TIMEFALL (Crossover Beta) (story by Elliot Bowers)

Original BATTLE ANGEL/GUNNM character "Gally" by Yukito Kishiro
Original SMALL WONDER characters "Vicki" and "Vannessa" by
Howard Leeds.

_____Gally lived here in Scrap Iron City...for now. She
was quite noticeable. She was a petite and pretty
Asian-esque teen girl--in most ways. Straight dark hair
cut to shoulder-length. A round pale face with high
cheekbones, dollishly huge dark eyes, and a small poutish
mouth, a pert nose to go with it. And her pretty face
matched her lithe, athletic body--lean and feminine. Her
hair worn as it was, she was somewhat just over four feet
tall.
_____The girl wore clothes that would have been considered
daring in old days long dead. She wore a form-fitting black
body suit that fit close to all of her, showing all of her
slender body's lines and curves. Thick boots on her feet
and legs, often a trenchcoat draping over her torso and hips.
Well, the standards of dress were different in Gally's time;
Gally was a different kind of person.
_____As for being different... Times were certainly
DIFFERENT, as shown by the landscape. This was a different
land, a jumbled city-scape in which most all traces of
nature were covered over by centuries-old pavement. Atop
the pavement was what humanity built and made. Buildings.
Buildings with smokestacks, buildings for manufacturing,
buildings with pipes going into the ground, factories,
and even more factories...
_____With pollution fuming into the sky, concrete buildings
and old pavement covering the land, and even machines miles
beneath, this was not a natural place. Which was made worse
by concentrated masses of junk in some regions, piling up
and up. Mountains of metal junk in places--which actually
poured from the sky from the floating City of Zalem.
_____Indeed, humanity finally triumphed over nature! Machines,
factories, pollution! An industrial triumph... A triumph
marked with smoke, grit, and--of course--misery. People
of Scrap Iron City--down here with the buildings and
the machines and the hard concrete--managed to live. Poverty,
drug abuse and misery were commonplace and normal for here.
As common as the blue of the sky and the white of the
clouds. But that was not the only commonplace thing among
the people; the people of this city are DIFFERENT.
_____The machines were all around, so it was likely
inevitable that the machinery would become parts of people,
too. Not just limbs of synthetics and metal, but even
torsos of metal. Metal machinery and synthetics INSIDE
people. This, because people's bodies BECAME machines.
Metal machinery up to the neck and replacing the skull.
Polymers and synthetics being used to make realistic faces
and hair. People so mechanized that the only "real" thing
left of most of them was the brain. Even that was replaceable...
_____The city was ugly, but Gally--petite and lithe and
big-eyed--was pretty. Little Gally, though, was just as
mechanized as the city. Dark-haired Gally, beneath form-
fitting clothes and a pale synthetic face, had a body of
sleek metal. To survive and ply her trade as bounty
hunter, she had to be metal to survive. Of course, that
was not why she was originally mechanized... This was
where Gally lived.

_____With sunset sinking on the horizon of this defeated
g-industrialized land, Gally was on her way to enjoying
herself in the company of other bounty hunters. At least,
she was going to drink something. She was going to a
club for people of her dangerous--but profitable--profession:
a bounty hunters' hangout.
_____To get there, she walked. Walked alongside the many
real-bodied and metal-bodied people who worked in manufacturing
for dirt wages. The people walking around her, maybe some
would become criminals, too. Maybe she would have to kill
some of them some day soon for bounty money. Maybe kill
that boy there. Maybe kill that man there. Maybe kill
that boy's children.
_____Walking several more blocks along the street, the light
of day darkening into night, Gally looked left. An abandoned
lot. In that open lot of dirt and crack pavement sat some of
the people--a fire burning from three metal barrels.
Tattered clothes over those people's bodies, most of them
metal-bodied. They sat on chunks of concrete and battered
metal furniture, sitting in the light and comfort of those
three close-set metal barrels--the bonfire burning. There
was talking.
_____"Hey Gally!" shouted someone fat-looking, waving with
a metal arm. It was a surprisingly cleanly dressed man.
Gally didn't notice him before. And the voice was barely,
vaguely familiar... "Goin' out for a hunt, huh?" he shouted.
____Gally could go to a hunter's hangout some other time.
For some reason, she wanted to talk to some people--who
did not have to kill for money. She stepped off the
sidewalk and over here--looking for a place to sit. There
was a place for her, next to the chubby looking metal-armed
man who had waved to her. He waved again.
_____Gally approached. She sat on the bench-like piece
of metal next to him, sat to his right. Some other people
glanced at Gally from where they sat, then went back to
talking amongst themselves. Just talking.
_____The fat man asked, "How ya doin', kid? Yer fightin'
skills still up? Thinkin' any about playin' Motorball? I
hear it's still THE thing to do around here..." He glanced
at the barrels of fire, then back at Gally here.
