He had never sat in a helicopter.
There had been airplane flights that his office had sponsored and some vacations he had taken when he had a life. But a helicopter was still a new experience. The woman got climbed in before him and settled into a seat as she buckled her seatbelt. She put on a pair of headphones and handed him a pair, too. Otrahun plopped down next to her. He put on his seatbelt and adjusted the headphones to be the least uncomfortable.
The woman moved her finger in a circular motion and the pilot nodded at her. Even with the door closed, the sound of the rotors was a loud whumph-whumph that seemed to press down on you. The helicopter lurched once and then it was airborne.
Otrahun looked at the woman, waiting for her to start talking about what was going on. But she had her attention fixed on the small screen in her hand as her fingers danced on the glass sending commands and numbers, tapping, swiping and sliding windows around.
"Hey," he said. "Where are we going then?"
She raised one finger in the universal gesture of wait a fucking second.
Outside the window of the helicopter. The city's lights were shining like fireflies on a dark sky below. A slow mist enveloped the slums on the south-west corner of the city and the lights from the posh areas lit up the streets in a garish display of a rain-soaked orgy of wealth and fuck-you money. Somewhere beyond the abode of the rich, in the carbon copy apartments, one of the boxed dwellings belonged to Otrahun. He thought about the fish he had left behind in his aquarium. He was sure the fish could survive not being fed for two or three days. After all, how long can it take to save the world?
"We are here." The woman's voice crackled in his ear, stained by the fuzz of electronics and her natural disdain.
"And where is here?" he turned to ask her, but she was already stepping out of the chopper. The thing had landed and Otrahun was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even realize it. They were somewhere near the city, but the building that the helicopter had landed on top of towered above it all.
Realization about the identity of the building dawned on him like a falling shroud and despite himself, Otrahun felt like vomiting out his meal. What the fuck had he got himself into?
There had been airplane flights that his office had sponsored and some vacations he had taken when he had a life. But a helicopter was still a new experience. The woman got climbed in before him and settled into a seat as she buckled her seatbelt. She put on a pair of headphones and handed him a pair, too. Otrahun plopped down next to her. He put on his seatbelt and adjusted the headphones to be the least uncomfortable.
The woman moved her finger in a circular motion and the pilot nodded at her. Even with the door closed, the sound of the rotors was a loud whumph-whumph that seemed to press down on you. The helicopter lurched once and then it was airborne.
Otrahun looked at the woman, waiting for her to start talking about what was going on. But she had her attention fixed on the small screen in her hand as her fingers danced on the glass sending commands and numbers, tapping, swiping and sliding windows around.
"Hey," he said. "Where are we going then?"
She raised one finger in the universal gesture of wait a fucking second.
Outside the window of the helicopter. The city's lights were shining like fireflies on a dark sky below. A slow mist enveloped the slums on the south-west corner of the city and the lights from the posh areas lit up the streets in a garish display of a rain-soaked orgy of wealth and fuck-you money. Somewhere beyond the abode of the rich, in the carbon copy apartments, one of the boxed dwellings belonged to Otrahun. He thought about the fish he had left behind in his aquarium. He was sure the fish could survive not being fed for two or three days. After all, how long can it take to save the world?
"We are here." The woman's voice crackled in his ear, stained by the fuzz of electronics and her natural disdain.
"And where is here?" he turned to ask her, but she was already stepping out of the chopper. The thing had landed and Otrahun was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even realize it. They were somewhere near the city, but the building that the helicopter had landed on top of towered above it all.
Realization about the identity of the building dawned on him like a falling shroud and despite himself, Otrahun felt like vomiting out his meal. What the fuck had he got himself into?
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