"Good. We don't want the passengers to panic."
Setting down the little microphone, the pilot stole a look at the smug bastard with the laser-sighted pistol standing behind him. The man's black hair fell over his forehead, nearly covering his large scar.
"I can't believe you used an explosive on the plane! Are you nuts?"
"It was just a small one—barely big enough to get into the cockpit."
"You're lucky you didn't blow us all to smithereens!"
"Probably true," responded Gauron in a very chilling voice. "Hey, stick to the course!"
White with fear, the pilot ran his eyes over the gauges. "The electrical system took a hit in that explosion. We're in danger if we don't make an emergency landing."
"Is it broken?" The terrorist inquired, attempting to decode the complex instruments.
"It is. We'll negotiate for your demands, but if we don't return to Haneda Airport, we'll probably crash."
"I think I see what's broken," said Gauron. "It's this, right here."
And he pointed the gun's laser sight at the pilot's head and pulled the trigger. The firing of the bullet made less noise than the sound of flesh and bone ripping apart. The pilot died instantly.
"I see. It's beyond repair!" chuckled Gauron.
"What've you done?" moaned the copilot, who now was wearing a considerable portion of the pilot's cerebral cortex. The little red laser dot flickered across the copilot's face.
"You're not broken, too, are you?"
"Don't shoot! No one else can fly the plane!"
"I must admit, I've always wanted to get behind the wheel of one of these things," laughed Gauron, invading the copilot's personal space. "Tell me, is it as fun as it looks?"
"Please, don't kill me."
"I just asked if it was fun, stupid."
Painfully slowly, Gauron's finger tightened around the trigger. Just as he was about to squeeze it, another large man entered the cockpit.
"Gauron!" barked the man, who was nearly six and a half feet tall. He wore a suit and glasses but didn't really resemble a businessman.
"Hello, Koh."
"Why did you kill the pilot?"
"He lied to me and tried to make me look foolish."
Very nimble for his size, Koh grabbed Gauron's gun. "Who's going to fly the plane?"
"I'll do it; I fly transport planes all the time."
"They're not the same thing. Regardless, I thought you were supposed to bring only a knife."
"A knife? How barbaric.
Koh grabbed the jeering man by the lapels. "Look, it's your business if you get off on murder. But don't forget, you're working for
"Don't worry. I'm a perfect gentleman," protested Gauron, "as long as people listen to me. Right?"
He clapped the terrified copilot's shoulder. "What's your name?"
"M-Mouri."
"Mister Mouri, as you may have heard, I'm not supposed to kill you. But, if you don't do as I say, I have no problems killing other people until you learn to listen. Got it?"
"Please, don't kill anyone."
"That all depends on you."
Gravely, Mouri nodded, gulped, and focused on flying.
"I didn't tell your dead
"How did you ever get all those weapons on board?"
"I'm organized. I had a little help from one of the maintenance workers."
"You b-bribed them?"
"More or less." Gauron cracked an evil-looking smile.
In actuality, Gauron had kidnapped the man's family and coerced him into doing what he wanted. Then, for good measure, Gauron cleaned up the mess to prevent future trouble.
"Now then." Gauron abruptly pulled out a map. "Take her right along this route."
The copilot paled. "North from MIMOD? We're going to Sunan? Isn't that North Korea?"
"Very good, you get an A in geography."
"They'll shoot us down."
"I wouldn't worry about that. Just follow our directions to the fetter, and they'll even escort us in. They're not as precise as we are," griped Gauron, "but go ahead and use the ILS system, anyway. Once we pass this point, broadcast your identification."
And Gauron continued to lay out the details of the plan.
It took a while for the authorities to realize the full gravity of the situation when the plane entered Naha FIR, changed course northward, and flew into South Korea's Daegu FIR.
A debate arose among the Ministry of Transport as to whether Flight 903 merely was experiencing mechanical problems or if it had been hijacked.
During the most heated part of the argument, the South Korean Air Force phoned in the settlement—they just received word that the plane was, in fact, hijacked.
However, the message had to pass through all kinds of different channels and translators, so it took the Ministry of Transport almost twenty minutes to get it.
Finally, the Security Council took over handling the situation.
Meanwhile, Flight 903 carried on right into North Korea. The South Koreans called off their aerial pursuit and were more than a little surprised to see that no North Korean planes arrived to intercept the jet.
