Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Errant Exile ❯ When You Fall - Part 1 ( Chapter 17 )

Errant Exile

Chapter 16: "When You Fall - Part 1 "

"What are you going to do?" - Bulma

"Fend them off. Buy time. Hope Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta get the message. It's about all I can do." - Khri

The ground shook under Khri's feet as she ran, cracking the concrete sidewalk ahead and throwing her off balance. A warning rumble sounded overhead; she looked up in time to see a flat slab of marble sheer off the side of a lavish office building. Khri jumped backward and the marble crashed onto the once ornate steps leading up to the entrance. One of the flying shards caught the back of her hand which she'd thrown up to protect her face. She ignored the bleeding gash and struggled to escape from from the thick cloud of debris.

After abandoning Bulma and ChiChi, Khri ran west towards the distant sounds of artillery fire. Before coming to Earth she'd taken a few minutes to review its military strength and technological capabilities and knew they couldn't withstand a serious attack by Telkarri. Their shields were impervious to bullets and projectile weapons, and even some energy attacks. Blackfire, either hand-gathered and thrown or channeled through a diacha, worked well but only at close range. I don't know if I'll be able to help, but maybe I can help the ground troops buy some time until help comes. Khri grabbed at light pole when the earth rolled under her feet. After the shaking stopped she pressed on, running down streets turned obstacle courses.

Her first goal was to get as close to the conflict as possible before opening the capsule containing the VTOL and her armor. She'd spent a whole afternoon clomping around the house in it just to get accustomed to its bulk and weight. Overall the suit had been very light and flexible but there was no way she'd want to run a marathon in it.

Khri ducked into an open doorway long enough to catch her breath and glare at the empty sky. As more and more of the city fell the air had thickened, making it difficult to see beyond the lowest rooftops. Dammit, Piccolo, where are you? She pulled out the communicator and was startled to find his position hadn't changed! That could mean he either wasn't paying attention to the warning beacon or the communicator had been damaged. She tucked it back in her pocket, just in case, wiping her sweating palm off on her torn jeans and running for the next street.

Satan City was literally going to hell, and fast. A water main had ruptured, sending a pressurized fountain up through a huge crack down the middle of the street. It fell back as a fine mist, taking with it some of the smoke and dust clogging the air. Khri brushed her damp bangs out of her eyes and saw what she'd been hoping to find. She splashed through the river forming in the gutter and sprinted into the cool shadows of an empty mechanic's garage. She kicked aside abandoned tools, fished a capsule out of her pocket, pressed the thumb tab and gave it a toss.

The VTOL had just enough room inside the garage, but not enough space to completely open the side door. Khri squeezed inside and scrambled to the back. The cargo area was empty except for two things; her knapsack and the House Guard armor. She shucked off her Earth clothes and tugged on the form-fitting undersuit, nearly taking a tumble when the VTOL's floor rocked from a nearby blast.

Setting her helmet on the floor beside her, Khri emptied her clothes' pockets and took a quick inventory. The communicator was still showing Piccolo's position as unchanged. "The damn thing must be broken," she muttered, angrily stuffing her ripped clothing into her knapsack. Once everything - including the VTOL - had been tucked safely back into the capsules, they all would fit snugly into one of the utility boxes on her belt. Her diacha snapped securely into clamps on the armor protecting her thigh. The communicator she attached to her belt, just in case the thing really wasn't broken and Piccolo simply wasn't paying attention, but given his concern that was hard to believe. Helmet tucked under her arm, Khri crawled out the large rear hatch, encapsulated and stowed the VTOL, then took a deep breath. Coiling her braid at the back of her neck and tucking in the ends, she pulled on the helm and activated the life systems and scan grid.

The enhanced view the helmet provided wasn't needed to see the massive destruction up and down the block. Khri was impressed at the speed in which the city had been evacuated but if the stories were true, the planet was pretty experienced in dealing with unknown attacks. A child had dropped a toy during the exodus; the fabric dog was missing an eye, but by its worn look it had probably been lost long ago. Eyeing the remnants of the facade of a lavish restaurant, Khri felt a moment of sadness for all the lives that would have to be rebuilt. Easier to rebuild than bury, she assured the plush dog. Time to get to work.

