Harbinger Vyorak Stone paced in front of ten men and women, all recruits for the S7 program, as he waited for the right time. The men and women would stand at perfect attention for as long as they were commanded. He didn't worry about their impatience. He was focused on how he could turn what was about to unfold into a lesson, for both the recruits and for the newcomer.
One thing the Harbinger had to do in his long day was to make sure Saiyan training programs were up to par and were teaching the Saiyans practical ways to fight Morika warbots. Up until now, he had ignored the S7 program, the legendary school pumping out impressive Saiyans onto the battlefields. S7s were the only Saiyans that could fight without the assistance of the bond, their training so grueling that any graduate had complete control of their mental facilities; no longer would their full power be locked behind a barrier of fury and uncontrollable anger. They were usually the best the Saiyans had to offer, but a series of back-to-back losses put doubt in the Harbinger's mind. Perhaps they needed some encouragement. He had selected propaganda experts to oversee this first demonstration of real Saiyan power, but remembered the real test, the real results would come from the performance not of his ten soldiers, but of the lone enemy they would face. He hoped he could inspire the S7s to train even harder, and was planning on using Gohan as his tool to make that happen. He stared ahead as he paced, keeping the appearance of focus but actually observing the activity around him.
Holocams were placed throughout the secluded courtyard at strategic locations. Microphones were planted in the few trees that graced the tranquil area, and several officers of the S7 program had gathered to watch this exercise he had planned for the recruits. Word of the Harbinger taking a special interest in this batch of recruits had spread like wildfire. He allowed it to. The war was still going strong, and the Harbinger was wondering if there was untapped potential in the S7 training program. This short demonstration should ignite cold fires and spurn the Saiyans to new heights of power.
News crews spanned the entire courtyard, ready to catch the full story and air it on the evening news. Stone smiled as he imagined the look of everyone's faces when they saw the story. He knew what would happen, and knew it would be just as unbelieving as he first thought when he heard about the boy. But what he wanted was to prove to the Saiyan people that they had grown soft. Weak. They needed to revive that animalistic nature of themselves that demanded the blood of their enemies above honor. They needed to remember the time they faced the Elcon, a psychic enemy that tried to use the Saiyans' anger against them as well. The results were less than the Elcon expected; Saiyan fury was too much for them to handle, and the race had been obliterated from the galaxy by Saiyan rage. No, they had grown too soft in the years without an enemy. The Harbinger needed to show them they could become powerful again. They could win without humans.
His chrono beeped; it was time.
"You have all been selected for your exemplary performance in the war. Your ferocity and power are unquestionable. Your dedication made know. You have the ability to be the best of the best. You have the ability to be S7." He continued pacing, but noticed some stand taller with pride. "Your first test is before you." He looked up at the sky just as a freighter appeared on the horizon. He turned back to the ten men and women. "A freighter approaches. Aboard is an enemy that will attempt to kill all of you singlehandedly. If you do not also fight with intention to kill, it will succeed." He stopped and stared at the ten to emphasize his point. "Make no mistake. Whatever steps off that freighter is capable of killing you. No matter what you see, no matter what you feel, you will fight. Or you will die." He walked off to give them room. "Ready yourselves for battle! Today, you fight for survival!
The Zeta Space Station was commissioned by the Saiyan Hierarchy as a training grounds for Saiyans back when the Morika brought the war to the Saiyans some twenty years ago. Built several lightyears away from the populated regions of Saiyan space and fitted with the most technologically advanced training programs and cutting-edge security, it was believed to be the most secure station known to Saiyans. This belief was proven wrong when the Morika, during their early years at siege with the Saiyans, deployed infiltration warbots to the station. They introduced a virus within the station's systems, turning the station's security against the Saiyans themselves, cutting off communications and disabling life support. The warbots hunted the Saiyans ruthlessly, be it adults or children. Within a standard week, every Saiyan aboard that station was killed. The station was abandoned, with every Saiyan of any ranking learning of its history to better learn about the Morika's tactics. They were impressive: over 200 Saiyans were annihilated by six warbots and a virus.
If anything, it told Elizabeth how to set her research in motion.
Cargo ships fitted with internal emission sinks would fly her equipment to the station, the sinks making it impossible for any sensors to detect them. The only way for anyone to detect the ships would be if they looked out a window for a visual, and she knew Morika relied on their technology completely. They were almost like machines. As for the Saiyans and humans, the chances of them finding this station or any one of her ships was unlikely. No one patrolled that area of open space anymore.
