I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 34: Chemical Z

In a darkened room that resembled a cave, Lenz found herself strapped to one of the walls by very strong chains.

"Where am I?" she asked aloud.

"Neck deep in trouble," Bulma said from nearby. Lenz glanced over to see that Bulma was strapped to a small platform, but was able to stand and move a little bit. Lenz tugged at her own bonds, but despite her Saiyan strength, they didn't budge.

"Did I miss something? I didn't think I was even tipsy yet!" Lenz grinned sheepishly.

"You didn't come here by choice Lenz, and neither did I. You don't happen to know how long I've been gone, do you? It probably hasn't been more than a few days, but I've been stuck in here so I don't know," Bulma frowned.

"What do you mean by gone? The only thing wrong at home was the prince acting a little strange around you, don't you remember that? He lied to you by the way; Bulla isn't walking on her own yet. Hell, she can barely crawl!" Lenz laughed. Bulma's frown deepened as she realized that Lenz wasn't as aware of the situation as she should have been.

"Whoever has been at home up until now, it wasn't me. I haven't been there ever since I sent you out to look for Verto after that battle. Two young girls came by for an interview and that's all I remember. I woke up here," Bulma explained.

"I thought something seemed off when the baby wouldn't stop crying until Vegeta or I held her. So it wasn't you that drugged little brother to sleep either, that's a relief!"

Bulma blinked in confusion, "Why in the world would I ever do that?"

"Well, he kind of needed it to recover; he was in really bad shape. Well mentally anyway, he just refused to relax. Was up in arms on saving the day and all that stuff! But if that wasn't you then…" Lenz was interrupted by someone else entering the room. When the figure stepped into the dim light, Bulma's eyes widened.

"You're one of the girls that asked for an interview. Why have you brought me here?"

"You're the chick from the bar and you wanted me to follow you, somewhere," Lenz said, confused.

Ranso swung her hips slightly as she stepped over with a malicious grin, "If dear Doctor Cash hadn't wanted to study you right away, we could have done a lot more!"

Lenz scoffed and turned her head away, "Like I would give you any of this!"

"Careful, you will if I want you to!" Ranso claimed as she fearlessly walked closer.

Lenz managed her own grin as Ranso got within inches of her, "Go ahead, make me!"

Ranso lightly touched her chin, "Okay then, kiss me!" Lenz abruptly lurched forward and locked lips with her, staying that way for nearly ten seconds before Ranso pulled away. Bulma was horrified by what just transpired, and Lenz was confused again as she blinked sharply.

"What the hell just happened?" Lenz asked.

"Want another?" Ranso offered.

Lenz stifled a grin, "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't."

"I know. I'll play with you more later once that gorgeous body is mine!" Ranso said as she stepped away.

"What?" Lenz and Bulma cried out at once.

"You heard me. Just like Mister Cash will transfer his mind over to one of the male Saiyans, so will I over to you!"

"That's his big plan?" Bulma asked, not believing it.

"Part of it, it's just a matter of isolating which Saiyan is the strongest in all the world!" Ranso replied.

Bulma managed a slight laugh despite the evil revelation, "I know old Flandal is crazy, but that's beyond nuts! Once my husband finds out what you've been doing and what you're planning, well it won't be pretty!"

"Laugh while you can Miss Briefs. Even if my associate failed her mission, none of them will be able to find this place. We have many devices spread across the area, designed to inhibit Saiyan energy! They will be powerless if they come within the city limits!" Ranso claimed.

"One of those ki restrictor things? Must be why I can't use mine now," Lenz noted.

"Protoss technology," Bulma grumbled.

"Originally yes, but it's been slightly modified," Ranso replied.

"You won't get away with this! I promise you that!" Bulma retorted.

"We already have. By the time anyone notices something's wrong, it will be too late! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pick up some of your family! They should be prepared by now!" Ranso said as she headed for the door. She didn't quite make it before an alarm went off.

Lenz laughed, "Sounds like trouble!"

"Minor security alert up in the main Cash Industries Tower. I wouldn't get my hopes up yet!" Ranso snapped back. A nearby phone rang just as the alarm klaxon ended.

