Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Seal ❯ Police Presence ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Krillin quickly surmised that the approaching object was a vehicle, but at that range its identity still eluded him. The sounds it made did not, however. Screaming an alert to its approach, the object weaved its way down the side of a distant hill like an insect scampering down a path from the mouth of its colony. Moving at great speed, it did not take long to emerge into full view. The vehicle was a small van with white, rounded bodywork that mimicked the carapace of beetle, and was equipped with two circular headlights that resembled segmented eyes. The insect-like appearance of the van was completed by the high-pitch buzz of the engine that became audible as it drew nearer.

In spite of the wailing of the sirens, both of the feuding fighters remained oblivious to the van as it pulled up nearby, continuing to rain a storm of blows down upon one another. It came to a halt about twenty metres from the action. There it lingered, hovering wheel-less just above the ground. The buzz of the engine was no longer urgent as before. Instead the van purred as if it was deriving pleasure from the tickling of its underbelly by the swaying grass.

Suddenly, the engine stopped dead, and the vehicle plopped down into the foliage. The wail of the sirens faltered, and sank through a range of pitches before finally dying out with an almost inaudible groan. The red dome-shaped light on top of the van continued to function however, spinning around within its translucent shell like a single eye scouring the land for potential sources of trouble.

The darkened windows obscured the occupants from view, but this was only temporary as the door nearest to Krillin swung open and a huge beast began to emerge from within the darkened cab. So large was this demonic being that it seemed impossible that it could have fitted within the relatively small vehicle.

Though similar in appearance to Krillin's poker buddies, much of its scale- coated flesh was hidden beneath a deep blue uniform. The huge garment was fastened with glistening silver buttons that winked in the daylight like stars suspended in the night sky. The creature's head was crowned by tall, rounded helmet. Similar in colour to rest of the uniform, it was adorned by a radiant, circular crest.

Towering several feet above the van, the demonic officer rested his left elbow upon the vehicle's roof of the van and casually leaned against it. Raising its right hand, the creature nudged its hat back slightly, and beheld the two fighters who were still exchanging blows. Wearing an ice cool expression as it might an accessory to its uniform, it assessed the situation that was unfolding.

Just as Krillin was coming to terms with the counterintuitive emergence of the officer from the comparatively small van, a second, identical creature reared up from the other side. Looking out over the meadow, it assumed a similar pose to its comrade. After a few seconds, the two began to approach the combatants with as much stealth as could be afforded to two such monstrous persons.

"What the..?" Krillin muttered in utter bemusement at the dimensional paradox that had been presented him, "Ah, this whole thing's giving me a headache."

Then, to Krillin's surprise, the creature nearest turned its head straight towards him, and frowning with blazing red eyes. The beast raised a taloned finger and pressed it against his lips, gesturing for Krillin to remain quiet. The fighter raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

"He heard that!?" Krillin exclaimed, only to find himself on the receiving end of a fearful glare from the creature. The fighter grimaced as he realised his transgression. Grinning inanely, he mouthed an apology that the officer grudgingly accepted.

Now several paces behind his comrade, the beast turned away and continued to approach quietly the dueling warriors.

Krillin rubbed the back of his head. He could feel the sensation of warmth washing across his face as it flushed, his reddening cheeks giving away his feelings of embarrassment. I don't know what that guy's problem is; He thought to himself, seeking self-validation; It's not like they didn't make enough noise when they showed up.

The two demons continued towards their targets, their gargantuan footfalls leaving depressions in the long grass. Remarkably, their quarry remained oblivious to their approach. The Saiyan and the alien continued to lash out at one another tirelessly, and it seemed that the two could remain locked in this duel for the duration without so much as a time out.

As Krillin stared down, he noticed a stirring to his right. Glancing sideways, he saw Bobo. Having plucked up some courage he had, unbeknownst to Krillin, emerged from the relative safety of the cottage. He now stood several meters from his master, also mesmerised by the action below. Bobo raised and dropped his front paws anxiously, as if indecisive over whether or not he should intervene. The animal was clearly unsettled by the raucous goings on, and this in turn made Krillin even more anxious. He knew what Bobo's reaction would be if he became distressed.

Krillin turned his head sharply as a particularly loud cry pierced the air. The meagre fortification of patience that contained the full extent of the Saiyan's fury was in flames, his inability to land a clean blow having been the spark that had ignited the inferno. In his frustration he had bellowed with all his might, producing a deafening sound that itself might have knocked a lesser fighter to the ground.

