New update! Lots of action, hold onto your hats! Enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think!
He's the best of the best, cool and confident in what he does—has twenty-plus years of experience behind him, and knows every trick in the trade. He goes just by Killian and is known to be quick on his feet, resourceful, and oftentimes downright hilarious. Smooth with his words, Killian is a friend to many and an enemy to none. That is, disregarding his current co-pilot, David, at times. It's not that the two would have all-out brawls, however a few squabbles here and there have occurred over the times they've piloted together. It's nothing major. It's just that when given the option to choose, neither would pick each other with whom to copilot. This is merely a fact, and nothing more.
"Just one more flight, just one more," Killian muses, allowing his mind to briefly flick to thoughts concerning his upcoming vacation.
"Fantastic," David sniffs, "Enjoy that, whilst I have another week to go."
"It's a pity, mate," Killian says as he keeps his eyes straight ahead, smirking nonetheless. "You're just eager to get home to your wife."
"Well, who wouldn't be?" David reasons, glancing over at the pilot with his eyebrow raised.
"You two are inseparable, like lovesick puppies."
"We will always find our way back to each other no matter how far I fly."
"Oh...that's just lovely, mate." Killian places his hand over his heart.
At this, David rolls his eyes, gripping his side of the control wheel. Suddenly, the plane lurches forward, thrusting both men toward the windshield.
"Bloody hell, what was that?" Killian curses, grabbing onto the sides of his chair to stabilize himself before latching onto his control.
"There seems to be a problem with the elevator," David reports, struggling to grasp at his wheel and trying to regain control as the aircraft continues to jolt and jostle the two.
"All right, all right," Killian says, "Make the announcement on my behalf as I radio in to Heathrow."
"Brace, brace, brace. Heads down. Stay down. Brace, brace, brace!"
The cries of commands of the flight attendants do nothing but cause even more of a panic onboard. All throughout the cabin, the screams and shrieks of adults and children alike scrape through the air, curdling Regina's already racing blood. A couple directly across in the aisle beside her is praying. A man and woman in the suite in front of them huddle protectively over their little daughter who can do nothing but grasp onto the arms of the last bit of security she knows and cry. The plane continues to jerk from side to side. The force is strong enough to open a couple overhead compartments; its contents spilling into the aisles.
So upon having nothing to do but to accept the fact that this just may be her last breath on Earth, Regina swallows hard in attempt to calm her racing heart rate and presses her forehead against the wall of the suite in front of her. She closes her eyes, making her last attempts at willing this all to go away when suddenly her forehead presses harder into the wall, her stomach lurches into her throat, and the screams of the people around her intensify. A sharp whizzing noise pierces the air alongside the many cries of despair, and Regina knows that they are in a nosedive, plummeting rapidly towards the ground.
"No control, sir, no control!", David says forcefully, gritting his teeth together as he pulls at the wheel.
"No control on my side either," Killian states, "Shit. Try the manual."
But before David can reach for the lever, a siren blares through the cockpit as the plane's nose begins to tip down, dropping both stomachs and hearts to the floor like it would at the top of a rollercoaster. Clouds smash against the windshield, disintegrating upon impact as the blue of the ocean draws closer and closer. Just ahead, land approaches. Fast.
"Stick rig. Pull up. Stick rig. Pull up." The automated warning courses through the men's veins, leaving behind a chilling wake of fear.
Blindly, she reaches over to Emma's side, and the blonde receives her hand, grasping it tightly. Regina squeezes hard, holding onto what little hope she has left as she links fingers with her best friend. Her eyes squeeze even tighter. For the first time, she utters a prayer up to whomever is watching in a desperate plea. "It's almost over," she whispers shakily to herself by way of whatever comfort she may be able to grasp at this moment in time. "It will be over soon."
"Heathrow Center, this is British Airways A380, we've lost our hydraulics and pitch control…We are in a dive…I repeat, we are in a dive." Killian reports, the hair on the back of his neck standing upright. "We have lost all vertical control…Okay David, we need drag—do something to stop this dive, initiate speed breaks—even put down the landing gear."
At this David hustles, jabbing at the control board, pushing buttons and pulling levers. "It's not helping!"
"Dump the fuel."
David presses a lever and immediately, fuel of the airplane pours from the wings of the plane in a vapor, hissing as it goes.
"Heathrow Center, this is British Airways A380. We are in an uncontrolled dive—coming out of twenty thousand feet—declaring a state of emergency. We've dumped the fuel and are headed to the nearest airport." Killian glances at his copilot. "David, try the manual control again."
David grabs the lever, yanks it upward, twists it clockwise, and slams it back down. "Still no control."
