Gun oil and sweat, what a fun combo. Stupid, so stupid to volunteer to come here.

Kemi Kimura sighted down the long barrel of her XM312 machine gun. The .50 caliber weapon was not packing the heavy ordinance of the cannons the other girls were packing, but at least it put out a whole lot more shells a whole lot faster. It also had the advantage of being lighter, which she supposed was why they gave it to her. She’d trained with it as much as they’d trained with anything, and while it had a familiar and comfortable weight in her hands, it wouldn’t slow her down.

Oh, it had seemed like the right thing to do...joining the army, learning about her powers. What else was she going to do? It’s not like a social-media influencer had many opportunities in a world with barely any internet. Trying not to laugh, she imagined what the Kemi of a year ago would think of the army fatigue wearing, make-up-less soldier she’d become.

Probably used her in some jingoistic selfie to get more followers. “Support the Troops!” she’d pout behind duck lips while flashing a V with her fingers, the hapless soldier in the background. A prop, nothing more. Followers were the only thing that mattered.

A bead of cold sweat threatened to drip into her eye. She blinked it away, terrified to look away from the stage. Pinpricks of fear covered her back and, even in the armor, she was chilled to her core.

Training to fight angels was one thing.

Choosing to stand within a mile of where one was supposed to appear was insane. What were they even thinking?

She shifted her crouch, changing position. Ever since she Changed, couldn’t sit still. The energy that made her fast also seemed to make her want to move. All. The. Time. At least the torturous beauty regime of her old ‘job’ had prepared her for most of the jogging and hiking and daily exercise they were faced with.

That was one bright side to all of this. Of all the recruits she knew, she was probably the most prepared. She was fit, maybe even a bit of a gym rat. And God bless mom for getting her into martial arts as a kid. She’d let it fall to the wayside when she left high school, but that didn’t diminish that she’d entered the army with black belts in both Aikido and Judo.

Not that those skills helped her too much up against superhumans. She grimaced at the thought, frowning as she remembered the numerous times Claire, Peri, or Susan had just used their superior strength to overpower her greater skill. It was embarrassing having a kid like Peri, who was six inches shorter than her and couldn’t weigh more than 90 pounds soaking wet, sitting on top of her after a minute of sparring.

Sometimes she hated that little brat.

If she stayed out of their reach, she could wear them down eventually, or maybe get a throw or a trip when she dodged one of their swings. That was her best hope against their greater resilience and strength.

That anxiety she’d felt since they began was building in her stomach. God, she’d kill for a pumpkin spice latte with a couple of shots of tequila to calm her down. She chuckled mirthlessly. How shitty was it that she was basically a superhuman and because of that it took an entire bottle of tequila to get her to even remotely feel it? Joining the army had been a painful awakening, not only because of how difficult it was to get alcohol but then finding out that it no longer really affected her.

That was something she had in common with the kid, at least. She’d wept when she found the comforting booze no longer helped her cope the way it had these last several years. What a shitty superpower.

“Do you have eyes on the target Kimura?” Stone asked in his southern drawl over her earpiece.

“No sir. Sorry, sir.” Her reply was automatic. Damn, they had brain-washed her well.

“All right, stay off the channel unless you spot the target.”

Yes sir, mister soldier sir. She rolled her eyes. What would they do to her if she ran away if the angel showed up? Would they put her in jail? Better jail than death though.

Searing agony shot through her skull like a bullet.

***********************************************************************************************************

Thank you for reading my story! If you are enjoying it, please consider leaving a ranking, review, or even just a comment! They all mean the world to me.

I also have a Patreon with a lot of advance chapters on it if you'd like to help support me and the story! 
https://www.patreon.com/localforeigner