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The PMC was supposed to be unbreakable.
They were all supposed to be “ brothers. ”
Clownpierce and Leowook had been Minutetech’s partners. people he trusted to cover his blind spots.
Instead, they sold him out during a joint operation.
500 Dollars. They were paid 500 dollars by none other than Wemmbu to betray him.
Left him cornered. Broadcast his location.
Minute survived. Barely.
All three of them were this… unstoppable, dangerous team of vigilantes. Well, not vigilantes, more like anti-heroes. They do what benefits them. Even if it came to killing targets… Destroying evidence… breaking victims.
He wandered after that betrayal, not really hiding, not really searching for anything either.
The city felt louder without them. Every siren grated, every passing car felt too close. His comms stayed silent. No check-ins. No shared signals. No brothers watching his back. Just the dull ache settling into his bones as the adrenaline finally burned out.
That’s when the past caught up to him.
A small gang, street-level, messy, the kind that remembered grudges longer than consequences. He’d crossed them before during a PMC job that paid well and ended badly for them. Broken deals. Public humiliation. A leader left bleeding and powerless. At the time, he’d walked away without a second thought.
Tonight, they recognized him.
Someone shouted his alias. Someone else laughed like they’d just been handed a gift. They surrounded him in a narrow street washed in flickering neon, rain-slick pavement reflecting their shapes back at him in warped colors.
Minute didn’t run.
He didn’t even square up properly.
The first punch caught his jaw, snapping his head sideways. The second hit his ribs, knocking the air out of him. He stumbled, boots scraping against the concrete as more blows followed, fsts, elbows, cheap swings fueled by old anger.
He fought back out of reflex alone.
A shove sent one of them crashing into a dumpster. A sharp strike dropped another to the ground. But he was slower than usual. Sloppier. Every movement felt heavier, like the betrayal was dragging at his limbs.
They overwhelmed him.
A punch to the gut doubled him over. Another sent him sprawling onto the pavement. Someone kicked his side. Someone else laughed when he didn’t get back up fast enough.
Minute stayed down longer than he should have.
He stared at the ground, breath coming shallow, chest tight, not from the pain, but from the realization that no one was coming.
He didn’t care anymore.
Then something slammed into the ground hard enough to shake it.
One of the gang members flew backward, skidding across the street. Another was yanked off his feet and thrown aside like dead weight. Shouts turned into panic as a familiar silhouette landed between Minute and the rest.
Jumperwho.
She stood there steady and unmoved, rain sliding off her armor, posture relaxed in a way that made the threat unmistakable.
“Leave,” she said, calm and firm.
They hesitated.
That was their mistake.
Jumper moved fast, clean strikes, precise takedowns. No wasted motion. No unnecessary force. One by one, they went down, groaning, and passing out unconscious. Not hard enough for near-death, only for a fast and clean knockout.
When it was over, the street fell quiet again.
He didn't expect a savior that night, he just gave up. But if it was as if fate loved tormenting him… a hero of all, saved him. Not just any hero. Her.
Jumperwho.
Jumperwho was one of the most consistent heroes that Los Angeles had, whether it was small things or big things, she offered to help with all she can. She was… the “ ideal superhero. ” At least, that's what people say about her.
They never really fought before, yes, sure, she interrupted their missions every now and then, but Jumper and him never really fought. She usually fights either Leo or Clown, but never him. He wondered why.
But he couldn't complain much, since he was there, laying pathetically on the floor, all battered and hurt. This was really pathetic, especially for him.
Instead of receiving cuffs on his wrists, Jumper offered him a hand.
“ Hi. I'm Jumperwho. I'm sure we've met before. ” She said, extending her hand to Minute. “ I work over at Superhero Dispatch Network. ”
“ Hey. Hi. Yeah. I know who you are. We've fought before. At least not directly but indirectly… We've fought. ” Minute replied, he just looked at the offering hand and kept his grip against his shoulder.
“ Oh. Uh, I don't know about that. My memories are kind of fuzzy. ” Jumper responded, letting out a nervous chuckle.
At that, Minute finally grabbed her hand and accepted her support to help him stand up. When he finally stood up thanks to her support, sirens started flaring. At first, he thought it was for him but the police didn't glance his way.
“ There should be five of them. If one's missing I think he's up there at the rooftop. ” Jumper directed the police officers, who just nodded in acknowledgment.
