Rescue
Rescue
Toma tapped his Scouter checking up on Chichi, "How are you doing in there Chichi?"
"It's not what I expected." She said from the other space pod.
Toma smirked, "I know it's cramped but you might want to use this time to rest."
"How can I?" Chichi sighed.
"You're worried?" Toma guessed, "You're friends look like they can handle themselves and Bardock… we'll probably find him half-dead as usual."
Chichi gave a deep sigh, "I don't get that guy sometimes. How he can have such disrespect for life? You're a warrior race, I get that, but I've caught him letting go of a fight to get himself killed. Almost like he has a death wish…"
"Then you also have to understand that he's lived for quite some time. Much of his life is filled with regret. Truth is I almost feel sorry for him that his death was stolen from him. But it's up to him now on whether or not he'll live in damnation or use his second chance to start over."
"Bardock's died before?" Chichi asked, he never shared information with her.
"Uh!" Toma said too much and changed the subject, "What is Bardock to you anyway?"
Chichi thought about it for a moment, "Bardock and I are just friends." She said rather sadly, "I can't just sit back and do nothing."
Toma closed his eyes at her words understanding the hurt. "Do you mind if I give you some advice?"
"And what's that?" Chichi asked.
"You're going to have to be the first one to make a move. Then Bardock will make his." Toma tried not to laugh at his next comment, "Bardock's a great fighter but when it come to his personal life… he flat out sucks at it."
"And just what are you implying, Toma?" Chichi took offense at the hint.
"Just think about it, all right? Now get some sleep we'll be there soon enough." Toma turned out the lights in his pod.
"Fine," Chichi sighed again, "I just hope that everyone else is doing all right." She turned off her lights trying to get some sleep.
OoO
"Hey!" Bardock heard a high pitched voice, "Hey!" Someone was shaking him awake. He awoke suddenly and puked over the side of his bunk. Bardock wiped his own mouth cleaning off any remains.
Bardock was still a little groggy with a headache and saw the little beat up clown at his side.
"Choutzu?" Bardock guessed.
Choutzu smiled through the cuts, bumps and bruises, "You remembered my name!" It was amazing he still had all his teeth in this shape.
"Kind of hard to forget since you look like a clown," Bardock said sitting up, every muscle in his body screamed at him to rest.
"Do you know if the others are doing all right or…" Choutzu looked saddened, "did you really leave them?"
"All of them are fine." Said Bardock trying to get a look of what appeared to be very clean holding cell. "Tenshinhan won't shut up about you."
"So, Tien is all right?" Choutzu said happy to get some good news.
"He is, now just where the hell are we?"
"I'm not sure," Choutzu said, "I just know this place is run by a real powerful magician."
"Let me guess, Babidi?"
"Uh!" Choutzu was shocked, "Yeah. Lately he's been gathering top fighters getting them to brutally fight each other in a ring! He said he's going to use them to teach a lesson to the Saiyans once these fighters are strong enough."
"So that's what happened to you?" Bardock asked at Choutzu condition.
"No," Choutzu shook his head looking at his small hands, "I'm being used for an experiment on another project."
"I see." Bardock winced at the idea of being used as a guinea pig. "That explains why you're here." But why kidnap me? "Either way, lets get the hell out of here." Bardock said standing up and put a hand on Choutzu's head. Bardock prepared to do the instant transmission but something was wrong. Whatever it was that knocked Bardock out wasn't letting him focus to use the escape technique. "Damn!"
"Um," Choutzu looked up confused. "How were we going to get out of here?"
"Never mind," Bardock let go, going over to the force field, "I want you to contact Tenshinhan, and inform him of the current situation."
"I would like too…" Choutzu's gaze sadly fell to the floor. "But I can't. This experiment they are running on me… It's making it harder to hear Tien, he's more like a very quiet whisper now. I-I'm sorry."
Bardock balled his right hand and punched at the force field both testing it and releasing his frustration. It held but bounced back like a drum. There was no way Bardock was going to take just sitting in the cell and wait for something to happen
"But Bardock!" Choutzu called his attention, "I know we came out here to find the Dragon Balls. When they take me to be experimented on the person in charge of doing the stuff has been carrying around a Dragon Ball."