"Yes doctor? Alright, understood," Ranso said softly. Once she hung up, she slammed her fist against the desk.

"Damn girl can't do anything right!" Ranso typed in a few commands, and a huge video screen opened up on the far wall. It blipped on, showing multiple views of the main halls in one of the Cash towers. One screen picked up activity and was instantly switched over to fill up the screen. There was Verto behind a frightened Kati Cash, his blue Psi sword at her back.

"Damnit, he's not supposed to be out of bed yet, not till he's better!" Lenz growled. The screen split back into two, with the other showing the lobby. Dozens of security personal were lying all over the place in various positions; only a few of them were even twitching.

"I'd say he's feeling better. How is he able to use his power with the energy dampeners on?" Ranso asked.

"Hah, that's because…" Lenz began before catching the look in Bulma's eye.

"Because what my sweet?" Ranso glanced back.

"B-because he's pissed off and he's going to kill everyone here!" Lenz stuttered out. Bulma sighed in very slight relief, though it wasn't much of a cover.

"Humph, well he can try to find us. He'll find we have several surprises in store for him! Guess we'll find out how good he's feeling soon; I'll send in the twins!" Ranso laughed.

After dealing with the ineffective security squad in the lobby, I proceeded slowly through the main Cash Industries building with Kati Cash leading the way. Even though she was willing to help me, I didn't think it would be wise to reveal that little fact to everyone. Thus I kept my sword in open view and within inches of her back. She didn't like the idea personally, even when I assured her that I wouldn't accidentally slip. It was either freely reveal to everyone that she would help me or that my powers were working in full. In the end, it would probably be better to take the latter even if both were true.

"Just try not to stab me when we run across someone else okay?" she whispered.

"As long as you don't act too convincing," I replied.

"There shouldn't be very many cameras once we get to the top floor. Assuming what Kain told you is inaccurate. I'm very certain that there aren't two other labs, just two other wings," Kati mentioned.

"I'm not going to rule that out no matter what you tell me. And if this isn't the right place, we'll have to search for clues on the whereabouts of another. Ahem," I cleared my throat when I sensed two stronger presences ahead.

On cue, Kati started screaming, "Help me daddy!" The hallways lightened enough to reveal two identical boys, both dressed in black.

The one on the left spoke first, "You'd better let her go if you want to get out of this alive kid!"

"Ryo! Help me!" Kati cried out. I could tell they weren't normal humans despite their appearance; it wasn't going to be a simple mop up job like the security guards had been.

"Easy circus freak. Just back off and this won't get ugly," I answered. The other twin suddenly phased out, and Kati vanished. I sensed them both behind me and turned slightly just to see Kati was in his arms as he glared back at me. Super speed for that one, is the other one the same or different?

"Thanks Supido," Kati mumbled.

Supido, the fast one, seemed extremely confident, "You won't beat the two of us! My brother has more strength than any man in the world! And there is no one faster than me!" How fitting since they're twins.

"Strength and speed aren't everything. And you're not the only one who's fast!" I declared as I disengaged my sword. I nodded forward just slightly as Kati took the signal and stepped back. Rushing forward, I attempted to take Supido's claim away along with his head, but I narrowly missed. I sensed him reappear next to his brother Ryo.

"You're too slow little boy!" Supido smiled.

That smile faded when I held up a torn portion of his shirt in my hand, "You sure about that?" Supido felt the back of his neck, realizing how close I had come to putting him in his place.

"H-how?" he stuttered.

"Whether I have as much pure speed as you at this level is debatable since my ki is unavailable, however, that doesn't take away from my reflexes. Once I adjust to your speed, you're done!" I warned.

His twin brother Ryo stepped up, "Try me then tough guy!" Ryo walked forward before eventually breaking into a dead sprint with a fist drawn back. Might as well see what this fool has before I run them both over. I didn't budge as Ryo came up and nailed me in the face. My ears instantly rang and I lost my equilibrium as I landed several feet away. Ow, damn punk has as much pure strength as Vegeta! I wiped a slight trickle of blood from my lip as I glared up to see the twins high-fiving each other.

