Chapter Ten: Time to Burn
"Tell me why do I feel this way
All my life I've been standing on the borderline
Too many bridges burned
Too many lies I've heard
I had a life but I can't go back
I can't do that, it will never be the same again
And I know I don't
Have any time burn"
Time to Burn-The Rasmus
DBZ
"Rank, Saiyan," demanded one of the nameless and faceless Jynn-jin that were hidden from Seripa's view behind a large pane of mirrored glass. She was isolated from them in a circular, off-white room that blinded her with just how white it was. It didn't help that the lights overhead constantly hummed and buzzed noisily when the Jynn-jin bastards weren't questioning her or-
BZZTTTTT!
Seripa, strapped to a flat piece of a metal that supposedly served as a bed, threw her head back and let out a blood-curdling scream as sparks of electricity danced across her body, from her head all the way down to her toes. When the tortures had first begun she had used every ounce of her willpower to resist the urge to cry out in pain. For several months she was able to resist the nearly uncontrollable urge. But now, a year later and still having to undergo the tortures, she was having an increasingly difficult time in managing her control.
She knew it wouldn't stop, though. No matter what she said to the thick-headed assholes that liked to toy with her, they still shocked the shit out of her. Nothing she ever said was the right answer, it seemed.
"I don't serve Frieza!" She managed to gasp out between screams as the electrical field continued to fry her. "I don't fuckin' serve him!"
"Enough with your lies," the same voice from before snapped. "You Saiyans have served under Frieza for more than fifty years. Tell us what you know and why he sent you here, or we will continue this punishment."
Seripa laughed aloud, which surprised them and her. They were still shocking her, even as they spoke, but she had managed to laugh at them. Well, it was easy to laugh when they were being so stupid. The buzzing of electricity ceased, and her body relaxed on the cold metal slab, smoke rising from her reddened skin as she gasped for breath. The area around her wrists and ankles were red and blistered from her constant writhing as they tortured her.
Panting she turned her head to stare weakly at the mirrored glass. "I keep telling you…That bastard destroyed my people's planet…Why…the hell…would I still…serve him?" she all but gasped out. She was tired. Her body ached all over and her wrists and ankles were killing her. Not to mention her head was throbbing and she was certain that her eardrums had burst hours ago from how loud she had been screaming. Oh, and her throat was raw, too. It was so hard to keep up with the injuries when her mind was constantly being fried. They really were inefficient torturers, these Jynn-jin. Although they were excellent at starving the Saiyans half to death. They never did give them enough food when they fed them. It was a wonder they had not all withered away to nothing but skin and bones.
"Yes, you keep spouting those lies. Even our own Lord Ryo has confirmed that your planet was destroyed by a rogue comet. He hates Frieza and yet even he says that the lizard had nothing to do with the destruction of your planet. What do you say to that?"
She chuckled and closed her eyes as she turned away from the glass. "I say…Frieza is…scum. This Ryo…he's scum, too."
"Shock her again," said a new voice from behind the glass. She looked towards the reflective surface just the buzzing resumed and sparks of electricity danced all over her, clouding her vision with the new round of pain being inflicted upon her. She gritted her teeth against crying out, but a sudden surge that indicated someone turning the intensity up washed over her, and she lost herself over to the screams. She arched her back, pulling and fighting to free herself from the table so she could rid herself of the horrible pain that tore through her body.
The sound of snapping reached her ears and she felt sharp twinges of pain in certain areas on her legs and her stomach as the nearly indestructible material of her underarmor begin to tear from the strain her body was putting on it, and the heat of the electricity wearing it down. Roaring in agony, her teeth bared in anger, frustration, confusion and pain she fought to pull her hands and feet free. But the ki-restrictor and the power-dampeners combined with the insane strength of the alloy kept her bound to the cold slab, forcing her continued endurance of the torture.
"Cease now! You'll kill her!" declared a familiar voice.
"That was the idea, Jynn-jin scum…"drawled the new voice from before.
As the field continued to shock her, she felt the energy drain from her body and she fell limp against the table. She couldn't keep this up; they were killing her. More and more, each day they questioned and tortured her she could feel her endurance reaching its breaking point. She couldn't keep it up anymore. The buzzing suddenly ceased, but by then she had already decided to give herself over to the encroaching darkness. She wasn't dead yet, she knew that much. But she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.
Her eyes closed slowly, but not before she saw the door across the room slide open and a familiar-looking blue-haired man suddenly rushing toward her. She frowned as she fell into the darkness; why was Berik worried about her…?
DBZ
Three days later…
Amotto pursed her lips as she stood before the red pulsating energy bars of her cell staring across the corridor and into Seripa's cell. She could see the other woman laying on her bed, curled up in the fetal position. She had been lying just like that for the last few days, ever since she was carried in bridal-style by that blue-haired scientist named Berik. She was still surprised by the way the man had worried over her unconscious form as he carefully deposited her there. He had lingered in her cell for a long time trying to determine if she was going to be okay. She frowned and glanced over to where Broco was standing at the bars of his cell watching her.
"She hasn't moved in days, Broco," she said, the concern apparent in her tone.
He frowned slightly, though it looked much more pronounced thanks to his single eye and the scar stretching over where his other one had once been. "I know, Amotto. But she's still alive so all we can do is be patient."
"Why haven't they taken us for questioning?" she suddenly demanded in anger. "Why do they keep torturing her? You and I are much weaker than her. No offense," she added hastily as Broco's eyebrows rose slightly. "But wouldn't you and I seem more likely to break? Why do they keep hurting her?"
Turles laughed from the cell beside hers and she looked at the wall. She couldn't see him, but she could imagine him leaning against the wall looking as arrogant as he always did. "What's so funny over there?"
