1 NATHAN BELCOMBE - DAY 1

Nathan Belcombe was seated in a deep and comfortable sky-blue seat located near the right wing of an Airbus A380. He was sandwiched between a massive man who seemed intent on pushing him out of his seat and a particularly noisy child continuously pounding the seat in front of him while repeating endlessly to anyone who would listen that he was hungry and thirsty.

At least, he sighed inwardly, my other neighbor isn't as noisy.

The second neighbor, a man in his early forties who easily weighed over two hundred and sixty pounds (approximately 120 kilogrammes), was silently listening to music on his smartphone with wireless earphones. Despite the earphones, he thought he recognized the music.

Greenday, I believe. Ah! Once again, I let myself get distracted!

Nathan nervously adjusted his small metal-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, reflecting on the goals he had set once he arrived in Paris. Clad in a simple suit, Nathan had hastily boarded the first flight to the French capital and found himself in this seat, in the economy section. It didn't bother him much as his concerns were elsewhere. If he had taken this ticket and decided to sacrifice his precious time, it was because there was urgency.

Despite his efforts to be heard by his superiors and to contact the Élysée Palace, he had found no one intelligent enough to understand the gravity of the situation and transmit his warning message to as many people as possible. He had ten or eleven degrees (he wasn't entirely sure), five master's degrees, and three doctorates. Yet, he had been completely ignored by a mere secretary named Laura who certainly didn't have a tenth of his diplomas.

Laura... If I don't make it in time because of you!

His anger did not wane. If a doctor were to take his blood pressure at that moment, he would certainly be alarmed by the number indicated. Perhaps he would even set a record!

As a prominent scientist and author of numerous articles about the Sun, a colossal celestial body on the scale of the Earth but minuscule in the Universe, Nathan had been the first to spot an anomaly on its surface. A magnificent and terrifying event had occurred without anyone noticing. Others would soon report it, but too late. Therefore, he had tried to contact all his colleagues, superiors, and even the President of the Republic to alert the competent authorities of his country to the imminent catastrophe.

An intense solar eruption had occurred, and according to his simulations, its effects would soon begin to be felt across the entire northern hemisphere, and beyond! Unfortunately, this had happened more than eight hours ago! Eight hours! It was both short and long at the same time!

What a waste of time! If only that Laura had listened to me!

His call had led to nothing, so he had made the decision to go directly to the gates of the presidential palace. All electronic devices would suddenly cease to function, plunging the entire world into darkness! In a world heavily reliant on modern technologies to function, from a simple light bulb to cutting-edge computers, this meant nothing less than a brutal return to the 18th century, at best. Theoretically, it would be possible to repair everything in a few months or years, but what would happen in the meantime wouldn't allow for it. People only cooperated on a state scale, according to Nathan, because there was a government to organize them. But if this government could no longer mobilize the right people in the right places, it would be deaf, mute, and blind! Under those circumstances, it wouldn't be able to do anything!

We absolutely must organize the country's reconstruction right away! Waiting for the disaster to happen would be a serious mistake!

"I'm hungry! Mommy! I want cookies!"

The child's mother, seated in the seat directly to his left, separated by the central aisle, tried in vain to calm him down with sweet words.

Damn it! I'm going to lose it! Someone slap that brat! Or I'll do it myself!

Once again, Nathan pulled out his data for the tenth time since their departure from Boston. There were photos, graphs, tables, and entire pages covered with calculations. A novice wouldn't understand anything, no more than he understood hieroglyphs, but to him, it was crystal clear. They were heading straight into disaster! According to his calculations, what happened in 1859 was going to happen again, but with much more severe consequences. At that time, a solar storm of great intensity had caused numerous fires, disrupted the telegraph network, and injured several operators by electrocution. According to his research, the solar eruption that was about to, or rather had already happened, since he had lost precious time thanks to that damn Laura, would be two to three times more intense than the previous one.

Then the lights began to flicker frantically in the aircraft, accompanied by a constant buzzing noise. It was as if an evil spirit had awakened and decided to sow panic on board. The child who was screaming moments ago suddenly fell silent. The big man, wearing a black striped purple T-shirt, topped with a black cap displaying the American eagle, gray shorts, and the inevitable combo of sandals and socks, frantically tapped his out-of-control phone.

"Damn it! Come on, what the hell is this?!" (english)

Nathan glanced at the big American's phone. Its screen didn't respond the same way as the aircraft lights. It was enough to hurt the eyes.

"Oh, shit. It's starting," Nathan murmured, realizing what was happening around him.

