Damien gave Jason a wan smile and nodded. He looked unusually pale.
Gathering up the raft, he stood up and headed for the bay door. The Load Master tapped his helmet again. "30 seconds!" he shouted.
The bay doors opened. A rush of air burst into the area, causing those cards that weren't being tightly gripped to fly around the bay.
The Load Master counted on his fingers while shouting
"3...2...1...GO!"
Damien jumped. A rush of air hit his face and knocked the wind out of him. He stuggled to regain his bearings and looked down at the ground. The blue trail of the river, flanked by a smear of green, was getting closer with each passing second. He gripped his parachute cord hard, silently counting in his head.
Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he pulled the cord. The parachute burst open above him, causing him to jolt. He fixed his eyes on the landing point and silently began to steer the chute down to the ground.