Minute let go of Jumper’s hand, walking up to the dropped phone he’d lost during the fight. The screen was cracked, spiderwebbed from where it had skidded across the pavement.
He picked it up anyway, thumb hovering over the power button like he wasn’t sure it would respond.
“ You look like you could use a drink, ” Jumper commented.
Minute perked up and looked at her intently, brows pulling together in a confused frown.
“ What makes you say that? ” he asked, eyes flicking over her from head to toe, like he was silently assessing her instead of the suggestion.
Jumper shrugged, casual, but her gaze stayed sharp.
“ Because you’re still shaking,” she said. “ And you look like you're in deep stress. ”
Minute glanced down at his hand. He hadn’t noticed it until she pointed it out.
“ Doesn’t mean I drink, ” he muttered.
“ Didn’t say you did, ” Jumper replied. “ Just said you look like you could use one. ”
There was a pause. Sirens wailed somewhere far off, distant enough to not matter yet. Minute slipped the phone into his pocket, exhaled slowly, like he was trying to bleed the adrenaline out of his system.
“ You always talk like this? ” he asked. “ Like you already know how people are going to react? ”
Jumper smiled small, unreadable.
“ Only when I’m right. ”
He studied her for a moment longer, eyes narrowing, not hostile… careful.
“ …You watched that whole thing, ” Minute said. Not a question.
Jumper met his gaze without flinching.
“ Yes. ”
“ And you waited. ”
“ Yes. ”
Something passed across his face then… anger, maybe, or just old hurt resurfacing.
“ Then why step in at all? ”
Jumper stepped closer, lowering her voice, not because she needed to, but because she wanted him to listen.
“ Because tonight, ” she said quietly, “ you weren’t supposed to walk away alone. ”
Silence settled between them again, heavier this time.
Minute looked away first.
“ …You buying? ” he finally said.
Jumper’s smile returned, just a little more genuine.
“ Yeah, ” she answered. “ I know a place that doesn’t ask questions. ”
And for the first time since the fight, Minute didn’t feel like running.
—
The bar was brighter than he expected.
Warm lights hung low from the ceiling, casting a soft amber glow over scratched wooden tables and crowded booths. It wasn’t classy, but it was alive. Laughter spilling from one corner, glasses clinking at the counter, a low hum of conversation layered beneath the music.
A group of people were playing darts near the back, someone else arguing animatedly over a game on the mounted TV.
Normal people. Normal nights.
Jumper led them through the crowd without hesitation, exchanging a nod with the bartender like she’d been here more than once. They slid into an open booth, surrounded by noise, tucked into anonymity.
For the first time that night, Minute felt… unseen.
They ordered again. This time, he drank without wincing.
Minute looked at Jumper, noticing the way she just chugged a whole cup of drink. He was concerned in some way, but at the same time, she wasn't his responsibility so why would he care?
“ I can't tell which one of us had the rough day… ” Minute commented, rather teasingly. The alcohol was making him feel like this, he told himself.
“ Hmm? Oh. No. I had a great day. ” Jumper said with a smile, playfully smacking his shoulder, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to put a point across. “ Well, that's not totally true. ”
Jumper suddenly had a short realization and let out a short sigh “ Oh, you're joking. Sorry. ” She let out a short chuckle. She held her empty glass and raised her index finger, signalling for another drink.
As if sensing him staring, Jumper spoke “ It's fine. Don't worry about keeping up. ” the bartender took her glass to fill another drink up. “ Something to do with the powers. It takes a lot for me to feel anything. ” She explained, glancing at the table and back at Minute, who let out a quiet scoff.
“ What a sad sentence. ” Minute remarked, smiling warmly now. Unlike his earlier grumpy, moody self who only stared at her with coldness.
Jumper tilted her head at that, studying him for a beat longer than before. The bartender slid her refilled glass back across the counter, condensation already gathering along the sides. She wrapped her fingers around it but didn’t drink right away.
“ Yeah. ” she said lightly, “ It sounds worse when someone else says it out loud. ”
She took a slower sip this time, eyes never leaving him.
Then, casually, too casually. She asked, “ So. ”
Minute felt it immediately. The shift. The way her tone smoothed out, the way the room seemed to fade a little around them.
