Sawmill

"They're heading to north." said Takahiro. "I lost them, they are out of my sight."

"So we're going to check that abandoned sawmill?"

"It seems so."

As they left the building, they took a taxi and headed towards the north side of the city. Then they started walking through a dirt path and crossed the river.

"There it is, abandoned sawmill."

"Do you see any vehicle?" asked Gina.

"From this side, no. You stay here and I'll go take a look to the otherside." said Takahiro, as he started moving. He moved his hand down to his belt, and controlled his pistol. Everything was fine and ready.

He slowly moved around the sawmill through the woods. It was all so silent. 'It's probably empty.' thought Takahiro. As he completed his half circle around the sawmill, he saw that he was right. He took his radio to inform Gina. They were communicating through an encrypted JGSA channel.

"There is no vehicle, Gina. If they didn't completely leave the town, then it's the bunker."

"There was no bunker, it's only on the city plans."

"That's the only clue we have. That area you marked on the map was close here, let's just split up and search the woods."

"Shouldn't we check inside and see if everything is fine in there?"

"Do you think it's a warehouse or something?"

"It might be." said Gina. "And maybe we can find some other clues, who knows."

Takahiro was agreed with him, but he trusted his instincts more than anything. They have never left him behind, never let him down. But chances of finding any other clues weren't that bad.

Chances weren't that high, for him it was almost zero, but not zero.

"Fine, you go check it. Keep your radio on and close."

"Roger."

When Takahiro turned his face to the forest, he realised that he don't really know what kind of agent Gina is. He didn't even look if she got a gun to protect herself. It wasn't like as if he was worried about it, most of JGSA members were well trained both on ranged and melee combats. But still, he wanted to be sure about it. Takahiro always had good instincts, but something about this mission started irritating him.

"You do have a gun, right?"

"Yes I do, no worries sir. I know how to protect myself."

"Good to know." said Takahiro and started moving deep into the forest. He walked a bit and Gina started reporting.

"It really is abandoned, competeley empty. There are only few crates at the corner."

"Go and see what's inside them. Don't forget to listen if there are anything suspicious inside. And if you think they're safe, open them and keep reporting to me."

"Roger, sir."

Takahiro kept walking. He didn't see anything suspicious so far. After few minutes, Gina answered.

"There are only blue overalls inside it. They seemed old to me, probably used for a long time."

"Are they same with what people wear at the factory?"

"No doubt, sir."

"Check the pockets."

Now that was clear, that the sawmill has a connection with those terrorists. They could use that sawmill for disguising themselves. There were probably civillian clothes before. Takahiro looked on the dirt and hoped if he can find some footprints.

"I found a note sir, it's a poem, I suppose."

"What does it say."

Gina read the poem.

The fist is iron, rebellious and deep,

But he has promises to keep,

Tormented with nightmares he never sleeps,

Revenge is a promise a man should keep.

He rises from his cursed bed,

With thoughts of violence in his head,

A flash of rage and he sees red,

Without a pause they turned and fled.

"Seems like we confirmed the organization a bit. Do they see all of these things as a revolution or is it only some kind of rebellion?" asked Gina.

"All I know is there is an enemy and we're so close to them. I don't know what their revenge is but they're about to start a war. Just put that paper back to its place and catch up with me."

"I will be right there."

As she turns off the radio, Takahiro finally found some footprints. These must have belonged to workers of that factory, they were regular work shoes. They were heading towards to east. It was about to get dark and there wasn't much time left. They've waited so long while watching that factory.

"Move towards to east, I found some footprints, two person." said Takahiro to Gina. They should probably camp outside in a few hours. The soil wasn't really suitable for tracking anybody. But real problem is, it was cold outside.

Takahiro took the map out and started inspecting it again. He roughly knew where he was, but map weren't detailed enough to find a good spot for camping. Best place to settle was somewhere they could watch the sawmill without getting any attention.

'Maybe we should climb to the trees...' thought Takahiro. But they don't have the right equipments for it and he wants to avoid any injuries, that could be a problem for the mission.

'Inside the sawmill... but there's nowhere the hide, not good for an ambush.'

Takahiro sighed. He was always good at reading maps but he can not read a map that doesn't give any details.

"So what's the plan for tonight, should we head back?" asked Gina.

"No, I don't want to lose their track completely. We don't know what are they planning next, I'm not even sure what did they carry with that truck. I didn't see any tire tracks, but we know sawmill is connected with them." Takahiro sighed again. He never felt that desperate before. After a short break, he continued.

"We should consider it as if they left the city, which is actually really bad because it means they have bigger radius for their operation. If there are more cities included in their plans then we got a really big problem."

"What could their plans be?"

"First thing that came to my mind is.. genocide. They might be planning a massive genocide at border cities. It could cause a huge chaos within the armies and it might directly leads to a war between China and Russia. If there are more cities included in their plans, there's a good possibility for a war."

"And what if you're wrong and if it's only Mohe?"

"Well, then it's same with a smaller success rate." answered Takahiro. "One of us should learn what's going on inside that factory and other should try to find where that truck went. We still don't know if it has something to do with that bunker so we should focus on what we got in our hands right now. But for now, let's meet and camp somewhere near to sawmill. No campfires."

"Roger."

As the conversation ends, Takahiro changed the line to report.

"It's Lieutenant Oikawa Takahiro, over."

"It's TC Operator of JGSA, Takemichi Shin, over."

Takahiro explained everything they found and his assumptions. He didn't forget to tell about the poem Gina found. After few minutes, report was over.

As it gets darker, Gina and Takahiro finally met, somewhere close to the sawmill. They sat down under a tree, both facing to opposite direction, but not towards to sawmill. It was hard to call it camping, but it was.

"Do you think they'll come back to the sawmill?" asked Gina.

"Did you really mean it or was it just a question to talk?"

"I just want to talk."

"Then I do think they'll come back to the sawmill." answered Takahiro. "They need those overalls at the factory. And if they come back it also means they didn't go too far away. We still gotta find that truck, though."

"And if they don't come back, it's the worst case scenario."

"Yes it is. Depends on how they come back here is gonna change our mission objectives greatly. Let's hope for the best possibility."

"Which is them coming back with the truck."

"Them coming back with the truck." repeated Takahiro. "I will take the first watch so you better sleep."

"How gentle you are."

"Just having trust issues."

"Forget what I said." said Gina with a laughing manner. "Then I trust you, Lieutenant." She turned around and tucked herself into her coat.

"And that's how kind you are."