BountyGrl - A Sniper Story: Chapter 11

BountyGrl – A Sniper Story

– by RaysALight - Jennifer Butler



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Summary: Hiya! I love sniping (in video games heh), but ever wonder what would happen if I was a sniper in real life? BG, my alter ego, is a teen girl working for a secret government organization - the Division. With her enhanced body and senses, she, along with her handler, complete jobs around the world until one shocks her to the core.



Disclaimer: None. This story and the characters are mine alone.



Author’s Note: Reviews make me happy; flames make me sad; constructive criticism makes me embarrassed, but a better writer.



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Chapter Eleven

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The walk to the medical wing was a short one, but I caught Jaden glancing in my direction a few times to make sure I was steady on my feet. I’d never admit it, but the food had helped, and I could feel the energy returning to my body. My hair had dried naturally and it flowed wavy down my back. I’d left the knife in my room and was attempting to also leave behind the recent events.



Jaden held the door open for me and paused outside it. The baby girl from earlier saw me and struggled out of the grasp of one of the nurses and toddled over to me. I looked down, amused, as she reached her arms around one of my legs in a hug.



“I’ve got to change and get the car,” Jaden said, his face softening. “I’ll be waiting out front.”



I nodded, and finding Meredith across the room, attempted to approach her, but the little girl still hung onto my leg. She sat on my foot and now had all of her limbs wrapped around my left leg. I strode over to Meredith, sliding the baby along as I went and her face lit up in a huge grin.



“It seems she likes you,” Meredith observed, picking up the baby so I could sit on one of the medical beds.



“I guess so.” I pondered that for a moment before continuing. “Jaden and I have some kind of assignment and we need to leave ASAP. Could you patch up my hand?”



Meredith’s eyes squinted as she looked at the blood-soaked gauze on my right hand. She sat the baby on my lap and went to gather the needed supplies, complaining the whole time about how I always seem to find a new way to injure myself.



I wasn’t quite sure what to do in this situation, so I sat as still as possible and watched the little girl as she watched me back. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of my hair in her tiny fist and yanked. Surprised, my knees jerked up and bounced her on my lap. She apparently liked that, so I continued to bounce her up and down and she giggled.



Meredith reappeared, carrying a tray full of sharp objects and other things I’d rather not look at.



“This girl,” I started. “You checked her out, right? Is she okay?” At this point, I’d stopped moving, so the baby shifted so she was lying in the crook of my arm and began to gnaw at the fistful of hair.



“Here.” Meredith tossed me a clipboard. I began to look it over as she used scissors to cut the gauze from my hand and forceps to take out Jaden’s stitches. “She’s completely healthy and well cared for. I estimate that she’s probably around twelve or thirteen months old. Her eyes track well; she responds to voices, and is already developing fine motor control, as I’m sure you can tell right now.”



As if to emphasize that point, there was an extra strong tug on my hair.



“So she’s okay?” I asked again.



“Well,” Meredith began, “she hasn’t spoken the entire time she’s been here.”



I glanced up sharply, and suddenly the pain from Meredith cleaning out the wound on my hand didn’t bother me.



“She hasn’t spoken? Do they even talk at this age?”



“Yes. She should at least be babbling and speaking a few familiar words, like Mama or Dada.”



That sent a chill up my spine. Mama… Dada… If only they weren’t dead. If only I hadn’t… I shook the thought from my mind and looked again at the clipboard, but my eyes weren’t seeing it. Over and over I was seeing a man with a large hole in his head and exposed cheekbone.



Meredith pulled a sliver of artificial skin from a dish on the tray. She trimmed it to fit the wound and laid it on my palm. Instantly it began to stick, the cells recognizing familiar cells and bonding together. Stored on this base there was a whole room filled with nothing but skin, bone, and muscle tissue grown from samples extracted from my altered body.



There was no longer a cut to be seen, but a slight bump ran the length of my palm where the new skin had been placed. In a day or so, my hand would be as good as new.



“Done,” Meredith declared. “I’m going to bandage it, and please try to keep it on for a few days. Though I know you probably won’t.”



I didn’t reply, but focused on the clipboard. I looked down at the baby. Her eyelids were sagging and she let go of my hair.



“So, Division was able to find out her name.” My brow wrinkled as I looked hard at the paper and tried to sound it out. “Kuh-hah-deed-juh-ah.”



“I think you threw in a few more syllables,” Meredith laughed, “but that’s her name, more or less.”



“Well, my name is B.G.” I told the little one softly. “And I’m big on initials, so for now, I’m calling you K. Little Kay. How about that?”



She blinked at me but remained silent.



The doors to the medical wing swung open and three women entered the room. I scanned their faces and my body tensed. These were unfamiliar people. The two middle-aged women were dressed professionally in blouses and skirts and the younger one seemed to be in her mid-twenties wore slacks and a sweater. They all had I.D. badges pinned to their chests.



The youngest of the three pointed in my direction and they started to walk toward me. My grasp tightened on little Kay and I subconsciously looked for the nearest object that could be used as a weapon. A scalpel, still tinged with my blood lay on the tray. It was within reach…



“B.G.” Meredith interrupted my thought process. “Jaden’s probably waiting for you.” She picked up the sleepy baby and handed her over to one of the older women. “Don’t worry. She’ll be in good hands.”



