AWLL 3 - Book 3 - A New World

🎤 Steve

“Holy fuck!” Cindi gasped when a large passenger plane hit the second tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. “This HAS to be intentional!”

There was no doubt in my mind that she was right. The plane was large, and in the hazy video, it appeared to me to be a Boeing, probably a 767, though I couldn’t be sure. And that meant passengers, potentially a lot of them. It also meant commandeered aircraft.

“Passenger planes,” I replied. “I can’t imagine anything other than hijacking.”

“Holy shit!” Elyse exclaimed. “What if there are more planes?”

“The ‘Bojinka’ plot included eleven aircraft,” I said. “Not to mention a plan to kill Pope John Paul II and crash a plane into CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.”

“You think this is the same guys?” Dave asked.

“Well, Ramzi Yousef was arrested not long after the plot was discovered and he’s in SuperMax now for the first World Trade Center bombing. They never did catch Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.”

“The Sears Tower is really close,” Kimmy said quietly.

“Let’s not panic,” I replied. “Kimmy, please get the TV from the Gretzky Room and bring it in here so we can have on both CNN and one of the other networks.”

“I’ll help you, Kimmy,” Dave offered.

They left and were back a minute later, wheeling in the TV. About a minute after that, we had on both CNN and Fox News, and Jon Scott suggested Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national who had conducted or financed a number of terrorist bombings in the Middle East and Africa, might be behind the attacks. A very short time later, it was reported that the AP had stated that they had information the planes were hijacked before the crashes.

“No shit!” Cindi exclaimed. “That was pretty fucking obvious when TWO planes hit!”

It came as no surprise when both networks reported that the FAA had closed the New York airports and restricted flights in the Northeast, and that New York City was closing all bridges and tunnels into Manhattan. Most of the staff had gathered in the room, and it was becoming crowded, and it was obvious that many of them were very worried, and with very good reason.

“I should check on Abel,” Cèlia said. “He was supposed to be in Midtown today.”

She went over to the phone and used the directory to dial Abel’s cell phone, leaving the call on speaker. I wasn’t surprised when she received an ‘All circuits are busy’ message.

“Is anyone else in New York?” Elyse asked.

I nodded, “My friend Ailea. She was meeting with Cantor Fitzgerald this week.”

“I know you’re concerned about her, but I meant NIKA staff. Cindi, Charlie?”

“No plans for anyone to be in New York today,” Cindi replied. “But we don’t know where those flights originated.”

“A few of my people in the Western region were traveling today,” Charlie said. “There’s no way they could be on those planes.”

“Oh, fuck!” Elyse exclaimed when both CNN and Fox showed pictures of the Pentagon burning.

“We need to invoke our disaster plan,” I said firmly. “As Stephanie isn’t here, I’m invoking it on my emergency authority as majority shareholder. First, I’ll say what should be blindingly obvious - nobody should get on a plane, period. Cindi, call Barbara and Mario and tell them; Charlie, call whoever was supposed to be traveling and tell them to stay put!”

They both left the room and my mobile phone rang. I fished it from my pocket, saw it was Jessica, and answered.

“Hi, Babe,” I said. “I’m a bit busy right now.”

“We just started our major disaster protocol. Somebody needs to get the kids! I can’t leave and I can’t get hold of Kara!”

“The kids are safe in school,” I said.

“You don’t know that!” Jessica exclaimed franticly. “Please!”

There was no way I wanted to leave the office until I was sure my staff was safe, and I was sure the kids would be fine, but I also knew Jessica would become increasingly frantic.

“I’ll ask Terry and Penny to get them,” I said. “They’re on the ‘pick-up list’.”

“Tiger!” she pleaded.

“Jess,” I said patiently. “They’re safe. Penny and Terry will get them, and I’ll make sure the rest of my staff is taken care of. And I’ll find Kara.”

“How can you be so calm?” Jessica complained.

“Jessica Lee,” I said firmly. “You’re an Attending Physician at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world! Your patients need you!”

“So do my kids!” she declared angrily.

“Jess, I’ll take care of it, OK?”

“I’ll just do it myself!” she declared.

