde knew better than to fall for the traitor's slick silver tongue. He only desired to place a single 7.62 round between the man's eyes. And now here was his chance.
He savored the moment for a second, sipping it like wine from an exquisite vintage. The traitorous bastard was in his sights, the middle of his forehead squarely in his crosshairs. This was just perfect, too good of an opportunity. And an unforeseen sight had to ruin it. He saw a glint of glass on the conference center roof, damn it! His old mentor had been observing him.
It was now or never. Spyde squeezed the trigger, knowing he couldn't possibly miss. The SVD bucked in his hands as the round left the chamber.
~ ~ ~ ~
Several people screamed and gasped in horror as Christopher Powers jerked backwards, as though struck suddenly by an electrical current. Blood splattered in an arc behind him as a red splotch appeared on his chest.
Ivy instantly called the paramedics who rushed to the scene. Just then, from the roof she heard a single rifle shot as a single .338 Lapua round was sent screaming downrange towards its intended target. Through her earpiece Ivy heard one sentence, "I've got him."
~ ~ ~ ~
When Hal shined a bit of glass into the air, he expected Spyde to panic into firing. The response was all to predictable and the glint of a brass casing flying into the air from behind the brick wall was a dead giveaway to his quarry.
He focused his crosshairs on a small hole in the wall, 372 meters distant and aimed the crosshairs slightly downward, for his rifle scope was zeroed to 500 meters. He breathed calmly, squeezing the trigger with a slow deliberate motion. He saw a spurt of blood and saw Spyde's legs convulsing through a crack in the wall. He had fired only one bullet.
~ ~ ~ ~
The uniforms came to clear the construction site and what they found was a dead man, wearing nondescript civilian clothing with a briefcase and an SVD rifle. A single bullet hole marked where his right eye had been before the Lapua round entered and fragmented inside his head.
Ivy watched as Hal walked over there, his rifle cradled in one arm. "Helluva a shot pal, I think I owe you a beer." Corso said.
"Right." Hal replied. He watched as the corpse of his ex-student was placed into a body bag. Before it closed, Hal closed the dead man's eyes, "Requiescat In Pace, Erich."
Corso looked at him funny and Hal replied, "He was my former protégé."
Hal pulled a yellowed sheet of paper from his pocket, "Teacher, My family. The rioters killed my family. The grief is entirely and eminently unbearable. Please! I beg you, end my life before I do something rash....." Hal read, a lump in his throat, "I should have realized something was wrong then."
"And what would you have done?" Ivy said, "Killed an innocent man?"
"If I had known." Hal said.
"Hal, there's no need for guilt." Ivy said.
"Yes, I know." Hal said, "But that doesn't mean that this sight picture's gonna go away."
~ ~ ~ ~
Case 1 Closed. Up next, an interlude of sorts followed by the next case in the next couple chapters.
Disclaimer: Same as before.
~ ~ ~ ~
12 May 2000: "Everyone in place?" came Ivy's voice over the radio transmitter.
"Sniper teams ready." Hal replied. He had taken a position on the roof, hidden inside a small shed. His rifle was set with a large field of fire covering the construction site. All he had left to do was wait for Spyde to get ready.
"We're in route." Ivy said.
"Right, be careful out there Ninja Girl, this sniper's got talent." Hal replied.
Ivy said, "Don't worry. Hal, you'll get him, I've got faith that you'll take him down."
Ivy turned towards the older man in an expensive yet tastefully conservative Armani suit sitting across from her in the limousine. Christopher Osborne Powers was a tall fellow, with a bit of silver creeping in at the temples of his combed brown hair.
"This Hal fellow, is he also in ACME?" Powers asked.
"Yes sir, he is." Ivy replied, "He's my new partner."
"How long have you been working together?" Powers asked.
"Only a few days. He's serving an exchange tour with us from the British military." Ivy said, not really wanting to say SAS.
"Ah, say no more." Powers said, with a knowing look, "He's from the Regiment, isn't he?"
With Ivy's silence, he took that as a yes. "They're known for not talking about their work." Powers continued, "So why isn't he with us here?"
"Well, he's coordinating the sniper teams covering your speech." Ivy replied.
"Ah, the infamous San Francisco Sniper." Powers began, "Back home my opponents were saying I wouldn't go through with my speech. But even if this sniper wasn't around I still feel I have to explain South Africa's progress against apartheid. My critics say I'm just trying to stay in power, but if I canceled appearances every time my life was threatened then I'd never leave my office."
~ ~ ~ ~
It was the big day, and Spyde felt no nervousness or fear. Just a sense that the loss he suffered would be avenged in full with Powers' death. He already knew the range from the stack of pipes he was hiding in to the podium was exactly 347 meters and he had set his crosshairs accordingly. Now all he had to do was wait till the traitor took his post and began to prattle on about the 'New South Africa' that left him bereft of family and home.
He knew killing Powers wouldn't bring back his fiancé and his parents, but he knew that the price of the traitor's blood would be paid and the balance fulfilled. He made sure that he knew the positions of every single opposing sniper. He had rather artfully snuck into the area by means of mouse holing through the sewer system and surfacing through the area which the pipes were set to be placed.
The area was perfect for the one shot kill, a clear firing lane, and a fairly good hide. Even if Hal was out there, Spyde knew he had the advantage of surprise, for Hal knew not when he would strike.
