Fam Away From Home

The Machination Trajectoration

Astra got ahead of Ryan as they raced in the warehouse, admittedly out of the urge to pull away. To run, run as fast as she could, away from emotions. So, when she reached the solemn couple, she slowed when Graham called, "Got a man down over here." 

"Oh, Lord," the American brunette mumbled, jogging to meet them. He was an Asian man, possibly Middle Eastern. But he didn't have anything that gave way to anything Astra was familiar with. He wasn't even bleeding. Blood was everywhere in her world. This was.. cleaner, colder. So detached. Ooh, a bit of blood staining the side of his mouth. But that was mostly drool. She looked in and saw the gap in his white teeth to a dark gum. "Jesus," she huffed, pulling back. 

A hand on her back signified the blonde's return to her side. 

She covered her mouth, looking away. 

"That thing must've killed him. I've never seen injuries like these," wailed Grace. 

"It looked like..." Astra thought for a moment. She shook her head as she saw the man's frosted face stuck in her mind. "Freezer burn." 

"It broke his jaw open too," Grace lamented begrudgingly. 

Blondie stepped up to the body, pulling away from her brunette friend. "Looks like it took one of his teeth. What sort of creature kills someone and then stops to pull out a tooth?" Her hand landed back on Astra's back. "I'm sorry you all had to see this." 

Astra turned back to the group, standing tall, the picture of grace. A hand on her hip and the other on her abdomen, looking back at the body almost detatchedly. 

Meanwhile, the actual Grace looked about. "I'll.. find something to cover the body." She stood and moved away.

"Thank you, Grace," the woman in charge called gently, quietly. "I'm sorry any of this is happening. I'm sorry that thing on the train planted these bombs inside you, and I'm sorry I haven't figured out what's going on yet." 

Astra placed her hand on the one touching her. She brought their palms together. "Is it here because of you?" she asked. 

"I don't think so," she responded, her lovely accent rounding a hint of exasperation. 

"Then stop apologizing." The brunette paused for a moment and the blonde let her. She stepped closer to the blonde, patting her shoulder. "Not everything is your fault." She seemed to be quoting someone before she stepped over to where Ryan was. 

There were two shards of some blue teardrop looking object. It... looked like the photo Ryan had taken. He confirmed her suspicions by shouting, "This is it. This is the thing!" 

That attracted all of the others. The blonde again crouching to examine it. Her calves must've been... Focus, Astra! 

"It was all sealed up earlier. Looks like it's been broken." 

The blonde stood up again, circling the yellow glowing object. "Or it's done what it came here for. It's some sort of transport chamber, presumably for that thing we just saw in the alley. But why here? Why tonight?" 

"Actually, that might have been me," Ryan admitted. 

Astra suddenly looked up at him, dread settling in her gut. 

"Why? What did you do?" the concussed blonde demanded gently. 

Ryan gestured, pointing toward the woods he'd found it. "When I went to get me bike, there were this line in the air. And then it moved, and there were shapes."

The blonde bobbed her head expectantly. "And?"

The poor boy looked really scared. "And I touched one," he admitted.