Different Hearts, Same Dream

Part Eight

A Dragonball Z Fanfic By Hana Noir

Piccolo watched from the shadows as Adam drove away with Kyrie. His eyes blazed with anger but he had promised not to interfere. His lips were still warm from her parting gift, and he raised one hand to his mouth, as though to hold the sweet kiss there forever. He concentrated, focusing in on her ki and could feel her leaving the area quickly. The boy must have a lead foot, he thought, smirking. It was a good thing that he had not taught her to conceal her ki. It would have made it much harder for him to follow her if she had learned that little trick. He took to the air, rising high enough to be undetected and gave chase.

Sitting in the aircar beside the silent young man was excruciating. She tried to ignore the creepy feeling running up and down her spine. She KNEW that she was in a bad situation, she didn't need her instincts to tell her that. Adam kept glancing over at her as they drove and there was something in his gray eyes that unnerved her. It was an almost anticipatory gleam and she closed her eyes so that she didn't have to see him. She let her thoughts drift back to the surprised look on Piccolo's face when she had kissed him. She was glad that she had given in to the impulse. Whatever else happened, she would have that memory to hold close and savor.

"We'll be home shortly," Adam finally said, flipping the car onto auto-pilot.

"Home?" Kyrie couldn't keep from spitting out the word. "That place is no home. It's a prison, a cage for their human lab rats."

Adam shrugged. "So?"

Kyrie stared, appalled. "Doesn't it bother you that they're using you?"

He turned his head to look down at her. His eyes were so cold and lifeless that she shivered. "They use me, I use them We both benefit." He smiled then, mockingly. "They get their precious data, I get the enjoyment of the hunt... and the kill. And they find me so many tasty victims." His hand shot out and caught her by the throat. It had been so swift that she hadn't had time to block. "I think you'd be fun to hunt, Eve." He pulled her closer, ignoring her resistance. He studied her dispassionately, as a scientist would study an interesting specimen under a microscope. "But, the Doctor has other plans for you, so I'll just have to content myself with this." She flinched from the threat implied in his words and he smirked, bringing her even closer. "I wonder..." He brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her harshly. He tightened his grip on her neck when she fought him, holding her in place. He licked at her lips, then with a laugh, tossed her against the passenger side door.

"Very sweet," he commented, still laughing. "But I'll wait. Anticipation only makes it that much better." Kyrie glared at him from her seat, too proud to let him see that she was scared. She was sure that there would be bruises on her neck from where he had grabbed her and the door handle had slammed painfully against her spine. The pain kept the fear from growing, though, and it also helped to make her angry. The anger helped her keep her focus.

She noticed that the town they were going through seemed familiar somehow. Then she remembered. This was the nearest town to the Facility. Soon, they would be coming upon the innocent looking building. Ten minutes later, she spotted it in the distance. It was fairly innocuous in appearance, a three story gray brick rectangle with windows at regular intervals. But the first three floors were window dressing, camouflage for what was the REAL Facility. The underground complex was huge, easily three times that of the above ground structure. It went down another five floors and extended outward for almost a mile. It contained some of the most advanced equipment and minds known to mankind. The staff was entirely human; none of the other species on the planet had been selected for this location. Miles of chain link fence topped with vicious loops of barbed wire surrounded the entire complex, and the high voltage electrical current running through it ensured that there would be no trespassing.

The guard came out from the guardshack as they approached, his hand casually touching the pistol on his hip. The message was clear: You'd better have good reason to be here. Adam reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a laminated card. By the time they reached the gate, he had the window down and the card held out. The guard approached, carrying some sort of portable scanner, and swiped the card. It beeped, the screen lighting up and the guard nodded. "If you would, please, sir," he said politely, holding out a keypad attached to the scanner. Adam sighed, bored with the check-in procedures and punched in a four digit code. The scanner beeped again and the heavy iron gates began to clang open. "Have a good day, sir," the guard said, trying to glance at the car's passenger without being obvious. Adam nodded and gunned the car through the gates.

They came to a halt before the glass double doors that led into the lobby. "Welcome back, Eve," Adam said, his tone dripping with malice. What have I done?? Kyrie asked herself as she stepped out of the car, the building looming over her. Then, a strange sense of inevitability pushed aside all of her doubts and fears, and for the first time in several days, she felt at peace with herself.

Piccolo watched from up above as Kyrie walked into the building. He could sense her emotions all the way up here. She was terrified, anxious, angry and resigned, all at once. Then a fatalistic sense of calm came over her as she disappeared inside. Piccolo gritted his teeth when he realized why. She was preparing herself for whatever was to come by disassociating from her emotions. What had happened to make her take such a radical step? He concentrated on the odd link between them, monitoring her mental state. He had been angry when he first realized that there was a link between them, but now he was thankful for it. Because she didn't have the skill to block him out, he would know everything that was happening to her. But it required determined focus on his part, which was why he hadn't been monitoring her during the car drive. He now regretted not doing so. From his vantage point among the clouds, Piccolo prepared to wait.

