Luna Sherman adjusted her noise-canceling headphones and checked her mobile for the third time in five minutes. Her connecting flight to Seattle was delayed yet again. The announcement crackling over Denver International's PA system wasn't making things clearer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, due to an ongoing security drill, all departing flights are temporarily suspended. Please remain in designated passenger areas until further notice."
Luna built her podcast empire, Unraveled, by questioning official narratives. This felt off. Security drills didn't happen during peak travel hours, and they certainly didn't involve armed personnel. In fact, the masked officers on the concourses looked more military than TSA.
She opened her phone's recording app. ‘Note-it’.
"This is Luna Sherman, October 15th, 2:47 PM. I'm stuck at DIA during what they're calling a routine security drill, but..." She paused, watching a crew of workers in unmarked uniforms wheel heavy cases toward the restricted area near Gate B23. "Nothing about this feels routine."
The announcement repeated. But, the voice was different. Subtly so. Her trained ear picked up the change in cadence, the slight accent, that hadn't been there in the previous announcement.
Luna had investigated corporate cover-ups for her podcast. She'd learned to trust her instincts. Right now, they were screaming that something was very wrong at DIA.
The terminal was suspiciously organized. Passengers clustered in specific areas. Unlike the chaos that reigned during peak travel time.
At Gate B19, Luna noticed a woman in an expensive suit typing furiously on her laptop. When the woman briefly stepped away to use the restroom, Luna got a glimpse of the screen. Financial transfers? Large ones. The timestamps showed transactions occurring right now, during the lockdown. Why had she left the screen open & available?
"Interesting timing for banking," Luna murmured into her phone recording.
A hand touched her shoulder. "Ma'am, passengers need to remain in designated seating areas."
Luna turned to face a security guard whose badge appeared official but whose radio was a different model than TSA. "Of course. Just stretching my legs."
She returned to her gate area, but kept watching. The woman with the laptop was joined by two men in identical gray suits. Definitely not typical travelers. No carry-on bags, no signs of travel fatigue, and they moved with the coordinated precision of people following a plan. Then, she spotted the ear device.
Luna's phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: Stop recording.
Her blood froze. She looked around. Who was observing her? She scanned the area & saw the usual mix of frustrated passengers and clipboard-carrying staff. She typed back: Wrong number.
The response came immediately: Luna Sherman, Gate B17, navy blue jacket, Unraveled podcast. Stop recording.
Luna's investigative instincts warred with basic survival. She could pocket her phone, delete the recording, and wait this out like a normal passenger. Or dig deeper.
She thought about her audience. Six million subscribers that trusted her to investigate stories others refused. She thought about all the time establishing credibility in a world that dismissed conspiracy theories as fantasy.
Luna started walking again. Toward the restricted area where she'd seen the unmarked crew. If someone wanted her to stop recording, that meant there was definitely something worth recording.
The area near Gate B23 was cordoned off with temporary barriers and "Authorized Personnel Only" signs. Luna found a position behind a pillar where she could observe without being obvious. Through her phone camera's zoom, she watched the unmarked crew methodically loading cases onto a baggage cart, but these weren't going toward any plane. They were heading toward an elevator.
Her phone buzzed again. This time it was a call from a blocked number.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Sherman." The voice was calm. Professional. "You're documenting something you don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"Some operations require discretion. For everyone's safety."
Luna watched another cart of cases disappear through the service door. "What kind of operation requires locking down an entire terminal?"
"The kind that keeps people safe. Delete the recording and enjoy your flight to Seattle. Your plane will be boarding shortly."
The line went dead. Luna checked the departure board. Her flight remained listed as delayed with no estimated departure time.
She opened her search app and connected to the airport's Wi-Fi. No press releases, no advance warnings to travelers, no mentions on the airport's social media of any delays. For a major international airport to conduct a drill during peak hours without any public notification was unprecedented.
