The Elementals | Book 1. The Cliffs of Immensi

Chapter 8

Andrea beckoned to Cascade impatiently. They had already made it off the bus and into the airport. Then they had traversed the airport until they reached a section that was adjacent to the cargo Aerodon. Now they were in hiding, waiting for yet another guard to move far enough away so that they could make a run for it. They were on opposite sides of an airport room, which was being patrolled by guards. Andrea was hiding behind a lounge chair near one of the doors that led onto an Aerodon. Cascade was next to some water fountains.

Cascade ran swiftly and quietly across the hall and slid across the last few meters to Andrea. She gave an inner sigh of relief. To be caught then and see all their effort go to waste would have been heartbreaking.

Now was the time. They scampered across the last five meters as fast and as quietly as they could, crouching down to stay below the chair backs, just in case. Then they reached the door. Andrea, who was skilled in opening doors of all kinds, opened it swiftly.

"How did you do that?" Cascade whispered. It was an electronic door, so it was puzzling to her how Andrea could have picked it.
"I have my secrets."

Cascade shrugged. She knew that Andrea, stubborn as she was, wasn't going to tell her any more information. She also realized that she cared less about how Andrea did it and more about the fact that it worked.

Andrea reached around the door. In front of the door was open space and a sheer drop down, as the jet bridge that was usually there to connect to Aerodons was not extended.

Andrea grabbed the top of the folded bridge and turned around so that she was facing the terminal. The surface which her hands met was more slippery than she expected. Her hands almost slipped, but she quickly hooked her heel on the edge of the opening and regained her hold. She gave a sigh of relief.

Cascade was crouched on the floor of the shortened bridge. She cupped her hands and placed them underneath Andrea's right foot. Then she pushed up as Andrea stood, her foot pressing into the palms of Cascade's hands.

Andrea was propelled upward. She threw her leg on top of the folds and pushed herself up onto it with her hands.

Leaning over the side, she put her hand out as Cascade reached up to grab it. Cascade put her right hand on the folded tunnel and grabbed Andrea's hand with her left. Then she pulled upward with both hands as Andrea pulled her up as well. She gave a soft grunt of effort as she pulled herself up over the edge of the folded bridge, and Andrea relinquished her hand.

Then she and Andrea crawled on their hands and knees as fast and quietly as they could onto the top of the building. Andrea and Cascade both heaved an inner sigh of relief. The bridge hadn't been very wide, and had been slippery, so there had been a great risk of them falling. And falling from that height would not have had a great result for them.

They ran as quietly as they could along the building in the direction that they had predicted the cargo Aerodon to be. When they arrived, they were relieved to see that the cargo Aerodon was exactly where they had thought it to be. Andrea looked around for the highest point in the area. She spotted a tall pole sticking up out of the roof and into the sky.
"Perfect."

Cascade shifted nervously. She wasn't sure about Andrea's crazy idea, which they had gone over the night before.

Andrea climbed up the pole swiftly. Hand over hand, she ascended the pole. Reaching the top, she balanced impossibly on the ball point. Then she unslung the short staff that she had brought with her from her shoulder. Cascade had designed it so that it could extend into a glider. Andrea opened her staff, watching as the "wings" extended out from it. She waited for the wind to blow harder, then jumped off of the pole. Andrea glided neatly towards the Aerodon. It's going perfectly. She landed on the ground near the Aerodon. It was a rough landing. Andrea tried to land on her feet, but her legs crumpled underneath her weight and the force of the landing, causing her to drop to her knees. She skidded a few meters and the glider hit the ground. Andrea ended flat on her back. She lay there for a few seconds, exhausted.