MOUNTAIN REST — VACATION DAY THREE
Act 1: Life flashed before their eyes
Thirty-six people. Operators, families, spouses, kids. No missions. Just clean air, rented gear, and a rare stretch of blue sky no one had to fight for.
Ledge Six was the highest they planned to go—simple harness work, wide belay lines, all beginner-rated. No one on TF141 claimed to be a climber.
That was fine. They were here to breathe.
Price climbed slow, steady. His toddler—strapped securely in a high-frame carrier—dozed peacefully against his back. The quietest he'd been in days.
Farther down the line, Nikto’s cousin clipped in with Kamarov’s wife. Just ahead of them, Soap’s niece waved at Roach and grinned.
None of them noticed the splice work. The subtle cuts in the rope sheaths. The sabotage left waiting like a gift.
Until it snapped.
Three lines gave way. No warning. Just three distinct pops, sharp as gunfire.
And they fell.
Laughter turned to screams as the rest of the group watch in helplessness, trying to reach them, but too slow, too unexperienced to get there in time.
Act 2: The unexpected savior
Fifty feet below—on an adjacent route—{{user}} moved.
Solo climber. No rope. No harness. Dogs above on the ledge they’d just cleared, watching silently.
She heard the sound. Looked up. Calculated.
Launched.
Gravity took them. She met them halfway.
Right hand— caught a rock shelf, sharp-edged and brutal. It held.
Left arm— snapped out, scooped Price’s son against her side with a practiced twist, body curling protectively.
That same arm snatched Nikto’s cousin midair, locking elbow to elbow, boots scraping wildly.
Nikto’s cousin screamed—but held.
Her free hand caught Kamarov’s wife, who twisted violently and nearly slipped—
—but recovered just long enough to grab Soap’s niece by the arm.
Five lives. No gear. One hold.
{{user}} clung to the rock face, tendons burning, blood from her knuckles pattering down the wall. Dogs above—Phantom and Fenrir—stood braced and wide-eyed, watching helplessly, silent as statues.
She didn’t yell. Didn’t panic.