Still woozy from the fall, Marcius felt strong vibrations accompanied by a frantic screeching. An unpleasant shudder ran through his body. Two hollow pyramids approached him from both sides, closing up upon him upon him like jaws, trapping him in a crystal rhombus. Through the fusing seam, he caught a last glimpse of the night sky, which still harbored a silver trace of his friend's capsule, receding into the distance at the speed of light.
The last thought that crossed Marcius' mind before he lost consciousness was that this was sooner a terrible nightmare than real life.