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  • 5 hours ago
The Flight That Exposed Them
Transcript
00:01On board the aircraft, the captain's mistress wanted some fresh air, so she smashed a cabin window with the heel
00:05of her stiletto.
00:06In an instant, every passenger was sucked into a deadly spiral of decompression and oxygen deprivation.
00:11As the purser, I fought tooth and nail and pulled everyone back from the brink.
00:16Thank you. Thank you.
00:19After the plane touched down, she grabbed my hand and sobbed.
00:21How was I supposed to know the window was so flimsy?
00:25Bonnie didn't mean it. She's just a kid. She had no idea the consequences would be this serious.
00:28That was when the captain walked over and took her side. I cut him off coldly.
00:32This is an aviation incident. If you try to cover for her, your five-star captain rating goes up in
00:36smoke, effective immediately.
00:38In the end, I called the police. Bonnie Clare was sentenced to 10 years.
00:41The captain grieved for a few days, then got over it.
00:44Later, he was promoted from senior captain to chief pilot of transcontinental airlines.
00:49I married him.
00:50On our honeymoon, he took the controls himself.
00:53Mid-flight, he manually deprepressed the cabin.
00:55Over the intercom, he spoke to me.
00:57Bonnie just wanted to crack a window for some air, and you put her away for a decade.
01:01Now you'll get a taste of what it feels like when there's no air at all.
01:19Then I opened my eyes.
01:20Everything reset.
01:21This time, I'm staying out of it.
01:22Let's see how they handle this high-altitude circus all on their own.
01:31I opened my eyes to the familiar chaos and screaming.
01:34In my last life, after Bonnie pulled her deadly stunt, she came running to me in tears, begging it for
01:37help.
01:38But I threw myself into the fray anyway.
01:39As the purser, I fought tooth and nail and pulled everyone back from the brink.
01:43And precisely because I'd saved the day, Bonnie got off with a lighter sentence.
01:47As long as she behaved herself going forward, she still had a shot at parole.
01:50Except she'd been spoiled rotten since she was a kid and couldn't handle the slightest hardship.
01:54Even in a holding cell, she flushed her parole right down the toilet.
01:56In the end, ten years, no early release.
01:58I opened my eyes slowly and looked at her.
02:01Ice cold.
02:01This is your flight.
02:02Your responsibility.
02:04Hold.
02:04But...
02:04I cut her off and shut my eyes again.
02:06But she lashed onto my arm and physically dragged me to first class.
02:10The scene was a disaster zone.
02:11The emergency window had been breached.
02:12Bitter wind whipped debris through the cabin.
02:14Passengers lay injured, unconscious.
02:16The high-pressure air had torn the opening into a gaping wound.
02:18A few colleagues had barricaded it with a galley cart, but it was clear that wouldn't last long.
02:22Bonnie Claire!
02:23Have you lost your damn mind?
02:24How could you pull something like this?
02:26She exploded.
02:26You walk all over the rules every single day just because the captain has a soft spot for you.
02:31That cart isn't going to hold forever.
02:32If nobody comes up with something fast, this whole plane is going down.
02:41I got you.
02:49In the middle of the chaos, someone looked my way.
02:53Relax!
02:54Evelyn's here!
02:55She's the company's technical ass!
02:58That engine failure on the transatlantic route,
03:01she was the one who called the shots and got us down safely.
03:04She'll figure something out.
03:05Every pair of eyes snapped to me.
03:07I came to get you ages ago, but you just dragged your feet and refused to come.
03:11That's when Bonnie pointed out and didn't leave.
03:12You've had it out for me ever since Jack and I got a little closer.
03:15So you don't like me?
03:16Fine!
03:16But you can't take it out on everyone on this plane and let us all just die!
03:20In a heartbeat, every single look aimed at me changed.
03:23Evelyn, for God's sake, how can you get personal at a time like this?
03:25Seriously, we're talking about lives here.
03:29Sensing her moment, Bonnie whipped out her plotoid camera and showed everyone the shot she'd just snapped of me.
03:33Oh my God!
03:34No!
03:35She ignored all of us!
03:36Framed to tell a story that was already a lie.
03:38And she grabbed my hands, tears streaming.
03:40Same as the rest of us.
03:41Our job is to be ready at all times!
03:43In a life-or-death crisis, how can you just stand by and watch people die?
03:46Or do you think because you're so damn good at your job, you don't have to give a damn about
03:48anyone else?
03:49That was it.
03:50I'd had enough.
03:51I flung her off me.
03:52She stackered backward, caught off guard, and her forehead smacked against the overhead bin with a solid thung.
