The path, if you could call it that, had been treacherous at roughly four feet across. Now it had dwindled to about half that size. Gordon could see that Fuse was having a more difficult time traversing the space with boots that could block the entire path if he stood facing forward. As it was, he was sidestepping through the thinner layers of snow and rock.
Gordon's heart stopped as one of those boots hit a spot of ice and slid. Fuse caught himself after a not-too-smooth flail of arms and hands grasping at the rock wall.
"Please be careful." Because you'll be taking me with you if you fall.
"Shut it." The ferocity wasn't as thick as it had been on the ship. That could be a contribution of the icy wind that was buffeting them sporadically.
The aquanaut grinned inwardly at the situation as he kept close behind his lumbering captor. The wind was coming from the path in front of them, which meant Fuse was taking the brunt of it, while Gordon stayed relatively unfazed.
The hike continued a ways farther before coming to an abrupt halt. Peering around Fuse, Gordon could see the wall had finally come to a point, cutting off their path like a jagged fence. They now had three choices. They could turn back and try finding another path, start free-climbing down and over until they found another way, or climb over the wall in front of them and hope there was a path on the other side. Gordon knew which choice he would go for, preferably involving a stop back at the ship to activate a distress beacon. Fuse was having none of that though.
"Looks like we'll be climbin' from here." He was running his hand over the face of the wall, apparently trying to judge the best way to do this.
"You're not even sure what's on the other side of that." Self-preservation was high on his list of priorities at the moment, and again, the idea of Fuse falling with him in tow down the mountain was playing at the forefront of his mind.
"No, I don't." He stopped inspecting the wall and turned to glare at Gordon. "I'll be sendin' you up to see what's what."
"What I meant to say was, wouldn't it be better to head back and find another, safer way down?" At least he was trying to be convincing.
"Nope, up and over fish-boy." Fuse had a hold of his upper arm and was dragging him closer. "And take this with you." He produced a small, cylindrical device, attaching it to the side of Gordon's helmet. "It'll give me a view of what you see."
There wasn't enough space to cross in front of the larger man, which was a rather large problem. This was remedied as Fuse crouched, to his best ability, motioning Gordon to literally climb over him. "You try anything and I'll throw you off this cliff myself."
Gordon resisted the urge to tell him how pointless that would be, seeing as they were still tethered together. Instead, he anchored his foot onto Fuse's knee, using his hands to grab hold of his shoulder. Carefully, he pulled himself up and onto a pair of solid shoulders, using the wall to steady himself.
"Get a move on." Fuse's teeth were clenched as he attempted to hold the aquanaut up while still keeping his balance on the thin ledge.
He did as instructed, finding hand-holds in the surface that he was reasonably sure would hold his weight. The rock face was studded with divots, which made for an easier climb than he expected. Now, with feet clear from the unstable human behind him, he carefully began his ascent. He glanced back down to see Fuse holding the line between both hands. He appeared to be increasing its length as Gordon went higher. That was good news if they came to a drop off where he could be lowered all the way down. There was no reason for both of them to be clinging the side of a cliff.
Gordon made it to the top of the wall and pulled himself up to get a good view of the other side. The device on his helmet beeped an indication that the images were being fed to its owner at the bottom. There was no lying about the path that continued on the other side.
"Fantastic." Fuse's gratification was well noted as Gordon climbed his way over the top of the wall. He looked down to see his captor already starting to climb.
"I'll start climbing down to provide a counter weight." He understood that communication was important when dealing with such dangerous conditions. He just wished it wasn't with someone who had forced him into the situation. Steadily, he descended until the cable was taut, slowing his speed to meet Fuse's climb. This was the first moment of being out of sight since he woke up from the crash. With one swift movement, he tapped the IR on his belt. It remained inactive. You've got to be kidding… He figured they were far enough away from the ship to get out of whatever was interfering with his comm. He'd keep trying, but the desperate need to contact his brothers was almost overwhelming.
His foot grazed the edge of the new path as Fuse's hand grabbed hold of the top of the wall. He needed to find a way to anchor himself once the larger man started coming down. He found a solid-looking rock jutting from the cliff a few feet away. Both feet found purchase just as a yelp sounded from above.
Gordon didn't bother looking. The slack in the cable was enough to tell him what had happened. Two quick steps and he was at the rock, looping the cable over it. A split second later, he was jammed against the cliff, pain shooting through his ribs as his restraints took the brunt of Fuse's fall. Thankfully, the rock held.
There was a whoop of adrenaline-fueled relief from the end of the swinging cable.
"That was some fast thinkin', fish-boy!" The shout echoed up to him.
Gritting his teeth through the pressure on his ribs, he drew in a breath, "Just- get up here!"
