skidded past the lower-rise structures of Belltown, catching both vehicles and pedestrians in her wake. Even at this, Zeb knew, the toll should have been much higher. Collateral damage before final impact and explosion had been mercifully lessened by an exceptionally focused path down Western Avenue. Almost like a bowling ball constrained by the limits of a lane, the crash lumbered forward, reserving its heaviest blow for the market itself.
Dalton's mind went into overdrive, calculating angles, trajectory, mass, and energy.
The giant, interactive representation in his head showed lines of reasoning that most supercomputers would struggle to process. His fertile mind was churning out unbelievable amounts of data but he couldn't see everything. What he didn't see, what Zeb could not know, were the events unfolding just prior to the jet's ghastly entrance into the city core.
The FAA's official report would fill in the rest of that tragic tale.
Only forty minutes earlier American 2132, non-stop out of Vancouver, B.C., was on schedule with an expected arrival at SeaTac International of 9:42 am PST. As was usual for a weekday morning the manifest listed a significant number of business travelers and vacationers as well as others visiting family in both joyful and difficult circumstances. The trajectory from YVR to SEA tracks along one of the most beautiful inland coastlines in the world. Taking off from Vancouver's Sea Island and passing over the islands and waters of the central Puget Sound area, the flight path takes in a close look at the city before proceeding south to the airport.
Breathtaking.
Seattle's urban fringe is bounded on the east by the untamed majesty of the Cascade Mountains. With peaks topping out at 14,000 feet the landscape flows down from there to meet the graceful waters of Puget Sound. Heading westward are the shorter yet still formidable heights of the Olympic Range, a barrier of snow and wilderness guarding against the unbounded Pacific. On approach the view is stunning to either the left or the right. And if the crew is in a good mood you might just get a glimpse of both.
Add in a gleaming skyline of steel, glass, and brick—one of the most attractive, yet unseen city-sights in America—and upon first glance many travelers are spellbound, speechless.
To be fair, during much of the calendar year these views lie obscured in gray mist and behind low cloud ceilings. Mornings like this one, though, more than make up for it, leaving Seattleites with a sort of collective amnesia about those long months when the sun made nothing more than a token appearance. Many days, notably mid-January, are quite forgettable.
Today was not one of those days.
Today was glorious.
The city came into full view and everyone stopped what they were doing, turning their attention instead to the captivating sights beyond their small, oval portals. Even ever-focused businessmen set aside the demands of their workloads to stare for a moment. 2132's cabin crew closed up the final round of beverage service as the cockpit reported nominal winds and prepared for an uneventful landing before refueling, food service, and connection at their terminus—San Francisco—later in the afternoon.
It was as routine and enjoyable a trip down the coastline as they could've asked for. It would not remain this way for long. This moment of beauty and calm would soon transform into a whirlwind of chaos and destruction in which the apparent safety of modern life gives way to its brutal frailties.
TEN
"Seattle Control, this is American 2132, inbound, track Delta 4. Do you copy? We are experiencing system anomalies and require assistance."
"Affirmative, American 2132. This is Seattle Control. We read you fine. Go ahead."
"Control, we're experiencing inconsistencies in navigation and airspeed data. Secondary systems and visual flight rules initiated."
"2132, check. VFR initiated. We are re-routing
Dalton's mind went into overdrive, calculating angles, trajectory, mass, and energy.
The giant, interactive representation in his head showed lines of reasoning that most supercomputers would struggle to process. His fertile mind was churning out unbelievable amounts of data but he couldn't see everything. What he didn't see, what Zeb could not know, were the events unfolding just prior to the jet's ghastly entrance into the city core.
The FAA's official report would fill in the rest of that tragic tale.
Only forty minutes earlier American 2132, non-stop out of Vancouver, B.C., was on schedule with an expected arrival at SeaTac International of 9:42 am PST. As was usual for a weekday morning the manifest listed a significant number of business travelers and vacationers as well as others visiting family in both joyful and difficult circumstances. The trajectory from YVR to SEA tracks along one of the most beautiful inland coastlines in the world. Taking off from Vancouver's Sea Island and passing over the islands and waters of the central Puget Sound area, the flight path takes in a close look at the city before proceeding south to the airport.
Breathtaking.
Seattle's urban fringe is bounded on the east by the untamed majesty of the Cascade Mountains. With peaks topping out at 14,000 feet the landscape flows down from there to meet the graceful waters of Puget Sound. Heading westward are the shorter yet still formidable heights of the Olympic Range, a barrier of snow and wilderness guarding against the unbounded Pacific. On approach the view is stunning to either the left or the right. And if the crew is in a good mood you might just get a glimpse of both.
Add in a gleaming skyline of steel, glass, and brick—one of the most attractive, yet unseen city-sights in America—and upon first glance many travelers are spellbound, speechless.
To be fair, during much of the calendar year these views lie obscured in gray mist and behind low cloud ceilings. Mornings like this one, though, more than make up for it, leaving Seattleites with a sort of collective amnesia about those long months when the sun made nothing more than a token appearance. Many days, notably mid-January, are quite forgettable.
Today was not one of those days.
Today was glorious.
The city came into full view and everyone stopped what they were doing, turning their attention instead to the captivating sights beyond their small, oval portals. Even ever-focused businessmen set aside the demands of their workloads to stare for a moment. 2132's cabin crew closed up the final round of beverage service as the cockpit reported nominal winds and prepared for an uneventful landing before refueling, food service, and connection at their terminus—San Francisco—later in the afternoon.
It was as routine and enjoyable a trip down the coastline as they could've asked for. It would not remain this way for long. This moment of beauty and calm would soon transform into a whirlwind of chaos and destruction in which the apparent safety of modern life gives way to its brutal frailties.
TEN
"Seattle Control, this is American 2132, inbound, track Delta 4. Do you copy? We are experiencing system anomalies and require assistance."
"Affirmative, American 2132. This is Seattle Control. We read you fine. Go ahead."
"Control, we're experiencing inconsistencies in navigation and airspeed data. Secondary systems and visual flight rules initiated."
"2132, check. VFR initiated. We are re-routing
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