Luna started a new recording. "This is getting weirder. No official documentation of this drill anywhere, and someone just called me from a blocked number claiming my flight will board soon—information that contradicts every display in the terminal."
She noticed movement near the service door. The woman with the laptop was walking purposefully toward it. The two men in gray suits followed. As they approached, the door opened from the inside.
Luna made a decision that would either make for incredible podcast content or get her in serious trouble. She followed them and barely slipped through the heavy door.
The service corridor led to areas of the airport most passengers never saw. Maintenance areas, employee break rooms, and what looked like temporary office space set up with computers and communication equipment. Luna stayed back, using her phone to record everything she could see.
Through an open doorway, she glimpsed something that made her stop breathing. A wall covered with photographs and documents. Faces she recognized from missing person reports. Mysterious deaths. Travel manifests with certain names highlighted.
Her own photo was pinned to the board. Missing. Presumed Dead. Her flight to Seattle, lost over Puget Sound. No survivors.
Luna backed away. Her heart hammering. She'd stumbled into something bigger than a simple security drill. The lockdown wasn't meant to keep people out. It was meant to keep certain people ~ in.
Her phone buzzed with another text: Service corridor C-7. You have two minutes to reach Gate A15 before permanent lockdown initiates.
Luna ran.
She burst through an emergency exit into the main terminal, setting off alarms that seemed to blend perfectly with the ongoing "security drill." Gate A15 was three terminals away. She had no idea who was helping her or why. Trust came easily when they said, "permanent lockdown".
Luna kept recording as she raced toward her gate. "Someone inside this operation just gave me a way out. There's a board with missing people's photos, including mine. Whatever they're moving through this airport, they're willing to make people disappear to protect it."
She reached Gate A15 as airport security ~ the real kind, not the unmarked & masked personnel ~ appeared to be setting up some kind of perimeter. A maintenance worker near the gate made eye contact and nodded toward a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only."
Luna didn't hesitate. Behind the door was a stairway leading down to the tarmac. The maintenance worker appeared beside her.
"Dr. Sarah Bradley," the woman said. "I've been investigating the same operation you stumbled into. We have about thirty seconds before they realize you're gone."
They emerged onto the tarmac where a small private jet was waiting. Engines running. "What about the other passengers?"
"The real passengers were moved to a different terminal an hour ago. Everyone you saw in Terminal B is part of the operation or a target." Dr. Bradley handed Luna a flash drive. "Everything I've collected is on this. Make sure it reaches the right people."
As she climbed into the plane, Luna looked back at the massive terminal complex of Denver International Airport. It appeared normal.
"What were they really doing in there?" Luna asked.
"Laundering securities and government secrets the same way people launder money. Moving classified intelligence through civilian channels. The airport gives them perfect cover. International flights, diplomatic pouches, confused jurisdictions. The airport was built on secrets."
Luna looked at the flash drive in her hand. "Why help me?"
"Because someone needs to tell this story. You're the only one with an audience who would actually believe it." She pushed Luna on to the plane and tapped the door. It rose leaving Luna alone on a private plane.
She ran to the first seat and strapped in as the plane began to taxi. Dr Bradley vanished. Luna started planning her next podcast episode as she clasped the thumb drive. Unraveled was about to live up to its name in ways she'd never imagined.
The real question was whether she'd live long enough to broadcast it.
For power up prompt by
This is fantastic. Tight pacing, layered mystery, a great lead character, and a jaw-dropper of a twist with the missing persons board.
“The lockdown wasn’t meant to keep people out. It was meant to keep certain people in.”
Just freaking awesome! And it leaves you with that perfect blend of adrenaline and dread. Hope you do a follow-up...
It feels so good to be reading a Maryellen Brady story again! As always, I loved the attention to detail here, and the masterful delivery of details that fed into the larger mystery. The government conspiracy and podcaster angle here was amazing as well. A perfect structure for a thriller like this.
Thank you so much for entering this week's prompt! I'm excited to talk about this story on today's podcast.