The ache pulsed as Fuse pulled himself up the cord, finally releasing as he found a point on the cliff he could grab hold of. Gordon took in a shuddering breath as he stepped back, letting the cable glide across the back of the rock in a makeshift pulley system.
A gloved hand reached over the edge of the path, followed by Fuse who was grinning like a madman surprised to be alive. Now on his feet, he pulled the cable from the rock and activated the mechanism to withdraw it back into his suit.
Gordon took the moment to sit, awkwardly, on the new ledge and just breathe. Each breath sent sharp needles into his ribs. He was sure they weren't broken, but they would be sore for a while. Not the best condition to be in with more climbing in his near future.
Fuse seemed to be letting him collect himself, but only for a moment before he was hauled up and turned to lead down the new trail. The wind was terrible as it bit through the thick material of his uniform. He tried not to imagine being stuck out here without the high tech gear he wore. Frostbite would have already set in and claimed his appendages.
The path was widening as they went and the cliff had begun to level into a steep slope. Gordon wrapped his arms around his chest, and restraint, trying to keep himself warm and loosen the muscles in his chest. He noticed the sun was on its way down behind the mountain. It was still only mid-afternoon, but the rays had been helpful in navigating. He wondered if Fuse planned on finding shelter soon.
He gave himself a moment to let his mind wander to his brothers. None of them had trained for a situation like this. It was always how do we save people from things, events, crises that were out of most of their control. They had even trained to deal with saving themselves from disasters of nature. Hostage situations were left to the local authorities or the GDF. Kayo could probably handle this and he found himself hoping she was front and center trying to find him.
He quickly gave up his thoughts as his foot snagged and he barely caught himself. Heart hammering in his chest, he focused on the path.
There was a bark of laughter from behind, "Now who needs to be careful!"
He could play this game. "Well if your giant head wasn't blocking out the light!"
Was that a laugh? He couldn't tell, but it appeared his comment had spurred an idea from Fuse.
"We'll be findin' camp soon." He halted Gordon with a grip on his shoulder, moving past him. "I'll be takin' the lead."
Gordon wasn't sure why Fuse had switched places, not that he was complaining, until the beam of light illuminated the trail before them.
"You couldn't have done that ten minutes ago?" He couldn't keep the snark out of his tone.
"Could have. Didn't feel like it." Gordon could hear the smirk of satisfaction.
It was surprising how quickly they lost the sun the farther they went. Fuse's light was the only thing keeping them from falling to their death. Worse, they still hadn't found a good place to set up a shelter out of the dangerously low temperatures and freezing wind. Or that's what he thought, since his captor had yet to indicate what he was looking for in the bleak darkness.
Gordon let the slow crawl down the mountain go for another fifteen minutes. "Please t-tell me you have a p-plan." He had started shivering a while ago.
"What? Can't take a little cold weather?" Fuse was trying his best to hide the tremor, but Gordon could tell the temperature was getting to him. "We'll get there when we get there."
Above them, there was a sound of small rocks tumbling down. His stomach dropped at the potential danger that accompanied those sounds. He tried not to breathe, listening past the wind and their footsteps. A tense minute passed without further noises from the cliffs above and he let out the breath he was holding.
"Hold up here." Fuse was messing with a readout on his arm. Once satisfied, he started lengthening the cable between them.
"What are y-you d-doing?" Gordon bounced from foot to foot, trying to keep hypothermia at bay.
"Preparing." He sounded giddy. "Come on. This should be interestin'"
Gordon followed, hesitantly. They walked down the path a short ways before Fuse stopped and motioned him to step closer. When he made it to the larger man's side, he nearly jumped back, away from the dark void in front of him. Fuse was aiming the light down the walls of a crevasse, illuminating the other side. It looked to be about twenty, maybe twenty-five feet across. There was no way they could cross without climbing down and back up again.
"Ready to jump across?" Fuse sounded serious.
"Jump? We can't m-make that. It's t-too far!"
"Not we, you." Fuse turned his back to the crevasse edge and knelt to one knee, bracing against the rock and snow. "I figure, you get enough speed, I'll provide the lift and you go sailin' to the other side. Easy!"
"So n-not!" The tremor was growing from more than just the cold. "For one, I'm n-not going to be able to s-see the other side."
"Relax, I've got that covered. You just worry about gettin' a good running start." He gave the cable a yank to pull Gordon from the anxiety blossoming in his chest.
"I really, r-really don't like y-you." He ignored the laugh, walking back up the path they had already taken until there wasn't enough light from Fuse's position. Hopefully, it would be enough. "Ready?"
"Go!"
