Nada loved the state of Cypher battle rage. If there had ever been moments where he felt alive, even just a little bit, it was in this state. Everything else about him faded away and he became just a warrior. Just a warrior. Nothing else. The reflective shell over his eyes gave pristine quality to every detail: the blood and split flying, the tiny splits in torn fabric, the way the body buckled when a fist struck it. This was the closest thing to Heaven he would ever know. He was a Cypher, a warrior of the greatest race in the universe.
Nada flattened his palm and released a blast, sending the old doctor flying against the wall. He started running at him as he landed. Yes, one last time! he thought as his large, powerful feet pounded against the deck, his tight, lanky form breaking the air, Before Nevrrest takes it away or ends it all for good! I am a warrior! And when I fight…I'm alive! This is the only way I know I'm alive!
He drew closer to his opponent, his vision picking up every droplet of sweat on the man's green, turtle-like face, his hearing detecting how his heart raced with terror. Suddenly, Nada felt like he was moving in slow motion. Wait…I know this…I've been here many times before. I know that heartbeat…I know that face…
He saw flashes of his life under the Planet Trade Organization. Like all warrior races under Frieza's thrall, he had been enlisted in the Frieza Force as a child. Yeah. He knew that face and the sound of that pounding heart. Those were the same characteristics of all those he had been commanded to slaughter.
Yeah…I know this…what a killjoy.
He came to a stop, gazing down at the doctor as blood ran from both nostrils. "…Hey."
The wrinkled doctor looked up at him, breathing heavily. "What?" he remarked, "Was that all?"
The doctor winced as Nada planted his fist right next to his head, putting a small crater in the metal, the shielding sparking across the icy walls. The doctor's bloodied face reflected in Nada's eyes. "I'm going to lower my energy to match yours. And then you can come at me with all you got." The doctor laughed abruptly. "I want you to fight me. No…I want you to try to kill me. Let's go at it as two men fighting to the death."
"I should have known," the doctor crassly snickered, "You 'warrior races'."
"Come on," Nada encouraged, his war-glazed eyes twinkling with hope, "You got nothing to lose. This is your chance to live."
The doctor chuckled again. "Pass."
Nada's muscles tightened. "What?"
The old man coughed blood. "Do no harm," he quoted, "That is what I swore when I became a doctor. I wouldn't think of ever killing someone." He cracked a smile and eyed him. "Besides…I have my own stubborn desires, see."
Nada stepped back, still gazing at him and pressed the gem on his wristband, lifting it to his mouth. "Computer. The perpetrator is an elderly Kameh doctor. Please identify."
"Identifying," the computer answered, "Search results: Dr. Betatom Tottle. Do you wish to flag and remove access privileges from this subject?"
Nada looked at him. "Yes."
"Dr. Betatom Tottle is removed from the system."
"Heh," Dr. Tottle snickered, "I was wondering when you'd get around to that. I had a mind to make a break for the door, if only I could move fast enough."
"I forgot," Nada admitted, "But now you don't have a choice but to fight to survive."
Dr. Tottle laughed gently, groaning as he pushed himself up. "Do you honestly think I went into this believing I would survive? I'm an old man…not half as old as I'd like to be, but oh well. The gods cast the dice, not me."
"Gods, huh?" He bit his lower lip bitterly, his mind flashing from the face of Frieza to Nevrrest. He smirked. "Heh. You know, something? You're right. The gods have cast the dice for us." He violently grabbed Dr. Tottle by the collar and lifted him up. "So let's not go out with a whimper!" he shouted, jaws wide, "LET'S HAVE IT OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY, OLD MAN!" His reflective, golden eyes flashed to the projection of the doctor's profile from his wristband. "You're a transformer, right? That makes you a Kameh warrior class. Says here you were clocked as…" His eyes widened. "S…seven thousand? Hot damn…and you became a doctor?"
"And there it is, the same damn question I've had to deal with since I was an adolescent," Dr. Tottle grumbled back, "Yes. I am warrior class. But I never had an interest in violence. I prefer extending lifespans, not shortening them. I happen to have this funny little belief about all life being precious."
Nada's face was dark and flat for a long moment. He smirked. "Heh…well in that case…you're a damn liar." He threw Dr. Tottle into the air, the explosion as he snapped his fingers reflecting off his eyes. "Because ain't nobody ever considered my life precious. ESPECIALLY A DOCTOR FROM THAT CURSED SEVEN!" He leapt into the air and heel-drove Dr. Tottle into the floor, floating above him as the doctor gasped with pain. He clenched a large fist, his whole arm trembling. "Do you have any idea what it's like…being kept in one of those cells? Life is precious…you doctors kept me alive and sane enough to feel every moment of it!"