_____Gally had to arch her neck a bit back to look into
his eyes--both his realistic and red-glowing one. She
still pushed her memory to recall his name. He was
familiar. Somewhere else, she met this big, round man in
athletic clothes--his left arm of gleaming metal and his
left eye a glowing red. He was balding....
_____"What'sa matter? Why the stare? Somethin' wrong
with ya?" he asked.
_____Gally slightly shook her head. "No, nothing is quite
wrong. Yet..." A breeze blew across this scene. "I chose
to originally pass some time at a club... However, something
more than simply your waving goaded me into coming here
to sit... A whim." She looked at the ground. "I give
apology; I fail to recall your name." For some seconds,
there was but the sound of idle chatter of others and the
crackling of the three barrels of fire over there in the
center of this lot.
_____The man smiled. "That's okay, kiddo... I'm Coach,
remember? I'm an advisor for sports of all kinds, in all
sorts of places! Now I'm doin' motorball. We met only
'bout once, when..." There was a strong blast of wind. He
looked up, both his realistic and his glowing eye looking
up. "Fer cryin' out loud! Will ya look at that, Gally!"
_____Gally did, and saw a rarity. Looking up, she saw a
bright object racing across the night sky above--a flying
machine! It was hard to tell what it looked like, because
it glowed. But something seemed to be wrong with it;
flames were coming from its rear.
_____It must have been blasted by weaponry from the ground:
Flying machines are ILLEGAL, and even building one made a
person a criminal--with a bounty set on his or her head.
Because, flying machines could be used by the people to
get to the floating City of Zalem above.
_____But Gally never saw that kind of flying machine before...
It glowed such pretty colors, a flying and gleaming jewel
of machinery and energy. And, she soon felt she would
never see that flying machine again. Either that city
weaponry hit that flying machine again, or it had already
been damaged enough; the pretty glowing flying machine
exploded into several large pieces.
_____"Even in its death, it was something of beauty..."
whispered Gally. Indeed, there was a brief flareup of
various colors when that flying machine exploded into
several smaller broken machines which glowed brightly for
a second--before darkening and seeming to become invisible
against the dark sky.
_____Coach looked at Gally. "Ya know, kid... I'm kinda
wonderin' where the pieces of it will end up." Then, oddly
enough, he winked his glowing eye at her. "I'd be kinda
CURIOUS. Know what I mean?"
_____Gally gave a shake of her head. "That is a sentiment
approaching impracticality, Mr. Coach. Likely, the parts of
that flying machine would be contraband--possession being
on the way to being a criminal."
_____Coach smiled, a big smile on his big round face--
which flickered oddly in the firelight. "Oh yeah? Well,
kid, guess you'd better run! 'Cause I think a big piece
is headed this way! Something gonna happen!" He said
that, and yet another strong breeze blew.
_____Then, for a moment, things became...strange. First,
everyone here wen silent. Everyone sitting around the
three burning barrels looked at Gally. And the fire from
the metal barrels wavered oddly.
_____Gally heard a whistling from above--that sound that
big falling objects made when RUSHING through the air as
they fell. Then...WHOOMP!
_____A very large chunk of that flying machine had SMASHED
into the three burning barrels, making for a dark explosion
of flames and smoke all around. It was already night, and
the dark smoke made everything seem darker. Dark smoke
covered everything and everyone.
_____Gally felt herself weakening. Her face saddened as
her body weakened so much that she could no longer sit up.
She felt her solid knees touch pavement, then she fully
fell to the hard ground. Everything... SEEMED TO GO FAR
AWAY. EVERYTHING DARKENED. EVERYTHING WAS... She passed
into unconsciousness, and the wind blew on.

_____GALLY THEN...came to her senses, recovered her
consciousness. Or, she thought she did. She sat up and
found that she was seated at a circular formica table.
A green formica table, in fact. Someone must have picked
her up and brought her to here. Wherever HERE was. And
her head felt vaguely dizzy.
_____The only things visible were herself, the formica
tabletop and the seat. Her clothes were gone... Now, her
metal body was bare--an exposed statuesque body of gray
metal. But that should not be a concern now.
_____Shining from above was a soft white light. Otherwise,
everything was in absolute darkness. Even with her
cybernetically enhanced eyesight, she saw nothing but
darkness all around.
_____Best not leave the table until her situation was
apparent. This COULD be a setup--a trap--for someone to
snatch her semi-biological spine... She would be helpless
then. Or, this could be a dream.
_____There was a blast of air, much like that odd blast of
air when that piece of the destroyed flying machine
smashed into the ground. The wind pulled Gally's dark
hair to the side. The wind, much like the light above,
seemed to come from nowhere.
_____Gally became frightened. This was LIKE a dream, but
it seemed more REAL than a dream should be. She tapped
her metal fingertips against the formica tabletop, even
scraped her fingers along it. It felt odd. The ancient
saying of pinching herself wouldn't work too well;
the only pinchable part of herself was the synthetic flesh
of her face, and she didn't want to damage herself...
