Latvia - 1991

The scent of dew-kissed grass lingered in the crisp Latvian air, as the fragile hours of dawn broke through the heavens. The compound, situated a few kilometers from Jelgava, was an emblematic example of picturesque affluence, reminiscent of a quaint countryside cottage. It was nestled among groves of deciduous trees, their leaves cloaked in shades of amber, red and gold, a stunning symphony against the boundless blue canvas above.

The architectural grandeur hinted at an owner of deep pockets and exquisite taste.

Secluded in such beauty, Gale found the tranquility of the location ironic; here she and Lieutenant John Baker would engage their mission targets in an environment bathed in allure. It seemed almost surreal - a deceptive calm masking the storm that brewed between them and the intended objective.

The property featured a vast courtyard with manicured grass patches forming an intricate pattern. At the south side was a security detail preparing a car for departure.

"Yeah, they are definitely getting his car ready. They are prepping the security cars as well," Gale said, while looking through the spotter scope on her sniper rifle, taking in the details through the lens.

"Not entirely unforeseen, and actually necessary for our primary extraction plan to work properly." John replied calmly, adjusting his grip on the weapon. "Are you feeling alright, Tanner?" Concern etched into his rugged features as he glanced at her. "Your eyes are glassy, and I've noticed a little shiver now and then. You're not falling ill, are you?" He asked, genuine worry echoing in his voice.

Her eyes never leaving the scope, replied, "It's just the chill in the air, Lieutenant. Targets are on the balcony, just like the briefing suggested." Gale whispered, adjusting her sniper rifle with experienced hands. An almost inaudible click of the scope; she zoomed in for a clearer view of the man and woman, a married couple, known only to her as their mission targets.

John turned his attention to his rifle scope. "I see them. He should be saying his goodbye to her before he leaves for Moscow, which is our opportunity. Give me some readings, Tanner." He asked.

Using her scope, Gale gave him the conditions with an unrivaled expertise, but with her burgeoning abilities, it was unnecessary. As she grew older, Gale's abilities evolved; her portals took the form of blinding white discs resembling circular skylights and were anywhere from two to ten meters in diameter. This was her signature supernatural move, a tactic she'd mastered to get in and out without a trace. In her current youth, however, Gale's teleportation portals were merely the size of small coins, perfect for concealing one end in gun barrels and the other on targets who would not live to tell tales.

The couple was oblivious to the danger they were in, exchanging tender words and lingering goodbye kisses.

"It's time. The woman first." John's deep alto broke the silence between them.

A determined gleam sparked in Gale's piercing green eyes as she steadied her breathing and positioned her finger just so on the trigger. Years of honing her marksmanship allowed the bullet to slice through the air with precision, homing in on the unsuspecting woman, and with her small teleportation discs, her and Lieutenant Baker could not miss. There was a deafening silence followed by an explosion of scarlet gore as she tumbled off the balcony, her lifeless form now draped over the wrought iron railings.

Gale didn't flinch, her stoic demeanor betrayed no remorse for what she'd just done. "Target down. Looks like we got a piece of him as well with those shots." She spoke, looking at the man now holding his stomach with a look of sheer agony painted across his face.

"Only one way to be sure. The man next." John's voice was low and controlled, his eyes trained on the writhing form of his victim.

Again, Gale took aim with unwavering precision, her finger squeezing the trigger and sending another bullet through space, tearing through the fragile flesh of her target's chest. The man's body crumpled, falling backward to join his wife in death.

"Target eliminated." Gale intoned calmly; even as cruel satisfaction boiled beneath her well-practiced calm.

"Easy." John quipped, as he began to prepare for their strategic extraction, his fingers deftly adjusting the various dials and components on his sniper rifle.

---

Minutes later, Gale and John leaped over a stone hedge, taking cover from a hail of Soviet bullets. Far from their extraction point, Lieutenant John Baker took a moment to survey the situation.

