This chapter was supposed to be double the length, but some family drama halted work for a while and ensured that the second half would not be ready. And I wanted to get this out to you sooner rather then later, I split it up. I'm hoping nothing will conspire to delay the next chapter.
Anyway, here is the 4th Chapter. Enjoy!
"You know what an artist and a sniper have in common?"
I merely blinked at him
Seeing that me and everyone else in the room had no answer, he gave a tiny smile.
"Details." He answered.
Johnny and I glanced at each other. Where is he going with this?
Johnny shrugged, as if to say: 'How should I know?'
"Like when a touch of color is out of place…" The instructor continued.
"When a shadow does not match with it's surroundings…" He paced around the antique sniper rifle he had on the table.
"Or when a shape is not where it supposed to be." He finished, looking quite pleased with his little speech, before his smile disappeared and he gave every one of us a hard stare.
"The only difference is the stakes…" He said, voice straight and serious as we all saw the scar in his eye. "...Our's are higher."
WATER
I clenched my eyes shut as the sudden moisture interrupted the memory. The sting of those sensitive organs forcing me to rub them on the sleeve of the raincoat in a futile attempt to make ease the burning. Once the water had been cleared and the pain had ceased, I checked the roads for anything new. Seeing nothing, I sighed in annoyance.
It was rather quiet up here, the pitter-patter of rain providing a much needed ambience for my thoughts. The midday sun was blocked by a heavy cloud cover, providing a dreariness in the city to match the rain. The rain ensured that car and traffic was sparse, making even the deafening sounds of a major city subdued on this day. Despite the raincoat, the shower had managed to soak me to the bone, masking my scent from even the best of noses.
Which brings me right back to why I was reminiscing about training in the first place. I had never really taken that speech to heart, figured he was just being dramatic. But now, I finally saw that he was right, especially about the stakes. Failure here, would mean death for my new friends.
"No pressure." I mumbled as I surveyed the area from my rooftop position. Looking for anything that could affect the outcome of what I was about to do.
I adjusted my scope, zooming out to see the bigger picture. Sitting directly opposite of me was the courthouse, its large doors serving as the place where my window of opportunity ended. From the steps that led up to those doors, there was a bit of a walk to the road, with everywhere in between decorated with small gardens and benches.
Nothing down there was ideal cover by itself, but with my position on top of an apartment building, it was all completely useless.
This was good, considering there were already officers on the ground. Six of them in fact, all suited up in full twenty first century SWAT gear as they kept an eye out for anyone suspicious. Two cruisers sat on the side of the road, their lights flashing as they waited for their fellow officers to bring the target in.
Surprisingly, there was no one on the road or the sidewalk as the police guarded the area. Which is good, I wouldn't want others to get caught in the crossfire. I might've agreed to killing this one target, but causing harm 'just because' is NOT what I do, not what the Protectorate does either.
Despite the fact I am about to kill someone, I was the epitome of calmness. One might think that killing someone is a nerve racking experience, but I find it's surprisingly easy to kill.
I had to.
That's the type of being that the Protectorate wanted, someone with a strong set of morals who can (if reluctantly) break them. There are a lot of people who need help in the galaxy, and no organization can help them all, so a Protector being able to do morally questionable things for the greater good is paramount.
The truly hard part about it all, is living with everything afterwards.
Sure, it's not hard to feel bad ending the life of psychopaths and crime lords, but it's a lot harder to do the same those who weren't irredeemable. Or in my case; did nothing to warrant me killing them.
It's why I spent most of the day thinking back to training. Trying to distract myself from what I had to do. I wasn't that successful, but I was reminded of a piece of advice Johnny had given me during training.
'We're just gonna have to carry that weight, and spend the rest of our lives making up for it.'
I realized there's no turning back now. If there was another way to solve everything, the opportunity to take it has long since passed. The only thing I could do now, is kill the target, and try my hardest to do better in the future.
So here I was, standing in a puddle of rain on top of an apartment building, holding a sniper rifle and about to kill someone in front of a courthouse.
It almost felt... Normal.
Hearing the sounds of police sirens in the distance, I swung my rifle around to take a look through the scope. Observing the mostly empty roads below, I saw a convoy of three police cruisers, lights on and sirens blaring as they got closer to the courthouse.
Somewhere in there, is my target.
I adjusted my scope again, zooming into the center car. I assumed the target would be in the center of this convey, and so I kept my sights on the black and white vehicle as it drove along. Soon enough, the whole convoy pulled to the curve, their sirens silencing as the cars came to a full stop.
Fourteen police officers dressed in the same SWAT armour got out of the cruisers and took positions to guard the convoy while the first six converged to secure the path the courthouse. While all this was going on, I didn't see any non police down there, the target was nowhere to be seen.
I quickly snapped from position to position as I tried to find the target on my scope, but the guy refused to show himself to me.
I gulped. Is this a decoy?
