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Mayday

Written By: Spudz

The scene from twenty-five thousand feet was breathtaking... you just couldn't beat the view.

As far as the eye could see, the gentle rolling hills of the Georgia countryside dominated the scenery in large swaths of lush green forest, occasioned by splotches of blue lakes, expanses of farmland, and long winding roads. Here and there, cities were also found nestled between the features of this spectacular landscape, some consisting of large bustling populations, others merely existing as tiny communities where roads met.

The world just seemed so much smaller up here.

"Delta 1283, clear flight level three three zero."

The air traffic control callout snapped Ayden out of his thoughts rudely, causing the Belgian malinois to visibly start in his seat. Hastily he keyed the mic to the headset he wore.

"Clear flight level three-three-zero, Delta 1283," the captain replied smartly, before releasing the switch on his control yoke. The shepherd then set about dialing the new altitude setting into the autopilot, which was currently flying the aircraft up toward its cruise altitude.

"You nearly fell out of your seat," Ella remarked with a grin from the other side of the flight deck, once he had entered the proper setting. "Got caught sightseeing?"

"Of course not." Ayden replied defensively. Her sudden raised eyebrow forced a smile from him. "Ok... well maybe a little."

First Officer Thomas turned her gaze out the side window. "It certainly is a beautiful day." The aircraft was currently flying on a northeastern course, affording the collie a stellar view of the more densely populated countryside to their right, as well as the barely visible coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. "Think this weather will hold all the way up to Philly?"

"Reports said it would." The malinois leaned back slightly in his seat. "There aren't any fronts coming through at least, so at worst there might be a little turbulence."

Ella procured one of her landing charts, and began reviewing the approach patterns into the Philadelphia region. "I always enjoy a smooth day of flying," she spoke. "But sometimes a little adventure never hurts to mix things up."

"Careful... or you might get more than you bargained for," Ayden teased. He watched as the contrail of a passing plane soared roughly three thousand feet over their heads. "Although, I have to agree that this job can be boring at times."

It was the downside to the technological sophistication of modern passenger jets. Like most airliners, the MD-88 that they piloted could actually fly itself for almost the entire duration of the flight profile, barring the takeoff phase. The plane could even land without any assistance, as long as the pilots entered the correct information into the navigation systems beforehand.

The collie's attention remained on her approach charts as the autopilot made a gradual banking turn to the left, lining the MD-88 up on the next leg of its preprogramed flight path on a more northern heading.

"I'm surprised they have us routed so far east this time around," Ayden remarked, making a check of their new heading to verify that the flight management system was flying the plane properly. "Usually I don't see the coastline for another twenty minutes or so."

The collie looked up from her charts to also check their new heading. "It's probably to slow us down a tad. Hopefully the hold they mentioned back in Atlanta never materializes."

"One can hope."

Ayden's hearing perception was drawn back to the ATC frequency. Since his earlier reply to the altitude clearance, the radio had remained quite active with communications between the ATC handler and various other aircraft that occupied the immediate airspace around his own plane.

At that moment, a Southwest 737 was being given clearance to descend down from its cruise flight level, presumably, Ayden reasoned, for an eventual approach into Atlanta. The low-cost airline had actually just begun flying to the predominately Delta hub, promising to shake things up for the entrenched legacy carrier.

"It will be interesting when Southwest finally absorbs Air Tran," the Belgian said, referring to the recent merger of the two former low-cost rivals.

Again Ella looked up from her charts. "Honestly I never expected that merger to go through." She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Given the state of the industry, I guess it was inevitable."

"Supposedly they're going to dissolve the hub and spoke of Air Tran in favor of a point to point route map." Ayden toyed with his whiskers thoughtfully. "I'm curious to see how all this change will affect our airline."

Ella was about to reply, when suddenly the ATC frequency came alive in both their headsets.

"Delta 1283, contact Atlanta Center on one one three point five, g'day."

Once more Ayden keyed his mic. "One one three point five, 1283." The malinois reached down between the two cockpit seats to the radio stack and rotated the dials to the new frequency. With that task accomplished, he then toggled the switch to broadcast again. "Atlanta Center, Delta 1283 with you, thirty-one five for thirty-three."

The reply over the new frequency was short and crisp. "1283, roger. Altimeter three zero five two."

The radio chatter never ceased in Ayden's headset as he once more let his gaze wander back out the cockpit window. By now, he had trained his ears to only pick up his own flight number callouts, allowing the rest of the transmission to fade into background noise.

"So what foods do you like?" the Belgian shepherd asked suddenly, catching Ella off guard with the change in topics. He fully intended to follow through with his earlier offer of buying her lunch in Philly.

The collie blinked deliberately. "Uh... well." She trailed off, apparently not sure how to answer. "I'm really impartial to be honest."

Her answer didn't satisfy the captain. "You have to have a favorite at least?"

Ella gave him a disarming smile at his reproachful look. Obviously he knew she was evading the question. "I can't say really. If anything, I can't eat seafood... I have an allergic reaction."

The malinois raised an eyebrow critically.

"Oh... alright," Ella finally managed, sinking in her seat slightly. "I guess I have a thing for hometown cuisine. When I realized we were going to Philly, I couldn't help but think of a juicy cheesesteak."

Ayden smiled. "I know a perfect little restaurant right in the airport with a cheesesteak that is to die for."

Ella's ears perked up slightly. "At the airport?" The collie's tone implied she didn't quite believe him.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Ayden went on, patting his stomach for emphasis. "Not all airport cuisine is terrible." He suddenly grinned. "Well... the vast majority of it is, I suppose."

