Europe.
Northern Finland.
The Agnes Mountain Range.
Due to its higher latitude, even further north than Iceland, it already lies within the Arctic Circle. Just thirty kilometers further north is the Arctic Ocean. Winter had passed, and temperatures were rising, often reaching the teens in normal areas.
But at night,
they could still drop back near zero degrees.
Early morning.
Babbling water flowed down from the distant snow-capped peaks.
Gathering into a stream.
The temperature near the stream was also lowered by a few degrees by the icy water. Here the water was crystal clear, and occasionally fish could be seen swimming. By a rapidly flowing stream, about a dozen people were packing up tents.
There were men and women.
One group was dressed in uniforms resembling those of security guards, all males, numbering over twenty, all armed with only pistols.
