Part 3 Aloft, pages 163-181 Summary

Nathan stops writing the letter to Shuki when he notices that the passenger next to him has slumped and seems to have difficulty breathing. He asks if the young man is all right, and the man greets Nathan by name. Nathan is surprised to see that he is Jimmy Ben-Joseph, the young man he met at the wailing wall who believed that the cure to Israel's problems could be solved if Israel would import baseball. Jimmy explains that he feels "under pressure" because he intends to hijack the plane. He also claims to have a pistol and a grenade in his possession.

Jimmy seems to believe that Nathan will be willing to help. Nathan, of course, believes that Jimmy is joking, but Jimmy allows Nathan to feel the grenade through his coat pocket. Nathan wonders how Jimmy...