Flint breathed a sigh of relief as the last photograph was put in front of them. Shaking his head, he looked over at Snake Eyes, a light of hope in his eyes. He nodded at the ninja's message.

"Let me radio our team and see if they found anything," he told the agent, who looked at them in sympathy. Why couldn't these Americans accept the fact that their teammate was dead? Granted, she was sent to them with high recommendations, but he couldn't fathom how she could have made it out of the fiery hell the building had become. Then again, what was it to him if they wanted to keep searching? As long as they had the Americans assistance in hunting down the rebels, who was he to question?

Before he made a report to Duke, Flint knew he needed to talk to Scarlett and Spirit. He needed to hear that they found something, for his own sanity. While he was proud that his professionalism had remained intact, inside he was shaken. Doubts had begun to form – what if she hadn't made it? Being burned alive, possibly shot….it was no wonder the government agent kept sending them looks. The odds were almost impossible that she had made it through. But he had to keep believing. Once he let the doubts take over, then he was lost and his world would begin to crumble. He couldn't let that happen. So for now, he squashed the doubts deep inside, fighting to remain in control of his emotions.

They decided to meet up again at the site. Spirit reported what he had observed, much to the government agent's amazement.

"You mean someone made it out alive? Are you sure it wasn't one of the rebels that was perhaps injured by falling debris?" His skepticism showed in his tone and facial features. It made Flint want to hit him.

"We can't be sure who it was," Scarlett began, placing a hand on Flint's arm, not wanting to get their hopes up. She turned to the agent. "We found a dirt road running parallel to the forest before it branched off. Who would typically travel along that route?"

He thought for a moment, frowning. "The rebels, they came disguised on the main roads. I can't see them using that path. That's an old one – no one uses that route too much anymore. It's much faster to use the paved roads. They are from the past, when our country was once part of the Soviet Union," he said with a wave of his hand.

"But can you think of anyone who might still use the route? Farmers, perhaps? Where does that road lead?" Scarlett persisted.

He frowned, wishing they would stop pestering him. Why couldn't they just call in their friends and subdue the rebels, along with the Cobra that was sponsoring them?

A thought came to him and he nodded slowly. "The only group I can think of using those roads would be smugglers and perhaps the travelers."

"Travelers?" Flint questioned. He doubted a smuggler would stop to help someone in need – if anything, they would shoot on sight. There would have been a body present.

"Travelers…." he repeated, trying to think of another English word they would understand. "Ah, you may know them as gypsies, perhaps?"

"And where would these travelers be heading?"

The agent shrugged. "They travel through our countries, sometimes stopping and living in an area for a period of time. They are supposed to have papers, so that they can cross the borders. Now that the borders are closed, they are trapped. I do not know much about the culture, to tell you the truth," he shrugged again.

"Thank you for your information," Spirit said, giving a slight bow. "We will be reporting to our team. You should expect to hear from them soon." He could sense Flint was about to lose his patience with the man and decided to intervene. Scarlett wasn't holding together too well herself. It was a highly emotional time for the team - especially the two of them. He could feel they both were wound tight, and he did not look forward to the time when they could not control it anymore.

Sensing his dismissal, the government agent made his way to his car and left them at the site.

"What now?" Scarlett looked at the three males.

"We report to Duke and see what the next step entails," Flint sighed, knowing that above all else, including his own desires, he needed to follow orders. "Let's hope we'll be allowed to pursue this lead."

Snake Eyes and Scarlett were having a silent conversation. Turning, Scarlett stated, "We need a map of this region and see if we can even find the road on that map. It seems it's something the government doesn't particularly endorse, and they seem to think even less of the Travelers. I think since we have a viable lead, we'll be allowed to follow it. My suggestion is to head back to the truck and see what we can bring up on the computer."

The others nodded, and they climbed into what looked to be an ordinary SUV. Its hidden weapons, as well as its on-board computer, made it a functioning mobile base.

Scarlett pulled up several maps on the computer. None had the road listed. She decided to go back 20 years and see if anything was available – after all, didn't he say that no one used the road since they had become their own country?

"Bingo," she whispered, finally spotting it outside the town. Names were different and she knew the possibility that places had been added or deleted since the time the map was created, but at least it was a start. Aligning it with the truck's navigational system, she was able to pinpoint their location.

Spirit and Snake Eyes had been immersed in their own activities, and came to stand beside her as she pulled everything together. Snake Eyes laid a supporting hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. She smiled to herself, grateful he was along. Not only was he an excellent tracker, like Spirit, it gave her the additional emotional support she needed.

Flint moved to the back of the truck, giving the three a nod. "We have permission to pursue the lead, but Hawk stated that the rebels' positions have moved, and we are to keep a lookout for Cobra in the area. If we see anything, we are not to engage and have to alert either Beach Head or Duke immediately. They'll be keeping track of our progress as well," he added, leaving out the part where Hawk had reminded them that their primary goal was to stop Cobra, not become a search party.

"We won't be able to join the road until this point," Scarlett pointed out to the group. "So we can either backtrack, or move several miles ahead of where we suspected she was picked up. I suggest we move ahead. I doubt they would have stopped in this area, and would have traveled to the next town, or at least a place where they could get off the road."

"I don't know much about the gypsy, er, traveler lifestyle," she confessed. "Only what I've read about in books. I do know they tend to travel in groups. Trasikavya, as well as some of the other surrounding countries, started requiring Travelers to carry papers several years ago, since they tend to move across borders frequently. Sort of like a passport."

She looked up at Flint. "I've sent the coordinates to the nav system, so it should lead us there."

He nodded, and they moved to the front of the vehicle and belted in. She hoped designating Flint as the driver would help keep his mind focused. The route would not be easy.