Authors: Joel Narlock
The president’s phone chirped. “Yes?” he said.
“Mr. President, I wanted to remind you that we’re giving the first interview via our embedded media relationship,” Bridge said on the other line. “It’s scheduled to air on all networks later this evening. Hopefully, it will—”
“Excuse me?” The president shifted the phone. “Our embedded what?”
“Cale . . . er, Mr. President, we talked about this,” Bridge gently reminded. “Jack Riley was forced to make an arrangement with the news reporter who received the initial terror warning. She’s the only non-governmental person who’s heard it. We’ve given her access to certain investigative information and have allowed her to do some on-site broadcasts in return for her temporary silence. Thankfully, she’s agreed. I’m uncomfortable with it too, sir, but if Jack says it’s for the good of the investigation, then that’s good enough for me.”
“Her silence,” the president muttered. “Why would anyone agree to that? Is Riley involved with her?”
“Absolutely not,” Bridge assured. “I think he’s smarter than that.”
Too bad
, the president thought to himself. He was almost disappointed. A tawdry personal scandal might divert the nation’s attention elsewhere. He thanked Bridge, hung up, and turned his attention back to Bard.
“Has Congress approached us?” he asked.
“Not officially,” Bard answered. “There’s an army of airline lobbyists working on a taxpayer bailout. United’s CEO, Jeffrey Smirtek, said that without it, the airlines would become a major casualty of war. And he also stated that his company would not agree to a single concession attached to such a bailout by their security holders, creditors, or employees.”
“I wouldn’t either,” the president admitted. “I don’t know if airline shares can possibly decline any further.”
“Senator Benvenito is resurrecting his draft of the Airline Recovery Act to get a jump on the loan guarantee requests. He’s also broached the subject of going national again. He said he’s got people willing to form up in committee to create the framework. He wants to know your reaction.”
The president rolled his eyes. “Those socialists and their knee-jerk ideas. For the life of me, I’ll never understand how such highly educated politicians can be so dumb. Can you imagine the US government operating what is arguably the world’s most service-oriented business? A national airline would be an unmitigated screw-up, even worse than government-run health care. Do you know what the real problem is? Some people in Congress need a good, old-fashioned history lesson. In a socialistic society, government controls business. In a communistic society, they own it. In other words, there is no difference.”
“Is that an official or unofficial reaction?” Bard said, collecting his folders.
The president slumped into his chair and gazed out the windows.
“I should have stayed in the Navy, or maybe on our farm. You know, for all his military heroism and political savvy, George Washington was a farmer—and an extraordinary one at that. He always wanted to be at his Mount Vernon plantation, tending his land and horses and sitting on his porch overlooking the Potomac. The man loved horses. He even built a sheltered manure pit right off the main house because he knew the value of fertilizer. I’d like to send a wagon of it up to Capitol Hill. How’s that for my reaction?”
—
Courtyard Marriott
Milwaukee, Wi
“TOM ROSS, this is my cameraman, Terry Lee,” Griffin announced, collecting her purse. “I’ll be right back. If Terry tells you that he’s my protective little brother, don’t believe a word of it.” She winked and closed the door.
Ross took a seat on the sofa. He eyed Lee warily. “So, are you her brother?”
“Depends,” Lee replied, tightening the legs of a tripod. “Why? You interested?”
“I might be.” Ross narrowed his eyes. “Are you?”
“I’m just a friend who wouldn’t want her to get hurt again. I guess you could say that I’m a little brother and chaperone rolled into one.”
“What do you mean ‘again’?”
“I take it you don’t know about Skip.” Ross shook his head. “Liar, drinker, and wife beater—three separate times. Skip’s a remodeling contractor. He’s a tough guy with an attitude and an alcohol problem. Neela knew it and still married him. She thought he’d change. Right after she signed on with Fox, Skip went on one of his binges and smacked her around pretty good. Her first week on the job, she wore an eye patch. She blamed it on a bicycle accident. The second time, she stayed home. Even then she still wouldn’t report it. When it happened a third time, she had the sense and the guts to file charges. It was a big day for the Milwaukee news media. All Skip got was probation while Neela got publicly embarrassed. It hurt her reputation real bad. I don’t think she’ll ever let a man get close to her again. So, Mr. Ross, if you’re into physical violence or alcohol addiction in a relationship, then I suggest you look elsewhere. She doesn’t need another Skip. But be warned, she’s taken enough self-defense classes to handle most men no matter how big they are. Trust me, you don’t ever want to get her mad.”
