Empire: A Family Affair
Chapter 10: Spark Plug
The siblings fought every day until they arrived back at Vegeta-sei. When the gates to the ship opened, Bulma had never been so happy to see the red skies of Venova or the dusty ground that went along with it. She exited, walking at Vegeta's side. Bra was behind her, still dressed in Saiyan training clothing because she had nothing else to wear. Trunks was behind Vegeta. The two were picking at one another.
Growing weary of their banter, Bulma rounded on them. "I will chop off both of your tails so that they don't grow back if you don't stop this childish bickering. Act like the royalty you are," she said, her voice low and gaze deadly.
Trunks and Bra straightened up, suddenly very afraid of their mother. They watched her turn back around and follow after their father. Bra shot Trunks a nasty look and then walked off. Trunks watched as the shorter teenager left him in her dust. Goten came up beside him.
"I'm glad there's such a big age difference between me and Gohan," Goten said.
Trunks looked over at Goten. "What? I'm ELEVEN years older than Bra. Just because she when through some sort of miracle grow process doesn't change that." Trunks noticed that his sister had drawn the attention of a few of the palace guards.
Goten had also picked up on it. "Well, it seems like she'll be welcomed back with open arms." He received a jab to his arms. "Ow! What was that for?"
"She's my sister. Protect her," Trunks said.
"You know I will." Goten smiled.
Bra stood on a pedestal, holding her arms out. Her tail switched from side to side in irritation. She was being measured for dresses and training suits, seeing how she did not have any that fit her. Bra stole a glance at her mother. Bulma was looking at different patterns and fabrics, paying her daughter no mind. Bra finally sighed loudly and dropped her arms.
"Why can't I just wear training suits all the time? Why do I have to wear dresses?" she asked.
Bulma did not look up at her daughter. "Because you are a princess. I will not have you traipsing around like a soldier all the time," she said firmly.
"But I AM a soldier, Mommy!" Bra said loudly.
Bulma glared at Bra before looking up from the fabrics. "But you are a princess first, young lady. You have duties to fulfill as one, as well. Like I said before, you will not be traipsing around like a soldier all the time. Not if I have anything to say about it," she stood up, "and I do. I'm your mother and you will obey me."
Bra bit her lip. She knew better than to disrespect her mother. She raised her arms and let the servants continue measuring her for her new dresses. "I'll do this." She stuck her nose in the air. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though," she mumbled under her breath. She knew it did not escape her mother's hearing because Bulma let out an audible sigh.
"I'll be glad when you grow out of the rebellious stage. Once your dresses are complete, you will be making a trip back to Earth to 'introduce' yourself. You will be dressed like a Princess of Earth. Got it?" Bulma asked.
"Yes, Mommy," Bra droned.
Vegeta sat in his throne. His head rested in his palm. He gave off the aura that he was bored. In reality, he was doing some hardcore pondering. Since Bra's "change," he'd been doing nothing but thinking about the future of the Empire. It was all he could do. Bra's "change" made everything exponentially more difficult.
Neither one could rule with their mindsets right now. The boy is too soft and the bratling is... too young, I suppose. But the way she thinks is of the correct age. She's entirely too... headstrong. There's no middle ground with her, he thought pensively. He had not realized that he closed his eyes.
Bulma approached her meditative husband. She stood in front of him for a few moments before reaching forward to tap him on the shoulder. Before she could blink, she was in Vegeta's lap. He was holding her wrist and looking straight ahead. Bulma shook her hand out of his firm grasp.
"If you don't tell me what's on your mind, Vegeta, I'll be forced to do very painful things to you until you do," she said.
Vegeta eyed his queen. "Woman, you're the weakest being in terms of brute strength on this planet. How could you possibly hope to do very painful things to me?" he asked.
Bulma snorted. "Weakest in brute strength, yes. However, in terms of sheer intelligence, I am the strongest on this planet. I may be physically weak, Vegeta. But still, I have a very in-depth knowledge of the Saiyan and human bodies. I could render you unconscious with the right amount of pressure applied to certain parts of your body." She crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I was just thinking about the brats. They've started a rivalry and Bra hasn't even been... big for a month and they're already fighting one another." He sighed. "I think you should take the bratling with you to Earth."
"Earth?" Bulma appeared confused as she looked back down at Vegeta. "But she'll definitely want to go on diplomatic missions with you. What could I possibly do with her on Earth?" she asked.