"You're the funny one, Amotto. Seripa is tougher than that. Believe me, I know," he muttered under his breath. "Once she recovers she'll be fine, so quit worryin' so much."
"That's easy for you to say! You can't see her from your cell and you're not the one who's been tortured every day since we crashed on this gods-forsaken planet!" she huffed in annoyance and looked back to Broco, but she frowned at the amused look on his face. "What, you, too?" she demanded in frustration.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Amotto, but Turles is right. Seripa is a tough one that goes without saying. I'm just as worried as you are," he said quickly when he saw the look on Amotto's face, "but we have to be patient. It's not like we have much choice after all."
Amotto stared at him in silence for a few moments then sighed and closed her eyes. She was frustrated by this whole situation. She had been for the last year. She was tired of being locked up and she was tired of seeing Seripa return from her interrogations looking like she'd been beaten half to death. She opened her eyes and looked across the corridor at the other woman. She grimaced at the sight of bruises covering her bare arms and now bare legs. Her under armor had apparently not been able to take this round of torture. There was also a bit of dried blood on one of her arms, but she couldn't see the wound it had come from.
As she was looking at her she blinked with the woman suddenly shifted, lifting a hand to softly touch her own forehead.
"Seripa!" Amotto couldn't help but exclaim as she turned over in her bed and sat up wobbly.
She looked around and squinted at her, "Amotto? Ugh…" she lifted her other hand and rubbed her temples slowly. "How long was I out?"
Turles answered before Amotto could, "About three days. Almost four. How you feelin' over there?"
"Like shit…" she mumbled as she slowly rose to her feet.
Broco smiled and leaned against the wall of his cell, his lone eye on Amotto as he spoke, "We've been worried about you, wondering if and when you were going to wake up." He grinned as Amotto glanced at him and he blinked his eye in a wink. "Glad to have you back, by the way."
"Glad to be back. Though I feel horrible. Almost sick to my…" Seripa sat up straighter before she then jumped up and rushed to the back of her cell to the tiny toilet that was hidden by a four foot white wall. The sound of her retching reached all six ears listening to her.
"Charming," said Turles with a grin. He closed his eyes and sat down on the floor, keeping his back pressed against the wall.
"Fuck you," Seripa muttered as she straightened up, wiping her mouth with a sour look on her face.
"What did they do to you?" asked Amotto, her concern clearly showing on her scarred face.
"Nothin' good," answered Seripa automatically. After a moment she continued, "They tortured me, as usual. Injected me with that same gunk they've been injecting in me all year. I assume it's some sort of truth serum but apparently they doubt its effectiveness given that they keep shocking me half to death." She grumbled in irritation as she sat back down on her head and leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. She seriously felt like shit. She wasn't used to this bogged-down feeling—as if she had absolutely no energy left in her body. It also didn't help that she was hungry, a fact made clear by the rumbling of her stomach punctuating the silence.
There were a few quiet laughs from the other three as their stomachs followed suit.
"Well, at least you're okay enough to be hungry. They should be feedin' us soon," said Turles, still grinning.
"Uh oh," Broco said quietly, catching everyone's attention. "Seripa you better look sick or act unconscious," he said out of the corner of his mouth, "we've got company."
Sure enough three Jynn-jin men were walking toward them from the far end of the long corridor separating the cells. Following behind them was a tall alien wearing jet-black armor with a midnight blue cape draped across his shoulder-guards. He was an ugly creature. The skin of his face seemed to be more like plated armor, the plates overlapping one another as they traveled down his face. It was blue with strange red lines tracing down from his high pronounced forehead, down over his eyes to his gaunt cheeks and down under his chin to his thick neck, continuing on beneath his armor. His narrow eyes looked more like silver lenses rather than actual eyes, with tiny green dots floating in the center of the pool of silver, acting as his pupils. He was wearing a strange looking hat on his bald and plated head; almost like a beret. It was the same color as his armor. Completing his ensemble was a white scouter with a blue lens mounted firmly on the side of his head.
Seripa stayed seated on her bed, preferring to show defiance rather than weakness in the face of the Jynn-jin and this newcomer. But instead of coming to her cell, they instead stopped in front of Turles' who looked up at them in amusement from where he still sat on the floor.
"Sweet, looks like I'm the lucky candidate for today's interrogation."
The tall alien let out a harsh bark of laughter, shoving his way to the forefront of his little group to stare down at Turles menacingly. "You wish you were being interrogated, Saiyan." He said the name with no lack of disgust in his tone, practically spitting on Turles in the process.
"Oh goody, somethin' new." Turles stood up with a grin at the irritated look on the alien's face. "Who the fuck are you?"
The alien chuckled, narrowing his eyes at the shorter Saiyan. "I am Colonel," it was difficult for the Saiyans to miss the emphasis he put on the word, "Flazamyn. I am the Overseer of this planet and I have grown weary of you Saiyans' imprisonment."
"Cool. You letting us go?" asked Turles as he folded his arms. He highly doubted that was the case, but he sure was enjoying antagonizing the Flazerian.
Flazamyn ground his teeth together as he regarded the arrogant little brat. "No, I am not letting you go. Instead I am here to take you to be executed." He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on the boy's face.
"Oh, wow. To be executed, hm?" Turles frowned and leaned to the side to look past the entourage and at Broco. "Hear that? We're all gonna die, Broco."
Broco chuckled and folded his arms across his broad chest. "Sounds to me like he expects us to be afraid of that revelation," he said, talking as if Flazamyn and the three Jynn-jin weren't standing right there. "Sure is a foolish sort of guy."
