The mayor’s son was hostage. A bomb was ticking down. I had the kidnapper dead in my sights. But my captain—my wife—aborted the assault at the last second. All to give her golden boy, her precious lover, a chance to play hero. In my last life, I took the shot to save the hostage, turning her lover into a laughingstock. As payback, during the final moments of my deep-cover operation, she personally leaked my location to the mob. “You just had to make Todd look bad,” she’d sneered over the phone. “So you can rot there forever.” When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the sniper perch. In my ear was her gentle reassurance to her lover, followed by the most venomous curse she could spit at me. “You’re a damn animal, Hart. No wonder you have no family.” This time, I took my finger off the trigger. She wanted him to prove himself? Fine. Let him. I was going to watch, firsthand, how these two bastards would sacrifice the entire team to pave a golden path for him. 1 “Seven minutes left! What’s the status on negotiations?” “Assault and EOD are ready. If we don’t get a breakthrough soon, we’re going in hot!” The deputy commander’s voice crackled over the comms for the fourth time, and for the fourth time, he was met with a sharp rebuke from Serena. “I’ll say it again: you’re the deputy. I’m in command here. Nothing happens until I give the order.” But the deputy was positioned just one floor above the hostage situation. He could hear every shift, every muttered threat. He was out of time. “Todd is only pissing the guy off! Nothing he’s saying is working! If he keeps this up, the hostage is dead. Are you prepared to take responsibility for that, Captain?” Serena muted his channel without a word. “You’ll wait when I tell you to wait. That’s an order,” she snapped into her mic, then singled me out. “Hart, back me up here.” I pulled my finger from the trigger guard. “Listen to the Captain,” I said, my voice flat. “She’s command. We follow her lead.” My “cooperation” clearly pleased her. She immediately used me as an example. “You hear that? That’s how a real team member sounds.” “Listen up, everyone. No one moves without my direct order.” Through my scope, I watched the kidnapper’s face flush a deep, blotchy red. His movements grew erratic, his grip on the hostage tightening. And Todd, the so-called expert negotiator, was still prattling on, completely oblivious to the escalating danger. This was the man Serena trusted. She was gambling the lives of her entire team to give a rookie some field practice. And the building we were in was rigged to blow. In my past life, I’d acted on instinct. I saw an opening and took the shot, ending the threat instantly. The result? Todd became the laughingstock of the force and had a breakdown that landed him in a psychiatric ward. I got a commendation and a promotion. Serena didn’t say a word. She just had me reassigned to a deep-cover operation inside the city’s most dangerous cartel. Right before the final sting, just as we were about to close the net, she leaked my location. They caught me. Tied me to a lamppost and carved me up, piece by piece. Just before I died, I saw her standing across the street, watching. I heard her on the phone, telling someone she had gotten revenge for him. I didn’t need to guess who he was. This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake. I was morbidly curious to see how this disaster of their making would end. With five minutes left, the tension inside the building was a razor’s edge. Every officer was coiled like a spring. The only one who seemed relaxed was Todd, standing face-to-face with a desperate man. “Hey man, listen,” Todd’s voice piped through our earpieces, “you don’t need to get so worked up. Put the knife down and we can talk this out.” “Holding him isn’t going to help you. Just let him go, and we can figure this out, okay?” A wave of disbelief washed over the comms. “What the hell is he even saying? He’s just repeating himself. Does he not see it isn’t working?” “If the guy was going to drop his weapon after a few nice words, what the hell are we even here for? Is this negotiator insane?” “Goddammit, we’re all sitting ducks while he spouts this crap! Captain, give the order to move in!” Todd, of course, could hear every word. Through my scope, I saw him actually pout at the kidnapper, complaining about his own team. “Oh yeah? You think you can do better? Then you come in here!” he whined. “Serena, I don’t want to do this anymore. They’re being mean to me.” His voice cracked, threatening tears. A stunned silence fell