“ So, ” she repeated, resting her elbow on the table, chin propped against her knuckles. “ The PMC. ”
His smile faltered. Just a fraction.
“ What about them? ” he replied, though his voice stayed even.
Jumper didn’t push. She never did. “ You don’t have to go into details, ” she said. “ I already know most of it. ”
That earned her a look. “ Figures. ”
She shrugged. “ Hard not to notice when three names stop appearing together. ”
Minute traced the rim of his glass with his thumb. The bar noise filled the space he didn’t.
“ They were… efficient, ” he said after a moment. “ We worked because we didn’t ask questions. ”
“ And when questions started? ” Jumper asked gently.
“ They stopped being a team. ”
He let out a short breath, something between a laugh and a sigh. “ Clown always said loyalty was optional. Guess I just didn’t believe him. ”
Jumper’s expression softened. Not pity, not judgment. Just understanding.
“ Being betrayed by people you trust messes with your sense of distance, ” she said. “ You either let no one close, or you let the wrong people get too close. ”
Minute glanced up at her. “ Which one do you think I picked? ”
She smiled faintly. “ You’re here. ”
That answer seemed to catch him off guard.
He leaned back against the booth, staring up at the lights for a second. “ They sold me out like it was nothing, ” he said quietly. “ Didn’t even warn me. Just… Done. ”
Jumper nodded once. “ That’s what hurts the most, isn’t it. ”
He looked back at her. “ …Yeah. ”
The music swelled slightly as someone added coins to the jukebox. Life kept moving around them.
“ You going after them? ” Jumper asked, not accusatory. Just curious.
Minute’s jaw tightened. “ I thought about it. ”
“ And? ”
“ And I realized I don’t know what I’d do if I caught them. ”
Jumper lifted her glass in a small, thoughtful salute. “ That’s a dangerous place to be. ”
“ Tell me about it. ”
They sat with that for a moment, the weight of it settling but not crushing.
“ You didn’t deserve that, ” Jumper said quietly.
Minute blinked, then looked away, scoffing under his breath. “ Careful. You’re starting to sound like you care. ”
She smiled into her drink. “ I already told you. I had a great day. ”
He laughed softly, looking at her with unfamiliar warmth than he ever looked at anyone else.
“ So… ” Jumper started, looking at him intently. “ Are you drunk yet or what? ” she teased.
Minute perked, finally noticing the amount of drinks he was having the whole night “ eh, yeah, I should probably be switching to water. ” he snorted in reply.
“ Good, cause I was hoping after some drinks to loosen you up, I could learn a little more about you and uh… if all that went well… present you with a proposition. ” Jumper remarked, turning her body to face Minute.
Minute smiled, doing the same. Turning his body to face Jumper before speaking “ A proposition? ”
“ Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out if this is a fit or not. You know? ” Jumper confirmed, leaning slightly closer. “ Then it's just a matter of picking the right moment. ”
“ Well, I have to say Jumper, that does sound intriguing. ” Minute replied, grabbing a cup full of some liquid he thought was water, placing it on his lips before taking a sip.
“ That's actually — ” Jumper warned, reaching out her hand to grab the glass from him.
Once Minute room a sip, he quickly spat out a mouthful of said liquid to Jumper
“ — not water.. ” Jumper continued her cutted sentence. She wipes off the spitted liquid away from her face.
“ This is like pure alcohol! ” Minute hissed, clearly disgusted at the foul taste.
“ It's not like alcohol, It is alcohol. ” Jumper spoke, wiping excess alcohol off her face before speaking again “ I know because you spit it directly into my open mouth. ”
After a few moments, Jumper pointed at a glass of water that was filled with cube ice.
“ That's water. That. See? How it has ice in it? ” She bluntly stated, looking at Minute with slight mockery.
“ You drink hard liquor from a pint glass? ” Minute asked, looking surprised.
“ Actually, I usually just drink it straight from the bottle but… I thought that would be embarrassing. ” Jumper confessed, looking down at the table, avoiding Minute’s eyes.
They both let out a laugh at it before Jumper stood up.
“ I’m gonna go clean up. ”
“ I'm so sorry. ” Minute replied, a chuckle following later.
Jumper placed her hand on his shoulder “ No it's fine. I will be right back. ” she said, slowly walking away, keeping her hand on his shoulder before drifting away to go to the bathroom.