_____Then came a distant shouting sound that was coming
closer--as if someone was falling! The shout stopped,
right in front of her. And then someone walked out of the
darkness and up to the table... A little man
_____He was a dwarf--a sort of midget, just shorter than
Gally. He wore a red suit and red pants, a black silk (?)
shirt beneath the suit jacket. His hair seemed neatly
brushed atop his round head, a prominent nose on his tanned
face.
_____Gally wanted to ask, Where is this place? But, she
could not talk. As if in response to her thoughts, she
saw that Little Man smile at her and nod his head. As if,
he had a link to her thoughts. Again, this HAD TO BE A
DREAM. At least...
_____And then the Little Man spoke. Said, "This is not
just a dream. This is ANOTHER PLACE. THE THIRD PLACE."
He looked to his right, his eyes looking to that side of
the formica table. Gally looked there, and she saw what
he was seeing. There was a bowl there, full of gray mush...
_____"OATMEAL..." said the Little Man. He chuckled, as if
at a private joke he alone understood. "You should
UNDERSTAND it if you want to succeed... Understand the
OATMEAL."
_____Understand the oatmeal? He speaks in puzzles, thought
Gally. She looked at him. And he chuckled whenever she
thought of him--meaning that he could have implanted a
brainwave-reading device in her. That could explain why
her clothes were removed--to better work on the machinery
of her body.
_____The Little Man shook his head. Instead, he looked to
the right again--pointed to the oatmeal. "You MUST understand.
The oatmeal will be the way to UNDERSTANDING."
_____Gally shook her head. Thinking, Why does that odd
little man speak in puzzles? And why the "oatmeal?" To
further disorient her?
_____Regarding Gally, the Little Man shook his head again.
He said, "I speak in puzzles. I speak the TRUTH." He
stood up from his place at the table. Then Gally fell
down. She felt the smoothness of the marble floor against
her face before her mind blanked out.

_____The next moment, she felt a solid street surface
against her face. "AI-I-I-GH!" she shouted in pain, jumping
to her feet and holding her gray hands to her pale face.
A headache! She had a cuttingly painful headache! She
felt as if her brain were being squeezed and stabbed
underneath her dark hair, in her own titanium skull.
_____The pain... It hurt so much. She swayed on her
feet. She was no longer dreaming; that much she knew now.
The pain was real, and it was hurting her.
_____Through pain-bleary eyes, she saw that she was on a
night street somewhere. She looked to the left and saw
a corrugated gray metal fence. Looking to the right, she saw
greenery--or thought she did. Shrubs and grasses against
the fence to the right. There were several spots of
artificial lighting--street lights. In the distance, the
street went on.
_____But the lighting was very, very poor. If her
headache were cleared, she could better concentrate--to
let her eyesight adjust. She heard the sound of a vehicle
passing behind her. And she heard sounds of some nearby,
the sound of footsteps on gravel and dried ground plantlife.
_____Despite the pain that SQUEEZED her suffering brain,
she acted strategically. She would act as if she did not
hear those who were trying to sneak up on her. That way,
she could surprise them if they attacked.
_____Gritting her teeth against the pain in her head, the
petite cyborg stepped toward the left side of the road,
pretending to take interest in a part of the metal fence--
because there was a rectangular white sign there.
_____She read the sign in the dim and indirect streetlighting.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MINI-DUMP. Below that: RE-OPENED
JANUARY 2001. But the sign seemed so new.
_____Franklin Township Mini-Dump? It was an odd name for a
company. She never heard of it before. Or, maybe her
addled brain was just suffering too much to let her recall?
_____Or was Franklin Township a town? It could be that.
Whoever or whatever took her away--took her away after the
flying machine's destruction--could have taken her to here.
Further, this could not be Scrap Iron City because the air
was so much cleaner. Though night, she could see that
there was much plantlife. Farm vegetation? She was not in
Scrap Iron City anymore.
_____But she had other things to think about--like those
of this "township" who were trying to stealthily approach
and overtake her. She calmly stepped back onto the
street, where there was more street lighting. All around,
the sounds of creeping and sneaking people increased.
Some of them even giggled.
_____And there were more somewhat stealthy footsteps. She
was clearly aware of there being many of them. Giggling
and creeping. Sneaking and approaching. Any moment now,
and she would be able to see them. Any moment... Looking
left and right, her head full of pain, she raised her
fists--prepared to fight to the end.
_____SNAP, SNAP, SNAP... Quickly, Gally looked down the
night-dark street. A block away, she barely saw the
Little Man. Snap... He snapped his fingers again.
Snap, snap, snap... Wasn't he in a dream? Was it a dream,
when she was in that place with the formica table?
_____He was walking away. Gally began to walk over to there,
very carefully. Her head feeling loose and sick, she
followed the sound of the snapping fingers in the night
air. The unseen people who were trying to sneak up on her
seemed to be keeping their distance as she walked--as if
they were afraid of the Little Man. Snap, snap, snap of
his fingers... The Little Man from that other place--the
Third Place--was here. She had to move close to him.