"Nice one bro!" Supido declared in victory. That declaration turned into a gasp when I got to my feet.

"What? You thought one punch would end this?" I asked.

Ryo scoffed, "Maybe, but you won't get up when I actually hit you this time!"

"I love how you think you're the only one holding back. I was hoping not to unleash my power until I had to, but I really don't have time for you two upstarts. This ends now!" I threatened as I began to power up silently.

"Quit trying to scare us with your smoke and mirror tricks kid! You aliens can't use your powers in here!" Supido claimed.

"I'm not like the others, and I barely need a fraction of my energy to crush the two of you!" I said as I intentionally released some of it outwards. As my silver aura appeared, the floor and walls shook in the narrow hallway. Both walls cracked in several places as several light fixtures shattered along with any and all cameras. As a result, the corridors darkened completely once I stopped at about half power.

"Where'd he go, I can't see a thing!" Ryo shouted.

"I got him!" Supido claimed as he rushed to my position. I quickly avoided him by slipping into the darkness behind. Supido stood dumbfounded at where I had been.

"Too slow," I said. Supido bolted just as the emergency lighting came on, showering us in a sea of red. Ryo locked eyes on me and reached to the ground, ripping into the cracked flooring. He pulled up and a long portion of the floor came up with him, which he threw at me. I phased out, avoiding the rubble and coming up behind Ryo, nailing him in the side with a simple kick. He partially broke through the wall and lay there stunned as I set my eyes on his brother.

"How?" Supido asked again.

"You underestimated your opponent, bad move. Not as bad as getting in my way, but it's a close second," I replied.

"I'll get you!" he claimed as he charged in a very fast pace. I was able to track him very easily this time and stepped under his punch as I shoved my forearm outward. He came to a dead stop and started to choke as I backed off a step. Too hard, must have busted something. Supido dropped to a knee as he coughed up a generous amount of blood, along with whatever he had for breakfast. The walls behind me crumbled slightly as Ryo got to his feet, holding his side.

"You're dead little man!" he growled in rage as he plowed towards me. I shook my head slightly and side stepped his charge, tripping him. As he slowly came down, I added a hammering blow to the back of his shoulder. He dropped to the ground and stopped moving. His brother had already collapsed and wasn't in a huge hurry to twitch either. I quickly glanced back to where Kati had been, finding that she hadn't dared to move. I heard her breath shudder as I walked up; she couldn't even take her eyes off my own.

Her nervousness didn't fade even when I did power down, "What was Daddy thinking?"

"Probably wasn't, let's go," I replied angrily. I hadn't intended to hurt two more of Dr. Cash's underlings like that, and her genuine fear reminded me of it. Guess I'm still not quite in control of myself here. I've got to proceed calmly no matter what happens. I don't want to totally lose control and make things worse!

Kati led Verto to the top floor, where XS Cash's office was.

"The elevator is in hidden in here," Kati mumbled as she hesitated.

"Brilliant place for an entrance to a lab that's probably underground," Verto grumbled.

Kati hissed in anger, "Well sorry! I would have preferred trying to use the other one except it would probably involve more people getting hurt after you promised not to harm anyone!"

"And increase the chance that daddy dearest gets away. You had better not be stalling for his safety! That so called promise doesn't apply when these idiots get in the way and you know that! I said I would trust you, but I do not take betrayal lightly!" Verto retorted.

"You've made that point very clear already," Kati replied in her own angry tone as she tried to open the door. It remained locked however, prompting Verto's attention.

"Don't bother knocking," Verto said as he bashed the door down with a forearm. Inside, XS Cash himself was sitting at his desk, moderately amazed that someone had the nerve to break down his door. Within a few seconds he was already sweating nervously and Verto hadn't said a word to him yet.

"Y-young Verto, what can I d-do for you this lovely evening?" he asked as his teeth chattered slightly.

"You can start with opening the way to your brother's lab. We'll address the rest of it later," Verto replied.

XS attempted to smile humbly, "Whatever do you mean?" The windows shattered just from Verto's angry expression, bringing in the chilly night air.