The space station itself was to be fitted with an extra layer of plating across its entire surface, plating that would make the station look derelict and abandoned, as many people would think it was. Extensive construction would be conducted on the interior after the outer image was complete, gutting and remodeling the entire complex to suit Elizabeth's needs. State of the art technology would be installed that would mask the behemoth's heat signatures, distilling the heat in short bursts at intervals to reduce the chance of the station being picked up on someone's sensors.
Mercenaries and infiltration teams were currently being conscripted to kidnap the appropriate children from the different training programs. Elizabeth had compiled the necessary physical and mental requirements a child would need to survive the surgeries and integration, and had run searches through the backdoor Ayo had provided to find candidates for the project. Once a candidate was found, mercenaries or infiltration teams, whichever was practical, would kidnap the child and plant a flash-clone in its place. The clone would, for all intents and purposes, be the exact same as the host, but would die in an unexplainable accident months from the swap when they were introduced to a certain part of their training. She had inserted a certain gene into the core programing of the clones; no matter who the host was, the clone would have this gene. The gene would randomize certain other genes in the clone's body; a deadly occurrence for the clone. The host had been accepted into the program due to a perfect balance of certain genes that could withstand the Psyjic integration or Bonding; altering any genes would prove fatal eventually. All the clone had to do was submit to some sort of normal procedure and the genes wouldn't match up. Organ failure, cardiac arrest, kidney failure, brain hemorrhaging... The possibilities were endless, just to keep the researchers off her back. One thing was sure, though: the clones would die before they turned "eight."
Once here, the children would be paired with one another, a process the kidnapping would be structured around. Only children that had a match would be kidnapped, and then their match had to be captured as well, or the project wouldn't work. Humans would receive their Psyjic chip immediately, and would bond with their genetic mates before undergoing chemical and mental treatments to stabilize their bonds. Oddly enough, Izzy had the Saiyans also receiving Psyjic chips, though theirs would be lesser models intended only for communication. Izzy's research proved that Saiyans could interact with Psyjic chips provided they had enough training, and the addition would bolster the bond strength to new levels. Exercises would begin to familiarize the children with the bond, ranging from communication to shared senses, with humans learning the basics of psychic combat.
Mere months after the bonding, humans would be put through nineteen different surgeries to bolster their lethality. Organs would be implanted and treatments administered to create a new breed of supersoldier. The surgeries would continue from their eighth year to their nineteenth year, with exercises in between surgeries to familiarize the humans with their new parts.
Saiyans would also undergo brutal training. One of the aspects of Saiyans that made them so powerful was their ability to Ascend. It was rare, and required years of experience, massive raw talent or extreme emotional shock but when they ascended, the Saiyan's power grew exponentially. They called those that ascended the "Yōkai," the Saiyan noun for 'demon'. Elizabeth had no idea just how appropriate the name was, but stories of the yōkai were impressive, if not hard to believe. Tales of Saiyans singlehandedly destroying planets were the more prominent examples of a yōkai's power. Added that one of the children's parents was the single yōkai currently in existence, leading his force into Morika territory with almost no casualties, and Elizabeth knew they must be real.
Elizabeth was determined to make each and every Saiyan child ascend.
Apart from the surgeries, both races would be taught battlefield basics: medicine, boobytraps, ambushing, frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, repairing, sabatoge, infiltration, assassination, slicing, etc. Elizabeth would have them learn every scenario they could possibly be in, so that they could survive against everything.
She had thought of everything. The project, codenamed ANIMUS, was set to begin a month from now. As she watched the first of what would be many deliveries to the station from her port window in her suite, Elizabeth couldn't shake her anxiety.
That she was about to ruin the lives of dozens of children had passed through her mind by now. Even more so than the war. Children who went to war never had a childhood, but she was planning on doing something to them on a completely different scale.
Humans wouldn't be as...human. And her training that she had scheduled for the Saiyans' ascension was cruel and ruthless. She was only able to sleep at night knowing that what she was doing for these kids was going to save their lives one day.
Maybe everyone's lives.
She sighed and stepped away from the window. She had numbers to review and packages to sort. It was going to be a long day.
The planet Vegeta was named after its ruler, King Vegeta. The king would pass his crown to his son, Prince Vegeta, just as his father, the late King Vegeta, did. It was as important a cycle as the planet's ecosystem. There never was a king that wasn't named after the planet, and there never would be.
