Nick woke early in the day, giving Ava as much time to sleep as she could afford to get. In the meantime, he dressed quietly back in his combat gear -sans the restrictive but protective vest as well as his holsters- before moving to the kitchen. He wanted to ensure he got the food he would need for the day, and something that would be able to sate him before he moved on to MREs. Though he did not mind the rations, he knew that he would need something a bit more... natural in his diet to serve as a capstone for now. Who knew how long it would be before he would be given leave.<br/><br/>By the time Ava woke and came out for her own breakfast, Nick was busying himself with some equipment checks. There was no need for a rush, and thus it did not show. The sun was rising, which was something he would have wished to be in the field for, but his orders told him to wait until sunrise before he moved his unit out. Once Ava had her breakfast in front of her, Nick began to explain. "We're moving into the no man's land first. Sort of like a defensive line before the actual defensive line," Nick explained. "We'll all find ourselves some places to sit with good visibility and nest up. With how many people we have, it should be enough to form a good mile long line that the infected will have to maneuver through before actually reaching the front lines." Nick set his gear to the side, finished with his checks. "We're supposed to be there for a day or two, but I expect us to be there for three or four before the main force can properly move up. About every hundred yards is gonna be someone's nest up this tree or that. If actual sleep is desired from anyone, they'd have to work it out with those sharing line of sight with them."<br/><br/>Nick pulled something that looked like a mixture of an earbud and a collar out, setting it on the table for Ava to take. "Throat mics have been issued. So long as you make your throat do the proper movements for speech, it'll pick it up. No need to actually speak," Nick said, before standing himself. "I know you're now able to handle yourself, but I want you next to me, just in case a horde moves in on either of us." With that, Nick equipped everything he did not have equipped, and stated. "Whenever you are ready, we can go meet the rest of the unit."