Lucas Grey crouched behind a rocky outcropping, binoculars trained on the mining facility below as the morning sun painted the industrial complex in harsh, utilitarian shadows. The surveillance data from the previous twelve hours sat heavy in his mind like pieces of a puzzle that refused to form a coherent picture.
"Sir," Elena Vasquez whispered, sliding up beside him with the fluid grace of someone who'd learned to move quietly in hostile territory. "Torres picked up something on the passive scanners. You're going to want to see this."
Lucas lowered his binoculars and followed Vasquez back to their makeshift observation post, where his squad had established a defensive perimeter among the rocky terrain. Twenty soldiers, all Vanguard Initiative recruits, all looking to him for answers he didn't have yet. Torres was hunched over a collection of electronic equipment that looked like it had been cobbled together from spare parts and determination.
