The Three: A Novel

by Sarah Lotz

  Would I say that fame went to his head? Yeah, sure. After he set up the website and got involved with Dr Lund, he was like a kid with a new toy. He said he was in contact with people from all over the world. Fellas right down in Africa even. There was that Monty guy he said he emailed every day, and a marine who was doing his duty somewhere in Japan. Jake somebody. I can’t recall his surname even though he was all over the news later on. Lenny told me all about how that marine had been into the Japanese forest where that plane had crashed. ‘Where Pam breathed her last breath.’ He said that Dr Lund had tried to contact Bobby’s grandmother, wanted to invite Bobby onto his show as well, but wasn’t getting anywhere. I really felt for the poor woman. Both me and Denisha did. It couldn’t have been easy being the focus of all that attention when you were still in mourning.

  Lenny went on and on about how he was getting requests to do interviews from all over–talk shows, radio shows, Internet blogs, the whole caboodle, and not just the religious ones either. ‘Aren’t you worried they’ll ridicule you, Lenny?’ I asked him. He let slip that Dr Lund’s PR team had warned him to be careful about talking to the non-Christian press, and I thought that was wise advice. What he was saying about the children being the horsemen, you could see how lots of folks would think that was just plain nonsense.

  ‘I’m spreading the truth, Lo,’ he said. ‘If they want to ignore it, that’s their business. When the Rapture comes, we’ll see who has the last laugh.’

  We didn’t even do it that day. He just wanted to talk. As he left, he reminded me to catch Dr Lund’s True Faith Togetherness show that weekend.

  I was curious to see how Lenny would come across, so come Sunday, I settled down to watch it. Denisha couldn’t figure out what the hell I was doing. I hadn’t told her that Lenny was one of my clients. I respect my regulars’ privacy, which I know sounds like a lie seeing as here’s me talking to you now! But I never asked to be outed, did I? I wasn’t the one who went to the reporters. Anyhow, first off, Dr Lund stood at this big gold pulpit, a huge choir behind him. That church of his, the size of a shopping mall, was bursting at the seams. He basically just repeated Lenny’s theories about Pamela May Donald’s message, stopping every five minutes so that the choir could sing a bit more and the congregation could chime in with their ‘Amen’s and ‘Praise Jesus’s. Then he went on about how the time was ripe for God’s judgement, what with all the immorality going on, the gays and the women’s libbers and the baby killers and the school boards who promote Evolution. Denisha kept clicking her tongue. Her church knows all about what she does for a living, and they have no problem with the gays, either. ‘It’s all the same to them, Lo,’ she said. ‘People is people, and rather be upfront about it than hide it. Jesus never judged nobody, did he? ’Cept those money-lenders.’ Most of those rich preachers and high-end pastors had skeletons in their closets, and every day there seemed to be a new scandal about one of them. But not Dr Lund. He was known to be squeaky clean. Denisha reckoned he had the right connections to keep his dirty doings out of the media; knew where the bodies were buried.

  After his sermon, Dr Lund walked over to an area at the side of the stage, which was decorated like a living room, all expensive rugs and oil paintings and lampshades with gold tassels. On the couch waiting for him were Dr Lund’s wife, Sherry, Lenny and a skinny woman who looked like she needed feeding up. That was the first time I saw Pastor Len’s wife, Kendra. She couldn’t have looked more different to Sherry, who Denisha said had the look of Tammy Faye Bakker about her–all eyelashes and drag queen accessories. But Lenny came across okay. He was a bit agitated, kept fidgeting and his voice wobbled some, but he didn’t embarrass himself. Dr Lund did most of the talking. Kendra didn’t say one word. And the look on her face… it was hard to read. I couldn’t tell if she was nervous, thought the whole thing was just dumb, or if she was bored out of her mind.

  Pastor Len Vorhees agreed to be interviewed on DJ Erik Kavanaugh’s notorious Talk NYC radio show, Mouthing Off. The following is a transcript of the show aired on 8 March 2012.