Gohan had never met the king or prince, but he doubted he'd want to anyway. Saiyans had a tendency to develop arrogance with power, and he hated pride. That tendency was displayed here, aboard the SSV Khoran, as the shipmaster continued giving him these dirty looks. Gohan knew it was out of the norm for him to be here, but he also knew that he belonged here. The SSV Khoran was a transport ship that delivered exclusive passengers.
S7 Elites.
That he was aboard the transport should speak volumes. The shipmaster, though, seemed to ignore this gesture and continued scowling. Apart from him and Gohan, the ship was empty. Just as well, Gohan thought. He preferred the silence to what he was sure would have been berating taunts from S7's.
"Boy!" the shipmaster yelled, breaking Gohan's thoughts. "You're about to experience your first test to see if you have what it takes to survive here!" Gohan sat straighter, his attention caught. The shipmaster continued. "You will be set amongst enemies. They will attempt to kill you. You must defeat them!"
He felt the ship bank to the right, and figured they were close to the facility. They had entered the atmosphere of Vegeta not too long ago, and had made a course for the S7 HQ. He didn't know what to expect, and it both unnerved and excited him. "Do you have any advice for me?" he asked the shipmaster.
He was surprised to feel the thump of the freighter touching down. It had been a quicker journey than he suspected. "A direct order from the Harbinger!" The shipmaster stood and slammed a fist on the door controls. "Don't lose!"
The Harbinger couldn't have been more pleased with how events unfolded. As the door to the freighter's cargo bay opened, all ten soldiers hesitated.
A child stood before them, outfitted in only a blue gi.
Within the same second, the child tore out of the hold with a battlecry, snapping the soldiers from their trance. Even as the recruits made to attack, the child was already at one's throat, landing a fierce punch to the gut that threw the recruit back onto the floor, throwing up blood. Even as the recruit was flying, the boy turned and brought his fist up to meet the fist of another recruit. The results were bone-shattering. The recruit screamed in pain as every bone in his hand and wrist snapped from the force of the child's punch. As he screamed, the boy wasted no time in bringing up his other, open hand and releasing a devastating blast of ki. The recruit flew back in fiery energy, unmoving.
The remaining eight recruits hesitated, realizing that this was no ordinary child, and studied him as he glared back at them.
He wouldn't allow them to study him.
He leaped for the nearest recruit, his hand winding up to blast another massive wave of ki energy at him. The Saiyan, however, disappeared in a demonstration of brilliant speed.
The child wasn't impressed.
In midair, he turned and redirected his blast above him just as he saw the Saiyan appear. His cries silenced bloodcurdlingly quick as he dropped bodily to the ground.
Gohan landed on the ground in a fighter's stance and glared at the remaining recruits, teeth bared in fury. Without giving them a chance to recollect themselves, he flew at them again
Elizabeth walked around the big cargo bay, clipboard in hand, and checked off equipment as she found them. She had a lot of work to do, and she wanted everything to be here first before she began. Rota was finalizing payment for the deliveries, and since she didn't think anyone else around here would be able to quickly and accurately find all her equipment among several hundred boxes, Elizabeth set out to do just that.
It was really coming along nicely. Ayo had come through with his part of the bargain, providing the necessary contacts, personnel, information, and resources that they would need to make Project ANIMUS a success. Construction had already begun on the outer hull of the station, and Elizabeth had just reviewed and approved the plans for the interior. Seven teams of mercenaries and infiltrators were already reporting ready for deployment.
They even had a news feed set up in monitors along the walls to most of the rooms, so as to keep up with current events.
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she checked off piece after piece of equipment she ran across while walking the bay. She paused to let some dockworkers pass carrying a large box marked "Kitchen Utensils," and as she laughed silently to herself, Rota Khan found her and walked up beside Zeier.
"Find anything particularly funny, Izzy?"
Elizabeth continued walking as she looked among the boxes for the remaining unaccounted-for equipment. "Oh, nothing. I think the boxes could have been marked a little more... originally. But they serve their purpose."
Rota shook her head with a small smile. "That box really did contain kitchen utensils. The kids can't eat with their fingers."
"Oh," Elizabeth said, and then smiled even bigger. "Now that's funny." She made a check next to a box marked "Live Fire Exercise" before looking at Rota. "How goes the other preparations?"