over the channel, quickly replaced by grumbling. “Jesus Christ, does he think this is a game? What is wrong with him?” A few of the hot-headed guys on the assault team were already cursing. That seemed to be the last straw for Todd. He stormed over to a nearby door—one we had already booby-trapped—and started banging on it. “Open up! Let me out of here! I’m done!” It wasn’t that he couldn’t be extracted, but he’d chosen the one door that would compromise the entire entry plan. The team that had just finished setting the trap was furious. “We just rigged that door, you idiot! I told you not to go near it! Are you trying to get us all killed?” Before the officer could finish, Serena cut in. “Who do you think you’re yelling at? Clear that position and let him out now!” she commanded. “One more word and I’ll revoke your comms access. You follow my orders. Understood?” Todd heard her. And in front of the man holding a knife to a boy’s throat, he broke into a grin. “Heh, you’re the best, Serena.” The kidnapper actually laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Are you fucking kidding me? You cops really don’t give a shit, do you? Sending in this clown just to mess with my head!” With his right hand, he tightened the knife against the hostage’s neck. With his left, he pulled a detonator from his pocket. “You think you can look down on me? I’ll show you! I’ll show all of you!” With a subject this volatile, a paranoid sociopath, the protocol was to stroke his ego. Praise him, validate his actions, build a rapport to de-escalate. It was basic criminal psychology, something even a trigger-puller like me knew. But Todd, the professional, had done nothing but lecture and contradict him, fanning the flames of his rage. Every unit got the alert: Perp has the detonator in hand. Every muscle in the building tensed. All he had to do was press that button, and we’d all be buried in the rubble. The assault team leader finally broke. “Captain, requesting immediate entry! Subject is extremely unstable! I repeat, requesting immediate entry! Subject is extremely unstable!” Using a repeat call was a field code for a critical, non-negotiable situation. Any competent commander would take it seriously. My finger found the trigger again. Protecting civilians was our first duty. “Stand by,” Serena’s voice was chillingly calm. “Wait for Todd to clear the building. Then we’ll talk about assault.” “Hee hee, Serena, I knew you were the best!” Todd cooed into his mic. No one had the energy to curse him out anymore. Our lives were hanging by a thread. There was no room for anger, only a cold, gnawing dread. We waited. Todd finally exited the building. The teams readied themselves, muscles bunched, ready to breach. And then Todd started up again. “Serena… am I useless?” “No, Todd, of course not. You were amazing. It was your first time facing a real kidnapper and you didn’t even flinch. That’s incredible.” “No, Serena. I have to prove myself. I’m not a waste of space. Give me a gun. Let me be the one to take him out.” “Okay. Take this sniper rifle. Get to that rooftop over there.” “All units, stand down! Await my command!” The comms went dead silent. The team was beyond shock, beyond fury. We were in a state of grim resignation. I kept my eye glued to the scope. The kidnapper’s deadline had three minutes left. But looking at his state, I knew he wouldn’t wait that long. “Hart! I’m here!” The rooftop door flew open with a dramatic kick. Todd, clutching a sniper rifle like a sack of potatoes, staggered over to my position, panting. “Hart, show me how to shoot this thing.” “I don’t have time for your games.” I didn’t look at him, my focus locked on the target. This seemed to annoy him. He kicked me hard in the back, then dropped his rifle and stepped onto my prone body. “Come on, Hart, teach me! Don’t be selfish!” The blow was like a sledgehammer to my spine. A white-hot agony flared through my ribs and lower back. But the lives of my team were in my hands. I couldn't move, couldn't break my position. Seeing I was immobile, Todd decided to have more fun. He grabbed my arm—the one supporting the rifle—and started shaking it with both hands. A professional sniper spends years conditioning their body, holding this exact position. I had trained with special forces. My arm strength was leagues beyond this wiry punk who could barely carry the weapon. My arm didn't move an inch. My patience, however, was gone. I snarled at him. “Todd, if you want to act like a lunatic, go do it somewhere else. Don’t screw this up!” My words made his voice