Species Unknown [Book 3: Canis]

CHAPTER ONE

DAY 00
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

MY WRIST SNAPPED back as I fired off my last round. I watched as my bullet flew through the air, slicing through the head of the target dummy.

A direct hit.

Took long enough...I mumbled to myself. I had been at the shooting range for a few hours now, long enough for the pungent smell of nitroglycerin to burn my nose and make my head spin.

When I first joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I was told it was a smell that I would grow accustomed to after basic training. However, as days turned into months and months turned into years, I was still waiting for that to happen.

Though it wasn't necessarily the odor in and of itself that irked me, it was the memories the smell brought back. Memories of the times I had to fire my gun outside of a range, out in the field.

As I thought about it, I felt my mind begin to drift. The target dummy in front of me grew further and further away as my vision began to blur. I gripped my gun as faraway screams of agony filled my ears, making my head spin with memories of sights and smells far worse than the sulfuric tang of freshly singed gunpowder...

Clenching my jaw, I moved my free hand to my leg, pressing roughly down on the large scar that ran down my thigh.

The responding pain was instant and intense, forcing my mind back to the present before I slipped too far. Slowly the range came back into focus, and I blinked, refocusing on my surroundings as I settled my breathing.

I didn't want my mind to go back there, not right now...not ever...

Letting out a breath, I got to work removing my empty cartridge. Setting the empty cartridge on the booth's surface in front of me, I reached for a new one and began reloading it. The new pack clicked into place and I cocked my gun back, checking to be sure it loaded correctly. With everything in order, I lifted my gun back at the target dummy to aim.

Just then, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Turning, I noticed a suit-clad man had just entered the range, shooting me a determined look as he began walking over to me. Taking off my headphones, the muted sound of bullets firing around me returned to its former volume, sending jolts through my body as I tried to focus on the man that now stood patiently in front of me.

"Agent Valkova, Chief wants to talk to you." The agent said, a piece of gum rolling in his jaw as he spoke.

I lifted a brow. "Right now?"

The agent gave me a curt nod, "Chief says it's urgent."

Urgent? I repeated to myself, a chill running through me as I remembered the last time I heard that word.

My shoulders straightened. "Alright, I'm coming. Just let me clean up my station." I said, tucking my gun securely back into the leather holster on my belt. Turning back to my booth at the shooting range, I swiftly gathered my remaining ammo cartridges, discarding the empty ones to be recycled. Slipping the loaded cartridges into my holster, I turned to face the agent.

"Let's go." I said, and the agent stepped aside, gesturing for me to walk ahead of him.

Pressing my lips in a flat line, I quickly walked past the man. Though I tried to hide the way my body bobbed with a slight limp, I knew the agent had noticed. After all, we were trained to notice even the smallest details about a person. As I passed him, I pretended not to notice the agent's eyes flick down to my leg, his eyes flashing with pity as he watched my limp knowingly.

I didn't need or want his pity. I thought angrily, stomping out of the shooting range towards Quantico's main headquarters.

It wasn't exactly secret what had happened, news spread fast. Though my injury had healed, the memories and rumors surrounding the incident kept the pain alive, making me bitter.