Ella grimaced at his words. "I can attest to that. I made the mistake of eating at a Burger King once before a flight. I almost didn't make it out of the lav in time to land the plane."

"Trust me, you're not the only pilot who's suffered through that," Ayden remarked, his own expression becoming a little ill at the thought of a certain flight two years ago. "I don't know what I ate... but my captain was alone in the cockpit for almost the entire trip one time."

"A rite of passage?" Ella ventured, smiling at the absurdity of their conversation topic. "I guess each pilot has to experience the humiliation of rushing to the lavatory at least once."

At that moment, the aircraft finally reached its cruising altitude, causing the autopilot to adjust the plane's pitch to a level flight profile. Both pilots made a quick sweep of the cockpit displays to ensure the flight computer was still functioning properly as the auto throttle retarded the engine settings back to maintain a safe speed.

Satisfied with the aircraft's handling, Ayden turned once more to regard Ella. "Alright, so cheesesteaks it is?"

Before the collie could answer, her stomach rumbled audibly, causing her to wince. "I guess my gut agrees," she finally replied, before shrugging helplessly. "Why not? I haven't had greasy food in a good while."

Ayden smiled victoriously. "Then it is decided. I promise you won't be disappointed. I've eaten there a few times and have never gotten a cheesesteak anywhere else since."

"I'll take your word for it, shepherd," Ella replied, fixing him with a grin. "I better not be disappointed." The collie then made a show of stroking her muzzle thoughtfully. "So... where am I taking you for dinner later tonight?"

The captain tilted his head in confusion. "Dinner?"

"Well yes, remember we agreed that I could return the favor for you buying me lunch?" Her grin became wicked. "I plan to do so once we get back into Atlanta."

The tables had turned against Ayden unexpectedly. "Ah... erm." He fumbled for words. "I really can't tonight. I have another flight into Kansas City."

Ella wagged a finger at the malinois admonishingly. "You do, and I'm your copilot for that trip as well... we have plenty of time to share a meal in-between. Gonna have to do better than that to weasel out'a this."

Ayden's muzzle hung ajar for a moment, before he closed it once more and dropped his gaze to the rudder pedals. How had he forgotten that?

The malinois was already meeting Caroline back at the Chili's for dinner, why not invite Ella along? Ayden enjoyed her company, and certainly wouldn't mind sharing a conversation over a meal with the collie... although Caroline was going to have a field day when he got back. After all, he hadn't forgotten about the greyhound's promise to find him a date... although, the idea didn't seem all that alien to him when he thought about Ella.

The collie in question still held her knowing gaze on Ayden as he once more looked up into her striking blue eyes. "I was actually planning to meet a friend of mine for dinner when we got back. Would you care to join us perhaps?"

His reply caught Ella off guard, eliciting an inquisitive look from the collie. "Another pilot?"

Ayden shook his head. "She's a waitress that works at the Chili's in Concourse A. She's been a good friend of mine for some time." He could see the wheels begin to turn in her head at his reply.

"Ah... I see," the collie managed after a moment's thought, ears suddenly folding flat. "That's ok then. I can buy you dinner some other time."

"Oh... oh, no, it's not like that!" Ayden stammered, having realized what conclusion his copilot had drawn. "We're just friends, nothing more. I could never date her; she's almost young enough to be my daughter." His last statement was spoken with some embarrassment.

Ella's countenance brightened up once more, her tail thumping happily about behind her seat for a moment.

"I usually hang out with her at the restaurant before or after I fly," Ayden went on, rubbing the back of his head. "She's fun to talk to. I'm sure you two would hit it off well."

"You sure I won't be a bother?"

"Of course not," the malinois spoke sincerely. "I definitely wouldn't mind having a friend to talk with while Caroline is serving customers."

His words brought a warm smile to the collie. "Alright. I've been meaning to try out that restaurant for some time now."

Captain Rhodes returned her smile. "I'll have to show you the stellar view as well."

Ella was about to reply, when Ayden's ears suddenly twitched keenly, his sensitive nose catching a whiff of an alarming smell.

"Do you smell smoke?" the malinois asked Ella in alarm.

The mood in the cockpit suddenly grew tense.

The collie's expression became frightened, her eyes quickly scanning over the instruments of the cockpit. "No... do you?"

Carefully the captain sniffed the air, attempting to pick up the scent again... yet the alarming odor had dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared.

"I... thought I did," Ayden finally admitted, his ears splaying back anxiously. Where there was smoke, there was fire, and fire aboard an aircraft was every pilot's worst nightmare.

The Belgian malinois turned in his seat to eye the fuse panel behind him. A quick check verified that everything was still properly configured.

"Maybe we should check with the cabin crew," Ella ventured nervously. Ayden's sudden anxiety was beginning to get to her.

"Good idea."

However, before Captain Rhodes tuned his headset to the flight attendant channel, a call came in from the cabin behind them, catching the malinois by surprise.

The two pilots exchanged looks as Ayden keyed the channel. "Captain Rhodes here."

The voice on the other end belonged to Allan, which was another surprise for the flight deck crew. "Captain, I'm getting some light smoke back here in the galley."

The words filled the shepherd with dread. Ayden's response was immediate. "Ok, we'll turn around for the nearest airport." Pilots never wanted to mess around when it came to fire, especially when the safety of passengers hung in the balance. In such a situation, every second counted for getting the plane safely back onto the ground.

Allan's reply gave the captain pause, however. "No, there isn't any visible smoke. I'm just getting a whiff of it from the galley area."