Pebbles kicked up as he pushed forward, sprinting towards the source of light. He could barely see the hands that were cupped, waiting for his foot to connect. Arms pumped in rhythm with his heart, forcing himself to go faster. He was there; foot connecting with the hands, leg tightening as straining arms pushed him up, over the dark expanse. For a moment, he couldn't see anything. Then there was light, illuminating the other side. He just made it across; rolling into the landing. He lay on the cold ground, panting from the exertion and stress, not to mention the new bruises to his leg and shoulder, and the ache in his chest.
"Ha! That actually worked?" Fuse celebrated while Gordon pushed himself up.
"Are you insane?" Yes, obviously… He took in a steadying breath. "H-how do you p-plan on crossing?"
"Find a place to secure the line, then hold on tight." The light stayed on his side of the crevasse, illuminating haphazard boulders that littered the path.
Gordon found a rather large, secure-looking rock to loop the cable around. Not wanting a repeat of earlier, he made sure the line itself would take the brunt of whatever Fuse had planned. "All set!"
The light left, brightening the ground around Fuse's feet. He couldn't quite make out what he was doing, but a moment later, he was climbing hand over hand, across the now stationary cable. The tension on the line stayed as Gordon dug in, feeling the cord give just a little at the larger man's weight. He was in complete darkness when he tapped the IR icon again. Nothing. If it weren't for the dire situation, he would be questioning how far the ship's reach was or if there was something else blocking the signal. He didn't have much time to dell on this as Fuse pulled himself up onto his side of the crevasse, the light returning to fill their surroundings.
Gordon noticed the cable wasn't connected to him, obviously how he was able to attach it to the other side and climb across. Fuse activated a panel on his arm and the cord loosened, plunging into the darkness as it began withdrawing. Gordon untangled himself from around the rock as his captor picked up the end of the cable and reattached it in one smooth motion.
"Not much farther, now." Fuse was walking again, dragging Gordon with him.
He hadn't been exaggerating. They stopped after another five minutes at an abandoned looking campsite. The tent was a bit ragged in spots from lack of upkeep. This had to be an old rest site for mountain climbers who had actually paid to be up here.
"How d-did you know this was h-here?" He couldn't hide the feeling of admiration. This meant they were done walking, and even more, they wouldn't be spending the night sleeping out in the open air.
"Old trail maps." Fuse tapped his screen, grin plastered on his face. "Inside."
Gordon didn't argue, crouching through the tent opening and finding a spot at the back to sit and rub the cold out of his aching limbs. The inside of the tent was bare, having been cleared out years ago. The larger man stepped in, taking up almost half the space with his bulk and the armor. He threw the pack on the ground before zipping the opening shut.
Gordon watched him sift through the pack, taking out a small package, closing the bag behind it. The familiar crinkle of the food wrapper told him what it was. He curled into himself a little tighter, realising for the first time that he hadn't eaten since breakfast.
"Here." Something solid thwacked into the side of his helmet. He hesitantly picked it up, looking over the wrapper suspiciously. "Don't need you passin' out tomorrow, now do we."
Gordon pulled off his helmet, feeling the immense cold of the mountain. They may be out of the wind, but the temperatures were still dangerously low. Quickly, he devoured the meal bar and slipped his helmet back in place. He noticed Fuse had done the same with two of the bars. He had an all-weather bottle as well. Water? After gulping down a good portion of it, he held it out.
"You're being awfully hospitable." He took the container, taking a few sips and shoving the helmet back on again.
Fuse put the half empty container back in the pack. "Not somethin' to be gettin' used to. As I said, I don't need you passin' out from dehydration. Who knows if I'll be needin' to throw you over another ravene."
"Great." Back to dry snarkiness. "Glad to be of use."
"Ah don't worry, Fish-boy." He laughed. "I honestly thought you'd be a thorn in my side the whole way."
"Really? You're like, twice my size. You could have just dragged me with you." He let his chin rest on his knee, giving Fuse a skeptical look.
"True." The threat was understood. "But the sooner we're off this rock, the sooner I get Havoc back and you can go on your way."
One brow raised as Gordon gave Fuse a surprised look. "You're still convinced this will work?"
"Of course." He was making himself comfortable on the floor of the tent, placing the pack behind his head. "Your brothers will do what needs doin' in the end. It's what families do."
Gordon frowned, "That's right. Kayo mentioned you two were brother and sister? "
Fuse gave a grunt of annoyance. "Not sure how she figured that one out."
The aquanaut grinned, proud to see how much his sister's and Lady Penelope's work was affecting his captor. They grew quiet, listening to the wind whip against the tent walls. After a long moment, Gordon found himself starting to drift. Try as he might, keeping an eye on the larger man was proving to be difficult. Finally, he let himself relax enough, sitting in the back of their shelter. He was fast asleep within a minute.