_____Going closer, Gally saw that the Little Man was
DANCING. The Little Man, the red-suited dwarf-midget,
was dancing in the street. His polished brown shoes
gleaming in the streetlights; his red suit neat and visible
in the streetlight. He turned, then began walking away,
still snapping his fingers.
_____"I will follow..." she said aloud, glad to have her
voice. Saying that aloud was tactical; saying that aloud
would keep those people away. If they indeed were afraid of
the Little Man...
_____With a wriggle in his step and his fingers snapping
to a beat only he seemed to hear, the Little Man in a
little red suit walked on. Gally followed. Despite her
painful headache, she forced herself to follow, walking.
_____Then she forced herself to speed up, to walk closer.
The closer she seemed to come to the Little Man, the
lighter her headache seemed to be...less intense. The
headache was still there, but she seemed to be feeling
better.
_____Gally heard a new sound... A large car. It sounded
different from the few transportation vehicles of Scrap
Iron City. She stopped walking, the Little Man walking
on. Then the sound slowly passed behind, passing this
street. Gally suspected the driver could be looking for
someone who did not belong here... Likely her. It could
be back; she last heard it pass quite slowly. Then the
Little Man stopped walking.

_____Actually, the vehicle that passed by in the night
was probably the only vehicle on the roads of this town
at night. And it was not just a car, but a modified military
scout car. It looked like a very large foreign sports car,
but it was outfitted with khaki-colored armor plating and
rubberoid tires. Great for riding the night roads of
Franklin Township at night, because any moving vehicle
without armored plating was likely to be destroyed by the
altered people that only came out at night.
_____There were two people in the armored scout car; they
were very aware of the dangers of the night. Because, it
was their ultimate responsibility to be out here after the
sun went down, while sensible humans stayed indoors. Those
two in the armored car, though, were not. Not human. Both
were female humanoid robots--gynoids.
_____They LOOKED human; the two in the armored scout car
looked like twin human females in their late teens or early
twenties--cute, in ways. Both were just a bit over five
feet in height, were as slim as gymnasts, and had pert
faces topped with fluffy brown hair. One gynoid sat at the
large steering wheel of this vehicle; the other sat on the
forward passenger side--looking at the onboard radar
readout. And the differences between the twins were not
just in where they sat...
_____The one on the left--the driver side--was dressed as
primly as she usually did: blouse and jeans, dark shoes.
Her hair was up in a ponytail. She was named Vicki.
_____On the right sat her "sister." She wore jeans, too--
but jeans that fit very tightly. Her tight tee-shirt was
cut half-way--showing off her lean abdomen. The bare-midriff
tee shirt had "Metallica" written on it in gray letters.
This one was named Vannessa.
_____"Vannessa, WHERE was that radar anomaly blip again?" asked
primly dressed Vicki, still looking out the annealed
glass front window as she drove this scout car. "If the
procedure worked, then someone ought to be around here.
Somewhere close by..."
_____"What the Hell, Vicki! We don't even know if it even
freakin' WORKED," commented Vannessa. "Well, trans-warp is
just an experimental HUMAN idea anyway. And if it DID work,
how do we know that they pulled back somebody useful? Heh,
I hope the trans-warp got us a ROBOT from the future this
time..."
_____"PLEASE, Vannessa!" responded Vicki. "Keep your eyes
on the radar. Anyway, the Army is pretty sure that they
trans-warped another human being into this time period.
At least, someone with human brain waves..."
_____Her sister crossed her arms. "Hmph! And how do those
nerds know that? Experimenting with time travel... Why are
they only able to do it with human beings? Will they get
it to work for people like us, too?"
_____Vicki spoke more quietly. "I don't know, Vannessa.
I don't know. Maybe, a few more years of experiments, and
we'll see... At least, there are androids and gynoids in
Dr. Briette's home-time. Two hundred years into the future...
This is only the 21st century; she's from..."
_____"Whoops! Turn us around, Vicki! Turn us BACK around!"
said Vannessa. "That freaky radar anomaly is back THAT way.
Damned anomaly, we've been looking for it all night. About
time it stopped moving." Indeed, people pulled through time
temporarily gave off odd signals when detected by radar.
_____With strength twenty times human, Vicki easily turned the
steering wheel to the left to drive the opposite way. If this
were daylight, she would have followed the traffic rules. But
this was night in Franklin Township--probably the only place
in the United States where the laws, including traffic laws,
were completely null.
_____They drove back the way they came. Vicki drove
slowly, listening to Vannessa. "Turn left at the next
corner, sis," said Vannessa. Vicki did, easing this armored
vehicle around the corner.
_____They were on a poorly lit back road--by the junkyard.
A quick flick of a switch, and extra-bright overhead lights
on the car came on. "And by the way, sis," said Vannessa,
"The radar's telling me we've got company! Night People,
from the radar signature! Cool!"
_____Night People, thought Vicki. Humans that were modified
by what happened in the night. But she did not panic, though
her simulated personality could have led her to do so. "We
have to find the person before the Night People do..." she
said aloud. "Hey, I see someone...! Turn on the overhead
lights!"
