Disclaimer: The following chapter is the non-edited draft of what was written during NaNoWriMo 2018. My apologies in advance for plot holes and other inconsistencies. I know they're there.

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Colonel Hastings slammed the door and glared up at the concrete parking garage, his hands on his hips. They were too late. Their little birds had flown the coop.

"Lieutenant, what are the reports from the scouts?" he shouted to a young man hunched over a computer on the hood of Hasting's vehicle.

"Nothing so far, sir. They're reporting all quadrants as clear. No sign of them."

Hastings resisted the urge to punch the door of his vehicle and instead pointed towards the garage. "You're positive they were in there?"

"Yes, sir. The signal was traced to the building."

"Is that the last known coordinate?"

"It is. We have not been able to reacquire the tracker since then. It's like it fell off the face of the Earth, sir."

That wasn't possible, of course, Hastings knew that. There was no way of telling what had happened. Was it an equipment malfunction or had Graber somehow figured out he could turn the thing off. For his purposes, it didn't matter. The tracking ability was lost, which meant they had to rely on more traditional means of tracking.

"Sir," the tech shouted and waved at Hastings, "You should see this."

Hastings walked over to the hood of the car and squinted at the screen. "What am I looking at?"

"The northern scouts have picked up traces of Graber's truck. Tire marks, disturbed debris and such."

"So he's headed north?"

"It's a reasonable conclusion, yes. Should we roll out?"

"Not yet," Hastings said and held a hand up. "Let me think about this for a second."

Hastings jogged up the ramps of the parking garage to the top floor and looked north. Why north? What was up there? He saw nothing in that direction that could tell him that's the actual direction they had traveled.

The jogged back down to the truck and walked up to the tech. It would soon be time to provide an update to Commander Hamil. Hastings knew Hamil would not be pleased with the current progress or, rather, the lack thereof.

"Launch the drones. We need an aerial view of the northern part of the city and the roads leading out of here."

"Yes, sir, right away."

"Oh, and recall the scouts. They've done what they can. Prepare to roll out as soon as the drones are airborne."

"Right away, sir."

Hastings turned to return to his vehicle when a buzzing sound came from the vehicle behind him. He froze in his steps and sighed. It was a sound he knew all too well.

"Sir?" the tech said.

"I know, I know," Hastings said as he returned to the vehicle the tech was in. He hopped in on the other side and tapped a screen mounted on the side wall of the vehicle.

"Commander," he said when Hamil appeared on the screen.

"Colonel," Hamil said with a nod. "I apologize for the earlier than expected call but the council is expecting an update and I'd rather not come empty-handed. What is the progress of the search?"

Hastings hesitated and coughed once, then cleared his throat.

"We've found their last known location."

Hamil looked at Hastings for a few moments, appearing to digest the words of the Colonel.

"So you've lost them," Hamil said.

"Well, Commander-"

"There's nothing to discuss. If you found their last known location, it is clear to me that you do not have them in custody, nor do you know their current location. Is that an accurate assessment?"

Hastings nodded. "Yes, Commander, it is. It would appear Captain Graber has disabled the satellite tracker, which makes our task more difficult."

"I'd say impossible, Colonel."

"Respectfully, I disagree. Our scouts found signs that they traveled further north. We have just launched our drones to speed up the information gathering in that quadrant. I expect to have more information within the hour."

Hamil watched in silence while his hand rubbed his chin. "I can't emphasize this enough, Colonel, we cannot afford to fail. Captain Graber and the subject must be found, at all cost."

"Of course. We're using all resources at our disposal. We will find them."

"You better, Colonel," Hamil said as he leaned in closer to the camera. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happens should failure be the result of your search."

Hastings felt a chill run down his spine and he resisted the urge to shiver. I know very well. Too well.

"We will find them," he repeated when no other words presented themselves in his mind.

"I won't take up any more of your time. Please keep me informed as soon as you have more information, even if it's just a trace. Every piece of information is important right now.

"Yes, Commander."

Hamil closed the connection. Hastings slammed the dashboard with his fist and muttered a string of obscenities under his breath. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers as the words of Hamil replayed in his mind. Hastings was painfully aware of the cost of failure. He had on multiple occasions been the one selected to dispatch other failed mission commanders to distant outposts for career-ending assignments.

He had no intention of becoming one himself.

"The drones?" Hastings said and looked at the tech on the other side of the vehicle.

"They're approaching the target area, sir. Nothing to report yet."

"Very well. Let me know as soon as you do."

Hastings walked back over to his vehicle and pulled up a satellite map of the surrounding area. Where are they going? If they're heading north, as all the signs seemed to indicate, why? Hastings did a quick review of Captain Graber's file but saw no indication that he had ever been to the surface. What possible reference points could he have to take him one way or another? Maybe the northern heading was just random?

He wondered about the prisoner, the woman. Commander Hamil has been secretive about her. Who was she, why was she important? Hastings knew better than to question orders but this wasn't the first time he had been curious about the motive. Could she be the reason behind the northern shift? There was nothing up there except mountain ranges and open plains. The chance of survival was much more difficult in those areas since it was further away from established bases. Not to mention that the ruins of prior settlements that could provide supplies were few and far between.

"Sir," the tech from the research vehicle called. "We've got something."

Hastings tossed the tablet aside and jogged over to the other vehicle. "What do you have?"

The tech pointed at the screen in front of him, divided into four different video streams. He tapped on the top-right feed. It expanded and filled the screen, revealing a highway. The tech pointed at the two right lanes. "Here, there are signs of recent disturbances right here," he said. "Someone very clearly traveled in this area very recently."

"Did you cross-reference with our patrols?"

The tech nodded. "It wasn't one of ours."

"That's got to be them. All right, connect me to Commander Hamil."

"Right away, sir."

A few moments later, Commander Hamil appeared on screen, visibly irate. "Colonel, this better be good. I was just about to meet with the Council."

"I'll keep it short, Commander. We've found signs that Captain Graber and the prisoner left the city heading north."

Hamil raised his eyebrows as he leaned closer. "North? Are you sure?"

"Positive, sir. The drones picked up disturbed surface layers on the roads leading out of town, consistent with movement of a vehicle. It wasn't one of ours, so it's got to be them."

Hamil nodded slowly. "Proceed with caution. Although I believe you are correct in your assessment, as you well know, there are other possibilities."

"Yes, of course."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Colonel, I'm late for my meeting."

Hastings nodded and saluted, then disconnected the call. He smirked to himself as he picked up the radio.

"All units, all units, this is Colonel Hastings. Proceed north immediately, but use caution." He slammed down the mic, ran over to his own vehicle and shut the door, the map of the area once again in his hand. He turned to his driver, a young man not much past twenty and pointed towards the windshield of the vehicle."

"Let's roll out. Head due north. We have no time to lose."

~~~

Colonel Hastings is hot on Lincoln's and Marie's trail. What are your thoughts on our dear Colonel so far? Do you think he's one of those hardcore military dudes or is he just following orders to save his own skin?

As always, vote and comment if you like what you're reading so far.