She was irrational and nothing I could do or say, short of dropping everything to get my kids from two schools which were just as safe as our house, given the distance from anything I could imagine was a major terror target, would placate her. And if she walked out in the middle of a ‘major disaster’ protocol, someone would raise her history.

“Jess, don’t,” I replied. “You need to follow your major disaster protocol. I’ll go right away.”

“Don’t patronize me, Tiger! You leave NOW!”

“I said I would,” I replied.

She hung up and I snapped the phone shut. I motioned Elyse, Kimmy, and Eve to me and we moved to a corner of the room.

“Jess is completely irrational,” I said. “I need to personally go get the kids from school or she’ll walk out of the ER mid-trauma.”

“I thought she was getting better,” Elyse replied.

“Me, too. But I think everyone is going to be a bit irrational today. Elyse, you’re in charge because my sister isn’t here. Please work with Kimmy to make sure everyone goes home, in every office. We don’t know what the targets might be, so I want everyone out of Chicago, Durham, and Pittsburgh as quickly as possible. And to not go to the offices in Dallas, Colorado Springs, or LA.”

“You think they might hit the Sears Tower?” Eve asked.

“Wouldn’t you?” I replied.

“Yeah. Holy fuck! What do you need me to do?”

“Come with me.”

“Steve!” Dave called out across the room. “They just shut down all US airspace and ordered all planes to land immediately.”

“OK. That solves THAT problem,” I replied. “Dave, I’m asking Elyse to close the office. I need to do something for Jess.”

“OK. I’ll help Elyse.”

“Thanks.”

Eve and I left the room, and I went to my office to get my things. I wasn’t leaving ‘at once’ despite what I’d told Jessica. I wanted to make three phone calls. The first two would be to the schools to let them know I was coming to get the kids. The third one would be to Al Barton.

“The line is busy,” I said to Eve when I dialed the High School.

“No surprise, right? I suspect there are lots of parents reacting the way Jessica has.”

I tried the elementary school and had the same result, so I tried Al Barton’s office, but received an ‘all circuits busy’ message, most likely because the hospital PBX was overloaded. I tried Al’s mobile number and was directed to his voicemail. I left a message for Al, then grabbed my bag. We went to Eve’s office to get her bag as well, and she strongly suggested I retrieve my pistol from the safe.

“I need Liz’s approval,” I protested.

“Bullshit!” Eve declared. “If planes flying into the World Trade Center and Pentagon don’t constitute an emergency with special circumstances, nothing would.”

She went to the safe in Liz’s office and retrieved my Beretta, holster, and a full magazine. She verified the safety, chambered a round, and handed me the pistol and holster. I put them on, then we headed back to the conference room so I could tell Elyse I was leaving. Just as I was about to leave the room, a collective gasp arose.

“Parts of the tower are collapsing!” Penny exclaimed.

Eve and I turned back to watch the shocking display of large chunks of building falling from the South Tower of the World Trade Center, though everything was quickly obscured by smoke and dust.

“Jesus,” Eve breathed.

“We better go,” I said. “Jess is going to lose her mind.”

“What about Kara?”

“I’ll try her once we get in the car. She’s likely in the lab, and she silences her phone or leaves it in her office when she’s in there.”

Eve and I hurriedly left the building, went around to the alley where our parking spaces were, and got into my BMW. I started the car and Eve immediately tuned the radio to WBBM, the best news station available. As I pulled onto Jackson, Eve used my mobile phone to try to call Kara, but the call went to voicemail. Eve put the phone on speaker so I could leave a message about getting the kids at Jessica’s request. When I finished, Eve snapped the phone shut.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed when WBBM reported that one of the flights that had crashed into the World Trade Center had left Boston bound for Los Angeles.

“What?” Eve asked.

“Belinda Barton is in Boston, and was supposed to fly to LA today…fuck! And Felipe, a guy from my karate dojo, is in DC at the Pentagon today for a tour! And Brian Frost is there TDY, as well.”

“Jesus!”

“Yeah. And I just had a very scary thought.”

“What’s that?”

“If it is Osama bin Laden, then other Saudi nationals might be involved. My neighbor, Amir Khan, is a Saudi national and is in Boston today.”