_____That "someone" had turned to face the scout car.
Indeed, up ahead and in the glare of the scout car's lights
was someone standing there: short, athletic and female.
Clearly female: the person wore form-fitting gray armor
from the neck down, fitting close to her body.
_____Vicki's "sister" nodded. "Yeah, Vicki, that anomaly
is right there. We got Night People all around, too...
Let's go!" Vannessa then opened the door on her side,
leapt out and closed the door behind her.
_____"Vannessa! Wait a minute!" Vicki shook her head,
then did the same--jumping out of this car and into the
night. The door closed behind her. And it would come back
when it detected her or Vannessa. IF they came back.
_____Out of the car, out on the night dark road... Vicki
and Vannessa ran at machine-speed. They were at the
female's side in just over a second.
_____And she seemed dazed, the petite girl in body armor.
"Come on," said Vicki, grabbing the girl by the arm and
feeling solid alloy, "We're getting you someplace safe..."
_____The girl looked up at Vicki, who was a head's height
taller. Big dark eyes met Vicki's human-sized brown eyes.
Even in the indirect lighting, Vicki saw that the girl had
big beautiful dark eyes that looked just slightly confused
and slightly frightened.
_____"Look at that, Vicki!" said Vannessa just then. "While you
were talking all cutesy to the girl, some of the nice Night
People decided to block us off from our ride! Damn, I'm
gonna ask Dr. Briette to tweak your emotional sub-programming
when we get back."
_____Even as Vannessa said that, some more Night People
came out from the darkened sides of the road by the junkyard--
places at the roadsides where streetlights and the scout
car's brighter lights did not illuminate. Night People, if
seen in low lighting, generally looked like ordinary humans.
But if one saw them in full light...
_____The Night People were becoming bolder. Two of them
approached, walking shoulder to shoulder. Odd laughs and
oddly glinting eyes.
_____"Franklin Township: Home of 21st Century mutants!"
said Vannessa, giggling. "I feel like kicking some Night
People ass right about now. You can snuggle the girl if
you want while I get things done..." Vannessa began to
approach the two Night People over there.
_____"Stay close to me," said Vicki to the armored girl.
"You'll be safe soon."
_____Instead, the armored girl spoke. Saying, "If it comes
to a fight, then I come to it!" Shaking her head to shake
off some dazed pain, she then dashed ahead to be at Vannessa's
side.
_____Vanessa glanced right and down. "Hey, kiddo, you
move pretty damned FAST for a human! Unless that sexy
armor you're wearing has something to do with it. Think
you can help me clean up some trash?"
_____The armored girl blinked hard. Her head still hurt. "I
will try and do so--come victory or failure."
_____Vannessa shrugged. "Okay...! Here they come! Vicki,
get your ass OVER HERE!" But as soon as she said that,
Vicki was already here. Which was good, because the Night
People were now moving to attack.

_____The two Night People that blocked the way to the car
were backlit by the glare of the powerful headlights. Vicki
and Vannessa raised their fists and stood slightly sideways,
general kickboxing stances. Gally took up an odd stance of
her own, one fist up and the other clenched close to her
metal-solid waist. The Night People snickered.
_____The enemy on the left jumped forward to attack! That
one raised a fist and swung. Vannessa raised her forearms
and BLOCKED--just barely. But she was knocked off her feet
despite her inhuman strength. After attacking, the Night
Person leapt back again.
_____"Damn it!" exclaimed Vannessa, getting back up on her
feet as soon as her back hit the ground. "My mobility
processors could've been whacked! Could've ruined my
tee-shirt, too."
_____Vicki rushed forward--over to where the two Night People
stood. TH-THUMP! She punched and kicked once, then did two
quick leaps backward to her original position. One of the
Night People went to his knees. The other one snarled.
_____The "armored girl" moved into action. In two
acrobatic moves, she stood alone in front of the two
enemies. She leapt up and spun in mid-air, right foot
whipping out in an arc. That attack hit both the enemies.
_____The one on his knees was beheaded. The other still
standing lost the front half of his chest. Both dead
bodies fell chest-first to the ground. Then the armored
girl ran back to Vicki and Vannessa.
_____"Holy SHIT!" shouted Vannessa. "How the HELL did you
do that, little girl?"
_____She looked up at Vannessa. "I did it, and that is what
currently matters..." Her eyes closed, and she fainted
backward--to be caught by Vicki.
_____Night People all around began snarling. From the
shadows, their eyes glinted. Vicki and Vannessa moved
quickly. Vicki picked up the (surprisingly weighty) girl
and carried her on a shoulder. For someone so small, her
armor must be heavy! Vannessa moved to protect Vicki's
back from any potential attacks. The three females ran
over to the armored scout car's rear doorway and went
in--slammed the door behind them.
_____Outside, the Night People slapped and struck the
scout car's armor--using their misshapen fists and strange
heads. They bloodied their knuckles and heads. However,
their blood was not red...

