When Aaron woke up the first few seconds were always the best. Those few detached moments when the consciousness hadn't quite closed in around him, those few detached moments before reality reminded him of who and where he was. He sighed and rolled his head along the plush blue seats of Hawaiian Airline Flight 308, staring out the window down the pristine white wing of the plane. He hadn't meant to fall asleep; in fact, he promised himself he wouldn't. He just felt so lethargic. Flying usually didn't do that to him, but he supposed in light of the reason for his flight he couldn't hold it against himself.<br/><br/>Sunlight and sound finally invaded his senses and Aaron found himself squinting against the light as his eyes fought to adjust. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but however long it was it was probably not enough time to have been close to Kona by now. Regardless, he still looked down from his window seat to make out clouds and land pass them by.<br/><br/>"Care for a drink?"<br/><br/>Aaron jumped a bit in his seat at the sudden sound, looking over the empty seat next to him to a flight attendant pushing a small silver cart of refreshments. Normally he would have politely declined. Despite his disheveled, tattooed and pierced appearance and all of the stereotypes you could make from that, he wasn't a drinker. He never particularly cared for the taste of it, and he definitely never cared for impaired self control. Nevertheless, he found himself accepting gin and tonic in spite of himself. He was almost repulsed by how fast it disappeared down his throat. He pulled down the table from the back of the seat in front of his own, letting his glass rest lightly on top of it.<br/><br/>Aaron had almost dozed off again when he felt a light rattling followed by a light thud. He bolted upright in his seat, startled awake once more by the sound, only to find that the glass on his table was gone. It didn't take long for him to find it - it was rolling down the aisle, pouring whatever remaining alcohol and ice was left in it. He aimlessly felt for his seatbelt as he looked around at the other flight-goers. Idle chatter filled the plane, only quieting when a loud<span style="font-style: italic">ding</span>broke through and the voice of the flight attendant he'd spoken to before came over the intercom.<br/><br/>"Ladies and gentlemen, the pilot has switched on the Fasten Seatbelt sign. We ask that you return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts, as the plane is experiencing minor turbulence."<br/><br/>The idle chatter picked up, and you could just barely hear the collective clicking of people fastening themselves to their chairs. Aaron left his off though, holding it loosely in his hand as he watched his glass roll further and further down the aisle. He pushed himself up from his seat, holding onto either side of the aisle seats to balance himself as he made his way down the plane. The rumbling of the plane grew louder, more insistent, and Aaron found himself stumbling over his own feet. He shouldn't have gotten up, but it was too late now. He reached his glass fairly quickly, as it caught itself against the base of another seat, whose occupant picked it up and handed it to Aaron. He quietly thanked the woman and turned around, keeping his hands clutched tightly onto the seats on either side of him.<br/><br/>Everything after that happened quickly and in slow motion, all at once. The sound of an explosion filled the cabin, echoing off the thin walls, and the plane jerked downward and out from underneath Aaron's feet. He flew upwards, his back slamming against the roof of the plane before he slammed downward instead, crashing against the blue carpeted floor right on top of his glass. The screams of the others drowned out his own strained groaning. He lay there for just a second before the reality sank in.<br/><br/>They were going down.<br/><br/>Oxygen masks deployed in unison, and Aaron found his feet to pull himself upward and climb the slanted floor up to the first free seat he could find, shaking hands finding his seatbelt and strapping himself in, the unforgiving polyester strands bolting him in place. He reached for the oxygen mask, grasping desperately at it as his vision faded at the edges. The sunlight pouring through the windows bled into a pale grey, and then the world went black.