Amotto stared on in shock. She could barely believe that they were trying so hard to antagonize the man, but then again she could. They were, after all, Saiyans just as she was. She had the same desire to speak out against him the way they were, but she had never been the most confident of people…
But if she was about to die, as this man claimed, then it was either now or never. "Foolish? Sounds like an idiot to me."
Flazamyn cut his eyes from Turles and glared right at her, sending a chill up her spine and almost making her regret even opening her mouth. Almost, but not quite. Instead she flashed him a grin and looked to Seripa to see the woman standing by the bars, an amused expression on her face.
"Ugly, too," added Seripa as she folded her arms across her chest.
Flazamyn whirled around, slapping the three Jynn-jin behind him with his cape and strode to stand in front of Seripa's cell. "You have a lot of talk for someone who couldn't handle a simple interrogation."
"Simple? Nothin' simple about shocking the shit outta me relentlessly for telling you the gods damned truth whenever it was asked of me." She paused, cocking her head in thought. Then she shook her head, "I take that back. Whenever it was demanded of me."
"And why shouldn't it be demanded of you? You are, after all, prisoners of war."
"What war? Are you actively fighting against another Empire or something? Didn't think so," she continued before he could answer. "No, we're simply prisoners. Prisoners that are about to die, apparently. And you expect us to show fear, but we won't." She narrowed her eyes, smiling slightly. She was still unsteady on her feet, but she had enough energy to maintain her stance in front of this prick. "We are Saiyans and we show fear to no one." She grinned ferociously, practically glaring up at the much taller man. She had to crane her neck almost completely back just to look up into his eyes.
The Flazerian opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden rumble in the distance caught his attention. He looked back at the three Jynn-jin who all shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at them and turned back to Seripa, but another rumble paused him again. He frowned and reached a hand up to press a button on his scouter as it started beeping erratically.
"What is it?"
"Colonel! We're under attack! Several unidentified spacepods have landed in the city! Reports are unconfirmed at this point, but there's widespread panic among the ranks and a rumor that the pods belong to members of the Ginyu Force!"
Everyone in the corridor was silent as they listened intently. Seripa and Amotto exchanged glances at the same time that Broco and Turles did. If it was the Ginyu Force then they were apparently destined to die either way.
"Why the hell would the Ginyu Force be here?" He demanded angrily and then growled under his breath. "I'm on my way!" he snapped without waiting for a response. He cast a final glare at Seripa and then rushed down the corridor, leaving the three Jynn-jin behind.
One of the men, a man with metallic green hair and pink eyes, suddenly turned to Seripa and brandished a tiny remote control. He smiled and winked at her causing her to blink in surprise, then pressed the button. The bars on all four cells vanished causing the other three to exclaim in surprise.
"Sorry about that. He wasn't supposed to come with us, but he spotted us while we were coming to free you guys." He grinned around at all the surprised faces. The other two Jynn-jin stayed quietly to the side, their faces blank.
"Who are you?" Seripa asked with a frown as she stepped out into the corridor.
"My name is Nepu." His grin broadened and he offered a short bow. "Prince Nepu, at your service. Berik is my uncle," he added as he straightened up. "Now, there's no time to waste." He reached a hand to his waist and pressed a button on a small blue box strapped to his belt. The two other men that had accompanied him vanished as the hologram projector switched off. He looked up at the Saiyans and smiled. "It would have looked strange had I come here alone. I am just glad Flazamyn never addressed them." He laughed.
Turles frowned and folded his arms. "I assume you have a plan, Jynn-jin? 'Cause to be honest this all seems a bit half-baked."
Seripa glanced at Turles with a frown. "I don't usually agree with the brat, but in this case I do. If the Ginyu Force really is here…" she glanced at Broco and Amotto, "Well, Turles is the strongest of us and I doubt that he can face them." She looked back to Nepu and blinked at the apologetic grin he was aiming her way. "What?"
"Well…" Nepu hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck. "As you know, Berik is a scientist…" He trailed off and glanced around at the confused looks the other three were giving him. "Look, I don't know how to explain this so that you will accept it, but Berik has done something to you, Seripa." He avoided her gaze the entire time he spoke, but as his sentence drew to an end he returned his pink-eyed gaze to her.
"'Done something to me?'" She echoed, frowning and folding her arms across her chest. She wavered a bit and reached out a hand to the wall next to her, steadying herself. She blinked her eyes a few times and lifted her other hand to touch her head lightly. She was still feeling the effects of her torture, though she was glad to note that she had strength building somewhere in her body. She was still very much weak and she had no doubt that she wouldn't be able to stand against either the Ginyu Force or the Flazerians, but she had enough energy to at least try. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again and turned her violet hues on Nepu again. "What has he done to me, aside from causing my current condition?"
Nepu cringed visibly and looked away. "Yes…believe me when I say that what has been done to you for this past year is regrettable…"
"Regrettable, eh?" said Turles. He took a step closer to Nepu who backed away reflexively. "What has been done is somethin' that would make us tear every Jynn-jin we meet from here on out to tiny little pieces…" He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the man. Turles, who was much younger and therefore still growing, glared up at the somewhat taller man.
Seripa smiled slightly and waved her hand idly, pushing herself from the wall to stand up straight. "Just explain what's been done to me. I was tortured, yeah, but Bardock put me through far worse for far longer. I'll live," she stated simply, folding her arms across her chest again. She widened her stand and unfurled her tail from around her waist to help steady her. She didn't want or need help supporting herself.
