Page 4 of Duty and Desire

“Come in, Captain,” Carson’s voice floated across the radio.

“Go ahead, General.”

“What is your position? Over.”

“Forest cleared, proceeding over the snowfield. Over.”

“Speed it up, Captain. There’s a storm incoming. Over.”

“Roger that. How long till it hits?”

“Best guess, six hours. Do you need to turn back?”

“Negative, General. We will proceed.”

“Roger that. Over and out.”

This was not good, but she wasn’t going to fail this mission. This was her chance to impress the new general. She turned back to her squad trailing behind her.

“You heard the general; storm due in six hours. Let's pick up the pace.”

“Yes, Captain,” everyone said in unison.

She glanced upward and saw the rising sun had stained the clouds a deep pink. They didn’t want to still be out here when that storm blew in. Trudging as fast as they could, they cleared the ice field before catching their breath as they stared up at the glacier. Scarlett was the first to steel herself, unclipping the snow boots and replacing them with her crampons. She dug around in her pack, pulling out her axes and screws and clipping them to her carabiner.

“I’ll head up first. Lieutenant, you bring up the rear. I’ll call when the belay is fixed.”

“Yes, ma’am, copy that.”

Right, she thought.Let’s do this.

Scarlett centered herself with a breath before striking her axe into the ice. She gave it a tug, and it held. Good. Slowly, she climbed—one axe, one foot, one axe, one foot. Looking down, she could see the soldiers feeding out the rope, ready for the next soldier to follow her up. She hacked at the wall; the ice was brittle here. A clump of snow fell away, revealing the hard, rock-like ice beneath.

“Ice!” she warned as the clump fell toward the ground. The soldiers scattered out of its way.

At least they’re listening.Scarlett was well aware that being new to the base meant she didn’t hold the authority she was used to yet. She would have to prove herself to earn their respect. Her frozen, gloved fingers fumbled with a screw, unclipping it from her waist. It nearly dropped from her grip.

That would not be a good way to prove my competence.

She screwed it into the wall, clipping the belay into it.

“Belay is on. Climb up.”

“Copy that. Climbing,” a soldier called.

Wind blasted down the mountainside, spraying snow and ice shards into Scarlett’s face; freezing rivulets of water ran down her neck as they melted against her skin. She braced, pulling herself up and climbing a few feet between each fierce gust. Each time she paused to wait for the wind to pass, she added another screw to the wall. She was nearing the top now, not far left to climb. Glancing back, she could see that Lieutenant West was now just beginning to climb, bringing up the rear. Clambering over the top, she sighed in relief, dropping to her knees to catch her breath. That was the one benefit of going first; she would be able to rest until the last climber summited.

“Captain Bennett to command.”

“Come in, Captain,” General Carson replied.

“Ready and in position, General.”

“Go ahead, Captain. No comms until you have established it’s safe.”

“Yes, General, over and out.”

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