Konban wa, minna! I got a so-so response on the first part of this story--hopefully I'll get a better one...oh well. The first was more of a teaser, I guess. So here's the next part of the story for you all to peruse and enjoy. Someone--and I won't mention it was my Kaasan--who said that Yosei was spelled wrong. Well, it is. It should be Yousei...but I don't like that 'u' in there...so, just picture it in there when you pronounce it. BTW--it's pronounced (YUU*say)--the 'o' is long, like in 'Tousan'. Erg..I guess I gotta add that 'u' in there now...dang....oh well.. R&R Is a writer's best friend! Gie-chan Yosei: Chapter Two

As soon as Bulma reached clear air, she was on the phone, ordering
supplies for carrying cases, and hiring extra hands to help with the heavy
workload ahead. From her first bare glance at the room, there were about
25 of those...things...down there. Bulma shivered at just the thought of
what was underground for who knows how long. 'What if it is a new enemy?
What if it's incubating, waiting to take on another form to take over the
universe...like Cell?' A deep frown creased her usually smooth features as
she placed one final call.

The phone on the other end rang forever and just as she was about
to hang up and try another number, she heard the distinctive click of a
pick up. "Moshi moshi, Briefs residence. How can I help you?" A small
squeaky voice traveled over the airwaves.

Bulma smiled. "That was a very professional greeting, Bra-chan!"

A burst of giggles filled Bulma's ear. "Hi, Kaasan! Did I do good?"

"Yes, Bra-chan, very good. Is your Oniichan home? Or your
'Tousan?"

"Hai!" She chirped.

"Can I talk to one of them, sweetie? It's rather important."

"Hai!"

Bulma paused for a minute, hearing nothing on the other line.
"Bra-chan, can I talk to them now?"

Bra giggled on the other side of the connection. "Heehee! You
should have said so, 'Kaasan!"

Bulma heard the click of being put on hold. She sighed. "You have
to tell that girl to do everything--she can never take the initiative."

Finally she heard the annoying music go away. A deep masculine
voice filled her ears. "What?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Oi...you should take lessons from Bra-chan
on how to answer the phone, Vejiita."

"I knew it was you. The brat threw me the phone when I was
coming out of the chamber." He snorted into the receiver. "What do you
want, Onna?"

She sighed. Always to the point. "Is Trunks home yet from class?"

There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "He's headed in
this direction with Kakarotto's spawn. He'll be here soon. What do you
want, Onna? You know I hate this thing."

Bulma chuckled slightly. "Hai, I know. Listen, when Trunks and
Goten get there, I need you three to come out to the job site I'm at
working. We found something...weird...and I want you guys to be here."

"What did you find? Why do you need our protection?" Vejiita's
voice went deeper as he spoke. Bulma called it his 'worried tones.' Vejiita
called it 'nonsense--I don't worry about anything.'

"I'll explain everything I know when you three get here. I'd just
feel better if someone was here, okay?"

Vejiita's eyebrows softened slightly--but not enough for anyone to
notice. If she needed to ask, then she was concerned. "Fine, Onna. As
long as you don't whine when I get there. You owe me big." He let the
threat dangle in the air.

The large knot that seemed to have balled up her intestines began
to unwind. "Arigatou, Vejiita. I'll make it up to you...tonight."

"Hmpf. Don't throw sex in my face, Onna. I'll get that no matter
what."

Bulma could picture that smug smirk on his face. "That may be--but
I will wear *the outfit*." She purred softly.

Vejiita almost dropped the phone. "Fine, Onna. We'll be there as
soon as the gaki get here. What do I do with the other one?"

"Bra? Well, I'll call ChiChi, and you can drop her off at her place.
She can play with Pan."

"Hn." And with a beep she was disconnected.

Bulma sighed and let the cell phone dangle in her hand. "That
man...sometimes..." She let a smirk escape and straightening her posture,
she walked over to Tokuei. He was talking to a couple of his crew
members. "Tokuei-san, are the lights and the structure in place?"

He turned to her and nodded. "Hai, Briefs-san. We have several
spotlights down there, and the metal support beams are on the ceiling and
the walls."

She gave him a happy smile. "Great! You guys are fast workers. I
appreciate that."

