“Can we make it?” Justin asked.
The captain hesitated for a second. A loud bang came from the left side of the airplane. Carrie looked through a side window and saw a column of smoke pouring out of the engine.
“That was one of our working engines,” the captain cried.
“We’re losing power fast.” The co-pilot fumbled with the switches. A second later, he heaved a great sigh of resignation.
“We’re screwed,” the captain said.
“We’re crash-landing?” asked Justin.
“May Allah help us.” The captain turned his complete attention to the control panel.
“Let’s get ready.” Carrie led the way out of the cockpit.
“I’ll tell Abdul,” Justin replied.
He ran to the back of the airplane. Carrie stayed in the smaller lounge, since it was the closest to a set of exit doors. She dragged the guards outside the lounge and threw away every object unfastened to the floor or the walls. Then, she began gathering all cushions and blankets next to the large sofa, in order to make a soft protective pad.
“Bring cushions from the rest of the plane,” she said, as Abdul and Justin walked in. Sameer was following them, still holding his videogame controller. His face was pale and his lips were pursed.
“It’s going to be OK,” Carrie said to him, extending her hand. “My name is Carrie. What’s your name?”
“Sameer.” The boy shook her hand very gently. He sat next to her, on one of the cushions, following her lead. “Are we going to die too, like daddy?”
“No, we’re not.” Carrie rested her arm on his trembling shoulders, bringing him closer to her. “I’ve got you and I’m not letting you go.”
Sameer smiled and tucked his head on her chest.
“I found this.” Justin held Zakir’s laptop in his left hand and a bundle of cushions under his right arm. “We may find some good intel in it once on the ground.”
“You found the handcuffs key as well,” Carrie said.
“Yeah, one of the guards had them in his pocket.”
Abdul came in with a stack of bath towels and blankets.
“Spread them here.” Carrie pointed around them. “The softer the landing, the greater our chances of survival.”
“I’ll take the suits of the guards,” Abdul said.
“Hurry up,” Carrie said. “I saw a safe in the third lounge,” she added, this time talking to Justin.
He shook his head. “No time for that. Whatever secret it holds, it’ll have to wait until we land.”
If we’re still alive, he wanted to add, but did not want to frighten Sameer any more, if that was even possible. The boy was curled up into Carrie’s chest, sobbing quietly. Carrie was gently stroking his hair.
The airplane shook violently then took a nosedive. A great rattle came from the only working engine. Justin tightened the grip of his hands around the sofa legs bolted to the airplane’s floor.
“Abdul,” Justin called. “Quick.”
Abdul appeared in the doorway, struggling to stay on his feet. Four black suits were wrapped around his arms.
“What’s happening?” Sameer asked in a whimpering voice.
“The plane is broken. The pilots are trying to fix it and land us safely,” Carrie explained.
“Will they do it?”
“Yes, they will,” she said. “I hope they do,” she added under her breath.
The rattle grew louder. The airplane continued to shake greatly as if going through severe turbulence. They huddled around each other, holding onto each other and the sofa, bracing for the crash-landing. Abdul was muttering a prayer. His eyes were closed, his lips moving faster and faster, as the airplane came closer and closer to the point of impact. Justin had wrapped his arms around Carrie.
“When will it be?” Carrie asked.
“Anytime,” Justin replied.
The airplane’s rattle subsided. The captain was decelerating for landing. He was dumping the leftover fuel from the airplane’s tanks, to lower the risk of a fireball explosion on impact. He found a flat, open field and realigned the airplane’s flying course. The airplane began to lose both altitude and speed at a swift pace. Its vibrations returned to a somewhat normal level. Almost a minute passed. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, other than the repetitious cough of the engine.
Then the airplane crashed belly first on the ground.
The impact threw Justin against one of the airplane’s walls. He shouted in pain as he rolled on the floor. Abdul’s hand slipped off the sofa’s legs. He slid backwards and went through the glass door, screaming in agony. Carrie kept her left arm hooked around the sofa’s leg. Her right hand was embracing Sameer’s body. The little boy kept sobbing.
The captain fought with the reverse thrust of the engine. He applied the brakes, which were still working. The airplane ploughed through the brush and olives and palms of the field. One of the engines broke off. The airplane veered to the left. It continued to rip through the field, albeit at a slower speed. A moment later, its wingtip fell off. Within a few seconds, the entire tail split from the fuselage, causing a large opening. Strong wind gusts went sweeping through the airplane. A fire erupted in the cockpit, and a burning odor entered the lounge. One of the wings collapsed with a large bang, but the fuselage kept sliding for a few more yards. It came to a slow stop near a row of wooden shacks.
“Out, out, out, quick, quick,” Justin shouted, as soon as the airplane stopped sliding.
He checked on Carrie and Sameer and collected his gun and his laptop. He cast a glance toward the burning cockpit, realizing it was already too late for the pilots. Abdul got to his feet and began wrestling with the mangled exit door.
“It’s jammed,” he said after a few failed attempts.
“Move back.” Justin raised his mini Uzi.
He fired an entire magazine at the door, stitching up a circle around the handle. Then, he kicked open the door.
“Let’s go, before the fuel catches fire.” He jumped to the ground, eight feet below.
Carrie lowered Sameer into Justin’s arms. Then, she gave him the laptop. Abdul looked at the flames leaping at the entrance door of the first lounge. A wind gust blew the smell of burning plastic into his face. He began to cough.
“It’s time to go,” Carrie said to Abdul.
Thirty seconds later, while they were still running away from the crash site, a fierce explosion threw them to the ground. Scorched debris and metal shreds rained all around them, as the airplane wreckage turned into a burning hulk.
“Everyone’s OK?” Justin asked when the fiery hail stopped.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Carrie replied.
She had shielded Sameer underneath her body.
“Abdul?” Justin asked.
“Welcome back to Tripoli,” Abdul replied. He lay on his back, cleaning dirt and ashes off his face.
Justin was the first one to get to his feet. He looked around to gather his bearings, and noticed an air traffic control tower to the south.
“The airport’s that way. We have to get to the Prime Minister’s motorcade before they reach the airport.” Justin stared to his right, toward the Airport Highway connecting Tripoli International Airport to the Libyan capital.
“Let’s hope we’re not too late.” Carrie caressed Sameer’s wavy hair.
He looked up at her and gave her a shy smile. Streaks of tears were still visible on his face.
“The Prime Minister is supposed to meet the American President at the airport,” Justin said. “She was landing at 5:30.”
“What time is it now?” Abdul asked.
“No idea,” Justin replied. He glanced at his wrist. “Somebody stole my Rolex.”
“Yeah. They cleaned me out of my jewelry too,” Carrie said.
Justin looked toward the highway about a mile away and squinted. He raised his hand to deflect the bright sunrays hitting his eyes, and noticed a military jeep, then a police car, followed by another military jeep. “It’s the motorcade.”