Dr. Tottle cracked a joint back into place, pushing himself up again. "Oh I see…one look at my profile and you have a preconception of who I am." Nada stepped towards him. "Though…to be fair, I have some ideas about you, Nada. Or should I say Officer Nada." Nada stopped. "Yes…I happen to have a very good memory, see. There's only one Cypher incarcerated in all of the Justice and there's a reason for that. And there's also a reason why you would make that particular comment about us doctors, isn't there?"
Nada clenched his teeth. Yeah. There was a reason for it all. None of it had ever been in his control…
His earliest memory was of him. He didn't even remember his parents' names or faces. He had a vague memory of their screams and the sight of their corpses on the battlefield. But what he remembered with the surest detail was that pale finger pointing at him like it was death itself. And then there was the beep of a scouter, that dismissive frown, and a flick of the tail as he walked away.
It was the fifth and final Great Cypher Massacre.
Two years later, he was conscripted into the Cypher Army division of the Frieza Force. That was when the truth dawned on him.
I am dead… he thought as he stepped over steaming corpses, snapping his fingers and an entire city going up in flames, None of it matters…because as long as I am like this…I am dead…
His first puberty was on his tenth birthday, as it always was for Cyphers. He was clocked at three thousand. The second one came when he was twenty. As per usual, it doubled again – six thousand. And then came his thirtieth…
Happy Birthday to me, thought Nada, leaning back with his arms folded in some hallway in the main base of Planet Frieza. He had picked up his smoking habit around his twentieth. It wasn't popular around the other soldiers, but their griping didn't bother him. Nothing bothered him. After all, he wasn't alive – he was dead. As long as he was a killer and not a fighter, he would never be anything but a dead man walking.
"Hey ram's horns."
Nada didn't react. He was a dead man. The dead weren't bothered by insults.
"Hey goldie! Don't ignore me! Do you have a death wish?"
Nada's eyes shifted and he was truly startled to see a burly, pink man with spikes standing nearby. It's an officer! he thought with widened eyes, Not just any officer, one of Frieza's personal staff! Dodoria!
"What are you, mute?" Dodoria impatiently demanded as Nada stared at him.
Nada drew in a drag of his cigarette slowly and blew out smoke through his lips, taking the cigarette between his fingers. "I can talk just fine, sir," he stated evenly, looking at his glowing butt, "What can I do for you?"
"Hmph. Arrogant wig-warriors." Dodoria walked through the cigarette smoke. "Listen, I don't have time to mess around with you. But Lord Frieza sent me to get you, so you better hurry on up there fast."
Nada dropped his cigarette, it rolling in a half-circle as it sizzled. "…Frieza, huh? You serious?"
Dodoria put a fist an inch from his face. "Do I look like I'm joking to you?! Now quit wasting my time or I swear you're dead, punk!"
As Nada waited silently in the elevator, his mind flashed to the only time he had ever seen the galaxy's ruler in person. That finger. That frown. I didn't understand back then why he left me alive. It wasn't for any special reason. He looked at his palm. I just wasn't strong enough to be worth trimming with the rest of the fat. A simple, unnecessary loss. The door opened and he stepped out. So why would he care to see me now?
The door opened before he got there, a green figure stepping out. Zarbon. The tall, girlishly handsome man tossed his braid with a contemptuous smirk at Nada and walked on past without a word, leaving in the elevator. Nada watched him go with little thought on the matter and continued on in. The first thing he saw were the horns and the tail. He wasn't prepared to be so startled by the sight – like for a moment he had been thrown back in time.
The long, worm-like tail rippled. "It seems you came rather quickly after all. Dodoria's message must have given you quite the fright." The chair turned and the face he'd seen in many video feeds and that day on his home planet gazed at him with dry amusement. "Nada…was it?"
Nada stared back for a long moment, finding himself in a state of shock, until he realized he was just standing there. He dropped to one knee and didn't look at him anymore. "…Yes," he answered, "What can I do for you, sir?"
He heard Frieza's feet hit the floor. He hadn't been expecting him to get up. "While your weightless attempts at propriety are humorous at best, I will not be referred to as 'sir'. I am Lord Frieza. I know your kind has always struggled to remember that, but do try. For your sake, if nothing else."
Nada didn't answer, his head still bowed.
"Do you know why I've summoned you here, Nada?"
Nada shook his head. "No, Lord Frieza."
