Bob?
Luke pulled him aside.
"What are you doing here?"
"Came back to help you with the shoot, man."
"You sure you don't need a couple more days to rest? It's cool if you take some time to get back in the groove."
"No way, I'm not okay with tomorrow's scene. I gotta be there in person."
Hearing Bob's response, Luke felt a heavy stir in his chest.
He didn't say anything, just stepped forward and threw an arm around Bob's shoulders.
"Whoa, what's that for? Dude, I'm not into sweaty guys touching me!"
"…"
Seeing Bob slip back into his familiar, playful vibe, Luke knew his mindset was probably in a better place.
Hanging out with Depp these past few days must've given him a chance to let loose and vent.
"Seriously, don't worry about me," Bob said with a grin. "Depp, that guy, he's wild. He's got tricks I've never even heard of. Nah, you don't need to know about that stuff. Don't want the girls blaming me for corrupting you."
"You've really gone off the deep end," Luke said with a sigh, noting how the once-upstanding guy had fully transformed.
"Jealous, huh? You have no idea how much fun I've been having! Luke, you know where a woman kisses you if it's true love?"
"Your lips?"
Yeah, Luke got the hint real quick.
(A small section got cut here, no way around it—even lighthearted quips get snipped. Basically, it's showing Bob's personality shift, from a straight-laced guy to more of a player.)
Looking at Bob's slightly unhinged demeanor, Luke knew the guy wasn't over that incident.
He was using this reckless, carefree act to mask the pain inside. It worked like a numbing agent, but the second things got quiet, the hurt would hit him hard again.
Time was probably the only fix for that.
So Luke got why Bob was in such a rush to get back to work.
Part of it was genuine worry about tomorrow's scene and Luke's safety. The other part? He couldn't stand being idle right now.
He had to keep himself busy, fill every second to avoid facing his thoughts.
"Since you're back, let's talk about tomorrow's shoot," Luke said.
"Yep, I got you covered. Oh, what if I jump with you tomorrow? I could carry a camera and film you."
"Nah, you haven't trained for ultra-high-altitude skydiving. Don't tempt fate," Luke said, honestly a bit worried about the new Bob.
The guy seemed ready to throw caution to the wind, like nothing mattered anymore.
"Alright, fine, I'll stick to handling logistics," Bob said.
…
…
The C17 transport plane soared at 13,500 meters, cruising at 800 kilometers per hour.
This C17, based out of Buckley Air Force Base, was only five years old—prime condition for its service life.
"If this plane could feel like a human, you think it'd be proud knowing it's about to become a legend?" Bob asked with a laugh from inside the cargo hold.
"Quit with the weird hypotheticals. It's just a plane—it doesn't think like us," Luke said, shaking his head.
"Kind of a shame, though. This plane's gonna be worshipped by movie fans, and it won't even know it," Bob said.
"Keep your voice down, or we'll get caught," Luke whispered, nodding toward Director Cohen, who was busy securing a camera nearby.
During the skydiving scene, neither Cohen nor Bob could stay in the cargo hold. The massive pressure difference would suck them right out.
Even ignoring the pressure, the freezing temperatures and lack of oxygen outside the cabin would be unbearable.
So, once Cohen set up the camera positions, he and Bob would head to the cockpit to stay with the flight crew.
"Good thing the C17 maxes out at 13,700 meters. If we were hitting the Armstrong Limit, I'd never sign off on this!" Bob said.
"What? Why are you guys talking about the Armstrong Limit? What's that got to do with Luke's scene today?" Director Cohen walked over, instantly on edge.
The Armstrong Limit, also called the Armstrong Line, is an aerospace term.
Above 18,000 to 19,000 meters, where air pressure drops below 47 millimeters of mercury, water's boiling point gets close to human body temperature (37°C).
Without pressurization, any exposed bodily fluids—tears, saliva, moisture in the eyes, or the fluids keeping your lungs functional—would boil and evaporate almost instantly, causing suffocation from the inability to exchange oxygen.
The C17 couldn't reach that altitude, but if it could, Bob would've flat-out refused to let this scene happen. What was he getting at?
"Nothing, just time to suit up for the jump," Luke said, dodging the question.
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Director Cohen sensed they were hiding something but didn't press further. He just sat down nearby, looking a bit frustrated.
Bob brought over the full gear for Luke: a full-coverage helmet, a sealed pressure- and cold-resistant suit, a portable oxygen tank, a parachute…
The whole setup was like a simplified spacesuit, weighing a hefty 35 pounds.
Getting it on solo was a struggle, so Bob helped Luke gear up piece by piece, making sure he took a few extra breaths of pure oxygen before putting on the helmet.
"Give me the current external cabin conditions," Luke said.
"Got it!" Bob checked his device and answered, "Altitude 13,500 meters, outside temp negative 55°C, pressure 2.4 PSI, oxygen level 4.2%."
"Roger that!"
"Man, you sure you're not changing your mind?" Bob asked quietly.
"You guys head to the cockpit. We'll meet on the ground later."
Seeing Luke stick to the plan, Bob got up and headed for the cockpit.
Director Cohen, still confused, patted Luke's shoulder. "Good luck!"
Once they were both out of the cargo hold, Luke stood up, starting his final warm-up.
Truth was, Luke and Bob had kept the real plan for today's shoot a secret from the entire crew.
They thought Luke was just jumping from 13,500 meters and pulling the parachute at 3,000 meters. Done.
But that kind of action sequence? No way it'd satisfy Luke.
Even Tom Cruise, filming Mission: Impossible 5, pulled off a 7,500-meter skydive with a low-altitude parachute deployment at 650 meters. Thrilling, sure, but not exactly an extreme challenge.
The world record for ultra-high-altitude skydiving belongs to Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from 38,969 meters.
During his 49-second free fall, he hit a max speed of 1,357 kilometers per hour (around 1.2 Mach) at roughly 20,000 meters, breaking the sound barrier with his helmet and landing safely after deploying his parachute at the planned altitude.
If Luke was only doing a 13,500-meter jump, the system wouldn't rate it as a B-level challenge.
So, in reality, Luke was attempting a semi-protected ultra-high-altitude skydive today.