Disclaimer: Dragon Ball belongs to Akira Toriyama

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Yes! I managed to write another chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. Please, enjoy this one as well.

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Chapter 3: Clue

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To transport himself and Vegeta from the remote meadow, Kakarot used his instant transmission. He placed his hand on the saiyan prince's shoulder and got them to Bulma's living room.

Speaking of whom, the blue-haired scientist shrieked from fright when two people and one corpse appeared in front of her out of nowhere. She stumbled back and plopped onto the sofa. Her gaze quickly wandered to the cadaver in Vegeta's eyes. The girl's eyes were rolled back and wide open. Her tongue hung loosely from her mouth and she had her neck twisted unnaturally, making Bulma freak out even more.

"Who is that?" she pointed her shaking finger at the corpse and let out another eardrum-piercing scream, "Oh my god! Is she dead?"

"Obviously." Vegeta shrugged and started looking around for a place to dump the cadaver.

Bulma gulped, swallowing her panic. Her brows knit together and the look of fright turned into a grimace of anger. "And you thought that it was a good idea to bring a corpse into our living room? Sweet Kami, what if Trunks saw it? He could get a lifelong trauma!"

"He's a saiyan. It won't kill him," Vegeta rebutted calmly. "When I was his age, I've seen thousands of cadavers and I turned out just fine."

"Trunks isn't you, Vegeta," Bulma reminded him. "And 'fine' is relative."

What was that supposed to mean? Vegeta shrugged her comment on and focused on their son, just as she wanted. "You're coddling him too much," he said.

Bulma's cheeks started changing color from porcelain fair to crimson. If she were a saiyan woman, she'd surely blast Vegeta's head clean off. She opened her mouth and was about to spout a tirade when Kakarot cut in.

"Guys!" He positioned himself between the spouses and waved his hands calmingly. "Could we do something about the dead person, who looks like Chichi?"

"Oh, right." Bulma ran her fingers through her short, blue hair. She winced as she took a glance at the little Chichi and turned her head away quickly. "She looks so much like Chichi that it gives me creeps." Bulma looked at her husband, a mischievous smile playing on her full lips. "Hey, Vegeta, do you think that while Goku was dead, Chichi. . ."

"Vegeta made that joke already," Kakarot sighed, looking not amused.

"Damn it!" Bulma cursed. She seemed like she really wanted to be first to make the joke. "Anyway, I'll need to run some tests. Let's move her to my lab."

"I'm on it," Kakarot said and put his hand back on Vegeta's shoulder to use the instant transmission. When Bulma grabbed him, he transported them to another room.

Only that it wasn't a lab. Well, at least Bulma's father was there. The old man was sitting on a toilet, peacefully reading the newspaper. When he realized that he wasn't alone in the room, he lowered it and gawked at the people staring back at him. "Hey!"

"Oh. Wrong room," Kakarot laughed sheepishly and vanished. This time, he found the right location. "Here we are, in the lab."

Vegeta groaned, rolling his eyes. He stalked across the cluttered room, maneuvering between the messy work stations and equipment. He kicked the door to the adjoining, refrigerated section where the dissection table stood. Unceremoniously, he dumped the body onto it and wiped his hands in his pants, wishing he was wearing his gloves right now.

Bulma sent him a scolding glance and prepared herself. Before leaning over the cadaver, she put a face mask and latex gloves on. She lingered there barely several seconds when she gagged. Quickly, she pressed her hand to her covered mouth and whirled around, pale. "I can't take the smell!" Hastily, she ran out of the room.

Vegeta arched his eyebrow. That was quick. He approached the body and leaned over it a bit, taking a whiff. "The cadaver isn't rotting yet. It's still perfectly fresh and edible."

"Vegeta!" Bulma returned.

The saiyan prince huffed, crossing his arms on his chest. "What!"

Bulma shook her head in dismay. "Be more sensitive, for crying out loud!" She started grumbling something to herself as she took a syringe and took some blood from the girl's corpse.

