Page 16 of Exposing Adonis

“Yeah. I’m good.” He responded, his voice a little breathy, despite the oxygen mask he and I both wore.

“You don’t like flying?” I tried to make conversation. After all, this man was the most important person in Lea’s life. It was important to make some kind of connection with him if she and I were to ever progress past what we were now.

“I prefer my feet on something solid.” He said, knotting his hands in front of him. “Skydiving was more Lea’s gig. Not mine.”

It was amazing how, for all their similarities, the twins were very different. I had thought they moved alike, sounded alike and even looked similar barring the differences in gender. But the more I observed, the more I saw what separated them.

Leo was far more generous in spirit, a quintessential white knight who didn’t fit as an assassin. He was also a better actor, playing his role with more fidelity and empathy than Lea. But I already suspected that my woman was a bit of a psychopath. She said she had never lost sleep over her kills. I never had either. But I was a vicious, vicious predator that had once enjoyed the destruction of my enemies. With my scope, and enemy in sight, I was like a morbid child, killing ants under a magnifying glass. Was she the same?

Leo, on the other hand, should inoculate children in the South Sudan, or teach kids to read in some impoverished village. He and Chloe Laurent were the perfect pair in a lot of ways.

“You don’t think we’re too late to … ” Leo coughed a little as he spoke. “To save her from … ”

He was talking about Chloe.

As a girl, Chloe was a vivacious, bright little creature with a mass of curly black hair, and dark freckles on her deep tan. She loved animals, and children. She adored humanity, and fairytales and wanted a just world. Now she had a Medical Degree and a sword of justice, ready to call out anyone who did not do their part to alleviate suffering in the world.

“To save her from being assaulted?” I asked bluntly. Speaking the words gave them weight. It gave them a sound and a form. I didn’t want to speak in metaphors.

There was a thoughtful consideration in how Leo didn’t want to say the unthinkable. His sister would have said it bluntly, with no consideration for feelings - neither mine, nor hers, or even of Chloe’s. Their similarities really only ran skin deep.

Leo flinched, his body tensing. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear from his voice that this was something that was eating at him.

“I couldn’t tell you. But I don’t think we could have gotten to her any sooner.” I told him, honestly. “Your sister didn’t waste any time, and neither did we.”

Maybe I was as bad as his sister, because I knew there was no comfort to be had in my words. Maybe there was hope, though. Hope that we had done our best and couldn’t do it any better. Sometimes that was the only thing we could hope for.

I crossed my arms, and leaned back over the container - the backpack that housed the parachute. I tilted my head back and shut my eyes, resting them for a moment.

I awoke to Alastair’s proper British accent over the staticy speaker.

“Gentlemen, we’re making our final approach to the landing zone,” he said in a low, monotone voice. The same one he had used on the last plane, which had amused Lea so much. “Please put your seat backs and tray tables in their full, upright position. Make sure any carry-on luggage is securely stowed away, uh, as they may get sucked out of the plane along with our passengers. Thank you for flying Caledonia Airlines. I hope you have a pleasant landing.”

I got up and checked the straps at my shoulders that held the parachute container to my back. I counted the rings, folded in loose, excess straps and double checked the large altimeter at my wrist. I tightened my leg straps, and repositioned my cock so that the leg straps didn’t emasculate me.

“Your friend has jokes.” Leo wasn’t as amused as his sister.

Good for him.I grinned, though he couldn’t see it.

“It’s all in a day’s work for the boys of Caledonia Security.” I gestured for him to approach me. “Now come over here so I can strap you on.”

I turned Leo away from me, and clipped large rings that were attached to a harness that went over his shoulders, across his chest, and came down to leg holders at his hips. My parachute was on my back, and Leo would be attached in front of me like a combat load. It’s where I’d normally carry my military gear in a HALO jump. Now, it was awkwardly at my legs, or in my pockets. Or attached to my passenger.

An AK-47, an M-4, extra magazines and one MRE each. One radio. A canteen of water each.

We were going in light. We were not set for a prolonged stay on the objective. We were going to be there just long enough to get Chloe and get out.

“We’re one minute from the objective.” Alastair’s voice came over the headset.

I responded a quick, “unhooking my ears” to let him know that I was undoing the headphones that were attached to a mechanism in the wall. I unwrapped it from behind my neck and stowed it on a hook before doing the same with the one Leo had.

We would have one less connection to our back up now. We’d have radios between us. Glorified and secure walkie-talkies. We had one real radio that could maybe reach far enough away to get to Alexander Baas’ house in Turkey, where the team would be stationed, waiting for our distress signal.

I took off my oxygen mask and put it on a hook near my seat. Leo followed my lead.

The cargo ramp of the Locheeld L-100 Hercules lowered, its loud mechanism letting out a rumble as it lowered to show the dark blue night sky littered with white stars. It was a clear night, and there were no clouds below us. That was good. The moon was bright, which provided me enough light to see where we were going. Hopefully that would be enough for us to be able to fly under canopy away from any power lines, trees, and rooftops.

Our landing zone was desolate, so there shouldn’t be people nearby.

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