The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
She was running through the desert. From who, Rain wasn't so sure. When she looked back, she caught a glimpse of multiple black, thin objects glaring in the hot sun. She recognized the shine as rifles. They were dressed in desert camo. It was the Taliban, they were hot on her heels and closing in. Though it confused her why none of them shot at her. It would've been an easy kill for them. Since Rain was out in the open with no cover. She wasn't paying attention and the sand gave way to a pit.
Rain grabbed at the edges, but it was no use. Her fingers were grasping sand which gave her no leverage or support. Several feet down, there were sharp wooden spikes at the bottom. Her eyes widened in horror as she drew closer to her death. It was then, Rain felt a hand wrap around her wrist and slowly pulled her up. That's when she drug her gaze from the wicked sharp spikes to the one that had ahold of her. They stopped pulling Rain up and dangled her over the spikes.
She instantly recognized him as one of the Taliban Leaders that held her prisoner for nearly three months. He gave her a leering grin, his teeth rotted yellow in color. Then something strange started to happen before her eyes. His face became distorted and started morphing. His skin became lighter, his lips darkened and became dark purple/black in color. His brown eyes swirled and shifted to a deep crimson red and his ears became rounded dark pits.
Rain gasped, she was no longer looking at one of the Taliban Leaders, but looking into the familiar crimson eyes of Frieza. He had that same sadistic smirk on his face like he always had when he tortured or killed someone. He pulled Rain in until their faces were centimeters apart.
"Told you this wasn't over. It's a shame it's come to this. But I don't take kindly to those who betray me." He said with narrow eyes as his smirk formed into a scowl. "Just remember, you brought this on yourself." And with that he let go of Rain. She screamed as she dropped down to the spikes below.
Rain was startled awake by a scream. In a panic she rolled out of the bed, hitting the carpet. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and at first she had a hard time getting her breathing under control. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Rain laid there for about a minute, concentrating on slowing down her breathing.
The room was alight with a soft orange glow, signifying it was early in the morning. Rain slowly sat up and pushed her damp hair back from her face. Damn did she really need a shower, she thought as she looked down at her slightly damp grey tank top and black yoga pants. Just like after every nightmare, Rain woke up covered in sweat.
She stood up and figured she might as well start the day. At least it was the weekend, so she can relax. Rain has been set up in this penthouse for two months now. Bulma made sure her college credits were transferred to South City College. Where she was able to resume her courses. Majority of which were online. Now she was roughly a week away from finals then she had Winter Break. Rain also did part time work for Bulma. After all, she still wanted a steady income while she took courses.
Rain never told anyone this. But many times she found herself afraid to leave the penthouse or be alone. Bulma wanted her friend to resume counseling. Of course, Rain put up a front about it. Telling the older woman it doesn't help, only makes it worse. That it makes her relive the horrors each time she has to spill her guts about it.
Eventually, Bulma gave up on the concept. That and Vegeta told her to shut up about the self help shit. Apparently, he didn't believe in talking about problems makes everything better either. He found the whole concept of therapy a total waste of time and a joke when it was thoroughly explained to him.
The ex-sniper just wants to move forward with her life and get it back on track. Rain is looking forward to completing her very first semester. It's one step closer to graduating. In her spare time, she went back to her old routine of jogging and keeping up with her Muay Thai at the gym. Goku was nice enough to let her do some light sparring with him when he had the spare time. And to be honest, the free spirited saiyan was actually very easy to talk to. Whenever she did have something to get off her chest. Goku would sit and listen to what Rain had to say.
After all, if anyone was familiar with how the evil emperor works its him and Vegeta. Though the saiyan prince never really had much to say on the concept. Luckily, Goku was like an open book and prattled on about all the skirmishes he had with the tyrant. He knew what it was like to be on the dangerous end of the spectrum with Frieza and can easily relate to how she feels about it.
"You survived and endured. That's what matters most. You will never have to worry about him again. If Frieza knows your here, he wouldn't dare try and pull something. He knows Vegeta and myself will be on his tail if he tries anything." Goku reassured the young woman.
And reassure her it did. Lately, Rain has been a little more comfortable whenever she left her home and when she was alone. The nightmares were sporadic and Rain would tense up a bit if someone hugged or touched her. She wasn't stupid, Rain knew it all stemmed back to her PTSD. Just the other day, she unknowingly said aloud if she was ever going to feel normal again. Or was this PTSD going to remain with her for the rest of her life.
