Chapter 1
"Hey Mary, did you hear the newest rumour?" Officer Jones asks me. Axel Jones has been a comrade of mine for years, but I always call him Jones. "Nope, tell me. What has come to the ears of Jones." I joke while cocking an eyebrow. "Har har, how funny. But seriously, there's a rumour going around. The A-team, you know: that unbeatable group of the special force, is going to invite a sniper to their group." He tells me. "Wait, a sniper? Any specific names?" I ask him as fast as I can. I am a sniper myself so perhaps… "Ye, what I've heard is that they are going to ask a certain M. triple A Nemo, don't know who that is but that guy's lucky." He obliviously says. In my head I am speechless, the A-team, the best team is asking for me.
Mary Athena Artemis Aphrodite Nemo is my name, Mary triple A Nemo for short. I'm a sniper and a lieutenant in the special force of America. And apparently this group asks for me. Well I'll be damned. "Hello? Mary? Earth to Mary?" I quickly regain my attention and look Jones in the eye. "What?" Jones sighs with a smile. "I asked you if you think he will join." Jones repeats. I shrug and mentally scream 'Yes obviously!'. "I need to go Jones, thanks for the rumour." I say and I salute mockingly. He laughs and walks away, then I turn and go to my tent.
Once in my tent I redo my hair into a high ponytail and I fix my trousers and long-sleeve shirt. Looking spiffy, I grab my notebook and pen, my current read and my Walkman with my favourite tape. I go out and set myself against my tent. I put on my headphones, put on a song and start writing an entry for a poem.
Sky's blue on January morning
Sky's grey on June evening
Green and brown mixed with the paint of autumn
And pink with the smell of spring
A particular good song pops on and I bop my head on the beat as I grab my current read and continue reading. A shadow falls over me and I sigh, mark my page and look up. My eyes widen as I see general Morrison himself above me. I scramble up, pause my tape and take off my headphones. I salute and quickly apologize for the sigh. "Not a problem Lieutenant, come with me." He says, no emotion on his face. I nod, put my Walkman on my belt and put the rest of my stuff in one of my trouser pockets. I swiftly follow the general as he leads me away from my tent, into the camp.
Croatia was a weird place to set camp, but as terrorists threaten to bombard the cities in this land, we as special force are issued with stopping them. As we walk through the camp, I see the effects of the immense heat of the Croatian sun. Soldiers sport short sleeves and shorts to keep them cool, therefore that I get lots of weird looks because of my outfit. Long sleeves in such a warm climate is crazy for them, but I know that with short sleeves and such I get unprofessional looks so suffering it is. I wipe off the beads of sweat on my forehead as we enter the general's office. It is instantly a lot cooler and I wait patiently.
"Lieutenant, how has your work been so far? You have had 5 years of experience, no?" Morisson asks me. I give him a curt smile and answer truthfully: "My work has been as I expected, a cocktail of violence and peace. My apologies for correcting, but my experience ranges over already 7 years, with 5 years of snipers experience." I tell him with a hint of nostalgia. "Right, you have been aiding teams so far. I want to change that: a particular team has been looking for a sniper for their team and I instantly gave them your record. They want you in their team Lieutenant, what do you say?" He explains patiently. I ponder a moment before hesitantly asking a question. "Which team requires my experience sir?" The general takes out a file and places it in front of me. I slowly take it and look at the file. 'The Alpha team' My eyes widen: Jones was right, the rumour was right! They want me. "The A-team sir? They need me? Have they looked into other files to because I know some of the other snipers…" I babble before the general lifts a hand to silence me. I instantly stop.
"They have looked into each file for snipers, but still they picked you." The general folds his hands. "Any other sniper is out of question for them, so what do you say Lieutenant? Do you accept?" I nod my head and a smile overtakes my face before I can't even comprehend it. "Then I'll let them know that you have accepted, someone will get you for a meeting with them. You can leave Lieutenant." The general nods. I salute and put on my headphones, playing 'Comics' by Caravan Palace. I go back to my tent and plop on my bed. I'll be damned, it was the truth…