Gideon and Luke left the inn and walked deep into the forest with no escort. The farther they went, the quieter the woods became.
Luckily, the moon wasn't bright. With their dark uniforms, Gideon and Luke blended into the grass.
"NODs."
"Copy, Capt."
They lowered their NOD scopes and looked through the night-vision with one eye. With those devices, Gideon and Luke could see the area even though it was dark and silent.
Their steps stopped when they reached the edge of the trees and focused on the cliff road above. That was the only route up to the mountain base.
"Hold position. Stay sharp," Gideon whispered. Luke nodded.
"Prepare the drone," Gideon ordered.
Luke cleared his throat. They went prone while Luke opened Lyra's laptop and booted the drone. Gideon swapped his NODs for a thermal scope, useful for detecting body heat.
Slowly, the drone rose into the sky without a sound, its black body blending with the night. An untrained eye would not notice it.