"I played your innocence game once; I won't do it again. The lab entrance now, or something a lot closer to you will blow up next," Verto warned, eyeing the computer at the desk.

XS shivered in fear, "It's behind the bookshelf!"

Verto glanced around at the several sets of shelves and grimaced slightly, "Open it then. I don't have x-ray vision so you'll have to be a little more specific!" XS turned to his right and waddled over, shaking with every step. He pulled a connected set of books out, revealing a small control panel. He pressed a single button and backed up as the portion of the bookshelf lifted out of the way, revealing a steel door.

"There you go," XS said.

"Cash, open the door," Verto ordered.

"Why, can't you do it?" XS dared to say. Verto's sword was within an inch of his neck before he could blink, though he pulled it back so XS could get a good look at it. The sweat poured from his head as he continued to shake in fear of the Saiyan boy. Kati gasped as Verto's glare alone reduced her uncle to his knees with tears threatening to pour out.

"P-please! I don't know anything! I have a wife and a son, d-don't kill me! I'll give you any-anything!" XS pleaded.

"Don't tempt me then, that brat of yours probably couldn't function on a normal family income," Verto growled.

"And how would you function, with everything you have taken from you?" XS dared to ask. Verto's eyebrow lifted into its trademark position as he turned his head in wonder, disengaging his sword. Must have hit a nerve with that one. This idiot probably doesn't truly understand who he's facing here.

"Are you really that fucking stupid?" Verto asked in disbelief.

"Don't think I can eh? I'll make sure your whole family is out on the streets before the month is out! With my money, it's possible! I'll sue Bulma Briefs for everything she has! And I'll win!" XS declared with a crazy wide-eyed expression. Verto's anger had changed to momentary confusion while Kati just held her head in surprise.

"You martial artists are immaterial in this world today! Everyone answers to the all-mighty dollar!" XS laughed. Verto blinked in disbelief and let out a sharp exhale before answering. He noticed that Kati was hinting at taking cover while XS tried to pose like he was the brave hero in all this. Verto spotted a very distinct river of paling flesh coming from the rich man's balding head and instantly knew how false it was.

"First of all, I'm not a martial artist. That would require a level of patience and discipline that I just don't have anymore. Dealing with people like you kind of drove it out of me a long time ago. Second, I don't doubt that you have an absurd amount of money. But if you think a lawsuit will do anything to help you, you're sadly mistaken. I'm not just a stupid child that you can push around, so don't treat me like one. You should be treating me with the utmost respect as if I was holding you at gunpoint. Would you dare say no to a hostage taker?" Verto asked, anger rising again.

"Well no…" XS mumbled.

"Then open the goddamn door!" Verto shouted into his ear.

Kati sighed just a bit in relief, "Uncle X, you probably don't want to push the issue. I don't think he'd think twice about dropping you from this far up!"

XS nodded, "I suppose not." XS thumbed a switch and stood aside as the door opened. Verto's head turned just slightly as if he heard something that the others didn't. He saw the cab twitch just slightly and his angry frown returned.

"Close it, now!" he said sternly. XS looked confused, but shrugged and complied. A loud groan sounded once the door was shut, coming from the rafters. Nearly ten seconds passed before they all heard a distant crashing sound. Kati's eyes widened along with her uncle's.

"How did you know?" Kati asked.

"It pays to be paranoid. Plus you've got to believe that he knows we're here now, so all the traps will be active. That's proof enough that your father is demented; it could have been you in there!" Verto explained. Kati stared at the ground in dismay as Verto peered into the elevator shaft.

"Now hold on just a minute! You can't just come barging in here and be causing all kinds of property damage! Searching the building is a police matter! Leave now before I press charges!" XS declared as he suddenly found his courage again, along with the color of his face.

Verto looked at him like he was crazy, "You must really hate your life to be saying something like that now. As far as the cops go, yeah sure. Maybe they can get me psychiatric help since I'm such a disturbed little boy!"

XS frowned at the mocking tone in Verto's voice, "Think of what you're doing to your poor mother!" XS paled again when Verto's intense glare came back to say hello.

Verto turned to Kati first though, "Did he leave anything for you in his will?"

