Chapter 3 - The Ghost Protocol
The cold plastic edge of the blade pressed painfully against my skin.
My heart hammered in my chest like a trapped bird.
The entire cabin erupted into a chorus of terrified screams and frantic whispers.
Passengers scrambled over their seats trying to get as far away from the aisle as possible.
The man who had been complaining about our talking was now holding me hostage.
"Everyone stay exactly where you are!" the man roared.
The captain took a cautious step forward with his hands raised in surrender.
"Listen to me, you do not have to do this," the captain pleaded.
"Shut your mouth and open the cockpit door right now," the hijacker commanded.
I looked down at my mother, expecting her to be frozen in fear.
Instead, her eyes were scanning the ceiling panels with intense, calculated precision.
"Let my son go," she said, her voice cutting through the panic with surprising authority.
The man laughed a cruel, mocking laugh.
"The legendary Elena Vance is finally showing her true colors," he sneered.
"We knew you were sick, but my employers wanted to make sure you died up here where no one could save you."
My mother slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up despite her physical weakness.
She reached up toward the overhead air conditioning vent above our seats.
Her fingers pressed firmly against a seemingly random sequence of tiny plastic ridges.
A hidden panel suddenly clicked open, revealing a small emergency compartment.
The hijacker narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, pressing the blade harder into my neck.
My mother pulled a heavy, metallic flashlight from the hidden compartment.
"I told you I designed this plane," she said calmly.
She pointed the flashlight directly at his face and pressed a hidden button on the handle.
A blinding, high-intensity strobe light flashed with agonizing brightness.
The hijacker screamed and dropped his weapon to cover his eyes.
I used the opportunity to elbow him hard in the ribs.
He stumbled backward, releasing his grip on me.
I thought we had the upper hand for a fleeting moment.
May you like
Then, two more men stood up from the back rows of the plane.
They were holding identical plastic blades, and they were sprinting straight toward us.
