The green digital frequencies on the radio panel flickered twice and then went completely dark.

“They cut the communication lines too,” I said, looking down at the open hatch.

“Who did?” Gerald gasped, his eyes wide with terror. “Who is doing this to us?”

I didn’t answer him, but my mind went instantly to the cabin.

I looked at the black box in the avionics bay again.

A discarded strip of blue plastic adhesive lay on the ladder rung below.

It was the exact same tape Dr. Thorne had used to seal his medical bag in the first-class cabin.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

“He didn’t just try to save the captain,” I whispered to myself. “He went down there while we were distracted.”

“Grace, I need you to hold my harness,” Malachi said, his voice strained. “The column is pushing back hard.”

I moved behind him, wrapping my arms around his small chest to keep him pinned in the seat.

His body was rigid, his small shoulders absorbing the heavy vibrations of the control column.