_____In the back of this vehicle was a wide payload area,
tracking equipment against the close walls and a sturdily
carpeted floor. The overhead internal light came on as
soon as they were had come in.
_____"Vannessa, you drive!" said Vicki. "I'll take care
of the girl..." Then Vicki stopped talking, stared at
the armored girl. Girl? "Oh goodness..."
_____Vicki saw that the petite girl's "armor" did not just
go up to her neck, but actually WAS her neck. And the
close-fitting armor had none of the easy hinges or seams
needed to otherwise remove it. This girl's body was metal.
_____By the internal lighting of this vehicle, Vannessa
saw that, too. "Hey, I thought we got a HUMAN, sis!" she
said. "This one's got a pretty cool-looking alloy body...
Hey-y-y! Cool! Somebody just like us!"
_____"Quit it!" said Vicki, kneeling closer and leaning to
look into the metal-bodied girl's closed eyes. "She's
still breathing... Or something. Just get to the driver's
seat and drive us out of here!"
_____Vannessa was up and over to the door that separated the
driver section from the payload section of this vehicle.
She put her hands to the wheel. "Okay, just quit bitching!"
Her foot stomped on the accelerator, and the armored car
lurched as it ZOOMED forward--small thumps audible as they
ran over the corpses of the Night People they killed earlier.
_____Vicki held the metal-bodied girl by the shoulders
to keep her from being tossed by Vannessa's crazed driving.
When they were on more open road, Vannessa's driving eased
up. Vicki put her hand to the center of the girl's gray
chest--feeling the slight rhythmic vibrations of what were
likely artificial internal organs at work.
_____Unconscious, but still "alive." The girl opened her
eyes a bit. "I yet live..." she barely managed to say.
"Then, my brain remains intact."
_____"Your brain is ALIVE? Living?" asked Vicki. "What
are you, human...? Or really a robot, like us?" And from
there, Vicki had plenty other questions.
_____Blinking harder, the girl struggled against a headache.
"I am...Gally. That is who I am. That matters to me..."
And she fell into unconsciousness again.
_____Vicki was left confused. "Hey, sis!" shouted Vannessa
from the driver section of this vehicle. "We're gonna be
out all night! Sunrise is in half an hour... Dr. Briette's
gonna be SO-O-O MAD at us!"
_____Vicki shook her head... When the sun came up, sunlight
coming to town, things would revert to normal. The humans
would leave their houses to go to work, go to school and
just go about life as normal. Luckily, whatever happened
to this town only affected things at night. Then, they
would be able to get this "Gally" over to the municipal
complex and into the lab without trouble.

_____Vannessa would drive them around this town for the thirty
minutes before dawn. Doing this accomplished two things,
really. One, it kept them a moving target, as so the
Night People could not group up and sneak up on the scout
car. And two, driving around kept Vannessa occupied.
_____Minutes before dawn itself, Gally opened her eyes.
Her headache was primarily gone. Looking up, she saw the
brown-haired gynoid Vicki--who would be called a "replicate"
in Gally's time.
_____Gally sat up, gently combing some of her own dark hair
back into place with metal fingers. Vicki backed away,
kneeling by the surveillance equipment built into this
vehicle's sides. She eyed the metal-bodied girl.
_____Vicki tried a few words. "We found you last night.
I heard you speak English when we fought some of...them.
You have a slight Japanese accent, but you seem to understand..."
_____Gally looked away, saying, "I do comprehend your
language. But, I do not fully comprehend these circumstances.
Who are the 'Night People?' Estranged mutants? Outcasts
of this society?" Her large eyes narrowed. "This PAST
society?"
_____"Then you know you were pulled back in time..." said
Vicki. "The Army's Science Corps--pretty secret--used an
experimental device to pull you to this time period.
Because we... It's complicated, I'm sorry. It's going to be
a complicated story... About what happened to this town and
why we need you." She gestured toward the front of this
vehicle. "When the sun comes up, everything will be okay
again. Then Vannessa will take us to the municipal complex,
where Mr. Dark will explain things to you."
_____Gally moved to a corner of the vehicle, then sat huddled
in a corner--gray knees close to her chest. The vehicle hit a
a bump in the road. "At the very least, explanation is owed."
_____Vannessa shouted from the driver section. "Hey,
Vicki! Sunrise is half a minute away. If metal girl's
up to it, she ought to see what happens in the morning
around here!"
_____To keep her balance in this still moving vehicle,
Vicki walked partially crouched over. She moved to the
corner where Gally sat, held out her right hand. "Come on.
I'll show you sunrise. This town isn't always dark and
ruined, at least not during the daytime."
_____Gally eyed Vicki, then clasped one of her own metal
hand in Vicki's synthetic fleshed one. Vicki helped Gally
through the metal door and to the vehicle's front.
_____Vannessa at the wheel glanced over. "We're heading
east, along Hamilton Street." Indeed, out the front
windshield was a two-lane roadway that would be busy come
full daytime.
