Chapter 25
"But I don't want to..." Arrah squeaked before Raditz growled and stuffed the helmet down on her head far rougher than first intended.
With Vegeta and Nappa probably already heading back to Frieza's ship, it was all down to Raditz to find a way to get the girl off the station. One thing was clear from the start. His pod would be the best option for travelling. Although tall, Raditz wasn't overly muscular and Arrah, from years of being underfed, was blessedly small and skinny. Hopefully, they'd both fit into it without much trouble.
Checking in for permission to take a larger craft would bring unwanted attention, especially as it had come to Raditz's attention, while he'd been slinking around the station for a new helmet for Arrah, that everyone was aware of what the saiyans had done.
For him to want a bigger space craft for what was supposed to be just himself would be too suspicious.
So Raditz's own pod it had to be.
Said pod had been removed from Gi's ship when it had docked on the station and moved to the stations launch pad along with Vegeta's and Nappa's. The launch pad was up a hill behind the main buildings and no matter the time, was always busy.
Also adding to Raditz's troubles, the body at the bottom of the stairs had been found by Zarbon and his men as they escorted Vegeta and Nappa down the tower. They'd hoped he'd simply just add it to their body count, as another unfortunate victim to the violent saiyans. But he'd been recognised by one of the guards and now the station was on alert for "Dill".
Raditz could feel the headache beating against his temples as he batted Arrah's hands away from the helmet.
"Stop fidgeting with it!" He ground out through his teeth.
"But I don't want to have to wear a helmet again!" He heard her muffle through the visor.
Inhaling deeply and clenching his teeth, Raditz threw his hands up in irritation. "I don't know what else we can do, Arrah!" He snapped. Arrah grabbed at the helmet and pulled it off, much to Raditz's disappointment. Tucking it under her arm, she scowled at him.
"Is there really no other way? Why can't we just sneak to the pod?"
"Because the launch sites are busy. Full of soldiers and workers." He bit back, his anger seething under the surface. "You need to stay undetected. Why can't you understand that?!"
She was pouting at him then, but it did nothing to ease his anxious anger.
"I do understand." She turned her back to him. "Why are you snapping at me?"
Rubbing his hand over his face, Raditz tried to calm himself. How did Vegeta always manage to stay so cool under pressure? Raditz doubted he'd ever know or be able to emulate him.
"I'm sorry." He sighed out. "I just... I'm a little stressed right now."
"You don't work well under pressure, do you?"
Raditz's hand dropped from his face and he blinked at Arrah in surprise. She was looking at him, over her shoulder and still scowling. She looked very much like Vegeta at that moment. A little too much for Raditz's liking and he suddenly found himself feeling cornered, the way he did when Vegeta often mocked him and his abilities.
"I'm trying." He ground out again, feeling his heart skip a beat. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't. He wasn't some muscle bound idiot like Nappa. He could think for himself and he could do this. "Usually Vegeta has all the ideas." He confessed, trying to calm his racing heart. "But I will get you out of here safely. I promise."
Arrah's scowl dropped, her expression becoming sombre.
"I'm sorry." She murmured, the walls of the alleyway muting her tiny voice even more than it was and Raditz felt a pang of guilt. "My entire existence is making your life more difficult... You've done so much and risked so much and you're still doing it. Why don't you just leave me here and..."
"Don't be ridiculous!" He snapped, but without any angry heat. The sharp edge in his voice was simply intended to kill her train of thought in its tracks. Stepping toward her, he pulled her too him and held her close. His heart lifted a little as she dropped the helmet and wrapped her arms around his waist and Raditz found himself sighing into her hair. "My life is difficult as it is. You make it a little brighter, Arrah." The confession brought a strange tightness to his throat and the older saiyan swallowed more then once before continuing. "I'm doing this because I want to. We all are. You think Vegeta and Nappa are in the habit of rescuing damsels in distress?"
He felt Arrah shake her head against his chest.
"Exactly. They don't do things like this. None of us do. Its just nerve-racking now because this is the difficult part. We can't just fight our way through this like we normally would. It takes a more delicate hand." He told her, thinking of how much Nappa and Vegeta had obviously screwed up in this by killing all those soldiers. A mistake he'd expected from Nappa, but not Vegeta. It surprised him.
