Chapter 8 - Mid-Air Rebellion
At thirty-eight thousand feet, cruising smoothly through the clear blue skies over the Rocky Mountains, the Boeing 777 felt like an island of serenity. Outside the cockpit glass, the jagged snow-capped peaks drifted beneath them like frozen waves.
Inside the flight deck, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
First Officer Ryan Miller, a sharp twenty-eight-year-old aviator, adjusted the heading bug on the autopilot panel. He glanced nervously at Captain Marcus Vance, who was seated on the left, his headset clamped over his ears, listening to the crackling audio from the long-range company VHF radio.
*"Flight 404, this is Dallas Flight Operations Director Thomas Sterling,"* the voice barked through the frequency. *"Captain Vance, do you read?"*
Marcus pressed the push-to-talk switch on the control yoke. "Go ahead, Operations. Vance reading you five-by-five."
*"Marcus, what the hell are you doing up there?"* Thomas Sterling’s voice was dripping with corporate fury. *"We received an urgent distress ping from lead attendant Brenda Snider before pushback, followed by an immediate formal complaint from Julian Sterling—who happens to be the cousin of our Executive Vice President! He claims you illegally denied him boarding and threatened him with federal marshals!"*
Marcus didn't blink. "Julian Sterling was disruptive, verbally abusive, and violated crew instructions regarding passenger safety. He attempted to coerce crew members into unlawfully evicting a disabled passenger with a confirmed first-class ticket. Under CFR Part 91, I exercised Captain's discretion."
*"To hell with your discretion, Marcus!"* Thomas Sterling shouted over the radio. *"Brenda reports that you physically intimidated her, relieved her of duty without union authorization, and gave preferential treatment to an aggressive passenger who assaulted her! Do you have any idea the legal liability you just dumped on this airline?"*
"Brenda Snider committed an assault on a disabled veteran and his seven-year-old child," Marcus fired back, his voice vibrating with absolute fury. "She kicked his walking cane across the floor and physically attempted to haul him out of his seat. I have forty witnesses in the first-class cabin, including an attorney who is currently drafting a formal affidavit against her."
There was a long, static-filled pause on the radio.
Then Thomas Sterling’s voice returned, colder, harder. *"The police have already been alerted at LAX. Terminal 4 operations have requested the Los Angeles Police Department and airport security to establish a perimeter at Gate 71A. When your wheels touch down, your aircraft will be held on the taxiway. Major Keller will be taken into custody for questioning, and you will be met by the Chief Flight Operations Officer for immediate suspension pending termination."*
First Officer Ryan Miller turned pale, looking over at Marcus with wide, terrified eyes. "Captain... they’re going to pull your license."
Marcus released the radio switch. He did not look panicked. He looked like a man who had flown through mortar fire and didn't care about a bureaucrat's threats.
"Ryan," Marcus said calmly.
"Yes, sir?"
"Who is the Chairman of the Board of our parent corporation?"
"General Arthur Pendelton," Ryan answered automatically. "Retired Four-Star, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs."
Marcus picked up his personal satellite phone. He dialed an eleven-digit private number that had been saved in his secure contacts for eight years.
May you like
"Connect me to General Pendelton's personal residence," Marcus said into the receiver. "Tell him Captain Marcus Vance is calling regarding Task Force White. Tell him... The Ghost is on my airplane."
***
