Chapter Two

It took only a few minutes, if that, for Bulla to touch down in the past. The sun was shining as she landed, and it seemed like she was on some alien world. The desert before her was peaceful and desolate, untouched by humans or androids alike. She jumped out of the time machine, placed it back in her capsule, and surveyed the landscape.

There were layers upon layers of canyons, with wide open gaps of rock and sand. The sun was beating down on Bulla's face as she surveyed the land around her. She was in the right spot, alright, she would just have to sit and wait awhile.

Suddenly, she felt it. A burst of power coming from the east. It wasn't Goku's-at least, she didn't think it was-because he was not expected to return to Earth for at least three more hours. Then she felt another ki. Two powerful beings were there, surrounded by a sea of weaker ones.

Could it be? She had heard stories from her mother about Frieza. The day they planned for Bulla to go back in time was the same day Goku was set to arrive. It was also the day Frieza and King Cold came to Earth to exact their revenge. But this didn't make sense—Goku was the one who defeated Frieza today. He was still hours away.

Bulla considered her options. On one hand, she could easily take down Frieza and King Cold. This was not her opinion, rather a fact. All of the training she had done to prepare for the androids would make this opponent embarrassingly easy. On the other, though, the Z Fighters would feel his power and no doubt would make their way to the battle field. If they saw her fight—especially if her parents saw her—they might figure out who she was and the course of history would be irrevocably changed (more so than it probably already had). She had to think. Could the Z Fighters take on Frieza—a task a majority of them had failed before? Suddenly she felt other powers mobilizing. The Z Fighters were on their way. Goku was not.

I can't just stand by, she thought to herself. The risk of being exposed far outweighs the chance any of the Z Fighters die. That would defeat the whole purpose of me coming to this timeline!

She fastened her sword and took off in the air toward the sinister pair of energies. What she was about to do could be a big mistake, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She landed in behind a rock formation waiting for the ship to land—waiting for her opportunity to strike. Patiently she watched as the ship circled overhead.

Frieza's ship was massive-the biggest ship she had ever seen. As the ground beneath it trembled, Bulla strategized for her plan of attack. If the Z Fighters struck first, she decided, she would let them fight. But if there was any hesitation, Frieza would be hers.

She sensed the Z Fighters standing alongside a ridge not too far from where Frieza had landed. What were they doing down there? They stood there standing amongst themselves. What were they waiting for?

As the ship's doors opened, she spotted Frieza and King Cold stepping out. Their power was incredible, no doubt, but it would be no match for her. Where was Goku? Why wasn't he here? This wasn't the past she had heard about—Goku beat Frieza in her timeline. Handedly at that. She paused and waited a few more moments, noting the Z Fighters lack of movement and not sensing Goku in the atmosphere.

Frieza was not as opposing as she had imagined, in fact, he was quite small. From the stories she heard, he was a looming creature with a wicked, piercing smirk and a bad attitude. His father was the much more domineering of the two: He towered above his son and his soldiers both in stature and in energy. His purple skin was like that of Frieza's, though now the latter's skin was a patchwork of machinery and synthetic skin. Their soldiers stood in the doorway of the ship behind the two.

She inched closer to hear the end of Frieza's spiel to his men. Undoubtedly, she thought, he was plotting to make Goku suffer upon his arrival. Her fears were confirmed when he ordered his men to find the Z Fighters and mercilessly kill them.

"Now all of you, begin your search!" He crooned "And when you find them, show no mercy!"

In an instant his men assembled. They barreled out of the ship it twos, scanning the horizon. While she could sense the Z Fighters nearby, their power levels were decimal. Could Frieza's men know they were there, or would they just begin scouring the Earth to find them? Bulla could wait no longer. It was now or never, she thought. It wasn't worth it to her to let a needless battle pursue.

She launched herself up in the air which immediately caught the gaze of Frieza, King Cold and his men. Their eyes followed her and she effortlessly landed in front of them. One of the soldiers at the front of the dozen or so gave her a quizzical look, and then laughed.

"It's a little girl!" He chuckled. "Little sparrow, I think you're far from home."