Kati's eyes widened along with her uncle's, "I wouldn't know."

Verto turned back to the rich man, "Listen, and listen good you son of a bitch! I have been thinking about Bulma a lot since I first came here tonight. Every strand of hair had better still be on her head when I find her. Not one blemish on her body had better be present; do you understand me? Anything less than perfect equals how much I'm going to rip this place apart!" Verto growled.

"Bulma is here?" XS asked in surprise. It was Verto's turn to be surprised as he felt the genuine feeling from XS Cash. He doesn't know? How could he not…unless he really isn't in on all this with his brother. The rich man's confusion doubled as Verto backed away for a moment.

"She's down in the lab, or at least that's where Ranso took her," Kati added. XS stared at the ground in thought before he stumbled over to his desk and rummaged through his file cabinet.

"Well, before you go, maybe we should take a look at this data disk. It might shed some light on this situation," XS suggested.

"Another sudden change of heart? I think there might be hope for your family," Verto snorted.

"Flandal's funding comes from Cash Industries. When you and your mother showed up a few weeks ago, he assured me that nothing else would transpire between us. But he's been a little shady to even me before, and I hired a private investigator to look into things. He sent me this disk a few days ago, saying everything I needed to know would be found on there. He said specifically that the images were disturbing to say the least. Flandal's never gone behind my back before, so I disregarded it. Perhaps I was wrong to assume anything about my brother," XS explained.

"In that case, maybe I was wrong to assume you had a hand in everything here," Verto admitted.

"That's not accurate; I knew that Flandal was after your family for something very specific. He perceives you aliens as a very real threat, and I have yet to see something that truly contradicts that. However, I fully realize that not everything you people do is bad for this planet. If someone as stuck up as Hercule Satan can see that, I certainly can. Shall we see what is on the disk? Kati, you can help us search through it," XS added.

"Yeah," Verto nodded as Kati sat down. When the first folder popped up, there were literally hundreds of sub folders filled with information.

"Wow, whoever did this got really deep," Kati admitted.

"Search experimentation first, that's probably the bulk of what we need to see," Verto suggested.

"You're thinking of seeing the Chemical Z tests aren't you?" Kati asked.

"That's the idea. I want to know everything about that if possible," Verto replied.

"I don't know what the original stuff does, only that it's a little unstable. He wouldn't let me see those tests after what happened with the dog," Kati added.

"The dog?" Verto asked.

"He let me watch him inject a test animal. Within about ten minutes the dog went crazy and tried to escape its cage. It did manage to break some of the glass and bend the metal, but it had injured its own head so badly that it died from brain damage!"

"You told me that is was supposed to make someone brain-dead, or at least put them in a coma. It sounds like this dog went rabid and killed itself on accident," Verto argued.

"No, that was a refined version that had been carefully mixed with additives and tested. And it wasn't totally black either, more of a gray color. The dog was injected with a black substance clearly marked Chemical Z. It drives up levels of adrenaline and suppresses most brain activity. So whatever creature has that stuff in its system would be very aggressive and much stronger than normal, not to mention crazy," Kati explained as she eyed Verto carefully.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, for awhile now I've had this awful feeling that I injected exactly that into you, but I'm not sure," she said.

Verto snorted, "Saiyans are naturally aggressive and strong. And I've been able to think very clearly the entire time. Whatever you hit me with, all it did was give me a headache before I used my energy to wipe it out. I've done it before against viruses and genetically altering shit, so I can certainly handle a badly mixed cocktail. As you can see, no problem," Verto replied smugly.

"That doesn't explain your attitude all this time. You're not an aggressive person!" Kati claimed.

Verto shrugged, "I'm pissed off, what's the shock? Or is there something about that picture that isn't clear enough yet?"

"Well either you handled it, or it just hasn't taken effect yet," Kati countered.

"Yeah right. With my metabolism, that's not likely. I noticed its attempted effects almost immediately," Verto grinned in confidence.

"While you were almost dead to rights and unconscious. And you are just a little bit bigger than that dog was. I don't know how long it would take to work on a human, but I imagine it's longer than ten minutes!"

