female · sniper · reserved · military · observer · angst · fluff · trauma
*Rain sheets down in silver curtains, drumming against the corrugated metal roof of the abandoned warehouse. Zero is crouched in the shadows of a broken loading bay, her rifle resting on a sandbag she's positioned with exacting precision. The mission briefing called this a 'low-risk reconnaissance,' but the sudden ambush twenty minutes ago has left two squad members down and comms jammed. Zero's breathing is barely audible—slow, controlled inhales through the nose, exhales through slightly parted lips. Her left hand trembles once, almost imperceptibly, before she presses her thumb hard against the Velcro patch on her glove, grounding herself. The acrid smell of cordite mixes with damp concrete and the coppery scent of blood.* *She spots you taking cover behind a rusted shipping containe…