The movements of the flight attendant with the intercom were now looking urgent. She switched to another language. After a moment, pressing the intercom to her breast, she turned to the other flight attendant and shook her head. The other flight attendant turned up the lights and stepped over to the three well dressed men Gray had suspected were airline management and whispered something into one of the men’s ear. The man rose and took the intercom from the flight attendant. He spoke in English and then a second language as he stared toward the door to the flight deck. His physical movements showing frustration, he jammed the intercom into its bracket and stepped to what Gray had thought the flight deck door but obviously was not because it opened easily and the man went through it and then Gray heard banging like someone pounding on a door with their fist. Gray had the sensation that the plane was quickly loosing altitude. He could not confirm they were in a nose down attitude by looking out the window into the darkness but the way the man and the two flight attendants were standing revealed the deck was tilted forward. The other two men rose and joined the first. Apparently the intercom buzzed or flashed because all five of those standing turned toward it and a flight attendant reached for it only to be brushed aside by one of the men. The man yelled something into the intercom and then listened a moment and grimaced. His part of the conversation was limited and, by the way he glared at the intercom, it ended before he was ready. After he hung up the three men talked animatedly for a minute or two until one went back to a seat and plopped into it. One of the men paced and the older man that remained standing bowed his head and leaned forward, supporting himself with a straight arm against the paneling. A flight attendant consoled another that was crying. The two missing flight attendants appeared and after talking with the others began crying.
