Thirty-seven minutes ago...
Leslie Kline spat blood from her mouth as she rolled from Ninlil's punch. The Annunaki amazon was stronger than she looked, especially since she was a tall, spindly alien - at were least six-foot-four. Beneath her thin frame were layers of deceptive muscle tissue far more advanced than human tissue, making her a very dangerous foe, indeed.
Leslie didn't know much about her opponent other than that she was strong - very strong. What she didn't know is how ready for this attack Ninlil really was. Her 'late' husband, Enlil was the head of the Annunaki invasion of the planet Earth, which, upon his reign of the pathetic little third asteroid from the sun, would make her its queen.
What Leslie didn't know was that Ninlil was powerful, angry, and determined to rule.
All that Leslie knew was that Ninlil had to go down... by whatever means necessary.
Flipping back up to her feet, Leslie delivered a roundhouse kick to Ninlil's side, which the Annunaki countered by catching the woman's foot and flipping her into the air. Reaching out her arms to steady herself, Leslie landed safely on her feet as she brought her arms swiftly forward with enough force to give the alien at least one cracked rib. However, her muscle reinforced ribcage made the maneuver futile.
Smiling wickedly, Ninlil swung to deliver a shop to the neck, but Leslie saw the move coming and was able to duck, finally connecting a kick to the alien's side. Staggering back, Ninlil growled.
Leslie was starting to breathe heavy. She was all out of ammo, all out of gimmicks, and all out of time. If she didn't take this alien down fast, there was no telling what was going to happen. She'd sent out a distress call to Rose Biggle and the gypsy had said she was sending help, but that had been ten minutes ago. Her time was running short...
"Your time is running short," the alien woman snarled in a voice uncharacteristically low for a woman. However, due to the bizarre construction of Annunaki vocal chords, a typical female voice had the intonation in the high bass range. "Your health is failing. Your planet is ours. The faster you begin to accept this inevitability, the easier it will be for us all. Perhaps, I'll even make you my personal maidservant..."
"Don't think so, sister," Leslie said, steadying herself and setting up a defensive position. "All I know is you're not gonna be getting out of here so..."
"SISTER?!" Ninlil's eyes flared with rage as spittle flew from her mouth. "You would dare to equate yourself with me?"
Leslie smirked. "Why not?" she said wryly, pumping her hand, as though goading Ninlil to come toward her.
"Impudent wench," Ninlil shot herself into the air, pushing off with her powerfully muscular legs. "I shall teach you to mock my generosity!!"
At the pinnacle of her arch, Ninlil arched downward, aiming her rapid decent at Leslie Kline's waiting form. The mercenary lay ready as the Annunaki grew closer... closer... closer...
A yell erupted suddenly as the form of a woman ripped through the air, as Nuriko flew through the air, connecting head on with the falling Ninlil. The two women rolled away with the force of the impact as Leslie rushed to the woman's aid.
Nuriko pounded on the alien's face as orangish blood flew from the cuts appearing as Nuriko continued her beating.
A sudden fist to the abdomen sent Nuriko away, landing at Leslie's feet.
"Got here as fast as I could," the Asian said, pulling herself from the ground.
"Took long enough," Leslie said, popping her neck. "Got any weapons?"
Nuriko shook her head. "Katana broke after I stabbed that bitch Erishkigal to a block of ice..."
"Kill her?" Kline asked.
Nuriko nodded.
"Good," Kline said.
"You people," Ninlil said, spitting out the last word repulsively. "You marvel at your own superiority. You think there is nothing more than you anywhere in the universe. Even your science fiction lists you as the dominant alien species."
"What do you intend to do about it?" Nuriko asked, crouching into a fighting position, Leslie quickly following suit.
"I intend to show you the error of your ways... in blood!"
With renewed speed and vigor, Ninlil attacked the two Vanguardians, delivering kick after kick, blow after blow. Both women did their best to stand their ground, but the Annunaki was too strong, too fast for them.
As the two women fell into the soft snow, a battered and bruised Ninlil stood above their bodies. Balling her fist to deliver the final blow, the woman known as Ninlil suddenly stopped. Her years of training eroded away as one single thought suddenly consumed her very being.
Enlil.
"I sense his presence still on this orb," she whispered to herself, looking off in the distance. "I must find him... he must be the one to lead this revolt."
With that, she leapt into the air, her muscular legs carrying her far from the raging battle...
Now...
The rev of a snowcat mounting a snow-covered hill was heard by none as the two men atop the vehicle slid to a stop a few yards away from the two unconcious women.
The second man, in a Strikeforce med suit, hopped off, running up their location, checking their vitals.
"They're still alive, C!" the Strikeforce agent Patch yelled back. "How do you do that, man?"
Constantin Goodmorning just smiled. "The nose knows, man... the nose knows..."
