Chapter_31
“I located the shield!” Drew exclaimed, examining the holographic image of the planet’s surface below them. “Quantum signal’s 100% match.”
“Good show!” Jules stated. “I guess we owe our late friend Murphy a bit of gratitude.”
“If we weren’t close to the signal,” Drew said, “we would have never discovered it, especially in this electromagnetic instability.”
Drew relayed to the pilot the shield’s exact coordinates. Still in a geosynchronous orbit around the planet, he adjusted the ship’s course so it headed directly above the spot.
“Signal the other striker craft,” Jules ordered the pilot. “We’re landing immediately.”
As reinforcement, Jules recruited the only other striker craft in the fleet that could safely reach such an altitude. Together, the two ships had remained in orbit, awaiting Jules’ next command.
The pilot turned to Jules. “No can do,” he responded sternly. “We’re dead in the water the minute we hit the stratosphere. The ship will drop like a brick.”
“Must I do it myself then?” Jules cursed. “I need not hear your excuses. This ship must be landed.”
“I can surely get us down there,” the pilot replied, “but I can assure you it will be with a bang. There is zero percent chance of survivability. The grid line fluctuations are off the chart.” He then looked solemnly at Jules. “Mr. Windsor, I will do as you say, but exiting orbit over this area will be suicide.”
“He’s correct,” Drew agreed.“I don’t see a window of opportunity to land at the moment.”
“Well, when will that window arise?” asked Jules impatiently.
“Could be minutes, hours, or even days,” Drew replied. “It’s impossible to predict. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you anything more precise than that.”
“Plus,” the pilot added, “the entire area is crumbling into the sea as we speak. Even if we could land, I would advise against it under these circumstances.”
Not one to be thwarted even by Mother Nature, Jules unbuckled his seat belt and stood in disgust. There must be another way!
“Don’t’ worry, Mr. Windsor,” the pilot assured. “If I see an opportunity, I will land this ship immediately.”
Jules kicked the chair in disgust. Patience was certainly not one of his strongest points. Pacing around the confined cockpit for a few irritable moments, he then stopped moving and looked at Drew.
“How about the gravity-wing?” Jules asked. “Those contraptions are built to fly in the most inauspicious of circumstances.”
“It would be too risky,” Drew said.
“The wings are designed to fly in the most extreme flying conditions,” the pilot chimed in. As a former high-altitude Special Forces jumper, he was aware of its capabilities. “But under these circumstances, I certainly could not vouch for their safety. Even so, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Jules responded with some gusto. Holding his finger in the air, he said, “Give the order to suit up. We deploy immediately!”
Jules, along with WOGs from both orbiting striker crafts, quickly donned their gear and were ready for immediate departure. With guns strapped to their sides, all were prepared for the plunge.
“I’ve set a laser guidance beacon over the target,” Drew announced in Jules’ helmet. “Descend directly on that spot.”
“On my signal, we jump,” Jules announced to the WOGs in both ships. “Set destination for the beacon.” He waited a few seconds and then shouted, “Go!”
Turning towards the blackness of space, Jules propelled himself out of the ship using his wing’s gravity accelerator. Once at a safe distance, he locked onto the signal and faced directly towards it. Again activating the accelerator, he jettisoned himself directly towards Earth. One by one, the rest of the WOGs in both ships followed.
“Right on course,” the pilot said into everyone’s helmet. “Make sure you keep the gravity dampeners on full the entire time you land, and I’d recommend you depolarize them well ahead of time to ensure your safety.”
Like meteors hitting the atmosphere, the air around Jules and the rest of the WOGs began to glow red from the friction in the atmosphere as they plummeted to Earth. Despite the intense heat, the suits protected them all from the harsh environmental conditions.
As Jules descended, he and his fellow soldiers entered a soot-filled layer of the atmosphere that obscured their vision. Dark smoke and dust clouded their visors. Other than the red glow radiating around their suits, all was dark. It felt like descending into the belly of an active volcano.
The thrill of the experience gave Jules a massive adrenalin rush. “Yes!” he muttered to himself.
The further they descended, the more visible the ground became. After passing through the thickest layer of volcanic debris, the rapidly approaching land seemed to advance quicker than anticipated.
“Start decoupling the wings,” one of the WOGs ordered over the helmets.
With a jolt, Jules activated the gravity dampeners, deploying the wings to each of his sides. Though they were in place, his decent continued without hesitation. It was as if the wings proved more cosmetic than functional.
Jules flattened himself horizontally to the ground and kept his back arched and head held high in order to increase drag and decelerate his fall. With his albeit limited experience of two prior space jumps, he was aware of how to handle such a precarious situation. With the control to the wings embedded in the glove of his right hand, he continued to activate the gravity dampeners, hoping for them to depolarize in time.
“It’s not depolarizing!” shouted one of the WOGs over the static-ridden communication line. “I can’t slow my fall!”
Other screams and shouts of terror filled Jules’ helmet as they all continued to plummet unabated towards the ground.