Disclaimer: I don't own Pern, the dragons, or the characters that live in the MacCaffery's minds, but I do own mine.

P.S. You will probably wonder what this is doing in this category. Wait until Chapter two before giving up on it.

And so, with trembling pleasure, I present:

One Minute You're on Earth...

Officer Graham Kingsley flashed the lights on his black and white patrol car and steered the driver of the white Toyota over to the side of the road. Kingsley was a nice-looking young man in his late twenties, with an overgrown dirty blond buzz cut and pale blue eyes. He glanced over at his darker-complexioned parter Sal, who's slightly hooked nose and wispy black hair betrayed Italian ancestry.

"How fast was she going?" Kingsley asked Sal, referring to the reason he had pulled the car over.

"At least ten over the speed limit," Sal replied with smile. "Wanna play for it?" He asked his paler partner, sticking out his fists.

Kingsley smiled, secured the car, turning the key in the ignition to "off" and put out his hands too. The partners had a tradition involving routine traffic violations such as this. The problem was, Sal always won. The fists beat out the familiar rhythm as they smacked against the palm of their owner to the accompaniment of the silly rhyme that went with it. Sal's fingers came down in a fist, while Kingsley's came down with upper two sticking out like "scissors."

"Damn," Kingsley exclaimed. "Why do I play "rock, paper, scissors" with you, Sal?" He flipped up the visor with the picture of Sarah on her chestnut mare on it, handed the keys to Sal, and climbed out of the car. The woman in the Toyota hadn't turned off the car yet. Kingsley, felling a bit nervous, loosened his gun in his holster.

Then, he looked down as a dog latched tiny, sharp teeth into the left leg of his navy blue uniform pants. "Dammit," he muttered, "aren't dogs supposed to chase mailmen?" He kicked his leg a little, hoping to dislodge his unwanted visitor.

Kingsley looked back toward the patrol car at Sal's shout. Sal didn't shout unless something was really wrong.

"Look out!" Sal screamed at his partner, but it was too late to be constructive. The shocked Kingsley looked forward, saw the Toyota on top of him, and his eyes opened wide with surprise.

Then the car hit him. A bullet-proof vest isn't much help against a car. Kingsley felt his sternum cave in with a loud and sickening -

- CRACK!! -