CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One ∞ 2: A Captain's Journey

81 ∞ The Promise Made

Shortlisted – Day 0004

Gareth hung on as Harlin risked their lives flying along the river course. They raced from the low foothills and valleys to thread their way between cliffs that grew taller on both sides. They'd entered a gorge, following the meandering course the river had cut into the mountain range. Sheer rock rose high above them as Harlin navigated the narrowing and widening gap it had made, and Gareth began to question Harlin's sanity because he hadn't slowed at all. Each time the transport jarred into banking the cliff walls, the harness straps cut into Gareth's shoulders.

The passage straightened somewhat, and Gareth took a chance on interrupting Harlin's concentration. "Is this really necessary?" he yelled over the engine noise.

"Nope!" shouted Harlin back without taking his eyes off the HUD display. "But I'll never get this chance again! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Yeah, keyword being 'lifetime'! It's mine I'm worried about!"

Harlin laughed heartily. "Relax! We're almost there!"

Up ahead, the river zagged right and disappeared, but the HUD display wasn't indicating the turn. Instead, the projected line just stopped. Alarmed, Gareth looked at Harlin, who had a huge grin on his face.

"Ready, Maat?"

"Vertical engines online, Harlin."

Gareth looked through the cockpit windshield. The cliff wall where the river turned right was coming in fast—way too fast and way too close for comfort. There was nothing he could do but tighten his grip on the armrests, not willing to risk trying to take control.

Harlin slammed the controls forward, and the transport's nose swung upward, pressing them harder into their seats. With the vertical engines engaging full power, the interior cabin noise multiplied. Sheer rock towered before them to merge with gray sky as the transport's nose pointed straight up, and the cliff wall encroached until it seemed they could have deployed landing gear and touched it.

Rock raced by them until they shot out into the sky. Harlin pulled back hard on the controls, and the transport dipped into a dive. They leveled off just above the highest treetops, and the cabin noise returned to normal from the engines winding down.

Harlin pointed ahead. "There! X marks the spot!"

Gareth saw a red dot blinking on the HUD and saw nothing but trees outside. Mostly pine trees and the canyon cutting between them. Not until they came over the marked spot did he see a sliver of pointed rock jutting out into the canyon, too small for the transport.

He looked out over the forest. The sun hadn't crested the mountain yet, but the sky was now bright enough to make out the colors of the forest. Only green trees as far as the eye could see—no spot anywhere to land. Harlin brought them over the canyon river and nudged up to the stone overlook.

"Okay, Maat. You've got the helm."

"That is a relief," the A.I. answered.

"Oh, shut up," snapped Harlin, smiling as he pulled off the comms. He released his safety harness and turned to Gareth. "You ready to jump?"

Harlin jumped up and headed to the rear. Gareth followed suit and caught up with Harlin as he slid back the side hatch. Grabbing a handhold above the door, Harlin leaned out to survey the location.

"A little to the leftward, Maat!" he shouted over the wind and noise that suddenly engulfed the cabin. "Good! Hold it right there!"

He pulled himself back in and gestured for Gareth to have a look. Gareth grabbed the same handhold and leaned out the door for a quick survey. The forest was a carpet of dark green, still in the mountain's shadow, and came right up to the exposed rock below them. The outcropping of stone was large enough for a large group of people, but way too small for the transport. Gareth understood now why rappelling was a necessity.