"Well, we're good at what we do, Briefs-san."

She nodded back. "Hai."

Tokuei's bushy eyebrows came together in thought. "Are you going
to go down there again, Briefs-san? To remove the..."

She cut him off. "Hai. I want to take a look at what is actually
down there. I can get better details at Capsule Corp. But I'm not going
down until my husband and my son get here."

Tokuei raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to risk them
down in the cave?"

Bulma countered with her own thin ridge. "You've never met my
husband, have you, Tokuei-san?"

One of the crew members snorted. "I have, You won't have to
worry about him, Tokuei-san. He's got a never-ending temper, and attitude
to match." He blushed deeply and bowed his head. "Gomen nasai,
Briefs-san."

Bulma chucked lightly. "Don't be. You're just being nice." She
turned to Tokuei and smiled. "You won't have to worry about him. Or my
son. He's just like his father."

***************

~~Capsule Corp~~

Vejiita walked into the main living area of Capsule Corp (CC from
now on), slamming the door behind him. "Blasted female--always worming
her way under my skin." He grumbled his way into the kitchen, his favorite
room in the entire complex. The Saiya-jiin no Ouji snorted loudly when he
discovered where his youngest heir disappeared. Bra sat in the middle of
a large chocolate-marshmallow-caramel-peanutbuster puddle of mess.
Otherwise known as Bulma's secret stash of her coveted ice cream. "Your
Kaasan is going to tan your hide, brat."

Bra glanced up at her father, blue eyes blinking innocently, standing
out from the brown mess that covered her face...her hair...her
clothes...basically the entire kitchen. "I was hungry, Papa--and I couldn't
reach the bowls."

"Don't pull that one, B-chan. We all know you have some flight
abilities." Trunks moved into view, Goten behind him. "It's been tested,
and been proved a failure."

Goten made a disgusted face as he surveyed the damage. "Yeah,
when we were little."

Vejiita grunted and turned around. "Clean her up, Trunks. We need
to go your 'Kaasan."

Trunks screwed his face up in disgust, and backed up a few steps
when Bra held out her arms to be picked up. "Why me, 'Tousan?" Bra
giggled at his look.

"I said so. Now do it, or I'll haul you into the gravity room. You are
getting to be a whimpering weak link." He glanced at Goten with disdain.
"So are you, spawn of Kakarotto. You will take her to your house so the
wench can watch her, then come to our location."

Goten blinked a few times, and scratched his head. "She's going to
my house?"

Vejiita growled, becoming impatient with the young demi Saiya-jiin.
"Do I have to spell everything out to you? Do what I say!" He snorted and
left the room. Their sensitive ears caught his last command: "Clean that
mess up while you're at it."

Both Goten and Trunks glanced at each other and sighed. Bra
giggled again and they sighed even louder. "I don't want to touch her."

Goten made a funny face at the messy female. "She's your
imouto--she's your responsibility."

Trunks moved to a wall, and called for some service bots to start on
the kitchen. "Fine. I'll carry her, but you have to wash her." He bent
down and grunted as Bra threw her arms around Trunks' neck. "I'm gonna
need a bath myself."

"So then you can wash her! It all works out fine!" Goten smirked
and followed the growling Trunks and giggling Bra into farther recesses of
their home.

********

After Trunks and Goten cleaned up Bra, and then themselves, the
four Saiya-jiin met in the backyard.

Vejiita turned to Goten. "The Harpy is aware of her arrival. Hurry
and follow us."

Goten nodded and swooped Bra off her feet, putting her on his
back. "I guess you get to go play with Pan-chan."

Bra clapped her hands. "Yay! I like Pan-chan! She's fun. But not
when she gets mad."

He chuckled slightly. "I know what you mean, B-chan. Hang on
tight!" A strangled squeak escaped his throat. "Not that tight!
I...gotta...breathe...Ba.....Bra-chan!"

She loosened her grip on Goten's neck slightly. "You said tight!"
She giggled at her Papa's snort.

Goten jumped into the air. "Okay, see ya in a bit!"

Bra craned her body around. "Bai-bai Papa! Bai-bai,
Trunks-oniichan!" She waved frantically, a large smile alight on her
chubby, yet clean, cheeks.

