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 35: Mad Doctor

Lenz continued to occasionally tug at her bonds while Bulma continued to glare at Ranso, who was monitoring Verto's progress.

"Damn Kati, figures she would be gullible enough to switch sides. I swear she has no backbone at all!" Ranso grumbled.

"With that look growing up, people like you probably drove it out of her!" Bulma muttered.

"Oh don't even start with me; you've always been a spoiled rich girl! Did that silver spoon start in your mouth? It should have been shoved straight up your pompous ass!" Ranso growled back.

"Are you guys talking about the weird social classes on this planet? I swear," Lenz said as she shook her head in dismay.

"You obviously know very little about me at all if you think that. Don't worry; I won't bore you with the details. Your small, closed mind probably couldn't handle it," Bulma sneered.

"Just shut up!" Ranso shouted angrily. A sizable door hissed open to Ranso's left, and a slim man in a white lab coat walked in. His hair was neatly trimmed with mixed streaks of gray in his dark hair and he had brown eyes.

"Well, about time you showed yourself, Flandal. It's considered rude to keep your guests waiting you know," Bulma said aversively.

Dr. Cash spoke with a menacingly low voice, "I hope you don't think I'm treating you unfairly, Miss Briefs. It would be unfortunate if you were to become another one of my experiments. That would be such a waste of intelligence."

"Yeah, well you would know all about wasting a brain now wouldn't you?" Bulma fired back. Ranso frowned deeply and walked over to the platform. Pressing a button on the side, the shield around it blinked once and then vanished, prompting Ranso to climb up. She glared into Bulma's face and then slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you dare talk that way to such a great man! You're a disgrace to humanity, marrying that monkey, argh!" Ranso said.

"And compared to what you two are doing, I'm the disgrace?" Bulma asked.

"Shut up, or I'll make you!" Ranso warned.

"Now now Ranso, I don't want her under your spell. I still have a use or two for her with freewill intact," Cash said as he waved her off. Ranso nodded slowly and climbed down, reactivating the energy barrier but still glaring daggers at Bulma as she did. A loud beeping sound drew everyone's attention, and Cash glanced over to the station it was coming from.

Cash grinned, "Ah, that must be him now, right on time. Ranso, be a dear and put it on the big viewer. My guests should be very interested when they see who this is!" When the image appeared, Bulma heard a sharp intake of oxygen from Lenz; she had clearly recognized who it was. Bulma thought he looked a bit familiar too, but was unable to place his alien face.

"Who is that Lenz?" Bulma whispered.

"That's him, Frost!" Lenz rasped back. Frost had his hands crossed under his chin, looking partially interested and partially bored. He had a very small smile on his face, but it looked like it could fade at any moment.

"Ah, Doctor Cash, we finally meet. Though I would much prefer a face to face encounter in the future," Frost said.

"As would I, Lord Frost. I trust you've gone over my plans and information by now?" Cash asked. Frost's fake smile promptly vanished, but he didn't take on a look of pure malice either.

"Yes, I have considered your proposed alliance. Indeed, we have a mutual enemy and working together would be beneficial to both of us," Frost admitted.

"Excellent. You'll be happy to know that…" Cash began.

"However, I reject your plans to achieve that victory."

Cash was astonished, "What?"

"Your scientific findings are intriguing, but that is not the way you beat the Saiyans. You must overpower them, plain and simple. If you can't overpower them, then you can try to pick them off one by one. All other plans are foolish to attempt. Even if you were able to hand them over to me on a silver platter, I would still allow them enough freedom to fight head to head. To avoid doing so would introduce an incredibly unstable element to the situation," Frost explained.

"But surely with the ki disruptors we could wipe them all out easily," Cash argued.

"Humph, I don't see the benefit of that. It would not only rob them of their energy, but my forces as well. Saiyans are not the sitting ducks you see them as, even without their energy. You must approach them carefully, for they are much like vermin in many different ways. One particular way is that they tend to strike with unexpected force when backed into a corner. Saiyans are already blood thirsty just by nature, and it would be unwise to push the issue," Frost added.

"Well at least this one isn't as stupid as our esteemed host," Bulma muttered.

"Surely I can find a way to target only the Saiyans with the ki disruptor technology. I have already developed a prototype that hones in on a specific ki energy signature with a genetic sample, but the range is very limited. Given more time studying the Protoss mechanisms, I'm sure I'll find a way," Cash claimed. Bulma heard a distinct groan out of Lenz as Cash said that, but she remained quiet as Frost's frown deepened.

