by Sam Fintz
Nothing left to do but have a drink. She wished she could have a last cigarette but that was prohibited. She sat with her glass of wine and ran over her plan in her head again and again.
Rose heard a small commotion and she looked up and saw Aiden Harrington walking into the First-Class Lounge. She felt a pang of sickness in the pit of her stomach. This was the man who took her life away. Just a few feet from her. She wished she could go over to him and shoot him right there. But that wouldn’t be good enough. She wanted Malcolm Harrington to know pain and suffering like she had known. She knew he had lost his wife. Losing his son as well as being responsible for the deaths of 150 or so people would surely bring him down. Rose was worried that he would see her and recognise her, but with the disguise she didn’t really look anything like she normally did, and he was so self-absorbed that he was only interested in the people paying him attention. She looked at him and was disgusted by his behaviour. Surely deep down even the devil had feelings, she thought.
Eventually the flight was on the board. The sign told waiting passengers to go to the gate. The little man showed up and took her to the lift at the boarding gate. She was glad she wasn’t in the lift for long. For some reason being in a wheelchair seemed to make you fair game for people to ask what was wrong with you. The porter had asked, and she was taken aback. She said it was MS, hoping that she would not get asked anymore about it. He was about to ask her more when the doors of the lift opened. She was on the ground floor where she would be taken to the ambi-lift and lifted on to the plane. Once she was on-board, she was shown to her seat and given a glass of champagne. She joked with the cabin attendant asking if First-Class passengers were allowed to smoke. Of course, she was told no. She didn’t know why she had made that joke. She must have been more nervous than she thought.
Aiden Harrington boarded shortly after she did. He took his seat and was brought champagne and a small snack within seconds. He had his own personal attendant. Typical!
The rest of the passengers to the back of the plane boarded and soon it was time for take-off. Rose knew that she had about an hour before her plan would be implemented. As soon as they were in the air she asked for more champagne. She needed it to calm her nerves. Only an hour left. Then she would be able to take her revenge on Aiden Harrington and avenge her beloved Jim and Stefan.
Chapter 87
Aiden settled back once the flight was in the air. He had had such a busy year and he was pleased to have some time alone. He hadn’t anticipated the fame he would achieve from the trial. It was good, but it was tiring always smiling for the cameras that followed his every move. He loved it though, about as much as he loved himself. Even more, he loved people adoring him.
In the past few weeks he and Jason had been arguing a lot. Jason had split with his girlfriend and had looked to Aiden to fill the gap. Aiden was very much still with Anna and a few other bits on the side, although she didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t comfortable with Jason’s clinginess and although they had a sexual history, Anna’s demands as well as those of the other girls meant he didn’t really need to have anything else other than the odd threesome. Anna had also started to suggest that her and Aiden should just sleep with each other and that Jason didn’t need to be brought in. This didn’t go down well with Jason. Aiden tried to explain to him that their escapades were fine when they were single but now it wasn’t fine anymore. Jason had stormed out and when they spoke next, they’d had a really heated discussion. Aiden had decided that he should take this trip alone to clear his head. Jason was so angry he refused to take Aiden’s call when he called to say goodbye and try and smooth things out. Aiden thought that he should just go anyway. Jason would come around. Anna had agreed that would be the best thing. He didn’t tell her, but he would call Jason from Spain and tell him to fly over and meet him there. He didn’t really have any intention of picking up the pace sexually with him, but he knew how to play Jason and that would do it. They had been friends for years and it seemed a shame to lose that. He also knew he may need him to cover for him again in the future.
Unbeknown to Aiden, Jason had gone to Aiden’s apartment to speak to him. He had missed him by minutes. He was distraught that his friend had dumped him. Finding Aiden gone he was driven to tears. He had lain down on Aiden’s bed where he had fallen asleep. He had never felt like that before. He was heartbroken.
Aiden noticed the woman in sunglasses, who was the only other person in First-Class. He thought she looked a little odd with sunglasses on a plane. He just shrugged and thought it was probably some medical issue. He ordered another drink from his attendant and some sushi they always had on-board when he was flying. As this was a short-haul flight there was no entertainment, so he put on his Bose headphones and played some chilled Ibiza music that always put him in the mood for Spain. He loved it there and it was always so much warmer than England. Also, the babes were hotter and more willing to please a rich playboy like himself.
Chapter 88
Rose was pleased that the air conditioner on the plane was so efficient. The wig made her head itch and she knew it would have been worse if it was warm. It was about 40 minutes into the flight and Rose got up and made her way to the toilet. She locked the door and quickly pulled her trousers down. She detached the tape that held the small handgun in place and put the gun on the side of the basin. Next, she retrieved the small spray bottle. It came out easily and it was something of a relief that it was all intact and not leaking. She pulled off the cling film and discarded it in the bin. She put the retrieved items in her pockets, flushed the toilet and returned to her seat. She noticed the cabin crew were still serving drinks towards the back of the plane and was glad to see they hadn’t been to the flight deck yet. Everything was going to plan. Whilst she didn’t want to jinx it, she was still secretly relieved.
