by Drew Hayes
It wasn't the change in scenery that registered first with the five young students: it was the sudden slice of freezing wind ripping across their bodies. The shivers started immediately, as well as a reflexive search for shelter from the scouring wind and the white snow that was dumping down upon them. Everywhere they looked there was only more snow. Everywhere except up, where a huge peak loomed overhead, lost at the top amidst the clouds.
"I hope you've all still got a little bit of gusto left," Mr. Transport yelled over the wind's howl. "I brought you here for what you can think of a final exam for Mr. Numbers and me."
He really didn't have to elaborate. Given the surroundings, there was only one logical conclusion. Giving words to it only served the purpose of hammering that unavoidable truth fiercely into their minds, which would be almost cruel given the circumstances. Mr. Transport didn't have any need to elaborate... but he did anyway.
"You five are going to climb a mountain."
67.
"Bullshit," Nick replied, only pure willpower keeping his teeth from chattering.
"Not all, I assure you," Mr. Numbers confirmed. "Your parents have all been made aware that you'll be detained for a few more days. No one is expecting you."
"But... why?" Alice asked, perplexity and cold slowing her words.
"Because you were all admitted as part of a very special program, one that is being measured in different ways than just your grades. Think of this as an extracurricular activity mandated by your scholarship," Mr. Numbers explained.
"This is crazy; we'll freeze to death," Vince pointed out. While Vince was admittedly cold, being trapped in a one-man tundra a few months back made it seem more bearable by comparison.
"Now, don't be silly," Mr. Transport said. "We've left you packs filled with supplies and winter wear. You'll find everything you need to reach the top safely."
"So, that's it? We just climb up?" Nick asked, probing for potential pitfalls.
"Well, there are two caveats. You have to reach the summit together, and you need to do it in six days," Mr. Transport admitted.
"Why six days?" Hershel asked.
"Because that's how much food we gave you," Mr. Numbers said. "There's a phone at the top with a pre-programed number. Call us once you make it and we'll come pick you up."
"Wait, you're leaving us?" Alice all but squawked with incredulity.
"Yes," Mr. Numbers said.
"You're Supers now. Supers find a way," Mr. Transport said, and then both men were gone.
"Motherfuckers." Everyone turned in surprise, because that vulgarity was spat out from the mouth of Mary.
* * *
Ten miserable minutes of trudging forward had revealed a set of five oversized backpacks waiting in the snow. Each was a different color and labeled with a name. Nick's was golden, Alice's pink, Hershel's a dark green, Mary's red, and Vince's blue. It should be noted that none of them gave a shit about that, though; instead they tore into the bags savagely and began piling on clothing. Only after everyone was coated, booted, and gloved did they begin to contemplate a strategy.
"Figures the one time I'd have an advantage they'd screw me over," Alice complained. "I mean, come on, it's a damn climbing challenge! It was basically made for people with flight. But no, we all have to make it up there together or it doesn't count."
"Forgive my impudence here, but how the hell will they know? They left, remember?" Nick reminded her.
"They'll know," Mary assured them. "They went to all the trouble of setting this up, they'll make sure we follow the rules."
"Speaking of, how did you not see this coming, telepathic girl?" Nick asked.
"I did. I just hoped they would change their minds," Mary explained.
"Nice strategy, that one," Nick scoffed.
"It could be worse," Hershel said optimistically. "At least I have my emergency flask on me. This way Roy can help if we need him."
"Why do you keep an emergency flask of whiskey?" Vince asked him.
"Pretty much for situations exactly like this one," Hershel replied.
Vince placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It saddens me how much sense that makes in this context. Okay: we know what we have to do, so how are we going to do it?"
"They gave us climbing gear, food, Sterno, flashlights, and water," Alice said as she rifled through her bag to take inventory.
"Aside from which we have a flier who isn't allowed to fly, an energy absorber in an environment with nothing he can absorb, enough whiskey for a few appearances of the one person who could do this easily, me, and Mary the marvelous brain girl," Nick said. "If we're going to build a strategy around someone's powers it looks like Mary is our number one candidate."
