Disclaimer: No own… No sue… No problem…

My coworker Bob and I were talking about WW2 today during work and the subject of snipers came up. Thus this little story was born so I guess everyone should give Bob around of applause.

(The turtles and their allies clap in the background)

This story is rated 'T' for potty mouths and excess blood and gore and one non-consensual kissing scene that comes (much) later in the story. It's only going to go as far as kissing, I promise.

Also I've been challenged by my friend, Ben, to have this entire story done by this coming Monday. I guess he feels that it's not fair for me to not post things for long periods of times and leave you all hanging in suspense for weeks at a time. Several of my friends have already begun betting on whether I'll be done in time or not. This is going to be one interesting weekend...

Sharpshooter

Chapter One

The hotel room was dimly lit with the predawn light that was filtering in through the lace curtains. The five star hotel lived up to its reputation with expensive furnishing and thick carpets. Outside the large windows was a perfect view over the city as well as a front row seat to the Eiffel Tower.

The stillness of the room was broken when a phone went off. The pile of blankets on the bed jerked slightly before laying unmoving again. As the phone continued to ring. The ring tone became more obvious to the person in the bed and with a deep sigh rolled over. A single hand snaked out from under the covers to catch at the purse strap near the bed. After a few tries, the bag was pulled close enough for the hand to fight with the closure on the cell phone pocket. A sleek black phone was finally pulled free and vanished under the covers still playing the Mission Impossible theme song until it was opened. A sleepy voice said, "Speak quickly."

"Artemis, I assume?" came a sleek accented voice from the other end.

"Possibly. You have ninety seconds to catch my interest."

"Oh I think you will be very interested in your target."

"This isn't some fancy board meeting. You're wasting my time." As the person in the bed became more awake their voice became more and more feminine and angry. She hated it when someone wasted her time.

"I'm sure you have heard of the mutants crawling around in New York's sewer system."

"I'm not an exterminator or a hunter."

"I never said that you were. These mutants may look different but they are really highly trained ninjas warriors that have been causing me no end of trouble. I have been told you are the best."

She finally emerged from underneath the thick downed comforter with a scowl on her face. The last sentence had been a jab at her reputation which she had held for almost two years. "Don't insult me if you're trying to hire me," she had lowered her voice and half hissed into the phone. A slight Mediterranean accent colored her voice as she continued, "that is enough of a reason for me to kill you."

"My apologies. I didn't mean to insult you. I am merely saying what I was told."

"Price?"

"I'm offering one hundred thousand per mutant. I will have a contact meet with you with more information."

She stood up from the bed, clutching a sheet around her. She headed towards the laptop set up on the hotel's vanity, "If you have this number I assume you know the rules."

"There is already two hundred fifty thousand sitting in your account. The rest will be sent to you after the creatures' demise."

She typed a few commands into her computer and brought up her account information. Sure enough, the desired amount was resting in her account. "You agree with all the other terms in the contract?"

"But of course. I wouldn't be calling you otherwise."

A smile graced her lips as she typed in a few more commands. "Very well. It was a pleasure doing business with you Mister Saki," she didn't wait for an answer. As the phone clicked shut she was already purchasing plane tickets and making reservations at a hotel in Manhattan. She then set up a download program to pull as much information off the Internet as possible about the mutants. As an afterthought she also began to download information on her new employer.

As her computer ran she looked up at her reflection in the mirror and gasped. Her black hair was frizzed and sticking up in several places giving her hair a very tousled look. There were red strips here and there, crisscrossing over her fair skin from where the sheets had wrinkled when she slept. The sheet that she had wrapped around her nude body just added to her appearance. Green eyes met their reflection in the mirror as she said out loud, "I look like I just had sex." She looked over herself again. "Very hot, kinky, wild monkey sex to be exact."

She twisted around and glanced at the clock. Her flight didn't leave until ten that morning and it wasn't even six yet. She stood and headed for the closed door that led to the bathroom. She had more then enough time for a nice long, hot shower before she left. She could read up on her targets during the flight.

She opened the door and wrinkled her nose in disgust at the metallic smell permeating the room. Her eyes ran over the bloody walls and floor before resting on a man in a business suit. Most of his face was missing from the bullet wound which made him even harder to identify.

"Oh that's right," she addressed the corpse. "I'm sorry. I forgot you were in here." She closed the door and walked towards her suit case and carry on. She knew that she could find another hotel elsewhere to shower in. She really didn't need one, but it would help her tame her hair back into its regular sleek straight self.

She began to fish clothing out of her bag and glanced at the clock. She would rent a room for an hour or two before her flight so she could clean up. She wanted to give off a semi professional air when meeting her employers contact. After all the best way to make a good first impression was through your appearance.

She arrived in New York that afternoon cursing time zones under her breath as she walked off the plane. Now she was tired and cranky and wanting nothing more then to find a bed and take a quick nap. Her eyes went to the line of people standing there with signs and balloons and other paraphernalia waiting for friends, family, and business partner as they disembarked from the plane.

