Basically in a cold-water environment you wanted to stay out of the cold water. Period.
Dillon felt the plane jerk forward as they began to move down the runway.
The plane was anything but normal. The walls didn’t shimmy and shake like those in a normal aircraft. And how quiet the engines were? It was some pretty freaky stuff. This plane was like the Quax of planes. Sleek and ultra-futuristic.
He looked over to his dad who was leaning back in his chair, seeming to take a nap. He was not one to be intimidated by anyone, let alone someone from the military. His dad had been a member of TAG East, the Australian equivalent of the SEALs. He’d lost his arm in just such a rescue mission. They gotten their man, but he’d paid the price with his arm.
Somehow leaning back, Dad’s eyes closed, he seemed more alive than he had since Salechii. He’d spent way too much time in a lab. It was like he was watching his father wilt like a wild flower in a hot house.
Speaking of a flower… Dillon asked, “I thought you had an audition tomorrow?”
She waved him off. “No biggie.”
“No biggie?” Dillon retorted. “It was your first leading role with a SAG production.”
Again she shrugged. Okay something was going on. While she hadn’t dived headfirst into the acting thing, he could tell she was into it.
Before he could ask further, the Captain cleared his throat. “Anything you would like to add to the discussion Master McClay?”
Dillon gulped. It was like getting busted by the principle. “No, no sir.”
“Alright then, eyes forward.”
Nami smacked him under the table.
“Yes, sir,” Dillon answered.
Okay, this ten-hour flight was going to be way longer than Dillon had hoped.
* * *
Nick’s head bobbed forward. He jerked it back. He did not want to draw the ire of the captain by falling asleep during his briefing. Apparently the man wanted to use every last second of their flight to talk and talk and talk.
Sure Nick’s movies took some hits because they were pretty much non-stop action and didn’t follow proper military procedure, but you know what? Proper military procedure was freaking boring. No audience in the world would sit still for five minutes of this let alone over five hours.
Dear God. He was actually wishing for some turbulence. Anything to spice up this lecture.
They got it already. They were going into dangerous territory where Nature herself was trying to kill you. Got it. Got it like five hours ago.
Death, death, death. Yada. Yada. Yada.
A red light flashed overhead. Okay, that got interesting.
“Alright,” Nassar stated slamming his briefing book closed. “Time to suit up.”
Suit up in what? Nick looked to Callum who looked to Dillon who looked to Nami who looked to him.
“Um, for what?” Nick asked. He was about the only one who hadn’t yet gotten into trouble with the captain yet.
“To jump,” the man said with a smile on his face.
It was Callum’s turn to frown. “I thought we were taking a sub to the base?”
“Plans change. Clearly you weren’t listening at the four hour mark. The sub we were going to use was called away on a classified mission.”
Quax nodded. “He discussed the alteration in our mode of transportation at the three hour and twenty-second mark,”
“I’m glad someone was listening,” the Captain stated.
“But…” Nick couldn’t even finish the sentence. He was not looking forward to a skydive.
“Don’t worry,” Nassar said. “If you aren’t certified, we can tandem jump.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Dillon stated from the other side of the table.
Nassar chuckled. “No sir, I am not. How else were we going to get to a speck of an island off the coast of Russia?”
Perhaps they should have paid slightly more attention to the briefing. Damn his ability to sleep with his eyes open.
“So Mr. Hollywood, do you need a tandem?”
“Really?” Nick countered. “You didn’t see the YouTube video?”
Nami chuckled next to him. “Not only did Dad hit a billboard, it was a breastfeeding billboard.” She broke out into full-blown laughter.
He gave his daughter a stern look, but she continued. “Come on, Dad, it was funny. You got three million hits in like seven hours.”
Yes, it was one of his more successful videos. It ranked right up there when he fell off his bike, right onto the bar. He couldn’t walk straight for several days after that, but it did get him cast into that Paul Apito film though.
Nick shrugged. “I’m game.”
CHAPTER 5
Nami wasn’t. Not by a long shot. While she was certified she wasn’t thrilled to be jumping under these conditions.
So sue her. She wasn’t an adrenaline junkie like the rest.
She didn’t mind flying. As long as she didn’t look down too frequently. But jumping out of a moving plane, on purpose? She’d done it often enough to get certified but no more than that. And even that had been to spend time with her father away from their mother.
“There’s no other way?” Nami asked.
Captain Nassar turned to her. His dark eyes shining with mischief. That didn’t seem right but the guy had a grin. “Which would be?”
“I don’t know? Get another submarine?”
“Ma’am, I’m not quite sure you understand exactly how far off the beaten path we are. That was the only submarine in the area. The next closest one is in North Korea. So unless you want to call Kim and ask for permission to take it out, we are jumping.”
“Oh,” Nami said.
“I covered it on page nine hundred and eight.”
Nami bet he did but she’d stopped listening at about page ten. Her mistake.
“Okay, but… I don’t…”
Nassar simply walked off.
“You’ll be fine,” Her dad said. This from the man that ran into a billboard. He put his arm round her, hugging her tight. I’ll see you down there.”
Right. That would kind of depend on whether she actually jumped or not.
