Author's Note: This is what I wish could have happened in "Avalanche." I did do some research on hypothermia, so hopefully this will ring true. Reviews are appreciated! Special thanks to Musicnotes093 for her feedback and general awesomeness. :)

Last Words

By 88Keys

9/29/13

Chase Davenport did not realize that it was possible for anything in the world to be as loud as an avalanche.

It starts as a few pops and cracks, which his bionic hearing picks up while the sounds are still barely audible. A prickle of fear runs up his spine before he can even begin to comprehend why. Within seconds, the pops and cracks have magnified into the sound of a thousand freight trains rushing by at once. A tidal wave of snow and ice rises up behind him. He can only watch and cry out in fear before the wave descends on him, rolling and tossing him around like a rag doll in a washing machine.

Somehow, he manages to throw up a force field around himself just before the avalanche hits. He is thrashed about for what feels like hours. Finally, he comes to rest under a massive layer of snow. The force field has kept the snow from completely crushing him, and he is left lying face-up in a small pocket of air. It is totally dark and completely still. Like being trapped in a very small cave.

Or a very cold coffin.

His advanced mind spends the first hour doing mathematical calculations. Based on the dimensions of this space, I can calculate the air volume in cubic feet. Minus the volume of space that is occupied by my body, that leaves me with…not a lot of air. How many breaths per minute should I take?

I wonder how cold it is outside. How fast will my body temperature drop? Mr. Davenport's suit should withstand up to 45 below. How long does it take for a human being to freeze to death? And how long will it take Adam and Bree to get here? If they can even make it. What if the storm is too intense for them to get through?

Or what if they don't want to come for me?

No, that's crazy. We're a team. We never leave each other behind.

Even though I kind of left them behind this time.

Six feet long by three feet wide by two feet deep….25 breaths per minute…8,000 miles…45 degrees below zero…

He spends the next hour shivering. The pain starts in his neck and shoulders. They tense up, as if in anticipation of what is to come. Soon he is shaking all over from cold. It is uncontrollable, intense and eventually painful. Muscles contract over and over again, making his body ache from head to toe. His teeth hurt from chattering non-stop. He tries to move around, to warm himself up and to stretch his tense muscles a bit, but there just isn't enough room in this snow cave.

Snow coffin, his brain corrects. At least the cold will preserve your body until they can find you and give you a proper burial.

If they ever find you.

Maybe this will be your grave.

Chase reaches up to scrape at the snow above him, trying to dig his way out. He needs to get out of here. Now. But the snow is tightly packed and frozen solid. It might as well be concrete. Still he keeps trying to break through. Gentle scraping gives way to frantic clawing at the ice in a panicked frenzy. This burst of activity increases the rate of his breathing. His brain knows that this is not good, that he is wasting precious oxygen, but his body will not stop thrashing around and clawing at the ice. Panic has taken over, and panic is the most dangerous enemy in any life or death situation.

Chase forces his hands down and turns himself over onto his stomach, lying on top of his arms and using his body to hold them down. Stop it. Calm down. Breathe. He tells himself this over and over, until his breathing slows, his heart rate returns to normal, and his hands are able to stay put.

He stretches his arms up over his head and lies his head down on them, suddenly exhausted. A painful lump rises in his throat. A few tears trickle out, freezing almost instantly on his cheeks. He swallows the rest of them back, not wanting a sheet of ice down his face.

You're supposed to be smart. How could you be stupid enough to come here alone?

They'll come for me. They'll find me.

I hope they come soon.

Even through his shivering, he feels something metal poking him in the side. He wiggles his shaking hand down inside his coat and pulls out the small voice recorder that he carries with him on all missions.

He stares at it for a moment, then clicks the "record" button and begins speaking words that may never be heard by anybody but himself.

"Chase Mission Log. I was trapped by a massive avalanche nearly two hours ago. I have no idea where I am, and no contact with the outside world. I'm very cold, and getting hungry. I've been calculating the area of this space in an attempt to figure out how much breathable air I have left. I'm estimating four hours at the absolute most."

It is brief and basic and factual, as a mission log should be. He clicks off the recorder because he can think of nothing else to say.

Hour three is just like hour two, only colder.