As soon as Rain stepped out of the shower, her phone started to ring. She wrung out her hair and quickly wrapped a towel around her before running out to grab the phone. She nearly slipped on the hardwood floors getting to it. She swiped it off the nightstand and answered, the Caller I.D. said it was Bulma.
"Hey Bulma, what's up?" She asked.
"Not much, just wanted to know if your free today." The blue haired woman asked.
"No, not really. Why?" Rain asked.
"I was going to bring the kids down to the private island. You know, the one Vegeta and Goku train at from time to time. You want to come with?" Bulma asked.
"Sure why not? I never miss a chance to hit the beach. Or spend time with those adorable little munchkins of yours." Rain told her.
"Awesome, pick you up in say...an hour?" She asked.
A little short notice. But Rain was use to having things thrown at her last minute. It happened quite often during her years in the service. So she agreed and told Bulma she will see her then. Afterwards she hung up and went to get dressed, eat, and get ready to go. All this she can easily do in under a half hour. Hey, part of her training was to be quick to prepare. You never know when the enemy might get the drop on you.
Rain was waiting on the roof when Bulma arrived in her yellow craft. She grabbed her small sack and entered the craft. In the craft were Trunks, Goten, and Baby Bulla. Who was strapped securely in one of the seats. Rain already knew it would be a half hour flight there, seeing that this won't be her first time to the island.
They all greeted her before taking their seats. That's when Rain noticed a medium sized bag leaning against the far side of the left wall. She saw what looked like the back end of a rifle sticking out the top. It certainly piqued her interest. But also roused confusion, because Rain knew Bulma didn't really shoot guns.
The ex-sniper talked her into going to the shooting range in the city once. Afterwards, Bulma never went back again. Stating all the loud bangs made her ears ring and give her a headache. Also expressed she seemed to be a lousy shot. In which, Rain wasn't going to lie. Bulma maybe one of her best friends, but the older woman really was the definition of a lousy shot.
"Hey Bulma, is that what I think it is?" Rain asked, while pointing her thumb in the direction of the bag.
The blue haired scientist smiled. "I'm not going to lie. I was going to bring you to the island and test out one of my latest inventions. Would you like me to explain it now or wait until we get there?"
Rain rather her explain now. But she also figured it be best if Bulma went over it with her when she had the weapon in hand. The ex-sniper could never pass up a demonstration during the explanation. It made for better understanding of a new test weapon. And she learned quicker that way.
"As much as I would love to hear about it now. I think it best we wait until we land. I really want to take a good look at what you got." Rain replied.
"Fair enough." Bulma said, with a smile.
They spent the next twenty-five minutes chatting about other topics. Like their plans for Christmas and New Years. If Rain was sleeping better lately. And how her parents been. Before long they had arrived at the beautiful private island. Of course Goku and Vegeta already beat them there and were already training. They halted mid fight to go greet Bulma, Rain, and the kids.
Trunks and Goten were eager to train with their Dads. But Goku and Vegeta said, they could all train together later. Apparently, the two adult saiyans wanted to get in their own training with one another first. But they promised the youths that they will train with them later in the day. Satisfied with that answer, Goten and Trunks ran off to play.
While Bulma settled in on the beautiful promenade surrounded by flowers, that overlooked the beach. She strapped Bulla, who fell asleep during the ride, into the comfy carrier seat. Afterwards, she returned to the craft to retrieve the 'mystery' bag and bring it out. Rain looked over the beautiful scenery. It was so serene. As a kid, she'd always image living in a beautiful place like this. She was brought out of her reverie, when Bulma placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder, gaining her attention.
"So, you ready to know about one of my newest inventions?" The blue haired scientist asked with a smile.
Rain wondered if its the same invention that Bulma's been hush hush about these last couple months. It's no secret the wealthy scientist had been working diligently on a new piece of tech. Whenever Rain inquired about it, Bulma would be very brief on her explanation about it. Now the younger woman wonders if this is the same 'secret' invention.
"Yeah, what ya got there?" Rain asked curiously.
Bulma lead her over to the bag and pulled out a slim, odd looking rifle. She handed it to Rain. It was surprisingly very light weight, but the ex-sniper could tell it was built to be very durable. She lifted it to her cheek and lined up the trajectory.
"Usually I don't like inventing weapons. But I think you may find this one to be a lifesaver." The blue haired scientist said.
Bulma reached into the bag and pulled out a small rectangular box. She held it up and opened the lid. Inside, Rain saw the strangest looking ammo she's ever seen. They were metal, but instead of being solid they were hollow. The middle of the slim, long rounds was see through. There was a strange bright red liquid like substance inside.