"Don't waste your time doctor, for I would have no intention of using such a device. I recall directly referring to it a moment ago, but this time I will use simpler words. I wish to eliminate the last of the Saiyans myself, and I will not subject myself to the guesswork of a lowly Earthling. I have already tried more subtle ways of killing them, and they failed. For certain, I will definitely not put any trust into Protoss inventions, rather they are useful or not!" Frost said with a slightly raised voice.

"B-but you don't understand!" Cash stuttered.

"I understand enough. You do not. I suggest you study the Saiyans far more thoroughly before we speak again. If your only weapon is a cowardly device that's supposed to level the playing field, then you had better start praying to your gods!" Frost suggested.

"I have ways to deal with brute strength. That won't be a problem," Cash replied.

Frost chuckled, "Rather you do or not, be aware that Saiyans can evolve at an extremely fast rate in a short amount of time. I have fought the one known as Son Gohan. He had power unlike any Super Saiyan that you might be accustomed to. I have it on good advice that he wasn't the only one who achieved that power. Some of my scans show that a sizable portion of his energy was remarkably similar to that of the Protoss. Thus your ki disruptor technology would be both ineffective and a waste of time if he or another have any sort of control over it." Cash grumbled slightly as Frost proved his point.

Frost's grin reemerged, "Don't despair doctor, your information about them will prove valuable. What could I do to repay such efforts to please me?" Cash glanced up, having that particular answer ready, but slightly hesitant about it since he wasn't sure of the changeling's reaction.

"You already know what I want. Allow me to transfer my brain to one of the Saiyans so that I may rule this planet with an unchallenged combination of brain and brawn!" Cash requested. Frost frowned again, but appeared much more serious about it this time.

"I cannot allow that doctor. All of the Saiyans must be terminated, including each and every last hybrid that may have been born. You will have to find another host body for that. Though I may be willing to provide ample volunteers, it will be only after the Saiyans are destroyed. I will not allow a single monkey to live, no matter whose mind is in it!" Frost growled. Cash gulped slightly, but stubbornly stepped closer to the screen.

"I must have a Saiyan. I don't have that much time until this weak human body dies. And no other aliens are compatible to human beings, nor are they as powerful," Cash claimed. Bulma and Lenz both cringed slightly as an energy surge could clearly be seen coming from Frost, mixed in with the static disruption it caused. It quickly faded, but that didn't make Frost's sudden mood change any better.

"You'll have to deal with it doctor, those are my terms and they are not negotiable!" Frost shouted.

Cash looked away for a moment and then gave in, "My apologies. When should I expect you? Within a few weeks?"

Frost's glare eased, "Unknown. It won't be that soon. I am still gathering and training my forces as they are not ready for deployment just yet."

Cash looked slightly frustrated, "How long will you be?"

"I will contact you when I have further details, most likely when I am approaching your solar system. Do not make any move against the Saiyans until I instruct you to! Are we clear on that?" Frost asked in all seriousness.

Cash returned the stare nervously, "Crystal clear, I look forward to hearing from you." The transmission immediately ended, allowing Lenz to breathe a little easier.

Cash stood still in the middle of the room, seething in anger, "Damnit!"

Bulma shook her head in dismay, "Well you've done it now Flandal, I hope you're ready for the repercussions."

"I noticed you didn't tell him about your miraculous recovery. What are you going to do doctor?" Ranso asked.

Cash was glaring a hole into the ground, "Frost is a fool! So much so that I dare say that he should be taken out of the picture before this is all over. And of course I didn't tell him about my current condition; there's no need for him to know I'm no longer in poor health. I'll go ahead with my plans anyway. He can't stop me from halfway across the galaxy!"

Bulma managed to laugh, "And I here I thought you were suicidal before, talk about misjudging someone. I really didn't think you were this crazy, nor this stupid! I think you need to get cancer again, it might actually put things in perspective!"

Cash growled sharply, "What of it?"

"Don't be an idiot Flandal! Frost doesn't are about you or anyone else on this planet one bit! Help him if you want, but he'll just kill you once you've done his bidding. It's what aliens like him do!" Bulma pointed out.

"I suppose you would know about that, being married to the supposed bully of the galaxy," Cash muttered.

"Hardly. Vegeta was brought up by a true terror, Frost's father Frieza! You really want to see how terrible he can be? Keep it up!" Bulma dared.