Kyrie let her mind wander as the elevator took them down to the sublevels of the building. She could have sworn that she had sensed Piccolo's presence when she had arrived, but the fleeting impression seemed to have disappeared. The elevator dinged, startling her out of her thoughts and Adam grasped her arm to lead her out. She recognized where they were. This was where the Doctor kept his office. And that's exactly where they were headed.

She felt as though she were six years old again when the door swung open and she saw the Doctor sitting behind his heavy desk. He was looking at her with a combination of contempt and disappointment. "It's good to see you again, Eve," he said as Adam brought her in.

"Wish I could say the same," she replied flippantly. Since no confessions of remorse or promises of cooperation were likely to be believed, she saw no reason to even try. The Doctor shook his head as he stood, coming around the corner of the desk to confront her. She met his eyes, noting absently that they were the same as Adam's, cold and lifeless.

"I can see it's going to be harder to get you to go along with our experiments this time," the Doctor said. "Pity." He looked behind her at the silent boy. "But Adam here has ways of ensuring that you do." This time she saw the blow coming, and she blocked the Doctor's hand as it descended toward her face. A quick follow through, and she planted her fist in his stomach. Gasping, he staggered back against the desk. She couldn't help but to smile with satisfaction.

Sensing motion behind her, she ducked instinctively, and Adam's hand missed the back of her neck by centimeters. She dodged behind a chair, trying to maintain some distance. But the office was small and he was even faster than she was. He leapt the chair and caught her by the hair as she turned to run.

"Hold her, Adam," the Doctor gasped, trying to catch his breath. Adam twisted her arms behind her back with one hand, keeping the other fisted in her hair.

"Go ahead," he whispered in her ear as she fought. "I like it when you struggle." She froze immediately, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. She was so focused on the person holding her that she completely forgot the other presence in the room. A heavy fist slammed into the side of her face and she saw stars for a second. Adam's grip tightened on her wrists as the Doctor shook his head.

"I don't like to have to resort to physical punishment, Eve," he said, still slightly breathless. "But in your case, I'm willing to make an exception." All the air whooshed out of her lungs when he punched her in the stomach. Before she could catch her breath, he hit her again, making her gray out for a moment. She sagged in Adam's iron grip, landing on her knees. He released her and she fell forward, barely managing to catch herself. The younger man grinned mirthlessly as he drew back his foot and kicked her squarely in the ribs. The force of the impact tumbled her to the floor and she instinctively curled into a ball.

Gasping for breath, she tried to get her bearings, a tiny ki ball flickering to life in her right palm. She curved her fingers around the explosive mote and squinted against the tears in her eyes. Before she could throw it, however, an eerie siren began to howl, making both men jump.

"What the hell??" the Doctor swore, reaching for the phone on his desk. Before he could pick up the receiver, a uniformed guard burst in through the door, eyes wide and panicked.

"Sir!" he gasped out, leaning on the doorframe. "There's been some, some kind of explosion upstairs. H-half of the building is gone!!" A faint shudder made the items on the desks jitter.

Kyrie's eyes widened at the news. Piccolo, she thought. It could only be Piccolo. The ki ball dissapated and she grasped the side of the chair in an effort to stand. She closed her eyes, concentrating. She could feel his presense strongly now. He was angry, very angry. Furious in fact. She could visualize him clearly. His eyes were narrowed and focused, fangs bared in a feral snarl. He was systematically destroying the building above with precise ki strikes. People were running this way and that, panicked, screaming. The guards were firing their rifles in a futile effort; the bullets couldn't pierce his ki sheild. She focused harder and called out through their link.

Piccolo!

He never hesitated in his actions. Hey, kid. I'll have you out in just a second.

What are you doing here?

You didn't honestly believe I'd just stand idly by while they beat you, did you?

Before she could answer, a hand fisted in her hair and pulled her head up. She bit back a groan and looked up through watering eyes at Adam. The Doctor was on the phone, barking out orders. I need to plant the explosive, she thought, remaining limp. That's the only way to make sure the entire complex is destroyed…

"Adam," the Doctor said, slamming down the phone. "Some… creature is attacking the building. Go upstairs and organize the guards. Take it down." He opened a wooden box on the desk and pulled out a sleek black pistol. "I'll escort Eve to a holding cell." He pointed the pistol at her and waved her toward the door.

"I hope it's your green friend," Adam said with a smirk. "I'd like to see his face when I tell him what I've got planned for you."

Kyrie couldn't help the smart aleck grin that pulled at her face. "Sure, you just go ahead and try it. Been nice knowing you." She jerked when the Doctor prodded her with the gun, stepping out into the hallway. But the half-puzzled, half-concerned look on Adam's face had been worth it.