The soft sounds of footsteps bounced around the corridor. 1…2…3…Frost found herself counting them as she moved alongside the figure at her left. She wanted to move her head around and take in the décor as they passed – the worn carpentry, the broken windows, the crumbling walls – but her vision was focused ahead, her body moving without her own input.

"How are you feeling today, Frost?" Dr. Myuu asked.

"Wonderful, doctor," she replied without pause.

"You met with the chief engineer earlier, correct?" asked Myuu as the two of them turned a corner and entered a lush garden nestled in the middle of the compound.

Frost could feel the release of control on her upper body, allowing her to look around and take in the beautiful foliage surrounding them. They continued moving deeper into the garden and being consumed in the greenery – tropical trees stretching higher than the roofs surrounding them, dense bushes bordering the walkway like fences, beautiful hues of yellow, orange, and pink dotting the green backdrop around them. For a brief moment, the scenery reminded her of Chilla's Garden and Frost felt a sudden and sharp ache of sorrow.

"You spoke with the chief engineer," Myuu said once more with an agitated tone.

Frost found herself whipping around to the doctor, stopping dead in her tracks to focus on him. "Yes, he is a very brilliant scientist."

Dr. Myuu smirked. "Don't give him too much credit. He'll soon demand to be called doctor as well." Frost felt the chuckle emanate from her body. "I have received excellent reports about your conversion. You've taken well to the change, Frost. It makes me very proud."

The smile that crawled up on Frost's face made her sick. "Thank you," she replied. "May I ask why we are here, doctor?"

"You may, but I'd rather show than tell," answered Myuu with a joyous smile.

Without another word, the doctor turned and guided them both off of the path and into the dense greenery. Frost lost her admiration for the beautiful foliage as it began slapping and scratching across her body as they moved. It didn't feel like the garden was so big, but their movement through the bushes and trees seemed to go on forever until they stepped right into a pitch black hallway.

Once again, Frost's muscle control had been stifled, but being able to look around at that moment would've been for naught. Only darkness surrounded them as they walked down what felt like an endless amount of steps. If not for the sound of his footsteps, she wouldn't have even known Myuu was in front of her.

After some time, though, Myuu's figure finally formed in front of her as they entered a dimly lit room. The doctor moved aside and Frost was greeted with the sight of a lone, glass chamber. She felt her body move towards the chamber. As she neared she could make out something floating in a fluid – first, its stubby appendages, then its oblong shaped head, and finally its glassy eyes that seemed to be staring right into her own.

Frost's hand reached up to touch the glass as she stared at the creature in front of her. "…Baby…" she said.

With every fiber of her being, the princess yearned to rip her hand from the glass. Instead, all she could do was focus on the faint reflection of herself in the barrier and watch as tears streamed down her face, wondering if they were truly her own.


I wish Arcos had a sun, Frost thought absently as she watched the sunset. Her home planet had a solar system, but being a giant ball of ice, Arcos was too far away to observe any actually benefit.

She found herself staring right at the star, yearning to move closer towards it. She wanted to touch it, to even bath in its fire. Her father had always told her that their people could live through anything. She would do that. She would fly right into the sun and dive into its heat and soak in its fire forever.

"Do you miss home, Frost?" Dr. Myuu asked.

"I am home," she replied.

Myuu looked up from the reports in front of him and across the table to Frost. The princess's head turned to the doctor curiously before he continued. "I mean your former home, Arcos."

"My home is with my people, and the Tuffles are my people," she replied.

Myuu smiled. "Very good," he said and then stood from his seat.

Frost's body moved on unspoken commands. Her eyes took in one final glance of the sunset before she turned away from its beauty and followed Myuu off of the patio and back into the compound. The two walked in silence through the duration of their trip, but Frost noted how far they were traveling. They were moving away from the personal residence of Myuu and his host of labs to a side of the compound she hadn't been too before.

For a fleeting moment, she thought to ask where they were heading, only to be mournfully reminded of her predicament.

