Crossover Earth '98
FULL CONTACT
A P. Edmund Chang Production
of a
Drooling Fanboy Productions Film
Written by Michael Surbrook and Nestor Rodriguez
Directed by Ringo Lam
Fight Choreography by Akira Toriyama
Executive Producer John Woo
Somewhere in Texas:
Tossing her now-dead shield aside, Marta struck the machine pistol to the floor with a blinding snap kick. Leaping forward, the weaponless Triad soldier launched his own kick, a high circling strike, that to Marta seemed painfully slow. She dodged the blow by throwing herself straight back, to fall flat on the floor, her attacker's foot passing harmlessly overhead. Twisting around, Marta swung her leg in a tight arc, catching the man's leg just behind the knee. There was a satisfying crash as he fell through a nearby table.
Leaping to her feet, Marta ducked a second attacker's wild swing and just managed to catch a third's incoming knife thrust with a circular forearm block. Producing her Hoshoku Zeta in her other hand, Marta jammed the .44 Magnum tight against the man's body. She fired three rounds in rapid succession, reducing the chest to a red ruin. He fell backwards in a spray of blood, his knife spiraling away to land amid the debris of the floor. There was a faint ringing as spent shell casings bounced across the floor.
**beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...**
Dropping the paperback with a snarl of disgust, Kayli snatched the beeper off of her belt. Personally, she'd have crushed the annoying rectangle of black plastic, but Carlos had asked for her to wear it. And since Kayli tended to combat boredom by flying to the far reaches of the ranch, she did recognize the need for her to have the device.
Flipping the beeper over, Kayli pressed the message button.
01: [16:05] YOU HAVE A JOB. RETURN ASAP.
"Yahhhoo!" Kayli shouted, tossing her book into the beer cooler. "Time for some fun!"
Near the Town of Concho, Arizona:
"Awright! Everybody quiet down!" Bill Ferris yelled over the flood of conversation roaring in the room.
Once relative calm was achieved, Ferris continued. "Okay. You've all heard what happened over at my place. It could easily have been any of your homes, and it could have ended up a hell of a lot worse." He instinctively glanced at the silent figure of the Traveller standing in the back of the small hall.
"AgroCo has apparently decided that if they can't buy us out, they're going to kick us out. But we're not going to let them, are we?"
"NO!" The hall echoed with the yell. Ferris grinned for a second, feeling the rush of power command over a crowd will give. He sobered up quickly, mindful of the responsibility to these people.
"Now, we can try to fight this by ourselves, but they'll just pick us off, one by one. The only way we can win is if we work together. Are you willing to do that?"
"Yes!" The response this time was less enthusiastic, as the individual farmers began to wonder what this all was leading to.
Bill Ferris fought to keep the crowd's focus. "We have to make our point to the corporation that we're not going to be scared or bullied off our land. And we need to make sure that everybody knows what AgroCo's been doing. You with me so far?"
Some more assents, this time varied and subdued. Ferris made himself grin again, trying to evoke a level of self-confidence he wasn't sure he had.
"Well, here's our plan..."
Texas:
Carlos Pochtli's office was a cool relief from the Texas' heat. Carlos himself sat behind his desk, a calm expression on his face. Kayli, on the other hand, was virtually twitching with nervous energy, her tail lashing the air violently.
"Well," Kayli asked breathlessly, once the tedious and mostly ceremonial exchange of pleasantries were out of the way, "you've got a job for me?"
"Yes, Kayli," Carlos folded his hands before him on the desk, "an... associate of mine, in Arizona, has decided he needs our assistance."
"What sort of 'assistance'?"
"He will inform you of the details once you arrive."
"Oh," Kayli's once-jubilant mood melted away in an instant, her tail stopping in mid-swing.
Carlos waved one hand in a calming gesture. "Don't worry Kayli, you're in my employ, not his. You're to take his directions, yes; but have the freedom to ignore anything that doesn't make sense, or is obviously foolish.
"Ahh..." Kayli grinned, her tail resuming it's rapid flutter.
