Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z characters and Hannibal. I don't make any profit from this work of fiction.
Chapter 53
The Doctor will see you now
Bulma shuffled behind the large android leading her to the person responsible for her kidnapping. She looked around her observing everything, she had an idea about the Gero Mansion and was slowly trying to memorise it. The front facade for the Doctor's bedroom and the long white corridors of research room after research room. The front part was like a palace, similar to the giant house in the prison.
She already knew who it was and was completely unsurprised by the man in the bed who greeted her. Dr Gero was totally unrecognisable from his file profile. She had kept his profile image on her records when investigating Vegeta in North City. He was her number one suspect for the android attacks. He had to be responsible in some way to Tien's death. This was the man Piccolo warned her to stay away from. To send other agents in her stead rather than going herself. He was obsessed with anything related to Vegeta.
Vegeta was the reason he was in his current state. The IV drips and hundreds of tubes and machines seemed to be keeping him alive.
His face looked like raw meat, it glistened and seemed scabby in areas. Stray tufts of white hair came out of his scab filled scalp. His pale grey eyes were sharp and stared at Bulma, stabbing into her, examining her from head to foot.
"Dr Gero, I assume." Bulma said.
"Ms Briefs." Dr Gero leered, his rasping voice made her recoil in disgust but she tried to hold her head up and not show any of her distaste.
"Is there a reason for bringing me here?" Bulma demanded. "Abduction is a federal offence."
"So is coercing with a convict and assisting their escape."
"If you mean Prince Vegeta, then you're wrong. I had nothing to do with his escape."
"They found the tool he used to escape...it was analysed by my team... It was a simple ball pen... but it belonged to you and he used that to pick his lock..."
"I never gave him that!" Bulma shouted. "How dare you, release me at once!"
"You sound so entitled... Know your place..." He gasped and waved to a nurse to give him some oxygen.
A tall bald man stepped forward and tapped Bulma behind her knees. She dropped down and winced as the glass cuts on her legs were still fresh. She suspected there were still glass imbedded from the way it hurt.
"You will be our lure to bring your accomplice.
Bulma bit her tongue, there was no negotiating with this mad man. The suited man stayed behind her pressing his hand onto her shoulder, keeping her kneeling.
"At least give me basic human rights."
"You are as bad as those aliens, you have no rights here." Gero hissed. "Take the bitch away, bandage her up. She's bleeding all over my floor!"
She was lifted up by the man in black and the robot servant from before, took her like a little doll into his arms.
Bulma yelped in surprise but she only got a small sympathetic glance from the familiar nurse.
'Marron... I thought she quit nursing?' She kept quiet as Gero cackled a throaty laugh.
"Finally, we have everything prepared. Now all that remains for our vengeance is Vegeta!"
"Vengeance..." Bulma muttered her eyes glazed over as she repeated the word. It sparked a memory, a white room filled with shards of glass and a giant wolf its eyes red and jaws eagerly waiting to bite.
Vengeance did not belong to anyone else. It was only for us.
As she came out of the trance she came back to the reality of her situation.
She was on the shoulders of the giant man, swung over like a sack of potatoes. Her arms dangled down but she noticed a spot of exposed machinery. She felt around, there seemed something attached, like a constraint, some sort of suppressor of the machine's basic sub-routine. She needed a tool to get it off and from her initial check it seemed to be an additional gadget added on.
"We have arrived." The robot said.
"Thanks... Can you send something to eat?" Bulma asked as she was gently placed down.
The eyes of the android sparked and so did the bunion like attachment on his back.
"Negative..." He said in a stoic voice. "I am programmed only to listen to Gero employees instructions."
"Well, give them an update that I said they're all shitheads."
"Message recorded."
"Tell me your designated name at least." Bulma sighed as she entered her cell.
"I am Eight." He answered and shut her in the cell locking the door. "We will come for you when we need you."