“That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”

“My mind is going a million miles a minute right now,” I said. “But I recall him telling me that he has a pilot’s license. And I highly doubt any Captain or First Officer on a US commercial flight would intentionally fly into buildings, even under duress. I mean, if the hijackers are trying to force you to do that, you’re going to die anyway. Most of those guys are ex-Navy or ex-Air Force and they’d crash the plane into the ground or a body of water before they’d fly into a building.”

“Fuck! You’re making WAY too much sense.”

The radio reported a fire on the National Mall in DC.

“The White House or Capitol Building had to be the next target, logically,” Eve said. “Sounds like they might have missed.”

“Yeah, you could use the Washington Monument for navigation and hit either one. I wonder where the President is.”

The radio announced that the Sears Tower had been ordered evacuated.

“You made the right call to get everyone out of the office, Boss,” Eve said.

“Call Elyse and make sure she knows. I want everyone out of the office immediately.”

Eve made the call and Elyse confirmed that only she, Dave, and Kimmy were still in the office, and they were just about to leave.

WBBM reported that President Bush was aboard Air Force One, but that his location and destination were not being released.

“They think the attacks are still ongoing,” I said.

“Dave said the FAA ordered all planes to land at their nearest airports,” Eve replied. “That lowers the risk, don’t you think?”

“Lowers, but doesn’t eliminate. There are probably well over a thousand planes in the air right now. Any one of them could have hijackers. We know of four already - the two that hit the World Trade Center, one that they just confirmed hit the Pentagon, and the one that caused the fire on the National Mall. The ‘Bojinka’ plot included eleven aircraft over the Pacific, plus one to hit the CIA. That’s twelve, total.”

“Fuck me!” Eve exclaimed.

“Try Al Barton for me, please.”

She did but the call went to voicemail, so I had her disconnect and not leave a message.

“He’s probably up to his eyeballs in running their ‘major disaster’ drill,” Eve offered.

“And also likely trying to calm Jessica.”

“What’s up with that? She’s a trauma surgeon!”

“And is, if you’ll pardon the indiscretion, irrational about her kids' safety. It’s something we’ve been working on for years.”

“That’s something I would never have expected.”

“Me, neither. But it is what it is.”

WBBM reported that the UN was being evacuated, and the traffic report detailed heavy outbound traffic from Chicago and that Metra had announced it would run additional trains.

“They’ll close the schools,” Eve observed.

“I’m sure. But the problem there is with so many parents working, they have to be careful about sending elementary school kids home. My kids would be fine, and I’d be fine with it, but you know a lot of kids and a lot of parents wouldn’t.”

“I learned to shoot when I was five!” Eve declared. “And I stayed home alone all the time from about age six!”

“I know. Even my mom, as insane as she was, was OK with us roaming the desert when I was in first grade, and the neighborhood when I was in second grade, and I remember staying home alone a few times even at that age.”

WBBM reported that part of the Pentagon had collapsed. And that an explosion had occurred at the US Capitol.

“Fuck,” I said softly. “This is an all-out assault. It has to be state-sponsored.”

“And an act of war!”

“No shit! I mean, seriously, we’ve heard three times now it might be Osama bin Laden, but I don’t care how good of a mastermind he is, you don’t go hijacking at least five planes, in a coordinated manner, without state sponsorship!”

“Saudi Arabia?”

“God help them if they had a hand in it,” I declared.

Just as we pulled up to the elementary school, WBBM reported that PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat had denied any part in the hijackings, then the announcer immediately read an AP report which said that a car bomb had exploded outside the State Department.

“Let’s get the kids,” I declared, feeling as if the world was coming completely unglued.

I found a place I could park, though it was marked ‘No Parking during school hours’. I simply didn’t, care so I pulled into the spot. WBBM reported that 1010 WINS in New York had reported an explosion at the Supreme Court.

“There’s going to be a war,” Eve said as we got out of my BMW.

“You think?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around what was going on. “And Jessica doesn’t seem quite so irrational at this point.”

“I was just thinking that,” Eve agreed.