Chase pulls out the voice recorder again, because even failed missions must be recorded. His fingers are so numb that he can barely push the "record" button.

"Chase Mission Log. Hour three. These may be my last recorded words…I am still trapped under a massive layer of snow and ice. The air is getting thinner…I am still cold. I am still hungry… And these snow pants are giving me an extreme wedgie."

He is shocked at how weak and shaky his voice sounds. His sentences are punctuated by breathy hesitations, and it is hard to get the words out through the chattering of his teeth, but he tries again.

"If these are going to be my last recorded words, I guess they should be more meaningful than that. So…here goes…"

He speaks for a long time. He mentions every member of his family, putting inhibitions aside and letting the words flow. The thought that, most likely, no one will ever hear his words helps him to say the things he would probably never be able to say otherwise.

By the time he is done, his throat is sore and hoarse, and he is completely out of breath. Chase switches off the recorder and lets his head fall onto his arms again, suddenly exhausted. He feels warmer now than he did before. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows this is a bad thing, a sign of worsening hypothermia, but he's too tired to care. He is so tired…his eyelids are getting heavy…maybe he can rest for a bit until Adam and Bree show up.

He hears the wind howling above him, and he is so cold…in front of him, he sees Adam and Bree standing next to one of Mr. Davenport's transport vehicles. It is lighted up, and he knows that warmth and shelter are inside. Adam and Bree are motioning to him, beckoning him closer. He tries to get up on his hands and knees…safety is so close, all he needs to do is crawl fifty feet or so…but his frozen body refuses to move. He tries to pull himself forward with his arms, but nothing happens. Adam and Bree are still waving him forward, but they do not come over to help him.

"Adam…Bree…help me…"

They look down at him, annoyed, and shake their heads. Both turn and enter the transport, leaving him behind in the wind and snow.

"NO! Help me!" He is screaming, but the fierce wind takes his words and throws them away…no one can hear him…he can't even hear himself.

Chase jerks his head up. He is awake and he knows this, but can't remember the dream he just had. It is pitch black and cold, and he knows he is still under the snow. He has lost all track of time, and digging out his watch requires energy that he no longer has.

His family has not come for him.

He is warmer than he has been in a long time. Almost too warm. So warm that he wants to remove his jacket. He rolls over onto his back and tugs at the zipper, but his fingers have been without warmth for so long that they are now useless. He shuffles, grabs at the cuffs of his sleeves, tries to push them up, but they are long and will barely move. His limbs feel like clubs, clumsy and stupid. His brain is wrapped in a fog, and all he can think about is that he needs his jacket to be off right now. He struggles with the sleeves some more, then tries the zipper again, but he simply cannot do it. He nearly cries from frustration. Why can't he get his coat off?

The struggle has exhausted him again. His head falls back and his eyes close once more.

Mr. Davenport is at his cyber desk. He's directing a mission. A holographic display of the icy mountains of Antarctica is in front of him.

"Have you found him yet?"

"No. Nothing." He recognizes Adam and Bree's voices coming through the Comm-Link system.

"Then let's pack it up and go home. I guess he's gone for good. He shouldn't have gone out by himself, anyway."

"No," Chase tries to tell him. "I'm right here." He can see the lab, and he knows that it is warm and dry and safe. There even seems to be a fire roaring in a fireplace that he doesn't remember the lab having before. He can see all this, but he is just outside of it, still cold, still freezing. Chase tries to move forward, but no matter how hard he tries, he is still just outside the lab. He can see the fire, glowing like a beacon, but he cannot feel its warmth. He can hear Mr. Davenport talking, but Mr. Davenport doesn't seem to be able to hear him.

Adam and Bree come in then, dressed in their mission suits. They climb into their capsules. His stands empty, but it is so close. Chase pushes as hard as he can, trying to move towards it…he can almost touch the capsule, but he can't reach it. A foot away, or a mile away…it doesn't seem to make any difference.

"Adam! Bree!"

He is screaming, but they either do not hear him or choose to ignore him.

Either way, he is still outside. He pounds the frozen ground in frustration.

"Let me in!...Please, let me in….let me in….let me in…"

END CHAPTER 1

Thanks for reading! Conclusion should be posted in the next day or two.