"How is that even possible?" Bardock said, "I was informed we all ready had all seven."
"Could it be a fake?" Choutzu asked.
Bardock thought about it for a second, "Have you heard a voice coming from the dragon ball?"
Choutzu was surprised, "I thought it was what they were doing to me, but yeah I have heard some unexplained whispering when no one else was talking."
"Do what you can to get it." Bardock said turning back to the force field, "while I create a distraction. I'll try finding that ring, well regroup there later."
Bardock powered up his left hand when he heard running footsteps, screech to a halt. "Choutzu! Choutzu!" It was that Dark clad woman Liana. "You!"
"Liana!" Choutzu flew over to the force field happy to see her.
"Not you again!" Bardock complained.
Liana sighed disappointed, "Even I know when to hold something off to a better time." Liana turned to Choutzu, "Choutzu, I can get you out of here undetected, but we have to move now." She tapped a side panel and opened the force field.
Choutzu scrunched himself into a ball powering up and stretched releasing a psych wave knocking out only Liana. "Please forgive me." Said Choutzu, "But there is something I have to do."
For precaution Bardock dragged Liana's body into the cell and made sure her cape covered every inch of her. Choutzu watched in awe as Bardock just picked up the cape and Liana was gone. The last thing Bardock needed was more fire and lightening thrown at him, or worse water, and threw the garment in a heap in the corner. Together Choutzu and Bardock made a break for it down the long brig hall.
The two Guards at the Brig were sitting there bored at their desks. They watched the monitors wishing for something eventful to happen. One of them yawned when he saw Bardock at last second and was punched out cold from his seat. The other didn't even see Choutzu head-butt his chest knocking him out.
"How the heck do you know her?" Bardock asked out of curiosity.
"It's this experiment. They wanted me psychically linked to Liana so I could fully control her. She has some sort of strange power that Babidi wants, but they never said what it was."
"Try sticking to the plan!" Bardock said getting back on subject, "if things get out of hand and you think you can't make it, get off the ship as soon as possible."
"What are you going to do?"
"Let me worry about that!"
Once outside the Brig doors Bardock and Choutzu spilt up taking opposite corridors.
Bardock was impressed with the spacious halls. They hardly left any room for surprise but it was a welcomed challenge.
Bardock's boots screeched to a halt the moment he saw something huge stomping down the next intersection. The thing looked like it was made purely of rock but bore a close resemblance to a humanoid rhinoceros, being that it stood on its hind legs. It dwarfed Bardock being twice his size.
It must have heard Bardock's boots and turned his way and charged for him.
Bardock merely smirked hoping the size wouldn't be all show. Once close enough it punched at Bardock with all its might. The 'rhino' was confused when he felt like he hit a steel wall and didn't see Bardock flying away from the other side of his fist.
Bardock stood there disappointed. He hopped over the fist, ran along the arm and upper-cut the 'rhino's jaw sending his head to the next floor.
"At this rate it's going to be hard to create a diversion for Choutzu." Bardock huffed. He lightly landed on his feet and ran under the large dangling legs.
OoO
"I didn't know it would be this bad!" Bulma said seeing numerous crimson lasers rain from the sky causing mass explosions along the horizon.
Piccolo looked on agitated seeing the state of Namek. Much of the landscape had been torn up and a large nearby island crumbled away into the sea below. Even though Piccolo had never set foot on Namek before, it still felt as though his home was being destroyed and flew off to defend it.
"We'll get nowhere just standing here." Tien flew off after him.
"Bulma-san, will you be okay?" Videl hovered there concerned.
"Yeah, I'll just be in the ship but you take care of yourself kid!"
"Okay," Videl nodded before following after Tien.
OoO
Bardock found himself in one fight after another. At least this one fight against a handful of men finally set off the alarm. One bold human-type dared to face Bardock and lunged forward. Bardock simply punched and sent him flying to one of his own. Two down. The three remaining charged in at once: the two on the outside fazed out and behind Bardock, grabbing his arms to hold him still. The third ruthlessly pounded away.