Ayden hesitated at the flight attendant's words. There was nothing worse than diverting to an airport for an emergency that didn't exist, yet pilots were always taught to air on the side of caution. He had to make a decision quickly.

"We should still divert?" Ella asked, catching Ayden's eye. It was obvious from her tone that she didn't want to take a chance.

The malinois's hesitation was only for an instant. "Yes we should. Even if this is a false alarm, I don't want to risk it." His words were also heard by Allan.

"I'm not seeing any evidence of a fire," the labrador went on hastily. "Just the faintest hint of smoke."

Ayden was confused by the steward's sudden change in stance. But even so, he had made his choice. "I don't want to take any chances."

There was a moment's pause on the other end of the line. "Could you come back and take a look?"

Captain Rhodes was surprised by the odd request. It wasn't often that a pilot was asked by a flight attendant to come back into the cabin during a flight. However, the issue at hand was out of the norm, and going back to investigate the galley himself certainly would help shed some light on what type of emergency he was dealing with, if anything.

Ayden regarded First Officer Thomas. "Would you feel comfortable handling the plane while I go back to take a look?"

Ella gave him a quick nod. "Yes... I'd feel better knowing what's going on back there."

The captain turned his attention back to the headset. "Alright, I'll come have a look. Prepare the cabin per procedure." With those words, he cut off the connection.

Meanwhile, the collie had assumed command of the radio frequency. "Atlanta Center, Delta 1283 is declaring a pan, pan, pan. We have light smoke on the flight deck and cabin... standby for intent."

The declaration of pan, pan, pan was an international radio call used by pilots to inform air traffic handlers and other nearby planes of a problem aboard an aircraft. The callout was not of the utmost urgency, and communicated to ATC that the situation was not life-threatening, at least for the moment. Nevertheless, the declaration warranted immediate action.

The reply from air traffic control was swift. "Delta 1283, pan acknowledged, state intentions when able."

Both pilots eyed their navigation displays. At the moment, the aircraft was just passing into North Carolina.

"Should we head to Charlotte?" Ella asked. The airport in question was actually right along their flight path, and was quite large with ample rescue equipment on hand.

Ayden studied his display a moment longer. "That seems the best decision. Let's go there."

"Ok, but I don't have any of the approach charts."

"Hang on, I might've brought them with me," Captain Rhodes replied, quickly vaulting himself out of his seat to procure a folder from his flight bag. The folder contained a wide variety of charts on various airports that the malinois typically flew into. As luck would have it, he had passed through Charlotte two days ago, and still had the region's maps with him.

Ella accepted the charts with relief and a nod of thanks, before she keyed her mic. "Atlanta Center, Delta 1283 would like an expeditious approach into Charlotte."

"Delta 1283, turn left heading three one five, descend and maintain two four zero."

While Ella acknowledged the ATC instructions, Ayden took a call from Mary. "The cabin is safe for you to open the cockpit door," the Irish setter spoke from the other end of the line, her voice laced with concern. "I can definitely smell some smoke in the galley, but there is no visible trace."

"I'll be back in a moment," the malinois replied promptly.

Ayden quickly removed his headset and shifted over toward the cockpit door. With confirmation that the flight attendants had everything secure, it was now safe for the pilot to disengage the security bar that prevented forced entry from the cabin. Once the safety measure was detached, he twisted the lock on the door itself.

Opening the cockpit door presented Captain Rhodes with quite a particular sight. At first glance, the malinois was greeted by the three flight attendants, who all stood within the galley as a precaution should a passenger suddenly decide he wanted to fly the plane with the cockpit door open. Behind the cabin crew, the beverage cart had been wheeled up to block the narrow passageway back into the cabin, further hindering any forced attempts to enter the flight deck. The two protective measures really weren't all that sophisticated, but it was still just enough to give a pilot those precious few seconds to react.

Ayden let his gaze wander out into the cabin, only to meet the many sets of eyes that were trained directly onto him. It wasn't often that a pilot left the flight deck when the plane was in the air. No doubt the smell of smoke in first class was only adding to the growing looks of concern that the malinois could see spreading like wildfire.

Steeling himself, Captain Rhodes put the passengers out of mind for the moment, and considered Allan, who was acting rather strange. "Where did you first notice the smell of smoke?"

The labrador was surprised by Ayden's sudden question, his behavior adding to the pilot's unease. "I... uh... when I went to grab some more drinks from the storage locker." He pointed in the general direction of the cabinet in question.

Without pause, Ayden moved toward the locker. The smell of smoke was indeed stronger the closer he got, but there wasn't any noticeable signs of fire.

The malinois's gaze was inexplicably drawn to the galley oven, which was used to cook meals for passengers. The power switch was turned all the way up to its maximum setting.

Something was terribly wrong with this whole situation...

Captain Rhodes turned the oven off and opened the door, only to be greeted by a wave of smoke. The burnt smell of paper greeted his keen nose, adding to the shepherd's bewilderment. With his back to the flight attendants, he couldn't see what was unfolding behind him...

Ayden turned back toward Allan, intent on asking why the steward hadn't checked the oven. He never managed to utter a single word...

Suddenly, there was a gun, its sinister metallic profile causing the malinois's eyes to go wide in horror. What the hell was going on?

Even before the startled question had formed completely in Ayden's mind, the weapon came up level in Allan's hand, angled directly toward the two stewardesses next to the captain.

A feminine gasp of alarm reached Ayden's ears. There was a sudden frantic motion off to his side... and then, time slowed to a terrible stillness.

He could do nothing but stand in utter shock, unable to grasp what was going on.

