"Echo 3-1 to base?" Alex spoke into his radio.

He kept his head and feet on a swivel as he walked through the wooded area. There were soft, nearly quiet, pitter patters in the bushes and brambles around him. It was dark, too early in the morning for anyone to be awake. The best time for the small mission he was sent on.

Residents of the nearby town had been reporting a hybrid thief. Any unlucky home that had been left unlocked was robbed. Blankets, food, drinks. Essentials, really, that someone would need for a camping trip or a new home. If it really was a hybrid, Alex wondered if the poor thing even knew what half the items were for. Really, what use did a hybrid have for a toaster and coffee maker in the woods?

"Base to Echo. Go ahead."

Alex held the radio on his shoulder, his eyes trained on the trees around him as the feet kept following, "I have reason to believe that our target is following me. I'm gonna move to collect and interrogate. What's the ETA on backup?"

"Fifteen mikes." Base reported, "Collect the target and transport to Bravo."

Of course, he would have to go all the way to Bravo camp. Alex was closer to Alpha, but then again, Bravo would have medical. "A-firm. Echo out." Alex walked backwards, catching glimpses of whatever was following. "Come on out, I'm not gonna hurt you."