"I don't know, woman. Teach her to be... a lady. Right now, she is far too concerned with fighting. She needs some time away to learn to properly conduct herself."
Bulma shook her head. "Vegeta, you'll have to drag Bra kicking and screaming to take her back to Earth. Trunks would sooner go than Bra. He likes Earth better than Vegeta-sei anyway. Plus, he'd be useful to me in my labs."
"Are you trying to turn the boy into one of your scientists?"
"If you'd bother to pay any attention to your son, you'd realize that he is not the fighting type. He's far more intrigued with the factories and labs on Earth. Where do you think he spends his time when he stays there? He certainly doesn't train," Bulma said matter-of-factly.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Take the girl to Earth. Have her stay there and learn the way to conduct herself as a princess and not a soldier," he said.
Bulma smirked. "You're lucky I just had a new wardrobe commissioned for her." She hopped up out of his lap. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an invention to complete and a client to call."
"Trunks, what are we doing in here? You know Miss Bulma doesn't like us being in her lab without her in it," Goten whined.
"Grow a pair, Goten," Trunks said. At the moment, they were looking down at the blueprints for Bulma's newest invention. "I just want to see what that thing Mom was inventing actually does."
"Looks like really hardcore stuff, if you ask me." Goten crossed his arms and glanced around the spacious lab. Most of Bulma's techs were off working on the object that his best friend was so interested in.
"It's a teleporter of some sort. It's like you set the coordinates and whatever is sent through it travels to a totally different location. One of these has never been made." Trunks looked up and over at the instrument. "Mom's pretty..."
"Whatcha dooooin'?" Bra asked as she popped up out of virtually nowhere. The prince and his friend stiffened and turned to face her. Then they both relaxed as they took in Bra's appearance. She crossed her arms and frowned at them. "What the hell are you looking at?"
Trunks frowned at his sister. "Shut up. You shouldn't use such language," he reprimanded.
"You say stuff like that all the time," Bra countered.
"That's because I'm older than you."
"That doesn't mean anything anymore."
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked.
Bra glanced down at her attire. She was wearing a pastel green dress with white ribbons. It was somewhat low-cut and her arms were bare. She glanced back up at her brother and his friend. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.
"He means why are you dressed like a girl?" Goten said.
Bra placed her hands on her hips, scowling at both of them. "Because I can, that's why. If you two have a problem with it, then you can kiss my..."
"Bra, why are you in my lab?" Bulma asked as she walked up behind the trio. She stopped right beside her daughter and looked at Trunks and Goten. "Trunks, what are you doing with my blueprints?"
Trunks hastily rolled the blueprints up. "Nothing at all, Mom. I was just wondering about the particulars of that big machine over there. That's all." He turned and looked back at his mother and sister. Bra was looking at him with a smug look on her face. Bulma was simply staring at him. He looked between the two, noticing that Bra really was the spitting image of her mother.
"Right. Just don't break anything." Bulma turned and walked over to her techs. She began barking orders at them.
Trunks watched his mother walk off before looking back at his sister. Bra was looking at Bulma's other inventions. She reached out to touch something that resembled a watch. Trunks hurried over to her and took out of her grasp.
"Give it here, dumbass! I was looking at it first," Bra complained.
Trunks sighed. "Didn't Mom just say not to touch anything?" he asked.
Bra shook her head. "No. She said don't BREAK anything. She never said anything about touching. So," Bra punched Trunks in the stomach, causing the object to fly from his hands, "give it back." Bra caught it and smiled in triumph.
Goten shook his head as the two began arguing over the small object. He turned and watched as Bulma's techs turned on the giant ring machine. "Wow. I can feel its power from here," he whispered as he watched it.
Bulma walked up close to the new invention. "Is the field stabilized?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Yes, your majesty. The coordinates are also set."
Bulma nodded and picked up a rubber ball. She tossed it inside the ring. The ball disappeared completely, not coming out on the other side. Bulma smirked, counting down in her mind. She could hear footsteps just outside the lab. Soon, Vegeta barged in, holding the little red ball.
"What is the meaning of this, woman?" Vegeta asked. His wife said nothing and snatched the ball out of his hand. "Well?"
Bulma handed the ball to one of her techs. "Run a scan on it. See if any of its properties have changed." Then she looked at Vegeta. "When the ball appeared, what did it look like?"
