Drone Jumping

Back on the ledge, Harmony worked to document the city from above as fast as she could, scanning the horizon in all directions. It occurred to her that civilization had taken urban density to the absolute limit. Advertisements lit every nook and cranny, and huge holograms painted the faces of impossibly tall skyscrapers. Being of the younger generation (she was only 18), she struggled to make some kind of sense to the direction and ultimate destination of such a society. Advanced technologically, and yet somehow missing the boat spiritually, she thought. Her arm guard flashed to life and alerted her of the nearby presence of the Harpy, though she had no idea it was currently locked in mortal conflict with the red orb interceptors. She activated her communicator by briefly closing her fist, and it sprang awake. “Nikki are you there? Harpy, this is Harmony Staires, over.” Nikki Night Bird was about to dive deep when the call startled her. She pulled up abruptly and answered, “This is Harpy, over.” Remaining orbs buzzed the Harpy like a swarm of angry hornets as Nikki held the helm tightly in one hand, the laser control in the other. At that very moment, the buildings bulkhead opened behind Harmony, releasing a contingent of small metallic droids, not unlike insects. Harmony’s instincts told her they were a security detail of some kind, probably wondering what she was doing on this lofty ledge. They released some kind of heat ray that scorched her from behind, and she had no choice but to perform history’s highest and most extreme base jump. “Nikki, this is Harmony! I’m in a spot, need immediate assist at coordinates 222.3 West, 190.5 East. South face of the tallest building, I’m that fly on the wall heading down in the vertical express lane, please hurry!” Nikki modulated to time distortion mode just long enough to give herself a few extra seconds to cross the city. “Harmony, I’m right below you, do not try to avoid the craft. I’m gonna swallow you up, over.” “Roger that Harpy, there you are now!” The Harpy rocketed straight up the face of the skyscraper, opened up the cargo bay and gulped the free-falling agent as harmlessly as possible, closed the bay doors and shot straight back to the sea. Harmony strapped herself into an auxiliary chair and began slapping at the droids that stuck to the arms of her suit. They were soon disposed of, and she joined Nikki in the Harpy cockpit. Nikki smiled at the younger girl. “Well, you certainly are Infinity’s sister,” she marveled. The Harpy turned downward 180 degrees, broke the ocean surface, and dove into the murky deep. Joseph John Racano