DropZone Read online

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘I mean it,’ said Sam. ‘Wind your neck in and deal with it. See this as an opportunity. Get to know the regulars better, read up on skydiving, get a better understanding of everything. Just because you’re not jumping doesn’t mean you have to stop learning. Right?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Ethan.

  ‘And a warning . . . Don’t think for a single second that I won’t know if you book in for a jump. You may be qualified, and you may not need my permission any more, but nothing gets past me at FreeFall, OK? And if I find out you’ve jumped before your four weeks are up, I’ll ground you for the rest of your life.’

  Ethan could see from the look on Sam’s face that he meant it. But then Sam always had that look on his face: hard, unmoving, unwavering.

  ‘Now that’s sorted,’ said Sam, ‘I’ve arranged for you to meet up with Luke after work. He’ll be waiting for you in the hangar. Head over there as soon as you shut up the shop.’

  ‘What am I meeting him for?’ asked Ethan.

  ‘Luke’s offered to help keep your mind off the fact that you won’t be jumping for a while.’ Sam looked at his watch. ‘He’s going to train the hell out of you instead. Now get your arse over to the shop and open up. You’re losing me business.’

  As usual, Ethan wasn’t given a chance to reply – Sam was already heading off to his office.

  The shop was busy, and with every customer that came in to buy kit, Ethan felt more and more envious. Since completing his AFF, he’d hardly gone a day without a jump. It didn’t seem fair – like he was being punished for saving Kat’s life. He was glad when the time came to shut; he headed off to the hangar, wondering what Luke had planned ‘to keep his mind occupied’, as Sam had put it.

  Luke was waiting for him when he arrived. ‘Hi, Ethan,’ he said. ‘Good day?’

  ‘It was a day,’ replied Ethan. ‘What are we doing?’ He couldn’t be bothered with the small talk. He was grumpy, and he doubted there was much anyone could do about it.

  ‘Formation drills,’ said Luke. ‘And you need to get this shit absolutely right on the ground before you can even consider doing it in freefall.’ He walked over to the hangar wall and pulled out one of the trolleys Ethan had used during his AFF. ‘Once I’ve shown you the basics, we’ll lie on these,’ Luke explained. ‘As you already know from your AFF, you lie flat on them, as if in freefall, and try to move smoothly between each formation.’

  ‘I’m going to learn formation stuff?’ said Ethan. ‘Why? I didn’t think I was ready.’

  ‘Sam’s idea,’ said Luke, ‘and he thinks you are. He also wants to make sure you don’t stagnate while you’re resting that shoulder. We’ll be running through all the usual skydiving drills as well as the formation stuff. Got it?’

  Ethan nodded. If Sam thought he was ready, then he wasn’t going to say no. As he headed towards the trolleys, he thought about the team, and about Jake. Did this mean Sam was considering him as Jake’s replacement? If there was anything he wanted more, then he couldn’t think what it was. He pushed one of the trolleys back and forth. ‘Are you sure this isn’t a joke?’

  ‘No joke, Ethan. Remember – this is all down to Sam. And I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but he doesn’t really have a sense of humour.’

  What followed then, and for the four ensuing weeks as Ethan’s shoulder was allowed to recover, was training that covered just about everything Luke knew about formations and skydiving in general. Ethan knew everyone joked about Luke’s obsession with the tiniest of details, but as the weeks passed, he soon saw just how useful and important that obsession was. Luke didn’t just know what he was talking about, he sounded like he’d invented it. And before long, Ethan had the formation drills down to a fine art. But that wasn’t all: Luke constantly quizzed Ethan on the finer points of safety, awareness in the air, and landing. He also taught Ethan how to pack his own rig.

  ‘You’ll not be able to jump with this until you pass your rigger’s qualification,’ said Luke as Ethan repacked his rig under Luke’s watchful gaze. ‘But at least this way you’ll know what you’re doing when you come to do the official training. And knowing it won’t do any harm, will it? Means you’ve a better understanding of how your rig works.’

  Ethan agreed. Everything Luke showed him he absorbed, memorized and practised. And if he wasn’t at work, he was reading up on skydiving, chatting to more experienced skydivers, hanging out with Johnny; anything, just so long as it was about being in the air.

  Ethan was obsessed. He knew it.