We hurried to the doors of the school and went straight to the office, where other parents were already waiting for their kids. A TV in the corner was tuned to CBS and just as I asked for Birgit, Albert, Nicholas, Stephie, and Ashley, the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. This time, we had a full view of the collapse on video, as floors pancaked and the building basically dropped straight down.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Jesse’s number, and was surprised when he answered, something that normally wouldn’t happen during the day.

“Jesse, leave right now and go home, please. If your teacher objects, hand him or her the phone.”

“What’s happening, Dad?”

“You know about the buildings in New York, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, just to be safe, we want all of you home. I’m getting your siblings right now. I’ll see you at home, OK? Call me back if they don’t let you leave.”

“OK.”

“And make sure Nicholas calls his mom in Sweden when he gets home. I’ll tell him to do that.”

“Will do!”

I snapped my phone shut and moved to the side so other parents could ask for their kids. It took nearly ten minutes before my kids were in the office, by which time CBS had reported, unconfirmed, that a 747 was down somewhere in Pennsylvania and that a second plane was heading for the Pentagon. Eve and I quickly herded the kids from the building. I gave her my keys so she could bring the car to the house, then the kids and I began walking home.

“Who did it, Dad?” Albert asked.

“We don’t know yet. They’re speculating it’s a terrorist named Osama bin Laden, but nobody knows for sure.”

“Nicholas, you need to call your mom as soon as you get home.”

“OK,” he replied.

My cell phone rang and the Caller ID showed it was my sister.

“Hi, Squirt,” I said after flipping open my RAZR.

“What the fuck, Big Brother?”

“My exact response. I just got the kids from school and we’re walking home.”

“I was meeting with Samantha when we heard. Brian was on the opposite side of the Pentagon, and he’s safe. She’s closing her office and sending everyone home. Kimmy called me and said you’d done the same. I’m going to get the kids then come by your house. Kimmy will be there shortly, and we’ll run the disaster plan from your study because it has everything we need.”

“That makes sense. Is Kimmy going to get Robert?”

“Yes. According to someone Samantha knows, the Mayor is going to order an evacuation of the Loop and close the schools. CNN just announced that they’re evacuating DC and Manhattan.”

“I take it the markets are closed?”

“They hadn’t started trading in New York, so they didn’t open. I can’t imagine what the overseas markets will do. Samantha was obviously more worried about her people.”

"Same here. The only NIKA person unaccounted for so far is Abel, who was supposed to be in Midtown. We can’t reach him because the phone lines are jammed. I’m not too worried about him, but on a personal note, Ailea was supposed to be at Cantor Fitzgerald this week for meetings, Belinda was flying from Boston to LA, and Felipe was going to be in DC and tour the Pentagon today. I’m hoping he was somewhere else in the building like Brian was.

“Big brother, Cantor Fitzgerald’s offices are above where that plane hit.”

“Fuck,” I sighed. “Let’s hope she wasn’t there. I tried to call Al, but I can’t get through to the hospital, and calls to his mobile are going to voicemail. Shit! I need to call Jess or she’s going to be out of her mind. See you at the house in a few.”

We hung up and I dialed Jessica and fortunately, the call went through and she answered.

“I’m walking the kids home right now,” I said. “Eve is at the house, and my sister and Kimmy will be there soon so we can figure out what our next move is.”

“Did you hear all the reports?”

“Yes. It’s nuts! Do you know if Belinda is OK?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?”

“You didn’t hear? They confirmed one of the planes was a flight from Logan to LAX, and Belinda was heading from MIT to JPL this morning.”

“Oh my God!” Jessica gasped. “Let me go find my dad!”

“Call me, please, Babe. The kids are safe.”

“I’ll call if I find out anything.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I snapped the phone shut.

“Dad,” Albert asked, sounding scared for the first time in his entire life, “was she on the plane?”

“We don’t know yet,” I replied. “We’ll have to wait to hear from Grandpa Al.”

“Dad,” Birgit asked, sounding worried, “what about Mr. Felipe?”

“We don’t know about him either, Pumpkin. All we can do is wait to hear. The same is true for Ailea.”

We arrived home to find Eve waiting by the back door. I unlocked it, went in, disarmed the alarm, and then everyone else came into the house.