Eventually, the duo stepped through a set of sliding glass doors and walked out into an expansive, football field sized courtyard. The area was lined with cobblestone and wrecked ruins of a previous civilization, but Frost couldn't put much focus into the architecture as she found her eyes dotting around to the congregation of creatures. There were dozens of different races, all scattered into a variety of groups, and all seemed to be managed by robots. Some looked to be running sparring drills, others doing tests of their energies, and others darting across the open air. They were training for something she surmised, but what she couldn't fathom.

One question kept coming to mind as she moved passed them: Are they like me?

Soon enough, Myuu and Frost crossed the courtyard and were walking into a huge warehouse off to the side of the compound. They were immediately greeted by the sight of more robots and creatures, but these creatures were being tended to by the robots. Some looked to be receiving add-ons, like blasters and guns, while others were getting elements removed from their bodies – for those, Frost tried not to look too closely. Finally, the duo moved past the garage-like area of the warehouse and in to a space reminiscent of a conference room.

"Good day, General Rildo," said Dr. Myuu as they entered.

The general turned away from the wall-sized screen that he'd been studying. Looking surprised, he said, "Hello, doctor!"

His robotic eyes turned to Frost and the princess suddenly had a flare of rage run through her. The last time she'd seen the general, he had been standing over her and welcoming her as a Tuffle. Of the list of people Frost wanted to kill, he held a very high place.

"What is she doing her?" Rildo asked.

Myuu turned his head to Frost and the princess moved to take a seat at the table nestled in the middle of the room. "I was looking over your report for battle plans. You were having difficulty mapping out a proper strategy against Arcos and the PTO. I figured there was no better person to ask for advice than the former princess."

A pulse of alarm shot through Frost's body, but her outward expression remained emotionless.

Rildo looked skeptical. "These things aren't of a much use intellectually after they've been converted, doctor. They lose all sense of who or what they used to be."

"You shouldn't generalize the effects of one organism on an entire community," replied Myuu as he took a seat at Frost's side. Rildo followed suit and took a seat across from the two. "For one thing, the strain of Baby I provided to you and Raichi is an outdated version. That generation of Tuffles requires a lot of maintenance and supervision. The version that has taken to Frost, however, allows for a much less aggressive approach. She can retain who she once was while embracing who she has now become. It's the next evolution in Tuffle repopulation."

Rildo still looked unconvinced. "I will follow your lead, doctor."

Dr. Myuu turned his head to look upon Frost, who sat there in a whirlwind of her own inner turmoil. "Frost, your people need you now more than ever. Will you help us plan to attack Arcos?" he asked.

Frost's eyes were studying the table in front of her. She felt the muscles around her mouth strain to move, but for the first time since she'd reawakened on that damnable planet she fought the urge. While her outer expression was flat, on the inside Frost was screaming. In her mind, she had vaporized that table a hundred times. She had lunged and taken Rildo by the throat and squeezed until his head popped. Then, she had turned on Myuu, backed the doctor into a corner, and watched the man plead for his life before she pointed a finger down at him and burned ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand Death Beams into his body before she flew out into space and gathered every ounce of power she had to destroy that planet and finally fly into the sun and lie in its warmth for an eternity.

"What did you tell me, Frost?" pressed Myuu. He reached over to run a finger along her jaw and then gingerly turn her head to face him. "Where is your home?" he asked as he gazed into her eyes as if to see into her soul.

Frost's inner screams finally turned to sobs as she heard herself say, "Here, with my people."

"Good girl," Myuu replied.

The doctor proceeded to probe Frost's mind for every ounce of information she had on her former home. Their strengths, their weakness, their numbers, their ranks - everything spewed out of her mouth and she could do nothing to stop it. She forced her mind to focus on the sun - to focus on its warmth - and realized that she'd spent her whole life on a ball of ice and had never felt as cold as she did right then.


"Who are they?" Frost asked.

"More of our people, my dear," replied Myuu.

Frost tried to find disgust in his response, but she couldn't muster the urge. Three weeks. Three weeks she'd been there at Myuu's beck and call. At least, that's what she was told. She didn't really know. By that point, she didn't she really care either. Each day felt like the last. Any move she made wasn't her own. Frost didn't even remember what it felt like to control her body. She could think. She could feel. But to what end?

"There's so many," she said. Her eyes lazily followed the march below.

"Raichi has been busy," Myuu replied.

