Disclaimer : Don't own nothin'
** … ** = thoughts
[ … ] = AI speech
------ = scene change, time change, ect.
---------
"LET GO OF ME, GODDAMMIT! I have to help them!" Raz struggled in Trunks' vice-like grip as energy beams whizzed past them at a blinding pace.
"There's nothing you can do Raz!"
"NO! I need to be there!" Raz tried even harder to squirm out of Trunks' grasp, but he was no match for the demi Saiya-jin. While Raz screamed and thrashed angrily against him, Trunks was busy dipping and dodging through space as fast as he could, trying desperately to keep Raz from being hit by energy beams. Trunks had already taken two blasts directly to his back, and he could feel his flesh sizzling underneath the quicksilver spacesuit.
Another beam was headed straight for them, and Trunks had to power up to Super Saiya-jin to avoid being pulverized. He wasn't sure if the metallic suit could handle his energy, but he had no choice.
"What the hell???" Raz screamed as Trunks began to radiate golden energy. The silver suit had also taken on a golden sheen in lieu of his transformation.
"I'll explain later!" Trunks said, narrowly dodging a particularly large red beam.
It had only taken one look at the Biosphere to make Trunks want to vomit – half of it was burning with white hot fire, and the other half was just….gone. There was nothing he or Raz could do at the moment but try to stay alive. Raz, however, had other ideas.
"I have to be there Trunks!!! Those are my people! I might be able to help!"
"No…listen Raz, if I let you go back there, you'll die."
"So? I'll die out here too, goddammit! At least back there I'll die with all of them!"
"No, Raz, I'm sorry. Death isn't the answer, and I might still be able to get us out of this alive."
"Fuck you! Let me go!"
"No, now shut up and hold still."
-----
Pan sighed and stretched as she woke up from her nap. It had been particularly refreshing, considering she had gone to bed on a full stomach. The bed clearly had the most comfortable mattress money could buy, and she was once again thankful for her Universal Card.
"I could stay here forever," Pan said, thinking about the huge Jacuzzi in the next room.
** Too bad I can't…I have to save all of existence in some unknown, impossible way. Damn, I hate being in the dark on stuff. **
Pan sighed and plopped herself down on the extremely comfortable couch in the den area of the hotel room. She stared at the TV thing in front of her and wondered how the hell to turn it on.
~Simply say that you want it to turn on, and it will. ~ Pan's implant said gently.
** Hey, what the fuck? I set you to quiet mode! **
~ You seemed to want to know very much how to turn the Holo-TV on. It is within the implant's parameters to judge what information is important to pass along. ~
** Well, judge better next time! You scared the shit out of me! **
~ Many apologies, of course. ~
** Whatever. So, is there anything worth watching on this Holo-TV thingy? **
~ The implant is not designed to known which holo-programs are considered quality material, but it can tell you which channels there are to choose from. ~
** Piss on that – just shut up. **
~ As you wish. ~
"Um, Holo-TV thingy….turn on…" Pan said hesitantly, and was pleased to note that it did just as it was told. Pan was disgusted when first channel the TV tuned to was a very risqué porn channel.
"GAH! Go to cartoons!" Pan said quickly, averting her eyes from the holographic, three dimensional sex. It looked like the people were actually in the room with her, going at it like there was no tomorrow.
** Yeah, don't want to see that, ** Pan thought angrily, ** What kind of people stayed in this place last, anyway? **
Pan shook her head and settled herself onto the comfortable couch to enjoy the cartoons of the future. She was quite surprised that they really weren't that different from the ones in her time.
** Guess ya just can't improve on a good thing. ** Pan thought with some amusement. She was just starting to get settled and comfortable when a horrible sense of pain and foreboding shot through her mind.
** Woah! Did you do that to me, implant?? **
~ The implant did nothing, I can assure you. ~
** Well, what the hell just happened, then? **
~ There are no records of anything happening, Ms. Pan. ~
** Well, SOMETHING happened! I just got this really weird feeling…kinda like I do when I'm in a really dangerous fight or something. **
~ There is nothing dangerous in the vicinity. ~
** Argh! Well, let me know if you pick up on anything. **
~ Of course. ~
Pan was mad – her good mood was quite spoiled after that weird little surge of emotion. Normally she would have chalked it up as something happening to Trunks that she sensed through their bond, but there WAS no bond anymore. She was too far away from him in time. She tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding that came with it, but she just couldn't, no matter how hard she concentrated on the cartoons on TV. Pan sighed and headed into the bathroom. Perhaps the Jacuzzi could help.
------
Trunks saw stars for a few agonizing moments. He had just smashed head- first into the front of a small warship, attempting to dodge the largest beam of energy he had ever seen. It had distracted him sufficiently enough to miss seeing the small spaceship heading right for him.
