"Can I get a parachute in case the balloon fails?" You yell over the wind.
"In these winds?" Tyler shrugs. "You're screwed either way. Parachute ain't shit out in this storm, you'll just smack into a building at high speed and be dragged into the water."
You shiver slightly. Not from the cold, but from the thought of that happening.
"Uh... no pressure," Tyler chuckles. "But again, never lost anyone to the storm, and it's been worse than this. You wanna do it?"
You tighten the straps on your backpack, weapons, and belt. "Better than walking, and I don't know how much time I have. Let's do this."
Tyler gives you a clap on the back, and Cory smiles. "Alright, let's strap you in!"
Cory helps Tyler with the machine, first attaching the crate that's ready to be airlifted. Various straps and clips are applied, then the machine is turned on, shooting a white 'bullet' the size of a person into the sky. It rapidly inflates, turning into a balloon with wings to help stabilize it in the air.
"Aren't you worried about lightning?" you ask as the two of them slide the crate off to the side to make room for you.
"Non-conductive m-materials," Cory explains. "G-Grounding wires go through the b-balloon and attach to a c-capacitor. If lightning d-does strike, it just charges the b-battery that lights up the balloon."
You look up, and see blinking red lights all up and down the balloon. Tyler opens a compartment on the side of the machine, revealing a radio. "Sidewinder, this is Sanctuary, I have a cargo crate ready for pickup, and I am currently preparing a live subject for extraction."
There's a moment of radio silence, then a voice crackles on the other end. "Sanctuary, this is Sidewinder. I hear you. Cargo crate will be picked up first, then we'll swing around for live package. Is there a drop-off point for the interloper?"
"Belltown, like the cargo. Or along the way, if you don't mind dropping them off."
"Either works for me. Stand by for cargo recovery, and I'll alert you when I'm ready for the live subject. Sidewinder out."
Cory and Tyler work to strap you in, making sure everything is tight and secure. "Give them a minute and then we'll send up the second balloon."
You nod. "Got it!"
Then, as you begin to wait, two familiar faces come out the rooftop access door. Autumn, accompanied by Max. Max is smiling; Autumn is not.
"Hey Pat! Heard you were gettin' ready to go," Max yells, waving. You wave back as the two approach.
"So you take our gear, and leave without saying goodbye?" Autumn says, straight-faced.
"I... I'm sorry. You seemed so busy with everything, I didn't want to inconvenience you. I am so eternally grateful for everything you've--"
Autumn raises one hand, shaking her head. "We're even now. You took care of the sniper, we take care of you. That's how it works out here."
"Oh," is all you can say in response. Autumn finally cracks a smirk.
"You're an odd one, Pat. But people around here trust you, and that's rare when outsiders come around. And I'm grateful for avenging the deaths of our fallen scavvers, even if you did so unintentionally."
You nod. "I wish I could do more for you, honestly."
"Real damn rare to get that sorta politeness out here," Max chuckles. Autumn nods at this sentiment. "Yes. But I'll return the politeness. It'll be a shame to see you go, Pat. You'd do well with us."
There's a roaring sound over the drumming rain, and a set of blinking lights appears through the clouds. It swoops down low, and you see it's a VTOL aircraft -- a four-rotor helicopter with ample cargo space. A weighted cable trails along behind it, catching the balloon and dragging the cargo crate over the edge of the roof. You see the cable begin to retract, tugging the crate into aircraft before it disappears into the clouds.
"This is Sidewinder. Package successfully grabbed, and reeling it on board. I'll alert you when I'm coming back for seconds."
"Roger that Sidewinder," Autumn replies into the radio. "Sanctuary Lead out."
"Sanctuary Lead! Hah! Finally decided to come up top, eh? Sidewinder out."
Autumn rolls her eyes, then looks back to you. "As far as we're concerned, you're one of us. And that's not something we say lightly. If you ever need to get into contact with us, just send a message to Sanctuary. Most aircraft know us by that callsign, and will pass on messages when they go by the city."
You nod. "Of course. Thank you. Thank you, again. I ... I don't know what I'd do without you all."
"Die, probably," Autumn says, not really joking. "But so would more of our scavvers if you hadn't taken down the sniper. Again, we're even."
Tyler activates the machine, sending the next balloon up. You feel it lightly tugging you upwards, but you don't actually lift off the ground. It definitely feels weird, though, someone trying desperately to pick you up but failing.
"This is Sidewinder. Coming around for the live package."
"Roger that. Package ready."
Max claps you on the shoulder. "Stay safe out there. You seem like a real nice kid, and some folks'll try to take advantage of that. But that's what the machete is for." He winks.
You can't help but smile. "I'm gonna miss all of yo--"
The balloon is suddenly tugged on, and you realize the aircraft has already swung back around to pick you up.
"Woah!" You say, lifted to your feet and going from sitting down to legs-flailing in a matter of seconds.
"D-Don't die!" Cory yells, smiling. The group wave to you as you lift higher into the air and off the edge of the roof.
"I won't! Or, I'll try not to! Thank you! Thank all of you!" You yell, turning your head to try to spot them. It's hard, given the rain and mist and darkness, but you see them, all waving. And you swear that Autumn has a genuine smile on her face, just for a moment.
You turn back forward, then look down. Holy shit. It's disconcerting seeing the ground so far below. Or, if not the ground, the rushing water. You raise above the other taller buildings and slalom through the skyscrapers until you pass above even those. Rain and wind splatters you head-on, and your warm clothes begin to struggle to keep the cold out. People really get airlifted like this? Here, of all places?
The bottom of the aircraft is opened up, and the cable pulls you further into the gaping black maw. Safety. As you get near the end, the cable snips off the balloon and deflates it. For a moment, you panic, thinking it just suddenly caused you to fall and die, but you realize it's grabbing on to you, pulling you up the last few meters.
Finally, you are pulled in, and you crawl up the open hatch as it closes behind you. Dozens of other cargo crates are here, held in with safety webbing. The recently-obtained crate from before is here as well, being tucked to the side by a mechanical arm and strapped in automatically. The long cargo hold is lined with dim lights, and is otherwise nondescript. At the end of the hold, however, is a door.
"Welcome to the skies," says a woman's voice over an intercom. "I'm up in the cockpit. You goin' to Belltown? Or droppin' off part way?"
