Chapter 5 - THE UNFAMILIAR OFFICER
The range horn sounded twice, signaling the start of the final eight-hundred-yard elimination heat.
Tara walked back onto the sun-baked dirt of Lane Twelve, carrying her battered rifle case. The heat rising from the concrete pad created visible thermal waves that danced across the line of sight toward the distant targets. To make matters worse, the massive diesel wind machines along the perimeter roared to life, sending a localized gale of dry dust and turbulent air sweeping directly across Lanes Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.
Spectators leaned forward in their seats, sensing that the competition had moved from a test of skill to an absolute crucible.
Tara laid out her gear. She opened her case, checked the chamber flag with steady fingers, and laid three boxes of hand-loaded 7.62 ammunition beside her rifle. She looked out toward the eight-hundred-yard target—a tiny metal square nearly lost in the shimmering heat and blowing dust.
Crawford stood at the edge of the official pavilion, surrounded by junior aides and senior range officials. His arms were crossed, his posture victorious. He waited for the signal that would end the unsponsored veteran’s miraculous streak.
Before the range director could lower the starter flag, a black staff sedan pulled up sharply behind the main official pavilion. The doors opened, and an unfamiliar military officer stepped out into the bright California sun.
He was a Commander, wearing a plain service uniform without decorative medals, carrying a thick, hard-backed leather folder sealed with heavy red security tape. He walked with urgent, rapid strides, ignoring the press officers and photographers who attempted to approach him.
He bypassed the security cordon completely, marching straight up the steps of the review pavilion toward the Senior Range Official—a battle-tested fifty-year-old colonel who governed the competition rules.
The unfamiliar officer handed the sealed folder directly to the Senior Official, leaning in to whisper a single sentence into his ear.
May you like
The Senior Official accepted the heavy folder. He broke the red security seal with a pocket knife and opened the first page.
As his eyes scanned the top lines of the document, his demeanor changed instantly. The casual, administrative relaxedness on his face vanished, replaced by an expression of absolute, unadulterated shock.
