Chapter 4: The Hunter's Trophies
It seemed like several hours after Talusk had left Gohan and Oolong in the cell. They had tried to plot a scheme to escape, but Oolong was unwilling to try.
"Come on, Oolong. We can find a way out."
"Forget it, Gohan. I don't want to get killed. You can try to find a way out, but I'm staying here." They heard the door slide open again, and Drago stepped in.
"Lord Talusk wishes to see you."
"What? Me?" Oolong asked scared.
"Not you, pig-man. The Saiyan."
Drago took out what looked like hand and wrist restraints. He walked to Gohan and unlocked the chains to his wrist. Immediately, Gohan began to attack the armored human, but Drago caught both of his hands with one of his own and with a metallic tentacle from the armor. Forcing his hands into the mobile restraints, Drago locked them with an electrical code.
"Why am I so weak?" Gohan thought as Drago unlocked his ankle retrains. He pushed Gohan out of the room while hitting a button on the wall outside beside the door, locking it.
"What are you going to do with Oolong?"
"What? That guy?" Drago asked, "I suppose that's up to Lord Talusk. What do you care? This way." He pointed to a hallway just a few feet away. At the end of the hallway, they came to another door that opened to an elevator. Before, they stepped in, Gohan used the restraint itself as a blunt weapon to hit Drago's crotch. Nothing happened. Drago still stood over him unhurt.
"Fool," Drago said shoving Gohan into the elevator. "You can't do anything, not for several hours anyway."
"So, what's your real story, Drago? Why did you decide to work for this Talusk?"
Drago pushed a button on a panel and started. "I told you. I wanted to have a stronger body. I even improved my mind. That gas you were exposed to back when Lord Talusk captured you was of my design. It suppresses your ki."
"That's why I can't even turn into a Super Saiyan."
"And this ship is huge; I can imagine."
"It's a ship, but hardly huge. Only the length of a football field and four stories tall."
"But, I'll bet you have a large army here."
"Ha! It's only Lord Talusk, myself, the four scientist we have hired to run the ship, and the Crones. This ship wasn't meant to conquer worlds; it was meant to capture prey for Lord Talusk. We only assault to incorporate better technology. You're a stupid kid asking questions like that."
"That's all I need to know, you monkey's ass."
The elevator stopped, and the door opened. A long hallway, about twelve feet, stretched to two large doors. After the walk, the doors opened automatically. Drago kept pushing Gohan forward, as he was looking around the large area they had just come to. Gohan did not see much. The room was dark except for the lighted path across it. After a minute of walking though the long room, both of them arrived to Talusk standing towards a dark wall.
"Ah, Gohan. You seem to be up to this. Drago, what is the status of the Dragon Ball finding?"
"Sire, it was better than we expected. Five of the seven have been found and brought back to the ship. The last two are being transported right now."
"And how long before your gas wears off?"
"Another six hours. The remaining two Dragon Balls should be here in less than two."
"So I can make my wish in front of you, Gohan." Gohan only looked at the cyborg.
"What I intend to do with you, my friend," Talusk began, "is to add you to my collection. Over the years, I have added numerous species to that collection, and you will be the crowning achievement."
The dark wall Talusk was staring at suddenly lit up. All Gohan could see was a small stand attached to it. On the stand itself, a golden tag attached to it read the name "Son Gohan" in black letters.
"You expect me to just stand there."
"What? No. Not all of you. Just your head."
"What?!" Gohan yelled.
"Like some of the cultures on your planet, I, too, only take part of my prey with me."
The room's other walls were lit up then. Gohan could see what Talusk had pointed out. The walls were decorated with hands, limbs, and heads from many different alien species; some of them, he could not tell what they had come from or what they were.
"You sick freak! Why do you want immortality then? You said I would be your 'crowning achievement!' Why do you want to live forever?"
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't continue to hunt. With immortality, no prey could stand up to me."
"You son of a…"
"Sire!" Drago interrupted, "I just received some fascinating news." Both Gohan and Talusk looked towards him. "Six of the Dragon Balls have been recovered," he said as Gohan first noticed something in Drago's ear, "It turns out they were easier to find than originally thought."
"Excellent," the cyborg said with a large smile, "Take Gohan to the cargo bay on top of the ship and prepare him for his execution."
"Yes sire."
Drago shoved Gohan, much to the Saiyans protest, towards the exit of the room and back to the elevator followed by Talusk.
"Don't worry Gohan," Talusk commented, "I will keep you separated from the other trophies."
The doors of the elevator closed.
Oolong crawled out of a ventilation shaft. After checking around, he transformed back into his normal form. I had been actually easy from him to get out of the chains he was in; all he did was transform into a rat, and he slipped out a ventilation shaft nearby.
"Man, I though I'd never get out of there. I really should have passed that course in shape shifting. Five minutes is just not enough."
Looking around, Oolong spotted a consol right beside a wall. He tried to make sense of the thing with its foreign language.
"How the hell do you use this thing?"
"Hell," a voice form the consol said, "a place of eternal damnation believed by many cultures. Recent evidence has shown Hell may actually exist."
"What the?"
"What: A word put at the beginning of some sentences to question identity."
"Wait, this is written in an alien language, but it speaks English?"
"English: A language spoken by some cultures of people on the planet earth. This computer is now designed to take English commands."
"Hey, that guy Drago is from earth. This thing must be programmed to be used by him."
"Drago: A member of the current ship…"
"Shut up and just tell me how to get out of here!"
"Exits are located on the under side and the top cargo bay of the ship."
"Which one is fastest?"
"The fastest way to the outside from current position is the cargo bay."
"How do I get there?"
"The cargo bay exit can be reached by means of elevator." The wall beside the consol opened to an elevator. Oolong reluctantly stepped inside.
Will Gohan keep his head? Will 18 and the others get to the ship before he is decapitated? Will I ever stop asking questions like this? Anyway, next chapter is coming up. I should have it out faster. My Spring Break begins today. Anyway, please review.