"It doesn't matter now anyway. Even if your husband reaches us here, there won't be anything he can do to stop me now. He can bring every Saiyan in the world and I'll still win!" Cash proclaimed.

"Awfully confident aren't you? You sure you haven't missed something?" Bulma asked.

"Even if I did, I have more cards to play than you know!" Cash answered.

"Oh please, spare us the classic untouchable bad guy banter. You're such a blind idiot that you can't see the writing on the wall. End this while you still can Flandal, or you're going to get yourself killed!" Bulma suggested.

"Don't call me that! I hate that name!" Cash grumbled.

"What, Flandal? Flandal, Flandal, Flandal!" Bulma chanted.

Cash covered his ears, "Shut up! Stop saying that name!"

"It's just a name; you can change those legally if you want. But to me, you'll always be the same wannabe scientist named Flandal!"

"Argh!" A loud alarm interrupted the verbal spat momentarily. Ranso typed furiously as the screen blipped back on, showing Verto and Kati slowly walking through a dimly lit tunnel.

"Looks like trouble!" Lenz grinned.

"They're approaching the cave door doctor," Ranso chimed in.

"Just what I needed. Dispatch our last biofighter. Ebifuya should slow the kid down nicely! If there's an opportunity to steal Kati away, take it!"

Bulma matched Lenz's grin with one of her own, "I wouldn't bet on that!"

"Oh? Well you may be in for a nice little jolt of reality then. I witnessed his battle with my second prototype Kishime, and he struggled to win. This biofighter is the strongest out of all of them, nearly twice as strong as Kishime alone! Without his Saiyan powers, the kid is as good as dead!" Cash declared.

Lenz laughed aloud, "Right now, he doesn't need any ki energy to wipe out your robot! Even with no energy he'd probably kick its ass! It's too bad you guys don't have any scouters, I bet you'd be running for the hills right about now!"

Cash snorted, "If you are referring to the unusually high amounts of Psionic energy coming from him, rest assured that it will not matter. Frost was right about a select few Saiyans that have evolved, but he was wrong in assuming that it meant anything. I've studied this energy source used by the Protoss several times over, and it's barely worth mentioning past a few controlled bursts. I have a sufficient disruption device on standby if it's a problem!"

Lenz looked concerned upon hearing this, but Bulma looked thoughtful, "Maybe I didn't give you enough credit Flandal, maybe you have thought this out. Way too thoroughly though, because I doubt you'll want to use something like that!"

"Enlighten me," Cash grunted as he crossed his arms.

"Because all your ki disruptors run on Protoss power crystals right?" Bulma asked as Cash's eyes widened, "Using a Psi disruptor powerful enough to dampen his power will probably fry every one of them in range if I'm not mistaken. And by doing that, you'll basically be inviting every Saiyan on the planet to come crash your party, not too mention some of our human friends!"

"Bulma…" Lenz said, but it was too late.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Bulma assured her.

"Well, thank you for that tidbit of information. I guess we'll have to see just how good this kid of yours is!"

Verto treaded lightly in the dark with Kati in tow. She had led him to a hidden entrance through a sewer line on the western edge of the city. She claimed that there wasn't another one for nearly twenty miles where the tunnel finally stretched to the surface. Verto didn't bother trying to argue through it, though he didn't really want to go through a smelly sewer. The tunnel itself was wide and rough in texture, like it had been rapidly drilled out but far from neatly. There were small lanterns installed every fifty feet or so, but none shone very brightly. Verto busied himself by scanning every inch of the tunnel surface as he cautiously stepped forward. Kati was just as tense, but she was more concerned with what would happen once Verto and her father crossed paths. The darkness of the cave eventually swallowed her vision despite the dim lighting.

"We should have brought a flashlight," Kati muttered aloud. Almost instantly Verto's Psi sword came on, lighting the area enough for her to see a few dozen feet ahead.

"Never mind," Kati said.

"Just keep your eyes and ears open. And tell me when were close to the main lab that you know and what not. I have a feeling that we'll run into something unexpected," Verto advised.

"I thought you could sense others, even with the power inhibitors on?" Kati asked.

"That's just it. Right now I don't sense anything except you. These walls must be lined with some very hard material, or they are just so thick that I can't sense through them anyway. It's not like I go through caves all that often. I may not detect anything until we're right on top of it," Verto explained.

Kati gulped, "Thanks for the warning."

"From here on, only whispers until further notice," Verto suggested as she nodded

Sometime later, about a half-mile further, they came to a very large metal door. It spanned the entire width of the tunnel and stretched all the way to the ceiling.

