Marcus returned her smile and nodded, it was a little hesitant but that was due to his attention being split between her and the prevailing dank night that closed around them; no matter how futile an effort it was for his eyes to pick through the shadows.  He raised his hand to the small microphone that hovered close to his face and adjusted it so that it sat a little closer to them; it was almost the intention that the closer the mike was, the closer he felt her presence and the more comfort he derived from it.  “Don’t worry about me, I wont stray far behind, you can count on that.” he flashed her a lopsided grin in the darkness.  As soon as Kristie moved off, he trailed her like a shadow, his eyes flicking left and right as they crossed to the wall; he rested his hand against it and tried to calm the nervous twitch in his breathing pattern.<br/><br/>Marcus nodded and whispered against his own mike; “Copy that.”.   Crouched over, he started across the tarmac, his feet sloshing in puddles as he tried his best to keep from being seen, he had no idea how keen their eyesight was during the night, was it better than his? …worse?  Did it even matter, as sound and scent carried in the air whatever the time of day.  Being out in the open again bought a chill to him that he tried to pass off as being merely the cold clammy touch of sodden clothes as they pressed slickly against his body, but he knew it ran deeper than that …slowly the weight of his decision was creeping through his bones and festering within him.<em> Dammit old man …what the hell are you playing at..</em>his mind berated him at playing at being soldiers and for his foolish bravado.  There was a moments flicker when he wished that he had said nothing when he had been asked and slunk back into the confines and relative security of the store …but; along with that thought came a certain disquiet if he had of done so.  His cowardice before him had done nothing to quieten the shades and the nightmares and no matter how far he ran, that was the one thing that kept pace.<br/><br/>Marcus crossed the open space of the car park as quickly and sure footedly as he could, all the while his gaze trying to pierce through the ink of storm fed darkness that created an unnatural mire before his eyes,  his shotgun cradled in his arms with his finger poised against the trigger guard.  He lacked the acuity or the technology to see much further into the shadowy mire and entrusted the deeper vigil of his surroundings to Kristie and the green glow of her night vision.  As he closed against the car he turned and pressed his back against the wing as he squatted on his haunches; alternating between glancing across the hood to the hospital and back the way he had come.  Looking back he tried to see what Kristie was doing, but other that the shifting shadow of her form, nothing else was clear to him; a part of him was filed with curiosity as to exactly what Kristie had set in motion, but he had his suspicions as to what her endeavours were  toiling towards.<br/><br/>He was jolted from his thoughts as she approached him through the darkness, her poise and movement reeked of far more professionalism than his clumsy crossing towards the cover afforded by the stranded cars. He nodded softly as the sound of her voice whispered through the headset; “I’m ready, as ready as I am ever going to be”  Marcus pushed upwards with his legs as he slid into an upright position against the side of the car and he turned to take in the view of the hospital, down here on the ground it looked even more imposing and filled with threat, the exact nature of which they were close to discovering; He lifted his shotgun into what he hoped was a more professional position though likely more to inspire readiness and confidence within himself as to instil the same in his comrade.