The block currently hosting the battle was in its latter stages of demolition through warfare. A large brick building had collapsed into a mountain of twisted steel and debris, cutting the street in half. Bodies, most of them human, lay strewn across the side of the pile that sloped down to where a group of soldiers were positioned. Telkarri lined the entire length of the barrier, holding steady against the constant barrage of shoulder-fired missiles that exploded harmlessly against their shielding. From her hiding place behind the burned-out shell of a bus, Khri made a quick head count and grimaced. Fewer than fifty visible troops with a handful of tanks and supply trucks were struggling to hold the bugs back, loading missiles and shells into launchers and mortars at a furious pace. The line of Telkarri bulged on the western end, surging forward in a nightmare chorus of screeches, only to be halted by an intense but short stream of heavy weapons fire. At that rate they'll be running out of ammo soon, and I don't know if they're expecting reinforcements. They won't last more than ten marks.

A red warning light flared on the compact display screen inside her helmet. There was a very large natural gas leak close by. She guessed earlier that not all the explosions were battle-related and the presence of this new hazard just confirmed it. Satan City, like so many cities on other worlds, had service tunnels just below street level in which they ran supply lines. What was normally taken for granted by the inhabitants could now cause serious trouble for the overwhelmed troops. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the faint smell of charred flesh and acid, Khri left her cover and scrambled through the rubble towards the tanks.

The first man she encountered was loading his arms with rockets from the back of a battered supply truck. Before he could go for his weapon she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. "I need to speak to your captain," she shouted. His eyes bulged at the sight of her, but before he could stammer a reply a massive explosion shook both ground and air, making them both turn and look.

Someone had fired a large rocket at one of the few tall buildings still standing. The top stories were coming down in large chunks that buried nearly a dozen Telkarri in rubble. They're catching on, Khri noted, but knew it wouldn't make a difference in the end. The premature cheer that ran through the battered company didn't give her own hopes a needed boost. Khri turned back to the soldier who stared at her, his terrified eyes round in a face covered with dirt and streaked by sweat. "I need to speak to your captain, now!" She gave him a hard shake. "I have information on what it is you're fighting!"

He swallowed, then nodded. "This...this way," he croaked, not letting go of his rockets as he led her towards the front line.

The smoking launcher that had taken out the building was in the process of being reloaded. The captain, a man nearly as tall as Khri herself, dropped to one knee and fired. His intended victim, an upscale apartment building, disappeared briefly in a cloud of smoke before sending a cascade of brick and steel down on the Telkarri. It fell perfectly on the left side of the line, making the Telkarri scramble to fill in the gap and restart their forward momentum.

The captain shook his head and stood up. "Its no good, sargent. We're running out of ammo and buildings..." When he saw Khri, his jaw tightened and he motioned for his men to keep firing. "Who the hell are you?"

The Telkarri had already filled the gap with fresh Yellows, a sign Khri took as both good and bad news. If they still had stupid Yellows to throw away they had a lot of bugs on the ground. It also meant what was left of the company probably wouldn't have to face a Green or, worse yet, a Blue. She abandoned her escort and made her way over to the captain, hands out and palms up. "Someone familiar with those creatures. Do you have reinforcements on the way, Captain...?"

"Ertel." He spat as he eyed the slowly clearing cloud of debris. "And no, dammit, not that its any of your business. What you see is what we've got and its not enough. All the air cover has been redeployed west of the city where most of these things are coming from."

Khri was grateful the helmet gave her voice a hard, metallic edge, just like the House Guard that had paid her a visit. "You know by now you don't have the right weapons to fight them. Dropping the buildings on them was a good idea but it only slows them down and not for very long. Do you have a guess as to how many are behind that barrier?"

The captain's face paled beneath the grime. "Too many. I'd estimate at least a hundred, if not more. They were still swarming around the corner when we dropped the Flyer's Finance building on 'em."