Nepu gulped and nodded, "Right. You see…my Uncle is a highly intelligent man. Very respected among the other scientists on this planet, as well as many others. And for the last fifteen years he has been working on something that would help increase the strength of one of our own so that we could liberate ourselves from Flazerian rule. It was supposed to be a simple procedure, but Berik was never able to quite get it right." He scratched the back of his neck, doing his best to avoid Seripa's gaze. A fact which she did not let go unnoticed. If anything it seemed like he was trying desperately to avoid telling her what she wanted to hear.
She frowned and growled low in her throat. "Well, out with it. Before I knock your teeth in." Yeah, just threaten him a little. She knew well enough how to get information out of someone unwilling to share it.
The threat seemed to do the trick as Nepu winced and looked up at her sharply. He nodded and sighed. "Look. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just…say it, I suppose. Berik has injected you with the means to save us all. Theoretically, anyway."
Seripa blinked in surprise. "Theoretically? I don't like the sound of that." She narrowed her eyes slowly. "What did he inject me with, Jynn-jin?" Her teeth ground together, but not out of anger. She was anxious, to be honest. She didn't like not knowing what was going on inside her body. Hell, she had felt the same way when she had first discovered that she was pregnant with Kakarott. Before she had learned what was going on, she had fretted over the various possibilities. Of course her fears had ceased once she learned that there was a child growing in her womb, but this was different. Something man-made had been injected into her body and she had not the faintest idea what it did.
"Nano-bots," Nepu said simply. "Millions upon billions upon trillions of the most advanced nano-bots that Jynn-jin technology could produce. But…what they were designed to do, they were designed to do specifically for a Jynn-jin." He frowned slowly and looked at her squarely for the first time since he had opened her cell. "Not a Saiyan. Berik tried to alter them for your physiology, but frankly there just was not enough time. He had to alter fifteen years worth of work in the span of a single year."
Seripa glanced over to Broco and Amotto and then looked at Turles. "Why not one of them? Why me?" That hadn't been her original question upon hearing all that, but as she looked at the three of them pondering over what she'd been told, she couldn't help but to wonder why.
"Better yet," interjected Broco, who frowned at Seripa. She was definitely not thinking straight still. She usually focused on the most important details first and foremost, saving these little tidbits for afterwards. "What are the nano-bots designed to do?"
The Jynn-jin man turned his gaze from Seripa and to Broco. "It's simple really. They are designed to attack a person's muscles and tear them apart."
"Wait, what?" asked Amotto suddenly. She had kept quiet up until now simply because it sounded like a conversation that was way over head. First off she knew that she couldn't possibly threaten this Jynn-jin male; especially not if he was a member of the royal family. She simply did not have the power reading for it. Turles easily had what it took to threaten him, as well as Seripa. As far as the nano-bots were concerned, they weren't inside her body and of the four only Broco really understood technology enough to follow what Nepu said. But hearing what they did, well even she could understand that that sounded horrible.
Nepu looked at her and smiled slightly. "Yes, it does sound rather…bad, doesn't it?" He chuckled nervously. "But see, there are two types of nano-bots inside of her body. The first type is designed to tear the muscles apart, but the second type…" he trailed off, a gleam suddenly appearing in his eyes. "Yes, the second type is designed to repair the muscles, making them denser in the process."
"Denser? What are you saying?" demanded Turles in irritation. He wasn't stupid or even lacking in intelligence. He was a very clever warrior; it had been apparent from the time he was a young boy, but this was something that just didn't make sense to him. He was a strategist easily, but not a scientist. To be honest, he hated technology.
"What he's saying, Turles," said Broco slowly, frowning and touching his bearded chin thoughtfully. "He's saying that Seripa's muscles are growing stronger each time the nano-bots repair what they've torn. Exactly how long this process go on?"
"It is a slow process…but only because we make it so." Nepu reached behind his back and plucked another remote from his belt. He held it up for them to see. "If I press the button on this remote then the nano-bots will speed up and begin ripping her muscles apart and repairing them at the same time. Trillions and trillions of nano-bots working at the highest speed they're capable of. But…" he trailed off again, his pink eyes falling on the remote in his hand and setting into a concerned frown. "But the reason we have not done that sooner is because we are unsure of how much strain the nano-bots can endure…As well as your body, Seripa." He looked at the silent woman solemnly.
She looked up and met his gaze. Throughout the exchange she had been looking at the floor trying to grasp the whole situation. There were robots all inside of her body…tearing up her muscles and repairing them at the same time…But…"How have I not noticed the change? If the nano-bots are working right now, as we speak, as I assume they are, then how have I not noticed any changes in my body?"
"That's because the process is little more than a crawl at the moment. Since the introduction of the nano-bots into your body your strength has only increased by about 5%. Once I press this button…the increase will be more like 200% in a matter of minutes. That's being conservative, mind you. There is also the possibility that the nano-bots will overload and short out before your strength can increase more than 20%." He raised the remote up and held it out to Seripa. "Your friend Tettuce is on his way, by the way. But I don't think he will make it in time to prevent the Flazerians from killing you all. At the moment this is your only chance at survival until he arrives. But even when he gets here, there is still the Ginyu Force to deal with, if they really are here." He frowned and glanced down.
"You don't know?" asked Amotto.
Nepu looked up and over at her. "No, I do not. I cannot imagine why they would have arrived here so unexpectedly, but if they are here then you will need all the help you can get."
"But why me?" asked Seripa again. She still didn't understand that. "Why not Turles? He is more than twice as strong as me. Wouldn't an increase in his power have seemed more desirable?"
"Yes, I will admit that we had first considered him as a likely choice, but ultimately he does not have the necessary quality that we were looking for."
"'Quality?' As in just one?" Seripa frowned again, this one in confusion.
"Yes," Nepu said with a nod. "We wanted someone with experience in fighting, and we noticed from the beginning that Broco and Amotto turned to you before they even acknowledge Turles."
