by N R Brooks
“Thank you for your words. I think I am going to get some rest.”
“Goodnight, Ziad,” I said as he walked back through the sliding glass door.
“Goodnight, my friend.”
I sat on the balcony alone, reflecting on our short conversation. His responses were too vague for me to know if what I had said made any impression on him or not. I could tell that he was deeply conflicted with his mission. But, this much was known already after the attack in my own timeline. I just don’t know if anybody knew he was this conflicted. It made me wonder what exactly was going through his head while onboard Flight 93 just before they decided to attack. I decided I would try and get him to open up just a little bit more on the drive home.
I was getting tired from the little bit of alcohol combined with the exhaustion of a day’s worth of flight training in the simulators. When I walked back in the suite, I saw Ziad was already asleep on his bed. I turned off the lights and laid down on my own bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
The drive back to Venice was filled with much more silence than the drive down. I wasn’t sure how much of our conversation the previous night Ziad remembered, but the look on his face made me suspect that he remembered most if not all of it. He seemed to be in deep thought for much of the drive back home.
The silence was getting uncomfortable, and I wanted to see if I could get Ziad to say anything more about either his thoughts on his mission or about Mohamed or Marwan.
“So…you have any plans for the holidays?” I asked him just to break the silence.
This seemed to break him from a trance. “Huh? Oh, uh, I don’t really celebrate American holidays, but I am going to visit my family in Beirut with Aysel.”
“Oh right, I knew that. I am actually going to New York for the holidays. Spend some time up there. You don’t have any plans with your friend Mohamed or anything?”
“Mohamed? No, why would I do anything with him? We are just friends from college, that’s all. Anyway, I think he is going to Spain or something.” He said with a look of mild irritation. I decided I wouldn’t bring him up anymore, at least not today.
“Oh sorry. Just seeing what you had planned.”
“It is fine. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. But yeah, I think him and Marwan are going to be in Europe at the same time as me.”
I felt I should just leave him alone, but I was glad to get the little tidbit on Mohamed and Marwan being gone. I may just have to see if I can snag anything incriminating from their house while they are away. I would be coming back on the 3rd of January, so hopefully, Atta would be out of town still by the time I returned.
It would take a while for Ziad to finally break out of his deep thought and when he finally did the car ride livened up until we got home. I didn’t try to bring up anything else for the rest of the drive. I at least had enough to go off of for a little while. I knew Atta and Marwan would be out of the country sometime around the holidays and I was able to plant the initial seed of doubt in Ziad’s mind for him to ponder over for the next few months.
So far everything was somewhat going as planned. I hadn’t run into any roadblocks yet but kept myself vigilant in case one arose. For now, my mind was preparing for my next visit with Keiko in Manhattan. The holidays were going to be spent without worrying about Ziad or his cohorts. I was removing them from my mind until after the new year.
Chapter 22
I arrived at the Newark airport on December 23rd, just a couple days before Christmas. I was greeted by not only Keiko, but Pops too. I took a late flight because it was cheaper that way and I was able to work a Saturday shift just to make it up to Jeni since I was going to be gone for a week and a half.
Back home, Ziad was not leaving for Lebanon until the day after Christmas. The holiday was not one he celebrated, so he didn’t have any obligations to be anywhere that day. Although, he did still celebrate the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar even though in Islam, the new year is on a different day every annual cycle.
Pops dropped us off at our apartment, and we made plans to meet up on New Year’s Eve at the pizzeria to celebrate, Ian included. He was planning on spending the Christmas holiday with his daughter. He invited Keiko and me to join him, but we politely declined as we wanted to spend the day together, just the two of us.
So, celebrate we did. Keiko’s company had a Christmas party on the 95th floor where she worked. It was a surreal feeling to be on the 95th floor of the North Tower overlooking over the island, realizing that I was standing directly in the impact zone of where Flight 11 had smashed into in another time. Only this time, there would be no impact. The towers would stand until hopefully long after I turned into dust.
Keiko at one point asked me why I kept staring out the window near her desk. I just replied that I had missed the city and was absorbing the beauty of the lights and all the tiny people going about their business so far below. She replied that she had never really paid much attention to it all before, but now that I pointed it out, she was awestruck. It was one of the moments I would cherish.
Neither of us were big fans of drinking, but we did partake on special occasions. The Christmas party in the North Tower was one of those occasions. It was a good thing that getting around in the city without your own vehicle was easy since, by the time we left, both of us were quite drunk. We were able to hail a taxi to take us the single mile to our apartment.
Our night didn’t end there though. With the alcohol flowing in both of our bloodstreams, sleep was far from our minds. It was one of the wildest nights yet for the two of us. It is possible that we invented a new sexual position or two before the night was over.
Christmas day was spent recuperating from the night before. My frequent visits to the gym were really paying off as my body was much more toned than it had ever been. This apparently was a major turn on for Keiko as she was far more vivacious than usual. This added enthusiasm took its toll on our bodies as we were both exhausted and somewhat sore Christmas day.