"Okay, okay. Try mine," Killian says, continuing to grip onto his control wheel, heart beating as he struggles to stay calm. "Can you reach?"
"Yes sir."
At this maneuver, Killian pulls upward on the control wheel, clenching his jaw hard as he feels a slight response. "Come on, come on! Fuck!"
Slowly, the airplane begins to level as they regain what little they have of thrust, the nose of the airplane steadily lifting.
Regina feels the plane begin to slow, lifting back into an almost upright position. She exhales loudly, opening her eyes. Taking a chance, she peeks at her surroundings. Frowning, she catches a woman doubled over in her seat, frantically typing away at her smartphone. Regina sighs, glancing over at her best friend. And at the sight, her heart twists in pain. Never has she ever seen the blonde, who is usually the strongest and most courageous out of the two, become so completely terrified. "Emma…" Regina begins, having to talk above the screams which have somewhat died to whimpers of sorts. She gazes into wide hazel eyes that cloud over with nothing but fear.
Emma shakes her head fervently. With effort, she lifts her right hand, displaying her cellphone grasped tightly by white knuckles in a death-like grip. "We—we have service…" she states, her voice catching within her throat, "R—Regina…"
Regina frowns in confusion. "I—I don't understand," she chokes in return.
"Text your mother," Emma says, shaking her head once again.
The brunette sighs a shuddered breath as her eyes fall closed once again. No. The last thing she needs on her mind is her mother, the woman whom she's positive has had a role in destroying her happiness. So Regina looks away, disregarding Emma's suggestion. But she feels the blonde squeeze her hand even harder in reassurance, causing the brunette to look back at her best friend.
"I think I have it steady," Killian reports, continuing to pull up on his control.
"Will we make it?", David questions worriedly.
"I'm not sure, but I'm doing the best I can. We won't be able to make it to the nearest airport. I see a field ahead of us. I'll try and set us down there."
"A crash landing…"
"There's no other way."
"I love you," Emma whispers, shaking her head.
Through her despair, Regina forces a small smile, nodding back ever so slightly in meager response. "Love you too," she mumbles before suddenly, another thought occurs to her. It's the thought of the one man who has managed to change her life in a matter of mere hours, the one man who has shown her the power of hope, the one man who has promised her a better future.
Regina's eyes widen as she lifts her head abruptly despite the repeated chants of the flight attendants. Ignoring the pleas of the attendants, she turns her head towards the very back of the cabin, straining to get a glimpse of Robin Locksley amidst the shuddering of the aircraft that continues to jolt her side to side. Finally, she meets his eyes, chocolate and blue locking for a moment of reassurance, of solace, of escape, and of love.
The plane seems as if it stills for this brief moment, giving the pair to connect, truly connect, all emotion bursting forth through one single impassioned gaze. A single tear runs down Regina's cheek, scorching a path on her delicate skin. In a moment of weakness, she makes a move to stand, wanting nothing but be with him and yearning for the comfort his arms would bring. But Robin's eyes widen as he shakes his head fervently. Regina swallows hard, sinking back into her seat, glancing at him one last time as he mouths the words of, "I love you."
"Still no control on my side. Is it working?" David interrogates frantically.
Killian grunts in concentration. "Almost. Come on! Come on!" he hisses through gritted teeth. But suddenly there's another jolt as the elevator snaps out of control.
"Shit!"
The plane dives again.
Regina screams, bending forward in her seat, forced by the frightening downward angle to press her forehead against the seat in front. Outside, the world draws closer, land quickly drawing in upon the aircraft as it dives from six thousand feet.
"David. What's your wife's name?"
"W-what?!" David cries, struggling to gain control of something. Anything.
"Your wife!" Killian yells over the hissing of the wind and faltering engine.
David looks to the pilot, eyes wide with fear. "Snow," he whispers.
"Tell her you love her," Killian says, nodding towards the system's radio intercom so that it may be documented.
Fresh tears spring from her eyes as she cries against the back of that seat. Regina squeezes her eyes shut once again. Her life doesn't quite flash before her eyes, except for the last seven hours. The thought of never seeing Robin again has her heart breaking in half, and then in half again.
"I love you, Snow," David says fervently to the black box in front of him, "I love you so much. Remember, I will always find you!"
"I love you too, Robin," Regina whispers, her voice trembling as she forces herself to focus on his face, and his face only. That warm and welcoming smile. Those beautiful, silky, dirty blonde locks that fall over his forehead. Those sapphire, blue eyes—as blue as the sea that was sparkling below just seconds ago.
Her heartbeat accelerates, but her body remains rigid. That smile.
She squeezes her eyes shut, and breathes. Those eyes.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. His words.
And she braces for the landing.
Stay tuned! Thank you for reading!