Trunks waved back. "Have fun, B-chan!" He turned to his father.
"So what did 'Kaasan want?"

Vejiita just grunted and leapt into the air, ki flaring around him.
"We'll find out when we get there. She found something."

Trunks pondered that for a minute before jumping after his sire,
and following in his vapor trail. "But what would she find? She was only
digging for ore today."

~~Job Site~~

Bulma glanced around, watching the trucks she ordered arrive with
the supplies for the containment units for the...things...underground. The
extra workers assembled the long, rectangular boxes rather quickly. She
had them pad the interior with straw and other assorted packing materials
so they would be cushioned in the transport back to CC.

A jerk at her senses made her look up and with a sigh she watched
Vejiita and Trunks descend from the sky. "I told you guys not to fly
around people. They don't understand your abilities." She scowled as one
worker, who saw their unusual arrival, fainted from shock.

Trunks smiled cockily. "Relax, 'Kaasan," waving the human off.
"We're here, aren't we?" Vejiita just smirked.

"Honestly!" She stabbed her fists into her hips and scowled at
Trunks. "You're getting as bad as your father!" She sighed and waved to
Tokuei, who slowly came over to the family.

He eyed Vejiita and Trunks warily--the crew had been informing him
of Bulma's 'husband.' "Are you ready to go down, Briefs-san?"

She nodded, and put on a hard hat. "You bet, Tokuei-san." She
glanced around. "Where's Goten-kun? I thought he was coming with you
two?"

Trunks answered her. "He took Bra to his house. He'll be coming
soon." He looked around and pointed to the containment boxes. "What's
with all the coffins?"

Bulma started, startled by his description of the boxes. She had to
admit, now that it was pointed out, they did look like caskets. 'Fitting,'
she shuddered mentally. "They're to take back what we found back to CC.
And they're containment boxes--not coffins."

Trunks shrugged. "Whatever. They look like coffins to me."

She sighed once more--she's been doing that a lot lately--and
turned to a random crewman. "Another male will be coming shortly: black
hair, bad haircut. Expect him to arrive in the same way they did." She
pointed 'up.' "He'll find us by himself."

"Hai, Briefs-san."

She stepped onto the waiting hovercraft, Vejiita and Trunks
following. "All right. We're ready to go down, Tokuei-san." He nodded,
and the four of them slowly descended into the dark hole.

"So what did you find, 'Kaasan? The vein of ore you wanted?"
Trunks asked immediately, as he watched the walls of dirt pass by him.

"Actually, no, Trunks. We haven't struck it yet. The crew was
digging in this sidecave," she indicated to the branch they turned into,
"When they discovered a hidden room."

Vejiita finally spoke. "What does this have to do with us, Onna?
Why are we here?" He was getting irritated that he didn't know all the
answers, and was unprepared to the upcoming situation.

The hovercraft touched down, and the four of them disembarked.
"The room is just ahead." She turned to Tokuei. "Turn on the spotlights."

He nodded, and plugged in the bright lights. One by one, they
warmed up and illuminated the mystery contents of the hidden room.

Bulma blinked a few times, getting used to the glare and stepped
into the room. She immediately went over to the one she touched earlier.
She reached out her hand and shook her head in wonder. "Vejiita, come
over here and feel this. This is the reason I asked you to come."

He tore his eyes away from the rest of the room and concentrated
on Bulma and her object. He moved closer to her. "What is it, Bulma?"

She stared at the white object in front of her. "I don't know." She
pulled his hand up and rested it in the center.

He ran his fingers lightly over the surface, feeling the texture, and
testing the elasticity. He stopped and with a small hint of ki made his
hand glow. Within the white rubber material, a dim light 'answered' him.
"It's alive, that's for certain." He murmured, eyes glued on his hand, and
the dim glow from within. "It has ki. Very weak--almost non-existent, but
there is ki." He pulled his hand away, almost reluctantly.

The purple-haired genius nodded and ran her hand through her
short locks. "I know. I felt it's heartbeat."

"Otousan, Okaasan, come here. I think I discovered something."
Bulma turned to her son, on the other side of the room. "What is
it, Trunks?"