  It was a bright Saturday morning when Ethan finally rode his bike into FreeFall with a grin on his face like a melon slice. The four weeks was over. He was jumping today.

  He was just climbing into the minibus with Sam when Johnny arrived.

  ‘Couldn’t miss your first jump,’ he said as he sat down next to Ethan.

  Two other faces appeared.

  ‘Luke . . . Natalya . . .’ said Ethan, surprised to see them.

  Luke nodded back; Natalya, as usual, just stared at him with those intense, penetrating eyes. But there was something new in her gaze, Ethan thought. It was as if she was looking at him with a little respect. And maybe she was. Maybe his insane rescue of Kat had given him a little kudos. If so, he wasn’t about to complain.

  ‘And Kat,’ said Luke as Kat jumped in behind.

  Kat looked at Ethan. ‘Figured it’d be nice to jump out of a plane with you and actually remember the experience,’ she said. ‘And I’ve got this.’ Ethan smiled as she held up a new skydiving helmet. It was bright red, with a full-face visor.

  ‘Nice,’ he said, nodding at it.

  ‘Cost over three hundred quid,’ said Kat. ‘Can’t really believe I’ve spent that much.’

  ‘When you’re a slave to freedom, money doesn’t matter,’ said Johnny.

  ‘Slave to freedom?’ queried Ethan.

  ‘I can’t believe I said it either,’ said Johnny. ‘Sounds good though, don’t you think? I’m so . . . mystical.’

  Luke turned to Sam. ‘I reckon we should do some of the formation stuff with Ethan. He knows it now. All he’s got to do is put it into practice in the air.’

  Sam looked at Ethan. ‘Couldn’t agree more,’ he said. ‘You OK with that, Ethan? Reckon your shoulder is up to it?’

  Ethan nodded. ‘Totally. Never felt better.’

  ‘I’ll make sure I’m careful,’ said Luke. ‘The movements are pretty slight anyway. It’s not like I’ll be trying to pull your arm out of its socket.’

  ‘I’m OK with anything so long as I get to jump,’ said Ethan.

  ‘Ah, just listen to him,’ said Johnny. ‘He’s all excited!’ Then he hugged Ethan dramatically. ‘I’m so . . . proud of you . . . son . . .’

  Ethan pushed him away, smiling and shaking his head. Then the minibus set off and he felt his stomach lurch. This was it . . .

  The call came through – they were over the DZ. In the minibus, Sam had given them the order of things: Luke was to do some simple two-person formation stuff with Ethan; Johnny, Kat and Natalya were free to do whatever they fancied; Sam was going to follow Ethan and Luke, just to keep an eye on things and assess Ethan’s performance.

  Johnny, Kat and Natalya were at the door of the plane. They nodded at Ethan, then jumped.

  Ethan took his place at the door with Luke. He wasn’t even given time to think about what he was doing. It was all instinctive. He followed Luke’s hand signals, got into position.

  Jumped.

  Ethan didn’t need to scream – the adrenaline searing through his veins was doing it for him. As he accelerated to terminal velocity, he looked up to see the plane above become nothing more than a black dot.

  Seven and a half seconds later, he was doing 120 mph.

  He arched his back, flipped over, got stable. Luke was just away to his right. On seeing Ethan get into the stable freefall position, he tracked over.

  Luke gave a hand signal and they both flicked themselves
into the first position – facing each other, holding hands. With a nod, they switched to the next position – Ethan holding Luke’s left ankle with his left arm, Luke doing the same to Ethan. Then back to the first position.

  Luke grinned. Ethan smiled back as he spotted Sam, who was tracking in to join them. And so they finished their freefall as a three-point star.

  Ethan looked at Sam, then back at Luke. Jumping alone was a rush, but jumping with others, people who trusted him in the air . . . this was something else.

  Sam nodded at Luke and Ethan. They checked altimeters, then broke the star formation, bursting away from each other like fire crackers.

  Ethan made sure he had clean air above and around him, checked his altimeter, pulled the ripcord.

  The unmistakable crack of his canopy catching air filled his ears as he was pulled into a steady glide. Then everything was peaceful, and he could enjoy the gentle return to Earth.