"Big enough door?" Verto asked, "You could drive a few trucks through easily."

"Makes sense if you think about it. Daddy certainly didn't bring every piece of metal down through that elevator. It's magnetically locked so I'll have to use my pass code. Let's hope he hasn't changed it yet," Kati added. Verto nodded grimly as Kati opened a small panel attached to the rock wall, punching buttons. A slight chill in the air crossed his skin, but not as much as it did Kati's, she shivered notably. Her breath could be seen within a few seconds, prompting Verto's observation.

"Is it always this cold down here?"

"Not usually, actually it's kinda warm compared to the surface most of the time. Hey it accepted it!" Kati exclaimed. The sound of large locks uncoupling filled the tunnel, but the door barely budged. Just as it did, the temperature dropped again, and Verto could see frost forming rapidly on the door. Much thicker ice began to cover the floor as the door swung open just a few inches, coming towards Kati quickly.

"Get back!" Verto shouted as Kati's teeth chattered a bit. She ran behind Verto as the tunnel dropped to a temperature meant for polar climates.

"Must be some sort of coolant problem, or an environmental malfunction. The cave is always warm," Kati noted.

"Don't think so, I sense something just inside, stay behind me!" Verto whispered as Kati nodded. He stepped up and pulled the frozen door open, backing up a few steps just in case. The area inside was lit with random shades of brighter reds and blues, but that didn't catch Verto's attention. Almost immediately he spotted someone ahead, waiting for them.

"Another biofighter?" Verto asked. This one had an older, but gruff humanoid face. His skin was pink, and he also bore a similar shaped spiked armor that Kishime had deployed.

"Ebifuya!" Kati gasped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Verto glanced back at her.

"That's his name," Kati replied.

Verto grinned sharply, "It was."

"Be careful, he's the strongest one!"

"Maybe he can rule the junkyard then, if we can find all the pieces!" Ebifuya pulled back, charging some sort of blast, though there wasn't a whole lot of energy to be detected. Verto stood his ground, right fist glowing blue as he clenched it. Ebifuya fired, releasing a cold, broad rush of air. Verto didn't even budge as the air displaced off his Psi shield. The ground and doors quickly became coated with incredible thick ice, save for the area behind Verto and Kati. Ebifuya stopped, his face lined with concern once he saw what affect his attack actually had. Verto's blue fist opened up, revealing a small, but very bright, spinning blast.

"This is how it's done! Psi Freeze!" Verto launched the ball just as Ebifuya tried to turn, hitting him and freezing the biofighter into a large pillar of ice.

"Wow," Kati commented. Verto waited patiently to see if Ebifuya would be able to escape, but nothing was happening under the sheet of ice. Kati felt brave enough to walk up and examine the frozen biofighter. She even tapped on the blue ice, noting that it wasn't as cold as she thought it would be and that only Ebifuya's eyes moved towards her.

"How long will he stay like this?" Kati asked.

"Until he breaks out of it. I have yet to test how long it will actually take to melt, since the ice is mostly made out of energy instead of water. Seeing as he hasn't gotten out of it, I don't expect he will. It usually happens pretty quickly or not at all," Verto explained.

"So will you just leave him like this then? What if…" Kati stopped short when Verto's blue sword appeared again. She backed away as he rushed at the ice pillar and sliced right through the top of it, taking Ebifuya's head clean off.

"Never mind," Kati muttered.

"There are very few Saiyans that would have been content to leave him like that, and I'm not one of them. Besides, I don't mind smashing up robots, hell I actually kind of prefer it. If there's one thing I love about this line of work, it's tearing up artificial intelligence."

"You inherit that from Vegeta?" Kati asked.

"Already had it. Long story, let's move," Verto replied. They had barely gone thirty feet before something else happened. First off, the large door suddenly closed shut despite the ice covering it. Secondly, a large machine lifted up out of the ground and unfolded itself. It appeared to be bearing four long gun barrels, each lighting up with red and aiming straight at Verto.

"You might want to stand back again," Verto said.

"Really? You think?" Kati shouted as she backed up to the nearest cave wall. Verto lit his sword again just as the quad gun poured out laser beams in a rapid stutter fire. Verto deflected the first few dozen before opting to dodge a few of the clearly missed shots. Kati watched in awe, unaware of the wall behind her sliding open to reveal nothing but a black hole. Verto stepped closer to the laser turret, moving side to side as he picked up speed. The turret could correct itself by turning, but not fast enough once Verto phased out. The turret was cut in half across its frame, and it sparked violently to its death.