"Well…" he hummed, "Let's see if I am still as apt at mathematics as I believe myself to be." Nada heard the familiar beep and trill of a scouter. "You were born at seven thirty this morning, am I correct?"
"Yes, Lord Frieza."
The scouter sounded again. "It seems my calculations are as deft as always. Twelve thousand." He heard him remove the scouter again. "That is no small number for a common soldier. The highest power level of your entire race, in fact." Frieza chuckled. "My, you must be very proud."
Nada heard Frieza's heartbeat flutter as he said this. Nada's fist tightened a little. Proud? Even if that is true, it's only because you killed everyone stronger than me. I have done nothing in my life but slaughter. I never once had a chance to prove myself in battle. Besides…I am a dead man. The dead don't feel pride.
"It is certainly not a number I can ignore. After taking this under careful consideration, I have decided to appoint you to my officer staff."
Nada's head jerked up, just to make sure Frieza wasn't holding in a laugh. He wasn't. So, instead, Nada laughed. It started out as a tiny smile, a wiggle of his lip. Then a snicker and a chuckle. Then his mouth opened half way and he bowed his head again, a flat laugh ringing clearly around the room. "Lord Frieza…you don't give positions of power to Cyphers. And there's no question why. The Cyphers have rebelled against you more than any other race in your empire. We've served you for generations…but I never thought you'd actually mistake that for loyalty."
"Hmhmhmhmhahahahahahaha…" Frieza quietly laughed. His tail thumped the floor. "Without a doubt," he agreed, "In fact…I suspect another Cypher rebellion will soon be around the corner. They do tend to come in cycles with your people. Much like a seasonal rain." His tail rippled and waved again. "Yet my appointment remains the same. In fact, I consider you quite the valuable addition."
Nada laughed again and stood up. As he rose, he was shocked to discover how much shorter Frieza was than him. He had no idea the galactic dictator was so…tiny. Nada looked at him with a flat, dry smirk. "Sorry, Lord Frieza. But no Cypher would accept that offer. I don't imagine that makes you very happy and we all know what happens to those who displease you. So…I think I'll just stand here until you're finished killing me. However long that takes."
Frieza pursed his lips in a tiny, cruel smirk and Nada gazed into the cold, red eyes of his people's enemy. It's funny…I can't even hate you… he thought as he waited for the overlord's deadly reply, You killed my parents…but I never knew them. You destroyed my people's culture, enslaved us as your thralls, slaughtered us again and again…but even now, looking at you…I can't feel anything.
"Hmhm…" Frieza's shoulder's wiggled. Nada tipped his head to the side. "Hmhm… hohohohoho…NAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He curled a hand up by his mouth and laughed merrily, his mouth a delighted little 'o'. "That is exactly the sort of attitude I was promised you'd have," he remarked, squinting his eyes. He placed his closed hands at the small of his back. "Of course, you've made the natural assumption that this promotion is being offered to you. Make no mistake, you are merely serving a purpose – and for the matter of convenience, at that.
Having already put his life on the chopping block, Nada lost the need to restrain himself. "What are you talking about? What could you possibly gain from making someone like me an officer? What makes you think you can trust one of us?"
"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'keep your enemies closer?'" Frieza hummed, continuing to look subtly amused, "But that is but one of the reasons for my decision. As I said before, I suspect another Cypher uprising is on its way within a few years. Perhaps a little more." He turned to gaze at his chair and hopped into the air, floating down neatly into it. "Of course, I could just settle the matter as I always have. Giving your planet a good soaking in your own blood has always managed to get the message across. But as much as I enjoy giving you all your spankings, I've come to reconsider this pastime. Perhaps it's time to put it on the shelf and consider a less costly way." He squinted cheerfully at the Cypher. "That's where you come in, Nada."
"I'm not following you," he answered, suddenly feeling tense.
"It's simple logic," he assured, "Why put fate of an entire race in the hands of a mob when I can put it all on the shoulders of one man?" Nada heard his own heartbeat abruptly stop. "I can't expect a mob to be reasonable. They don't think about anything but their own ridiculous moments of passion. But a man like you, not only powerful but willing to face any manner of death simply on principle? The value of such a resource is clear to me."
Nada started to sweat, his eyes wide. "What are you saying?"
Frieza's lips spread. "Along with your usual duties as an officer, you will be personally put in charge of the entire Cypher Army. As such, you will be expected to see to it that any whispers of rebellion are snuffed out…in whatever fashion you prefer. So long as I never have to hear about it." He chuckled. "Of course, if I do hear about it, I'll have to act."
"Okay," said Nada, a sweat droplet running down the side of his face, "But how is that any different than how things are now? You'd just be delaying the inevitable. You know we Cyphers will never accept your rule."
"Hm, yes, that," he remarked idly, glancing to the side, "I have considered that in my plan as well. You see, in all the time I've had you wig-warriors under my rule, I've noticed an annoying characteristic – you're very singularly focused. Only able to focus on so many concepts at a time…such as fighting and opposing me. Ah, but a dog needs a bone to chew, does it not? And it's only reasonable that a master give his hound something other than his hand to bite." He smiled at him again. "As it happens, you're that bone, Nada. When your people hear that their mightiest warrior has not only betrayed them in return for my benevolence and riches, but then in turn starts putting them in line? They'll despise you so terribly much I think they'll quite forget about rebelling against me in exchange for seeking your death…a gratitude I expect you not to allow, of course."
"Except for one thing!" Nada cried incredulously, "I already refused!" He cut his hand through the air. "I'll never be your officer, Frieza!"
Frieza's face flattened, but something still twinkled in his eyes as he glanced away. "Hm. Well that's disappointing to hear. You see, Nada, you technically do have a choice in this matter, but it's not a very nice one. Oh don't worry, it's not anything so contrived as your death. You see, I've decided that one way or another there will be no more Cypher rebellions. So if you don't become my officer…" He spread his hand like an opening black hole. "Your entire planet and race…is space dust."
Once again, Nada's heart stopped. He could almost feel the heat of Planet Vegeta exploding against his shoulder blades. "The…the meteor…"
"Very good, Nada," Frieza encouraged, holding up a finger, "We wouldn't want another warrior race lost to a rogue meteor, now would we?"
Nada sweated and he looked down, his heart slowly pounding as a droplet ran down the tip of his nose. His lips moved. "…I'll do it." He shakily lowered to one knee, not looking up, and pressed an arm across his chest. "I will serve you in any way you command…Lord Frieza."
"Oh I wouldn't bow just yet…" Frieza purred, making his skin turn to ice, "After all, there's another part of this arrangement I've yet to explain…and I doubt you'll want to be so close to the floor for it."
Nada stood up, his head still bowed. "Whatever you wish, Lord Frieza."
"Naturally." He leaned back in his chair. "You see, there's one factor that isn't taken care of by what I've thus explained to you. You Cyphers' continued obstinacy…irritates me. I've always been able to remedy this by duly punishing your kind in return. However, this arrangement no longer involves that. So, instead, any grief your people cause me will be dealt in return on you."
Nada didn't move. "I understand."
Frieza chuckled. "No, I don't think you do." He pointed a finger at him and an angry, bright violet beam went straight through his collar bone.
Nada's first reaction was shock. He…I didn't even see him move! Then the pain blazed through his bones and he screamed, clutching the crook of his neck.
Frieza floated out of his chair and landed with another clap of his wide feet, grabbing the front of Nada's now stained uniform and pulling him down to his level. "You should feel honored, Nada. This is a special game I've invented just for you. You're going to stand there and take your people's lashes for them like a good boy. And if you ever feel you just can't take it anymore, feel free to give up and fall to the ground. But if you do…I'll consider it your resignation, and your planet is history." He shoved him back and Nada stumbled. "These are for the current grievances you Cyphers have committed as of late. And do brace yourself…there are a number of them."
Is…is this really happening? Nada thought in a daze. The answer came as an affirmative as Frieza's fist struck him in the side, all at once shattering three ribs. Nada gasped and stumbled, holding himself with both arms now. His jaw hung slack and dripped saliva, too in shock to scream.
"Very good." Frieza weaved around him on his tail and elbowed him in the back. The scream came flying out as if the buckling of his chest forced it to reappear, his large feet shuffling on his skinny ankles to keep his balance. This continued. Frieza moved around him expertly, as if tenderizing a steak before a meal. Every bruise and break brought a new sensation of pain and horror he didn't know was possible. He could hardly believe he'd reached the peak of his power this morning. He was now the strongest he'd ever be in his whole life and was experiencing more damage in a single moment than he'd endured in his entire existence.
Nada's knees buckled, a broken arm hanging off to the side at a sickening angle, his armor covered in cracks and hardly holding together anymore. His insides felt like liquid as he started to wobble. Frieza gave a tiny smirk and touched his index finger to the underside of Nada's chin, as if he was the force keeping him standing.
"Don't give out just yet, Nada," he encouraged quietly, "Remember, your planet is counting on you." He curled a fist and struck him again.
It's okay… he thought as he struggled to remain upright, I'm a dead man…that's all I've ever been. That's all I'll ever be. The dead can take any kind of punishment. And they don't care about pain. But then again…what does that really mean to me…if I don't even know what it's like to be alive… Dozens of worlds spun through his head – craters that used to be cities; blood spilled across earth and through water. What does being alive even look like? What were all those people like before I showed up? What does this pain even mean?!
Maybe it was the taste of his own blood on in his mouth that rediscovered the lost memory. But suddenly, as another bone cracked, he was certain he had once squared off with a small boy with a long, brown tail and a big, black, lopsided lump of hair on his head. A Saiyan… They had torn at each other like lion cubs, biting, scratching, and pounding at each other with nothing held back. He couldn't recall who had won, but it didn't matter. He remembered the world had suddenly become beautiful, like it was bathed in crystal.
Alive! He saw the floor coming at his nose and braced, his broken arm slamming against it and surely furthering the damage. No…I may be dead…I may be dead in everything, I do…but…
"Hm," Frieza considered, weighing Nada's head under his foot, "Yes. I think that will do." He placed his hands behind him again and turned away. "I trust you can see yourself to the nearest healing chamber. You'll need it if you are to leave in time for your next mission. You'll also find a very large sum deposited in your account – to celebrate your new status."
"Frieza," he croaked. The overlord glanced back at him. Nada still hadn't fallen, though his three limbs trembled violently beneath him. "As an officer…I'll be expected…to go on…very dangerous missions…"
"Difficult, more accurately," Frieza dryly remarked with a wave, "After all, there's nothing particularly dangerous about destroying a planet."
"But there are powerful races out there…with valuable worlds…heh…and I can fight them…" He somehow managed to get to his feet and looked at Frieza with a face that was red with blood, a powerful hand that was outstretched, and golden eyes that shone and reflected the tyrant's image like a mirror. "I can fight…them all!"
This is it, he in turn thought, I can feel it right down to my broken bones…I'm alive! I can be dead enough to endure anything…if I can be allowed to feel this way. This…the rage of a warrior…ALIVE!
Frieza didn't seem half as interested in his statement as in his own reflection in Nada's gaze. He leaned in close to his face and twisted about a bit, even licking a finger and running it up one horn. "I do love how you Cyphers' eyes change like that when I've managed to piss you off," he mused, "Were it possible, I'd decapitate one of you like this and put the head on my wall just so I could admire myself every morning in that pitiful gaze." He turned away again and walked up to his chair. "But I digress. There is one last thing before you are dismissed." He grasped a small, metal circle from his chair arm and held it before him, curling his tail under his chin to help him focus on the object. It activated and the holograms of several beautiful worlds appeared before him. "Pick one," Frieza wryly smiled, "The one you select will be yours to keep as your personal base of operations. I reward well those who serve me. And I am very pleased with how you performed today."
Nada eyed the projections like he was trying to keep back the urge to urinate. Honestly, it was similar, but even worse. He cared nothing for owning his own luxury planet at the best of times and now that he had managed to climax into a battle rage, he wanted nothing more than to fight something – even though he could barely stand. Surely, Frieza knew this. For some reason, it only occurred to him then just how much the lord enjoyed others' suffering. He gritted his teeth, managed to fish out a cigarette with his weakened, remaining usable arm and lit it at the same time. The chemicals dulled the battle state enough for him to feel slightly dead again. He gazed at the projections and pointed to one on a whim.
"Interesting choice," Frieza purred, though he clearly didn't care.
Nada twisted and managed to fall from Frieza's grasp, catching himself before he hit the floor. He limped forward, blood dripping down his armor, but suddenly turned, nearly losing his balance in the pivot. He gazed at the lord with those still lit eyes, placed his good arm to his chest, and bowed. But this time, he looked straight at him and spoke words that were truly his own. "…My god…"
Frieza just thinly smiled, as if someone had finally gotten it right after all this time.
He was a PTO officer for a few years after that. He fulfilled every obligation that Frieza had stacked on his shoulders with the same emptiness he had always served him with. And yes, everything had gone exactly to plan. The Cyphers never again rebelled. Instead, their hate was redirected onto Nada, who never visited his home planet again for any other reason than to keep order. There were attempt on his life. Sometimes, he almost enjoyed them. Frieza had driven all his points very hard, so there were very few occasions anything reached Frieza but the tiny trickle. Still, Frieza kept his end of the bargain on that and all the rest.
But none of that matter. All that matter was that Nada ensured that the Cyphers, the greatest race in all the universe, continued to survive. And as a bonus, he finally found a way to feel alive. Perhaps, it was the only way to truly live. In the vigor of combat, where he stacked his strength against a ready and eager opponent, the precious blood of his people came to life in him and the universe also came alive – crystal, bright, and beautiful. In those moments, he didn't need the cigarettes.
And then came the Super Saiyan.
Nada's shoulders heaved slowly and surely, his heart and fingers still trembling with the necessity of war. "You're right," he flatly stated, "You probably do know a few things about me." His lids blinked over the reflection of Dr. Tottle. "Does that make you think you can't trust me? I've never broken my word. I won't fight you above your level." He grabbed the front of his shirt. "Just let me fight, damn you!"
"Believe it or not, I'm not actually trying to upset you!" Dr. Tottle protested as he was lifted up, "I don't even care if you kill me or not. It's just I can't help myself from trying to reason with an idiot."
Nada laughed and his eyes flashed. "Man you're right. You're terrible at getting on SOMEONE'S GOOD SIDE!" He punched and side kicked him, the doctor bouncing several times and leaving a stain of blood. Nada panted a little and laughed helplessly, clutching his face with one hand. "Man. Look at me. I can't even bring myself to damage my goddess's stuff. Even at this point." He chuckled through gritted teeth. "And you...how am I ever gonna feel alive if you keep acting so pathetic?"
Dr. Tottle whimpered a wheeze. "Hold on…you collapsed a lung that time…"
"I am curious, though," Nada stated, "You said a moment ago that you have some ideas about me…what kind of ideas are those? If you really do think life is so precious, they must be some pretty damn interesting ones."
Dr. Tottle felt around his chest, but not in the usual manner a wounded person did. The man was straight-up doctoring himself. "I don't know about that," Dr. Tottle admitted, "But I do know that when the Justiciars came to Absolero, the Cypher race was ready to fight down to the last man, woman, and child rather than give their warriors up for judgment. It would have been the Sixth Cypher Massacre. So the Justiciars bargained with your people." His brow hardened with sympathy. "They would convince the galaxy to pardon all other crimes if they would in exchange turn over their worst criminal. Naturally, that was the one who had destroyed worlds and had the highest record for xenocide. You, in other words."
"They wanted me dead anyways," Nada stated apathetically, "It was a win-win."
"Now what I do remember is your trial," Dr. Tottle muttered thoughtfully, still managing his chest, "Because it created the preset that age and duress couldn't justify crimes involving massive loss of life. I recall the defense tried to argue that since you have been conscripted as a child and were clearly being blackmailed during your entire career as an officer, you couldn't be held responsible for your actions. But between Nevrrest and the ghost vote, there was very little sympathy." He chuckled. "It seems you aren't very good at getting on anyone's good side either."
Nada cracked half a grin. "Is that an attempt at empathizing with me, doc?" His fingers twitched and pulsated. "But I don't care about any of that crap. You think I feel sorry for myself? Nah. What would be the point of that?" The twitching got more uncontrollable. "See, I'm not really alive when I'm not fighting. I'm just a thing. A dead man."
"A dead man?" Dr. Tottle questioned.
"Well, it's better than the alternative…livestock." The light glanced off his twin, spiral bunches of hair. His eyes flashed again and he raised a fist. "So you're going to start fighting me so I don't have to feel that way! It's the very least you can do after all this!"
Dr. Tottle was actually barely able to dodge the fist this time, Nada's knuckles planting in the wall next to his head. "Ideas!" he interjected, "I wasn't done answering your question about my ideas about you!"
"Damn you," Nada hissed, glaring at him, "You know, I'll be lucky if she kills me?" He stepped back and gripped his shoulder like it was burning. "If she sends me back to my cell…"
"You'll become hysterical and start bashing your brains out against the cell walls again?" Dr. Tottle offered.
Nada's eyes slowly shifted to him, the mirrors starting to crack.
He'd once heard it said that when the body desperately needs something, it will supplement anything it can to make up for the loss. The doctors, the guards, the Warden – none of them had understood. They had taken his actions as prisoner rebellion. Truth was, he was just trying to survive. All those times he had told himself he was dead suddenly felt like a joke. That had only been half dead. Chained by the neck in a tiny, lifeless cell with his hands welded together, his strength stolen – that was dead.
He remembered screaming all the time. He couldn't control it. It was like some ghost was trying to escape his body. "LET ME OUT! JUST FOR FIVE MINUTES! LET ME FIGHT! LET ME FIGHT SOMETHING! LET ME FIGHT ANYTHING! PLEASE!" The shadows turned into opponents and he'd throw himself at them. Every day, the walls of his cell would turn from icy grey to spotted and smeared with red and he somehow wouldn't even notice that he'd broken an ankle or cracked his skull open. Eventually, extra restraints were added to his body and pills to his meals. "Fight…just let me fight…fight…something…anything…just let me…live…"
"Your whole situation makes natural sense, really," Dr. Tottle continued, "Nevrrest gave you a way to be free of your cell. You owe her that, which inspires both loyalty and fear." He pushed himself up. "Yes, and if your failure to stop me sends you back there, it will be my fault. So what? You'll just take it out on me to try to feel better?" He shook a finger at him. "Instead of just giving up and crying about it, why not try using your head and doing something about it!? If you can't make Nevrrest happy, then figure out some other way out of this!"
The sheen had completely faded from Nada's eyes. He stared at him with a flat expression and lit a cigarette. Taking a drag from it, he eyed him again without life and reached out a hand towards Dr. Tottle's face. It lit with energy. "…Pass…"
(**Scene Break**)
The door was locked, so Goku had to force his way through it. It took a while and he had to put some serious strength into it, but the door buckled into a dark expanse. As Misado had shown him in the vision, this area was nothing but storage. The lights only came on as the ship sensed his motion inside, illuminating large storage containers and odd pieces of equipment scatted on shelves. Goku's feet left the floor again, flying almost blindly to Vegeta's location. But when he arrived…
"What?!" Goku cried, planting a hand against the wall, "But…what happened? I'm sure this is where you showed me that room…but there's nothing here!" He quickly looked around the area he was in. But no. There was no sign of the place Misado had showed him. He dipped his hand into his pocket and held up the seedling. "Misado, we have to hurry! Did I miss something?"
Goku gave a remark as the tiny plant reached out its curly vine, winding its way around his whole hand this time. He yelped as a force yanked his arm forward, planting his palm against the wall. Goku blinked. "Huh?!" He tried to move away, but his hand didn't come with him, yanking him back so hard he face-planted against the metal. "I don't get it," he grunted, rubbing the side of his cheek and feeling slightly frustrated, "How is this supposed to help me find Vegeta?"
No answers came from Misado. The seedling only kept his hand planted on that spot for an unbearably long time. Goku grimaced heavily, keeping his emotions in check. Misado had to have a good reason for this. But what? What was the point of just standing here when Vegeta's time was surely running out. He felt frustration and impatience ripple through his body and Goku's teeth clenched.
"Misado—" Suddenly, Goku's hand passed into the wall. "Geya!" he yelped, one of his legs flailing as he nearly fell, "W-what happened to the wall?!" He planted his boot and reached his other hand into it. It passed through the metal like water. His mouth opened into a wide gasp. "A secret entrance!" he cried, "Misado, you're amazing!" Drawing a breath like he was about to go for a swim, he dove straight through the wall.
The iron scent of blood was instantly so pungent, Goku could taste it in his mouth. Goku was in shock as the red splashed about his boots. "So much blood!" he cried. His horror only grew as he saw the other Saiyan dangling in the air like a sack of meat and just as red as one. "Vegeta!" He instantly flew forward and swiped his arm through the air, cutting the wire and tubing all at once. He caught Vegeta before he hit the puddle and without a thought removed the wire from his bruised neck and the two tubes from his back. "Vegeta, I'm here!" he cried as he held him, "Are you alright?! Why is there so much blood?!" Vegeta didn't move. "Vegeta!" He gasped and put his ear to his chest. "Oh no…he's not breathing! He's not going to make it if I don't do something fast!" He shook him. "Come on, Vegeta! Bulma, Trunks, and your baby! They're all waiting for you! So you gotta wake up and breathe!" Desperate, he raised a fist and punched him hard in the chest. "BREATHE!"
Vegeta's body lurched and he threw a spray of blood out of his mouth, some of it hitting Goku. He gasped and rolled onto his side in Goku's grasp, choking and coughing. Goku quickly caught on and got behind him, squeezing him with both arms and forcing the rest of the blood out of his lungs. Vegeta gasped, his breathing labored and shrill as Goku gave him a few more heaves. Finally, his eyes opened and shifted back to the other warrior, his lips all red.
"What…" he coughed, "Took you so long?"
"Vegeta…" Goku sighed, turning him over again, holding him up above the mess on the floor.
Vegeta clenched his stained teeth. "Tch…don't…relax yet…Kakarot." He heaved a spray of blood. "My…insides…are about…to burst…!" He coughed again and eyed him severely. "You have to…damage…me…get this…wretched blood…out of me…!"