While the two saiyans watched her, she carefully placed the blood sample into some primitive machine and stared at a computer screen expectantly. Although she seemed composed, Vegeta noticed that she kept tapping with her left foot. She always did that whenever she couldn't wait for something. Eventually, the data came up and Bulma narrowed her eyes, skimming over the file.

"How odd," she muttered. "We can throw the infidelity theory out the window."

Kakarot breathed out in relief, wiping cold sweat off his brow. "Oh, thank Kami."

"This person has Chichi's DNA," Bulma said slowly.

Kakarot's dark eyes widened in shock and terror as he gasped. "But you said. . ."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I know what I said, Goku," she told him. Turning in her chair so that she could see the dead body. "This girl has Chichi's DNA, but none of a father's. Everything indicates that she is Chichi."

"But Chichi was at home, cleaning the porch," Kakarot uttered, confused beyond belief.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that a copy of her is currently laying on the table right before our noses," Bulma noted.

Vegeta's forehead wrinkled as he linked the facts much more easily than Kakarot did. "It's a clone," he deduced.

"Yep." Bulma snapped her fingers. She rose from her chair and put her arms around her as though a chill ran through her body. Her high heels clicked when she walked up to the dissection table to take the cadaver. Unlike before, she didn't look so scared anymore. She observed the child's body with a scientific curiosity, the same way she would examine an android. "Cloning people is against the law. Whoever made this clone, is up to no good."

Immediately, Kakarot's head perked up. The all too familiar gleam was back in his eyes; it was his insufferable hero mode. "We have to stop them!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, lifting his clenched fist.

Bulma tucked a stra strand of her blue hair behind her ear. One of her eyebrow rode up and the corners of her mouth lifted in a quizzical smile. "Good luck with that, Goku. If you need anything, give me a call."

"Thanks, Bulma." Kakarot nodded and turned to the saiyan prince. "Vegeta, let's investigate."

Before Vegeta had the chance to respond to the invitation, Bulma stepped in. Sharply, she shook her head. "My husband is not going anywhere!" she hissed to Kakarot, making him take a step back with just one glare. Then, she shifted that fearsome stare onto her husband. "Have you forgotten about taking Trunks to the amusement park again, Vegeta?"

Speaking of the devil, Trunk's voice sounded in the lab adjoining the morgue. "Mom!" The boy cheerfully barged into the cool room. The smile slithered away from his face the moment his gaze rested on the dead body sprawled on the dissection table. His blue eyes widened as he pointed his finger at it. "Is that a cor-"

Vegeta didn't have to look Bulma's way to know that she have him a look that would surpass Frieza's glare. Not eager to hear her bitching again, the saiyan prince carried out a preventive strike. He leapt to his son and grabbed him by the collar. "And we're off to the amusement park." Vegeta dragged the boy out of the laboratory. "Let's go."

Slightly confused, Trunks followed his father outside onto the Capsule Corp compound's lawn from where they took to the air. Vegeta headed toward the mountains.

Trunks looked back toward the West City, furrowing his brows. "Dad, the amusement is that way." He pointed in the direction opposite to where they were flying.

"We're not going to that crappy amusement park, son. I have something far more entertaining in mind," Vegeta told him. As soon as he saw the familiar meadow, he headed down.

Trunks landed next to his father. He looked around, the look of doubts painting all over his face. "It's a field. There's nothing here." He yawned.

Vegeta ignored the boy's complaining and carefully walked toward the spot where he last saw the child version of Kakarot's wife alive. He knelt by the trampled grass and followed the faint trace of small feet in the vegetation. Back when he worked for Frieza, he had to track runaways sometimes. Damn, I miss manhunts.

Bored out of his mind, with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Trunks trailed after Vegeta. He was blissfully quiet for a while, but it was a fleeting moment. "Does this trip has something to do with the dead person in mom's lab?" he asked, and received an affirmative grunt from Vegeta. The boy furrowed his brows, thinking about something intensely. Then, he fired a question at his father, "Dad, have you seen many dead people?"

"More than you can imagine," Vegeta muttered focusing on following the trail of the little feet deeper into the mountains.

