Page 25 of Mountain Impact

Chapter 9

Drake

By the time he woke up, Isolde was dressed already―that had been the first sign that she wasn’t feeling cuddly. The second had been when she’d kicked him out, without even offering him a cup of coffee.

Drake tried not to take it personally. She hadn’t made nor broken any promises. But after their middle-of-the night chat, it’s true he’d hoped―

“Hey, Drake! Are you with us?”

Drake nodded sheepishly at Kat. “Sorry, Kat. I’m ready.”

He threw his backpack into the helicopter and jumped up, sitting down beside Gael and Jens, who were already waiting. Instants later, they were off.

Drake rotated his shoulders, looking to relax. It’d been a long day, and it was only four p.m. He’d taken part in three extractions, and could have helped out in three more if he hadn’t been asked to join two more debrief meetings with the colonel back in the office.

After two weeks of standing in for his friend Damien, the team’s commander, Drake couldn’t wait for him to get back from his honeymoon. If the last two weeks had taught Drake anything, it’s that he didn’t want Damien’s job. Drake needed action―he needed to be in the thick of things, not talking about them.

A flash of lighting struck outside the helicopter. It’d been raining all day, but the weather was getting worse. He wondered if they were going to make it to the Grand Capucin at all.

“How are things looking, Kat?” he asked.

“Not great, Drake. Visibility is limited. I just heard from the Annecy team pilot, they’ve had to turn back from the Aiguille du Midi. It’s not that bad for us here yet, though.”

“Keep me updated, Kat.” Drake turned to Jens. “What do you think?”

Jens paused before answering. “I spoke to the hiker who saw the climber fall and called it in. We know where he’s lying, and we know he hasn’t moved since he fell.” Jens’s eyes were dark with worry. “I should go,”

“Let me go first,” Gael offered. “I’ll secure myself to the wall and help you when you come down with the equipment.”

Drake nodded. The helicopter hiccupped in the air, and he had to grab on with both hands to avoid falling. “Are you sure you’re both up for this?”

Both men smiled. “You’re not losing your nerve on us, are you, Drake? This is what we do.”

Drake looked at the men, and at Kat up front. He nodded. They couldn’t leave the climber stranded. If there was any chance he was alive, they had to get him out of there before the storm got worse.

The Grand Capucin appeared on their left. Through the rain, the large monolith of vertical granite looked almost black.

“Time to get out there, guys. This is going to get worse before it gets better,” Kat said. “I’ll keep her steady while you go down, Gael.”

Drake clipped himself to the bar on top of the helicopter door. The Allouette wasn’t their usual helicopter, but the newer EC 145 had been undergoing a routine maintenance check. This one was smaller, an older model with a less powerful engine. Drake knew Kat could fly any and all available aircraft, so he wasn’t worried about that. What did worry him was the fact that the Allouette’s winch cable was thirty meters shorter than the usual―which meant Kat would have to fly that much closer to the granite wall as she dropped Gael off.

Gael tightened his rain gear around his head and hips, then shouldered his pack. Jens rechecked Gael’s harness, a standard precaution.

Jens gave Gael a thumbs up sign, which Gael quickly returned. The climber was smiling. “Let’s do this.”

“You ready, Kat?”

“Ready. I’ll keep her steady, just don’t stop and enjoy the view, Gael.”

Moments later, Gael disappeared from view. Drake kept an eye on the man as he dropped, holding his breath until he dropped onto the ledge. Gael immediately released himself from the cable.

“I’m clipped in,” Gael said, speaking into the radio.

“Can you see him?” Jens asked, his voice clipped.

“I see him. He’s on his side, not moving.”

“The storm’s getting worse. I’m going to circle loosely while Gael examines him.”