The gun suddenly lurched in the labrador's hand, unleashing a vivid burst of light from its muzzle.

With cruel power the weapon's report jolted the pilot, shaking him out of his disbelief.

Before the spend ammo casing had been fully ejected from the pistol, Ayden was in motion. His focus was single-minded. There was only the weapon before him.

The shepherd willed his body forward with all the strength he had, hand stretched out toward the handgun that now began to shift onto its next target without remorse. A few feet separated Ayden from his opponent. He just had to close the distance!

His gaze still locked on the pistol, Ayden threw his weight forward, propelling himself directly into his adversary. The shepherd's hand struck the weapon forcefully, thrusting its aim off the intended mark. Yet, his effort was too little, too late.

The handgun's second shot reverberated through Ayden's ears as his forward momentum drove his opponent back violently. Together, the two furs crashed up against the galley wall, knocking the breath from the labrador in a muffled grunt.

Ayden had no idea if he had been shot. However, that didn't matter now. In his opponent's momentary disorientation, he desperately grasped for the handgun, managing to wrap a hand around the weapon while jamming his opponent's trigger finger against the pistol trigger guard.

Their eyes met in that brief moment, sending a lance of fear through Ayden. The steward's appearance lacked any emotion. There was nothing but a crazed look of ruthless determination, which gazed emptily right through the captain. This wasn't a fur Ayden was fighting against; this was a wild animal!

The labrador suddenly surged forward powerfully, nearly overwhelming Ayden's balance as both of the combatants came off the wall, gun held straight up between them.

It was then that the shrill screams of the passengers reached the pilot's hearing. Where were the other two flight attendants? Was anyone coming forward to help?

An eternity seemed to pass Ayden by as he continued to wrestle for the gun, throwing the both of them about the galley.

He could not let the steward overpower him. The cockpit door was still open, leaving no protection for Ella if the labrador managed to make his way forward. He had to find a way to turn the fight in his favor, and quick. He just needed to find an opening.

Allan suddenly pushed himself away from the captain slightly, opening up some room between them. It was the chance Ayden so desperately needed.

The malinois wasted no time wrapping his leg around his opponent, and drove his weight forward to upset their balance.

Both furs fell to the ground with Captain Rhodes pinning his adversary in a cumbersome heap. Capitalizing on the advantage, the pilot brutally struck the gun against the floor repeatedly, until finally the weapon was wrenched free.

With his opponent disarmed, movement out of the corner of Ayden's eye caught his attention, drawing his gaze toward the beverage cart, which was forcefully shoved into the galley to allow passengers through. Before the malinois knew what was happening, several large furs had added their weight to his own atop the pinned labrador, finally bringing the would-be terrorist under control.

The whole fight had lasted mere seconds.

Ayden felt himself suddenly pulled off his opponent by two firm hands, lifting him upright to quickly face a rather imposing mastiff. The daunting fur was a massive individual, standing just as tall as the shepherd with broad shoulders and a formidable build.

"We got him," the mastiff spoke with an air of authority, nodding his head gravely to the two passengers with Allan pinned beneath them. "Are you ok?"

Captain Rhodes turned his gaze briefly to the crazed flight attendant. What the hell had just happened?

"Keep him restrained," Ayden finally managed, still overwhelmed by the sudden attack. "I don't want that fucker to move."

Wordlessly, the bulky mastiff knelt down to add his weight to the other passengers, as Ayden took a moment to gather himself in the crowded galley.

Why had Allan just attacked him? Did the steward want to take control of the aircraft? What possible motives could he have?

Ayden turned his attention to himself, relieved to find no gunshot wounds. It was by some miracle he had not been shot...

The shepherd's blood ran cold...

The other flight attendants! Ayden spun about toward where the two stewardesses had been standing prior to the altercation.

In that gut-wrenching instant, his worse fear came to life.

Mary lay sprawled next to the passenger door, facedown against the floor in a pool of her own blood.

Ayden immediately knelt beside the Irish setter, who lay unmoving in eerie silence. He tried to roll her over, only to recoil away in shock. She had been fatally shot in the head.

A groan of pain greeted the shepherd's ears, forcing him to tear his gaze away from Mary to her wounded colleague.

Alongside the setter, April leaned up against the bulkhead with an arm wrapped around her midsection, her clothes stained in a rapidly growing swath of red. The German shepherd's brow was furrowed in pain, as she looked up to Ayden in horror.

"That... bastard shot me," the stewardess gasped in anguish, her words strained.

Ayden moved to kneel beside her, knowing better than to remove her hand from the wound. He had no training on how to deal with such an emergency.

In his mounting panic, the captain turned to the passengers who had gathered just outside the galley. "I need someone with medical experience now!"

The harshness of his tone was understood as the call for a medical professional quickly raced back through the aircraft cabin. In the meantime, Ayden had almost forgotten about Ella.

The collie suddenly poked her head out from the flight deck, her face awash in fear. "Shit, Ayden, what happened?" Ella then caught sight of the wounded flight attendant. "Oh God!"

Before the pilot could move to help, Ayden stopped her with a raised hand. "No... I need you in the cockpit," he spoke. "Get us on the ground quickly!"

For a moment Ella paused, the forcefulness of his words taking her by surprise. But the first officer knew what had to be done. The best thing they could do was get the plane to the nearest airport.

As the collie raced back into the cockpit, Ayden felt a hand grasp for his own. April's breathing grew shallower, yet she still managed to speak. "Is Mary... ok?"

Ayden squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry..."