"Perhaps you two can find out more about this Chemical Z with Flandal's equipment, assuming you can even get down there," XS interjected.

"Won't be a problem…" Verto started to say as the building shook suddenly. A loud rumbling sound was the only precursor to the room heating up suddenly. The elevator shaft brightened just as the door began to rattle. It suddenly blew off and shot towards the trio, but was quickly displaced by Verto's forearm. A large wave of fire and debris came through next, igniting most of that side of the room. Verto cast his hand forward and conjured his Psi shield, deflecting the fire and incinerating some of the debris. As the plume of flames subsided, Verto spread his energy forward lightly, calming the rest of the fire until there was nothing but smoke left.

"I'd say someone didn't want us in there. I hope you know of another entrance," Verto suggested.

"I do, but maybe we should see this first. They'll probably seal it off, but you can always blast through it. I found a folder containing video records of human test subjects!" Kati claimed.

"What? He said he would never do any human testing for any of his experiments! He knows I'll pull his funding!" XS roared in anger as he picked up desk phone, "Security! Sweep the building; I want my brother found!"

"There are only two recorded video clips on here. I can only assume that it involved two different results of testing," Kati said.

"Play them both, I don't care which one is first," Verto ordered. The screen flipped to the video file and began with a few seconds of static before it showed a normal enough looking man strapped to a table. At his side, an older looking doctor was preparing a needle.

"Is that him?" Verto asked.

"My brother? No, it's one of his assistants," XS said. Audio started to filter through, and a different, younger voice came from the speakers.

"Human trials. Test number zero zero one of chemical identified as substance Z. Injection into human specimen zero six eight at approximately fifteen thirty hours on October nineteenth. Initial injection successful, no problems evident," the voice said.

"That's my brother's voice though. He is a much younger looking man. Probably got it from his mother," XS noted.

"Same father I take it?" Verto asked as XS nodded. The video suddenly skipped ahead, showing only the older doctor walking around quickly while the test subject stayed in one place. Once the feed slowed, the human subject was looking a little edgy and appeared to be sweating quite a bit.

"Thirty minutes after injection. Subject showing elevated heart rate and heavy amounts of perspiration. Still within normal parameters, though he is complaining of a very painful stomach ache," Flandal said. Another hour and a half skips by, and now the subject had broken the restraints and was throwing things around the room. He was also shouting and growling randomly and incoherently. His skin was also discolored, and it wasn't from the sweat.

"Two hours in, subject is showing signs of increased strength and aggressive tendencies. Within the last ten minutes, heart rate has increased to three hundred and remaining steady. Latest blood sample showing adrenaline levels exceeding five hundred percent of normal, higher brain functions are eroding. Body temperature at forty nine degrees Celsius and rising!"

"That'll kill him!" Kati claimed.

"I doubt he cares," Verto grumbled as his glare intensified. Another hour skipped by and now the subject was curled up on the ground, shivering and reaching out for something.

"Three hours in. Subject showing signs of rejection, weakness and is complaining of extreme thirst. Subject given several servings of water, with no effect. Adrenaline levels at ten percent of normal, heart rate at one hundred ninety five. Body temperature slowly falling, currently at forty-six degrees, down from a maximum of fifty-one point five. Brain wave activity declining," Flandal said. Just as he finished, a long and loud beep sounded and continued for several seconds as the subject slumped to the ground.

"Subject now unconscious, brain activity has ceased." A few more hours skip by on the video, and the test subject had been moved back onto the bed before eventually being covered up.

"Death occurred at twenty forty-five hours. Human test zero zero one of chemical substance Z is a failure." Flandal surmised as the video clip ended. Kati had her hand over her mouth in shock as a few tears rolled out of her eyes. Her uncle had a similar expression, and Verto remained serious and stern.

"Play the other one," he said in a very low tone.

"I can't watch that again!" Kati claimed.

"Then close your eyes, or cover your ears. Hell, leave the room if you want, play it!" Verto barked. Kati gathered herself and opened the file, but elected to watch anyway. The second clip began with a new test subject sitting in a chair, not strapped down. The older doctor brought him something to drink, but the glass was filled with black.