03:57I stared her down and said it, slow and clear.
04:01Are you out of your goddamn mind?
04:08This is your shift, your post.
04:10When things go wrong, it's on you.
04:12And you've got the nerve to blame me?
04:14Even if I wanted to get back at you, I wouldn't be stupid enough to smash an emergency window.
04:18Bonnie pressed a hand to her reddened forehead, her face white as a sheet.
04:22Whenever anyone else comes to you for help, you help them.
04:25But when I come to you, you won't lift a finger?
04:27You're just jealous that Jack's good to me, so you're using this to settle a personal grudge.
04:30That helpless little me act of hers got a few passengers riled up against me.
04:34Looks to me like you're doing this on purpose.
04:36Throwing your weight around because you've got seniority.
04:38With a heart that cold, standing by while people die, you don't deserve that uniform.
04:43But right away, a colleague spoke up for me.
04:45Bonnie, you are twisting this completely.
04:47Really? Evelyn's covered shifts for three months straight without a single day off,
04:50and now she's finally got a break.
04:51What's wrong with her wanting to rest?
04:52You've been slacking off every time we're supposed to drill in real emergency procedures,
04:55and now you think you've got any right to take shots at Evelyn?
04:59Exactly! She's off the clock right now!
05:00She has zero obligation to help!
05:02Another colleague immediately jumped in.
05:04Hearing that, the passengers turned their grumbling right back on Bonnie.
05:06And a few even more...
05:07...started questioning whether she feels a real flight attendant to begin with.
05:09Her face went pale green, and she hud against the wall, trembling.
05:12All of you, shut your mouth!
05:18Just then, Captain Jack's voice cut through on the intercom, sharp as a whip.
05:22Bonnie, don't be scared. I've got you.
05:23Then his tone softened, turning intimate.
05:25That is enough!
05:26Immediately after, he laid in to us with a stern reprimand.
05:29Bonnie is just a kid. She made a dumb mistake.
05:31You're her senior. Show a little generosity.
05:33Evelyn Ross, I'm giving you an order. Figure out a solution now!
05:35I'm a passenger right now.
05:37You have no authority to give me orders.
05:39I grabbed the nearby handout and said with an icy laugh,
05:41I fanced over a window, and my chest tightened.
05:43The galley cart jammed against it was nearly crumpched, crack spider-whacking across its surface.
05:47Yeah, the plane was descending at max speed, but the ground was still a long way off.
05:51The way things were going, we had maybe a dozen minutes, tops, before the airflow tore this aircraft apart.
05:55I'd been reborn wanting to see those two choke on the consequences of their own making,
05:58but I had no intention of going down with a cabin full of passengers just to make that point.
06:03I have a way in the cabin.
06:04Two conditions.
06:05One, you will immediately report Bonnie's transgression to the tower.
06:07You will admit that you covered for her because of your personal relationship,
06:10that you are unfit to remain captain.
06:11You will voluntarily request an indefinite suspension on the record.
06:13My voice was ice.
06:15Two, Bonnie get on her knees and apologize to everyone on this aircraft.
06:19Evelyn, don't you talk nonsense! We're just colleagues! Nothing more!
06:22The words had barely left my mouth when Jack's roar came through the speaker.
06:25And besides, you're only a purser.
06:26What gives you the right to dictate terms to a captain?
06:28Just colleagues?
06:29Then why so cozy with that Bonnie this and Bonnie that?
06:31So the captain's covering for her!
06:32He's willing to take every last one of us down just for some woman?
06:34The crowd erupted!
06:35Yeah! Tell her! Make her kneel!
06:36Now listen here!
06:42Bonnie's face cycled through several shades at that.
06:45Jack! Save me! They're trying to destroy me!
06:49Several crew members rushed to stop her.
06:51You're defending the cockpit! This plane goes down!
06:54It's an ironclat rule in the F.A. manual.
06:56Absolutely no one approaches the cockpit mid-flight, especially not during an emergency.
07:01The purser was livid.
07:03Let her in!
07:04But over the Interfan came Jack's voice.
07:07Jack!
07:07I'm the captain! What I say goes on this aircraft!
07:12Bonnie's tears instantly flipped to laughter.
07:14Right there in front of everyone, she called out towards the speaker.
07:17Jack! I knew it!
07:19You're the sweetest!
07:20You'll always protect me!
07:22Insane!
07:23This is absolutely insane!
07:25One punches a hole in the window, the other opens the cockpit door!
07:27Are we seriously getting off this plane alive?
07:29Both of them are out of their minds!
07:31The passengers, already on the edge of hysteria, laughed in sheer disbelief.