“They retracted the reports about the State Department, National Mall, Supreme Court, and the Capitol,” Eve said. “But they confirmed a plane is down in Pennsylvania.”

“Everyone is freaking out,” I said. “Albert, would you turn on the TV? CNN, please.”

He scrambled to do that and Jesse came in the back door.

“No trouble?” I asked.

“No. I was in Mr. Gleason’s class and he’s cool. Lots of parents were at the school.”

“Dad,” Albert called out, “CNN is saying all overseas flights to the US have to turn around or land in Canada. They have a new thing scrolling sideways at the bottom of the screen that is giving information.”

“That makes sense about the planes,” I replied. “Keep watching and let me know anything important, please.”

“OK!”

“Birgit, make sure your sisters are settled. I’m going to try your mom again.”

I pulled out my phone and dialed Kara’s number. It rang just as I heard the front door open, and heard her ringtone. I snapped the phone shut and hurried to the foyer.

“All the kids are here,” I said. “Jess had a bit of a meltdown earlier.”

“Snuggle Bear,” she said quietly, “Belinda was supposed to be on American Flight 11. They confirmed that the plane hit the World Trade Center.”

“Oh, shit,” I sighed. “How did you know?”

“She and I spoke yesterday about one of our experimental polymers and how it might be of interest to NASA. She said she was flying American this morning to LAX from Logan.”

“I hope she has the same luck Charlie had with flying to Pittsburgh,” I replied. “Don’t say anything to the kids. Jess was going to try to find Al because all we knew was that she was flying from Boston to LA.”

“Dad?” Albert called out.

“Yes?”

“American Airlines confirmed they have two planes down, one of which hit the World Trade Center. United confirms one down, and is ‘deeply concerned’ about another.”

“Did they say the destinations?”

“American said from Boston to Los Angeles and DC to Los Angeles. United said Boston to Los Angeles and Newark to San Francisco. The one they’re sure is down is the one that was going to San Francisco.”

“Thanks, Albert.”

“It makes sense, Dad.”

“Why?” I asked.

“They hijacked large planes with cross-country destinations so they were full of fuel. I mean, if you’re going to do a kamikaze thing, and can’t load the plane with bombs, that’s the best way to do it.”

“How hard would it be to fly those planes?” I asked.

“You could do it, Dad. Seriously, you know enough to fly, navigate, and hit a building if there are no problems like weather, or whatever. You flew Aimee’s plane and jets are more complicated, but basically, you just fly straight and level. A couple of lessons and it would be very easy to do. Obviously, you don’t have to land or take off which are the really hard parts. Remember how often I crashed in my flight simulator at first.”

“True. Keep me posted, please.”

My phone rang and I saw it was Jessica calling, so I stepped into my study with Kara close behind me.

“Hi, Babe.”

“Belinda called Dad this morning from Logan. She got on the plane.”

“Fuck! How is your dad?”

“Belinda?” Kara asked sotto voce.

I nodded grimly and a look of horror spread over Kara’s face.

“He’s in his office with the Pysch Chief. I just stepped out to call you. Dad shut off his phone as soon as they reported the flight number.”

“We’re here for whatever you need, Babe. Are you doing OK?”

“You have the kids, so, yes.”

“I need to apologize for earlier; you were right to be concerned.”

“We’ll worry about it later, Tiger. We’re preparing for the worst right now, and Dad isn’t in any shape to run things. The Chief Attending, Chief Resident, and I, because I’m the senior staff member on duty, are in charge based on the ‘major disaster’ protocols.”

“OK. Call me if you need anything.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I snapped the phone shut, and tossed it onto my desk.

“What do we do?” Kara asked.

“Tell the kids,” I replied. “There is no use in trying to hide it from them.”

We left my study just as Kimmy arrived with Robert. We exchanged a quick hug and she went to my study to set up a conference call with Mario, Barbara, and Zeke, and Robert came with Kara and me. I gathered the kids in the great room, and turned down the volume on the TV.

“Belinda was on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center,” I said.

The kids all gasped, and both Ashley and Stephie started crying. They went to Kara for hugs, and Birgit came to me to be picked up, which was becoming difficult given she was no longer really ‘pint-size’.

“We have to hunt down every person involved,” Albert said fiercely. “And destroy them!”