Nevertheless, we exchanged gifts and spend most of the day just enjoying each other’s company and talking about our lives during the spans of time we were apart. I told her about my experience in the flight simulators, and she told me about work and her visits with Pops and Ian across the street. She informed me that they never did find out who burglarized the pizzeria all those months ago. Pops apparently just said to forget about it, and the cops were more than happy to drop the case.
For the week after Christmas, I spent my alone time hanging out at the pizzeria until Keiko returned home from work, then the two of us would meander through the snow-blanketed streets of Manhattan. We took one trip to Central Park during the weekend before New Years. The park was quite beautiful in its grand glory, even when shrouded in a snowy skin.
It was quite cold this winter, so our time outside was limited. We spent much of our time inside where it was warm and cozy. We never tired of each other’s company so even when we were lazy and less active, time still went by in what felt like the blink of an eye.
By the time New Year’s Eve came around, I had realized I only had a few days left until I had to depart once again for my lonely abode in the warmth of Florida.
New Year’s Eve would prove to be the most eventful time of my visit. We were going to celebrate the new year with just the four of us and plentiful helpings of Pops’ special secret recipe pizza and the drop of the ball in Times Square playing on the TV in the office. Luckily the office was just large enough for the four of us to hang out comfortably.
Keiko and I were the last ones to show up at the pizzeria. Evidently, Pops and Ian had been there for a little while getting impatient for us to arrive, even though we were only across the street.
As we walked in the back entrance, the two of us walked in and noticed that most of the lights were off. The only ones on were half the lights in the kitchen area, and the lights in the office. The dining room was dark since the shop was closed all day.
“H
ey-hey! It’s about time yous guys made it. Ian and I have been waiting for you two.” Pops said when we walked through the door, shuffling our feet on the mat to get the snow off.
“Hey, Pops. I had to get all made up just for you.” Keiko said as she and Pops traded kisses on the cheek.
“Well, where is my kiss, old man?” I teased him.
“You can kiss the whitest part of my ass!”
“Oh yeah? Bear it, big guy.” I replied.
Pops just waved his hand at it. I had won that match.
“What’s up Ian, my man?”
“Hey there, big guy. You come back to help us out yet?” Ian asked as we gave each other welcome hugs.
“Sorry, not yet. I’m still busy doing big boy stuff. You know, flying jets. Fake ones anyways.”
“Hey now, makin’ pizzas is a big boy’s job too.”
“How about making some pizza for us? Keiko and I haven’t eaten yet, and I don’t know about her, but I am starving.” I hinted. Ian was probably the only person other than Pops that knew his secret recipe.
“Oh, I would kill for some special pizza right now.” She confirmed.
Pops had to butt in to cater to the one lady in the group. “Well if the little miss wishes for some pizza, how can I say no to that? Pizza coming right up, little lady.”
“Aww, thank you, Pops. You are the best.” Keiko knew he couldn’t say no to her.
“See Ian, Pops knows how to treat a lady. You could learn a thing or two.”
“The old man didn’t even give me a chance to respond!”
“Exactly. You gotta be quicker than the old man.”
He waved his hand in defeat. “Ahh, you all are always givin’ me a hard time.”
“Oh poor Ian, it’s only because they love you.” She said and gave him a hug of pity.
The three of us sat together in the office watching the TV and chattering back and forth about what has gone on over the last six months that I was away. Pops was busy in the kitchen making a couple of his special pizzas for all of us to eat during the countdown to the new year.
When the pizza was finally done, we had about twenty minutes until the countdown would begin. Keiko and I began stuffing our mouths almost instantly, not even taking the time for the pizza to cool down. Both of us were sitting in our seats taking bites of pizza and holding our mouths open while we fanned the scalding cheese and toppings.
“Hey Ian, go grab some soda’s from the cooler for our guests, eh?” Pops ordered before Ian could grab a slice for himself.
“Ugh. You guys are lucky you’re my friends.” He got up and reluctantly follows Pops’ order.
Not a moment after he left, Ian rushed into the office with a finger over his mouth to signal for us to be quiet. Pops turned off the TV, and we all sat there motionless. Ian squatted down and flipped the light switch in the office so the only illumination any of us had were the few backup lights that remained on at all times.
“What is it?” I asked Ian as quietly as I could.
“I heard a noise coming from the dining room. Sounded like someone messing with the front door.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just stay here. I’m gonna go check it out.” He said and gracefully crept through the kitchen like a skilled thief.
The three of us remained in the office where we could only wait for a sound to be made. We had no view of the dining room from the office.
We waited patiently until we heard the sound of the lock being clicked open on the front door and the metal hinges slowly creaking as the door was opened. When the door was gently closed again, we could hear very light whispers of what sounded like a pair of individuals.
After a few moments of whispers, Ian decided to make the first move by scaring the intruders.
“What the fuck are you guys doing!?” He yelled.
We heard no reply from the intruders but instead heard three ear piercing pops and the sound of a body falling to the tiled floor with nothing but dead weight.
