Chapter2 " Aah- ! " The piercing scream came not from a passenger , but from the cockpit , Sophie Carlisle . An instant later , a crushing wave of weightlessness slammed through the cabin . The plane dropped like dead weight from the sky . > Chaos erupted . Screams , sobs , and desperate prayers tangled into a single roar . Overhead bins popped open , luggage and loose objects rained down like hailstones , some striking passengers hard enough to draw groans of pain . Oxygen masks snapped free , dangling from the ceiling in long rows . I reacted in the first second of freefall , gripping the armrest and locking myself in place . The other flight attendants , drilled for this , steadied themselves as well . I grabbed the PA microphone , my voice cold and steady , cutting like ice . " Ladies and gentlemen , please remain calm . Fasten your seatbelts and put on the oxygen masks in front of you . This is just turbulence , nothing unusual . " My words carried crisply through the cabin speakers , cutting through the hysteria . The terrified passengers quieted a little , clinging to that thread of reassurance . But on the internal channel , the scene was very different . Sophie's sobs rose into panicked shrieks . " Charles ! The plane's going down on its own ! " " Michael's looking at me like he wants to kill me ! They're all blaming me ! I'm scared ! " Her first thought wasn't how to recover the aircraft - it was denial , excuses , and a plea for comfort . And Charles gave it to her , his voice dripping with indulgence and blind defense . " Don't cry , sweetheart . It's not your fault . " " This plane is outdated , sluggish to respond . That's why it's doing this , not you . " Chapter2 2.08 % Then he made a decision that would make every real pilot's blood run cold . " I'll shut off the auxiliary trim system . That way the controls won't fight you . Try again , get a feel for it . " Michael Reed exploded . " Charles Wentworth , are you insane ?! If you disable trim , we'll spiral into a stall ! Do you want to kill us all ?! " " Shut your mouth ! " Charles snapped - and cut off Michael's comm access entirely . Now the channel carried only his voice and Sophie's . Sophie sniffled , then giggled through her tears . " I knew you understood me best . Not like some people - always throwing their seniority around to lecture me . ' The words had barely left her lips when- WHAM- The aircraft lurched violently downward and rolled hard to the left . Out the window , the left engine spat a searing tongue of flame . The shriek of an engine - failure alarm tore through the cockpit . The plane had stalled . I kept moving , commanding the attendants to deploy portable oxygen for fainting passengers and treat those struck by falling luggage . My voice was calm , clipped , efficient . We had lives to save- while the cockpit played out its deadly drama above us . Chapter2