Code Black (25 page)

Donovan saw that Audrey was near tears. John kept looking back as he flew, his face a mixture of sadness and resignation. Donovan slid his dead phone into his pocket, then dialed Lauren’s number with the phone he’d just found. He listened as it rang, until it went to voice mail.

“They’re not coming, are they?” John lowered his head in defeat.

“Let’s think this through.” Donovan put his hand on Audrey’s shoulder as he moved past her and sat down in the copilot’s seat. He thought of Michael and the
Galileo II
sitting at Midway, then he remembered Lauren telling him Michael was headed to O’Hare. It would take far too long for them to return to Midway and launch the Gulfstream.

“I hate to say it,” John said, his voice far more strained than before. “Maybe they’re right. We can’t sit here much longer boring holes in the sky, waiting for something that’s not going to happen.”

“How much fuel do you think we have at this point?” Donovan hated the thought of giving in to Cyrus. But in the face of the facts, and what he’d just heard, they had precious few options.

“We can’t have much.” John shrugged as he looked at the lifeless fuel gauges. “Plus it’s going to be completely dark inside the hour. We need to do something soon.”

Donovan gazed out the window as the 737 wheeled in the deserted sky. Below them was the spot that marked the heat island phenomena Lauren spoke of. Through the scattered clouds and driving snow was Lake Michigan. He pictured the maneuver he’d have to perform, the spiraling descent through the opening. He’d have to stay in the tight turn until they were almost to the water. Then at the last second he’d have to point the 737 into the wind, level the wings, and hope they stayed in one piece as they crash-landed. Donovan hated the water; a phobia that stretched back to a near drowning as a teenager, but he remained calm. Their chances of getting out of the airplane were virtually zero. The 737’s engines were mounted under the wings and would hit the whitecaps first. If the engines touched the surface of the lake at exactly the same instant they would decelerate quickly. The engines might even shear off from the impact, if they were lucky, it would give them a smooth underbelly with which to skip along the surface until they came to a stop. But in reality, one engine would undoubtedly hit first, and the energy from that would probably cartwheel the airplane. The end would be quick as the 737 broke up around them and sank.

Donovan shook off the thoughts and focused on the job at hand. He knew they were going to have to do something now, or all of their options were going to evaporate. He considered the helpless people in back. If they ditched in the water, they would all drown strapped into their seats. They, out of all the survivors on 880, had no hope at all.

“Donovan?” Audrey leaned forward. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” Donovan replied. “I’m just trying to figure out what’s best.”

“It’s the damnedest thing,” John remarked, solemnly. “Just circling here, waiting to do something that has so little chance of working. I liked Henry’s idea; it was a gutsy move. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”

Donovan slowly nodded as he looked across the cockpit at the injured man next to him. The blood from the wound on his forehead had seeped through the bandage. Despite the wrapping over his burns, John still cringed each time he was forced to move. But whatever injuries the man had incurred, John was still the captain.

“Tell me what you guys are thinking,” Audrey said, breaking the silence. “What options are left?”

“You’re the captain.” Donovan deferred the question to the man in the left seat.

“I’ll listen to anything at this point.” John waited, but nothing was forthcoming from either Donovan or Audrey. “That’s what I was afraid of. I think we should get on with it then. What I don’t want to happen is for us to run out of fuel. Then we’d be trying to ditch one really big glider. I don’t think I need to remind you what a crappy glider an airliner makes.”

“It’s decided then,” Donovan said. “I should probably go back and break the news to the others. I’ll get everyone briefed on what to expect.”

“There should be several life jackets in the overhead compartments,” John added as Donovan rose to leave. “We don’t carry very many, we’re not required to in the 737, but find what we have and hand them out.”

“Will do.” Donovan started to get up.

“Audrey,” John said as she, too, started to leave. “Could you stay here for a minute? I need to have a word with you. It won’t take long, then you can go back and join the others.”

“Sure.” Audrey sat back down and let Donovan slide past her.

“Go on,” John urged a puzzled Donovan. “She’ll be there shortly. I think she should be in back when we do this. It’ll be safer.”

