(A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Things with the hurricane have made it tough here. It'll probably take me longer to update until things get back to normal around here. I managed to pull this together, so I hope you enjoy it until I can get back on track)
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 56: Counter Attack
Most plans sound a lot better when they're on paper. Such was the case with this one. Stop the Destron Gas generators, destroy Hatchiyack, kill Baby. Sounded simple enough. But once again, that was on paper.
Hatchiyack and the Destron Gas generators were surrounded by an entire army of infected saiyans, including Broly. Baby was there too, overseeing the workings of Hatchiyack in its final stages.
At a safe distance, Bulma, Vegeta, Tarble, and Gure watched, waiting for their chance to strike.
"Ok," Bulma said, "is everyone ready? We'll only have seconds to act."
Tarble glanced at her nervously. "Are you sure this will work?"
"In theory." Bulma replied. "But it's all we've got."
Vegeta's patience had long since passed its limit. "I'm getting tired of this sneaking around. Will you just get started already?"
She glared at him. "Whatever you say, your majesty."
Activating the control device that kept Broly's true power at bay, she dropped all restrictions. In an instant, Broly's control snapped and he went into berserk mode. Even though he was under Baby's control, his unrestrained power affected his reasoning, bringing forth the madness his intense power unleashed.
Baby and the saiyans all turned to him as he roared loudly. His power exploded outward, knocking them all off their feet.
"Broly!" the Tuffle shouted. "What is this? Control yourself!"
The mutant saiyan's power level began dropping again as Bulma placed the restrictions back on him. But his outburst provided the distraction they needed, and cleared the path. While the disorientated saiyans recovered from the shockwave, Tarble and Gure flew towards the Destron Gas generators.
"Here we go!" Tarble cried, tossing several capsules at the first generator.
"Take that!" Gure shouted, throwing her own at the second one.
The capsules flew into the openings in the generators where the Destron Gas was being pumped out. The generators rumbled as Bulma's neutralizing agent was unleashed inside them. The generators powered down, and the cloud of toxic gas escaping them began to dissipate as it mixed with Bulma's compound.
"What's this?" Baby snarled, looking up at the two. His directions shifted to the no longer functioning generators, then back at the other two. "Well, you two certainly have a lot of nerve showing up here like that. And I see that you've managed to neutralize my Destron Gas."
Already things seemed to be getting brighter as Bulma's neutralization chemical counteracted the Destron Gas.
"Looks like we did it." Tarble said.
"Oh, you did it alright." Baby grumbled. But then he smiled, cracking his knuckles. "However, I can always make new generators, but it seems as if the search for the last of the royal family has come to an end."
"Wrong again, Tuffle freak!"
A surprised look crossed Baby's face as he heard the voice of someone he thought was dead. He didn't have time to dwell on it though as a beam of energy went speeding past him. He heard it strike behind him, followed immediately by an explosion. Almost afraid to turn around, Baby did so with great reluctance. What he saw infuriated him. Hatchiyack had a large hole in it. Sparks flew across it as a large cloud of smoke rose from the hole, from which a fire burned.
"NO!" Baby bellowed. "Hatchiyack! What have you done?" Anger twisted his features as he turned to the one that had destroyed his beloved machine. "Or should I ask, how are you alive?"
Vegeta smirked as he landed a short distance away. "As if a mere Tuffle could possibly destroy the prince of all saiyans."
Baby snorted. "Prince of pests you mean. You're certainly as hard to get rid of as any vermin." A smirk crept up his face. "Then again, you're not really the prince of anything anymore. Take a look around you, Vegeta. Just look at your loyal subjects."
Humoring the parasite, Vegeta glanced at his people. All the infected saiyans had surrounded him, and each had a look of the utmost hatred on their face.
Vegeta just smirked. "They're just sick is all. They were infected by a disgusted parasite and have gone a little funny in the head."
"How dare you speak that way about Lord Baby!" a saiyan cried angrily.
This was followed up by more cries of outrage and demands for Vegeta's blood. And it looked like the saiyans would be all too happy to tear apart their former prince.
"Calm yourselves, my people." Baby told them. "This insect isn't even worth your anger. It seems I made a mistake and went too easy on him last time. I won't make that mistake again. So all of you just sit back and watch as I annihilate this monkey."