I looked down at my own hands and clenched them into fists. So they were going to take her away after all. But I had to think of the mission. That’s what counts. I stood and started toward the women.



“Make sure you take good care of her,” I muttered, and left the room, a visible frown on my face.



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Jaden drove up to meet me as I stomped down the front steps. The car was a black two-seater with a sports car look to it. I didn’t know what kind it was because guns were more of my thing. I pulled open the door on the passenger side, climbed in, and slammed it shut.



The sound made Jaden wince slightly. He pulled away and soon we were beyond the gates and on our way to wherever we’re going. Out the windows, trees and building flashed by.



“So, where are we off to?” I asked, trying to forget about the little girl’s brown eyes and tiny hands.



“It shouldn’t take long.” Jaden’s answer was unusually vague.



“Iraq?”



He didn’t answer.



“Iran?”



Still nothing.



“Afghanistan?”



He shook his head.



“Yemen?”



“B.G.” he began, “If we were really going to those places, don’t you think we would have taken a plane?”



“We could be driving to the airport!” My retort bought a half-smile. I doubt Jaden had ever ridden in economy class his entire life. “Or, how about Mexico; I hear there’s a lot happening down there these days.”



“Virginia Beach.”



“What?!” I was genuinely confused, and still a bit angry. “What could we possibly do at the beach? And it’s autumn; I doubt there’ll be many happy-go-lucky tourists. Who even goes to the beach if the water’s too cold to swim in?”



“We’re just doing some recon. Easy stuff; take a couple pics of a certain weapons dealer, and we’ll be back in couple days.”



I stared at him. He kept his eyes on the road.



“Wait, so I’m not… ‘eliminating’ anyone?”



He glanced at me before answering, gauging my reaction.



“Just think of this as a little R&R. We could both use it. And we’d still be completing an assignment for Division.”



I huffed in aggravation, disappointed that I wouldn’t get a chance to shoot.



“I hope you at least packed one of my rifles. You know I-”



“-don’t go anywhere without one,” Jaden finished. “I know, I know. Behind our seats you’ll find a case with the Desert Tactical Arms SRS.”



“Mmm,” I approved. If there wasn’t a need to hit anyone from a mile and a half away, the Stealth Recon Scout was capable of switching out its .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge for the more cost efficient and easier to shoot .308 Winchester rounds. Also, even with the silencer attached, it had the shortest length of all my favorite rifles and was simple to move into place, set up, shoot, and move out. Just the thought of my SRS lightened my mood.



“And if you look in the glove compartment, there are two 9mm Berettas with extra ammo.”



“Excellent.” I sighed. “This almost makes me forget about those people coming to take KayKay.”



“K.K.?”



“The baby girl. These three women came in to take her. And, I mean, I guess that’s a good thing, but growing up in the system can’t be good for her, especially given who she is and what she’s gone through. I know I took her father’s life, but I was willing to-”



“Okay, stop there,” Jaden broke in, cutting off my rambling. “Let me get this straight. I’m guessing her name isn’t K.K. but that what you’re calling her. Now what do you mean by her growing up ‘in the system?’ The plan was to talk the Commander into keeping her here, right?”



“But they’re taking her away,” I mumbled and rested my head against the window. Jaden looked over at me.



“No one’s taking her anywhere. I hired a full-time nanny, an early childhood education specialist, and a child psychologist to care for her while we’re away. With her job, there’s no way Meredith could keep her.”



I took all that in, happily surprised.



“So those women weren’t from Social Services?”



Jaden shook his head. I smiled, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I would get to see her again.



“Thanks,” I said softly, “for arranging this, and for little Kay to be taken care of, and for when I fainted earlier.”



“It’s just part of my job,” he said in a cocky tone. I punched him lightly on the shoulder.



“You should let me drive.”



“No way!” his response was emphatic. “This beauty is my car.”



“Only because your father gave it to you.”



“It still makes it mine.”



“I have better reflexes… practically inhuman.”



He chuckled and pushed his russet hair back with his fingers.



“How about this? When you beat me when we spar, I’ll let you drive.”



I pouted. I had managed to beat everyone, even the instructors from time to time, but the only person I always lost to in hand-to-hand combat was Jaden. It was like he could read my mind and actions before I even moved.



“Fine. Then we’re going to play a game, since it’ll take a while to get there.”



Jaden groaned.



“Yep!” I continued, “the license plate game.” I paused for a few seconds, my eyes roaming all over the road. “Okay, how about that white pickup we just passed?”



Jaden rattled off the numbers and letters with ease. We were used to playing games of observation. When I first joined Division, it was one of the ways I trained to always keep my eyes open and take in everything around me.



“My turn,” Jaden said, less than enthusiastically. “The blue minivan on the right; we passed it four cars back.”



I thought for a moment, visually playing back the images in my mind until I found the minivan. I called out the numbers.



“That was easy,” I said, a smug smile on my face.



“You do know that I’m at a disadvantage here, because I have to concentrate on driving.”



“Boo-hoo.” I mocked, a grin spreading across my face.



I asked Jaden for the plates of the next car, and he gave his answer, switching lanes and pressing down on the gas.



I finally relaxed in my seat, and as we continued the game, the car’s engine purred along.