"I trust you." He heard her mumble and a wave of relief washed over him.
"Good." He sighed, allowing his lips to quirk upward in the corners a little.
"But I'm still not putting that helmet back on." She followed up and Raditz felt the urge to slap his palm against his face.
-oOo-
Raditz had one other idea.
It wasn't ideal and a dozen things could go wrong but it was the best he could think of.
Arrah was starting to get hungry and was already tired and had begun to softly whine about those things. Raditz couldn't disagree with her. They'd spent hours in that darkened alleyway by then, ducking back out of sight when anyone came by.
Several times, they'd seen vehicles pass by the alleyway, on their way up to the launch pad or back. Each small vehicle trailed five or six carts behind it, some loaded up with crates or machinery, others loaded with pods. That was the way Raditz's own pod had been hauled up to the launch site. As risky as it was, it was their best chance to even get up to the site without Arrah being caught. Raditz could fly, Arrah could not.
Raditz had been watching the vehicles, taking note at how often they passed back and forth. Arrah had given up even trying to whine at him by then, so she sat tiredly against the wall, her legs up to her chest once more.
He leaned against the wall at the mouth of the alley and waited. It had been forty minutes since the last vehicle. There'd be another going past soon, heading for the launch site.
He eyed the direction from which he knew the depot was located and waited. The vehicles moved rather quickly, the drivers being on a strict schedule and all so it would mean a real push to make sure Raditz could make it with Arrah in toe.
Before long, he saw the lights of one vehicle coming along the track laid out for it.
"Arrah!" He said urgently. The little saiyan woman raised her head tiredly and yawned.
"What?"
"Get up. Now, quickly!"
Arrah scrambled to her feet and scurried over to him. Raditz stood shielding her from view but continued to watch the vehicle as it neared. He noticed it was carrying two pods and three carts full of crates.
"Whatever you do, stay quiet and stay hidden. Don't come out unless you hear my voice." He said and grabbed her wrist.
"What are you going to do?" She asked in alarm as his other arm looped around her waist and he heaved her up like a sack under his arm.
She began squirming but Raditz ignored it and held her tightly. The vehicle started to pass and Raditz dashed out, Arrah gasping and struggling under his arm. He got level with one of the pods and slammed his fist against its side. Like most pods, unless it was in flight, it wasn't particularly well secured and the door popped open easily.
He felt Arrah tense as she realised what he was about to do.
"No! Raditz, don't!" She squealed as he threw her into the pod and she landed upside down in the seat before the door began to close automatically.
The vehicle began to turn on the track, heading up the hill and Raditz's pace slowed to a stop as he watched it go. He was panting, but more out of nerves than actually running. His heart continued to hammer as he watched the vehicle and it's cargo disappear into a tunnel and huffed out a huge breath. He hoped Arrah could remain quiet and unnoticed as the pod was unloaded and rolled over onto the reserve deck.
Glancing round, he could see the soldiers rotating shifts, some watching him with interest. He could care less now, he had places he needed to be.
Bending his knees, he took off, flying up and over toward the launch site.
-oOo-
Arrah was furious! How dare he! Throwing her like an old sack of dirty laundry!
She growled and wriggled to right herself in the pods seat. If she was honest, the landing hadn't been that painful, what with the pod being so well cushioned. She rubbed the back of her neck stiffly and huffed as she sat back in the seat.
Eyeing the space around her, she realised that the craft was actually quite spacious, if you were small like her of course. She wondered how comfortable someone like Nappa might have been in such a craft. Then again, she guessed he didn't have much choice in the matter. Her eyes found the console before her and she leaned forward a little to look at it better.
There was a large screen in the middle and two sets of key pads either side. She didn't understand the lettering on either sets of keys, but then again, she'd never learned to read.
Sitting back she noticed another screen and another key pad on the right arm rest. Her fingers itched to touch a key or two but fear pulsed through her that it might set something off or alert someone to their stowaway.
She hoped Raditz wouldn't leave her in the pod long. She could see vague shapes whizzing past the large circular pink window as the pod was moved. It rattled and rumbled on the cart as it was towed along and in normal circumstances, it might have been soothing to her tired senses.
