"This sounds too easy," muttered Daniel, heaving a backpack onto his shoulder and grabbing his rifle by the centre. "Won't there be an interception if the intelligence is so important?" 

Perhaps, he thought, his irritability was brought on by the lack of sleep- even without rough conditions, his body seemed to stay back in the west, taking a toll no matter how much he slept. It was the first time since training back in 2003 that he felt tired. Instinctual wariness in this new environment kept him awake, though. 

In the desert, guns in heavy use tended to soak up heat, especially with the sun out. A desperate gunner on a truck could find himself stuck without a weapon because it would start glowing too much, like the eyes of the approaching fanatics trying to tear your friends apart. Daniel's gun was cold. Heavier, too, but that was probably just the suppressor.