Crossover Earth '98
Whipping over the Texas landscape, Kayli quickly reviewed her mission parameters. It was simple really, she was to wreck as much fencing as she could find, scatter (or kill) some of the local meat animals and destroy a few buildings. Popping over a low hill and zipping between a pair of trees, Kayli smirked to herself. it would seem that one of the local ranchers harbored a great deal of resentment for another local rancher. Five hundred dollars of resentment, in fact. Granted, she wasn't too sure as to the exact worth of five hundred dollars, but it was a start. Besides, Jeff had seemed impressed.
Coming over another rise, Kayli shot straight up into the air, giving herself a good view of her target. It was time to get to work.
WAY OF THE MONKEY
MICHAEL SURBROOK
The fence was constructed of rough hewn wooden posts linked by strands of wire. Kayli ran her hand lightly across one of the lengths of wire, feeling the slight tug of sharp points against the fabric of her glove. Tsking slightly at such crude -- but effective -- materials, she wrapped a length of wire around one hand and gave an experimental tug. There was a rapid popping sound as the staples came free and the whole length tore away from the posts in a highly satisfactory manner.
Twenty minutes and several hundred yards of fence later, Kayli tossed the last length of post over her shoulder. Ripping up the fence may have been what the client had requested, but it sure was boring. Maybe it was time to go and find out what a 'cow' was.
A 'cow' it seemed, was a large four-legged herbivore. There were a couple of hundred in Kayli's immediate vicinity, all chewing contentedly on mouthfuls of grass. Kayli thought they had to be some of the most moronic looking creatures she had ever seen. Perhaps not as bad as a gog, but close. Scattering them should be easy.
Taking a step towards a cow, tail lashing back and forth with nervous energy, Kayli raised both arms in the air. <Shoo! G'wan, scat! Get!> Nothing. The cow just gave her a uncomprehending look and kept on chew its cud. Stupid animal.
With a sudden whip-crack noise and a flare of light, Kayli produced her energy sword. Taking it in both hands she swung down as hard as she could, neatly severing the cow's head from the rest of its body. There was a moment of silence, and then the cow collapsed to the ground, bright red blood jetting forth from its neck in a thick stream. That got everyone's attention. The was a low rumbling noise as the nearby cattle started to move away, the stink of blood and death more than enough encouragement. Laughing, Kayli bounded into the air, unleashing a scattering of energy bolts into the midst of the herd. Within moments, she had a regular stampede on her hands, with panicked cattle racing in all directions. Kayli grinned, with luck, some might end up on the client's property; she'd have to see about a bonus.
Rising further into the air, Kayli headed west, to where she'd been told most of the major buildings were located. It didn't take long to find them, a scattering of low buildings, a number of ground cars and a tall tower with an unknown purpose. Losing altitude, Kayli came to a stop, bringing her hands together to from a bright glowing ball. A moment later, a brilliant white beam lanced across the sky to punch through one of the houses in a spray of shattered wood, plaster dust and broken glass. Kayli chuckled, that should wake someone up.
Within moments a number of men had come stumbling out of different doors, coughing and swearing. Almost all of them were armed, and it didn't take long for Kayli to attract their attention. Soon there was the steady popping of small arms fire as the ranch hands started firing back at the strange figure that swooped and dove over the roof tops, occasionally letting loose with another destructive bolt.
Finally, a small squad of men exited from the largest building, armed with long tubes connected by heavy cables to large backpacks. Kayli paused for a moment, her curiosity piqued by these strange new weapons that looked so much different than the primitive slug throwers the others carried. Dropping down to one knee, the men quickly took aim and began a steady barrage, staggering bursts in groups of three to allow for continuous stream of weapon's fire.
With a yelp of surprise, Kayli dropped down behind a roof top. The first few shots had just missed her, and she was positive that those were plasma generators! A surprising development to be sure. Nothing she'd seen so far gave any indication that this world would have that kind of technology. Gritting her teeth, Kayli prepared herself for the upcoming assault.
Coming over the roof of the house, Kayli managed to dodge two shots by catching the third square on the breastplate. Her armor absorbed most of the impact, but she quickly realized that a couple more shots like that and she'd be done for. Snapping her left hand in a tight arc, she sprayed an energy burst to scatter the first set of gunmen, while summoning another sphere of energy with her right. Twisting in mid-air, she then launched a power blast right into the squad of plasma gunners, scattering them and sending most of the front porch sky high.
