The Ward
By Alejandro Gonzalez
It was roughly two in the afternoon on a relatively sunny day, about March. The scene of the airport was the usual hustle and bustle that is typical of a New York airport. As the people went about their normal day, going to and fro, a homeless man sitting on one of the benches, bumming change from people, noticed a strange sight. She was walking down the huge expanse that is the hallway, and she seemed to be confused as to where she was going. The look of her alone was enough to catch his attention; she was wearing what looked to be armor, and her hair easily went down past her butt, and it was a mild blue color. She also appeared to be quite muscular, while still being sexy. As she walked, she seemed to have a strange "Aura" of some sort around her, as he could vaguely see a slight glow around her. In fact, as she walked, people who normally act as though strange situations matter not to them, stopped and stared at this unusual woman as she walked. Passing by the homeless man, he noticed something especially weird; she had a brown, furry tail! It wrapped around her waist tightly, and he was confused as to where she got that from, because other than the tail, she looked as human as you or I.
The silent, easy posture of the woman's walking was broken when she popped her head up very quickly, and saw a man trying to run, after snatching an elderly woman's purse. Moving so fast that no one could even see anything, not even a blur, she dashed in front of the man, and kneed him in the gut, rendering him unconscious with a single hit. He spit up blood as he dropped to his knees, and then sprawled out lifelessly on the ground. She didn't even hit him with her hardest possible hit, just one fast enough so as not to kill him. As she went to hand the purse back to the old lady, several police ran up and tried to grab her. Fortunately, the old lady said that it wasn't her that tried to take the purse, and in good time too; the strange woman was about to nail the two policemen next to her.
"What the hell did you do? That man over there is dead!" Said one policeman to the female.
The strange woman looked over to him, and then to the policeman.
"Oh, no," she said. "He's not dead, I just kneed him in the stomach because he was trying to take this woman's purse. He'll wake up in a few hours, with quite a stomachache."
The policeman turned to the old woman. "Is this true? Did you see it?"
The old lady scratched her head. "Well, she ran over to where that man was at, and hit him, and he fell to the ground."
He turned back to the female. "So, where are you headed?"
She seemed to be confused, just like before. "I…came to Earth for a reason…but now, I just can't seem to remember what I came to this planet for. Strange."
The police officer held down a laugh, and then turned to his partner. "Call the psych ward, we've got a mental headed their way."
He turned back to the woman. "Ma'am? Please come with us."
Not knowing where else to go, she reluctantly followed them. She sat down in the police van, and looked out the window as they drove toward the mental hospital. The policemen driving the van chuckled to themselves as they talked about this woman's story. In the back, she frowned angrily as she stared at the backs of their heads; even though it was bulletproof glass, she somehow heard every word they were saying. She then looked down at the floor, pondering why she had even come to Earth in the first place.
Why, she wondered, did I come here? I know that I was sent off for a reason, but what?
Once the van got to the place, she was escorted out of the van and up the stairs to floor three. A police officer walked into the office of one of the doctors, John Eckers, and informed him that he was receiving a patient. He wasn't the happiest, but he had no choice. When the woman walked into his office, he looked at her, and was amazed by the sheer size of her hair. Never before had he seen a woman with hair as wide as her shoulders, and as long as down to her knees. It was also a whole six inches thick, if one measured, and medium bluish.
"Well," he said. "I'm Doctor Eckers, and I'm sure you want to know why you're here."
She smiled teasingly. "I'm here because you think I'm nuts."
"We prefer the term 'Ill'. I haven't gotten your name."
"My name is Kelietya."
"kee-lee-tee-uh?"
"Yes. That is my name."
"And why have you come here, Kelietya?"
"I have been sent to Earth from faraway planet Vegeta, but I seem to have forgotten the mission I was sent to Earth to accomplish."
"Vegeta? What race is on that planet?"
"Saiyans. There are lots of us. We are a powerful warrior race, and I am an Elite-class soldier."
"Class? How many classes are there?"
She smiled. "Boy, do you ask quite a bit of questions! There are six. One is an elite class. Two through four are middle classes. Five and below are lower class. Our class is measured by our power level."
He raised an eyebrow. "Power level?"
"Yes," She replied. "Our power level is a measure of how much energy we have. You humans call it 'chi'. The more of it you have, the more powerful you are."
"And what would your power level be?"
She took off the thing attached to her ear. "See this? This is a standard issue scouter. This eyepiece tells you someone's power level, and this also lets you communicate over intergalactic distances. My comm Component, however, is busted, but if I wanted to, I could get in touch with my pod."
He was confused. "Pod?"
She rolled her eyes. "My space pod! I traveled here in it! Took me five minutes at Tachyon seven."
He shook his head. "What's a tachyon?"
"A Tachyon is a speed over light speed."
"So, you came to Earth in a space pod. Do you know where it is located?"
"Well," she said. "I know where it is, but I don't have to go and get it. Remember? I can communicate with it with a single touch of this button!"
"Oh, that's right. But aren't you afraid that someone'll take the thing apart?"
She seemed exasperated. "You humans are so simple-minded. When we land, our space pod forms an energy field around it that only we are capable of penetrating."
"That sounds like a very sensible solution."
"Can I go now to wherever it is that I'll be staying?"
"Sure, just follow your way back to the ward. The signs are posted, and the guards will keep you from escaping."
After that last statement, she shot him a look. "You think those fat guards can keep me here? I'm here because I feel like staying!"
With that, she left his office, and headed down the hallway to the ward. Her time here had begun.