Rota nodded. "Good. All personnel have signed their waivers. They're ready to train the children, no matter the risk. Construction on the hull is almost complete. I rode out with a scouting party to see the final details, and it looks like this station has been derelict for years. We're actually thinking - with your approval - about putting an artificial asteroid field around the station to discourage privateers and pirates from getting curious about this station. We'll feed the media a story about an asteroid colliding with another asteroid, and the resulting mess was pulled into a field by the station's mass."
Elizabeth nodded her consent. "A sound idea. One I had been turning over in my head for a few days now." She flipped the pages on her clipboard until she had come to a blank sheet and wrote down things for Rota to consider. "Download this program onto the station's main servers. You'll find it on my main computer in my office. I've been tinkering with it for a while," she said nonchalantly. "Place ADM scanners at regular intervals throughout the field, as well as placing two on both poles of the station, and link all of them with this program." She handed the sheet to Rota, who looked at it in skepticism.
"What will this accomplish?"
Elizabeth held up a finger to prove the point. "The ADM scanners are small, microbial sensors I've developed years ago that, when linked together by a common nexus - the server - provide a powerful 3D image of their surroundings, hence their name. All Dimension Microbial Scanners. ADMS. If you link them together, the server will provide us with a constantly updating chart of the asteroids and their movements. We can even predict where the asteroids will be so as to plan successful entrances and exits around the asteroid field." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720:1. With these charts, that pushes the odds to a guaranteed success."
Rota nodded, smiling at the idea of better security. "Well done, Izzy." She folded the sheet of paper and looked back at her. "Any other ideas we can use?"
Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped by the sound of someone's voice speaking throughout the speakers in the bay.
"Ms. Elizabeth, ma'am! We've just picked up a news broadcast from the Saiyan planet of Vegeta! It's from the Harbinger! You're gonna want to see this, ma'am!"
Elizabeth and Rota looked at each other before taking off for a monitor located along one of the corridor walls connected to the cargo bay. It showed the Harbinger speaking directly into the camera, but words were intelligible. Rota contacted the bridge with a com-unit on her wrist. "Begin the broadcast from the beginning and bring the volume to 30." The man on the other side of the com did just that, and soon the broadcast began again.
[Attention Saiyans! This is Vyorak Stone, Harbinger to your King, the great Vegeta! I command your attention!
I believe I speak for everyone when I say this war has gone on long enough! We Saiyans embarrass ourselves by relying on the pitiful humans for assistance in war! It is because of this that I am taking a special interest in the S7 program! We will begin conscripting Saiyans from the military at a much faster rate than usual, and so I need every Saiyan everywhere to begin training seriously! Civilians! If you sign up for the program and you are selected to become an S7, your household status will be increased by one class. First-class Saiyans will receive a 40% increase in their pay!]
Elizabeth stared in confusion as the Harbinger revealed the political incentive to the Saiyan people. She had always thought a Saiyan's inherited class was permanent. To hear of the Harbinger changing it was surprising. She knew enough of political science to realize this sudden shift of power would be risky at best for a warlike race.
Rota couldn't believe what she was hearing! The Harbinger, tampering with the Saiyan social structure. That was certainly an unusual development, one that could have a profound impact on the future of her race. On one hand, his incentive could inspire Saiyans to reach untapped potential. On the other, it could ruin the balance of power between the classes - the political damages of such an event were barely predictable at best.
[Such a thing has never happened before in the history of our people,] he continued. [But there are many firsts for our race during this war. Never before have we fought a race that could adapt to our way of war. Never before had we allied ourselves with another, inferior race just to survive. But never before have I seen such promising potential in the upcoming generations.] He smiled for a moment as his audience likely wondered what he was talking about.
The news feed suddenly cut to a video of a fight. What was most memorable about the fight were the contenders. There looked to be about eight or ten adult Saiyans, but who they were fighting was most remarkable.
It was a boy.
Elizabeth stared in awe as the boy took on all ten of the men and women, showing no fear at the odds he was against. She quickly saw why he wasn't fearful; he was more than a match for all of them. He fought like an animal, quickly burning through the soldiers until there wasn't a man or woman left standing.
