{"id":361,"date":"2014-12-30T06:57:27","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T06:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=361"},"modified":"2022-01-31T22:19:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T04:19:23","slug":"part6","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode9\/part6\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 9: \u00a0Wreckage in a Winter Wonderland<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 6<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

A lone hook was wedged deeply into the thick layer of ice clinging to the jagged cliff. Hanging desperately from the end of it was a furious, furry figure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, dat Carter\u2019s gonna pay!\u201d Drums screamed as stabbing pains shot through his arm. It was ironic in a sense: the severing of his hand, caused by none other than Nick Carter himself, was what had saved him from certain death. It was the very hook Dr. Rough had attached in place of his hand that had kept him from tumbling down through the air and landing on the sharp rocks below like their bobsled. His other hand gripped a rock that protruded from the side of the ledge. Snow stuck to the matted Quatchi suit that he wore, weighing him down more as he tried not to shiver from the stinging cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrums, we are going to make him suffer for all that he\u2019s caused us. It\u2019s just going to take time; I think we underestimated the blond boy wonder. But you will be rewarded,\u201d Dr. Rough replied in soothing tones.<\/p>\n

Drums glanced down at his mentor, who was holding on to his legs, his arms wrapped in a death grip around Drums\u2019s knees. Daring to look a little further down, Drums could see Dr. Twitches clinging to Dr. Rough\u2019s shoe. Dressed cutely in a little beanie and scarf that matched the tiny purple sweater he wore, the ferret let out a terrified squeak as he hung on for dear life.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, he heard the whir of a helicopter. Drums swore to himself. \u201cDamn, if dat\u2019s da HimTak suckas, we screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Dr. Rough replied in awed wonder. \u201cLook\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The helicopter came into view, hovering above them. The first thing Drums spotted was the silver and purple FANS<\/strong> logo he had come to know well. Then he saw Dr. Rough\u2019s pet penguin, MJ, perched at the top of the ledge. MJ squawked loudly and waved his wing, summoning the helicopter closer. He had a little barrel strapped around his neck and a headpiece over his ear hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cOhh, I gots mad love for dat mutated bird, yo,\u201d Drums murmured as a rope descended from the helicopter. Gripping it tightly with his right hand, he pried his prosthetic hook free of the frozen ground.<\/p>\n

Dave Moffatt, triplet of Clint and Bob, pulled the rope up from the open door of the helicopter. Drums, Dr. Rough, and Dr. Twitches breathed a sigh of relief and let themselves be lifted through the air to safety.<\/p>\n

As they rose, Dr. Rough finally looked downward, his eyes scanning for any sight of the infuriating Agent Carter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not over, Carter\u2026 not by a long shot. IT\u2019S. NOT. OVER!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Cold.<\/em><\/p>\n

Really cold.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hella fucking cold.<\/em><\/p>\n

Really annoyingly fucking cold.<\/em><\/p>\n

Those were the only thoughts that went through Nick\u2019s mind when he blinked and saw nothing but pure white above him. For a moment, his heart felt like it was about to explode with panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick?! If you\u2019re there, respond!\u201d Jay\u2019s voice crackled near his head. Nick took as deep a breath as he could in an attempt to calm himself. The voice was only inches away from his ears, where his arm rested beneath the snow.<\/p>\n

Must\u2019ve gotten buried by that avalanche. Shitballs!<\/em> He attempted to move his arms, forcing them through the snow. Much to his relief, he found he hadn\u2019t been buried too far underneath. After a few minutes, he was able to pull himself completely out of the snowy debris, shaking off as much as he could. He shivered visibly, fighting not to let his teeth chatter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alright, Jay,\u201d he replied into his watch, which, to his surprise, still worked. Pearl always thought ahead that way. She would<\/em> make it snowproof.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had me worried, man,\u201d Jay replied in relief. \u201cI saw the avalanche. And not to be punny, but\u2026 you were out cold for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHardy-ha-ha,\u201d Nick said sarcastically as he regrouped. He wiped off his frozen face and shook the snow out of his hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny sign of Styx?\u201d he heard Jay ask.<\/p>\n