Vegeta snickered. "I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. This time, I have an advantage that I didn't have before."
"Oh?" Baby smirked, crossing his arms arrogantly. "And what's that?"
"The same thing you have. You obtained your power through science, and now I'm about to do the same."
A few seconds ticked by where nothing happened. Baby tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently. "Well? Are you going to do something, or not?"
Looking aggravated, Vegeta glanced over his shoulder. "Where is that infernal woman?"
As if on cue, Bulma came driving up in what appeared to be a modified hover-car with two large satellites attached to it.
"Where've you been?" the saiyan prince demanded. "You certainly picked the wrong time to lollygag!"
Bulma glared at him. "You ungrateful jerk!" she shot back. "It would have taken anyone else years to develop this thing when I did it in a day!"
Vegeta chose to ignore this. "Just turned the blasted thing on!"
Bulma rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smirk at his predictability. "Prince of the saiyans or not, he doesn't scare me."
Baby watched with interest as the satellites zeroes in on Vegeta. Beams of bright green light shot out of the satellites, striking Vegeta. The saiyan prince cried out as massive amounts of Blutz Waves were pumped into his system. Baby had no idea what they were attempting, but if it was causing Vegeta pain, then he liked it.
The overwhelming power filled Vegeta with a greater intensity than the full moon ever did. Even without a tail, the Blutz Waves were so powerful that he felt his Great Ape transformation coming forth. His thoughts became fuzzy as his wild side began to take over the same way it did when other saiyans transformed. The instinct of the Great Ape along with the immense power was causing him to lose control.
An inhuman roar escaped Vegeta as his transformation began. Bulma watched in fascination as Vegeta repeated the process of becoming a giant monster like he did back on Namek. Only this one was different. When his transformation was complete, his fur was gold rather than brown, and his skin was much darker. But what disturbed her was his posture. He wasn't holding himself like he did as a man. Technically, he wasn't a man anymore, but even when he had transformed into a Great Ape last time, he had still stood tall and proud like the warrior he was. Now he was slouched over like a common gorilla, his movements showing no sign of humanity.
"Oh my god…" Bulma whispered.
It was then that she realized that he had no control over this Golden Great Ape form. He'd completed the transformation, but his mind had shut down, and the ape's destructive instinct had taken over. With an almighty roar, the beast pounded his fists against his chest.
"He's not in control!" Tarble shouted out the obvious.
Vegeta's attention shifted to his brother and he made a swing at him. Tarble and Gure flew out of reach, but Vegeta opened his mouth and breathed a stream of fire at them. When he realized he missed, he became even more enraged.
Screams from the gathering of saiyans distracted him, and he turned his attention to them. With a mighty roar, he jumped into the crowd, and they scattered as his giant feet cracked the ground apart.
Rampaging like a rabid animal, Vegeta lashed out at anything in his path, toppling buildings in his wake. At random moments, he would open his mouth and unleashed blasts of energy or breathe fire. He didn't even seem capable of rational thought any longer as he went down a path of destruction.
Ignoring the cries of his people to save them, Baby watched in amusement as Vegeta rampaged. "This was your brilliant strategy? What a laugh! Your trump card has left you as nothing more than a wild animal. Now we can all see you as the beast you truly are."
Over the giant ape's head, Tarble and Gure shouted down at him, trying to bring Vegeta back to his senses. But he didn't even seem to hear them. He was too far gone, relishing in the destruction he was causing.
Bulma activated the Blutz Wave generator again, giving Vegeta another blast to get his attention. Now that he took notice of, turning his angry gave on her.
"Vegeta!" she shouted. "Wake up! Don't you see that you're destroying the very things you're trying to protect?"
In response, the monstrous ape opened its mouth and fired a blast of energy at her. Bulma cried out as the blast sped towards her, but was suddenly pulled out of the vehicle at the last moment. Gure flew with her up into the sky as Vegeta's attack destroyed the generator.
"No!" Bulma cried. "That was our last hope."
Vegeta roared again and began pounding his chest. In a show of bravery, Tarble flew at his brother and kicked the side of his head. The only reaction to the attack Vegeta showed was to turn towards him.
"Vegeta, please, listen to me!" he begged. "You've got to stop before it's too late!"