"Like I have a choice." Bulma huffed and sat on the bed. Her thin leggings were spotted with blood from her injured knees. She sadly washed herself with the tiny sink and tried to keep herself from crying.
She had been so close to escaping from the following car. If she had escaped she could be finding her Dragonball radar and getting the truth around now. Her father could still be alive. She had to survive to find out what had happened to him.
A knock came on her door and she was brought out of her thoughts. Android Eight held open the door and Nurse Marron came in.
"We need to dress those wounds." She told Bulma.
"You could let me out too?" Bulma asked.
"Negative." Eight replied for the nurse. "The nurse is ordered by Dr Gero only."
"I would if I could..." Marron whispered and then added in a louder voice. "You have been branded a traitor by the Red Ribbon army. Dr Gero will deal with you after he has killed V-V.. Him."
"I didn't do anything wrong." Bulma repeated.
"There all done." Marron said ignoring her stares.
Bulma felt an inner growl within her, this woman was only prey. She deserved death.
"I will be missed by the FBI. They will be coming for me." Bulma warned. "Pass on that message to your glorious leader."
"I'm just a nurse... I attend to the sick and injured, he's not my boss, he's my patient." Marron said. "I only say what I must to survive."
"Coward." Bulma snapped as the woman hurriedly exited
She was left alone in the grey cell her leggings now were cut and her knees were tightly bandaged.
She kept upright on the bed wrapped in blankets and fighting off sleep. She had spotted a weakness in her jailer. She just had to get the right tool for the job. There was also Marron, who while sympathised didn't have any power or will to help her. She couldn't rely that she would be found by the FBI. She had no ki to speak of and could be hidden away without anyone knowing. It seemed hopeless to just wait, she had to escape.
Bulma sat on her bed turned to the door the thick blanket wrapped around her body. She could feel herself drifting off, the exertion finally taking its toll. She snapped her eyes open to see not the tiny cell but a wide white room filled with glass that floated sparkling and twirling like lights. She knew this wasn't a dream but a world in her head. She felt like in another trance, her body numb but her mind was awake and aware. If she focused she could find the trail back to her cell where she still lay. She examined the room, it was featureless apart from the almost glowing ice like glass the wide expanse of white was similar to mist, hiding things from her view. In all the pure whiteness one dark thing didn't belong here, it was crimson blood.
The trail of blood lead her to a locked door that appeared in the white fog. Bulma could hear screams of trapped animals behind the door, the cries in pain and fear. She felt like screaming with them now, trapped in her nightmare. She didn't want to go through that door. She wanted to return to the peaceful times, to her ignorant times.
'I find you ignorant little one but not stupid.' A deep voice assured her. 'The time for you to evolve is coming... Show them all what you can really do.'
"I will... Give me the opportunity and I will snatch it." Bulma cried regaining her composure and looking around for the source of the voice.
In her white room another door appeared from the fog it was black and shined as if covered in a glossy metal. It was different from the menacing door that she was afraid of, this door was nostalgic. As she touched it, a giant lock swirled and clunked, clicking away mechanically.
She opened it easily and found a new room but one that was so familiar and safe. It looked like her old laboratory, tools and capsules were scattered around and a car was suspended from the ceiling.
A white board had some writing on it.
'Eight'
A basic drawing of the android 8 was beneath the writing. She picked up a marker and scribbled her basic understanding of the schematics of the machine. She planned her way through the process of reprogramming it. If she could get closer and examine it more...
A light switched on in the back of the room as she recalled the dissection of the previous android dog. Its body was there on the table under the light. Next to it, broken parts of the recovered robot in North City.
'Use the room to keep your memories clear, make more if you need.' The dark shadow of the wolf said lurking near the wall and away from the light.
"I see..." Bulma said scanning over the parts. She could still feel her body in the real world, wrapped up in her blanket cocoon but aware of her surroundings. She wasn't asleep but projecting herself inward.
'So, as if I was meditating?'
She had never had the patience or the will to learn before.