Bardock kicked the one pounding on him in the gut, sending him screeching across the floor and bowled over the reinforcements. Then pulled his left arm and threw the guy embedding him upside-down on the wall. Finally Bardock looked over his shoulder at the last one still holding on.
The guy pulled on Bardocks arm, spun him around and slammed Bardock into the floor through to the deck below.
Bardock couldn't believe how much that hurt, he got on all fours trying to get up and got stomped on. The guy jumped off, and as Bardock was getting back up saw he was completely surrounded. Almost…
He took advantage of the unguarded space over their heads and shot over to safety. Many of them stood there blinking like, what the heck just happened?
Normally, Bardock could've kept going but the poison was slowing him down. Once he made it to less populated area he entered the nearest door.
Bardock sat down to rest, met with pitch darkness and alone with this own heavy breathing.
Bardock was startled to his feet at a blood curdling scream.
What really bothered Bardock and got his heart beating at his rib cage was who it could've belonged to. It was then Bardock was somehow whisked away to Earth, back to where he and Supreme Kai had first arrived. However, the once serene grassy plains were now a place of horror drenched in blood. The Earthlings, his Saiyan friends and family were all strewn on the ground, lifeless. Not even Bulma was spared, and she wasn't even a fighter.
Bardock heard the shuddered breaths of possibly the final victim. He turned to a pink Demon-like being clad in white and blue holding up the last person. Toma, was all ready badly banged up and rushed in to save them. The Demon merely swung his free arm out and back handed Toma away, as well the last ounce of life he had left. The Demon let go of the person and Bardock went numb as it was Chichi who fell to the floor like a rag doll. Her eyes were no longer bright with life.
It all happened so fast Bardock couldn't do anything. He stood there seething in anger as it was too late, all those he knew were now gone.
The Demon turned to Bardock with a vile smirk, "Ah, so you must be King Bardock? It's quite an honor to be among royalty. Allow me to properly introduce myself." He stretched his arms out, "I'm Dabura, King of the underworld." He bowed.
Bardock lunged with a spinning heal and missed as Dabura quickly jumped away. Bardock knelt down and partially picked up Chichi, cradling her in his arms. He couldn't believe that she was now gone.
The one person he couldn't wait to see every morning, the only person he could really talk to, her bright smile that seemed to light up his world, was really gone? Bardock trembled with loss and regret of things that went unsaid.
Bardock forced the thought aside and wouldn't believe it. He refused! He set Chichi back down and stood to face Dabura. "There is no way any of this is real." Bardock said in angered shuddered breaths.
"What you see before you is as real as you or I." Dabura laughed, "Don't tell the most ruthless beings in the universe, a Sayian has a soft spot."
Bardock gritted his teeth and glanced once more at the bodies lying around. Then transformed before Dabura, fueled by rage SSBardock took it up a step further going Super Saiyan 2.
SS2Bardock shot for Dabura ready to take revenge when he was spat at. SS2Bardock dodged the flying mucus and powered up his right hand pissed off that Dabura wasn't taking him seriously. It was a moment later SS2Bardock heard a close cracking sound and glanced over his shoulder to see his cape turning to stone. SS2Bardock hastily ripped off his cape and threw it and Dabura.
Dabura simply jumped out the way allowing the cape to shatter where he stood a moment before.
Dabura shot at SS2Bardock head-on and in the blink of an eye his forehead painfully connected with two heels. Dabura flew back from the impact and SS2Bardock gave chase flooding his left hand with ki and punched releasing his wave after his prey.
SS2Bardock was surprised that Dabura was fast enough to faze out of the way. He fazed in face to face with SS2Bardock. Dabura reached for the back of SS2Bardock's head and slammed the Super Saiyans forehead right onto his knee. As SS2Bardock flung back Dabura huffed and literally blew his ki point blank at SS2Bardock's stomach sending him groundside, forming a nice trench in his wake.
SS2Bardock coughed as he rolled over to all fours, his body burned and ached but was instantly numbed by resurfaced rage.