The golden ape's hand shot out, grabbing Tarble out of the air and squeezing him in a tight grip. The younger saiyan realize that he was completely at his brother's mercy and could be crushed at any moment.
Baby laughed as he enjoyed the show. "Yes, that's it! Pop him like a pimple! To think that the saiyan prince is doing my work for me, and I didn't even need to infect him!"
Struggling to breathe, Tarble looked at the giant monster desperately. "Please, big brother, you have to come back. Remember who you are, remember your pride. You're our last hope; otherwise, Baby will win, and our race will be doomed, along with the entire universe."
He felt Vegeta's grip slightly loosen. The big ape stared at him closely, and some recognition appeared in his glowing blood red eyes.
"Tar…ble…" he grumbled.
He released his brother, and Tarble sucked down the cool air. Clutching his aching ribs, he looked up at Vegeta. The large ape began to glow with a golden aura, his body relaxing as he struggled to regain control.
Vegeta's laughter echoed all around them. "I am the prince of all saiyans. I could never allow my baser instincts to get the best of me."
His whole body began glowing brighter, blinding them with its intensity. Then he started to shrink, his features shifting back from an ape to a man. When he reached a few inches taller of his original size, the glowing faded, and Vegeta stood in a his new form.
"At long last, I've ascended." He stated.
His new Super Saiyan form was very different from his original one. His hair had grown longer and flowed down his back rather than sticking straight up, and it remained black rather than turning gold. His facial features were slightly altered, showing just a hint of the ape he had been moments ago. His eyes were dark green, and the pupils were more noticeable, and surrounding each eyes was a layer of red, almost making it look like he was wearing mascara.
His body was different as well, and not just in height and muscle mass. His shirt was gone, having disintegrated from his energy, but it still looked as if he was wearing one. What actually covered him from his neck down to his legs, leaving only his hands, feet, and chest hairless, was blood red fur. His tail was also back, but it was twice as long as it originally was, thicker too, and it was just as red as the rest of his fur.
None of them actually knew it, but Vegeta had just unlocked Super Saiyan Level Four.
From a distance away, Bulma practically drooled as she stared at Vegeta's new form. "Oh, wow, he's really cute." She felt like a giddy schoolgirl with a crush. 'I'll definitely have to get him to take on that form the next time we're in bed together.'
Baby had a very different reaction from Bulma. A scowl was plastered across his face as he looked at the newly transformed Vegeta. "So what? You've gone from a bald monkey, to a gold monkey, to a red monkey. It's not going to save you!"
He flew at Vegeta, ready to attack. When he was right in front of him, he was suddenly knocked back by an unseen force. It hadn't been energy, the force had been physical.
"What… what the hell was that?" he snarled.
Vegeta just chuckled. "Three small punches and he's already out of it."
Baby's eye twitched. "What? Three?"
The saiyan prince laughed again. "Oh, were those too fast for you? I'll try to slow them down a bit."
Anger flashed in Baby's eyes. "Damn you!"
He charged, preparing to throw a punch. Vegeta easily blocked it, and then buried his own fist in Baby's gut. The Tuffle cried out, a shower of spit flying past his lips. He didn't get a reprieve as Vegeta delivered a blow to the head and then kicked him back. Baby went flying backwards, right into the crowd of infected saiyans. They supported their leader, helping him to his feet.
"Lord Baby, are you all right?" one asked.
"Damn that lousy saiyan." Said another. "We'll make him pay!"
Baby pulled away from them. "I'm fine! Don't touch me! I can take care of him myself! This saiyan is mine!"
He stalked away from his followers, looking at Vegeta with renewed interest. You really surprised me there, Vegeta. I must admit that your new power caught me off guard." He chuckled evilly. "But now it's time to get serious. It's time for you to witness what true power really is."
Vegeta smirked. "In that case, go ahead, make my day."
(A/N: The final final showdown has begun. It's going to be a long one too, like it was with Frieza, only things won't be so one-sided this time. Vegeta has reached Super Saiyan Four, but they don't know that, so they won't be referring to it as such, just wanted you to know so you don't get confused. Also, the Destron Gas has been stomped and Hatchiyack has been destroyed, but the danger is far from over. I'll update when I can, but remember what I said about the hurricane delaying me. And good luck to anyone else that it's hit.)
