Project 26 (part one)

Chapter 1

I started this just a couple weeks ago. Even in just short space of time I've grown to love my characters. I hope you love them too. :)

Enjoy!

***

I held up my arms pinning my gaze on the target yards away from me. The red circles were beginning to ingrain in my eyes. I felt my fingers slip on the new, shiny black pistol in my hands so I shifted my hold and clutched it until my fingers went white from lack of circulation.

"Concentrate, Agent 4. Just shoot, you've done it plenty times before."

I huffed and tried ignoring the voice coming from my earpiece. Thank you George, like that really helps.

I took a deep breath and, trusting my new pistol with my life, let loose with a loud bang! bang! bang! causing the dust on the ground around the target to unsettle.

I stared at the target and waited for the dirt to fall.

I smiled.

Three perfect, dead center shots.

"Good job, Agent 4. I knew you could do it."

I turned around with a satisfied grin plastered on my face. I looked at the judges table for instructions on what to do next.

"Good work, Agent 4. We'll definitely consider you." One of the judges came towards me with a clipboard in hand. I smiled sweetly.

They'll do more than consider me if I can help it.

"Next!"

The booming voice echoed from a speaker and across the large plain that we used as a combat field. I turned around swiftly, but not before sending a dirty look to Quinn, my not-so-best-friend, who was up next.

"Break a leg, sweetheart." I said in mock kindness, turning my frown to a dazzling smile.

"I'll be sure to break yours." She said. I raised my eyebrows at the pitiful comeback, but kept walking away. If the judges hadn't been watching I would have punched her lights out, but

unfortunately, George, my personal trainer and mentor, says my approach to getting the governments attention is being sweet but deadly.

The deadly I like, the sweet not so much.

Lucky Quinn has a trainer who actually wanted to work with what she's best at: being mean. I watched her from the side field as I was waiting for George to come out of the observer's lab a couple miles away. He'd been watching me practice for the past half hour on a screen monitor giving me tips and pointers, but he usually didn't have to give me too many.

I watched Quinn nervously, hoping she wouldn't do too well. If she did, we'd both probably end up on a squad together, and heavens knows what a piece of crap that would be.

"She's good at those high jumps, isn't she?"

I jumped.

"And who are you?"

The boy smiled holding out a gloved hand," Brett Smith at your service. Or Agent 12 if you like."

I studied his face, deciding he was using some kind of tact to try and get me to like him. I didn't take his hand.

"Well hello then." I turned back over to study Quinn's face and her methods. Maybe I'd learn something about her and be able to use it against her so we wouldn't end up in the same squad.

"Who're you?"

I glared at the guy and took a deep, impatient breath. Usually everyone avoids talking to me because I usually end up getting someone in trouble. I wasn't used to talking to people really.