Later, Mitchell uncovered fragments of her record: redacted deployments, a shredded Bronze Star citation, a six-month classified stint in Helmand Province. Whispers called her a counter-sniper in Afghanistan, operating with black units, performing extreme-range eliminations that didn’t exist on any official roster.
He tested her. Advanced sniper courses, 1,200 meters, 1,800 meters, then 2,400 meters. She didn’t just excel—she dominated. Every shot accounted for vapor drift, crosswinds, thermal shifts, every factor most shooters would second-guess.
Finally, he asked, “Longest confirmed distance?”
“3,247 meters, sir. Helmand Province.”
Over two miles. Combat. One chance. One perfect shot.
Weeks later, she was called for a high-risk extraction mission: mountainous terrain, hostile compound, zero margin for error. She hesitated. She knew the cost of her craft, the weight of each elimination.
“Sir,” she said quietly, “long-range eliminations… they add up.”
“I know. But this time you’re saving a life.”
She agreed. Conditions: if the shot didn’t feel right, she aborted.
At dawn, she lay on a cold rock shelf, Barrett deployed, scope locked on a target nearly three kilometers away. Wind steady. Temperature dropping. Guards moved into view. One squeeze, one shot, two eliminated. One by one, she cleared the compound. The assault team breached, secured the target, and the extraction was complete.
Back at base, Sarah cleaned her rifle in silence.
“Hell of a job, Chen,” Mitchell said.
She nodded once. “Sir, I’d like to return to standard duty.”
“No special ops unless you ask for it,” he promised.
She left the Barrett on the table, walked into the sunlight, reclaiming herself one impossible shot at a time. The whispers of legends followed her—but Sarah didn’t chase them. She just wanted to breathe, to live, to be herself. And she’d earned it, every step, every shot, every impossible distance.
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