The 95th Floor

by N R Brooks

  Ziad still looked like he was struggling with something in his head. It could have been that his father had just had emergency surgery, or it could be something to do with him and Aysel. He had the expression of someone who was constantly staring off into space as if whatever they were thinking about was being seen before their eyes. I felt now was a better time than any to finally let him know that I was privy to his real plans.

  “Ziad. Look, I need to tell you something, and I want you to listen to me very closely.” I stood in front of him and looked him directly in the eyes to get his full attention.

  “What?”

  “Don’t do it.” I had never looked more serious than I had this moment.

  “What are you talking about? Don’t do what?”

  “You know what I am talking about. I know what you plan on doing and I am telling you this as your friend. Don’t do it. Please, I am begging you.” I remained vague because I didn’t know his intentions. Would he try to kill me if he knew I was aware of his true plans? After all, these guys practiced slitting the throats of camels to prepare for resistance they might encounter on the flights.

  He tried to play it off as if I were joking with him. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Stan.” He stood up from where he was sitting on the couch and tried to laugh it off. He was actually beginning to look slightly nervous.

  “Ziad, I am not joking around. Your flight training, all of your manuals, your disinterest in practicing your landings when we were in the simulators. Come on, man.”

  His smile faded, but he said nothing back to me. He simply turned around and sighed. I was not going to let him off the hook this time. If he was going to leave and the chance was that I may not run into him again, this was going to be my only shot.

  “You are here because you plan on crashing a plane into something. You can tell me. I won’t say anything, that is not my intention. I just want you to come clean.”

  He turned around and walked up to me, pointing his finger directly in my face. “You know nothing!”

  “I do know.” I had to crook my face to the side in a slight smile. “I actually know more than you do.”

  He stared right in my eyes. “No. You know nothing about me or why I am here.”

  “Yes, I do. You will not succeed. I know the exact moment and exact place you will fail. Ziad, I can show you where you will die. And your death will be for nothing. Please, just listen to me.”

  “And how do you know that? That is impossible.” He scoffed and turned away from me again.

  “Never mind that. Think about this. You told me once you wanted to make a mark on the world. Well, you will make a mark alright. A nice big charred crater in the middle of nowhere. Is that what you had in mind? Ziad, you have a wife that loves you, who pretty much will do anything for you. Even when you treat her like shit. Your family loves you. Hell, I even know that your father, who you just saw, cried on the phone to your uncle when they couldn’t get reach you during your fabulous vacation in Afghanistan. Yes, I know about that as well.” His eyes lifted up to look at me when I mentioned Aysel. “But all of that is beside the point. The only thing you are going to accomplish is being one of the most despised people on this half of the world, and in the rest, you will be remembered as the one who failed.”

  Ziad stood there looking at me with more of a stern expression now. He was clearly getting angry, but it was obvious that my words were now churning in his head.

  “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you.” He murmured in a barely audible voice. A quote from the Quran, albeit a paraphrased one some radical groups use to justify jihad.

  “You are leaving out a vital part of that overused verse. If I am not mistaken, the rest is: but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors.” I felt quite proud of having remembered that line. It is a commonly used one after all and has appeared in numerous books about religious extremism. “I am pretty sure waging war on America by killing innocent civilians who are just trying to get home or get to their job would be considered transgressing.”

  This clearly angered him and put him over the edge. “I have heard enough of this. You will mention none of this to anybody!”

  Ziad stormed to his room to grab his luggage he had just put down in there moments earlier.

  “Ziad, I told you I wouldn’t. I just want you to stop this fucking crusade. It is not going to have the effect you think it will. I want you to live, to go enjoy your life with Aysel. Can’t you see that I am not your enemy? I am telling you all of this because we are friends.”

  He stormed out of his room with his suitcase and was heading out the door. He only looked at me as he walked by but said nothing more. All of a sudden I was all alone again. I heard his car kicking up dirt and gravel as he drove away from the house. I was uncertain if what I said had the effect I was aiming for. I was fairly confident that he wouldn’t say anything to Atta about it. Those two were never on the best terms with each other. Atta would probably blame Ziad, and all hell would break loose.

  That night would turn out to be the last time I ever saw Ziad. When I returned home from work the next day, I saw that he had cleaned out everything he owned from the house. His room was spotless. As I walked around the house seeing how empty it was, I realized I had no reason to remain. My job here was done, but not complete. Ziad was gone, and I no longer knew where he was going to be. He could literally be anywhere. Fortunately, I did still have his phone number. I would wait a little while to let him cool down from our confrontation the night before. Plus, I still knew where he would be days before their planned attack. I might still have another shot at turning him.

  That night, I decided that I would return to Manhattan at the end of the month. If anything, this would be joyous news for Keiko. I called her later that evening and explained that I had completed my training earlier than expected and planned to return at the end of the month. She was overjoyed at this news which was a welcome sound to my ears.