He knelt next to a damaged one. "It's starting to decay here on the
bottom. Watch what happens when I push on it." He demonstrated, and
the once rubbery white material fell away in rather good-sized chunks.
Trunks continued to push at the decayed material, until he moved the
entire length. All four of them gasped at the sight that was revealed to
them.

"Oh, Dende--it's a dead body."

The state of the corpse was very apparent to them--as pieces of
rotted flesh clung to brittle bones. A shiny, flimsy material of unknown
origin was scattered over the body and the ground. The skull was
completely bare, and the sunken eye holes stared at them blankly.

Another reason the body was definitely dead was the permeating
odor that overpowered everything else in the small room. "Oh, Dende--the
stink! I think I'm going to be sick..." Bulma turned away, nauseated. She
buried her face in Trunks' chest, trying to block some of the smell.

Vejiita quickly held up his hand, and with a small burst of ki,
disintegrated the body. "It's taken care of."

Bulma raised her face from her son's muscled chest. "But it still
smells!"

Vejiita snorted. "My ki is not a deodorizer."

Tokuei spoke, his hands covering his nose. "It looked human. Was
it human? Are they human?" He indicated to the still alive ones.

Trunks shook his head. "It was not human. It was a humanoid form,
but not completely human." Trunks continued at Tokuei's unbelieving stare.
"It had too many vertebrae, and the skull was shaped wrong."

Bulma slowly took inventory of the room, moving from object to
object. "There are twenty damaged ones--more than likely all in the same
state as the first. And four undamaged. Each of these is warm, and has a
heartbeat." She turned to Tokuei. "Let's start moving them out. I think
there are about 30 coff--containment boxes up top. Let's try to get as
many as possible back to CC intact."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "You're bringing them back to the labs?"

She raised her own. "And leave them here? In the open? Not
likely." She turned back to Tokuei. "Got it?"

He nodded. "Right away, Briefs-san." He started to leave, but
paused. "I'm taking the hovercraft. Do you need a ride back up top?"

Bulma glanced at her mate, who was staring at one of the live
bodies. "No--I'll find my own way back up." He nodded and left.

"So what's with the Retro Pod-People thingees?"

Trunks snorted and glanced over his shoulder. "What took so long,
Goten-kun?"

The taller Saiya-jiin smiled guiltily. "'Kaasan was making cookies."
He glanced around. "Are these what you found Bulma-san? Rejects from
'Attack of the Killer Pod People from Planet Pluto?' They're nasty
looking...and what's that smell?" He walked over to one of the undamaged
'pods' and placed a hand on it the surface. He quickly snatched it away.
"Woah! It's alive, isn't it? It has ki!"

Trunks moved over to his friend. "Hai. That's why 'Kaasan called
us here."

Bulma let out a sound of frustration. "I guess that's the best way
to describe them, ne? Pod People."

Goten blinked a few times. "Nani? I was just joking--" he glanced
at the 'pod.' "Sort of."

Bulma shrugged. "It's a good an assessment as any other. They do
look like pea-pods." She pushed on the flexible material of the pod. "I
just wonder why they're here. And for how long? Why are they in pods?
Do they need them to regenerate? Or to evolve?" Bulma's eyebrows
knitted together as her mind whirled over the infinite possibilities.

Goten scrutinized the pod. "It looks more like a cocoon of a
caterpillar. Before it turns into a moth, or a butterfly."

Bulma turned to the silent male next to her. "What do you think,
Vejiita?"

He shook his head, frowning. "I know of nothing like this, Bulma.
There are several species in the universe that use a chrysalis stage to
evolve into higher, more powerful, forms. But they are on the other side
of the universe, and are not humanoid in shape." He glanced at her.
"Humans do not have this ability, or technology, ne?"

She shook her head. "Iie. Cryogenics are the only thing that is
remotely similar, but they need to be frozen. And these definitely are
not." She frowned. "Do you think they are like Cell? Here to try to take
over Chikyuu? And now they're in a metamorphosis stage to gain more
power?"

Vejiita snorted and crossed his arms. "They will fail if it comes
down to that. There is no evidence on how long they have been in this
state. Something must have gone wrong, or they were in here for too long.
I don't think they were here to die." He nodded toward the damaged, and
most likely dead pods.