Suddenly, Trunks caught him off guard, asking an even less comfortable question. "Dad, just how many people have you killed?"

Vegeta flinched, a bit startled by the question. He opened his mouth and he would have answered his son, but he seamed his lips shut before any words left his mouth. Probably, Bulma would give him hell. She tended to be rather squeamish. He quickly changed the topic. "The tracks lead into the canyon," he said and quickened his pace, following the little footprints.

"Dad?" Trunks nagged him.

"Shh!" Vegeta lifted his hand, gesturing his son to be still and quiet for a change. He felt a very familiar Ki. . . He grimaced, knowing what was coming.

"Hi, guys!" None other than Kakarot popped from behind the bushes. Was he hiding there the entire time? In his orange gi, he stuck out like a sore thumb against the green vegetation.

"And there goes stealth," Vegeta muttered. "Weren't you supposed to do the grocery shopping for the hag that lives in your house?"

Goku's eyes widened and his jaw went slack from shock. "That wasn't very nice, Vegeta."

"Neither is interrupting my investigation," Vegeta rebutted.

Then, more unwelcome guests arrived, completely ruining Vegeta's original plan to have only one person to tag along. From the skied, swooped Kakarot's sons. His oldest was dressed in that ridiculous geeky outfit, with button up cardigan and glasses. Even though Vegeta wasn't an expert in Eath's fashion, he could tell where someone was looking like a loser.

"Dad!" exclaimed Kakarot's sons in unison, sending him twin, scolding looks.

Kakarot flashed them a silly grin. "Oh, hi, boys!"

"Just great." Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Why won't we invite everyone we know?"

Gohan bit his lower lip as he stared at his father, looking a bit like Nappa when he was telling Vegeta that their planet blew up. "Dad, mom is getting impatient," Gohan said quietly. "She sent us to make sure you won't forget to buy the pears."

Goten dashed past his brother and father, heading for his best friend. "Hi, Trunks. What are you up to?"

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing fun. Just creeping around with my dad. Hiking, I guess. . ." He trailed off, deep in thought. "I feel that something is missing, though."

"Is it because every time we go on a trip with your dad, we get attacked?" Goten asked.

"Not every time!" Trunks exclaimed defensively. "Just mostly."

Vegeta's eyebrow started to twitch uncontrollably. All the bickering was getting on his nerves. "Silence! All of you" he yelled, finally bringing about some much needed silence. "How about you go home, Kakarot?"

Goten looked at his dad, curious what he would say to that. He took a step back to lean against a vertical stone wall of the canyon. Just as made a step, a crunching noise echoed across the vicinity. He looked down, staring with his eyes wide open at a net of cracks developing under his feet. Suddenly, the ground crumbled, caving in. He let out a startled yelp and fell, vanishing in a hole in the ground.

"Goten!" Kakarot cried out, rushing to peek into the hole.

All four saiyans gathered around the hole, bent over and squinting their eyes to discern where was the youngest of them.

"Ouch! I think I hit my fanny," came the voice from the darkness.

"Hang on there, son!" Kakarot exclaimed, jumping into the hole. "I'm coming for you!"

Gohan and Trunks followed. As he was the last one left behind and his son was already there, Vegeta tagged along. He took a step, crossing his arms on his chest. Nonchalantly, he landed on something that made a surprised yelp. It sounded like Gohan. Vegeta skipped off to the damp, muddy ground. He narrowed his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. The reminding saiyans were fussing over Goten, quite oblivious to the place they found themselves in.

It was a net of tunnels stretching under the canyon. The air was unpleasantly damp and stale, but it had plenty of oxygen. The passage wasn't flooded by the river snaking at the bottom of the canyon either. Actually, the place seemed suspiciously man-made, with faint industrial lights flickering in the distance.

Vegeta furrowed his dark brows. "I've seen plenty of evil lairs to know when I'm one."

Kakarot looked over his shoulders and gawked around. He nodded. "Yep, it's clearly an evil lair."

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Author's note:

Thanks for reading! Have you liked the story so far? What do you think will happen?

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