Chapter 2 - The Hidden Threat
I looked at my mother as if she were a total stranger.
"What do you mean they are already here?" I demanded.
She turned to me with a calm but fierce expression.
"I am not just an accountant, Alex," she explained quietly.
"Before you were born, I designed the anti-hijacking security protocols for this exact model of aircraft."
My mind struggled to process this impossible information.
The woman who spent the last six months knitting in a hospital bed was a covert security architect.
The captain checked his watch frantically.
"If someone manually triggered a Priority Red code under your identity, it means we have a mole on the ground," he said.
"It also means the perpetrators know you are on this flight," she replied.
The rude passenger suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," he announced loudly.
"I am going to use the restroom, and none of you are going to stop me."
The flight attendant stepped into the aisle to block his path.
"Sir, the seatbelt sign is illuminated," she warned him firmly.
"I do not care about your stupid lights," the man growled.
He shoved the young flight attendant roughly into the empty beverage cart.
She cried out in pain as she hit the floor.
I jumped out of my seat instinctively to help her.
"Alex, wait!" my mother shouted.
But I was already moving toward the aggressive man.
I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
He did not look annoyed anymore.
He looked incredibly dangerous.
The man reached into the waistband of his expensive trousers.
He pulled out a sharp, jagged blade made entirely of hardened composite plastic.
It was the kind of weapon specifically designed to slip past airport metal detectors.
May you like
He pressed the blade directly against my throat.
"Your mother really should have kept her mouth shut," he whispered.