  ERIK KAVANAUGH: On the line with me today, I have Pastor Len Vorhees from Sannah County, Texas. Pastor Len–can I call you that, by the way?

  PASTOR LEN VORHEES: Yes, sir, that’s absolutely fine.

  EK: That’s a first, no one’s ever called me sir before. Gotta say, you’re politer than most of the guests I usually have on here. Pastor Len, you are trending on Twitter right now. Do you think it’s right for an evangelical Christian to use social media in this way?

  PL: I believe we should use any means possible to spread the good news, sir. And since I got the message out there, there are people flocking into Sannah County, eager to be saved. Why, at my church they’re practically spilling out the doors. (He laughs)

  EK: So it’s like that scene in Jaws. You’re gonna need a bigger church?

  PL: (Pause) I’m not quite sure what—

  EK: Now let’s get down to exactly what you’re saying. Some people might say that your belief that these children are the horsemen is–and I can find no other way to say this–absolutely batshit crazy.

  PL: (Laughing nervously) Well now, sir, that kind of language isn’t—

  EK: Is it true that you came up with this theory after one of your parishioners, Pamela May Donald, the sole American on board the Japanese plane that crashed into that forest, left a message on her phone?

  PL: Ah… yes, that’s correct, sir. Her message was addressed to me and her meaning was clear as day. ‘Pastor Len,’ she said. ‘Warn them about the boy.’ The only boy she could mean was the Japanese boy who was the sole survivor of that crash. The sole survivor. And then the airplanes’ insignias—

  EK: In the message she also mentions her dog. If you believe she was saying that the Japanese boy is some sort of end-of-days harbinger, surely this means you also believe we should all go around treating the family pooch like a deity now?

  PL: (Several seconds of dead air) Well now, I wouldn’t go so far as to—

  EK: On your website, pamelaprophet.com–you should check it out folks, trust me–you say that there are facts that back up what you’re saying. Signs that the misery the horsemen are supposed to bring is already coming to pass. Let me give any listeners who may not have heard the details of your theory an example. You’re saying that the foot and mouth outbreak they’ve just been having in Europe was brought on by the appearance of the horsemen, am I right?

  PL: That’s correct, sir.

  EK: But surely there’s always stuff like this going on? The UK experienced exactly the same thing a few years ago.

  PL: That’s not the only sign though, sir. If you put them all together, you can clearly see that there is a pattern of—

  EK: And these signs, you’re saying they’re all pointing towards the fact that the end of the world is nigh when all the saved will be raptured. Is it fair to say you evangelical guys are looking forward to this event?

  PL: I wouldn’t say that looking forward is the right way to phrase it, no, sir. It’s important to let your listeners know that by taking the Lord—

  EK: So these signs are like God’s way of saying, time’s up folks, get saved or burn in hell forever?

  PL: Uh… I’m not certain that—

  EK: Your beliefs have come under radical fire from religious leaders of, let’s say, more traditional persuasions. More than a few of them have said that what you’re saying, and I quote, is ‘utter fear-mongering nonsense’.

  PL: There will always be doubters, sir, but I would urge your listeners to—

  EK: You’ve got some heavy hitters behind you. I’m talking about Dr Theodore Lund of the End Times Movement. Is it true he used to go shooting with former President ‘Billy-Bob’ Blake?

  PL: Uh… you’ll have to ask him about that, sir.

  EK: I don’t need to ask him about his views on women’s rights, the Israeli peace accords, abortion and gay marriage. He’s radically opposed to them. Do you share his views?


  PL: (another long pause) I believe we should look to the Bible for guidance on these matters, sir. In Leviticus it says that—

  EK: Doesn’t it also say in Leviticus that owning slaves is cool and that kids who backchat to their parents should be stoned? Why do you guys take on board, say, the anti-gay stuff and not the other crap?

  PL: (dead air for several seconds) Sir… I object to your tone. I came on the show to tell your listeners that time is—

  EK: Let’s move on. Your theory about The Three isn’t the only one doing the rounds. There are quite a few nutjobs who are adamant that those kids are possessed by aliens. Why are their views any crazier than what you believe?