He didn't have to say more. The look in April's eyes was one of pained understanding, just as much for Mary, as for herself. She squeezed his hand back, seeing the captain's anguished look. "It's ok."

Just then, a beagle suddenly knelt beside Ayden, catching him by surprise. "I'm an off duty paramedic," she spoke professionally, not wasting time with further introductions. The medic quickly assessed the situation with an expert eye, and then regarded him. "I need a first aid kit, quick!"

Not wasting any time, Ayden hurriedly stood and moved to extract the requested supply bag from a nearby storage locker in the galley. By the time he once more knelt beside April, the medic was already carefully removing the shepherd's clothing to examine the gunshot wound.

All Ayden could do was let the beagle work while he held April's hand. The stewardess's eyes never left his own, yet the life seemed to slowly drain away. Silently pleading with her, he continued to grip her hand, taking comfort in her firm grasp in return. He felt so helpless...

"Damn it, she's losing too much blood!" The beagle's exclamation was punctuated by her frantic efforts to save her patient.

Ayden gripped the shepherd's hand tighter. "Come on, stay with us April."

The stewardess's breath came in short feeble gasps; her eyes suddenly clouded over.

"Help me lay her down!" the medic cried. Together they moved April off the bulkhead, hoping in a final desperate attempt to save her life. The endeavor was in vain.

April's hand tightened in Ayden's grasp as she took one last pained breath. While the captain looked on helplessly, the life in her eyes ebbed away, until her hand finally went limp in his grasp.

For what felt like an eternity, Ayden searched her lifeless eyes for the faintest glimmer of hope. There was still a chance to save her!

But, no... she was already gone...

Ayden fell backwards to sit awkwardly on the floor of the galley. The shock of the moment left him speechless. He could do nothing but stare at the blood that matted the fur of his hands.

The beagle checked for vital signs, and then reached over to close April's eyes with a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry. There's nothing more I could've done."

Still Captain Rhodes sat there in shock, staring at the two lifeless bodies of his friends. Why had this happened? Why had their lives been so tragically cut short? It wasn't fair...

The anger finally overtook Ayden like a tidal wave. In a rage, the malinois bolted to his paws, fangs bared in a snarl, ears pinned fully back. "You fucking bastard!"

The fury of the moment enveloped Ayden as he moved across the galley and viciously kicked Allan in the face, snapping the labrador's head back beneath the mastiff that still had the steward pinned. The two other passengers quickly restrained the captain by his arms before he could strike again, holding him back just out of reach of his target.

In that moment of pure untamed rage, Ayden wanted nothing else than to kill the labrador right where he lay, to take the life from him just as he had done so cruelly to Mary and April. It would've only been fair.

"Calm yourself," the mastiff spoke coolly, still holding the would-be terrorist at bay by himself. "There will be justice for what this piece of shit has done. But, for now, we must not act irrationally."

The anger fled from Ayden as quickly as it had come, leaving him momentarily lightheaded. The two passengers holding the malinois at bay had to support his weight for a moment, until he regained his balance.

"My name is Sgt. Clark," the mastiff went on. "I'm with the Philadelphia P.D. I'll take custody of this bastard until the proper authorities take over."

Captain Rhodes simply stood there within the cramped galley in a daze, and only managed a slight nod of the head in reply. However, he did recover his wits enough to remember that the gun was still on the galley floor near where Sgt. Clark had Allan pinned. This was still his aircraft, and he had to assume command accordingly.

The weapon felt heavy in Ayden's grasp as he gingerly picked it up off the floor. He had held and fired countless handguns over his life, but simply holding this weapon... it felt different... just wrong. And yet, the pilot couldn't help but consider how easy it would be for him to merely level the gun at Allan, to have the power to repay the crazed fucker for the senseless deaths he had just caused.

However, Captain Rhodes restrained himself. The mastiff was right; the fate of this would-be terrorist was not Ayden's to decide, as much as he wished it was. The finger that had been embracing the pistol's trigger relented. Shooting the bastard would make him no better than this lunatic that had just killed two innocent furs in cold blood.

Sgt. Clark had carefully watched Ayden as the malinois studied the weapon in his grasp. At the sight of Captain Rhodes dropping his finger away from the trigger, the mastiff gave a slight nod of understanding. It was painfully clear in the policeman's eyes that he understood the pain Ayden felt.

In that moment, Ayden turned his gaze toward Allan, not sure what to do.

The labrador remained pinned beneath the weight of the mastiff above him, yet still managed to squirm about in a halfhearted attempt to free himself.

No... wait a minute... something wasn't right.

In the restricted space of the aircraft galley, the steward was jammed up against the outer fuselage door in his current position. One of his arms had ended up pinned beneath him as a result of Ayden's earlier takedown, and it was this arm that the captain suddenly realized was moving about beneath Allan in a deliberate manner.

A metallic object abruptly appeared beneath the labrador, accompanied by a coil of... wires?

It only took Ayden's mind an instant to realize what he was staring at.

Sgt. Clark also noticed what the captain had seen, his eyes going wide in stark horror. "Mother of God..."

The mastiff's words hung in the air, just as Captain Rhodes caught Allan's gaze one last time. In that final fateful instant, there was no mistaking what the labrador spoke.

"I'm sorry."

The world around Ayden suddenly dropped away in a brilliant flash of light.

For a moment there was nothing... and then confusion... disorientation.

The shepherd's sight was blurred; there was a distinct ringing in his ears... what the hell was going on?

Slowly Ayden's vision refocused; he found himself staring up toward the aircraft ceiling. With a start, the captain realized he was sprawled breathlessly against the far bulkhead, on the opposite side of the galley from where he had been standing. There was nothing but the incessant ringing in his ears.