07:35Standing to the side, I found it just as surreal.
07:37Priority one in a high-altitude crisis, initiate an emergency descent.
07:40Priority two, keep the cockpit secure.
07:42Just then, yet here he was, this captain.
07:43Back to national patrol and addicts were erupted from the barricade.
07:45The galley cart was warping, giving way.
07:47Everyone's heart shot straight into their throat.
07:58Captain, we're out of time!
08:00I'm requesting a mandatory evacuation of the forward cabin!
08:03The purser's face went bloodless.
08:05She yelled,
08:05That's the most extreme emergency protocol in the book.
08:09Once it's invoked, it means the crisis has reached the breaking point.
08:12But Jack, unhurried, only said,
08:14Bonnie gets inside first.
08:15I won't leave her in danger.
08:16Jack, just open the door already!
08:20A few male passengers couldn't take it anymore.
08:22They charged forward, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her to the ground.
08:25You bitch! Still working it, even now!
08:27We're about to die because of you, and you're standing here playing footy!
08:30You want to get into the cockpit?
08:32I'll throw you right out that hole!
08:33Let you get some fresh air down there!
08:35Curses and frantic hands tangled into chaos.
08:37In seconds, the scene spun out of control.
08:39Her uniform tore.
08:40Hair came loose in a tangled mess.
08:42She was utterly dishambled.
08:44Thud.
08:44She crashed to her knees hard, bowing and scraping to everyone, shrieking through sob.
08:48Bonnie!
08:49Are you okay?
08:50What are you people doing?
08:51Jack's voice, thick with distress, came indecently.
08:53I'm warning you.
08:54This is assault.
08:55A felony!
08:56Felony!
08:57Still covering for her!
08:58What kind of captain are you?
09:00That was gasoline on a bonfire.
09:01The passengers raged back.
09:02If you don't do exactly what Evelyn said, we'll throw her out right now!
09:05We're dead anyway!
09:06What do we care about a felony?
09:08We'll send her on ahead first!
09:09Violence fell on the other side of the intercon.
09:11Nothing but the sound of heavy, ragged breathing.
09:14I could picture it.
09:15His face ass in.
09:16Knuckles clutched white.
09:18Fine, Evelyn.
09:19I'll do what you said.
09:19Now fix this!
09:21Fast!
09:26He got on the radio and made the report to the tower immediately.
09:28The moment I heard the tower's confirmation tone come back, I let out a long breath.
09:32At least in this life, he wouldn't get the chance to destroy me again.
09:35I snapped into action.
09:36As I spoke, I tapped the timer on my watch.
09:39Everyone, listen up.
09:40Follow my lead.
09:41Grab every blanket, pillow, and cushion you can find.
09:44Bind them together with luggage straps and belts.
09:46We're building an improvised plug.
09:47Move!
09:48We've got less than ten minutes!
09:49Call your day, Judy!
09:50My colleagues sprang into motion instantly.
09:52Jack, I'm so sorry.
09:53This is all my fault.
09:54Every second came to me.
09:55But there was Bonnie, still sniffling into the intercon.
09:57Don't be silly.
09:58How is any of this your fault?
10:00You've done wonderfully.
10:02Don't you beat yourself up.
10:03I quit.
10:04I don't want to be a flight attendant anymore.
10:06This job is just awful.
10:07The passage immediately objected.
10:09This is not the time for her to make things right.
10:10She'll only get in the way.
10:11Shut your mouth.
10:12Jack snapped.
10:13Until that suspension paperwork clears, I'm still the captain.
10:16What I say goes.
10:17Bonnie needs to rebuild her confidence.
10:19This crisis is the best training opportunity she's ever had.
10:21I nearly laughed in sheer disbelief.
10:23Was he serious?
10:24Right now, at this moment, he's thinking about giving his little girlfriend some kind of
10:27hands-on training exercise, using the lives of several hundred people on this
10:30plane as her practice dummies?
10:31Hey!
10:31Bonnie wiped her tears and stumbled over to my side.
10:34Evelyn, let me help you.
10:36Teach me.
10:36What should I do?
10:37I didn't even look up, reaching under a seat for another belt.
10:40Step back.
10:41Stay out of the way.
10:41But she acted like she hadn't heard a word, circling around me, stepping on my foot now
10:45and then, even trying to trip me.
10:47I ignored her.
10:48She wouldn't drop it.
10:49Evelyn, do you think I'm too stupid?
10:50Just let me help us!
10:52Suddenly, her whole body pitched toward me.
10:54Her elbow slammed into my spine.
10:55A searing pain shot through me.