“The hijackers are all dead,” Jesse observed.

“Whoever planned it, organized it, or paid for it,” Albert declared. “All of them.”

“Which will put all our friends in the Navy and Marines in harm’s way,” I replied. “Along with the Army and Air Force.”

“It’s their job,” Albert replied. “And nobody was drafted.”

I nodded, “That’s true, but we still want them to be safe.”

Stephanie arrived just then, so I put Birgit down, despite her objections, and went to the foyer to let Stephanie know about Belinda Barton. Her kids went to find mine, and I broke the news to my sister.

“Samantha was already in ‘nuke them until they glow’ mode,” Stephanie said. “The news about Belinda will only make her more determined to see that happen.”

“That does fit her thinking. Anyway, Kimmy is setting up the conference call.”

“How long do you think flights will be shut down? That’s going to impact us.”

“I’d guess at least until the end of tomorrow, but who knows? I also expect almost everything to be closed tomorrow. Depending on what happens in Manhattan, we might not see the markets open until Thursday.”

“Legally,” Stephanie said, “banks and the markets can only be closed for three consecutive days, but I suspect that regulation might be waived.”

“How much can be done without New York?”

“A lot, really. So much is electronic, that even if they completely closed the New York exchange trading floors, most trading could continue. The bigger likelihood is that in a fluid situation like this one, the risk is so great, the SEC might impose regulatory restrictions.”

“So my shorts on airline stocks this morning right after the first plane hit were a good bet?”

“They didn’t open for trading this morning, and you don’t run any international trading accounts, so I know you didn’t make a dick move like that!”

“All kidding aside, how is that a dick move? Isn’t it the obvious move?”

“Well, sure, but it’s still scummy. My best guess is they waive the regulations and the markets are closed for the rest of the week.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Do you know how many trading firms are in the World Trade Center? And do you think they’ll let people back into Manhattan for work in the next couple of days? So many market-making firms are in Manhattan that I can’t see it.”

“You’re probably right about the markets. Just as there is no way a plane is taking off in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours unless it’s military or an air ambulance.”

“Do you think this is over?” Stephanie asked.

“Planes? Probably. They’ll all be on the ground within the hour. But if I were the one who was behind this, my next move would be pipe bombs in county courthouses in rural areas, spread out across the country, or nerve agent attacks on shopping malls.”

“Jesus, Steve!”

“Tell me I’m wrong! That would turn the country upside down and it would take weeks or months to get back to normal, if it ever did. Hell, we’d likely have martial law imposed and habeas corpus suspended. I daresay they could fit this under any of several federal laws that allow that in times of insurrection or rebellion.”

“Dad!” Albert called out. “They just called out the National Guard in DC!”

“As I was saying,” I said. “Let’s go have that call. We’re going to need to find a way to answer phones, even if we can’t necessarily provide service.”

Stephanie took her kids to the great room where they joined my kids, as well as Penny, Terry, and their kids, all of whom were watching CNN. I greeted Terry, then Stephanie and I went into my study to join Kimmy who was already on with Mario, Barbara, and Zeke.

“The safest place to staff is probably Durham,” Mario was saying. “It’s a low-rise building and not near anything you could conceive as a target.”

“Research Triangle?” I asked.

“Too dispersed, if you think about it,” Mario declared. “I mean, a nuke, sure, but after a nuclear bomb, or even a dirty one, nobody is going to care about NIKA being able to provide services.”

“OK. Volunteers only, please. If people don’t want to come to work, I’m not going to force them.”

“I’ll get John on that right away. I’m putting this call on hold so I can call him.”

“Is everyone accounted for?” Stephanie asked.

“Everyone but Abel in New York,” Kimmy replied. “And nobody can get calls into the city or to 212 cell phones. We tried everything short of carrier pigeons. Text messages won’t go through. We sent an email, hoping he has internet access, but he hasn’t replied or called. The email told him to go home, which I think he’d be doing anyway given the evacuation orders.”

“OK. He survived the first bombing of the World Trade Center, so let’s hope his luck holds. I do have some news that I need to share - Al Barton’s wife, Belinda, was on American Flight 11 this morning. She called Al right as she was boarding. We have to assume she’s dead.”

