Steady, As She Goes (ZoSan)

Chapter 2; Old Habits Die Hard

Taking the stairs with silent, confident strides Zoro glanced down at the watch donning his right wrist as the other hand remained occupied with the large case in its grasp. Noting the time as he rounded the final flight onto the floor that was required with only five minutes left until he needed to be in position. Ducking out of the stairwell onto the floor and making his way down the deserted hall.

Entering a prearranged apartment, he softly locked the door behind himself as he made for the window situated in the bedroom that would allow for the best angle. Keeping himself out of eyesight he cast a careful glance through the window and across the large courtyard that separated the illustrious apartment complex from the ambassadors palace. If the intelligence that they had was still viable then the man that was marked would be in the dining room of the west hall at precisely this time.

Dropping down to one knee, he flicked open the clasps to the sleek black case before flipping the lid up and began assembling the matte parts with practised ease. Eyes glued to the building as he easily attached the barrel of the rifle with nimble fingers, making sure not to loose sight for even a moment. Muscle memory guiding his hands along the gun as he assembled the final few components before moving into position.

Hand flicking the stabilizing arms down, he placed the barrel of the gun along the sill of the window as he edged forward carefully to catch sight of the building through the scope. Fiddling with the knobs on the side with micro-millimetre movements as he calculated for distance, wind, and other interference until he had a perfect view in through the window on the second floor. Sniper jobs weren't his area of expertise, but it didn't stop him from still being one of the best at it.

A single buzz of his watch announced the arrival of the political figure and as though on cue stepped in front of the window and into Zoro's sights. Without removing his sights from the man, Zoro dug into his pocket and pulled out a small device, flicking it open and placing it on the sill. Eye darting from the scope to the small anemometer to take into account wind speed and variation every other second as he await for the man to get into position.

Slowing his breathing to nearly undetectable levels he watched through the scope as he was able to discern details on the man's face with incredible detail. Watching as he chuckled heartily at a comment made by one of the other men before turning to face someone out of sight as he presented his back directly to the window.

Hands steady as always flexed in preparation as his finger finally lowered to the trigger just as a tightness started to develop in the centre of his chest. Branching outwards in small pulsating waves that began restricting his lungs and caused his breathing to grow short as a grunt of pain wheezed past his lips. Eyes falling out of focus for a few important seconds as he found himself choking on the air around him as a terrifyingly familiar memory hovered beneath his subconscious that had him taking in panicked gasps.

"Zoro?" A voice barked into his earpiece, the word drawing him back into the moment with rigour as he blinked furiously to shake the ill feeling, "What the fuck are you doing? Take the shot!"

Swallowing thickly and pushing the odd moment out of his mind he gazed back into the scope in horror as he found the target stepping away from his line of sight and just beyond the window. Eyes flickering to the anemometer and back before realizing he was far too late to worry about semantics as this was his last chance for the shot. Counting the steps in his head as a cold sweat broke out across his body while he slowly swivelled the rifle to compensate for the movement of the other man.

Readjusting the barrel to aim at the next window as he waited for the man to reappear as he pointedly ignored the shrill wailing of the commander in his ear as he once more flexed his grip, released a slow breath, and then pulled the trigger just as a shape stepped into front of the window. A barely noticeable cracked hissed across the large courtyard as a faint shattering of glass could be heard just before screams could be discerned.