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jumped.
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    Carmody’s gut roiled with caveman terror as the first few floors swept by – an unpleasantly inconvenient reaction. But at least his life didn’t pass before him.
    He knew he should be composing himself, but as wind stung his eyes and tugged his hair, a distracting shadow encroached from an unexpected direction. Carmody flinched aside in time to see another figure hurtling Earthward. Business suit flapping, clenched fists outstretched as if trying to outrace Carmody to the pavement. He recognized Dickerson of accounting.
    Well, that sonovagun always seemed much too-tightly wound.
    Oh? An honest part of himself replied. And what are you? Taking the coward’s way out.
    Carmody told his busy, frantic mind to shut the hell up and to focus on what mattered, with so little time left. Only does anything at all matter, at this point?
    Abruptly, he heard someone else speak. A shout, overcoming the throbbing wind, but conversational, nonetheless.
    “Dickerson is such a maroon! I was at the same meeting when Mr. Saung told us all to jump. But you don’t see me showing off like that!”
    He glanced left to see a woman dressed in the slick, pinstripe uniform of a company attorney. He’d seen her around. Instead of plunging superhero-style, she had arms spread like Carmody, delaying the unpleasant inevitable. A rightward eyeflick detected no sign of Dickerson, plunging on ahead. So now it was the two of them.
    Told you to jump? Boy, that Saung is a hard case. Much worse than Patel. In fact, maybe I should have stayed and fought it out….
    Carmody almost replied to the woman – some dark humor about falling with her, not for her. But no. He saw her frown, devoting herself to a look of concentration. preparing for the fast-looming street.
    That’s what I should do.
    Grimly, Carmody strapped the goggles back onto his head. Bearing down and gritting his teeth, he mentally recited a personal chant.
    I am a son of light. I am a son of light. I am a son of light…
    Nothing. Opening his eyes briefly, he saw that he was halfway to the ground, with much less than half the time left before… going splat upon the broad apron that now surrounded every downtown building, protecting pedestrians and vehicles from plummeting jumpers who missed their cues.
    Splat. Me? Come on, focus!
    I am a son of light. I am a son of light. I am a son of light…
    He tensed specific muscles in his arms, back and thighs – and felt electric tension course along his spine, at last. A crackling that was molten, electric and fey, all at the same time, seemed to fizz from every pore. It hurt like hell! But he kept up the mantra, frowning hard and willing power into his fists. His feet.
    I am a son of light. I am a son of light. I am a son of light…
    From his scalp implants to the tips of Carmody’s toes, power erupted, along with pain.
    I am a son of light… and I can fly!
    Bottoming out just a couple of stories above the splat barrier, he caused second floor windows to shake with the roar of his passage.
    Carmody flew….
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    …and almost collided with half a dozen others, amid a throng zooming above Broadway. Carmody’s percept throbbed with warning shouts and small fines applied against his commuter account. But he managed to maintain concentration, leveling off and settling into an uptown flight path without injuring anyone.
    Damn, no wonder they say you should always use a standard launching catapult. Skyscraper-jumping is for idiots! Or, at least, folks who aren’t out of practice like you, fool.
    He turned onto Seventh Avenue, banking in a wide swoop that gained altitude as well. It almost felt… fun, for just a bit, though the tight maneuver made his stomach tense and churn.
    Okay then. What had Gaia reminded him to do? Assuming he was about to be fired from his job and become a house-husband, he might as well at least cover the checklist.
    Oh yeah right. Pick up Dad.
    Carmody turned back on the goggles’ aroma detectors and