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Titan Global, I’d like to welcome you to the Alamiranta and thank you for flying with us. Now get the hell out of my chopper so I can go do some real work.”

Chapter 4
     
    OFF THE COAST OF ANDALUSIA, SPAIN
     
    Cruz peered intently out the window. As the stealth helicopter neared the Alamiranta , the helipad on the top deck of the ship seemed to grow smaller and smaller. Rough seas rocked the ship, and the helipad swayed back and forth beneath them. Deckhands swarmed over the top deck, preparing the helipad for their arrival.
    Cruz leaned forward to speak to the pilot.
    “You’ve done this before, right?” she asked.
    “Nope. First time for everything,” said the pilot with a straight face.
    “What?”
    “No worries,” he said. “Even Hawkeye could probably make this approach.”
    Hawkeye grinned. “Maybe next time. How about you take this one.”
    The pilot maneuvered the stealth helicopter directly over the Alamiranta . He spoke into his headset to the deck crew below. The helipad seemed to be in constant motion as the helicopter lurched from side to side in the strong winds.  
    “Ready?” asked the pilot.
    “I’m not so sure about this,” Cruz said. There was a cold knot in her stomach.
    “Hold on to your lunch,” warned Hawkeye.
    With a stomach-churning lurch, the stealth helicopter dropped like a stone toward the helipad. The pilot struggled with the controls as driving winds beat against the side of the helicopter.
    “You can’t land in this!” Cruz yelled to the pilot.
    A strong gust caught the helicopter, causing it to lean violently to one side. The helipad moved in the opposite direction as the Alamiranta reached the trough of a passing swell. The pilot clenched his teeth.
    “Pull up!” Cruz yelled. “Pull up!”
    Hawkeye smacked Cruz’s headset with the flat of his hand. The pilot gripped the stick with both hands and leaned to one side. Slowly, he forced the helicopter back toward the swaying helipad.
    “He doesn’t intend to land,” said Hawkeye.
    The pilot pulled back on the yoke and the helicopter dropped to within ten meters of the helipad. A burst of static thundered in their headsets.
    “Now,” said the pilot.
    Hawkeye unclipped his safety belt and pushed open the side door. The wind roared through the opening.
    “Jump,” Hawkeye said calmly to Cruz.  
    “What?”
    “Jump!” yelled Hawkeye. “We can’t land in these conditions!”
    Cruz vehemently shook her head. “No way!  We’re ten meters off the deck!”
    “Just watch me,” he said calmly. Hawkeye stood at the edge of the opening. “Remember to flex your knees to take the impact,” he said.
    Before Cruz could protest, Hawkeye jumped.
    Cruz shot up from her seat and peered out the opening, holding onto the doorway with both hands.
    Hawkeye dropped to the deck below, landing in a crouch. Deckhands darted forward and clipped a safety belt to his waist. Hawkeye turned and looked up toward the helicopter.
    “Go!” he yelled to Cruz. “Your turn!”
    Another gust of wind ripped through the opening. The helicopter jerked to one side. Cruz staggered and threw out a hand to brace herself.
    Another burst of static crackled in Cruz’s headset.
    “The man said jump,” ordered the pilot.
    “This is crazy!” yelled Cruz.
    The helicopter’s rotors thumped overhead. Cruz watched the helipad pitch back and forth beneath her feet. Her hair whipped against her cheeks in the wind. She could taste the salt spray in her mouth.
    This is crazy.
    Hawkeye grinned up at Cruz from the deck below. The helicopter again lurched to one side before righting itself in the fierce winds.
    This is crazy.
    Cruz jumped.
    ELEVEN METERS ABOVE THE ALAMIRANTA
     
    The rotors of the helicopter thumped above her head, and the wind whipped at her clothes as Cruz fell. She landed on the helipad with both feet and bent her knees to absorb the shock.
    It didn’t help.
    Cruz lost her balance and fell backward, landing hard on her backside on the