Narrator's POV:
Mason is in a hurry, he's almost late and that has not happened to him before.
He's never late, ever since he could remember, he's always been on time for most of the important events in his life.
Every class he went to throughout high school, as long as he was not under the weather, he was always on time.
He's not the smartest person or the most well-read but he is known for his punctuality.
As he was trying to keep up and not be late for his flight, he took a glance at himself on the mirror of the show glass he can see he looks worried.
He's an average guy looking all things considered, has deep dark hair that almost looks like he dyed it but this time, he looks unkempt because of the time lost when he woke up late.
The flight from Boston to Los Angeles takes roughly 9 hours, enough time for him to have rested in but he didn't really have a choice in the matter when his close friends decided to throw him a party since he would be leaving town for 6 months thanks to the contract job he got.
He's a management consultant so he moves around alot helping small businesses by analyzing existing problems and developing plans to solve them.
He couldn't shut down the going away party on time last night in order to keep up with his schedule after all he was going to miss everyone, especially Sally, his fiancé. She won't be able to follow him and he has to make their last night in a while memorable.
The good news is she will be coming to see him during the weekends. They have already been together for six years engaged for two, she understands the schedule of how things go with his work.
Mason made it just in time to board Delta Airlines Flight 838 Boston to L.A, find his window seat so he can have a view to look at as he plans for the next day and the meeting with his new bosses.
The view from row 10 A was beautiful after takeoff but Mason has not been able to relax since.
Him almost being late is a first, a bad sign as he takes it because he didn't have much to drink last night and his sleep felt empty, he didn't dream of anything, he slept deeply so it's strange he woke up when he did.
He got distracted from his thoughts when the voice of the pilot came up with his announcement and the flight attendant was demonstrating the safety features.
He listens and pays attention to her description making sure to understand and follow every example incase theres an emergency.
Beside him on the flight is a young couple around his age a guy named Francis and his hubby Nick.
They seem happy discussing their vacation to L.A. Breakfast was served and Mason enjoyed it, it was small but still fulfilling and helped him to relax his nerves.
He fell asleep thinking of the next day and the start of his new job.
Mason awoke to a recurring turbulence from the plane and the surprised looks of the couple beside him, Nick was trying to reassure Francis that these things happened during long flights and there was nothing to worry about, in truth that was correct but for Mason to wake up, he felt it wasn't a small matter
and the reaction he was getting from other passengers proved it.
The calming voice of the pilot told everyone to relax and that he and his copilot had everything under control. Mason has always had anxiety and OCD so to relax after boarding the flight he took his medication along with a mood stabilizer so he wasn't really feeling anything at all at this moment, coupled with the fact that he just woken up, he was still trying to figure out what was going on.
He looked out the window and noticed that it was dark all around him even though it was still daytime, he checked the time and it was just about 23 minutes past 11 AM so it was strange and it also didn't look like it was about to rain.
Mason's POV:
As I gazed out the window, the darkness seemed to swallow the world whole. The turbulence had been relentless, and the flight attendants' pleas for us to return to our seats and fasten our seatbelts did not help the panicking passangers. The pilot's voice, calm and reassuring, only made me more anxious about the whole situation. I kept asking myself what was going on and if I was still asleep.
The object in the sky loomed large and I could see the effect of its mass affecting gravity as it pulled meteorites and sattelites down causing a storm of destruction all around us. The destruction caused was massive, I could feel the impact of the explosions affecting the plane. That must be where the recurring turbulence comes from. I keep hoping the pilot is skilled enough to avoid the pieces of debree moving aroud us. Panic gripped the plane, prayers and screams mingling in the cabin as the reality and gravity of the situation set in on each passanger.
I felt numb, thanks to the mood stabilizers coursing through my veins, but my mind raced with thoughts of Sally, my fiancée, and the world below. Were they safe? Was anyone?
The plane shuddered and lurched, throwing us off course. A crash has occured, a fire, and the oxygen masks dropped down, I could see where the impact occurred from a few seats ahead of me. People burned, screaming, as we hurtled towards the ground with the pilot loosing control of the plane and signaling for whoever could hear him to brace for impact.
Right beside the burning passangers, most people have already passed out from the shock and their brain being unable to handle what was happening, Those lucky few, at least when we land, they wont feel much of anything.
The impact was a blur, I could feel the plane skidding along for awhile but I remained relatively safe as I could be in this situation since I wasn't ejected from my seat but I was trapped, seatbelt locked, as the world around me descended into hell. I looked up and the black cube, that infernal object, still loomed over the world. The Harbinger of Chaos and Death.
Probably because of the smoke I kept inhaling and the lack of use of my hands, I noticed I had been struck somewhere but I was unable to feel anything.
I thought of Sally, my friends, and the world we knew. Why had we been blindsided by this catastrophe? No warnings from the news of any strange object to be wary of. Where did the mysterious cube come from? I felt regret for leaving Sally alone at home and hope she found somewhere safe to stay. I should have stayed home after I woke up late, where did my feelings of distress come from before I began the journey to the airport?
What would happen to the world after this? Am I still dreaming?
Tears streamed down my eyes and they hurt so much stinging with pain from the smoke I took in.
As I felt my consciousness begin to fade, I heard the voice, booming and malevolent that seemed to be the cause of my anguish say: 'surprise!'"