"Maybe I don't know where Walsher's 'Hiroshima' is, but it seems we've found his 'Little Boy.'"
Lilo Brooks from the NTSB knocked on the already open door, looking worriedly at the group.
"After the no-fly order was issued, all planes, except for those still in the air, have complied and stopped taking off. We then began contacting the remaining flights still in the air.
Most responded, except for one."
Hotchner's eyelid twitched. "Which one?"
Lilo Brooks swallowed nervously. "Transoceanic Flight 61. It took off from Santiago at 14:05 GMT and was scheduled to land in Washington at 19:15.
It's a Boeing 747-400 with 301 passengers and 8 crew members onboard."
Jack glanced instinctively at the time. It was just past 9:00 AM in Colorado, meaning it was 16:00 GMT, and the flight had been in the air for about two hours.
"How long has it been out of contact?" Hotchner asked, his calm tone helping to settle the growing tension.
"Fifteen minutes as of now. According to radar, the plane hasn't changed altitude, but its course has shifted," Lilo Brooks replied, her voice still shaky.
Reid projected a map onto the large screen. "This area is remote, but searching the 28-square-mile zone around Tashan is still difficult, especially considering the caves nearby."
"He would need to hack into satellite networks and track the plane's course. He also sent that threatening message earlier, so he must have access to both the necessary network and hardware. Reid, can you narrow down the search based on that?" Jack asked, gesturing like an antenna dish.
"Not likely. A radar antenna or satellite receiver could be camouflaged, and even low-flying helicopters might miss it."
Reid rubbed his chin, deep in thought as he studied the map.
Jack continued brainstorming, "What about David Mashack's group? We caught them earlier, and they used to hunt in the area. We could ask if they've seen anything suspicious or noticed anyone matching Walsher's description."
JJ saw Hotchner nod at her and immediately left to find Major Riordan, the field commander.
"House-to-house searches might be too late," Emily pointed out. "It's clear Walsher's target isn't another remote area. He needs a big, high-profile location that will cause mass casualties and draw attention."
Rossi looked thoughtful at Emily's words. "We previously speculated that the earlier crash was just a test. If his goal was total destruction, then technically, he failed."
"The co-pilot survived," Hotchner interjected.
"Exactly. High-IQ individuals like him are usually extremely arrogant. Failing to fully achieve his goal might make him slip up," Rossi theorized.
Jack immediately caught on to what Rossi was implying and turned to Garcia on the still-active video call. "Hey, Garcia, remember when I asked you to help track down the sources of threats against Frank Canfus and his wife? Any updates?"
Garcia made a disgruntled noise, clearly annoyed that she had been forgotten.
"I've already sifted through them. There was one suspicious post. The reply said, 'It's unfortunate this bastard got lucky, but it won't happen again!' He deleted the post within half an hour.
The guy hid his IP address, used dozens of proxy servers, and I've been chasing him across half the globe."
"Enough with the games. Call in the cavalry, we're out of time," Jack urged.
Garcia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Already done. She says she'll need ten minutes, but she wants you to treat her to grilled fish when this is over."
The rest of the team looked confused. Although they all knew about Justin, the odd girl from the farm, no one except for JJ realized she was actually a top-tier hacker.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside, and JJ and Commander Riordan appeared at the door.
"I just got off the phone with the President. Based on your profile, the higher-ups believe the suspect is trying to stage a second 9/11-style attack. The President agrees with this assessment and has just issued an order to NORAD.
Two F-22s have been scrambled. If necessary, they will shoot down Transoceanic Flight 61."
The whole room went silent, faces darkening. Jack cursed internally. Was the F-22's first air-to-air combat victory going to be shooting down their own passenger plane, instead of a high-altitude weather balloon like in his past life?
JJ gave the black female major standing next to her a subtle side-eye. "I just asked David Mashack's group. They haven't heard of Heyman Walsher or anyone matching his description, nor have they found any suspicious facilities in the area."
"Let's move out," Hotchner ordered. "We'll split into two cars and head toward Tashan. We can get updated coordinates from Garcia on the way."
Though the order to shoot down the plane was meant to prevent a greater tragedy, the idea of a passenger jet with over 300 people being shot down because of their profiling weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
Their only option now was to stop the suspect before that tragedy could happen.
Jack, driving with Rossi and JJ, floored the gas pedal and sped off. While on the road, he called Justin.
Skipping the pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "Can you hack in and sever Walsher's connection to Flight 61?"
Justin no longer needed a synthesized voice to communicate with Jack, and Rossi recognized her real voice instantly, causing him to glance at Jack repeatedly.
"Not yet. He's noticed me, and I can't break through his defenses for now. But you could go smash his system yourself. This mole thinks he's hidden well."
Justin then sent over a set of coordinates.
"Great work, Justin!" Jack slapped the steering wheel in excitement.
Just then, another call came in from Lilo Brooks.
"Agent Tavor, Agent Hotchner, this is a three-way call. Flight 61 just disabled its ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System), but its course has been corrected. It's still heading toward Washington, D.C."
"So, Washington D.C. is Walsher's 'Hiroshima.' There's no target more attention-grabbing than the capital of a nation," Hotchner said from the other car.
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