The economy cabin fell silent.
The elderly couple lowered their heads, no longer willing to meet anyone's eyes.
The footage had made the truth undeniable. The old man had started the confrontation, insulted Aaron's parents, and attempted to strike him when he refused to be intimidated.
For the passengers who had rushed to condemn Aaron, watching the recording felt like being publicly slapped.
They had allowed themselves to be manipulated, and some had gone far beyond merely taking the couple's side. They had threatened to expose Aaron online, contact his university, and destroy his future—all without knowing how the argument had begun.
Embarrassment quickly turned into anger.
Rather than acknowledge their own part in what had happened, several passengers redirected their outrage toward the elderly couple.
"You lied to everyone!"
"We nearly ruined that young man's life because of you."
"I was seconds away from posting the video. Do you understand what that could have done?"
"You took advantage of your age and used the rest of us to attack him."
"You both owe him an apology."
The accusations grew harsher with every passing moment.
Some of the same passengers who had attacked Aaron only minutes earlier now spoke as though they had always been on his side. A few even began hurling vicious personal insults at the couple, apparently hoping that condemning them loudly enough would erase their own behavior.
The old man and woman kept their heads down.
Neither dared argue with the entire cabin, but the hatred in their expressions made it clear they blamed Aaron for exposing them.
"That's enough."
The senior flight attendant raised her voice, bringing the cabin back under control.
She had little sympathy for the couple, but the passengers' sudden reversal disgusted her almost as much. They had learned nothing. They were simply looking for a new target.
She turned toward the elderly pair.
"At the very least, you owe this passenger an apology."
Her expression remained firm.
"This incident will also be documented and reported to airport security when we land."
The old woman's head snapped up.
"Apologize?"
She stared at Aaron as though the suggestion itself were offensive.
"You expect me to apologize to him?"
She jabbed one finger in his direction.
"Absolutely not. Let's see what you can do about it."
The flight attendant's expression hardened, but the woman continued before she could respond.
"My son is an important official in Sealine City. You have no idea who you're dealing with."
She swept her finger across the cabin.
"You, him, and everyone who insulted us—you'll all regret this once my son hears about it."
The surrounding passengers immediately became uneasy.
Only moments ago, they had been demanding that the couple apologize. Now, faced with the possibility that their son might hold real political influence, their anger began to evaporate.
A heavyset man in a business suit forced an awkward smile.
"Perhaps we're taking this too far."
He looked toward Aaron.
"She is elderly, after all. Maybe everyone should simply calm down and let the matter end here."
Others quickly followed his lead.
"Yes, there's no need to make things worse."
"She probably wasn't feeling well. That may be why they wanted the seat reclined."
"Young man, perhaps you could be the bigger person."
"Why not apologize to each other and settle this privately?"
One passenger even added:
"You could offer them a little compensation, just to put the matter behind you."
The mood of the cabin had shifted yet again.
Nothing about the evidence had changed. The couple had not apologized or shown the slightest remorse.
The only difference was that the old woman claimed to have a powerful son.
Aaron stared at the passengers around him.
Then he began to laugh.
At first, it was only a quiet chuckle. Before long, he was openly laughing at the absurdity of what he was seeing.
Several passengers glared at him.
Aaron slowly applauded.
"Impressive."
Clap.
"You condemned me without knowing what happened."
Clap.
"Then the moment the truth came out, you turned on them to make yourselves feel better."
Clap.
"And now that she claims her son is important, you're crawling right back to her side."
His smile contained no amusement.
"Even a Wimpod has more backbone than all of you combined."
The passengers flushed with embarrassment and anger, but no one offered a convincing response.
The two flight attendants looked no less disgusted.
The old woman, however, mistook the crowd's cowardice for a victory.
"You hear that?"
She gave Aaron a triumphant sneer.
"They know better than to oppose us."
She straightened proudly in her seat.
"That's what happens when you raise a successful son. He holds a position you could never hope to reach."
Her voice turned venomous.
"If you don't want your future destroyed, get on your knees and apologize. Perhaps I'll be generous enough to forgive you."
Aaron studied her for a moment.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Now I'm curious."
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"What exactly does your son do?"
The woman opened her mouth to answer.
BOOM!
The aircraft suddenly lurched sideways.
Passengers screamed as luggage shifted inside the overhead compartments and several people were thrown against their seat belts.
A second impact struck the plane.
BOOM!
Warning alarms erupted throughout the cabin, accompanied by flashing red emergency lights.
The flight attendants immediately grabbed the nearest seats to steady themselves.
Then an urgent announcement came over the speakers.
"Attention, all passengers."
"The aircraft is under attack by unidentified airborne creatures."
"Remain seated, fasten your seat belts, and follow all crew instructions. Do not panic."
Panic swept through the cabin anyway.
Passengers scrambled to secure their belts as the plane shook under another impact.
Aaron turned toward the window.
Dark shapes were racing alongside the aircraft, repeatedly diving toward its wings and fuselage like living missiles.
Another creature struck the outer hull.
The plane dropped sharply.
Screams filled the cabin as the nose dipped and the aircraft began to lose altitude.
Whatever was attacking them, the plane could not withstand much more.
They were in immediate danger of crashing.
...