He shook his head, trying to clear out some of the cobwebs. He could see the pilot inside looking on in shock as Trunks struggled to cling to the helm of his ship.
** This may be our only chance, ** Trunks thought wildly as he started trying to climb over the back of the ship.
"Trunks! What are you doing?" Raz said, still shaking his head from the painful impact.
"Claiming this ship!" Trunks said as he located the words 'Air Lock' on the side of the ship. He pushed several of the buttons next to the words, and was eventually rewarded with a loud hissing sound. The hatch opened slowly, and Trunks threw Raz down inside, following him moments later. The air lock hissed shut, and Trunks braced himself for what he knew would be an assault by the crew of the small vessel.
Raz looked severely freaked out, but once the door in front of them opened to reveal three armor-clad Web humans, his jaw set itself in a tight, intense line, and his eyes focused on the men in pure hatred. Raz's anger exploded, and he jumped at the nearest man, ignoring the huge energy rifle the man carried. He managed to get two good hits to the man's visored face before he was swatted away like a fly. The man raised the rifle and stuck it right in Raz's face. The other two soldiers pointed their guns at Trunks, but he ignored them.
Trunks didn't allow himself any time to think about his actions – Raz was clearly about to get shot, and he couldn't let that happen. Aiming his hand at the armored human, Trunks shot a concentrated Ki blast directly at the man's chest. His two accomplices looked on in horror as the man, dressed in the highest-quality, strongest armor in the universe, slumped to the floor, dead.
They quickly regained their senses, and shot their energy rifles at Trunks, ignoring Raz for the time being. Trunks cursed and lunged forward, dodging most of the beams. He felt two painful stings in his right arm, however, and he chided himself for being careless. Ignoring the pain for the moment, Trunks continued his advancement on the two men, punching each of them in the face once. It was more than enough to knock them unconscious, and Trunks was pleased he didn't have to kill anyone else. He almost wished he could kill them, though, considering what they and their people had just done to the Biosphere. Billions of lives had been ended that day, and Trunks could feel an immense anger welling up inside of him that he had never experienced before.
A bright flash of energy caused Trunks to return to reality with a start. A split second later, the two men who lay before him unconscious were reduced to nothing but ash. Trunks spun around quickly and looked at Raz, who was pointing the energy rifle at the spot where they two men had been a moment ago, a crazed look in his eyes.
"Raz….." Trunks said, but got nothing more out as Raz rushed out of the air lock with the rifle tight in his arms. Cursing, Trunks followed him, but stopped when he saw another flash of light – Raz had just taken out the pilot.
Trunks ran over to his friend, who was looking around wildly for someone else to kill. He wasn't sure what state of mind Raz was in, and he didn't want to chance having the energy rifle fired at himself, so he quickly phased out and appeared next to Raz's side. Raz stared at him in astonishment for a moment, but then Trunks brought his hand down on the back of the Ouster's neck, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Trunks closed his eyes, trying to sense if anyone else was on the small ship with them, but he could feel nothing at all, so he relaxed a little.
"Crap," Trunks muttered as the warship began to shudder erratically, probably from lack of pilot. Trunks sat down in the now vacant pilot seat and gazed at the controls, hoping he could make sense of them. He was astonished when he realized they were quite similar to the controls of the spaceship he had piloted in search of the Black Star Dragonballs. He knew that his mother was responsible for the ships they used in this time period, but he figured they would have changed at least SOME in 500 years.
Pushing insightful and curious thought out of his mind for the time being, Trunks took control of the ship. He had no idea where he wanted to go, but anywhere but where they were sounded like a good start. Trunks stared at the only button he didn't recognize, and hoped to Kami it was the one that went to the hyper-faster-than-light engine, or whatever the hell they called it. Bracing himself against the seat, Trunks closed his eyes and pressed the button.
A metallic ping began to resound throughout the cabin of the ship, and suddenly, Trunks was thrown gently back into his seat. At least, it was gently for a half Saiya-jin. Raz was thrown violently to the very back of the cabin, his unconscious body flopping about like a rag doll. Trunks rushed to the back of the cabin and retrieved Raz, placing him in the seat next to the pilot's chair and strapping him in tight.
** Idiot….really should have done that BEFORE you started pushing buttons… **
[ Choose your destination. ]
Trunks was immensely startled by the disembodied voice coming from the wall.
"What?" He said shakily.
[ Choose your destination. ]
"Umm, I don't know….where do you think we should go?"
[ It is recommended that you return to the FORCE military base and turn yourselves in for interrogation. ]
"Um, I'd rather NOT do that."
[ Then I shall be forced to commandeer this vessel. ]
By this point Trunks had realized that he was speaking to one of the notorious AI's that the Ousters hated so much, and he wasn't about to let some computer take over his newly acquired ship. Utilizing his extreme strength and inherited knowledge of electronics, Trunks deftly pulled off an access panel from the pilot console and began digging around inside for the AI's components.