Turles frowned but he kept silent. Even he had to concede that Seripa was much more experienced than he was. He was, after all, only 17. He had only been in the military since he was 15. Normally a Saiyan joined much much younger than that, but he had had to wait due to his power reading being abnormally low. But he had overcome that hump thanks to his father…his frown deepened and he looked down. He regretted killing his father…It had eaten at him for the last year while they were in captivity…but he couldn't dwell on the past. It was done and there was nothing he could do to change it, unfortunately.
"So we chose you for the 'interrogations' and we learned that you were indeed very experienced in combat," Nepu continued. He opened his mouth to say more, but the entire building suddenly shook and a rumble could be heard somewhere below their feet. He frowned and shook the remote in his hand. "Take it. You have the choice to activate the nano-bots anytime you want with this. You four need to get out of here! Fly north until you can no longer see the city. My Uncle is awaiting your arrival, as well as a few friends of yours."
Seripa lifted one hand towards the remote, but hesitated as her fingers brushed it. She frowned and glanced around at the others. Their eyes were on the remote, but Amotto lifted her gaze and looked at Seripa. She offered her a slight smile and a nod and Seripa took a deep breath, returning her gaze to the remote. She took it from Nepu and just stared at it. If it was her choice…
"Then may as well get it over with…" She took a deep breath…and pressed the button.
DBZ
Bardock recognized this place. The green sky…the blue trees…the strange plateaus and the ocean that surrounded him on all sides. He knew this place. He had seen it before on the day he tried to stop Frieza from destroying Planet Vegeta. And ever since he had regained his memories he had been assailed by these visions again.
They started slow, not appearing to him until several days after leaving Kanassa behind. But once they began they were difficult to ignore. He had accepted that he would probably see these strange visions for the rest of his life.
But they had changed. Before when he was on this planet he had seen a man that he had determined to be his weakling son, Kakarrot, grown and standing ready to face Frieza. But now…
Bardock frowned as he looked all around him. He did not see Kakarrot or Frieza anywhere. Was the future changing from the one he had witnessed before…?
The sky above him suddenly turned black and he looked up, startled. He frowned and absently took a step forward as he stared at the lightning-streaked sky. There were no clouds for miles, but the sky was black, nonetheless. And the lightning…his frown became much more pronounced and he growled. Just what was going on?
"Saiyan…Your punishment has become a gift…"
Bardock spun around looking for the source of the strange voice. He wasn't surprised at hearing it. He had heard it every time he had a vision and it was always the same.
"A gift, you say?" Bardock mumbled. "What's a gift that I can't understand, Kanassan?" He knew it was the same man that had given him this ability in the first place. He recognized the voice and the taunting way it spoke.
Laughter echoed all around him. He quirked a brow; that was a new addition to the vision. "Why do you laugh?"
"Saiyan, you have done something that no one else before you has ever managed to accomplish. My people have known the secret to seeing the future for many generations, but we have never succeeded in learning to alter what we see. It always seemed to come about, despite our best efforts."
Bardock folded his arms and glanced over his shoulder as the ground beneath his feet trembled.
The voice ignored, or didn't even notice, the trembling. "Long before you and your team appeared on our planet, we knew that you would one day appear. We did our best to set up defenses against you, but to no avail. As I watched my people get slaughtered, I realized that there was nothing we could do. I hid from you as a last effort to maybe take one of you down while your guards were dropped." The voice laughed bitterly. "In hindsight I was a fool to even think I could do that. But in the end I decided that maybe killing one of you wasn't the best route to take. So, instead I gave you, the obvious leader of your group, the curse of foresight. I never imagined that you would be able to alter your future."
"What are you talking about? Planet Vegeta was still destroyed." Bardock growled in response. The trembling was becoming more violent and the lightning over his head was beginning to jump and spark across the sky quicker.
"Yes, Vegeta was still destroyed. But you are alive…that I did not expect. But I can understand, now, why that is…"
"Good, maybe you can explain it to me," he grumbled in response. It still made no sense to him just how he was alive. He very clearly remembered (down to the tiniest of details) dying. It was not something he would willingly do again if he could help it.
"The Pool of Life chose you to be resurrected."
" The Pool of Life?'" repeated Bardock, his frown vanishing to be replaced with a look comprising of surprise and confusion.
"Yes. It is an ancient magical pond that many of my people claimed was sentient; that it could feel and think and plot all on its own. Like a vast majority of my people I thought that that was beyond ridiculous. Surely no pool of water had the ability to think and act for itself." The Kanassan chuckled. "Anyhow…we have long known the history behind the Pool of Life. Or the stories that were passed down to us, anyway. We were told that it had the ability to grant to anyone it so chose a second chance at life. But it has been so long since anyone was resurrected by it that we all thought the stories to be just that: stories. But…you live again and I through your visions…So it must be true. You have changed the future of your death, Bardock, so I believe that you may yet be able to change your people's future."
"Why me? What makes me so special?" Bardock frowned again. The trembling was subsiding a bit, but the lightning was still dancing erratically over his head.
"That I do not know, Bardock. But I can imagine that since you have renounced your former ways the Pool of Life saw something in you that I, nor anyone else, could see. I do not agree with its choice, Saiyan," Bardock frowned as the Kanassan reverted back from saying his name, "but as the Pool of Life has been around for far longer than I…well, I must trust its judgment. You apparently have a greater destiny than even you realize…"
Bardock was silent. There wasn't much he could think to say in response to that…but…why? That was something he still couldn't understand and the Kanassan wasn't helping in the least. What could this Pool of Life supposedly see in him? He was a ruthless Saiyan warrior that had spent the majority of his life killing innocent races for profit. He looked down from the sky, lifting a hand to scratch at his cheek thoughtfully. He had always believed that he, and no one else, had control over his own destiny. But if he was alive now thanks to the machinations of a sentient pool of water (which led him to believe that maybe it was more than just a pool of water—possibly a form of life on the planet) then clearly there was more to fate than guiding oneself. Maybe there was something preordained about one's life…but no. That didn't make sense to him. Why would fate set him aside for something so great…?
