The interview or interogation continued. Felix couldn’t be sure.
“Can you tell me more about the time that you were on the island?” Kimberly asked.
“What do you want to know?” Felix asked for clarificaiton.
“The storm”. Kimberly answered without direction.
Felix turned to look away. “It just happened”
Kimberly sat quietly waiting for Felix to continue.
“We were near the middle of Mount Moffit when it hit. There were about 20 of us, and they weren’t ready for the conditions. The grass there was pretty tall, so I suggested we dig in. The objective was only a few hundred meters up, so I decided to go on.” Felix started, but paused.
“It sounds like there was a reason you decided to go on ahead?”
“I couldn’t take them all. It was a storm. It was cold. I had a choice. We could all stay and wait out the storm, Or we could finish. They were cold and tired. There’s nothing to eat or drink up there. I needed to get them back.” Felix continued.
“What about the flare?” Kimberly asked.
Felix winced.
“Can you tell me why you didn’t use the flare?”
“We were there. They seemed fine. We just needed another hour, then we could could all head back.” Felix explained.
“What went wrong?”, Kimberly questioned.
Felix side-eyed her. “Some people were not as ready for the return hike as they let on. We got the envelopes and started back, but some were lagging. I tried to motivate them but their legs just couldn’t do it. We tried carrying a few of them, but then the others got weak. There was not enough food or water, and the available water in in the mountain streams couldn’t be anitized with our supplies.” Felix relived. Kimberly stayed silent, monitoring the lights and taking notes.
“I ordered up a ration call, and distributed everyone’s food. That seemed to help a little, but the storm kept coming. The exposure was killing us. We took a vote on pulling the flare and calling it a day, but the vote was keep going. The wind and raining snow was blinding so I told everyone to join hands to form a line, and we would slowly make our way down. It was a long way though, and time wasn’t working with us. Night was coming.” Felix lamented.
“At what point did you think they weren’t going to make it?” Kimberly asked.
“I saw them shaking, shoving their hands into any warm space they could find. Faces pale. They were tired. It was pretty dire. I timed the assent poorly.”
“Tell me about the grass.”
“I couldn’t do anything more about the hunger or thirst, but it seemed like the wind and cold was the real challenge in the moment. The grass grows in these large clumps with a deep crevice between each clod. We moved downwind into a draw, and I told them each to lay down in one of the spaces, pulling the grass over them like a blanket. Lieutenent Blackwell was there, so I requested she stay with the group, and gave her the flare. Then I went down the mountain to get food and water for the group from the waypoint. It took a lot longer than excpected, and by the time I reached the lake, it was starting to get dark. My plan was to get back to the team before dark and settle in for the night. Try to move further in the morning.”
“My question was why didn’t you use the flare.” Kimberly reasserted.
“Because we had it. We could make it. I know they were tired, and cold, and hungry. But we had it. They just needed hope.” Felix relented.
“Hope?” Kimberly followed.
“Don’t mirror me.”
“I’m sorry, It sounds like you don’t like this line of questioning.”
“Acusation audit”
Kimberly paused. She took a note. “Where was Liutenent Blackwell during this time, in your perception?”
“Z?. Blackwell? She was tending to the biologist with the knee issue.”
“What was your triage?” Kimberly shifted.
“Move as far as possible. When night set, monitor the team for signs of stress that might be life threatening. If it looked like someone was at serious risk, pop the flare for maximum visibility, plus we would be lower on the mountain, with a gentler slope, closer to the road. I needed them to travel under their own steam as far as possible. If we stayed high up, the exposure would jeopardize us all.”
There was a long silence in the room.
“Did she make it” Felix finally asked the question that had been plaguing him.
Artavus Quill 