Part 20 (2/2)

Ethan couldn't help but laugh as Luke looked hard at Johnny.

'We meet here at five on Friday. Flight's at eight. I've managed to persuade someone to drive us down to the airport in the minibus. Don't forget to bring your pa.s.sports. That's all you really need to know. Questions?'

'Yes,' said Johnny. 'Have you managed to upgrade us to first cla.s.s?'

Before Luke could reply, the hangar doors opened once more, and Sam marched in. 'Right,' he snapped, staring at Kat and Johnny. 'I'm not here to listen to your excuses. I'm not interested.'

'Well, that's that, then,' said Johnny. 'Thanks for the chat, Sam.'

'Neither am I interested, Johnny, in your pathetic attempt at humour.'

Ethan looked at Sam, and was struck more than usual by his size and presence. The scars on his face seemed more p.r.o.nounced than usual, like they were projecting his ill-contained annoyance. Ethan avoided speculating how someone like Sam had come to get such scars they looked horribly deliberate. But right now, it was clear that Sam was furious. It suddenly seemed a lot darker inside the hangar, like he was sucking the light out of the moment.

'But-' said Johnny.

'Stand down,' said Sam. 'And for once in your life, listen.'

They were all listening, thought Ethan. What choice did they have?

'I don't expect you to stop BASE jumping,' said Sam, his voice a deep rumble, every word clear. 'But I do expect you to at least have some sense as to when when you do it.' you do it.'

'Look, if you're worried about the police-' said Johnny, but Sam cut in, and Ethan was beginning to wish he was somewhere else.

'I'm not worried about the police,' said Sam. 'You dodged them well enough. I'm worried about you.'

'We did everything by the book, Sam,' said Kat. 'We've been training for this for months.'

'And I've been training you for months to be the best there is. Did you think it was a good idea to do this only days before we fly to France?'

Ethan glanced at Johnny and Kat. They were both looking very uncomfortable.

Sam spoke again. 'You're a team,' he told them, 'and as a team you have to know where and when not not to take risks. Haven't you learned anything?' to take risks. Haven't you learned anything?'

'I know,' said Johnny, 'but Kat was ready. If Jake hadn't shopped us-'

'Irrelevant,' said Sam. 'You've known about the compet.i.tion for long enough to plan things around it. Only Ethan can be excused that.'

Ethan saw Sam shoot a glance at him, but his eyes displayed no emotion. Then he turned back to Kat and Johnny.

'You're both good,' he continued. 'I know that because I trained you. I'm not saying you could've been killed, but an accident would have made the trip a waste of time. And if there's one thing I don't like it's my time being wasted.'

Kat and Johnny remained silent.

Ethan was beginning to feel pretty confused and uncomfortable himself. Sam was talking to them like he was back in the army. This whole skydiving thing was obviously a whole lot more serious than he'd realized.

'So tell me' Sam's voice was quiet which, thought Ethan, made it all the more terrifying 'am I wasting my time?'

Johnny and Kat both muttered, 'No.'

'Good,' said Sam. 'And what about you, Ethan? Have you got what it takes?'

Ethan nearly took a step back at finding himself under the full focus of Sam's penetrating gaze. But he didn't hesitate in his reply. 'Yes,' he said firmly.

'That's the end of it then,' said Sam. 'We won't mention this again. I don't want our sponsors to think they've wasted their time and money, and I don't want you to make me look like a pillock. Now sort your heads out and get in the air.'

CHAPTER 23

Climbing out of the minibus, Ethan looked across at the airport. It was early-evening busy, and buzzing with buses and cars dropping off and picking up. The air smelled hot with exhaust fumes, junk food, sweat.

It was a week since the meeting in the hangar with Sam, and they'd all been doing as much as they could to get into the air and practise. No one had mentioned the BASE jump again not even Johnny. Sam was now away on his business trip, so it was down to the team to get themselves ready and arrive at the compet.i.tion in time.

Ethan was excited. And nervous but not just about the compet.i.tion. He'd never been on a pa.s.senger flight before. The only plane he'd ever been in was the one he'd been jumping out of all summer. He guessed now wasn't the time to start telling people that after all, he didn't want to look like an idiot.

Luke had got out of the van first and was already standing outside the main entrance to the terminal, waiting until everyone had gathered up their kit.

'Flight's been changed,' he said when they reached him. 'We leave in twenty minutes.'

Ethan didn't understand. 'I thought we had to check in,' he said.

'Already done,' Luke said simply. 'At least we'll get there quicker. Ready?'

Everyone nodded.

Ethan started to ask more questions, but Johnny looked at him and said, 'Come on last one on the plane fancies Luke.'

Luke didn't laugh; he just set off. 'We're boarding at gate sixteen A. It's this way. We'd best get a move on.'

The change of flight seemed strange to Ethan, but no one else seemed bothered not even Luke, which was rea.s.suring. In fact, the change of plan seemed to have made everyone even more excited. Ethan shrugged and followed along behind. It wasn't as though he was a seasoned traveller, used to the ups and downs of international flying. Perhaps this kind of thing was normal.

It was only when they were all on board and the door to the plane was pulled shut that Ethan realized it wasn't normal at all because the only people on the plane were the team. Every other seat was empty.

The plane taxied along to the runway and took off. Ethan was used to the sensation of being in a plane as it went airborne, but this was different. For one thing he was sitting in a proper seat and facing forwards. For another, this plane totally dwarfed the one he was used to jumping from.

After the plane had broken through cloud, the seat-belt light flicked off and Ethan gazed out through the window. Clouds, like snow-covered peaks, stretched to the horizon. For a moment he wondered what it would be like to jump from such a height, to do one of those HAHO jumps Johnny had described. The thought made him sit back in his seat and grin.

He was about to reach for the in-flight magazine when a man with blond hair came from the front of the plane. Ethan recognized him immediately as the man he'd seen at FreeFall from time to time Sam's friend.

Just as Ethan remembered, he was in his early thirties, smart, clean-shaven, his blond hair swept back, not a strand out of place. His suit looked just a shade over very expensive. And he looked at Ethan as if he was studying him for an exam. It made Ethan uneasy.

Johnny nodded at the guy. 'Hey, Gabe,' he said. 'Figured this was your handiwork. What's up?'

'Change of plan,' said the man, leaning against the back of Johnny's seat.

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