“God damn,” Zeke declared.

“Pass on our condolences, please,” Barbara said.

“I will.”

“According to the plan,” Kimmy continued, “our next step after safety and phones is a conference call with the Board to update them.”

“I’ll handle that,” Stephanie said. “There’s really nothing we can do until we have more information. I’ll just call each of them individually and let them know what we decided so far.”

My phone rang and Caller ID showed my dad was calling.

“It’s Dad,” I said, flipping the phone open.

“We’re all safe,” I said before even greeting him. “The kids, including Stephanie’s, are here. Elyse was arranging for Matthew and Michael to get home. Eduardo is in South America, but wasn’t flying today.”

“Good. And the staff?”

“All accounted for except for Abel, but he was supposed to be in Midtown, so we think it’s just a communications problem. Dad, Belinda was flying from MIT to JPL. She was on American Airlines Flight 11.”

“Damn. Is that confirmed?”

“She called Al right before she boarded, so yes, it is. Jess is with him, as is the Psych Chief at the hospital. Stephanie was about to call you to fill you in, but I’ll do it. We’re going to set up an emergency call center in Durham, which is the safest place as best we can judge. Mario and John are working on that now, and it’ll be volunteers. Beyond that, we have to see what happens. Obviously, we can’t fly.”

“It sounds as if you have everything in hand. We’re all safe here, so I’ll let you go. Call if you need anything. I’ll try Al later today.”

“Jess said he shut off his phone, so you should probably try her phone.”

“OK. I’ll talk to you at some point tonight, I’m sure.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

I hung up just as Mario came back on the line.

“John is going to drive down to Durham,” Mario announced. “It’s an eight-hour drive, so he’ll arrive late tonight. He’ll open the office tomorrow with Paul and Paramita. That will give us basic coverage until we can figure out what’s going on. Someone will have to go to the office in Chicago to reroute the calls.”

“I’ll do it on my way home,” Eve offered. "I have to go by the office no matter what to get my car.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“I asked Lucas to check voicemail a few times this afternoon, which he can do remotely,” Kimmy said. “What should he do with the calls?”

“Anything urgent, have him call either Charlie or Cèlia,” Stephanie said. “Kimmy, please call both of them to make sure they’re up to speed.”

“No other offices are opening tomorrow?” Barbara asked.

“As of right now, I’d say ‘no’,” Stephanie said. “Steve?”

“Let’s assume we’re closed at least tomorrow,” I replied. “We’ll decide tomorrow about Thursday, and it’s likely to be phased. We don’t know for sure what the Chicago evacuation order looks like, as one example.”

“I think that wraps up the agenda items for the first stage of our disaster plan,” Kimmy said. “Unless anyone has anything else, we’ll end the call.”

“I’ll keep trying Abel,” Mario said. “I suspect we won’t know anything until he gets home. They’ve closed all the bridges and tunnels to vehicle traffic, and I suspect the LIRR is shut down as well. He’ll have a hell of a walk to get off Manhattan, and then have to find a way home.”

“Just like in The Stand,” I said quietly, mostly to myself.

We ended the call and Eve left so she could take the L, which was still running, into the Loop to get her car and switch the phones so the support lines could be answered directly in Durham. The rest of us went to the great room to join the others.

“Where’s your mom?” I asked Birgit who came for a hug.

“In the kitchen. She, Suzanne, and Winter are making lunch.”

“When did Suzanne arrive home?”

“Just a few minutes ago. She said her afternoon class was canceled.”

“Any news updates, Albert?” I asked.

“Nothing since I told you about the National Guard in DC. They mentioned the guy from Saudi Arabia - Osama bin Laden.”

“His name has come up several times today.”

“Lunch is ready!” Winter called out. “We’ll serve in the dining room.”

Everyone moved to the dining room to have soup, sandwiches, and chips, though I’d have to pass on the chips, and use a wrap rather than the french loaves or rye slices. Most of us took our lunches back to the great room to watch the news, just in time to hear taped remarks from President Bush, and for CNN to report a potential hijacking of a Korean Air Lines flight over the Pacific.

