Fuck. His head was pounding again. He hoped this wasn't becoming a habit. The sky was bitch black, yet there was a harsh glow of red around him. Was he dead? Was this Hell?
Vegeta sat up and looked around. Rock plateaus. There were also roads of stone running through rivers of fire as far as the eye could see. Far out, at the very end of one direction, there looked to be a steeple shooting up through the ground. Here and there, in the pools of fire, were platforms. Some had destroyed houses atop them. Burned corpses.
This was definitely not Hell. At least, it wasn't like the one he had visited.
Why was he alive? Had he killed that machine, or was it a dream?
"You're awake," a cold feminine voice said.
Vegeta turned around to see the cyborg sitting on a rock, one leg perched up atop it and her arm hanging off the knee. Her eyes were half open as she gave him a dead stare.
Why was he alive?
Vegeta looked at his clenched fist. No ki was gathering. He felt his teeth start to grind and his body shake. His fear pissed him off, but his instincts caused him to take a step back, nonetheless. The cyborg stood up and stretched its arms like he wasn't even really there. Did it need to stretch? Was it programmed to mimic human behavior? Whatever the case, Vegeta took another step back. He felt half of his boot connect to nothing but air. It slid off, and down he started to go.
The muscles in his arms were sore. He had no ki. No stamina. His fingers couldn't hold onto the edge forever. Vegeta glanced down at the fire beneath him. So, this is how I go, he thought, not as a warrior, but a coward. Part of him wanted to just let go. Take the invitation and burn away.
But then he felt a hand around his wrist. "So, you're powerless," the cyborg said.
Vegeta looked up into its eyes. It wiped blond hair behind an ear. His face felt like a temple was about to burst. "Unhand me, you fuckin' machine!"
It narrowed its eyes. "I'd like nothing more," it said, "but not now. Maybe not today."
It began to lift him up. Vegeta's anger was about to explode when he felt himself being tossed casually through the air. He landed on his arm, smashing into rock. He tried to lift himself with his other arm, shook, and fell back down. A shadow loomed over him. "Just kill me," he said.
"Begging, little prince?" it asked with a hand on one hip. "You've seen where we are. What do you think this is?"
Vegeta slowly stood up, wearily watching the cyborg as he did. He spat blood to his side.
"Not going to talk.?" It asked. "Fine. I'll tell you what I think, then. That attack you did brought us here. It created a black vortex that began to suck everything up."
"A black hole?"
"Yeah."
"Everything?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if the Earth was destroyed."
Then that meant there were no more Dragon Balls. And Bulma...his son...both gone. Because of him. But if that was the case... "Then why are we alive?" he asked.
It shrugged. "Do that attack again."
"Even if I could, we have no idea what would happen."
"So what? It's our only option."
Vegeta clenched his jaw. Why was he having a conversation with this thing? "No, I can't," he said.
"Well, we have nothing better to do. I'll wait."
"Is its chip scrabbled or something?"
It narrowed its eyes. "It? What do you think I am? Just a machine?"
"No shit. You're a fucking robot created for one purpose."
She brought her fist back, then Vegeta felt like he was about to vomit. "Does a machine care when her brother is killed?" she asked, "I'm a fucking person, you piece of shit!"
A sharp pain went into Vegeta's thigh. His leg buckled and he hit rock again. He slammed his fist into the rock. That was not smart. Nothing but pain went through him. "I don't care what the fuck you are," he muttered, his cheek pressed against ground. "I can't gather ki. At all."
"You're joking," she said.
He looked up at her. "What would I have to gain?" he asked.
Her foot went back. It felt like three ribs broke. Vegeta coughed and spit up blood. "Then why am I letting you live?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse. Her eyes were glassy for a second, but she shook her head.
Vegeta pushed himself off the ground and stood up. "Just do it," he said. He stumbled over to her and swung a fist. She didn't even bother to move. Her face hurt more than the rock.
"Let you die and be stuck here by myself? No."
"Stop fucking with me! I am the prince of—"
"All Saiyans," she said, "yeah, yeah, I get it, puny man." She punched him across the face then grabbed onto his forearm before he careened backwards. "Just think for a moment. Unless you want to bite your tongue, we can either try to find a way out of this place, or I make you my bitch and force you to help me."
"I am no one's bitch!" Vegeta said. He spat in her face.
She stepped on his shin, sliding her boot down it. Vegeta let out a yell. Skin must have scraped off. "You're about to be," she said, "you killed my brother. I'll seriously torture you. I don't give a fuck."
"We're warriors, you dumb cunt," Vegeta said between breaths. His muscles, his bones, they were on fire. His chest wanted more and more oxygen, but he couldn't control himself. "Would you have spared Kakarot?" He heaved.
18 looked down. Her face contorted to anger and she looked back to Vegeta. She shoved him away, turned and started walking. "Let's go."