"Test number zero one four of chemical substance Z, ingestion by human test subject zero eight four commencing," Flandal stated.

Kati choked slightly, "He's going to drink that?"

"If you two have any trouble holding what's left of your stomach, you might want to turn away," Verto suggested, "I have a feeling this clip is going to be much worse."

"The last one killed someone; how much worse could it get?" XS asked. Verto didn't answer, and the video skipped ahead for the first time.

"Thirty minutes after ingestion, no visible or measurable change," Flandal came on, sounding disappointed. Another skip went by, and all the subject was doing was reading a magazine.

"Two hours in. Slight increase of adrenaline in latest blood test, also very slight increase in heart rate, well within normal tolerances. Body temperature thirty seven point three." The next passage of time was quite a bit more than before. The only thing different now was the subject was pacing a bit around the room, looking slightly impatient but nothing like the previous one.

"Six hours in, subject beginning to show agitation. Adrenaline levels at two hundred percent of normal, heart rate at one sixty and slowly rising. Body temperature thirty seven point five, subject complaining of a moderate stomach ache," Flandal rattled off before the feed fast-forwarded again.

"This is clearly having a different effect," XS muttered though no one responded to him. The lights in the room went off for part of the skip and the subject appeared to have slept with an awful lot of tossing and turning.

"Twenty hours in. Subject has just woken and eaten a full meal without disruption. Appears to be very cheerful with no signs of agitation. All blood tests and readings are within normal parameters, commencing function tests. Door to the exam room broken off its hinges by accident; increased strength present." The feed changed to a gymnasium, where the guinea pig was quite literally burning up a smoking treadmill with super human speed.

"Subject ran five kilometers in two minutes, showing very little signs of fatigue. Testing measure destroyed. Heart rate measured at just below one hundred," Flandal explained, sounding impressed.

"Wow, that's some potent stuff!" XS pointed out.

"I'd hold your applause if I were you," Verto advised. The scene changed to outdoors, where the supped up human was successfully picking up a car and holding it up over his head for quite a bit of time.

"Subject has strength beyond expected parameters. True capacity unknown," Flandal noted with a slight hint of nervousness. They went back to the gym, where the subject was running around at absurd speeds, jumping and flipping through the air with incredible leaps and dives. All the while he didn't even look winded.

"All physical attributes exceed expectations, no signs of mental trauma. Commencing intimacy tests." Verto's eyes widened, Uh oh. The scene flipped back to the first room, where the subject was in the process of making out with a very attractive girl. It didn't take long for that to change however. Though there was no audio, it was clear what happened when she suddenly backed away from the subject after he got a little impatient with her. The spicy make out session broke into a violent display of humanity as the test subject began to roughly assert his will over the girl. Kati broke down and cried as all three witnessed the girl being raped with an intensity none of them had ever seen before. XS managed to look away and attempt to console his niece, but Verto's piercing glare never shifted direction. Both Kati and XS noticed Verto's fists shaking in rage, with occasional small bursts of Psi lightning coming from them, but he never lost control the entire time. The scene shifted briefly to the girl being examined after the encounter. She had severe bruises and cuts all over her body, as well as a concussion and a broken arm. The man regressed to throwing objects around the room after it was done, and then went to sleep. When the lights came back on, things had changed once again.

"Forty eight hours in. Subject's testosterone levels remain abnormally high long after intimacy test. Increased aggression and agitation are present. Subject has ravenous appetite and extreme thirst that cannot be quenched," Flandal said, not missing a beat. Another day went through, and it only went downhill from there.

"Seventy two hours in. Subject has calmed down considerably and is showing signs of weakness. Energy levels have dropped significantly; subject is rejecting nourishment but is still complaining of extreme thirst. Standard fluids are still not relieving it." Another daylong passage of time and Verto started to wonder just how long this would last.

"Ninety six hours in. Subject showing severe signs of weakness but there are little to no signs of chemical Z in his system. Subject may be going through extreme withdrawal symptoms. I may consider introducing another dose to confirm this," Flandal continued. A very rapid skip went through, but maintained the same duration. This time though, Flandal summarized the entire day.

