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Chapter FourTeen: Airbus 0718

Heathrow Airport buzzed with the familiar rhythm of international travel.
Departure boards flickered endlessly.
Suitcases rolled across polished floors.
Coffee machines hissed.
Children laughed.
Business executives hurried between gates while families embraced before saying their goodbyes.
To everyone present...
It was simply another busy morning.
Only Heaven...
and Hell...
knew otherwise.

Gate 14.
Airbus 0718.
Destination...
Los Angeles, California.
Boarding had begun.
Passengers slowly formed an orderly queue.
One after another...
they stepped forward.
Daniel adjusted his expensive suit jacket before handing over his passport.
The airline attendant smiled.
"Welcome aboard, Mr Harwood."
Daniel smiled politely.
His thoughts remained fixed upon Disclosure.
If the conference truly proved intelligent life beyond Earth existed...
it would forever change human history.

Several places behind him...
Tim was already making notes.
His journalist's instincts had never stopped working.
The secrecy surrounding the conference fascinated him.
Military involvement.
Government sponsorship.
Scientific experts refusing interviews.
Something enormous was waiting in California.
He intended to uncover every detail.

Bobby boarded next.
He smiled proudly while speaking into his mobile phone.
"No...
Don't finalise the Singapore contract until I land."
A pause.
"And tell the board I'll be representing the company internationally."
His voice carried quiet satisfaction.
Recognition still meant everything.

Rachel stood alone.
Her small Bible rested inside her handbag.
She glanced briefly towards the departure lounge before whispering quietly,
"Lord..."
"If You want me there..."
"Please help me."
Peace immediately settled over her.
Invisible beside her...
Archrac smiled.
The newly commissioned guardian had never once left her side since Heaven assigned him.
Although Rachel could neither see nor hear him...
she somehow felt comfort she couldn't explain.

Further back...
Dr Cathy Reynolds signed an autograph.
Another passenger excitedly approached.
"Dr Reynolds...
I've read all your books."
She smiled graciously.
"Thank you."
"I think California is going to change everything."
"So do I."
Neither realised several frog-eyed demons stood only feet away, smiling with chilling satisfaction.
Their greatest deception...
was almost ready.

Sidney entered the aircraft carrying a camera.
He immediately began filming.
"Right everyone..."
"Big day today."
"I'm on my way to Disclosure."
He grinned confidently.
"If half the rumours are true..."
"...this video is going to break every record."
Millions would eventually watch it.
If he survived.

Finally...
Tom appeared.
He looked exhausted.
He hadn't slept.
The sealed package remained inside his backpack.
Its contents completely unknown.
His instructions remained painfully clear.
Deliver it.
Ask no questions.
Go home.
Yet something about today felt different.
Wrong.
Every instinct told him to walk away.
Instead...
He stepped aboard.

The aircraft slowly filled.
Seat after seat disappeared beneath passengers.
None recognised one another.
Seven strangers.
One destination.
One carefully prepared trap.

Far beyond human sight...
another group quietly assembled.
Archdan.
ArchTi.
Archbo.
Archca.
Archsi.
Archto.
The guardian angels stood throughout the cabin.
Invisible.
Silent.
Watching.
For the first time since completing their heavenly training...
they stood beside the very people whose lives they had once experienced.
Daniel's guardian looked upon the businessman with compassion.
"I understand your grief now."
Archbo quietly watched Bobby greeting another executive.
"I know why you became ambitious."
Archca watched Cathy studying cloud formations outside the window.
"I know your search was genuine."
Archto looked sadly towards Tom.
"I know your fear."
None spoke aloud.
They simply remained faithful to the assignment entrusted to them by the Almighty.
Protect.
Guide.
Serve.

Several thousand miles away...
inside the underground palace beneath Paris...
another gathering watched.
An enormous wall of darkness displayed the live interior of Airbus 0718.
Every passenger.
Every movement.
Every conversation.
Satan slowly approached the image.
"They're all aboard."
One frog-eyed watcher bowed.
"Exactly as planned, my lord."
"The package?"
"With Tom."
"The carrier?"
"Already seated."
The image changed.
A tired-looking man wearing an ordinary grey jacket sat alone near the rear of the aircraft.
No one noticed him.
No one would remember boarding beside him.
To every passenger...
He looked completely ordinary.
Only the demons knew the truth.
Hidden beneath his loose clothing rested containers filled with vicious chemical compounds.
Everything had been prepared.
Everything...
except one final ingredient.
Tom's package.
The two chemicals, when united, would become violently unstable, producing an explosion capable of tearing the aircraft apart at cruising altitude.
The frog-eyed demon smiled.
"He believes he's collecting payment."
Satan nodded.
"And Tom?"
"He believes he's delivering contraband."
The serpent laughed quietly.
"Neither knows they are carrying death."

High above every kingdom...
Michael stood watching.
His eyes remained fixed upon the aircraft climbing through the clouds.
Behind him stretched ranks upon ranks of mighty angels.
Waiting.
Prepared.
One younger angel spoke.
"My lord..."
"Should we intervene now?"
Michael slowly shook his head.
"Not yet."
"The Almighty's timing is perfect."
The younger angel bowed.
Below them...
the aircraft pierced the clouds.
The morning sun flooded the cabin with golden light.
Passengers relaxed.
Seatbelts remained fastened.
The children laughed.
Cabin crew served refreshments.
Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.
Yet unseen throughout the cabin...
another battle had already begun.
Frog-eyed demons quietly moved among the passengers, whispering fear, impatience and anger into willing hearts.
Faithful angels stood their ground.
The atmosphere itself seemed charged with unseen conflict.
Rachel suddenly looked up from her Bible.
For a brief moment...
she frowned.
She couldn't explain why.
It felt...
as though someone had just walked across her grave.
Archrac immediately stepped closer.
The oppressive feeling lifted.
Rachel smiled softly.
"Thank You, Lord."

From the cockpit came the captain's calm voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen...
this is your captain speaking."
"We've now reached our cruising altitude of thirty-seven thousand feet."
"The seatbelt signs will shortly be switched off."
"We expect a smooth flight across the Atlantic."
The passengers relaxed.
Some slept.
Others read.