“Here’s the deal,” he said calmly, facing his men. “Somebody out in front of us seems kind of trigger-happy. Now, they might technically be on our side—”

“Like maybe the CIA?” Airman Kim asked curiously.

Flynn nodded. “Possibly.” Then he shrugged. “Or they may be outright hostile.” He saw Hynes’s mouth open and beat him to the punch. “Yes, as in the Russians, PFC Hynes. Either way, I want the chance to take a good, hard look at whoever they are before they see us coming. So we’re switching to night vision gear starting now.”

Heads nodded in understanding. From their current position, in the hills above these intertwined valleys, the ordinary flashlights they’d been using could be seen for miles.

“Using the NVGs in this cold will drain their batteries pretty fast,” Takirak warned.

Flynn stared at him. “I’m aware of that, Sergeant,” he said quietly. “Do you have an alternative that I’ve missed?”

The older man nodded. “We’d make better time down on the flat with the guys hauling the sled,” he said, pointing downslope. “Movement would be easier, faster, and a heck of a lot safer. There’s less chance of someone twisting an ankle on that tundra . . . and any lights we need won’t be as obvious at a distance.”

Flynn shook his head. “We’ll stick to the high ground for now,” he said firmly. “At least until we know more about what we could be facing up ahead. If we are heading into trouble, I want every tactical advantage I can get.”

“It’s your call, sir,” Takirak allowed stiffly. But the disapproving set of his shoulders and the undercurrent of skepticism in his voice both left no doubt that he believed his commander was making a mistake.

Flynn ignored that. Trying to argue the sergeant into agreement would only waste time. And making it even more obvious that their two leaders weren’t seeing eye to eye would only unnerve the rest of his soldiers and airmen. Instead, he pulled his own night vision goggles out of an insulated pouch attached to his body armor and slid them on over his helmet. He powered them up. Instantly, the darkness brightened into a monochrome semblance of daylight. The men around him did the same, though Takirak donned his own vision gear with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

“Okay,” Flynn said. “We’re going to tighten up our skirmish line from here on out. I want two-man fighting pairs, with a twenty-yard separation between pairs. We’ll follow this spur around back to the northeast and continue on along the main ridge. Keep your eyes peeled and move as quietly as you can. Once we’re back on the main ridge, pay attention to our right flank. That’s the most likely threat axis. If anybody is camped up ahead, they’re probably down there on the valley floor—somewhere close to one of those iced-over streams for water and shelter.”

Hynes held up a hand. “What do we do if we spot someone, sir?”