"Humph, that was simple," Verto grunted.

"The whole cave is lined with those. I hope you have a good plan for them too. They're a similar design to Bulma's anti-Zerg weaponry. It may not kill you, but it will probably sting. I'd rather not find out what it would do to me!" Kati grumbled.

"Understandable, I've had enough laser beams hit me to know better. Do you know how many there are?" Verto asked. Kati didn't have to answer, because lots of similar shaped objects began to rise out of the ground nearby and well into the distance. The dark, brown rock of the cave was replaced with the gray shell color of turrets, easily numbering in the hundreds.

"Never mind," Verto said this time. Kati gulped nervously and tried to back up further, tumbling backwards into the hole in the wall. She screamed by reaction and Verto turned to see her fall out of sight. The rock wall slid back into place, concealing the trap.

"Well there goes the tour guide," he muttered. Verto turned back to the field of turrets, debating his options before he spotted a surveillance camera looking right at him. Even if I can outrun every shot those things fire, they may be able to track me anywhere I go in here. Destroying them all will not only be time consuming, it may also be too risky. That's not to say that there won't be other surprises in here, I had better take a stealth approach to this.

He turned to the camera and waved at it intentionally, "Now you see me, soon you won't."

Cash smiled as Ebifuya charged up his freezing attack.

"Let's see how he likes Ebifuya's freezing blow, there's no way to escape when he hits him!"

It was Lenz's turn to grin again, "If he hits him. He probably won't if little brother doesn't want him too. He's just another robot that's gonna get scrapped!"

"I doubt it, that kid will be beaten soundly in a moment!"

"He's supposed to be your strongest tin can right? I bet he doesn't last half as long as the last one!" Lenz laughed.

"Where is a stopwatch when you need one?" Bulma added. Cash grimaced and ignored them, watching the match intently. Just for the hell of it, he glanced over at a digital time display, showing 4:52 and forty seconds. The fight was over at 4:53 exactly. Cash growled slightly as Kati peered at the frozen biofighter in wonder. He silently hoped that his warrior would be able to get out of this apparent role reversal. That hope faded when Verto cut off his head.

Lenz laughed again, "Hahaha, next!"

"Ranso, activate one defense turret. The closest one to him," Cash ordered as Ranso typed furiously.

"Defense turrets?" Bulma asked.

"Yes, though I'll give the credit to you on this one. You invented the prototypes when the Zerg got here, and I lined my cave with them," Cash added.

"You actually think a few of my weapons will actually stop a Saiyan? They aren't even designed to take one down, the energy requirement would be too much and the weapon itself would overload within a few shots!" Bulma argued.

"Another wonderful thing about Protoss technology: their ship's armor was rather resistant to high amounts of energy," Cash gloated. On the screen, Kati had backed away as Verto faced off with the single laser turret, deflecting its shots with his sword. He dashed towards it and disabled it a few seconds later.

"So, what stolen trinket shall we see now? Is there anything here that was originally yours?" Bulma asked mockingly.

Cash ignored it, "Ranso, activate all of the turrets, but put them all on passive mode for the moment, Kati is almost there."

"Understood doctor," Ranso replied. The screen filled with spinning laser turrets all around the large cave as the view paned out momentarily. Kati backed into the expected hole in the wall and fell in.

"Close it now Ranso! Then activate auto defense mode, don't let anything get through!" Cash ordered. A piece of the lab wall slid open, and a surprised Kati Cash tumbled through a moment later, more then a bit startled. She gasped as she looked up at her father, who appeared surprisingly calm considering what had happened.

"I'm so sorry daddy, I failed my mission! But I don't think you're doing the right thing either, they want peace just as we do!" Kati claimed.

"Kati Fushi, never assume that about these Saiyans. No matter what is on the surface, they always desire violence. History does not lie. They are a bloodthirsty race, all the way down to their rotten DNA! How such creatures are allowed to achieve great levels of power is a mystery to me," Cash said.

As Cash berated his daughter some more, Lenz glanced over at Bulma, "Do all humans actually think they are that much better than any other species?"

Bulma frowned, "Unfortunately most of them do. You can usually pick them out from a mile away. They tend to be the loudest."

"Where does this superiority complex come from?" Lenz asked.

Bulma shrugged, "Beats me."

"But Verto seems different dad!" Kati shouted, bringing their attention back.