Minute doesn't know why, but his muscles relaxed at the physical touch. He found his body turning to Jumper when she made her way to the bathroom.
When she finally got out of the view, Minute turned back to the table, gently grabbing the glass he was previously going to drink.
“ What're you doing? ” He muttered to himself.
A smug voice rang out the bar.
“ Hey! Bitch! ” The voice yelled.
Minute glanced on the iced water in his hands, pulling it closer to sniff it for some odd reason. As soon as he was about to sip and drink, the voice called out again.
“ Hey! I'm talking to you bitch. ” It announced.
Minute finally turned to the source of the voice, visibly annoyed by now. “ Alright, just so you know, I only turned around cause someone yelled, not because I'm a bitch or anything. ” He spoke. Turning his head away from the guy.
“ Don't you watch the news? This is a superhero bar. ” The guy replied.
Superhero bar? That was odd. Well, no wonder Jumper described it as a bar that won't ask questions. They won't ask because it's her. If it's anybody else, these “ heroes ” would probably be interrogating his ass off by now.
Minute perked up, his voice highing it's pitch slightly. “ Oh, wow, are you a superhero? That's so cool. Is this your power? ” he mocked, looking back at the guy.
“ You're like, tell people obvious shit guy? ” Minute continued.
“ You're really gonna act like you don't remember me? ” The guy said, slowly making his way to him.
The guy wore a red hoodie with a red bandana, some red horns-sort with a sword on his back. He looked familiar, sure, but he met a lot of superheros. If — this guy was a superhero to begin with.
“ Wait, it's coming back to me… ” Minute shook his head. “ Hold on, yeah, it's coming back to me… ” Minute said, pressing the glass of water on his forehead.
“ Oh, wait, wait, oh I know it… ” he poked the temple of his head with his index finger.
“ You are red bandana devil guy. ” He stated, “ Your superpower is that you're able to let everyone know in the room that you're a douchebag. ” He criticized before continuing once again. “ cause you should literally never do that unless you're at the final table of the World Series of Poker, but even then, if you win you're still a fuckin’ loser. ” Minute declared, before turning back to his table.
“ Haa– shit… this is– damn. ” someone chuckled behind the bandana guy. “ You good? ” He asked
“ Sorry, I choked on my spit. ” They responded.
The guy slowly made his way to Minute, once he arrived, he spoke. “ No, Bitchtech. I control the fire – ” “ The fire? ” Minute asked, putting down the water he was drinking.
The guy leaned down, speaking on Minute's ear level. “ AND the flame… and my skin does not burn… I am Mapicc, and you — ”
Minute perked up, looking at the guy in surprise and recognition. “ Wait, oh shit I do remember you! ” he exclaimed “ You're that shitty villain that me and the pmc attacked due to you terrorizing and pissing off the wrong group of people. ” Minute laughed bitterly.
“ Not anymore, Dicktech ” Mapicc insulted. “ As I literally just said, I am Mapicc. A real superhero. ” Mapicc stated, lighting up his hand with fire.
“ And you are not a superhero. You're a vigilante. So you need to get the fuck out of here. ” Mapicc hissed “ we can do this the easy way… ” Mapicc started.
Minute glanced at the two cups Infront of him, one filled with water and ice, the other filled with Jumper's alcohol.
“ screw it. ” Minute thought, once Mapicc got close enough, Minute grabbed the cup of alcohol and splashing it behind him, the alcohol landing on Mapicc.
Mapicc quickly shrieked when fire got on him, qucikly patting on the fire to take it out.
“ Sorry, which way was that? ” Minute asked, not entirely turning behind him to look at the commotion he causes.
One of the people in the bar, quickly grabbed the waitress serving tray, using it to fan his burning friend.
Minute recognized the guy, it was Bacon. One of Mapicc’s teammates when they were still villains.
“ No, Bacon, you are literally fanning the flames right now. ” the same guy who was chuckling behind Mapicc earlier. Minute recognized him too, it was Parrot. They used to call themselves “ Gucci Gang. ”
Bacon quickly stopped. “ Shit. Yeah, you're right. Anybody got a rug? ” Bacon asked out loud.
His burning friend quickly hurried out the bar, running away. Bacon chased after him, “ You gotta drop and roll, Mapicc! ” He yelled, chasing after him.