“They’ll shoot it down,” Albert said. “They have to.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed. “With four confirmed hijackings and three buildings hit, I don’t think they have any choice.”

“But the people!” Ashley protested.

“Nobody survived on those four other planes,” Albert said. “They’re basically dead already.”

“That’s mean!” she protested.

“And if that plane was going to crash into a building and kill thousands, like in New York or at the Pentagon?” Jesse asked. “Albert is right.”

“Ashley, why don’t we go to the other room?” Kara suggested. “The other girls, too.”

“I’m going to take Stephen home for a nap,” Penny said. “Terry, stay if you want.”

“I think I’ll come with you. Amber, Andy, you can stay with the Adams kids if you want.”

Penny and Terry left with Stephen, and Ashley, Stephie, Birgit, Patty, and Amber all went into the sunroom.

“I think we’ll hang out here until tonight,” Stephanie said.

“You know you’re welcome. I think I’m going to take a walk down to the hospital and see Jess and Al.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Suzanne offered.

We left the house, leaving the boys in the great room to watch CNN, and set out for the hospital.

“Could this get any crazier?” Suzanne wondered.

“Don’t ask that question! That bitch Fate has a way of ensuring it does! And if she doesn’t, Loki is always lurking!”

“You seem to be doing OK.”

“Weirdly, the adrenaline didn’t have the usual effect.”

“And you aren’t on the daily propranolol at this point. Did you take the fast-acting one?”

“No. But I think this was different in that the adrenaline built slowly instead of just being dumped into my system all at once. I felt a twinge, if you will, when I realized Ailea might be on the top floors of the towers, and again when we got confirmation about Belinda, but not bad.”

“Wait! Ailea?”

“She was in New York meeting with Cantor Fitzgerald. Stephanie knows that firm, and their offices were above where the plane hit.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah. I’m hoping for the best for her, and for Felipe, who was supposed to be at the Pentagon today, along with Brian.”

“What the hell?”

“I know, right? But it’s just a weird confluence of events. I had hoped Belinda missed the flight as Charlie did, but that didn’t happen.”

“You seem awfully calm, given your history.”

“I know,” I replied. “And that will probably worry Jess, Al, and Mary. But I feel OK.”

“Weird,” Suzanne said, looking up.

“What?”

“No planes. There are always planes because of Midway.”

“I suspect we won’t see anything except military or medical planes for at least a couple of days.”

We arrived at the hospital and walked into the ER, which wasn’t busier than it was on any normal day.

“Kelly, do you know where Doctor Adams is?” I asked the clerk.

“I believe she’s with Doctor Barton.”

“Thanks. We’ll go up to his office.”

We walked through the ER, past the elevators, and took the stairs up one flight, then walked down the hall to Al’s office.

“Hi, Steve,” Victoria said. “Let me let him know you’re here. Doctor Adams is with him.”

“How’s he doing?” I asked.

“Numb, I think.”

I nodded as she picked up the phone and announced us. She pointed to the door and we went in.

“Hi, Al,” I said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s not much to say,” he said.

I walked over to Jessica, we hugged and exchanged a kiss.

“How are things at home?” she asked.

“The girls are upset; the boys are breathing fire about finding the people behind this. Hearing about Belinda really set them all off.”

“And you, Tiger?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t need my propranolol.”

“No symptoms at all?”

“Nothing beyond what I’d say was a normal reaction to hearing about Belinda and Ailea.”

“Ailea?”

“She was supposed to be at Cantor Fitzgerald this week. Stephanie said they’re on floors above where the planes hit.”

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Al said.

“It’s not confirmed, but thanks. Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Jessica is here, so, no.”

“Come to the house after work,” I said. “You probably shouldn’t be alone.”

“Malik came by and he insisted I come to his house. My daughter was equally insistent I do it.”

“Make that three of us. Jess, are you working late?”

“Probably. The ‘major disaster’ protocol is in effect until 8:00pm. I don’t think it’ll be extended.”

“OK. Al, is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Then Suzanne and I are going to head back to the house to be with Kara and the kids.”

I shook his hand, which I turned into a rare hug, then hugged and kissed Jessica, and then Suzanne and I headed home.