The Academy

Part One: Chapter Sixteen

"Shooter Nickel, do you have a shot?" A voice crackles through my earpiece.

"Yes, yes shooter Nickel has a shot!" I reply urgently, peeing through the scope on my sniper rifle. It's nighttime, and Liz sits next to me, binoculars over her eyes, looking at the same scene I'm seeing.

We're running a training drill. Our class is split into groups, taking this as if it were a real mission. Codenames and everything. There's a hostage situation. It's a test. One of our final exams. This is the last week of the academy. We graduate in five days, and I can't seem to wrap my head around that fact. 

The last three months of training have been incredible. After I pushed away the thoughts and pain of Amelia and my attacks, focusing completely on work. We've done everything from insane workouts through mud and water to jumping out of helicopters and planes. My class of twenty is the most elite of the most elite.

"Liz," I say the name of my partner for the drill, "Distance?"

"Two thousand seven hundred forty meters." She answers quickly. 

"Wind and temp?"

"Wind four miles per hour west, temp sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit."

Liz is an ideal sniper partner. When you're shooting a rifle as dangerous as the one in my hands, every single factor is important and things on the gun need to be adjusted accordingly. I don't take my eyes off my target as I alter my sniper slightly. 

"Shot still positive," I say through my mic, communicating to the rest of my group on the ground.

"Wait for my command." The same person says back. I don't know who it is, but I assume it's whoever is taking the lead in this drill.

"Olivia, there's no way you can make that shot," Liz whispers urgently.

We're on top of a building. Our target is inside another one over two thousand meters away. I would have to put my bullet around a building and through a window, and go for the kill shot. My target is just a dummy, not an actual person, but it's a real threat in the drill. It can move.

"Have a little faith, Liz. I'm pretty damn good with a sniper." I whisper back absentmindedly. I'm completely focused on what I can see the team doing around the target. 

"Shit, the target is about to kill one of the hostages. Nickel, you still got that shot?" The voice reaches my ears again.

"Positive," I reply, taking a deep breath and calculating exactly where I need to put my bullet.

"Take it. Don't hit the fucking hostage."

That's all I need. I pull the trigger, and in a matter of seconds, I watch as my single bullet travels through the air, covering the distance between me and the target, and hits the dummy directly in the side of the neck. I hit the carotid, the target will be dead in a matter of seconds.

"Holy..." Liz breathes, sitting back.

"I told you." I smile, relaxing as well.

"Let's get down there," She says, gathering our things.

I gather my supplies, leaving it as if we were never there, and make our way out of the building. We reconvince with our group in the middle of the training town.

"Nice shot." I recognize the voice of the guy who had been talking to me through my earpiece. I forget his name, but he smiles warmly at me, and I nod back, smiling as well.

"Prenton, you've gotten better on the sniper." Sullivan's commanding voice sounds, and we all turn to face her. 

"Thank you, ma'am."