At least a hundred...dammit to hell, Piccolo, where are you? Khri couldn't help but look up. The sky was a brilliant cloudless blue above the haze.

The captain noticed. "You're looking for 'em too, eh? I keep hoping...they've shown up so many times before..."

Khri felt her heart give a painful twist. "They're being notified, Captain. If they knew I'm sure they'd be here. Unfortunately waiting isn't an option anymore; you have to fall back."

One of the troops fired off a large rocket at the shifting line of Telkarri. They'd started rotating their front line, sending bugs with fresh shields to the front and pulling the nearly exhausted ones back. The constant pummeling was eroding the debris barrier quickly. It wouldn't be long before waiting Yellows started to climb over the backs of the ones in front.

"Fall back?" Ertel bellowed, his icy blue eyes bored through her face shield. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? If we stop firing for one second we'll be cut to pieces!" He flung out his arm, gesturing to what was left of the corpses lining the barrier's slope.

"See that building on the left? Yes, I know it's the last tall one still standing. I want you to take it down. It should be enough to force the bugs to shift again and funnel them towards the right. When they do, fall back and cover using the tanks, the trucks and whatever ammo you've got left. Don't spare anything. Avoid firing at that side, though; I'd prefer not to get bombed."

Ertel hefted the rocket launcher to his shoulder. "What do you think you're going to do to hold off those things? You ain't the Great Saiyaman! Just what the hell are you, anyway?"

Khri jerked the diacha free from the thigh clamp and gripped it tightly. Forcing her emotions to the furthest corners of her mind she channeled the cool current of blackfire through both ends, enjoying the snap of the white blades hissing to life. "I'm a soldier, Captain. Just like you. Now take down that building and get ready to retreat."

When the rocket struck the only tall building still standing, it hit farther from the top than Khri would have preferred but the collapse rained down masonry, glass and steel in just the right place. Thermal sensors in the helmet let her see Telkarri heat signatures as they made their anticipated shift. Please hurry, Piccolo, she pleaded one last time, sending a surge to her natural shielding before running up the barrier and into the thick cloud of dust.

Twist, slash, hack, slice and pierce became Khri's litany as Yellow after Yellow took advantage of the letup in missile fire. Years of drilling let her raise her shield to guard and drop it to attack in a flutter of power switching. Fighting on an upward slope was difficult, especially one made of piled concrete chunks and twisted metal. Shearing off the two front legs of the closest Yellow, Khri ducked behind a block of concrete the size of a small van. One Yellow plunged its front legs into the block and got stuck, slowing down the bugs behind it. She doused one blade and spun around the block, piercing the trapped Yellow through the thorax and cutting upward. It died still trapped, leaking acid around its feet and causing footing to become even more perilous.

Jump, cut, parry, deflect and chop. Corpses still hazardous because of their numerous, razor-sharp legs were piling up on either side, forcing Khri to retreat several feet. She was dimly aware of a stinging sensation on the back of her thigh. Honor Guard armor was exceptionally durable but still had its limits when it came to Telkarri acid. While the nearest living Yellows were struggling to shove aside the impeding bodies she spared a glance backward. The troops were indeed falling back, covering their retreat with massive weapons fire. A smaller rocket came a little too close and exploded to Khri's left, knocking Yellows backward and sending her tumbling back down the barrier. She struggled to her feet and looked up, diacha still in hand, swearing when she saw the blast had also knocked loose the concrete block. It started to half-roll, half-slide down the slope towards her, followed by nearly a dozen Yellows. Keeping anger and other interfering emotions in tight check, Khri opened her shield enough to let a blast of blackfire fly. The concrete block exploded but the Yellows merely went around it, the debris merely glancing off their shields. A few more well-aimed bolts slowed them down momentarily and she made a decision.

It was time for her own retreat.