10:57I sucked in a sharp breath.
10:58Oh, Evelyn!
10:59I'm so sorry!
11:00I slipped!
11:01I gritted through the agony and shoved her off me.
11:03Cold sweat beaded at my temples.
11:04Every life on this plane hung by a thread.
11:06I had no time for her petty games.
11:08A flicker of frustration crossed Bonnie's face.
11:10Just then, a comlade handed me a bundled mass of blankets.
11:12She let the bundle fly straight toward the gap, about to be sucked out of the aircraft.
11:20Get away!
11:21I shouted, throwing her aside and lunged for the bundle, catching it just in time.
11:27All that back and forth had eaten up precious minutes.
11:30I checked my watch.
11:31Less than five minutes left.
11:33My colleagues erupted.
11:34Bonnie, get out of the way!
11:35Stop making things worse, for God's sake!
11:37Just go sit in the back!
11:39Bombarded from all sides, Bonnie crumpled into pitiful tears and cried into the intercom again.
11:45Jack, they're all bullying me.
11:47Jack's voice lashed out immediately.
11:50Evelyn, I asked you to show Bonnie the ropes.
11:52I was giving you a chance to redeem yourself.
11:54What, just because you had a miscarriage, you can't stand seeing a sweet, bubbly girl like Bally?
12:00Because you had a miscarriage, you can't stand seeing a sweet, bubbly girl like Bally?
12:05Those words were a poison-tipped blade, finding my oldest wound with surgical precision.
12:11I'd lost a child.
12:13His child.
12:14Back then, he'd stayed with me through so many hopeless nights, whispering in my ear over and over,
12:19You're all I need.
12:20And now, for the sake of another woman, in front of everyone, he'd ripped my most private scar wide open.
12:27I forced the agony down.
12:29This was no moment to fall apart.
12:30I turned and directed the team to push the newly bundled plug towards the window.
12:34This was the critical step.
12:35One wrong move, and everyone would get sucked out together.
12:38Three minutes left on the clock.
12:40We pushed forward inch by inch, fighting the tremendous suction.
12:42Just as we were about to seal the breach, Bonnie streaked.
12:45You're doing it all wrong!
12:46I read the training manual.
12:47You're supposed to equalize the pressure first, then plug the gap.
12:49And with that, she lunged for the emergency pressure release.
12:52My eyes went wide with horror.
12:54With a pressure differential this massive, if she vented it now, we'd all be ripped to shreds.
12:58I hadn't even finished speaking when she cranked the valve open.
13:00A monstrous force yanked me forward.
13:02The plug shot out of the dreech instantly, and I was dragged with it, hurtling toward with the gaping hole.
13:05In the chaos, I grabbed managed hold of a seat arm ramp.
13:07My fingernails split right off the nail beds.
13:09Blood slicked my hands.
13:10Half my body was sucked out the window.
13:19The pull was so brutal, I thought my arms would tear clean from their sockets.
13:24Everyone rushed forward in a surge.
13:26Some wrapped around my waistline, grabbed my legs.
13:28Over the purser's raw scream, they hulled backward with everything they had.
13:32They laud me back in.
13:33Everyone collapsed, utterly spent.
13:35All eyes turned to Bonnie, who had crumpled to the floor in terror.
13:38She was shaking like a leaf, mumbling to herself.
13:41I didn't mean it.
13:42I was just trying to help.
13:43Help?
13:44A passenger struggled to his feet.
13:46That was attempted murder, you vicious little...
13:48It's not the time to settle scores.
13:51I bit out through the searing pain of my dislocated shoulder.
13:53The breach is still there.
13:54We're done for.
13:55There's no time left.
13:56My eyes swept the cabin frantically.
13:58Someone glanced at my watch and cried out in despair.
14:01Countdown.
14:0130 seconds.
14:02Steady.
14:03Just when all seemed lost, my eyes landed on a portable oxygen cylinder mounted on the wall.
14:07The cylinder.
14:08We can use it to plug the hole.
14:0920 seconds.
14:10No.
14:11It's too dangerous.
14:11It could explode.
14:12Jack's panicked voice burst through the intercom.
14:14Shunst down, Deeshan.
14:1515 seconds.
14:16Does it look like we've got a choice?
14:17I shouted.
14:18Bonnie lunged at me again, grabbing my injured arm with all her weight, wailing.
14:21No, Evelyn, no.
14:22Jack said it'll blow.
14:23I don't want to die.
14:24I shoved her off through the pain, and then I spotted it.
14:26The cylinder.
14:27She'd knocked into it.
14:28The pressure valve had come loose, hissing its contents into the cabin.
