The supervisor took a deep breath. A missing airplane in Chinese airspace translated to an instant political problem, especially since mainland China had taken over. Officially, the aircraft couldn’t be missing unless it had crashed.
“Did you see the altitude going down?”
The controller shook his head. “No, Sir. It was stable until he blinked out.”
“How about a basic radar return? Did you see anything after he disappeared?
The controller shook his head as he pointed to another spot on the screen. “There’s that other target. No transponder signal. Just a raw radar image.”
The supervisor looked at the shadowy target the controllers called a “skin paint,” the echo of the radar beam off a flying metal object, unenhanced by the electronic information usually provided by an aircraft’s transponder.
The controller moved his finger just below the intermittent target, which was to the right of Meridian this time. He toggled a switch to enhance the raw signal, and it flared more brightly, clearly moving laterally toward the 747.
The supervisor pushed the Transmit button. “Meridian Five, Hong Kong. We have that intermittent target again to your three o’clock position, altitude unknown.”
Aboard Meridian 5, Dan’s face was pressed to the side window. “I see nothing over here, Pete!”
Pete shook his head. “You suppose the Chinese Air Force is out here playing games?” Pete triggered the radio with his Transmit button. “If this is some sort of military game, Hong Kong, tell them to stop. It’s a violation of civil rules.”
The supervisor’s voice was back in an instant. “We know of no explanation, Meridian. We are also missing a business jet who was ahead of you. Have you had any contact with Global Express Two-Two-Zulu?”
Dan and Pete exchanged glances.
“This is weird. What do you suppose happened to them?” Dan said to Pete, just as the supervisor’s voice came back, intense and rapid.
“Meridian, we’ve lost that target. We are informing our military authorities.”
“Dan, look up the numbers for our Air Force base in Taiwan, just in case.”
The copilot reached for his bag and pulled out the appropriate manual, flipping to the right page. He was in the process of glancing up from the manual at the same instant the world seemed to explode in an incredible burst of hideously bright light that saturated the cockpit, stabbing his eyes and thrusting him back in the seat with unbelievable pain. An unearthly, agonized scream erupted from the left seat and the 747 shuddered into some sort of shock wave.
Dan’s eyes were on fire. His eyelids slammed shut, the pain all but unbearable, an endless field of white where his vision should have been.
“Pete! Are you okay?” Dan called.
There was another guttural screech from the left seat, and Dan reached out to touch the captain. He felt Pete Cavanaugh’s body slump to the left.
“Pete? Pete! Speak to me!”
Dan felt for the control yoke in front of the captain. Pete’s hands weren’t on it.
“Pete? For God’s sake, answer me!”
There was no sound from the left seat.
The supervisor in Hong Kong Control was in his ear, asking what they had seen. Dan wanted to answer, but his mind was in complete confusion, his eyes two burning coals of intense pain, his captain unresponsive—and the 747 obviously wobbling around, out of the control of either pilot.
Autopilot!
Dan reached to the upper console and punched the square push button that engaged the autopilot, and felt the giant machine begin to right itself.
My God, what’s going on here? No depressurization. Windshield’s intact.
The autoflight system had been set for climb at Mach .74 before Pete disconnected, he recalled. He needed to reengage the autothrottles, too. But should they climb? Maybe not.
Declare an emergency … got to go back … may need to dump fuel, we’re heavy.
Dan snapped on the autothrottles and selected the Altitude Hold button, praying he’d gotten the right one. He could hear the throttles adjusting themselves as he fumbled for the Transmit button.
“Hong Kong, has there been a nuclear detonation somewhere ahead? Something … something exploded up here!”
“Say again, Meridian.”
“Something exploded just in front of us! I think we’re hit. There’re only two of us on the flight deck, and the captain is not responding. I’m on autopilot, but this is the first officer and my eyes have been badly hurt. I can’t see. I need your help.”
