[img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b6781-ae3b-76f0-87f4-d8921a6601aa.webp[/img]
[center][h2][color=gold]F r e e f a l l[/color][/h2]
[color=gold][sub]Cowritten with [@cosmiccowgirl] - Blackstar [/sub][/color][/center]

Jet’s a few minutes behind, and he’s a bit out of breath, so he bends over at the waist, breathing hard. [color=mediumpurple]“Just- a sec-”[/color] between heaves. When he’s finally recovered, he throws his trusty tennis ball up and flings it to the mark he’d calculated for safety. It’s about 20 feet below the top of his range, so it should be plenty safe. Next, he enlarges the mass of a few orbees to make them a just in case landing pad. They aren’t going to do a whole lot, but he can use the forces to maybe help in an emergency situation. 

[color=mediumpurple]“Okay all set, take her up there,”[/color] he points to the tennis ball floating at around 480 ft above the ledge [color=mediumpurple]“and have her let go.”[/color] He then points down the cliff face to another ledge. [color=mediumpurple]“I’ll stand there, which will give us a total of about 800 ft to bungee her. My top range is 50ft for 500lbs in either direction, so we’re well within my parameters.” [/color]

He pinches his chin between his fingers, [color=mediumpurple]“I’ll calculate her to bounce back up to the tennis ball, so all I need you to do is catch her. If things aren’t going well, scream, and I’ll inflate the orbeez and throw my powers at keeping you both in the air until you can balance out”[/color]

[color=mediumpurple]“We got a plan?”[/color] He turns to look at Blackstar, for likely the first time since he started to explain. Then he looks at UltraGirl- [color=mediumpurple]“do you feel comfortable with this?”[/color]

[color=lightblue]“Yes! This is going to be such good footage!!”[/color] UltraGirl starts to dance a bit side to side while she confirms her gopro is attached to the front of her securely. 

Blackstar nodded in agreement, giving him a thumbs-up. She was making sure to be extra conscious of the non-verbal gestures, especially since she was on camera.

Once the vlogger was prepped and ready, Alaine picked her up again – more of a toddler-carry situation that time, so it’d be easier for Ultragirl to let go and drop. 

Up they went, a smooth ascent to the floating tennis ball – she wondered why he had a tennis ball on him – and Blackstar checked once more that Ultragirl was ready and cool with the idea. Then, just to make sure they were on the same page, she called down to Asteroid, [color=gray]“First drop!”[/color]

The vlogger let go and whooped excitedly as Blackstar let her fall, watching and waiting to see Asteroid work his magic.

When UltraGirl lets go, Asteroid feels the gravity around her intensify. He allows her to free fall, but begins to calculate the drag he’ll need to simulate the weightlessness of the bungee effect. At about halfway down, he starts to slow the gravitational forces so it doesn’t hurt her neck at the bottom. Then, he applies the force to fling her back up to Blackstar. [color=mediumpurple]“Incoming!”[/color] He calls up to her. He nudges Ultra girl into the window of her open arms. Slowing the impact so that it feels just like a hug when she catches her.

When they’re stable he jumps and cheers. [color=mediumpurple]“How about that!!” [/color]

Alaine was beaming under her mask, and she was kind of glad no one could see it. She felt like a dork for grinning so much at the flawless maneuver.

[color=lightblue]“Ohmygod AGAIN!”[/color] the vlogger practically shrieked, making Blackstar chuckle as she complied and smoothly released the other woman once more.

The second jump, he lets UltraGirl get a little farther, and go a little higher than Blackstar. But he always makes sure to calculate a safe landing in her arms. 

