Chapter 1
"Happy Birthday Bulma!" Mom said wearing her ever-bright smile while placing an oversized strawberry cheesecake on the table in front of me. Dad wore an equally bright smile as he placed a neatly wrapped package right beside it. I looked back at them, eyebrow raised, trying to figure out the best way to let them down gently.
"Loving parents," I have learned using their favorite line against them is always the best way to soften a blow. "Don't you think this is all a bit… much?"
I was met with looks of confusion. (which I expected but that meant I was now tasked with elaborating). This situation just got ten times more awkward. "Well, you decorated the whole house again and made a huge cake with far too many candles."
"We do this every year, sweetie."
"Yeah. Well stop. I am fifteen now and all this pomp and circumstance is unnecessary. I don't know if you have noticed but I don't have any friends. This gigantic cake and all of these party favors are going to waste on just the three of us."
"Oh, don't say that honey!" my mom proclaimed in her usual sing-songy voice, not deflated in the least meaning I was not being taken seriously- again. "What about that sweet Yamcha boy you are always going on about? Is he not coming Dear?"
"You mean the same 'Sweet Yamcha' whom I dated two months ago. Who cheated within the first month and admitted that he only asked me out because he lost a bet? I only go on about him because he is a terrible human and I want to wring his stupid little neck unt-"
Dad cleared his throat loudly directing our attention back to the table. "How about we make a wish and open the present now since we aren't waiting on anyone?" With an exasperated sigh, I cast a quick wish in the general direction of the cake while haphazardly blowing out the candles. Grabbing the box, I carefully peeled away the pastel pink wrapping to reveal... a stack of legal sized paper?
"Um thanks Dad. I have always wanted a new- what exactly is this?"
"The patent! You know to the MicroCapsule you've been working on. I took the liberty of completing it for you. I know that you have been stressed out over it lately and I see why. Writing that thing out was a pain in the-"
"You WHAT?" I combed through the dense packet of paper just to see that it was in fact a completed patent, MY patent.
"What's the matter? Did I forget something?"
"The problem?! The problem is that I specifically asked you to let me do this on my own. I am the one who came up with this idea, designed the craft, hand-picked and lead the team of engineers, handled all of the mods until this invention was perfect. I wanted to be able to write and receive my first patent on. my. own. And I specifically asked you," pointing an accusatory finger at my horrified mother who stood on the other side of the table slack jawed by my outburst, "to keep this little celebration as simple as possible. But look at this place! It's a mess! All of the extra money you spent on this farce would have been better served as a donation to the STEM charity I started this year. Also, how many times do I have to tell you both that I hate pink? My favorite color is red okay?! RED! FURTHERMORE-"
Suddenly, there was a loud boom could be heard from outside of our home as if something massive had just made contact with the ground. The floor beneath us began to violently tremble making my parents fall to their knees and flinging me off the couch.
"What the hell was that? A plane crash?"
"Bulma!" scolded my mother. She shook her head in disappointment, "Language!"
"Mom, right now isn't really the best time to worry about my foul mouth."
Before she had a chance to admonish me some more, we were all distracted by a shrill whining sound that seemed to be getting closer and closer until
"GET DOWN NOW!" My father screamed tackling my mother and I to the ground just as a projectile came barrelling through our window; exploding over head and showering the room with shrapnel. The decorations were ablaze. Outside more booms could be heard, followed by the sound uniformed stomping- a march? If so there were alot of feet.
"Dad, that was a really nice save…" The words died in my throat. Looking up in horror as my Father stared down at us, fish-eyed, a large wooden panel from what once was our window lodged straight through his body impaling him to the ground beneath us. Without missing a beat, my mom reached up to check the pulse, upon finding none she deftly got to her feet pulling me along with her. We made a beeline for the stairs, as my mom expertly maneuvered us around the flames and debris. I was in a daze the whole time, I just couldn't shake the image of my father being there, frozen and all that red.
"Honey snap out of it!" My mom shouted back at me, in a serious tone I hadn't even known she'd possessed. "We need to get to the bunker as soon as we can! I need you to focus and I need you to run."
Nodding, I did what I was told bobbing and weaving along with my mother as oxygen became scarce and visibility significantly obscured. Everything was on fire and it licked at my heels as we ran. Finally we made it to the stairs.
"Okay now honey carefully follow after me, the stairs might be a bit weakened by the flames." She gave me a brave smile and made one hasty step to test the its sturdiness. Seeming satisfied, she placed her full weight on the step and it gave way. Frantically, I reached for my mother managing to grab hold of her forearms just in time.
"MOM!" I shrieked as I futilely tried to hoist her up to no avail. I was simply too weak and after making the mistake of looking down, I had to fight to maintain consciousness. It was a long fall and I hated heights. "Mom! You have to help me, I can't pull you up on my own, you have to help me!"
