At this point, Lifeline and Bree had very nearly reached the summit. There wasn't much more vertical distance left between them and the peak.

After reaching the next plateau, Lifeline helped Bree up, then glanced around at their surroundings. There seemed to be a trail, leading inward and progressively upward, through a wooded area.

"Looks like we have a hike ahead of us," Edwin mentioned to Bree, as he repacked some of the climbing gear. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

"Of course," Bree answered optimistically. In her mind, it was going to be an extremely romantic, even MAGICAL experience just to be walking in the woods with the man she loved!

Naturally, he saw this look in her eyes, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It wasn't that he couldn't comprehend her feelings, because he undeniably felt the same way -- last night's late-hour escapades in the tent proved THAT beyond a doubt. It was kind of difficult for him to stay good, especially when she was being...well, herself.

What he had trouble comprehending was why she seemed to think this had turned into their vacation. This wasn't a holiday! This wasn't a good time! This was a training exercise. Edwin was frustrated by her casual attitude, but he didn't have it in him to voice those frustrations. That was a conflict he wanted to avoid at all costs.

As they walked along, Bree clasped his hand. "Last night was wonderful," she sighed.

Uh oh. She wanted to discuss it. Could she read his mind? Edwin hedged uneasily. "Yeah, it was great," he agreed, his gaze on the snowy trail up ahead.

"Where on earth did you get such...talents??" Bree giggled.

"I got them in college," he answered, hoping she wouldn't continue this particular line of questioning.

"Ooohhhh! Wow, I didn't know they taught THOSE kinds of courses at state universities," Bree admitted.

Edwin smiled.

1440 hours

After some time traversing the steep incline through the woods, there didn't seem to be much romance left in the situation. Things had definitely cooled off...right down to the freezing point, quite literally.

The snowfall had let up, but the wind was relentless. The further they hiked, the colder it seemed. Lifeline had wrapped Bree up in every available blanket from the pack, and now she resembled some shambling Eskimo.

"I can't understand it -- look, Edwin -- the beacon signal is still very strong! It's in this area, but there's no specific fix on it! We've been walking endlessly, yet the signal hasn't changed!" Bree fretted, and handed the GPS beacon locater to Lifeline so he could see for himself. "This doesn't make any sense! We're not making any progress!"

Lifeline took a good, long look at the GPS. Something was definitely amiss. The data didn't seem right. "You know, either we've been walking in circles, or something is seriously wrong with this thing, or maybe a little bit of both," he concluded. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure which. I've never been much of a technician."

"Oh no! You can't be serious," Bree anguished, her teeth chattering. "If that's true, then we're in a lot of trouble. We could be lost! And if we stay out in this snow much longer, we're going to freeze! What are we going to do??"

After putting the GPS device away, he shook his head, not looking particularly distressed about the situation. Sure, it was serious. But Edwin had been through much, much worse. Put into perspective, this seemed pretty tame. No one was shooting live rounds at them, for one. "I'll definitely get you out of here alive, Bree, you have my word," he promised. (Even if it kills me first,) he thought to himself grimly.

...Meanwhile, following some distance behind the couple, Tele-Viper #647 grinned malevolently. During a routine patrol of the large area surrounding the ski resort, he had located the beacon device. After examining it thoroughly, he was able to determine it was GI Joe equipment. (Complete and utter American crap,) he thought to himself in contempt. (Just like the GI Joe and the aristocratic wench seeking this device.) It didn't take the technician very long to set the beacon up to emit random signals, that would confuse any tracking device.

What a golden opportunity this was to rise in rank. The Tele-Viper didn't know what they were doing out here, but he didn't much care. According to intel reports, this particular Joe was foolish enough to never carry a weapon! Before the day was over, said Joe would be dead, and the rich wench would be held for a hefty ransom. HE would succeed where Tomax and Xamot had failed! The Tele-Viper chuckled with greed-filled excitement at the notoriety and fortune that would soon be coming his way.