Fighting Spirit Series Chapter 79: HALO JUMP

**Jack:**

After the second layover in London, International FUCKING Travel Laws requiring to stop for security measures.

Thankfully, Desmond and Damian had contacts in London to help push our papers through, so we could get the fuck back in the air. The guys tried to keep me calm, suggesting I try to rest, how in the fuck is someone supposed to rest when their head is reeling with every possible scenario imaginable.

“JR?” A soft voice called to me in the darkness.

“Mei?” I asked questioning if I was going crazy or not.

“JR listen to me. I don’t know how long my connection will last. I’m with Amelia, in active labor. Victor needs the pups and Aeros wants me.” Mei breathing heavily feeling a surge of intense pain.

“Oh my God Baby. We are four hours out by plane, hang on.” I shouted whispered as another surge of pain swept my subconscious mind.

“Hurry! I don’t think Nikola and Micah will wait.” She replied shaky, as the connection grew weak.

“I love you JR.” She whispered as the link faded with each word.

“I love you, our family.” I shouted hoping it would bring her some kind of relief.

Snapping my eyes open, feeling the dark heavy panic, anger, fear flood my heart as I shot out of the sleeper cabin, shouting.

“HOW FAR ARE WE?” I shouted catching everyone’s stares of confusion and concern.

“About two hours out, we managed to catch a tail wind about an hour ago.” Lexi said looking up from his laptop screen, catching my look of shock, dread, fear.

“She visited you?” Lexi linked looking down at the screen.

“Yes. We have some unforeseen issues.” I replied catching his eyes snap up to mine.

“Guys listen. Mei managed to connect.” I said running my hands through my messy dark locks, tugging firmly making sure I was awake, before I spoke the next sentence.

“Active labor. Victor needs the twins and Aeros wants Mei.” I stated feeling the anger raging deep in my stomach as the guys shot up from their seats, pacing around the cabin like lunatics.

“Nikola and Micah are fixing to be welcomed into this world.” I said their names, feeling the emotional wall break knowing a meaningless death awaits them for a fucked up ideal of absolute power.

My knees shook as if an earthquake ripped through the plane thirty-five thousand miles above land.

Desmond, Xander, and Derek caught my shaking body as it dropped to the floor. A wave of violent tears flowed from my sleep deprived eyes as the guys hurriedly grabbed water and an ice pack to relieve the massive amounts of heat rolling off my body.

Brutus and Goki stirred uncontrollably as we fought to maintain control. Shifting into a raging lycan on a “blood hunt” is not good at this particular moment in time.

“Good fucking news, we are landing early. Bad fucking news, we are landing about two hundred miles south of our destination, because apparently a freak snowstorm just kicked into high gear.” Max shouted, as he pulled out his duffle bag grabbing a black skydiving suit, reaching for another duffle bag that held Halo jumping equipment for high altitude jumps.

“Has anyone ever Halo jumped?” Max shouted looking around the cabin at stern, shocked looks.

“I have.” Lexi shouted jumping out of his seat. Closing his laptop. High-fiving, fist bumping, man hugged as they stripped out of their clothes, pulling on the high-pressure suits, gearing up to Halo jump.

“Question, you need a pressurized cargo hold to Halo jump?” Eli asked looking over his shoulder at me with raised eyebrows as I grinned ear-to-ear.

“Yeah. This plane is equipped with a cargo bay.” I said laughing like a madman.

“Max, you have another suit? How close do you think we can get?” I asked walking over to the two suiting up, flashing concerned looks then looking at the expression on my face.

“If we can jump in the next fifteen minutes, free-fall for about forty thousand feet, pulling shoots at five thousand, maybe about fifty miles south of the destination.” Max said checking Lexi’s harness clip connections making sure everything was tight.

“Okay. Help suit me up.” I said stripping down to my boxers as I slipped on the suit looking at stern looks, raised eyebrows.

“Jack, you never Halo jumped.” Eli shouted as he watched me pull on the harness.

“Eli it’s no different than skydiving, except maintaining my breathing, descending at over two hundred miles per hour maintaining steady decompression of my body, so I do not explode in mid-drop. Then making sure I stay conscious to deploy my shoot at five thousand feet, before splattering into the frozen Siberian wasteland. Yep. I got this.” I laughed darkly as Lexi and Max double-checked my harness, strapping up the breathing regulator and pressurized mask.

“Desmond let your contacts know of our descent.” I shouted as the guys followed us below to the cargo hold.

