Only one shot. That's what I've got. I missed my opportunity last time.
Well, not me. Those giving the orders. Right there my target was.
Inches away from me. A missed opportunity is one of those things
that you can never get back.

This time it feels different though. My target is there. I see it. The woman. Her back.
Just left of centre and just below the shoulder blade.
Also another target. Move to the right and down and there it is. A
man. Sitting in a chair.
The target is his chest. Just to the right of centre.
Move up and left. The woman's back.
Down and right. The man's front.
Up and left. Down and right.
The woman's back. The man's chest.
It feels right this time. It's either her in the back or him in the chest.
Won't miss this opportunity. Well, I hope those giving the orders don't.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Do it!!"
A pleading shout.
Another thing that you can never get back.
A spoken word.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A second or two later I am off.
You'd have to be very fast to beat me to my target because...

I am already there.

I push against the material. It pushes against the man's skin. I push harder.
I know I can beat them. Both the material and the skin break at the same time.
I am through. Neither of them slowed me down at all. Now I am moving through
muscle and fat. They are different than material or skin. They are gloggy and slow me
down a fraction. I push through them. When I am through I find something else in front of me.
I push against it. It doesn't move. It doesn't push back, though.
I break through this membrane. It has slown me down a bit.
Next comes some bone. It is harder than the material or skin or muscle or fat.
It doesn't push back, but it does change my direction a fraction after I broke through it.
Shattered it. Now I am going downwards slightly. Now some more squishy stuff.
And then a harder squishy stuff. Easy to go through but it seems to have slowed me
down quite a lot. I finally get through the squishy stuff and I see another bone to shatter.
I hit it and it stops me.
Stops me.
Stops me.
My one shot.

*******************************************

Nikita jumped. She jumped before she heard the shot.
She jumped because she saw the chest of the man she was looking at.
It jerked sharply and she immediately saw a circle of red move from the hole
and soak onto his white shirt. She turned her head slowly and saw
Madeline standing there.

Nothing moved in the room. Nikita stood looking at Madeline.

The body of Sykes was slumped in the chair.

Madeline quietly staring.
She was remembering what it felt like to not waste a shot.
You can never fire the same shot again.

Then the only movement in the room came from the gun.
The smoke wafting above it. Moving like a small hurricane through the air.