While I frantically searched for the target, one of the officers, a rhino, went back to the center convoy to reach for something. Seeing this, I ceased my search as I watched the armoured cop. A few seconds passed as the rhino pulled out of the car and turned towards the courthouse.
My heart stopped when I saw what he had.
Standing comfortably on the rhino's palm, was a rat, just as small as his earthbound cousins.
Apparently the target being called a rat was not just an insult.
I didn't really have time to worry about the wordplay though, as the guy's small size just made this shot a lot harder. My previous calmness lost, I suddenly became very aware of just how fucked my situation was. Just a gust of wind could turn a hit into a miss.
"I really wish I had some Self Guiding Rounds right now." I muttered.
Tracking the rat with my rifle, I slowed my breathing down, and inched my finger into the trigger guard. As my breath stopped as my finger met cold metal, I made one last correction to my aim as I looked through my scope.
Then I pulled the trigger.
An explosion echoed through the streets as the rifle recoiled backwards into my arm, my shoulder absorbing the force as the bullet sped through the air towards its target, carrying pure kinetic force for whoever it hits.
Unfortunately for me, my aim would not bring home a kill, as the bullet missed its intended target. The shot not only missing the rat, but also the palm he was standing on, hitting the arm of the rhino instead. Said arm jerked as the bullet impacted flesh, tearing through the meager barrier and exiting the other side. The sudden wound creating an explosion of blood soaking the officer as he fell to the ground in shock that quickly turned to pain.
With his platform disappearing out from under him, the rat fell with the rhino as the explosion boomed in the ears of those below. Immediately, the training of the officers kicked in as they realized what happened, all diving for whatever cover they could find.
"Shit." I cursed, blaming my sub par aim with a sniper rifle, when you have Self Guiding Rounds, it's easy to neglect practising without them.
That failure to practise was about to kill me, as I now had to try and pull off this shot while the cops down there were already alerted to my presence. Preparing for another shot, I pulled the lever back on the bolt action rifle. The weapon ejecting the spent bullet casing and pulling a fresh one from the attached magazine.
I have five shots left.
Immediately taking aim at the rat, who was running towards the police cruiser he was riding in, I fired another shot. Once again, the shot was heard all around the block as the bullet traveled at the running rodent. The shot impacted the ground right next to the rat but did no damage, only causing him to stumble.
I grit my teeth at my failure, pulling the lever back once more.
Four shots left.
By now, the rat had managed to retreat under the black and white cruiser, hiding from my sights while every other cop in the area was behind cover. The rhino I hit was pooling blood where he lay, staying down for fear that I might shoot him again. I could hear the officers below me shouting to each other, trying desperately to figure out where I was.
While the cops hide behind their useless cover, I never took my eyes off the car the rat had retreated under, unwilling to let the rodent get away from me. Half a minute passed before I realized that I would have to make the next move, as the rat seemed more than content to wait for support to arrive.
Looking around, I noticed that the cruiser the rat was hiding under was still running, its engine still turning fuel into power. I smiled as an idea came to mind. Positioning myself, I fired a shot into the hood of the car, a small fire rising out of the hole as I pulled the lever back.
Three shots left.
Soon, the cruiser would be engulfed in flames. Something the two cops who were hiding behind it knew as they made a run for different cover. The rat however, refused leave his hiding place.
This guy is gonna be burnt to a crisp if he doesn't move.
Wanting to force the rodent out into the open, I fired another shot into the engine. This one really made it burn, the front seats quickly consumed by the inferno.
Two.
Finally forced from his hiding place, the rodent made a run for the courthouse of all things. I raised an eyebrow at the suicidal action, but didn't question it as I took aim once more at the fleeing rat. Pulling the trigger and firing another shot. The bullet landed just behind the tail, making the rat jump in fright as I pulled the lever back.
Last one.
Slowing my breath and smoothly tracking the rodent as he ran towards the courthouse before me, I pulled the trigger once I was certain of my aim. Feeling the recoil one final time, I watched the results of my shot.
This time, it hit the mark. The bullet, half the height of the target himself, impacted the rodent in the upper torso. The round tearing through flesh and bone like a knife through butter, with his small size, the rat didn't stand a chance as his upper body completely separated itself from everything below the waist. Spraying blood all around as the two halves were sent flying in different directions.
"Damn... that's gruesome." I said, unconsciously pulling the lever back one final time.
Suddenly, my ears twitched as the sound of gunfire reached them. Immediately, I threw myself to the ground as whistling rounds passed above me, while others simply slammed into my cover. As the barrage halted, I layed there on the ground, stunned by the cop's actions.
I set up here because it was an apartment building! Why the hell are they shooting at it?!
Getting to my feet, I pressed myself against the wall as I listened for anymore gunfire. My pointed ears picked up a lot of shouting, and a burning fire, but I didn't hear the clicks of a reload of a switched safety.
Slowly, I peeked my head out from cover, ready to dive back down if needed as I looked down at the road. My eyes widened at what I saw.
