Fighter jet pilot: You’ll have to do an emergency landing. There’s a field nearby.

Wyverna(to fighter pilot): They have an enemy onboard. Shoot them down once they reach an optimal altitude over the field.

Commercial pilot: Roger that. (Over intercom): The fasten seatbelt light is on. Unfortunately, we will have to do an emergency landing in a wide field. There’s going to be some turbulence. And, for heaven’s sake, I hope you listened to the safety demonstration!

Commander(telepathically to Wyverna): If you think that I cannot hear you, you are sorely mistaken.

Wyverna*startled*: Who are you?! How did you get into my head?!

Commander: I am called Beyond by the inhabitants of Earth.

Wyverna tries to search the Commander’s head and fails miserably. It gives her an intense headache.

Wyverna: If you are thinking about interrupting my plans, be warned! I have never failed before!

Commander: We both know that is a lie.

The Commander searches through Wyverna’s head and Wyverna can’t stop him.

Wyverna: Stop it! Aaagh! Why do you want to save a plane full of humans anyway? Humans are putrid creatures! They have been and always will be!

Commander: Have you ever even met a human that you haven’t killed?

Wyverna: I have, actually. She works for me. Her name is Emily Dante. Say hello, Dante.

The Commander is stricken with anger and sadness when he senses a human woman beside Wyverna. She weakly says hello to him.

Wyverna: I know the passenger manifest. That little seven-year-old boy, Danny Valentine, he looks innocent, right? Well, from the way that his family and social life spirals down into a pit of insanity, I would guess a ninety-eight percent chance that he becomes a school shooter who murders innocent young humans that did nothing to him. Many of the other children on this plane and around the world, that you strangely put faith in as the future of humanity, end up just like Danny Valentine. They become killers when they grow older. Now, you wouldn’t want to bet millions of lives on a two-percent chance, would you? But, if you and I formed an alliance, we could make this world a paradise. No more school shootings, no more terrorism, no more violence, no more manipulation, injury, illness. (Whispers) No more death. Imagine it. You could own an entire universe and make it into whatever you wanted it to be.

The Commander sees into Wyverna’s mind. The universe that she is imagining seems like a paradise. Everything grows and grows, more and more beautiful. Animals leap and bound in nature. The stars and planets across the universe line up perfectly and have the same, beautiful ecosystems. Except, there is one problem. In the midst of all this beauty, ruins from civilizations are everywhere. There are no more human or alien civilizations of any kind, anywhere in the universe. They are all gone. The Commander peels back the picture of paradise like a paper screen. Inside, there is destruction, chaos. Fire blazes everywhere and humans are all but charred corpses. Every other civilization in the universe is the same way.

Wyverna: Just join me and…

Commander*smirks*: I will have to interrupt you. You and I are nothing alike. You cannot possibly think that I will submit to the will of someone like yourself. After all, you have just assassinated both the President and Vice President of the United States. Your plan is to solve murder and illness with more murder and illness.

Wyverna stands amazed that the Commander resisted her. Then she smiles: Unfortunately, everyone on this plane has the Abramian Organ. I can simply paralyze the pilot and copilot and the jet will crash.

Commander: Your plan will not work. I temporarily paralyzed the organ in everyone on this plane three minutes ago, while you were giving your little oration as a precaution.

Wyverna*shouts in anger and throws stuff*: I guess we’ll have to do things the hard way, then!

The Commander shakes Annelise and Cory awake.

Annelise: What’s the matter?

Commander: The one that your people call the Evil Alien Empress plans to attack the plane. I cannot see the details of her plans, but I suspect that someone inside the aircraft may be working for her.

Annelise: What do you need me to do?

Commander: There is a U.S. Air Marshal on board four rows ahead of where we are sitting. Alert him of this.

Annelise: But what if he doesn’t believe me?

Commander: Do not worry, Annelise. He will.

Annelise walks over to the Air Marshal.

Annelise: Sir…

Marshal: This had better be something important!

Annelise: Sir, a family member of mine thinks that one of the E.A.E.’s allies is onboard.

The Air Marshal’s brow furrows: Are you sure?

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Annelise: I’m very sure.

Marshal: I’ll have a quick check. (He stands up quickly) I need everyone to raise their heads above their heads immediately!

The passangers groan.

Marshal: This is just a quick safety inspection. I promise it won’t take long.

The U.S. Air Marshal checks the passengers row after row. When he reaches the back row, everyone seems to be clean. That is, until he checks a woman in the back row who hasn’t raised her hands.

Marshal: Ma’am, I’m going to need to you to lift your hands above your head.

Miss Direction*smirks*: If you say so!

Miss Direction raises her hands above her head. Suddenly, an electrical current springs from the ground and shocks the Air Marshal, rendering him unconscious. Every passenger turns around and is terrified.

Wyverna to Miss Direction(telepathically):Kill the pilots.

Miss Direction seems to immediately disappear. Then, she reappears in the cockpit and takes out both the pilot and the copilot by strangling them telekinetically. Miss Direction then reappears in the cabin, though she now looks exhausted. At this point, the passengers are panicking and screaming “We’re all gonna die!” The plane begins to tip forward. The Commander begins to realize what’s happening.

Commander: Cory! You were a pilot for two years! You will need to fly the plane!

Cory: Me?!

Commander: Go! I will handle the Empress’s ally!