Ayden forced himself up into a sitting position. It felt like someone had decked him over the head with a baseball bat.

However, the pain was suddenly forgotten when the pilot came to witness a sight he had never seen in his entire professional career.

Where Allan and Sgt. Clark had once been, there was nothing but mangled, twisted wreckage, with a hole blown clean through the floor to reveal the baggage compartment below. Worse though, was the alarming sight of open blue sky where the airframe should have been.

An entire portion of the fuselage had been blown clean off, resulting in explosive decompression. The beverage cart that had been next to Captain Rhodes was just simply... gone. It was nothing less than a miracle that the malinois had not been sucked out himself, let alone injured by the bomb blast.

Ayden was having trouble breathing in the maelstrom of wind that assailed him... the plane was still descending down from its cruise altitude. Adding to the horror was the terrible vibration of the airframe, which indicated something was terribly wrong with the flight controls or engines.

He had to get back to the cockpit quick!

The malinois fought through his disorientation and struggled to stand upright. The incredible rush of wind from the gaping hole in the fuselage hindered his movement, sending all manner of debris flying about the galley in a confusing flurry.

Ayden felt the aircraft begin a steep roll to the right, tilting the floor beneath his paws at a startling incline. A wave of panic rushed over him as he gazed out the fuselage hole, only to see the rolling expanse of the ground below. Shit... they were in trouble.

Only one thought remained in the captain's mind; he had to save his aircraft! The lives of all the furs aboard depended on him now more than ever. Nothing else mattered now.

Gradually, the malinois's hearing returned, allowing the deafening noise of rushing wind and screaming passengers to reach his keen ears. The chaos all around the pilot spurred him on with renewed determination.

"Ayden? Oh God... tell me you're still alive!"

Ella's panicked words emanated from the still open cockpit door, barely audible over the rush of noise.

Captain Rhodes nearly threw himself into the flight deck. "I'm here!"

He found the collie contorted awkwardly in her seat, fighting desperately to keep the aircraft level. The control yoke was held over to the left almost fully, while the rudder pedals were extended at their maximum deflection, only just keeping the plane from spiraling out of control. More frightening however, was the barrage of warning alarms that were shrieking from the cockpit speakers, of which, the most frightening was the engine fire warning.

"Damn'it, Ayden, I can't keep it level!" Ella nearly screamed. The effort of holding the controls steady was beginning to wear on her.

Captain Rhodes wasted no time vaulting into his seat, and immediately strapped himself in. A quick scan of the flight instruments through the bombardment of audio warnings was enough to give him a snapshot of their situation.

They were rapidly descending through 18,000 feet on a general eastern course. The right engine was no longer producing thrust, while the fire warning was sounding for the same engine. The most pressing matter however, was the steep right bank the plane remained at, even with Ella keeping the control yoke and rudder pedals hard over in the other direction. If the plane rolled over inverted, they were in real trouble.

Ayden considered taking hold of his control yoke to help out, but then decided against it. Ella was managing to slowly level out the aircraft's steep roll. If he interfered, it might throw the plane into a deadly spiral.

"Do you have control?" Captain Rhodes asked his copilot urgently.

By now, Ella was panting with her growing exhaustion. However, the collie still maintained her poise. "Yes... I think so... she's slowly leveling off for me."

Ayden turned his attention to the engine fire alarm, and quickly procured his Quick Reference Handbook. "Engine Fire Checklist," the malinois called out. It was now that his years of training kicked in, allowing the captain to maintain his composure in the face of such chaos.

In a move he had only practiced in simulators, Captain Rhodes pulled the fire handle for the crippled engine. Immediately, a bottle of extinguishing agent was discharged within the cowling of the damaged turbine, inundating the engine compartment in an attempt to snuff out the fire.

The fire warning remained on, forcing Ayden to rotate the fire handle to discharge a second extinguishing bottle. The attempt failed as well.

"The fire won't go out!" Captain Rhodes exclaimed in alarm. There was nothing else he could do now.

"This gets better and better," Ella grunted in reply. She had finally managed to get the wings level once more, although the aircraft was now vibrating powerfully with the controls crossed as they were... the gaping hole in the fuselage was only making things worse. "The plane is fighting me. I can't hold it much longer."

Ayden threw his QRH to the side, and quickly reached up to grasp his control yoke, his paws also moving to contact the rudder pedals. "I'll take over."

"Get ready, she's going to fight you when I let go."

The malinois strengthened his grip on the controls. "Alright... I have it." Instantly the yoke tried to force itself hard over to the right, causing him to grunt at the sudden effort needed to simply hold the plane level. The extent to which the flight dynamics of the airliner had changed alarmed the captain greatly. "Broadcast a mayday. We need to get on the ground ASAP!"

"What happened back there?" Ella asked suddenly.

"The fucking flight attendant blew himself up!"

The captain's words left his copilot speechless for a moment. Now the true gravity of the situation hit home for the collie. They were really in trouble.

For the first time since the bomb had detonated, Ella keyed her headset mic, doing her best to keep her voice calm. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, Delta 1283, we've had a bomb explode on board. Have engine fire and crippled flight controls... need quickest approach into Charlotte."

"Roger, Mayday Delta 1283, all runways available at Charlotte. Turn right heading two five zero for airport direction."

"Standby." Ella turned toward Ayden, her finger coming off the mic switch. "Can you bring her around?"

The malinois took a deep breath. "We'll find out in a second."

