I returned to my room to be met face to face with the director of my company, and he was not alone. Beside him stood another gentleman. One I did not recognize. Dressed in black, he had a rather imposing demeanour.

“Avery. Captain Rhyse.” The director headed over to me, and reached out a hand. “Anthony Bromwich. I am the head of Grand Britannica Airways.”

Shakily accepting his hand, I responded.

“I am aware, sir. A pleasure to finally meet.”

Between the two of them, I felt hilariously underdressed in my hospital issued sleepwear.

“I, er, I’m sorry, I just… There was a medical examination.”

“Please! There is no need.” Director Bromwich gave a dismissive laugh, both of them shifting their gaze away, as I shuffled awkwardly past them and climbed back into bed, hiding myself beneath the covers.

“What can I do for you, sir? Sirs?” I asked, gaze flicking from one to the other.

The two of them shared a glance, before Director Bromwich responded.

“Well…” he said. “First and foremost, please allow me to – on behalf of the airline as a whole – express our profoundest gratitude for your actions that night. Absolutely astounding!”

He smiled, rather sheepishly truth be told, and held up a bundle of flowers.

“Though our way of expression could do with some creativity, it would seem.”

“Not at all, sir. I appreciate it very much.”

I took in the scent of the flowers as he handed them over. They were fresh and very sweet.

“How are you holding up, captain?” Director Bromwich asked, looking me over.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the left side of my face, and I caught a hint of pity in his dark eyes.

“Alright, sir. I’ll be allowed to leave in not too long.”

“This is good news.” Director Bromwich exclaimed. “Will you be needing transportation home? I can arrange for a taxi, courtesy of the company.”

“That won’t be necessary, sir. My roommate will be picking me up.”

He nodded approvingly.

“Good, good! Now… on to more serious matters.” His expression grew more solemn and he caught my gaze.

“This gentleman beside me is special agent Wilford. He is one of the people investigating the incident.”

He gestured, and the other gentleman stepped forward and presented me with a leather-encased badge.

“An honour to meet you, Captain Rhyse.” He said. “I’m Special Agent Jeremy Wilford with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We’ve been assigned to investigate this incident.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation… To me, that was a first.

“The pleasure is mine, Special Agent Wilford. What can I do for you?”

He gave a subtle cough and took the chair closest to me.

“Upon closer investigation of the wreckage, it has come to light that there might have been foul play involved.” He noted. “We have reason to believe someone might have wanted this particular plane out of the sky.”

I was unable to hide the shock on my face.

“What for, sir?”

In my mind I was going over all the possible answers, but failed to find a plausible one.

Why the hell would anyone target a random aircraft? And why send it crashing into a field in Wales? The more I thought about it the less sense it made.

“Well, that is what we are trying to find out, Captain Rhyse. Perhaps you could be of help?”

“Please.” I said. “Whatever I can do.”

Special Agent Wilford held up a digital recorder and started it up.

“If you could tell me about your activity on the plane, up until the crash-landing.”

Scouring my memory, I relayed as much as I could recall from my time in the cabin, to when I was called into the cockpit and the subsequent emergency landing which followed.

“Thank you, Captain. Now tell me… on the cockpit voice recorder, you mentioned British Airways Flight 9. Could you elaborate your thought process, please?”

“British Airways, Flight 9…” It took me a moment to remember what he was talking about.

“Oh. Yes. The events which occurred on our flight bore some resemblance to Flight 9, Sir. It simply struck me as odd.”

“Please explain to me what these similarities were, if you could.”

“Well, the engines, first of all.” I replied. “They shut down in a way very similar to Flight 9. Then there was the white smoke in the airvents. Maria, First Officer Pallera, noticed it. It’s what prompted us to deploy the oxygen masks. All these little things which made it seem as though there had been a volcanic eruption nearby. But of course that would be absurd. Britain isn’t exactly known for its volcanic activity.”

I glanced up at him.

“We never did find the cause for these anomalies. I don’t suppose you’ve come across something in your investigation, sir?”

“We are looking into it, Captain. Rest assured.” Replied Special Agent Wilford promptly.

He was holding back.

Not exactly surprising, but I didn’t have to like his attitude on the matter.

Frowning softly, I gave a shake of my head.

“What I fail to understand is why someone would target some random aircraft like that.” I muttered.

“It’s not exactly sensational or eye-catching. If they were sending a message, there’s bound to be better ways of doing it.”

“It’s hard to tell.” Replied Special Agent Wilford coolly. “But I’d appreciate it if you kept the sleuthing to the professionals.”

“Of course, Sir. I apologize.” I said, looking up to meet his gaze. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask me, Special Agent?”