When the senior cabin attendant Amelia came back to the small First-Class bar area, she prepared the tray for the Flight Deck. Rose put her hand in her pocket and got the small spray bottle ready. She looked around and saw that everyone including Aiden was busy with their food or drinks. Everyone was blissfully unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold.
As Amelia picked up the tray Rose stood up. Amelia had just knocked on the Flight Deck door and as it opened Rose rushed forward. She pushed Amelia into the cabin, knocking the tray flying and went in behind her. Rose quickly pulled the door closed and held the spray bottle to Amelia’s face. It had all happened so fast. Outside nobody had really noticed. Aiden’s attendant was meant to be providing backup in the event of just this kind of thing. She was too busy gawking at Aiden, who hadn’t noticed the gawking or what Rose had just done. The attendant had noticed just too late.
On the flight deck there was enough space for the four of them thanks to the clever design of the instruments and controls.
“Do as I tell you or I will hurt all of you,” Rose said.
“What do you want?” the Captain asked. He looked nervously and suspiciously at the spray bottle in Rose’s hand. Rose saw him looking at the bottle and she said casually and calmly, “It’s acid.”
“Do you expect me to believe that you got a bottle of acid on board my plane?” he asked.
“I don’t give a flying fuck what you believe,” Rose said, laughing to herself at the aviation reference. She sprayed Amelia on the arm and Amelia screamed in pain as the acid hit her arm. It wasn’t a huge amount, just enough to make her point. She pulled the gun out as well and pointed it at the co-pilot, smiling menacingly.
“Easy now,” the Captain told her, clearly convinced that this was very real. “Let’s talk about this.”
Chapter 89
Aiden’s attendant grabbed the phone and called the flight deck. She didn’t get an answer. She tried another five times. Each time there was no answer it made her feel sick to her stomach. She thought she was going to be physically sick.
Aiden noticed something was wrong and asked her what was going on. She told him that she didn’t
know. The woman that had been in the other seat was inside with Amelia and the Captain and co-pilot. She explained that there was no way she could get in there either. She called the other two attendants who were at the back of the plane and told them what was going on and not to alert anyone.
Aiden wasn’t having any of it. He got up and banged on the door.
“Please, Mr Harrington, sit down. You will make the situation worse. The passengers will panic!” she pleaded with him, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back to his seat.
Reluctantly he sat down. He got out his mobile and made a WhatsApp call to his father. When Malcolm answered he told him that something bad was happening on his plane. Malcolm thought that Aiden was either joking or drunk but when he said, “I love you Dad,” before he hung up, Malcolm knew something was wrong. He didn’t know precisely what was going on, but he assumed it was a hijack. No-one, absolutely no-one, will take one of my babies! he thought to himself angrily. He looked upon his planes as his babies.
Chapter 90
Aiden was in a bit of a state as he sat in his seat. “Get me a fucking drink!” he screamed at the attendant, who did as he said. She thought it wasn’t the time to challenge him as she brought him a handful of little bottles of vodka. This calmed him slightly as he got busy opening the bottles and pouring them into the glass.
Aiden picked his phone up again and called Jason. He didn’t get an answer and he kept calling back, but Jason wasn’t answering.
Jason woke up with a start when his phone buzzed. He could see from the caller I.D. that it was Aiden calling. As much as he wanted to answer, he thought it would be better not to speak to him. He knew that Aiden would say something and quickly all would be forgiven, but this time he was not quite ready to forgive him.
Aiden was getting really irritated. Jason wasn’t answering and there was a baby on the plane crying incessantly. He was swigging away at the vodka in an attempt to calm his nerves. On the 30th attempt to call Jason and having left his 30th message, the crying was really getting to Aiden.
“Can you silence that fucking child, or I will throw it out of this fucking plane? Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Aiden screamed, and he threw the glass onto the floor and jumped up. He started kicking the bulkhead and the seats and throwing one of his tantrums, while the attendant just looked on in amazement. She had heard that he was like this, but now she had seen it for herself. Luckily, she had drawn the curtain separating the different classes on the plane or the passengers would certainly know something was going on. All they would have heard now was Aiden having a tantrum. Most of them knew who he was and what he was like, so it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Jason looked at his phone. It amused him that he had thirty missed calls. He knew Aiden was pissed off, but it served him right. He shouldn’t have treated him like that. He listened to the first twenty-nine messages which went from ‘call me’, to ‘call me now’, to ‘for fuck’s sake call me’. The last message stood out though. All he could hear was Aiden freaking out. What was going on, he wondered, feeling more than a little worried. He tried to call Aiden back, but all he got was Aiden’s voicemail.
Chapter 91
On the Flight Deck Rose told the Captain that he should do as she says.
“No sudden moves Captain. I will use this gun. I have nothing to lose” Rose told him. She pushed Amelia down onto the jump seat. Amelia resisted. Rose whacked her flat on the side of the head with the gun, knocking her out cold.
“Anyone else want to feel what that’s like?” she asked.