"Bardock, we must all face our fates eventually. Yours has come calling in a way that not even we Kanassans could have foreseen. Turn around."
Bardock blinked and looked up again. He frowned and slowly complied. He wasn't usually one to take being ordered around so lightly, but his mind was still trying to wrap around this idea of fate and a sentient pool of water resurrecting him. Once he turned, all thoughts left his head. His eyes widened as he stared in the distance at a pillar of golden light stretching up from a distant island and piercing into the heavens. His dark eyes followed the light into the sky and he could see that large bolts of lightning were steadily raining down to the source of the light.
He saw it before it reached him, but his mind could not make heads or tails of it. The waves of the water were rippling violently outward from the source of the light and he could see a streak in the air. Suddenly a gust of wind slammed into his chest so hard he felt the air leave his lungs. Raising up both arms to shield his face from the onslaught, he took several steps back as more gusts of wind slammed into him. Squinting into the torrent he could only wonder what he was witnessing in this vision.
As if the Kanassan had read his mind (which, quite frankly, he probably had) he said, "What you are witnessing, Bardock, is a possible future for your people. The original future, actually. It could still happen if you do not stop Frieza yourself."
"What's going on?"
"What you see is the fight between your son and Frieza. At this point it has escalated into a spectacle far beyond anything that you have ever imagined. Your son, in this future, has become the Legendary Super Saiyan."
Bardock's eyes went wide and he slowly sank to the ground, ignoring the gusts of wind still slamming into him. They were beginning to decrease in intensity and the lightning in the distance was arcing less and less. But the golden light remained, stretching from that island and into the sky. Possibly even into space…But none of that mattered. His son, Kakarrot, was destined to become a Super Saiyan. In this future. But what if he changed the present to alter this future? Then what?
"Then the entire course of history as we know it will change. If you succeed in killing Frieza then your son will never have to fight for his life against him. Your son will not become the Legendary Super Saiyan…At least," and Bardock heard the amusement in the Kanassan's voice, "not today, anyhow. It is still in his future to become a Super Saiyan, but he will not become one against Frieza if the tyrant is already dead."
Bardock heard what the alien said, but it was difficult to pay any attention to that. He could barely ignore the pride that had suddenly swelled up in his chest. His son, not the king's son or anyone else's son, was destined to become a Super Saiyan! How could anything else matter? But there were more important things going on. More pressing matters that were current. This future he was seeing was still more than twenty years away. But still…his son was to be a Super Saiyan. A proud smile graced his lips as he slowly stood back up.
"What will you do with this knowledge, Bardock?" asked the Kanassan.
"The only thing I can, I guess," he responded coolly, still smiling. It quickly became a smirk and the world around him began to fade away as his mind slowly returned to his body. "Learn somethin' new."
DBZ
"Bardock? Are you alive over there?"
Bardock opened his eyes slowly and he straightened in his chair. He glanced at Falmer in the pilot's seat and he frowned. "What?"
Falmer returned the frown with one of his own. "I've been trying to tell you that we're about to be at Jynn-jin 13 in less than five minutes. Tettuce is already orbiting the planet awaiting our arrival. Are you okay?"
The Saiyan grinned and nodded. "Of course I am. Patch me through to Tettuce."
Falmer stared at him dubiously, still frowning. Anyone that slept through another person consistently yelling at them was in no way okay. But Saiyans were far different than Gylderians so after a few seconds he shrugged and nodded. Within seconds the channel was open.
"Bardock? Falmer? Where are you?" Tettuce's voice demanded almost immediately.
Bardock chuckled. "Impatient as always. We're almost there," he answered before Tettuce could chide him for his smart-ass remark. "Just a few more minutes."
"Good." He hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "I don't know what to make of this…but a few minutes ago we saw four unidentified space pods enter the atmosphere. They looked like they belonged to the Ginyu Force."
Bardock's grin faded and he frowned. "What? Why would the Ginyu Force come to Jynn-jin 13?"
"I don't know. But be ready to face them. Bardock, I don't know if Ginyu or Recoome have grown any stronger than they were the last I faced them, but you need to be prepared to get Seripa and the others off the planet in the event that we cannot face them. No questions or back-talk. Do you understand?" Tettuce's voice was firm and unrelenting. Bardock knew there was no arguing at this moment.
"Yeah, I understand. Now understand this, Tettuce," Bardock smirked, though his mentor could not see him. "I'll do what is necessary when the time comes. Got it?"
He was greeted with silence at first, but when Tettuce spoke Bardock could hear the smirk in his voice. "Got it."
"Exiting hyper space in T-minus ten seconds," spoke up Diamond from her seat on the other side of Falmer.
"Right. Killing the connection now." Falmer reached for the controls, glancing at Bardock.
"See you in a few, Old Man."
"10…9…8…7…"
"Alright."
Falmer killed the connection.
"4…3…2…1…Exiting hyper space now!" The ship bucked and the swirling vortex that surrounded the ship instantly vanished to be replaced by trillions of twinkling lights; and a single planet looming directly before them. They could see the two moons just peaking on the other side of the planet, looking like two round ears sprouting from the top of the planet. Out of their line of sight thanks to the positioning of the ship, they could just see the light of the distant sun.
