Dodging the Impact

Unfortunately, I didn't have the presence of mind to appreciate the soft warmth of her body against mine. I barely even noticed it. I'd already activated my power mid-fall, trying to slow us down, but the rush of wind was still intense, nearly impossible to keep my eyes open.

I focused everything on using my power to counteract the force of gravity pulling us down. At the same time, I could feel a strange, unnatural breeze pushing us slightly southeast—Danny's doing, no doubt, using her ability to help steer us.

'If we were falling normally, from a height of 210 meters, it'd only take about seven seconds to hit the ground. Damn, that's fast. It's already been ten seconds, and we're only halfway down, meaning Danny and I have cut the speed by at least half. But even at this reduced speed… what's the impact force we're going to feel? Calculating it, is probably pointless...'

It must have been the adrenaline, or maybe pure fear, but my brain—the brain I usually prided myself on—couldn't process even basic physics at that moment. My thoughts were a mess, racing as I desperately tried to slow our descent further.

"DANNY, GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

She didn't respond, but I could feel that subtle wind around us, helping to reduce our speed as best it could.

Still not enough. Pure instinct told me that, even with all our efforts, we were still descending too quickly. Unless we could drastically slow down, we'd end up mangled or worse. I had one last, untested idea.

Until now, I'd been unconsciously treating my ability like telekinesis—focusing it to pull, push, and hold. But if it was truly a force field, maybe I could go further, affect the forces working on us directly, like gravity.

Desperately, I kept the slowing counter-force in place while I pushed my ability to interfere with the gravity weighing us down, aiming to reduce its pull on us. Just as we hit the last fifty meters, our speed finally dropped sharply. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the final impact.

In those last few meters, we were bizarrely pushed back, slightly, almost as if the air itself caught us, softening the landing just enough.

Danny and I hit the concrete hard, rolling together, the world spinning. With the extra weight of carrying her, I couldn't control our landing and ended up trying to protect her and keep us both from smashing our heads.

After several chaotic, bone-rattling rolls, we finally came to a stop, both lying flat on our backs, panting.

"Ah… damn… Danny, you alright? If I ever try something that stupid again, I'm definitely an idiot."

"Mm…" she mumbled weakly, curled up in my arms like a kitten. I opened my eyes, finding that, miraculously, we'd landed almost exactly where we'd aimed—a dark, empty alleyway, with faint lights spilling in from the distant street.

I lay there soaked in sweat, my back drenched, barely able to catch my breath.

I'd badly overestimated our combined abilities. Without Danny's help and that final push from my newly unlocked force-field tweak, we probably would have been 'two splats, one jump.'

My heart was still pounding like it was trying to escape my chest, and every inch of my body hurt. I could barely even think through the haze of pain, and I'd no idea if anything was broken. Right now, the hard concrete floor felt like the perfect place to sleep.

Minutes passed, or maybe it was longer. Finally, my mind started to clear, and that's when I realized how close Danny and I were.

From my angle, I could just barely see her head resting on my shoulder, her soft breaths tickling my neck. Her chest was pressed firmly against mine, the warmth of her skin soaking through my shirt.

Every tiny shift felt like an electric shock. One arm wrapped around her waist, and the other was somehow gripping her... well, let's just say my hand had landed on an unexpectedly soft curve.

And her legs, slender and long, had twisted around mine, pressing her hips directly against me. The sensations from our close contact shot through me, waking up…uh…a part of me I'd hoped would stay asleep.

The physical reaction was unavoidable. I could practically feel the heat pooling under her, making the intimacy even more intense.

I shifted uncomfortably, trying to regain some sense of composure.

Danny murmured sleepily, "Mmm… stop…"

Her words were soft, her voice drowsy, and her body arched slightly, somehow pushing even closer. I couldn't see her face, but I could imagine her flushed cheeks, her lips slightly parted in her sleep.

'Right. This is wrong. This is beyond wrong. I'm a decent guy, after all. Just because the opportunity is there…' I tried to pull my hand away, but for some reason, it wouldn't budge, 'Wait… don't tell me…'

'Have I broken my arm?'

Just then, Danny shifted, finally seeming to gain enough strength to push herself off my chest. My hand fell limply to the ground, and the intense physical sensations eased, though the ache in my body definitely didn't.

She looked down at me, tugging herself free from my grip, a mixture of embarrassment and anger in her eyes. "You… jerk! You only care about taking advantage of me? I've never—ugh!"

As soon as my hand hit the concrete, the sharp, nauseating pain finally registered.

"Arghhh—ahhh, crap!" I gritted my teeth, hissing, and finally spat out, "Look, okay, I'm sorry. But I swear, I didn't mean to grab you—I think my arm's actually broken. No feeling at all."

Her expression softened, worry overtaking her embarrassment. "Why didn't you say so sooner? Is it this arm? It's all swollen…"

I tried to give a reassuring smile through the pain. "Yeah, it's the right one. But never mind that—are you okay? Still got all your limbs?"

I forced myself to laugh, trying to distract myself from the throbbing ache radiating through my arm. But the adrenaline was wearing off, and now the pain was fully setting in.

"What should we do? Should we call for help?" she asked, her tone full of concern.

"Not necessary," I replied between deep breaths. "Check the time. It should've ended by now. Like the last few rounds, there should be a way out. Look around—we might find a door nearby. Just help me up for now."

With her support, I staggered to my feet, and she switched on her phone's flashlight to survey the alley. Sure enough, there it was: a familiar door, glowing faintly in the dark.

I glanced at her, taking in her tired but still pretty face, her cheeks flushed and her hair wild.

She was a mess, her clothes soaked and dirty, wrinkled and caked with dust from the alley floor. Thankfully, she was still wearing my jacket, so at least her top half wasn't completely ruined.

With a resigned sigh, I motioned for her to open the door. "Come on, let's get out of here."

———

Bathed in the familiar white light, I cradled my injured arm as best I could. It had only been three hours, but it felt like we'd endured a week's worth of challenges.

"You're back? What happened to you two?" Lana's voice was surprised, as she and the others turned to stare at our battered forms.

Danny looked flustered but explained, "We got the flag, but it was tight on time, so… we, um, had to jump from the roof. Almost didn't make it. And House… well, his arm didn't survive the fall."

She shot me a meaningful glance, one I didn't quite understand, as I winced my way over to the group. "Yeah, yeah, I messed up," I muttered, trying to keep the self-pity out of my voice.

"Didn't quite plan that one through. We'll see what else this place has in store, but if it's more like that, I'm ready to just give up now."

The pain was overwhelming, the worst I'd ever felt, 'This is a whole new level of hurt, one I never experienced before.'

Yelps of sympathy rose up as everyone took in the state of my arm. Lana and Janice were full of concern, and even Danny didn't look like she'd tease me over this.

Apparently, their flag capture had gone much smoother than ours, with Lana's natural charisma and social skills paving the way. She and Carl played the role of business visitors, while Janice used her stealth abilities to slip through shadows and snatch the flag easily.

Carl laughed, clapping me on the back. "It's alright, man. Your arm'll heal. Besides, next time, we'll let you take the easy route."

Just then, a mechanical voice echoed through the room: [Assessment complete. Please step into the light to receive your results.]

Everyone turned as five beams of light appeared in the room.