The 95th Floor

by N R Brooks

  I looked at my watch once more, the display showed the seconds at 30…31…32… Then we could hear the sound of roaring jet engines. I embraced Keiko and told her to cover her ears and get down as close to the floor as possible.

  “Hold on tight!” I yelled.

  The seconds ticked. 38…39…40. The jet engines screamed louder and louder, and finally I heard a deafening crash and the sound of ceiling tiles falling to the ground around us. Alarms instantly started going off, and the lights began flickering. We could feel the entire building swaying what felt like probably six to eight feet in the southern direction. Keiko tried to move but I told her to stay. It wasn’t over yet. We stayed huddled together inside the closet and waited. After a few seconds, we heard more explosions coming from our own floor. Screams could be heard from those who were still waiting for an elevator. The sound of doors blasting open, some shooting across the gallery where everyone was standing and slamming into the opposite walls. The screams faded to only a few voices. Odds were, there were already many people dead or injured on this floor alone.

  Once the explosions and falling debris calmed down, I cracked the door open and peeked my head out to look around. Keiko lifted her head but stayed crouched on the ground in complete shock.

  “Fuck!!!!” I screamed and punched the plasterboard wall that had been made to look like sheets of marble, causing my fist to almost pierce through it. I saved Keiko which was my whole intention, but now I still had to witness the destruction and death of so many people in this building.

  “Wh...what just happened?” Keiko said in a state of shock.

  I didn’t answer her. I just slumped down and put the heels of my palms over my eyes feeling completely defeated. I wanted to prevent all of this. But when I actually did, the result was even worse.

  “All those years I spent on this, and for nothing. Goddamnit…”

  “What do you mean? What just happened here?” She got up off the floor and squatted down beside me.

  “A plane was hijacked and flown into the building on purpose. It hit literally right on your floor. That is why I had you follow me.” I held my head in my hands trying to fight back tears. I felt completely defeated and useless right now.

  “A plane?” She stared off into space as if she were trying to recall something. “I feel like I have seen all of this before. It all seems so familiar.”

  This made me remember the dream she had when I first moved to Florida. I tried to recall the details she told me all those years ago. She said I mentioned something about wasting years on all of this.

  Then it hit me. I raised my head up and looked over at her.

  “You had a dream about this. Like a little over a year ago, didn’t you?”

  “Oh shit, I did! That is why this is all so familiar. I had a dream where some guy…you…came and made me follow you into this lobby. Oh my god.”

  “So that is what that dream meant.” I was stunned. Somehow she dreamt a future event that happened in a completely different timeline. Not just the Keiko I knew, but all of them. In every branch of the timeline.

  “Just who are you?” She asked me again in a much softer tone, more out of curiosity than a simple demand.

  “My name is Stan. I know you, but you don’t know me…yet. We can do full introductions later. First, we need to get out of this building. Another plane is going to hit the other tower at about this exact level very soon.”

  “Are you serious, another one? I don’t remember that in any dreams.” She began to look scared again.

  “Yes, another one. And these towers are going to collapse not long after. We have to get out and to safety.”

  I grabbed her hand and we ran to the stairwell to descend the remaining seventy-eight floors to the bottom level.

  As we descended the tower, I kept a close eye on my watch because I knew when the other plane would hit. When it hit 9:03, I held Keiko tight against me and told her to stay calm. We heard the horrible crash when the plane struck and continued on our way down to the base of the tower.

  When we finally made it out, I had Keiko ride piggyback since she had no shoes on and there was broken glass and debris from both the planes and the tower on the ground. Even the windows on the ground lobby were completely blown out leaving glass shards littered everywhere. At least at this point, we didn’t have to run so hard.

  I carried Keiko to safety along W Broadway until I felt we were sufficiently far away that I could set her down without getting anything stuck in her feet. We turned around and saw what can only be described as hell on earth. Both towers were billowing thick black smoke, paper was flying everywhere like a ticker tape parade. Once I saw people jumping from the windows to their gory death on the ground, I covered Keiko’s eyes and made her walk with me up the road to her apartment. She probably either knew or had met some of those people who were jumping. It was not a scene she should have to witness.

  I knew the South Tower would collapse just before 10am. At least in her apartment, we would be far enough away that we wouldn’t be inhaling so much smoke or the dust from the pulverized concrete and drywall that made up a good portion of the towers. By now, Keiko was in tears and on the verge of hysteria. She was fully aware of the people jumping to their deaths. There was no way around that. Without even seeing it, you would know from the chatter in the streets.

  At 9:59 I turned around just as the South Tower finally buckled under the weight of the floors above the impact zone. Even as far away as we were, you could feel the ground shaking and the sound of hundreds of thousands of tons of steel beams crashing to the ground. Seeing it on TV is one thing, experiencing it first-hand is another. My heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking. I never wanted to have to see this with my own eyes, but fate apparently wasn’t fond of change. Who knows what would happen now that I saved Keiko from her own fate?

