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Freeza stared helplessly at the control panel of the ship. How was it supposed to function? It wasn't a model he was used to...
A nagging little part of his brain told him that he probably used to be used to that model but he'd forgotten. -Ridiculous. It's not like I'm getting any older-, he thought with amusement.
He'd come to Planet Freeza 56 (or was it Freeza 64?) following an energy signature that he felt was familiar. What he found was a medic, a sort of reptilian creature he thought he may have seen before. It gaped at him as if it'd seen a ghost. Well, it was not exactly wrong considering, but still. Rude. He felt entirely justified in doing away with it. He'd made a bit of a mess, but blood red suited the sterile white walls. Gave a touch of life to the place.
Of course the thing's screams alerted other creatures inside the base. In seconds, he was surrounded by soldiers of every shape and colour. They gaped, but were intelligent enough to kneel before him; that granted them a few more seconds of existence. He had to exterminate them. Their power level was pathetic and so were they. Had he really employed such sad life forms before?
He concentrated once again on the control panel. Maybe if he pushed the yellow button... Or was it the light green one? He turned towards Vegeta's still unconscious form; he probably knew.
He observed the Saiyan for a bit; his armour was partly soaked with the blood of the insects and bruises of a lovely shade of purple were forming around his throat. He felt a sense of dejà vu and had to check that the boy was still breathing.
Pity he didn't have a tail any more. Pulling it was a very effective way of waking him up, in his experience. Very entertaining, but Vegeta tended to be that way. He was always running around, shouting, threatening, fighting. Could never understand when to quit. Always convinced he was invincible, always underestimating his adversaries, always putting on a mortally offended face when he unsurprisingly fell short. So stupid. So naïve. So wonderfully lively.
" .Ta", he quietly lilted, "Wake up and entertain me".
The Prince didn't stir. Freeza huffed. Time to try method #2.
Sharp black nails pierced a soft thigh. Vegeta screamed and jolted awake. Freeza smiled; #2 never failed.
"Oh, lovely, you're up", the tyrant remarked sweetly.
Angry black eyes glared at him. Then, they turned to take in the surroundings.
"Where the hell are we?!".
Freeza felt his face go blank. "Freeza 56. I think".
Vegeta's eyes zeroed on his face. "You think?".
"It's not important. Now...".
"How can you not know where we are?!".
"I wasn't looking for this place specifically. I merely followed a life force I thought was familiar. I hoped it might lead me to a spaceship and it did. Now I need to...".
"You followed a life force? You mean you can use Instant Transmission?".
"Oh? You know of that technique as well?".
"Yes I do. What I want to know is where you learnt it!".
The blank expression took camp again on Freeza's face.
"On a planet. It doesn't matter which one, I destroyed it. Its inhabitants were useless. Now...".
"You don't remember".
Freeza paused mid-speech and looked at the Saiyan. Vegeta had spoken very quietly and had an undefinable look on his face. It seemed... Unsure? Suspicious? Calculating?
"No, I don't", the tyrant enunciated slowly, as if speaking to a three years old, "but as I've said it's irrelevant. That planet is no more. Now, be a good boy and start this ship".
Vegeta sneered. "I don't take orders from you. Start it yourself! Actually, I'm surprised you haven't ordered one of the idiots of the base to do that".
"Well, unfortunately for them, they were as useless as the inhabitants of the aforementioned planet".
"Then you do it! Or have you forgotten how to do that as well...".
Before he knew it, the Prince was slammed against a wall. Slightly dazed, he touched his cheek and his white glove came away reddened by blood. Freeza's tail undulated slightly, while its owner observed Vegeta with his arms crossed on his chest.
"As I've told you before", the sickeningly sweet voice drawled, "I really can't stand insubordination. Now, you can either do what I say or you can stay here while I go blow up Earth and the maggots who live there".
Vegeta fought not to let any emotion show on his features. "And I should care because?".
