Falling at 30,000 feets

"Of course," Jenny said, her face tight with worry-though her eyes flickered with something harder, more desperate. Across from her, Jane only watched-calm, almost entertained, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup as if she were simply observing a particularly uninteresting flight pattern.

"Who else but you?" Jenny pressed, stepping closer, her voice carrying just enough to reach every corner of the quiet lounge. "Jane, I suggest you admit your mistake now. If you cooperate fully, you might get leniency-maybe just suspension instead of termination."

Reuben slid his hands into his pockets, a faint, calculating smile playing at the corners of his lips. He'd positioned himself near the investigation crew, making sure he was seen as the responsible authority figure. "But..." Jenny added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her movements deliberate and practiced, "even with cooperation, you'll likely be grounded for at least a year. Maybe longer."

"She deserves it," Reuben cut in smoothly, his voice heavy with disappointment. "She knows better than anyone that unauthorized personnel can't enter the cockpit. Safety protocols aren't suggestions-they're there to protect everyone on board."

Jane lowered her gaze, a quiet smile forming on her lips-soft, almost amused.

"Yet she did it anyway," Reuben continued, his tone shifting to something more authoritative. "I'll be filing a formal request for termination... and compensation for Aurelia's reputation loss-one million dollars. That's the minimum we can do to show regulators we take this seriously."

Jane lifted her head slowly, her eyes locking onto his. The amusement was gone now, replaced by something cold and steady.

"I refuse."

The room stilled. Every breath, every movement seemed to stop as those two simple words hung in the air.

Without another word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. A soft tap on the screen-and then-

Jenny's voice filled the lounge, clear and unfiltered through the phone's speaker:

"Jane, stay out of this... I just informed Reuben and he already gave me a special visitation approval."

Silence.

Jenny's hands began to tremble, her face draining of color as she stared at Jane's phone.

Reuben turned sharply toward her, shock flickering across his face-followed by something darker. Disappointment. Calculation. His hand tightened in his pocket, knuckles white against his phone.

"You recorded us?" Jenny's voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes-but there was no real sadness there, only fear. "That's illegal! You can't record people without their permission!"

Jane stepped forward, her tone steady, cutting through the rising panic.

"Illegally entering the cockpit is serious," she said, her voice carrying clearly across the room. "With your history of spreading rumors and falsifying reports, preserving evidence was necessary. Or should I have waited for you to frame me? To let you destroy my career because you couldn't admit you made a mistake?"

"You-" Jenny began, her voice rising to a shriek-

But the investigation crew stepped in, two members moving to stand on either side of her.

"First Officer Jenny Burrows," the lead investigator said, her voice firm but calm, "you will need to come with us to the investigation office. We have more questions for you-"

Jenny tried to resist, panic breaking through her carefully constructed composure as she stumbled backward. "No-wait-"

But firm hands gripped her shoulders and led her out, her protests echoing down the corridor-"It's not fair! She set me up!"-as the door closed behind her with a final, decisive click.

The lounge erupted into murmurs. Pilots and crew members turned to each other, whispering excitedly, their eyes darting toward Jane with a mix of admiration and surprise.

Reuben stood frozen for a moment-then turned to Jane, his face carefully schooled into an expression of regret.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, stepping closer. "Jenny told me you requested the approval... showed me messages she'd fabricated to look like they were from you. That's why I signed off on it-I thought it was legitimate."

"Reuben Lincoln," Jane cut in, her voice sharp enough to make him flinch. "Bring your brain to work next time."

He flinched, running a hand through his hair as he avoided her gaze. "This is my fault-I should have verified it. I take full responsibility for approving the access without proper checks." Then, hesitating, he added, "But... could you help Jenny? Just a little?"

Jane stared at him, her expression unreadable.

"You're already a captain," he continued, pressing on despite her silence. "With your record, they won't punish you harshly. Probably just a fine, maybe a short suspension. But if you tell them you encouraged the tour-just a little-you could take some of the heat off her."

Her disbelief was unmistakable, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at him.

"So you want me to take the blame for her?" she asked, her voice low but clear. "After she lied about me, tried to destroy my career, and contaminated an aircraft that could have put hundreds of lives at risk?"

Reuben gave a strained smile, reaching out as if to touch her arm-then pulling his hand back when she stepped away. "She's still young. Because of... everything before-her failed captain's exam, the earlier misconduct investigation-she's already struggling at the airport. Another scandal like this-she'll be terminated for good. She'll never fly again."

Jane tilted her head slightly, her expression softening-into something that looked like pity. Not for Jenny, but for him.

"If you care about her so much," she said slowly, her voice carrying a weight he couldn't quite place, "why don't you take the blame yourself? Tell them you knew exactly what she was doing, that you approved it because you wanted to help her impress her family."

"Jane-" Reuben's tone sharpened, his patience wearing thin. "Don't be heartless. She's your cousin-family means something, doesn't it?"

"And she's your mistress," Jane replied instantly, stepping closer, her voice low but cutting through the quiet room like a blade. "You've been sneaking around with her for months-Why don't you help her out? Take responsibility for the mess you both created."

The words landed like a slap. Reuben's face flushed bright red with embarrassment, then darkened with anger as he glanced around to see if anyone had heard. A few pilots were watching them closely, their whispers growing quieter as they focused on the exchange.

Before he could respond, Jane turned and walked past him, her steps steady, unhurried. She didn't look back, didn't give him another word-just headed for the door, her posture straight and proud.

Reuben stood there, jaw tight, watching her retreating figure. His hand slowly curled into a fist at his side, his knuckles white with suppressed fury.

Anger replaced embarrassment.

Calculation returned.

He pulled out his phone and stepped into a quiet corner of the lounge, dialing a number from memory. It rang twice before being answered.

"...Dad," he said, his voice low, his eyes fixed on the door Jane had just exited through. "I need one more favor."

A pause on the other end-then a deep voice replied, "What is it this time?"

"Claim the cockpit breach was done by Jane Harley," Reuben said, his tone cold and determined.