"ASCENT"
by TB's LMC
Summary: While investigating the effect that a signal array is having on Earth, John and an old college friend undertake a rugged journey to find the truth. Unfortunately, things don't go as either man planned, and it's up to John to save his friend, himself…and possibly the entire planet.
Written For: A good friend who wishes to remain anonymous, and wanted to see a story involving John and mountain-climbing. (It kind of got out-of-hand from there.)
Acknowledgements: Thank you to Samantha Winchester for her excellent beta skills.
Author's Note: The titles of each part of the story are climbing-related terms, which I've defined for you at the tail end of each part. The definitions come largely from the Santiam Alpine Club's glossary of rock, ice and mountain climbing terms on their website at santiamalpineclub DOT org.
PROLOGUE: THE FALL*
John feels the tremor beneath his gloved hands half a second before the big one hits.
"Dev!" he cries at the top of his lungs, breath hanging in the frozen air surrounding them. "Mike!"
He hangs on to the two ice axes stuck into the frozen mass before him even as his double boots slip and slide, unable to find purchase as the mountain itself begins to shake.
Looking down to his left, he sees Dev hanging on for dear life to his own two ice axes, the boots with spikes built into the soles, which he insisted on using, keeping his feet a lot more steady than what John's wearing – boots with detachable spikes. Dammit. Then John looks down to his right, even as Denali tries to throw him from her rugged sides.
All he can do is watch Mike fall to his death. John squeezes his eyes shut and clings to what little he's got to keep him from following the experienced climb guide.
Pieces of ice crack and break away.
Several boulders roll down, one glancing off his right shoulder blade.
It's not the shaking that throws Dev off his perch below. It's the sudden wind that blasts into them like a brick wall just as the earthquake fades away, shoving John's cheek into a jut of rock even as Dev yells his name.
"No!" John yelps, breathless and in pain as he tries to crane his neck down and around to find his friend.
But he sees nothing. Visibility has dropped to zero in a heartbeat, and John's hanging on the side of a mountain called Denali in the state of Alaska, five thousand meters above sea level, in a raging snowstorm, alone.
He knows full well how he got here. He's just not sure how he's going to get out.
*Fall: To lose involuntarily one's position. (Well, I'm sure that was a no-brainer.)