Vegeta frowned. "It just came out of nowhere and hit me in the face. It pretty much just appeared. You set it up to do that didn't you?"
Bulma noticed Vegeta's eyes narrowing. "Stop looking at me like that. I had to test it. Who better to test it on than my husband? You're the most observant person I know." She smiled and walked up closer to him. "Now, could you tell me if anything was strange before you got smacked in the face with a ball?"
Vegeta appeared thoughtful for a moment as Bulma drew circles on his chest. "The temperature went up momentarily." He looked down at Bulma. "Stop that, woman!"
"Stop being grouchy, Vegeta." Bulma did not put her hands down. "How much of a temperature change? It must've been significant for you to feel it."
"Ten degrees. It wasn't burning or anything." Vegeta continued to watch her with interest.
"Uh huh..."
"Mommy, why are you feeling Daddy up?" Bra asked, swinging the wristwatch around her right index finger. She nearly laughed when her parents stepped away from one another. "Get a room, you two." She turned and started to walk towards the newest machine. Goten and Trunks were already over there.
Bulma pouted a bit. "I was not... feeling him up. Stupid girl." Bulma looked at Vegeta again. "You know, a thorough scan takes one hour at the least."
"One hour?" Vegeta asked, still looking at her suspiciously.
Bulma nodded, smiling. "A whole sixty minutes." Apparently Vegeta caught the hint. The next second he was picking her up and pulling her out the lab. Bulma managed to crane her neck back to the teenagers. "Don't break any..." She was gone before she could finish.
Trunks stared blankly at the door. Then he shuddered. "Gross," he mumbled. He noticed Bra fiddling with the wristwatch; or what looked like a wristwatch. She was standing directly in front of the big ring. "Why don't you put that down? You're gonna break it." He began walking over to her.
Goten's eyes sparkled. "Look, Trunks! There's a setting on here for Earth!"
Trunks nodded absentmindedly and stepped up to his sister. "In a minute, Goten."
"Oh! So it flips like this!" Bra flipped the switch on the watch just as Trunks stepped up to her. "Nothing happened, dickwad. The stupid thing is..."
A shockwave centering from Bra's hand threw the siblings back away from one another. Bra dropped the watch, flying into the side of the big ring. She turned her head and saw that her arm had disappeared into the ring. It was pulling her in. She glanced back over at Trunks.
Trunks stood up. He saw Bra trying to reach for him. He shook his dizziness off and started towards her. Then he noticed everything was beginning to shut off in the lab. From looking at the blueprints, he knew that anything that half-passed through the ring would be split at the passing point. From Bra's face, he could tell that her arm was being ripped from her body.
She's going to lose her arm, he thought as he flew towards her. He caught a glimpse of the coordinates on the ring. Instead of fighting the gravity, he pushed his sister inside just as it shut off.
"Trunks!"
Vegeta was thrown forward as the shockwave hit them. He turned his body and shielded Bulma from what would have probably killed her had she gone headfirst into the wall. He groaned and slid down the wall. Bulma's head was immediately up.
I know what that was, she thought as she stood. The pulse.
"Vegeta, get up. I think something's happened." All the lights went out. "Vegeta?"
"Come on, woman," Vegeta said as he grabbed her hand.
When they arrived back in the lab, everything was off. The techs were cleaning up fallen objects. They appeared worried. Trunks was staring blankly at the ring, which had shut off as well. Goten was also staring at it, pulling on his hair. They had not noticed the king and queen enter. Goten was the first to notice as Bulma approached them. She looked irate with the both of them. Vegeta sauntered behind her.
"What the hell happened? Didn't I say don't break anything?" she yelled at the both of them. Trunks did not seem to hear her. He just stared at the ring. "Trunks!"
What did I do? What did I do? What if she doesn't come out on the other side? What did I do? What did I...
Bulma slapped her son, ending his BSOD*. He turned his head and looked down at her. "Mom..."
"No. I'm a fairy. What the hell happened in here? Didn't I say not to touch anything?" Bulma yelled.
Trunks numbly shook his head. "You said not to break anything..." His voice was quiet and he kept glancing at the ring.
"That doesn't matter! You're smart enough to know what I meant!" Bulma slapped him again. She walked over to Goten and slapped him as well. "Where's Bra? She isn't immune to punishment, either."
