Chapter 2 - The Veteran's Suspicion
"Need a map to find the target, Carter?" another soldier yelled from the crowd.
More cruel laughter echoed across the pale gravel.
Colonel Mercer had intentionally set Emma up to fail. He was an old-school commander who firmly believed that support personnel had absolutely no business handling combat weapons. He had ordered this public demonstration specifically to humiliate Emma's unit and justify cutting their range training budget.
But standing quietly beside the range-control station was Master Sergeant Rachel Donovan.
Donovan was in her early forties, a hardened veteran and the most respected, lethal range supervisor on the base. While every other soldier was staring at the untouched paper target, Donovan hadn't been watching the paper at all.
She had been watching Emma.
Donovan’s sharp, experienced eyes had noticed the tiny, flawless details that the arrogant infantrymen had completely missed.
Emma’s breathing had been perfectly timed between the gusts of the harsh crosswind. Her shoulder placement was absolute granite. Her trigger pull was a slow, deliberate, microscopic squeeze. Most importantly, when she "missed" five times in a row, she didn't show a single ounce of frustration, confusion, or surprise.
Emma stepped back from the concrete firing line, her face completely calm.
Donovan’s expression tightened into intense suspicion. A soldier with fundamentals that flawless doesn't miss a target at fifty yards by accident.
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Without saying a single word, Donovan uncrossed her arms, walked directly through the concrete barrier, and stepped onto the live range.
👉 The crowd laughed as Donovan walked toward the paper target, entirely unaware that she was about to completely shatter their reality.