14:3110 seconds.
14:31I stared at her, fury beyond word this anymore.
14:33What are you looking at me for?
14:34I was trying to warn you, and you don't even appreciate it.
14:37The responsibility is on you now.
14:38You have to keep us safe.
14:39Nine seconds.
14:40You can be as mad as you want.
14:41Jack told me he stopped loving you a long time ago.
14:43He's breaking off the engagement.
14:44He's going to be with me.
14:44She saw I still wasn't responding and lend in close to my ear.
14:47He also said that birthmark on your hip, disgusting.
14:48Not like me.
14:49I'm flawless.
14:50Everywhere.
14:50Eight seconds.
14:51I had no time to let those words land.
14:52I tightened the valve with one hand, fast.
14:54She grabbed me even harder, squeaking.
14:56Are you insane?
14:57You really want to get us all killed?
15:05Seven seconds.
15:06I mustered every ounce of strength I had and shoved her into the purser's arms.
15:09Then I turned and yelled to a crewmate behind me.
15:12Now, ram the cylinder into the hole.
15:13Six, five, four, three, two, boom.
15:18A thunderous crash.
15:19The cylinder slammed squarely into the breach.
15:22In that instant, the rest of us moved.
15:24Dozens of luggage straps and belts lashed it down, binding it tight against the fuselage wall.
15:29The shrieking wind cut out.
15:30Silence fell over the cabin.
15:32The crisis was over.
15:33For now, I slumped to the floor.
15:35Every inch of me was drenched in sweat.
15:38Jack's furious voice blared from the inner gom.
15:40I was too exhausted to lift a finger.
15:42I didn't bother responding.
15:44Passengers, still shaking from their brush with death, came up to thank me one after another.
15:48The purser rushed over to check my dislocated shoulder, her eyes still swimming with languoring terror.
15:52That's when the plane lurched.
15:53A hard shove pressed us all back into our seats.
15:55What's going on?
15:56Shouldn't we be descending?
15:57Why are we climbing?
15:57It's happening again.
15:58The plane was climbing, not descending.
16:08The purser screamed,
16:10Get a hold of yourselves!
16:11Evelyn just saved every single one of you!
16:13The captain has lost it!
16:15We cannot turn on each other!
16:16But in the face of raw survival instinct, her words fell on utterly deaf-eyers.
16:20Bonnie strutted forward, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head back hard.
16:23Evelyn, you bitch!
16:23You think you're so capable?
16:24Well, show me!
16:25Show me what you've got now!
16:26Get on your knees and apologize!
16:27She drove her elbows so straight down into my injured shoulder.
16:30A strangled groan tore from my throat.
16:32The pain was so blinding, my vision went black.
16:34I nearly passed out.
16:34My colleagues tried to pull her off me, but the frenzied passengers held them fast.
16:38Seeing me wrinkle in agony only made Bonnie's grin stretch wider.
16:40I'll beat you to death!
16:41That's for trying to steal Jack from me!
16:43That's for getting me cursed at!
16:44She straddled me and started swinging.
16:46Slap after slap, forehand and backhand.
16:48The passengers piled on.
16:50Fists and boots rained down on me.
16:52A second life.
16:53And I still couldn't escape being tormented to death.
16:56I shut my eyes in despair.
17:03The pursuers screamed,
17:05Get a hold of yourselves!
17:06Evelyn just saved every single one of you!
17:08The captain has lost it!
17:10We cannot turn on each other!
17:11But in the face of raw survival instinct, her words fell on utterly deaf eyes.
17:15Bonnie strutted forward, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head back hard.
17:18Evelyn, you bitch!
17:19You think you're so capable?
17:20Well, show me!
17:20Show me what you've got now!
17:21Get on your knees and apologize!
17:23She drove her elbows so straight down into my injured shoulder.
17:25A strangled groan tore from my throat.
17:27The pain was so blinding my vision went black.
17:29I nearly passed out.
17:30My colleagues tried to pull her off me, but the frenzied passengers held them fast.
17:33Seeing me wrinkle in agony only made Bonnie's grin stretch wider.
17:35I'll beat you to death!
17:37That's for trying to steal Jack from me!
17:38That's for getting me cursed at!
17:40She straddled me and started swinging.
17:41Slap after slap, forehand and backhand.
17:44The passengers piled on.
17:45Fists and boots rained down on me.
17:47A second life.
17:48And I still couldn't escape being tormented to death.
17:52I shut my eyes in despair.
17:59Just then, a violent scuffle erupted over the intercon!
18:02Who the hell are you?
18:03Get out!