* * *
Tonaka tightened his straps with only a slight shake to the hand. He had never sky dived. It had been on what the American’s called a bucket list. And now he got to cross it off.
“Are you sure you want to go this way?” Captain Nassar asked.
“Most definitely.”
If he were going to entrust his life to anyone, it would be his own creation, Quax. The captain had put up a bit of a fuss until Tonaka showed him the robot’s credentials, which happened to be better than the captain’s own.
The QXs didn’t need chutes since they had jet propulsion in their lower legs. They couldn’t fly per se, but they could make a go of it for a few minutes. They certainly had enough power to slow their falls.
“I won’t try to talk you out of it again,” Captain Nassar stated.
Tonaka was glad for that. Because to be honest, Quax would give his existence to protect Tonaka. Each one of these soldiers had to be concerned with his own well-being. Not so for Quax. The Z92 would get Tonaka to safety. No matter the cost.
Quax, gently as always, placed Tonaka on his back. This was another difference. He simply felt safer on the robot’s back rather than being strapped on one of the men’s chests.
Quickly everyone lined up. Captain Nassar had put the civilian divers in the front of the line, that way if anything went wrong the SEALs could intervene. Then the tandems. Given Quax’s record they were put in the back of the line. Only a few individual SEALs followed them.
Tonaka’s dry suit threatened to constrict his ribcage. He knew it needed to be tight to be effective against keeping out the cold. Diving in arctic conditions like this, you risked frostbite. Severe frostbite, but Tonaka would like to be able to breathe.
“Time to put your facemask on, doctor,” Quax reminded him.
Right. The
mask. Another essential part of the gear that Tonaka was none too thrilled with. For a moment he wished he were like Quax, immune to the elements.
But he was not, so the mask got donned. He had to steady his breath. The mask was almost too claustrophobic. Tonaka had to remind himself he was fine. The jump would be fine. Or at least he would be once he landed.
The back hatch opened, to avoid the divers getting caught in the engines. The wind whipped, catching any stray paper, fluttering it about the cabin until it was finally sucked out the hatch where Nami stood, waiting to be the first to dive.
* * *
Nami gulped. Sure she’d jumped before, however that had been in Southern California. Where it was nice and warm with very little wind. She could feel her blood cool and she hadn’t even jumped.
Maybe she should have opted for the tandem jump. But that had felt so…so…age-ist. Sometimes she went a bit far proving that teens could do everything an adult could, many times even better.
“You okay, pumpkin?” Her father asked from behind her.
Nami gritted her teeth and nodded.
“Jump!” Nassar ordered.
There was something about his voice. It seemed like it was the essence of authority. So even though her heart was seized up, her legs obeyed the Captain and she jumped.
Once she was in the air, her instincts kicked in. She spread eagle, slowing her descent, giving her some ability to guide her path.
Far down below she could see what appeared to be a speck of snow. That was her target. Great.
Glancing over her shoulder she watched her father, then Dillon, then Callum jump. They were like dots along an imaginary line. It was trippy to say the least.
Nami kept herself steady. She’d had a great instructor back in the States. He had even been an ex-SEAL. She was cold and scared, but she felt prepared.
This was the best part of the dive though. The freefall. The wind whipping past you. Just you and the sky. Before anything horrible could happen. She looked over to watch the clouds circle overhead. It started to snow. Those little fluffy flakes hitting her face mask. Tiny little explosions of white.
She was super glad she had oxygen pumping into her mask.
This was kind of awesome. An experience of a lifetime.
As she fell, the island came into view. Okay, it wasn’t a speck, but it wasn’t all that big either.
And she would far rather hit that than the roiling ocean all around it.
Nami glanced to her altimeter. The needle passed into the green. Time to pull the ripcord.
She jerked at the red handle. Nothing. She pulled harder. Still nothing.
It was okay. No need to panic. This happened. She had a backup chute. She reached behind her, found the handle then jerked.
Again nothing.
She was in free-fall and there was nothing she could do about it as the island rushed up at her face.
* * *
“Nami!” Nick screamed. His daughter’s chutes had failed. Both of them.
There was a bunch of chatter over the com, but Nick ignored it. There was no one even close enough to help besides him.
“Don’t you do it, Mr. Flack!” Nassar shouted in his ear. “Pull your chute now!”
How could he? His daughter was in danger.
Instead of pulling his chute he drew his legs in, tucking them inside his arms, cutting his wind resistance in half, doubling his speed. She wasn’t that far away, and God love her, she was doing exactly what she was supposed it. Her arms and legs were widespread, trying to increase her own wind-resistance, slowing herself down.
He glanced over to his altimeter. He’d gone from green to yellow and was now inching into the red. If he didn’t pull his chute soon, he would crash just as surely as she was going to.
But he couldn’t pull. Not until he had his daughter safely in his arms.
“Coming in!” he shouted as he uncurled.
It wasn’t pretty. Nick basically ran into her back. He grabbed her around the waist. “Hold on!” he shouted as he yanked his parachute’s handle.
The fabric billowed out behind them, jerking them into the air, carrying them back. The sky was dotted with all the other chutes. They were tugged back so far that Dillon was in front of them.