Concho, Arizona:
Kayli sighed. Concho was a tiny little town out in the middle of nowhere. By her estimate there couldn't be more than a couple of hundred people living here, tops. It was also dry, dusty and *hot*. She was getting real tired of hot. If she hadn't seen video telling her otherwise, Kayli would have been positive that Earth was one giant dustball, all blowing sands, dry heat and yellow grass.
Right now, Kayli found herself standing in front of one of the tallest buildings in Concho, surrounded by several of Carlos' men. They'd flown in the last few miles by some sort of primitive - and noisy - aircraft that had set down a short distance outside of town. Kayli and her escort had then been driven into town by a number of surly men dressed in jeans, workshirts and boots. Kayli decided that around here staying out in the hot sun must boil the brain, since everyone looked to be angry about something. Which was a good thing; Kayli liked it when people were angry, angry people tended not to think straight.
Entering the three-story AgroCo building, Kayli immediately felt the refreshing waft of climate controlled air. A few moments later, and she was stepping into the outer office of Trevor Hamilton, her contact here in Concho. Standing in the outer office and leaning on a desk, was of an over-muscled human dressed in a filthy leather jacket. His nose was bandaged and one eye looked to be blackened. He didn't bother to speak, but simply glared at Kayli as she walked in.
"Mr. Hamilton's through that door." One of the men gestured in the proper direction.
"Hmmm..." Kayli mumbled, keeping a wary eye on the bruised human. He, she thought, might be trouble, since he looked less than happy to see her. But then, not too many people were ever happy to see her.
The caravan of dusty pick-ups and trucks slowly made its way down Concho's main street. They stopped in front of the AgroCo HQ, taking up every available space for a couple of blocks.
In unison, the vehicle's occupants disembarked, coalescing into a large group at the steps of the tall building.
Standing next to Bill Ferris, the Traveller spied a couple of the farmers carrying ax-handles. He pointed them out to Ferris and the farmer intercepted them. After a hurried conversation, the two shamefacedly returned to their trucks and placed the impromptu weapons away. The Traveller nodded. There would not be violence today if he could help it.
As the group milled about, a small van drove up, double parking right in front of them. A woman came out of the van, accompanied by a man carrying a portable camera. The local TV station had been contacted, and had agreed to send a team to cover the protest.
So far, so good, thought the Traveller.
Closing the door behind her, she found herself facing a tall man, dressed in a dark suit despite the heat, standing behind a narrow desk. "Ah..." he said hesitantly, "You must be the help Carlos promised. You are?" He offered Kayli his hand and a somewhat weak grin.
"Kayli." She stared at his hand until he quietly withdrew it. "Now, Mr. Hamilton, what can I do for you?"
"Oh, it's simple really." Trevor took a seat behind his desk, while Kayli dropped into a chair facing him. "We want to buy up the land around here, you see? And the farmers don't want to sell." As he spoke his manner became more confident, less nervous and hesitant. "Okay, normal enough so far. We hire some muscle, a guy by the name of Megaman who can fly and hit real hard."
Megaman scowled as he saw the assembled group march in through the doors right up to the receptionist's station, demanding to see Trevor Hamilton.
He stepped out into the lobby and pushed the frightened receptionist aside, shouting, "Hold your horses or I'll wrap 'em around your neck!"
The next thing he knew, the Traveller stood next to the station, looking levelly at him. "These people have a right to be heard. Do you need me to convince you again?"
Megaman paled as he saw the Traveller, then his face screwed up in rage. His muscles tensed, as if ready to launch himself at the one responsible for his humiliating defeat, when he noticed the unblinking eye of the newsman's camera pointed at him. He paused, unsure of how to proceed.
Suddenly, the office door behind him slammed open and a figure emerged.
"Megaman?"
"Yeah, Megaman. Anyway, he and some other guys go out to a farmers house to lean on him, and he comes back bloodied and beaten. I've got him out watching the front office, it's about all he's good for right now."
"Unhunh." Kayli promptly tossed the man she'd seen out front off of her 'might be a threat' list.
"Anyway, what I want--"
Whatever Trevor wanted was drowned out by a rapidly increasing number of loud voices. It sounded as if there was a sizable mob out in the front office, demanding, among other things, to see Trevor Hamilton. Kayli could quite clearly hear a voice, she presumed it was Megaman's, shouting, "Hold your horses or I'll wrap 'em around your neck!".
