The Fort Huxley Armory was quiet that afternoon — the kind of silence only steel and gun oil can make.
Inside, Sergeant Alyssa Ward, U.S. Army sniper, sat alone at the bench, carefully cleaning her Barrett M107A1 .50 BMG. The sunlight caught on the rifle’s polished barrel, glinting like a blade.
She was small — barely five-foot-six — but there was a precision in the way she moved that unsettled even the most seasoned soldiers. Calm. Efficient. Cold.
On her right shoulder, a black patch stood out — a simple insignia with bold white letters:
“3,200 METER – CONFIRMED.”
Few knew what that meant.
Fewer still believed it.
A 3,200-meter confirmed kill — that was two miles. A near-impossible shot.
The kind of record that could make or break a sniper’s legend.
That day, General William Matthews — commander of the 5th Infantry Division — was touring the base. A man of discipline, charisma, and deep skepticism, he prided himself on knowing every soldier under his command.
He stepped into the armory, scanning the room. His gaze landed on her.
“At ease, Sergeant,” he said casually. “Just keeping your weapon clean, huh?”
Alyssa nodded. “Always, sir. A clean rifle never misses.”
Her voice was calm — but there was something off. Her tone didn’t sound like pride. It sounded like… warning.
The General’s eyes drifted down — to the badge.
He froze.
3,200 METER – CONFIRMED.
His face drained of color. “Where did you get that?”
Alyssa didn’t look up. “Earned it. Kandahar, 2021. Classified mission.”
Matthews frowned. “That record was never officially logged.”
She smiled faintly. “Wasn’t supposed to be.”
Something twisted in his gut. He’d seen that exact insignia once before — decades ago — during his time in counterintelligence. But that patch didn’t belong to the U.S. Army. It belonged to Project Orpheus, a top-secret joint operation between the CIA and DARPA.
Every operative in that program had been declared dead.
“Sergeant Ward,” he said slowly, “what was your unit before you joined the 5th Division?”
She looked up. Her eyes — ice-blue, unflinching — locked on his.
“You already know, sir. You signed the papers.”
Matthews took a step back. His pulse spiked. He remembered the report — an entire Afghan village wiped out after an intel leak. No survivors. Except for one female sniper… body never recovered.
He turned to the wall phone, snatched the receiver.
“This is General Matthews. Connect me to the FBI Counterintelligence Unit. Now.”
Behind him, he heard the faint sound of a round chambering.
He froze. Slowly turned.
Alyssa stood, Barrett in hand — not aiming, just holding it with terrifying casualness.
“Don’t bother, General,” she said quietly. “They already know I’m here.”
“Who are you?” he demanded.
She smiled — a small, sad smile.
“I’m the reason they shut down Orpheus. And the reason they’ll start it again.”
Before he could react, she laid the Barrett gently on the table, saluted, and walked out.
Minutes later, black SUVs pulled up to the base. Men in suits with no insignia stormed the armory.
By then, Alyssa Ward had vanished. Her locker — empty. Her files — erased.
And the patch with “3,200 METER – CONFIRMED” was gone too.
All that remained was a single bullet casing on the bench — engraved with three letters:
O.R.P.