The voice from below sounded almost as shaken as his own. “Ah—Meridian, this is Hong Kong. You are heading now zero-eight-two degrees, and you appear level at one-two thousand feet, ground speed three hundred forty knots. Say your intentions?”
“Hell, Hong Kong, I don’t know. I’m, ah … let me calm down up here and try … try to figure out what I’ve got, okay? Stay with me. Give me a turn if necessary to stay in your radio range.” Dan realized he was almost hyperventilating with fear and pain. He forced himself to slow his breathing rate, willing the searing pain to the back of his consciousness as he tried to deal with the crisis.
“We’ll need to come back, I’m sure of that. Ah … declare us … I mean, I’m declaring an emergency right now.”
“Roger, Meridian. We have your emergency declaration. Be advised Hong Kong is now under a severe thunderstorm watch, and rain is beginning. There is more weather to the east. We can keep you clear in the meantime, but for now, please maintain present heading. Were you hit by lightning, Meridian?”
Maybe that’s it, Dan thought. No. It couldn’t be. Lightning isn’t that bright.
“Meridian, a question, please. Are there relief pilots aboard your aircraft?”
The stabbing pain behind each eye was getting worse, blanking out even his thoughts as Dan struggled to stay engaged and rise above the pain.
“No, Hong Kong. This is a two-man crew.”
Have to get someone up here! he told himself, fumbling with his left hand at the back of the pedestal for the interphone. He couldn’t find the right buttons at first, but finally pushed All Call and listened to the majority of the flight attendants come on the line from various sections of the aircraft.
“Britta, are you there somewhere?”
“Right here. Is this Dan? You sound strange.”
“Please … get up here right now! We have an emergency. I need you—WAIT! First, make a PA, ask for any other pilots on board, even … even if it scares everyone.”
“It’s scaring me, but I’m on the way.”
Britta Franz felt her stomach contracting into a singularity as she punched the PA button on the same handset and put it back to her mouth, trying to sound calm.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the lead flight attendant. Please listen carefully. Our flight crew is requesting that anyone aboard who is a licensed pilot, please identify yourself by ringing your Call button.
There was silence amid the wide-eyed looks she was getting from the cabin passengers on the left side, the only ones who could see the apprehension on her face.
Bill Jenkins materialized at her side, waiting silently as she tried again.
Again, folks, please. If anyone on this aircraft is a licensed pilot, regardless of what you fly, please ring your Call button immediately. I … do not know the reason for the pilots making this request, folks, but please comply. Anyone?
Bill leaned toward her. “Britta, I’ll keep trying. You’d better get up there.”
She gave the handset to him without a word and raced toward the staircase, breaking into a run at the top of the stairs with the cockpit key in hand. She found the door unlocked.
Britta instinctively shut the door behind her, letting her eyes adjust to the subdued light. She could see Pete in the captain’s seat, but something was wrong. He was slumped to the left with his head lolled back.
“Dan?” Britta said. “What’s going on?”
“Check Pete! Chec
k him. Now!”
Britta’s mouth felt dry as she turned to the captain. A stab of fear ran through her mind as she realized his eyes were open. She reached for his neck and felt for the carotid artery as she would before administering CPR, but there was no pulse. She moved his head, and it rolled lifelessly to the other side.
“Oh my God, Dan! He’s not breathing! I can’t find a pulse!”
“Can you get him out of the seat and do CPR?” Dan asked.
She turned to the copilot, wondering why he was flying with his head down. “Danny, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t see, Britta. Something exploded in front of us.”
“Oh my God!”
“The plane’s on autopilot. Help Pete! Don’t worry about me for now.”
“You can’t see?”
“Britta! Help Pete!”
She nodded, breathing rapidly. “Okay. Ah, I’ll need help.”
She dashed to the cockpit door and flung it open, her eyes falling on the very person she was hoping to see. Memorizing the names of her first-class passengers had always been a matter of pride for her, and now it was a godsend.
“Dr. Tash!”
The physician and his wife had been watching the cockpit door since she ran inside. His eyes locked on hers as he came out of the seat.
