Perils

We watched the ambulance zoom off with Reilly Smith safely inside and wandered out of the zoo and over to a bench. We all sat down just outside of the “gate” to catch our breaths and to contemplate our next move. The entrance and exit to the zoo was pretty cool. It was a fence lining with animal prints painted on. The animals were really detailed and it was a cool little artwork masterpiece for little kids to enjoy. And apparently me. But I couldn’t stare at drawings, looking for a hidden message in animal prints. We didn’t have a clue for once about where we were supposed to go...well, until Brandon Saad called us.

“There’s something wrong in Colorado!!” he screamed into the phone. He told us about what the news was saying. He had flipped it on with Andrew there. Apparently there was a storm brewing in the Rocky Mountains right around Aspen, Colorado and Vail. Convenient and a little bit predictable. But the storms caused all the skiers to retreat to the bottom and get indoors, but the gondola at Aspen wasn’t stopping. And one of the gondola cars was stuck and wouldn’t open. I knew this wasn’t a good sign. Someone was trapped in there, but who? A family with a little girl who was a fan of the Colorado Avalanche recognized the person trapped inside.

I relayed all of the information to Jonathan, Patrick and Christina, who were equally stunned and shocked like I was.

“You don’t think that’s--?” Christina turned and looked at me with an expression that was mixed emotional. I knew exactly what she was hinting at and who she was thinking about. Nathan MacKinnon.

But as I listened to the Chicago forward describe the person and when the news finally revealed the name, I felt a little relieved but also a little freaked out. Another blond haired, blue-eyed hockey player to rescue. Great! It was Gabriel Landeskog.

“Who is the Avalanche player? Is there a name?” Patrick asked.

“It’s Gabriel Landeskog.”

“The Avalanche captain?” Jonathan questioned, with a stunned look.

“Yeah. He’s trapped in a gondola car probably thanks to Sid!” I growled. Why was Sidney targeting all the hockey players who had blue eyes. I liked and felt drawn to every single one of them. And Gabriel was another of those men who just made my heart melt inside.

Christina saw my face turning red. She approved of my admiration of the Colorado Captain and in fact felt the same way I did about him. And why not? Gabriel or Gabe was a hot hockey player. Patrick and Jonathan were staring at us and they grinned.

“Guess we got to try and get to Colorado now ASAP!”

“Right!”

We jumped up from the bench and raced off to the car. My brother was the designated driver. We couldn’t drive to Colorado from Boston, it would take too long. Luckily we didn’t need to, because this was a fantasy tale, we somehow teleported and managed to arrive in plenty of time to our destination. We were there within five minutes, gazing at the gondola in Aspen.

A crisp wind blew at us and it was so cold and chilly. The temperature must have been in the low 20s. Up above I could see the cables still working and hanging lowly were the clouds with lightning, battering rains, snow and possibly hail. It looked ugly.

“Come on, we have to stop that gondola and save Gabriel!” I shouted over the roar of the wind and thunder.

This was so dangerous and on any other day I would have gladly run for shelter, but this wasn’t the case. The captain of the Avalanche was in serious danger. I raced up and skidded to a halt in the snow, looking at the sparking lines, as a bolt hit the “up” cable. I magically pulled out a pair of binoculars, which I conveniently had in my coat. I scanned the cable for the car that we needed to find and I could barely make out the helpless figure trapped inside.

Jonathan, Patrick and Christina trudged up behind me.

I turned to them putting the binoculars back into my coat. “It’s Gabe alright! He’s trapped in the gondola up there!” I exclaimed.

“You can’t go up there! It’s too dangerous!”

“But I can’t let Gabriel die!” I insisted. “Think about it Jonny, will ya?”

He glanced up at the huge storm cloud and then at the car I’d pointed to and finally back down at me. He smiled and nodded. “You’re right. If that were me in there, I’d want Landy to help me out.” He dipped his head. “Do what you must.”

Patrick and Christina shared a look. They nodded. But Patrick faced me and cocked his head, wrinkling his nose up.

“How are we gonna get to him?” Patrick asked.

Jonathan walked through the snow over to the mechanism and grabbed onto one of the transporter cars and swung up, getting to the top. “Like this!” That was my brother, Jonathan Bryan Toews, the action-getter. He was majorly athletic and he could get onto things that others couldn’t. I suppose it was from his childhood. He balanced on the top, as it “zoomed” off the ground and upward, heading toward the storm. Patrick, Christina and I climbed onto the next one and followed him, as he walked the cables. He was apparently nimble and talented at walking a tightrope and I wondered where THAT skill had come from. He had some secrets to share with me as well. He hopped onto the gondola car Gabriel was in, in no time.

Patrick Kane wasn’t quite as talented as Jonathan Toews and he had to clutch the cables, inching himself slowly up the wiring. He looked like a worm on a stick.

“Oh come on Peeksy, it’s not that hard!”

“Shut up, Jonny. I don’t have dancers’ legs or the balance of a gymnast!”

