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Military snipers usually travel in pairs, the shooter and the spotter using powerful binoculars. Not the Marines where reconnaissance and sniper duties were carried out by a single man. Marine Lieutenant Jason Cooper had been in position since early that afternoon, scanning the area on both sides of the Glienicke Bridge. Lt. Cooper repositioned his rifle that sat on a bipod and waited. His binoculars trained on the building’s roof top.
There he is. Cooper pressed his check against the stock and sighted the spot where he had seen the movement. Come on, come on, show yourself. “Damnit! He’s above me, not good. Too much going on here,” the lieutenant cursed under his breath. He waited for a clear shot. “Step on out there, son, and meet God.”.
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Four men met and stood motionless for a brief moment in the middle of the Glienicke Bridge at the white line painted to mark the east west border. Two American brothers beaming with joy of reunion, two Russians grim and stoic, glaring at each other. A second later, Sergio Kalugin glanced around behind himself, and gave a nearly imperceptible nod toward a nearby roof.
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Capt. Temuri Mikhailov, laying prone on top of a four story building on the east bank, squinted through the scope and found his target. Adjusting for the rain and breeze, he squeezed the trigger on his Dragunov sniper rifle.
The Rhythm of the Stone – Collateral Damage Page 6
