"All's quiet on this end. No sign of target."

"Copy that. Keep a lookout. Intel said the target would hit this base. It's only a matter of time. Stay frosty."

Armored guards paced throughout a manufacturing facility in the heart of the city. It was a rectangular building with no windows and only two openings, a small door in front and a large shutter in the rear that led to a small airfield. The building's plain, nondescript appearance belied its interior, filled with many military-class vehicles, weaponry and other constructs, both combat-ready and incomplete prototypes.

One guard broke his stride, interrupting his patrol as he looked about the facility. He recognized most of the equipment as outmoded or decommissioned weapons, the incomplete models forever destined to remain that way. Other than a single computer terminal deep inside the building, most of the machinery had been defunct for weeks.

"Permission to speak freely, commander?"

"What is it?"

"Sir, with all due respect, why so much security for a place like this? I was denied furlough because of this assignment, and frankly, I don't understand why."

"All you need to know is that you were specifically chosen for this assignment, Magnan. You're the highest-rated sharpshooter in Eagle Unit. Central Command needs someone with your talents to deal with the target, should the need arise."

"And why does Central believe the target's going to hit this dump? There's nothing here!"

"That's none of our concern, Magnan! Soldiers obey orders, we don't ask why. Now get back to patrol!"

"But sir, even you have to admit—"

Suddenly a booming whoosh echoed in the air and the sound of rent metal squealed, snatching the attention of all the guards.

"All units!" screamed another guard over the com. "The target! Sh--!"

The com channel went dead.

Then a comatose guard's body fell lifelessly through the air and crashed to the floor at the feet of Magnan. The sharpshooter instinctively glared high, staring at the elevated level and catching sight of the titular target. Magnan couldn’t believe his eyes.

Standing on the rafters above the highest level of the facility was a woman, curvy and muscular, with a long mane of fiery orange hair. One of her eyes was azure, the other crimson. The elements of her outfit, such as it was, competed with each other for attention; she wore a skin-tight, sleeveless half-top that did everything to enhance her impressive figure above the waist, and a microscopic thong that did everything to expose her equally impressive lower body without leaving her totally naked. But even with her figure as on-display as it was, Magnan and his fellow soldiers were hard pressed to focus on her near-nudity, as their collective gaze was transfixed upon the massive armored boots that covered her legs from the kneecaps down. Humming with energy, with pulsating light emanating from within, it was clear that the woman’s boots were no ordinary footwear. The decorative rings that adorned her biceps began to flicker and shine with a multicolored glow as she began to snap her mesh-coated fingertips.

Magnan’s jaw dropped as he raised his rifle. “Guess you must be the target.”
It was at that moment that Magnan noticed something else about her boots; a pair of cylindrical thruster-like apparatuses adorned the rear of each boot on the left and right sides. They too began to glow.

“Don’t just stand there!” the unit commander bellowed. “Take her down!”

The woman brought her feet together and instantly propelled into the sky like a bottle rocket, a burst of light in her wake. She soared through the air, somersaulted as she careened downward and propelled her left leg into the helmet of a soldier immediately to Magnan’s left, axe-kicking his helmet with a heel drop propelled with exhaust. Her gigantic boot smashed into the headgear like a stone dropped on a pile of dirt, bending it beyond recognition and sending the soldier collapsing to the ground. The woman ended in a crouch inches before Magnan, her fiery mane draping in front of her like a cloak coming to rest.
Magnan flinched. She’d moved so fast he was still aiming skyward when she crashed in front of him. She flicked her head up, her hair flipping behind her as her eyes met with his. Magnan leveled his rifle again, but in a burst of light the girl was already in the sky again. The shockwave from her boosted jump sent Magnan stumbling backward.

“Magnan! Fall back! The shock troops will take it from here!”

He nodded, retreating behind a combat tank where his spare weaponry had been at rest. In particular, he remembered why the commander said he was chosen as he opened a case and withdrew the segments of a long-range power rifle. He assembled his weapon and leaned upon his cover, watching the girl flicker around through his scope, desperately trying in vain to draw a bead upon her. He couldn’t comprehend anything about her.

“How is she moving so fast? Those boots have got to weigh more than her whole body!” Magnan thought. “And her eyes…never seen anything like them. It’s like she’s not human…”