Caitlin Wilson is a scientist, an epidemiologist, who, in the current situation, is glad to be able to say that she doesn't actually work for the government. She's a consultant. This doesn't help as much as she'd like.
What is the current situation? She traveling on business, this time flying out of the Atlanta airport. They've just taken off when she sees some flashes of light and feels what a less observant and less informed person would think was merely atmospheric disturbance. When Caitlin realizes that it was falling bombs and they were likely the last people to get out of the Atlanta airport, she flags down a flight attendant she knows from previous flights. She recommends that when wifi is turned on, it should be made free to all passengers, because as soon as some people have access to information about what just happened, unequal access is likely to lead to conflict and panic.
When wifi is turned on and she can log into her work Discord account, Caitlin learns it's much worse than she thought. The bombs were just the delivery system for a bioweapon, and it's being delivered much more widely than the worst she had feared.
She's not the only person who knows what's going on, but she's the only one on this plane who understands the ramifications.
Caitlin Wilson is the only person on board who knows how to get the least bad outcome for all the people on this plane.
It's a stark, grim, extremely well-done short story that will have you on the edge of your seat.
This story is currently free to members on Libro.fm, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
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