“I’ve never hit a woman in my life,” Ross said adamantly. “I’m not that way.”
“Neither was Skip at first, so consider yourself warned.”
“Fair enough, Mr. Lee.”
“Call me Terry.”
The door opened, and Griffin walked in with a bag from the hotel gift shop.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ross asked. “With me, I mean?”
“Yes,” Griffin said matter-of-factly. “It’ll give the segment instant credibility. Don’t be so shy.”
“I’m not shy,” he huffed. “I’ve given interviews before.”
“Then you know the routine.” She turned to Lee. “How does he look?”
“Camera ready,” Lee replied, adjusting the lighting. He casually motioned to the top of Ross’s head.
Griffin reached into the bag and produced some extra hold mousse. She gave Ross’s hair two squirts and brushed the mousse through it.
She caught Ross staring at her in the wall mirror.
Griffin smiled and faced the camera.
“We’re coming to you from the Courtyard Marriott on Layton and 5th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, has established its temporary headquarters. I’m here with Thomas Ross, the man in charge of the NTSB’s vaunted Go Team, which is investigating the airline tragedies that occurred here on Monday morning and in South Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday.”
She turned. “Mr. Ross, what can you tell us about the black boxes that have been recovered? Will they provide any clues to what caused these incidents?”
“Yes and no,” Tom replied. “We’ve recovered two CVRs, or cockpit voice recorders, and two flight data recorders, or FDRs. Both sets are in good condition. We’ve analyzed the Delta boxes, and preliminary results have shown that the flight controls and instruments were functioning normally during the plane’s takeoff. But shortly after that, there was an indication of a problem with two of the major systems: maneuverability and thrust. The data indicated that—”
“Excuse me, could you explain that?”
Ross noticed Griffin’s perfume.
“Um, sure . . . um . . . I’m sorry . . . er, yes, we found that one engine had lost all capability to produce turns due to compressor failure. In layman’s terms, a jet engine does four things: suck, squeeze, burn, and blow. Something literally stopped the air from being squeezed or compressed—something very violent.
“Second, we know that shortly after takeoff, the aircraft started turning and lost its ability to straighten its nose. The pilot’s best recovery reaction, given the time frame involved, would have been to control that movement by the rudder on the plane’s tail. It appears that something dramatic happened to Flight 771’s rudder, and that meant the pilot was unable to bring the nose back to the original flight path. Then it went into an uncontrollable roll.
“We also know that the loss of control happened at a specific point in time. The data shows that it was instantaneous. What we don’t know is how or where the problem originated. It could have come from a variety of places, including something as simple as a stripped screw that allowed the rudder to move back and forth. That’s only a theory right now, though. We’re still recovering the physical pieces.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Ross, but that sounds similar to the accident that happened in the Belle Harbor area of Queens, New York, two months after 9/11. Wasn’t that also a rudder problem?”
“Yes, unfortunately, that’s true. American Airlines Flight 587 took off from John F. Kennedy Airport and lost an entire section of its tail. We concluded that it was caused by a combination of improper pilot pressure on the rudder pedals and a concentrated vortex of air created by the jet wash of an earlier departure. It was both operator and manufacturer-related. At this time, we’re not ruling that or anything out.”
“In his press conference on Tuesday, the president would neither confirm nor deny any terrorist linkage. Is that still true?”
“I certainly can’t speak for the president, Homeland Security, or the FBI, but at this time there are no indications that these crashes were caused by anything other than mechanical failure. The Delta flight’s voice recorder supports further evidence of that. Conversation between the pilot and first officer is relaxed and normal up to the point where they discover something is wrong. Sadly, the time element between that discovery and the actual crash itself was very brief. There simply wasn’t a lot of talk. That’s strong evidence, though, that there was no pilot duress and no unauthorized persons in or trying to gain access to the cockpit.”