"What the heck have we stepped in, Tanner?" John said, swearing under his breath. "This wasn't part of the plan."

Gale surveyed the damage, her heart racing. The Soviet soldiers had surrounded them with alarming speed. "Looks like we pissed them off, Lieutenant." She looked at him, and their eyes locked. Adrenaline spiked through their veins. "They've flanked us as soon as we started to make our way to the primary extraction point. They are not part of his security detail, so where are they driving us?" She questioned; her eyes glued to the unfolding scene uphill from them.

"They are leaving the path to the secondary extraction point open, so they clearly want us to retreat there. This means we have to make our stand here and clear the way for the primary exit." John's deep voice rumbled with determination.

Gale nodded, her mind racing with the possible strategies, "That means someone told them about our escape routes. But who?"

"I don't care about that one person at the moment, Tanner. I care about the eight, very armed, very angry Soviet soldiers that are surrounding us. We need to get out of this," John said through gritted teeth.

"I'm working on it, Lieutenant," Gale said, her emerald eyes flashing with determination. Her fingers wiggled into empty air, as if she was manipulating an invisible object. Just out of John's line of sight, eight small white discs materialized just around the edge of her corner of the stone hedge. The other end of those discs materialized in front of the eight Soviet soldiers, each with a varied, confused response to them. Gale then rolled from cover, taking aim at the discs in front of her with her 1911 sidearm and rapidly firing rounds into each disc. The bullets passed through the discs, instantly appearing on the other side, right where the soldiers were standing, cutting them down in a hail of gunfire.

John, not seeing what had truly transpired, chastised her rapid fire, "Hey sailor, next time, aim at what you want to kill, don't waste ammo."

Gale just grinned impishly; her abilities were still known only to a select few. "I didn't waste any ammo, Lieutenant. Take a listen." she said, cupping her hand to her ear.

John noted the silence and pulled from his pocket a mirror to check for any pursuing forces. Seeing none, he looked back to her and said dryly, "Nobody likes a showoff, Tanner."

Gale smiled wickedly, but her face quickly turned to a look of concern as John suddenly doubled over, grabbing his stomach in pain. "Are you alright, John... I mean, Lieutenant?" Gale asked, her voice dripping with concern. She quickly moved towards John, her eyes scanning his body for signs of injury. "Cripes, are you shot?"

"No," John replied through gritted teeth. "It's not a bullet wound... It's worse."

Gale's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly knelt beside John, helping him sit down against the stone hedge. "What do you mean it's worse? What's wrong?"

John took a deep breath before answering. "I think it's appendicitis. I've been feeling the pain building up for hours now, but I didn't want to ruin the mission. We make it to extraction, I'll be fine." John spoke, his voice low and pained. "What about you, you look even worse than before?" He questioned, his brow furrowing with worry. "Your face is pale, and your hands are trembling," He noted, gently taking her hands in his own.

"A fever. My body is fighting off some sort of infection, I suppose." She muttered, looking away from him.

"Then we better hoof it," John said, trying to hide his discomfort and focusing instead on the task at hand.

As they moved through the woods, John's pain grew worse. Gale could see the sweat beading on his forehead and the grimace of agony etched on his face. She knew he was suffering, but they couldn't stop. They had to keep moving.

Finally, they reached the extraction point, a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. Gale called for extraction while John collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. As the team came, she repeated to any who would listen that John's pain was not from a bullet, but from something much more severe. They quickly loaded him into the transport, but Gale refused to leave him as he groaned uncontrollably.

As they embarked, Gale's worry deepened; not for John's appendicitis, but for her own fever that had mounted through the night. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right within her.

---

John died that afternoon on the operating table.

---

As Gale saluted his flag-covered coffin, she clenched her jaw. The report from toxicology had come in: It was not appendicitis. It was something else. Something near unexplainable, something that she would move Heaven and earth to seek vengeance from. She vowed to avenge the Lieutenant; to avenge John, who had been her Superior, sniper partner and friend for many missions.