On instinct, I placed my hand over Keiko’s mouth to muffle any screams. My instinct was correct as I had to hold her mouth tight because she was attempting to scream with much more force than I was prepared for.
“Fuck!” I said to myself in a whisper.
“Oh shit!” Pops looked like he was going to become hysterical.
“You guys, be quiet! Or else we are going to get shot too.”
I waited until Keiko stopped trying to scream and finally released my hand. I motioned for everyone to not make a sound. I could hear chattering coming from the dining room.
“Dude, why did you shoot him?” One intruder asked the other.
“He scared the shit out of me. I didn’t mean to.”
“Fuck man, someone had to hear those shots.”
“So what.” The shooter said in a forceful tone.
“I think he was alone, man. I don’t think that guy and his girl are here.”
“No, he has to be here. I saw them walking around yesterday. They are always here.”
They had to be talking about Keiko and me. But why? Who the hell would be looking for us? I told Keiko and Pops to stay still as I was going to see if I could inspect who was out there, and also see how bad Ian was hurt.
I walked out of the office past the sinks where we washed all of the dishes in the restaurant to look around the corner which would give me a somewhat good view of the dining area. It was too dark to make out any details, but I could see only two individuals in the dining room. Around the corner were the ovens we baked the pizzas in and beside the oven was a peel, the long, flat utensil used to take the pizzas out when they are done baking.
With the peel in my hand, I crept on my tip toes while hunched over enough to keep myself hidden in the low light and shadows until I was behind the counter where the register was. I peeked over the counter until I could see the two men inspecting Ian lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He wasn’t moving at all, and his eyes were closed. I was afraid he was dead. This immediately got my adrenaline pumping through my veins. I waited to see what the intruders were going to do.
“Fuck man, you killed him.”
“I didn’t mean to, alright? Like I said, he scared me and I just kind of shot as a reflex.” The gunner protested.
“Three times?”
“Shut up. Let’s just look for that guy and his girl and get the hell out of here before the cops come.”
This was my signal to get down and wait for them to come around the counter into the kitchen. I had my hands gripped on the wooden handle of the peel as tight as I could, waiting for one of them to come into my view.
I heard the sound of sticky shoes stepping in wet blood. As soon as I saw the first pair of legs creep slowly around the counter, I stood up and swung the peel sideways like an ax into the shins of the first intruder. When the flat metal end of the peel connected with the man’s legs, I felt the shin bones give way with a loud snap as both sliced in two simultaneously. So much force was put into my swing that the wooden handle busted and the remaining part of the peel lay embedded into the man’s legs as he fell backward, wailing in agony.
Without stopping, I held the busted handle in my hand and had just enough length to bash the second man across the temple, dropping him like a sack of shit on top of his partner with the mangled legs.
After dropping the second man in my blackout rage, I quickly jumped over to the first guy and repeatedly swung the stump of the broken handle in my hands against his face until he quit screaming and his face was completely caked in blood and snot.
When I was satisfied that he was no longer a threat, I dropped the broken handle, ran over to the light switch to give myself some light and rushed back over to Ian’s body to see if he was breathing.
“It’s clear. You guys can come out now.” I yelled at Keiko and Pops while checking for a pulse on Ian. There were two bullet wounds on his chest and one on his shoulder. One of the wounds was directly where his heart w
ould be.
“What the fuck happened in here? This place looks like a butcher shop. There is blood everywhere.” Pops said with a look of shock.
Keiko looked at Ian and immediately started checking him for a pulse with me. “Oh my god! Ian!”
I had already confirmed there was no pulse and no breath coming from his nostrils or his mouth. Our friend was gone. Keiko was hysterically trying to pump his chest to regain a pulse but to no avail.
“Babe…he’s gone.” I tried to pull her away, but she wouldn’t give up.
“Oh no. Ian…” Pops walked over slowly, staring at Ian’s lifeless corpse.
I walked over to the two men I had beat mercilessly and was immediately shocked when I saw their faces. Even covered in oozing blood I recognized the man who was the shooter. It was the man whose name I had been using for the past six months.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I whispered to myself.
I crouched down to see if he was still alive. Like Ian, he had no pulse and no breath. I had killed him. I had broken my one vow: that I would not kill anybody. And the one person I did kill was not even one I had any intention of crossing paths with. This was bad. If I were to be arrested for murder, that would destroy my plans to stop the disaster that was on its way in September.
“Fuck…I killed him. I fucking killed him. This can’t be happening.” I was becoming hysterical now as well.
“What?” Keiko got up and looked down at the other two bodies I was hovering over. “Him?!”
“Yeah. He was here for us. Probably trying to get payback for last year.”
“You know these guys?” Pops asked while he covered Ian’s body with his cook’s apron.
“Yeah, we had issues with him last New Year’s. He just wouldn’t get the hint.”
“My shop…Ian…oh god.” Pops was looking around, still in shock over what transpired.
“Pops I killed him. I can’t go to prison, I can’t. I didn’t mean to, I just…” I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was going to lose my mind.