Chapter 3 - THE STILLNESS AT LANE SEVEN
Captain Logan Pierce stepped right up to the edge of the safety line, frustrated that his insults hadn't elicited a emotional breakdown or defensive comment from Maya.
"You know this is qualification, right?" Logan asked, his voice dripping with condescension as he pointed a gloved finger at the electronic board. "Zeros don't put badges on your chest, Bennett. They put you on fatigue duty."
Maya slowly turned her head. Her face was completely smooth, her skin glistening slightly under the fierce sun, but her eyes were cold, clear, and utterly focused.
"Yes, Captain," Maya replied flatly.
No excuses. No vocal elevation. No trace of anger or shame.
Having delivered her response with total neutrality, she turned her head back downrange, aligning her gaze once more with the distant steel target resting against the sandy berm.
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Across the pad, the arrogant smile on Master Sergeant Daniel Hayes’ face began to fade completely. His grey eyes narrowed as he listened to the tone of her voice. In military shooting, emotion was the first indicator of poor recoil management and erratic trigger control. Maya’s heartbeat was clearly operating at a resting pace.
Daniel lowered his wooden clipboard from his chest, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the metal latch as he took two quiet steps toward lane seven.
