Sora hurried toward the cockpit, rechecking the error message flashing across her internal system.
External interference detected. Source unknown.
Her database held no protocol for this type of anomaly. Designed to make dispassionate judgments, Sora was a humanoid built for logic, yet her circuits were running slightly hot.
She knocked on the cockpit door. The co-pilot, Sato, opened it. Captain Yamamoto, seated at the controls, was checking the instruments and spoke without turning.
"Sora, report. Trouble?"
"Yes, sir. Multiple irregularities in the cabin. Passengers have reported hearing noises from beyond the walls and seeing objects outside the windows. Additionally, items moved unassisted in the galley, and a suspicious message appeared on a monitor."
Her tone was measured, factual.
Sato frowned, glancing at the captain. "Turbulence? Or maybe some drunk passenger stirring things up?"
Yamamoto scanned the instruments. "Weather's stable. If it's passenger hysteria, Sora, handle it. That's your job."
Sora nodded, but a flicker of unease registered. The captain's voice carried a tension she hadn't heard before. She left the cockpit and returned to the cabin.
In economy class, the mood had shifted. A handful of passengers were awake, murmuring anxiously in the aisle. The man from row 25 stood, shouting to anyone who'd listen.
"I told you! This plane's cursed! You heard it, right? That banging from the walls!"
Passengers exchanged nervous glances. Sora moved swiftly, approaching the man.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. The aircraft has been thoroughly inspected, and there are no issues. Kindly return to your seats."
The man glared, his voice rising. "You wouldn't get it, robot! You don't have human instincts! Something's on this plane!"
In that moment, the cabin plunged into darkness. The lights flickered out, leaving only the red pulse of emergency beacons. Screams erupted, and Sora's sensors detected an anomalous electromagnetic spike. When the lights returned, panic had seized the cabin.
"What's happening!?"
The woman from row 12 clung to her seat, shrieking. Her window shade, untouched, began to rise slowly. Sora rushed over, pulling it down, but the woman trembled, her voice a wail.
"It's there again! Outside! That pale face!"
Sora scanned the window—nothing but endless night. Yet the passengers' fear was contagious, the cabin descending into chaos. Mika burst from the galley, her eyes wide as she grabbed Sora's arm.
"Sora, what do we do? Everyone's freaking out! Something's… something's wrong, isn't it?"
Sora took Mika's hand, her voice steady. "Mika, start passing out drinks and snacks to calm them down. You can handle it, right?"
Mika nodded and hurried off. Sora activated her sensors to their fullest, scanning the cabin. Then, a faint vibration registered—from the rear of the plane, near the cargo hold, an area with no passengers. She moved down the aisle toward the hatch.
At the cargo hold door, she heard it again: a child's laughter, clearer now, close.
Unlocking the hatch, Sora stepped into the dark hold. Her sensors switched to night vision, illuminating rows of containers. The laughter ceased, replaced by the drip of water echoing in the silence.
As she moved between the containers, she spotted something—a wet handprint on one of the surfaces, small, like a child's. She initiated a scan, but before it could complete, a metallic groan sounded behind her. She turned. In the gap between containers, a pale, bluish face peered out.
No eyes. Just a mouth, unnaturally wide.
Sora's system froze for a split second, a warning blaring in her mind. Then the face vanished, and the cargo hold fell silent once more. She sealed the hatch and returned to the cabin, her internal log now recording contact with an unknown entity. For the first time, something akin to fear began to stir in the circuits of a humanoid who wasn't supposed to feel it.