_____Vicki let Gally sit down on the passenger side. And
then Gally what happened in Franklin Township at dawn--when
the night was vanquished by sunlight. Sunlight lightened the
tone of the eastern horizon. Then a vast wave of gray
mist--or smoke, really--came up from that direction,
covering up the view ahead! Gray smoke, thick enough to
cloud the view ahead.
_____Gally braced for any possible impact. "Relax, relax!"
said Vannessa. "I can see in infrared when necessary...
See RIGHT THROUGH this shit. Driving through this is not
a problem. Happens every morning..." Then, the smoke
dissipated...
_____Faded and vanished, as if there were not any smoke at
all. Gally saw clear road ahead. Vannessa continued driving
this vehicle along this two-lane roadway, a pretty view.
There were plenty of trees along the right side, with some
houses and streets at that side. On the left were some
buildings and small grassy fields. None of the previous
night's darkness or misery seemed present.
_____Vicki smiled. "And... This is the Franklin Township.
Daytime, Gally. Pretty soon, the humans will be up and
around, doing what they do when it's safe out. A nice
town during the day, you'll see."
_____Looking at the daylit road ahead, eyes partially
closed to the bright sunrise, Gally looked on. "A better
side to this place, at the very least."
_____They drove on for several minutes more, approached
an intersection with a small rural-style convenience and
bicycle store at the right. Vannessa turned the wheel
right, and drove slowly in that direction. And to the
left, seen out the left-side window, was a group of gray
and brown buildings with several divided parking lots at
the center.

_____And the drove into that area, a group of buildings there.
A sign at the right of the entranceway had this written:
Welcome to the FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL COMPLEX. Below
that sign was a listing of the buildings here--including
the court house, public library, and recreation building.
_____"We usually park in the lot in front of the police
station," said Vannessa. "Sometimes, we have to share
this thing with the police... They use their own kind of
key to get in. Glad I got a remote key implanted in my
fingers..." That said, she parked the large vehicle in a
specially extended space next to several normal-sized--
smaller--cars. "We're here!" Then Vannessa hit a switch
to turn off the vehicle, and she hopped out.
_____"Police..." said Gally. She had been told about this
time period. The police, she recalled, were publically
paid professionals who maintained the law. Paid by government.
Instead of there being a corporation ruling cities and
countries, there was a separate institution for government.
In Gally's own home-time, the government and corporations--
collectively called The Factory--were one and the same.
How odd...
_____"Come on, Gally. Our bosses will want to see you.
They stayed at the lab all night to see who we found," said
Vicki. She then moved from between the two front seats
and out the same way Vannessa left. Gally left through the
other door--closed it behind her.
_____Getting out, standing outside the vehicle, Gally
looked around. Indeed, they were amidst a group of
buildings set apart by several parking lots. There were
trees beyond these buildings. Above was the sky of
sunrise, becoming more blue with passing minutes. And she
heard...birds singing. Is this what Zalem looked like?
_____"Get your synthetic self over here, Vicki!" shouted
Vannessa. She waved from over there at the stone-cut
building to the right--one with a Greek stylized entranceway.
She then went into the glass-and-steel double doors. Over
the entrance was an arching sign: RECREATIONAL CENTER.
Gally and Vicki went there, went in.

_____Inside recreation building was a carpeted foyer, a
reception window at the right. A middle-aged man was
behind there. "Hi, Vicki," said the man. Then he looked
at who Vicki was with. "Oh, was that girl out at night?
I'm glad she's safe." He looked at the girl. "Nice
costume."
_____Gally put on a hint of a smile. Vicki shrugged, then
gestured for Gally to follow. "Sure, Gus. She's wearing
a costume. Come on, Gally. This way, to the right."
_____Gally followed, her large dark eyes looking left and
right of this carpeted hall. She followed Vicki to the
right--into a shorter hall that led to a public lounge with
couches and a small table in the middle. Next was a gray
door at the end. Gally heard Vannessa talking to someone
in the room beyond that door; Vicki was waiting at the
door.
_____With the door held open by Vicki, Gally went in.
It was a very simple office here: white walls, a green
polished floor, a filing cabinet in a corner. A desk
set in the center of the room. Vannessa stood in front of
the desk; behind the desk sat a big man. The way Vannessa
was dressed--tight shirt and jeans--she could be seen as
flirting with the man.
_____The man must be Mr. Dark, one of Vicki and Vannessa's
bosses. Gally looked at him. He was somewhat fat, but
with strong-looking arms. He was dressed in white button
shirt, tie and slacks. He had brown hair, blue eyes. Eyes
and face reddened from having been up half the night in
waiting for Vicki and Vannessa to return.
_____And he seemed used to Vannessa's revealing "rocker"
clothes, not at all staring at her breasts in thin shirt
or how her flat youthful abdomen was left bare above hips
in tight jeans. That, because he knew that--beneath Vannessa's
realistic appearance--she was artificial muscle tissue,
titanium bone, and computer circuitry.