The scientist bit his lower lip, turning his gaze away from the aircraft's frenzied lights. He hoped to arrive at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport before the first signs became apparent. He listened intently, like many passengers on board. The most logical thing to do in such cases was to listen to the discussions among the crew members because if they were panicking, he should panic too. This was particularly true when one was so high in the sky and as vulnerable as a newborn.

A male voice struggled to escape from the speakers located at various points in the aircraft:

"Ladies and gentlemen, attention please. This is a message from your captain. We apologize for these slight disruptions. We are experiencing some interference, which will end shortly. We ask you to remain seated and invite those who have gone to the toilets to return to their seats. Thank you for your understanding (english). Mesdames et messieurs, votre attention s'il vous plaît... (french)"

Nathan was sweating profusely. For once, they had to rely on him and not on the crew members of this Airbus. And there, he was panicking. He felt hot and cold, he trembled like mad, and his gaze was fixed on the lights that wouldn't stop buzzing. The seconds passed, and the buzzing became louder until it was impossible to look at them.

Finally, there was a loud bang, and all the lights went out. A brutal silence engulfed the aircraft. Nathan Belcombe stared at the ceiling, frozen like most passengers, hoping for a return to normalcy. The only perceptible sound was that of his own teeth chattering with terror. Slowly, like a robot with poorly oiled joints, he looked out of the window. The wing of the plane was still there, white as snow, the engines seemed intact, with no apparent smoke. Nevertheless, he hadn't regained his composure.

It's so... quiet.

Time seemed to have stopped, frozen in a strange suspension. Warm light filtered through the numerous portholes, casting floating shadows on the cabin walls.

Nathan then noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a flight attendant hurrying into the cockpit and staying there for a moment. She emerged as pale as a sheet and whispered a few words into the ear of her young colleague, equally beautiful and elegant in her impeccable uniform.

"Please! I need help! My father is having a heart attack! He's a heart patient!"

An elderly man with a livid face had collapsed at the back of the aircraft and lost consciousness. His pacemaker had stopped working.

Nathan had perfectly understood the situation thanks to his knowledge, and the other passengers were also beginning to grasp the problem. The lights were all off in the same way that the big American's phone now displayed only a black screen. The engines had stopped working, which meant that currently their plane was gliding. In other words, they would crash if nothing started working again in the next few minutes. And below them, miles away, there was nothing but the vast Atlantic Ocean.

Finally, instructions were given, without microphones, since they were no longer functioning. They were asked to put on life jackets and fasten their seat belts. Everyone understood then that they were going to have to ditch. Nathan obeyed immediately, his hands trembling. Passengers could no longer ignore the gravity of their situation. Some prayed, and others screamed. As a man of science, Nathan Belcombe did neither. He didn't believe in God and knew that screaming would serve absolutely no purpose. All he could do was watch through the window as the vast ocean seemed to draw closer. In reality, it was their plane descending inexorably towards the vast expanse of saltwater.

With a sense of despair gnawing at his soul, Nathan continued to stare at the sea, hoping that something would change. He knew that time was running out.

Normally, the pilots would have done everything to make a smooth ditching, as much as possible. They were trained for this kind of situation, but without any electronic devices or functional controls, the two men locked in the cockpit were as powerless as the passengers. Nathan wasn't a pilot, but he knew that inside the wings, among other things, were flaps used to control the aircraft, especially for takeoff and landing. However, these hadn't moved since the beginning of the incident. A terrible conclusion immediately presented itself in his mind.

Damn it! They're completely out of control of this plane!

Indeed, the flaps of this state-of-the-art aircraft were electric, like everything else that could be on board. Because of the solar storm, all the circuits had burned out! In other words, this imposing Airbus A380 had become uncontrollable.

We're screwed! he concluded, taking his thin, angular face in his long, slender hands.

For the first time in his life, Nathan began to pray to God, begging to be spared in the impending catastrophe. His hands were so clenched that the tips of his fingers had turned as white as chalk. It was only at that moment that he realized how much he valued life and feared death.

Through the window, he saw the ocean getting closer and closer.

It's all over.

The impact was terrible. The pilots had been unable to do anything to level the plane or reduce its speed at the moment of impact. Like all the passengers, they had screamed in terror a second before the aircraft touched the surface of the water, nose and left wing first. The plane broke instantly, killing all the passengers in an instant. An immense amount of seawater entered the aircraft, or what was left of it, engulfing everything that had fallen from the sky. The tail of the aircraft was the last element to disappear into a deathly silence.