Eventually, the pod lurched to one side and Arrah gripped the armrests tightly. The rumbling stopped and the little saiyan sat there, her breath quickening as voices came from outside the pod. People were talking, but Arrah didn't understand the language they spoke. This only led to her becoming more and more panicked as she sat there, sinking down in her seat as shadows passed the pod window.
Banging started then, like heavy objects being thrown to the ground with some force. This went on for ages, the voices chattering on over the noise and sometimes laughing. Arrah guessed it was the workers unloading the other carts.
As time dragged on, she became unsure as to whether the pods would be unloaded or not. If not, where would she end up? Had Raditz miscalculated? What would happen to her if someone came and opened the pod?
She began to feel like she was hyperventilating when the rumbling started again. She covered her mouth against a sound of fear as the pod began to move again, slower than before but definitely in the same direction.
She leaned forward again, trying her hardest to see out the round window. She wondered if anyone could see her if she pressed her face to it? Then again, judging from how easily the door opened when Raditz hit it, she worried she might press too hard and open the door, right in front of everyone. So she sat there, worrying to herself as the pod rattled up a steep incline and hoped it didn't roll off half way up.
The stop the second time wasn't as abrupt. There weren't any voices outside the pod either and Arrah wondered if the pods were just left somewhere while the drivers went to get more.
This thought died when there was an earsplitting bang from either side of her head and she clamped her hands tighter over her mouth, pulling her legs up onto the seat.
There then came a hydraulic hiss and the pod seemed to rise up. Arrah sat frozen in the seat, her eyes darting round as the pod was swung round quickly and then lowered with a thud.
"That's it!" Someone outside the pod yelled and Arrah fought down the frightened tears. Footsteps rounded the pod and before Arrah could get her bearings, the pod tipped to the left.
It began to roll, Arrah hitting the roof of the pod before it righted again and then tipped once more. She tried not to scream but couldn't control the muted grunts she gave every time she was turned upside down, hitting her head and bending her neck.
"Just leave it there." The voice came again and the little saiyan inside the pod slumped down in the seat when the pod stopped the right way up. She was dizzy and had hit her head. She felt bruised and sore on top of tired and a little bit sick.
Raditz and his smart ideas...
-oOo-
Raditz stood on the edge of the landing deck, watching the large crowd of Frieza's men as they buzzed around a large craft that was being readied to leave.
He'd already spoken with Nappa and Vegeta, both of whom had been waiting on the deck when he arrived. Zarbon was also there, but the only acknowledgement he gave of the third saiyan, was a raised eyebrow and a toss of his hair before he walked away to oversee the preparations.
"Where's the kid?" Nappa hissed.
"She's...er...it's complicated. She's safe though, I think." Raditz whispered back, shifting to scratch the back of his calf with his other foot.
"How do you intend to get her out of here?" Vegeta asked just as quietly as he eyed Frieza's soldiers.
"I'm taking her in my pod. I'll wait for you guys to leave before I go get her."
Vegeta gave a slight nod, his eyes leaving two little fat aliens hauling a circular chest into the hold of Zarbon's ship and drifted over the other pods being readied to leave.
"It should be quieter after all these lot leave. Just be careful."
"Where is she?"Nappa asked again, looking more frustrated this time. Raditz frowned at him before looking round.
"She's in a reserve pod in the hanger." He muttered, looking back at the bigger man. Nappa and Vegeta glanced at one another before looking back at Raditz.
"You know there are over a hundred pods in there, right?" Vegeta hissed, his eyes narrowed.
Raditz felt an uncomfortable tingle run up his spine but he shrugged and looked back at Zarbon's ship, the green alien now striding up the ramp to enter it. "I'll sort it. Don't worry."
"You better." Nappa snorted, glaring down at him.
The other two saiyans were called away soon after and Raditz watched them climb into their pods with a sense of excitement. They were going to be gone, out the way and unable to stand in his way from now on. It would be just him and Arrah. a little smile rose up in him and he had to force it down as he watched the pod doors close. Vegeta had closed his eyes, readying for the journey, but Nappa was tense. Raditz caught his eye and the older saiyan glared at him, holding it right up until the door closed fully and locked.
The pods hissed and several people shouted as the countdown sequence begun.
With a pop and a whoosh, the pods took off, bursting through the stations artificial atmosphere and shooting off into the darkness of space. Raditz watched them go, his eyes watching the pods until they were mere twinkles among the stars.
-oOo-
Arrah was struggling to keep her eyes open. How long had she been in the pod? Had Raditz forgotten about her? Or had he taken her advice and abandoned her so he wouldn't have to deal with her problem anymore?
Everything had been quiet for a while. She'd heard people rolling in a couple more pods before it had all gone silent and she sighed to herself. Raditz had said not to leave the pod. Not to open the door unless she heard his voice. Well, Arrah could live with that. She was warm and comfy in that little pod and despite the threat that someone might come along, needing a pod and roll her out to be used, she had settled down in the plush seat to sleep.
She was either going to be forgotten, found by someone who wasn't Raditz or found by Raditz himself. She'd deal with the problem as and when it reared its head.
Closing her eyes, Arrah fell asleep.
-oOo-
Raditz pushed open the hanger door and slipped in.
It was easier than expected to break in, considering the alien guarding it had drank too much on his lunch break and was now passed out at his post. Raditz had stepped over him and the strewn about remains of the guard's lunch before thinking twice about it and leaning down to grab the alien's throat. The overly hairy creature didn't even wake as Raditz crushed it's windpipe and released, watching coldly as the alien woke abruptly, unable to breathe before convulsing and finally, stopped moving altogether.
The men at the station could blame that one on Dill too for all he cared.
Walking into the hanger, he felt anxiety grip his gut upon seeing the rows of pods lined up in the dimly lit room. Vegeta and Nappa had known about all this after all. He snorted irritably at the thought of them laughing at him.
Well, if it had kept Arrah safe, the joke was on them.
Pressing the button on his scouter, he waited for Arrah to answer. The longer it took, the more Raditz began to worry. Why wasn't she answering him? She knew he'd be coming for her.
His hand dropped from the scouter and he headed for the first pod. He leaned down and peered in through the window closely and saw nothing. The pod was empty. Dread and exasperation filled him and he straightened up to look over the sea of pods.
Walking to the next, he leaned to look in once more. Nothing. His fingers went to his scouter and he tried to call her again. Just like the first, second and third pod, he got nothing. He couldn't restrain the eye roll that came with the realisation that he'd have to search each pod till he found her.
Or would he?
An idea struck him and he tried searching for her ki signature. The scouter picked up several, most of which were spread across the nearby surroundings. From inside the hanger, however, the scouter found nothing.
The thought occurred to Raditz, that Arrah might have left the pod. Maybe gotten out to go looking for him. But the tall saiyan quickly shook that idea away. The girl had shown a keen interest in surviving this ordeal and he doubted she'd be so foolish. Sighing, he began to walk the rows of pods, keeping on guard for anyone who may enter.
He walked back and forth, the thorough search soon became frantic, with Raditz glancing at every pod quickly as he hurried past. He was becoming more and more frustrated, trying his scouter every now and then in case she answered.
He didn't know how long it took him. Possibly longer then he wanted, but eventually, he got to the last row of pods. One eye on his scouter, watching for anyone who might approach and the other eyeing every pod he passed, Raditz had begun to sweat with the pressure. Why had he thought this was a good idea? Had he possibly gone to the wrong hanger? He had no idea if there was another storage hanger for pods. He didn't think this station had enough regular traffic to need another place to store them.
He strode past the third to last pod, his mind busy with thoughts of different outcomes. By the end of the line, he was beginning to panic. He stood biting his nails as he looked back at all the pods he'd checked. If his own pod was noticed, people would begin to question why he hadn't left yet. He was running out of time.
Then came a sudden flash on his scouter. Someone was coming from the other end of the hanger.
Raditz dropped down and crawled behind the last couple of pods. Great. Just his luck. He heard one of the large hanger doors roll open and two voices. They were speaking their native tongue, one Raditz recognised but didn't know much of. The only experience he'd had with it was the little bit he'd learned from a very friendly prostitute, ironically, on Zula.
He frowned for a moment as he thought about her. Nappa had killed her on his turn.
The aliens rolled a pod out from the first row and Raditz peered round the pod he'd been ducked behind to watch. He knew they'd not discovered the guard he'd killed. There was no need to guard the front of the building, it faced the very busy launch pad. That meant the guard that had been watching the back door Raditz had entered through might not be discovered for a long while yet.
They returned for a second pod not long after the first and then closed the hanger door with a bang. Raditz sighed and wiped his hand across his face. Why him?
Movement caught from the corner of his eye made him jump and when he snapped his head round, he found a face staring at him through the pink glass of the pod he'd been hiding behind. The two stared at one another for a long moment before the face in the pod broke into a smile and Raditz felt like fainting.
Arrah!
Raditz punched the side of the pod without hesitation and Arrah practically tumbled out.
"Where were you?!" She demanded as Raditz dragged her out and pulled her tight against him. He didn't even answer. He'd found her. Now they could get out of there!
"Why didn't you answer your scouter?!" It was his turn to demand and he grasped Arrah by her shoulders, holding her at arms length to scowl at her. She looked up at him with wide eyes before biting her lip.
"I fell asleep." She muttered. "And the scouter was still in my inside pocket. I forgot about it."
"This is the reason we gave it to you, Arrah." Raditz stressed. "We need to be able to find you."
"I'm sorry." She replied quietly and Raditz shook his head.
"Never mind that now. We need to leave."
Before she could utter a word, Raditz pulled Arrah to the back door of the hanger and then out. They rounded the building before Raditz forced Arrah up against the metal wall and held her there while he looked round the corner. He spied the marshal, tapping away on his tablet. Raditz would need to confirm launch details with him before they could leave.
"What's the matter?"
Moving back to look at her Seriously, Raditz watched concern pass over Arrah's face, her eyes searching his own.
"It'll be alright." He told her and swooped down to kiss her. He felt her relax into him, her hand moving to his chin tenderly. This was what he was craving. But now wasn't the time or the place.
Raditz broke the kiss and squeezed her shoulders. "Wait here."
-oOo-
The space marshal for this station was a short, fat, pink alien from the same race as Dodoria, one of Frieza's lapdogs. He eyed Raditz with disgust and rolled his finger over the screen of his tablet. Raditz stood patiently before him, arms crossed over his chest. He just needed to know when he could leave. He knew how these things worked of course. The larger the ship, the more time needed between in-coming and out-going ships. Small, personal pods didn't need much launch time and could be out of orbit within minutes.
"You were meant to leave an hour ago." He spat at Raditz, finally. "You caused all sorts of chaos."
"I had business." The saiyan spat back. "Now I'm ready to leave."
"Do we have room to let you leave?" The Alien countered, grinning nastily. Raditz felt his anger flare but swallowed it.
"I have business to attend to for Lord Frieza. Make fucking room!"
The aliens nasty grin lost its malicious edge to become just a nasty display of teeth. Turning his attention to his tablet, the alien slid his finger over the screen quickly, as if flicking off insects before he quickly tapped something in.
"You leave in 3 minutes. Get out of here, monkey."
Raditz turned on his heel and headed back in the direction of the hanger. He needed to get Arrah quickly and hurry to his pod that he could already see being brought out to the launch pad.
A quick look round to make sure no one was watching and then Raditz disappeared round the corner, finding Arrah kicking stones toward the stations very abrupt edge. He watched her as she launched another stone further than the last before reaching for her hand.
"We're leaving."
"Now?"
"Now." He said, his face very serious.
"What's the matter?"
He looked at her again. She had that concerned look once more and Raditz was lost for a second or two. No one had looked at him with such concern in years. Not since his mother. He'd seen her in the crowds, watching as he was readied to leave for his mission. The planet had been destroyed while he was away but he'd always remembered the concerned look she'd given him as he fitted his scouter over his eye and glanced in her direction. He wondered if she was worried about his well being? Perhaps she was worried he'd be hurt. That, of course, was a silly thing to be worried about. Of course he'd be hurt. That was part of what saiyan life was.