"I know exactly where I am," she stood confidently in front of them. She scanned their kis—none of them could defeat her. Dealing with this lot would be child's play. A big, burly alien stepped a foot out toward her. He was red with strange bumps on him-nothing like she'd ever seen before-and his face twisted into an ugly snout. He let out a laugh and started clamoring toward her.

"Well, well, boys," he licked his lips. "Lord Frieza, if you'll allow us, I think we might have some fun with this girl."

Frieza let out a chortle that held a mix of disgust and intrigue. It was not unlike his men to take women from the planets they conquered and pillaged in the past, but that was not the goal today. Not right now. He needed his men to focus on finding the Z Fighters, decimating them and then returning to battle by the time Goku landed his ship.

"After," he grimaced. "Right now, you have more important things to focus on that members of the opposite sex."

"Fine," the red beast said, wringing his hands. "Then we'll just kill her."

The group mobilized toward her, much slower than they might've had they realized she was an actual threat. Like vultures they moved in on her, hoping to feed. She saw the look in their eyes-that disgusting look-and any sense of remorse she felt for killing these soldiers left her body.

"I'm not here to fight you," she said, unmoved. "I'm here for him."

She pointed a finger toward Frieza, who let out a belly laugh. Frieza and his father examined her, taking in her appearance. While she was quite beautiful, that was not what they were looking at. From the onset, she was no real threat. She wore a simple black tank top and pants. She donned a Capsule Corp. cropped jacket and her long blue hair was tied back in a ponytail.

To the untrained eye, she looked like your average teenage girl. A non-threat, to be sure. But to those who knew better, she was a skilled warrior who had no intention of backing down.

"And who might you be?" Frieza smirked.

Bulla stood her ground.

"That's none of your concern."

Frieza turned his back to her, unfazed by her presence.

"Look, little girl. I don't know who you think you are, but you don't know what you're up against." Frieza shifted his weight to turn slightly back to Bulla.

It wasn't the first time-nor would it be the last-someone doubted her because of her gender. Bulla remained cool, sensing the air for where the Z Fighters were, hoping they might not see the grand show about to occur. But knowing inevitably they would. She stood there, the soldiers surrounding her in a semi-circle, staring at her curiously.

"You don't know me, but I know you," she said confidently. "And I am not going to let you walk away from me in one piece, Frieza. I'm here to speak to Goku."

Frieza's head flipped around. He looked at her incredulously. How did she know his name? Who was she? One of Goku's friends? Or perhaps she was someone whose planet Frieza had conquered. Either way, she was a stranger to him, and her confidence was both annoying and troublesome. If this youth thought she could overtake him, she was sorely mistaken.

"Well, you certainly are bossy," Frieza laughed. "You're not a match for me. Fighting a pitiful little girl like you isn't even worth my time."

He signalled to his men to fight Bulla, who were chomping at the bit to touch her in whatever way they pleased. Based on their reading, Frieza's men did not anticipate this would be a very fair fight. Combined, they were several times over her power. The red soldier stood his ground and pointed a blaster directly at her.

"That will have no effect on me," she smiled. "But go on, take your best shot, you disgusting prick."

"Hah!" he laughed. "This will teach you and your smart mouth!"

He launched a power blast toward her, which she easily deflected with the flick of her hand. The other soldiers stood stunned in her presence, and unleashed a flurry of blasts toward her. She continued to throw them away from her with ease, not even moving from her place in the ground. As they shot back at the soldiers, Frieza looked unimpressed.

"Come on you idiots!" He screamed at his soldiers. "You can't even take down a little girl!"

The other soldiers lunged toward her in a fury. Was this the best they could do? She unsheathed her sword and began her drive toward them. In an almost graceful way, she pushed into the onslaught and sliced them one-by-one, their dismembered bodies falling into the desert sand. After she was done with them, she knelt to the ground before standing up to meet Frieza's gaze.

She stood silently as she surveyed Frieza and his father. They seemed excited-happy even-that Bulla managed to make mincemeat of his soldiers. Her face was pure, hardened stone.