Dabura shot after SS2Bardock thought he'd get him while he was down
SS2Bardock took a great jump back sky ward and elbowed Dabura in the gut. SS2Bardock reached behind him and grabbed Dabura by his pointy ears and threw the Demon overhead.
SS2Bardock fazed out and fazed in ahead of Dabura letting out all his rage pounding away at the mid section. He'd make sure the Demon paid for what he did to his friends.
Dabura high kicked SS2Bardock the first chance he got and flung SS2Bardock back. Dabura grabbed SS2Bardock's wrist, yanked the Super Saiyan back and slammed his fist into SS2Bardock's chest.
Dabura shot groundside taking SS2Bardock with him and slammed SS2Bardock against highly packed dirt. Dabura made a nice crater with Saiyan tool.
"I must admit Bardock, you were the only one among them to give me this much of a challenge. I commend you for lasting this long. Seeing they were so dear to you why not just give in and perish? The sooner you do the sooner you will be reunited."
SS2Bardock staggered to his feet, "No!" SS2Bardock took a breath, "I know this isn't real. I won't needlessly throw my life away." He said gazing at Chichi in the distance. "Regardless of being able to be revived with the Dragon Balls she still honored life. They all did and I won't run any more and I'll prove this is a trick!"
"So be it." Dabura rushed SS2Bardock head-butting him in the stomach.
SS2Bardock flew out of his crater against his will and landed on the higher ground behind him. SS2Bardock climbed to his feet when he realized there were two more bodies behind him. One was Super Saiyan Kakarot banged up and lying lifeless and next to him in an orange Gi with the same stab wound from two years ago, Goku.
SS2Bardock had to laugh at his findings.
"So you've broken all ready?" Dabura said walking out of the crater. "Good, I was wondering when you would finally give in."
"Whoever it was that got my information sure screwed up!"
"What are you talking about?" Dabura saw SS2Bardock powered down and motioned behind him, "Ah, yes, your twin sons. Oh how they cried-" Dabura was cut off.
"Save it!" Bardock wanted to shut him up. "Kakarot and Goku weren't brothers! They were one in the same, a mirror image of what Kakarot could've been. It was a brief encounter that stayed hewn into my mind."
From there the battle ground of Earth changed to into a massive room covered with padding save the window near the ceiling. Directly overhead Bardock saw what appeared to a score box. This was the ring that Choutzu had told him about. Bardock went into his stance to finish this knowing Choutzu would be showing up any minute.
OoO
Chichi yawned awake and saw the ship, "There it is!" She exclaimed and hesitated at the intimidating keyboard with alien symbols. "How do you slow this thing down?"
"Don't bother. We're going right in." Toma said.
"Are you kidding?! We're going to crash!"
"Don't panic. These pods can take a lot of damage as well as deliver a crippling blow to a ship. Why do you think there's so much padding in these things?"
"What is that?" Chichi asked as three projectiles came racing their way leaving the ship.
"Brace yourself." Toma said getting a bit nervous at possibly getting shot out of space.
The pods and projectiles shot closely passed one another. Chichi and Toma took note they weren't weapons but escape pods.
Chichi held out her arms bracing herself. Their pods crashed through the loading dock and tore through several of the ships corridors before coming to a rough stop. Toma's pod fortunately stopped a few feet from her own.
Chichi clumsily fell out dazed as the door to her pod popped open. The round casing of the pod annoyingly heightened the sound sirens blaring from any number of things wrong with the ship.
"Have a nice landing?" Toma asked crouched at her side wearing an amused smirk.
"I hope I never have to do that again." Chichi climbed up the side of her pod to get back on her feet. She was still a little shaken but quickly recovered.
"It takes some getting used to. Now lets go!" Toma led the way. "It won't be long before we run into trouble." Toma grinned.
"You guys really do like fighting." Chichi said keeping pace when she sensed several ki around the corner and gathered her energy in her hands.
Upon the next intersection Chichi jumped over and Toma slid under Chichi releasing their waves down the opposite corridors…
OoO
"Why kidnap me?" Bardock finally got around to asking.