  PL: I’m not sure what you—

  EK: The Three are just children, surely? Haven’t they been through enough? Wouldn’t the Christian thing to do be not to judge them?

  PL: (another long pause) I don’t… I—

  EK: So let’s say they’re possessed, are the real children still inside their bodies? If so, must be getting crowded in there, am I right?

  PL: God… Jesus works in ways we can only—

  EK: Ah, the ‘God works in mysterious ways’ defence.

  PL: Uh… but you can’t… you can’t discount the signs that… How else did those children survive the crashes? It’s—

  EK: Is it true you believe there is a fourth child who has survived the crash in Africa? A fourth horseman? You’re saying this even though the NTSB is absolutely adamant that no one could have survived that tragedy?

  PL: (clears throat) Uh… that crash site… there was much confusion down there. Africa is… Africa is a—

  EK: So how did these horsemen bring down the planes? On a practical level, it seems like a lot of effort to go to, doesn’t it?

  PL: Um… I can’t tell you that for sure, sir. But I will tell you this, when they release the crash reports, there will be signs of… of…

  EK: Supernatural interference? Like the alien people believe?

  PL: You’re twisting my words, sir. I didn’t mean that—

  EK: Thank you, Pastor Len Vorhees. We’ll be opening the lines for callers after this message.

  NTSB investigator Ace Kelso spoke to me again at length after the preliminary crash investigation findings from all four incidents were revealed at a press conference, which was held in Washington, Virginia on 13 March 2012.

  As I said at the press conference, it’s rare for us to reveal our findings so soon. But this was a special case–people needed to know the incidents weren’t down to terrorism or some goddamned supernatural event, and the families of the survivors needed closure. You wouldn’t believe the number of calls the Washington office fielded from whackos convinced we were in cahoots with sinister Men in Black government agencies. Course, added into the mix was the fact that after Black Thursday the aviation industry was suffering financially, needed to get back on track. You heard that a few of the more unscrupulous airlines are cashing in on the fact that all three survivors were seated towards the rear of the aircraft? Charging a premium for the seats at the back; considering relocating First and Business Class to the rear to recoup lost profits.

  It was obvious to us early on that terrorism wasn’t a factor. We knew from the bodies and wreckage recovered that none of the aircraft in any of the four instances had broken up significantly mid-air, which would have been the case had an explosive device been triggered. Sure, we had to consider a possible hijacking scenario at first, but no organisation came forward at any time to take responsibility.

  As you know, there’s still a massive operation underway to locate the CVR and black box from the site of the Go!Go! Air incident, but we’re confident we know the sequence of events that led to the disaster. First of all, from the aircraft’s flight path and the weather data, we know they found themselves flying into a severe thunderstorm. The last contact from the aircraft, an automated telemetry message to the Go!Go! Air technical centre, indicated that the aircraft had undergone multiple electrical failures, most notably of the static port heating system. This would have resulted in ice crystals forming in the static ports, which in turn would have resulted in inaccurate airspeed readings. Thinking that their airspeed was too low, the pilots would have progressively increased the speed of the aircraft to avoid a stall. We believe they continued doing so until they exceeded the aircraft’s capabilities and literally flew the wings off the thing. We’re almost certain Jessica Craddock’s burn injuries were caused by a fuel fire after the event, or from a malfunctioning flare.

  Now, the Dalu Air flight was a different story. The series of factors that added up to that crash pointed to an accident waiting to happen. For a start, the design of the Antonov AN-124 dates back to the seventies, light years away from the ‘fly by wire’ technology used by Airbus. The aircraft was also operated by a small Nigerian outfit that mostly flew freight and which, it must be said, didn’t have the best safety record. Won’t go into too many technicalities again, but Cape Town International airport’s ILS wasn’t working that day–apparently it can be hokey. Also, the Antonov wasn’t fitted with modern navigation equipment such as LNS [Lateral Navigation System] and wasn’t adequately equipped to deal with the alternative approach system. The pilots misjudged the approach, came in approximately one hundred feet too low, the right wing clipped a power line and the Antonov immediately crashed into a densely populated township situated adjacent to the airfield. Gotta say, we were all impressed with how the Dalu Air investigation was handled by the CAA and the Cape Town Disaster Management Team. Those guys and gals know their stuff. You wouldn’t think it for a third world country, but they really got their ducks in a row asap. The head investigator–Nomafu Nkatha (don’t think I pronounced that correctly, Elspeth!)–gathered eye-witness accounts immediately after the event, and several people had caught the moments before impact on their cellphone cameras.