"Damn it get out of the way." Spyde groaned. A news van had just driven right into his line of sight, blocking the podium from his shot. Now he would have to go to a different hide, exposing himself to scrutiny and a bullet. But this was too rare an opportunity. He would have to chance it.
~ ~ ~ ~
Hal caught a brief movement in his scope. He confirmed it was a human figure, moving in the construction area, where no one was supposed to be. It was only a brief movement, but it was long enough to reveal that his contact was carrying a rifle, specifically an SVD Dragunov, Hal knew it was his quarry.
"Ivy, I have positive ID on our boy." Hal replied.
Ivy's voice replied over his earpiece, "Hal, where is he?"
"He's somewhere in the construction site. Right where I said he'd be." Hal replied.
"Great! I'll call a unit in to....." Ivy began.
"Ivy, that's the worst thing you could do." Hal said, "We'll spook him and lose his trail. I've got him. Trust me."
"Hal..." Ivy began and then replied, "You've got one shot, if you don't get him....."
"I only need one shot." Hal replied with grim certainty as his scope roamed the site.
~ ~ ~ ~
The parked bulldozer was too obvious a target, if he hid there it would be like hanging a neon sign around his neck. Spyde knew that it wasn't the right play to hide there. But there was the stack of steel girders, a partially completed building framework, and a low wall to choose from. He had checked each of those areas as potential hides and had the scope settings and ranges to his intended target perfectly memorized.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Damn it Spyde, where are you?" Hal said, forcing himself to stay calm. This was a cat and mouse game of patience where the life of a South African Defense Minister hung in the balance.
"If you're smart, you'll avoid the bulldozer. You are and you're also smart enough to know that there are at least three places in that area that you could shoot from. The question is which one?" Hal continued. He watched as Ivy opened the limousine door with two policemen flanking and three bodyguards and an aide followed Mr. Powers.
Now the target was in sight, it was only a matter of when Spyde would take his shot. Hal guessed that Spyde would wait until Powers reached the podium for maximum terror effect. If roles were reversed, Hal knew he would do the same.
Suddenly there was a glint, an odd bit of glass? Or a telescopic sight? Hal couldn't just shoot at it only to find out it was the former. For one it would reveal his position and Spyde would be alerted to his presence. For two, he only had one chance to eliminate his former student.
Powers took the podium, "Good Afternoon San Francisco. I'm here, on the behalf of the South African government to give a long overdue apology on apartheid and later this week to brief the United Nations on South Africa's attempts to overcome it....."
~ ~ ~ ~
Standard politician drivel, like that of a snake oil salesman at a country fair, that's all he was saying. Spyde knew better than to fall for the traitor's slick silver tongue. He only desired to place a single 7.62 round between the man's eyes. And now here was his chance.
He savored the moment for a second, sipping it like wine from an exquisite vintage. The traitorous bastard was in his sights, the middle of his forehead squarely in his crosshairs. This was just perfect, too good of an opportunity. And an unforeseen sight had to ruin it. He saw a glint of glass on the conference center roof, damn it! His old mentor had been observing him.
It was now or never. Spyde squeezed the trigger, knowing he couldn't possibly miss. The SVD bucked in his hands as the round left the chamber.
~ ~ ~ ~
Several people screamed and gasped in horror as Christopher Powers jerked backwards, as though struck suddenly by an electrical current. Blood splattered in an arc behind him as a red splotch appeared on his chest.
Ivy instantly called the paramedics who rushed to the scene. Just then, from the roof she heard a single rifle shot as a single .338 Lapua round was sent screaming downrange towards its intended target. Through her earpiece Ivy heard one sentence, "I've got him."
~ ~ ~ ~
When Hal shined a bit of glass into the air, he expected Spyde to panic into firing. The response was all to predictable and the glint of a brass casing flying into the air from behind the brick wall was a dead giveaway to his quarry.
He focused his crosshairs on a small hole in the wall, 372 meters distant and aimed the crosshairs slightly downward, for his rifle scope was zeroed to 500 meters. He breathed calmly, squeezing the trigger with a slow deliberate motion. He saw a spurt of blood and saw Spyde's legs convulsing through a crack in the wall. He had fired only one bullet.
~ ~ ~ ~
The uniforms came to clear the construction site and what they found was a dead man, wearing nondescript civilian clothing with a briefcase and an SVD rifle. A single bullet hole marked where his right eye had been before the Lapua round entered and fragmented inside his head.
Ivy watched as Hal walked over there, his rifle cradled in one arm. "Helluva a shot pal, I think I owe you a beer." Corso said.
"Right." Hal replied. He watched as the corpse of his ex-student was placed into a body bag. Before it closed, Hal closed the dead man's eyes, "Requiescat In Pace, Erich."
Corso looked at him funny and Hal replied, "He was my former protégé."
Hal pulled a yellowed sheet of paper from his pocket, "Teacher, My family. The rioters killed my family. The grief is entirely and eminently unbearable. Please! I beg you, end my life before I do something rash....." Hal read, a lump in his throat, "I should have realized something was wrong then."
"And what would you have done?" Ivy said, "Killed an innocent man?"
"If I had known." Hal said.
"Hal, there's no need for guilt." Ivy said.
"Yes, I know." Hal said, "But that doesn't mean that this sight picture's gonna go away."
~ ~ ~ ~
Case 1 Closed. Up next, an interlude of sorts followed by the next case in the next couple chapters.