Nick paused halfway through brushing the snow off his suit. \u201cWait, you mean you haven\u2019t seen him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot since that avalanche buried you both. I\u2019m gonna have Pearl see if she can get a signal going from his bug and send it to your watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, beep me when you got something. And tell K I don\u2019t want any more damn missions in the snow!\u201d<\/p>\n

He clicked the feed off, looking around desperately for his prot\u00e9g\u00e9. Despite his initial reservations, he was starting to feel a camaraderie with the shadow agent. Styx reminded him a lot of himself when he\u2019d first joined — easygoing, instinctive, and creative, with a fighting style similar to his own. From his first sparring session with Styx, Nick had known that he would make a great Double-0 agent someday. Nick even understood why K had assigned Styx to him. And now, on their first mission together, Nick might have just gotten him killed. He struggled through the deep snow, his eyes searching for any sign of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTYX!\u201d he screamed. A distant rumble reminded him that screaming wasn\u2019t a good idea if he wanted to stay above the snow.<\/p>\n

There was no reply. Frustration set in as Nick realized he was essentially searching for a needle in a haystack. He had no idea which direction to go or how deep to dig; Styx could be buried anywhere. \u201cDamn it!\u201d Nick growled, kicking a nearby pine tree as hard as he could.<\/p>\n

In the back of his mind, he wondered what had happened to Dr. Rough and Drums. He\u2019d seen them go over the cliff, but even so, they\u2019d probably made it out alive. They always did. They were like zombies that way, always seeming to come back from the dead. How? Nick asked himself. How had Dr. Rough escaped the exploding helicopter? How had Drums survived losing all that blood when Nick had accidentally sliced off his hand? How did they manage to escape again and again? Why did FANS always seem to win? And why did he always fail?<\/p>\n

He kicked the tree again. \u201cMotherfucker! Stupid FANS, with all their bullshit. Stupid cold. Stupid fucking snow! This is why global warming is good! To get rid of this freezing-ass snow!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick\u2019s watch beeped before Jay and Pearl\u2019s faces appeared on the tiny screen. Jay flashed a warm, comforting smile. \u201cIf K heard you say that, you\u2019d be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pearl typed something on her keyboard. \u201cI\u2019ve got Styx\u2019s signal. The cam got wiped out, so I can\u2019t give any sort of visual, though I think it\u2019d be all snow anyway. Luckily, he was testing this new device of mine, and I was able to hone in on the tracking signal. I\u2019m sending the coordinates to your watch, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick sighed with relief. \u201cThanks, Pearl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe warned, Nick\u2026 I don\u2019t know how deep he got buried, just where his general location is. The signal isn\u2019t the strongest.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, ending the connection as a map appeared with a pulsing red dot not too far from a steady blue one. He took a few steps, nodding to himself when he saw the blue dot move. He ran in the direction Styx seemed to be in, knowing he was in a race against time. If Styx ran out of oxygen before Nick reached him, it wouldn\u2019t be the cold that killed him.<\/p>\n

Finally, when Nick spotted the two dots on top of each other on the tiny watch map, he flipped the screen shut. Glancing down, he felt momentarily confused. Some part of him had still expected a more evident sign of the agent. Regaining his bearings, he began digging furiously into the snow. His fingers burned with frostbite, and his teeth chattered as the cold aggravated him, but he didn\u2019t stop. He had to save Styx. He couldn\u2019t cause yet another agent\u2019s death. Drums — and consequentially, Shazam — had been enough.<\/p>\n

Finally, he uncovered a dark hand poking through the snow. Encouraged, he kept brushing the snow off of Styx, revealing the rest of his arm and then the top of his head. When he finally uncovered Styx\u2019s face, Nick found that his eyes were closed. \u201cNo, no, no\u2026\u201d His heart hammered with fear as he frantically cleared the snow from Styx\u2019s mouth and nose. \u201cBreathe, man,\u201d he urged, slapping his cheeks. Styx\u2019s head lolled hopelessly from side to side. \u201cC\u2019mon, breathe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Styx\u2019s cracked lips suddenly parted, and he hitched in a sharp, rasping breath. Nick sagged with relief. Styx was still unconscious, but at least he was alive. Hoping he hadn\u2019t suffered any serious injuries, Nick continued to work at freeing him from the snow.<\/p>\n

