Free Fall

Eighty-Five

Colorado

The jetliner’s nose-down drop continued with increasing speed.

Kate gripped her armrests, the plane’s momentum crushing against her as yellow oxygen masks dropped.

Passengers shrieked. Tears streamed from Willa Neal’s clenched eyes.

One of the flight attendants suddenly smashed down the aisle. Passengers reached in vain to catch him before he hit a counter in the galley.

Laptops, books, coffee cups, soda cans and bags pelted the passengers and bounced through the cabin.

The jet was pointed straight down, rocking and shaking while plummeting. G-forces had turned Kate’s body into a stone weight. Rivets came loose, popping like popcorn and hitting the cabin walls. The whining engines were deafening, mingling with the thudding against the fuselage as parts of it began tearing away.

Kate’s stomach felt like a giant hand was forcing it through her mouth. Turning her head against the pressure, she grabbed hold of her most important thoughts and calmly braced for her death.

I love you, Grace. I love you, Vanessa. Thank you for a good life.

The cabin lights began flickering and one passenger screamed.

“Jesus, please help us!”

It was futile.

Battling the g-forces, Captain Quinn and First Officer Krenski submitted commands for control, but nothing worked.

They’d managed to pull on their oxygen masks, remaining conscious and alert as alarms buzzed and horns blared warnings. The console ignited with flashing lights; counters and dials went haywire.

Quinn and Krenski strained against the intense g-forces as the earth raced toward them with frightening speed.

“Twenty thousand!” Krenski shouted as the plane shook. “The VSI and the altimeter are going crazy!”

Quinn reached for the throttles, shoving them all the way down.

“Respond! Get your nose up you son of a- Dammit! Respond!”

“Fifteen thousand!”

Quinn held tight to the yoke.

“Twelve thousand! Lloyd, we’re not going to make it!”

The immense Colorado plain loomed like a waiting graveyard as they rocketed toward the earth.

Quinn’s knuckles whitened on the yoke.

“Eleven thousand! Oh God, this is it, Lloyd… Our Father who art in heaven…”

Quinn’s arms vibrated against the bucking. He took one last glance at the photo of his wife and daughters, gritted his shaking teeth and begged God for mercy. That’s when the lights of the instrument panel blinked then lit up with a different pattern, and the big jet’s nose began inching up.

“Something’s happening!” Quinn shouted. “Something’s happening!”

“Ten thousand!”

The velocity shifted the g-forces, flattening Quinn and Krenski to their seats, quadrupling their body weight. Quinn summoned all of his strength, pulled back on the yoke and the nose continued inching up.

“We’ve got control, Shawn! We’ve got control!”

Quinn continued pulling the yoke back.

“Pull back on the throttles, Shawn. Easy!”

Slowly, smoothly, gracefully, the plane began leveling.

In the cabin screams gave way to gasps and sporadic cheers as the plane pulled out of its dive.

The speed decreased and once the jet leveled a funereal calm fell over the passengers.

Brushing tears from their eyes, Kate and Willa embraced. Most people were shaken, sobbing and trying to aid others when the public-address system was activated.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Quinn. I’m happy to report that we’ve regained control of the plane. We’ve been cleared for a priority landing in Denver. We’ll have you safe on the ground as soon as possible.”

His words were met with soft applause before he continued.

“Please report injuries to the attendants. We request that anyone aboard who has medical training provide assistance and that everyone else please remain seated and belted.”

A doctor and a nurse helped the injured attendant and the other passengers who were bleeding from being struck by falling items. Parents comforted terrified children, while strangers consoled each other. Observing the compassion of her fellow passengers, Kate acknowledged the palpable tension that was still in the cabin.

No one felt safe because they were still in the air.

Their trust had been shredded. The remedy was to be on the ground.

As the plane descended, Kate and Willa talked about their families while adrenaline coursed through them.

Only when Trans Peak Flight 2230 touched down safely in Denver did people cheer. Kate thrust her face into her trembling hands to cover her gasping sobs of relief. As the plane taxied she blinked at the ceiling, found a measure of composure, turned to the window and whispered her thanks.

Then she reached for her phone.

Grace would still be in school but Kate texted her.

I love you so much, sweetheart. So much! Can’t wait to see you!

Then she called Vanessa, not sure if she was at work, at a class. When she got her voice mail, Kate said, “I love you, little sister. So much. We’ll talk later.”

Red and blue lights splashed in the cabin’s interior. Kate leaned forward and saw ambulances, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles at the gate.

Pulling herself together she called the desk at Newslead.

“Laneer.”

“Chuck, its Kate.”

“Kate! All hell’s breaking loose! Where are you?”

Suddenly she was at a loss, not believing what she’d just experienced.

“Kate? Are you all right? Where are you?”

She blinked hard, briefly cupped her hand to her mouth and took a breath.

“Chuck, I’m in Denver and I’ve got a story coming.”