Trevor eyes' widened and shaking his head in disbelief he looked over at Kayli. "They're not supposed to come here, that's not the way this works. We rough them up, burn down a few buildings, they finally sell out, and we never see them again. What are they doing here?"
Mentally, Kayli shook her head in return. It was painfully obvious to her that Carlos' 'associate', Trevor, was a fool. In Kayli's opinion, if you're going to play rough, then you'd better be prepared to stand up to the angry masses. That and Trevor didn't look to be much for thinking on his feet.
"Mr. Hamilton?" Kayli stood and leaned on Trevor's desk.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Would you like me to remove that crowd for you?"
"Uh, yeah" Trevor nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Thank you."
Tossing the door to the outer office open, Kayli pitched the thin sleeve-less overcoat she'd been wearing to one side. She then marched out into the office and tapped Megaman on the shoulder.
"Enh?" he grunted.
"Stand aside."
Give the crowd a quick once over, Kayli was less than impressed. Even the bikers she'd fought a while back had looked better than this. Concentrating for a moment, she pushed off from the floor with a hissing flare of light and energy.
"Listen up!" she boomed, raising one hand into the air. "This office will be empty by the count of five!" Forming a fist, she began to count off.
"Wa'!"
"Cha'!"
"Wej!"
"Los!"
"Vagh!"
"Time's up..."
The Traveller's eyes narrowed as the imposing figure of a woman strode out of the office beyond. Her gray skin and exotic armor made it possible she was another superhuman. As she walked up and prodded Megaman aside, he noticed what looked like a furry belt wrapped around her middle. Strange.
What little doubt there was as to her nature was dispelled as the woman flared and rose up in the air.
She called out in a loud voice. "Listen up! This office will be empty by the count of five!" She began counting down in some strange tongue.
The Traveller saw no other choice. If left unchecked, this person seemed capable and willing to harm these people. He had to take her attention away from them.
As the woman finished her countdown, he walked out of the crowd and faced her.
"Let's you and me take this outside," he said in a quiet voice which still carried over the noise in the lobby. He then turned and walked through the doors to the street outside.
"Let's you and me take this outside."
Kayli blinked with surprise and looked down. The speaker looked average enough, dressed as he was in a denim jacket, checkered flannel shirt and denim jeans. Without even waiting to see if she would comply, he turned and started for the door.
Dropping to the ground, Kayli spent a moment staring at the stranger's dusty back. Had he just challenged her? Her? Cracking her knuckles, Kayli grinned at the man's retreating back. This, she thought, should prove to be entertaining.
Stepping out into the hot Arizona sun, Kayli found the stranger standing in the middle of the street, a short distance away from the AgroCo building. He stood with his feet shoulder width apart, his arms loose by his side, projecting an aura of calm.
Taking her own place in the street, Kayli looked her opponent over with an inquisitive eye. He was tall and broad-shouldered, but otherwise unremarkable. She grinned slightly, her tail lashing at the air. A good fifty feet of street separated the two, a distance *she* could cross in an eye blink, she doubted her opponent could do likewise.
Standing in the street, the Traveller examined AgroCo's newest thug carefully. She was of above average height, with a well-muscled frame clad in a black jumpsuit and white armor. Outside, in the bright sun, her odd gray skin was quite obvious, and he was slightly surprised to note that what he thought to be a fuzzy black belt turned out to be the woman's tail, which had been wrapped tightly around her waist. Very strange.
Spreading her feet apart, Kayli felt her body tense as she tapped into her internal energies. A second later, a hissing sheet of energy roared into existence around her, startling the motley assortment of farmers and townspeople that had gathered around to watch. As she pumped more and more energy through her body, Kayli could feel herself becoming stronger, faster, more powerful. After a few moments, she allowed the aura to dissipate, having drawn all the energy she could. Relaxing slightly, her breath a thin white mist, Kayli slowly assumed her standard fighting stance.
The Traveller studied Kayli's display dispassionately. It appeared that she was preparing for combat without delay. Shifting his stance slightly, he decided that it was time to get some things straight. "Why are you doing this?" he called out in a projecting, but conversational, tone.
