Sasha seemed totally cool, not trembling or shifting about. I could only think, He must have nerves of fucking steel. I found it impossible to think rationally. All I could do was try to keep my breathing rate down and will the seconds to pass faster.

Then suddenly both red lights turned to green.

‘Green on!’ I yelled. ‘GO!’

I gave Sasha a tap on the right arm and as one we leant forward and toppled into a blasting, icy hurricane.

Immediately we were in a face-down attitude, Sasha beneath me. Freezing air ripped past my cheeks, scouring like crystals of ice. Far below and away to our right the snow-peaks shimmered and glinted. I felt the drogue-chute tug at the centre of my back as it deployed behind us, slowing our descent slightly and keeping us stable.

Then, steering with hands and feet, I turned us round until our heads were pointing north. I was still aware of the moonlit snow summits, now out on our left, but there was no time to enjoy the view. Our urgent need was to pinpoint the LZ. It should be showing up as a lighter patch in the black of the forests.

At first I couldn’t pick it out and panic threatened. Every second I kept glancing back at the altimeters on my forearms. The hands were unwinding like clocks gone berserk.

At last I got it: a little grey oblong, father to our right than I’d expected, but well within reach. By dropping my right arm and raising my left, I tilted us in that direction. At the change of attitude I found myself dreading the possibility of going into another spin; but Sasha played his role perfectly, remaining passive beneath me, not trying to influence our flight-path, relying on me to steer.

Down, down, down we went. Sixteen thousand, fourteen, twelve . . . The forested hills were gloriously black below us. Far off to our right, beyond the LZ, was a small cluster of lights, which I reckoned was Samashki, too far off for anyone there to spot one little dot falling from the sky. Otherwise the wooded hills were magnificently dark, denoting a total absence of houses. No bright windows, no roads, no moving vehicles.

Ten, eight, six . . .

Our target was growing rapidy into a fair-sized field.

Five . . .

I tugged the release toggle. Away went the drogue with a snap, pulling out the big chute, and with a heavy snatch we were jerked upright, swinging beneath the main canopy. Immediately I unhooked one side of my mask so I could talk again, and released the tension on the harness buckles, so that Sasha sank down until the top of his helmet was level with my chest, giving me a better view of where we were heading.

The pale opening in the forest was well within reach, ahead and slightly to our right. ‘See it down there?’ I said quietly, pointing.