by Hatchett
22
Day 1
08:20 GMT – 25 Minutes to Landing
Atlantic Airlines AA4520
Kelly heard the cockpit door being closed behind her as she moved towards the aisle leading into First-Class. She caught Gemma’s eye and signalled that she and the other Cabin Crew should come back into the Forward Galley.
“Do you think they believe us?” she asked as she turned back towards Andy.
“I seriously doubt it,” he replied. “They probably think it is a case of mass hysteria or something. Being Special Ops, they’re going to believe they can handle anything and this will be just another walk in the park, a minor inconvenience. To be honest, if I was them I’d be thinking the same thing.”
“But, what are we really dealing with?” Kelly enquired.
“I have no idea, but it certainly isn’t normal. If I was you, when we land just follow their directions and get the hell out of Dodge.”
John, Amy, and Gemma entered the Forward Galley. Kelly walked them through what was going to happen when they landed and asked them to communicate the information to the passengers in First-Class.
23
Day 1
08:35 GMT – 10 Minutes to Landing
Heathrow Terminal 3
Bear stood next to Irish in the passageway between gates 1 and 7. Considering the amount of time they had been given to prepare, he thought things were in pretty good shape.
The passageway and the concourse further on were typical of modern airports; greyish carpet or floor tiles, white plastic walls, everything easy to clean with passenger safety the foremost consideration.
Gate 7 was currently empty but, all being well, was due to be filled with the fit passengers from the plane and the remaining Cabin Crew.
Gate 5 was a hive of activity with the medical team making last minute preparations to portable equipment in readiness to receive wounded passengers. Half a dozen doctors and twice as many nurses were buzzing around like bees around honey. There were several ‘Stryker’ stretchers lined up ready to use for more seriously injured passengers and these would be ferried to the onsite medical centre or to ambulances waiting outside, depending on the seriousness of the injuries.
Gate 3 had been turned into a temporary prison cell of sorts; chains had been attached to the walls and, from these, unruly passengers could be temporarily restrained in one of the number of sets of handcuffs dangling off the chains. Two burly officers from Alpha team were ready to deal with these passengers when, and if, the time came.
Bear had another four of his team in the passageway next to Gate 1, waiting for the plane to arrive.
A glass barrier split the corridor down the middle. This was to direct passengers up the corridor in the direction of gates 3 to 7 and onwards towards the main concourse to Passport Control and then onto Baggage Reclaim and Customs. None of these passengers would be going that far anytime soon. Irish and his Bravo Team of six men would be behind this barrier observing what was happening, ready to step in if needed.
Bear nodded to Irish, who returned the gesture, and made his way down to Gate 1. He would be the first onto the plane and he needed to identify and neutralise the Sky Marshall if the opportunity arose. He had his Heckler & Koch MP5 over his shoulder and his Glock 17 pistol easily accessible in its holster. However, his priority was to hit the Sky Marshall with the Taser he held in his right hand. It would be preferable to interrogate the son of a bitch rather than giving him the easy way out with a bullet. He looked at his watch then out of the side windows towards the runway; Flight AA4520 should be landing any second.
24
Day 1
08:40 GMT – 5 Minutes to Landing
Atlantic Airlines AA4520
With a light drizzle hitting the windscreen, Sarah lined the plane up with the Southern runway and lowered the undercarriage. She decreased both height and air speed as she approached the runway and, after seeming to float just above the tarmac for thirty to forty metres, the plane finally touched down with a light bump. As Sarah applied the brakes and applied reverse thrust, the bodies standing in the Economy section of the plane were thrown forwards, many breaking bones as they fell, no attempt being made to protect themselves. Some of these bodies thudded into the trolleys stationed at the Central toilets, moving them forward and creating a gap.
Sarah slowed the plane well before the end of the runway and, as instructed, taxied to Gate 1 where she shut down the engines.
Rather than going through their usual post-flight checks and routine, She and Paul sat and waited for the arrival of Bear and his team. Sarah glanced out of the cockpit window and could see the jetway being manoeuvred towards the plane’s door. She could also see some of the reception committee waiting patiently at the entrance to Gate 1.
There was a slight jolt as the jetway made contact with the plane before the door was carefully opened.
25
Day 1
09:00 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Bear entered the plane flanked by two of his team while the other two stood guard at the threshold. He looked to his right and at once noted that the First-Class cabin was full and that there were three Cabin Crew members standing in the aisles. All eyes were focused on Bear and his team.
Bear moved left and entered the Forward Galley, instantly noting a fourth member of the Cabin Crew and what looked like someone from the Wild West. ‘This must be the Sky Marshall’ Bear thought to himself as he began to raise his taser. By the time Bear’s arm was horizontal and was about to pull the trigger his sub-conscious must have picked something up because he hesitated. As a frown passed across the faces of the Sky Marshall and Kelly, he realised that the Sky Marshall had been nonchalantly leaning against the counter with his empty hands in plain sight but was now moving to stand erect.
