Chapter 131: A Moment in History (Part 1)

[Chapter 131: A Moment in History (Part 1)]

In the cockpit, Shawna was getting used to the controls, while Ian sat in the co-pilot seat following along, learning the necessary steps to help when needed.

Both of them were intelligent and quickly grasped the overall situation; the rest depended on their operations.

There was no room for improvisation; everything had to follow the directions from the control tower, and then they just had to pray for divine intervention.

Messages continued coming in from the tower.

Three planes had already crashed, with the third one hitting a corner of the Pentagon.

Flight 77 was the fourth and last.

Now everyone was aware that this flight was also in trouble, and countless eyes were focused right here.

...

The phone rang.

It was James Perry.

His tone was serious and grave. "Are you on the plane?"

"Yeah," Ian replied with a smile. "It's all good. The hijackers have been dealt with; now we just need to focus on landing. Our beautiful new captain is getting accustomed to this big bird."

James took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Just get ready for a live broadcast."

This wasn't going to be a pre-recorded segment; it would be live.

As for Leyso, it wouldn't be live either; he would finalize his footage and send it to his email.

"What do you mean?" James asked, bewildered.

Ian laughed. "I once said that even if I fell from great heights, I would face the microphone with a smile. Now's my time to live up to that promise."

James took another deep breath.

After a while, he said, "Ian Carr, I admire you! Let me arrange for the signal to connect."

...

Ian stood up, smiling, and asked Shawna, "How much fuel do we have left?"

She answered, "Four hours."

Ian nodded. "Then we have time. How about I conduct an interview with you?"

The tower interjected, "Don't waste time, Ian Carr! She needs to focus all her time and energy on learning how to fly the plane!"

Ian scoffed, "We're not short on a few minutes. Personally, I believe mindset matters more than technical skills sometimes. Don't make her nervous, okay?"

The tower fell silent for a moment.

Finally, they replied, "You're right."

...

At that moment, they had established a connection with CBS.

CBS and WND News Network began broadcasting live. The anchors, sitting in front of the cameras, said:

"Breaking news: just thirty minutes ago, three planes crashed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, with a total of four planes hijacked. Fortunately, the crew and passengers of Flight 77 were alerted in time and managed to thwart the hijackers. However, the pilots were killed, and the plane is now on autopilot, being maneuvered by a flight attendant."

"Our special correspondent, Ian Carr, is currently on the aircraft and will now provide us with a live report."

As the host cut to the connection, Ian Carr and Shawna appeared on screen.

Ian cleared his throat and smiled. "Miss Shawna, I'm CBS correspondent Ian Carr. I'm going to interview you now; this might be our last interview in life. What do you want to say?"

Shawna, focused on the flight manual while cross-referencing the controls, casually replied, "You're a hero, Mr. Carr."

Ian chuckled. "I'm asking about how you feel."

Shawna responded, "That's my thought."

She put down the flight manual and turned to the camera. "When the hijackers struck, Mr. Carr was the first to act and stopped them; he also led us into the cockpit. He dealt with all five hijackers; otherwise, we might have crashed into the White House by now."

She paused for a moment and continued, "But none of that matters now. What really makes me think he's a hero is his courage. Even in this situation, he remained calm. He told us what to do and calmed everyone down. Cameraman, please turn the lens to the cabin!"

The camera panned to the cabin, where the majority of the passengers sat with pale faces, and a doctor was tending to the injured...

Then the shot returned to Shawna. "Do you see? Everyone is sitting quietly. As an experienced flight attendant, I want to tell everyone that this is not easy. The most feared thing on a plane is panic and chaos, and after what just happened, everyone was scared. It was Mr. Carr who gave us courage; his extraordinary bravery inspired us all, allowing us to stand against the hijackers and helping us maintain our composure even in the most desperate moments of our lives, bringing us light amidst the darkness."

Then she looked at Ian. "Mr. Carr, you should interview the passengers in the cabin, let them leave messages to their families."

Ian smiled. "I will; that's a good suggestion. And what about you? Don't you want to say something?"

Shawna gently shook her head. "I don't have much to say; I just want to get used to flying this plane quickly."

Ian asked, "I'll ask you one last question. If we manage to survive, what will you do?"

Shawna thought seriously for a moment. "I want to make love with you."

Ian: "???"

Shawna nodded seriously. "You're my hero. Sleeping with you is my biggest dream right now. Will you agree to that?"

And so Ian Carr laughed.

He looked at the camera and said, "I accept your invitation!"

...

In front of the television screens and computers, countless people watched the interview.

In that moment, their hearts were tight with anxiety.

In face of this life-or-death moment, all the viewers felt nervous and scared, whereas the people involved showed remarkable calmness amidst the crisis.

Maybe that's the tremendous courage that emerges in moments of life and death.

...

Ian didn't ask any further questions; instead, he turned to the cameraman. "What's your name?"

"Daniel," the cameraman replied.

Ian said, "Show your face, give a message to your family; people will remember you."

Daniel faced the camera, thought for a moment, steadied his emotions, and said, "Sandy, baby, I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday. I know I've neglected you and this family over the years, neglected the kids... but I really have been working hard. I'm doing my best to make our family better, but unfortunately, I might not be able to."

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and Shawna felt her own eyes welling up.

Daniel whispered, "But I'm glad to have met Mr. Carr. Although we might be flying towards heaven, at least our deaths won't be meaningless. We defeated those terrorists, and we avoided a greater disaster...

"History will remember us, and this moment will be forever etched in the annals of time!"

As he spoke, his voice choked with emotion, he lowered his head. "That's all. Let's give someone else a chance to leave a message."

Thus Ian and Daniel stepped out of the cockpit.

They walked into the cabin, starting to interview the passengers one by one, calming their spirits and allowing them to leave messages for their loved ones.

*****

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