"It's okay honey. Everything is going to be okay." Her voice was soft and sweet like honey. How could she possibly be calm at a time like this? "Bulma, I need you to get to safety. Do you understand? You need to protect yourself."
"Mom this is not the time to be selfless. This place is coming down and we need to get out of here now!"
...hey…
"No sweetheart, you need to get out of here. You've always been so independent, even from a young age. You haven't needed me for a long while and you don't need me right now."
Hey.
"Every second you waste trying to get me out of this mess you are losing for yourself."
Hey!
"Mom what are you even saying right now? Of course I need you! There's no way that I am just going to leave you!"
"I know Honey, I know." Her eyes filled with tears, "Happy Birthday Bulma, I love you"
And she shook herself free. By the time I had processed that she was no longer within my grasp, I heard the sickening crunch of impact. Like a fool, I looked down and there was just so much red…
"HEYY!"
I jolted upright, head pounding and vision blurry. Where was I?
"Oh would you look at that? She's finally awake. Welcome back from Dreamland Birthday Girl. It's last call. You know the drill. You don't gotta go home but…"
Suddenly a chorus of voices around chimed in perfect unison " 'Get the hell out of my pub'. " The woman in front of me smirked in satisfaction.
Holding my head and furiously blinking away the cloudiness from my eyes I looked up at the smug Blonde in front of me with mild recognition. Oh right, I'm at pub. No surprises there.
"Hit me," I said tapping the counter expectantly.
"No. Are you deaf? I said it's last call and for you that means 'cut. Off'."
"But cmonnnnn 18, It's my birthdayyyy" I gave the bartender my best puppy dog look and the stony-eyed Android relented in record time. She makes it too easy, what a softie. With a deep sigh and shake of the head she slid the slightly viscous, fire engine red drink down the counter towards me. I clutched onto it like my life depended on it. Oh how I love my precious Elixir, probably one of the only real reasons why I even bother coming back to this planet.
"You know 18, I think you're doing this on purpose. Like why do you always serve me Red Elix? You know I hate the color red."
"The better question is why do you keep doing this to yourself. Why do you keep drinking all this crap?!" A wild gesture to my beautiful drink. I pulled it closer to me to shield it from her harmful words. "It's killing you."
"Obviously not fast enough for your liking," I retorted dramatically raising my glass, "Cheers."
"Can you be serious for once?"
"I am being serious," I knocked back my drink, savoring the slow burn, "Just like I seriously hope that Krillin dude that you are seeing likes all the wrinkles you are gonna have from needlessly worrying about me."
"W-What does Krillin have to do with any of th-this?"
"So you are still seeing him."
"Why does- That's none of your-"
"I just find it interesting. I could have sworn your didn't like him."
"I do not care about 17's opinion," she said in a clipped voice, face quickly turning from frustrated to flustered.
"Translation: You haven't told him yet."
"Okay that's it!" She declared as she began to repeatedly swat me with a rag, "Get out of my pub. I need to shut down for the night. Everytime you roll into town, you always have to be the last one."
Lazily surveying my surroundings, I noticed that I was indeed the last patron in the establishment. Was there not just a chorus of people here just a moment ago? I mean this should not come as too much of a shock. 18 can be quite...persuasive when the end of the night rolls around. Everyone knew the rules and she'd built up quite the reputation throughout the sector for being a hard-ass. Not to me though, she's a big softie when it comes to me. It's probably because if she took me on in a fight I would surely beat her and she'd lose all of her street credibility.
"Okay, okay, I know when I am not wanted," I said while standing. Stretching and almost immediately having to grab the bar to keep myself upright. Everything was truly spinning; I may have gone a bit overboard tonight. I cast a look over to 18, "To answer your question from earlier. The drinking? I do it because it is the only way I can still see them."
"See who Bulma?"
"My parents."
Before an awkward silence had the chance to settle in, the bell by the pub's entrance chimed. Who on this planet was brave enough to step foot in here at this hour? The answer was a statuesque dark-haired humanoid woman with piercing black eyes. She donned a billowing black cape with silver trim that perfectly complemented her silver leotard armor. Her gaze zeroed in on me almost immediately.
"Bulma Briefs?"
"Perhaps. Depends on who's asking." I tried to sound haughty despite my heavy tongue and failed miserably.
The mystery woman touched her ear. "I have a possible suspect here that fits the description. Going to retrieve."
"Listen lady," chimed 18, unveiled threat oozing from her tone. She walked dangerously slow from around the bar. She was getting angry, "This is place is closed so I am going to have to ask you to-" The thought was unfinished as yellow energy blast made contact with her chest sending her careening through the air. She hit the far wall with a thud; out cold.
I turned back to Mystery Woman in shock as she simply put down her leg. Did that blast just originate from her foot?! Before I could even blink, the woman was standing in front of me, hand raised high.
"You're coming with me." No time to react before everything went black.