"He has a point," Vince agreed. "Could you just lift all of us up to the peak?"
"No," Mary said sadly. "Grabbing hold of a person is a delicate procedure; it isn't like throwing objects. I have to worry about pressure and rupturing organs, that sort of thing. I can do it if I have to with one person, maybe two for short bursts, but I'm not confident I could get us far at all. Certainly not safely. Not to mention that I can't really lift myself."
"Why not?" Hershel asked.
"It's a jarring experience, being dangled in mid-air. It makes my stomach queasy and messes up my concentration, which just makes things less stable in a terrible cycle," Mary said.
"So then, what's our strategy?" Vince asked.
In response Nick rose to his feet, dusted off the snow, and produced a pick along with a section of rope from his bag. "I'd say our strategy is climb like motherfuckers in hopes of making it home before Christmas."
After a moment of staring at each other the rest of the group pulled out their instruments and followed suit.
* * *
To say the act of climbing a mountain was grueling would be like saying Genghis Khan had a mild penchant for empire expansion. It was cold, hellish, and hard, but as the five struggled up the mountain, they found it was doable. For the first time they were thankful for the months they had spent in gym. Without Coach George's constant conditioning they would have never had a chance at making viable progress. Proof of this was Hershel, who was forced to use some of his whiskey in the first half hour for fear his muscles would give out and he would go tumbling down. Each of them held this fear, but luckily it wasn't too steep at the mountain's base, and there were plateaus where rest could be acquired. On one such plateau they stopped midway through the day for a lunch of water, jerky, and despair. There was nowhere to go but up, though, so they bucked up and began climbing once more.
Even Alice found herself hugging the side of the mountain as they climbed higher. With each bit of escalation the wind grew stronger and colder. Gliding next to the rocks at least gave her some refuge from the wind's chilling bit. Admittedly she could have flown up to their next logical break stop and waited, but she wasn't confident they would find her once she departed. Besides, even if it wasn't steep, accidents could happen, and she wanted to be close by just in case.
The day wore on and progress grew slower. The mountain was getting steeper and their muscles were growing colder. There was a brief huddle during which they agreed to camp on the next viable rest stop they reached since it would be madness to try and keep going in the dark. Unfortunately, that spot was farther up than they'd expected, and by the time Roy hauled himself over an icy cliff, nearly everyone else was ready to collapse. Mary followed after him, then Vince. Alice floated over to stand with them, trying not to shiver despite herself. Nick was the last man to scale the side, rolling over and resting for a moment before pulling himself to his feet.
"Well," Vince said. "That sure suc-" A loud cracking sound interrupted Vince, coming from the edge they had just scaled. There was a moment of realization as Nick looked down to the source of the noise and saw it was coming from directly under his feet.
"Shit!" Nick managed to say as the ice they had mistaken for rock gave way and he went tumbling back into the o
pen air.
68.
There are certain things a person is programmed to expect when falling to their death. Fear, of course. Also a bit of nausea as your stomach rises up. Some of the more metaphysically-inclined believers tell us to expect our lives to flash before our lives. The one thing no one is ever really expecting, though, is what happened Nick. To be more precise, a pink-clad missile dropped from the heavens and sacked him in the gut.
"Ooof," Nick grunted as he was swung upward onto the same thin shoulder that had just lodged itself in his intestines.
"Not exactly a picnic for me either," Alice replied, slowing her decent gently.
"Good hit," Nick cracked out, trying to right his perceptions in the blitz of snow and wind assaulting his senses.
"Not going to lie, I enjoyed the hell out of it," Alice chuckled. "Now give me your sunglasses."
"Why?"
"Why? Because I can't see shit and I'm the one driving. Oh, and you aren't getting any lighter, if you were wondering." Their progress downward had come to a stop and Alice was now pushing them upward with increasing momentum.
