MISSION MOONLARK, kotlc

30

If Biana was ecstatic about car theft, stealing a helicopter was an entire different level.

Agent Wraith and Agent Cadence had just returned from a particularly dangerous mission somewhere in Europe. The story had gotten more and more embellished as it was told around the agency, until it had finally morphed into some sort of dramatic chase scene where the two senior agents had single handedly destroyed seven cars, escaped twenty enemy agents, and lured a squad of genetically-enhanced monkeys into the Neverseen's airplane.

However untruthful the final story had ended up, they thankfully hadn't completely destroyed their helicopter; right as the two agents clambered out, Sophie and her friends hopped inside.

"Are we clear?" Dex shouted, yelling over the loud whirring of the helicopter blades.

Sophie scanned the launch area. The door closed shut behind Agent Wraith and Agent Cadence, and the security cameras' lights were noticeably absent- deactivated by Dex.

"Yes!" Sophie called, looking around for a seatbelt. Her stomach turned queasy as she realized there wasn't one. "Dex! Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?"

"Of course I do!" The helicopter gave a great shudder, then managed a very shaky lift-off.

Biana's shriek was more like a laugh. Fitz's hands shot up to his temples and he buried his face in his lap like he was going to be sick. And Sophie couldn't do anything but scream her throat raw as the helicopter started to spin.

Dex was a horrible driver- and based on Fitz's earlier car-driving performance, she figured next time they stole a vehicle, she'd have Biana give it a try.

The helicopter swerved. It shuddered. It shot up in the air, then spiraled down, and managed to remain shakily at a normal level. It spluttered. Sophie was afraid they might crash into a building or accidentally slam into one of the innocent pigeons that were hastily fluttering away. Sophie wished she could flutter away.

"Guys!" Dex yelled. "We have a problem!'

"What now- GAH!"

The helicopter stopped. For a moment, it dangled straight in thin air. Then it started plummeting.

"DEX!" Sophie screamed, slamming her palms over her ears like that would help. "DEX, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I'm sorry!" Dex shouted back. "I forgot to look at the fuel level, and they probably went far, because this thing just ran out-"

"DEX!" The three of them yelled together.

The helicopter was falling faster and faster. It was all Sophie could do to grip the seat and not come flying out- and Biana and Fitz looked just as panicked. They were starting to hit building-level...

"PARACHUTES!" Dex ordered, pointing to the back.

Sophie grabbed onto one of the seats. The wind pulled her back like a vacuum, but she managed to grab the parachutes, and tossed them to her friends, hoping they wouldn't fly out the window.

Biana caught two, and handed one to Fitz. Dex grabbed the other. They were sinking down too quickly....

Sophie slung the parachute over her back quicker than she'd ever done anything in her life. They were still so high in the air... barely below the height of the tall buildings....

"JUMP!" Fitz screamed.

Dex leapt off the edge first, and Sophie and Biana shrieked in unison as the parachute popped out. Biana went next, squealing as she jumped- and not in the excited way.

Fitz gave her a glance, then followed their lead.

"COME ON, SOPHIE!" Biana yelled, as her parachute unfolded. "JUMP!"

Her heart was pounding... adrenaline was going to make her lightheaded...

"JUMP!" Dex, Fitz, and Biana screamed together.

Sophie forced her feet to leap off the ledge- and then she was falling.

For a moment she was weightless- then she remembered her parachute. It was supposed to pop out any minute now... why wasn't it coming?... she felt around the backside, trying to find some sort of button.... But there was nothing there... all she was doing was falling....

Her heartbeat was so erratic, she couldn't breathe. Was she going to die?

Horns blared. The sounds of cars rushing past overwhelmed her. Everything was falling....

The last thing Sophie knew was somebody screaming her name and a loud honk, before she hit the ground and everything was gone.