“Do not move!” growled Bear, keeping his taser aimed at the centre of Andy’s chest. Andy froze at an unnatural angle, halfway between leaning and standing up.
“What’s the problem?” Kelly asked hurriedly as Andy continued to maintain his impression of a statue. He had been tasered before during a training exercise and it was an experience that he didn’t wish to repeat anytime soon.
Without taking his eyes off Andy, Bear questioned Kelly. “Are you Kelly?”
“Yes, what’s going on?”
“This must be Andy, the Sky Marshall.”
“Yes again, so?”
“Have you been held at gunpoint or forced into doing anything?”
Kelly looked confused before replying. “Of course not. Why are you pointing that thing at Andy?”
There was a couple of seconds pause before Andy spoke. “Can I move now? My back’s beginning to ache.”
Bear quickly looked at Kelly and could tell at once that her confusion was real. That meant that this was no hijack which in turn meant that there must have been a riot. He looked quickly down the aisle and could see the curtains drawn and trolleys blocking the aisle. Therefore, it seemed that everything they had been told was true. He turned back to Andy.
“You can stand,” grunted Bear, “but keep your hands in sight.” Bear was still not one hundred per cent convinced at this stage, so he ordered one of his team to cover Andy while the second member of his team frisked him for weapons. It was not long before the knife and pistol were found and confiscated.
Bear turned to Kelly and asked, “who is in the cockpit.”
“The pilot and First Officer” she replied.
“Are they behaving normally?”
“Of course! What is this all about? You’re supposed to be here to help us not hold us at gunpoint.”
“Let’s go see the pilot” ordered Bear. Kelly knocked on the cockpit door and it was opened at once by Paul, who had been watching events unfold through the peephole and giving a running commentary for Sarah’s benefit. Bear and Kelly entered before closing the door behind them.
“I’m Bear. We’ve had some doubts about your story and thought tha
t you may have been highjacked by the Sky Marshall.”
“I wish!” Sarah advised. “It would have been a whole lot better than what we’re actually dealing with.”
Bear opened the cockpit door and ordered his team to give Andy his weapons back. He then motioned for Andy to join them in the now overly-cramped cockpit.
“So, what you said over the radio is one hundred per cent true as far as you’re aware?” Bear asked. There were nods all around. “I take it that nothing has changed since out last communication?” Again, there were more nods. “Right, let’s get you four to the Security Command Centre for de-briefing then we’ll allow the passengers off the plane before dealing with the rest. With that, Bear opened the cockpit door and led the four into the Front Galley. He spoke to two of his team members at the plane’s door and told them to take the four from the cockpit straight to the Security Command Centre. As they left the plane onto the jetway, Bear turned to his other two team members standing in the Forward Galley.
“Right, let’s get these passengers off quickly and quietly.” The men moved towards the aisles and started gesturing to passengers to undo their seat belts and start moving towards the exit.
Rather than the expected slow and orderly process of disembarking, there was a cacophony of loud clicks as the seat belts were opened and released throughout the cabin. Passengers were standing up, opening the overhead compartments to retrieve their hand luggage despite being told earlier to leave everything where it was.
Suddenly above the din, John shouted that bodies were coming towards them from the Economy section and this was backed up by a scream from Amy who was standing at the other curtain at the back of the First-Class cabin.
The effect was like a shotgun blast in the confined space. Passengers rushed towards the exit, blocking aisles and each other from moving. An elderly couple had been knocked to the ground during the surge and had been trampled as others panicked to get out. Bear and his two colleagues could only watch in amazement.
“Are you getting this Boss?” queried Bear.
“Yes, Bear” came the response, “we’ve got ourselves a stampede.”
At that moment, Bear saw the curtains leading to the Premium Plus cabin being torn aside. A horde of horrific looking bodies came pushing through the gap, biting the air, and groping for the passengers in front of them. John and Amy had already deserted their post at the curtain but had been stalled at the back of the passenger queue. They were pounced upon and immediately disappeared from view. Still more bodies piled in through the gap and began launching themselves at the passengers trying to escape. It was like being on a battlefield with row after row of soldiers being cut down by machine gun fire. The passengers closest to the exit panicked even more and started pulling, pushing, and lashing out at anyone in their way in a bid to get off the plane. Within a couple of minutes Bear could see the first gaps in the flow of people and got a clearer view of the attackers.
“Tasers!” he shouted and lined up his own weapon on one of the approaching bodies from the Economy section. His aim was true, and the two dart-like electrodes shot across the gap and embedded themselves into the body’s chest. There was a momentary vibration as the electricity discharged but, to Bear’s surprise, there was no reaction from the body whatsoever.