That was when she heard the laughter.
Turning further in the air, Kayli noticed a older, white haired man standing on what was left of the porch, leaning on a cane. With a word and a wave, he stopped those that were trying to fire. Giving Kayli a broad smile, hen then beckoned to her, obviously wanting her to come closer.
Staring down at the old man, Kayli crossed her arms over her chest, tail twitching as she thought. His grin, she figured, was meant as a friendly gesture... not always a given in her line of work. Bare your teeth to a kizin, m'larnne or the han and you were sure to end up in a fight to the death. But, she understood the idea of a smile, and she also understood the desire for single combat. Obviously the old man wanted to fight her one-on-one, which meant she should show him that challenging a Saiyan warrior wasn't something done lightly.
Dropping down to the ground some distance away from the man and his soldiers, Kayli tensed for battle, wrapping her tail tight around her waist. Tapping into her internal energy, she arced her back and howled at the sky. Dust and debris swirled around her most satisfactorily as flaring sheets of energy ignited around her body. Continuing to summon her battle aura, Kayli noted that those men still conscious had scattered almost immediately, scrambling for better cover. Kayli laughed silently, she could feel the energy coursing through her bad, making her stronger, more powerful, if those men wanted to survive her wrath, mere wooden walls were not going to be sufficient. As suddenly as the wind and light had come, it was gone. Kayli took a slow step forward, looking straight ahead at the old man, ignoring the others. The time for battle was almost upon her.
Squinting against the light and dust, the white haired man still stood before the ruined porch, leaning slightly on his cane. "Surely there's no need for all this, my good lady," he said, raising his voice slightly and giving Kayli a charming smile.
"You've been sent to kill me, correct?" he continued, "Well, at least satisfy my curiosity before dispatching me, preferably in a quiet and painless manner. Which one of my numerous enemies had genius enough to hire you?"
Kayli stopped short. This was not exactly what she had expected. Cross her arms over her chest, she stared at the old man, tail twitching back and forth. The old man, she thought, had a great deal of class, what with facing certain death unafraid and with a smile. She also realized that her client had not specifically asked her to kill anyone and she certainly didn't want to do any wetwork without getting paid for it.
"Well, old man today you are in luck." Kayli returned the man's grin, "I wasn't hired to kill you, only to wreck fences, scatter herd animals and smash buildings."
"I... see," the man glanced at Kayli and then at the horizon. "And who was it that hired you to do that?"
"It was... uh..." Kayli paused, realizing that she didn't know the name of her client. He had given her money and told her what to do, and that had been good enough for her. She'd have to remeber to get a name next time. "He's from over there," she finished, pointing in the direction of her client's ranch. "Why? Do you have a better offer?"
Now it was the old man's turn to pause. He followed Kayli's gesture with his eyes and abruptly started laughing, with a deep hearty laugh that belied his apparent age.
"No offense, good lady," he said, "but when I saw you flying in the air and coming toward the house, I thought to myself, 'Carlos, now is your time. But at least you will have died watching a fine warrior in battle'. And I laughed then at the sheer joy of a new experience."
Carlos paused again, wiping at his eyes with his free hand. "And now I find that you have not been hired to kill me, only to terrorize me by my most annoying neighbor. And so I laugh at the joy of being alive and presented with an unexpected gift."
Shaking his head at the fickleness of Fate, Carlos nodded to Kayli. "Yes, I most certainly have a better offer. I believe you have fulfilled your current contract. You will understand that I personally am retired, but I still have many associates in business, and one such is having a bit of trouble in Arizona. He is trying to buy out a number of farmers, and meeting with some resistance."
"I would be willing to pay you ten thousand dollars to help my associate with his difficulties. Understand that you will be working for me, and performing a favor for this man on my behalf. Also, there is some superhuman opposition."
"If this arrangement goes well, perhaps we can work out a continuing relationship."
Kayli gave Carlos an inqusitive look. Ten thousand dollars? Ten thousand? That was... uh... uh... a lot more that the five hundred her first client had paid her! Dropping her hands to her hips, Kayli inclined her head to where Carlos stood. "You've got a deal Carlos. For ten thousand dollars, I'll fight wherever and whoever you want."