Robert Smith - The Planner

At 6.50am, Logan International Airport, Boston, September 11th, Alshehri and Fayez nervously approach the check-in desk. Fayez looked barely awake.

“Would you like to check-in?” asked the check-in assistant politely.

Alshehri, as-if reciting, and with heavy accent, said. “We would like to buy two tickets for Flight 175.” He slapped down a wad of documents and cash.

The check-in assistant was less than impressed. “This is check-in, not ticket sales. You need to go the booth over there. They open in ten minutes.”

Alshehri looked at Fayez very confused. The check-in assistant picked up the money and papers to hand them back. Then she noticed airline tickets. “Oh wait. You have tickets.” She smiled and waved the tickets and Alshehri and Fayez look relieved. 132

* * * *

In a corridor at Logan Airport’s terminal building, was a short, almond-eyed woman wearing an ill-fitting, generic turquoise airport uniform. Holding the Flight 11 passenger manifest, Turq counted the number of empty seats on a plan of Flight 175. She took a “cloned” cell phone 133from a bag marked “Atta” and made a call. It would be recorded the cell phone network operator as coming from Atta’s own phone.

“Make sure there are no Muggles in the area, we’re coming over,” she said to a fellow Rainbow Team colleague.

She then exited the terminal building and made her way to a bus, holding the Flight 11 passengers and drove it over to Flight 175.

As the passengers ascended the aircraft, she wrote on their boarding card a new seat number in felt-tip ink. One of the male passengers stopped and asked uncertainly, “Is this right?”

“We’re consolidating onto one aircraft,” she said unsmiling. “We’ll be taking off in twenty minutes.”

With the last passenger boarded, she then drove back to the original gate, parked the bus and walked out to the empty aircraft, which was ready to leave. Sealing up the aircraft, Turquoise then entered the co-pilot seat. A member of ground crew moved the steps from the aircraft and Flight 11 taxied to the runway.

* * * *

On board the E4-B, the Rainbow Team had snatched a few hours sleep and were now assembled at their respective stations within the Command Room. There was an air of expectation; all was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioning and engines. Just before 8am, Colonel Nicholas relayed a message, received from his headset, “I can confirm change of command. Myers has taken over. 134”

Captain Ochre, turned and said, “Turquoise has confirmed consolidation of passengers onto 175.”

Captain Magenta, said “First two drones in position.”

Planner sat in the center, in his command seat, and nodded. Bates, seating opposite to him, ticked off an item from his checklist.

Captain Orange announced, “Flight 11 is away.”

* * * *

Flight 175 was crowded. Inside, some passengers look nervous, one woman was openly crying. Then it too, was aloft.

* * * *

Captain Orange noticed the change in his radar display and stated, “Flight 175 has taken off.”

Planner looked at his watch, “What’s happened to Flight 93?”

“It’s still on the tarmac,” said Orange.

“Any particular problem?” asked Planner.

“Yes, two of the Rainbow Actors got off the plane just before take off 135,” said Orange wide-eyed.

Bates turned quickly, “I’ll get someone onto that. In the meantime, can you ask someone in ATC to up 93’s priority?”

“I’ll do that,” said Ochre.

Bates looked up from his check list, “Indigo, time to make your call.”

Indigo nodded and exited the Command Room to make his futile warning call.

Planner looked at Bates with a grim smile.

Magenta stated “Drone to synchronise with Flight 11 in 10 minutes.”

Planner said to Purple, “Colonel, can you ask our pilot to confirm his rendezvous at waypoint A?”

“Yes, Sir,” replied Purple.

“There’s been a minor delay on Flight 77 at Washington too. But it’s just lining up for take off now,” said Orange.

* * * *

Flight 77 took off from Dulles Airport in Washington at 8.20pm, ten minutes late. Meanwhile at Newark Airport, Flight 93, was already 20 minutes late. The plane was sitting on the runway with 38 passengers on board.

“Sorry for the delay, Flight 93,” said the air traffic controller to the Flight 93 pilot.

“Do you have an ETD, Control?” asked the pilot.

“Another ten minutes,” said the controller.

* * * *

Indigo re-entered the command room. He said, grimly. “I made the call.”

Planner forced himself to acknowledge Indigo and said grimly, “Ok. Coordinate the Flight 11 messages, Indigo.”

Colonel Purple announced, “We’re at Waypoint A.”

Bates said, “Are we ready to make switch?”

“Flight 11 is within the radar-free zone,” said Ochre.

“Drone ready,” said Magenta.

“Right. Make the switch. Radio Turq, switch off transponder, bring the airliner down. Start spoof transmissions. Alert ground teams: that we’re at Waypoint A,” said Planner.

“Spoof transmissions started,” said Ochre

“Ground team informed,” said Bates.

“Contact team, engage!” said Ochre and he waved at the contact team. Tangerine, Mint and Mahogany waved back and start talking into their headsets.

“Turquoise reporting that she’s already on the descent,” said Orange.

Magenta said, “Drone Flight 11 taken over. Moving into new Flight Plan.”

Planner took out his cell phone and tried to send Katherine another text from his phone: “Don’t go into work!”

* * * *

On a sunny New York Street close to the World Trade Center, a van with the sign “Urban Moving Systems” pulled up. The van had a logo of plane diving towards the Twin Towers.

Katherine saw the van as she crossed the street and found the logo vaguely unsettling. She continued towards the WTC Plaza, the North Tower Lobby and entered a lift.

Meanwhile, by a waterside conference center a few hundred yards away, a couple of dozen people who had emerged from the same subway train, wandered into a small lecture theatre. One of the hosts for the conference welcome them into the room and gave them a leaflet entitled “New York Office Of Emergency Management TRIPOD” and subtitled, “A training day to response to terrorist events”. Projected on a large screen above the podium was the following: “NY Office Of Emergency Management Welcomes FEMA to TRIPOD 11th-14th September 2001 at the World Trade Center.” 136

Immediately under the World Trade Center Plaza, in the basement under WTC Building 4, men were loading gold bars into an armoured truck.

Within the 20th floor of the WTC North Tower, a young man looked at his watch next to a bank of twenty PC computers. When the second hand reached 12, he went past each machine pressing the ENTER key and then walked out the door, switching off the lights and locking the door. The computer glowed in the dark and alternatively displayed in text “Sell: ok” and “Transfer: ok”. 137

In the street a few blocks north of the WTC, two men were videoing firemen performing work in the middle of the road. The cameraman checked his bearings. He looked south towards the twin towers and then looked north straining to see something in the skies. Yes, he was in the perfect position.

Meanwhile another photographer was finding his best spot. He lay on his back, looked straight up at the South Tower. He said to his colleague, “This is it,” and winked.

Across the river, on a rooftop with perfect view of the twin towers, five men set up a tripod with another camera.

* * * *

Colin Scoggins was hardly ever late for work. He was that day because his daughter’s school had been turned into a voting station for local elections and he had a longer than usual commute after dropping her off at the child minder. Scoggins was the supervising Air Traffic Controller at the FAA Center close to Logan Airport. His desk was at the head of a bank computer consoles each attended by an air traffic controller; each controller managed different sectors of air space and different flights. Before taking off his jacket Scoggins noticed a worried look from one of the junior controllers, Greg Allen. Scoggins went straight over to him to review the situation.