Death Drop

Hayami gripped her seat firmly, watching as Oto shakily lifted the helicopter into the air. They began to hover, resting several feet in the air before, without warning, it dipped its nose towards the ocean. With a thud, the landing skid took off the head of one of the statues Hayami had used for cover, sending the helicopter into a slight spin as it careened over the cliff.

“Ahhh!” Oto and Hayami simultaneously screamed as they plummeted a hundred feet before he regained control.

“Jesus, Oto!” She screamed at him, her heart racing. “I thought you said you could fly this thing?”

“Fly. Yes!” He yelled back at her over the sound of the rotor. “Take off and land. No!”

There was a moment of tension between the two as Oto examined the controls. His feet pumped the pedals while his hands firmly gripped the lever and joystick, eventually levelling the helicopter out.

“There we go.” He released a relieved sigh. “I wasn’t sure I’d get it.”

“You weren’t sure?!”

“I explained in the meeting! It’s been a while!”

“Well, do you think you could get us over the terrace like we planned, Ace?”

“Yes. And Hayami, I’m Oto, remember? Did Sasha’s husband turn your brain to scrambled eggs?”

With a sigh, she unbuckled herself from the seat and carefully crawled through the tight space into the cabin of the helicopter. Reaching back, she tapped at Oto’s shoulder and pointed up at the mansion resting on the cliff.

“Just get me close enough, Oto.”

The boy nodded, adjusting the controls as Hayami slid open the pilot side cabin door. Wind rushed into the space, knocking her around briefly before she stabilized herself. With a glance over the edge, she stared at the distant water below before the helicopter cleared the cliff and revealed a scene exactly as the two had planned.

Standing on the terrace, where Giles had assumed INTERPOL would gather the guests, were hundreds of figures. In an instant, everyone turned to look at the helicopter, shielding their faces from the gusts that the whirling blades produced. All eyes locked on Hayami, who braced herself in the doorway, and Oto, who glanced over them from the cockpit.

Immediately, phones and professional cameras alike swung up and began to snap pictures. Flashes lit the romantically lit space, revealing to Hayami that she had their undivided attention. Even the police who had rounded up the guests and paparazzi alike stared in the direction of the two, eventually realizing who was in the helicopter before raising their guns.

That was when Hayami opened the two backpacks they had retrieved before hastily dumping them out. Fifteen million dollars of her hard-earned Oto-sitting money became caught in the rotor’s draft, scattering outwards towards the terrace and the bystanders. Between the flashes caused by cameras and guns, the girl could make out a chaotic shift beginning to happen. The crowd of mostly paparazzi began to jump and claw, reaching for the money that rained from the sky. Police, caught in the middle of the anarchy, found themselves either pushed to the side by the mob or caught up in the mad dash for a well-deserved bonus.

“Oto!” Hayami cried out. “Get us out of here.”

“Okay!”

The helicopter veered off, cameras snapping final photos as the police, who still had control over their weapons, tried to make their last rounds count. But it would make no difference. Before either had a chance to get a good shot, Oto was over the water and heading out to the open ocean. Hayami felt the aircraft begin to lift as the pilot flew it up to a higher altitude. And so, with Oto doing his job, she moved on to her next one.

Withdrawing the familiarly stored pack and harnesses, she began to adjust the rigging to her body and tighten the backpack over her shoulders. Next, she glanced down at the blocks of explosives that Giles had also tucked into place, which were more than enough to blow the helicopter out of the sky ten times over.

“Jesus, that’s a bit overkill, Butler.” She remarked to herself.

The helicopter shifted its position once again. Now miles away from the manor and thousands of feet up, they travelled parallel with the shore.

“Ouff-ugh—” Oto grumbled as he crawled out of the cockpit and into the cabin.

“You good?” Hayami asked. “Got the autopilot set?”

“It’s not autopilot, Hayami. It’s Automatic Flight Control, there’s a diff—”

“Yeah, but it’s set right?”

“Well…yes!”

“Good. Time to get dressed.” Hayami ordered, tossing him a harness.

Grabbing the final things they would need, she clipped the infrared strobe onto her shoulder and pocketed the night vision scope into her dress.

“Do you think they got some good photos?” Oto asked as he began to slip his legs into the harness.

“Definitely." She replied, thinking little of the question. "They were snapping all kinds of shots.”

Oto was quiet for a moment as he tightened the straps. With a sigh, he looked over at Hayami, catching her attention. Even in the dim light of the cabin, she could see a sadness on his face.

“Do you think I looked good?”

“You looked great.” She replied, reaching over and touching his cheek. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“It’s just going to suck—you know…not being famous.”

“Trust me…it’ll be better than you could ever imagine.”

“I just…” He paused for a moment, tightening the final strap of the harness before looking at her. “I’m scared that I’ll never—”

A sudden gust rocked the helicopter, causing the pair to lose their footing and stumble. Hayami reflexively took hold of a handrail, where she watched in horror as Oto tumbled from the open cabin door.

“Oto!” She screamed, rushing to the edge and watching him flip over himself through the air.

“Hayami!” His voice carried back to her.

Without a moment of hesitation, Hayami flung herself from the helicopter in pursuit. The wind whipped at her face as she straightened out her body and flew after the boy. Like a human missile, she rocketed through the air towards his flailing arms.

Quickly catching up with him, she reached her hand out, trying to grab at his.

“Oto!” She screamed. “Take my hand!”

“Hayami!” His panicked voice returned to her ears. 

Her heart broke as she heard him, and the fear that tainted his beautiful voice.

“Oto! Take. My. Hand!”

Their fingers slipped through each other's with every attempt, his tumbling still too much for her to get a hold of. Attempting to move closer to stabilize him, she instead bumped into him and began her own awkward spin.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Hayami swore as she tried to correct her course enough to grab at him again.

Below her, the faint glimmer of the ocean quickly approached.

“Hayami! I don’t want to be Cheeseman’d!”

“Oto!” She screamed back, their hands just missing each other. “Level out and take my hand!”

For a moment, Hayami managed to take hold of him, only to have his fingers slip through hers once more. She knew that they were nearing the limit of opening the parachute, and if she didn’t do it soon, they would both die.

Locking her gaze on Oto, she caught a glimpse of his terrified expression. Her heart broke as she reached for him a final time.

“Oto!” She screamed, tears forming at the edge of her eyes as the wind quickly tore them away from her. “My hand!”

Their fingers briefly touched, making the softest of final contact before she was forced to pull the ripcord.