9/11 Averted
September 10, 2001
"Go Neo, go! Kick his butt!" Andrea Élan cheered as she and Dicky Michaelson were sitting in front of the TV watching "The Matrix". Logan Dara shook his head as he sat at his laptop, typing out the last part of a script that he had worked on for the past three years. He really didn't have much time for Andrea, Dicky, and their antics.
Just then, a newspaper appeared on the table next to him. Logan never liked reading the newspaper; he always believed that all the news ever talked about had been child abductions, murder, and corrupt politicians. He convinced himself that there was nothing good in the world anymore.
"Logan, what's that?" Dicky asked him as he and Andrea looked up from the TV. They had noticed that he had stopped writing his script, as he was now focused on reading the newspaper that he had been given.
The headlines were as follows:
1. Farrah Preks of Rap/Hip-Hop Duo "Failing In" Criticizes Actor Garry Abraham's decision to star in "all-white" movie
2. Former Harlem Mayor Ohanko Jackson Dead At 70
3. Top 10 Shocking Moments at the VMAs
4. Actor William MacPherson: ‘I'm beginning to Sound Even More Obnoxious
5. 5 Popular Video Games of All Time?
Logan skimmed over the articles, not caring a bit about any of them. While he did frown a bit about the VMAs (particularly where rapper White Skye mocked his child-wife Deirdre Langston (A.K.A. Jacquel Spartan of the Movie-Watching Trio) for being out of touch with the African-American community), the rest of the news didn't even concern him. Plus, he was planning to go after said rapper who dared to mess with Deirdre.
"It’s just the news," Logan said as he tossed the newspaper aside. "You can read it if you want."
"Why don't you read it?" Andrea said.
"I'm busy," Logan snapped at her. "I'm on a 24-hour deadline with this screenplay, which has to be handed over to Paramount by midnight. Also, I'm not about to fill my head with more crap about child abuse and whatnot. Now take this paper and go away!"
"You are too paranoid, Logan," said Dicky as he took the newspaper. "No wonder why Homer and Treasure don't go outside to play."
"You're always acting like someone is just going to snatch them if they set even one toe outside your house," said Andrea. "At least Roger isn't overprotective of Anastasia and Consuelo."
Logan was about to respond when Dicky glanced at the paper and gasped. "You guys, we have a problem!" he cried out.
"What?" Logan and Andrea cried out.
"I don't know if you know this, but this is tomorrow's newspaper!" Dicky yelled.
"And your point is?" Logan frowned at him.
"New York gets attacked tomorrow morning by terrorists," said Dicky. "And you want to know what the worst part is?"
"What's the worst part?" Andrea said.
Logan flipped to the next page and saw the following headline: "Logan Dara, Andrea Marshall Élan, and Richard Michaelson Found Dead! Were They Murdered or Victims of the 9/11 Attacks?" He gasped in horror as he read the article, which detailed his own death and the deaths of Andrea and Dicky. Those deaths occurred when two planes hit the World Trade Center, an attack that killed 3,000 people living in New York.
"What kind of story is this???" Logan snapped in anger. "How can they claim that we were victims of this attack when it's clearly evident that we could have been murdered?"
"Yeah," Dicky agreed. “Who writes stuff like this? Tabloids?"
"Maybe that headline is sending us a message," said Andrea. "If we don't do something now, this could be our fate."
"But we don't have the means to stop these so-called terrorists from blowing up the Twin Towers," said Dicky. "We're not cops! We're not affiliated with the Mafia! I don't have any connection to any gangs! I want to live!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Dicky!" yelled Logan as he slapped him. "Besides, there's only one person who can stop them."
"You mean, we could ask Sean for help?" Dicky said, with hope in his eyes.
"Or we could call the police," said Logan, "but since the police aren't really going to believe us if we tell them about the attacks, I guess we'll go with telling Sean."
"Logan, you and I both know that cousin Sean doesn't want to have anything to do with America," Andrea snapped at him, "not since last year, when he was heckled by some gay person at the VMAs." She shook her head with disgust at that memory.