  The following day, I gave Jeni my notice and told her that I was returning to New York. She was admittedly disappointed, but as usual, she understood and was supportive no matter what. I made it up to her by giving her some financial advice that only someone who had knowledge of the future could give. I educated her on an online bookstore that would later become one of the largest companies in the world. Amazon would be a household name in my time, but in 2001, it had been around for a few years but wouldn’t take off for probably another five to ten years. I advised her that she should buy some stock in it; as much as she could, as soon as she could. Right now, Amazon stocks hovered around $11. This was the time to buy and hold on to them for a very long time.

  The remaining weeks I spent in Florida was a mix of sadness but also elation. I was saddened by leaving the life I had created down here. The friends I made—Ziad included, even if it was not on a strictly personal level—and the fun times I had. I canceled my gym membership and sold or gave away any items I wouldn’t need or no longer wanted. I had everything I needed in Manhattan. I even tried to make a few phone calls to Ziad, but he never answered. The phone number still rang, so I knew the line was still active. He must not have changed his phone number, so I figured I would give him more time and see if he answers.

  I worked at the store with Jeni until the day before leaving for Manhattan. She insisted that I go out for drinks one last time with her and David. They were my only real friends so there was no way I could refuse. To keep my head clear the next day I only drank a little bit. Jeni didn’t want to make a fool of herself like the last time we went out, so she managed to only get slightly drunk. I tried to have fun, but I was far more saddened than I expected to be. I was really going to miss both of them.

  Before saying goodbye for the final time, I gave Jeni the address to our apartment in Manhattan in case she ever decided she wanted to visit. Even though she was still slightly drunk, I could see she had been wiping tears from her eyes. She did her best to hide it, but
I could still see some slightly smudged makeup. I gave her a tight hug because I really was going to miss her. Before I could do anything, she quickly gave me a kiss on the lips. I can’t say it was a completely unwelcome kiss. But I didn’t refuse, she was intoxicated, and I had to admit that if I had met her at another time, I would absolutely have chased after her. Right now, my heart belonged to Keiko and nothing could change that.

  The next morning was my last day in Florida; the last time I would ever set foot in the state. I got up early, packed everything into my car—far more than I initially came here with—and set out on I-95 for the twenty-hour drive home. The Sunshine State treated me well this past year. The next few months would tell me if it was truly worth it.

  Chapter 28

  When I arrived back in Manhattan, I felt a rush of relief as I now considered this city my home. I still had feelings for Idaho, but at the same time, most of those feelings were of regret and despair. Although the majority of my feelings for that place were negative, there will always be a hint of nostalgia for the place I was born and raised.

  New York had its own set of bad memories, mostly of last New Year’s, but the majority was of happiness. The same could be said for Florida. I just couldn’t get over the suspicion that I was never going to see Jeni ever again. The thought made me feel disheartened, but I shook it off as just another silly feeling that I could easily disprove. I could simply visit her one day with Keiko and maybe our new baby. Or, I could arrange for her to come up to New York for a visit to the big city. Nothing to worry about.

  I kept my promise to Pops since my return was much earlier than he had expected. He was still in the process of getting everything straightened out financially so he could reopen. He had already hired one person on that he was training to take Ian’s place. When I arrived, I picked up my old spot in the pizzeria, and before we knew it, the shop was up and running again and everything was almost back to normal. Still, the shop just never felt the same without Ian in the back, up to his usual antics.

  Keiko and I decided to try to live a much more frugal lifestyle than we had in the past, so we did not have to worry about money once the baby arrived. That isn’t to say we ever had to worry much about money in the first place considering how I had spent almost a year in Florida living off my measly income from the store and basing most of my budget on what Keiko provided me with from her own paycheck. With my lack of actual bills, I didn’t require much money in the first place.

  It was also nice being back in the city where nearly everything I needed was within walking distance. My poor car still ran like a champ, but I really packed on the miles in the last few years. At least being back in Manhattan, my car could enjoy some respite from the constant use it endured.

  May, June, and July came and went with very little out of the ordinary. When I wasn’t working at the pizzeria, I was tending to Keiko, making sure she was as comfortable as she could be. Not only was I concerned about her wellbeing, but I also wanted to ensure that the baby would be born healthy and happy with nothing wrong or abnormal.

  Neither of us ever went drinking, and we didn’t smoke—not regularly as I would occasionally light up a smoke once in a blue moon. Rather than feeding ourselves on generous offerings of pizza, I insisted on purchasing much more wholesome ingredients for a healthier diet for both Keiko and myself. This would also benefit me considering I was no longer visiting the gym regularly as my commitments at home were taking up most of my time.

  When I wasn’t busy at work or taking care of my woman, I would occasionally try to call Ziad. I figured after this long he would have finally accepted my call, but I was wrong. I took this as he had just written me off after our last encounter. He must have been brainwashed yet again by his cohorts. Either that, or he just didn’t want to talk to me. It no longer mattered; I wasn’t going to let him have his way.

  By mid-August, I had grown fed up with his refusal to answer my calls. I had even left messages apologizing for stepping out of line and begged him to either answer my call or just return it. After waiting for weeks, I decided to try a different tactic. I called him from Keiko’s phone, one he wouldn’t recognize. I didn’t know if it would work or not. To make sure, I waited a few days after my last call from my own cell phone, just so he wouldn’t suspect it was me.