He finally stumbled onto the top and Jonathan had to catch him from falling off. It was sort of awkward, because Jonathan pulled him backward and Patrick didn’t stop himself fast enough and their faces came close together. (Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!) They broke apart and nervously chuckled and looked away. Patrick dropped to his hands and knees and crawled away from the edge. The breeze had picked up tremendously and it made it difficult to balance correctly but Christina and I had a bit of luck on our side as we hopped onto the roof as well.

Jonathan climbed now the side, hanging onto the poles and tried the door. “Sid jammed it!” he reported.

“Did I already mention that I was going to kill that Penguin?”

“Uh, yeah you did.” Patrick was embracing the cable wiring tightly. He was trying to remain his cool, but was horrified.

“Well now I’m gonna kill him twice!” I spat and joined my brother on the side, leaving Christina to comfort Patrick, who was gazing at the storm just ahead of them.

“We’re not going to make it this time! We should abandon the mission and get to safety!” the blond man shrieked. “We’re going to get ourselves killed!” Who was the woman here?

Jonathan and I worked together, ignoring the petrified winger. We finally managed to throw open the doors and we slipped inside the car. We faced the helpless-looking Avalanche player, who was still struggling to get free. I walked up and carefully peeled the tape off of his mouth. I reassured him in a soothing voice that we were the good guys and there to help him...and save him. He nodded.

“You can’t rescue me, its hopeless! I can’t break these cuffs!” Gabriel exclaimed. “Leave me and save yourselves and find Nathan!”

“We’re not leaving you Landy!” I cried. I looked to my brother, who was attempting to break the chain in the middle of the cuffs on his wrists. “Jonny, can you go back down and try to stop this thing?”

He looked at me and froze for a second. “I’m not leaving you!”

“I’ll be fine, but we need more time! Take Christina with you!”

“Why?”

“Cause Kaner’s too chicken to move and I won’t have you go alone!” I snapped. “Now go and try to stop this thing. I’m going to try and free Gabriel!”

Jonathan looked at me but finally climbed back onto the roof and I watched as him and Christina descended the wire cables rather quickly and vanished into the mechanism enclosure. I turned back to Gabriel and worked at the chains trying to snap them apart, but the metal wouldn’t break.

“I’ve tried to break ‘em, but they just won’t break!” the blond captain stated. “You have to escape!”

“I’m NOT leaving you Gabriel Landeskog!” I insisted. “We’ll make it, okay?”

He nodded, a bit taken aback. Don’t stare at his eyes! I told myself. Don’t stare at his blue eyes! We were shaken from our thought and brought back, as we heard the shrill and high-pitched girly scream of Patrick. Almost immediately, the gondola swung to an abrupt halt on the edge of the cloud. It was rather spooky and terrifying but cool.

“EVELYNA!! HELP!!” Patrick’s voice shrieked.

Fuck, Kaner had been left alone and had been found and was in serious trouble. I patted Gabriel on the head, feeling his straw-like blond locks in my fingers. I tried to ignore the nagging feeling I felt about how turned on I was at the touch of the man’s hair. Man, I needed some help...I felt like I was cheating on Valeri, falling for all of these men! I peered out, just in time to see Patrick dangling over the side in the grasp of….Chris Pronger.

“Pronger, drop him! I mean, whoa wait a second...let him go!” I shook my head. “Fuck! Damn it, put him back on the top of the gondola!” But it was too late, Patrick was released from the grip and he plummeted down into the snow below.

“PATRICK, NO!!!! KANER!!” I screamed, getting on my hands and knees and staring in horror at the dented snow bank. “KANER!!” I screamed, desperately hoping he was okay.

Lightning crackled to the side. I glimpsed the sight of Pronger’s shadowy and blurry figure jump down the side and swung in, bringing his feet into me. I flew backward and crashed against the back of the car. I snapped my head up to see the ex-Flyer snickering, as he grabbed Gabriel’s head in his fingers.

“Pronger, stop. Let him go!”

I watched as he began to manhandle the guy’s face and roughly run his fingers through Gabriel’s slick blond hair. Damn, that Avalanche captain had a dirty flow. I was curious about what Pronger’s intentions were exactly? But I knew they weren’t good! I eyed him, as he made the poor man release a series of sounds of displeasure. I heard Gabriel Landeskog begging and pleading for Pronger to stop his madness, but the goon was ignoring him.

Finally Pronger looked up and gazed at me, coldly. “What’s the story behind this one, Evelyna Toews? Is it that he has such young, boyish looks to him? Or maybe its his eyes?” I gulped nervously, as the guy forced Gabriel’s face to the side, so I could look at him. Fuck! I was gazing into his blue eyes now! They were shiny and full of fear...and they were gorgeous! But deep down, they weren’t the baby blues I truly loved! They weren’t Valeri Nichushkin’s! But I could see Valeri in Gabriel. And it was rather strange, as I was caught in the majesty of his baby blues.