The duo found themselves standing atop a balcony, overlooking a ragged cobblestone pathway that cut right through the compound. At one end of the pathway, a massive ship sat on a platform with its entrance open as hundreds of creatures march out of it. Enough of the creatures had already trudged out of the ship to completely fill the path and still more marched behind them. Each one moved in sync with the other. It was almost mesmerizing to watch their feet raise and drop and their arms swing as one unit.

A hive mind, Frost found herself thinking. My people.

"Of course, he'd be the last to exit," said Myuu.

Frost's head turned to follow the doctor's line of sight and she was greeted by the sight of Dr. Raichi. The man was even more of an atrocious sight in person. But as the doctor filed out of the spaceship, Frost dropped her focus on the doctor and instead zeroed in on the two soldiers walking behind him. The blue-skinned woman she was unfamiliar with, but her armor was unmistakably linked to Cooler's forces. And the soldier walking in sync alongside the woman was unquestionable.

Onen, Frost thought as her eyes followed the trio move. Just before they entered the compound, Raichi stopped to look up at her and Myuu. He gave the doctor a momentary glance before he focused on Frost. They stared at one another for a long moment before he gave her a sickening smile.

FHFHFHFH

Frost couldn't pull her eyes from Onen's face. She stared so intently, trying desperately to will him to meet her gaze, but the Saiyan's face was angled down at the table between them, his face void of emotion. He was lifeless, she realized. This wasn't the soldier that she knew from home. He was just another zombie for the Tuffles plans.

Frost's attention was then drawn to her periphery, noting the return of Raichi, Myuu, and Rildo to the conference room. The trio filed in and took their respective seats - Raichi across the table and in between Riva and Onen, and Rildo and Myuu on either side of Frost.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, my dear," said Raichi, extending his hand across the table to Frost.

"The pleasure is all mine, doctor," she replied, giving Raichi's hand a polite shake.

Raichi smiled devilishly and then turned to look at Myuu. "Did you tell her to say that?"

"My control is suggestive. Those were her own words," Myuu replied.

Raichi scoffed and nestled comfortably back into his chair.. "But she still doesn't mean it, which means she's about as useful as these two. Admit it already, Myuu, this parasite will never be more than just a mind control device."

"My Baby is not a parasite," said Myuu with a hint of anger in his voice. "He will single-handedly restore the Tuffle legacy. Have you yet to understand?"

"That's right. I forgot these are supposed to Tuffles." Raichi waved a mocking hand at Frost before turning to look at Riva beside him. In disgust, he slapped her out of her chair. Frost watched stoically as the woman tumbled out of sight beneath the table where she continued to lie silently. "These are not Tuffles. These are fucking pawns! It's about time we stop giving your little pet project so much attention and instead focus on the real objective: restoring the true, pure blooded Tuffle race. We could've been years ahead on this if I weren't spending so much time running around the galaxy for you."

"And where will our people live. What society will we bring them into? All that work to revive our race and they will die out in a matter of generations. We must first use our new Tuffle surrogates to build and shape a new world for our old race return to," Myuu defended.

"Ah yes, let us waste another decade on your pipe dream. Why build a new world when we can take any damn one we please? Who will stop us? I say we restore our people now and take what is ours later. Besides, you hold such hope for these surrogates and yet you don't even trust them on their own. This girl is no better than that clan of zombies in the warehouse. What's the good in having them if you have to control their every move?"

Myuu took a moment to consider the point, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Fine," he snapped and then turned his head to Frost.

"What are you doing?" Raichi demanded, and immediately pulled out a tablet to press commands. In an instant, Riva leapt back to her feet and Onen quickly joined her.

Even General Rildo found himself standing as he looked down to Frost and Myuu. "Are you sure about this, doctor?"

Raichi snapped back at Rildo, but his words fell on Frost's deaf ears in that moment. She sat there quietly, feeling that near foreign sensation of control return to her body.

"Frost, tell me," said Myuu, turning his head back to Raichi and watching him confidently. "What do you think of Baby?"

