A light mist shrouded the hillside as morning dawned, like a fine curtain hanging between the trunks of the towering pines. The morning air was stinging, cold, and damp, seeping in through the cracks in the clothing. The dense pine forest covered most of the area, and only occasionally did the sunlight make it through the gaps in the leaves, touching the ground that was still damp with night dew. Everything seemed calm, almost frozen- but the calm was deceptive.
Luke sat in his wheelchair, still as a rock, but his eyes swept over the digital map on the tablet screen in his lap. His gloved fingers touched several key points on the map, marking the route they had been studying for days. In front of her, Dave and Mara crouched down, checking their communication devices, jamming cables, and m
