Turbulence

Chapter 3

Eda was looking in shock at the commotion in the room, people running around and shouting to each other and the radio. She backed off to the wall, not to get into anybody's way. 

She felt a strange uneasiness deep inside her guts, and it wasn't only because of an endangered mission and a worry for the lives of the two pilots working at the same place as her, but it was something much deeper and painful. The fear that she experienced only once in her life, just a couple of months ago, when for the first time she heard about her father's illness, the advanced stage of it, and its rapid progression.

Eda put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath, trying to fight the physical pain that crushed her lungs, but her heart was pounding too fast, making her body tremble. She forced herself to calm down and concentrated on the actions of people present around her in the hope that it would take her mind off her body falling apart inside. 

She couldn't afford to suffer a panic attack in the middle of a crisis, especially not as a doctor, the one who should be focused and ready to act and was expected to provide medical assistance whenever it would be needed, and it just could be that time.

"Ghost 3, Ghost 3, do you copy me?!" Ceren was shouting at the microphone attached to her headphones. She hissed at a man next to her, who was trying to adjust the signal. "Change to emergency frequency!"

Eda looked at how her friend snatched the radio from the man's hands and exhaled in relief when, after a couple of seconds of silence, she heard a voice. The quality wasn't perfect as it was getting disrupted by loud noises, but it couldn't be mistaken. It was Serkan.

"This is Midnight. We have a problem with the computer."

"You are way too low. What is your position?!" Ceren nervously glanced at the screen, which was showing that the aircraft was losing height at rapid speed.

"500 feet."

"You're below 350!"

A colorful curse came from the radio, and the dot on the screen showing the aircraft's position immediately started going up. Eda's eyes were glued to the dot, carefully watching every move of the plane.

"Report your position!"

"We can't!" Now it was Engin speaking. "AI got blocked. ADF is pointing in the wrong direction! The computer is showing us a different position. The fuel tanks are empty, and the ejection seat system is not responding. We can't land here."

His words caused even more commotion in the room as some engineers launched toward the dashboard and computers, trying to reboot the aircraft's systems remotely.

"Did you just switch the computer off?" Ceren shouted to the radio.

"It's useless." Serkan answered firmly. "Guide me back."

"What about landing gear?!"

"Not working."

Eda observed in horror how Ceren launched toward the other microphone, pressed the button, and ordered the crew on the carrier to prepare the deck for emergency landing while navigating the aircraft back to the ship.

Serkan was responding in a calm, composed voice, reporting his position and current situation while Engin was audibly nervous.

Eda tore from the wall, walking closer to one of the windows, and looked at the deck where the crew was running around, rigging up the barricade while the aircraft already appeared on the horizon, approaching the carrier at too high a speed.

"You're too fast!" Ceren yelled when the plane flew over the barricade.

"Flaps are not working!" Serkan shouted back in an angry tone. "I'm switching off the engines."