He finally managed to hook his arms under Styx\u2019s and pull him out. As he lay Styx\u2019s still body flat on the surface of the snow, he didn\u2019t see any obvious signs of injury. Maybe he had just been knocked out by the impact of the avalanche. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, shaking his shoulder. \u201cStyx, you alright? Wake up, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a few moments, Styx\u2019s brown eyes blinked open. \u201cOh, Nick Carter, you\u2019re my hero,\u201d he teased, his lips curving into a smile.<\/p>\n

Nick grinned back as his racing heart finally began to relax. \u201cGood to see you\u2019re alright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Styx sat up, giving Nick a nod as he shivered. \u201cI\u2019m alright, just really goddamn cold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about it.\u201d Nick raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke clearly into his watch. \u201cConnect me to Diamond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within moments, he could hear her girlish voice. \u201cNick! We were able to save her! And stop the bomb on the Zamboni! Problems solved. How\u2019d everything go at the lodge?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I need you to pick me and Styx up. We\u2019re stuck on some mountain\u2026 It\u2019s a long story. Have Pearl send you our coordinates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease hurry,\u201d he added, shivering. \u201cI think I\u2019m getting hypothermia. You may need to help bring my body heat back up at one of the cabins.\u201d He smirked.<\/p>\n

He could hear Diamond\u2019s enticing smile in her voice. \u201cI think I need something steamy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Back at the lodge, the agents warmed themselves by a magnificent fireplace. Styx was curled up on one of the overstuffed couches, half-buried in blankets and looking as if he never wanted to feel a hint of cold ever again. Lancy perched on the arm of a chair, laughing and flirting with a young ski instructor. Nick glanced back at them from his place at the bar next to Diamond. The entire scene appeared oddly picturesque to him.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026So we found the real mascots, poor things.\u201d Diamond continued to fill him in on her part of the mission. \u201cThey had been bound and gagged and thrown into some supply closet!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick nodded as the bartender finally noticed them waiting and headed their way. \u201cSo all of them were imposters. That sounds about right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skaters are all shaken by what happened, but we told them that there\u2019s nothing to worry about. The rest of the Games should go as planned now. Lancy\u2019s ecstatic \u2018cause he\u2019s gotten so many autographs through this.\u201d Diamond giggled. \u201cAs for me, I need a serious spa day. Fighting evil does that to a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I get for you guys?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick flashed a seductive smirk at the bartender. \u201cCocoa. Hot cocoa. Shaken, not stirred.\u201d She gave them an odd look but went to prepare the drink as requested. He sighed. \u201cI need a break from all these cold-ass missions. And what the hell happened to make Canada cause all this shit? Canada\u2019s supposed to be ignored, damn it!\u201d<\/p>\n

When the bartender handed him a steaming mug of hot chocolate, he held it in front of him, enjoying the warmth that spread through his fingers. He looked around again, feeling grateful for everyone in the room. So what if he hadn\u2019t caught Dr. Rough and Drums? At least his colleagues had managed to save Kim Yuna and prevent an even larger disaster. The world would still be reeling from FANS\u2019 attack on the Winter Olympic Games for weeks to come, but for Nick, it was just another day\u2019s work. He took a long sip from his mug, relishing the taste.<\/p>\n

Ahh, bliss.<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Behind the Episode<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 9: \u00a0Wreckage in a Winter Wonderland Part 6   A lone hook was wedged deeply into the thick layer of ice clinging to the jagged cliff. Hanging desperately from the end of it was a furious, furry figure. \u201cYo, dat Carter\u2019s gonna pay!\u201d Drums screamed as stabbing pains shot\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":143,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-361","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-5P","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1150,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/361\/revisions\/1150"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}