Rising out of her crouch, Kayli shrugged. What sort of a stupid question was that? "I'm getting ready," she replied.
I see, the Traveller thought, she obviously didn't understand my question. "For what?"
"To fight you."
He sighed, here we go again. "But why do you want to fight me?"
Are you going to talk or fight?" she snapped, frustrated at her opponent's verbose manner.
"I'm just curious as to why you're so intent on fighting."
Kayli shrugged again. "You're the one who said to 'take this outside'."
"You were going to hurt those people," the Traveller pointed out.
"I was told to get them out of the building," she smirked.
"Really?" He wanted to grin, now he was getting somewhere, "By who?"
"By Hamilton, you idiot!" Kayli was clearly aggravated now.
"Oh." The Traveller kept his tone conversational, " So he's your boss?"
"No!"
"Who is?"
"You talk too much," Kayli said abruptly, "If you fight as well as you talk, this won't be a total loss."
Now it was the Traveller's turn to shrug. "I hope not to disappoint you."
"Well, you're in for a treat," Kayli grinned, "Single combat with a Saiyan warrior."
"I'll keep that in mind." The Traveller slid into a slight crouch, bringing his arms up into a defense position.
Snapping her tail tight about her waist, Kayli dropped low and took off down the street. Bringing her right arm up, she then smashed her elbow into the side of the Traveller's head. The blow was supposed to put him down and out, leaving her free to disperse the rest of the crowd. She certainly didn't expect him to step back and catch her arm with his hands, pushing her aside with almost casual ease.
Dropping to the street, Kayli spun in a tight circle, snapping one outstretched leg into the back of the Traveller's knee. He crashed to the ground with a satisfying thump, fracturing the pavement.
Scrambling to his feet, the Traveller's body began to radiate even more heat as he started to accelerate his reflexes at the cost of his durability. But right now, he needed movement more than the ability to absorb punishment. Kayli moved far too fast and hit far too hard for him to just stand there and take it.
Standing right up, Kayli pointed a glowing hand at her opponent, snapping her wrist forward and flinging a cluster of energy bolts. Twisting to one side, the Traveller felt one bolt clip his side, while the other four whipped past to detonate behind him. Sparing a quick glance over one shoulder, he caught a quick glimpse of a now-wrecked truck, a dark-skinned man writhing on the ground, and what looked like a young boy, dressed in an orange jacket, lying motionless in the street.
Turning back to Kayli, the Traveller felt anger boil inside him. She had unleashed that attack without a single concern for any bystanders! He couldn't try to outlast her, he needed to stop her, and stop her now. Stepping forward, he delivered a lightning-fast straight punch which caught Kayli on the upper arm.
Hissing with anger, Kayli swung back, her fist a blur. The Traveller tried to duck, but caught the blow full in the chest and found himself flung back into the truck that Kayli's bolt had hit earlier. There was the musical tinkle of shattering glass as he slammed into the cab and the truck rocked back on its springs with a protesting squeal. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Another hit like that and he was done for.
Wasting no time, Kayli leapt in front of the Traveller, grabbing his shoulders and smashing his body into her out-thrust knee. The blow pitched him back, to bounce of the truck and tumble motionless to the ground. Kayli grinned, it had been a good fight, but in her mind, the outcome had never been in doubt. She raised her right hand, and formed a bright ball of energy, her beam sword should ensure that her unconscious opponent wouldn't be getting up for sometime... if ever.
A sudden roar to Kayli's left was all the warning she had as Megaman's fist crashed into her jaw, sending the alien mercenary skidding across the street to fetch up against the front of the AgroCo building. Staggering to her feet, Kayli was then slammed back and into the wall as Megaman flew right into her and started pummeling her with his fists. Coughing on the dust, her feet crunching on shattered chunks of brick, Kayli managed to block most of the angry man's blows by folding both arms tight against her body. Twisting to her right, she then spun and kicked her unexpected opponent high in the back, sending him face first into the wall.
Stumbling backwards, Kayli managed to draw a few pained breaths. Her jaw and both forearms ached from the man's powerful, if uncontrolled punches. "What the hell are you doing!" she rasped.