After as many jumps as UltraGirl can stand without throwing up, he and Blackstar pass the camera back and forth in the air. Catching footage over the mountain- he uses his powers as a type of gimbal to keep the shots steady and beautiful. Over the mic, he pipes up to the rest of the dispatch team, [color=mediumpurple]“I got to be honest, Blackstar, this was an awesome idea. Probably the coolest thing I’ve done in a long time.”[/color] After some other chatter, he finishes with: [color=mediumpurple]“Seems like I’ve got a new retirement plan!” [/color]

It was pretty clear Blackstar was enjoying herself too, as even she had started laughing at some point during the bungee jumping. Ultragirl had a pretty strong stomach to do it as many times as she had – Alaine hadn’t kept count, but it was a lot – and when she finally threw in the towel she’d been more than happy to let them play around with her camera.

Alaine had fun with that too, playing around in the air between catching the gopro like a crow playing in the wind. She’d flown herself up before and used it to let out nervous energy, but she’d never really had fun like that. In fact – she wasn’t 100% sure she’d had fun at all since she’d gotten her powers. Especially not with other people.

As she took the camera for one last twirl around the top of the mountain, she couldn’t help a proud smile at Asteroid’s praise for the idea. Her face felt a little warm when she touched down, handing Ultragirl back her camera and laughing at her coworker’s retirement comment.

[color=gray]“I hope you mean our retirement plan?”[/color] she joked, still hovering a little above the ground as Ultragirl turned her camera around to herself, recording an outro or something with a lot of hand-gestures and enthusiastic talking. Looked like she might have a viral video on her hands. [color=gray]“That was the most fun I’ve had in–”[/color]

She stopped. Was being honest and saying it was the most fun she’d had in years kind of lame? She was on a comms system. 

Y’know what? she thought to herself, scoffing and grinning as she finished, genuinely, [color=gray]“–in years, to tell ya the truth. I didn’t really think I could have fun with… y’know. This.”[/color]

She motioned to herself in an attempt to indicate her powers. Of course she’d only used one side of said powers, but hey. She felt good, and she hadn’t felt good in so long.

[color=gray]“So thanks for that.”[/color] Alaine glanced at Asteroid, not sure how to express the sudden overwhelming appreciation she felt as Ultragal continued to film in the background. 

Jet stills at Blackstar’s comment. It lights up all the buttons on his empathy dashboard in his brain. He’s just getting knocked over by genuine people over and over today. One of her big laughs during the bungee jumps echoes in his mind- he remembers how genuine it sounded. He clears his throat and rubs the back of his head a bit awkwardly. [color=mediumpurple]“It was your idea- don’t forget- I just work here.”[/color] The smile creeps into the tone of his voice like a virus. [color=mediumpurple]“We’ll definitely have to do something like that again soon, gotta get plenty of practice before we retire.”[/color] He looks up at the tennis ball, summoning it back to his hand and tucking it away.

Alaine was starting to think this SDN thing had been a good idea after all.

When Ultragirl was ready to head down, Blackstar gave her a lift again – but not before insisting Asteroid wait for her to come back and give him a hand down too, and she made good on it after dropping the vlogger off and returning to the mountain.

As she touched down she was fiddling with the lower half of her mask, and upon both boots settling on the ground she removed it, clicking something to make it collapse in half so she could tuck it into an inner pocket of her jacket. 

That done, she gave Asteroid a winning smile and extended a hand. [color=gray]“I’d say that was a job well vlogged, Louboutins.”[/color]

Unfortunately for everybody else, she liked giving people nicknames. 

Grinning again, she asked, [color=gray]“Wanna stop anywhere on the way back?”[/color]

Asteroid is infected with Blackstar’s grin as they touchdown. [color=mediumpurple]“I’m good if you are, I’m trying to stay on James’ good side, I may have been part of the reason the team had a drug seminar yesterday. Some older knitting ladies on a mission yesterday might have given me a few puffs of their reefer.”[/color] He’s pulling the bottom of his own mask off, and a blush hides his freckles at the mention of yesterday’s embarrassment. [color=mediumpurple]“I still don’t know how he figured out that I did.” [/color]A grumble later, and they’re headed back to base, waiting for whatever James throws at them next.