Khri whirled and took off running. The retreating company continued to fire from a growing distance at the Yellows chittering at her back. When she reached the first corner she veered left, racing back down the street that had brought her to the battle. She kept her shielding powered high, partially in hopes Piccolo would suddenly find himself with an intense barrier headache. It would serve him right, she snapped silently as she ran, looking for a position to defend. She found a tight alley off to the right that was partially blocked by a large dumpster. Trash wasn't a deterrent but the huge pile of stinking plastic bags overflowing the top, forcing the lid to stay open and dangling in the way, might slow them down. They were still pursuing her - good for the retreating company, bad for her - and were gaining ground. She slipped between the dumpster and the wall, scrambled through and crouched low around the corner. At that moment she wished for one of Captain Ertel's rocket launchers so she could bring down one building and seal off the alley. The problem was that most of the Yellows would return to attack the company and the rest would find a way around and keep up the chase. Khri ignored her burning leg and the new sting on the back of her shoulder as she gathered a blackfire sphere in her palm.

The first Yellow to appear was squeezing past the dumpster, having to lower its shield to fit through. She killed the stupid creature easily with one blast and took a step backward. Only the rustling of plastic bags and the rattle of empty cans warned her of trouble overhead and thrust upward with her diacha. It killed the Yellow but sent down a brief shower of acid as it squealed and landed behind her on its back. Khri pretended not to hear the hissing of pitting armor as she darted around the corpse and ran down the alley. The attacks on the dumpster echoed loudly behind her as she stumbled into a wide, open street.

Unlike most other blocks Fairway Street had taken only minor damage. The traffic signals and neon signs were dark, but most of the windows were still in one piece and the pavement itself was in good condition. Abandoned vehicles, some smashed and some still running on their remaining fuel, were packed so tight that travel by anything other than on foot was impossible. The exhaust fumes were so thick they were seeping through her helmet's filters and making her feel nauseated. Khri headed south, weaving in and out of the maze of cars and trucks. If I can get far enough south, I might be able to tack west towards the main battle. Her helmet's display flickered, then dimmed. The acid was starting to burn its way through the sensor grid. Hopefully I can find a commanding officer who...

A amplified roar echoed through the artificial canyon. Khri jumped on the hood of an idling taxi and tore off her failing helmet for a better view. A handful of Royal Army fighters raced overhead, headed west. Looks like someone other than Captain Ertel is getting reinforcements...not that it will make a difference. She spared a glance at her helmet. Its shiny surface was pitted with a lacework of burn holes from the acid shower, damaging it beyond repair. She left it on the taxi's hood and jumped to her feet when she saw a flash in the sky.

The figure was distant and the glare made it difficult to see, but there was no mistaking the spiky black hair, the angry scowl and the Saiyan-influenced armor. Vegeta! Its about time, you royal pain the ass! That means Piccolo, Trunks and maybe even Goten can't be far behind! Vegeta was following the Royal Army planes at his own speed and he appeared to be searching for something. Khri leaped to the taxi's roof and to wave him down but stopped herself. They need him at the front lines. Hell, he could destroy the Telkarri by himself...I just hope he doesn't get carried away and damage the planet! Lettering herself indulge in a little hope Khri flared her shielding, praying that a certain Namek was looking in the right direction.

The screech of tearing metal made Khri gasp and turn. From her perch on the taxi's roof she felt hope die as the first wave of Telkarri Yellows flooded into the street from the alley. From further north a second wave rounded the corner and merged with the first. Khri leaped to a limousine's trunk, a tendril of fear escaping from her mind's corner only to be battled back. It was hard to ignore the clanking thunder of serrated forelimbs pounding on sheet metal and pavement behind her as she moved from vehicle to vehicle. A Yellow managed to move fast and get close enough to sweep her feet from under her, but Khri slashed it out of the way and rolled to a standing position. Several more followed and were cut down but at a price; Khri could now feel acid burning through the back of her arm and knee. Three Telkarri slowed their forward motion, suddenly wary, and she made good use of the time by running.

Leaping from the dented hood of an old pickup truck to the back seat of a convertible sedan, Khri frowned at the sheer number of vehicles packed in so tightly. She never had to touch the street thanks to a convenient trunk, hood or flatbed. When she landed on the roof of a delivery truck and paused to catch her breath she saw the source of the traffic jam.