Pushing away from the fractured wall, Megaman turned to face her. "Get out of here!"
"What?"
"Get out!" Megaman bellowed, his face red and angry, "We don't need you here!"
"I don't care what you need!" Kayli snapped, "I'm here on Carlos' orders not yours!"
"So!" Megaman was rapidly losing what little control he might have once possessed. "Mr. Hamilton paid me to lean on these farmers, and I can handle it without you!"
"Really?" Kayli grinned, despite the pain in her jaw, and stepped forward. "Prove it!"
With a deep roar of rage, Megaman charged, his arms outstretched, and his hands curled into massive fists.
Kayli ducked his first punch, which opened a two foot hole in the wall behind her, and slapped his second one aside with both hands. Pivoting her hip, she then planted an elbow in the small of his back and sent Megaman flying straight back into the AgroCo building, reducing yet more bricks to red powder.
Taking a short step back, she then extended one arm and unleashed a bright blast of white energy, smashing Megaman further into the building and virtually collapsing one whole corner of the office. To her amazement, Megaman actually stood up, albeit slowly, and turned to face her. "Get out!" he shrieked. "These farmers were my job! I'm supposed to take care of them."
"Yeah?" Kayli responded, advancing towards the hole in the wall, "Well first, you've gotta take care of me!"
With a hissing roar, Kayli took to the air, flying through the shattered opening and smashing herself right into Megaman. He responded by slamming his forearm into her shoulder and hurling Kayli the length of the office, chairs and tables splintering into matchsticks. Bringing both hands together, Kayli unleashed a barrage of energy bolts, blowing holes in the walls, floor and ceiling. Tossing a desk in Kayli's direction, Megaman beat a hasty retreat back out into the street.
Scrambling to her feet, Kayli kicked aside the smoldering remains of a table and started after Megaman's retreating outline. A sudden movement at the edge of her vision made her whirl, beam sword ready.
Trevor Hamilton stood in the devastated remains of the office lobby, a hastily packed briefcase in one hand. Wiping his brow, he looked around nervously. "It... it wasn't supposed to be like this. I mean, I had it all planned... but... but..." Unable to finish, Trevor broke for what was left of the door, several of his still-loyal cronies close at his heels.
Eyes narrowed, Kayli watched the man go. This op, she figured, had just been blown. Her contract, was - quite literally - going up in smoke, since her recent fusillade of energy bolts had been more than sufficient to set the building alight. It was time to cut her losses and run, except... she still had one piece of unfinished business to attend to.
Out in the street, Megaman watched the collapsed corner of the AgroCo building carefully. He had seen a few hints of movement, but nothing that gave him a clue as to the fate of the strong, fast and very angry gray-skinned woman who had been sent to replace him.
"YOU!" a voice thundered.
Megaman whirled.
"You spineless, tailless, toothless, backstabbing, coward!!!"
Kayli felt her pulse pounding in her veins and there was a roaring in her ears, while her vision had tunneled and gained a familiar reddish tinge. "I... I ... Khhhhyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Kayli's body suddenly flared with a storm of yellow-white flame that blasted outwards, stirring up a cloud of dust and gravel. Megaman stepped back, bring both arms up into a defense posture. A moment later the blazing aura was gone, and the gray-skinned woman stepped forward, her breath coming forth as a thin cloud of white vapor.
"You!" she hissed, "Have cost me ten thousand dollars!"
Megaman stepped up with a strong right cross only to have Kayli contemptuously stop it with a forearm block. Spinning in a tight circle, she then kicked him in the jaw with one white-booted heel. Staggering backwards, Megaman scarcely had time to blink before Kayli was standing right before him, smashing an elbow hard into his ribs, breaking his nose with a quick backfist, and then delivering a jaw-loosening left cross. Spitting blood, Megaman tried to find Kayli's black and white form amid the tears and pain.
Taking a slow sliding step forward, Kayli brought both hands together, cupping them around empty air.
"Kyuukyoko," she intoned. Immediately a brilliant sphere of energy formed between her hands.
"Ibuki!" Kayli brought her hands tight against her side, still staring straight at the tottering figure of Megaman.