"Wretched blood?" said Goku with concern.
"Do I have to explain it to you?!" he angrily hacked, "Nevrrest…damn poison…!"
"Oh no, poison?!" Goku cried, looking at the tubes he'd destroyed, now leaking onto the bloodied floor.
"Yes!" Vegeta snapped, "My insides are…being crushed…! Just hurry up and…make me bleed already!"
"Alright, got it," Goku assured. He drew a breath and jerked his head. Vegeta grunted in pain as several cuts appeared over his body, but sighed with relief as blood first sprayed then leaked out of his body at a rapid pace.
He started feeling like he could breathe again as the pressure on his lungs alleviated. He allowed his vision to focus on Goku, taking in his green attire, the burn mark on his neck, and the numbers 4747 on his muscular shoulder. "So you did let your guard down…idiot…"
"I'm sorry about that," Goku apologized, "It wasn't easy getting here. Honestly, if it wasn't for Oom'Bagu, Dr. Tottle, and Misado's help, I wouldn't have made it at all." He glanced around and stood up, laying Vegeta down on the nearby counter next to the empty body bag. He looked Vegeta over as he continued to bleed and cough. "Looks like I only just made it in time. Even so, your body isn't looking too good." He looked at the seedling still wound around his hand. "Can you help him, Misado?" The plant retracted to its pouch. "I guess not. Thanks anyways."
"That shrub's here?" Vegeta asked.
"What's left, anyways," Goku answered, tucking the seedling back into his pocket, "Nevrrest destroyed the rest of her."
"Yes," Vegeta pondered after a deep cough, "I recall the bird woman saying something about the plant and her injury."
"Injury?" Goku asked.
"A fatal one," Vegeta affirmed, "I suspect Nevrrest has been recovering from it in a rejuvenation chamber all this time. Which means, it won't be long at all before she's at full strength again."
Goku moved his hand carefully over Vegeta's body, inspecting damage. He didn't seem to have any broken bones, but his skin was swollen and heavily bruised. That's when he noticed the goo on his limbs. "What is this stuff?" Goku pulled at the sticky bonds.
"Nevrrest melted it with her energy," Vegeta stated.
Goku let out a gentle glow of ki and the goo turned to liquid, freeing Vegeta's arms. Vegeta pulled them out from behind him and rested them on the table while Goku did the same for his legs and tail. He opened his mouth to sigh with relief but instead screamed with pain as Goku started prying the shackle on his tail.
"Idiot, that won't work!" Vegeta barked, his tail whipping out of Goku's grasp, "It's bonded with the bones in my tail!"
"Oh, sorry," said Goku as Vegeta hissed with pain.
"You're not helping," Vegeta grunted. He let his body flatten again. "Ergh. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you should get the doctor."
"You mean Dr. Tottle?"
"Yes, I mean him!" Vegeta grunted irritably. "He'll talk my damn ear off, but at least he's less likely to kill me than you are."
"Ehehehe," Goku laughed uneasily, rubbing at the back of his head, "Yeah, you're probably right. If I had some sensu beans on me it'd be a different story, but otherwise I'm stumped." Goku touched his chin. "Trouble is, I left him back on Prison Ship 7. And I can't sense your energy outside of this room. But if I take you out of it, Nevrrest will be able to sense you're alive. So how can I get Dr. Tottle here with instant transmission?" He took the seedling out of his pocket again. "Misado, do you think you can help?" The plant glowed. Goku automatically understood and sat the pouch down next to Vegeta. "I'll use Misado's signal to get back here. She doesn't work like other people, after all." Vegeta eyed the tiny plant, not as convinced of the thing's potential use. Goku stepped back. "Alright. I'll be right back. Don't worry, Vegeta, we'll have you fixed up in no time."
"Hurry," Vegeta stated, looking off with a tense brow, "Even like this, I can sense that vulture's power growing. A battle's coming and we don't have much time."
"Right," Goku agreed, looking off in that direction as well. He nodded and put two fingers to his forehead, focusing on Dr. Tottle's energy. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no!"
"What?" asked Vegeta.
Goku vanished without answering, his teeth clenched.
AUTHOR NOTE - IMPORTANT
Hello, my darling readers! I have a serious notice to share with you this time. I recently discovered that there are websites that are stealing fanfiction stories for profit. If you have any stories on here, please visit fav (period) me (slash) d9r4xff for information on how to report these websites.
As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Can't wait to hear back from you!
