Gunfire blazed all around, shredding concrete into confetti. The Panthers were being gunned down on all sides of the building as they held the hill. Half the team had been eliminated leaving only three of them left to defend the point and, Jenny was on her last mag for her sniper rifle. They had started the match well winning the first two rounds. But, the Lions of Lyon made an incredible comeback and won the next two.

Jenny spots a sniper scope glint behind a hood of a car. Immediately, her instincts took over and she took out the enemy without hesitation. As gunfire began concentrating on her position Jenny retreated behind cover and panted as the adrenaline wore off. A small grin grew on her face. It was her third match since starting for the Panthers and she was determined to make the best of the chance given by Coach leTeur.

"Nice one, Matrix!" Jean exclaimed in french. "Be ready with your pistol, I spot three approaching the door."

Jean was the captain of the Panthers. Though being twenty-nine, he was the eldest in the team but he was also the youngest captain in the French FPS League. From Jenny's first month, he had shown to be rather jolly at most times. But when times were tough, he could single-handedly turn around the result of a game when called upon.

Elaine, the other teammate remaining, was busy laying down fire at the east window with a Light Machine Gun. The smile plastered across her face told Jenny all she needed to know. "Captain!" She yelled in french whilst she continued to fire her gun. "I'm running low and the two guys on my side are ten metres from the door."

Two grenades then drop through the hole on the roof and landed in the center of the building. Jenny dived behind a wooden crate for cover and spotted Elaine throwing herself above the grenades. A few seconds later, an explosion shook the building and left Jenny disorientated for a second. Elaine had been killed and Jean was sprawled on the floor. Jenny heard footsteps approaching the door when the captain started to crawl for cover.

Setting up behind the crate, Jenny aimed at the door to her left, concentrating at the gap created by the door hinge and slowed her breath. The shadows made her trigger finger twitch and the indiscriminate shouting did not help. When the first enemy came rushing she took him down. Diving to her right, she reloaded another round before taking aim again, this time she aimed directly at the door whilst keeping an eye at the shadows beneath it. Spotting another enemy, she fire again this time taking out two guys with one bullet.

But, as she was reloading her third round an enemy dropped in from the roof and killed her with his shotgun. He was soon joined by his teammate who entered the building through the door. Just as Jenny thought they had lost, she heard the familiar sound of an assault rifle being cocked. Turning to her left in real life, she saw her captain grinning as he clicked on his mouse swiftly eliminating the two enemies. A moment of silence filled the arena before cheers erupted all around as the Panthers won the game.

In the midst of hugging her teammates, Jenny spotted the defeated Lions players packing up their stuff and leaving the arena. Putting her team jacket back on with her name written in white on the back, Jenny went to shake the hands of Lions players who gave her halfhearted smiles. Her teammates soon followed her as celebration died down a little. If she had learned anything from her first six months in the professional game, was to always respect your opponents.

As the last of the Lions players descended from the raised platform, a lanky guy with gelled back black hair approached her. She knew he was a Lions player by the jersey he wore which was white with blue accents with a roaring lion in the center of his chest. Jenny must have missed him as he was much shorter than the rest of his team. After shaking his right hand which was gloved in a black fabric, his piercing-blue eyes locked onto her 's before taking his leave. Reading the long name on his back, she was confused at first. 'RBK' she thought. Though she had learnt much of the Professional FPS landscape in France, there were still one or two spots she still had to learn about.

In the Panthers' locker room, the players were celebrating their victory. High fives and hugs were thrown all around, claps and shouts rang loud around the room and a chant by the players had started to pick up. Though the team had not seen the best of results in recent weeks, spirits were high.

Jenny kept her head down through most of the celebrations. Though she was ecstatic to win three games out of three starts, the image of the team sitting at seventh on the league table was hard to ignore. After starting the season with a ten game win streak, the Panthers looked to be title contenders. With thirteen games left, Jenny knew the road ahead was going to be long and grueling.

Taking a seat in front of her locker which had her name inscribed onto a white label on the purple metal cabinet, she saw Jean approaching her with a smile across his face. Exchanging high fives and a hug, he sat beside her. His unzipped dark purple jacket with white accents over his white jersey made him look bigger than he actually was. When Jenny first arrived, Jean's silent demeanor was off-putting. But, she quickly learned that he was actually rather shy with people but had a deadly trigger finger when he was in the game.

"Did we lose, Matrix?" Jean asked in french.

"Pardon?" Jenny was perplexed by his question.

"Did we lose the match?"

"N-no. We didn't . We won thanks to you."

"Then why are you sad?"

"Because... we've only gotten twelve points in the last ten games. Because, if we don't get a top five spot by the end of the season, we won't qualify for the European Champions Tournament next season."