"Excellent point," Nick agreed, whipping off his shades and placing them in her hand. He would have been more contrary in different circumstances, but being fireman-carried in mid-air was enough to make even him agreeable.
"You might want to hold on," Alice cautioned him. "I've never tried to fly with two people before."
"What's wrong with slow, safe rise?"
"I can't hold you that long. My grip is already slipping," Alice admitted.
Nick reached down and grabbed her belt firmly without another word.
"Watch the hands," Alice snapped and then they were off. Nick might have described the feeling as exhilarating had his life not been in jeopardy. Instead the only words that came to mind were "hellish," "wild," and "horrifying." It turned out Alice didn't just float like an abandoned balloon; she cut through the air with shocking speed and hurtled toward her objective. An objective that was difficult to see even with eye protection, primarily due to her cargo severely compromising her maneuverability. Her grip was steadily deteriorating, but she didn't even dream of readjusting. This was all she had; if she couldn't find a place to land then Nick was going to fall.
Then, mercifully, something pierced the white world surrounding them. A bright burst of flame from thirty feet up and to their left. Alice never hesitated, adjusting her course and barreling toward it. She had no hope of sticking a safe landing with both herself and Nick, so she slowed down as much as she could before arriving, then yelled at the top of her lungs.
"CATCH!"
"What!" Nick shrieked as she flipped him over her shoulder and left him falling through the air once more. This drop was shorter as he felt an invisible force wrap around him and control his descent. Despite the wind and his naked eyes, he saw Alice pull up short a few feet away, plowing into the snow-covered ground with her feet but managing to stop before she hit the mountain’s side. As his own feet finally made contact with the sweet, sweet ground, he turned to face his second savior.
"I thought you couldn't lift people."
"I said it's hard, not impossible," Mary corrected.
"Holy crap, are you okay?" Vince asked, fumbling over to check on his friend. He paused when he arrived, then cocked his head quizzically.
"Huh. I never knew you had brown eyes."
* * *
"I am going to cut those two into pieces while they sleep," Nick grumbled as they huddled around the heat provided by a small can of Sterno.
"Good to see that Ethics class really paying off," Vince quipped.
"At least they gave us tents," Hershel said optimistically. Roy had turned back into Hershel a few minutes after Nick and Alice's spectacular air show. They'd taken the time to pull out the pop tents, anchor them down, and then break into jerky and gather by the small can of heat.
"I don't think they'll let us die out here," Alice said.
"Because they're such awesome guys?" Nick asked.
"No, because my dad has more money and political influence than some countries and I'm his only child," Alice explained.
"You never mentioned that before," Vince said.
"It was never a comforting thought before," Alice pointed out. "If I'd said it at a different time it would just sound bitchy."
"It still sounded a little bitchy," Nick said.
Alice punched him in the arm in response. "Next time I'm letting you fall."
"Yeesh, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Thought a little levity could lighten the mood."
"Well, it is making me laugh," Mary said, giggling softly. "Bodily harm to Nick is always good humor."
"Huzzah, I've finally found my role in the group," Nick said.
"I thought you had smart-ass pretty much on lock down since day one," Hershel told him.
"Seconded," Vince agreed.
"That went without saying," Nick added. "Anyway, enough about me. Let's get back to Alice being a secret millionaire."
"It wasn't really a secret," Alice defended. "I told you about him a little when we did our project. It just isn't something I wanted to bring up. I mean, come on, except for Nick, I don't know anything about your families either. Maybe you’re secret millionaires, too."
"My parents are optometrists," Mary said. "They're well off, but hardly millionaires."
"So neither of them had any abilities?" Hershel asked.
"Only a talent for asking people to read off charts. Me being a Powered was a total shocker for them."
"How'd they take it?" Vince asked.
"Not bad. Better than when I decided to live in the woods by myself," Mary said.
