Robert Smith - The Planner

Another e-ring office worker covered in dust also uninjured. She put a hand on April’s shoulder and indicated the direction of the baby from the sound of his crying. They jointly cleared the debris and found the baby, upset but uninjured. They exited the hole in the outer hole, limping onto the lush, untouched grass of the Pentagon Lawn.

A fireman came rushing up.

The e-ring office worker said to the fireman to help April then re-entered the building to help more survivors.

April, coughing, said to the fireman, “You got here quick!”

The fireman, helped April carry her baby away from the impact point, “We were warned to expect a plane crash.”

April coughed, “Plane crash? That was no plane crash. That was a bomb. No plane came through there!” 173

Their conversation was interrupted. The fire alarm from the neighboring wedge started piercing the air with a loud Woop-Woop-Woop. The fireman shrugged and went back to the rescue work. 174

* * * *

Nicholas stated, “Two F-18s with live missiles have launched and closing in on drone-93.”

Planner said, “Break off the Chase Aircraft. Get them clear.”

* * * *

Two fire fighters in the South Tower office workers meet a group of office workers coming down the stairs. These were the last people the fire fighters were ever going to see.

“There’s explosions going off up there…” said a woman, scared.

“Ok. Just get out as quick as you can,” said the first fire fighter.

“Seen any fires?” said the second fireman.

Another one of the office workers said “Around the eightieth floor. This staircase will take you past them. The fires are on the other side.”

The fire fighters nodded and continued up.

* * * *

Bates gnashed his teeth, “The ground teams are reporting problems both at the Pentagon and in New York.”

Planner said, “Go on.”

Bates pointed to a map of the Pentagon on his computer screen. Red lights were showing up on the lawn and inside the Pentagon Ring C. “The Pentagon has the most immediate problem. Two sets of explosives have failed: One on the lawns outside, the other in the computer room.”

Planner said, “Ignore the lawn. There’s probably TV crews and Rumsfeld out there by now. Is there a team to get inside and take down the computers?”

“Yes,” said Bates, “I’ve anticipated both decisions: there’s a team on its way.”

“And New York?” asked Planner.

Bates used his computer to select a 3D wireframe model of the World Trade Center showing the twin towers, and associated buildings in the complex; WTC7 is actually further north than WTC1, the North Tower. “In New York, an explosive has gone off early in WTC7 on the seventh floor at the very point we positioned our communications relay. We can no longer control that demolition remotely. Another problem is that firemen are progressing to the impact zone faster than expected in the South Tower compared with the North Tower.

Planner said, “They’re not supposed to be progressing at all. The explosives should have driven them back and out.”

“More courage than sense, I guess,” said Bates, pursing his lips.

“Crazy fools,” Indigo said to himself.

“Issue a withdrawal order by radio. They have fifteen minutes. Reverse the collapse sequence: South Tower first. WTC7 will have to be sorted later,” said Planner.

“We have some smoke generators for decoys,” said Bates.

Planner said, “Sure. Use them once the North Tower comes down. You need to call in a ground team with thermal imaging 175and fire resistant suits. Move TV crews and photographers away from the area.”

Bates replied haughtily, “Already done.”

* * * *

At the Naval Command Center, a secondary explosion destroys the department and all its computers. A Naval Officer is caught by the blast. He screamed and ran from the room with his arms on fire, shouting for medical assistance.

On the Pentagon lawn, Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, finally made an appearance. He had previously been un-contactable for the duration of the crisis until captured by TV crews. He helped to carry the injured. He seemed strangely unconcerned about the reports of other hijackings and decided that a photo opportunity was the best use of his time.

Several TV journalists noted that there was minimal aircraft debris. There were reports from witnesses claiming that debris was being dropped, then photographed and then moved away. 176 177

* * * *

Bates and Planner were listening intently on their headsets. Ochre had patched in the radio from the fire teams in the South Tower.

“Just coming up to 78th floor,” huffed Fire Chief Palmer defying his advancing years to be first on the scene.

“Copy that,” came a voice on the radio.

“Ladder 15, we’ve got two isolated pockets of fire. We should be able to knock it down with two lines,” 178said Palmer. Clearly the fires in the South Tower were dying down quickly.

Bates said caustically to Planner, “They’ve ignored the warnings. We got to do it now!”

Planner puffed and sighed, “Start cutting the corners of the towers at the collapse point.”

* * * *

Seconds later, molten metal started pouring from edge of the South Tower. 179

Police were directing people away from towers. For most people that was exactly what they wanted to do. Ferries were making impromptu docks all the way around the lower part of the island of Manhattan. Only emergency traffic was allowed into the city, the bridges were packed with people walking from the city.

A TV crew close the bottom of the twin towers was providing live reports on the state of the rescue operation when they felt a rumble. The cameraman panned up to the South Tower’s pluming explosion, seemingly right on top of them. It was exploding outwards and downwards, with steel beams being flung horizontally from the building at 70 mph and embedding into nearby skyscrapers. Squibs, explosive jets of material, could be seen ejecting in advance of the wave of debris falling through the air. The building fell almost as fast as the debris accelerating towards the ground.

The explosive collapse sent billowing, pyroclastic-like dust clouds radiating in all directions. The cloud consumed cars and people. Some cars close to the building burst into flames; set off by thermite used within the towers to weaken the structure; this easily burn through the thin metal of car bodies and ignited the fuel in their tanks. Some people were caught in the heated dust cloud and collapsed, coughing and suffocating. Most were able to outrun the lethal stage of the cloud or went indoors. Katherine was one of those. She ducked into a shop as the plume of dust so thick, that as it went past, the shop went dark. She fell to floor gasping for breath; her legs heavy and leaden with the stress of descending within the North Tower for 90 stories. The shop owner came over to her, helped her sit up and gave her a bottle of water. They cried together until daylight returned.

An armored van carrying gold, attempting to drive up a basement ramp out of the WTC complex, was caught by a falling beam. The driver jumped out and ran for his life. 180

A woman in an apartment overlooking the scene cried out, “Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!”

* * * *

Except for Tangy, Minty and Moggy, still playing out the fight back on Flight 93, the rest of the Rainbow Team watched the TV screen of the South Tower collapsing. Most of the team were as shocked as any other American that day even though the events of the day had been known to them, the reality was as shocking to them as anyone else. Planner ground his teeth in guilt and despair. His mind replayed his memories of the events leading to the destruction of his soul and wondered whether he could ever look anybody normal in the eye again.