The private courier flight took us to our destination. It carried us through thick clouds and endless darkness before descending onto a small, snow swept airstrip just outside of Zurich, Switzerland.
The freezing wind hit the side of the aircraft the second the doors opened, carrying the smell of pine trees, fuel, and distant smoke from cabins hidden deep in the mountains.
The entire place felt isolated from the rest of the world. There were no crowded terminals, no tourists dragging luggage behind them, no signs of life beyond a few silent workers in reflective jackets guiding the aircraft through the falling snow. The runway lights glowed faintly against the storm, stretching endlessly into the white darkness surrounding us.