"My mom rolled with it really well," Hershel said. "She took to it like she found out she had another son. She never batted an eye about the fact that I couldn't control when I changed."
"How about your dad?" Nick probed.
"He... well, he left a few years ago, but it wasn't because of me or Roy. Hell, he's the one who taught Roy how to fight. Roy got a lot more unruly after Dad was gone, though. He used to be kind of nice." Hershel cleared his throat and Vince took the cue to pull attention away from his friend.
"What about you, Nick? Alice said she knew about your family, but we don't."
"My parents died when I was a baby. I was raised by my mom's sister, Ms. Pips. Not much else to tell. You?"
"I never met my biological parents," Vince said. "I was given up for adoption at birth. Things went okay for a little while, then my power showed up and... well, there aren't a lot of foster families out there who can cope with someone as ‘special needs’ as I was. So when I was six I gave up and ran away."
"Wait, I've heard you talk about your dad before," Hershel said skeptically.
Vince nodded. "I call him my dad, because he was. Just not biologically. He found me that first week. I doubt I would have made it without his help. He was a vagrant, too, so he took me in and showed me the ropes. For some reason my power never flared out of control around him. I wondered if he had an ability of his own, but he always denied it. He taught me about life, taught me how to fight even though he only had his right arm, and helped me learn to live on the rails. He died in an explosion when I was thirteen."
"I'm so sorry," Alice said.
"It's okay; it was five years ago. I've made peace with it," Vince assured her.
"But... wait, that was when you were thirteen. You joined us when you were eighteen; what did you do in between?" Hershel asked.
"I kept wandering. Dad taught me how, and it seemed safer than staying in one place or getting too close to people. With him gone it was too dangerous," Vince explained.
"So you've been alone for five years?" Alice asked, hoping to be corrected.
"I wouldn't say alone. I met people, even made friends here and there. But in the way you mean it, yeah, I guess I was," Vince told her.
"Okay, I think the rough childhood award definitely goes to Vince," Nick said, breaking the dark mood that
had slipped over them.
Alice rewarded him with another punch for his efforts. "Be sensitive, you dick."
"It’s fine," Vince said, waving her off. "Ancient history. Besides, I think it's safe to say we all went through our tough spots."
"I'm inclined to count this as one of them," Mary noted.
"Agreed," Vince said. "We should get some sleep now that it's dark, though. No sense in wasting any daylight tomorrow. Does anyone know how to turn off the fire?"
"More trouble than it's worth to try and relight it," Mary said. "Just absorb it so we can use the heat later."
"Can do," Vince said, draining the can of the remaining fire. "See you guys in the morning."
69.
The thing about climbing mountains is that the first day is pretty much the easiest. From then on you're dealing with sore muscles, thinning air, and often-increasing steepness. The five of them made it to the third day with their free-climbing strategy, but a couple of close calls forced them to regroup and examine their options. None of them had any experience on a mountain; however, they did grasp the basic concepts of ropes and hooks, so after some debate and the working out of a few details, the strategy was officially changed.
Now they had Alice fly up ahead of them and secure several hooks, linking the rope and then attaching it to her friends at the lower altitude. It took several tries for her to get the hang of it, but by the time they stopped to rest at the end of day four she was able to work reliably and with increasing speed. That was good, because communication was breaking down.
After that first night they'd been too tired to really converse when they camped. It had turned into slinging out the tents, stuffing down some food, and collapsing within. If the day had been particularly hellish they might eat around a can of Sterno, but those were limited and it was mutually understood that they were to be used sparingly. Vince was another asset they tapped for warmth, huddling around him on breaks for a quick wave of precious, precious heat.
They were cold, they were miserable, and they were tired. They were making progress, though. On the fifth day, Hershel drank the last of his whiskey for Roy's final appearance. Vince developed a nosebleed midway through the day and Alice's head began to throb in pain. They pressed as far as they could, but they could feel themselves slowing down. When the light began to fade they were forced to camp, though they hadn't gotten as far as on previous days.