Rain took one out and turned it this way and that in her hand. 'Was this some kind of tranquilizer or something? And if so, why would she make that?' She looked to Bulma.
"What exactly are in these rounds?" She asks.
"It's a formula I have been working on for a while now. It took me a while, but I finally got it right. At least, I hope I did. Vegeta flat out refused to let me try it on him to see if it works. Even after I told him it had temporary effects he refused to budge. The red liquid in there is a formula of a ki suppressant. If I were to hit someone like Goku or Vegeta with it, it will temporarily suppress their ki. That means they would lose all of their superhuman abilities. Making them no more stronger or faster than us normal humans." Bulma explained.
Rain raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I don't understand. Why would you bother making something like that?"
"I figured it could come in handy at some point. Would you like to test it out? Just be careful, because it can do a great deal of damage to what it hits. Except for strong beings like Goku and Vegeta. Then it be more like them getting a prick in the side." Bulma further explained.
Rain looked at it again. But she didn't see a needle like protrusion on the tip.
"What do you mean by a 'prick'? There is no needle on the end here." She said in confusion.
Bulma smirked, "That's because the needle shoots out once it makes contact on skin. Think of it as a spring loaded needle."
"How temporary are the effects?" Rain asked, while eyeing the round in her hand.
The scientist rubs the back of her head awkwardly.
"I'm not exactly sure how temporary they are. All I know is that its not permanent. This is also why Vegeta wouldn't let me test it on him." Bulma confessed.
At this point, Rain didn't blame Vegeta. She wouldn't let anyone test something on her. Unless they were certain about the side effects and how long they affect the body. She still doesn't understand why her friend would make such a thing though. If anything, it could easily compromise the saiyans and make them vulnerable to their enemies. But Rain knew Bulma long enough to know there is always a method to her madness.
"So you have a whole island of rocks and trees to test it on. It will give you a good example of it's power. And I know how much you like to try out new weapons." The older woman stated.
Rain chuckled, Bulma knew her too well. So she would humor the older woman and try it out. No harm in doing so.
"Alright, you know a good area here to go to?" She asks.
"Right this way." Bulma said, and waved her along.
They were walking for ten minutes before they stopped in a small sandy clearing. Bulma pointed to something straight ahead in the distance.
"You think you can hit that large boulder about three miles to the southwest?" She asked the experienced ex-sniper.
"No problem." Rain said, lifting the gun to take aim.
She found a focus point on the boulder, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. It hardly had a kick back to it and was pretty quiet. Almost like there was a silencer built into it. But the end results were the most surprising. Once it made contact with the very large boulder, there was a bang once it hit solid rock. When the dust cleared, a large chunk of the boulder was taken out.
Rain let out a long whistle as she saw the damage. Shit, it certainly did pack a punch. And this was suppose to only annoy the saiyans if it hit one of them!? Those two must really be something else. Out of many of Bulma's inventions. It's safe to say, Rain like this one the best so far. She wouldn't mind coming here to shoot it again.
"It also converts to regular bullets too. If you rather practice with those than the formula filled rounds." Bulma told her.
"So your saying I can use it again?" Rain asked.
Bulma smiled, "Well yeah, I kind of made it for you after all. Practice as much as you want."
"No way, seriously?" Rain said, in surprise.
"Think of it as an early Christmas Present. I'd figure it help keep you safe too." Bulma said.
Rain raised an eyebrow, wondering what her friend meant by that. But she shrugged it off. Not wanting to waste anymore of Bulma's 'special' bullets, they returned to the promenade. Bulla was still fast asleep, while the boys were playing in the sand. Goku and Vegeta were making huge explosions in the water from their training.
Rain sat down and leaned back on the recliner. She was hoping to catch up on a little sleep. Seeing as she didn't sleep very well last night. Bulma could tell she was exhausted. She knew once she saw the bags under her eyes when she picked Rain up, that she had a shitty night. So the older woman was going to let her be and rest.
Unfortunately, Rain would not get to rest long. Danger was about to make their way to them very soon. An enemy was approaching earth's atmosphere and headed for that very island. An enemy Rain hoped she'd never see again for as long as she lived. She will soon come to hate how fickle her life is truly turning out to be.
Looks like Rain got a new toy and is happy with it. But it begs to question on why Bulma actually made such a weapon. Just what does the scientist think Rain could actually use it for? Until Next Time ;)