Crew members started to file into the room, and begin working.
She turned to Goten and Trunks. "Stay down here and watch over things.
If one of the damaged pods breaks open, take care of it. We definitely
don't want that smell anymore." She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

Trunks nodded. "Hai, 'Kaasan."

Goten looked confused. "How do we do that, Trunks?"

He smiled slightly. "With a neatly placed ball of ki, my friend."
Goten smiled back, understanding.

"All right. Vejiita and I will be topside if you need anything." She
gave a last glance at one of the still-functioning pods. "I just wonder what
they are..."

The Dark Prince snorted softly, and muttered under his breath.
"The question you should ask first, Onna, is when are they going to wake
up?" He stepped out of the room.

Bulma stared at his retreating back. "That would be the question
of the hour, wouldn't it?" She sighed again and followed him out of the
room.

**********

As Trunks and Goten surveyed the loading and packaging of the
damaged and undamaged pods below, Bulma was on the phone with the labs
back at CC, preparing for the arrival of the new objects.

When the last transport took off from the job site, Trunks and
Goten made their appearance and reported the total. "A lot of the
damaged pods started to break up once they left the room." Trunks
explained. "Three made it intact. Plus the four undamaged makes seven
total."

Goten nodded in agreement. "Hai, but something weird happened to
the four pods with ki when they passed through the door."

Bulma looked interested. "What was it, Goten?"

He scratched his head in puzzlement. "When they passed the
entranceway, there was a flash of light that came from where their hearts
would be. It didn't last long--just a few seconds--but it just seemed
weird."

Bulma glanced worriedly at Vejiita, who just looked away. She knew
that it meant something important--something big. But what it was the
unanswered question. "Okay. Thanks a lot you two. You've been a big help
here. Can you pick up Bra-chan on your way home, Trunks?"

He glanced at Goten, who shrugged. "I guess so. Are you cooking
tonight?"

Bulma just stared at him.

Trunks shook his head, a small smile tuning the corner of his mouth.
"Right. I'll call." He nodded to Goten and both jumped into the air. "See
you back at home!" They waved and blasted away, vapor trails bright.

Bulma moved closer to Vejiita, who was staring down into the hole.
"What now?" He muttered quietly.

"The scientists and I are going to dissect the dead bodies--try and
determine what they actually are. I want to have some general tests run
on the live ones." She paused and asked him a question. "Do you think that
flash of light Goten saw meant something?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "Might. It could have been a
reflection of the spotlights."

"Or it could mean that we are going to have visitors soon."

Tokuei walked up to the mated pair. "Everything's ready to go
again, Briefs-san. Did you want to continue to dig for the ore vein today?"

Her eyes widened. "I forgot about the ore!" She shook her head.
"Cancel that job for now, Tokuei-san. This site is off-limits until I've
cleared what we found down there."

Tokuei nodded. "I understand. What about the men?"

She frowned. "Everyone's on leave with pay until I call you back.
Make sure what we found doesn't get around. Too many people know what
went on here already."

He nodded again. "My men are trustworthy. Especially since they're
going to get paid for doing nothing." He smirked a little.

She smiled back. "Good. I knew you were a good man for the job,
Tokuei-san. I appreciate all you've done so far."

He bowed to her, showing respect. "It's been a pleasure to work
for you, Briefs-san." He nodded to Vejiita and turned back to his crew,
who were still waiting for the go-ahead. Soon, a rousing cheer went
through the ranks as Bulma and Vejiita watched them depart.

Bulma turned to her mate. "Ready to go home?"

He grunted. "For a long time, Onna."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a
peck on the cheek. "Thank you for coming out, Vejiita. It means a lot to
me--especially since I didn't know what I found. Still don't know, but I'll
figure it out."

He grunted again and wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her to
him tightly. He nipped her on the nose. "I don't doubt that for a minute." He
flared his ki, letting it ripple around the two of them. With a coiled leap, the pair sprung into the air, quickly becoming a bright dot on the horizon.
*****************

Oops--forgot the disclaimer--DBZ and its characters are Toriyama-sama's--not mine...only originals like Tokuei-san are. But you can use him--just ask, onegai? Let me know what you think if this. I do need the feedback. Gie-chan