They moved fast.
Gabe, who had been relaxing sat up hurriedly. “What the hell?”
“What’s going on?” Tom asked.
The plane vibrated as it moved quickly. Flight attendants stopped collecting trash and immediately raced for the aisle.
One attendant, rushed forward, calmly stating as she passed passengers. “Seatbelts, please. Seatbelts.”
“We’re headed back up,” Gabe replied. “Fast too. Something is wrong. Something is really wrong.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“Jesus.” Gabe turned to look out the window. “We’re supposed to land.”
Thinking maybe his son, knowledgeable or not, was overreacting, Tom turned to check out if he could see anything out the window or if Owen did.
“Oh my God,” Owen said in slight shock, then turned from the window and Tom saw his face.
Horror.
Shear and utter horror were Owen’s expression, as the color drained from his face.
“What is it?” Tom asked.
“Something happened, Dad. I saw something out there.”
“What? What did you see?” Tom undid his belt and immediately looked out the window. But it was too late. They were already too high and probably too far from what Owen saw. Whatever it was.
The forced sudden speed up of the plane slowed down and the plane felt as if it were leveling off.
Gabe peered over. “Owen, what did you see?”
At that point it was apparent Owen wasn’t the only one who saw something happening on the ground.
Chaotic voices erupted, emotional and out of control.
“Did you see that?” someone said.
“Anyone see that? Oh my God.”
“What was that? Anyone know?”
“What did you see? I didn’t see anything.”
“That’s why we didn’t land, what was it?”
“Owen!” Gabe snapped. “What did you see?”
“I don’t even know how to begin to describe it,” Owen replied.
The nasty woman in the seat in front of Gabe, suddenly not only turned around but changed her entire demeanor. “Please try, what was it?”
Because of his age and the era in which he grew up, Tom thought he knew. “Owen, was it a nuclear weapon?”
“I don’t know, Dad,” Owen replied.
“Oh God,” Nasty woman explained. “My kids. My kids.” She grabbed for her purse and pulled out her phone.
“Should she be doing that?” Tom asked Gabe. “Will that make us crash?”
“No,” Gabe replied. “It may or may not work. We won’t crash.”
Tom looked around. It seemed everyone was pulling out their cell phones. Tom reached for his from the pocket in the seat before him. Just as he switched it from airplane mode, he heard the alert tones.
“Ladies and gentlemen, no need for concern,” the pilot said. “We …” He stopped talking then mumbled something about not being heard.
Tom got that. He had a hard time hearing him. He wished everyone would shut up and stop talking. It was hard enough to decipher what the captain was saying with those fans and engine noises, but the chaos on the plane worsened it.
Finally, one of the attendants shouted his loudest. “Everyone quiet! Now! The Captain is trying to make an announcement.”
The voices quieted to mutters and finally silence.
Tom watched the flight attendant speak into a phone near the front of the plane, then the tones rang out again.
“Thank you for your patience,” the captain said. “Seems to be just a slight problem on the ground. We’re going to circle McLaren for a spell, and we will land. No worries, we’ll have you in Vegas shortly. Thank you.”
Click.
Tom exhaled, everything was alright. But still on a high level of anxiety, Tom jumped in his seat, and his phone nearly toppled from his hand when it vibrated out of control.
“What’s going on?” Gabe asked.
“Is that your phone?” asked Owen.
“Yeah.” Tom looked down.
Eight missed calls from Gene.
“Uncle Gene tried to call …” Tom jumped again when his phone vibrated again as it announced an incoming call.
“It’s Uncle Gene,” Tom hurriedly and nervously answered it. “Gene, what’s going on?”
“Oh, thank God,” Gene sounded muffled.
“Gene, I can barely hear you. You sound like you’re talking from inside a can.”
“I am.”
“What?” Tom asked. “What does that mean?”
“Can you hear me now?” Gene spoke slower and louder.
“Yes.”
“Tom are you and the boys still on the plane? Are you still in the air?” he asked.
“We are,” Tom answered. “Why?”
“Good. Good. Now listen carefully. Whatever you do, whatever it takes, do what you need to do, whatever it is …” Gene said. “Do not let the plane land.”
SIX – FRET
“Sir,” the female flight attendant told Tom. “You need to get back into your seat.”
If she only knew how much nerve it took for him to get out of that seat and walk up front, she’d give him a chance to speak.
“Listen, I …”
“No, you listen,” she said. “Get back to your seat.”
Tom looked over his shoulder to his boys then back to the attendant. “Ma’am, I know you have a job to do. I do. But please listen to what I am telling you.” He dropped his voice to an even lower level. “My friend is a geologist with the government. He sent me this text to show the pilot. I don’t need to see him, but can you please, please just take him my phone.”
She inhaled hard and slow through her nostrils, glanced down to the phone and then back to Tom.
“Just … right there. You can read it.” Tom showed her the phone again.
Her lips puckered as she stifled her reaction to reading the message. “Will you take you seat if I do this?”
“Yes, yes, I will. Thank you.” Tom turned around and walked back down the aisle. People looked at
