Chapter 1: The Fall

Everything every day here on Earth is based on gravity, and you don't realize it until you don't have it anymore.   Peggy Whitson

A humble morning much the same as every other day, the news chattering in the background “meteor shower this after….n” as I walk out the door heading to town for work. A small breakfast the sun is out it’s shadowed by intermittent clouds thin but plentiful. I walk on my way to work I'm a bit of a distance I might not enjoy walking but the view is to die for lots of trees and greenery and still on a 30 min walk from the business center of where I live “Town”. I work in a small grill house off to the side of town not that popular and doesn’t pay well but I'm not stressed working there so it's pretty good.

My name is “Novis” a small-time chef, not a dull tool in the shed as some may assume with the average chef. Passed my grades with flying colors, forced to choose a college, and somehow ended up learning to cook, I learned fast and did pretty well. Never really felt a passion for anything neither a burning force to do something or talents to cultivate. My mother always said I had an eye for design but that creativity is long gone smoldered out like rain on fire through school.

Considered joining the military for a time, didn’t end up joining but the martial arts I learned was cool, they didn’t like me, got the cold shoulder when I asked questions. Anyway back to the walk reminiscing about poor life choices doesn’t make them any better. But then this is where it gets interesting walking through the edge of the town center into the little area I need to be. Suddenly “BANG” I scream what the hell as my ears are ringing like a bell white noise hurting my head, I look around to see a steaming meteorite with purple veins smoldering meters away from me. I start to hear more bangs screaming, crying. “This is bad,” I say, a man runs up bashes my should, he shouts “Run, get to shelter you, idiot”. I think this is where my fight or flight response kicked in but given the situation I don’t think fighting giant falling stones has any chance of success, I run, I run faster then I've ever run in my life as rocks rain down like water in a shower. Chest burning I cry in fear wondering “what is happening” out loud. I quickly try and make it to an open store I was in a road on the edge few open buildings, a terrible place to be, I run to a common eatery nearby that should be safe right? Anything is safer then this it has to be! I smash through the glass door warping the frame as I tumble forward running for my life, I see a couple of other people pale as a ghost most likely hiding too. I look behind me “Shit” as a giant purple meteorite strikes the store im blasted through the air into a wall the last thing I remember was a sharp stabbing pain in my chest and losing the wind in my lungs then black.

I must have been out for minutes when I open my eyes with a heavy head I see the smoldering store and, poor souls hurt by the flaming debris. I look at my self to see just how badly I'm injured, bleeding from every part of my body blood seeping out my chest, must have been glanced by a few shards, my heart is pounding in my chest pain pulsing with it. I quickly check the other people one person hurt their leg badly but mostly light burns and scratches throughout all of them. “Ring Ring” people's phones are being used left and center calling family, the authorities who know.

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But that’s when I see it, the debre, “wait what” it's floating, floating and moving about like the space station with a hole, items blowing around like paper in a wind tunnel. For a second I feel weightless as I get closer to the rubble. Wait is this crap negativing gravity, this stuff is game-changing its got to be valuable. I quickly stuff some purple rocks in my pocket but realize they make part of me feel weightless, obviously there radius is small but if I keep stacking my pockets I don’t want to know what will happen. I call my brother he has a van “Connor” “Get your ass in town right now bring the van and erm a lot of rope” I shout “Why?” he curiously wounders, dumbass must have his head in a game how do you miss this disaster “Just do it no time to explain” “I'm at the eatery you know the one next to where I work” I quickly say “all right be there in 10” “make it 5 il pay the speeding ticket” “dumbass okay I'm on my way”. Hanging up the phone, I think the authorities are gonna be all over this like flys in moments I've got to get as much of this stuff while I have the chance. Its got to be worth a fortune if it can seriously defy gravity. I start using metal knives to dislodge purple crystals from the rocks. “Its too damn hard” I just start stuffing rocks, even super black rocks into my bag I tye the bag with a table cloth so it floats behind me I stuff it completely packed. “That should do”.

Just in time, my brother gets here and I tell him “Get as much of this purple crap as possible were gonna be rich. “Not a word gets through he just sees me red with my blood, realizing this I say quickly “don’t worry I'm not badly hurt hurry” Uhu,” he says and I quickly go with him to wrap massive floating purple boulders with rope and tie it to the van, far enough away the van is not weightless. Smaller pieces we throw in the back and dip no more than half an hour and were driving away at full speed with half a van and a rock the size of my uncle's ego following us, the van seemed oddly faster than normal. Not a moment to soon as I see army cars driving at full speed, cops, ambulances every emergency service and military I could name and then some. People are fleeing arms full of purple rocks I swear I even see a human-shaped balloon disappear into the sky. “Must be seeing things”, we narrowly escape the authorities. “Crap I never showed up to work, do you think they will let it go if I send them off a photo of my self, bro?” “I think they won't even question It bloody hell the sky is raining massive purple rocks you tool”. As we drive away I see by far the strangest thing I've seen, buildings starting to crumble, fire everywhere destruction and several small objects floating and 1 or 2 big objects floating. For a second I swear I hear a slight hum. I look and I even see half a house suspended in the air. This is big news I will never forget this moment.

As we drive further away I see just how large an area was struck by these rocks, concentrated in town they taper off into odd shots throughout the countryside even 1 damn near struck my house steaming next to a big oak tree. What are these things sniper shots it's like they hit dead on target a populated area.

We drive to my home, small but 1 big difference it has a basement, and that’s what we needed we quickly hide all the rocks in the basement, curious as to why my house didn’t fly away in hindsight, il have to look into that in future. The big one we just stuck in the garden and buried it with dirt couldn’t fit it through the door if we tried it's like 2 by 3 meters and mostly purple. It’s the largest shard remaining from the big ass one that struck the store.

We quickly put on the tv to hear the news maybe they could shed some light. “Click” the news is got headlines “Purple meteorites decimate parts of England, destruction everywhere” “What are these purple rocks why did they hit populated areas”. The newswomen say they have reached out to NASA for more information but they have no response they are live-streaming a crash site. As far as I can tell about 1/3 of the country has been impacted, are area was pretty bad but London got hit hard to0, hundreds of people are dead even more hurt, many missing. The last thing we see is the military rolling in the background where the camera crew is. Suddenly we hear screaming “Turn that off now this is a restricted area,” she says “the public has a right to know” anxiously. Suddenly rumbling all we see is her get tackled before black.

I turn to my brother, we both hesitate. What do you say in this situation? We could wait until I'm the one controlling which way is up this is beyond crazy. I wait moments before saying, we need to hide these rocks well the military are gonna want them” “Got any ideas, Connor?”