“We’re not trained for this,” Jamie said, his voice tight, almost breaking. “We fly people. Cargo. Not… this. This isn’t what we signed up for.”

Noah met his gaze without flinching. “I know. But we’re here. And we’re not letting them take this plane.”

The words had barely settled when a violent jolt slammed through the fuselage from the rear, rattling every bolt and brace.

Harder this time.

“They’re hitting us from both sides now,” Noah said, scanning the cabin.

Then—silence. No banging. No scraping. Just the engine’s strained hum and the slap of water against the floats.

Jamie froze, breath held tight in his chest. “Why’d they stop?”

Noah’s eyes flicked to the radar, though the display offered nothing new—just the same blips that had been chasing them for miles. “They’re thinking,” he said quietly. “Figuring out their next move.”