9/11, A Small World

September 11, 2001. An NSA-intercepted phone call from a known al-Qaeda associate, triggered by voice recognition, reveals that two diverted, U.S.-bound flights heading for St. Johns, Newfoundland under Operation Yellow Ribbon are carrying al-Qaeda extremists. John Walsh, Officer-in-Charge of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service St. Johns District Office, secretly also an operator in a top-secret Can-Am counter-terrorism unit, is placed in charge of dealing with the inbound terrorists. John is on his own, left to his own devices, there is no support coming. As team leader of the counter-terrorism units operational team Alpha, he is well versed in improvisation and proficient in maximizing the resources at his disposal. He assembles a response team including former girlfriend Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Sergeant Jillian Murphy and Constables Shamus ORielly and Shana Earle plus a support group led by his fiancée Sarah Parsons including fellow civil servants Elizabeth Wareham and Aly Nassar. Early into the crisis he is bolstered by the arrival of Melissa Johnson, his second-in-command in Alpha, off a U.S. military flight from Germany.

The sudden influx of thousands of passengers needing food and lodging in combination with the state of St. Johns International Airport, under a major renovation and runway extension, creates confusing turmoil and a logistical nightmare. Bomb threats and the inexperience of local law-enforcement adds to the chaos allowing two terrorist teams, headed for the United States to conduct follow-up land-based attacks against sensitive infrastructure, to escape. The two strike teams are commanded by Aisha Al-Hadeer travelling with her brother Hassan under the aliases Hannah and Antwaan Mustafa. As the chase ensues, the disappearance of Middle Eastern passengers from their billets - one of whom turns out to be an al-Qaeda assassin - the surprising discovery of a mole, and the fast approach of Hurricane Erin complicate things.

From the streets of St. Johns, North Americas oldest city, and the heights of Signal Hill, to rural towns and communities scattered around the island, the waters of Conception Bay, the skies over Clarenville, the North Atlantic Ocean South of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, and the shoreline of Bay Roberts, John and his unlikely band of terrorist hunters face an arduous task replete with constant danger. Taking advantage of the familiarity of their home soil, they leave nothing to chance as they race to eliminate the deadly threat. As things unfold it becomes readily apparent that this is a small world.