"Seems different and is different are not the same. There's only one Saiyan that qualifies as different from the rest in my view, and even he can't escape his violent nature. May I remind you that this boy was present during the multiple homicides near Springwood last month? He was also likely responsible for our infiltration team getting killed in the temple!" Cash claimed.

"That was your own doing you idiot! You knew next to nothing about the creatures that inhabit that god forsaken place!" Bulma interjected.

"That may explain why all of them didn't escape, but that doesn't prove your son innocent. I know he had to have killed the crew that remained on the surface, because they had orders to seal the tunnel if they didn't receive a return signal from inside the temple!" Cash replied.

"Are you really that dense? Your android did that before he even got to Vegeta. By the way, it was one of the most defective androids I've ever seen!" Bulma said.

"True, Misokatsun was a bit twitchy, and I was unable to make contact after he arrived. It may have overloaded his systems to have any onboard surveillance," Cash admitted.

"I know why dad. It's because it was carrying a computer virus designed to use Bulma's own inventions against her. The holographic training programs for example, right dad?" Kati spat viciously. Bulma gasped along with Lenz, but when Cash didn't answer Kati continued.

"Now I see, you've been trying to get their whole family out of the way. You knew the team would fail, so you used that situation to try and take them out afterwards without dirtying your hands again. You didn't want Vegeta's body; you just knew that he would be in the way. I'm guessing you wanted someone else!"

Cash's fists clenched tightly, "Of course not Vegeta. Frost has a death warrant on his head, more so than the others! Besides, I want the strongest Saiyan, he isn't the one!"

"Well, aren't we picky? Tell me something while we're getting the truth out into the air, did this elaborate plan involve a biological weapon? Using something called Chemical Z?" Bulma asked.

Cash turned almost instantly, "How did you know about that?"

"You're not the only one who can play the spy game you know. I heard you had found a strange substance somewhere in the mountains nearby. Its properties were like no other on this planet! You refer to it as Chemical Z, right?" Cash didn't answer, but Kati did.

"That's that horrible stuff you tested on animals. And then you used it on human subjects!" she cried out.

"I did no such thing Kati, I promised you that I wouldn't," Cash recited, as if he had said it many times before.

"Stop lying to me dad! I saw the video documentation and everything that happened to those people! Uncle X showed it to me just before we came down here! What you gave them is dangerous!" Kati pointed out.

"What I gave them was a chance for an improved life. There is never any success without risk. What happened was unfortunate, but it gave me the necessary data to develop a better serum," Cash replied.

"A serum? For what?" Bulma cut in again.

"You're right Bulma; I do think things through thoroughly. It's called a backup plan, so do try to keep up. If I can't get a hold of a Saiyan's body for better study, then I need a contingency plan. I can't simply swap heads and be done with it, we both know that. The serum is so the transfer will go smoothly. In developing it however, I discovered that it had the potential to make anyone immune to all disease while giving enhanced strength, stamina and prolonged lifespan. Anyone who receives it will essentially be a super human of sorts. So even if my plan to inhabit the strongest warrior fails, there's a fallback option. It's still in the developmental stages though; substance Z is very unique and very unstable at times. You have to mix it with the proper counter balance or it could quite literally blow up in your face. I had an assistant that could have told you about that if he had lived. But if it works, I might even let the entire population sample it," Cash hinted.

"And make them all crazy dad? That stuff made your test subjects lose all control!" Kati cried out.

"Science takes time Kati. You'd do well to stand with me rather than against me!" Cash warned as he stepped closer. Kati's eyes welled up under the threat as she stared back up at him with fear.

"Doctor Cash, I've lost the boy!" Ranso announced.

Cash snorted, "How could you lose him? Did he try to leave, or did he manage to get through? Are you sure he's not hiding along the walls, under the security cameras? He is rather small after all, check again!"

"I've been trying. Every camera is up and running, and every sensor appears to be functioning perfectly. Not one turret has gone offline other than the first one; in fact none have even fired a shot. It's like he just up and vanished!"

"That's impossible! The sensors are calibrated to detect movement even at extremely high speeds! If he is anywhere in that cave, we should know!" Cash shouted back. A brief alarm went off just as he finished, and a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head.

"Heat detected on the cave door B, switching angles!" Ranso said. The screen flipped to another large metal door, one that was partially melted around a freshly cut hole in the middle towards the bottom.

"What the hell?" Cash said slowly as he tried to piece together what might have happened.

