THEY LAUGHED WHEN THE QUIET CAPTAIN MISSED THE TARGET — THEN THE GENERAL SAW WHAT SHE WAS REALLY SHOOTING
THEY LAUGHED WHEN THE QUIET CAPTAIN MISSED THE TARGET — THEN THE GENERAL SAW WHAT SHE WAS REALLY SHOOTING
“Captain, are you sure you’re at the right firing line?”
The entire desert range erupted in laughter.
Captain Hannah Reed didn’t smile.
She simply adjusted the scope on her rifle.
It was 104 degrees at Fort Carson’s annual Long-Range Precision Challenge, and more than three hundred soldiers had gathered to watch the final round.
Standing beside Hannah was Sergeant First Class Logan Pierce.
Five-time champion.
Special operations instructor.
And, according to everyone around him, practically unbeatable.
He looked at Hannah’s scratched rifle and shook his head.
“Ma’am, that rifle belongs in a museum.”
A few soldiers laughed.
Hannah checked the chamber.
“Maybe.”
Pierce grinned.
“You nervous?”
“No.”
“Then why are your hands shaking?”
Hannah looked down.
Her fingers were trembling slightly.
“I’m not nervous.”
Pierce laughed again.
“Whatever helps you sleep.”
From the command platform, Colonel Daniel Foster watched silently.
Beside him stood Major Eric Lawson.
“Who is she?” Foster asked.
Lawson checked the roster.
“Captain Hannah Reed. Intelligence officer.”
Foster frowned.
“Intelligence?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is she in the sniper final?”
Lawson hesitated.
“That’s what I was wondering.”
The announcer stepped toward the microphone.
“Final round! Target distance: 1,800 meters. Each competitor receives three rounds. Closest grouping wins.”
The crowd cheered.
Pierce stepped forward first.
He settled behind his rifle.
“Watch this.”
His first shot cracked across the desert.
The distant target flashed.
A perfect hit.
The crowd erupted.
Pierce stood and waved casually.
“Still got it.”
His second shot landed almost directly beside the first.
More applause.
His third shot nearly touched the same hole.
The announcer shouted,
“Excellent grouping!”
Pierce turned toward Hannah.
“Your turn, Captain.”
Hannah slowly lowered herself behind her rifle.
The laughter disappeared.
Something about her posture had changed.
She wasn't tense anymore.
She was completely still.
Major Lawson leaned forward.
“Colonel…”
“What?”
“That position.”
Foster looked at Hannah.
“What about it?”
Lawson whispered,
“I've seen that position before.”
Hannah adjusted the elevation.
Pierce watched.
Then frowned.
She wasn't aiming at the center of the target.
“Captain,” he called.
She ignored him.
“Captain!”
Hannah didn't move.
Pierce laughed.
“She’s not even aiming at the target!”
The crowd began whispering.
The announcer looked confused.
“Captain Reed, your target is at one-eight-zero-zero.”
“I know.”
“Then you may begin.”
Hannah squeezed the trigger.
CRACK.
The bullet struck the ground several feet away from the target.
The crowd exploded with laughter.
Pierce nearly doubled over.
“Unbelievable!”
Hannah calmly worked the bolt.
Pierce shouted,
“You missed!”
She looked through her scope.
“No.”
His smile disappeared.
“What?”
Hannah fired again.
CRACK.
Another impact appeared in the dirt.
Not on the target.
Not even close.
Pierce shook his head.
“She doesn't know what she's doing.”
But Colonel Foster wasn't laughing.
He was staring through binoculars.
“Lawson.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Get me the range camera feed.”
The screen flickered to life.
Foster watched the two impact points.
Then his expression changed.
“Zoom in.”
The technician enlarged the image.
There was something buried beneath the desert sand.
A small metallic object.
Then another.
Foster stood abruptly.
“Stop the competition.”
The announcer froze.
“Sir?”
“Stop the firing!”
Pierce looked confused.
“What the hell is going on?”
Foster pointed toward the range.
“Those aren't misses.”
Everyone went silent.
Hannah finally lowered her rifle.
Pierce stared at her.
“What did you hit?”
She looked at him.
“Signal repeaters.”
His face went pale.
“What?”
Hannah stood.
“There are six of them.”
Lawson stared at the screen.
She was right.
Six tiny devices had been placed around the range.
Foster turned toward her.
“How did you know?”
Hannah hesitated.
Then she removed a small folded photograph from her pocket.
It showed a soldier standing beside a burned convoy.
“My brother died three years ago,” she said quietly.
Foster studied the photograph.
“What does that have to do with these devices?”
Hannah's voice cracked.
“He was killed because someone used equipment exactly like this to redirect a targeting signal.”
The range became completely silent.
Pierce looked at her rifle.
“Then why didn't you tell anyone?”
Hannah looked toward the command tower.
“Because I didn't know which person here was responsible.”
Suddenly, every radio on the range crackled at once.
A distorted voice came through.
“Captain Reed, you should have stayed out of this.”
Hannah's face went white.
Colonel Foster reached for his sidearm.
“Where did that come from?”
Hannah slowly looked toward the observation tower.
Then she whispered,
“That's the voice I heard three years ago.”
A second later—
CRACK.
A bullet struck the concrete beside Foster's head.
The crowd screamed.
Hannah grabbed her rifle.
Pierce stared at her in shock.
She looked at him and said,
“Now you know why I wasn't aiming at the target.”
Then the lights inside the command tower went out.
And someone inside locked the doors.
Advertisement