A Gray Llove

Take the Shot

If Sasha had been in full possession of her memory, she would have recognized that it always took her about a minute to bring her long-term memories forward for reference whenever she blanked. Usually she was in her bed when this happened, and the notes along the baseboard would trigger something that would help her find herself, her position, her situation.

But outside, holding a gun in the dark maze, Sasha found nothing to anchor herself except her environment. She sensed a small woman in a long coat beside her – Suzanne, from the CIA office – and spotted a haggard-looking young man in black tactical gear about fifty feet in front of her. Agent Sierra Six certainly looked a lot older than the last time she had seen him, when they had both been on a mission in Melbourne.

The sight of the two agents cemented a natural conclusion for Sasha, bringing her back to what she would have known was always her restarting point when she blanked: she was on a mission, on a hunt. She was a CIA agent on the job, picking up right where she left off before Sao Paulo. She couldn't remember how that particular outing had ended, but it was in the past. Now, she had a job to do.

And her new mission target was evidently the man in the white polo who was holding a young girl at gunpoint in the clearing in front of her.

As Sasha brought her rifle to her shoulder and adjusted her position just behind the edge of the hedges, her senses sharpened and a memory of the man appeared. She knew his name – Lloyd. While sighting his chest through her weapon's eyepiece, she felt more memories come back – Lloyd was her operative partner in the CIA. They hadn't been together long. But he had become something more to her, all the same. He must have gone rogue. That had to be why she was on this mission. Lloyd had always been dangerous. But what could have happened to make him do this? He had to have lost his mind...

After a few breaths to check her alignment, Sasha had her shot prepared and was ready to execute at will. But her finger didn't pull the shotgun's trigger. Something felt like it was missing. Or maybe she was just too attached to her target, a disastrous thing for an agent.

Suzanne noticed. "Lewellyn!" She hissed. "Take the shot!"

Out in the clearing, Lloyd jostled the girl and shot the flare gun just past her cheek, yelling something to Six. The girl screamed.

That at last made it easy for Sasha to take action. Forget Lloyd. The girl needed help. Sasha and Suzanne lunged as one into the clearing. Sasha sprinted with Suzanne to flank Six, who was facing Lloyd directly across the fountain, and form a three-agent wall opposing the kidnapper.

Sasha stopped just beyond the length of Six's outstretched pistol in a wave of gravel, her feet finding a perfect support position as her arms rocked the rifle up and against her shoulder. She wondered why on earth it hurt to move so much...why it felt like her hands didn't want to hold the gun in a level line...something was definitely wrong with this situation, but she couldn't think of what it could be...

Next to her, Six sputtered, "Where the hell did you come from?"

Sasha took aim at Lloyd's chest again, feeling something deep in her own center go cold as she did. She told herself that she just had to do her job. The child was in danger. To Six, she asked under her breath, "Didn't they tell you backup was coming?"

"Absolutely not," Six said. Sasha thought he sounded worried. "You sure you got this?"

"Of course I do," Sasha muttered, watching Lloyd. He was smirking at Suzanne – hadn't noticed Sasha yet – but more to the point, he was still holding the girl hostage, one of his hulking biceps pinning her to his chest. "Catch the girl when she runs."

In her peripheral vision, she saw Six nod tightly. "When she runs?"

"She'll have to," Sasha told him, silently moving a step closer to her target.