Chapter 4

The sound was impossible, a hallucination born of a freezing, oxygen-starved brain. Helicopters didn't fly in conditions like this. It was suicide.

But the sound grew louder, a percussive beat against the storm's fury. A powerful searchlight cut through the swirling snow, sweeping across the desolate landscape before locking onto our position.

Bryan and the others froze, their faces a mixture of confusion and alarm. Kelsi's crocodile tears dried up instantly.

The helicopter, a big, powerful-looking bird painted with SAR-Search and Rescue-markings, hovered expertly above us, its rotors whipping the snow into a blinding frenzy. A door slid open, and two figures began to rappel down with breathtaking speed and efficiency.

They hit the ground running. The lead figure, broad-shouldered and moving with an unnerving calm, strode directly toward our group. He ignored everyone else and headed straight for my snow pit.

"Sir, this is a restricted research site," Bryan began, stepping forward to intercept him. "You can't just-"

The rescuer didn't even break stride. He placed a firm hand on Bryan's chest and shoved him aside with an ease that was almost contemptuous.

He knelt beside me, his face a mask of focused intensity. He wore no helmet, just a thermal beanie, and his eyes, a startlingly clear gray, took in my condition in a single, sweeping glance. He saw the gash in my suit, the blue tinge of my lips, the terrifying stillness of my chest.

"Severe hypothermia, core temp critical," he barked to his partner, his voice a low, commanding rumble that cut through the wind. "Pupils are sluggish. We're losing her. Get the thermal capsule and the IV, now!"

His partner was already moving, working with a silent, practiced urgency.

"What's going on?" Bryan stammered, bewildered. "She's fine, she's just being difficult."

The rescuer's head snapped up, and he fixed Bryan with a look so cold it could have frozen hell over. "Your teammate activated an emergency beacon fifteen minutes ago. Her biometric signature is flatlining. You have thirty seconds to explain to me why she's lying in a hole in the ice with a compromised suit while you're standing here fully functional."

His name tag read HOLT LEVY, SAR-LEAD.

Bryan's face went pale. "Beacon? That's impossible, I have her sat phone."

Holt ignored him. His gloved hands were surprisingly gentle as he checked my pulse, his touch a spark of warmth against my frozen skin. "Hang on, Alex," he murmured, his voice close to my ear. "We've got you."

He knew my name. Of course, he did. The beacon was registered to me.

He and his partner worked with a fluid, terrifying efficiency. They sliced open my ruined sleeve to insert an IV, flooding my system with a warm saline solution. A searing, painful warmth began to spread through my veins. They wrapped me in a silver, crinkling hypothermia blanket, then carefully placed me into an insulated transport capsule.

As they prepared to hoist me up to the helicopter, Holt stood and faced Bryan. His calm demeanor had vanished, replaced by a tightly controlled fury.

"Who the hell are you?" Bryan demanded, trying to reclaim some shred of authority.

"I'm Holt Levy. My team is contracted by OmniClimb for high-risk field test emergencies," Holt said, his voice dangerously low. "Which means right now, on this mountain, I am God. And you just left one of my charges to die."

He held up a small satellite phone. "As per our contract, I've already patched in your CEO."

A familiar voice, crackling with static but clear as a bell, erupted from the phone's speaker. It was Edward Bullock, the founder and CEO of OmniClimb, a former mountaineer himself with a zero-tolerance policy for incompetence.

"Acosta!" Bullock's voice was a roar of pure fury. "Levy's team just sent me Alex's vitals and a photo of her suit. Explain yourself. Now."

"Sir, it's a misunderstanding," Bryan stammered, his face ashen. "She was acting irrationally, she was a danger to the team..."

"She's the most competent engineer I have!" Bullock bellowed. "And you left her to die in a blizzard over what? An intern got chilly? You're fired, Acosta. You and the intern. Your credentials are revoked. Your careers are over. You will be billed for the full cost of this rescue and every piece of damaged equipment. If Alex doesn't make it, I will personally see to it that you are charged with negligent homicide."

Kelsi let out a horrified squeak.

The line went dead.

Holt pocketed the phone, his gray eyes boring into Bryan. "You'll be hearing from my legal team as well."

He turned away without another word, clipping himself onto the hoist line next to my capsule. As we were lifted into the churning, snow-filled sky, the last thing I saw was Bryan Acosta standing alone on the mountain, his face a mask of disbelief and utter ruin.

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