"What trick was that?" Bulma rasped at Lenz.

"Let's just say you'd have trouble seeing what it was," Lenz smirked.

"He's good," Cash complimented.

"Activating the second line of defense!" Ranso declared.

"No, wait. That would be pointless, most of those systems don't activate on sensor detection. He'll get by those even easier. If the kid can get through the cave labyrinth and inside without us knowing it, he probably won't be slowed down by prehistoric style traps. Let's try something a little more on his level. Close emergency doors on wings B and C in…say two minutes. Leave door A open!" Cash ordered.

"But that will lead him right to us here!" Ranso panicked.

"The boy is obviously crafty, so he will smell a semi-obvious trap. Let's lure him towards a real one!

Pathetic fools, apparently the level of Protoss technology isn't as good as I thought it might be. Verto crept through the caves invisibly with his stealth technique. Every turret was going crazy trying to find him, along with every security camera. It didn't matter though; nothing was going to see him until he decided. With no one else in the cave, Verto could coast through easily without even trying. Just to be safe, he elected to skim the walls if there were in fact floor sensors around the turrets. He decided that just because they couldn't see him didn't mean there wasn't another mode of detection. Along the darker shadows he noted several large openings in the cave wall beyond the rear flank of laser turrets. Verto scanned each of them carefully from his position, electing not to resort to his enhanced vision ability. He sensed a very light disruption of Psi energy coming from the farthest opening and headed in that direction. There had been a few odd rock formations towards the center of the cave, but there wasn't anything abnormal about that area besides all of the turrets that surrounded it. Once inside the next tunnel, he immediately came across another large metal door. If anyone could have noticed, they would have seen that Verto had a deep scowl on his face.

Yeah, like this is going to stop me. Verto phased back into normal view for a few seconds as the door melted at his sword's command. A few lights along the door changed color, and Verto could hear the feint sound of an alarm. He stealthed again right away and proceeded through, carefully avoiding the center of the tunnel floor. Verto wanted to hurry, but he knew that if he did, mistakes would be made. Another several minutes passed as he stepped through the darkness, nothing to deter him. This ended when he came to a dimly lit fork in the road, splitting off into three different areas. He could sense spiritual presences in each direction, though none were particularly strong or revealing.

Damnit, I'm gonna have to check each area, and that will give them time to either escape or unleash something else. As he was deep in thought, two large doors slipped down from the ceiling, blocking off the middle and left paths, leaving the one on the right completely open. Uh huh, like I'm going to fall for that one. It has to be a trap; otherwise they wouldn't have sealed only two. But…there's a chance they know I'll consider that, meaning that's the right way. It's a risk both ways, and now it's my move. All right, I have to look at this as if the doors aren't even there. There's something at the end of each tunnel, and I'm gonna have to check them all eventually. Might as well start with the left. Maybe I'll get lucky. Verto came out of stealth with bright blue sword in hand before stopping himself as he thought better of it. Instead of cutting the door, he reformed the sword into a blast and blew a large chunk out of the door. Turning, he did the same to the middle door and then slipped back into the shadows as he crept into the left path. Even if I pick the wrong one, they'll have a hell of a time figuring out which direction I actually went. Better to keep them nice and paranoid.

After nearly ten minutes of a slow, invisible pace, Verto came to a semi-standard office style door. Through the cloudy window, he could see brilliant blue light flickering randomly. Verto carefully turned the doorknob and opened the door, spotting a graying elderly man welding something on a workbench. The old man was leaning over badly, a sign of poor posture or a lot of work over the years. So this is Doctor Cash? The scientist didn't appear to notice the door open, though the sound of the welding had probably shielded any noise from the open door. Verto quick shut it and glanced around carefully. There were no signs of Bulma or Lenz, or anyone else for that matter. Judging by how the old man was focused, he clearly wasn't expecting anyone anytime soon and continued to work unhindered. Around the room, Verto spotted various robotic components laying or hanging about. A few arm and leg sets, along with a torso or two. Nothing that looked operational, though the open mouthed heads were a little unnerving to him. Some of the parts looked like they could pass for organic beings, even humans. Verto wondered immediately if this was what Doctor Gero's early work was like. Just from observation, Verto felt sure that this was where the biofighters had been built. Along an outcropping of the lab, Verto spotted two large pods labeled Thirteen and Fifteen. Knowing what he knew about Gero, he was very tempted to investigate. The welding continued; not that an old man was going to notice Verto while he was blended with shadows. Verto slipped past and hovered just a bit so he could see through the glass window of the pods. Inside the first pod was something very big with dark skin and orange tinted hair.