  Back at the hangar, everyone was talking. Ethan loved everything about being back in the air – even being on the ground afterwards. After a jump, it was impossible to come down from the high for hours. It was a rush like nothing else. And, he realized, this was the first time that he’d felt a part of the team, rather than just a tag-along.

  Sam called for everyone’s attention. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Next weekend you’re all going to the skydiving competition in France. I’ve got some business of my own in France so I’ll head out earlier, but I’ll meet you there.’

  ‘What skydiving competition?’ asked Ethan.

  ‘The one in France,’ said Johnny. ‘The one Sam’s talking about. Jeez, how you gonna learn anything if you don’t listen?’

  ‘So how come you all know about it and I don’t?’

  ‘Because I didn’t tell you about it,’ said Sam.

  ‘But I’m invited?’ asked Ethan, unable to hide his smile.

  Sam gave a nod. ‘Not just invited; I’ve booked your ticket.’ Ethan wasn’t given a chance to respond as Sam was already speaking to the whole team again. ‘Let me make one thing clear,’ he said. ‘You’re not there to compete as a four-way team, with Ethan instead of Jake, and Johnny filming. Despite what you all might think, Ethan isn’t ready to take Jake’s place just yet . . . He will be soon enough, but we’re not going to rush it. Got it?’

  Everyone nodded and Ethan grinned. A skydiving competition in France! Fantastic! Ethan realized he’d progressed quickly, but knowing that Sam was considering him as Jake’s replacement felt amazing. He opened his mouth to say something, but the look Sam gave him made him shut it immediately.

  ‘You’ll all be doing this for the experience. Go out there, get a feel for how a competition runs, and check out what you’re up against for when you do eventually enter as a team. Right?’

  Nods all round.

  ‘Good,’ said Sam. ‘Now, to make it interesting . . .’ He paused, and everyone leaned closer. ‘I’ve already entered you in a couple of categories – call it your instructor’s prerogative.’ He looked at the gang, one by one, then explained, ‘Johnny, you’re in for freestyle solo, Luke you’re on accuracy, Kat and Natalya, you’re on two-way.’

  Ethan looked at the team. They were all smiles.

  Sam stepped back and winked. ‘And if you find a way to win something in the process, that’s a bonus. Right, travel arrangements . . .’

  Ethan, like the rest of the team, was hooked on Sam’s words. He knew he’d have to get his mum to agree to let him go, but couldn’t think of a reason why she’d say no. This was such a great opportunity – he knew she’d understand that. And Dad wouldn’t have any say in the matter.

  ‘As I’ve said, I’ll meet you out there,’ said Sam. ‘Everything is arranged and paid for. Your tickets are in my office, as are details of the accommodation. If you don’t mind, I’ll leave Luke to deal with all that, as usual.’

  ‘Don’t you trust me?’ asked Johnny.

  ‘In a skydive, yes,’ replied Sam. ‘In my office, no.’

  ‘It’s a fair point,’ said Johnny.

  ‘And well made,’ added Kat.

  Ethan couldn’t help himself. ‘But how’s all this being paid for?’ he asked.

  Sam’s look was steely. ‘I have my contacts. They like sponsoring the right team. Perform well, they’ll stay on board.’

  ‘They the same contacts who covered my AFF?’ Ethan wanted to know.

  ‘They are. And before you ask, they like staying anonymous.’

  ‘But you booked my tickets without asking,’ said Ethan. ‘How’d you know I’d be free?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ said Sam. ‘I just made a big assumption.’ He turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at the team. ‘One more thing,’ he said. ‘Any takers for a night jump?’

  19

  ‘Night jump?’ asked Ethan. ‘I’m guessing that’s exactly what it sounds like, right?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Sam. ‘These guys haven’t done one for a while and it’ll do them good to have a little refresher. You’ve not got enough experience yet so I’ll take you tandem.’

  ‘When are we doing it?’ asked Ethan.

  ‘At night,’ said Johnny. ‘That’s why we call it a night jump.’

  ‘And to think I once found you funny,’ said Ethan, sighing theatrically.

  ‘I’ll arrange it for tomorrow evening,’ said Sam. ‘I’ve already checked with the pilot and he’s free. Luke?’

  Luke looked at him enquiringly.

  ‘Can you sort out the LEDs and glow sticks?’

  Luke nodded, and Ethan asked what an LED was.