  The investigators have still got a job on their hands identifying the bodies of those killed at the site. Looks like a lot of them were refugees or asylum seekers and it’s going to be a near-impossible task tracking down family members for DNA matches. The CVR was recovered eventually. Guys had been collecting the parts, selling them off to tourists–can you believe that shit? But like I say, top marks to the team out there.

  Next one I’ll deal with was the Maiden Air crash–the one I was IIC on, before I was asked to oversee the whole operation. The evidence suggests that the aircraft suffered an almost total power loss on both engines due to ingestion–probably as a result of multiple bird strike. This occurred roughly two minutes after take-off, which is the most vulnerable phase of the climb. The pilots were unable to return to the airport and the aircraft crashed into the Everglades approximately three to four minutes later. We found the black box on this one, but the data was compromised. The N1 Turbines on both engines showed damage consistent with bird strike although there was, curiously, no trace of snarge. In line with my recommendations, the board ruled that engine failure due to multiple bird strike was the most probable cause of the crash.

  Then we had the one that I’d say was the most controversial. I’m talking about the Sun Air incident. The rumours that were going around about the cause of that crash were hard to contain–most notably the fallacy that Captain Seto was suicidal and brought the plane down deliberately. On top of this, the Japanese minister of transport’s wife said publicly that she believed aliens were involved. There was real pressure on us to sort that out asap. We had the CVR, which indicated a loss of hydraulics, and we know from the black box that the aircraft was effectively brought down by shoddy workmanship. The failure to follow basic repair procedures to the tail section resulted in rivets giving way. The structural integrity of the fuselage was compromised, resulting in explosive decompression some fourteen minutes into the flight. The rudder was damaged and the hydraulics were lost, and when this happens, it’s just about impossible to steer the aircraft. Pilots fought with that baby as hard as they could. Gotta admire them for that. We r
an comparative test in simulators and no one has been able to keep it in the air as long as they did.

  Course, we had to field a ton of questions at the press conference, lots of the reporters wanted to know where the bright lights a couple of the passengers said they’d seen came from. Could have been any number of things. More than likely lightning. That’s why we made the transcript of the CVR recording public asap, to stop those rumours in their tracks.

  The following transcript, taken from the Sun Air Flight SAJ678 Cockpit Voice Recorder, was first published on the National Transportation and Safety Bureau’s website on 20 March 2012.

  Capt–Captain

  FO–First Officer

  ATC–Air Traffic Control

  Transcript commences at 21h44 (fourteen minutes after take-off from Narita airport).

  FO: Passing flight level three three zero, captain, that’s a thousand foot to go. Looks like it should be nice and smooth at three four zero, not much CAT forecast.

  CAPT: Good.

  FO: Do you have—

  [A loud bang. Depressurisation alarm sounds.]

  CAPT: Mask! Put on your mask!

  FO: Mask on!

  CAPT: We’re losing the cabin, can you control it?

  FO: The cabin is at 14,000 already!

  CAPT: Go to manual and close the outflow valve. Looks like we’ve got a decompression.

  FO: Ah, Captain, we need to get down!

  CAPT: Try again.

  FO: The valve is fully closed, it’s no use–I can’t control it!

  CAPT: Have you closed the outflow valve?

  FO: Affirmative!

  CAPT: Okay, understood. Tell ATC we are starting an emergency descent.

  FO: Mayday, mayday, mayday–SAJ678 commencing emergency descent. We’ve had an explosive decompression.