18:04Everyone froze, staring up at the overhead speakers in confusion and dread.
18:08Even Bonnie's hand stopped mid-slap.
18:10Her face went slack with bewilderment.
18:11More muffled thubs came through.
18:13A few last roars of defiance from Jack.
18:15Then they faded.
18:16Then silence.
18:17Seconds later, a man's voice came through.
18:18Calm.
18:19Ladies and gentlemen, don't be alarmed.
18:20My name is Charles Miller.
18:21I'm a passenger, same as you, former Air Force pilot.
18:23I have control of the cockpit.
18:24Jack has been subdued.
18:25We'll be on the ground shortly.
18:27The cabin erupted.
18:28A roar of triumph and relief.
18:30I lifted my head through the agony and looked toward the cockpit door.
18:33Jack had opened it to let Bonnie in.
18:35In the chaos that followed, he'd never had the presence of mind to confirm whether it was locked again.
18:40That was the opening Charles needed.
18:42The purser and several crewmates rushed over, lifting me up with infamous care.
18:46Evelyn!
18:46How bad is it?
18:47Just hang on!
18:48Bonnie collapsed to the floor, her face bloodless.
18:50No!
18:51Impossible!
18:52Jack!
18:53The passengers who had just been kicking and beating me now stood there.
18:55Shame scrolled across every face.
18:57One man wheeled around and sent his boot into Bonnie, knocking her flat.
19:00You're the bitch!
19:01The one who started it all!
19:02The others surged toward her like a wave, fists and feet flying.
19:06Bonnie's squeaks and pleas filled the cabin.
19:08Within moments, a group of male passengers had charged into the cockpit and dragged Jack out,
19:12his face bruised and swollen.
19:14The second he laid eyes on Bonnie, beaten black and blue, his expression twisted with pure rage.
19:19Bonnie!
19:20What did they do to you, you bastards?
19:28Then his glare snapped to me.
19:29Evelyn!
19:30You venomous bitch!
19:31I swear I'll make you die screaming!
19:34Even the passengers had had enough of him.
19:36Still running your mouth when you're already dead meat?
19:38You're a dead man walking!
19:39You're gonna regret this!
19:40You're gonna pay for this?
19:41These two need a real lesson!
19:43By now, the plane had descended to a safe altitude under Charles' control.
19:46One passenger made a suggestion.
19:48String them both up outside the cabin door.
19:50Let them get a taste of what it's like.
19:51Galacton needs some fresh air!
19:52The cabin roared its approval.
19:54They trust the pair up good and tight with rescue lines and dangled them outside the fuselage door.
19:58You want us to haul you back in?
19:59Apologize to Evelyn first, then yell I'm scum three times!
20:02Otherwise, enjoy freezing into popskicks!
20:05Bonnie was beside herself, screaming incoherently, scared out of her wits.
20:08But Jack was still spitting fury.
20:10Evelyn! You horde!
20:10Go ahead and kill me if you've got the guts!
20:11You won't!
20:12You're a murderer!
20:18Charles' voice came over the intercom.
20:20Since he's so ungrateful, let's help him cool off.
20:23As soon as he finished speaking, the air vent near the cabin door was cranked wide open.
20:26A blast of freezing wind surged out and swallowed them both.
20:29The wind filled their mouths.
20:31Their bodies began to shover uncontrollably.
20:33The passengers started taking bets on which one would break first.
20:35Bonnie didn't even last a minute.
20:37Snot and tears streaming down her face, she wailed.
20:39I'm sorry, Evelyn, I was gum!
20:40Please just let me live!
20:41But Jack just glared at me, jaw clenched, refusing to utter a word.
20:44The crowd hauled over a crate of complimentary red wine from the galley.
20:48They cursed him and doused him with bottle after bottle.
20:51The sweet smell of wine soon drew a flock of seagulls.
20:54They swooped in and started pecking at the pair.
20:56And then I remembered.
20:57Jack once told me, when he was seven, a neighbor's rooster had attacked him.
21:01He'd carried that scar ever since.
21:03Birds.
21:04Of all things, he was terrified of birds.
21:06Sure enough, his last nerve snapped.
21:08Ah!
21:09Get away!
21:10Get off me!
21:16His body convulsed violently.
21:18A stream of yellow liquid trickled down his pant leg.
21:21I was wrong!
21:22Evelyn, I'm scum!
21:23I'm the son of bitch!
21:24Please tell them to pull me up!
21:25Please!
21:26Satisfied, the crowd hauled them back in.
21:28The two of them lay spalled on the floor like a pair of half-rozen dead dogs.
21:32The sour stench of Jack's urine made nearby passengers gag.
