FADE . DUSK. Mountain top. NEWKIRK hurriedly wades through the snow, hugging the tree line. He scans the surface of the snow, trying to force down panic. He spots movement under the surface. NEWKIRK runs, tripping over himself to get to DERYN's partially exposed form. He begins to dig her out. She groans.

NEWKIRK (almost crying with relief)

Dylan! You're alive!

DERYN(groggily sitting up)

Wha- what happened?

NEWKIRK(pulling her all the way out)

Blisters, Sharp, there was an avalanche! You and Alek got caught

in it!

DERYN (looking around at her surroundings)

Oh… an avalanche… Alek! (snapping her gaze back to NEWKIRK

and grabbing his coat) Where is he?! Is he alright!?

NEWKIRK drops his gaze and looks across the desolated landscape.

NEWKIRK

I didn't find him yet… and I was looking for you for hours, with

no trace. I'm sorry Dylan, but I don't think he…

DERYN (the shock in her eyes giving away to pure panic)

No, no, no, don't- he's not, not…

DERYN scrambles to her feet and stumbles out into the snow, pushing the snow apart in front of her, in a half attempt to get below the surface, and find ALEK. NEWKIRK stand off to the side watching her sadly. Dusk slowly turns into night, and DERYN finally collapses out of exhaustion. NEWKIRK approaches her, and hears muffled sobs.

NEWKIRK (clears his throat awkwardly)

Dylan, we should get away from here. The Austrians could still

be here.

DERYN

Leave me alone.

NEWKIRK

Sharp, what are you blethering about? I'm not leaving you here.

DERYN (looks up)

It was my fault. I –I … (her voice breaks and she stops talking)

NEWKIRK

That's a load of yackum! This was not your doing.

DERYN

I shouted. It was me who caused the avalanche. I wasn't there

to protect him.

NEWKIRK

The gun fired at the same time, if you were with him, you would've

died too! Dylan, why can't you see that there was nothing you could

have done to save Alek?!

DERYN's face crumples and she buries it back in her arms with a whimper.

NEWKIRK

Common, we still have a mission to accomplish.

DERYN

It's been compromised. Alek had both eggs with him.

A soft animal sound came from five feet from where DERYN was sitting. NEWKIRK walks over to investigate. He finds BOVRIL huddled in the snow. DERYN joins him and gasps when she sees the creature. BOVRIL looks up at DERYN and weakly reaches out its paws towards her. She cautiously takes BOVRIL and notices that he's bleeding.

DERYN

The bullet must have hit Bovril.

She looks at NEWKIRK, a little bit of hope leaking into her expression.

NEWKIRK

It's too much to hope for, Sharp. He's probably gone by now.

DERYN looks away and carries BOVRIL back up the mountain. NEWKIRK runs after her.

NEWKIRK

Wait! Where are you going?

DERYN

Following that soldier.

NEWKIRK (nervous laugh)

That's suicide.

DERYN ignores him and continues to hike up the mountain. NEWKIRK hesitates, takes one last glance at the surrounding damage, and reluctantly follows DERYN up the mountain. FADE OUT .