And hovering just out of the atmosphere they could clearly see the sleek, brand new ship that Tettuce had acquisitioned for him and his crew in the search for Aurah and the others.
"Time to have some fun." Bardock grinned and rubbed his palms together. He was going to thoroughly enjoy going up against the Ginyu Force. He didn't know how strong he was in comparison to them, but he still had his tail and there was a fifty/fifty chance that he'd be able to see a full moon in the near future.
Hell had come to Jynn-jin 13; just as Tettuce promised.
DBZ
Four figures walked confidently through the haze of smoke that had now engulfed the once (semi) peaceful Jynn-jin city. Screams and distant explosions echoed all around the burning city. One-by-one the figures emerged from the smokescreen. The first was a tall purple alien with two black horns jutting out of the top of his bald head at an angle. His eyes were blood-red and he was smirking sinisterly as he casually fired a blast at a couple of fleeing Jynn-jin females; they vanished in a flash of light.
"Way to go, Major!" laughed the second to emerge. He was taller than the purple alien and greatly resembled the majority of other aliens in this particular quadrant. His skin was pale and he had an overall humanoid appearance. His eyes were dark brown and he had short red hair trimmed in a mohawk. His nose was flat as if it had been broken more than a few times in the course of his life.
The third figure to emerge from the smoke was shorter than the first two, but he greatly resembled the first. He, too, had red eyes and two jet-black horns jutting out of the top of his head. He appeared to be much younger than the first one, however.
The fourth, and final, figure to emerge from the smoke, which seemed to be getting thicker as they walked along, was the tallest of the group. His was a blue alien with a humanoid build, but his face was nowhere near that pattern. His large eyes were solidly red and he appeared to have no nose, although this was not true. His nose was flat, conforming completely to the shape of his face, and appeared only as two tiny slits anytime he was breathing deeply.
All four of them were wearing identical armor with the Ginyu Force emblem decorating the left chest plate of their white and black armor. They were the only four members of Frieza's most elite fighting squad.
The first alien chuckled low under his breath. "Recoome, I want you and Burter to get a bird's eye view of the city. Herd any survivors you can to one portion of the city. We will deal with them there. My son and I are going to go find these Saiyans that Lord Frieza wants so badly. Isn't that right, Junior?"
The other purple alien stiffened a bit at being called Junior, cutting his red eyes towards the taller purple alien. "Of course, Father," he murmured begrudgingly. He HATED being called 'Junior.' So what if he and his father shared a name and he was much younger than the others? Was age really all that important to them? He sighed as Recoome and the blue alien, Burter, levitated into the air and shot away in the blink of an eye at the orders from his father.
"Speak up, Junior," said the other alien as he turned to regard his son. "I can't hear a damn thing you say when you mumble. You know that my hearing isn't all it used to be," he said while digging a finger into his left ear for emphasis.
"Yes, Father." Junior took a breath and stepped up to stand beside his father. "So…where do you think these Saiyans are, anyway?"
Ginyu smiled slightly and looked around the desolate and destroyed street they were standing in the middle of. All around them were wrecked hover vehicles and burning buildings. Upon landing they had acted swiftly, delivering surprise attacks to the unsuspecting populace. Several Flazerians had already tried to fight them, but they had been dealt with easily enough. Though there hadn't yet been sign of this 'Colonel Flazamyn' that he was so anxious to fight against. He had heard that he was a worthy opponent from several reliable sources.
"No clue, son. But I am sure we'll find out soon enough. Come on." He jumped into the air and blasted off towards the center of the city, following an indicator on his scouter. It had not beeped because he had turned the sound off. He wasn't likely to hear it anyway, given his hearing issues. But he could see the indicators well enough anyway.
Junior watched his father fly off and he sighed again. He jumped into the air, blasting off much quicker to try and catch his much faster father. After a few moments he sidled up beside his father, pouring as much ki as he could spare into his flight just to match his pace with his father's. He knew that he was flying as fast as he could just to force him to use more of his energy. Junior rolled his eyes. How he hated his father's training methods. But then again, had his father not pushed him the way he had his entire life, he never would have made the Ginyu Force at such a young age. Hell, he was only in his twenties whereas everyone else was much older: Recoome was in his fifties; Burter was 46 (he loved to spout off his age because he was still considered extremely young according to his race); and his father was 68, still well in his prime.
"So where we headed, Father?"
Ginyu cut his eyes towards his son and grinned fiercely, his eyes narrowing sinisterly as he did. "Towards the strongest power reading on this whole planet. I am assuming that it is this Flazamyn clown. I've been itching to fight him for years so that's what I plan to do, first and foremost."
"What about Frieza's orders?"
"Oh they'll be taken care of. That's why you're coming with me." He laughed and glanced ahead just as they reached a building in their path; they blew straight through it, their burning auras vaporizing anyone in their paths.
"Should've known," Junior muttered. His father glanced sharply at him, narrowing his eyes menacingly as his grin faded.
"What was that?"
"I-I didn't say anything, Father," Junior quickly stuttered out.
Ginyu frowned at his son for a moment before shrugging and looking ahead again. His grin returned and he suddenly came to an abrupt stop, his aura vanishing with a loud whooshing sound.
"Looks like Flazamyn is coming to meet us," he said to his son as he back-tracked to hover beside his father. He nodded his head forward and Junior followed his gaze to see the Flazerian in question flying their way.
He came to a stop directly in front of them and folded his arms across his chest, scowling at them. "What the hell are you doing here, Ginyu? We've done nothing to Frieza to warrant such an unprovoked attack."