The news feed cut back to the Harbinger. [That was a video of a seven year-old boy tearing through ten recruits for the S7 program! That seven year-old boy was stronger than them, because they didn't take him seriously! Because they were weak! All of you are weak! You will all be saved by children like that because you won't accept that the war is on its way here, and you aren't strong enough to save yourselves! Is that what we Saiyans are about? No! That boy succeeded because he knew he had to! That's what I want from all of my people! I want us to succeed because we have to! I shouldn't have to go door to door, conscripting children to fight for their people! Parents should be lining them up for me to take so that they can bring honor and pride to their family AND their people! I want Saiyans to train harder for the war, so that you can protect those that depend on you! Or the Morika will surely kill us all!]
The news feed stopped and the regularly scheduled program continued. Elizabeth and Rota neither moved nor spoke as they considered what they had just seen. Finally, they looked at each other, and Rota broke the silence.
"I...I don't know what to think of that," she said quietly. "The Harbinger loves his people. But..."
"It sounded like he was angry with them," Elizabeth finished. She looked apologetically at Rota as the Saiyan nodded.
"Saiyans are usually ready to go to war, but..." She turned away and looked out into the cargo bay. "This enemy, the Morika. It's the first time I've seen an enemy inspire fear in my race. I think the Harbinger is trying to overturn their fear with pride."
Elizabeth nodded. The Morika were a horrific enemy, showing no remorse or mercy. Elizabeth had seen them kill children as easily as adults. They had one goal in mind: to kill every sentient being in the galaxy.
Elizabeth turned back to the monitor, bringing up a recording of the news feed again and cycling through it until she came to the boy fighting the adult Saiyans. "What interests me, though, is just who this boy is." She paused it during one of the boy's attacks, the boy frozen in midair, mouth open in a battlecry as his fist was pulled back to wind up for a fierce punch. She stared at the boy, memorizing every feature about him, from his unruly black hair to his unusual navy blue gi. "Rota, I want you to find out who this boy is. Use every resource we have to discover his identity, and run genetic backgrounds on him. Cross-reference them with other possible candidates." Rota looked sideways at her, and Izzy answered her unspoken question. "He needs a bondmate."
"I want him. No matter the costs."
3 weeks later...
The darkness was actually calming to Gohan, and as he sat in his cell he thought about the irony of it all.
Gohan had been taken from the courtyard to this cell quick enough to make his head spin. He had defeated those men and women, but knew one or two of them wouldn't survive and figured that was why he was staring at katchin walls and bars. The Harbinger insisted, however, that was not the case. In reality, he was here to be protected. After seeing what he did to those recruits, the S7 Elites would become interested, more so than they needed to be. And once Gohan started fighting with them, the Harbinger felt it would be necessary to separate him from the facility to discourage any vendettas or jealousies. He wouldn't be effective propaganda if he were dead.
Gohan didn't care. As long as he was bonded by the end of the year, he didn't mind the seclusion. That was all he wanted to do: fight. If they took away his ability to do that, he would be concerned. But they hadn't. In the few weeks that he was here, he had fought dozens of opponents, each providing a challenge. They were keeping him tough and limber, probably to ensure little issue when he eventually bonded. Apart from the physical regiment, he was also given the opportunity to strengthen his mind. Enstrusted with a commissioned PDA tablet, he was given books to read, mathematical equations to practice, maps to study, historical battles to analyze, and more. He didn't lack things to do, and no one bothered him. Ironic that he enjoyed the time in his cell.
He was reviewing past battles from the Feudal era of Saiyan history when his door unlocked and a lady walked in. He recognized her almost immediately as his doctor, Arola Qieen. Her striking blonde hair was the dead giveaway; she was the only Saiyan he had seen with naturally blonde hair. It was a rare genetic disorder Gohan remembered reading about at the academy. It was rare enough and insignificant enough that it still remained in the Saiyan genes. It hadn't been bred out like most other abnormalities, and it could be easily fixed with a chemical dye.
Arola wore her hair proudly. It was a pride Gohan respected; she was proud of the mutation and cared little about what others thought about it. At the same time, however, she didn't consider it something other than it really was: a mutation. There were some Saiyans that believed blonde hair was the sign of super strength and power. Others believed it was an omen of poverty and despair. Arola had been his doctor for three weeks and he could already tell she thought of her hair as hair. Nothing more.
It was because of her demeanor that he cooperated with her more easily. She, in turn, treated him respectfully, admiring his power but remembering that he was a Saiyan. As she closed the door to the cell, she flipped on the light that Gohan hated. Despite his preference to the dark, she had to have light when she visited him.