A simple yet elegant sign saying Karen A. T. James caught her attention. That was the name on her bounce account where all contractors sent her money to. Saki's personal probably figured out her alias by her account numbers the same way she had done to him.

The sign was being held by a young Asian woman who she recognized as the famed Oroku Saki's daughter, Karai. She felt honored that the business man had sent his own daughter to finish the negotiations with her. She turned and walked towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Karen," Karai said as she walked up to her. "I am Karai and will be escorting you to your room."

She gave the women a side way glare. "Hardly. I've already provided myself with accommodations for my stay here. Once we're done finishing negotiations I can handle it myself." She didn't wait for a response as she headed for the baggage claim.

Several minutes later, she was crawling into the back of a limo with Karai following her. She sat in the plush seat facing the women across from her. They sat in silence, each sizing up the other as the limo pulled away from the curb. Karai finally broke the silence. "My master does not like it when his generosity is turned away."

She shrugged, "I'm leery about accepting rooms from strangers. No offenses to your master but a number of previous employers have tried to kill me by blowing up my room. I've learned to be extra cautious in my business dealings."

Karai watched her as if waiting for more before saying, "I will inform my master of that." She then reached over and pulled out a briefcase that had been hidden by the seat. She keyed out the combination and then handed it to her.

She popped the briefcase open and removed several folders each with Renaissance artists' names on the headings that she could only assume were the mutants' names. She flipped open one such folder that was called 'Leonardo' and breezed over the contents. Some of the information she had already gleamed off of the internet but most of it was information that she hadn't even seen before.

"Everything that we know about them are in those files," Karai said. "Their fighting styles, weapons of choice, and even where they are most commonly seen."

She held up a folder titled 'Casey Jones' with a dark look. "I wasn't paid for these," her tone promised pain and ultimately death.

"Those are for reference," Karai replied unfazed. "You don't have to… destroy them. However, if you do, a bonus will be added to the rest of your pay."

"Do you require a trophy or such as proof?"

"No. If you do succeed we will know within the day."

"I see that these things give you no end of trouble." She chuckled as she tucked the folders into her carry-on. "If you will take me to the Hilton over on Third I will begin my half of the deal."

"Are you sure you won't be taking the room we have provided for you? It is in the same building, and I can assure you that you will be reimbursed for the room you have purchased in full."

She sat and thought about for a minute before saying, "I will inspect the room very carefully. If I find so much as one bug then the deal is off and I will keep the deposit."

"Very well."

The room was clean of any bugs, time bombs, or any other nasty surprise she would find at a later date. After Karai had left she went into the bathroom and double checked it for surveillance equipment. When the searched turned up bare again, she turned to the single suitcase she had.

Opening the suitcase revealed a full disguise kit worthy of a Hollywood actor. Everything from wigs to make up to colored contacts to specially designed ear covers were carefully stored inside. She reached inside and pulled out a short chopped brown wig, green contacts and a small device designed to locate trackers.

She then turned to her reflection and pulled the blonde wig off her head, storing it inside the case were it belonged once more. She washed her face free of the make-up she currently had on. With her face cleaned she put on the wig, adjusting it so it was just right, then taking out several different bases and foundations hid the barely noticeable line that the wig made across her forehead.

The contacts went in and she pulled green eye liner and eye shadow from the make-up case. She only applied as much as necessary to help highlight the green in her eyes. She then put that back into the case. Red lip liner and lip stick was applied. She looked herself over in the mirror one more time to see is she could see anything she had missed.

With a nod of satisfaction to her reflect, she packed up her stuff and left the room. She may have told Karai she would stay there but she had learned never to trust her benefactors. Nine times out of ten they tried to have her killed so as not to pay her well deserved fees.

A taxi ride later she was on her way to a penthouse suit that she kept in the city. She had a numbers of 'homes' dotted across the world all owned by several rich young ladys'. She found it easier to have a base when doing her job. Occasionally she had to use a hotel room but the benefits of owning a 'home' meant she didn't have to haul around her equipment.

She was unlocking the room to her 'home' several moments later and stepped inside with a sigh. She hadn't been to her New York sky rise in over a year. It had been one of her first bases and the closest thing she had to an actual home. She sighed at she walked through the penthouse looking fondly at the modern styled furniture and the collection of trinkets she had started to acquire in her business dealings. She eventually ended up in the bedroom where she became reacquainted with the Californian King bed for a good five hour nap.

She woke that evening and after a large five course meal delivered by a nearby five star restaurant, she glanced at the time. It was almost eight at night which meant that her targets would be out soon. According to the information she had they were most often seen between nine to one at night. It was time for her to get to work.

After a quick shower she went to the back wall in her walk in closet. "Voice authorization initiate. Code word, Artemis." Several confirmation beeps later, the back panel slid away showing that there was at least half of the room blocked off.

