❗Hold up… this is Chapter 6.
Unless you’re the kind of thrill-seeker who reads the last page of a mystery first (you monster), you might want to backtrack.
👉 [Click here to start at Chapter 1] — where the real madness begins.
Otherwise, carry on… but don’t say I didn’t warn you when things stop making sense and someone you’ve never met suddenly dies.
Written by Thomas Mai
© Copyright held by Thomas Mai
Chapter 6 – The Crash That Was Heard Around The World
The phone rang at 11:47 pm. An unexpected call at this hour was rarely good news. It was the Vice President, and his words were so serious, they shocked Helena.
With an intense tone, he delivered the news. “Helena, Air Force One has crash-landed in Somalia,” he said, and the words struck her like a physical blow.
“Is the President—?” Her question died in her throat, fear clotting her words.
“We don’t know yet. It’s chaos over there.” The Vice President’s voice was grim, the weight of uncertainty a palpable thing. “Spread the word, but don’t mention where you heard it from. You are the only reporter I trust.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vice President. I’ll be on it,” she managed, her voice steady despite the turmoil within.
Helena Martinez came from a Mexican family. Her parents had immigrated across the US-Mexico border before she was born, and all four of her siblings were born in the US, making them citizens by birthright. Her father had worked in construction since arriving in the US, while her mother had been a house cleaner for wealthy families in Beverly Hills.
Helena, in her mid-40s, stood at an average height with long, dark brown hair. Helena’s captivating appearance and sharp intellect had landed her a position as a reporter for a small, local Spanish-speaking TV station in Los Angeles. Her focused coverage of the dangerous conditions faced by Mexican immigrants attempting to cross the border, as well as the lack of support for their rights and medical needs, had made her a household name within the Latino community.
Helena’s exposé on the hypocrisy of the wealthy and powerful who publicly claimed to be against illegal immigration while secretly hiring and exploiting undocumented workers for below minimum wage had garnered multiple news awards and caught the attention of major network stations. With seamless ease, Helena had transitioned from reporting to a Spanish-speaking audience to becoming a respected voice in the English-speaking national news scene.
She dialed her producer, the calling tone punctuating the stillness of the night. The line clicked, and a groggy voice answered.
“Sarah, get to the studio, now!” Helena commanded while she grabbed her keys and coat.
Her car screeched to a halt outside the studio. Every second counted. She sprinted towards the entrance, where Sarah, her producer awaited, with a grave expression. Together, they raced to the newsroom, the energy electric.
The studio was a flurry of activity when Helena arrived, only 35 minutes after the call. Lights snapped on, cameras wheeled into position, and technicians scurried about like a colony of ants disturbed from their nest.
“Camera one, get ready for Martinez,” Sarah barked, her eyes locked on Helena who strode onto the set, her expression a mask of controlled intensity.
“10 seconds,” someone shouted, and the countdown began.
“Deep breaths, Helena,” Sarah whispered in Helena’s earbud. “This is it.”
Helena nodded, steeling herself, feeling the weight of her responsibility. Then it happened—the global TV network shattered the calm of households across the nation and the world.
“We interrupt this program for breaking news.”
The familiar chime that preceded the most urgent of announcements rang out, cutting through sitcom laughter, the cheers of late-night shows, the droning of late-night infomercials and the broadcast of live sports events. On screens big and small, people were jolted upright, their attention snared. It was 12:28 am Sunday morning in Washington.
“Good evening, this is Helena Martinez with an urgent update,” she announced, her voice a beacon of clarity amidst the brewing storm. “We have received confirmed reports that Air Force One has crash-landed in Somalia. Details are scarce, and the condition of President James Harrington remains unknown.”
A collective gasp rippled through living rooms, bars, and bedrooms. The balance of the world shifted as the news anchor, known for her determination and dreaded for her relentless search for truth, delivered the words that altered everything.
Off-screen, Sarah gave a silent nod of approval. Helena’s delivery was perfect—grave, yet composed. But inside, Helena’s heart raced.
Helena Martinez stood before a colossal map illuminating the studio walls, her finger tracing the jagged coastline of Somalia. “This,” she said, voice taut with urgency, “is where Air Force One is believed to have crash-landed.” The map zoomed into an area marked with a blinking red dot, and the screen split, flanking Helena with images of desolation—ruins of buildings, famine, poverty, armed militias, the vestiges of a country ravaged by decades of conflict.
As she spoke, her voice trembled with emotion. “Somalia,” she said, shaking her head, “a country ravaged by four decades of civil war, famine, lack of government and law enforcement, absence of education, but plenty of terror from powerful warlords and Al-Shebaab.”
Her words painted a stark contrast as the footage rolled from the chaos of the failed state to President James Harrington’s recent address in Madagascar. There he was on the screen, the embodiment of hope, speaking fervently to a crowd at Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in Madagascar. The president’s face then froze in a moment of optimism, waving atop the stairs of Air Force One before it took off for its fateful flight.
“Our reporters have picked up the Mayday call that was transmitted from Air Force One.” “Mayday, Mayday, this is Air Force One declaring an emergency. We are descending rapidly and require immediate assistance, trying to land in Somalia.”
As the distorted audio clip played, Helena’s hand flew to her mouth in disbelief, a wave of emotions washing over her.
The weighty stillness was interrupted by Helena’s grave and chilling voice as she began to speak after playing the audio clip. She commented, “We’ve been informed that the Air Force is facing difficulties, but it’s a different experience to hear the actual emergency call recording from the flight deck. This story is happening in real-time, and we are responding to what we receive… I’ve also been told that we have obtained cell phone footage taken from a merchant ship in the Indian Ocean.”
A video, filmed in a shaky portrait mode from a cell phone, showed Air Force One in distress. Smoke and flames poured out of the back of the plane, causing several people filming to exclaim “oh my god” and express shock and dismay.
The world was watching Helena on their TV sets. The news erupted into a global story.
As the live footage of the AFL game between Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast was interrupted, it was already Sunday at 14:28 in Brisbane, Australia. The local pub was filled with shocked and disbelieving fans as they watched the unexpected turn of events.
At 05:28 am in Copenhagen, Denmark, the morning TV and radio programs were interrupted with breaking news. The early viewers and listeners froze in shock as they heard the announcement.
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9 May 2024 Edit: Version 2.0 – Major update to grammar, tense, and spelling mistakes contributed by Monica Liebenow.
14 May 2024 Edit: Version 2.1 – Minor update to grammar, indent and spaces contributed by Monica & Erin Liebenow.
Thank you, Monica & Erin!
21 June 2024 Edit: Version 3.0. Updated the chapter to be in the past tense and added italics for dialogue.
22 August 2024 Edit: Version 3.1. Updated the chapter with a better structure and flow.
If you spot any mistakes in the chapter, please let me know in the comment section below.