"Hello Gohan. How are you feeling?"
"Well," he answered, standing and offering her a salute of respect.
She returned it before gesturing for him to sit. She removed her heels and took a seat in front of him, placing her clipboard and folder off to the side before looking at him in the eye.
It was another reason Gohan appreciated her. She wouldn't stand over him, peering over her glasses as she wrote down his statements and gestures. She would come down to his level, even getting comfortable with her surroundings as if she'd be there for a while, before starting their sessions. Without even knowing it, she gave Gohan more respect than even Piccolo did.
"So, how fare your studies?" she asked, her gaze directed at the PDA placed carefully at the corner of the cell.
"Easy." He retrieved the PDA and handed it to her for her to review his work.
She silently studied his answers before nodding to him with a smile. "Very good. You're keeping your mind as sharp as always. That's extremely important for the end of the year."
Gohan nodded, a question forming in his mind. "Has the Harbinger said when I'll be bonded?" He knew Arola worked with the Harbinger directly, and was involved in planning his eventual bonding with a human. As far as he knew, he was to be shipped to the training station, Klota, to bond and begin training with his human counterpart at the end of the year. The Harbinger should have all the propaganda he would need by then. No one really spoke about it, though, so he wasn't about to get his hopes up.
"I'm hoping within the next two months, but that really is up to the Harbinger. His propaganda campaign has actually started off to a good start. Recruiting stations are overflowing and there has been a noticeable increase in traffic around local sparring gyms. The filming of you fighting an Elite one on one was a good breakthrough. Hopefully it won't be much longer."
Gohan nodded, content with her answer considering she wasn't technically allowed to talk about it. He decided he'd get the session started. "Alright. Let's go ahead and get started." Gohan closed his eyes as he settled into a meditative stance.
Qieen nodded and closed her eyes. Gently, she connected her mind with Gohan's and their training began.
For two hours, Gohan struggled to defend his mind against Qieen's onslaught, all the while understanding that her attacks on his mind were to prepare him for the bonding. When he connected with a human mind, odds were they would lash out like they usually did when coming into contact with a foreign mind for the first time. He didn't want to die from an accident, and so took this training very seriously.
Eventually, Qieen opened her eyes. Her presence faded from Gohan's mind instantly, leaving him exhausted. She smiled as he collected his breath. "Very good, Gohan. Your mental control and defense is much stronger than before. You've been meditating."
Gohan smiled as he regulated his breathing. "I have. I have to be ready when I bond."
Qieen smiled. "You're almost there. We'll try harder exercises tomorrow to get you ready for the end of the year. But you're doing well."
Gohan nodded as she stood, and he stood as well, gathering her things for her and handing them to her out of respect. "Do you really think I'll be ready?" he asked uncertainly. He knew Quinn was holding back during their exercises, and didn't know if it would be enough. He usually wasn't this unsure of himself, but battles of the mind were foreign to his race. How could he defend himself against something he couldn't see?
Quinn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yes. I think you'll be ready in time. You've still got months before the bond. Plenty of time for progress and mastery of mental defense." She smiled before gesturing to the mattress at the furthest end of the cell. "Now get some sleep. Mental exercises are exhausting, and you'll need your sleep for the propaganda shot tomorrow.
Gohan nodded and climbed onto the mattress. As Quinn left, she turned the light off, enveloping Gohan in darkness once more. With barely a thought left in his head, Gohan fell asleep.
Dr. Ozell pushed the glasses up his nose as he reviewed the several hundred S7 physical reports, looking for abnormalities that would need chemical therapy. The chemical therapy was one of the most effective, but costly, ways of stabilizing bodily functions within a Saiyan. Discovered almost two thousand years ago, chemical therapy effectively hardened the Saiyan immunity system against any known disease or ailment. What the humans commonly called 'cancer' was also a common ailment on Vegeta. Three generations after the discovery of chemical therapy, and Saiyans effectively bred out the possibility of cancer.
It had been cured.
Since then, chemical therapy remained the prime solution for any sort of abnormality within a Saiyan that would prevent him or her from fighting. Despite this, it was costly, and only accessible to those that were privileged enough, rich enough, or connected enough to receive it.
S7 Elites were such individuals. Any abnormality, no matter how small, would be corrected. Even vision that was less than perfect was improved with chemical therapy before biotics was considered. And it was up to the prescribing doctors of the S7's to find and correct these issues.