What a room it was. Though it was small it was high effective in hiding her work shop and armory. One wall was holding a plethora of custom made guns that she had designed and built on her own. Several of them had taken months to fine tune and design. On the opposite side of the room was a small and compact, yet highly efficient workshop. There she could repair, refurbish, and even hand craft new designs. The smallest wall was filled with shelves that held supplies for her craft, ammo, a very well stock first aid kit that she had yet to use, and a special designed outfit she wore on her 'outings'.

The first part to go on was a skin tight, Lycra body suit that helped to keep her warm up on the roofs. A pair of black cushioned socks and a pair of heavy duty pants went over her legs. A black long sleeve shirt that had been reinforced with a layer of Kevlar went over her head followed by a vest that was also lined with Kevlar. She then strapped on gladiator boots with her pants tucked down into the knee high leather cuffs.

She paused as she was buckling them on. Two of the turtles -Raphael and Leonardo if she remembered right- both wielded blades. Both were also reported to be able to disarm gun welders by either throwing the sai to block the barrel or just cutting off the barrel. She hoped to be able to defeat them before they came within striking distance but if they did get close enough to her she had no way to properly defend herself from a sword strike or sai slash.

She knocked her fist on the metal plating that made a shin guard over the boot several times, testing it's strength. She had learned kicking boxing a while ago and had modified the boot so that if anyone was able to get close to her it would only take one powerful kick with the reinforced shin guard to cave in the side of their head. She stood and wrote down a quick note on the pad resting on the bench. If she had a pair of arm guards under her jacket similar to the shin guards then she should be able to effectively stop a strike. The heavy lining in the coat would also help to stop the blades.

With that minor technicality dealt with she returned to suiting up. Next were the belts and holsters that would hold her extra equipment in case she had need for it. A double shoulder holster went over her shoulders and were loaded with her specially design T-Bird Fives, a five millimeter hand gun that was light weight and exceedingly versatile being able to hold a number of her special and regular ammo. Another gun was slid into the small of her back. While it looked like a flare gun, the Orion was her large ammo gun holding in its chambers two flares and six explosive shells that detonated on impact with a surface after they had been fired.

Around her waist went a belt cover in pockets which held some of her specialty shots and the conventional ammo that could be bought over the counter as well as some supportive gear like an emergency first aid kit and surveillance equipment. Her Peacemaker -a small snubbed nosed revolver type gun designed for firing three different non lethal gas 'bullets'- went into a holster on the side. On her left thigh went a holster and on the other a pouch. The pouch held a special piece of equipment for her Sensei that allowed it to fire darts instead of bullets. In the holster was a hand crossbow that she called Valkyrie. One of her least used weapons it was also one of her most deadly being the only one to be able to fire a Black Widow. A dart that killed the target in less then twenty seconds every time. She also used it for firing grappling hooks across gaps if she couldn't throw it far enough.

Her second to last common weapon she commonly carried with her were a pair of wakizashi blades that went into sheaths built into the outer side of her boots. She wasn't very good at close range fighting but she was still highly skilled in it. The short blades she only used as a last resort when she ran out of ammo and she had to get close to finish her target. Everything she had seen about these mutants showed her that if they were able to engage her in hand to hand without her guns she wouldn't last long. It would be best to take them out before they were able to get her into their striking distance.

With all her weapons in places she then reached for the ankle length black coat. All of her equipment was black and the jacket was really her secret to defense. It was also lined with Kevlar giving her three layers of protection against bullets and knives. In several key areas were thin metal sheets that protected her vital points even more, especially if she had to fire off an explosive shell close to her vicinity. It also made it hard to detect what she was doing in the dark. For all someone knew her leg could be coming up in a snap kit or she could be aiming the Valkyrie at their heart.

Into her eyes went a pair of specially designed contacts that helped to refract light. They didn't give her total night vision but with the help of the moon could make it seem like she was walking around in a gray shaded daylight. They were an invention she had 'sweet talked' a target into making for her before she had eliminated him.

She quickly braided her hair into its traditional braid before slipping on her gloves that were designed to protect her hands from heat in case of an accident backfire. They had hardened strike points in them to help give her punches extra strength like brass knuckles did. The palms were reinforced with Kevlar as well in case she had to point blank fire a round and had to protect her face from flying bone shrapnel or to catch a knife.

The grand finale of her thirty minute suit up ritual was gently removed from its place of honor on the armory wall. The Sensei was the secret to her success and her pride and joy as it was her crown achievement in her self customized gun selection. It was a high powerful yet exceedingly light weight sniper rifle that she carried strap to her back. It had claimed the majority of her targets and she hoped to be able to take the mutants down with it.

"All the kung-fu moves in the world won't be able to protect you from a sniper round over a mile away," she said as she adjusted the strap and left the room. As she walked out of her workshop the wall automatically slid back into place. She padded quietly across the darken bedroom and out onto the balcony, hoping up onto railing and looking out over the city.

"Watch out turtles," she purred into the gentle night breeze. "Artemis is on the hunt."