“Right here.”
“I need help! The captain’s injured and not breathing.”
Britta stepped aside to let the doctor rush in. Robert MacCabe followed. “Can I help?” MacCabe asked.
“Probably,” Britta replied.
The doctor was leaning over the captain, his eyes wide with surprise as he ran the same basic checks for pulse and breath. “How do I get this seat back?” he asked.
“It’s electric. The buttons are on the forward left edge,” Dan replied.
Robert moved forward and joined Graham Tash in maneuvering the captain’s deadweight out of the seat, pulling Pete as gently as they could through the cockpit door and into the forward aisle, where Susan Tash was waiting.
“What do we have, Graham?”
“Start CPR, Susan. His airway’s clear. Breathe first. Miss?” Graham said to Britta. “I need the aircraft emergency medical kit.”
She nodded and immediately disappeared back into the cockpit, emerging with the large white metal box. Graham began opening it.
“How can I help?” Robert asked the doctor.
“Check on the copilot for me.”
Several of the occupants of the first-class cabin were on their feet, standing by their seats and watching, unsure what to do. Britta looked up and held up her hand. “Stay calm, folks! We’ll explain in a minute. The other pilot is at the controls.” She knelt alongside Pete and looked at the doctor. “How bad is it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know yet.” He popped a stethoscope into place and began probing for a heartbeat while Susan finished the first round of breathing.
There was none.
“Is that a crash cart?” Susan asked.
“Not completely,” Graham replied, “but we’ve got a defibrillator.”
Robert MacCabe reentered the cockpit and moved to the copilot’s side.
“Who’s there?” Dan asked, sensing his presence. The question confused Robert. The light in the cockpit was not that dim.
“Ah, Robert MacCabe. Are you okay?”
“No.”
“What—what happened up here?” Robert could see that the copilot’s eyes were squinted closed; his head was down, his face bloodless and contorted in pain.
Dan shook his head. “Something exploded in front of us. The light was unbelievable. I think I’ve temporarily lost my vision to flash blindness.”
Robert felt his heart accelerating. He told himself this couldn’t be happening.
“What’s wrong with the captain?” the copilot was asking.
“You say … your eyes—”
“I CAN’T SEE! Okay? Are you a doctor?”
“No, but there’s one working on the other pilot.”
“Then tell me about the captain.”
Robert felt his head swimming. He glanced back toward the door at the rear of the cockpit. “He’s … we’re giving CPR. He’s not breathing.”
Robert heard an agonized noise from the occupant of the right seat. The man was breathing rapidly, obviously in deep pain. “Let me get the doctor up here.”
Robert turned to go but Dan stopped him. “Hey! Are you a pilot?”
“No.”
“Any aviation experience?”
“I’m sorry, no.”
“Okay. If they find another pilot, get him up here immediately.”
Robert left the cockpit with his stomach in a knot and his mind in complete confusion. What could have exploded? A missile? Maybe that was it. What was the political situation? Suddenly he couldn’t recall, but the possibility they were under attack by China flitted through his mind.
What else could flash-blind a pilot? he wondered, the answer coming with nightmarish implications. Oh my Lord, a nuclear blast could do it. But why hadn’t there been a shock wave? Wouldn’t that have torn them apart? Maybe not, he thought, if the explosion was several hundred miles away, or the detonation was small. But we could all be doomed from radiation exposure.
Robert was standing just outside the cockpit door. “Ah, the copilot … says he can’t see, Doctor. He needs you up there.”
Graham Tash looked up and caught Robert’s eye. “Just a second.”
Robert nodded and disappeared back into the cockpit as Graham looked at his wife. “Okay. CLEAR!”
“Clear!” she echoed.
Pete’s body convulsed once. Graham threw the paddles down and jabbed the stethoscope in his ears as he leaned over the chest.
He straightened up and shook his head. “Keep going!”
