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“Yeah, thanks for that,” Matt said dryly.

“He wants us tested, which means throwing us into the unknown without time to prepare. The guy doesn’t do anything without a reason,” Nick said.

“Yeah, but we usually have a good idea where we’re being dropped off and what’s ahead,” Matt replied.

Aidan’s voice came back, quiet and thoughtful. “That’s my job.”

From the silence, Sean guessed the rest of the team wasn’t sure what Aidan meant, but Sean did. With Aidan being the newest member of the team and their intelligence specialist, Sean could see the logic General Winter was working with. He needed to be sure Aidan was not only good at gathering and working with information, even under unknown and stressful circumstances, but also that they could all work together with whatever Aidan gathered.

Sean wracked his brain, trying to decide what General Winter might throw at them. In his mind, they were either going into something familiar for them all, to see if they could still function in a desert climate, or something altogether different. Sean couldn’t see the point of something different other than to see if under chaos and the unknown, they could work together.

Matt’s wry voice came over the comms again. “Alright, any idea of where we’re headed?”

“Several,” Aidan replied, voice distant.

“That’s not very helpful.”

“Speculating won’t do us much good while we’re sitting blind in a helicopter,” Aidan said.

Sean's attention was drawn to Aidan's quiet, almost distant voice. The man was normally sharp and on point, but he seemedlost in thought. An idea occurred to him immediately, and he cleared his throat.

“Matt? Shut up,” Sean grunted.

For all his attitude and occasional need to fight Sean, Matt did as he was told. Aidan fell silent immediately, and Sean would swear he could feel the man thinking. Sean couldn’t help but feel a little curious about what Aidan was up to, but he knew better than to press him. The man was a right pain, but Sean suspected he was far more capable than Sean had given him credit for.

The pilot’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Alright, boys. You can unbuckle yourselves and prepare to get off.”

“Can we take these stupid things off?” Nick demanded.

“You aren’t seeing shit until you open that door, so be my guest.”

“Then what the hell was the point of them?” Nick asked.

“General’s orders.”

Sean didn’t bother arguing, reaching up to unsnap the helmet and pulling it off. As the helicopter's interior came into view, he saw the rest of his team doing the same. Aidan ran a hand over his closely cropped hair and set the helmet aside with far more care than most of the team.

“It’s not the desert,” Aidan said, just loud enough for Sean to hear.

“What is it?” Sean asked.

Aidan shook his head, pointing at the helmets. No doubt, the intercom system was still active, and with a jolt of realization, Sean understood that their comms might be listened to by more than just the pilot. He didn’t see the point in hiding it from General Winter if the man was listening, but it was interesting to see Aidan’s distrust of authority aimed at more than him.

The pilot called back to them. “Alright, this is your stop.”

They lurched toward the huge, sliding door. Taking point, Sean reached out, wrenching the handle down and pushing.The door slid open with a roar, and the warm interior of the helicopter was filled with a bitter blast of frozen wind.

“Holy shit,” Matt muttered, taking a step back.

Sean looked down, seeing the snow below billowing in a thick cloud as the helicopter blades blew it in every direction. The vehicle was hovering several feet above the ground.

“We’re supposed to jump?” Ricardo called from behind them.

Aidan frowned, leaning out. “Looks soft enough.”

“Jesus Christ,” Matt muttered.

Aidan looked at Sean, shrugging. “Your call.”