Standoff Tangent

Knight was dripping sweat as he processed the situation.  To his left, stood his superior officer, the Captain. Several dozen meters away stood two women, Arlo and Bex. In Arlo’s hand was a combat knife, which she had pressed to Bex’s throat. Bex was silent, oddly enough she wasn’t crying, despite the situation. In Knight’s hands was a sniper rifle. He had the rifle prepped against his shoulder, his eye down the scope, staring straight at Arlo as she stared back. Her eyes were cold as ice, yet sparkling like diamonds beneath her auburn hair. She simply stared at him, holding Bex without emotion.

“Sergeant, I will not repeat myself a third time! Shoot that woman,” the Captain barked with no reserve.

A ragged breath exited Knight’s lungs. He knew he couldn’t let Arlo leave with Bex but he also knew he couldn’t force himself to shoot her. The armed woman shifted back a little, her expression changing only a little as if to challenge Knight inside his thoughts. He shifted forward, tightening his grip on the rifle.

“ARLO!!! Let her go,” he shouted, never taking the crosshairs off of her.

“You know I can’t do that,” Arlo replied, loudly but her tone very calm, “Bex is coming with me!”

Knight gritted his teeth jerking a little at her intentions. He knew who she really was under the façade. He knew her origins, her relationship to Alyssa, and her motives for doing this.

“Sergeant,” the Captain yelled, his patience wearing thin.

“Captain,” Knight replied, his voice low, “If I shoot her, I lose the only lead I have of tracking down Alyssa Cenf-“

The Captain cut him off.

“I don’t care,” he roared at the top of his lungs, “You have your orders, Sergeant! Shoot her!!”

Arlo had started backing up towards her escape route and time was running out. If he didn’t do something, she was going to get away. The tension was getting to him. He could feel the pressure increasing exponentially. His trigger finger began to tremble. This decision would affect the rest of his life.

Please, he mouthed silently, holding against the scope, Don’t make me do this…

Arlo smiled sadly, tilting her head with a hint of coy arrogance, and for a split second, Knight could see it. The entire scene faded for a moment and he could see Alyssa smiling at him with the trademark arrogant smirk that had made him fall in love with her. His eyes widened.

And she was gone.

He lowered the rifle and Arlo’s smile widened, as she took the opportunity to flee at full speed with Bex still at her mercy. The air was silent as she disappeared from view. Knight looked down at the rifle. He had ultimately made the decision he believed the most in.

“Captain…I’m sorry,” he said softly, “But I can’t-“

His sentence was interrupted as the Captain drilled his fist into his jaw, knocking him down and sending the sniper rifle tumbling away.

“You’re a real failure,” he said, looking down at Knight with utmost contempt, “A failure and a traitor.”

Knight shook his head, clearing away the last bits of light from the blow. He could see the Captain draw a knife of his own, the steel glimmering.

“And you know what the penalty for treason is.”

Knight stared the man down, his heart racing.

“I can think of no greater honor….‘Sir’,” he said.