Chapter 11
THE AIRBORNE DESCENT
The cabin pressure alarm wailed a piercing, frantic red alert.
Flashing red emergency lights strobed across the ceiling.
White fog billowed from the severed oxygen line near the partition.
Rosalyn screamed as the sudden turbulence threw her against the wall.
The silver pistol slipped from her numb fingers, skittering away.
Bastian didn't hesitate to capitalize on the chaos.
He lunged across the tilting floorboards, tackling Rosalyn hard.
He pinned her shoulders against the bulkhead with iron force.
"Where is the antidote?" Bastian roared over the screaming wind.
"In... in my vanity case!" Rosalyn gasped, pointing a shaking finger.
Mira scrambled across the tipping cabin toward the designer luggage bag.
She unzipped the leather pouch with frantic, trembling fingers.
Inside lay a small glass ampoule with a blue medical label.
"Is this it?" Mira shouted, holding it up.
"Yes! The auto-injector is in the side pocket!" Rosalyn screamed.
Mira found the plastic syringe and snapped the ampoule into place.
She raced back to the couch where Evan lay motionless.
"Hold on, sweet boy, just hold on," Mira sobbed softly.
She pressed the auto-injector firmly against Evan’s thigh.
The spring-loaded needle clicked loudly, releasing the serum.
Evan let out a sudden, sharp gasp of air.
His small chest heaved violently as fresh oxygen flooded his lungs.
Color slowly began to return to his pale, cold cheeks.
"Dad..." Evan whispered weakly, opening his eyes.
Bastian heard his son’s voice over the roar of the engines.
A wave of overwhelming relief washed over his exhausted face.
He kept his knee pinned firmly on Rosalyn’s chest.
The jet continued its terrifying, steep descent toward the runway below.
The pilot fought frantically with the controls in the cockpit.
Sirens blared continuously from the automated flight deck.
"We’re going to crash!" Rosalyn shrieked in mortal terror.
"We’re all going to die here!"
Bastian ignored her panic entirely.
He grabbed the cabin intercom microphone from the wall.
"This is Bastian Calder!" he shouted into the comms.
"Level out the wings, Cooper! Pull up right now!"
A tense, agonizing second passed in absolute silence.
Then the nose of the private jet lifted heavily upward.
The G-force slammed everyone back against the plush seats.
The landing gear touched down on the emergency tarmac with a screech.
Sparks flew from the tires as the jet skidded down the wet runway.
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It finally came to a grinding halt inches from the safety barrier.
[Cliffhanger: Red and blue police lights flash outside the cabin windows, surrounding the aircraft in a tight tactical perimeter.]
