Hello!
it's ME again!
yup,
chapter 2 of 'the hand that feeds me'. All checked and ready!
When Hercules descended to hell as one of his seven tasks to
become a god, he met the great ancient hero Achilleaus.
He held a place of precedence amongst the dead, honoured as a lord
down there.
When Hercules commended him on his good place there, the old hero
looked at him in disgust:
"Do not speak such non-sense, Hercules.
I would rather be the slave of the poorest man alive, then lord
and ruler of all of this hell...."
--------------
The
hand that feeds me, chapter 2.
Remember how he'd thought what sucked most about this place was
those disgusting-looking aliens?
How he'd thought them to be them to be the worst of all?
He had been wrong.
His room was actually a lot worse then that, after all!
He wondered how he'd not noticed before. And why he'd not demanded
a better one. But when he'd first seen the place, and asked 'what the hell'
it was supposed to be, they'd told him it was a true warrior's room.
Fool that he was, Vegeta had not had the nerve to demand something
better after that.
I mean, he was a warrior, right?
Besides, it might be dark, cold and empty but, he figured, how
much time would he be spending there anyway?
Well, a lot, the answer turned out to be. Right after
dinner, he'd been dumped in here. Objection just got him the polite promise
that he'd be shown around the ship in the morning. The nerve of those aliens!
Why, he had a mind to march right back to Freeza and have a good,
long talk with him.
That is, if the door hadn't been locked.
Well, so he was stuck in here; all alone and nothing to do.
After half an hour he'd cleared the room of rats and smaller
pests.
After one hour, he'd practiced the one and only Kata he knew
twenty odd times, and decided it was perfect.
After two hours, he'd grown tired of playing 'I see what you can't
see' with himself. (It turned out to be a black piece of wall every time again
anyway.)
And, finally, after three long hours, he'd come to a simple
conclusion:
Being a warrior sucked big time.
This was going to be a long, long night, the Saiyi-jin
contemplated as he sat on what he supposed was to be his bed.
It wasn't very soft, and didn't appear to have coverings either.
Just a cold slab of rock, or maybe metal. Vegeta had actually gone so far as to
try and find out exactly what by touch, but his hand had met something slimy and
sticky, and that had been enough to make him loose interest.
It was getting cold, too, but apparently warriors didn't even need
blankets!
The young Prince had already come to the conclusion that this
hyperactive feeling was probably due to the fact that it was past his bedtime.
He supposed he should be getting to sleep, but it wasn't a very appealing
notion.
The way he saw it, he'd just freeze. He was getting cold enough
just sitting around.
Maybe if he wrapped the red cloak he wore across his shoulders
around himself he could just,..
Nah! He didn't want to sleep in this damp place!
It wasn't that it scared him... just.
For a moment, he considered pacing, but it was a nervous habit.
Or so his father had said.
Vegeta sighed. He couldn't believe his father had sent him to this
cursed place. Had he done something to upset him? The king had been rather
grouchy of late: easy to tick off. Easier to provoke then he usually was, even
by his own son. The king had always been prone to violence, overreacting any
chance he got.
But then the little prince would just take a few shots right back
at him, uselessly weak though they might be. And the king would break down
laughing, telling his son he would be a great warrior, someday soon;
some day very soon, but not quite yet.
And there he went again!
Exactly the reason the little prince hated sitting around; he got
to thinking.
And thinking was no fun at all.
Where had they hidden his personal guard to anyway?
He knew they'd sent some elite guard with him when he'd
gone, but they had sent him to the 'lower quarters' upon arrival.
Vegeta didn't know what the point was.
In his mind the 'Lower Quarters' couldn't possibly be any worse
then his own 'Quarters'. And why have different quarters anyway? Besides, a
prince needed someone to boss around.
And what good was being prince without any subjects...?
A sharp 'clang' pulled him back to reality, making him realise
he'd been resting his cheek against the wall.
Had he fallen asleep after all?
The thick taste in his mouth said so.
Thankful to be awakened, he got up slowly, hoping to catch another
rat at it.
"Thug."
There it was again! But it didn't much sound like a rat... and it
wasn't coming from inside either.
Bummer. Shooting rats was kind of fun.
"Bonk."
Sleepily scratching a hand through his straight-standing mane of
hair, Vegeta moved to the door.
Was there someone out there? Seemed that way. Did he just hear
whispering?
Vegeta was about to put an ear to the door when in swung open.
Surprise was all he had time for as several dark shapes barged in
quickly.