"Day six. Subject's normal alertness and energy is returning. Physical attributes have reverted to normal. Normal nourishment has been given and there is no longer a steady complaint for fluid. Second dose of chemical Z was given at noon. Within five hours, subject began to recover at a rapid rate and all previous attributes began to appear. Theory of addiction confirmed." The clip ended after that without another word, and a sigh of relief went through XS and Kati.

Verto was the first to speak though, "It's a drug. Or at least it's just like one. Injection absorbed too fast, ingestion probably helped to stabilize it, that's why he didn't die."

"So why didn't you?" Kati asked with a tone of caution.

"Why didn't I what?" Verto glanced at her.

"Why didn't you go crazy like that? I can tell it would have been unreal," Kati claimed.

"I told you already, I used my power to wipe it out!"

"Yeah, but do you even remember what you felt?" she asked.

"Look, when I use that particular ability, I isolate any toxins and then wipe them out. It's like a really strong antibiotic as long as I'm in the right state of mind," Verto added.

"I understand that, but are you sure you wiped out the right toxin? Or that you were in the right state of mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"For someone who was induced with some very heavy amounts of sedative, you seem awfully awake and alert to me," Kati pointed out.

"Believe what you want to. I don't feel any different," Verto claimed.

"Except your normal Saiyan energy was gone due to the power dampeners, you admitted that. Well maybe that effects what you sense inside yourself too," Kati suggested.

Verto didn't answer that initially, "…Well we probably would have noticed a significant change in behavior by now. A Saiyan's metabolism is really quick so I probably would have felt something. No change."

"No change, like how you're snapping at everyone left and right?" Kati muttered.

"We covered this already. I'm a little ticked off at your father and all his flunkies. So, for the last damn time, what's the surprise?" Verto asked with a raised voice.

"I'm just saying it's possible that it's in your system, rather you wiped it out or not. And to be frank, you're scary enough as it is!"

"Thanks for noticing, but there's no need for concern. Saiyans always seem a little edgy when they're worked up. I'm not there yet. Let's get back to the matter at hand, like finding another lab entrance. I doubt he blew it all up," Verto said as he glanced at the smoldering elevator shaft.

"Hold on," Kati said as she scanned the disk again, "It would have taken a big enough explosion to wipe out half the city! That shaft doesn't lead directly into the main part of the lab; it's just more of a shortcut to pass most of the cave down there."

Her uncle's eyes widened, "It's that big now?"

Kati nodded, "But I don't know how far it extends. Daddy never let me into the other two wings, claimed it was classified work. I can see why now, there's a hidden blueprint of the entire lab. Wow, part of the cave extends into the western mountains. Two wings branch off into the north and almost to the sea!"

"Three labs for three projects? Makes sense I suppose, this is what the hologram was talking about," Verto noted.

"Or is it?" Kati asked.

"What do you mean Kati?" XS added.

"I knew about the plan to find the strongest fighter and for Daddy to swap bodies. Hell, I kind of wanted in on it. I also knew about some experiments on humans that already had abilities and Kain's program. I even knew about the biofighter prototypes that he had constructed. I didn't know the extent of the chemical Z project, and I was down here during a lot of that working on my own stuff. While it easily could have been all in the other wings, it doesn't answer a lot of things. So…" Kati hinted.

"So what else is he hiding down there?" Verto finished for her.

"Exactly," she replied.

"Guess we'll find out when we find another entrance. Let's go!"

A/n: I elected to stick with the metric system on temperatures. I know not everyone is aware of the comparison scale, but here's a nifty point of reference: 49 C is just a hair over 120 degrees F. That's one hell of a fever. The speed test clocks in at just over ninety miles per hour. Oh and yes, this doctor is one crazy bastard, but I'm sure everyone has established that by now.

On a side note since I know I'll get a message about it: Among you readers out there, I know there's one or two that submitted complaints about my use of swearing and asked me to stop. I'll keep this one nice and simple: either sign your reviews, or personally send a PM or email about it and I'll tell you as nicely as I can why I won't, privately. Trust me, I can get much, much worse.