“Evelyna, help me, please!” Gabriel cried. But I didn’t hear the Colorado Avalanche asking me...it was Val. He was begging me to help him.

I shook my head. I couldn’t do this right now! Pronger pinched Gabriel’s cheeks between his fingers.

“Look at this face, Evelyna. Why won’t you save him already? Is it because of Val Nichushkin?”

“Leave him alone!” I gasped, continuing to be locked in the captain’s crystal eyes.

Pronger made Gabriel shake his head in a “no” move. I was about to do something and try to help the man out, but suddenly a fist flew out from the side. I looked and saw that it was Patrick Kane.

Patrick landed another blow and shoved the ex-Flyer out of the gondola car. He turned back, the breeze whipping through his hair as his blue eyes flashed with the fury he felt. He came back up to me, reached out and grabbed my head in his hands. I let him. He bent his head low over mine and kissed me. And I FUCKING LET HIM!! A man I thought of as my brother was kissing me and I was letting him.

He pulled back and smiled at me. “I got your back Evelyna!”

“And apparently my heart and mouth too!” I chirped back, grinning.

“Come on, let’s get Gabe free, here!” He winked.

“But how did you--??”

“Survive the fall?”

“Yeah!”

“The snow is soft remember. If you land on it correctly and in the right spot, it’s like falling onto a cloud...doesn’t hurt at all!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”

Together we somehow managed to break the chain between the cuffs and rescue the Avalanche captain, who thanked them.

“How can I ever repay you?” he asked.

“You can let us win the Cup?” Patrick joked. I smacked his shoulder, playfully.

We would worry about getting the ankle chains and the handcuffs off in a little bit. For now we just needed to get him down and to safety. Luckily the storm was just stationary and if anything, it was moving the other way, toward Denver. Patrick lifted one of Gabriel’s arms and draped it over his shoulder. I followed suit with the other arm.

“So, what...are we going to jump into the snow?” Colorado’s captain questioned.

Patrick grinned cleverly, as we stepped up to the door. We jumped out and landed softly in the snow. Patrick was right it wasn’t hard, but rather light and fluffy. Chris Pronger was nowhere in sight, meaning that he had probably taken off and was probably getting his next order from Sidney Crosby. The Blackhawk winger scrambled to his feet and bent down to help Gabriel out.

That’s when a blinding flash and deafening crack of thunder sounded. I caught sight of Patrick stumbling backward. When the moment passed, I found myself hugging Gabriel close to me and staring at an unconscious Blackhawk forward in the snow.

“PATRICK!!” I screamed, releasing Gabriel and diving to check out my half-brother. He’d been hit by the lightning strike. “Peekaboo, Kaner, speak to me!”

I had to get him and Gabriel to safety, but I was only me. Where was Christina and Jonathan?? I needed help!

Almost immediately I saw two snowmobiles fly up the mountain and into view. Riding one with my best friend and in the other was my brother. They pulled up and Jonathan grabbed Gabriel, helping him out. Christina and I aided Patrick out. He moaned and made disturbing noises that didn’t sound good. I held him, cradling his head in my hands, as Christina took the controls and we all made it to the bottom once more.

I wanted to know how they had managed to stop the gondola though?! But it wasn’t important at the moment. I could wait a little to learn the truth about that.

We all made it back into the lot, where we finally sat down to take a load off and free Gabriel the rest of the way. But as soon as the Avalanche player got his bearings straight, Christina received the news of the next peril and rescue mission.

It was time to go find Nathan MacKinnon.

Notes

I just want to apologize to A Shruinger for the next two-ish-four chapters coming up...It's time for Kinny's peril....and this is why he is sucking right now. I'm sorry and I'm trying to finish it off, so that he's okay. Also, sorry Kinny, can you try to not act like I am the witch doctor and this is the voodoo doll and do shit! Thanks! Come on Avs!
In other news, the NHL is officially back and nothing like a good Bruins-Flyers matchup with the Bs winning and Bergy kicking Giroux's ass in the dot!! GO BERGY, YOU THE REAL MVP!! Oh and also, welcome back Reilly Smith, it's so nice of you to show up with Bergy and a few other Bruins, maybe you can help out to get the others -Looch I'm looking at you- back into the mindset of hockey. They are still on Summer Vacation....can't have that.
And with the 9th's game, Dallas-Chicago, DAMN WHAT A GAME!!!! Western Conference Series in the playoffs, anyone???? Oh man, this would be a killer good series!! :DDDD I almost wanted to take a run at Sharpie though, cause his high-sticked my baby Russian in the face. Not cool, Sharpie! >:( (He played with a serious bee in his bonnet or ants in his pants though, dang he was fierce. One of the only Hawks to show up to the game!)
Anyway, here's the rescue of Landy.

Next up: Poor, poor Nathan MacKinnon...and Sid shoots Kaner with a crossbow! :( (What am I gonna do with that Penguin....*sighs heavily*)