I never liked taking unnecessary risks. I've always been the child. Clinging to someone's apron strings. I've never been one to take risks. Recently that has changed, but still, that child never grew up.

Perhaps this is a false sense of bravado that's motivating me. Or perhaps this is a need to see that if I have to take an important risk, I can do it.

Not that I'm not dressed for the occasion. A new pressure-suit design. Streamlined and functional. Based it off of the final design I'm going to use with the Advanced Disaster Response teams I'm putting together. The parachute is compact, but designed for High-Altitude, High or Low opening. I've always liked to cover my bases.

I should have enough life support to last for 5 hours. But this is going to take less than 1.

I hover off of the ground, and I'm airborne. I take my time at first, rising up above the shoreline near Yokohama. The press is taking pictures. Great... I die on this, at least I'll have publicity.

The readout starts climbing. 1000 feet, 1100 feet, 1200 feet... Bah, time to get higher, faster... I accelerate myself. 2000 feet... 2200 feet... I push myself even harder...

I can see Yokohama now, and Tokyo off in the distance. My horizon expands.

5000 feet... 6000 feet... 8000 feet....

I feel the pressure suit start to work. I should be semi-used to it. I've wore both space suits and diving suits in my day. But the slow expansion of my suit as the outside pressure drops is a strange thing. I can hear the internal oxygen valves in my helmet kick in keeping me at 1 atmosphere. So far, so good.

10,000 feet... 12,000 feet... 16,000 feet...

I go over my HUD display. Monitoring my suit systems, and the computer controlled arrays for the parachute. I know I have a manual pull cord, like any normal parachute, but the computer is the initial system. This is after all to also test to see if my automated parachute deployment system is functional for manned use. Then again... I can fly. But if there is a life-support malfunction... or something hits me while I'm in the air...

22,000 feet... 25,000 feet... 30,000 feet...

I'm gonna push this to 40,000 feet, then start the plunge. My Hud is showing my pulse is through the roof. Not that I need a computer to tell me that. I slow down... getting set up.

39,500... 39,750... 40,000...

I stop, hovering. I can see the brilliant blue of the pacific to one side, and the greenish-grey of Japan's Megaopolis on the other. It's noon. The sun shines down on me brilliantly. Somehow I can feel it's warmth through the suit. I know damn well without it i'd catch hypothermia in no time... after suffering pressure sickness and perhaps dying without oxygen. But here... in my cocoon... my little life raft... I see the beauty only a few get to see. I almost want to go higher. To push myself into even low earth orbit... But I know I couldn't return then. I would burn up...

I look down, rotating myself, head first to the ground below... Then I cut out my flight... Time to roll the dice.

-To Be Continued...

35,000 feet... and falling fast...

This is what it must feel like to be a meteor... only slower. I can feel the air outside buffet against my suit. While I'm cushioned from the outside rush of air, I'm certainly picking up speed.

30,000 feet... Terminal velocity.

I tuck my arms in, heading towards earth like a bullet now. This is as fast as any being, Nova or Human, can achieve unpowered in a dive. EArth grabs me like a tirant. It's gravitic pull is unwavering and unforgiving. I click a couple of wrist holds near my waist, and a couple wristbands close around my wrists. One for each, and a couple slightly higher up. A little addition I made for this particular suit is about to come into use... but not at this moment. Too fast. I have to fix my attitude a bit...

25,000 Feet... Leveling out...

I bring my body foreward and up, not very heard since the air rushing by me wishes to send me on a rollercoaster ride like no other. I wait untill I hit 20,000 feet... the first key point of this trip. The first toy I want to test out after getting up to the peak of my flight.

21,000 feet...

No... This isn't good. I'm starting to sway. I'm not sure if the membranes I'm about to deply can be used now... I need them for stability, but I can't be sure if they'll still withstand the violent air currents outside of my suit... I gotta try... or I'm going to have a rough ride...

20,500

God let this work... *click... phwip...* YES! The membrane wings held! I look like a frickin flying squirrel! The HUD just switched modes. I can actually see a forecasted landing site now... Crap... I'm gonna get wet. Thank god this suit is waterproof.

19,000

The next milestone is at 9000 feet. That's when the Parachute's auto-deploy is set. I could activate it sooner, if I want a longer trip down... but I got stuff to do later.