crack again. He broadcast his performance over the comms. “Serena, you see? Hart won’t teach me, no matter how much I beg. I guess I’m just too stupid. I knew I couldn’t help… sob…” Serena didn’t hesitate. Her voice, sharp and cruel, flooded my ear. “What’s there to hide, Hart? You’re a damn animal, with no upbringing. No wonder you have no manners!” I was an orphan. It was the deepest wound of my life, a source of endless bullying and humiliation until I graduated from the academy. The only person I had ever told was Serena. She used to tell me that she was my family now. And now, she was using that vulnerability like a knife, twisting it with the most venomous words imaginable. I ground my teeth in silent rage, but my training held. My duty as a sniper came first. I would settle this after the mission was over. I forced my focus back to the scope, but something was wrong. The kidnapper, who had been watching the doors and windows, was now staring directly at our rooftop position. I was hundreds ofyards away. My scope had a sunshade. It was impossible for him to spot me… My eyes darted to the side. Todd’s rifle. The scope lens was bare, uncovered. He didn't attach the anti-reflection device. He’d given away our position. The kidnapper raised a megaphone, his voice booming across the distance. “You filthy fucking pigs! I told you not to try any tricks!” “You dare put a sniper on me? You all must have a death wish!” “I’m giving you ten seconds! If I don’t see that helicopter, you’re all coming with me!” “Ten!” The situation went critical. The kidnapper ducked behind cover, moving into a blind spot. It was a complete checkmate. I shifted, trying to find a new angle on the detonator, which was still partially visible. If I could take it out, we might still have a chance. But Serena’s voice was still a placid drone in our ears. “Everyone relax. The subject is bluffing. He won’t press the button. He doesn’t have the nerve.” “Nine!” Just as I lined up the shot, Todd’s hand slapped down over my scope. “I told you! I’m the one who gets to take the shot!” I knocked his hand away, but the lens was smeared with sweat and oil, blurring my vision. “Eight!” I shot him a look of pure fury. He simply took off his earpiece. “You know, I don’t think one life is worth all this trouble. If he dies, he dies. He’s just practice for me, anyway.” He smirked. “And I’ll tell you something else, Hart. If this mission fails, you’re the one taking the fall.” “Seven!” “Serena and I already have it all planned out. She’s going to divorce you. She’s been sick of a clueless brute like you for a long time. So get ready for a dishonorable discharge and divorce papers.” “Six!” I had no time to think. I dropped my rifle, grabbed Todd’s from the ground, and raised it to my shoulder. He lunged at me, trying to interfere again. “Five!” I sidestepped. He went sprawling. I followed up with a kick that sent him to the ground, then slapped a pair of cuffs on his wrists, securing them behind his back. “It’s okay, he’s just bluffing, he’d never…” Serena was still spouting useless reassurances. There was no time. I screamed into my mic. “Assault team, go! Create a diversion! I’m taking out the remote!” “Four!” A fraction of a second later, the sound of shattering glass erupted as the assault team breached. The kidnapper’s head snapped towards the window, his thumb jabbing down on the button. In that sliver of a moment, I summoned every ounce of my training. I centered the crosshairs on the sliver of exposed hand and squeezed the trigger. The next instant, the kidnapper’s hand exploded in a spray of red. The detonator shattered into a million pieces. He shrieked and reached for a pistol, but the assault team leader put a round through his other hand. The leader tackled him, pinning him to the ground. Other team members swarmed in, securing the hostage. I watched it all unfold, letting out a long, shuddering breath. Then, Serena’s voice cut through the relief. “Hart, why did you disobey a direct order? Why did you compromise the sniper’s nest and act without authorization? Your recklessness nearly caused a major catastrophe!” Todd’s words echoed in my mind. “If this mission fails, you’re the one taking the fall.” So, this was their plan all along. Success or failure, the blame was always meant for me. Todd, still cuffed on the ground, crawled closer to his earpiece and yelled. “Serena! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen! He attacked me and cuffed me! Now he’s trying to kill me!” “Help me!”
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