Orzell sighed, pushing his red bangs out of his eyes before closing the folder and sitting back. He had been working on these files for two days now, and was nearing the end of the list. He could take a small break.
He stood, stretched, and walked out of his office and into the corridor outside. He found his way to the break room, where most doctors and nurses spent their time away from the office, carousing and forgetting their troubles for even the briefest time. At the moment, there was only one doctor enjoying the silence. And particularly attractive one at that.
Orzell retrieved some water from the cooler and sat across from Doctor Arola, smiling at the blonde as she looked up to see her visitor. "Ah, the human doctor graces me with his presence." she exclaimed. "How can I help you, Dr. Orzell?"
"Please," Orzell replied. "Call me Weylon." He smiled at her as she nodded.
"Doctor, that's unprofessional." She smiled despite her claim and leaned forward with interest. "Are you taking a break?"
Orzell nodded as he took a sip of water. "Prescribing chemical therapy is boring, not to mention a waste of my talents." He shook his head. "Though we all have a part to play, I suppose. I just wish mine was more...important."
Arola smiled knowingly. "I feel the same way. I wish I could help in some greater capacity, but haven't found an opportunity. You'd figure being stationed at the S7 HQ would be more exciting, but hardly anyone needs a doctor here. Not with all the scientific medical equipment they have here."
Orzell cocked his head. "Wasn't there an incident three weeks ago that required the entire medical staff?"
Arola nodded, her face twisted in disgust. "More like gravediggers. Ten recruits were slaughtered at the southern courtyard by a young boy." She gestured to Orzell. "I thought you were here for that."
Orzell shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I was stationed here a week after."
Arola shook her head. "You missed it. That boy killed all ten of those recruits. The Harbinger just stood by and watched."
"Sounds likes remarkable boy."
"Not the word I would use to describe him, but..."
"But he is," Orzell interrupted. "A young boy, not even of age, killing ten seasoned war veterans single-handedly?" Orzell crossed his arms. "That's remarkable."
"Perhaps his power is," relented Arola, "But his restraint isn't. Did you know that during his time at the academy, he almost killed other children for the slightest provocation? They tallied up almost a dozen injuries he was responsible for."
"No, I believe I missed that part." He swirled the water in the cup for a moment as Arola continued.
"The boy's powerful. But he's like an animal. A reserved, and cautious animal, but an animal nonetheless." She shook her head. "It's sad, really."
"What do you mean?"
Arola swept her blonde bangs from her eyes. "He comes across as a predator. Constantly watching you, observing your every motion or reaction, staying quiet and inconspicuous the entire time. He speaks with wisdom and intelligence befitting an older boy, and his power certainly belongs to a man, but we've noticed that if he's provoked, he loses control. He just...snaps. And anyone in his way is in great danger." She shrugged. "I would have thought it was because of his childhood, but his records don't mention anything out of the ordinary for a Saiyan child. He trained with his grandfather while his father and mother were away during the war, and was sent to the academy after testing positive at the Screening." She looked to the side. "I would have thought there would be something in his past that would leave him so quiet, and yet so violent at a moment's notice."
Orzell frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this boy."
Arola smiled. "I should. I'm his doctor. No one sees him but me."
"No one sees him?" Orzell asked.
Arola smiled. "You seem like a good guy, Weylon. I'll give you a bit of advice. Gohan is here to promote the Harbinger's propaganda campaign. Aside from that, we seclude him from the rest of the facility while he continues training for the bonding. We don't want him to fall back on his training."
Orzell cocked his head. "If he needs to continue his training for bonding, then why is he here?"
Arola leaned back. "The boy is too powerful for normal facilities. The academy couldn't compensate for his abilities. They shipped him out to us in the hopes that he might find better competition amongst the S7's."
"But then why keep him locked up?"
"Think about it, Weylon. A seven year-old boy capable of killing a fully trained S7 won't promote the healthiest of environments. The Harbinger doesn't want his prize damaged by jealousy and revenge."
Orzell nodded. "Interesting." He finished his water and stood. "Anyway, I've stayed too long. Forgive me, but I must return to my work."
Arola's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You've only sat here for five minutes at the most. You know your breaks can go until fifteen minutes?"
Orzell nodded. "I do, but my work won't finish itself. I'd better get back to it." He nodded at her. "Good night, Arola."
"Have fun," she replied, returning to her water.