16,500

I look over my landing systems. The Parachute still reads green. The guiding membranes between my arms and my body are at optimum stress and performance. I'm really trucking with foreward momentum. I'm loving this. I'm flying without flying now... well... still downward. Ah, even the flotation system is green. Good. I actually wish to be retrived by a hand from a boat, not by a couple divers dragging me up... Although the suit will have alot of air left for life support... it's damned embarassing. I'd rather swim than dive today, thank you.

13,000

Looking good... I need to check my manual parachute release... the cord and handle look fine. If I have to pull the old ripcord, I got the chance. *click...* That was the drogue... this early?

12,000

Why didn't my computer report this? I can't let this deploy early. It'd put me out into the ocean with these wind currents. I need to compensate. Time to bring the arms back in... *click... click* stowed the arm membranes... *THWUMP... PHOOMP...*

11,500

Noooot gooood. While I look up and find the cherry blossom imprint on my parachute cute, I opened 2500 feet too soon... the drift will put me WAY over ocean when I land now. Time to call base.

"Sakurako to control... This is Sakurako, please respond..."

"Reading you clear, Sakurako. You're too high"

"I noticed."

"You wish to scrub the little misadventure of yours or continue on?"

"Meh... I'll continue on. I brought my floaties."

"You want us to park a couple boats near by."

"Actually, no, don't bring anyone in untill I give the word. I don't want to hit anyone by accident."

"Roger that. It'll be hard to miss that pink and white parachute as you come in. We got you on binoculars right now."

"Ha hah. verrry funny"

"See you in the drink, Endeavor."

8,000 feet...

Slow as HELL. I turn around ant Yokohama is WELL behind me now, actually dissapearing as my horizon line starts to close in. I'm over open water now. I just turned on my beacon. Don't want any planes accidentally hitting me. I just can't help but cross my arms in consternation. I couldn't pick an aerodynamic parachute for a high-altitude drop. I wanted to test a design taht worked more for dropping over a target and keep people from drifting off too easily. Thing is I didn't factor in my computer triggering my parachute early... eh... Now it reads it's deployed... Well, whaddya know... I accidentally pulled the ripcord myself. I must have hooked it when I put my membranes in. Geeze if I wasn't a clutz I'd chalk it up to blind, bad luck.

Drifting... Drifting... Drifting...

I've told my computer to just turn off that annoying feet height meter. I know I'm high up. But now taht ocean is looking rather inviting now. No boats in sight at the projected landing area. That's good. I must be getting close to landing, because the waves are looking slightly bigger now. Just curious...

6,000 feet...

GUUH! I hate this! I could sleep, wake up, and still be airborne! What a damned flying fool I've become. I just wanted to have a little adventure I said... I wanted to test out some gear I said... crap...

Just turned on the radio... nothing but news on my adventure... Switching to a satelite radio station... Ah... finally some music.... ... ... Beach Boys? Gods if it weren't for irony...

2,000 feet...

Whoohoo! not much to go... time to go down the final check list. Okay, at 500 feet, check the final landing spot, make sure there's nobody in the way. 250, grab the harness releases. at 10 feet, bring the legs together and release the parachute from me, and splash down. Grab the toggles on the life vest and it's time to make my Fishing Bobber impression. Heh... I still find my parachute amusing. Perhaps the only reason why I do that is to amuse myself. Sailor suits and pink parachutes... Hey, I just figured out a name for my Biography... Haahh.

500 feet... okay, time for the finale...

Area clear!

250 feet... prepping the harness release and getting in position...

150... 100... 50... 25... 10... Releasing! *click! Snap!*

... *SPLASH!*

Bingo! The Pink Princess has landed! Now time for that life vest to inflate... where's those toggles... ah... *click fssshhhh....*

Feet readout... 1... STFU you annoying piece of computerized garbage.

Time to switch off that annoying HUD... And flip the front faceplate of my helmet up. Hahahahaha... My parachute is floating down in front of me... Amusing. At least people will know where I am!

Time to lean back... You know... I don't have to be back RIGHT THIS MINUTE... I'll rattle off a message to the weirdos at N!Prime... See what they think of me playing the crazy skydiver role...

"Sakurako, everything alright?"

"Yes, control. Don't hurry, I'm gonna relax for a few hours. That was a helluva trip."

"Hahaha. Roger that. Welcome back, Sakurako."

Yeah, better not bother me... I'm rather enjoying this.

-FIN