21:35Evelyn, here.
21:36Jack's teeth chottered.
21:37His voice came out horny and shred.
21:39I said nothing.
21:40I just sat there in my seat looking down at him, cold as stone.
21:43A few passengers moved to drag them to a corner and tie them up.
21:45Bonnie shrieked as if scolding, scrambling behind Jack for cover.
21:48Jack, save me!
21:48They're going to bully me again!
21:50Before today, hearing that sobbing voice, Jack would have been flooded with tenderness.
21:53He would have shielded her without a second thought, hard.
21:55But now, sent her spalling backward onto the floor.
21:57Get away from me, you jinx!
21:59I'm not!
22:00He clawed his way upright and jabbed a finger at Bonnie, screaming himself hoise.
22:04You're the crazy slut who seduced me!
22:06You're the airhead who smashed a window with your goddamn high heel!
22:09I was deceived!
22:10I'm innocent!
22:17The whole cabin went dead silent for a beat.
22:19Bonnie sat on the floor, staring at Jack in disbelief.
22:21Having finished with her, Jack dropped to his knees in front of me.
22:24I only made the mistake every man makes, but I never, ever meant to hurt anyone.
22:27She dragged me down with her.
22:28Evelyn, you have to believe me.
22:29I love you.
22:29It was this bitch who seduced me.
22:31She told me you were old and ugly, that you weren't good enough for me.
22:33She blackmailed me with our intimate photos and forced me to love her.
22:35I had no choice!
22:37Jack Christopher!
22:38You are not a man!
22:40Bonnie's streak cut him off.
22:42She lunged at him, her long fingernails raking savagely across his face.
22:46Jack was caught completely off guard.
22:49Streaks of blood blossomed across his cheek.
22:51You've got the nerve to pin this all on me?
22:53Bonnie was in full hysterics, clawing and screaming in a frenzy.
22:56Who was it that told me Evelyn was a frigid boar in bed?
22:59A dead fish!
23:00Get off me, Bonnie!
23:01I said...
23:01Who complained to me that she was disgustingly frail after the miscarriage,
23:04that she'd never bear children again.
23:06That if it weren't for her skills on the job and how she could help him climb the ladder,
23:08he would have dumped her ages ago.
23:09Who said that if she died, her huge insurance pay and the property she inherited would all go to him.
23:13Who taught me how to stage an accident on a plane?
23:14How to make it like a real incident?
23:16All of it!
23:16It was you!
23:16You even grabbed two parachutes and said you'd use one to escape with me?
23:19And now you stand there playing the devoted lover?
23:20Who do you love?
23:21All you wanted was a cheap thrill?
23:22You think I don't know that?
23:22You don't love anyone.
23:23You only love yourself.
23:29I felt those words hit me physically, a shover running through my entire body.
23:32I'd suspected as much, but hearing the full extent of their scheming across both lifetimes
23:36still felt like a fist squeezing my heart dry.
23:38A passenger erupted.
23:39It was premeditated murder!
23:40Utterly evil!
23:41These two trash heap human beings!
23:42Scum!
23:43Disgrace!
23:43You're gonna rot in prison for the rest of your life!
23:44Jack was reeling, caught between shock and fury.
23:47Fending off her claws, he spit back without thinking.
23:49You're lying!
23:50It was your own greed!
23:51You're the one who'd stop at nothing to claw your way up!
23:53You think I would have ever looked twice at you if you hadn't been flaunting yourself
23:55at me day after day?
23:56Bonnie let out a shriek of hysterical laughter.
23:59Wake up!
23:59If you weren't Transcontinental's golden boy captain, with a little cash to throw around
24:03with a limp-dick loser like you, let me tell you something.
24:05I was dating three guys at the same time.
24:06Those words snapped something in Jack.
24:08All reason drained from his eyes.
24:10Bitch!
24:10I'll kill you!
24:11His eyes blazed crimson.
24:13He lunged forward and clamped his hands around Bonnie's throat, slamming her against the
24:16cabin wall, legs flaying.
24:17The personer and several male passengers surged forward and wrenched the two apart.
24:20Bonnie clutched her throat, coughing violently.
24:22A sound caught somewhere between sobbing and laughing.
24:24Her eyes were glassy, unfocused.
24:25Her mind had clearly broken.
24:31A few minutes later, the plane touched down.
24:33The moment the cabin door swung open, a unit of heavily armed FBI agents and state troopers
24:37was already waiting, having been on standby for some time.
24:40That man, that woman, and the passengers who had mobbed me earlier, they were all taken
24:43away.
24:43I was lifted onto a stretcher by the EMTTs who had rushed to the scene.
