Free Coffee and Cockpits by Jade Hart Page B

ache.
    I checked outside the window for flames or other debris, before picking up the intercom and calling the pilots.
    Captain Anderson answered. He breathed heavily, but there was a satisfied smile in his voice. “Everything okay back there, Nina?”
    “Yes, sir. Everyone’s intact and giving you applause.”
     

 
     

     

 

    W e were gonna die.
    As much as I didn’t want to be an over-dramatic asshole, I knew landing with no landing gear wasn’t exactly advised in the pilot’s handbook.
    Shit, Joslyn. I hoped she was okay. And Nina… how did she suffer under pressure? 
    “You alright there, Mikin?”Anderson gruffed, sweat dripped off his nose from battling the airplane.
    The control column jerked forward as the aircraft fought—wanting to meteorite to earth, hating us for stopping its suicide.
    I reached forward, gathering more strength from my depleted muscles to keep the plane stable. “I’m good.”
    I thanked my flying roster Anderson was my partner. He was capable, unflappable, and his confidence kept me level-headed.
    “Call ahead. You’re in command of radio,” he clipped as he pulled a huge ring binder from the middle console and flicked to some fine print that might have the answer of how to fix our predicament.
    Hands shaking, I pressed my radio button. “This is KA93, Charlie, Romeo, Zulu, requesting aid due to an electronic malfunction. Mayday Mayday.”
    The nose dipped even further, leaving me with a birds-eye view of the shimmering turquoise ocean, interspersed with tiny palm tree-groaning islands. Hell, I didn’t want to land face first into water. It would be hard as concrete and just as deadly.
    “Go ahead KA93, we hear you.”
    Ignoring my racing heart, I stated calmly. “Requesting emergency clearance for the nearest runway. Over.”
    There was a crackle and pause. “Nearest runway is Faleolo International Airport, Samoa. I can arrange emergency clearance. State distance please.”
    Was there nothing closer? Would we make it? Could we make it?
    Anderson threw the ring binder into the back; it slammed against the cockpit door. “There’s nothing in there that can help us.” Manually changing the flap angle, he grabbed his controls, muttering, “We’re going to pull together. Real hard. Got it? We’ll make it to Samoa.”
    My eyes flew to all the gauges in front of me, so used to reading them to work out distance and time. They were useless. Everything electronic was dead. Fucking fantastic. We were eight thousand feet in the air with no instruments. We had been a lot higher, but that was before our plummet with death.
    My heart escaped up my throat as the plane ignored our attempts to keep it level and tried to nosedive again. Oh shit!
    Shrill beeping filled the cockpit with warnings that whatever we were doing wasn’t kosher. No shit, we were free falling.
    I had no intention of being shark food. Ah, runway . The slither of tarmac beckoned us in the distance.
    Anderson’s face sheened with sweat as he wrenched with all his might on the controls. I joined him, heaving and puffing, wrangling the plane into submission.
    Gulping back my disbelief, I made my last call. Or I hoped it wasn’t my last call. Hell, I didn’t want to die. I had so much to live for. I hated that I hadn’t had the guts to say what I really wanted to Nina. Goddammit, this wasn’t right.
    My voice was sharp with nerves.“KA93 coming in hot. ETA six minutes at current velocity.”
    Anderson added, “Require ambulance and fire engine escort. Over.”
    Immediately, a male voice said, “Roger. We’ll organise your request. God speed, gentlemen. Over.”
    My palms sweated around my control column; I looked at Anderson.
    “We need to get the nose up for preparation. On the count of three.” He raised an eyebrow. “One… two… three!”
    A groan wrenched from my lungs as I heaved. Biceps trembled, abs rippled with tension as we both fought an aircraft that outweighed us a thousand to one. Come