Chapter 4 - The Imposters
The two new attackers moved with terrifying military precision.
One of them grabbed a terrified passenger and threw him into the aisle to block my path.
The other rushed forward and stood defensively in front of the blinded leader.
"Secure the perimeter and lock down the passengers!" the leader shouted as he rubbed his watering eyes.
The captain realized the situation was spiraling completely out of control.
He turned and sprinted back toward the open cockpit door to initiate the lockdown.
Before he could reach the threshold, a loud crack echoed through the cabin.
A third imposter had been hiding in the first-class cabin all along.
This man swung a heavy fire extinguisher, striking the captain directly on the back of the head.
The captain collapsed to the carpeted floor without making a sound.
My mother let out a sharp gasp as she watched her old friend fall.
"Close the door and seal the flight deck!" the leader commanded his men.
The first-class hijacker dragged the unconscious captain into the galley and slammed the reinforced cockpit door shut.
We were entirely locked out of the flight deck, and the hijackers had complete control of the cabin.
I looked around frantically for an air marshal, hoping someone with a badge would finally stand up.
No one moved.
"There are no federal agents on this flight today," the leader said, noticing my desperate search.
"We made sure the schedule was cleared specifically for this operation."
He finally opened his eyes, glaring at my mother with pure hatred.
"Your little flashlight trick was cute, Elena, but it changes absolutely nothing," he spat.
My mother leaned heavily against her seat, her brief surge of adrenaline clearly fading.
Her breathing became shallow and ragged as her illness threatened to pull her under.
I stepped in front of her to shield her from their view.
"What do you want from us?" I demanded angrily.
The leader smiled and adjusted his wrinkled suit jacket.
"We do not want anything from you, kid," he replied smoothly.
"We just needed to use your mother's special security codes to bypass the ground radar systems."
He pulled a satellite phone from his pocket and typed in a long sequence of numbers.
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"The plane is now completely invisible to air traffic control," he announced.
Suddenly, the aircraft banked sharply and began a steep, terrifying descent toward the ocean.
