Monday, March 2, 2026

Fiddling with random ideas.

 2 AM, 20xx

Andromeda Marius landed on the roof of the building housing her apartment, and exhaled, a steamy haze clouding up the cool air. Sigh. Was she content or bemused? She shook her head, and felt coolness somewhere around her diaphgram. Going out had been worth it. She walked to the edge of the building. She slid down the pipe at the edge of the fire escape, until she was slightly above the balcony, then lightly hopped , landing softly. Her pale reflection reminded her to take care of her skin color-- no rush for tonight, but might as well.

She twisted her neck to a satisfying pop of pressure equalization, as her insides shifted. She found the seam on her outfit and begun unclasping the mesh. Heavy, flexible weight thocked on the floor as she undressed. Tomorrow... She was giving a lecture on metamaterials for freshmen. Could she make time to sit on Otani's lecture on phonons? The schedules didn't overlap, last she'd checked.

Her laptop reminded her of an alert she'd set up. "Report any strange sightings of large drones to DHS." Vague. Could be about her. The reward was decent, she supposed.

Oh. Her laptop's battery looked hotter than it should. It had been second-hand, and she could just carry a power bank, she supposed.

Afternoon

"Sorry, just recalled something I need to take care. I'll catchup." Andi excused herself, gesturing with her phone. "I'll catch up, 'k?" She left, walking briskly to a nearby alley.

Thank god she wasn't wearing stockings. She slipped out of her heels and sprinted. At the other end, she quickly crossed the street, and slipped to another narrow alley. There, at the end. A person with a hot gun and another, pale. From shock? She theorized.

Well. She dashed at reasonable rate and snatched the gun, the pressure from her hand keeping the trigger immobile. "None of that, now." She dismantled the gun and took a step past the two, dodging a hasty grab attempt. She pulled out her phone.

"I'm calling the police now," she informed the two. She didn't really want to... the situation was inconvenient to her, but she could at least temporarily pacify the situation, she hoped. She looked at the two faces, trying to read social cues. Not her forte.

She gave the two a closer look. Both male, young adults or older teens... Ugh, there was a graze at the side of the other one "Keep pressure on it."

The pale kid nodded, so Andi took that as agreement, then she got closer to the shooter. "Look, I don't really want to be involved, so..." Her hand snaked, lightning-fast to his pocket, and pulled out his phone. She guesstimated the unlock code from the screen's surface, and on second attempt she was in. She dialed 911. "Hello? There's been an..." They were both just kids. She hedged a bit. "Accident at < invent street address here >, and a kid's bleeding." She then ended the call and handed the kid his phone back, after quickly checking his socials. "Here. Now, don't go far, Edward."

She turned to check on the other kid. "You holding up okay?" It didnt' seem like any major blood vessels or more than a tear at the transversus... "I know it hurts, but keep pressure on it and you'll be okay."

Andromeda glanced momentarily as Edward chose to take off.

When she heard the sirens at the end of the block, she nodded, "You'll be okay. I have to go now."

She quickly made herself scarce and started making her way back to where she'd left her heels. Now, what was that dinner place where she was supposed to meet up with her coworkers?

----


I'm not very good with environments and minor characters. Working on it. Maybe.