Footprint Reconnaissance

Your intel suggested human targets in this sector, so I moved out to establish visual confirmation. Navigating through the dry brush, the terrain flattened into a hard-packed dirt pathway. Vibrations rippled through the soil before any silhouette appeared. I dropped into the shadow of a fallen oak limb, visor dialed for range. Massive tread patterns pressed deep into the loam—a pair of heavy rubber hiking boots followed by the revolving spin of a mountain bike tire. The cyclist propped the frame against a wooden fence post fifty feet ahead to inspect a water bottle. Keeping low beneath the pedal clearance, I sketched their stride depth and movement vectors into the dirt. Recon completed. No contact initiated.