Donovan exited the cockpit. He had no idea what John could want with Audrey. Carefully, he made his way through the wrecked entryway and slowly walked aft. As he neared the survivors, it became evident that the continued strain was taking its toll. Rafael sat in one of the last rows looking fiercely up at the ceiling, motionless except for the muscles in his jaw, which were working overtime. Across from him sat Keith and Christy; Keith a direct contrast to Rafael. The big man sat with his head lowered, all emotion drained from his face. Christy’s hair, fully undone, hung over her eyes, as if she needed one more barrier to separate her from the horror of the cabin. Wetzler was still strapped unconscious in his seat. Donovan knew that they would have to try and rouse Wetzler before they ditched. Like him or not, the man deserved a chance to survive.

Without stopping, Donovan glanced over at Patricia Wheeler. The woman was as he’d left her, eyes shut, still clutching the valuables in her purse. The image of her and her husband served as a grim reminder of the wedding Donovan was supposed to attend, and now most likely wouldn’t. He thought of the chance he’d missed to say good-bye to Lauren. He’d make one last attempt before they started, but if she and Henry were in custody, it would probably be in vain.

“Are they here?” Rafael shot to his feet and began looking out the windows, trying to find the other jet they’d been told to expect.

Keith too, began to search the empty sky for the airplane that they hoped would lead them home.

Donovan shook his head as he approached. “It’s not going to happen. There were problems on the ground and they’re not coming. We’re on our own.”

Rafael sat heavily, as if a huge weight had pressed him into the seat. He kept his eyes on Donovan. “Does this mean we’re going into the water?”

“I’m afraid so.” Donovan hated to crush their hopes. “But there is a spot where we can make it all the way to the water without our instruments. We’re told that the Coast Guard, as well other rescue elements, will be on the scene. They should be able to get to us quickly after we’ve come to a stop.”

“How do we get out of this thing? Are there life vests, or are we going to have to use the silly seat cushions?” Rafael’s eyes darted nervously around the cabin as if he were already imagining being trapped inside a sinking plane.

“Audrey will be back here in a minute or two. Together we’ll explain what needs to be done. There should be several emergency flotation vests in the overhead compartments.”

“When you open the aft doors,” Christy said, raising her good arm and brushing the hair from her bruised face. She pointed toward the rear of the plane; her voice wavered as she tried to be heard. “After the slides inflate; they can be detached from the airplane and you can use them as rafts.”

“I’m here.” Audrey came running down the aisle toward them. “Did you find the vests yet?”

In a flash, Rafael was up out of his seat as he began to search for the life vests.

“Okay.” Donovan pointed at the two aft exit doors. “Before we start, I want each of you to go back and study how to open the door. Memorize it. It’s going to get darker as we descend.”

“I found three!” Rafael displayed the yellow pouches. He held one close to his chest and dangled the other two out for the others.

“Audrey, you take one, and Keith, you take the other. I trust both of you can swim?”

“I can.” Keith grabbed the bag and ripped it open. He gently pulled himself free of Christy, slipped the rubbery fabric over his head, and with some effort fastened the strap around him. Once he’d secured it, he sat back down next to her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you,” Christy said, turning painfully and looking at the others. “Good, you found them all. I’m sorry I can’t help much…”

“Like this?” Rafael had mimicked Keith’s actions and slid his vest over his head. He fumbled for the straps that hung loosely at his side.

Audrey moved in and helped him secure it properly, then donned her own vest. “What about him?” she asked, motioning toward Wetzler.

Donovan didn’t give the unconscious man a second glance. “Once we start our descent, wake him up. Throw water in his face if you need to. But don’t let him get in your way. Keith, if he becomes a problem—take him out. I won’t have one half-drunk obnoxious passenger jeopardize the rest of you. Are we clear on this?”

“Perfectly,” Keith replied as he eyed Wetzler.

“You’re all set then.” Donovan wanted to say more but found he didn’t have the words. He turned to Audrey and it suddenly seemed as if they’d left so much unsaid.