"He will help us if he's part of our family," Dicky snapped. "How dare he calls himself a Trichenberg and refuses to help his American cousins!"
"We can't force him to help us, even if it is just to keep us alive," said Andrea. "It has to be his decision and his decision alone."
"Maybe we had better email this article to the FBI and let them handle this," Logan frowned. "And perhaps stay home tomorrow. I don't plan on dying, not when I have two small children to raise."
"Me neither," Andrea agreed.
"I only have teenagers, so this really isn't an issue for me," Dicky smirked.
"It'll be an issue if you die and Lysander and Margaret are being shoved into foster homes," Andrea snapped.
"What are you two worried about?" Logan frowned. "I'm going to be heading back to California after this. Plus, you really think Sean is just going to stand there and watch helplessly as the Twin Towers are blown up by terrorists?"
The three cousins said nothing else as Logan quickly finished writing the script and sent it to Paramount Studios. Then he, Dicky, and Andrea went to the local diner in anticipation of what would be their last meal in New York.
Also, Dicky arranged for his children, Lysander and Margaret, to stay with some neighbors while he packed his emergency bag. Andrea secretly emailed the news article to Washington D.C. and asked her nanny to keep an eye on her two daughters, Anastasia and Consuelo, as their father, Roger, was out of town for the week.
Logan, however, was skeptical about the whole thing. It was one thing to learn about an impending attack on the United States, and it was another thing to prevent the attacks altogether. He also wondered if anyone was going to believe them or stop the terrorists from carrying out their wicked plans to blow up the Twin Towers.
He also thought about Sean and whether Sean was willing to help them. He remembered that Sean was British and unwilling to help Americans, not since that incident where his mother died and no one bothered to help his father raise his four children. It was a small wonder that Sean refused to speak to his American relatives for many years.
Now, on the night of September 10, 2001, Logan knew that it was going to end. He had claimed that Sean would not stand by and allow terrorists to kill his cousins, even if they were American citizens; but would Sean actually step up and protect his cousins, along with countless other Americans, from experiencing death, terror, and needless pain?
Just then, a newspaper appeared on the table next to him. Logan never liked reading the newspaper; he always believed that all the news ever talked about had been child abductions, murder, and corrupt politicians. He convinced himself that there was nothing good in the world anymore.
"Logan, what's that?" Dicky asked him as he and Andrea looked up from the TV. They had noticed that he had stopped writing his script, as he was now focused on reading the newspaper that he had been given.
The headlines were as follows:
1. Farrah Preks of Rap/Hip-Hop Duo "Failing In" Criticizes Actor Garry Abraham's decision to star in "all-white" movie
2. Former Harlem Mayor Ohanko Jackson Dead At 70
3. Top 10 Shocking Moments at the VMAs
4. Actor William MacPherson: ‘I'm beginning to Sound Even More Obnoxious
5. 5 Popular Video Games of All Time?
Logan skimmed over the articles, not caring a bit about any of them. While he did frown a bit about the VMAs (particularly where rapper White Skye mocked his child-wife Deirdre Langston (A.K.A. Jacquel Spartan of the Movie-Watching Trio) for being out of touch with the African-American community), the rest of the news didn't even concern him. Plus, he was planning to go after said rapper who dared to mess with Deirdre.
"It’s just the news," Logan said as he tossed the newspaper aside. "You can read it if you want."
"Why don't you read it?" Andrea said.
"I'm busy," Logan snapped at her. "I'm on a 24-hour deadline with this screenplay, which has to be handed over to Paramount by midnight. Also, I'm not about to fill my head with more crap about child abuse and whatnot. Now take this paper and go away!"
"You are too paranoid, Logan," said Dicky as he took the newspaper. "No wonder why Homer and Treasure don't go outside to play."
"You're always acting like someone is just going to snatch them if they set even one toe outside your house," said Andrea. "At least Roger isn't overprotective of Anastasia and Consuelo."