“MP5’s!” he shouted, bringing his weapon to his shoulder. He quickly and carefully sighted another target coming through the gap between Premium Plus and First-Class and loosed off a couple of rounds in quick succession. The rubber bullets impacted with a thud which could be heard above the clamour going on in First Class. The body which had been hit was throw backwards, knocking over other bodies behind it. Bear smiled to himself thinking that those bullets should have done the trick, but his smile was short-lived as the body rose from the floor and continued its forward lunges without any sense of being hurt. Bear quickly pushed his MP5 behind his back and removed his Glock 17 pistol.
‘Right, no more playing around,’ Bear thought to himself as he sighted another target and let off a shot. His aim was true, and the bullet hit the chest of a body some fifteen to twenty feet away. The hollowpoint bullet expanded on impact and created a massive hole before the body was thrown backwards and to the ground. A few seconds later, the body rose and began to shuffle forwards once again, the chest cavity open and various body parts spilling out. Bear was absolutely stunned. That round would have taken out an elephant. He was brought back to the present by Jack’s voice in his earpiece.
“Get the hell out of there Bear. Pull back and re-group!”
“No Boss, we’re taking these fuckers out!” replied Bear firing at more bodies in quick succession. His two team members were doing the same and bodies were toppling one after another. When the pistols were empty, they were quickly reloaded, but it was clear from the bodies getting back up to their feet, that real bullets were having little more effect than the rubber bullets, apart from making more of a mess. Bear had no idea how many passengers had escaped; how many had been attacked nor how many were still trying to escape. It was complete and utter chaos. The number of passengers in front of him seemed to be decreasing but the number of bodies from Economy seemed to be growing and getting much closer.
“You need to get out Bear!” shouted Jack.
This time Bear accepted the order and with a quick hand gesture, he and his two team members moved quickly towards the exit. He pushed his way through the jostling crowd of passengers and started to move up the jetway. He turned back to check on his two colleagues just in time to see them being dragged down and out of sight by the rampaging bodies. He knew he couldn’t help them, so he turned and started to run up the jetway, screams and shouts for help following his every step.
26
Day 1
09:10 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Sarah, Paul, Kelly, and Andy had been led onto the jetway by one of Bear’s team with the other following behind. They made swift progress and exited the jetway before moving past gates 3 and 5 heading towards Gate 7. As they walked they could hear a rising clamour coming up the jetway, followed by screams and shots being fired. They unconsciously quickened their pace and passed Gate 7 before entering the main concourse and headed towards the escalators to take them down to Level 1.
They reached the escalators just behind a motley group of travellers so had little choice but to stand patiently in line for their turn or take the stairs. They took the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs they could see the signs directing the flow of people to Immigration and Passport Control. However, they went in the opposite direction to a small alcove and a solid looking door. The officer in front pressed his palm against the scanner and the door clicked open.
They entered a short corridor which turned right after a few yards. The new corridor was long with various doors leading off it and the group walked twenty yards before the officer in front stopped and again pressed his palm against a scanner and opened the door to the Security Briefing Room.
“Help yourself to drinks, take a seat,” he advised before he and his colleague retreated out of the door and made their way back towards Gate 1.
27
Day 1
09:15 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Having heard the shouts and screams emanating from the jetway, Irish and his Bravo team of six moved along the passageway until they reached a gap in the glass partition and moved towards Gate 3 to support the two members of Team Alpha who were already stationed there. Judging by the sounds coming up the jetway and from their comms it looked like they were going to enjoy some real action for a change rather than the constant and monotonous training.
All the officers had heard Bear through the comms and knew that their tasers and rubber bullets were effectively redundant, though they couldn’t for the life of them understand why this would be the case. Without being told, all the officers had switched out the magazines holding rubber bullets from their MP5’s and replaced them with live holl
ow point ammunition, like the rounds used by the Sky Marshall and which were designed not to exit a body.
As the first passengers came running around the corner at Gate 1, looking like they were being chased by the Devil himself, the two officers from Team Alpha shepherded them towards Gate 7. Whilst some obeyed the orders they were given and moved into the room to find a seat, others decided that they wanted to get as far away from the gate as possible and continued their headlong rush towards the escalators and the way out. There was nothing the two officers could do but try and direct any new arrivals into the relevant gates. As they were doing this the two other officers from Team Alpha returned from dropping off the pilot and her colleagues at the Security Briefing Room.
28
Day 1
09:15 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
As Irish was organising his team at Gate 3, the Ground Crew had manoeuvred a set of steps to the rear door of the plane to allow access for the cleaning and catering crews.
The Ground Crew were aware that something was going on as they had seen some SO18 officers standing just inside the building a few yards away. There was also a fire engine from the Airport Fire Service and a couple of ambulances sitting alongside the plane in addition to the usual catering vans and refuelling tanker. But, no one had told them anything. They guessed that it was either some sort of training exercise or something on a ‘need to know’ basis and, on this occasion, as in others, they obviously didn’t need to know. So, they just carried on with their usual routine alongside the baggage handlers who had already opened the cargo hold doors and were starting to unload cases.
