Fear and Despair

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The din of men frantically trying to knock down the reinforced cockpit door added to the mounting despair among the frightened passengers. Over the last two decades, cockpit doors had been manufactured to prevent unauthorized entry and were bullet-proofed. They were constructed with laminated armor and had multi-point strengthened deadbolts. It was next to impossible to breakthrough.

"Mr. Cui turned off the autopilot, and he's diverted the plane off course to fly through the thunderstorm clouds. The aircraft will take severe damage if hit by lightning, hail or strong winds, and if the airframe or controls are damaged, that'll be the end for us," a crew member familiar with the situation explained, his face as white as a sheet and perspiring heavily.