69. Edgar

The first chamber was loaded without incident, the gods working together to maneuver the heavy, awkward container out of the chasm and into Edgar"s helicopter.

"This is going to take forever," Kalugal grumbled, echoing Edgar"s thoughts. "We need to find a way to speed things up and get these chambers out of here before someone comes along and starts asking questions." He turned to look at Norbu"s helicopter. "Why aren"t we also using the other one? If we can transport two chambers at a time, this will go much faster."

"Not possible," Yamanu said. "I can shroud both helicopters, but Norbu will not be able to see through the shroud for obvious reasons."

"I can fly his helicopter," Kalugal offered.

Aru blinked, his surprise echoing everyone else"s. Kalugal hadn"t said anything about being able to pilot a helicopter. If he could have flown from Modana"s mansion to his yacht, why had he asked for Edgar?

"Are you sure?" Aru asked. "After your display of skill with rappelling, I don"t want to doubt you again, but have you received formal training in piloting one of these?" He waved a hand at the other craft.

Kalugal shrugged. "I admit that my schooling was virtual, but it is just as good if not better than the real thing. The Perfect Match simulator threw incredible challenges at me. I was chased, I had to evade missiles, and I had to make emergency landings in precarious locations. It was such an adrenaline rush. I recommend you try it."

That was all fine, but it was like learning to shoot a rifle in a video game and then being thrown into a battle. The aim might be better than someone who had never practiced, but the reflexes and the split-second decisions needed to be made would not be on par with a soldier who had received proper field training, and even less so compared to a soldier who had taken part in actual battles.

Edgar had heard that argument too many times to count. That"s why he had joined some of the Guardian training.

"What about real-life experience?" Aru asked.

"I don"t have any, but don"t worry. I"m not your average Joe." Kalugal tapped his temple. "I can master any skill in a fraction of the time it would take someone else. Besides, it"s not like we have a lot of options. Unless you want to be stuck here for two more days while we wait for Edgar to shuttle back and forth."

Edgar would be the last one to disagree with that.

"You make a valid argument," Aru said at last. "But I want you to do a test run first. I will load your helicopter with some of the equipment we"ve removed from the pod. If you manage to fly that without incident, you can fly the stasis chambers."

Kalugal chuckled. "So, you are more worried about the chambers than my life."

Aru blanched. "I did not mean that. But if you have to make a crash landing, while you might walk away unharmed, the chambers might not. They don"t fit well in the helicopter, and we need to leave the doors open with the chamber sticking out on both sides."

Kalugal lifted a hand to stop him. "I get it, and you don"t need to worry; I"m not a daredevil, and I wouldn"t have offered my help if I had doubts about my ability. I know what I"m doing."

Edgar was familiar with Perfect Match. He had helped design the helicopter pilot interfaces and had enjoyed several thrilling sessions, but he doubted it was enough, especially with old models like those they had with them. The simulation was built on the latest technology, not aircraft from two decades ago.

Besides, as advanced as the simulation was, it was no substitute for real-world experience. The instinctive responses that could only come from hours spent in the cockpit, battling adverse weather conditions and whatever else came up, could not have been developed in simulation runs.

"What do we do with Norbu?" Dagor asked. "Should I thrall him to take a nap on the grass?"

Aru nodded. "That"s a good idea. Just make sure he chooses a spot that is not in the way."

Once that was done, Edgar followed Kalugal to the helicopter. "Let me give you a crash course on these ancient machines. They are unlike what you"ve experienced in the simulator and require greater skill."

Yamanu joined them, grinning like a hyena. "The competition between you and Kian is hilarious."

Kalugal arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

"When you heard that he learned how to pilot a helicopter and a small executive jet on a simulator, you had to do that too. Except, Kian did that years before Perfect Match was even an idea."

"I didn"t know that," Kalugal said, but it sounded like a lie to Edgar. "Just so you don"t worry, I"ll have you know that I"ve logged many hours in the simulator."

As Edgar went over the controls, he realized that Kalugal hadn"t boasted about being a quick study. He mastered the information in mere moments.

"Who is flying with me?" Kalugal asked. When no one answered, he shook his head. "Ye of little faith."

"I"m with you." Yamanu followed Edgar to his craft.

As both rotors whirred to life and the helicopters lifted off the ground, Edgar"s gaze flicked to the other aircraft, but so far, Kalugal seemed to be doing fine. That didn"t last long, though.

When the wind picked up, as it usually did at this time of day, Edgar"s gut twisted with worry as he watched Kalugal"s helicopter wobble and sway in the air like a drunk on a tightrope.

Thankfully, Yamanu had his eyes closed, or he might have lost his concentration upon seeing Kalugal"s precarious maneuvering of his craft. After a few moments, though, the winds subsided, and the rest of their journey was uneventful.

Edgar waited for Kalugal to land first before maneuvering his helicopter to land a safe distance away.

He felt like he had run a double marathon, and after killing the engine, he just leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.

Yamanu"s massive hand on his shoulder startled him. "Time to unload, buddy."

"Yeah. I need a moment after watching Kalugal in the air."

Yamanu winced. "That bad?"

"For a novice, he did okay, but it was stressful."

"I get it." Yamanu opened the door and jumped out.

As the two of them worked to unload the stasis chamber from his chopper, maneuvering the heavy, awkward container onto the waiting truck and securing it beneath a tarp, Edgar glanced over at Kalugal"s chopper, wondering why the guy hadn"t emerged yet.

Had he been as stressed as Edgar during the flight and needed a few moments?

That wasn"t likely. Kalugal was too full of himself to doubt his ability and get scared.

When they were done, they started toward the other chopper, and Edgar knocked on the window to get Kalugal"s attention. "Are you all right in there?"

The guy lifted his head from the screen of his phone and opened the door. "Of course, I am. I was going over my emails while waiting for you to come and unload the equipment."

Edgar gaped at him but then closed his mouth and looked at Yamanu, who shrugged. "I guess we are the hired help."

Kalugal got out of the craft. "I can help if you need me to," he offered in the least enthusiastic way possible.

"That"s okay." Yamanu clapped him on his back. "Edgar and I got it." He smiled at Edgar. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can fly back, right?"

With a sigh, Edgar turned back to Kalugal"s chopper and started unloading stuff.

They were halfway done when Edgar realized what had been bothering him.

At least half an hour had passed since they had landed, and with how tiny the town was, Jasmine couldn"t have missed it even if she tried, and she hadn"t come to see him even though he"d been gone for almost twenty-four hours.

Then again, Jasmine was human, so she might not have heard the landing. Except, the other ladies had, and they would have told her.

He had to concede that she didn"t feel like coming over and saying hi.