The voice of Commander Riordan came through the phone next.
"The F-22s are tailing Flight 61. According to orders, if the plane drops below 10,000 feet, I will give the command to fire."
"Based on the original flight path, Flight 61 is still at least two hours away from Washington, D.C.," Reid said. While his tone wasn't questioning, it was clear he was challenging whether the military was acting too hastily.
Jack stepped in to answer, "Back when the bomb was dropped on Japan, there were four target cities: Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, and Nagasaki. The military is likely worried Walsher has multiple targets in mind as well."
He recalled that Hiroshima had been bombed according to plan, but Kokura, which was originally ahead of Nagasaki, was spared due to thick clouds, leading to a last-minute switch to Nagasaki.
Then a thought flashed in his mind. "The F-22 is a stealth fighter, right? Even if Walsher has radar tracking, he couldn't possibly detect the fighter jets following the plane, could he?"
Commander Riordan sounded confused. "What are you suggesting?"
"Have the F-22s follow at a distance, behind the plane, so neither the passengers nor the pilots notice them.
As long as Walsher thinks the military is unaware of his plan, he'll continue guiding the plane to Washington D.C. That should give us at least two hours of safe time."
After a few seconds of silence, Riordan seemed to agree with Jack's reasoning. "I'll order the F-22s to stay behind Flight 61. Walsher is in your hands now. But remember, if the plane drops below 10,000 feet, I will still give the command to fire."
As the call ended, Jack glanced at the GPS screen. They were less than 20 miles from the coordinates Justin had provided.
"Reid, Walsher can't hack into the plane without hardware, right? Satellite communication equipment, for example. Would destroying it cause the plane to lose control?"
The two cars were still communicating. From the second car, Reid immediately responded, "Of course not. Once the hacking stops, the pilots will regain manual control."
"Then the job of destroying the equipment is up to you guys. Cut power, disable backup generators, destroy the satellite antenna—use whatever you can to stop him. Our team will handle Walsher himself."
Jack pushed the SUV to 100 miles per hour. Thanks to the remote location and the nearly empty roads leading into the mountains, they encountered no traffic. If it weren't for the poor road conditions, he would have pushed the gas pedal to the floor.
Hotchner, an equally skilled driver, followed closely behind. The two SUVs took only about ten minutes to reach a narrow forest trail.
As they spotted a cabin in the distance, both cars came to a stop. Jack got out, retrieved a rifle from the trunk, and cautiously began scouting the area.
As expected, the path leading to the cabin was lined with small traps like bear traps and tripwires. It was clear Walsher hadn't wasted his eight years in isolation—he had picked up quite a few survival skills.
Jack signaled to Hotchner and his team, who nodded and circled around the back of the cabin.
There, they found satellite and radar antennas, as well as a generator loudly rumbling away.
"FBI! Heyman Walsher, hands in the air!" Jack confirmed the entrance was free of traps, then kicked the door open.
At the same time, gunfire erupted behind the cabin as Hotchner's team destroyed the equipment.
As the generator whined to a stop, the figure in front of Jack froze in place. The computers and radar equipment Walsher had been working on went dark as power was cut.
"What are you doing? You idiots! Do you have any idea what you've done? You've ruined a great experiment!"
The figure turned around—it was Walsher. His head was full of white hair, and a wild beard covered most of his face. He held a flight remote in his hand, looking every bit like the stereotypical mad scientist.
Just as Jack was about to speak, Rossi's gun went off. A bullet hole appeared in Walsher's forehead, and he collapsed instantly.
Jack was stunned. Was that really necessary? He looked at Rossi, whose expression was resolute, clearly unbothered by the abrupt action.
Even JJ appeared surprised. Walsher hadn't been armed, and with his equipment destroyed, the remote in his hand no longer posed any threat. Rossi's shot seemed sudden and out of place.
The back door opened, and Hotchner, Reid, and Emily walked in. Hotchner glanced at Walsher's lifeless body, his face showing no hint of surprise.
These two must have discussed something beforehand, Jack thought. Everyone in the room was smart enough to avoid questioning or wasting time on idle talk.
Hotchner immediately contacted the command center, informing them that Walsher had been neutralized.
At the same time, Flight 61 had just returned to normal, and the pilots, now escorted by the two F-22s, were diverting to the nearest airport for an emergency landing.
The cleanup followed swiftly. Military personnel took over Walsher's cabin, likely interested in his technique for remotely hacking into a commercial aircraft.
Jack, concerned that Justin might have left a trace that could expose her identity, made a quick call to confirm. She reassured him that everything was fine, as all her actions had been covered by Garcia.
With everything wrapped up, the BAU team followed tradition, gathering at a small local bar to unwind. It was then that they casually began probing Rossi and Hotchner about why they had decided to shoot Walsher on the spot.
Rossi, as usual, ordered an absurdly expensive bottle of wine—a name so fancy Jack hadn't even heard of it before. After taking a sip, Rossi finally spoke.
"Oppenheimer wasn't a madman. The success of the atomic bomb brought him unimaginable prestige and honor. But the persecution that followed drove him into unbearable suffering in the latter half of his life."
Jack nodded silently. Based on the timeline, it seemed the U.S. government hadn't yet officially restored Oppenheimer's reputation.
In Jack's previous world, it wasn't until late 2022 that President Biden rescinded the revocation of Robert Oppenheimer's security clearance, officially clearing his name.
"Oppenheimer was a pure scientist. He invented the atomic bomb but was also an advocate against nuclear proliferation and the arms race."
Rossi's words resonated with Reid. "In fact, I believe nuclear weapons, in some ways, have maintained peace between the major powers of this world. It seems fragile, but it's actually quite stable."
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