_____Vannessa gestured with a jerk of her right thumb. She
said, "Mr. Dark, that's who we picked up last night.
Gally, from the future...or something like that. Vicki
was like...SO-O-O worried about her, but she's fine. She
can FIGHT! Speaks normal English, too."
_____Mr. Dark nodded, then made a brushing gesture at
Vannessa. Vannessa moved out of Mr. Dark's way as so he
could see Gally, but she walked with a sway to her hips.
One of these days, she was sure she would get Mr. Dark to
notice her. Vannessa liked playing with humans...
_____"Hi, Gally...!" said the big wide man, smiling. He
put his hands flat atop the desk. "Welcome to the early
21st Century! Earth... I don't know if this time period's
any better or worse than your own, but..."
_____"It seems better, on the surface of things..."
interrupted Gally. There was an edge to the way she spoke.
"Please, do cut the preliminaries. Justify my abduction.
It seems, you abducted me for...assistance?"
_____Mr. Dark held up his hands. "I'll give you the short
version before Vicki and Vannessa show you the cybernetics
lab. Where to begin... Hmm...
_____"Here goes, short version. Once upon a time, last
year, this town was your average suburban New Jersey
town. At least by the standards we have here. Little
crime, decent schools, well-to-do working-class folks...
A nice little town. All that was fine, until something
started happening..."
_____He lowered his voice slightly. "It all started
happening at once, the dark weirdness. People started having
weird nightmares and dreams. I mean, REALLY weird dreams. Dreams about
having junk being stuck to their stomachs and about little
dwarves in weird suits coming down from the night sky to
talk. And people started talking about space aliens,
flying saucers, ghosts, monsters... All sorts of things.
_____"Crazy things? No... As the police found out, some
of THAT stuff really started to happen in this town...at
night. They had to handle call after call, TOO MANY CALLS,
about citizens being attacked and disappearing after running
into weird people in the night. Pretty soon, some officers
were disappearing too... Though the troubles only seemed to
happen at night, people were so worried that nobody went
out-of-doors anymore. Something had to be done. The mayor
and police made a few calls...
_____"That's where WE came in. After the FBI checked out
this town, they called me in. A clandestine, covert
office was set up--disguised as an office of the Franklin
Township Parks & Recreation. But actually, an office
running under an attache of the U.S. Army National Guard.
And that office was to be run by me--is run by me. It
wasn't going to be a problem: I'm a retired non-commissioned
Army officer, anyway. At least, officially retired...
_____"After setting up this office, my superiors assigned
two undercover agents to me: Vicki Lawson and Vannessa
Lawson. And then my superiors assigned me a damned good
cybernetics scientist: Dr. Trissa Briette. But those
three weren't just 'people.'
_____"As I found out, Vicki and Vannessa--hah, hah--aren't
human. And then I found out that Dr. Briette wasn't--hah,
hah--from this time period at all. Turns out she came
here by accident--from a trans-warp experiment that took
her two hundred years back in time. Furthermore, the
things happening to this town weren't normal, either."
_____After saying all that, Mr. Dark put out his hands.
"So... Here I am, in an office disguised to be part of
the Franklin Township Parks & Recreation Department, with
two secretaries and a doctor. But the 'secretaries' are
robot-girls and the 'doctor' is a scientist from two
centuries into the future. Together, with funding from
the Army National Guard, it's our job to patrol the night
of Franklin Township and try to stop what's happened--
before it spreads to other towns. Are you with us, Gally?"
_____Gally took some steps closer. Coming very close to
the desk, she asked, "What is there for prospects of a
return to my own time period?"
_____Mr. Dark shrugged. "Sorry. I can't tell you that yet.
The thing is, my office didn't pull you into this time
period; another office did. Help us out, and we'll see
about getting you back. Anyway, you haven't seen our
cybernetics lab yet!" He looked behind Gally, at Vicki
and Vannessa. "Vicki, Vannessa, show her." He patted
the underside of his desk an odd way, then a part of the
wall behind him slid open--an elevator.
_____Gally turned to Vicki and Vannessa--truly two contrasting
twin females. Standing side by side, she better saw the
contrast between the synthetic girls. One in tight and
revealing clothes. The other dressed so primly. Vannessa
stooped down and put an arm around Gally's metal shoulders.
"Come on, cyborg-girl. We'll show ya the place." She then
led Gally to the elevator--Vicki following behind. They
all fit in the elevator.
_____"Okay, Mr. Dark..." said Vicki, "we're ready to go down."
She looked down at Gally. "Relax, you'll like it."
_____Mr. Dark patted the underside of his desk. The elevator
door closed, leaving her in here with the two synthetic
girls.
_____Gally felt this elevator going down. She looked up
and left at Vannessa, then up and right at Vicki. And she
wondered about this Dr. Briette and if she had technology
enough. If Gally was to face danger in this time period,
it would be good to know if the doctor had technology
enough to help.


She wondered about what technology would be available for her
repairs and maintenance.