  I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Too many details for one person to remember from a book that was read out of both curiosity and for entertainment. It was a Friday evening when I finally decided to call him again from Keiko’s phone. I stepped outside so Keiko couldn’t hear me, in case I had to divulge information that she shouldn’t know.

  I dialed his number and waited. It rang three times, about to begin the fourth ring just before it would go to voicemail. I felt dejected, expecting him to ignore this call just like all of the others. Just before I was about to pull the phone away from my ear and hang up, I heard a faint noise in the background as if someone answered.

  “Hello?” Said the voice on the other line.

  “Uh, hello? Is Ziad there?” I said, completely off of any script I had rehearsed before-hand.

  “This is Ziad. Who is calling?”

  “Hey, Ziad. It is your friend, Stan. I have been trying to call you for months now. Did you get my messages?” I tried to sound friendly as if nothing had ever happened.

  “Why are you calling me, Stan? I have nothing more to say to you.”

  “Ziad, please. Just hear me out. I am sorry for what I said. I wanted to apologize, but I never got the chance. You were gone by the next day, and all of your stuff was moved out.”

  “That is because I had nothing more to say. You have your life, I have mine. I have moved on.” He sounded completely devoid of emotion.

  “I know you have. But I have to tell you, please stop. Mohamed and those guys have poisoned you with their extremist rhetoric. I told you that you were destined to fail, and I mean it. I know what is going to happen. Ziad, I have already seen what you guys do. Sure, it will impact the world like never before, but not how you think.

  Ziad tried to speak, but I proceeded on, denying him the chance. “I know you guys talk about the children being killed in Palestine, and how everything is the fault of the Jews. Well, nothing you guys do will change that. All of your friends in Afghanistan who have died fighting the so-called infidels, that is only going to get worse. I know this because I have already seen it. I watched it happen. Hell, I’ve seen where you fail and die as an exploded pile of charred meat and bone fragments.”

  He was silent for what seemed like minutes before he finally spoke.

  “I don’t know how you expect me to believe such a thing. You act as if you are from the future or something, it is absurd. You are trying to—”

  “I AM from the future. Why the fuck do you think I am telling you this? How else do you think I know of your plan? What else do I need to tell you so you will believe me?” I yelled, interrupting him.

  “You will not sway me with your lies, Stan. Satan is just using you to prevent me from claiming victory for the Arab people against the corruption of America and the Jews.”

  I had to chuckle at this. More silly religious bullshit. “Look, if you want to put your faith in your sky-daddy and all that make-believe Bronze Age religious bullshit, be my guest. But do it on your own time, okay? I am telling you the truth, and I can prove it to you. Give me a ring when your God does the same. Until then, I will stop you. And there is nothing you can do about it. If you want proof, I’ll give it to you. I am going to call you from my cell phone at 12:05am. Not tonight, and not tomorrow night. I am not going to tell you the day, only I know what day it will be. I expect you to answer, and I will know exactly where you are, and what you are doing. I promise you that you will then believe me. Because if you don’t, I will make you wish you had. Goodbye, Ziad. And remember, 12:05am on the day of my choosing.”

  I immediately hung up the phone since by now I was fuming with anger and the adrenaline was flowing
through my veins like kerosene. My hands were shaking, and I couldn’t walk back into our apartment as flustered as I was. I took a deep breath and walked around the block until I had calmed down enough to return.

  I knew Ziad was going to be pulled over for speeding early in the morning on September 9th. How I remember the time is anybody’s guess. Sometimes the brain remembers random facts for unknown reasons—much like how you can remember a single quote from a movie you saw ten years ago yet you can’t remember where you set your keys ten minutes ago.

  Waiting until the 9th was going to cut it awfully close, but I was running out of options. I had hoped Ziad would be more open-minded at this point since he seemed to be responding to my subtle persuasions over the past year, but for all I knew, when he left Venice, he might have been taken under Atta’s wing once again. Well, whatever the case was, I would be taking care of Atta soon enough.

  I walked back into the apartment to see Keiko asleep already on the couch. She must be exhausted, that tiny body of hers now supporting two humans instead of just one. As far along in the pregnancy as she was, I was surprised at how little she was showing. I picked her tiny body up and set her down gently on the bed. I was getting tired as well since the phone call with Ziad. The adrenaline, now out of my system, must have drained me of whatever energy I had left from the day.

  I changed my clothes and laid down next to her in the bed. Normally my shifting around would have woken her up, but she was out like a light. I put my arm around her to hold her close and thought about what else I could do to stop those guys. I was now only a month away and was really feeling the pressure. Had I done enough so far? Would I be able to do enough in the coming weeks to stop them? Was there anything that I was forgetting?

  I found my mind was racing to the point that I was beginning to confuse myself. Question after question was circling my brain where eventually I was just repeating myself and asking the same questions over and over. Before I could stop myself to calm down, I had already fallen asleep, bringing myself one day closer to the zero hour.