Page 81 of The Fighter
“Mila, it’s not up for discussion. Mortenstown is a fucking dangerous place and we need to get your mom and Raven out of there, right now.”
“Okay, I’ve got the coordinates here.” After telling us, Mila promised to call Laura and Raven and tell them to pick up their phones or call us.
“Thirteen minutes to destination,” Magni muttered.
When Mila called back three minutes later, we could both hear the fear in her voice. “Dad, I’m scared. Mom isn’t picking up and neither is Raven. I’ve called them both over and over. I have a really bad feeling.”
Magni’s face paled. “Yeah, me too, baby. Leo and I are flying as fast as we can.”
Without consulting Magni, I called up the Mortenstown police force and asked them to send both police and medics to the coordinates we had been given by Mila. I made sure to inform them that two women were in danger, knowing that it would make this case a high priority.
“Seven minutes.” Magni hissed through gritted teeth just as lightning lit up all around us and the drone shook.
“Did you feel that?”
“It was a lightning strike. We’re fine.”
The storm was intensifying, and my fingers squeezed around the armrests as the wind created turbulence inside the drone.
“Six minutes… call Raven again.”
I shouted because of the loud crashes of thunder. “That’s all I’m doing. She’s not picking up.”
“Keep calling her. I’m keeping my line open if Mila calls back.”
The minutes ticked by slowly and finally, when the display said two minutes to destination, I saw something. “Down there. Do you see the flashing light?”
“Where?”
“Right there.” I pointed again. “It must be the police drone and medics.”
The drone shook as another lightning stroke hit us, and this time a loud beeping sound filled the drone with an alert.
“Fuuuck!” Magni was pushing buttons like a madman.
“What the hell are you doing?” I screamed over the robotic voice alerting us.
Magni growled. “Something’s wrong.”
“I can hear that, but what is it?”
A robotic voice overpowered what Magni was saying. “System failure. Landing initiated. Prepare for impact. System failure. Landing initiated. Prepare for impact.”
As the blinking lights on the ground came closer, I pressed myself back in the seat trying to see through the rain that was crashing against our windshield.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Magni hissed. “We’re gonna crash.”
“Ejection recommended.” The robotic voice sounded as calm and matter-of-fact as if it was reminding us to use seatbelts.
I was looking left and right to find the eject button, seeing the ground come closer, and then I found it on my left side.
“Eject, Leo. Now!” Magni was pulling at his handle but nothing happened. “Shiiit!”
With my hand on my own handle, I screamed at him. “Pull it, Magni.”
“It’s fucking stuck.”
I lifted my hand to try and help him but with a quick side glance, Magni locked eyes with me, and then he pulled my handle.