"Tatsu!" Thrusting her hands out before her, Kayli unleashed a beam of white energy so blindingly intense that for a few scant seconds, everything cast two shadows. The bolt lanced down the street in an eyeblink, spearing Megaman through the upper chest and punching out the other side in a cloud of cauterized flesh, superheated steam and boiling blood. When Megaman finally stopped tumbling, it was at the end of a gory black-and-red smear.
Staggering back Kayli dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. Even with the enhanced endurance her battle aura granted , that had taken a lot out of her. Rising to her feet, Kayli quickly glanced around at the devastated street. Smoke poured from the AgroCo building and several wrecked vehicles. There were people screaming and running and of her earlier opponent, no sign.
Snarling with disgust, Kayli took to the air, streaking across the sky to where the aircraft that had brought her here waited. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd find Trevor Hamilton along the way.
Concho, Arizona:
Bill Ferris stood once again at bus depot, although the circumstance could be said to be better.
The Traveller carefully picked up his duffel bag from the bed of the pick-up and turned to the farmer. "Thank you for everything."
"Heck, I should be thanking you."
The Traveller shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I wasn't much help. A lot of people were hurt."
"But you helped out pulling those people out of the building and putting out the fire. Besides, AgroCo's pulling out. We got what we wanted."
"I'm glad things worked out for you all."
Ferris looked down. "Y'know, you don't have to leave. Sare and I wouldn't mind having you stay for a while longer. Really."
The Traveller smiled ruefully. "Thank you, but no. There's something I have to do, a place I need to go to. Besides, I think I caused enough damage here."
"Don't kill yourself over it, Joe. You tried your best."
The Traveller's eyes focused on some point miles away. "Yes, but sometimes that just isn't enough."
He turned back to Ferris and shook his hand. "Good luck with your farm."
"Go with God, Joe."
The Traveller picked up his bag and walked slowly down the street.
A hotel somewhere in Arizona:
Carlos Jagger, better known to most of the agents of a certain highly secretive government agency as 'Jay', lay on his back, staring at the off-white ceiling of the tiny motel room. His hands were interlaced behind his head, and a thin, unlit cigarillo wandered back and forth between his teeth. If anyone had asked, he would have informed the questioner that he and his partner were engaged in research. An answer that no one would have believed, regardless of the fact that he was telling the absolute truth.
"Kei," he asked in a flat voice. "What's the count?"
Kei Stewart, Jagger's partner, lay full-length on top of Jay, with her head on his chest, pillowed by her hands. Like her partner, she was nude, but had settled on staring at the far wall instead of the ceiling.
"Steve Cartman and Stan Ennis, two Roberts County police officers, both deceased. Don Clay and Max Jensen, two members of a Texas chapter of the Hell's Angels, deceased. Kenneth Parks, resident of Concho, Arizona, deceased. Harold Grubb, a.k.a. 'Megaman', deceased. Four more members of a Texas chapter of the Hell's Angels, hospitalized; two are still in the ICU ward. Six assorted residents of Concho, Arizona, hospitalized; with one in critical condition." Her voice was an almost mechanical monotone.
Jay sighed and shifted the cigarillo around some more. "And what are the facts as we know them?"
"Damn few."
"Yeah, yeah; but, what *do* we know?"
"We have a humanoid female, who goes by the name of 'Kayli'. She stands about 5'10", weighs somewhere around 160 pounds, has black hair, gray skin and a tail." Kei paused and turned her head to look at the other wall. "She wears a black costume, white boots and gloves, and white body armor. Evidence indicates potent energy projection powers, including several forms of ranged attacks; unassisted flight; an energy sword; metahuman-level strength, speed and durability and lethal hand-to-hand combat skills."
"And what have we got?"
"My brains, your brawn, two Glock 20s, an AMT Automag IV, my Pentjack-Silat training and the baddest Ford Thunderbird in America."
"We're fucked."
"Speaking of which," Kei sat up and slid her legs forward to straddle Jay's hips, a motion that caused her generous breasts to sway enticingly. "You ready for Round Two?"
"Round Two? I thought this was the Seventh Inning Stretch."
"You wish. Face it Jag, you're getting old."
"Old? I'll show you 'old."
"Oh, baby..."