It went past Bulma that everyone in the lab exchanged glances of what could be interpreted as fear. Vegeta, being an expert at observing such things, immediately noticed it. He had been enjoying seeing two soldiers be smacked around by a woman far weaker than both of them. Now, he was a bit concerned. He walked forward and looked around the ring.
"Where is she? Bra!" Bulma walked around, looking for her daughter. She saw a bit of Bra's dress on the floor. Her sandal was there. The wristwatch was not far from those. She gaped for a moment, walking up to the ring. She stuck her hand inside, seeing that it was off. "Bra?" she whispered.
Vegeta glared at the boys. "Where is she?"
Goten pointed to the ring. "She went in there," he mumbled. Then he turned away from it. "She's gone."
"My baby? She fell in there?" Bulma faced them. She looked like she was going to cry.
"What happened?" Vegeta asked, his face showing almost no emotion.
"She flipped the switch on that watch thing. We were thrown away from each other. She hit the ring. Her arm went in. Then everything started shutting off. I had to," Trunks took a deep breath, "push her. If I didn't she would've lost an arm. I had no time to really think."
"Boy, she could've lived with a lost arm. That's nothing. Where did you send her?" Vegeta asked tiredly. He noticed Bulma was still in shock. "Woman, she'll be fine. Won't she?"
"The setting is for Earth. She'll just come out there, won't she?" Trunks asked.
Bulma shuddered, putting her hands in her hair. She shook her head. "It was not set for Bra's mass. Not her species. Not her weight. Not her height. Nothing. Those are other settings besides location." Bulma closed her eyes.
"So what are you saying, woman?" Vegeta stepped towards her. "She won't come out on Earth?"
Bra shook her head. "She'll come out. The question you should be asking me is if she'll come out WHOLE. I've never tested it when the settings weren't set for the object it was being tested on. Plus, this thing isn't meant to transport living beings. Do any of you know how this works? Why I needed a molecular manipulator?" She watched them all shake their heads. "Tell them, Kamala."
Kamala stepped forward and nodded. "The molecular manipulator does just what its name denotes. It manipulates molecules. When transporting an object, the object is reduced to molecules. When it reaches its destination in the space-time continuum, it pieces itself back together and exits the void."
Goten stared blankly at the small Saiyan. "What?"
"She basically just said that whatever gets sent in there is shredded to pieces and put back together again right before it gets thrown out," Trunks said. Goten nodded in understanding. "Well, Bra won't come out... whole?"
"I don't know. It's never been tested when using the wrong settings or using a living being. Her coming out in one piece isn't the problem, though." Bulma sighed. "She's getting her body torn down to the molecular level."
Vegeta was seemingly the only one who caught on. "This is painful." He watched Bulma nod. "Well, she can put up with a lot of pain, woman," he said.
Bulma shook her head. "Getting punched in the face by someone twice your size has nothing on getting your body torn to shreds and staying in such a state while alive. I'd be surprised if she doesn't go insane from the pain."
Vegeta inhaled. "Where will she come out on Earth?"
Bulma shrugged. "My lab, supposedly. But anything is possible since the axis is thrown." She leaned against the table, still holding her head. "How could this happen?" she whispered.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Trunks said, looking like a wounded puppy.
Bulma sighed and looked at her son. She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Trunks. You didn't know," she said. "All we can do is hope and pray..."
Eighteen fanned herself as she turned the corner in the East Palace. Why is it so damn hot in this place? she thought angrily. She continued her march until she came to what looked like a severed arm. She stared at it for a moment before picking it up. The arm was warm, as if it'd just recently been cut off. This is odd.
"Eighteen, we need you to... Is that an ARM you're holding?" Krillyn asked as he caught up with his wife.
"Yes. It looks like a woman's arm."
"Or a teenage girl's. It's pretty muscular to be a..."
A shrill scream alerted them to who was probably the owner of the arm. Eighteen started walking, carrying the arm with her. "Krillyn, alert the infirmary. I might be sending someone down there."
It hurts so bad. I can't move. My body won't move. Am I... screaming? Bra thought. She was screaming. It was almost against her will. She shut her mouth in an attempt to quell her cries of agony. Her vision was blurry, but she could tell she no longer had a left arm. She could see the blood on the cold floor that looked like the floor of her mother's lab. Gotta get up. Gotta get...