[ Cease this tampering at once, or you will be terminated.]
"Shut up," Trunks said, smashing a very small diode between his index finger and thumb. The lights in the cabin flickered briefly, and then the entire system shifted itself into 'manual' mode, as indicated on the viewscreen on the console. Thoroughly pleased with himself, Trunks sat down once again in the pilot's chair and began to fiddle with the viewscreen. He had no intention of flying around in hyperspace forever without a destination – perhaps he would be able to find a map or something.
Trunks rolled his eyes at this ridiculous assumption – he wouldn't find a map, no matter how hard he tried. He could only hope that Raz would be sane when he woke up, and would be able to direct them to….somewhere. Trunks didn't give a shit where, at the moment.
Sighing, Trunks thought about Raz's reaction to the complete destruction of his home. He had taken it rather well, all things considered. Trunks' stomach dropped at the horror they had just witnessed, and barely escaped being a part of. Raz might never forgive him for saving his life, but Trunks had to do it – it was in his nature. Raz had become his friend over the past few days he had been with the Ousters, and Trunks had felt it his duty to save him because he had the power to do so.
He just couldn't believe the Web humans would destroy something as beautiful as the Biosphere. Could they not see what they had done? It was a civilian world, dedicated to the promotion of life and peace – Trunks felt nothing but contempt for the people who had performed this act of terror. He missed Earth, certainly, but in the short period of time he had been there, he had come to love the Sphere and appreciate the hard work that had gone into its creation. Just thinking about it had made his heart swell with pride that human beings would one day evolve to create such wonders in the universe. But no, it was gone now – snuffed out of existence by other human beings. Unevolved, violent, idiotic human beings, relying on computers to do their thinking for them. Trunks wondered if any of them would even be able to fly this tiny warship in manual mode. Kami knew he could, and that was because they hadn't bothered to improve on a design that was created 500 years in the past!
Trunks could tell he was working himself into a livid state, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves a little bit. There was no way he could deal with an insane Ouster if he wasn't in control of himself first. Trunks blinked as he realized that he and Raz were still wearing their metallic space suits. Trunks couldn't believe he had forgotten about it, and he had no idea how to get it off. He also had several injuries he could tell needed to be looked at, but there wasn't much he could do without Raz.
Sighing, Trunks settled himself back into the pilot seat to wait. There was no telling how long his friend would be out cold.
-----
A/N : Well, Two chapters in two days….how very unlike me! Looks like Trunks and Raz are on the move! For the next chapter, look for Pan to have some interesting experiences….and what about that energy scanner that Bulma's making?
To those of you who reviewed Chapter 4:
Z, Lady Tomboy, and Sutaseiu
Thank you so much!!! Your feedback is awesome!
** … ** = thoughts
[ … ] = AI speech
------ = scene change, time change, ect.
---------
"LET GO OF ME, GODDAMMIT! I have to help them!" Raz struggled in Trunks' vice-like grip as energy beams whizzed past them at a blinding pace.
"There's nothing you can do Raz!"
"NO! I need to be there!" Raz tried even harder to squirm out of Trunks' grasp, but he was no match for the demi Saiya-jin. While Raz screamed and thrashed angrily against him, Trunks was busy dipping and dodging through space as fast as he could, trying desperately to keep Raz from being hit by energy beams. Trunks had already taken two blasts directly to his back, and he could feel his flesh sizzling underneath the quicksilver spacesuit.
Another beam was headed straight for them, and Trunks had to power up to Super Saiya-jin to avoid being pulverized. He wasn't sure if the metallic suit could handle his energy, but he had no choice.
"What the hell???" Raz screamed as Trunks began to radiate golden energy. The silver suit had also taken on a golden sheen in lieu of his transformation.
"I'll explain later!" Trunks said, narrowly dodging a particularly large red beam.
It had only taken one look at the Biosphere to make Trunks want to vomit – half of it was burning with white hot fire, and the other half was just….gone. There was nothing he or Raz could do at the moment but try to stay alive. Raz, however, had other ideas.
"I have to be there Trunks!!! Those are my people! I might be able to help!"
"No…listen Raz, if I let you go back there, you'll die."
"So? I'll die out here too, goddammit! At least back there I'll die with all of them!"
"No, Raz, I'm sorry. Death isn't the answer, and I might still be able to get us out of this alive."
"Fuck you! Let me go!"
"No, now shut up and hold still."
-----
Pan sighed and stretched as she woke up from her nap. It had been particularly refreshing, considering she had gone to bed on a full stomach. The bed clearly had the most comfortable mattress money could buy, and she was once again thankful for her Universal Card.