A huge, multi-storied parking garage loomed ahead, creating a dead end. Vehicles had to turn left, right, or proceed straight through the gate leading into the shadowy first floor. A routine lunchtime commute must have ground to a standstill very quickly and the terrified drivers, trapped in the crush, had fled on foot. A dark garage had to be one of the most dangerous places she could think of but there wasn't time to stop and consider other choices. Through the first floor of the garage Khri thought she could see daylight on the other side. The top floor looked as if a huge bite had been taking out of one side, but most of the structure was still intact. I'm out of options, she told the sky, searching for any sign Piccolo's gleaming white cape. I never did believe in miracles...but I've a feeling its time to try. Its all I've got left. Giving her shield one last surge of power, Khri darted around van trapped in the gate and raced into the garage.

A cool breeze laced with the stench of smoke, spilled fuel and exhaust fumes brushed Khri's cheek. Like the street outside, the garage entrance was packed with vehicles but with even less space between them. The low overhead clearance made moving from car to car difficult, forcing her to stay between the massive steel joists or risk hitting her head. Echoes carried the sounds of Telkarri moving both inside and around the garage. They're on the second floor too, she realized when huge crash echoed down the nearby ramp and between the concrete support pillars. Panting, she picked up her pace and scrambled from perch to perch until suddenly there were no more perches.

The back of the garage didn't have an exit. The ramps from the upper decks had channeled forced all traffic to the front, leaving the rear empty. It would be a quick sprint to the side and then a short jump, leaving her clear and back in daylight. The plan might have worked if there weren't Telkarri stationed around the outside of the garage. Their heads and upper mandibles hovered above the retaining wall as they shifted back and forth, waiting for their prey to be flushed out. A quick count put them at fourteen and more could be waiting to take their places if they fell.

Khri watched the dappled figures and shuddered. Nearly a dozen Yellows were still advancing on her from behind. They had slowed to a crawl, either reluctant to take the initiative when she'd butchered so many or savoring the moment before the kill. She ducked behind one of the thick support pillars and pressed her back to the concrete, noticing for the first time how badly pitted her body armor was. It wouldn't hold up against tough blows. She slid down and held her unpowered diacha vertically in front of her.

Two Yellows appeared at the same time from around both sides of the pillar. They struck at where her head should have been but Khri's crouching position let her take out their legs first. They screeched in agony as she lunged for the next pillar, keeping it between herself and the subsequent Yellows that closed in. Only a last-second roll let her keep her arm and a risky vault between the joists saved her neck.

Khri didn't keep count of the oozing, stinking corpses she left on the floor. Minutes stretched and seconds fractured with each lunge, block and swipe of her blades. Acid seared her cheek but she didn't have the breath to hiss at the pain, instead letting it strengthen her resolve and add a bit more strength to her weakening shield. The constant running, dodging and jumping left her no time to gather enough power for a blast. The tip of a serrated leg went flying and Khri brought the diacha, in sword form for close work, up to guard her face from the next assault.

It didn't come.

Panting and feeling her legs tremble with exhaustion, Khri looked around. Complete bodies and bits of dead Telkarri were strewn across the floor of the garage. Pooling acid was eating through the concrete, sending small, hissing clouds of noxious gas into the air. The pain in her cheek was becoming more than a nuisance and she knew it would leave a scar. The Telkarri hovering outside the garage had moved away from their posts and were streaming over the wall. She took a deep, shaky breath, admitted to herself she was terrified and then shoved the useless emotion away. Her shove became a scramble to keep the fear away when the Telkarri converged behind one that was bigger than the rest. Its color and dappling were different and she knew it could speak if it wanted to.

The Blue, having more brain cells than every Yellow on Earth combined, was keeping a respectful distance. Standard practice would be to throw the Yellows at her first to exhaust her and then advance to make the kill. Blues were intelligent but not very creative, and to find one that deviated from standard procedure was rare. Khri's focus sharpened when an idea sparked to life. Had this batch seen her little crouch-and-cut stunt with the pillar while stationed outside? Guess now is a good time to find out!

