She nodded as he explained that the experimental unit was likely to be positioned on the front lines. It was the best place for them, she thought. With their enhanced and accelerated healing capabilities they would be resistant to infection and resilient when wounded. Regardless of their abilities being well suited for war, she did not envy them. No, Ava was merely curious to know how they fared in their transition, if they experienced some of the same malfunctions or perhaps manifested others that she was unaware of. By the time they reached the hanger, she was able to lay her curiosity to rest. Upon entering they were greeted by some familiar faces, no names that she could recall but in a base operations so vast, currently home to several other battalions, it was nice to at least recognize people for a change. As usual, she hung by while the commander interacted with the members of Spider, not at all suspecting that the accomplished soldiers would approach her. She was so used to being given limited acknowledgement, consigned to being the shadow on the heels of their commanding officer, or simply ignored all together. Being of lower rank, there was usually little need to address her and by now she had come to terms with that.<br/><br/>Ava shook the hands that had been extended to her, graciously thanking the soldiers for their congratulatory wishes and pats on the back. It felt nice to be recognized, especially when it was for something that she was proud of and not for the glaring mistakes she had made in the past. Really, when she thought about it, Spider hadn’t really seen her perform<i>well</i>. Their first memory of her was likely from the Baskerville mission, when she was crying and in the throes of a full blown panic attack in the field. The second, though indirectly, was the mission in Alder Rush. Needless to say, Ava was determined to be an asset rather than a liability . . . or, at worse, a casualty. So, she listened carefully as the commander laid out the map and gave them instruction. She studied it closely, noting the important locations as he indicated to them.<br/><br/>A tiny bit of worry did fill her. The infected were civilians exposed to the parasites, by bite or other communicable bodily excretions. In all her practice, and even her newfound violent streak, she had never<i>actually</i>killed anyone. Though the effects of the infection were irreversible, she didn’t know if she would have the guts to pull the trigger if she needed to. Ava kept her concerns to herself as the commander allowed the troops to ready themselves. She did the same, donning the ghillie suit that had been provided for her. She attached the throat mic to herself, popping the bud in her ear. She didn’t activate the device just yet, and waited until the rest of the unit was ready to move out to do so. Just as he suggested, Ava stayed close to him as they made their way off base and into the dense woods that surrounded the area.<br/><br/>The further away from the base they went, the quieter it got, which Ava found odd for an environment like the one they traveled through. She could only assume that the parasites, and even the infected, had chased away or devoured what wildlife would normally call the area home. As she lifted her bright green eyes to the trees, saw no birds or squirrels. She didn’t even hear the caw of vultures that usually flocked to regions such as this when abundant with carcasses. Fortunately, the eerie silence of their surroundings would work to their advantage, ensuring that they would hear potential threats long before they arrived.