With the utmost care, Captain Rhodes let the control yoke turn in his grip, watching keenly for any dangerous changes in the flight characteristics of the plane. In response, the crippled MD-88 entered a slight banking turn toward the west, slowly bringing them back toward the airport.

Seeing that the shepherd still had control, Ella keyed the ATC frequency. "Ok, we're beginning a slow turn to heading two five zero. Be advised we have an engine fire that will not go out. We need the closest runway available with fire services, and fast."

As her information was repeated and quickly relayed to the appropriate stations, the collie hastily consulted her approach charts. "We'll be lined up best with Runway 23," the first officer stated, after determining where they were currently positioned. "However, it's the shortest runway at the airport."

"How short?" Ayden managed, keeping the majority of his concentration on flying the plane.

A moment's pause to consult the charts. "Seven thousand five hundred."

Captain Rhodes scoffed at the news. Seventy five hundred feet was not an ideal runway length to bring a crippled bird in on. There were longer runways orientated in a north-south direction. However, lining up properly to land on them would require a long sweeping turn from their current heading, which ate up time the malinois knew he didn't have. The fire was still burning back in the engine, potentially eating through the fuselage, or worse, burning through control cables for the rudder and horizontal stabilizer.

"Ask for Runway 23," Captain Rhodes finally instructed, his calmness belying the anxiety that he truly felt.

Ella nodded her head, and shifted her attention back to the radio. "Delta 1283 is requesting approach vectors into Runway 23."

The request for the airport's shortest runway communicated to the handlers on the ground that the situation was dire aboard the plane. Immediately, the collie was given clearance to proceed in on the desired heading.

All the while, Ayden continued to fight the plane. As long as he retained partial control, the aircraft was still flyable. It was obvious from the way the pedals responded to his inputs that the rudder system was damaged, most likely from debris that was jettisoned during the explosion. Such an event also explained the engine failure.

Suddenly, the stabilizer motion alarm began to blare from the cockpit speakers, heralding another failure to the aircraft's systems. To Ayden's horror, the nose of the MD-88 unexpectedly dipped, increasing their rate of descent.

He desperately pulled back further on the yoke. "Come on, stay with me," the shepherd pleaded. For a gut-wrenching second, the plane did not respond to his command. "God damn it, hold together!"

His anger seemed to bring the aircraft back; the pitch of the nose slowly came up once more, allowing both pilots a collective sigh of relief. The captain still had limited control... for the moment.

The smell of acrid smoke became perceptual as the aircraft reached five thousand feet. The fire was spreading.

"There's smoke in the cabin."

Ayden kept his eyes on the flight displays, while Ella turned in her seat to the new voice that had entered the cockpit, to find a young jackal passenger standing in the doorway. A look of pure terror was splayed across his expression. He must have been no older than sixteen.

"Don't worry," the copilot replied, keeping her tone calm and professional. "We're doing everything we can to get back on the ground. Please go back and fasten your seatbelt."

"No, hold on a minute," Ayden spoke up, keeping his focus on flying the plane while he addressed the young fur. "We need your help."

Ella studied the captain curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

"We need a flight attendant," the shepherd spoke evenly. He stole a quick glance behind him to the jackal. "What's your name?"

"Ah... erm... my name is Chris, sir."

"Ok, Chris, have you ever flown before?"

The anxiety was clear in the young fur's reply. "Yes, several times."

Ayden shifted his eyes back to the flight instrument displays. "Do you know how to brace for a crash?"

"Yes, sir."

The shepherd nodded his head slightly. "I need you to be our flight attendant for this landing. We need you to instruct the passengers on how to brace for a crash. Can you do this for me, Chris?"

The captain's directness gave the jackal pause before he responded. "Yes... yes I can do that."

"Good. Now... was there a beagle somewhere near the galley when you walked up here?"

Chris considered his question for a moment. "I... um, yes, she is in first class."

"Ask her to help you. She should have some knowledge on how to prepare for a crash landing."

The young fur hardened his expression with a firm nod of the head. "Ok, I will."

Ayden waited for the jackal to exit the cockpit, and then gave Ella an anxious look. "Do you have any ideas?"

The collie twisted the silver bracelet around her wrist uneasily. "I... don't know."

He sighed. "Just need her to hold together a little longer."

The ominous smell of smoke continued to grow stronger. However, the pilots didn't need their breathing masks yet.

"I can only just keep her steady," Captain Rhodes said over the chaos of noise around them, surprised at how calm his voice was. The shepherd was panting now with the exertion of holding the plane level.

Ella pursed her lips. "We'll make it. Just hang on to it."

Both pilots kept their cool as they worked cohesively to save what was left of their plane. By now the collie was in contact with Charlotte's control tower, updating the handler to their condition while also receiving approach instructions. The runway threshold was in visual sight out the forward window... just a little bit longer.

Chris suddenly reappeared back in the cockpit out of breath. "The smoke is getting bad back in coach." The jackal then caught sight of the approaching airport.

"Get everyone to brace," Ella instructed, startling the fur with her vehemence. "Once we land, I need you to get the emergency doors open and get the passengers out. But don't use the aft stair exit because of the engine fire."

The jackal nodded his head. "Yes ma'am." He turned and swiftly disappeared, already shouting commands to the passengers in first class.

"Delta 1283, when able, stop on the runway and evacuate immediately," the tower controller spoke over the radio. "You're trailing smoke and fire from your right engine."

Ella keyed her mic. "Acknowledged, stop and evacuate on the runway when able, 1283."

