Mountain rescues ranked high on Scott's list of favorites, right next to anything that allowed him to reach top speeds in his 'bird. The people were typically easy enough to locate when their only choice was down and the reason they had called was because down was a deadly option. He also revelled in the climb. The face of a cliff to him was like a painting to Virgil - it was beautiful and contained intricate details that he longed to find and explore.
Sharing the experience with a brother could swing either way. A few enjoyed the endeavour, while others would argue there had to be a quicker way. Sometimes there was, but that didn't necessarily mean safer, so they were forced to take the time and scale a mountain.
Gordon was his lucky partner on this particular trip up a snowy ridge, a blizzard imminent and a group camping on the summit. Radio contact had been lost and the group couldn't be warned. Scott hoped the increase in wind and snow had at least alerted them to secure themselves until help arrived.
"Coming up on the next path," the commander called over the comms, receiving an FAB from the other end. He was content to hear the reassuring strength behind the younger man's voice, knowing how much these endeavors could take out of a person. Even a month out from his return after the much needed physical therapy, Gordon was showing how well he could bounce back. It was enough to put a smile on the eldest's face as he continued, "Shouldn't be much -"
Out of the grey, snowy sky, a gust of icy wind cut across their path and Scott was forced to drop to the narrow ledge's surface. A cry from behind and he turned just in time to see a blur of blue and yellow get swept over the edge.
Reflex took over immediately, the grapple in hand before his mind could process what he was doing. Scott could still just make out the form of his brother as he fired and the ridiculous thought that this was going to hurt flitted through his mind in the seconds of waiting.
He couldn't see Gordon anymore.
Wind whipping around him was the only sound other than the whine of cable leaving his grapple pack.
And just as suddenly as Gordon had fallen, the cable snapped, swinging into the side of the mountain. It took Scott bracing against the path to keep from going over as well, but he had him. The brunette's teeth clenched as he waited a beat just to be sure.
"Gordon?"
A grunt of pain or exertion - the older brother hoped it was the latter - and he listened for further indication of the blonde's condition.
Another second without a response, "Gordon, report!"
The comm exploded with a gasp and choked cough, "Good - 'm okay." A wheeze of breath and it was easy to understand what had happened even before the aquanaut elaborated. "Knocked the wind out of me."
Scott sucked in his own breath, his nerves calming with the confirmation that Gordon was okay. He began the slow process of pulling the aquanaut back up, listening to the gasps even out with each draw of the cable. After a few minutes, the blue helmet appeared. Another minute more, he was grabbing hold of his brother's hand and shifting him onto the ledge.
"Man, that hurt," Gordon didn't even try to hide the flinch as he removed the grapple from where he'd secured it to his belt.
"Any damage?" The rest of the rescue would need to be reconsidered if he was hurt, but with a shake of his head, the concern passed.
"Probably gonna have some bruises, though," a disarming grin preceded another groan as they got to their feet, Scott putting the aquanaut ahead of him as they continued forward.
Gordon's voice from before they'd arrived to the mountain swarmed back into his head - Wish we could just fly straight to them.
He'd been annoyed at the time, telling his brother he needed to get more experience in climbing anyway. They'd joked. Gordon was more fish than man and preferred being dropped from Thunderbird 2. Most of his climbing experiences had nearly ended with a smushed aquanaut - today now included.
So, maybe his brothers had it right in some cases. If there was a better way that didn't involve scaling a cliff face, it deserved his consideration. Next time. Right now, they had a group of campers to save and Scott was determined not to lose a brother in the process.