Species XD-63

It's quite tight, isn't it?

The sliding doors revealed the end of the rooms and the beginning of the vast warehouse. The laminated floors ended abruptly and concrete replaced it, stretching for what seemed like miles. On the roof, Lola could see the skeletal metal structure, like ribs holding the building up. She couldn't help but audibly gasp at the rows upon rows of.....pods? That's what the Xyon called them anyway.

They stood up, a small metallic dish like a placemat at the bottom holding them still. A handful of tubes were connected to the dish, crisscrossing and connecting with others and joining like a large snake at the end of the warehouse. The constant hum flitting through the air caused Lola's hair to stand up and she could almost feel the energy surging through. 

Each pod was shaped like a metal egg, with a large section replaced with a tinted glass front. At the bottom, spurting out like flagellum, was a tail of heavy tubing. Using her limited knowledge and the Men In Black films, she guessed that they must be the pod's propulsion. She would have never guessed that here, in this inconspicuous warehouse on the edge of her home town, was a fleet of Alien pods ready to zip them to space. 

The more you know.

The couples at the front were eager to get moving and made a beeline to the nearest pod, the girls squealing in excitement. Lola looked up at Egris, hoping that he would lead the way. After a few seconds of nothing, Egris grudgingly surged forward, taking a pod away from the others. 

Lola followed behind him, much like a lost, confused and odd fitting puppy. He knew his away around these pods and quickly opened the front of the craft. The glass lifted and a thick mist seeped out and pooled at their feet. Lola took a step back out of instinct, circumspect of the fog. Egris took one look in her direction before opening the glass fully, revealing 4 seats. Two in the front and two in the back, packed closely together like sardines. She wondered if she and the Xyon would sit next to each other - or he made her sit somewhere else.

But Lola didn't need to speculate as two people emerged behind them. She threw her head behind her shoulder and saw Julie with her mate. He had her bag flung of his shoulders and looked at the young lady with a dopey smile. They clearly wanted to board this pod too, despite there being at least 40 others to choose from. 

The look on Egris face showed his emotion clearly. Irritation, mainly.

"There are many other ships, Sestru. Not just this one." he growled, with his back to Julie's alien.

"I wanted to travel with my friend, is that a crime?" Sestru grinned, slapping Egris on the back.

"Yes."

And with that, Egris hauled the case onto the floor by the back seats and clambered in. Lola quickly joined suite, not knowing what else to do. She dropped herself on the seat, making sure none of her person was touching the enraged Alien by her side. Sestru took Julie's hand enthusiastically and lead her to the seats in front of them. Lola hoped Julie would sit in front of her so her poor feet wouldn't be crushed. But luck had closed the door and left. The gigantic Sestru dumped himself on the chair, forcing his seat back and jamming it into Lola's shins. 

She hissed in pain and tried to shift to ease the discomfort. This left Lola moving across to Egris's space, cherishing the room to move her feet. Egris turned his head a fraction of an inch to see Lola wiggle her feet and sigh. 

Humans - what strange creatures, he thought.

xxx

A bright purple light cast a glow onto the four people in the pod, capturing Lola's attention. A woman's voice, soft and inhuman filled her senses. It sounded like it came from all directions, tenderly whispering into her ears and capturing every inch of Lola's awareness.

"Welcome to pod number 28. We will be en route to Xyon grand station - the journey taking 45 minutes. Please make sure you are seated comfortably. This pod will depart in 20 seconds."

Lola's head quickly shot to Egris and then Julie, a sudden fear consuming her and the once-dormant butterflies became violent in the abyss of her stomach. They would be speeding through space in a pod, just managing to fit 4 people and the journey would take less than an hour. She knew space travel was advanced, but it must be made of magic to manage that. But everyone looked calm, content even. Was she the only one nervous about this odyssey? Or had they just lost their minds?

"You must calm, Lola. I can hear your heart from here," Egri's voice sliced through the silence.

She kept her head down, watching how her hands tied knots round each other.

"I and Sestru have made this journey plenty of times and we're fine. So, calm." He carried on, sparing one brief glance at Lola's form.

But his words did little to ease her discomfort. They were aliens, of course, they had made a journey like this often. Lola, however, had not.

A low rumble started at the base of the pod and steadily grew, causing the chairs to vibrate excessively. It was a new sensation to Lola and she gripped the sides of her chair, cursing fervently in her head. Like being in an elevator, Lola felt herself get lighter as the pod surged upwards, separating from the metallic placemat. A sheen of sweat formed on her brow and the constraint on her chair turned her knuckles a pure white. 

This was not a good choice. Not a good choice!

The feeling of lightness increased to such a point that she couldn't feel any weight at all and her head felt fuzzy. The vice-like grasp loosened and Lola folded them on her lap. It was like dropping suddenly on a roller coaster, a sensation of floating. This continued for a good 10 minutes until it suddenly dropped and all the weight Lola had missed came crashing down. She was forced forward, taking a moment to regain her normal posture again. 

Never travelling in this thing again.