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 .
