"Lifeline to base."

Only a loud crackle of static answered the medic's call. He glanced around the forested area, and shook his head. "I don't understand this," he stated quietly, looking at Bree for a moment before staring at the inclined hike ahead of them. "There shouldn't be this much interference. The storm's passed over."

"Do you think the, um, the radio's been switched off, as part of this 'test' you're doing?" Bree asked.

Edwin rubbed his chin, and considered. "No, I don't think Beach Head would do something like this," he admitted. "...Of course, I could be assuming wrong, but my gut's telling me he wouldn't do it. Besides, he wanted me to check in with him at regular intervals."

The sloping forested area which approached the summit seemed idyllic and peaceful. The snowpack acted a bit like a sound buffer, muffling all other sounds than the couple's own breathing. Somehow, the tranquility of the location was having an opposite effect on Lifeline, making him increasingly uneasy.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You shouldn't worry so much, I mean...we're pretty close to the resort now, right? And we have almost all the beacon thingymabobs?" Bree reassured Lifeline as she saw his troubled expression.

"You're right, but...there's something about this situation that just seems...wrong," Lifeline said as he hiked up the steep incline, keeping close to his companion to assist her over the trickier portions of the trail.

"Like what?" Bree prompted him, as she glanced around in bewilderment.

"It feels wrong," he answered distractedly, his gaze still trained on the trail.

"Um...okay, that tells me exactly *nothing*," Bree huffed in annoyance.

"Haven't you ever been in a situation where you've had to trust your instincts?"

Bree thought about it for a moment. "Well, maybe a few times..."

"It helps, especially when you don't know what you're getting into," Lifeline said, shaking out his painful hands, which were rubbed raw from the brutal climbing despite wearing gloves.

"Well, what are you supposed to do if something 'feels wrong' and you don't know what it is?" Bree asks.

Lifeline paused, tilting his head. Clearly, he was listening to something else, not to her. "Wait...Did you hear something?"

"No," answered Bree, glancing around and seeing nothing amiss. The vicinity was still eerily quiet.
Eventually, they reached the top of the jagged incline, where things levelled off slightly.

Lifeline braced himself on the level ground, then helped Bree up to the spot. As she brushed some snow off her suit, there was a loud *CRACK* which suddenly echoed through the forest, followed by an angry, whining whistle -- and her hat flew off, tumbling down the mountain. "...Huh??" Bree peered down at the tumbling hat. "What just --"

Bree's question was cut off abruptly by Lifeline yanking her along very roughly, nearly dislocating her shoulder in his haste to move her forcibly. "AAAAHHH!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!"

"That," panted Lifeline, "Was a gunshot." He shoved her behind a large tree, pushing her down and crouching over her.

*CRACK!* One of the tree's lower branches suddenly disintegrated into twig shards, exploding outward like shrapnel.

"And that," Lifeline added, speaking directly into Bree's ear, "Was another one."

"Why is someone shooting at us?!" Bree squeaked, her eyes as wide as saucers in alarm. She began wriggling in an attempt to look around the side of the tree.

"Ssh, stay down, don't move," Lifeline whispered, continuing to shield her with his body. "I'm not going to let them hurt you. Stay still."

The surrounding woods became dead silent once more. After a long, uncomfortable moment of waiting, Lifeline very carefully snuck a peek around the tree trunk. What he saw made his heart sink.

A triumphant-looking Tele-Viper, wielding a large pistol, was approaching them.