The first came at him in a blur, and before the little Prince was
quite aware of what was going on he'd reached the
back wall, all but dangling from this creature's grasp. The
figure's breath was coming rapidly, in short, angry gasps.
And that was what worried the prince most as he tried to get those
hands off himself.
"Did you enjoy dinner?" It spoke unexpectedly.
Vegeta froze, his own hands grappling the creature.
He recognised that voice. Squinted in the dark, he tried to make
something out from his assailant. It was awfully dark, but he did get a good
close look, dangling inches away from the gnarled boy, his skin looking almost
black in this light.
"Because I sure didn't!"
-"Mawi?"
Most certainly, it was the purple stocky alien from dinner.
With recognition, his fear was suddenly gone.
"What do you think you're doing?" the Saij-jin all but
growled.
"I am a prince! Release me!"
Mawi had the nerve to laugh.
"Really? A prince you
say? How wonderful for you! and what a coincidence.
You see my two friends at the door?
They're both Princes too. Though not crown-princes, like I
am!"
Vegeta didn't really see more then shadows at the door.
But he didn't get more time to look as Mawi stared banging him to
the back wall to the beat of his little mantra:
"And I am Freeza's favourite.
And you will not take my place.
And you will NOT eat my dinner!"
He tried to get loose, but the kid was just so much bigger then
him.
And so much stronger!
That was a first for the little prince; and a first he didn't much
care for either. Up until now, Vegeta had always been stronger then any kids he
knew. Grown-ups didn't count, of course. But then he'd hardly matched strength
with any of them anyway. Much to his dispair, the best he could de was keep his
head from banging against the back wall, and even that didn't work out too
well; Vegeta's head was soon spinning to a throbbing sensation from the back.
Thankfully, Mawi stopped his banging.
"Do you have any idea how hungry I am? I'm starving!"
Now that the guy mentioned it, Vegeta could still deal with an
extra bite himself. But this didn't seem like the time to mention it.
Whispering from the door.
"Mawi, hurry it along! If they catch us here, we're in for
it!"
Mawi heeded their call.
"Just remember that, and we'll leave you be. OK?"
With that, the big creature released the Prince and turned to
leave.
Vegeta blinked.
The guy couldn't just do that to him!
He was the prince of all Saij-jins!
He didn't let anyone knock him around. Not even his own
father.
In a flash, he was upon the ugly alien, knocking him to the floor
and pouncing him with all his might.
Aggravated, Vegeta screamed out battle cries and insults.
Next thing he knew, it was him on the floor, face down,
something woollen getting pushed in his face.
Those whispers again, this time sounding from on top of him,
finally made him realise what was going on.
"Mawi!" it hissed. "Can't you keep him quiet? What
is someone heard?"
Bastards!
So, they wanted to keep him quiet then? Fine! Thrashing,
the little prince started screaming again, even louder then before. But they
quickly muffled him up with his own cape. The prince quickly came to the
conclusion that this was a good way to choke, so he relented. Silence;
everything turned awfully quiet for a while.
Even Vegeta gave up his struggles to listen if anyone had
indeed heard.
Nothing.
No guards, no inquiring calls. No nothing!
His attackers started whispering again, but this time, the prince
couldn't quite make out what they said.
Holding absolutely still helped.
",..just a little longer,..."
Just a little longer what?
Vegeta moved his head, finding that someone must have straddled
his neck.
Someone heavy too. In any case, he certainly wasn't going anywhere
any time soon.
Then, something solid connected with his ribs in a firing
explosion if pain.
And again, and again...
--------
Again, Freeza sat his usual place by the window; again with a
glass of wine in his hand. It wasn't that he was a heavy drinker, not really.
But he savoured the taste, making it linger.
And linger, and linger.
Freeza smiled; he never minded the waiting. For him, it had always
been the best part.
But he seemed to be the only one that felt that way. Sometimes it
seemed he was the only one that understood its importance. For waiting was the
most exquisite torture of all.
Oh well, one shouldn't push too hard.
"Yes, Zarbon?"
As always when the green-haired man didn't detect anger in his
master's voice, he straightened.
"My lord Freeza, were you aware that your student Mawi has
key-access not only to and from his own cell,
but to and from all others as well?"
Freeza's smile broadened, but he didn't bother turning to show it
to the young warrior.
"Oh, indeed I am.
He has had them for, oh, over a year I think.
Stole a master-card form one of my officers."
Freeza inhaled shortly, as if actually thinking it over.
"Careless of him, wasn't that?"
