A/N: *Deep breath* Okay. I've posted this. I'm nervous, but I've posted this.

A big thank you to Nimrodel626 for betareading this! You're awesome, Nim!

Pony's feet pounded the earth in time with his heartbeat as he ran after Dan. Pierce's thugs had pinned the boy's arms behind him and were dragging him towards the helicopter.

"Stop!" he yelled pointlessly.

His ponytail flapping behind him, Pony caught up to the goons, eyes flashing. But before he could do anything, one of them grabbed his arms, holding him back, as the others pushed Dan into the chopper and leaped in. With a smirk, the one gripping Pony shoved him to the ground, sending him sprawling. Turning, he leaped into the chopper as well, slamming the door behind him.

Pony pulled himself to his feet, a pained expression on his face. Just before the helicopter lifted off, he dove for the landing skid and gripped it with all his might.

He didn't let himself think, or he never would have done it.

The rotors whirled faster as the chopper rose from the ground, the resulting wind loosening his ponytail and whipping hair into his face. Pony bit his lip, trying to concentrate on hanging on. Come on, you can do this, you have to... Amy was yelling at him to let go, but he ignored her. He had to save Dan.

But it only took a few seconds for Pony to realize that his attempts were futile. And now he was too high up to safely let go. He scanned the ground below him, hoping for a tree he could jump down into. Adrenaline was coursing through him, and fear had not yet taken hold. Everything felt surreal.

After a moment, he saw that they were nearing a clump of trees that must have been on a hill, because they were higher than most of the surrounding jungle. Hope surged in his heart. Come on, just a little closer, come on, come on...

The chopper did get closer - so close, in fact, that Pony's sneaker brushed the treetops. But with a sinking feeling, he saw at once that the top branches were too flimsy to support his weight. And then his chance was over, and the chopper flew on and higher.

Air rushed past his face, flicking sweaty bits of hair out of his eyes. His fingers were damp with perspiration, and his muscles were screaming with the effort of holding on. Pony breathed a desperate prayer.

He made the mistake of looking down for half a second, and even in the relative darkness he could sense how high up he already was. A fall from this height would undoubtedly kill him. His fingers were gripping the skid so hard it hurt, but he didn't have a proper hold on it. Fear, real fear, gripped Pony for the first time as his adrenaline rush began to fade and the terrible reality of his predicament set in.

Suddenly, Pony felt his left hand slipping off, aided by his sweat-damp fingers. No, no, NO! were his thoughts, and then his hand slid free, and he was hanging by his right arm. A scream escaped him, and he tried to swing up and grab the skid with his left hand, but it was impossible. Then there was a sickening pop and crippling pain in his shoulder, and for a second of sheer, raw terror he realized he had let go.

He was falling through the air.

Falling. Falling to his certain death.

At first, Pony wanted to scream again. But instead, a strange calmness stole over him. Time seemed to slow to a halt. Wind whistled past his ears, and he knew he was falling, going to die, but for some reason he suddenly didn't care all that much. Everything felt surreal, like a dream. Had he really just fallen from a helicopter? He was able to think with remarkable clarity.

Faces flashed before his eyes. Those of his parents and brother, who only barely knew that he was working for the Cahills and had no idea where he was right now. A vague feeling of regret washed over him. He would never be able to say goodbye.

Next were Amy and Dan, and then Jonah, Ian, Hamilton... he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to them, either. They had become his best friends, and he had always had a feeling of amazement that they had wanted to be his friends. He had been a loner before that, feeling most at home with a laptop and energy drink.

After that, it was Nellie. His "goddess". He had harbored a crush on her since the day they'd met, though he knew there was almost no chance she'd ever like him back. But now, the thing he wanted most wasn't for his affection to be returned by her. It was to have one chance, just one, to tell her goodbye.

Then it was memories, tossed at random into his consciousness. His dad teaching him to ride a bike, his first successful hacking attempt, his mom cuddling him during a thunderstorm when he was small-all these and many more surfaced and flashed before him almost faster than he could process them. A twinge of sorrow fluttered deep within him; he was leaving all this behind.

But he had faith. Faith that what came next was better than the present.

He fell further, twisting around in midair. Time sped up again. The trees were rushing towards him, and then he was among them, falling, hitting branches. There was pain, but vague and distant, and then the falling ceased.

Pony lay draped limply over a branch. Darkness encroached on the edges of his vision, but he still had that strange sense of calmness. Foremost now in his mind was one wish: that Dan and Amy would both survive and stop Pierce.

A faint, hopeful smile played around his lips, and he let himself drift away.

A/N: PLEASE tell me what you think, even if it's negative. I really want feedback.

Thanks! :)