Drifter

Eli hit the accelerator. The car raced through the crowded streets. He could just make out the vehicle he was chasing. Other cars zoomed past, little more than blurs of color.

The truck that he was pursuing joined the fast traffic on a major highway. Eli followed. The lanes stretched off out of sight. Thick and high walls enclose them. The traffic was heavy but manageable.

He contacted his broker, “Chiron, someone’s grabbed the target. I’m in pursuit. He’s a big pink furred thing with bug eyes and pincers on his mouth.”

“That sounds like Jiraa the Mauler. Be wary, he’s quick on the trigger and loves a fight.”

“I’m already aware, but thanks for the heads up. There was also a woman in armor that had some sort of cloaking device built into it.”

“Did she have a sword?”

“Yes,” Eli said as he maneuvered past a line of cars.

“That’s Gami Urush. She’s been in the game a while, knows several different forms of martial arts. Be careful, she’s always got another trick up her sleeve.”

“I will. I’ll keep you updated,” with that, he ended the call.

Weaving through the heavy traffic, Eli fought to get closer to the target. Horns and flashing lights bombarded him as he dodged oncoming vehicles. Those cars that he aggressively passed weren’t much kinder.

Eli pulled his sidearm and started taking shots at the tires. Jiraa attempted to ram him in retaliation, forcing him to flee behind a car hauler.

He became aware of a loud noise coming from behind. He glanced at the rearview mirror, just in time to see a sleek motorcycle rush up and shoot past him. The bike was one of those low-profile speed demons with a streamlined frame. It was painted jet black. Gami was riding it.

She caught up to the target, pulled a machine pistol out of a holster that was mounted on the bike. She took aim at the driver’s window and fired. The rounds ricocheted off of the bullet resistant glass, leaving little distorted craters.

Jiraa veered toward her. She hit the accelerator, only just managing to avoid the attack. She turned around and put the rest of the mag into the windshield. It was hard for Eli to tell, but this didn’t seem to have much more of an effect.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Eli got near the rear of the truck. He attempted to perform a PIT maneuver, which he had never been formally trained to do, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. The front quarter panel was obliterated by the impact. Jiraa’s vehicle was unphased, staying totally straight, while the car that Eli was driving began to turn sideways.

The flashy car began to skid sideways. An odd, chemical odor appeared; Eli supposed that it was from the burning tires. He managed to regain control.

As he fought to recover the lost ground, he took careful glances at the automobile’s controls. The translator told him the meaning of the simplistic symbols. Just as he had hoped, they had meanings that were comparable to the cars and trucks he had driven on Earth.

Gami pulled something off of her belt and tossed it at the truck. In the brief moment that it was airborne Eli was able to identify it as a grenade. He reflexively tapped the brake. The grenade landed in the recess where the wipers sat. Jiraa ducked down.

The grenade went off in a flash of blinding light. By the time Jiraa rose back up, Gami had realized that her attempt to blind him had failed, and she had disappeared down an exit.

Eli moved into position beside Jiraa’s vehicle. He hit the cruise control. Careful not to nudge the steering wheel or accidently disengage the cruise control, he stood up on the seat. Forcing away any hesitation he felt, he leapt onto the back of the truck. The car that he had abandoned slowly drifted away, eventually smashing into a concrete wall.

Jiraa moved the truck wildly from side to side. Eli hung on for dear life. Jiraa swerved into one of the concrete walls. Sparks and crumbling stone rained down on Eli. Having failed to dislodge him, Jiraa straightened the vehicle out.

Ahead, the road rose and gently curved as it intersected with a major highway. He could see the traffic on the overpass, which looked like it could be negotiated, but with some difficulty.

An unsettling sound caused him to look upward. The source of the sound was quickly identified. A ship was flying above them. It was hard to judge because of the speeds involved and the fact that a flying object has nothing with which it can be judged against, but it looked like it was rather low. No identification could be found. After studying the craft for several seconds, he began to wonder if it was organic in nature.

Rainbow light appeared on a protrusion located on the underside of the strange vessel. Having seen gravity manipulation devices used as tractor beams before, Eli traced an invisible line from the spot where the light had formed to the overpass.

Eli watched in fascination as the support pillar for the bridge was ripped out of place, as if the hand of an invisible giant grabbed hold of it. The overpass was unable to take the sudden loss of one of its main supports. It lost its structural integrity. Hunks of concrete, sections of heavy steel, and at least three dozen vehicles rained down onto the roadway below.