DropZone Read Online Free Page B

mum.’
    Johnny raised an eyebrow.
    ‘You know . . . Can’t help feeding you or commenting on what you’re wearing.’
    Johnny nodded a knowing smile.
    ‘But my dad’s a tosser.’ Ethan’s voice was angry. ‘The sooner I leave home the better, to be honest. Either that or I kill him.’
    He fell silent for a moment. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his dad; have him ruin what he was doing now, here, away from the flat. Wasn’t that part of the reason he had come to FreeFall anyway? To get away from his dad – to be somewhere he couldn’t be affected by him? So he focused on finishing what was left of his lunch – which wasn’t much, thanks to Johnny.
    The sound of the plane taking off thrummed through the air. Ethan turned with Johnny to watch it go airborne.
    Johnny leaned back in his chair. ‘Got any plans?’
    ‘How do you mean?’ said Ethan.
    ‘You know, travelling or uni or whatever.’
    Ethan shook his head. ‘Finishing my A-levels will keep Mum happy, and after that, well, I’ve thought about the Royal Marines.’
    ‘Seriously?’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Ethan. ‘I just can’t stand the idea of an ordinary life in a shop or an office. And I don’t want to end up like my dad. He’s the best reason you could ever meet for mindless violence. Steals from Mum . . . never has a job for more than a few months . . . drinks.’
    ‘Nice,’ said Johnny.
    ‘What about you?’ asked Ethan. ‘You’re no longer at school now, so what next?’
    ‘I forget the plans and just get on with living. It’s more fun that way.’
    Ethan shrugged. ‘Maybe for you. But I wouldn’t mind at least having some idea of where I’m going.’
    Johnny laughed. ‘I figured there was another reason Sam hired you.’
    ‘Why’s that then?’
    ‘He just thinks people should have a purpose,’ said Johnny. ‘Or be given one.’
    ‘He’s quite a scary bloke,’ said Ethan, thinking back to his interview. ‘Seems nice enough, but he looks bloody hard.’
    ‘Ex forces,’ said Johnny. ‘And if you let on you’re thinking of joining up, he’ll have you doing push-ups and bleep tests before you know it!’
    ‘Really?’ said Ethan.
    Johnny nodded, his face almost serious. ‘And he’s a world-class skydiver.’
    ‘Does he teach you?’
    ‘Me and a few others,’ said Johnny. ‘He wants us to be the best skydiving team there is. He works us hard, doesn’t stand for any messing around, but there’s no one better.’
    Ethan looked up, trying to see if the plane was over the DZ yet.
    ‘Listen out for a drop in the sound of the plane’s engines,’ said Johnny, following Ethan’s line of sight. ‘That means it’s slowing down so people can jump.’
    Immediately after he spoke, Ethan heard the change in the sound of the plane. A few seconds later, tiny dots dropped into the sky like erratic flies. Straining his eyes, he followed the dots as they grew larger. He soon realized that one of them was actually made up of a number of dots; a group doing a formation dive. The dot exploded. Parachutes burst into life and drifted down like confetti.
    ‘Check these guys out,’ said Johnny as the four skydivers from the formation came in above them. ‘They’re swooping.’
    Ethan didn’t have a chance to ask what swooping was: in quick succession, the skydivers turned into the DZ at an impossible speed. He watched as they sped through the air, only inches from the ground, then pulled into a perfect landing.
    As they touched down, he noticed their parachutes; they were the smallest he’d seen – more like power kites.
    ‘Cool, eh?’ said Johnny, grinning. ‘A swoop’s a high-speed landing. The control you need is amazing. It’s unbelievably difficult. Which is why I’m the best.’
    Ethan ignored Johnny’s comment and said, ‘Those parachutes – they just don’t look big enough.’
    ‘They’re Raiders,’ said Johnny. ‘Small, fast and scary. And the word’s canopy, not parachute. If