Parrot leaned in the same table Minute was in. “ Thought he doesn't burn? ” Minute scoffed, looking out the door. Parrot chuckled, “ Some people become scared before they even know they're hurt. ” He said, grabbing the cherry in Minute’s drink and munching it. “ Like babies. ” Parrot said, finally getting up and going to the direction where the other two went.
The bartender walked up to Minute, looking at him with irritation. “ Hey! Dicktech. Get the fuck out of here. ” The bartender sneered, which caught Minute off guard for a second before regaining his composure.
“ I get it. Can you just tell Jumper I'm outside? ” Minute replied, looking at the bartender before the bartender yelled at him. “ OUT! ”
“ Relax. I'm leaving. ” Minute scoffed, getting up to leave, quickly grabbing his bag before actually leaving.
—
Jumper got to the back of the bar, gently but carefully pushing the door open and quickly searching for Minute. She perked up when she noticed the guy leaning on the wall.
“ Hey, I couldn't find you. ” Jumper declared, holding two cups of drinks. “ uh, it's cool, I was just admiring the art on this dumpster. ” Minute grumbled, they both looked at the dumpster Infront of them. It had two big words plastered on it reading, “ FART BARF ”
“ Can't tell why anyone would put those words together. ” Minute expressed, giggling slightly at the sight. Jumper looked at the dumpster dumbfounded before being snapped back to reality by Minute's voice “ why are you holding drinks? ” he asked.
“ Nightcap? ” She offered, offering one of the drinks to him. “ You're trouble. ” Minute teased. “ Actually, ” Jumper leaned against the wall next to him. “ according to the bartender that's exactly what you are. ” she chirped.
“ What happened in there? ” she questioned, tilting her head to get a better look at Minute. “ I walk out and the bartender's pissed, the whole energy is awkward… and why'd it smell like burnt hair? ”
“ I got a little fired up with a guy, but he ran off before anything happened so… ” Minute confessed, which earned a scoff from Jumper. “ You got fired up? ”
“ Yeah. Does that not sound convincing enough? ”
Minute said, raising one of his eyebrows at the hero.
Jumper pushed herself off the wall, offering both cups to Minute. “ Hold these. I know a place. ” She chimed, once minute grabbed the drinks she placed her hand on his waist, preparing for take off. “ You stong.. ” Minute slurred.
“ It's a little out there. Easier if we do it Jumperwho way. ” She grinned, earning a priceless face from Minute.
—
They both faced the Hollywood letter-sign, Minute broke the silence “ I actually thought you were taking us to sit on it. ” he exclaimed, looking quite dissapointed, but teasingly aswell.
They both sat on a billboard that wasn't far up, but up enough to get a nice view.
“ Hmm? Oh yeah, that woulda been cool. ” Jumper admitted. She swayed her feet against the air. “ But, no, yeah, this, this is better cause you can see it… and it, it looks like there's a couple up there already so. ” she mentioned.
“ I really appreciate you coming to my rescue back there. ” Minute thanked her, sipping from the drink that Jumper gave him. “ I still think I could've handled it but — all I'm trying to say is… thanks. I should've just said that.. But yep, I'm still talking.
“ Don't you worry about it Brandon. ” Jumper giggled, taking a sip from her drink aswell.
Minute relaxed, looking down the view and then the next, Minute perked up, looking confused, quickly glancing at Jumper drinking her drink. “ How do you know my name? ” He asked, Jumper's eyes widened for a second, before closing them and opening them to look at Minute. “ Whoops. ”
“ What's going on? ” He finally asked.
“ Okay, I'll tell you. ” Jumper said, quickly sliding next to Minute.
Jumper looked at Minute, gently grabbing his jaw, moving his face to the right and to the left to get a good look on him.
“ We can work with this. ” Jumper said, with fondness. Looking adoringly at the guy infront of her.
She gently cupped his cheeks, sliding down slowly, before dropping. Minute’s hand clenched slowly and then relaxed.
He slowly leaned in, waiting for her to back away, but when she didn't, he took it as a sign. He leaned in, giving her a kiss on the lips. It abruptly ended with Jumper slowly leaning away. “ No. This… I'm, I'm sorry.. if I gave the wrong impression…” She scratched the back of her neck. “ oh, no. ” Minute denied, “ It's my fault. ” Jumper admitted “ I'm so sorry. I totally misread that— ” Minute apologized.
