Free Fall Read Free

as new transmissions came through clearly.
    â€œForty-nine Ninety, this is LaGuardia tower. Are you declaring an emergency?”
    Kate took notes, motioning for Penny to sit in the empty chair and use the computer at the desk.
    â€œPenny, did they teach you how to listen to the scanners?”
    â€œNo, not yet.”
    â€œDid Todd show you how to alert the photographers on duty and call freelancers?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œOkay—wait—listen!”
    More transmissions were coming through. Kate cranked up the volume and took notes.
    â€œAffirmative. We’re declaring an emergency. We have passenger and crew injuries aboard. Approximately thirty, some pretty bad. We’ll need a lot of ambulances.”
    â€œFatalities?”
    â€œNone to report.”
    â€œForty-nine Ninety, do you have damage to your aircraft?”
    Kate was writing as fast as she could, trying to make sure her notes were clear.
    â€œDamage to the cabin, ceiling, galley, storage bins.”
    â€œAre you citing turbulence?”
    â€œNegative. Negative on turbulence. We had a sys—” A burst of static drowned out part of the transmission, but the message ended clearly with “—malfunction.”
    â€œRepeating. You’re reporting a—” more static “—malfunction?”
    â€œAffirmative.”
    â€œForty-nine Ninety, you have priority clearance to land. Runway Four. Crash and Rescue will meet you at your gate.”
    â€œRoger...visual approach for Runway Four...”
    Penny turned to seek direction from Kate but the older woman had already grabbed her bag and was rushing toward the elevators.
    â€œPenny, I’m heading to LaGuardia!” Kate shouted. “Alert every photographer and let them know we have a plane in trouble landing now!”

Three
    Queens, New York
    A s the taxi raced through the skyscraper-lined streets, Kate searched for updates on her phone.
    Nothing so far.
    She set up an alert for anything that broke on EastCloud Flight 4990.
    Crosstown traffic was good; there were few double-parkers and unloaders blocking the street, and within minutes they’d entered the Midtown Tunnel. It smelled of exhaust and gleamed gold from headlights reflecting on the walls. As it curved under the East River to Queens, Kate found herself taking stock of her job and her life.
    Wasn’t she living her dream?
    For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted to be a reporter and to get her life on track. In spite of all that she’d endured, she’d managed to work her way up the journalistic ladder to a position at Newslead, one of the world’s top news organizations. The global newswire service had bureaus in every major city in the United States and in one hundred countries. Its reputation for excellence had been solidified by awards it had won throughout its history, including twenty-two Pulitzers. Newslead was respected and feared by its chief rivals, such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters. Kate was proud to work for Newslead, but things were changing.
    Fierce competition, the corrosive impact of the internet on the distribution of news and the melting number of subscribers continued to exact a toll.
    Kate had to struggle not to pin her hopes on the rumor that Chuck Laneer, the editor who’d hired her at Newslead before he’d left to teach at Columbia after clashing with former management, was returning to help rebuild the news division. Chuck was gruff, wise and old-school. He could kick your butt and respect you at the same time.
    But so far the news of Chuck’s return was only gossip.
    The reality was that anxiety had gripped the newsroom. Management weighed every financial decision extensively. Staff faced constant evaluation. Performance on every news story was scrutinized. Newslead had instituted a “staff efficiency process,” linking story count and story pickup to individual performance assessments. It