"Oh but I beg to differ," Ginyu responded with an icy laugh. "You are harboring wanted fugitives in your midst. Four Saiyans to be exact."
Flazamyn narrowed his eyes and glanced between the two of them. "You want the Saiyans? Well that's too bad, because you see, I'm afraid that as we speak they are being executed. In fact, by the time I take care of you two and return to check up on the process, I can safely assume that all four will be long-dead."
Ginyu frowned at this statement but then smiled again. "For your sake you better hope that that is just an empty bluff. Lord Frieza will be VERY angry with your Lord Ryo should anything deprive him of exacting his own punishment on those fugitives."
"Frieza wants them? That's funny…" Flazamyn arched a hairless brow. "Wait, exactly how did you find out they were here, anyway? Their being here was a very closely guarded secret."
Junior smirked, glancing at his father briefly to request permission to answer. When Ginyu nodded his smirk split into a grin and he looked back to Flazamyn. "Easy. Turns out someone on your planet contacted a certain Saiyan that goes by the name of Tettuce, alerting him to their presence here. And it just so happened that we intercepted that transmission, so Frieza sent us here to retrieve these Saiyans. And to capture Tettuce to bring to Frieza for his own, personal, enjoyment."
Flazamyn unfolded his arms, hovering forward a bit in surprise. "What?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening to almost impossible levels. He wasn't too bothered by the fact that someone had contacted someone off-world. No, he was more worried by the fact that they had contacted the HARBINGER OF DOOM! Purple beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face as he thought that over. It had been several decades since he had last seen Tettuce and he had heard many rumors that the man was approaching a strength-level comparable to Frieza's. How much truth there was in those rumors, he did not know. He did, however, doubt that Tettuce was anywhere near as strong as Frieza. But if his strength was great enough to cause such rumors, then he would not have a chance. Nor would the two body-snatchers before him.
Ginyu chuckled at the silent Flazerian, which instigated a growl from Flazamyn. "Ooh, touchy Flazerian. Do you fear Tettuce?"
"I fear no one, Ginyu," Flazamyn seethed. "If what you say is true, then Tettuce will make short work of you." Flazamyn forced a strained smile. "Then I will take care of Tettuce."
Before anyone else could say anything, all three scouters came to life and started pointing towards a power reading that was emanating from behind Flazamyn. The two Ginyu's stared at their readouts, looking passed Flazamyn, who had turned around to stare in surprise in the direction he had flown in from. What the hell was that?
"The reading just climbed past 15,000…" murmured Junior, his hairless brows knitting together in confusion. "And it's still growing, Father."
"20,000…" The elder Ginyu frowned, but more out of acknowledgment that something strange was going on. The reading was still growing, yes, but it was still too far below his and his son's that he didn't see a cause for concern.
Flazamyn, on the other hand, was concerned. He frowned as he stared back towards the cell block. That reading couldn't possibly belong to a Jynn-jin and it didn't belong to any of his own men. Not a single one of them was capable of making their power skyrocket that way. Just what in the hell was going on back there?
Ginyu glanced at Flazamyn, his eyes narrowing. "I suggest you pay less attention to some insignificant power, and focus more on the issue at hand!" he growled as he yanked his scouter from his ear and tossed it absently to his son. "Unless, of course, you don't mind me sending you to an early grave!" He lunged forward, rearing his fist back preparing to launch into an attack.
Flazamyn spun around, his leg outstretched in a preemptive kick. Ginyu had other plans, however, as he suddenly phased out sight. He reappeared half a heart-beat later just above where the kick had flown, grinning down at the stunned Flazerian.
"Come on, you really expect me to be caught off-guard that easily?"
Flazamyn growled, clenching his fists tight. "Okay…you want me to be serious, I'll be serious." And with that he phased out of sight, reappearing much faster than Ginyu had, right before said man and delivered an elbow-strike directly to his nose, sending the purple alien flying backwards. He phased out of sight again, and a sonic-boom erupted from just behind Ginyu, interrupting his backwards flight and sending him sailing down into the ground below.
Junior watched wide-eyed as his father slammed face-first into the pavement below, a crater forming from the impact. He lifted his gaze to stare at Flazamyn as the Overseer of Jynn-jin 13 tore his cape from his shoulder-guards. He had never seen anyone attack his father so easily.
His father shot out of the dust that had kicked up from the impact and came to hover in front of Flazamyn, no trace of a smile anywhere in his features. A bit of purple blood was smudged across his cheek from the corner of his mouth. He calmly raised a gloved hand and wiped the blood away. His lips twisted into a smile that didn't quite reach his fiercely glaring eyes…
Junior suddenly smiled, a vicious look coming across his features. It had been such a long time since he had seen his father fight seriously. This was going to be good…
DBZ
Author's Note:
(Hey everyone. I hope you're enjoying the ride so far. Three chapters in less than a month, I think I'm on a roll. lol Anyway I want to thank everyone that has been reading and following this story since I started posting it. It's been really amazing and I never expected this story to be as popular as it is. I really appreciate all of the reviews that I have gotten and the personal messages, as well. And as long as there is someone still reading my story I will continue to post chapters until it is done. That being said...everyone get ready because this story is still far from complete. I still have so much more in store for the characters and they're ready for anything. I also want to say thanks to everyone that has commented on my O.C.'s. I put as much thought and personality into them as I can, and each chapter is more fun than the last. And once again my thanks go out to the best beta-reader ever, Shadow-Majin, who I understand has posted a new story recently. If you've never read any of his stuff you need to. He is an amazing writer and his stories are always awesome. Anyway, please continue to read/review. For now, Individual Lies out.)
(P.S. This chapter is my longest chapter to date! Woot! lol)