Realising that this may have been enough to evoke a response from Bobo, Krillin looked to the anguished canine once more. To his horror, Bobo pursed his flopping lips. He then emitted a soft growl, a precursor of what was to come. Panicking that Bobo might draw unwanted attention, Krillin frantically flailed his arms in a desperate effort to attract Bobo's attention. But it was to know avail. Bobo had interpreted the Saiyan's howl as a direct and unacceptable threat to his territory. Bound by his obligation to remain silent, Krillin closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. From the darkness, he awaited the inevitable. From amid noise of battle, the sound of barking emerged.

Krillin whimpered quietly, knowing that Bobo's vocalisation would attract that unwanted attention. It seemed to go on for an age; the sound of the agitated dog trying to protect what was his. Bobo could not be blamed for his instincts, but Krillin feared that they might have dire consequences.

There was an exquisite silence. The barking had ceased, but so too had the chorus of battle cries. Now Krillin was without both sight and hearing. Cautiously opening his right eye, Krillin looked to Bobo. Once excited and anxious, the animal now appeared nervous and submissive. His mop tail had now sunk beneath the grass, and his huge slathering head was lowered.

Cringing, Krillin opened his second eye and looked towards the scene of the battle. Sure enough, Bobo had acquired everyone's attention, fighters and demons alike. All eyes were now trained on Krillin's position. A picture of surprise was rendered on the faces of the fighters, and of the lead demon. The mortified fighter was able to read a detailed study on the feelings of the demon that had previously hushed him from his expression. He was not best pleased.

Krillin felt uneasy, to say the least. His heart was performing somersaults within his chest, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that it felt as if he might grind his own teeth down to stumps. A nervous laugh escaped from between the fighters tightly locked jaw. The unbearable tension of the situation seemed to demand the relief of dialogue. Raising his right hand, Krillin wriggled his fingers in a feeble wave.

"Uh. hi?"

For another age, Krillin exchanged stares with the peculiar collection of creatures that had accumulated on his property. His greeting had received little response beyond that earned by Bobo's panicked barking, leaving the fighter feeling even more awkward than before.

The alien was the first to break from the staring match. Snapping his bulbous head downwards, he looked towards the two inhuman policemen. His unearthly green eyes widened as he deduced that they were here for him and his fellow pugilist. Quickly he turned to his adversary who was still transfixed by the sight of Krillin and Bobo. The warrior's glare lingered on the Saiyan for a moment as he tried to decide on an appropriate course of action. Glancing one last time at the two officers, he quickly realised what would be his best bet. The air around the fighter ignited as he summoned his ki, and in the briefest of instants he soared skywards.

The Saiyan, brought out of his trance by the flash of light and blast of hot air, turned his gaze to where the alien had once hovered. Finding nothing but shimmering air and singed grass, he looked upwards in time to see a diminishing trail of burning atmosphere as his opponent melted into the infinite firmament. He bounded several paces in the direction that the alien had fled as if preparing to give chase, but as the fiery white streak was extinguished, the age-old fighter let go any hopes of a successful pursuit. The quick little warrior simply had too great a head start. He mourned his loss for a couple of seconds, and then turned his attention to new prey.

Krillin's heart turned to lead, as the Saiyan did not follow the alien's lead. The antiquated fighter was instead turning to face the waiting police officers, and he didn't look happy. With fangs bared and eyes blazing, it appeared he wanted to slake his blood-thirst elsewhere.

In an infinitesimal moment of distilled rage, the Saiyan dredged up every fragment of energy he could muster from the murky depths of his primeval soul. Then, choosing his target, he erupted in a flame of pristine hatred. Surging forwards, the fighter howled as his course brought him inexorably closer to his objective.

Before he had even realised the Saiyan had moved the shrieking horror collided with the leading demon, the violent meeting of bodies resulting in a dull smack. The unfortunate police officer could manage nothing more than a shallow gasp to register his discomfort as its chest was evacuated of air by the crushing force of the blow.

Krillin winced as the two met. The sheer velocity of the Saiyan seemed enough to tear the helpless beast asunder. However, rather than resulting in a gory severing, the collision caused the sturdily built demon to be uprooted and driven at horrifying speed across the battlefield and straight towards Krillin's hill.