Damian patted my shoulder, smiling like a mad scientist.

“GO GET YOUR FAMILY!” He shouted as the alarms rang loudly as the cargo hold depressurized against the air lock doors. Lexi, Max, and I all took our positions at the edge of the platform.

The view was breathtaking. White covered tundra for as far as the eye could see of bright fluffy clouds. The sun was just starting to rise as we all signaled to wait until the plane climbed to forty-five thousand feet. Feeling the jet engines drop a lower octave as it climbed to our desired altitude.

“Jack, if we get separated, I have placed tracking chips in the suits, the GPS locator is auto-synced to activate when you start free-falling.” Lexi linked as I watched him point to the location of the chip and locator. Thumbs up.

“Right! guys see you on the ground.” as Max fell backwards saluting two fingers as he rotated in the air, shooting away from us like a rocket.

“Right. You ready brother?” I asked Lexi getting a confused look then a shit-eating grin.

“You ready PAPA?” Lexi laughed as he jumped into the hazy cast of the clouds.

“They are all comedians.” Brutus howled as I took a running jump into the hazy covering of the atmosphere, slamming my arms to my sides, feeling the rush of adrenaline as the pressure and extreme air rushed over my body.

Keeping Lexi and Max in sight as we descended through the heavily coated clouds feeling the change in temperature as soon as I broke through the veil of cloud cover into a fuzzy white blizzard.

“So much for visibility.” Max cut through the helmet intercom.

“From here on out follow your locator. I have already set the destination marker.” Lexi howled in delight as we encroached our targeted altitude.

“Alright boys, see you there.” I shouted in pure adrenaline as my wrist altitude counter indicated five thousand, pulling the shoot feeling the resistance of the shoot against the raging winds of the snowstorm.

“That was awesome.” Brutus and Goki howled as our feet slammed into a thick blanket of soft snow. Releasing the shoot, rolling it back up hearing barking approaching from the West, taking cover behind a thick tree line.

“Alpha Jack?” The voice boomed through the dense snow filled air.

“Yeah.” I shouted as I stepped out from the trees coming face-to-face with a team of sled dogs. The driver stepped away from the sled pulling their thick fur hood down. A boy maybe eighteen appeared in front of me smiling.

“I’m Winston.” He shouted through the snow, smiling brightly.

“Winston. How far am I?” I asked handing him my parachute pack, watching the Siberian Huskies stir nervously around me.

“You dropped the closest, about fifty miles southwest.” Winston pointed northeast with heavy furred gloved fingers.

“Winston I am warning you now. I am fixing to shift into my lycan. Keep your dog’s calm.” I said as I felt Brutus pushing forward. Loud cracking echoed in my body as bones shifted into their position, feeling the intense pressure of my jaw elongating into my snout. Slowly standing, shaking out the final cracks of my spine, sent shivers through my body. Howl.

“Head north.” Winston shouted at Brutus in complete shock.

HOWL... as another howl echoed back, Brutus taking off pushing his padded paws into the snow hearing the slight crunch under our weight as we headed north. The heavy cover of the blizzard helped shield us from any witnesses as we pushed harder. Another loud howl grabbed our attention as a pack of wolves fell into sync running behind Brutus.

“Allies.” Goki howled in excitement feeling Brutus shake his head laughing as he pushed harder into the heavy white haze of snow.

A strong wave of pain surged through my body, as we grew closer to Mei.

“This is worse than torture.” Brutus huffed as his body shook under the surge of pain.

“We need to hurry.” I yelled feeling my heartache for her.

Two short howls grabbed my attention as Lexi and Max emerged from the depths of the thick snow haze.

“Friends of yours?” Max laughed in link as we pushed harder feeling the surging pain grow stronger with each mile.

“Allister says we are about ten miles out.” Max huffed as his brown wolf shook off the heavy accumulation of snow from his fur.

“Ask him what exactly we are looking for?” I asked feeling extreme emotion flood my senses. Brutus released a deep howling roar as Allister’s pack howled with excitement.

“Shit! We need to hurry.” I yelled in our link.

“Yes, your Highness.” Responded from multiple voices with heavy Russian accents.

“Alpha Jack?” A males’ voice asked surprised.

“Yes.” I replied smiling with a prideful tone.

“When you see the red blinking lights, turn right. The entrance to the underground castle is about a hundred yards.” Allister replied with a heavy Russian tone.

“Thank you.” I replied seeing the lights come into view.

Brutus taking a hard right, feeling Mei stronger in our connection.