Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nova was a little nervous for Stryker as she watched him finish adjusting the chin strap on the helmet he wore.
He also wore a special padded shirt he’d gone to his house to retrieve, along with knee and elbow pads.
She didn’t know how good all that would do him if he landed on the hard desert ground, but she supposed it was better than only his regular clothes.
“All right. We’re doing this on three,” he told the group.
“Wait!” Nova said. “Are you sure?”
As excited as she’d been only an hour earlier, she was now having second thoughts. Not about herself doing it, but about anyone else.
“Oh yeah. You don’t know how many times I’ve done this very thing or stuff like it,” he told her. “I’ve jumped out of planes, gotten into crashes, and scaled buildings too. It was part of the job. This is nothing.”
He looked over his shoulder to where Harrison stood. “Is the PSI set?”
Harrison checked something on the control panel nearby that operated the launching surface—which Stryker had told them was actually called an air rig—and then said, “Calculations are good. You should be all set.”
“Y’all ready?” Stryker asked.
Nova and the other Littles cheered.
“Then let’s do this!” Stepping just a bit closer but not actually on the pressure plate, he said, “Three. Two. One!”
With that, the tall man stepped onto the plate and a few seconds later, the hiss was heard before Nova watched as Stryker went sailing.
“Holy crap!” she yelled.
The others were in shock, too, as the director flew high into the air, away from the haunted house, and then his arc started its descent down before he landed with a whooshing thump and then a soft fluttering sound as the bag rose around his body due to the sudden presence of more weight.
Holding her breath, Nova kept watching as, a second later, Stryker awkwardly maneuvered off the giant airbag.
“Just as fun as I remember!” he yelled up to the others, flashing a thumbs-up sign.
Harrison nodded. “Calculations are good. We could’ve been off by feet and still had room to spare.”
Stryker couldn’t hear him, but it was obvious Harrison was talking to the group of Littles on the roof.
“That looks like so much fun!” Stephanie said. “I can’t wait to do it.”
“Me, either. Will you video it when I go?” Kelsey asked.
“Of course,” Steph said.
As Nova thought more about the fun to be had, her excitement was reaching a fever pitch. But then she remembered the warning Daddy had given her.
He’d specifically told her not to do anything dangerous.
Did this count? They’d tested it with a dummy. A professional stuntman had rigged the whole thing and even done it himself. It was safe. Right?
Of course Xavier would consider this dangerous, she told herself.
Then again, what Daddy didn’t know…
Stryker came out of the door that led to the roof with a big grin as he stripped the helmet from his head. “Y’all are going to love it. That feeling when you’re flying is a rush like none other. Must be what Superman feels like.”
“You know, we should spread the word. Invite some more folks,” Harrison said. “Maybe even get some music going.”
“I was just thinking that,” Eli told the group. “Might bring some refreshments, too.”
It sounded like quite a party was shaping up, but Nova didn’t mind. She looked forward to meeting as many people around Mountainville as she could.
“Ooh, and remember those high-powered foam blasters you were telling us about the other day?” Katie said. “Since you’re showing us all this, would it be all right if we got those out? I kind of want to see how they work.”
“That’s a great idea!” Stryker said.
“Guys, won’t we attract too much attention?” Megan asked.
“Yeah. We might bring some heat,” Stella told them.
“I get what you’re saying,” Stryker said. “But we’re not talking about anything crazy.”
“Yeah. Won’t be too big. Just a fun, intimate little gathering,” Harrison suggested.
Nova was even more excited now!
This was going to be a blast.