Jean chuckled as he combed his short, blonde hair with his hand. "Keep your chin up, Jenny. There's still many games to play. And if we're to climb back up to the top, we'll have to fight hard for every game. Little by little, the bird makes its nest."

Jenny took a moment to contemplate over her captain's words and slowly agreed with them. She already knew that they were in for a hard fight. But, worrying over future was not going to bring them any favors. Before she could thank Jean, he left when one of their teammates called for him across the room.

As the victory party ended with a few pizzas, everyone called it a day and headed home. Most of the coaching staff and players lived in their own houses in the city. The younger players, especially those who came from abroad or far from Paris began heading for the dorms at, La Teniere, the Panthers' headquarters until they could afford a house of their own.

Jenny was one of those players. Her mom had offered to buy her a home but she was determined to take her first steps as a pro on her own. She and Elaine shared a dorm. Though Jenny was a year older, Elaine had been in the Panthers' academy for two years prior to debuting with the first team at the start of the current season. Jenny had learnt much under her. But being eldest in terms of experience, Elaine had first dibs on everything which was getting on Jenny's nerves.

Returning to her dorm early with Elaine arriving later that night and immediately flopping onto her bed, Jenny took a quick shower before heating up a cup of instant noodles whilst watching the FPS segment of ESPN. Though her french had come a long way, she wanted to rest her mind and was not keen on googling every single word she did not know.

"What a close game by the Panthers!" Louis Lecroix the host said. "The Lions of Lyon were left in the dust in the early rounds but unlike Mufasa, they clawed their way back and were able to level the scores at two a piece thanks to star player, RBK!"

"That's right, another incredible performance by the Polish international, Robert Koblyanski but yet again his team fell short. " Eric Martin, her co-host added. "This is the Lions' ninth defeat in a row placing them dangerously close to the relegation zone at seventeenth place with twenty points! However, things aren't looking so good at the other end of the table either. Having won only four of their last ten games, the Panthers now sit at seventh with forty points as they enter the mid-season break. This is a far cry from when they held second place throughout most of the first half of the season."

"Things took a turn for the worst for the Panthers when their first choice sniper, Ben Phillips, or more famously known as, Lord_Phillipe, died in a tragic car accident two weeks earlier. Though many are still mourning Ben's unfortunate passing, rookie Jenny Matrix has stepped up to the plate and raised the spirits of many Panthers fans with her deadly marksman skills. All eyes now rest on the young American as the Panthers' last hope to save their season and clinch a top five spot."

Then, her phone rang. Grabbing from the coffee table, Jenny felt delighted when she saw the name that popped up on screen. It was, Ki. Swiping the answer button, a wide smile grew on her face. Though training and time difference had made it hard for her to chat with the gang back in VGHS, she was always happy to see her old friends again whenever she could.

"Hey, Ki," Jenny said. "What's up?"

"Jenny!" Ki answered as joyfully as ever. "Hi! Um... I watched your match. Great shot by the way. I calculated the bullet trajectory and believe me when I say that the success rate was eight-hundred and sixty to one. Also you're one of four rookies ever to have won their first three pro matches with a positive kill-death ratio."

"Woah. I guess I'm better than I thought."

"Yeah. Hey just quick question, do you still plan on returning during your mid-season break? And if so, how quick can you do it?"

"What's wrong, Ki? Did something bad happen? Are, Brian and Ted fine?"

"Sort of. Maybe. Not really. Its just, Ted... He's... he's pretty angry right now." Jenny then heard Ted raging in the background followed by the sound of glass smashing. It sounded as if he was muffled behind a wall or something. "In short, Brian rejected a pro contract and Ted wasn't that happy to hear it."

It was unbelievable. Brian was offered a contract to a professional team and he refused it? Since she left, he had taken the role as team Captain and star player and led the Varsity team to win the High school championships. She knew that it was only a matter of time before a professional team would come knocking on his door and she knew he was dying for a chance to play on the professional stage. But, why had he rejected the chance now?

"I-I'll be there as soon as I can," Jenny stuttered. "S-see you, Ki."

Without a second thought Jenny started packing for her trip home. The next day, she was on the road to airport early in the morning. Jean offered to drive her there. Most of the team would be travelling back to their homes as well in the coming days so Jenny was not as sad to be given a small farewell. It may have even been good as she was sure the flood gates would be wide open if the others in the team were here.

Even as she boarded her flight Jenny was restless. She asked herself if it was her fault that led Brian to do what he did. Maybe her absence to pursue her dream had hurt him when she left him behind. Whatever the answer was, she knew she would learn the truth, one way or another.