One Hundred Thousand Feet

[0-3s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, kneels in a frosted field and seals a camera into a foam box stencilled SKY-1, wide on the empty field, low orbit beginning, pink dawn light. [3-6s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, clips the box to a huge translucent weather balloon, orbit tightening to a medium, a farm dog watching from the fence as the line snaps taut. [6-8s] Macro on her gloved fingers opening as the line whips free, then MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, tilts her face up after the rising balloon, camera lifting with it into the pink sky. Audio: cold open-field wind, one taut line-snap as the balloon lifts; the dog's collar jingling once; a low note rising as the sky opens.

[0-3s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, stands with her face still upturned to the pink sky where the balloon is a shrinking dot, camera holding the tilt then dropping level, dawn light hardening. [3-6s] Insert on the antenna in her fist as its beeping quickens and the arrow swings to the tree line, then MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, breaks into a run, camera swinging behind her shoulder, wind flattening the grass. [6-8s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, sprints toward the trees, antenna held high, wide low tracking shot racing beside her, breath steaming. Audio: cold open-field wind, one rising radio beep as the arrow locks on; boots breaking frozen grass; the low note quickening.

[0-3s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, stops beneath the branch where the foam box dangles from its orange parachute, wide on the frosted wood, camera settling, cold light broken by branches. [3-6s] MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, pulls the box down and flips it open, bare fingers lifting the camera free, push-in to a medium over her shoulder, silk draped on the branch. [6-8s] Macro on the screen lighting with the curved blue edge of the Earth, then MARA, 20s backyard engineer, freckles, orange beanie, oversized flight jacket with mission patches, laughs, "It saw everything," she whispers, push-in ending on her face in dawn gold. Audio: cold open-field wind, one soft chime as the screen wakes; silk dragging off the branch; the low note resolving warm.