Cory runs into the cockpit, pushes the bodies out of the way, and grabs the yoke to bring the nose of the plane back up. He then puts on the pilot’s headset.

Fighter jet pilot: We’re nearing the field. If you don’t lower the plane soon, we’ll have no choice but to shoot you down.

Cory: Sir, this is Cory Presley. The pilot and copilot have been compromised and there is an active hijacking of the plane! One of the E.A.E.’s allies is aboard!

Fighter jet pilot: But they haven’t overtaken the cockpit?

Cory: What?! No! I’m flying the plane! Or trying to! Oh, dang! We’ve passed the field! Please don’t shoot us down!!! There’s hundreds of people onboard! I’ve got a wife with me and a…a son…please…!

Fighter jet pilot: We’re still waiting for the Speaker of the House to give further instructions.

Cory: Thank heavens for government delays! Oh, sorry! That sounded bad! I promise I’m not a threat! I’ve been saying the Pledge of Allegiance since I was a kid! I talk too much when I’m scared!

Fighter jet pilot:...I honestly don’t know what to say to that, but try to stay calm. You’ll have to land at Dulles International Airport. I’ll inform air traffic control of the circumstances.

Back in the cabin, the Commander has pinned Miss Direction to the wall. Miss Direction grins and grabs a passenger’s phone from their hands with her mind. The invisible connection of wifi strengthens her. She pushes the Commander onto the ground. The Commander is shaken and in pain from his head crashing against the floor. Miss Direction uses this opportunity to lift him up and throw him against the wall of the cabin. A window breaks and the oxygen masks are deployed. Annelise and everyone else in the cabin quickly put on the oxygen masks. The Commander quickly gets back up, though he is bleeding and in pain, and grabs Miss Direction by the neck. He then runs and gets her far away from any phones before opening the emergency exit hatch.

Commander: I know that you will survive the fall, but that’s not important right now.

He throws Miss Direction out of the plane's window. The Commander suddenly feels drowsy and nauseous, and his hands have a sickly blue tinge. Annelise calls out to him in a muffled voice and points to the oxygen masks. The Commander stumbles over to the nearest mask and puts it on. He immediately feels relief. Cory speaks over the intercom through his oxygen mask.

Cory: Alright, folks. They’re not going to shoot us down. We’re almost to Dulles, but the landing might be a bit rough. I haven’t flown a plane in a while, so bear with me.

The plane keeps flying steadily, and for a while, everything seems to be going well. Suddenly, the AoA sensor light begins to flash. The nose of the jet begins to dip.

Cory: What the heck?! The nose was fine, why…Dang it! It’s a Boeing! Why’d those engineers have to slack now?! (Over intercom) Annelise, you need to help me land the plane!

Annelise slips off her oxygen mask and runs into the cockpit. The Commander watches her intently to make sure that she makes it to the flight deck and puts on the oxygen mask. After putting on the copilot oxygen mask, Annelise looks at the control panel in front of her.

Annelise: Cory, I’ve never flown a plane before!

Cory: It’s alright, I’ll teach you. Here, just grab the yoke and pull up slowly. We don’t want the nose too high.

Annelise obeys Cory’s instructions.

Cory smiles: See, you’re a natural!

Back in the cabin, the Commander watches as the other passengers tighten their seatbelts and grip the arms of the chairs, anticipating the rough landing. A father holds his five-year-old son close to his chest. The pregnant woman and her husband kiss through oxygen masks, tears falling down their faces. The Commander smiles. Suddenly, many alarms sound on the plane.

Cory slaps the control panel in frustration: No, not the altitude indicator, too! I’ve failed everyone on this stupid plane!!!

Annelise puts her hand on Cory’s shoulder: This isn’t your fault. I can see the runway. We can still land safely.

Cory: I said I’d keep you safe! I promised your parents I’d do anything to protect you! Now we’re all gonna die!

Annelise: And you’ve kept that promise. You’ve helped everyone on this plane by taking over control when the pilot died.

Cory sighs: I guess we’ll have to eyeball the runway.

The alarms keep sounding. Time seems to move slowly.

Cory: Annelise, do you remember when we met in Yellowstone?

Annelise: Of course I remember. You guided my group on a tour of Old Faithful.

Cory: I knew that there was something special about you. Some gleam in your eye or something.

Annelise smiles: You know, when we were teenagers, being called special wasn’t a good thing. It was a way of calling someone slow.

Cory: But before that, it was a positive term.

The plane drops closer and closer to the runway.

Cory: Do you see that button that says “Landing Gear”?

Annelise: Yes, I do. Should I press it?

Cory nods. Annelise presses the button.

Cory instructs the passengers over the intercom: Everyone hold on to something! This is gonna be rough!

The plane’s wheels skid across the runway, sending sparks flying. The passengers all lean forward as the plane screeches to a halt after nearly crashing into the terminal.

Cory and Annelise both sigh in relief and take off their oxygen masks.

Cory: You can now remove your oxygen masks. Thank you for flying Jet Blue on a Boeing 747, who I may or may not be suing after this incident. Have a nice time in Washington, D.C.!

The passengers clap and cheer for Cory. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles arrive to survey the scene. A paramedic asks Annelise and Cory if they are alright, to which they reply that they are. Annelise then turns around and searches for the Commander. She and Cory find him on the other side of the plane.