24:46In the aftermath, the FAA classified the incident as a major aviation safety event.
24:51The company ordered me its highest commendation, and the media dubbed me the Guardian Angel
24:55at 30,000 Fleets.
24:57As for Jack and Bonnie, they were brought before the court.
25:00I thought that we'd be the end of it.
25:01But on the day of the trial, everything changed.
25:03Bonnie wept, a perfect picture of pitiful innocence, and disavowed all responsibility.
25:07When it was Jack's turn to speak in his own defense, he was eerily composed.
25:10Your Honor, the truth is not what everyone has been led to believe.
25:12The one responsible for all of this is Evelyn Ross.
25:15A gasp swept through the courtroom.
25:16I stood on the witness stand, staring at him in disbelief.
25:19Jack ignored the abhor from the gallery and pressed on.
25:21Evelyn and I were once engaged, but due to irreconcilable differences, I called it off.
25:24She could never accept it.
25:25She hounded me relentlessly.
25:26Bonnie was a newly hired trainee.
25:27As her training captain, it was my duty to look after her.
25:29This filled Evelyn with an overwhelming jealousy and resentment.
25:31He paused, turned toward the jury, and arranged his face into an expression of righteous indignation.
25:36On this flight, she was officially on leave, yet she insisted on booking the exact same
25:39flight we were working.
25:40It was she who sabotaged the emergency window.
25:42She created this crisis, and then framed Bonnie for it.
25:44Hearing this, I shook with pure rage.
25:51Jack let out a cold laugh.
25:53Evelyn manufactured the chaos, then swooped in to play the hero.
25:55Everyone saw her brave rescue, but did anyone, anyone at all actually witness Bonnie smashing
26:00that window with her heel?
26:01People looked at one another, only now realizing the problem.
26:03The passengers were in shock.
26:04The flight attendants were struggling to keep everyone calm.
26:06Not a single person had actually seen Bonnie destroy that window.
26:09Every single accusation had come from Bonnie's own hysterical cries on the plane.
26:12The prosecutor shot back immediately.
26:13The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder will document everything.
26:16But Jack's attorney was already on his defense.
26:17The technical division, both black box from this flight, sustent severe physical damage.
26:20The data is completely irretrievable.
26:21Boom.
26:22My mind went blank.
26:23When had he destroyed the black boxes?
26:25Jack watched my stunned outrage and let a smug smirk curl at the corner of his mouth.
26:29Your Honor, I truly don't know anything.
26:30Bonnie, sobbing, added her part.
26:31Evelyn always said she hated me.
26:33She bullied me constantly.
26:34I never imagined she would go this far to frame me.
26:36Seeing this, I let out a long sigh.
26:38Then, slowly, I raised my left hand.
26:41Your Honor, the defense claims there is no evidence.
26:45I have some.
26:46Every single pair of eyes zeroed in on my wrist.
26:49The smirk on Jack's face frozen solid.
26:56My attorney turned to face the judge and announced in a clear, ringing voice.
26:59My client activates her portable micro-recorder during every emergency she encounters.
27:02She uses it for post-incident briefing and for submitting to the company.
27:04I looked at Jack, silently thanking my own foresight.
27:06After my rebirth, I had made a point of covering my bases.
27:09Evidence, after all, was something you could never have too much of.
27:11The first portable micro-recorders had only just hit the market in the 1960s.
27:14At the time, my only goal was to sharp my professional skills.
27:16I never imagined it would become the final nail that sealed the fate of these two monsters.
27:19Jack's lawyer sprang to his feet at once.
27:21Objection!
27:22This could be fabricated!
27:23The judge paid him no mind.
27:24He motioned to the bailiff to admit the tape as new evidence,
27:26and ordered it played then and there in open court.
27:28No, this isn't real!
27:29It's edited!
27:30It's a forgery!
27:31Bonnie shattered completely.
27:32Her screams pitched into pure hysteria.
27:34Jack slumped in his seat at the defendant's table.
27:36Every last trace of color drained from his face.
27:38In the end, Jack Christopher was sentenced to life imprisonment.
27:40No possibility of parole.
27:41Bonnie Clare received 20 years.
27:42Sentencing complete.
27:43One year later, I took two full months and boarded a Transcontinental Airlines Boeing 707,
27:47crossing the Atlantic, alone.
27:48In first class, I gazed out the window at the sea of sun beyond.
27:50A deep stillness settled in my heart.
27:52Everything from my former life had scattered like smoke and ash.
27:55Men, what did they matter?
27:56This vast, boundless sky, this was where I truly belonged.
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