The slower speed of the aircraft was beginning to tax Ayden's concentration. The response to subtle inputs was more sluggish, forcing the shepherd to anticipate how the plane would react before he even moved the control yoke or rudder pedals.

The captain's focus tunneled in on the artificial horizon of his flight display and the distant approaching runway. Now, more than ever, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. There was no margin for error at such a low altitude.

One last transmission from the airport tower reached the pilots. "Fire equipment is standing by... good luck."

"Here goes nothing," Ayden breathed, flexing his grip on the yoke.

Ella carefully grasped the throttle levers. "I'm ready here."

The damaged MD-88 continued its gradual descent at an awkwardly skewed angle, fighting against a moderate crosswind, which pushed the aircraft sideways.

The ground proximity warning system sounded in a monotone voice. "Five hundred."

With the aircraft now only five hundred feet above the ground, both pilots made one last sweep of their instruments out of habit, making sure the plane was properly configured. There was no room for a go-around. Captain Rhodes had to land the aircraft one way or the other.

"Two hundred."

The flight deck was dead silent, save for the rush of wind past the cockpit windows.

"One hundred."

Ayden panted arduously as he corrected for a sudden gust of wind, straining to keep things stable with every ounce of his concentration. The relative safety of the runway was now beneath his wheels... the pilot just had to set the wounded bird down ever so carefully.

"Hang in there," Ella whispered.

"Fifty."

Ayden pulled back further on the yoke, flaring the aircraft to slow his rate of descent at the expense of airspeed.

"Forty."

The wings suddenly wobbled just above the runway surface.

"Thirty."

"Twenty."

"Ten."

The aircraft shuddered as the main wheels finally contacted the runway surface. Immediately, spoilers along the wings deployed, disrupting the airflow over the wing surface while the brakes were engaged at their maximum setting.

Feeling the aircraft contact the runway, Ella swiftly idled the one good engine and deployed the thrust reverser, further slowing their airspeed just as the nose wheel came down to kiss the concrete.

The asymmetrical thrust tried to push the aircraft off to the side, forcing Ayden to correct with an application of the rudder pedals.

"One hundred twenty knots," the collie called out.

They were rapidly using up the runway length before them. Yet, the plane was quickly coming to a stop.

First Officer Rhodes kept her eyes on the airspeed. "Eighty knots."

The aircraft shook violently as the force of the landing strained the damaged hull. A tire on the main landing gear abruptly blew, followed quickly by a second. The heat of the fully applied brakes was taking its toll.

Both pilots held their breath as the end of the runway fast approached... until... in one final shudder, the MD-88 ground to a halt.

They had used up the entire runway length. But, that didn't matter. Ayden uttered a heavy sigh, and took his hands away from the control yoke with some difficulty, stiff as they were from holding the wheel in a near death grip.

The malinois could hear Ella exhale deeply beside him. "Way to go, shepherd," she praised with a relieved smile.

Ayden sighed and uttered a curse under his breath as the stress bled off. They weren't out of the woods yet though.

The pilots wasted no time running through their shutdown checklists, making sure the plane was properly configured, and then unfastened their restraints.

"We need to help get the passengers off," Ella exclaimed, vaulting from her seat. Before Ayden could do the same, she was already through the flight deck door.

Delta 1283 had landed safely. Yet, the crew and passengers weren't out of danger, not by a long shot. Fire was still a very real threat.

Captain Rhodes was right behind his copilot, emerging out of the cockpit into chaos. In a mass of fur, passengers scrambled toward the opened passenger door of the galley, where the emergency slide had already been deployed for evacuation. The other emergency exit was unusable, due to the gaping hole that now existed in the fuselage from the earlier explosion. Even so, the evacuation was proceeding smoothly.

Smoke was pouring into the cabin all the while, clinging mainly to the roof of the fuselage. The passengers, for their part, still remained relatively calm though, and continued to systematically disembark. The exits further back over the wings were also being used, which helped speed up the process.

In under two minutes, the entire aircraft was empty, save for Ayden and his copilot.

It was then that the malinois noticed the lifeless bodies of Mary and April, which had been pushed away from the door up against the galley storage lockers, lying in a pool of their own blood. The terror of the earlier attack suddenly came flooding back to the captain in a rush, overwhelming him. He just stood there, unable to tear his eyes away.

"We can't leave without them," Ella spoke, snapping the shepherd out of his shock.

There was a moment as both pilots regarded one another solemnly.

"Yes... yes you're right," Ayden replied weakly.

Together they lifted Mary's body off the floor to bring her toward the open door. With care, the setter was then placed on the inflatable chute, and allowed to glide down to the waiting firefighters on the ground below.

Even with the smoke beginning to overwhelm the pilots, they still returned for April. The German shepherd's body was soon lowered to the runway to join her fallen friend, leaving only Ayden and Ella within the plane.

In the ensuing silence, the collie placed a hand wordlessly on Ayden's shoulders, comforting her colleague. She then moved toward the slide to disappear from his view.

For a moment longer the malinois simply stood there, enveloped in smoke. The flight aboard this aircraft had suddenly turned into a terrible nightmare for the pilot. It was real, all of it. The killing of his two friends, the bomb explosion that had taken the life of a heroic cop... all while he stood by, helpless to do anything.

Ayden didn't remember moving toward the emergency slide, nor the two fire fighters helping him to his paws at the bottom. Suddenly, everything was a blur, until he found himself standing in the tall grass alongside the runway, looking back toward the very aircraft he had just flown moments ago.

It had all happened so fast.

With bedlam raging all around him, Captain Rhodes collapsed to his knees in a daze.

His hands wouldn't stop shaking...