Frost's scarlet eyes raked up from the table to look at Raichi across from her. The freakish doctor was studying her like a predator watching its prey. Finding the sight of the doctor's face utterly repulsive, she cast her eyes aside to look upon Riva. The woman's flowing orange locks were swept over her face. Frost could barely make out her silver eyes. She was one of Cooler's soldiers and as little as she cared for her half-brother, she knew that he trained his soldiers well. Based on her attire, she was likely a high ranking lieutenant. Frost wondered how she'd ended up in this situation.

"Frost, what do you think of Baby?" asked Myuu once again, his voice growing taut with concern as he turned to look upon her.

And then Frost looked over at Onen. He was still scarred from whatever battle he'd face before being captured. How long had it been? Surely, someone had reported what had happened to the PTO by now. Would Cooler not come to save his soldiers? Would anyone? Where was her father? Where were her brothers?

"Face it, Myuu! You've fai-," Raichi began, only to be cut off as Frost suddenly launched to her feet.

She watched as all of them around her tense up. But after a few seconds of tension, she let a playful smile dot her face as she began to stretch her arms. Turning back to Dr. Myuu, she offered a cool smile and said, "Baby is the greatest gift."


"I've been looking for you."

Frost turned to look over her shoulder as Dr. Myuu stalked towards her. She noted the doctor's cautious steps as he moved and the several arm's length that he left between them once he neared. Myuu might put on a good show around Raichi, but she knew the doctor wasn't too trusting of her ever since he'd released his control.

Frost turned back to the show before her, her eyes gazing down into the surgery room where three robots were working on Turles. "What are they doing to him?"

"All of the Crusher Corps had work done on their bodies in preparation for the invasion to make them more battle ready against some of the PTO's top forces," replied Myuu, taking his eyes off of Frost for a brief moment to follow the scene. "For the Saiyan, though, I wanted an extra special amount of work done on him. It'll be quite ironic once all of this is complete."

Frost cast a quick glance at the doctor, noting the sinister smile on his face. She sighed sadly and turned away from Turles, watching Myuu hastily turned towards her again.

"How can I help you, doctor?" she asked.

"Raichi wants to speak with you," replied Myuu.

Frost arched a brow. "Does he not trust me enough to send for me himself?"

Myuu sighed. "It seems until you've earned Raichi's trust, he doesn't want to be in your presence without me nearby."

Without another word, Myuu stood aside to allow Frost to walk ahead of him. For the doctor's sake, she took a wide berth around him as they began moving out of the area. The two walked in silence for a moment, but Frost felt emboldened to say, "He encourages you to release your control on me and then takes an issue with it once you've done so. Dr. Raichi seems hard to please."

"That is an understatement," Myuu replied.

Frost noted the hint of irritation in Myuu's voice. "How are you feeling today, doctor?" she asked.

"Fine," Myuu said with a tone that betrayed his response. "No more questions."

The doctor didn't enforce his will on her, she noticed, but she decided not to press her self-control and did as commanded. Eventually, they were brought to another area of the compound, adjacent to Myuu's, where she was greeted with a host of new labs. Around them, robots were buzzing about, carrying equipment and boxes back and forth. Frost even noticed Riva and Onen in the throng of movers.

It seems like Raichi is setting up shop, she thought.

After a few more moments, the two were entering Raichi's personal residence. Immediately, Frost realized that the doctor's taste in the finer things were several leagues above Myuu's. Dotted all throughout Myuu's residence were reminders of a different time on that planet. Whatever tragedy that struck the previous civilization left its signs all over the compound, except for Raichi's residence. It was like being transported to an entirely different place. Every surface was polished – from the glossy furniture to the reflective flooring – and the décor was as regal as anything Frost had ever seen in her own childhood home.

Myuu and Frost approached Raichi, who was seated at a glass table with a beautiful chandelier hanging above him. The doctor didn't turn in the direction of his visitors, instead opting to sip from what looked to be a cup of tea, before he waved at the sole seat at the table.

Frost noted the look of irritation on Myuu's face, but the doctor allowed Frost to take the seat as he stood nearby.

"This won't take long, Myuu," said Raichi with an air of nonchalance as he tossed a glance at his comrade. The two shared a tense stare down before Raichi broke it to look at Frost. "Good day, my dear."

"Same to you, Dr. Raichi," she replied, forcing her most polite disposition.