With all the strength she had, Bra got to her feet. Every time she took a step, it felt as though something was pricking her with needles. Her skin was so sensitive. What had once been a beautiful dress was soaked in her blood. She saw the door to wherever she was and reached lamely for it. Just as she was about to touch the handle, the door swung open. Bra stumbled forward and into someone else.
Eighteen practically threw the arm she was holding at Krillyn as a girl came falling through the door. She caught her, taking note of her long blue hair. She also noticed the trail of blood behind her.
"He-He-Help." The girl looked up at Eighteen before passing out.
Eighteen's eyes widened. I know those eyes anywhere, she thought. Princess Bra? She looked at Krillyn.
"Krillyn, this is the princess," she informed her partner.
Krillyn was looking at her skeptically. "I thought the princess was... six, I think. This girl looks like a clone of Bulma."
"The princess practically IS a clone of Bulma. But we have to get her to the infirmary. Then I'm going to call Bulma. Come on," Eighteen said. She hefted Bra up in her arms and started walking quickly. Krillyn followed behind her, carrying Bra's severed arm.
"Well where is she?" Bulma asked irritably.
"We don't know, your highness. She hasn't answered any of the messages we've sent for her."
Bulma stared angrily into the video phone that was linked to Earth. "Try again. It is very, very important that I speak with Eigh..."
"I'm right here, Bulma." Eighteen suddenly appeared in front of Bulma. "I found the princess," she said dryly. She noticed Bulma let out a sigh of relief while putting her hand to her chest. "May I inquire as to how the princess came to be in the shape she's in?"
"Well, she seemingly aged ten years in ten seconds." Bulma watched Eighteen crinkle her nose in confusion. Bulma shook her head. "Long story. Just know that the princess is now the age of Trunks, mentally and physically. How is she now? Can I speak with her?"
"That's another thing, Bulma. How did Princess Bra end up on Earth, with her left arm severed?" Eighteen asked.
Bulma gasped as she put her hands over her mouth. "Her arm was severed? Other than that, is she all right?"
Eighteen nodded. "Yes, Bulma. She's fine. Her arm was in good shape. It should be able to be reattached. But how did she get here?"
"She fell into the transporter I was making just as the power shut off. The settings weren't for her, but it seems like she came out okay." Bulma stared off into space. "I suppose living beings can be transported."
"She was missing her arm, Bulma," Eighteen reminded Bulma.
Bulma nodded. "Yes, that's true. But she also is alive even though the settings were way off. The only reason her arm is severed is..." Bulma went into a long explanation of how the big ring worked and how Bra ended up sans an arm. "I suppose I'll tell the king now. Keep me updated and keep her on that planet."
"Yes, Bulma."
Bulma shut the video phone off. Then she walked out of the room, in search of Vegeta. She found him "disciplining" Trunks and Goten. Rolling her eyes, she headed for the control room of the gravity room. She turned the high gravity off. Vegeta turned and glowered at her. She simply waved before pushing the speaker.
"This had better be good, woman," Vegeta said.
"Oh it is. Bra made it to Earth. Eighteen found her ARM before she actually found Bra. Right now, it should be getting reattached. Bra's to stay on Earth until I say otherwise. I'm sure Eighteen can handle her," Bulma said.
Vegeta crossed his arms. "So the bratling ended up whole except for her arm?"
"It would appear so. But, from what Trunks told me, her arm came off before she disappeared into the warp." Bulma ran a hand through her hair. "Let's just be grateful that our little spark plug is fine. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. On Earth she can learn to conduct herself properly. And we didn't even have to drag her kicking and screaming."
"And what exactly was the problem in how she was conducting herself here?" Vegeta asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You seem to have forgotten the conversation we had earlier. It was YOUR idea to send her to Earth. She's a monster! Every second of the day she wants to beat someone's skull in!"
Vegeta snorted. "That's the Saiyan mentality, woman. All she needs to do is learn to control that urge and harness it into something constructive."
"Pfft! She can harness it into becoming a lady on Earth. That's plenty difficult." Bulma yawned. "I suppose I can call Garlic now and tell him his machine is ready. It's been far more trouble than it's worth. The sooner it's off this planet, the better."
AN: "BSOD" means "Blue Screen of Death." You know that screen you see when your computer has royally fucked itself? It happens on computers with Microsoft Windows. Well, a BSOD is an equivalent to that, meaning that a person has experienced some traumatic event, they have mentally shut down for a moment, and thus must be "rebooted." Anysmoo, sorry for the late, late, late update.