“What can you tell us about Flight 605?”
“Oddly enough, the engine failure appears to be identical to that of Delta’s except that both of United’s engines lost power at the same moment in flight.”
“Doesn’t it seem incredible that two different aircraft have crashed under circumstances exactly like those of two Russian planes in 2004?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s incredible, but it is highly unusual,” Ross clarified. “Those things just don’t happen. Flight 771 was a Boeing MD-90 and Flight 605 was an Airbus. However, it’s important to understand that while the aircraft are different, their flight control systems and mechanics still have many similarities, especially in physical components and parts. Those similarities are then vulnerable to similar failures. If it is a mechanical or physical defect in a common component, then I’m confident we’ll find it.”
“How long would it take for a mass replacement of such a defective part?”
“Good question. It would happen airline by airline. I can’t begin to estimate the time frame. I do know that the maintenance staffs in the entire industry would work day and night to correct such a defect. I don’t want to speculate, but it would take a while.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ross.” Griffin turned to the camera. “Incredible or highly unusual? We’ll have to wait and see. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for regular updates. Reporting from NTSB investigation headquarters in Milwaukee, this is Neela Griffin, Fox 6 News.”
Lee turned off the camera.
“Nice take, Neela. This is sweet stuff. The other stations know we’re here, and they’re really ticked. How come Fox gets such preferential treatment?”
“Never mind about that.” Griffin turned to Ross. “Do you want to edit this?”
“It’s fine; let it go.”
Griffin ushered Lee to the door. “There’s a deadline in four hours,” she said to her cameraman. “There’ll be more to come. I’ll call you.”
Ross rose from his chair. “I’m impressed. A lot of people are uncomfortable with our findings on Flight 587. And you did your homework on those Soviet flights. How has reaction been at your news station? Are you still a problem child?”
“Are you kidding? They’re treating me like I’m Ann Curry, Megyn Kelly, and Diane Sawyer rolled into one. It’s been a complete turnaround. I can do just about anything I want with segment topics and time slots. They did think it was a little unusual that I was given private access to such a sensitive investigation, but everyone in this business realizes that’s where the media is heading. It’s certainly a good way to present the truth. My colleagues did wonder why I’m staying here when I live just ten miles away, but other than that, it’s all good.”
“I see you’re hosting a fund-raiser tonight for some of the families,” Ross said, reaching out and gently grasping Neela’s hands. “How are you holding up? I mean, can I help with anything?”
“I’m a little tired, but other than that, I’m okay.” She gave a quizzical look and then smiled. “You’re even busier than I am, but that was really sweet. Thanks for asking.”
Ross pulled her closer. Neela’s expression fell somewhere between interested and shy. She didn’t resist. She lowered her eyes briefly, then raised them to meet his. Ross placed his hand under her chin. His kiss was ultra-soft, barely touching at first, then grew firmer.
Warmth rippled through her body, and her cheeks flushed pink.
Ross pulled his lips away slowly.
Trancelike, the couple stood an inch apart, eyes closed. The moment was interrupted by vibrating from Ross’s pocket.
Griffin swallowed hard, catching her breath.
“What was that for?”
“Your perfume does something to me. I can’t think straight.” Ross ignored his phone. “I just want you to know that this is something that I’m not used to. I’ve never been through anything like this before, at least in a while. And I feel good knowing that you’re the person I’m involved with. I mean, that you’re the person who’s involved with me. I mean, the one working with me on this investigation. I’m glad I met you.”
She held back laughter. “I’m glad I met you too.”
Ross was noticeably relieved. “We never really had the chance to . . . well, if both of us could find the time, would it be all right if we had dinner?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
He paused thoughtfully. “I want to be sure that I thoroughly researched the issue using approved NTSB procedures. Let’s see . . . a subject male has just invited a subject female to partake in the consumption of nutrition at a public establishment that serves such nutrition. Personally, I told myself that I would never become involved with anyone at work, but that referred to employees within the same company. And finally, the subject female is kind, intelligent, caring, and very attractive. Yup. I’m asking you out on a date. For the second time. And I really hope you’ll accept.”