“Gabe, I can use you up here.”
Gabe spun back around and ran to the cockpit.
Gary looked down at his SBA and prepared it, because something told him he was going to need it.
Gabe didn’t know what he could do or what Jeff expected. He didn’t have experience flying such a large plane. He doubted it was moral support.
The plane bolted from the apron to the runaway faster than it should have.
The body of the craft swayed from the high spend.
It was a good thing.
By the time Gabe sat and fastened his belt, the plane shook once violently as if it was turbulence, before Gabe felt the vibration and the rumbling.
“That’s not the plane,” Gabe said.
“No, it’s not.”
Immediately, Gabe’s heart started racing, beating uncontrollably out of his chest as they hit the runway.
Screams erupted from the back of the plane, horrid screams of fear and panic.
Through the corner of his eye, Gabe saw Jeff turn his head.
“Jesus Christ,” Jeff said.
Gabe looked, they were moving so fast it was a blur, but it was clear enough to see the huge eruption of earth shoot straight into the sky, it was close. Too close.
Thirty-five seconds. That was all it would take to hit the speed needed to take off.
It wasn’t a lot of time, but in reality it was just about a third of the time it took people to die from the lack of oxygen and replacement of methane in the air.
The methane eruption occurred.
The countdown was on.
Gary’s voice carried to them as he shouted over the radio. “Drop the masks now!”
Gabe looked down to the radio. The oxygen would leave soon and do so fast. After taking a deep breath and holding it, his eyes quickly scanned the controls of the flight deck. He spotted the red lever just below the word ‘Oxy’. Without hesitation, he snapped the thin safety wire and flipped the switch from manual to ‘on’ as he almost simultaneously reached to his right and released the pilot oxygen mask from its compartment. He lifted it over his head, squeezing the red button under his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Like a science fiction apparatus or Marty McFly’s futuristic shoes in Back to the future, the mask formed around his head.
The oxygen flowed and he exhaled.
Debris and dirt rained down on the aircraft, hitting against the windshield. Sounds of pattering, like hail fell on the metal tube plane as Jeff pulled back on the controls and lifted the aircraft from the ground to the sky.
The timing was bad.
Jeff had to take off right at the same time, all oxygen began to deplete from the aircraft. It was at that moment, Gabe realized, the pilot had done the same thing as him. He held his breath to complete his task. He watched Jeff, nervously and quickly retrieve the pilot oxygen mask. The second Jeff placed it on, he breathed heavily.
Jeff pressed the communication button. “We have about six minutes until we are high enough to recirculate safe air. Good job on dropping the masks.”
Gabe was trying to catch his bearings. His adrenaline raced along with his heart and all he could do was nod and think about the masks in the main cabin.
How many people actually listened and paid attention to instructions that flight attendants gave at the beginning of every flight.
Passengers were usually chatting, excited about their trip, looking at the masks instructions as something so routine and a rarity that they would be needed.
That worried Gabe.
He may have deployed them in enough time, but that didn’t mean people used them correctly or even at all.
With the time frame so small to have breathable air, Gabe knew there were going to be passengers, because of ignorance, who missed the window of opportunity to stay alive.
ELEVEN – NEVER ENDING
Gainesville, Fl
By the time the plane touched down in Gainesville, Susan already had been in contact with the University to gather all that they could information wise, in hopes to know not only why Gainesville was spared, but were they in any immediate danger.
The university was known as one of the best in the country, run by Doctor Alexander Armenov, to Susan’s knowledge, a brilliant man. That was how they knew Gainesville was spared, but they had little data regarding other areas. She hoped Armenov would have that information.
Reston started the conversation Gainesville, reaching out to them and connecting them with Susan on her flight.
Her plane was one of seventeen that landed in Gainesville since the onset of the geological extinction event.
When the passengers finally disembarked, there were county officials and the red cross there to help get them acclimated and a place to stay.
It was a traumatic event, and most of the volunteers and counselors weren’t aware that Susan, the director of the USGS not only was on that flight, but she was advising the passengers of all that was happening.
They were one of the few flights that knew what was going on.
The passengers were aware and had three hours to calm down before landing.
Surprising Susan when she stepped from the plane was the balding, gray-haired gentleman, waiting anxiously to meet her.
He introduced himself as Dr. Armenov and had a car waiting.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I wanted us to get right to work. We have been working on this since we received word yesterday and have some fascinating data to share.”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I’d like to check in with Reston and my family.”
“We can set you up with the video conference call if you’d like, that’s how we have been speaking to Dexter in the chamber.”