Freeza's smile was thin and nasty. "Too slow, dear boy, too slow. You are like an open book".
"Shut up! I will stop you!".
"No you won't. I need just one second to IT there and no more than a minute to annihilate the whole mudball. I can breathe in space, I won't even need to touch its surface. They literally will not know what hit them".
Vegeta's instincts were screaming at him to jump the bastard and rip his throat out but he suppressed them; if he wanted his second home to survive, he needed to use the brain. What could the lizard possibly want? He had to remember that this wasn't the same tyrant he'd grown up under, even though the two were practically identical.
"Why would you bother? In your reality you obtained eternal life and youth; you probably rule the Universe! You should be moving worlds to go back, and yet you seem intent to waste your time here. I bet your daddy is really missing you. Don't want to make him sad, do you?".
Freeza remained impassible. Then, "I don't think that will be an issue. Father passed away. He had... an unpleasant accident".
"An accident?".
Freeza's tail was swishing restlessly behind his back. "Oh yes. He was accidentally dismembered and then vaporized with his ship. A tragedy".
The tyrant lazily observed that Vegeta had once again that unreadable expression, only much more serious.
"Accidentally dismembered and vaporized?", the Prince asked in a low voice, "And who accidentally did it?".
Freeza sighed. "Aren't we perceptive. You are right in your implication, I did it. However, it was an accident, I didn't mean to do that. I simply... lost control for a while. He was being so unreasonable! I was the perfect son! I got control of the majority of the North quadrant, I gained eternal life and youth, I became stronger than ever! What was the point of keeping Cooler around?".
Vegeta watched silently as Freeza became increasingly angry as his rambling progressed.
"I thought he'd thank me for ridding him of a useless insect! On the contrary! He scolded me. Like a naughty child. "Family is family", he said. "You were disrespectful", he said. And I was livid. How dared he! I was the best! I am the best! I will forever be the best! So I showed him".
Vegeta was still silently mulling over what he'd heard. Cooler and Freeza... well, no love lost there. His father, however... Everyone knew Freeza adored him. He always spoke highly of him and his opinion was the one that mattered the most. For him to murder him in cold blood like that...
"So what? Have you decided to abandon your empire as a form of repentance?", Vegeta asked snidely.
Freeza seemed to ponder something. Suddenly, his expression became inspired and then elated.
"Oh I know!". The tyrant sauntered to the control panel and, under the Saiyan's mystified gaze, pushed a purple button.
"Launch sequence initialised", a smooth artificial voice informed them, "Launch in 5... 4... 3...".
"What? No!", Vegeta hastily gathered energy in his palm and prepared to blast a hole in the ship. However, his wrist was grabbed and the blast diverted against a white chest. Freeza smiled.
"2... 1...".
The ship was catapulted into space at an incredible speed. Vegeta watched with increasing anger and desperation as the planet became a dot in the distance.
"You bastard!".
The tyrant released his wrist and dodged the punch that immediately flew towards his face. With the smile still painted on his lips, he started to walk towards a round window.
"Do find something to hold on to".
"What?".
Freeza opened the window and breathed deeply. He sighed happily and grabbed the flailing Saiyan as he flew by him, sucked outside the ship by the difference of pressure. He dragged the Prince back into the ship and plastered him against his chest, his arm like an iron band around his waist.
"Stupid boy", the tyrant whispered affectionately.
He prepared a blast and, an almost forgotten laugh surging through his lips, threw the Death Ball toward the still receding planet. The explosion was so violent that three more worlds disappeared into it.
Freeza closed the window, still chuckling happily.
"To answer your question", he murmured to the dazed Prince, "I really don't mind being here. My reality got a little... lonely".
King Kai was startled awake. A massive amount of energy had just been discharged, destroying four planets in the North Galaxy. With mounting concern, he concentrated and tried to vi27sualise what happened. He gasped. Time to call Goku.
I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!