Almost every damn cop down there is rushing the entrance, they'll be up here soon.
Time to get the fuck out.
I rushed to my dropped rifle, pulling apart the various pieces as I placed them back into the briefcase. Every part had its spot, fitting snugly into the black foam of the case.
As I placed the final piece inside, I heard police sirens approaching the area. Panicking at the thought of facing even more cops, I slammed the case shut and engaged the locks, taking off towards the other edge of the roof.
Reaching the edge, I took a moment to check the alleyway it led to. Seeing that no one was around, I vaulted over the edge. After a quick fall, I slammed into the ground, grimacing at the sound I made as the concrete was crushed under my weight.
Wasting no time, I got to my feet and ran to the alleyway exit. I stopped there to check outside before I left.
Three more cops cars had joined the party, the reinforcements they carried having joined the others in storming up through the apartment building to where I was just moments ago. This left the area down here largely deserted, with only a few hanging around to attend to the rhino with a first aid kit.
I didn't get a good look at the corpse, but I saw a lot of blood washed down the drain.
However, the rain failed to wash away the inferno that had consumed the cruiser I had shot. The fire roaring as everyone around kept their distance from the burning hazard.
Seeing that everyone's attention was elsewhere, I felt it safe enough to rush out of that alley and away from the courthouse. After just a few minutes of running, the red and blue lights of civil authority had faded, dodging the legs of larger pedestrians as I escaped.
Navigating through the sea of creatures larger than me was normally no difficulty, but with me rushing to get back to Finnick, and those around me rushing to get out of the rain, I was bound to run into something.
This was proved when I as I dodged the legs of a buffalo, I found myself heading straight into a pig. I tried to stop but it was far too late as I slammed into the mammal with a loud thud, sending us sprawling onto the ground. We both grunted in mutual pain at the collision as I lost grip of the briefcase.
While some glanced in our direction, no one felt the need to help as the two of us recovered. The pig getting back on his feet, still unsteady from the collision. While I remained on the ground, reaching for the case before anyone could steal it and the incriminating weapon inside.
With the case and its cargo in paw, I got onto my knees, looking over at the pig I had ran into.
"Sorry about that, my bad." I said to him, hoping the apology would be enough for the guy.
"Watch where you're going, chomper." He said back, narrowing his eyes at me before walking away.
I got back to my feet, glad to have avoided a fight. Only to be put back on the ground when something hard struck the back of my head. Groaning at the pain, I tried getting back to my knees, rubbing my aching head as footsteps faded behind me. It didn't take a genius to realize that pink motherfucker was responsible.
Grinding my teeth and lips pulled upwards into a snarl, my pain was forgotten as I imagined using the the briefcase to break that asshole's legs. The handle warping under my tightening fist as I got up to my feet, ready to turn around and show the pink fuck what a real punch is.
My thoughts of violence were interrupted when a beep sounded from my collar, along with a orange light to accompany its warning. With Finnick's… Episode still fresh in my mind, the mere thought of getting shocked forced any thought of attacking the pig from my mind. Instead, I found myself taking deep breaths, doing everything I could to calm myself before that collar turned red. As the collar's light faded, I let out a sigh that held a mix of relief and despair.
I'm fucking scared of this thing.
Me. A genetically enhanced super fox is scared of a fucking shock collar!
I took a deep breath before I got worked up again. If I play my cards right, I'll only have to deal with this for a month at the least.
My thoughts were interrupted when sirens sounded off near by. Whipping around in fright, I saw two more cop cars speeding towards where I came. Reminded of why I was rushing in the first place, I continued on towards Finnick at a brisk walk this time. Despite my slower speed, it didn't take long to get where Finnick was waiting, having already ran most of the way. Coming around a corner, I found the unmistakable artwork of his van in one of the roadside parking spots, right where I last saw it.
Walking over, I knocked on the door. I only had to wait for a moment before I saw Finnick poke his head over the window. Seeing me, his head retreated back down and the door swung open, revealing an impatient looking fennec.
"Bout time." He said before hopping over to the driver seat. "What took you so long?"
"Ran into an asshole on the way." I answered as I climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door behind me and sealing us from the outside world.
There was a certain kind of silence when it's raining, the water falling against the metal and glass creating a thousand little thuds. It created a sort of calmness in the noise, like when birds sing on a bright summer day. I didn't have much time to enjoy it though, as Finnick started the engine and pulled onto the road, the soft sound of rain being replaced with the far louder purr of an engine.
The trip back was painfully slow. The rain prevented any fast speeds and other drivers cut us off at every opportunity, ruining what little speed we did gain. Finnick nearly shocked himself again by the time we made it to Happytown, where traffic let up and allowed us to cruise home.
Despite how angry the drivers made him, I found bitching about traffic a welcome distraction to what happened today.
Please leave a review, it always motivates me when I read the things you say. As I keep saying, if you have any criticisms about the story, be sure to list them too, I always like improving as a writer.