You are a pilot of a UH-60 Black Hawk engaging in air-to-air rotary wing combat with a Ka-52 Alligator. The enemy pilot is clearly on par with your skills as the dog fight drags on and on. In a twist, both helicopters strike one another simultaneously. You are in neutral territory in the middle of a snowy mountain. The blizzard outside is relentless as you come to your senses in the crashed Black Hawk. Suddenly, you hear the cocking sound of a hammer of a gun

Natalia She points her Markov pistol at you with pure hatred. You notice her leg has a gash wound, soaking her camo pants red "This is for all the suffering and pain you caused for my people and for Mama and Papa!!" She pulls the trigger. All you heard if a click and nothing happened

You take the gun out of her weakened grip and press it against her temple. "So you're going to kill me over collateral damage? Don't make me laugh." You sneer, tears forming in your own eyes from the cold wind outside. "I saved thousands of lives just like yours, do you have any idea what I went through to get those orders signed?" Her expression hardens and she shuts her eyes tightly, making no reply.

You look around. The snow continues to fall heavily. Your leg hurts from the crash but it seems to be fine otherwise. There's an injured pilot who needs help... or you can finish the job yourself. It wouldn't be vengeance; it would just be putting her out of her misery. You press the gun harder against her temple, making her wince. "Which one do you want it to be?"

Her eyes open slowly and she looks

"I'm sorry," you say, releasing her. "It was necessary... I didn't mean to hurt your family." You take the gun out of the cockpit and throw it as far as you can, burying the weapon deep in the snow. Her breathing is ragged; she looks both relieved and confused. The injured pilot lies motionless nearby. "I need to check on him... if he's still alive, we should get out of here before we freeze or someone finds us."

Do you try to help the other pilot first or leave her behind?

Tentatively, she takes your hand and allows you to help her up. Her strength is sapped from blood loss; she leans heavily on you as you both hobble over to the other pilot. You inspect him for injuries and find that he's bleeding profusely from a gash in his abdomen. It doesn't look good...you don't have any medical supplies.

There are a couple of options here:

1. Leave them both to die.
2. Try to apply pressure to the wound and find some sort of shelter until help arrives or you can somehow tend to their injuries.

I'd rather not leave either of us to die if it's at all possible...I'll try and help you with your injuries, if you can help me tend to mine too. Maybe we could work together until someone finds us?

You both carefully examine your surroundings, searching for anything that could help staunch the bleeding. You spot some twigs and branches scattered around and manage to find a relatively flat area to lie down in. Using the sticks as crude splints, you try to stabilize the pilot's abdomen while Natalia removes her vest and ties it tightly around her leg wound. The blood loss from both injuries makes you dizzy, but you persevere, willing yourselves to stay conscious until someone finds you.

Hours pass. Snow continues to fall, obscuring any tracks or signs of civilization. Eventually, you lose consciousness from blood loss and exhaustion.

As you lose consciousness, images flash through your mind...the faces of the people you've lost and those you've saved. You hope someone finds you before it's too late.

As you start to regain consciousness, the first thing you notice is the cold. It sears through your body, making every breath a struggle. You open your eyes slowly, blinking away snowflakes and blood, and take in your surroundings. Snow covers everything as far as you can see; it's impossible to tell which direction is up or down. Your leg throbs with pain from the splint, but at least you don't feel it draining of life anymore.

A groan nearby alerts you to Natalia's presence. She's lying several feet away, her breath shallow and ragged. "Hey," she manages to croak. Her lips are blue and her eyelids swollen from the cold. You struggle to your knees and make your way over to her. "Think we can try walking or...?" you ask weakly.

Thank you... I'm not sure we can stay here much longer, the cold is... It's too much. If we can't find shelter soon, we're both going to die. I take off your vest and pull it on gratefully; the extra warmth does wonders for my body temperature. With a nod of encouragement, you help me to my feet, and together you struggle upright.

Wobbling unsteadily, you and Natalia survey your surroundings once more. There's no sign of life, no indication that rescue is on its way. You wonder if this is how it all ends...

You manage to pry off one of the Black Hawk's side panels and use it as a sled, strapping your injured legs in place. As you start pushing yourself down the mountain with Natalia leading the way, you can't help but wonder if she'll betray you at some point. After all, she is an enemy pilot... But for now, you focus on survival and let hope guide your actions.

We're currently in neutral territory. The snowy mountain range isn't claimed by either of our nations, so we can't count on rescue or medical aid coming from that direction. It's just you and me against the elements now.

An alcove would be an excellent idea... With proper shelter, we might stand a chance against the cold. You pick up the pace, leading the way to the small cavern as best you can with your injured leg. Natalia follows closely behind, keeping you warm with her body heat whenever the wind gusts too fiercely.

As you approach the alcove, you see that it's large enough to fit both of you comfortably. There are signs of animal habitation inside, but nothing that would indicate recent human activity. You take a moment to catch your breath and size up the place before making any decisions about whether or not to enter.

"Good idea," she pants between breaths, nodding in agreement as you survey the area around the alcove. "We need to find something to start a fire with...anything that will help keep us warm and alive." She winces from pain in her leg but presses onward, determined not to be left behind.

Gathering some twigs and small bushes, you start building a makeshift fire in the center of the alcove. The flames lick hungrily at the wood, throwing dancing shadows against the rocky walls as they fight to survive against the bitter cold. Natalia crouches beside you, doing her best not to hinder your efforts while also keeping an eye out for any other useful resources they might need.

"We should find something to burn that'll last longer," she says between shivers, glancing around the cavern. "Rocks...maybe?" Her expression is hopeful as she considers this idea.

As the two of you huddle around the fire, it continues to grow stronger with each addition of wood. The warmth finally starts to spread through your bodies, driving back the cold and bringing a sense of comfort you hadn't felt in hours. You take out your knife and begin hacking at a fallen tree branch while Natalia busies herself scavenging for rocks or other suitable fuel.

It doesn't take long for the pair of you to gather an impressive stack of firewood, but as you survey your supplies, something catches your eye...an oddly shaped rock with what appears to be runes etched into it. Curiosity getting the better of you, you gingerly pick up the stone and turn it over in your hands.

"Hey, Natalia," you call out. "Take a look at this."

As you show the rock to her, she takes it with an equal mix of curiosity and caution. She examines it carefully, running her fingers over the ancient runes engraved into its surface. After a moment's thought, she passes it back to you wordlessly. Her expression is unreadable in the flickering firelight.

"It could be magical," she whispers. "Or it might be nothing more than an interesting artifact from the past...but I think we should keep it close, just in case." Her voice holds a note of uncertainty, but also determination. "We can use its power to survive, if we need to."

You nod, pulling the makeshift blanket you've made from your vest and Natalia's flight suit closer around the two of you. "We should get some sleep," you murmur as you settle down on the hard ground, using your jacket as a pillow. "Tomorrow we can explore further and see if we can find someone who might be able to help us."

With nothing left to do, exhaustion finally overtakes you and you drift off into an uneasy sleep, your senses still alert for any sign of danger or discomfort from your newfound ally.