"How do you like my set up over here? I imagine it must be a fine departure from the drabness of Myuu's side of the compound," said Raichi before taking another sip from his cup.

Frost acknowledged the beautiful décor and did her best to sidestep the jab at Myuu. She could care less for either mad scientist, but she'd take Myuu any day of the week over Raichi.

"Can you get on with it? I have other things I'd like to do today," Myuu said.

Raichi appeared to ignore his partner, but continued with, "I asked you here because I've been looking over the invasion plans. The general is a fine leader, but I think that he is underestimating the fight that he is in for. I had to face off against some of the PTO's mid-level soldiers. If it weren't for my dear Hatchiyack, I might not be sitting here in front of you right now."

The princess could hardly summon any true pity, but she forced a sympathetic response.

"They don't understand the fight that they are in for, especially against the likes of King Cold, Frieza, or the other one," Raichi continued. "You, however, should know very well what they are in for. To my knowledge, you haven't expressed any concerns for these invasion plans. Why is that?"

"Um…" Frost started, taken off guard by the question. She hadn't given the plans much thought, even after she'd had control restored. It wasn't because she had ulterior motives. She just hadn't thought about it, and she now surprised herself with the realization.

"You wasted my time for this, Raichi. What purpose does this serve?" Myuu interjected.

Raichi sighed. "She says that this is her home and these are her people. I merely wanted to understand why she wasn't doing everything she could to ensure our survival and success."

Myuu practically snarled at the pompousness that Raichi exuded. "Enough! Don't waste my time on this again! Frost, come with me."

Instead of getting out of her seat, Frost said, "I am sorry, Dr. Raichi." She could see out of her periphery that Myuu was looking at her in surprise. Even Raichi looked interested. "I hadn't considered the possibility of failure by our people. What has been established here is so technologically impressive and advanced, that I couldn't imagine that we would ever lose. However, you are right, the king and his sons do pose a significant threat. You have every right to question my resolve."

Raichi turned to give Myuu a snide look before turning back to Frost with a smile. "I'm glad you agree. We need to discuss how we will rectify this. I think-,"

"I have an idea, if I may?" Frost interjected. Raichi looked annoyed to be interrupted, but nodded his head anyway. "I have attained a considerable power level over my lifetime. I don't claim to be able to match their power, but I don't think I am too far off either. If you would like to use me as a baseline for our people's capabilities, I would gladly submit."

Raichi took a moment to consider her words. "You're willing to be a guinea pig?" he asked.

"I will do whatever I must," she replied without hesitation.

A wicked smile spread across Raichi's face as he studied the girl. "You can get back to your important work, Myuu. I think Frost and I have much more to discuss."

Myuu stood there a moment longer, looking between Frost and Raichi, before he huffed. "Fine," he snapped and turned to take his leave.

Just before the doctor could exit the residence, Frost called out to him. Once the doctor turned to face her, Frost forced her warmest smile. "Have a nice day," she said.


Frost stepped through the sliding metallic doors, entering Dr. Myuu's lab, and coming to an immediate halt at the scene. Somehow, the space felt even more lifeless when she noticed that all of the little robots that usually dotted around the massive laboratory were gone. Papers and notebooks littered the floor. Tools and a variety of small equipment was completely scattered about. In the midst of the eerie scene, Dr. Myuu sat calmly in front of a computer screen.

Slowly, cautiously, Frost drew closer. It wasn't until she rounded the corner of a work bench that Myuu turned his head to face her. The princess could immediately see that the doctor was in a very sour mood.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "Where is every-,"

"What is it!" Myuu snapped again, his voice booming off of the walls of the quiet room.

Frost suddenly found the words flying out of her mouth without her control. "Dr. Raichi wants the specs on your cloning protocol," she said and then took a step back. It had been several weeks since Myuu released his control on her. For him to take it back so suddenly was incredibly jarring.

Myuu ignored her plight. "Of course," he muttered and turned back to the screen. "He wants a lot these days." He closed his eyes and breathed out a deep sigh before opening them again, "I sent the commands to you. Now, you may leave."

Frost took a second to check that and was surprised to find a host of information that she didn't understand suddenly on the forefront of her mind. She began to back out of the room, but stopped midway and turned back to Myuu, who was still sulking in front of the screen.

