The Ghost of Flight 666

CHAPTER 22: Deception

The first mate of the Iranian oil tanker went out on deck in the early morning hours, purportedly to watch the sun rise over the South China Sea. Why he needed a small gym bag to do that he couldn’t have answered but no one asked.

As salmon tinged the eastern sky he went to the rail. After unzipping the gym bag he withdrew a god sized heavy metal object and set it on the deck. It was the same type of Black Box found on all commercial Airbus A380’s. There was a cable attached to the box leading to a simple switch. The first mate turned on the switch and noted that a red light shone beneath it.

Taking out a set of earphones attached to a small radio the first officer put them on his head and listened. There was a clearly audible ping! Satisfied, he disconnected the cable and put it back in the bag. The headphones and radio followed.

Lifting the Black Box the first mate heaved it overboard. It fell four stories to the sea below, disappearing into the water without a sound.

A day later a report circulated that the pinging of Malaysian Flight 666 was heard in the South China Sea. The resources of a dozen countries sped to the area but the signal died before the Black Box was retrieved. Speculation on whether the A380 and its wreckage now rested at the bottom of the ocean ran rampant.