The dark presence returned as if to guide her.
'Use this place as your palace, build it, make it grow... You can manipulate this space for anything you want.' She reached out to the dark mist form of the wolf but it scattered by her touch, turning into a kind of soot that dissipated into the air but it left a faint dust of dirt on her hand.
'We will have our Vengeance, remember that.' It said from the void.
"We will have our Vengeance." Bulma repeated. Her eyes shined as she continued with her research.
000
Vegeta opened his eyes returning from his trance.
'Yes, vengeance... Grow stronger and escape by your own power.'
He sat up from under the tree, he was now aware of the roaming agents all over the highway. A crash by one of their cars had closed the road and he had retreated to a small lay-by. He had wanted to use the Agent's car but it would be more noticeable to pass by them. He had to wait until they had cleared the area.
He could see from the hill he was on the small crash site below. It was growing dark but the Summer twilight gave a soft warm light that was enough for him to scan the area with his superior eyes.
One of the female agents looked familiar, she was tall with dark green hair and a dark complexion. She was the one that was supposed to be guarding Bulma.
'She failed...' He inwardly grumbled and continued to watch from his vantage point. The sun would finally set soon and darkness would give him some aid in his plan. The corrupted agents would have left a trail and he would find them.
Down below Agent Viola was shaking with worry. She couldn't find any sign of Bulma at all. The crashed car was the one she had rented out from the FBI garage but she wasn't there. Nothing in the car other than the keys still in the ignition showed she had been there. There were no bags, footprints, nothing!
The other vehicle involved was also gone.
Agent Viola picked up her phone and dialled.
"Agent Viola reporting... Sir, I'm sorry..." She told Piccolo.
"Did you find Agent Briefs?"
"No, Sir. She's gone... I can't find her. I don't know what to do!"
"I'm currently on the Space Station, I will be back tomorrow morning. Meet me in my office and bring all evidence photographs you have."
"Permission to clean up the crash site."
"Get those photos and tidy up everything of the site to bring to the labs. The forensic team there should know what to do, talk to Agent Violet about it."
"Understood." Viola sighed. She was completely lost, a search team were going to Bulma's house but they hadn't reported back yet. She hung up the call and repeated the orders to the other agents.
'If she's not at home, where could she have gone?' She worried. She had to keep watching Bulma under his orders. She had to protect her from Vegeta. Bulma could be dead by now if it had been him. He didn't have any strength but that didn't stop him from killing.
She tried to think about what Bulma would do and all she could come up with was to write the investigation report.
She looked over to the other Agent.
"Any ideas where to start?" Viola asked.
The woman was as tall as her and usually worked in narcotics but she was far more familiar with the forensic team.
"Bag it all and tag it." She answered. "We'll worry about it later in the lab. Let the lab techs deal with it."
"Thanks Agent Violet. I'm glad you were available." Viola said to the woman.
"Everyone's so busy recently." She agreed. Not to mention that so many people are on vacation for the Summer."
"Don't you usually work with Special Agent Tao?" Viola asked, making small talk and avoiding thinking about what happened to Bulma.
"He's off on a secret mission at the moment." The woman answered. "Y'know, I've been called Viola by a few idiots. Some people get us two mixed up. It's a little annoying, right?"
"I guess, I've only been in Force 2 for a few months now. I just got my first case recently." Viola admitted. "Before I went up in rank, I was a soldier."
"Nothing wrong with that. I was a soldier too. Being an Agent is tougher, a lot more paperwork that's for sure."
Viola laughed lightly and agreed. She still couldn't forgive herself, she had become too relaxed. She didn't want to smile and joke around until she knew Bulma was safe. The conversation between them stopped into an awkward silence as Violet moved away to help her clean up team.
The forensic team were experts at cleaning and collecting and Agent Viola was left with nothing to do but to wait for the work to be finished. It gave her too much time to reflect on what she could have done differently.
