<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Emily</strong></span><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>On her boat</strong></span><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>On target, and A target...</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Emily was making the last tiny adjustment as she saw the laser dot with her open eye.  With her sighting eye she saw she had Nix’ face lined up.  Shit!!  Less than half a second to fire the 3-round burst and put Nix to sleep.  Ultra-thin steel penetrator on her rounds so that at supersonic speed the copper alloy cores would fragment on entry and humanely shred his brain before he could register any pain.  And not exit to endanger people behind either…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">It was what she was here to do.</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Emily squeezed the trigger, felt the rifle judder briefly against her shoulder.  Then not wasting time looking to see if she’d hit her target – the range was only about 50 yards - she let go of the rifle and rolled, flipping herself off the edge of the roof down onto the deck.</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Quick!!  She jumped to her feet, ran to the wheel, pressed Engine Start twice, opened the throttles, and felt the engines surge the boat forward.  Thank Christ she’d turned it round when she arrived! </span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Now she looked down the waterway, heading away from the shore, counting the few seconds until the boat would be up on the plane and doing 30 knots…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">BANG!!  She was on the floor.  What had happened?  She couldn’t see properly.  Couldn’t think properly…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Intense pain wracked her to the core.  She wanted to close her eyes and let go…but she mustn’t…mustn’t…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Boat.  She was in the boat…what?  Why?  What was it, that was important? </span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Wet, under her hand…sniff, taste – it was blood! </span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Shooting…laser…she’d been shot!  How bad?  Was there a bullet in her?</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Emily staggered on the seat, pulling herself up with the wheel…the boat was travelling…too fast…she reached for the throttles and managed to pull them back.  She couldn’t see properly…couldn’t steer…switch off…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">She managed to stop the engines before slipping back onto the floor.  Felt round herself, trying to pinpoint the source of the pain from among the overwhelming blanket of agony…felt her legs, torso, arms, head…there!  Warm, wet blood streaming from her scalp.  Christ…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">No hole, that she could feel.  Clipped?  Had she been that lucky?  Or unlucky?  Anyway she was injured, inside, she couldn’t keep going…had to rest…close her eyes…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Help.  She needed help.  Phone.  Pocket.</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">There it was.  Who?  Don Michele?  Sometime she wished she had friends… Susan; it was instinct...that’s who she needed.  Emily had put her number in, ready to call…</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">There.  God, she was going.  Dial.  She’d pressed it…with her head ringing she couldn’t tell if there was an answer…”Help! Help! Boat... Location...”  she passed out.</span><br/><br/>