#22 Duty calls

Posted on Thu Jun 17th, 2021 @ 8:53pm by

Mission: Mission Guardian Shield
Location: Aeternae
Timeline: current/somewhere in between

ON:

Without removing her cheek from the side of the rifle, Green lifted her right thumb to the small lever on the bolt's tailpiece and flicked it to 'ready'.

She narrowed her concentration to the reticle and the target beyond it. It seemed as though she she had just begun to apply pressure to the trigger when the sudden explosion in the rifle's chamber sent the weapon recoiling into her shoulder. Hot gas blasted down onto a square piece of canvas patch that she laid beneath the rifle's muzzle and the suppressor/silencer on the end of it, to prevent a dusty signature that would give away her position. The bullet cracked from the barrel, arched past the lower elbow of the hill, and struck the target.

In that same instant, the old man jerked his final shot, as half his face and the portion of his head above his right ear exploded in a crimson spray. The bullet's impact separated the man from his rifle and hurled him backward into the field. His suddenly lifeless body leaped skyward, violently kicking and crashing through the wheat field.

"Damn," another Agent said quietly. He was a Cipher Agent like herself, a part of Federation Security within the division of Intelligence. Mainly, deep cover field operations.

Several more agents who sat behind the sandbags on the hill's finger heard the sniper's shot. THey peeked over the top and witnessed the gory sight of the man's dead body reeling in uncontrolled acrobatics--whipping, kicking, jumping. Green watched through her scope, tracking the nearly headless body as it flopped and crashed through the wheat field. Several of her head shots had ended in similar displays of dancing dead, but this was the most gruesome. The sight repulsed her, and she turned her head away. Deep within her being she had felt that stain upon her spirit, the Core affected by the taking of life. But, it was a necessary trade. The needs of the many, and all that.

The old man's body came to rest nearly thirty feet into the field from where Green's bullet struck it. The body had torn down a wide circle of wheat before it finally quit kicking and thrashing. His blood glistened on the broken green and gold stalks. The snipers had moved from their hide and stood among the trees, watching the wailing for the dead by the villager's family.

Later that evening, back at their safehouse, all of them showered and cleaned up, the four snipers discussing the event.

"I took a look at the rifle that old fart had," Land said between bites, as the four cipher agent infiltration specialists spooned their way through cans of rations and canteen cocoa, "It was a worthless pile of crap. I kinda felt sorry for that dumb asshole, too. I wonder how much the Romulans pay these goobers to go out and bust caps like that?"

"Obviously not enough," said the agent in charge. All three men had been marines, whereas Green had been Starfleet. Her accomplishments were many, but she had mainly been Security and Engineering, resigning her commission as a Lt. Commander and Chief Engineer. She missed it.

Green sat quietly eating ham and lima beans, watching and listening as the regional director came in and squatted next to the AIC and spoke softly.

"We need your best shooter," he said. "Got word from HQ."

"Something big?"

"I don't know, I'm just passing the word."

"Can I send two?"

"I don't see why not, but again, that's a shot HQ will have to call."

"Okay, Sir."

Land looked at Wilson. "You sit tight. I'll take Green and Burke over to HQ. Grab your packs, you two."

Green excitedly shoveled big spoonfuls of creamy beige beans into her mouth, swelling out her cheeks, as she hurriedly chewed and swallowed them. Burke followed Green's lead, as he rushed to choke down the remainder of his can of beans and franks.

Wilson looked at the two snipers gulping and wolfing, "You two are gonna smell sweet, come tomorrow when that crap starts working to your guts. That business will keep a couple of minutes longer while you eat at normal speed. There's no point in ruining your insides so you can hurry up and go wait over there."

Rogue, or Ro for short, gave a nod, knowing Wilson was right. However, Green's body was-for lack of a better term-more evolved. Not an Augment, but roughly the same kind of thing. Stronger, able to use strange powers, and wielding a weapon unknown to this galaxy. Her plasma blade was her constant companion, the hilt always on her side. When activated the blue-white plasma blade would spring forth, a blade capable of cutting through almost anything, and able to deflect energy bolts and beams. A gift from her goddess, Qeritas. A member of the Q Continuum who, like Q who plagued Picard and his crew, had singled out Green.

Finishing their meals casually, the two cipher agents stood and walked up the hill together. The capitol city was still a hotbed of violence and warfare. The coup attempt had divided sections of the metropolis, who now all fought over territory and control. The Romulans, and their portion, guarded what was theirs and did not interfere. Well, at least not in the open. Green, now playing a free trader Trinity Costa, was here to gather proof of Romulan duplicity during a diplomatic crisis. If it existed, Green would find this proof.

OFF: