Chapter 26: Found
Brought to you by Kanotari, DarkVoid116 and Dying Grin
Carth glanced down at the glowing radar in his hand. "Looks like the trip wasn't for nothing, dollface." He showed her the screen, where a bright blip flashed over a nearby village. "Looks like Dragon Balls are on sale today: two for one."
"Where are the others?" Videl inquired. Perhaps if she could somehow convince Carth to stall for time and go after a different Dragon Ball, it could prolong their excursion just long enough to allow Gohan time to plot her rescue. She knew him well enough to know he had something up his sleeve.
The android eyed the girl suspiciously. "Nowhere near here. Why?"
"Why should we rush this process? If you really want to avoid Coco's wrath shouldn't you give off the impression you don't quite know what you're doing? 'Nowhere near here' seems like exactly where we should be," the Satan girl explained.
"So sweet of you to worry about me," the villain hissed with a roll of his eyes. "I think I'd rather get all my eggs in one basket before Coco realizes they're gone and sends her whole organization after me."
"You don't want to try and stave off that eventual outcome? I would think deflecting suspicion would be the best course of action," Videl tried to reason. If nothing else, she needed to plant this seed in Carth's head and let it blossom.
"She's going to notice eventually. The damn shrew notices everything eventually."
"You raise some decent points, but if Coco has something that can track Dragon Balls, drawing out the search could lengthen your leash," the teen stated. "Just because she didn't have a way to track them before doesn't mean the dog and the redhead haven't found a way like we have."
Carth suddenly grinned widely. "You just want to spend more time with me. Is that it, sunshine?"
"Whatever it takes to get you to see my thought process," she conceded.
"Well if we're going to make flying into a regular thing, we might as well fly in style," Carth mused, rubbing his chin. He shoved a hand into his front pocket and pulled out a capsule. "This was supposed to be my backup plan, but what can I say? I'm impatient." He then tossed the capsule in the air, stepping back and letting it hit the ground. A cloud of smoke appeared, quickly dissipating to reveal a jet. "I'll be in the back, getting my beauty rest. Try not to crash the thing."
With that, the android climbed into the aircraft, sitting in the back as he said he would. The raven-haired teen muttered under her breath unintelligibly as she sat in the driver's seat and turned the ignition, prompting the jet to roar to life. The vehicle taxied across the meadow, leaving the ground with a gentle prompt from the amateur pilot. The autopilot helped out, deploying the slats and flaps as they ascended to their cruising altitude, but it needed help in return. The device's glowing green screen flashed.
"Carth?" Videl called tentatively. "It's asking for a destination. Where are we going?"
"The coordinates are A-4-1," he called from his comfortable chair. "Hope you packed your parka, dollface."
Videl's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but she understood the cryptic words once she punched in the coordinates. The autopilot showed her a map, their route in white. The highlighted pathway ended abruptly in cluster of snowy mountains, barely a blip on the detailed map. Suddenly, she found herself wishing for a sweater. With the jet's course set in stone, Videl allowed herself to relax. Carth had slipped into a rest state, which meant she could allow her mind to wander.
This was going to be a long trip, after all. The thought of grabbing for the remote crossed her mind, especially if her kidnapper was actually sleeping. She might not be able to immediately make a move towards escape, but if she played her cards right, she could obtain the upper hand. With that in mind, Videl gingerly reached around, her hand inching towards her captor's thigh pocket. She could see the remote poking out of his pants pocket, right there for the taking. One finger, then two, grasped the controller, before Videl carefully removed it. She had it in her possession now; she had an advantage for the first time in this long-winded chess game.
With an uncontrollable smile, the girl dropped into another one of the plane's first-class recliners and buckled in for their ten-hour cross-continental flight. The seat she chose was right next to a window, where she could see the sun peeking through the clouds. Fields and hills raced beneath them as the jet streamed past, effortlessly stripping miles from their journey. As they travelled, they passed a few familiar sights to Videl, most notably Parsley City, the large metropolis around the center of the world, about halfway into the trip.
The city was bustling with people on every corner, though they were barely discernable from the considerable height the jet was travelling at.
A while later, Videl spotted a gigantic crater in the middle of farmlands. It was a large contrast to the grassy fields in the surrounding areas, and she couldn't even imagine what might have caused such devastation. Her only idea was maybe Gohan or one of his friends got carried away with their incredible powers, but even that seemed farfetched. Plus, if it was true, it scared her immensely.
The teen found herself engrossed in the clouds. She watched breathlessly as they floated along, seeming to defy gravity, swirling beneath the wings of the jet as they blasted through them. Her imagination formed patterns and shapes in the constantly morphing skies. Before she knew it, her eyes had drifted shut. They opened with a start several hours later when she became aware of a soft beeping from the jet's controls. Carth was already in the pilot's seat. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she went to join him. Judging from the mountains rearing outside windshield, Videl guessed they were close to their destination.
The android spared a glance for Videl. "Get back to your seat," he ordered, his voice betraying the nerves. "Strap in. We're in for ride."
Not wanting to disobey Carth considering he rarely acted this way, she immediately strapped herself in. The android flicked a switch to take their vehicle off autopilot then began descending, beginning a shallow dive towards the base of the mountain. Videl clutched the plush armrests as the nose of the plane pitched downward. Maybe it was her imagination, but she felt like the plane was shaking. The winds howling outside the cabin convinced the teen that she wasn't feeling things. The harsh mountain winds pressed against the windows, rattling them. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Videl called, struggling to make her voice audible among the din of the landing plane.
"Do you doubt me?" Carth shouted back. His garish grin was just a distraction, a show. It was obvious; the android was nervous. His expression flickered for the briefest of moments as the plane dropped several feet, but it was back to normal almost before Videl noticed the change.
The ground was visible through the front window now. The raven-haired girl could see that Carth was aiming for an open patch of snow. Her heart leapt in her chest as she realized this village didn't have a runway. Her mind raced as she tried to decide if she should leap from the plane and fly away before Carth ran them both into the ground. The winds were whipping the plane about like a kite in a hurricane, and the new android knew that something with her weight would never make it to the ground. She heard a mechanical hiss as the landing gear was released, and a series of clanks as the flaps deployed. The ground was approaching rapidly now; she braced herself.
The world became white as the landing gear scraped a snow bank, shooting snowflakes into the sky. The jet continued to gradually slow down as it slid across the ground, attempting to cause friction and further the stopping process. Videl's entire being shook as the landing gear began to do its job and the plane began skidding to a stop. It wasn't pretty, but her maniacal boss had somehow kept her alive and in one piece.
Relief was the first thing Videl felt. She'd never had such a near death experience that wasn't due to crime fighting, and that terrified her. When she was out in the field, arresting criminals, she had full control over the situation, or at least close to it. Carth flying a plane? She couldn't do anything there. At least it was over and done with, now. They could look for this Dragon Ball now.
"Thank you for choosing Carth airlines," the android laughed, sinking into the pilot's seat in relief. This time, his actions were genuine, Videl decided. It was one of the few authentic smiles she'd ever seen from Carth. It almost made him handsome, but his personality cured that.
"At least I got to fly first class on this shithole of a jet," Videl quipped.
"Be grateful. This is worlds better than my last plane."
"I don't even want to know," she muttered under her breath.
Carth smiled at her, one of those smug half-smiles he loved so much, then shook his head. "You really don't want to know." He pulled the Dragon Radar out of his back pocket and spared it a quick glance, jerking his head toward the cluster of huts he loosely described as a town. "This way."
Videl followed him as he began walking through the deep snow, trudging along in the general direction of a huge brick tower and the accompanying small village. As they got closer, it became apparent that their object of desire was in the town and not the lofty spire jutting into the sky, which made their job easier. Carth would just torture some person for information if he had to.
Their radar pointed towards the furthest house away, so the pair made a beeline for the light pink dome, fully equipped with brown wooden doors and clear, glass windows. Carth, he of incredible finesse, barged right into the home, not caring who resided inside. Videl took more care to be polite, apologizing for her captor's rudeness as she also entered through the door. "Sorry!"
Two men were waiting inside the door. One, a hulking man mottled with scars, crouched protectively in front of the other, an eccentric looking old man. The elderly man clutched a two-pronged fork of some kind, made more disturbing by the fact that it emitted sparks at random intervals.
"You'll have to try harder than that to... to..." The aged man's bushy eyebrows knitted together as Videl's words reached him. He removed his spectacles, squinting at the girl as he rubbed the oversized round lenses on his soiled white shirt. "Are you apologizing for kidnapping me?"
"No. I believe she's apologizing for robbing you," Carth sneered. "The Dragon Ball. Now!"
"Didn't your mother teach you manners?" the old man scolded from behind his companion's back, repositioning his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He blinked twice as the world slipped into focus. When he saw Videl's hurt look, he added, "Oh not you dear. Him!" He pointed an accusatory finger at his android assailant.
"You're telling me!" Videl laughed. "Carth is the most insufferable, infuriat-"
"Carth!" the grey-haired man yelped, his eyes wide with fear. His graying afro, which refused to be contained by his hat or by gravity, seemed to somehow gain volume as he sprinted into the next room, shouting, "Be careful, Eighter! He's a bad egg!"
"No, no, no, no!" Videl murmured as the old man toddled into the next room, his hair jiggling with each step. "We don't want to hurt you!"
"Speak for yourself," Carth interjected. "Do you know who that is? Go fetch!"
With a sigh, Videl took off after the mystery man, following his bright yellow jacket as it vanished around the corner. She skidded to a stop on the tile floor, looking around for the curious man. The girl expected him to hide, to vanish into some panic room or out the door and into the wilderness. She never anticipated seeing him perched at his kitchen table, sipping from a delicate china teacup, pinky aloft.
"One lump or two, dear?" he asked with a placid smile unbefitting of a man in his dire situation. His toes dangled several inches from the floor, so he swung them back and forth like a schoolgirl sitting in the cafeteria.
Videl stopped in her tracks, eyeing him suspiciously. "Poisoned, isn't it?"
"I have manners, unlike your friend." He paused for a sip of what smelled like hot darjeeling tea. "Hasn't he heard of knocking?"
"He's too impatient for it," Videl sighed. She watched as the older man took a bite of toast covered in sweet orange marmalade, and wondered when she had last eaten. Though her mechanical body no longer needed as much food to sustain itself, she could feel her stomach churning with anticipation at the crunch of bread.
"Sit down, dearie!" her unexpected host insisted, shoving a chair away from the table for her. "Kettle's still hot, if you'd like to join me."
Videl found herself sinking into a floral cushion. The aged man pushed a plate of hot buttered toast in front of her, and she attacked it with relish.
"I see that Carth isn't feeding you very well," the man remarked with a soft tut. He poured an extra dollop of marmalade on her piece of toast, until the orange gel dripped off the sides.
"He forgets we have to eat," Videl managed between mouthfuls.
"Ah yes. You generate enough power for all those flashy bells and whistles, but your body still needs energy to keep your heart beating and your blood flowing."
The girl felt the delicious snack congeal in her throat, and forced it down nervously. "Bells and whistles?" she asked with feigned innocence.
"If we're going to play games, dearie, I'd much prefer to play hopscotch. What number are you?"
"Number?" Videl parroted with genuine confusion this time.
"Who are you? Eighteen was a girl, if I remember right. Or was it Seventeen? They both had such long hair..."
"I'm not a number!" the teen insisted. "I'm just Videl! Videl Satan!"
"Videl!" the man gasped. "She's one bad egg- wait no. I'm thinking of someone else. I've never heard of you, dearie. Which means you've never heard of me..." The old man jumped from his chair with the athleticism of someone half his age. "Jeepers creepers! Where are my manners today? I am Dr. Filius Flappe." He bowed with a flourish of his hand.
The girl stifled a giggle; the good doctor appeared to have lost his comb in the back of his voluminous hair. "Nice to meet you, Doctor," she managed.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss... Miss... Oh what was your name again? Miss Devil... shoot that's not right. Miss Violet? Ah ha! Yodel! Nice to meet you, Miss Yodel." He extended his arm, beaming widely.
He was so proud of himself that Videl couldn't bear to correct him. She shook his hand pleasantly.
"Now, Miss Yodel," he began, perching himself at the table once more. "Why are you with Carth? Please, don't make me cross."
"To be perfectly frank, Doctor, I'm not here by choice," Videl responded, loving every minute of conversing with Dr. Flappe.
The Doctor tutted loudly, shaking his head. "I am sad to say it doesn't surprise me. My old friend Goku stopped by quite recently to tell me about another girl Carth is holding hostage. It's becoming a frightening pattern."
"Uh, Doctor," Videl began tentatively, "I've been with Carth this entire time. He doesn't have anyone else hostage as far as I'm aware."
His eyes widened, magnified by his massive spectacles. "Don't you believe him, missie. He's a bad egg."
"So I've been told," the girl replied dryly. "What did you say your friend's name was?"
"You mean Goku. Looking as young as ever. That boy never ages, I swear. His little bald friend too. I wonder if they ever found that android they were looking for... oh wait. He's in my living room. Maybe they'll stop by. I'd better make some more toast!"
'Toast...?' Videl thought, now quite confused. Deciding to shrug it off, she asked, "What did he say Carth wanted with this girl? Did he know?" She really couldn't envision there being someone else her boss was stowing away, which meant this Goku person was talking about her, Videl.
"Goku said the girl was a friend of his, but between you and me, that boy doesn't brood over just anyone, and I couldn't even cheer him up with marmalade. Marmalade!" he repeated as if it was inconceivable to him that his home remedy had failed.
This really wasn't getting her anywhere, even if it was quite amusing. "Did Goku at least say what her name was?"
Before the insane doctor could respond, there was a loud crash, alerting Videl to her captor's grand entrance. Never one to do things half-assed, Carth had merely decided to punch directly through the door and rip it off its hinges rather than use the civil route. If she was correct, then he likely did so as an act of superiority, since that's the only time he ever went full out.
"What's got you all riled up, Carth?" she questioned.
Carth laughed as he dodged a ferocious punch from Eighter, who bounded in over the wreckage of the door. "I haven't had this much fun since the last time Coco decommissioned an android, and by 'decommissioned', I mean 'ordered me to rip his head off'." He lunged for the older model, trapping Eighter's neck in the crook of his elbow and squeezing with all his might. With his spare hand, he patted the trapped warrior on the head, like a well behaved dog. "We're having fun, aren't we, little brother?"
"Brother?" Videl and Flappe asked, almost in unison.
"What? Don't see the family resemblance?" Carth squeezed tighter, pulling his face next to the captive android's. He gave Eighter's cheek a hard pinch, leaving a red welt. "Same chubby little cheeks," he sighed with mock sentiment. "Same clanking innards," he said, pointing to Eighter's leg, where his skin had been filleted. The skin peeled away to reveal a network of cables and cords, moving and sliding like tendons and tissue.
Videl's eyes brushed over her captor's high cheekbones and gaunt face. "Striking," she said dryly.
"Doc!" Carth called.
The teen noted that her pleasant host had sought shelter behind his chair. "I'm not here!" Flappe called, a hand plastered over his eyes.
"From between your fingers, old man, you might notice that I've got you friend in a very compromising position," Carth started. Videl could see his trademark smirk creeping his way onto his face, which didn't bode well. "My little bro here might just have an accident if you don't tell me where it is!" His voice rose to a roar that rattled the windows in their frames.
"Where what is?" the good doctor asked meekly, his voice barely more than a squeak.
"The Dragon Ball, Doc! Come on, I thought you were smart!"
"What's... what's... what's..." Flappe stammered like a broken record.
"What's... what's..." Carth mocked in a nasal imitation of the eccentric man's voice. "What's a Dragon Ball?"
Flappe squeaked: An affirmation.
"Orange. Shiny. Couple stars on it," Carth snapped. "Yay big," he added, holding his hands several centimeters apart. Eighter took the opportunity to struggle, but the stronger android wasn't having any of it. He jammed his knee into the back of Eighter's neck, introducing the captive's face to the polished tile floor, hard.
Videl cringed as she heard something snap. "Doctor," she said delicately, "maybe you should just give it to him, or at least look around." Then under her breath, she added, "Look around." Her eyes locked with his, and he nodded.
"An orange ball?" Flapped echoed. "I might have one around here somewhere, but I'll have to look." He glanced at Videl, as if looking for approval.
She gave him a small smile and a subtle nod. "I'll take the Doctor and check..." Flappe pointed down. "... downstairs," she continued. "In the basement. You check upstairs."
Carth eyed her suspiciously. Videl held her breath as his chocolate eyes bored into her, trying to ascertain her motives. After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed, saying, "Be on your best behavior."
Videl let a stream of air pass through her lips only when she heard Carth's thudding footsteps going up the stairs. She took the doctor's hand with a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and helped him over Eighter's unconscious form and down into the dank basement. The room was like a magpie's nest, minus the bird feathers. She spotted a plume of dark feather's, crow or raven presumably, wedged between a tarnished chalice and the broken legs of an easel. Scratch that: the place was exactly like a magpie's nest. It would take ages for them to locate anything in here.
The girl was just starting to get used to the sickeningly sweet odor when Flappe sighed. "I know just what he's looking for. Should I find it?"
It was an interesting question. Should Flappe find the Dragon Ball? Should he hand it over to Carth? Eighter would certainly die if the doctor chose to be uncooperative, and Carth would rip the place to shreds. He might even enslave the locals again to help him look. "You don't have a choice," she said solemnly. "Not the choice you thought."
"Be direct, missie!" he chastised as he made his way through the immense hoard of rubbish. "Out with it!"
"That girl that Carth has... it's me."
"And the other one," Dr. Flappe corrected.
"Just me. Your friends were looking for me. I can prove it! The bald man, his name was Krillin, right?"
"Butter my buns and call me a biscuit," the eccentric inventor gasped. "You're that girl Goku married! How's your son what's-his-name? Goham? Gonuts?"
"Gohan!"
"That's the one! He must be getting pretty big now. Bet he looks just like his father."
"He's a carbon copy," Videl agreed with the doctor. "Hey Doc, could you give this to Goku?" she continued, keeping up the charade. The raven-haired teenager then proceeded to hand her deactivation remote to the crazed doctor.
The doctor dangled the foreign device over his head, craning his neck to examine the device through his spectacles. "What is it?" he mused softly.
"The key to my temporary freedom," Videl responded. "Please go to West City, and ask Bulma Brief to call Goku. Do you know where she lives? Take Eighter with you. If you don't; he does. And please, doctor, don't forget this. It's important."
"I'll be over there faster than a jackrabbit with his tail on fire," Flappe said with a wink. "But tell me, Yolanda, why do I need to talk to Goku?"
Sighing, Videl took a chance to mull her thoughts. She wasn't getting anywhere! They were going in circles. "Goku just needs to see this. Tell him it controls me, and also if you see Vegeta, tell him sorry."
The eccentric doctor wrapped his fingers around the innocuous-looking device. "It controls Goku, and Vegeta needs to tell you he's sorry. I hear you loud and clear." He nodded proudly.
At this point, Videl was just going to say a prayer and miraculously hope Flappe got it right when it counted. That is, if he even remembered that he needed to go talk to Bulma in the first place. Exasperated, she looked around the room. "Do you have a pen and paper? Let me just write down what I want you to do."
The aging man produced a pen from somewhere deep within his greying afro. The paper was trickier, but he managed to find one in the magpie nest he called a basement, wedged beneath a mangled bust labeled 'Beloved Beatrice.' Videl didn't know who Beatrice was, but she internally thanked the woman as she scribbled a message to her knight in shining armor. She pressed the wrinkled paper into Flappe's hands.
"Now that you won't forget my message for Goku," Videl started, "we can find this Dragon Ball before Carth blows this place to kingdom come. Do you have any ideas on where to start?"
"Start," Flappe snorted with a dismissive wave of his hand. He plunged an arm into a pile of junk, his tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth. His eyes crossed as he concentrated on his extremities. Suddenly he jumped up like he'd been shocked. Videl wondered for a moment if something had bitten him, but then she realized that he clutched something in his hand: something orange.
That went far more smoothly than Videl could have hoped. "That's great, doctor!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think you'd find it this quickly. Let's go find Carth before he causes permanent destruction."
As it turns out, they were too late. Carth had gone upstairs, alright, and channeled his inner decorator. Videl looked around in disbelief; what was once been a bedroom was now an open-air patio.
"Something seems different..." the Doctor mused, running his hand through his hair.
"Like what I've done with the place?" Carth asked as he surveyed his handiwork.
"I've seen better. I think the arch you created over there," she said, pointing to a rounded crater-like opening in the wall, "could've been sculpted more carefully. It's a little rough around the edges."
"What can I say, I work my art with my ki, not my fists," he said with a casual shrug. Then he rounded on the former Red Ribbon Army scientist. "Do I have to demonstrate on you, Doc?"
"Demonstrations won't be necessary this time, you blood-thirsty goon," Videl explained, pointing towards the orange sphere in the eccentric doctor's hands.
"Come to papa!" he said, his eyes shining like a kid on Christmas morning. "Thanks Doc. Now that's what I call hospitality."
Videl was certainly relieved they escaped this extravaganza with no casualties. It was a nice change of pace from the death following their hunt. "Thanks for the small talk, Doctor," she called out. "Nice to meet you, Eighter!" Taking charge, Videl summoned her ki and began to levitate near the giant hole in the wall.
"Let's get out of here," Carth said to Videl, following her lead. He tossed the orange ball from hand to hand as he headed out into the blue sky, smirking his trademark smirk. "Three down, four to go."
Tavo put down the newspaper and frowned. Videl Satan gone bad? Tavo, by nature, didn't let his thoughts run away from him and treated conspiracy theorists with disdain, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Coco was involved. It wouldn't be surprising; Coco was involved in many seemingly unrelated incidents. He glanced out the train window and watched the rain drum against the window. The train was moving slightly behind schedule but he didn't mind. As a sniper he was used to sitting still for long periods of time, and usually in less comfort.
His attention was drawn to the overhead compartment and his wriggling sports bag. He grabbed the chloroform-infused rag from the table, then the bag. He slammed his luggage down, hoping to jarr the blue cat. He unzipped the bag and plunged the rag blindly downwards and missed; the creature had bitten the invading hand. Tavo swore and pulled his hand back out, then forced it back down and still missed the elusive beast.
On the third try he managed to push the rag onto the cat's face and a few seconds later it stopped struggling. Just then the train began to stop. Tavo quickly crammed the rag back into his pocket and slung the sports bag over his shoulder. He crouched down and retrieved the briefcase that contained the deconstructed parts of his sniper rifle from under the table. Just in time too, he was pretty much out of chloroform.
The sniper could hear other people getting up and collecting their luggage and opening compartment doors. He took one last glance around to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything before going out into the corridor.
People moved to the side as soon as they saw his hulking form walking briskly towards them. On most occasions Tavo made a point to try and not stand out in a crowd in case someone recognised him after a hit and told the police, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and surely he was desperate. Wren was dead and if he didn't get a Dragon Ball to Coco he'd be dead too. Hell, he'd settle for giving it to Carth. Even if the android was sure to lie about it and say he'd got it on his own, if it meant him escaping the Grim Reaper's scythe he wouldn't complain
Tavo stepped out onto the train station and took a deep breath of crisp, unfiltered country air. He headed into a nearby cafe to grab a cup of coffee. Normally he would never have coffee but he had been up for over twenty four hours and it was starting to show. He threw some change on the counter and left, grimacing as he tasted the bitter coffee. A necessary evil.
Tavo once again checked his cheap pay-as-you-go phone: no messages from Carth. Good, he had some time left before Carth started demanding results. He walked over to a cheap motel and paid for a room in cash. He opted to use the stairs to get up to his room, as there was sure to be a security camera in the elevator. The burly man preferred to stay out of CCTV as much as possible.
Tavo opened the room door and threw the sports bag on the flea-infested double bed and his briefcase on the floor. He threw open the wardrobe and pulled out all the drawers from the two bedside tables. He pulled the rug from the floor as well, no obvious bugs. Tavo walked over to the door and locked it, he proceeded to drag one of the bedside tables over to the door to barricade the would buy him an extra few seconds if someone broke in. He was being paranoid, he knew that. Wren had teased him about his paranoia at least a hundred times.
Shaking thoughts of his deceased comrade out of his head Tavo moved over to the bathroom. He took a quick look around the bathroom, glancing behind the taps and peering at the plumbing, and found no bugs. The hitman closed the curtains and focused his attention on the bed, or more specifically the sports bag on the bed. He unzipped the bag and let the unconscious blue cat tumble onto the duvet. He pulled the chair out from the desk in the corner and sat down. It shouldn't be too long before the creature regained consciousness. Then it was questioning time.
Less than half an hour later the cat stirred, its tail twitched before its black eyes snapped open. Confused and frightened. Tavo had expected the cat to lash out in its confused state, but Tavo was physically stronger and thought he could overpower the small blue cat easily. What he hadn't expected was for the small creature to turn into a sword.
A freaking sword!
Tavo hit the ground and rolled, the sword whizzing past and striking the cheap plaster wall. Dust flew up from the impact. Tavo rose to one knee, pulled up his shirt and took the small silenced pistol from his pants waistband. He hastily cocked the safety off and took aim.
The cat - or sword, rather - disappeared. For all he knew, it had probably turned into a speck of dust. Tavo stopped firing but the damage was already done, three bullets embedded themselves into the wall causing more dust to rise into the air. The burly man cursed. He had heard of shapeshifters before but he never thought he'd meet one in the flesh. The hitman paused, his ears and eyes straining to see or hear anything. The metal baseball bat came out of nowhere, it smashed into the back of his head. Tavo lay curled on the ground in the fetal position. His eyesight was blurry and his ears were ringing, he tasted blood in his mouth. Seconds felt like hours as he rose to his feet on shaky legs, he grabbed his pistol as he rose.
The creature was back in its blue cat form and was perched on top of the wardrobe. "Where's Yamcha? Tell me!" it demanded in a shrill voice.
Tavo responded by firing the last three shots into its small chest.
"Oh," the cat whispered weakly just before he tumbled down onto the carpet with a soft thud. Tavo walked over to the creature, tucking the used pistol back into his pants waistband after turning the safety on. A sanguine puddle was already developing around the fallen animal.
The hitman rolled the dying cat onto it's back and spoke. "Tell me where I can find a Dragon Ball and I will let the desert bandit live." He wasn't lying either; he knew that he didn't have a chance against the desert bandit if Wren couldn't beat Yamcha.
Their eyes met and the creature spoke. "Korin's...Tower."
Tavo walked over to the bed and opened his bag. He fished out some gauze and wrapped it around his head, stemming the bleeding, then washed the cat's blood off his hands in the bathroom sink. When he re-entered the bedroom, he didn't bother to check if the shape shifting cat was dead yet, as frankly it didn't matter. He didn't bother picking up the bullets either, after all the pistol wasn't registered on any database. With a careless gesture, the mercenary threw the table to one side and unlocked the door.
His thoughts drifted as he walked down the stairwell. Korin's Tower... He had no clue where that could be so he would have to risk it. He fished his phone out of his pocket with a mammoth hand and texted the most recent number he had for Carth. He would have to hope that Carth hadn't changed his phone in the last five days.
This is T. Do you know where Korin's Tower is?"
Zooming through the air at blistering speeds, the half-Saiyan couldn't help but allow himself to be consumed by his thoughts. Guilt ate away at him for not being able to save yet another of his friends from death. He couldn't save his father, couldn't save his mother, couldn't save Videl, and now he couldn't save Toh-Toh. Hell, he had even been too weak to rescue Piccolo, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha from death's doorstep all those years ago. Every giant step he made in strength, the evildoers of the world shot him down two pegs. It was infuriating!
This time would not go unpunished though. A defenseless dinosaur? What was next, a shapeshifting animal?
He knew he was blinded by his anger, but it truly did not matter one bit to him. He needed to get ahead of the game and figure out a solution to this entire mess. As he began to see Satan City entering his peripheral vision, he forced himself to calm down. Harboring anger over Toh-Toh's death would do him no good at the moment. He needed to keep a clear head and work towards his end goal.
He did have another pressing issue, though: landing without arousing suspicion. He hadn't had to deal with anything resembling secrecy ever since he decided to leave school with Videl. In the past few weeks since then, everything had been out in the open.
Pausing in mid-air, Gohan adopted a contemplative pose while hovering, his hands crossed over his chest. "I guess I could just land in the city as Saiya," he mused aloud. All that was necessary for his Saiya costume was taking off his shirt and turning Super Saiyan. With a plan set, Gohan allowed his aura to grow and his power to increase. The winds picked up around him as the energy output he was creating caused the air patterns to be disturbed. With an effortless flex of his muscles, he expended the last bit of energy needed to transform, his charcoal-black hair taking on a spectacular golden tint.
As the winds died down, Gohan's golden aura became visible, his radiant power glowing in the sky. His get-up complete, the superhero turned his sights towards Satan City below. He'd need to land somewhere unpopulated to set up camp so innocent civilians wouldn't get in the way. At the same time, he didn't want to be too far from the main population center of the city. A well developed, less inhabited section of the city would best serve his purposes. With a mission in mind, the Saiyan extended his senses and began the process of sensing the life forces of Satan City.
Within seconds, he had a target area in mind. He could identify a part of town near the bank that consisted of buildings, for the most part. There were a lot of structures in the area, but very few residential buildings. There was even a park in the middle of the six-block region, which he could use to his advantage once his plan began to come together.
Slowly, Gohan descended towards the ground, taking extra care to stay out of sight, despite his cover as a Super Saiyan. He landed between two large buildings in an alleyway, opting to make the rest of the trip on foot. As he traversed the streets en route to his destination, the Saiyan couldn't help but notice his surroundings in further detail. He could see the park where he intended to set up camp dead ahead of him, with a pair of mid-sized buildings, each likely twenty to thirty floors in size, directly to the left and right of the park. They were completely barren, with not even a single soul inhabiting either location, which made them the perfect cover for the park he'd stay in.
If this got messy, at least the casualties would probably be kept to a minimum. Who knew how bold Carth would be? Videl had already made her presence known in an incredibly public fashion, so secrecy was out the window. That would be another issue once this entire situation resolved itself, provided his raven-haired friend made it out unscathed; was it even possible to repair the image of a renowned crimefighter when said person commits a crime herself?
With the park directly in front of him, Gohan navigated his way towards the entrance of the green area, finding a bumpy dirt road leading into the center. He passed small wooden benches along the way, occasionally noticing a stray animal of sorts, but no actual humans. Trees populated the park, but the thing which appealed the most to Gohan was the hills which were scattered across the park, working in conjunction with the nearby buildings to create an interesting dynamic of obscured vision for anyone in the park. It could come in handy later.
In one particularly shielded part of the park, Gohan found a hill which supported a silver, wooden bridge, and chose that particular location as the spot where he would set up camp. The area under the bridge was covered and provided ample opportunity to observe his surroundings. Since he was unable to sense the ki of either Carth or Videl, the element of surprise could be vital to gaining the upper hand.
To his pleasant surprise, there was a wooden bench in the corner of the area under the bridge. He took it as a fine chance to sit down and gather his thoughts, placing the Dragon Ball at his side. At this point, his next step was basically a waiting game consisting of hiding the Dragon Ball adequately, perhaps underground again, and further surveying his surroundings to create a makeshift home field advantage.
Unfortunately, it also provided downtime where he could dwell on what had just happened once again. Gohan leaned over and placed his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. Contemplating recent events was proving more difficult than he'd previously thought. The most troubling aspect of the entire situation was that he needed to disturb his mother's grave to find the orange sphere beside him.
He hadn't thought much into his mom's death lately, excepting obviously that everything that was happening was related to her death. As far as her actually dying, it'd mostly been blocked out of his mind, for better or for worse. Now, though, he had all the time in the world to just sit and think about her, how much he missed her, and what would happen when all of this ended. Where would he go from here? The Ox Kingdom needed someone to watch over it, and he was the clearest candidate to overtake his late grandfather's throne and restore order; but, could someone with his past truly live with himself as a monarch?
Sighing, Gohan leaned back onto the support of the bench, interlocking his hands behind his head. His body slid forward a little as he angled himself upward towards the sky, longingly gazing up at both the underside of the bridge and the hints of blue seeping through from beyond it.
"Mom," he began, talking to himself and to the heavens above, "I really miss you. I don't know what to do. I can't wait for everything to be over and for things to be normal for the first time since that day." Gohan paused at that, reconsidering his words. "Who am I kidding? Nothing will ever be normal. Goten will always think Bulma and Vegeta are his parents. I killed Bulma's father for what he did to Videl. Why does everything need to be so fucked up?"
By this point, the half-Saiyan felt his eyes begin to tear up, water droplets finding their way onto his cheeks. "I've tried everything I can, really. I went to school. I made friends. I even rekindled my friendships with Piccolo, Krillin and Bulma to an extent, but nothing works. Everything still ends up completely messed up no matter what I try. I can't let Videl go either. I need to try, for her."
Gohan put his external monologue on hold for a moment, and reached to his side, grasping the orange ball between his fingertips and blankly looking down at the four stars inscribed on its surface. The ball meant so much to his family, from originally being passed down by his namesake to being the final piece to his childhood wardrobe. It also was a stark reminder of his past, of what he was now missing, and of why he needed to restore normalcy to his life. One day, the four-star ball would continue down the family lineage to Goten. When that day came, Gohan wanted to be right by his brother's side, explaining why it was so crucial to their family.
The only downside to keeping the Dragon Ball so close was that he was constantly bombarded by the memories of digging it up, of seeing Chi Chi's face in his mind as he did so. The dirt had been mostly undisturbed through the years, his mother's grave and its surrounding area preserved. It was quite lucky that Carth and Videl hadn't searched for that Dragon Ball next after the one in Toh-Toh's nest, but Gohan wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The process of actually finding the Dragon Ball had bordered on traumatic for Gohan; it was essentially an endless stream of unwelcome memories making themselves known. They ranged from his first memory of life with his mother to a time he and his parents went to a park in West City for a picnic, to the wonderful days which preceded the Cell Games. The floodgates had opened for the first time since he'd been spending time at his family home with Videl, and it took all of his willpower to force down the memories and work towards his goal of downing RabitGrass once and for all.
And the first step would be planning his assault on Carth, with which he was getting nowhere by dwelling on sadness. His resolve steeled, Gohan wiped his tear-stained eyes with his forearm. His aura was still whipping violently, causing the ascended Saiyan to realize that in his deep thought he'd kicked up leaves and branches that were lying near the bridge.
Deciding that he'd been in his Saiya persona long enough, Gohan was just about to power down when his sensitive hearing picked up the distinct sounds of screaming far off in the distance, followed quickly by a rapid succession of rounds being fired off by a gun. The superhero quickly set aside the Dragon Ball, choosing to bury it in the underside of the bridge with the hope that he'd be able to save these people quickly and without any injuries piling up on his conscience. He also realized, somewhat humorously, that he needed to buy a backpack to keep the Dragon Ball in.
His menial tasks complete, Gohan took off into the sky as Saiya, not caring this time whether any pedestrians caught sight of him. He would worry about repercussions after he kicked some random criminal's ass.
The sights passed below him at incredible speeds as Gohan sped through the sky towards where he could still hear earsplitting screams gracing the city. Within seconds, he found himself hovering about Satan City Terminal, the main hub for mass transit to enter and exit from.
'What the hell? That's different...' he mused to himself.
Throwing caution to the wind, Saiya descended rapidly, his hard landing alerting the nearby citizens to his presence. Several of the passing people regarded him cautiously, but the superhero paid them no heed and instead turned his sights towards the gigantic building. The front of the building was composed of see-through glass windows, which meant Gohan could easily discern that the disturbance was being caused by four or five masked gunmen with machine guns. There seemed to be hostages as well, which was the only thing that concerned the teen.
He decided that a graceful, nondescript entrance would be best, lest he startle one of the captors and cause them to fire their weapons. If he had control of the situation then he could use his spectacular speed to catch any bullet that was fired, but if he startled the criminals, they might all fire and cause stray bullets to hit humans. With that in mind, the Super Saiyan suppressed his power to an acceptable level so he wouldn't completely destroy the terminal as he entered, and walked through the revolving glass door, right into the heart of the storm. Immediately, two of the gunmen - of which he could now clearly identify there were four - pointed their weapons at him. The other two subtly redirected their firearms at the hostages, causing a slight conundrum for Gohan. If two open fired at him, that would be no problem; he could just catch all of the bullets. Should the other decide to enter the fray, however, that would cause issues, since he couldn't protect the people outside the terminal behind him from stray bullets and also protect the hostages.
"What are you doing here, mate?" one of the crooks asked him. Saiya now assumed he was the leader, since the others looked towards him as he spoke. The man wasn't very intimidating at about five feet and ten inches tall, but he still held an air of authority.
"I just heard some racket and it was keeping me from my midday nap," Gohan answered coolly, keeping his face a blank facade devoid of emotion.
"Well, why don't ya scram?" another criminal proposed, his filthy teeth on display as he crudely smiled. The man's eyes bore into Gohan, but the Super Saiyan wouldn't flinch.
"I'm good." Who knew two simple words could incite such anger? Immediately, all four crooks visibly grew irritated with Saiya's nonchalant attitude.
Suddenly, one of the men's eyes widened. "Hey, you're that freak who used to clean up some of the crime around here, aren't you?"
Really? A freak? He hadn't even really assisted much, just a handful of times. Very few people would really know about anything having to do with that.
"If you want to remain in one piece," he began menacingly, "then I would recommend not calling me a freak. Play nice." He'd try and be nice, to give them a chance at redemption before he ended this situation.
"What's your name, freak?" the fourth crook rudely asked.
The little things in life annoyed Gohan. These thieves had pushed his buttons for the last time. "Well, since you asked so nicely," he started, "I'll tell you; it's going to be the last thing you hear as a free man, though. My name is Saiya."
With his two cents said, the Super Saiyan shot forward, delivering a quick strike to the leader's chest, instantaneously knocking the man unconscious. He held back his power enough so to only knock him out and not kill him. Speeding up, Gohan made his movements fast enough to appear invisible to the human eye.
"Where the hell did he go, Jim?" the criminal who'd set him over the edge said, addressing the criminal who'd recognized Gohan. His wide brown eyes surveyed the terminal, desperately searching for any trace of Saiya.
"I have no idea," Jim responded, flabbergasted. "Saiya!" he called out into the silent air. "Come out of hiding or I'll shoot a hostage!" Instantly, all of the people trapped in the terminal began frantically blurting out horrified, scared shouts.
"Ugh!" the last criminal sputtered, his jaw dropped, before he fell to the ground, knocked out.
"What just happened, Danny?" Jim asked his last remaining cohort. He turned, expecting a quick response, but was greeted with the unconscious form of a third of his friends. "You asked for it, Saiya!" he shouted, turning to the hostages, his gun armed. "You there, in the red, come here."
A larger, bald man stood up from the crowd and fearfully made his way over to his captor. "W-what?" he asked, his voice unable to remain steady and hide his fear.
"This freak has tested our patience, so I've been forced to kill one of you to retaliate for his disobedience. Turn around and get on your knees," Jim ordered.
The man looked positively terrified at this point, but could do nothing except comply, kneeling on the ground, whimpering. "P-please, don't do this," he begged.
Jim was having none of it, though. "I didn't want to, but I need to," he said, showing a small amount of remorse for his coming action. With his bit said, the criminal loaded the gun, pointed it directly at the bald man's head and squeezed the trigger.
Whoosh
It all happened extremely fast. One second, the gun recoiled a little as the bullet was ejected from the chamber. The next, a golden flash entered everyone's field of vision, inches behind the man's skull.
Saiya stood in the middle of the terminal once more, his right fist balled, shut tight. Slowly, the golden-haired superhero unraveled his fingers, the residue of the crushed bullet falling to the ground. "I think this was yours, Jim," he sneered. Then, just as quickly, he sped forward, elbowing the last remaining criminal in the gut. Before Jim fell unconscious, Gohan leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "You never had a chance."
With that, the final crook fell unconscious and Gohan was left to deal with the aftermath. The crowd of hostages was evenly split between showering Saiya with applause and being hesitant of his strange powers. In fact, some even cried out their disappointment that he hadn't stepped in sooner.
"You almost let that man die!" a particularly outraged woman shouted at him.
"I didn't though, did I?" he snapped back. These people were seriously going to complain about how he'd saved them? They were only alive because of him.
"For what it's worth," the bald man he'd saved spoke up, "thank you."
"No problem," he offered. Gohan then stepped back through the revolving doors, ignoring the ruckus in the terminal. As the outside light shone into his vision once again, he was bombarded with a sea of people waiting outside the terminal.
"Are you going to kill us like Videl?" one particularly annoying looking woman screamed at him. Others also yelled at him, some voicing their concerns over Videl, others asking where he'd been, even others expressing outrage that he, a vigilante, had stepped into that situation.
"No, I am not going to kill you," he said, appeasing their concerns. "I do believe there is a good person in Videl and that when she returns, she should be given a chance to explain her actions like anyone else would be."
His opinion stated, Gohan proceeded to lift off the ground intent on heading back to his quaint park and relaxing after all the excitement. As he was a few feet off the ground, however, he noticed Hercule Satan staring at him from off to the side. Taking pity on the elder man, Saiya flew over to the World Champion and landed directly in front of him.
"Would you like to talk, Champ?" he asked Hercule, his eyes glancing off in the opposite direction of the masses. Upon receiving a nod, the two martial artists began a brisk jog away from all of the pedestrians and media members. Once they were far enough away, Gohan continued. "I'm currently staying in a nearby park. Let me power down, and then I'll fly us over there." A plan established, Gohan relaxed his muscles and let his ki slowly decrease as he released his power. His vibrant golden hair quickly lost its majestic touch and faded back into its previous black color. He then scooped Hercule up by putting his arms under the older man's shoulders and lifted the pair into the sky.
"Where's Videl?" Hercule asked as soon as they were in the air. It seemed he didn't feel like wasting any time and rather immediately wanted answers to his questions.
"I don't know," Gohan dejectedly admitted. "She was kidnapped from Capsule Corp. several days ago." Back when he and Videl had first agreed to the fake assassination plot, before Bahia Rhizoma had entered the fray, they'd agreed to shield Hercule from the details, but this was different. He was Videl's father, and he had a right to know what was happening.
"What they're saying... it can't be true," Mr. Satan rambled on. "It just can't be. My baby girl would never hurt anyone!"
Gohan could sympathize with an overprotective parent, considering how protective his own mother had been. Still, sometimes a parent needed to hear the blunt truth. "I don't know exactly what's happened," he conceded, "but from what I've been told Videl isn't herself and did hurt those people. I'm sure that despite whatever has happened to her, there is still a genuinely fantastic person in there. She saved me from a long depression, if you didn't know."
"By dating you?" Hercule retorted, a slight pang of anger apparent across his face.
"No," Gohan admitted once again. "That was a ruse, to an extent. We became very close friends, but never dated." The thought had crossed his mind during the time following the failed assassination, and especially in the proceeding days. He and Videl got along very well, but this entire Carth debacle had put a huge dent in the progress their friendship had been making.
"Why did you lie then, kid?" the Champ asked, his anger vanished. "I don't get it. What was Videl and your play?"
"It's complicated," Gohan said. "I don't want to get into the details."
"I have time," Hercule stated, holding firm. "My daughter is missing and apparently killed someone. I think I can set aside the time to hear the entire story."
And so, Gohan told Hercule some details. He told him about his familial lineage and how his mother was assassinated. He explained how he and Videl used her as a decoy to draw out a RabitGrass assassin and then explained how those same criminals who'd killed his mother had kidnapped Videl and tried to kill his brother.
"So, let me get this straight," the burly man said, attempting to clarify the flood of information he'd received. "You're the missing Ox Prince, and you're also the saviour of the world. Did I miss anything?"
"Those are the important details, I suppose. Are you satisfied, now?" he inquired, his lips curling up in a smile as Hercule nodded his head.
"Keep safe, kid. Bring Videl back home. Kami knows I don't have the power to combat whatever it is has her now. Please bring her back to me. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I didn't really get to properly apologize the last time we talked."
"It's no problem, Mr. Satan. I'll bring her back. I promise."
Their conversation finished, Hercule left the park on foot, reaching the road before decapsulizing his car. As the older man drove off towards the main area of Satan City, Gohan was left to his thoughts.
"The missing Ox Prince, huh?" he mused aloud. It was true. He was missing for such a long time that he'd developed that reputation amongst the masses. That was about to change, though. "Well, the world is about to finally find the Ox Prince, I suppose, even if they don't know it's him."
He was missing no more.
For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.