Falling at 30,000 feets

Jayden sat behind his desk, flipping through a stack of documents with calm precision. The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, casting warm light across the polished wood and leather furniture. The office was quiet-save for the soft scratch of his pen and the gentle hum of the air conditioning-until the door creaked open without warning.

Michael slipped in, trying to move quietly despite his large frame. His head was slightly bowed, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a more serious expression as he sneaked a glance at Jayden... and immediately straightened when he caught the sharp glare directed at him.

Without a word, he pulled out a thick file he had been hiding behind his back and strode toward the desk with exaggerated confidence-though his hands trembled slightly as he set it down.

"Your wife's about to get fired," he said casually, dropping the file in front of Jayden with a soft thud. "And you're sitting here like you're reviewing flight schedules? This relaxed?"

Jayden didn't look up immediately, finishing his notes on the document before him. "What happened?"

"See for yourself."

Jayden picked up the file and began flipping through it-reports, witness statements, even doctored photos that appeared to show Jane leading Rosa and the others toward the aircraft. His expression shifted-subtle at first, a slight furrow of his brow, then firm as he recognized the inconsistencies. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"She wouldn't do this," he said flatly, setting the file down. "This report is falsified. The timestamps don't match, the witness statements contradict each other... even the photo metadata shows they were edited."

Michael raised a brow, feigning surprise. "That confident? The evidence looks solid-Bennett Lincoln personally signed off on it, and half the board is backing his version of events."

Jayden closed the file and looked straight at him, his eyes dark with resolve. "I trust Jane."

Michael clicked his tongue, studying him for a long moment. "...First time I'm seeing that look on you. The 'don't mess with what's mine' look."

Jayden's head tilted slightly, a faint crease forming between his brows. "What look?"

Michael smirked, leaning against the edge of the desk. "Only one word for it-smitten. You've gone soft for her."

Jayden rolled his eyes, turning back to his computer screen. "Ridiculous. This is about upholding standards and protecting innocent personnel."

He handed the file back to Michael, his voice growing more serious. "Investigate. Every lead. I want to know who really doctored those documents, who pressured witnesses to lie, and how far the Lincolns are willing to go to protect their own."

Michael took the file slowly, his expression shifting from teasing to serious. "I already did. It was Bennett Lincoln-he pulled strings with the IT department to alter the flight deck access logs. Paid off two maintenance workers to say they saw Jane leading the group in."

Jayden's gaze darkened slightly, his jaw tightening.

"And his son," Michael added, leaning in closer, lowering his voice. "Reuben Lincoln. Your wife's ex-though I'm guessing you already knew that part."

A pause. The air in the office grew heavy with unspoken anger.

"To protect his mistress," Michael continued, shaking his head in disgust, "he pinned everything on Jane. Even told the board she has 'emotional instability issues' from her childhood, that she can't be trusted with command."

Silence settled between them. Jayden's fingers curled into fists on the desk, knuckles white against the dark wood.

Michael exhaled heavily, pushing off the desk and walking toward the window, hands in his pockets. "She's being bullied right in front of you, Jayden. You're really not going to do anything? Let them destroy her career just because you're still hiding who you are?"

Jayden picked up a pen and began rolling it between his fingers, his expression unreadable. He was quiet for a long moment, staring at the city spread out below them.

"What's your advice?" he asked calmly.

Michael turned, his eyes flashing with his usual fire. "Simple. Break Reuben's legs-metaphorically speaking, of course. Drive the Lincolns out of Seattle, out of the airline industry entirely. That's what top CEOs do-protect what's theirs and crush anyone who stands in their way."

Jayden glanced at him, unimpressed but not entirely dismissive. "We are a lawful society, Michael. We don't solve problems with threats. We gather evidence. Submit to regulators. File formal complaints with the FAA and the Department of Transportation. Lifetime grounding for anyone involved in falsifying safety records... massive fines that will drain their personal and corporate accounts."

He paused, the pen stilling in his hand.

"That will ruin them more effectively than any physical violence ever could."

Michael turned, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "...Wow. First time you've sounded this ruthless. I always knew there was a tiger hiding under that calm exterior."

He leaned closer, peering into Jayden's face with a knowing look. "You're really falling for her, aren't you?"

Jayden said nothing, turning back to his desk and pulling up a new document on his screen. But the faint smile that touched his lips gave him away.

"Well," Michael added with a shrug, heading for the door, "our little Jane deserves it. She's one of the best pilots Aurelia has-she shouldn't have to fight battles like this alone."

The pen in Jayden's hand slammed against the desk with a sharp crack, the plastic casing splitting slightly at the impact.

"...Little Jane?" he repeated, voice low and dangerous.

Michael froze mid-step, then quickly slapped his own cheek lightly, laughing nervously. "My apologies. Slip of the tongue. Captain Harley is more than capable of handling herself-and she's certainly not 'little' in any sense of the word."

Jayden held his gaze for a moment longer... then returned to his documents, already typing out instructions for the legal team.

Three hours later

A notice stamped with the Chief Pilot's official seal was pinned to the airport's main bulletin board-large, bold, impossible to miss. Within minutes, staff began gathering around it, craning their necks to read the words printed in black and red ink.

Murmurs spread quickly through the crowd, growing louder with every passing second.

"So the cockpit incident... it was Jenny's mother?"

"Unbelievable... they had us all believing she'd lost her mind."

Two air hostesses leaned closer, reading carefully over each other's shoulders.

"She blamed Captain Harley? Fabricated evidence and everything?" one whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

"So shameless," the other replied, shaking her head.

Nearby, two first officers exchanged grim looks, their voices low but serious.

"Captain Lincoln is finished this time. The board's already voting to strip him of his title."

"Even selling his shares won't cover those fines-they're talking twenty million dollars for falsifying safety records."

"Aurelia's reputation..." one muttered, running a hand through his hair. "They've dragged everyone into investigation-"

"They deserve to be fired. Maybe even charged criminally for endangering passengers."

Jane stood among them, silent, her hands clasped calmly at her sides.

She swallowed once-then stepped forward, her voice clear and steady enough to cut through the chatter.

"Enough," she said firmly. "This changes nothing about our responsibilities. There's a flight to Denver this afternoon-we're already behind schedule preparing the aircraft. Back to work."

"Yes, Captain," they chorused, dispersing quickly, their respect for her growing even stronger now that her name had been cleared.

The crowd cleared, leaving Jane standing alone by the board. She stared at the notice for a moment longer-then turned to head for the tarmac.

And then-

Footsteps rushed in from behind, loud and frantic against the tile floor.

"Jane!"

Jenny's voice-sharp, panicked, tears streaming down her face as she pushed through the last of the crowd.

Jane turned slowly, her expression calm and distant as Jenny grabbed her arm tightly, her breath coming in uneven gasps. Reuben stood just behind her, his jaw tight, his face pale with anger and fear.

"Go explain this to them!" Jenny demanded, pointing toward the regulators' office down the corridor. "Fix this! Tell them it was all a mistake-you can still take responsibility, right?"

Jane stared at her-calm, like one would look at a child throwing a tantrum in a public place. Unmoved by the drama, unbothered by the unfair demand.

"If not for your negligence," Jenny continued frantically, her nails digging into Jane's arm, "would I have let them in? You should have stopped us! How can you blame me for this?!"