“No, just relax. What’s your name?” he asked.
“My name? Rose Winters,” she said.
“Ok Rose. Is it ok if I call you Rose? Please can I get Amelia there some help?” he asked.
“Yes and no, you can’t. She will be fine, it’s just a concussion.”
“What do you want, Rose?” he asked. “I can radio ahead and get it for you.”
“What I want is for you to shut up. I will tell you when I am ready,” she said. He just nodded.
Just then the voice of the air traffic controller came over the radio, addressing the Captain.
“We have reports that you may be in a hijack situation, please respond,” the controller said.
The Captain looked at Rose. He appeared surprised that they knew already, and he wondered how that had happened.
“Just confirm that you are not in charge of the plane and we will get back to them. Say anything else and that concussion she has will be nothing compared to what I will do to you. Am I clear?” she asked.
The Captain relayed the message. The controller asked if there were any demands. The Captain didn’t reply, instead he left the communication with the air traffic controller open, so he could hear every word. Luckily for him Rose wasn’t aware of this bold move.
Suddenly the co-pilot reached up and tried to grab the gun. Rose was quicker than him and sprayed him in the face with acid making him howl and pull back. She had narrowly missed his eyes, but his skin was badly burned.
“Please Rose, there is no need for that,” the Captain said, clearly at a disadvantage since two of the three of them were now out of action.
“There is a need. Now, here’s what you will do,” she said.
Chapter 92
At Harrington Aeronautical it was a hive of activity. Malcolm had called the police and Max was also on his way. Mike Chalmers was in the boardroom with Malcolm along with Malcolm’s PA and Mike’s PA, Charlotte. They still didn’t know who had hijacked the flight nor why. This was really starting to get to Malcolm.
“How can we know so little. I want to know what’s going on. My son and heir are on that plane!” Malcolm told Mike.
Just then Charlotte told them that it was a woman that had hijacked the plane.
“How the hell do you know that?” Mike asked.
“It seems someone on board has tweeted it,” she replied.
Max had just walked into the boardroom. Malcolm was incandescent with rage as he turned to him.
“How the fuck does Twitter and the rest of the world know before we do?” he barked at Max.
“It seems someone on board overheard something and tweeted the news. Fucking Wi-Fi. Can be a curse. They are running it now,” Mike said as he switched on the huge TV on the office wall.
Sky News were running the story and had already dispatched a lead anchor to Manchester Airport.
“Fucking hell they are fast. This is only 10 minutes old!” Malcolm said.
Mike and Malcolm were both glaring at Max, who looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Mike’s phone rang. He answered and listened intently. He thanked the caller and hung up without saying another word.
“That was my contact at MI6. The RAF are waiting for clearance to send a jet,” he said.
When Malcolm heard Mike say that a jet was being dispatched, he had had enough.
“Give me the room. Everybody out! Out, now!” he screamed, banging his fist on the boardroom table. “Not you!” he yelled at his PA.
Chapter 93
At Aiden’s apartment Jason was still lying on Aiden’s bed. He got up and went to the lounge. He put on the TV and immediately saw the news report. All the channels were carrying it. He just stood there, a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. That was Aiden’s flight! He suddenly realised that the last message made sense now. He froze on the spot, staring at the TV and not taking any of it in.
He called Anna to ask if she knew anything. She had just seen the news as well and she was besides herself. She told Jason to call her as soon as he knew anything. He said he would and hung up.
Jason went and sat on the large sofa and watched in silence as the reporter was reporting on the situation. He was numb. How was this possible? What if Aiden died before they could make up? Their last words were harsh words. He kept calling Aiden’s phone, but it did not even ring. It went straight to voicemail.
Jason didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know who to call. A
ll he could do was sit there and stare at the screen and pray that his best friend in the whole world was going to be ok. Jason had never prayed, but he felt now was as good a time to start as any.
Chapter 94
In the cockpit Amelia was still unconscious and the co-pilot was whimpering pathetically with his head in his hands. Rose was just staring at the Captain and pointing the gun and acid at him.
“Is this thing flying itself at the moment?” she asked.
“Yes, autopilot is on Rose,” he replied. “Is it ok if I call you Rose, or do you prefer Ms Winters?” The communication was still open with the air traffic controller and this was the Captain’s way of letting them know her name.
“You can call me your majesty for all I care,” Rose replied, thinking it was a really stupid question, since he had already asked her.
“Switch the autopilot off,” she said.
“I can’t. If I did it would mean I would have to fly the plane myself,” he told her.
“Do it!” she demanded.
He switched the autopilot off and the plane adjusted a little as he grabbed the controls. She told him to leave the controls. He told her that would be impossible.
“Do it, Captain. Either way we are all going to die,” she said in a flat voice.
“Rose, please, it doesn’t have to be this way,” he said. “Can’t we talk about it? Rose, I have a family. A wife and two kids. Please don’t do this,” he pleaded, remembering from his training that if he made her think he was a person he would have more chance of talking her around.
Rose briefly told the Captain what had happened to her and that she had nothing left to live for.