DropZone

by Andy McNab

  ‘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 notice,’ 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?’

  Ethan looked at his mum. He knew it was a desperate attempt on her part to get Dad interested in something other than drink – to maybe share a bit of what being a family was about. He loved her for it. He also knew it wouldn’t work.

  ‘You? In France?’ said his dad, and laughed. ‘And how are you affording that then, eh? Because I’m not bloody paying for it, that’s for sure.’

  ‘It’s paid for,’ said Ethan, determined to remain calm, if only for the sake of his mum and Jo. ‘There’s a skydiving competition. Sam’s organized the tickets.’

  ‘Sam?’ said his dad, pushing himself away from the door and stumbling forward a little. ‘You teacher’s pet now, is that it?’

  ‘The whole team’s going,’ Ethan said steadily. ‘All expenses paid.’ He watched as his dad just stood there, speechless. It was like he could actually see him trying to think of something to say.

  ‘You couldn’t pay me to go to that place,’ his dad muttered eventually. ‘All that foreign food and crap. Bloody awful. Never been abroad – never want to.’ He shuffled forward and dropped onto the sofa.

  Ethan felt unbelievably calm. For once, even his dad couldn’t rile him. He smiled. ‘Yeah, right,’ he said. ‘Or is it that I’m doing something you’ve never had the balls to do and you hate it.’

  ‘Who’d want to jump out of a plane?’ said his dad, laughing and switching on the TV. But Ethan could hear how forced his laughter was.

  ‘You should try it,’ he said. ‘I’ll get Sam to do a tandem with you.’ Then he smiled again. ‘Oh, actually that wouldn’t work. You have to be fit and healthy to do a jump – so that’s you screwed, isn’t it?’

  His dad looked up at him. ‘You’ve turned into a right cocky little shit, you know that?’ he snarled. ‘And I can still knock it out of you.’

  Ethan heard his mum murmur, ‘Leave it now, Ethan, go on,�
�� but he had something else to say.

  ‘You’re a loser, Dad,’ he said evenly. ‘And you hate the fact that you haven’t been able to drag me down with you.’

  ‘I’m warning you…’

  Ethan looked at his dad and smiled. ‘Warning me? How?’ he demanded. ‘You’re pissed, Dad. You can’t even pull yourself out of that sofa.’

  His dad rolled himself onto the sofa arm to push himself to his feet. ‘I’m going to give you such a kicking, you little…’

  And as Ethan watched his dad struggle to stand up, he knew he would never have a hold over him again. ‘Really?’ he said, then he reached out, and with a gentle push sent his dad falling back onto the sofa.

  The last thing Ethan heard as he left the flat was his dad swearing and Jo’s stifled laughter.

  It was 2200 hours the following evening and they were all gathered in the hangar for the night jump.

  ‘Listen up. Here are your altimeters,’ said Sam, handing them out. ‘You’ll be using your usual audible ones as well, but these are back-lit, for obvious reasons… Torches,’ he went on, handing out small, rubberized ones. Ethan watched as the team clipped them to their jumpsuits.

  ‘The torches are so you can check your canopy in the dark,’ Johnny told him.

  ‘Everyone’s got their LEDs strapped to their legs,’ said Luke, looking at Sam. ‘And I’ve checked each one to make sure they’re regulation brightness.’

  ‘Regulation brightness?’ said Ethan. ‘Seriously?’

  Luke nodded. ‘They have to be visible for three miles in every direction – we’re not the only ones in the sky.’

  ‘Remember, everyone,’ said Sam, ‘we don’t want those things activated until we’re in the air.’ He then pulled something from his pocket. ‘The final bit of kit… Glow sticks.’

  Even Ethan knew what these were – simple plastic tubes with two chemicals inside separated by a thin sliver of glass. All you had to do was bend the tube to break the glass, the chemicals would mix and the thing would glow blue or green or red or whatever for about eight hours. He smiled, remembering how his mum had given him one at Halloween and how he’d used it to read comics under his duvet.