  We made it to her apartment and went inside. Everything was as I remember it. I sat her down on her couch and almost sat right next to her to hold her close, but realized this was not the same Keiko I lived with and impregnated. I sat a short distance away to give her space. After all, I was still a stranger to her, and this was no time for unwanted intimacy.

  “This can’t be happening. Everyone I know in that tower is already dead. Others probably jumped to their death. Why did this happen?” She said in between sobs and a fountain of tears.

  “It was just a bunch of assholes that had a fucked up view of the world, and this was their version of justice.”

  “How is this justice? What did we do to them??”

  “You personally did nothing to them. But since you are an American, they felt you shared in the guilt of what others did in their land decades and centuries before you or your parents were even born. It is fucked up, but the world is a fucked up place.” I wished I could have sounded more sympathetic. The words were just spilling from my mouth at this point.

  “Did you know them or something?” She asked after she regained control of herself.

  “That is a difficult question to answer. Let’s get you cleaned up, and I will explain everything, okay?”

  “Fine.” She relented.

  I let Keiko get changed and cleaned up. While I waited, I made sure all of her windows were closed tightly because Manhattan was going to be filled with a choking fog of smoke and dust for a while, not to mention the awful smell of burning plastic and furniture and whatever else that was caught in the inferno of both towers.

  When she was cleaned up, I had to keep from ogling her. She was as beautiful as ever. I only wished I could retake my place in her arms and cover her with kisses, but I couldn’t. It was almost as agonizing as the thought of her dying in the tower.

  I waited until she was ready and warned that everything I had to say would be hard to believe. When she accepted, I explained everything. I filled her in on who I was, where I was from and how I got here. To prove it, I told her about the book I had purchased before my initial experience with being thrown into the
past. I described the book, the sticker, and even what it said. This helped with the initial break into the more unbelievable parts of my story.

  I told the story of our relationship in the other timeline; how we met, what we did, my flight training in Florida, and my return. For this, I showed her my pilot licenses as well as pictures I had in my wallet of the both of us. She took this much easier than the earlier stories. I later filled her in on her pregnancy and eventual demise. This proved the hardest for her to believe as I had nothing to show as proof. I did have my old driver’s license that was set to expire nearly twenty years from where we were now.

  Lastly, I told her my knowledge of Pops and Ian across the street as well as Jeni and David in Florida. This didn’t do much to add to the credibility of my story, but I didn’t want to leave anything out. I didn’t know if everything would play out like it did before. But the fact that I saved Keiko and she was living and breathing before me was good enough.

  “Well, I have to say, you weren’t lying when you said everything would be hard to believe. You rescued me from the tower and knew when everything was going to happen. I mean, that doesn’t just happen as a coincidence. I…I just don’t know what to think right now or what to say.” She finally said once I had concluded my story.

  “Look I know it is hard to believe. I don’t deny that. I can’t overstate how real this is though. I saved you after all. I don’t think anybody could have done that with such last second precision without having knowledge beforehand.”

  “I know, and I believe you. I just…I don’t know. It is a lot to take in. I just need some time to think about it. Today has been way too much for one person to handle.”

  “You’re right.” I accepted what she was saying because it was true. The whole nation would be in a state of shock for a while to come.

  Keiko was sitting on her couch staring off aimlessly, most likely reflecting on everything that had happened today. I decided it would be best to leave her be for now until she could sort out her thoughts and regain some stability. If I had any chance at rekindling any sort of relationship with her, I would have to give it the time it needs.

  I stood up from the couch and put my hands in my pockets.

  “Well, I won’t burden you anymore. I did what I came here to do; I should probably be on my way.”

  “I really don’t know how to thank you.” She said getting up as well.

  “No thanks needed. Just seeing you alive and well is more than sufficient payment.” I just wanted to hug her and feel her in my arms again.

  “Thank you, Stan.”

  I just smiled at her and walked to the door.

  “Just take care of yourself, okay?” I said as I opened the door to step out.

  “I will.”

  I stepped out and gently closed her door. I stood outside the door for a moment feeling like this would be the last I would see her. Everything in this timeline was different than the last time. The towers were no more, the nearly three thousand people I had saved before were now gone once again. Being alone was becoming a recurring theme, one that I was not prepared to accept. Keiko was alive, but I still felt dead inside.

  I finally started walking away from her door with the number 11 printed on it. I slowly walked down the stairs towards the exit of the building, trying to figure out what I was going to do next. If I had no chance with Keiko, I really didn’t want to live anymore. I’d had enough of losing those I cared about. I looked out the window to see a thick dusty fog coating the entirety of this section of the island. I couldn’t stay here. I decided I would just walk back to the bus station and get a ticket back home where I belonged. Flying wouldn’t be an option for at least a few days. I had no idea if the bus schedule would be affected or not.

  I took the collar of my shirt and pulled it over my mouth and nose to guard against the thick dust in the air. I stepped outside into the thick haze and looked around at the horror that had unfolded only an hour earlier. I decided which way I would walk to the bus station and finally set out on my way.

  I was no more than ten yards from the entrance when I heard someone bump into the door, opening it violently and yelling my name.

  “Stan! Stan, come back!”

