Slowly, Nancy pressed on. After every few steps she stopped and looked ahead as she caught her breath. The sweat that beaded up on her brow was as much from the anticipation of the unexpected as it was from her physical exertions. Efforts to listen for any sounds were a waste of time. Her own labored breathing masked any sounds that she wasn’t making herself as well as giving anyone out there an easy way of keeping track of her progress. Looking at the ground immediately to her front, she tucked her head down and continued her climb.

By the time the Guard officer finally reached the rock outcropping where she thought she had seen something, there was no one there. A quick scan of the area above her didn’t reveal any clues as to where the person had gone. Dropping down on one knee, Nancy took a closer look at the ground. Perhaps, she thought, she could find a boot mark or a discarded food wrapper that would confirm or deny that there had been someone there.

From his perch overlooking the abandoned listening post, Nathan watched the dark figure get down on one knee and start looking closely at the ground. “He’s looking for footprints,” the squad leader crouched next to Nathan whispered to his platoon leader.

“More likely he’s looking for candy wrappers that Belden is always leaving behind,” countered Gandulf, who was lying on the ground on the other side of his platoon leader.

Though he heard those comments, Nathan said nothing. Instead he watched the figure slowly poke about the abandoned outpost. Nathan’s mind was alive with questions, concerns, and thoughts as to what to do next. Nothing in his three-month basic course at Benning or his four years of ROTC at the Institute had addressed a situation like this. Easing his way back down behind the berm he and his two NCOs were using for cover, Nathan turned to Gandulf. “Well, I’m open to suggestions.”

Like his platoon leader, Gandulf was at a loss. “If it was a combat patrol, that person rummaging about down at the OP would have someone with him for security?”

“Remember, Bob,” the squad leader whispered, “these are Guardsmen. Since when have you seen a Guard unit that could walk and chew gum at the same time.”

Gandulf wasn’t impressed with the junior NCO’s logic. “I don’t recall many of those folks we ran into the other day having a problem coordinating their trigger fingers.”

Seeing that their banter was going nowhere and catching on fast that both sergeants were as bankrupt as he was when it came to brilliant ideas, Nathan raised his hand. “Enough.”