There were, barely, a meter or two of clearance filled with pipes and support beams. Below him, seemingly unaware of his presence, were a dozen or so men and women, the auras of two-thirds of them rife with dark streaks and bursts of confusion. They all stood around a figure lying on one of the many cots in the room. He could hear the conversation, and gathered from it that her family-the four other normal-seeming auras-feared that she was too weak to travel. Some otthers were attempting to explain to the family that the bus was waiting. The family wasn't listening.
He recognized none of them by their auras or what he could make out of their physical forms, and willed himself upward, hoping to pass through the roof. His astral body couldn't, though. There were planks of wood across the roof, and he couldn't pass astrally through that once-living material. Staying as close to the ceiling as possible, Kyle began to drift forward toward the far wall, hoping to slip out there. As he went he noticed that three of the insect-possessed humans had moved off and were having a hushed argument. He also noticed that the old woman seemed to be watching him. Her head, at least, turned as he drifted forward, seemingly tracking his movement. He thought about pausing to get a better look at her, but decided against it, and instead accelerated his motion.
He reached the wall, and easily slipped his head through the inorganic metal there. Talking quietly among themselves near the door of the bus were three of what Kyle took to be guards. From the bus streamed some light, but Kyle saw no one inside it. Nor did he sense any sign of the powerful spirit that Seeks-the-Moon had detected.
He was concerned about reaching the bus without detection, but could think of no simple way of creating a diversion while in astral form. He watched them for a moment, and when they all seemed to glance down or look away, he shot over to the roof of the bus with the speed of thought.
Just as he brought himself to a stop flush against the metal roof, Kyle heard a door of the warehouse slam shut and a pair of voices begin an indiscernible conversation. More voices quickly joined in. Kyle took that as his chance to shift position to where his head dropped down through the roof of the bus.
There were dozens of people inside, men, women, and children. Propelling himself forward he looked quickly at each of their auras, hoping to recognize one. All were unfamiliar.
As he came to the last one at the front of the bus, a tall man with short dark hair and a crumpled long coat stepped into the bus, his aura bearing no resemblance to anything human. He immediately stopped, surprised, and then lunged up at Kyle's head, his face and aura instantly turning dark.
Unrestrained by the confines of the flesh, Kyle was far faster. Before the newcomer could move even two steps, let alone try to seize his astral head, Kyle was gone, moving at the speed of thought toward the railway yard. He shot between cars, keeping himself a meter or two off the ground to use them as cover. He turned quickly, once, twice, and then back toward the bus. From cover inside one of the freight cars he could see the bus pulling away quickly.
Staying out of its view, he crossed between more cars and then accelerated back to where his body was. He reached it, slipped back inside, and almost leaped to his feet in one motion. Seeks-the-Moon, seated in an old wooden chair in the back room they'd broken into, eyed him expectantly.
"They weren't there," Kyle said, picking up the Ares assault rifle he'd been carrying. "But I did see your spirit buddy."
The spirit raised an eyebrow.
"I think he was like the others, an insect spirit possessing a human body, but he was a powerful fragger," Kyle told him, "and I think he could mask his aura."
The spirit seemed surprised. "How well?"
"Don't know," Kyle said as they left the building, "but I think I caught him with his guard down. He could see me in astral space, even took a swipe at me, but he didn't pursue. I think he was stuck in the flesh." They began jogging toward where the Knight Errant troopers had been. Kyle could hear engines beginning to recede in the distance.
"How distasteful," Seeks-the-Moon said
Kyle didn't answer, but as the two reached the alley behind the building Ravenheart and the others had been using for surveillance of the gathering site, he could see that the guard and Canelli's motorcycle were missing.
"Drek!" Kyle cursed. “They better not have moved out already."
The two dashed into the building and up the short flight of stairs to the room where the trooper had been. It was empty.
Kyle slammed his fist into empty air. "God-frag-it!"
"The bus can't have gotten far," Seeks-the-Moon said. "I can still almost hear the motor."
"Yeah, but we're on foot. And to travel fast enough we'd either have to go astral or use magic, which that fraggin' man-bug-spirit thing will notice like a flare going off." Kyle was pacing the room as he spoke, then suddenly stopped at one of the partially broken windows. A man was sprinting toward the warehouse.
"Come on!" Kyle said, and dashed toward a different stairwell that seemed to lead down toward the front of the building. It did, and ended near a partially broken-open front door. Kyle shouldered his way through the door, then he and Moon dashed across the street toward the warehouse, Kyle quickly activating all his foci as they went.
"Wait!" said the spirit. "You don't know what might still be there!"
Kyle ignored him and rushed toward the rear door he'd seen the sprinter heading toward. Approaching, he could hear it locking shut and a man's voice on the other side beginning to shout. Kyle slowed, slung the rifle, and ran the formula for a powerful blast of raw physical power through his head. He released the spell, barely pausing in his dash, and watched with some satisfaction as the weak wooden door disintegrated in front of him.
"Keep at least one alive!" Kyle called out as he rushed in, the spell for a physical shield racing through his mind. It sprung into being, a transparent rectangle of shimmering blue energy, as the man, who'd ducked to one side of the door, threw a skillful martial arts kick at Kyle's head.
The blow smashed against the magical shield and pushed Kyle to one side, clearing the door for Seeks-the-Moon, who quickly stepped in. The man turned to meet him, and Kyle saw a slash of red energy cut across him as Seeks-the-Moon's own hand shot out. Blood and ichor immediately burst from the man's neck as he stumbled back, clutching at the wound. He fell backward over a crate and crashed down onto the floor. Seeks-the-Moon maneuvered himself between the man and Kyle as Kyle rushed forward into the main room.
The four family members were dead, their bodies twisted and tossed aside. As Kyle rushed in, one of the men, the larger of the two remaining, had just finished snapping the neck of a teenage boy. He let the body drop at his feet and charged at Kyle.
The man was quick for his size, but Kyle let the shield spell dissipate and quickly reworked the energy. It flowed together through his fingers and extended toward the man, almost solidifying into a shaft of physical energy. The man tried to turn, but couldn't, hitting the end of the shaft head on. The energy burst around him like water from a hose, tearing into him and arcing around him.
As the man stumbled, Kyle sidestepped and then lashed out with his own kick, catching him on the side of the knee. Kyle felt the leg snap, and the man twisted, screaming with more pain. He fell, crashing down headfirst onto the concrete floor.
Pain surged through Kyle's side as the other man hit him blind-side. He stumbled, most of the breath getting knocked out of him as the man hit him again across the side of the head. A wave of pain and nausea washed over Kyle as he turned away, trying to protect himself. The man struck again, and this time Kyle felt the blow slice by close to his ear.