  I turned around to see Keiko standing at the door to the complex. When I realized it was her, I ran back to make her go back inside so she wasn’t inhaling the dust in the air.

  “Hey, it is filthy out here. Go back inside!” I said as I pushed her back inside and closed the door behind me.

  “Don’t go.” She pleaded.

  “Why? I did what I came here for. It is time for me to go home.”

  “Stay here with me.” She said looking into my eyes.

  “Here? With you?”

  “Yes. I feel like…I feel like I am supposed to be with you. I don’t know why. I just feel it. Please.” She said and came up and wrapped her arms around me, holding her face into my chest. Out of instinct, my arms wrapped around her and held her head against me.

  I stood there in silence for a brief moment trying to comprehend what was just now happening. “If that is what you want.”

  “It is.” She said pulling away and looking at me once more.

  I bent down and kissed her on the lips, and nothing felt more natural.

  The both of us climbed the stairs to return to her apartment and spent the rest of the day getting to know each other once more.

  Epilogue

  You may be asking yourself, why didn’t I just tell everyone on the 95th floor to evacuate? Why didn’t you say anything to the fire fighters who were scaling the stairs while you were on your way down from the tower? Well, I wanted to. I really did. It was the hardest thing not to say something, but I was scared. You remember what happened when I saved everyone, right? I vowed to not change anything after that. I didn’t know what would happen. Only, I just couldn’t let Keiko die. That would have been too much. Is that selfish of me? Yeah, probably. That doesn’t mean that the lives of everyone else didn’t mean anything. Of course they did. I wanted nobody to die. But fate wouldn’t allow it.

  I told you that you may hate me after hearing my story. And I wouldn’t blame you. I was there, perfectly able to save people but didn’t. That is something I have to live the rest of my life with. But if you were in my shoes, can you honestly say you would have acted differently? After having saved everyone once and then watching the love of your life who is carrying your unborn child whisked away, never to be seen again? It is not an easy thing to do, and I don’t expect everyone to agree with the decision I made.

  I now live a life hiding in the shadows until the day I can finally come out again. Keiko and I resumed our relationship, and that is all I ever wanted. We later found out that one of the black hole objects reappeared, however, this was the only one that was discovered—most likely a result of me saving her. Fortunately, it was found in a remote location in North Dakota so nobody was hurt. Apparently the US government has sectioned the location off like another Area 51 so it can be studied. Who knows, maybe something good will come of it.

  For now, I sit and wait for the day I can finally become a part of society again. When the year 2018 comes around, I will finally pick my life back up where it left off before I was sent into my own past. In the end, I may not have prevented the disaster that befell this country on September 11th, 2001, but you can’t say I never tried.

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, completion of this book never would have been possible without the expert editing skills of Sara Ann Miller. You rule! If any errors remain, that is solely the fault of myself and I take full responsibility for them. Also, I am forever grateful to my father, David Brooks, for being the first to read my story from start to finish, errors and all. The best encouragement a person can receive is from the ones that brought them into this world. Thank you!

  When I set out to write this book, it was only because I had read probably the greatest historical fiction ever written: 11/22/63 by Ste
phen King. I won’t lie, his book was my main inspiration. Upon finishing his book for the second time, I wanted more. Very rarely have I ever been so emotionally moved by a book. I searched for another book along the same lines but with the premise of stopping the 9/11 attacks, but found nothing that piqued my interest. That was when I decided to just do it myself.

  While Stephen King’s story was still fresh in my mind, I wanted to make sure that my story was different enough to stand out on its own. Having a degree in history, research is nothing new to me. As a matter of fact, most of my research took place before I even decided on writing. It is just something I love to do. Coming up with ways to implement all of that research into a story that continually made you want to turn the page was no easy task. I hope I have succeeded.

  Taking Stephen’s suggestion in his own book, I also sought out Jack Finney’s tale Time and Again. Another great book that might have set the stage for great historical time travel stories. Sure, there are many others, some that came much earlier, but Finney’s book is a true classic.

  For this story, I tried to be as historically accurate as possible. Of course, keeping one hundred percent accurate is difficult and at times I had to make small adjustments to fit the images I had in my head. Things like the layout of the pizzeria in Manhattan. The pizzeria really exists, but is slightly smaller than I have portrayed it. I imagine writing a book like this would have been much more difficult twenty or even thirty years ago. Luckily, most locations I depicted in my story were easily seen straight from my desk via Google Earth. I could only imagine having to readjust to the late 90s like Stan did.

  Writing a tale such as this would never have been possible without the countless hours, days, and months of research from the many talented authors who tirelessly documented in a coherent timeline the details of the men who carried out the 9/11 attacks. While the official 9/11 Commission Report can be a helpful tool in researching what happened, it left out many vital facts that are required to truly understand what happened and how it all happened. For this, I give due credit to Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan for their work in writing The Eleventh Day, as well as Terry McDermott for his work, Perfect Soldiers. These books fill in the many gaps that were left in the official report which not only connect some of the missing dots, but also give the reader some eye-opening facts about some of the shady things that happened behind the scenes.