“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your final boarding call for flight 101 to Los Angeles. All remaining passengers are requested to board at this time through gate B10, we are preparing for an on-time departure. Buckle up for take-off, Los Angeles awaits!”
John rushed to gate B10, clutching his carry-on like a lifeline. Los Angeles, a promise of Christmas and family called out to him after a year of work in Massachusetts.
He got onboard the plane and settled into his coveted window seat. In a few minutes, the plane took off into the sky. Cities turned into mosaics, highways into slivers of silver as John watched the world shrinking beneath him.
Then, he noticed a dark purple cloud stretching across the horizon. In the cockpit, the Pilots exchanged worried glances as they had never seen such a strange cloud and their weather system never hinted at it.
With no other option, they decided to fly through it, hoping for clear skies on the other side. Darkness enveloped the whole plane as it shook violently while going through the ominous cloud. Screams of frightened passengers swarmed the cabin and the flight soon became a nightmare.
The captain's voice, strained but calm, cut through the pandemonium, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently experiencing unexpected turbulence. For your safety, please remain seated and this should all be over soon. Thanks for your cooperation.”
Minutes turned into hours but the cloud still clung to them like a persistent shadow with no end in sight. John felt a wave of dread wash over him as he soon realized that this was no ordinary cloud.
He got the attention of a passing air hostess, urgency burning in his eyes. He introduced himself and demanded to speak with the captain.
Moments later, John stood in the cockpit, facing two very bewildered pilots who were alien to this sort of problem.
“My name is Dr. John Amakor and I am a professor of theoretical physics at Harvard University. This purple cloud is no ordinary one.”
“We can see that Sir, any idea what it is?” replied the Captain.
John then told the story of how his colleagues in the astrophysics department discovered a strange anomaly which they called Chrono-cloud; a time loop trapped within a cosmic whirlpool and almost impossible to get out of.
“So, we are in this Chrono-cloud right now?”
“Precisely. That explains why we have been unable to come out of it despite flying for hours,” replied John, clinging to the captain's chair as the turbulence threatened to rip the plane apart.
“You said it's almost impossible to get out of this, does this mean it's possible?”
“Yes, but just theoretical, we haven't tried it out yet. But we must hurry, we are running out of fuel,” said John as he pointed to the plane's Fuel Management System.
The Captain leaned back, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, Professor," he said. The co-pilot, her fingers hovering over the throttle nodded sharply. "We're with you.”
“First, keep an eye on the Electronic Flight Instrument System and look out for when the latitude and longitude converge, which indicates we are at the center of the cloud. Once that happens, quickly tilt the plane at an angle of 45 degrees and ascend towards the eye of the cloud.”
With eyes glued on the EFIS, the pilots waited. The latitude and longitude converged but before they could act, a very violent turbulence rocked the plane and threw them off balance.
John scrambled to his feet and put on his glasses, “Missed it”, he muttered, eyes dancing all over the EFIS. “We should be on the lookout for the next one. We are currently running on fumes, so we have just one shot at this.”
With eyes still glued to the instruments, everyone waited for the right moment. After what felt like an eternity, it happened again.
“Now!” John yelled.
The captain pushed the control stick forward, throwing the plane into a shuddering climb. It continued this way for over an hour with no end in sight. Sweat plastered to John's forehead, Have they succumbed to the chrono-clould’s dark embrace, forever lost in this cosmic purgatory?
A few minutes later, a blinding flash of bright blue engulfed them, leaving the nightmarish cloud behind. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and John, exhausted but elated collapsed to the floor.
The pilots located the nearest airport and landed safely at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. They were greeted by a frenzy of news reporters, the police, and paramedics.
Flight 101 has been missing for over a week after it went through the ominous cloud but for John and the other occupants of the plane, it has been mere hours.
A couple of days later, the CDC turned the airport into a temporary quarantine area. Every one of the 140 passengers, along with the pilots and crew, underwent a series of tests to detect any lingering effects from their chrono-cloud journey. Luckily, everyone was in perfect physical and mental health.
John reunited with his family after briefing the government about what transpired within the dark cloud. Months later, he published a book documenting his experience with Flight 101 and it became a scientific sensation.
His findings gave rise to a global race to understand and predict chrono-clouds. He played a key role in successfully dispelling the anomaly from Earth.
Thanks for reading
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