Susan Tash began pumping again immediately as Graham scrambled to his feet and raced into the cockpit. Robert stepped aside and the physician introduced himself.
“Let me look at your eyes!” Graham ordered.
Dan lifted his head toward the doctor’s voice. “It hurts so bad, I don’t know if I can open them.”
Graham leaned down, positioning his thumbs to open the left eye. “Try to relax the eyelid if you can.”
“I’ll try. OW-W! The light! That’s horrible!”
Graham let the eyelid close. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to find some painkiller for you as soon as I can. I’ve got to get back to the captain.”
“How bad are my eyes?”
“I don’t know. Not like the captain. You’ve been flash-blinded by something, but the damage is internal.”
He moved toward the cockpit door, but the deadly urgency in Dan’s voice stopped him.
“How long to recover?” Dan asked. “For flash blindness, I mean?”
Graham Tash shrugged. “I don’t know. Up to a few days, maybe. Best guess.”
“Doctor,” the copilot began. “With the fuel we’re carrying, we don’t have days. We have, at best, about eight hours.”
chapter 8
ABOARD MERIDIAN 5, IN FLIGHT,
WEST OF HONG KONG
NOVEMBER 13—DAY TWO
1:15 A.M. LOCAL/1715 ZULU
Rick Barnes had been slow to get out of his first-class seat when he saw the captain dragged out of the cockpit. The CEO of Meridian Airlines finally overcame his shock and forced himself to put down his Bloody Mary and stand up to offer help to the female passenger in the yellow dress who was giving CPR. He prayed she wouldn’t take him up on the offer—since he’d never taken a CPR class.
Britta had been assisting Susan. She looked up now and smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Barnes. If you’ll help, I need to check on the cockpit.”
Rick knelt and watched the captain for signs of life, trying to appear unruffled.
“Okay,” Susan Tash said, “you can spell me on this next cycle. Two … three … four … five …” She was pumping Pete Cavanaugh’s chest and counting. She transitioned back to his m
outh and motioned Rick Barnes into position over the captain’s chest, holding up a finger for him to wait.
“Now,” she said as she straightened up.
“What do I do?” Rick asked.
Susan looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You don’t know CPR?”
“It’s been a long time since I had the training,” he lied, but she’d already swept him aside to resume the chest-pumping and counting. “Two … three … get the flight attendant … four … five … back here … or get another … six … ready to take over for me.”
Rick got to his feet as Susan transferred back to the captain’s mouth. He was marginally aware of a male voice on the PA, asking for pilots again. Why? Wasn’t one enough? They were still flying, so obviously there was at least one pilot left.
“Would you please go!” Susan snapped.
“Yeah. Sorry.” Rick walked quickly to the stairway leading to the main deck as a male flight attendant hit the top step and froze, recognizing the CEO.
“Mr. Barnes. Are you a pilot?”
Rick snorted and shook his head as if insulted. “No. But I need one of you flight attendants to take over the CPR for that lady in yellow up there.”
Bill Jenkins spotted the captain on the floor. He pushed past Rick Barnes none too subtly and ran to Susan Tash’s side. “I’m Bill Jenkins, one of the flight attendants. What happened to him?”
She shook her head. “Some sort of explosion. We’ve lost him, Bill.”
Bill Jenkins looked at the cockpit as Britta came out. He was wholly unprepared for the quick briefing she gave him.
“Did you find any pilots down there?” Britta asked her stunned coworker.
Bill shook his head. “I repeated the announcement three times and in Mandarin as well. No one.”
Britta rubbed her head. “There’s got to be someone. Try again. Ask for anyone with any aeronautical training, licensed or unlicensed, current or not.”
Bill stepped carefully past Pete Cavanaugh’s body to find the PA as Britta knelt to help Susan. Graham Tash had returned as well and was picking up the defibrillator paddles.
On the main deck below, a murmur of worried voices blended with the background noise of the engines and slipstream. The passengers looked at one another with startled expressions and tried to discern what might be happening.
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