Darren Wearmouth - First Activation

I went to help Jack in the kitchen area and left Bernie and Lea sitting opposite each other on the two couches. They weren’t saying anything to each other but did exchange the odd, awkward glance and false smile. I had been hoping they’d strike up a conversation so I could talk to Jack about what had happened during the day.

We took the food and drinks over to the couches. Jack sat next to Lea, and I sat with Bernie as we tucked into our cold dinner. All that could be heard for the next two minutes was the noise of spoons clinking on porcelain bowls. After we finished, Jack passed around the cigarettes and I poured the vodka. It was time to share our stories, and learn a little bit more about Lea. She looked about 25 years old, brown haired, had a pretty but sensible face, and her body shape was hidden beneath combat trousers and a wool sweater.

“So, tell us about your experiences since landing… if it’s not too painful,” I said.

“You don’t have to tread on egg shells around me because I am a woman,” she replied. “I’m sure you’ve seen some pretty nasty things as well.”

“Okay, we won’t then,” Jack said.

It was hard to tell whether Lea’s smile was because she enjoyed the comeback, or because she thought we were a trio of clowns.

“You tell me what happened from JFK first,” she said.

We told Lea what had happened from our arrival on the tarmac to just before we set the trap in the parking lot, which of course we left out. She seemed unsurprised by what had happened with the steward and then with Maureen, but the man in the cell was different. Lea hadn’t had the chance to speak to a killer the way we had, and what we said probably helped her piece a few things together.

Bernie spoke with emotion about Linda’s death, and I could see genuine concern on Lea’s face. I then continued with what happened when we returned to the plane, how the captain had been shot at and how we managed to convince a killer to shoot himself. Then, reluctantly, we told of the girl and the recycling bin.

Jack talked coldly about our experience at the Queensboro Bridge and the shootout afterwards with the same girl. I knew he was probably hiding his real feelings, but then the other two probably noticed that as well. Nobody changes from a gardener or plumber to a cold-hearted killer in forty-eight hours, whatever the circumstances.

Jack had been attached to the Parachute Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan. He had never really discussed in public any experiences of active service, other than throwaway jokes about women and drinking. It was a defence mechanism I also used to avoid awkward conversations. We talked privately about incidents we had been involved in; some things were best kept behind closed doors. At least, the Jack and Harry doors anyway.

Finally, I told Lea about our shopping trip, and then poured us all another drink.

Lea had listened intently throughout and appeared much more relaxed, “Did you learn anything else from the killers besides their aims and that under certain circumstances, they can be fooled?”

Bernie answered before I could speak. “They don’t seem to acknowledge that the world around them is in chaos and slowly being destroyed. We—”

“Did you get any strange messages on Twitter?” I interrupted. “Jack had invites to parties and an offer of free football tickets. We worked out that these must have been killers trying to lure their prey. I mean, who could realistically believe that the Giants would still be playing on Sunday after seeing any of the stuff we have seen?”

“I received some weird messages along similar lines. Have you seen anything else online?”

Jack, Bernie, and I, all looked at each other but said nothing. I shook my head.

“So, what’s your story then?” Bernie said.

“I’m from Michigan. I boarded a flight from Detroit to JFK to meet up with an old college friend in Manhattan on Friday. I hadn’t seen him for years, but really needed his advice, as I had fallen out with my partner.”

Lea paused and raised her eyebrows. I wasn’t sure what she was expecting us to say.

“Did you notice anything on the plane?” I asked.

“No, we had a relatively short flight. There was a bit of turbulence, but nothing unusual until the Captain told us that the plane was diverting to Newark. As you can imagine, we all started to get worried. There was no more information and the plane landed, but stopped short of the terminal. We waited for help but the whole place was deserted and loads of passengers started to panic…”

“So the captain didn’t say what was happening? How did you get off the plane?” Bernie asked.

“We were told that there was a temporary lock-down due to a terrorist attack and we needed to sit tight until it was safe to disembark. We all believed it at first, why would you doubt it? Could there be any other explanation?”

The last comment hung in the air as Lea seemed to search our face for answers.

“Your story sounds similar to ours so far. What happened next?” Jack replied.

“We all spent the first night on the plane in total darkness. I was sat in a window seat with a couple of teachers called Chris and Mike next to me, they were from Detroit. Chris grabbed a bottle of wine from their bag and they debated the quality of local schools, mixed with stupid stories about kids they taught. I kept quiet and only spoke when they asked me a couple of questions about my own life. Their constant droning almost made me scream.”

I was starting to wonder about the relevance, but kept quiet. Bernie was less obliging.

“You wanted to scream because people were talking? Come on, Lea.”

“You know some people are so concerned by their own little nests, they are oblivious to what’s going on around them. Listening to Chris and Mike, I knew they were so secure and in their own little world. I wished I could feel the same, but somehow, I knew that it was all much more serious than a lock-down.”

“Fair enough, carry on,” I quickly said, before Bernie could reply.

“I managed to sleep for a couple of hours once the teachers had exhausted their conversation. At first light, there was still no news. With the passengers now thoroughly pissed, the captain made an announcement. He told us there was no contact with anyone on the ground with the exception of a few others planes that had landed around the same time as us. Well, the whole plane erupted in shouts and screams, people started to get up and bump into each other, some started fighting and other crazy shit. It all settled down with repeated pleas from the loudspeaker and the appearance of an Air Marshal.”

“We never had one of those on our plane, but I was asked if I was one,” Jack replied.

I topped up all of our glasses apart from Lea’s. She picked up her glass, swallowed the vodka with a single gulp and held her glass towards me. I smiled, poured her a drink, and she continued with her story.

“The Air Marshal spoke with authority and told us that he would go to the terminal building and use their long-range radio. He jumped down from the front entrance and I saw him walking towards the building, he never came back.”

“Sounds like we had more luck than the Air Marshal,” I said.

“You think?” Bernie replied.

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

Lea looked at us both, probably waiting to see if I was going to answer Bernie with a verbal reply. I didn’t.

She continued, “Chaos broke out again, this time a group forced their way out of the plane after deploying a slide. They ran away from the terminal towards the perimeter fence. The captain repeated his pleas to stay in the plane but all control had been lost, and some groups started to make a break for it. Chris and Mike were annoyed at the behaviour of other passengers, but agreed to form a small group with some of the surrounding people and head towards Manhattan. I joined them thinking it was better than sitting on the plane, and we headed out. I reckon at least half of the passengers remained on the plane when we left, a few I spoke to, thought an extended cordon was in place.”