She had made great strides in the past few weeks to build a relationship with Raichi. The man, both in his appearance and his actions, repulsed Frost, but she knew that being on his good side was better than being on his bad. She sucked it up – putting up with his every request, showering him with complements, and pretending to show interest in his every word. It was tiring at times, but so far had served her well.

Just then, she realized that by getting closer to Raichi she had to place distance between her and Myuu. The two doctors did not see eye to eye. It really begged the question of how they managed to work together for so many years, thus far.

If I had to choose…, she thought and turned back around.

"I said you can leave," Myuu said without looking up from the screen.

"I know," Frost replied and took a seat by a bench near to Myuu.

The two sat in silence for a long moment. Frost tried to think of what to say, but was at a loss for words. At least she knew that her presence wasn't totally undesired, otherwise Myuu would've sent her off.

"It didn't work," Myuu finally spoke up, his eyes still focused on the screen. "My latest attempt at updating Baby didn't work. The hosts died."

Frost continued to sit quietly.

"I feel like I just keep banging my head against the wall with nothing to show for it, and Raichi mocks my effort at every turn. Every failure is just more justification for him to take more control," Myuu added.

Silence began to descend on them once again, and Frost knew that her input was needed. Struggling to find words, she asked, "Then why not use the one that you gave me?" She almost wondered if Myuu had taken control of her to say that, and the fact that she wasn't sure made her feel uneasy.

"I was doing that before you even arrived. You were my first and only success with this more competent strain." Myuu leaned forward in his chair, rubbing his face with his hands. "I knew you were special, Frost, but I could've never fathomed your rarity. Otherwise, I'd have kept Raichi far away from you."

Frost chuckled lightly. "I haven't gone anywhere, doctor. I'm still right here."

Myuu sighed and then stood. "Not for long. Raichi's taking control and I'm running out of excuses to hold him back. He wants conquest and you on the frontline. You're too good to be just another one of his mindless drones."

…mindless drone, she thought angrily. Scowling, she said, "I am more than just another one of his zombies. You said it yourself, I'm special. Besides, he has his soldiers and you have yours. I am yours."

Myuu gave Frost a sad look. "I've known Raichi a long time, an excruciatingly long time. When he wants something, he goes after it relentlessly. Frost, Raichi wants your code and I don't think I can keep it from him much longer." With a pang of sadness, Myuu turned away from the princess and sighed. "Maybe he's right. We have been doing things my way for long enough."

Frost sat there, stunned, as Myuu began walking away. Too many things were running through her mind as she sat there, but the idea of coming under Raichi's control was the worst of them. Her charms were going to mean nothing when the man could make her do whatever he wanted.

"Wait," she said and jumped from the bench.

Myuu turned to her with a questioning look. "What?" he said after a beat of silence between them.

"Let me lead the invasion on Arcos," replied Frost. She could already hear the rejection coming from Myuu, so she pressed on with, "We need to expand. We need to conquer and take over for the sake of our people, but you also want to continue your work on Baby. Dr. Myuu, I might be special or I might just be the one Arcosian you were lucky enough to find. Imagine the breakthroughs you could make with a whole planet at your disposal."

Dr. Myuu had been ready to reject her offer, but now he found himself standing there with a contemplative look on his face.

Frost persisted. "Not only could you have more test subjects, but the PTO has hundreds – no, thousands – of outposts. If we can take it over, we can spread Baby all over the universe." Frost moved closer to Myuu, almost begging the doctor as she spoke. "We don't need a war. We don't need an invasion. All we need is me."

"The princess has been gone for a very long time. They will welcome you back with open arms," said Myuu, as realization was dawning on him.

Standing right in front of the doctor and spreading her arms wide, she said, "And with open arms, I will grant them the greatest gift."


This was probably not what you were expecting after the last chapter. The CvC clash will be a multi-part arc finale that I am trying to write all at once to keep the tone consistent. As such, I felt myself starting to get burned out about midway through it, so I started writing about Frost and before I knew it, I'd written a chapter's worth. So, I hope you enjoyed this kinda-filler, kinda-not update.

Hopefully CvC will be out before coronavirus ends the world. See ya!