"Damn it! When the hell did he have the door modified?"
The chaos had subsided, somewhat. A yellow inflatable door had sprung out as a stopgap measure to separate the inside and the outside of the private jet, and the pressure of the cabin had stabilized, especially as the plane lowered its altitude, and the air became less thin. And the first thing Mark did after taking off his oxygen mask was to curse, despite his calm nature and his good upbringing.
He cursed, because he had to let that bitter weight out, if only to help his heart climb out of the pit Alex made it plunge into when he managed to push open the door he should not have been able to open at all. Planes were not made to have their doors opened in the air. So, he had been waiting for Alex to fail when he tried, then after a light laugh, they would forget the fright, and they would finish the short last leg of the journey with a calm landing without any incident.
But now, the feigned tiredness and helplessness had become true and overwhelming, and he felt defeated. He should not have hoped for luck to be on his side. He should have tried harder to stop Alex, even though the man seemed to have been planning that stunt for a while already. He just hoped there would be no accident.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Reining in his bitter smile, he exhaled to expel the headache coming to set in, and followed with a deep breath to push those feelings aside. But when he took out his phone to see who was calling, the headache came slamming back into his rattled mind, and his teeth started to ache, most probably from the cold of the air he sucked in.
He pursed his lips, wishing the call could have come even just an hour later. He exhaled to calm himself down, and picked up the call, letting out a laugh with his voice as normal as he could make it:
"Hey, Leyna, what's up? Shouldn't you be enjoying your weekend? Why do you have the time to call me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, even he winced from how overly deliberate he sounded, and indeed, Leyna picked up on it, as he could almost feel her calmly raising her eyebrows on the other side as she spoke:
"Mark, do you mind turning the call into a video call? It would be even better if I could speak with Alex himself before reporting back to the chairwoman."
"..."
Mark froze, then passed his hand through his messy black hair and exhaled with a helpless smile:
"You got me, Leyna. But Alex is not with me at the moment. He is off freeriding."
"Where are you?"
"The Hintertux Glacier. In Austria."
Leyna didn't speak immediately, making Mark propose:
"How about I have him call you back later?"
"No need. Just keep him from being too reckless, and come back soon."
Mark promised, his face bitter, and his smile helpless:
"I will. Don't worry."
*Beep*
The sound signifying the end of the call made Mark let out another exhale in relief, a short-lived relief, as an anxious exclamation came from the group that had boarded the plane with him:
"Mr Lee! There has been an avalanche!"
"What?"
"An avalanche, sir! Below!!"
"What!?!"
Mark didn't immediately get it. The information had been so abrupt that it took a moment for his brain to string together the relevant logic. When he finally did so, and he processed the words, he practically jumped out of his seat as he exclaimed in shock.
He threw off his seatbelt and ran to train his wide eyes on the white scenery outside through the round window, and he indeed saw the scene of snow rumbling down the mountain in the distance while sending plumes of white particles in the air. And in front of the display of power, his heart plummeted, as he saw a dark daredevil of a dot on the white background enjoying itself with reckless abandon, so small as it moved down the white piste, but at the same time so blatant, so vibrant.
For a moment, Mark even forgot the danger of the situation. He was taken by a certain understanding at that moment, pulled into a daze brought by the peek into the exhilaration that seemed to be the motivation behind certain people's desire for the extreme. But as the collapse, already enormous in size, grew bigger and faster, and ate away at the distance gained from the headstart of the little dot, worry came to sweep any other emotion away.
Mark clenched the hand he was supporting himself against the wall with, his heart jumping in his chest, before he forced it down, took a deep breath, and stood up to order in a cutting tone:
"I want real-time information on the avalanche, by any means necessary! Better yet, get me a view of the mountain, whether by satellite or through the equipment of the resort or any other facility around! Get a helicopter ready at the runway and make it clear that we will be switching rides to immediately come back here right after landing! Have a rescue team prepared along with the helicopter and ready to depart at any moment! If you can, get a team that has a helicopter that can take off immediately! Remember to remain discreet, and unless necessary, let no name that should not get out leave this group! Am I clear?!"
"Yes, sir!"
His voice grew calmer and deeper as he spoke, the authoritative tone pulling the cracked composure of the group back together. He exhaled, starting to relax a little after having done what he could do, and turned to the window. Unfortunately, the avalanche was not in sight anymore.
"Mr Lee, the helmet…"
The voice that spoke this time was not anxious, not like the previous one. Mark caught its hesitant undertone, but he missed its nervous one, as he turned to ask:
"What, the helmet?"
"The protective headgear of the test outfit, it has been left behind."
Mark blinked, and trailed his gaze down the arm extended into the aisle to behold the object the hand at the end was holding, the helmet of the outfit Alex had jumped down in. Suddenly, his world fell silent, and his ability to produce emotions seemed to soundlessly crash down, leaving him not dazed, but numb, thoroughly numb.