Khri whirled and ran towards the dark center of the garage, inciting angry shrieks from the Telkarri. She threw herself behind a column and slid down. The Yellows streamed around both sides at the same time. Khri smiled in grim satisfaction as her diacha bit into the pillar when she swung wide, adding concrete chips to the severed limbs of two Telkarri. She rolled between the next two that rushed her, got to her feet and scrambled to the next support. They attacked low so she went high, using the diacha in pole form to vault behind them and split their thoraxes. Skipping the nearest two pillars and running for the third, Khri gathered blackfire in her free hand. She whipped it backward over her shoulder and heard it hit something solid as she flung herself sideways and threw her back against a column.

The ground shuddered with the intensity of a massive earthquake. Khri felt the entire garage sway slightly and the air filled with a fine white dust. That wasn't from the Royal Army! She raced for a different pillar, hoping the Telkarri wouldn't notice in the confusion. Earth ammo isn't that strong unless they're using nuclear bombs, and I don't think they would do it now that Vegeta is here. It was easy to imagine the Saiyan hovering over the fields to the west of the city, casually blasting hundreds of Telkarri with one swipe of his hand. The thought breathed new life into her dwindling hopes, enough to decide she was tired of being on the defense. Anger clamped down and fear walled safely away, Khri used her fading power to reinforce her shielding and adjusted her grip on her diacha.

Telkarri didn't anticipate very well; it required creativity. They actually startled when their adversary sprang out from behind a support, white blades spinning, and began dissecting Yellow after Yellow with short, quick strokes. Soon only the Blue was left standing.

Khri panted heavily as the Blue stalked forward. Unlike the Yellows its movements were slow and deliberate, giving her plenty of time to appreciate its predatory appraisal of her as it sidled to her left. Sweat dripped down the side of her face, dipping into the painful acid burn before snaking down to her chin. She was nearly exhausted and the Telkarri knew it; she guessed it was deciding on the best way to cut her to pieces without losing a limb itself. Even a fatigued Leonid was still a formidable enemy. There were plenty of steaming corpses stinking up the garage to attest to it.

When the Telkarri lunged Khri was ready. It went straight for her head but she fell on one knee before it could strike and whipped one end of her diacha straight up, igniting the blade as soon as it came in contact with the thorax. She wrapped both hands around it when the Blue screamed and flailed backward. She doused the blade and backed into a standing position, her upper back against a pillar.

The dying Blue had one last attack which was both unexpected and unintentional. Khri didn't have time to feel surprise before a serrated forelimb, propelled forward by the Blue's weight and mass, pierced her armor and went through her left shoulder. It sunk deep into the concrete with a dull thud.

A wall of pain obliterated her sight for what felt like forever. Khri forcibly blinked her vision back and stared down in shock and disbelief at the thick, saw-toothed leg pinning her to the pillar. Her left arm dangled uselessly, forcing her to drop her diacha so she could grab the limb impaling her and pull herself up. The Blue's foreleg had been moving in an upward motion when it skewered her, pushing her high against the pillar so she had to stand on her toes not to hang from it. Breathing was difficult and growing more so, and she could feel blood dripping down the inside of her armor. You panic...you die, she told the emotions that wanted to scream out in fear and agony.

Clinging to the forearm because letting go would probably be lethal, Khri struggled against the pain and tried to focus on the internal damage. Lung punctured and headed for collapse...arteries severed...collar bone and shoulder blade shattered...no acid inside, though...lots of...internal bleeding...dammit! There wasn't a thing she could repair. Any feeble mending would only buy her time calculated in minutes, not hours. She used the last of her strength to flare her shield one more time. Piccolo... Closing her eyes and fighting her body's desire to pass out, Khri struggled to slow the blood loss and the sensation of her life being carried away with it.

To Be Continued... 

AN: This was a very challenging chapter to write. I think I had three files open at the same time just trying to keep things consistent! The Fleetwood Mac lyric reference was intentional.