Trophy - Nemesis Sniper Rifle

Scarlet walked out of the office building and the sun’s heat washed over her.  It was soothing and warm which, compared to the air conditioned entranceway of Exact Molds, was a relief.  She was greeted by two PPD squad cars and officers pointing their guns toward her.

She brushed her red hair out of her face as the wind cross-cut the road, her cape billowing to the side.

“Is there a problem officers?”

The PPD blues relaxed and lowered their pistols with a smile.  “Not anymore.  We were wondering what was happening in there.  Is everything under control?”  Scarlet recognized Sergeant Rizbowski’s voice and turned to see the jovial smile greet her.  He was a frequent visitor to Dawn Patrol HQ and always brought donuts along with tales of felonies committed by the craziest or stupidest crooks of Paragon City.  Chip always looked forward to Rizbowski’s visits.

“But of course!”  She flashed her now famous smirk to the Sergeant, and a few of the officers laughed.

Sergeant Rizbowski pointed at her with a wide smile and said, “Hey, watch it.  I still have to maintain order and look like I’m in command.”

Before Scarlet could respond she heard a familiar thud from above her and quickly looked up in time to see the black ball shot slowly fall toward her.  Instinctively her hands covered her head and willed her defense field active.  As the round shot impacted against the barrier it exploded like a crack of thunder.  Rizbowski was knocked off his feet and the windows of the police cars shattered.  Scarlet was pushed into the sidewalk and the concrete shattered under her feet.  From the explosion a green mist started to descend around the area.

Scarlet recovered and knew instantly what happened: a Nemesis sniper tried to kill her and the poison mist was a bonus for the shooter to kill some PPD on the side.

Not today pal.

She had a few more seconds to consider her next move.  Those Nemesis sniper rifles pack a serious punch but had a notoriously (and thankfully) slow rate of fire.  Scarlet started to cough from the gas and moved toward Rizbowski to get him out of the area.  His chest was blistered with shrapnel but he was moving.

“Get out of here!  I’ll get Sarg!”  Scarlet’s command boomed toward the officers and they reacted instantly, all of them coughing as they ran.  Pedestrians also headed her words and looked for shelter or huddled next to building sides.  She grabbed Rizbowski by the arm and hauled him up. 

Poomf

Rizbowski’s body violently shook in her grasp as a ball shot burst through his chest and cratered the concrete at his feet.  Blood splashed everywhere and he went limp.  Reflexively she willed herself to fly away while carrying her friend.  The shot exploded in another growing mist of green.

Not seeing where she was going, Scarlet crashed into the building and almost dropped Rizbowski.  As the world came into focus, she floated down using the building slope as cover and gently dropped Rizbowski on the sidewalk.  A PPD officer with a rag over her mouth was moving toward Scarlet.  Both were red-eyed but for different reasons.

Poomf

A PPD car nearby seemed to implode upon itself before exploding in a shower of debris.  Scarlet intensified her sonic field to protect the female officer and the shredded engine of the car bounced off the barrier with a horrible crunch.

Scarlet looked up and saw the sniper load another round.  The anger boiled within and fueled a new fire: revenge.  She could hear Endless One reminding her about duty and responsibility.  She could also hear her own voice retort about justice and fairness.  What was good for the goose was good for the gander, right?

Scarlet shook her head – “Don’t think, act.”

Using the building she launched herself up and flew directly away from the officer dragging Rizbowski.  Her flight was so fast she created a small sonic boom above the street before abruptly stopping in mid-air facing the sniper.  He tracked Scarlet as fast as he could but the rifle was restrictively heavy. 

She was on the move before he re-aligned.  Flying at a slight arc to keep him tracking, she fired herself at the sniper, fists forward.  She focused her defense field around her but concentrated to allow her fists to be the first to hit the sniper.  A second before impact she angled her arm bracer to parry the long barrel away from her as the bayonet gleamed in the sunlight.

Impact.

From the street all one could see was a blue streak slam into the building perch.  A cloud of stone erupted and slowly showered the street below.

Inside the building, Scarlet recovered first and coughed through the dust-filled air.  Sparks erupted from an electrical cord and something metallic fell from the ceiling.  She stood and surveyed the area.  Carpet was pulled up and torn, cubicles were shattered and some office personnel were either whimpering or scrambling away from the two combatants.  No one seemed injured to Scarlet’s relief.  Then she found the sniper.

He was slowly lifting himself up with one hand while taking off his helmet with the other.  Blood ran down his face and his jaw didn’t seem to fit in place.  He spat blood but seemed determined to continue.  Scarlet jumped up and charged the sniper.  Feet first she kicked the soldier up and back down across the room.

Something caught her attention below her and she noticed the rifle at her feet.  Scarlet looked at the grunting Nemesis soldier as he slowly tried to lift himself, then down at the rifle.

“What’s good for the goose …” and she slowly knelt down to pick up the golden instrument.  Her gloved hands touched the barrel and she paused.

---

Leehouse fixed the case on the wall and took a few steps back.  He scratched his head and turned to Sergeant Darling.  “That’s a strange item to put on our walls don’t you think?”

“This is an item to help us remember our duties, Leehouse.  Sometimes, the greatest challenge in life is to do what is right, not what is just.”  Darling was stoic and checking something off on a datapad as he spoke.

“I know that, but …”, Leehouse shook his head and cut himself off.  As he turned away he saw the Scarlet Scorpion looking past him to the new decoration.  He stopped and nodded toward her.  Scarlet looked to Lee and smirked.  She turned on her heels and headed toward her office.