  ‘If you’re flying a plane at night, spotting a skydiver is pretty impossible,’ said Sam. ‘LEDs – light-emitting diodes – are bright enough to make sure we stand out well enough to be avoided.’ He turned back to Luke. ‘Give Ethan an idea of what a night jump involves. The rest of you read up on it. I doubt any of you can remember much about the potential effects of hypoxia on your night vision, or anything about the dark zone.’

  Natalya spoke up. ‘Hypoxia is a restricting of oxygen to the brain that happens in most people above seven thousand feet. It can potentially make your vision cross-wire and slow your thinking, but this is usually not a problem unless you are doing a high-altitude jump. At night, however, it can make it difficult to focus or judge distance. This can be very dangerous, particularly when coming in to land.’

  Sam nodded his approval, then said, ‘See you tomorrow,’ and left.

  Ethan looked at Natalya. She was gazing at him intently, but as he returned her stare, she got up and followed Sam. He realized then that of all the team members, she was the one he knew the least about. She seemed incredibly loyal to the team, but apart from that . . .

  ‘Natalya was introduced to the rest of the group through Sam,’ Johnny said, almost as if he’d read Ethan’s thoughts. ‘No one knows anything about her. She’s really private.’

  ‘Gets on OK with Kat, though,’ Ethan remarked.

  ‘So did Jake,’ said Johnny darkly. Then he grinned. ‘Anyway, I’m taking bets on who she really is.’

  Ethan raised an eyebrow.

  ‘It’s completely above board,’ said Johnny, ‘just so long as she doesn’t find out.’

  Ethan laughed. ‘So who do you think she is?’ he asked.

  ‘Luke reckons she’s the daughter of some eastern Euro politician bloke who’s now in hiding,’ said Johnny. ‘He likes all that conspiracy theory bollocks. Kat’s not joining in the fun. Says it would ruin their special relationship. Typical girl.’

  ‘What about you?’ asked Ethan.

  ‘Oh, I’m odds-on favourite,’ said Johnny. ‘I think she’s a vampire.’

  ‘France?’ said Jo.

  Ethan nodded. ‘It’s a skydiving competition. Sam’s booked me a ticket and everything!’ He had rushed back home with the news, excited and breathless. Now, sitting in the lounge with Jo and his mum, he was doing his best to make it all sound very normal.

  ‘But it’s such short notic
e,’ said his mum. ‘Why didn’t Sam mention it sooner? And who’s paying for it all? Is there something Sam’s not telling you? Because I think you should find out if there is, just in case . . .’

  Ethan knew it was a little odd that it should all be booked and paid for by a completely unknown – well, unknown to him – benefactor, sponsor, whatever. But to be honest, he didn’t care. He was just grateful to be going. He shrugged. ‘I think Sam just wanted to make sure I’d be good enough to go before he mentioned it and got my hopes up,’ he said.

  His mum looked a little worried at this. ‘You’re taking part?’ she asked anxiously.

  ‘No way!’ said Ethan. ‘I’m not ready for that! I’m just going out to watch, see how competitions run, that kind of thing. It’ll be amazing.’

  ‘No kidding,’ said Jo. ‘I’m well jealous.’

  Ethan grinned. ‘You’re not telling me you’re interested in skydiving, are you?’

  Jo shook her head. ‘Nah,’ she said. ‘But sexy male skydivers – particularly French ones? Those I’m interested in!’

  They all laughed, and it sounded good. Laughter was something Ethan didn’t hear too much of at home.

  ‘Well, I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience, love,’ said his mum. ‘But do you think I should just speak to Sam about it? Find out a bit more.’

  ‘There’s not much more to find out,’ said Ethan quickly, knowing that if his mum phoned Sam, he’d never live it down – certainly not if Johnny found out. ‘It’ll be fine, Mum. It’s all sorted.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure,’ said his mum, smiling. Then the front door of the flat slammed and Ethan saw the smile falter.

  Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall and they all looked up to see Dad standing in the doorway.

  ‘Ah, a lovely family gathering,’ he said, lurching against the door. ‘How sweet.’

  Ethan got to his feet.

  ‘Going somewhere?’ asked his dad.

  ‘France,’ Ethan heard his mum say as she got up too. ‘He’s going to France! Isn’t that exciting?’