"Raditz?"
Raditz blinked and looked down at Arrah again, looking even more worried. She was shaking him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He said, his voice a little distant.
"Don't we need to go?"
The older saiyan shook his head and then took a deep breath. Yes, they did. And they needed to go now. He decided then and there that they'd make a break for it. The launch time was so short, they could run to the pod and be inside in time for it to take off and no one could question them.
"You need to keep up with me." He told her, holding her hand tightly. He watched her eyes widen and before she could reply, Raditz took off, dragging Arrah behind him.
Arrah struggled to find her feet but when she realised that he was throwing caution to the wind, she knew she needed to pick up her pace. She held his hand just as tightly as he was holding hers and even when she heard someone shout behind them, she ignored it. She could see the pod getting closer and closer and she worried for a moment that he'd throw her again.
The door was already lowered, ready and waiting. Raditz threw himself into it, landing heavily in the seat and dragging Arrah with him. She landed in his lap with an "Oof!" and he pulled her tightly against his chest as the door began to close. The fat pink alien was running toward them, two other soldiers following.
"Brace yourself against me and open your mouth." Raditz told Arrah quickly and slammed his fingers down on the keys on his arm rest. There was a hiss as the door sealed them inside and Arrah looked panicked as the screen lit up on the console before them.
"Launch sequence confirmed and initiated." Came a voice from around them that made Arrah's tail fluff in fright.
"Why do I need to open my mouth?" She squeaked as the pod began to rumble around them.
"You travelled by pod since being found by Gi?" Raditz grinned. Arrah shook her head, her arms clutching his forearms as the rumbling got worse. The fat pink alien was yelling but had stopped running toward them, already seeing it was too late to do anything. "Your body isn't used to it then. Open your mouth to relieve the pressure." Raditz laughed and that was it.
Arrah screamed as they shot upward.
Raditz hadn't been wrong. Arrah felt the momentum forcing her firmly into Raditz's lap. It made her head spin and she felt the pressure building in her ears before they popped with a sharp shot of pain that made her wince.
"I told you." Raditz laughed and Arrah stuck her lip out in a pout before forcing her face against his neck.
"I don't like this." She ground out. No sooner had she said it, the rumbling stopped and all went quiet, save a soft beep that seemed to be coming from the screen on the console. Arrah blinked and looked up at Raditz's face. He was still grinning.
"We're out of orbit." He told her. "Take off is the hardest part but we're safe now. We made it."
Arrah let a small smile play across her lips and she turned to look out of the pod's window. While stationary, the window had been almost frosted and hard to see through unless up close. To her surprise, Arrah found that that wasn't the case now and that the window was beautifully clear. She gazed out at the many lights of distant planets and nearly gasped as what appeared to be a large rock narrowly missed them.
"We won't be hit." Raditz told her gently, his fingers skating across her jaw and making her jump. "The pod has it's own force field as it travels. Anything that gets too close just bounces away."
Arrah looked back at him in awe. Gi's ship was huge and had had many windows but they had been small and round and were usually too far off the ground for her to actually look through them. The Slave's quarters had had no windows at all, so it had been an incredibly rare sight for any of them to see anything as the ship travelled the galaxy.
Looking back to the window, Arrah sat silently watching. She felt Raditz's arms squeeze her and his lips touched her ear, as if trying to gain her attention. She found she was simply too fascinated with the view beyond the window to tear her eyes away.
When she didn't look at him, even with his coaxing kisses, Raditz settled back into his seat with a sigh. It wouldn't be long now before the pod activated its suspended animation function and both he and Arrah would sleep until reaching Zula.
Watching the girl, Raditz supposed he couldn't begrudge her curiosity. She'd lived so little of life as it was, he suspected she'd be fascinated by a lot more when they made it to their destination. He'd need to be patient with her and make sure she was comfortable while they waited for Vegeta and Nappa to make an appearance. In the meantime, as long as he kept an eye out for any of Frieza's men, he could ease Arrah into a normal life. Well, as normal a life as the last female of her species could have.
Woo! I took a break over the weekend but I was eager to get this chapter over and done with and have Raditz and Arrah make it.
Enjoy guys!
GP