Though barely half the size of his victim, the Saiyan's momentum suffered little for the addition of his mammoth cargo. The already ailing meadow vomited debris as it was pummelled once more, unable to cope with the force exerted by mass of flesh that was tearing across its surface.

Krillin grimaced as the living projectile hurtled towards him. Barely able speak between his gritted teeth, he uttered a the only thing that sprang to mind,

"Uh-oh."

The Saiyan drove his prey onwards, without relent until the two finally struck the side of the hill. There was a deafening roar as demon and fighter plunged into the ground, causing it to bleed a surge of earth. The sound was accompanied by the groan of warping of wood as the stamina of Krillin's home was tested once more. This time, the brittle windows shattered under the assault, raining down glittering fragments of light as the shards tumbled from the frames.

Krillin himself was barely able to maintain his balance as the ground bucked and jumped beneath his feet. He held his arms out to steady himself, but was soon lost in a thick cloud of dust. The granules of dirt invaded Krillin's eyes, causing them to sting and moisten. Deprived of sight and loosing his ever more dubious equilibrium, Krillin could do little but allow gravity to have its way. With an anguished yelp, the fighter toppled to the ground.

The quaking ground came to rest after a few seconds, and Krillin Sat up in the tall grass. His eyes were still stinging from the incursion of swarming particles of dust, and all he could sense was the snarling of the nearby Saiyan and the gentle caress of the grass stems on his chin. But as the due cleared from his eyes, he was able to resolve the ancient Saiyan and his unfortunate quarry.

The two were located at the heart of a gaping crater, a good ten metres across. The mouth like opening in the side of the hill coughed up clouds of dust as the enraged Saiyan set upon the hapless demon. Wave after wave of malicious blows thrashed against the beasts body and face. The officer was close to drowning in the rip tide of fists, and was unable even to call for the help of his comrade who was galloping over as quickly as his massive legs could facilitate.

The stricken creature twisted and thrashed its mammoth limbs in a desperate attempt to mount some kind of defence, but the ferocity of the Saiyan's attack allowed the officer no room to manoeuvre. The fighter roared and howled, voicing a disturbing concoction of anger and delight as it vented its wrath upon his squirming victim.

Krillin's mind boiled over with thoughts and emotion. Fear, outrage and guilt had engaged in a fierce tug of war over the fighter's psyche, each vying for control of his subsequent actions. Krillin had always had a soft spot for the underdog, and watching the mighty Saiyan take such twisted pleasure in the mauling of a weakened foe enraged him. Also, he was suffocated by feelings of guilt, convinced that the severity of the situation was his responsibility. Endlessly he assessed and reassessed the chain of events that had led here, playing back scenarios where he had taken action when he felt he should.

Krillin looked into the stewing cauldron of hatred and malice that was the crazed eyes of the Saiyan. There he saw the sadistic pleasure that the cruel Saiyan Nappa had taken in the torment of his friends. He saw the festering contempt in which the Saiyan prince Vegeta held all beings weaker than himself. He saw the cool indifference for life that had been evident in the glacial eyes of Frieza at the terrifying moment of his own demise.

The apprehension reached to every part of Krillin's being, extending its ice-cold tendrils throughout his body. As the energy sapping fear crawled through his muscles he was held in a living rigor mortis. Then there was a change.

The brittle branches of dread shattered as Krillin's spirit ignited, and all of his guilt, anger and fear were tossed as kindling onto a colossal pyre of emotion. With all his internal turmoil to fuel his courage, Krillin became lost in his ki. It now controlled his actions.

Krillin beheld the Saiyan, still consumed in the heinous rapture that came with administering suffering to the weak. The sight stoked the flames of his rage yet further. Crouching down, he prepared to strike. The fighter's ki surged forth in a white-hot, spiralling squall that reached for the rose heavens. Casting one final glance at source of his outrage, he bounded forwards, his unchained energy driving him on. Krillin lowered his head as he powered toward the unwary Saiyan. He intended to ram him. Onwards he went, eyes closed and heart opened, propelled by the flames of his righteous fury.

In the final instant before impact, Krillin's power of reason reasserted itself. Confused and disorientated, his mind groped in the darkness for the slightest modicum of memory of the last few seconds. There was a blinding light, and the search ended. -----------------------------

Stay tooned.