i must phone the airfield. i will be in the other car. go with god. jaffa briefly touches ali on the shoulder, a quick nod from ali and jaffa leaves, escorted by three bodyguards.
there is no need for that. keep them seated and maintain security. i'm going to the cockpit.
you must stay in your seat.
i am not your enemy. you have been betrayed by your own leaders.  the supporters and instigators of the zionist occupation of my homeland.
i am but an instrument of god, a messenger of his will. in my hand he has placed the sword of islam and commanded me.  he stares into the frozen faces, paralyzed in fear. he relaxes, smiles slightly.
but you have nothing to fear. god's mercy is bestowed upon the innocent and the righteous.
i said, bring food for my men.  but then ali looks up, seeing the empty clipboard that once held the passenger manifest.
the passenger manifest. where is it? startled, nancy looks up. she has no idea where it is. ali leans in closer, his face inches from nancy, now trembling in fear.
i will not ask you again. where is the manifest? fran's voince breaks the tension.
destroyed. how?
i see. and why? fran hesitates a moment.
to protect the jews. he moves closer, scrutinizing her, his eyes deeply penetrating hers.
or, someone else.  fran is terrified out of her wits but holds her ground. slowly, ali backs away, eyes still probing her for the slightest betrayal.
brave, but a very stupid, foolish thing to do. and totally unnecessary. he replaces the clipboard. he gestures to fran.
you will bring food for my men.
no more mistakes.
why are we not climbing?!
where is this room? the engineer points to a hatch on the floor near the rear of the cockpit.
go ahead. the engineer opens the hatch, peering down the narrow ten foot shaft, leading through the stairwell bulkhead and into the avionics room.
how are the passengers? are they comfortable?
it's important they remain calm. is there anything they need?
soon enough. a few more hours. i will share something with you, but it must remain between us. when we land.  in london. we will be releasing the women and children. fran stares at him, knowing this is a lie.
i'm keeping you from your work. he turns and leaves. fran stares ahead, her hands trembling. she knows something horrible is going to happen with this highjacking and she has to do something. but what? she sees the empty clipboard where the manifest had been, thinks, and then removes from her apron her ballpoint pen.
what are you doing? ali places the phone to his ear and listens. the line is dead.
you always have an explanation. ali leaves. fran is overwhelmed by this new development. suddenly she remembers, the air marshal. she looks back down the aisle, making eye contact with him. she turns back, horrified. she has to warn him, but how?
kill her.