The work was done quicker than she thought it would and Agent Viola was soon in the returning car struggling with her internal guilt, the wreckage and other agents with boxes of shrapnel and debris followed behind. The report from Bulma's house would be waiting for her when she returned. She waved goodbye to her fellow agent.
Agent Violet, was left to reopen the road. The tall woman with light purple hair stood guard watching the cars and trucks drive away as she scanned the area for anything that had been missed.
She was unaware of the approaching danger.
"Why do you have her scent?" A gruff voice asked from the side of her. She spun round her gun ready.
"Come out!" Agent Violet cried. "FBI restricted zone, identify yourself!"
"You have the smell of her blood."
This time the voice came from the other side of her. She couldn't sense any power, it was like a ghost. She flicked on her torch, the dimming light gave more shadows for her to jump at.
She twisted round and her light illuminated a grinning face, she shot a round from her gun but missed. The man soon was on top of her pinning her gun hand down disarming her and she couldn't find any strength to kick him off. The torch had also been knocked out of her hand but it flickered over her attacker.
"You?" She gasped but his hand clamped down on her mouth. He sniffed the air, he ran his nose over her body.
"I see... Your scent tells me more than you ever could..."
She tried to cry out again but her voice while also muffled didn't have any power. She felt faint, she was a trained soldier she wasn't a fainter! Her anger only made him more excited. She could feel a blade sliding along her neck. A sharp stinging sensation let her know she was cut only lightly but it could go deeper.
"Get up!" He ordered pulling her upright but she couldn't fight and hung limply. "I need an escort."
Vegeta dragged her into the car he had parked nearby. The clean up had been faster than he expected. All clues to the crash had been erased. Though for him the smells still remained. He chained the woman into the seat restraining her. He couldn't keep holding her to drain her power she wasn't as strong as the other Agent that stunk of the same scent.
The masculine acidic smell had hung on both of them. This was perhaps, Tao.
"You're a member of Red Ribbon, aren't you?" He hissed lifting her face to read it rather than wait for her answer.
She twisted and contorted her expression without any verbal confirmation but it was enough for Vegeta. He grabbed her arm watching the life force drain from her, scars and burns erupted on her skin. She passed out and Vegeta let go satisfied she would remain quiet but alive while he investigated the crash site.
The place was clear of any sign of a crash other than the tyre marks on the tarmac. Even the usual glimmer of tiny glass fragments had disappeared and the drops of blood were cleaned away. The smell lingered, despite the mix of human scents that surrounded the area, hers stood out sharp and fragrant. She had cut herself, her blood had called him closer. He had intended to remain unobserved but the more he watched, the more her smell lured him.
The trigger had been the female. She was the only other thing that also had Bulma's blood on her. She had cleaned it away but it was so fresh it would be impossible to hide it from his senses.
Bulma had been the person who had crashed. He had found some of her hair that had blown away into the bushes. Someone had pulled out the tuft and it had gone unnoticed by the FBI clean up.
This changed his plan, he had the scent of the human scum responsible. He also had a witness that could take him to him. He might still have to go to the HQ, but he would find out everything he needed from his new toy.
"You and I are going for a little drive." He smiled slyly at his unconscious passenger.
000
Author's Note: The keyword is Vengeance for this arc, oh my. Bulma is getting closer to Vegeta without even knowing it and they're having a form of sharing a mind. Yeah, this will probably play out like a version of the fanfic trope of the bond but I love it and I'm sure you guys love it too.
Agent Viola and Violet drove me nuts as they have such similar names. I chose Viola for the OC name a while ago but Violet is a character from Dragonball who was from the Red Ribbon army. I wish I'd let it be Tao instead but that would be too quick. I want him to suffer. Vegeta should be taking his time to find him which will lead to Bulma. Where Bulma might be working on her own way out. I didn't want her to be sitting in a jail cell twirling her thumbs and cursing, she's being proactive and that's the way I want her to be.