“How will we know when we’ve started?” Rafael kept pulling at the straps of his life vest, cinching them tighter and tighter. “I mean, when should we brace ourselves?”

“You’ll hear the engines get quieter as we reduce the thrust. Then we’ll go into a fairly steep bank. We’ll be making a series of turns as we spiral down through the opening in the clouds. Once we level the wings you’ll be able to see the water. At that point I’d advise you to assume the crash position. I’ll expect we’ll hit and skip a few times before we come to a full stop. Stay strapped in until you’re convinced we’ve stopped moving. Then get out—fast.”

“What about you and John?” Audrey asked.

“We’re going to be doing the same thing you are. Once we’ve come to a stop, John and I will be out the front exit. We’ll use one of the emergency slides as a raft.” Donovan stretched the truth. He’d already calculated the force of the ditching against what was left of the damaged forward section of the Boeing. He figured the cockpit would shear away from the main fuselage once they hit. It was anyone’s guess where he and John would end up in relation to the others. But there would most likely be no emergency slide to get to. He seriously doubted they’d survive the crushing impact.

“Anything else we should know?” Rafael asked nervously.

“I think that covers everything.” Donovan guessed that each of them was silently considering their odds of survival. “I’m going back up to the cockpit. Again, once you feel the airplane start a sharp bank you’ll know we’re starting down. It’ll be ten or fifteen minutes from now. John and I will need some time to get things ready up front.”

“I’ll walk you up,” Audrey said as she followed Donovan away from the small band of survivors. They’d gone four rows when she stopped him. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

“You know better than I do—but, I’m guessing that our chances really aren’t very good, are they?”

Donovan shook his head slowly. He couldn’t lie to her.

Audrey bit her lip and stared at the ceiling, fighting back her tears. “If—if somehow you make it and I don’t.” She took a moment to wipe her eyes. “Tell Henry I’m sorry. I’m sorry that things worked out the way they did. If I—we, could do it differently, I would. Tell him to take care of Matt, I so hope they can somehow find each other again.”

“Hopefully you can tell him yourself,”

“I would have liked to meet Lauren,” Audrey said, drying her eyes and collecting herself. “I’d like to think maybe we could all be friends—someday.”

“Maybe we’ll get that chance.” The second he said the words he knew they sounded empty and hollow.

“Thank you, Robert.” Audrey pulled away. “You’ll always be Robert to me—and Robert was nothing if not a survivor.”

Donovan watched as she joined the others in the back of the plane. He stood there for a moment as he replayed Audrey’s words and wondered if he should have countered her last words with some of his own. He thought of his daughter who might never know him, and Lauren, the woman he’d leave behind. Despite his fatigue and frayed emotions, a small sense of renewed purpose emerged in Donovan as he made his way forward to the flight deck. He negotiated the sharp objects and pulled himself through the opening. To his complete surprise he found John strapped into the right seat. The captain’s chair was waiting for him.

“John, are you sure about this?” Donovan said as the wounded pilot turned to greet him. He understood now why John had asked Audrey to stay behind. She’d helped the injured man switch seats.

“I’m in no shape to do what needs to be done,” John explained. “I figured you’d be able to fly better from that side.”

“You might be right.” Donovan slid into the seat and for the first time since he’d charged up to the cockpit, felt an inkling of being at home. He adjusted the seat and his senses took in everything around him. He always flew the Gulfstreams from the left seat; it was where the Captain on a jet was supposed to be. He scanned the horizon. They were headed south. Ahead of them and far below, the small indentation in the clouds marked their destination.

“You got it?” John asked as he prepared to relinquish the controls.

“In a minute,” Donovan replied. “Hand me one of those cell phones. I think we should call the tower and let them know we’re about to start.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

As the helicopter’s rotor wash enveloped her, Lauren turned away and waited for the intense blizzard created by the spinning blades to subside. She expected a small army of soldiers to leap from the helicopter, guns drawn, to arrest them. Instead, one figure jumped out into the knee-deep snow. Behind them, a snowplow and a four-wheel-drive pickup came to a stop near their overturned vehicle. She glanced at Henry, who appeared as confused as she was.