Well, I don't recall seeing something like that before. Doesn't look like something I should mess with though; it would only get in my way at best. He moved on to the next pod and peered in. There, was a plain looking young boy with long dark hair and cold blue eyes. Around his neck though, was a red scarf that draped just above a Red Ribbon symbol.

"Seventeen?" Verto gasped aloud as he faded into view. Verto was so shocked that he had lost focus on his stealth. He clamped his mouth shut immediately and gazed over at the workbench. The welding didn't even stop and Verto sighed with slight relief. Looking inside again, he confirmed that it was Android Seventeen without a doubt; nearly every feature matched. The only thing that stood out was what looked to be a rebuilt left arm. Instead of an actual arm with a hand though, there was a long barrel of what looked to be a cannon. What the hell happened to him? He must not have died after all, though that would explain why I never saw him around in the afterlife. I really shouldn't have forgotten him like that.

"Magnificent isn't he?" an old voice asked. Verto froze, realizing that he had been spotted and that the welding had stopped.

Verto turned to face the aging doctor slowly, "He's a friend of mine actually. Are you Doctor Cash?"

"No, I am Doctor Kochin, his assistant. And I know he's one of your friends, for I am partially responsible for rebuilding him. We found his remains over a year ago when the Protoss and Zerg left the planet. Some sort of self-detonating bomb had destroyed most of his body, but enough was still functional to revive him. I've managed to restore everything except the left arm, even most of his memory," Kochin explained. So he's not Cash, but Kochin…where have I heard that name before? Bah, no time for that.

"So what is Cash going to try and do with him? You can't tell me that you've rebuilt him out of an act of kindness, that cannon for an arm says otherwise," Verto said with a frown.

"You sound suspicious of him, why is that?" Kochin asked.

"Because I have every right to be. He kidnapped my family and has tried to get us killed several times over. He's going to pay," Verto growled.

"I refuse to believe that Flandal would hurt a fly!" Kochin claimed.

Verto's eyes flashed bright blue for a brief moment, "Then you're delusional, old man. The crazy bastard has sent aliens, biofighters, computer viruses and even his own kin after us. I don't know if you noticed, but me and others like me don't respond well to threats. I hate it when things threaten me, but I hate it more when my friends are threatened! I suggest you cooperate!"

Kochin paused in thought midway through Verto's warning, "Well, I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility. I haven't seen much of the real Flandal lately."

"The real Flandal? W-what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Verto stammered.

"It's a strange way of putting it I suppose, and even harder to explain. Flandal Cash was diagnosed with two separate forms of cancer shortly before the Zerg arrived on Earth. He was given a year at most to live, and he began researching every possible way to cure it, or at least prolong his life. He had always been a great scientist, so the promise of new technologies from both the Protoss and Doctor Gero's work intrigued him. He found something else out there in his travels, and I believe it has caused some sort of mental imbalance. Somewhere along the way, he developed a split personality. This persona wasn't much different from the real Flandal, but was far more sinister in nature. After a few months, it was as if the real Flandal was just a mask to the madness within. Then, when the world was suffering the affects of that devastating virus, something happened. All of the cancerous cells disappeared without a trace. Whether it was the cause of the virus or the mysterious cure, I do not know. But ever since then, there has been almost no trace of Doctor Flandal Cash. You can't even refer to him that way anymore; he despises his own name and will lash out at anyone who calls him that," Kochin sighed lightly as he finished.

"So, what does the insane clown want to be called before I bury him?"

Kochin straightened his thin glasses as he exposed a toothy grin, "He calls himself Doctor Wheelo!"

A/N: I wasn't going to reveal that yet but decided to go ahead with it anyway. Besides, anyone who hadn't figured that out by now, seriously what story were you reading? I probably won't refer to him as Dr. Wheelo as much as I could, but you get the idea. And if you honestly don't know about Dr. Wheelo at all, please watch the second DBZ movie: The World's Strongest. Just do it.

WDG: Apparently my comment was sorely missed last time, so to keep my own fans happy; have some Guy. Strangely enough, Kochin doesn't seem too bad a guy. Not at all like his deranged-madman movie counterpart. But then, supposedly 'Flandal' (cough) was originally sane too…

VB: Don't assume anything. Or continue to do so, I don't mind. I've noticed that the biggest surprises usually come straight from poor assumptions.