Logan was about to respond when Dicky glanced at the paper and gasped. "You guys, we have a problem!" he cried out.
"What?" Logan and Andrea cried out.
"I don't know if you know this, but this is tomorrow's newspaper!" Dicky yelled.
"And your point is?" Logan frowned at him.
"New York gets attacked tomorrow morning by terrorists," said Dicky. "And you want to know what the worst part is?"
"What's the worst part?" Andrea said.
Logan flipped to the next page and saw the following headline: "Logan Dara, Andrea Marshall Élan, and Richard Michaelson Found Dead! Were They Murdered or Victims of the 9/11 Attacks?" He gasped in horror as he read the article, which detailed his own death and the deaths of Andrea and Dicky. Those deaths occurred when two planes hit the World Trade Center, an attack that killed 3,000 people living in New York.
"What kind of story is this???" Logan snapped in anger. "How can they claim that we were victims of this attack when it's clearly evident that we could have been murdered?"
"Yeah," Dicky agreed. “Who writes stuff like this? Tabloids?"
"Maybe that headline is sending us a message," said Andrea. "If we don't do something now, this could be our fate."
"But we don't have the means to stop these so-called terrorists from blowing up the Twin Towers," said Dicky. "We're not cops! We're not affiliated with the Mafia! I don't have any connection to any gangs! I want to live!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Dicky!" yelled Logan as he slapped him. "Besides, there's only one person who can stop them."
"You mean, we could ask Sean for help?" Dicky said, with hope in his eyes.
"Or we could call the police," said Logan, "but since the police aren't really going to believe us if we tell them about the attacks, I guess we'll go with telling Sean."
"Logan, you and I both know that cousin Sean doesn't want to have anything to do with America," Andrea snapped at him, "not since last year, when he was heckled by some gay person at the VMAs." She shook her head with disgust at that memory.
"He will help us if he's part of our family," Dicky snapped. "How dare he calls himself a Trichenberg and refuses to help his American cousins!"
"We can't force him to help us, even if it is just to keep us alive," said Andrea. "It has to be his decision and his decision alone."
"Maybe we had better email this article to the FBI and let them handle this," Logan frowned. "And perhaps stay home tomorrow. I don't plan on dying, not when I have two small children to raise."
"Me neither," Andrea agreed.
"I only have teenagers, so this really isn't an issue for me," Dicky smirked.
"It'll be an issue if you die and Lysander and Margaret are being shoved into foster homes," Andrea snapped.
"What are you two worried about?" Logan frowned. "I'm going to be heading back to California after this. Plus, you really think Sean is just going to stand there and watch helplessly as the Twin Towers are blown up by terrorists?"
The three cousins said nothing else as Logan quickly finished writing the script and sent it to Paramount Studios. Then he, Dicky, and Andrea went to the local diner in anticipation of what would be their last meal in New York.
Also, Dicky arranged for his children, Lysander and Margaret, to stay with some neighbors while he packed his emergency bag. Andrea secretly emailed the news article to Washington D.C. and asked her nanny to keep an eye on her two daughters, Anastasia and Consuelo, as their father, Roger, was out of town for the week.
Logan, however, was skeptical about the whole thing. It was one thing to learn about an impending attack on the United States, and it was another thing to prevent the attacks altogether. He also wondered if anyone was going to believe them or stop the terrorists from carrying out their wicked plans to blow up the Twin Towers.
He also thought about Sean and whether Sean was willing to help them. He remembered that Sean was British and unwilling to help Americans, not since that incident where his mother died and no one bothered to help his father raise his four children. It was a small wonder that Sean refused to speak to his American relatives for many years.
Now, on the night of September 10, 2001, Logan knew that it was going to end. He had claimed that Sean would not stand by and allow terrorists to kill his cousins, even if they were American citizens; but would Sean actually step up and protect his cousins, along with countless other Americans, from experiencing death, terror, and needless pain?