Jumper quickly chimed in, “ You didn't— I mean, you did, but I definitely… ” Jumper sighed, “ The way I went about things tonight… I'm sorry. ” Jumper apologized. “ It was all a little loose. A little unprofessional. ”
“ unprofessional? I'm not sure that applies to this but— ” Jumper cutted him off “ I'm actually here on official business.. how I know your name, the proposition I mentioned right before you spit in my mouth — ”
“ Still mortified about that. ” Minute stated. “ It's fine. Do you remember Planetlord? ” She asked “ Remember? Ofcourse. He's like — one of the victims the PMC spared due to him being a friend of mine.. that I haven't talked to in a while. What about him? ”
“ I work with him at SDN. He recommended you. ” Jumper started, “ Mentioned that he worked with you back then? ” Jumper concluded
“ Yeah. We used to work together. How's he doing? ” Minute asked.
“ He's doing great. He's.. he's why I'm here. Minute, I'd like to make you an offer. In exchange for dispatching and mentoring some of our rookie heroes, SDN can give you the motivation to work as an hero, and help you grow without PMC. And also, excuse you out of jailtime. ” Jumper offered.
“ So this was, like, some sort of interview? ” Minute asked once again, “ I was worried you might be… ” Jumper spoke “ Crazy? ” He finished her sentence.
“ Unstable. Damaged. Unfit. Batshit. Dipshit. ” She corrected him. “ I don't know. Whatever you wanna call it. ”
There was a small pause between them just staring at eachother.
“ It's a big investment. I know you probably don't need this since you work alone now and stuff, but since you're very experienced with this stuff, we'd like for you to help. In exchange, we can offer you stuff that you wish. All in SND’s range. Share it Minute. You have a lot left to give. ” Jumper landed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile.
“ And what if I say no? ” He teased. “ Then I'll hate you forever.. and I'll push you off this billboard. ” Jumper said, patting his shoulder.
“ Wow…”
“ yeah. ”
“ and no one would suspect a thing. ”
“ nope. Not a one. ”
“ wait, so you want me dispatching? What's that even mean? ” Minute asked.
“ Oh. Right. I was supposed to test you at the bar. Here. ” She threw something at Minute, which he narrowly catched, letting out a chuckle. “ Eh, drunk people shouldn't be throwing things at drunk people. ”
“ Noted. ” Jumper replied, Minute looked at the thing he was holding. “ Am I waiting or are you waiting? What's going on? ” Minute looked at the device.
“ It was supposed to open up when I threw it to you–” the device activated “ okay–there! ”
“ Pop it on. This is part of the assessment. And don't move too much in there – you're sitting on the edge of a billboard. ” She huffed, Minute finally put on the device.
—
After the assessment, he took off the glasses, gripping it in his hands “ That felt pretty natural to me. ” He said, feeling quite satisfied at the aftermath of the assessment.
“ in that it's natural for me to end up mid tier. That said, for a first time it feels pretty… ” Minute finally noticed Jumper sleeping on his shoulder, giving a relaxed body composure, making herself feel comfortable around him.
It wasn't everyday for someone to feel safe and comfortable around a murderer… he wouldn't call himself that —or a anti-hero for that matter.
It felt…peaceful. He wished he could stay like this forever, she felt so.. relaxed against him. Maybe there was this selfish feeling that he wanted this to last for a long time — but he wouldn't mind being selfish if that was the reasoning.
Before he could get into deep in thought, Jumper woke up. “ Did I drool on you? ” She yawned, wiping her chin in case of any drool. “ Uh, I don't think so. ”
“ Well, you see why we though of– well, why Planetlord thought of you. ” Jumper remarked, looking directly at Minute now. She grabbed the glasses back from Minute. “ It makes sense, yeah. ”
Jumper slowly flew up with her “ rocket boots ” or just superpowered boots in general, and turned to minute. “ Meet me at the SND offices tomorrow. ”
“ I'm not done saving you yet. ” She claimed, giving him her usual warm gentle smile. She flew away, leaving Minute alone, sitting at the Billboard.
Minute looked at Jumper flying away, also giving her a smile before turning back to the view. He had a sudden realization and looked around. “ uh, is there a ladder? Or… ” He spoke.