Darkness was now full and total as the small team maneuvered across Freedom Bridge. The Reaper drone high overhead, callsign Nomad, had checked in twenty minutes ago, giving the all-clear. Not a single heat source on the other side of the border.

Peering into the inky orange-green overlay that was the opposing hillside through his hybrid thermal night optics, Custer re-affirmed Nomad's assessment of the far side of the bridge. Nothing there.

The team advanced forward into the trees on the far side of the bridge, melding into the woods soundlessly. Having worked in the Special Operations community for a majority of their adult lives, these men were seasoned professionals, requiring practically no communication in their concerted movements.

The objective was the industrial city of Kaesong, a mere 13 kilometers from where the men now knelt in the brush. This was a reconnaissance mission, a chance for world leaders to get eyes on the seemingly defunct land. A blustering, threatening North Korean government was something the world almost looked on as normal. The absolute silence was something completely different, and it spooked the rest of the world. Now, after 5 years, the new American president felt it necessary to send a probe in hopes of uncovering evidence as to what had happened to the Hermit Kingdom.

A few moments of crouching silently in the brush was all the team needed to establish a rhythm. There were no threats in the area, no signs pointing to a compromised position. Custer tapped his two-man, Tyr, and the signal was passed down the line; going kinetic.

Nomad checked in again as the team crested a hillock overlooking Kaesong: All clear in the city. No threats, no movement, no signs of life whatsoever.