Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 8: The Drop

26th June 2042

"Yeah, that should work." Seated in The Crazy Head's living room, Suzuki muttered under his breath as he examined a holographic projection with a pair of bloodshot eyes. The young man glanced at a set of VR Headsets on the sofa with slight hesitation. But then, with a slight frown, he nodded and looked away, affirming his resolve.

"Hey! Got your alert? What's going on?" Taiga broke the living room's peace as he approached Suzuki with the rest of the team. Judging by their sloppy outfits and messy hair, most of them just got out of bed. Spotting the VR headsets, Taiga's eyes sparkled with intrigue. "What's this? You planning on training already? It's just 5'oClock, man."

"Yeah, I called you all to train," admitted Suzuki as he handed each of the team a headset. Without missing a beat, he pointed at the holographic map of the test zone. "I've designed our optimal entry and extraction point. Last night, the other teams uncovered additional intel that the targets have advanced air surveillance systems. If we so much as light a candle at altitude, we'll light up light a Christmas tree on their radars." Suzuki manipulated the hologram so it dropped to a much lower, deep within the high forest trees with a mountain range in the distance. "Because the aliens have several land equipment, their surveillance systems don't work below eight hundred meters." Tapping the screen, he emphasized, "That is our operational zone."

"Okay, so we spawn in. What's the problem that needs training at 5 am?"

"We shouldn't spawn in," explained Suzuki. "I spent the night reading the competition's rules. Genaco's aim is clearly to see how we handle ourselves in a real mission. Spawning is the laziest form of entry, and I'm sure it'll have the lowest score. No, we have to treat it like a real mission. I believe the best form of entry is a HALO Jump from max altitude."

"Oh? Skydiving?" Excitement sparkled in Taiga's broad grin.

"You are disqualified, remember? And it's not as simple as plain skydiving." Suzuki shifted the graphics to reveal himself in a heavily customized, black Infiltrator Gladiator jumping out of the rear end of a cargo plane. Everyone watched with bated breath as Suzuki briefly oriented himself before straightening his body and falling into a steep dive.

"What is that on your back?" Ayumi questioned as she pointed at a rectangular backpack. At first glance, it seemed to be a parachute, but upon closer inspection, it was too large to pass as one.

Suzuki looked at Ayumi. Even in a simple T-shirt and loose pajama pants, the young girl cut a noble figure; perhaps it was her perfectly brushed hair or the way she carried herself. He briefly took in the unfamiliar appearance before answering, "It contains compressed gas, which we'll use to descend," Suzuki said, just as the forests became visible in the sped-up video.

"That's too low." Usman frowned as he watched Suzuki zip past what most would consider the ideal point to pull a parachute.

"We won't be using a parachute," Suzuki revealed as barely visible streams of white gas shot out of several ports on the front end of the suit. "I put in the white gas for visualization. The real deal has no colour or trace. Don't worry."

Chuckling, Jade shook her head as she pointed at the video. "Pretty sure that's the least of anyone's worries right now. This whole thing is cra—" The words froze in Jada's mouth as she witnessed something unbelievable. "...Am I crazy, or is he slowing down?"

In the video, Suzuki oriented himself horizontally as the gas pushed against gravity, gradually slowing his speed of descent. Within a dozen seconds, his speed dropped from terminal velocity to resembling a feather falling from a palm. Having reached a safe velocity at a safe height, Suzuki detached the large canister, which fell to the ground with a soft thud next to him.