He took a moment to go through some notes on his phone.

“Just one thing, Captain.” He looked back up, gaze hard. “Your seating arrangement during the flight.”

“Ah. Yes.” I said. “The AHSAE has already asked. As far as I’m aware there was a last-minute cancellation or someone never showed up to board. This left one seat available in an otherwise fully booked flight, and I decided to take it, rather than the jump-seat.”

“And why was that?”

“A simple matter of comfort, sir. I’d wager you’d rather relax at home or in a café than in your work-space, as well, if given the desicion?”

There was a brief moment where Special Agent Wilford simply glared at me, and I got the distinct feeling he didn’t like me much.

“Quite so.” He in the end muttered. “Go on.”

“Well, that’s about it.” I replied. “I have no connection to the mystery passenger, it was just luck of the draw for me.”

“Thank you, Captain Rhyse, for your cooperation.” The Special Agent got to his feet and nodded.

“I’ll leave you two to discuss other matters now.”

As he exited the room and slid the door shut behind him, I gave a tilt of my head.

“Charming fellow.” I noted dryly and Director Bromwich gave a silent scoff.

“Do you suppose they’re all like that?” I went on asking. “In the FBI?”

“I’ve no idea.” Replied Director Bromwich, scratching his neck. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they were, though, to be honest.”

“Oof…” I sighed. “Quite the hostile work environment. At any rate…”

I looked back over and caught the director’s eye.

“How else can I be of service, sir?”

Director Bromwich smiled.

“In all honesty?” he replied. “By getting some proper rest and recuperation. If I may be incredibly selfish, I would hate to lose someone as talented as you to an ordeal such as this.”

“Thank you, sir, I will do my best.” I gave a faint smile, absently rubbing at the left side of my neck. The scarring felt smooth and strangely cold beneath my touch.

Leaning in a little closer, Director Bromwich gave a silent sigh.

“The AHSAE have been in touch…” he began, looking at me. “We are working on what to do about your… upcoming examination. It will be tough, there is no doubt about that, though I feel you of all people will understand why that is.”

“Of course, sir. One hundred per cent.” I replied, and he gave another smile, leaning back up.

“Honestly, though, I am not too concerned.” He said. “There is a certain type of people, I’ve come to realize, who seem born and bred to be pilots.”

He paused a moment, pointing to me.

“You strike me as one such person. I am confident that you will prove yourself, now as you have before.”

“I do hope your trust will not be misplaced, sir.” I replied, looking down into the flowers in my lap.

There was a moment of silence after this, before Director Bromwich cleared his throat.

“The way things stand, Avery. Is it alright if I call you that?”

I gave a brief nod and he continued.

“The way things stand, there is a lot of attention directed at this incident.”

I nodded again.

“Understanding, sir. It’s not an every-day turn of events.”

“Indeed it is not, and… while the hospital has done a good job keeping the media circus outside their confined walls, I’m afraid I will have to warn you of what might face you outside.”

I gave a crooked smile.

“Of course, sir. Thank you.”

“The media will undoubtedly want a word with you, specifically.” Director Bromwich went on, expression grave.

“How would you feel about that?”

“Me, sir?” I felt a jolt in my chest. “I, I’m not sure. I would feel blatantly underqualified to discuss the matter like that.”

“I understand, of course, and I am willing to let the company handle the press on your behalf, though there is no guarantee they will not hound you down, even so. We have already seen this regarding some of our other members from that flight.”

I gave a silent scoff.

“It can’t be helped I suppose.” I replied. Though I did understand why it happened, part of me still felt a little queasy on the matter.

As time went on, both Fynn Glade and Captain Marlowe had been discharged from the hospital and sent home. There was no doubt in my mind that they had both, alongside Maria and Sal, I was willing to wager, been targets of reporters searching for a scoop.

I truly hoped they were all alright.

“The FBI has asked us not to relay any information to the press about this incident being premeditated. They’d like to keep a lid on that for as long as they can, I’ve been told. Likely to not arouse suspicion.” The Director informed me, and I gave a nod.

“Reasonable enough.” I said. “I’ve got no desire to compromise their investigation.”

“Foul play…” Director Bromwich muttered. “It seems unlikely.”

“How much do you know, sir?” I asked, looking him over. “About their suspicions, I mean?”

“No more than you, I’m afraid.” Replied the Director, meeting my gaze. “They keep their cards close to their chest, these feds. Though I suppose it will all become clear in due time, as is the custom of our industry.”

He smiled, rising to his feet.

“I’ll let you rest now. We’ll be in contact regarding your examination, once you’ve had some time to recover.”