"Why else?" Dabura replied, "Like the previous King, Babidi wants to control the universe. Had you fallen into madness you would've been his instrument and been spared. Since that never happened I've been ordered do destroy what cannot be used."
Bardock smirked, "I'd like to see you try." He bared his teeth challenging Dabura.
Dabura grinned and accepted, covering the distance in the blink of an eye. He punched Bardock in the gut and the Saiyan purposely buckled lightening the attack. Dabura raised his arms and pounded Bardock out of the air.
Bardock back flipped and landed on his feet. Dabura fazed in front of him and Bardock leaned back softening Dabura's high kick as he slid across the floor. Bardock jumped to his feet with a smirk, he was undamaged and enjoyed toying around with the demon. Dabura shot in and punched Bardock doing so repeatedly now angry the Saiyan was making a mockery of him.
It was then the doors he came through earlier parted and Toma and Chichi stumbled in trying to dodge enemy fire. Chichi then caught sight of Bardock again just letting this fight go and screamed with shock.
Toma kept firing when he saw Chichi run off and saw why.
Bardock felt some weight on his shoulder when Chichi kicked Dabura away.
Completely caught off guard Dabura slammed into the nearby the wall.
Chichi slapped Bardock upset, "Don't you even care?! Don't you care about your life! Or the friends and family you'll be leaving behind!" She pounded on Bardocks chest fighting back the tears that began welling up. "I don't want to you die, Bardock!"
Bardock meanwhile smirked rubbing the red hand print on his cheek. Honestly, he had never been happier to have been slapped. He was relieved to see Chichi was alive and well felt a pang or regret over how upset she was.
Bardock lightly grabbed her fist and still with a smirk on his face, "Dieing was the farthest thing from my mind." He said glad to have relieved her worries seeing the bright smile on her through a tear stained face.
Dabura staggered over, snorted and spat at the two.
Bardock's eyes widened and pulled Chichi with him out of the way missing the flying snot.
"Ah! What the hell?" Toma complained falling victim to having spit on his cheek, "You save her but leave me to get the snot ball!"
"TOMA NO!" Bardock yelled.
Both the newcomers looked at Bardock like he was crazy when all of sudden Toma started turning stone. "TOMA!" Chichi cried.
"Uh!" Toma froze, going numb from the spit area as it hardened. In a mere matter of seconds Toma had fully turned to stone.
Bardock scowled at Dabura. He quickly pulled Chichi safely behind him.
"You jerk!" Chichi yelled from behind Bardock, "Turn him back to normal, right now!"
"That's impossible." Said Dabura, "Once they've been turned to stone it's permanent."
There was a crash from over head as the score box blew apart. A banged up Totipo landed at their feet and tried picking himself up.
"Totipo!" Bardock called.
Then a Saiyan Elite Bardock knew as Bagac jumped down from the ceiling with only a small scratch on is nose. "Sire!" he said shocked to see Bardock and decided to tell his story, "This low level was the one that poisoned your meal!"
Totipo supported himself up and looked Bardock right in the eye, "He's lying! I followed some shady character just outside your chamber and followed him bringing me here!" he choked up blood.
"Sire!"
"Bardock!"
"Quite an interesting development," Dabura smirked.
Bardock narrowed his eyes at the situation. He then held his palm flat out at Totipo and began gathering his ki. Bardock searched his friends' eyes as they didn't break eye contact. Totipo was of course scared, but the look in his eyes…
Bardock shifted his eyes over the smug Elite Bagac. His eyes were far too malicious than necessary. In paying attention to detail three black points stuck out from this Elites black headband.
Bardock then turned his attention to Totipo and yelled to the top of his lungs making his decision.
Totipo tightly squeezed his eyes shut, Bagac spontaneously disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. Confused to be alive, Totipo glanced over his shoulder and lay down relieved.
Dabura frowned, "The fool should not have mentioned the poison."
"You're next Dabura!" Bardock immediately transformed and shot his gathered Ki at Dabura no longer playing around after what he did to Toma.
Caught off guard, Dabura screamed, as he was being fully dissolved away by the strong wave of Ki. There was nothing left of Dabura in the ring, and satisfied with his revenge SS2Bardock powered down.
