head off: 4,000 feet; 3,900 . . . 3,800 . . . 3,700 . . . 3,600 . . . 3,500 . . .
Ethan pulled the ripcord.
No sound had ever made him feel so relieved as this one – his canopy bursting into life above him, pulling him from 120 mph to 10 mph in a matter of seconds.
He checked everything, made sure the toggles were working OK, banked left, right, pulled himself round to head towards the DZ.
Something caught his eye, far off and above him. It was the other skydiver.
Must’ve left soon after me, he thought as he saw the final moments of the diver’s canopy opening. But that wasn’t important. All that mattered was this moment.
He’d just jumped from a plane. On his own.
Ethan was on top of the world.
13
Ethan landed smoothly as Sam jogged over, Johnny in tow.
‘Well?’ Sam asked.
Ethan grinned, pulled his canopy in, and rolled it up to take it back to the hangar.
‘Reckon he enjoyed it,’ said Johnny.
‘Then we consolidate,’ said Sam. ‘We can get a couple of jumps in today if you’re interested.’
‘Oh, I’m interested,’ Ethan replied.
‘Good,’ said Sam. ‘I’ll go sort out a fresh rig for you.’ And he turned to walk back to the hangar.
Johnny followed, calling for Ethan to hurry up. ‘I’ll book us into the next available space,’ he said. ‘Sam’s coming with us as well. You must’ve impressed him.’
‘Really?’ said Ethan. ‘I thought you did the consolidation stuff on your own.’
‘You do,’ said Johnny. ‘You’ll be doing it all by yourself. We’re just coming along for the ride. But you need to know one thing . . .’
‘What’s that then?’ asked Ethan.
Johnny smiled. ‘If Sam’s coming, then you’re really in the shit!’
Ethan stopped mid-step. ‘Why’s that?’
‘It’s simple,’ said Johnny. ‘If you’re average, Sam leaves you alone. Not interested. Better things to do. But if you show promise, then he can’t help himself; he goes all out to make you better and better. And that’s hard work because he’s never happy with anything but perfection.’ He stopped and smiled. ‘After all, look at me!’
Ethan laughed. All the way back to the hangar he was quizzed on his first solo, but inside he was thinking about what Johnny had just said. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud that somehow he’d impressed Sam. He knew that wasn’t easy. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d done it. Everything had happened so fast since he’d first met Johnny. Now here he was, a qualified skydiver.
Luke came out of the hangar to meet them.
‘Well done, Eth,’ he said. ‘Welcome to the club.’ He reached out and shook Ethan’s hand. ‘Sam’s told me you’re off up again in a bit so I’ve sorted you out a new rig. Johnny – you can repack your own.’
‘Don’t you want to do it for me?’ asked Johnny. ‘I never get the creases right, not like you.’ He attempted a hurt look and kicked a stone disconsolately.
Luke smiled, shook his head and took Ethan’s rig. ‘Grab some scoff. It’ll be a couple of hours before you’re in the air again.’
Ethan thanked Luke as the man in black walked past. His visor was up now, but Ethan still couldn’t see much of his face. Ethan nodded as he headed towards the car park.
‘Ah,’ said Johnny. ‘Your first fan! Trust me, it’s a nightmare: the adoration, the sex . . .’
‘He was the only other skydiver in the plane when I went up with Sam,’ Ethan explained. ‘For some reason no one else was jumping. Still, it was nice to have the thing as private as possible. Helped me to focus.’
‘Hungry?’ asked Johnny.
‘Always,’ said Ethan.
Before they headed off for Ethan’s first consolidation jump, Sam quickly grilled him on a few drills and hand signals, and ran him through a set sequence for the skydive. Then he checked Ethan’s rig, pulling the clips to make sure they were secure. Finally he said, ‘For this jump, I want to see a clean exit, stable position, and then two three-sixties, left then right, good deployment of canopy. Johnny and I will follow you in.’
‘And we’re jumping from thirteen thousand?’ asked Ethan.
Sam nodded. ‘You’ve shown you can skydive solo. That’s what the level-eight jump is all about. Now you need enough air time before deploying your canopy to practise your skills. And that’s what consolidation is for. This is where you really get the chance to prove yourself.’
Ethan was quiet – not scared, just focused, running through everything Sam had said.
Johnny looked