Then the upward motion stopped and they started floating back down, but still too fast for Nick’s comfort.
* * *
Her father had been so brave, trying to save her and now he might have gotten them both killed.
They were coming in way too fast. That ice was coming up way too fast. She’d had one jump where she hadn’t slowed down enough and came in hard. She’d scraped up her arms and dislocated her kneecap and that had been at half this speed.
They plunged past Dillon, heading for the ice. Her father tried to steer them away from the island for a water landing, but this fast, it probably wouldn’t matter.
She clung to her father as they approached the island. This wasn’t going to end well.
“I love you,” Nami whispered, hoping that everyone she loved heard her over the comm.
“Close your eyes, baby,” her father said. She did as asked. She’d rather not see her death in Techno-Color.
Then metal arms wrapped around her.
What?
Her eyes flew open. Quax, using his jet thrusters had not only caught up with them, but was now skimming them along the surface of the island, flying horizontally.
Her dad cut the parachute. They didn’t need it anymore. They had Quax. He lifted them a few feet into the air, then gently landed them on the snow.
* * *
“Nami!” Dillon screamed as he landed, cutting his chute, running forward.
“I’m fine,” she said through a face full of tears. “I’m fine.”
Still he grabbed her and hugged her and squeezed her until both of them could barely breathe.
She hugged him back, melting into him. She popped his mask off, showering his face with kisses. “You know what? You can hold Quax’s hand forever. I mean it. I might even start holding his hand!”
Nami turned and grabbed hold of the robot and planted a nice wet one on his artificial cheek. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!”
“Wait, what about me?” Nick asked looking slightly left out.
Spinning around she jumped into her father’s arms. “You, Mr. Flack, will always be my favorite action hero!”
Her father spun her around, making Nami’s legs fly out. “A role I am happy to play for you until eternity.”
Dillon swung around to Quax, offering his fist. When the metal fist bumped his, Dillon drew his hand back making an explosive sound. “You rocked it, Quax, I mean seriously rocked it!”
The robot smiled “I think I rolled it too!”
Dillon laughed so hard that he began to cry. How he had missed his friend.
* * *
Tonaka stood back from the reveling crowd. Callum had joined the hug-fest. Quax had deposited him gently in the snow before executing the rescue. Quax, always so considerate and now he was reaping his rewards.
This is why he had dedicated his life to robotics. To make human’s lives safer and richer for it.
And with Shalie’s emotional improvements, Quax was able to bathe in all of that gratitude. Tonaka’s only regret was that his devoted wife, Nica couldn’t be here. She had believed in him from the beginning when they didn’t have two yen to rub together.
Here was his final culmination of his work.
The wind kicked up, blowing snow into his face mask. Despite the jubilation, they had best get into the facility before they risked casualties due to exposure.
He was glad to see the rest of the QXs landing safely. Most of them were loaded down with equipment and supplies. Tonaka would like to see a human do that.
Nami barreled right into Tonaka, nearly knocking him down. “Thank you, too. Thank you for dreaming up Quax!”
He hugged her back. “You are very welcome. Next time check your chute.”<
br />
Nami looked up to him, tears still streaming down her rosy cheeks. “But I did. Both of them. They were fine just before I jumped.”
That was odd. Next time, if there were ever a next time, he could have Quax check the packs just before jumping. Tonaka scanned the jubilant group, then over to the more reserved SEALs. One chute failing fell into the category of human error. Two? That sounded more like an intentional act. But he had no proof of malfeasance. Nothing to substantiate his concerns.
As quickly as she was in his arms, Nami was out, going over to Dillon, chattering away.
Youth. At least it was not wasted on this one.
Captain Nassar walked by him. “Fine, maybe the robots weren’t such a bad addition.”
Tonaka smiled. That was perhaps the highest compliment he had ever received.
CHAPTER 6
Shalie sat in her laboratory. She watched the live feed from the QXs embedded cameras. The snow was falling pretty hard out there. She was glad to see her team safe.
Nami’s chute failure aside, they had made it halfway around the world without much incident. That plane had truly been a marvel of technology. She felt slightly jealous but remembered why she had stayed behind. It was what was under that ice that kept her from boarding.
Snow nearly blinded the cameras as everyone huddled around what looked to be a door to a small electrical shack. Shalie knew from the schematics that instead this was the topside door.
Despite being thousands of miles away, Shalie swore she could feel the cold wind slicing through her jacket. The wind whipped through her speakers making it hard for her to hear what was being said over the comm.
Shalie could also feel Callum’s frustration with Nassar.
Not that Shalie blamed him. Mr. Captain America over there didn’t understand a bit of robotics yet had rejected them out of hand. He also didn’t know sharks at all. Apparently he learned his shark technique from Animal Planet.
From his never ending briefing he mentioned taking up “defensive” posture around sharks. For that matter there wasn’t any kind of “offensive” posture either. There was kill or be eaten. That was it. Sharks weren’t very subtle in that way. If one was coming your way, he expected you to be in his stomach in a few short seconds.
Apex Predator Thriller Series Collection (Including the blockbuster new shark park thriller, Salechii) Page 36