"Bardock look!" Chichi caught his attention as Toma's color returned and stepped forward.
Toma examined his hands, himself and he was back to normal. "I won't even ask."
"Good, saves me the time of explaining." said Bardock.
Totipo finally climbed to his feet holding his banged up shoulder, "Do you always have to be so dramatic?" he scolded Bardock as his buddy just smirked right back.
It was at that exactly moment that every warrior that was collected on board flooded the room through the door Chichi and Toma through was well, as the gaping whole where the score board once hung.
Bardock transformed again as his party stood back to back to defend each other. All four of them gathered their in ki in their hands.
SSBardock couldn't see the fun in this being in room full of weak opponents. "Screw this." SSBardock tossed one of his energy balls over head and it exploded.
Totipo gazed up and panicked, "You idiot! This is an Asgard ship!"
"So…" SSBardock said not quite understanding just yet until they felt numerous surges across the ship. "Don't tell me I just…"
"Okay, we won't." said Toma as there was another explosion.
"Well Bardock! What are you waiting for?!" Chichi said nearly screaming her head off.
SSBardock tried to focus again as his friends grabbed a shoulder. It was still difficult but SSBardock forced himself to focus on a ki. Then success, and got them out of in the nick of time and found themselves on Namek.
They weren't expecting to see so much devastation as a nearby village was a ghost town. To their left was a missive explosion, blinding all four as they immediately shielded their eyes. As the light died down there were purple tatters flying through the air. Bardock caught a tatter and examined it when his eyes widened and sprinted off taking to the air where the light came from.
His companions followed close behind and found a massive crater. The Earthlings were still fighting at their hardest, along with the Fighter-type Namekians that returned to defend their home. Chichi flew in to join them as well as Toma.
The ships looming about suddenly bloomed with fire as the frigate he returned to Vegeta in fired relentlessly on the smaller ships. It drove one away as the other was being demolished.
"Nobody mess with Bulma-sama!" Bulma spammed over the scouters making sure the other ships heard her.
Piccolo eliminated the last one blasting the squid-headed alien out of existence.
Bardock knelt down at the side of the man clad in light-purple shrouds. From the looks of things he had been shielding a human. Bardock cradled the 'protector' in his arms his eyes were peacefully closed. Bardock reached the eye slits and peeled back the hood revealing a platinum Mohawk, then pealed the bottom half seeing blood trickling from the of the 'protector's mouth.
"The Supreme Kai!" Videl gasped. Bardock didn't know anybody was at his side as the others' ran up to see his find.
The Supreme Kai choked awake and saw Bardock, "B-Bardock?"
"Shin," Bardock said informal "what happened?"
"Here." Shin struggled to lift his hand housing a piece of Parchment. "Choutzu… help the Prince and I escape…"
"Choutzu was with you?" Tien asked hoping to get more form the Supreme Kai.
"Yes… unfortunately," Shin turned to Tien, "he was recaptured by the being clad in black… Forgive me… I could not save them…" he turned back to Bardock, "They are Babidi's pawns now." Bardock held Shin's small hand for moment before he fell unconscious and slipped the parchment into Bardock's hand.
"Supreme Kai!" The Earthlings cried concerned.
"Don't worry he's only unconscious." Bardock said.
The guy that Shin had been protecting groaned awake. He turned to Bardock, his dark purple hair and feminine features were unmistakable however the age of this man didn't add up.
"It's you again, the Saiyan. I hadn't seen you in years."
"It was a few months ago, Prince Emit of Giya." Bardock surprised the guy remembering his name and knowing his title.
"To you it is. They've captured Liana! You must help me save her!" He begged.
"Why would I bother saving someone whose been threatening my people?"
"If you don't, Babidi will try and make it so your people have never existed."
"How could that be possible?" Chichi asked placing a supporting hand on Emit's shoulder to calm him down.
Emit sadly gazed at the ground. "The machine he originally used is useless now. But he found out about our special power and has been using another telepath to try and control her like a remote. Shin, helped Choutzu and myself escape to try and sever our telepathic link. Liana is able to travel through the streams of time!"