16th June 2020 - Atlanta, United States

“Manna was ground in a heavenly mill for the use of the righteous, but some of it was allocated to the wicked and left for them to grind themselves.” - Classical writings on the Hebrew Mishnah, Source Unknown.

Thunder rumbled off in the distance, vibrating the window pane bordering the airport terminal and making the water droplets that clung to the pane of glass shiver slightly, Erik continued to stare out at the wet runway and aircraft, blowing on the steam rising from his espresso, the caffeine just beginning to jolt him further awake.

The eleven hour flight from France, followed by a four hour delay caused by a spring thunderstorm had most of the travelers in Atlanta’s Jackson airport, weary, irritable and glancing up at the departures board every couple of minutes in hope.

Delay was good, Erik thought it meant he could put off returning. He could put off the lectures about responsibility and failure. After all it wasn't everyday that a officer in the Engineering Corps even a junior butter bar second lieutenant, is driven directly to Lyon international airport booked on the next available flight to the states and told by his French military attaché “Please don’t come back.” In clearly recognizable English, with just a touch of ‘Fuck You’ by way of an accent.

The fact that the airline ticket’s final destination was El Paso, Texas and not his C.O. back in the Corps H.Q. in Washington, said it all really. He was to report to two star, Major General Torsten, Decorated Hero of the service. Also known as known as Sir. Erick couldn't remember calling him Dad since he was eight years old.

The storm moved on eventually, and the departures board updated instructing all to hurry to their departure gate for boarding, Erick downed his coffee, and grabbed his duffel. It was light, carrying just a few amenities and a spare change of clothes that he had kept at the office in Geneva. The attaché had told him his remaining personal effects would be sent on after him.

He shuffled into line with the rest of passengers before the departure gate, right behind a Latin American woman carrying a small child, his curly dark curls plastered across his forehead with the humidity, and asleep over his mothers shoulder in the draped boneless slumber that allows one to sleep anywhere at anytime like only battle hardened military veterans and three year olds have perfected.

As he walked through the jet bridge connecting the Boeing 737 and waited to have his ticket inspected again, as if in the short forty yards walk from the last inspection it would have expired, waiting patiently he peered at the pilots in the aircraft running through their flight checks. But even as an engineer the plethora of instruments, and controls failed to spark any interest in him, When you’re this tired, the once wondrous was now just routine and mundane.

Finding his Economy class seat, a mousy brown haired woman, sitting in the aisle seat, nervously stood up and stepped away, some people were just intimidated by a uniform, Erick thought. He tiredly smiled, nodding politely in thanks as he slid into his window seat and stowing his duffel, he wasn't a large man, but his five foot nine frame still barely fit, his knees touching the food tray in front of him as the overweight balding man in front of him shifted in his seat. Mousy brown haired woman, offered him some tic-tacs claiming they would help him adjust to the air pressure. Erick declined, and any further conversation was thankfully strangled and went on to die a lonely death, a couple minutes later she moved seats, probably to find someone more talkative.

Boarding was completed on Olympus Air Flight 315, and with the whine of one engine spinning up, Erik lent back and closed his eyes, rubbing them and feeling the weary grit within, when a faint blue outline appeared in his vision.

Ambient Mana Density 4%

System Initialization started

Erick’s eyes flew open and the airplane cabin was plunged into darkness, someone shrieked, people laughed nervously, and the tension in the cabin notched up a couple of degrees, after a couple of minutes of muted murmuring, the stewardess decided to find out whats going on, calming walking up from behind Erick while reminding everyone to remain seated. There was no sign of any blue box.

"Again?, I must be losing it.” Erik muttered, looking around the dim interior, this was the second time he’d seen the blue boxes.

Just how tired am I? He wondered, shaking his head, and pressing his palms to his eyes he wished he could see clearly.

When he opened his eyes, the blue box was gone.He peered up at the stewardess who had moved quickly to the cockpit and swung open the cockpit door. Voices could be heard, both from within the cockpit and from the crackling radio.

“Its fine Marge, were checking with maintenance,and running the checks again. Just sit tight” an older male voice said.

That should be the left seat, Captain then, Erik thought.

The air stewardess marched back down the aisle no doubt having spotted some hapless fool, who’s managed to stand up.

A few minutes later, the radio from within the cockpit crackled again, pause… more crackling.

A younger feminine voice, probably the co-pilot spoke up.

“Maintenance says they should be fine, its only been 200 cycles since their last tear down, they say telemetry, shows it was the APU that cut out.”

“Thats not possible! number one was up, and we were spinning number two, if the APU went out we would lose only the number two engine, not both of them.

Run the engine startup checks again.”

For once Erik, wished he didn't understand. The Auxiliary Power Unit, or APU is usually a small turbine that provides power, to a series of critical systems AND is responsible for starting the bigger jet engines. “You need a little crank, to turn a bigger crank to move forward” he mentally singsonged.

While not a major issue if it malfunctions, no passenger or pilot wants to know that stuffs not working before you even get off the ground.

Erik only partly paid attention to the rest of the conversation, something about air bleeds, hydraulic pumps, oil pumps, fuel pumps, etcetera his thoughts were pre-occupied with why he was seeing things that could not be there. Eventually the whine of hydraulics and the rumble of engines and the slow gentle rocking motion of the aircraft taxing, all smoothed together which meant he must have dozed off, as the next thing he knew he came awake, feeling himself thrust back in his seat as the aircraft thundered down runway and lifted up into the sky towards the midday sun.

Erik tried to stay squinting out at the bright blue sky, the light causing a slight migraine through the multi paned window. The ground beneath was now more than 27,000 feet below, the moment quite beautiful as the rain soaked Appalachian foothills and the patchwork of farms below broke into the sunlight, they continued on flying east toward Dallas.

His head throbbed with the sharp probing pain getting worse. Erik blinked his eyes faster, this was not a migraine. His joints ached, his vision was becoming blurred, he could taste a coppery flavor in the back of his mouth and knew the signs of a impending nose bleed. His face twisted as he grimaced in pain.

Then it happened again, another blue notification appeared in his vision.

Ambient Mana Density 14%

WARNING: Unable to complete Initialization, insufficient ambient mana, beginning Coalescence from higher density Zones.

WARNING: Unable to locate local Zones with sufficient ambient mana, beginning Coalescence from higher density regions.

WARNING: Unable to locate local region with sufficient ambient mana, beginning Coalescence from higher density worlds.

Ambient Mana Density 29%

Coalescence Complete

Mana Cycle Initiated

Thats when the lights went out, and everything but the light streaming in through the window stopped, there was a blinding flash of brightness, everything went quiet for a moment as the aircraft began to slow, there was a loud explosive bang! the aircraft shook violently, people worriedly looked around or cried out, then they all had that sinking feeling in their stomachs as the plane began to drop out of the sky, and then screaming all around Erik began.