"I could stay here forever," Pan said, thinking about the huge Jacuzzi in the next room.
** Too bad I can't…I have to save all of existence in some unknown, impossible way. Damn, I hate being in the dark on stuff. **
Pan sighed and plopped herself down on the extremely comfortable couch in the den area of the hotel room. She stared at the TV thing in front of her and wondered how the hell to turn it on.
~Simply say that you want it to turn on, and it will. ~ Pan's implant said gently.
** Hey, what the fuck? I set you to quiet mode! **
~ You seemed to want to know very much how to turn the Holo-TV on. It is within the implant's parameters to judge what information is important to pass along. ~
** Well, judge better next time! You scared the shit out of me! **
~ Many apologies, of course. ~
** Whatever. So, is there anything worth watching on this Holo-TV thingy? **
~ The implant is not designed to known which holo-programs are considered quality material, but it can tell you which channels there are to choose from. ~
** Piss on that – just shut up. **
~ As you wish. ~
"Um, Holo-TV thingy….turn on…" Pan said hesitantly, and was pleased to note that it did just as it was told. Pan was disgusted when first channel the TV tuned to was a very risqué porn channel.
"GAH! Go to cartoons!" Pan said quickly, averting her eyes from the holographic, three dimensional sex. It looked like the people were actually in the room with her, going at it like there was no tomorrow.
** Yeah, don't want to see that, ** Pan thought angrily, ** What kind of people stayed in this place last, anyway? **
Pan shook her head and settled herself onto the comfortable couch to enjoy the cartoons of the future. She was quite surprised that they really weren't that different from the ones in her time.
** Guess ya just can't improve on a good thing. ** Pan thought with some amusement. She was just starting to get settled and comfortable when a horrible sense of pain and foreboding shot through her mind.
** Woah! Did you do that to me, implant?? **
~ The implant did nothing, I can assure you. ~
** Well, what the hell just happened, then? **
~ There are no records of anything happening, Ms. Pan. ~
** Well, SOMETHING happened! I just got this really weird feeling…kinda like I do when I'm in a really dangerous fight or something. **
~ There is nothing dangerous in the vicinity. ~
** Argh! Well, let me know if you pick up on anything. **
~ Of course. ~
Pan was mad – her good mood was quite spoiled after that weird little surge of emotion. Normally she would have chalked it up as something happening to Trunks that she sensed through their bond, but there WAS no bond anymore. She was too far away from him in time. She tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding that came with it, but she just couldn't, no matter how hard she concentrated on the cartoons on TV. Pan sighed and headed into the bathroom. Perhaps the Jacuzzi could help.
------
Trunks saw stars for a few agonizing moments. He had just smashed head- first into the front of a small warship, attempting to dodge the largest beam of energy he had ever seen. It had distracted him sufficiently enough to miss seeing the small spaceship heading right for him.
He shook his head, trying to clear out some of the cobwebs. He could see the pilot inside looking on in shock as Trunks struggled to cling to the helm of his ship.
** This may be our only chance, ** Trunks thought wildly as he started trying to climb over the back of the ship.
"Trunks! What are you doing?" Raz said, still shaking his head from the painful impact.
"Claiming this ship!" Trunks said as he located the words 'Air Lock' on the side of the ship. He pushed several of the buttons next to the words, and was eventually rewarded with a loud hissing sound. The hatch opened slowly, and Trunks threw Raz down inside, following him moments later. The air lock hissed shut, and Trunks braced himself for what he knew would be an assault by the crew of the small vessel.
Raz looked severely freaked out, but once the door in front of them opened to reveal three armor-clad Web humans, his jaw set itself in a tight, intense line, and his eyes focused on the men in pure hatred. Raz's anger exploded, and he jumped at the nearest man, ignoring the huge energy rifle the man carried. He managed to get two good hits to the man's visored face before he was swatted away like a fly. The man raised the rifle and stuck it right in Raz's face. The other two soldiers pointed their guns at Trunks, but he ignored them.
Trunks didn't allow himself any time to think about his actions – Raz was clearly about to get shot, and he couldn't let that happen. Aiming his hand at the armored human, Trunks shot a concentrated Ki blast directly at the man's chest. His two accomplices looked on in horror as the man, dressed in the highest-quality, strongest armor in the universe, slumped to the floor, dead.
They quickly regained their senses, and shot their energy rifles at Trunks, ignoring Raz for the time being. Trunks cursed and lunged forward, dodging most of the beams. He felt two painful stings in his right arm, however, and he chided himself for being careless. Ignoring the pain for the moment, Trunks continued his advancement on the two men, punching each of them in the face once. It was more than enough to knock them unconscious, and Trunks was pleased he didn't have to kill anyone else. He almost wished he could kill them, though, considering what they and their people had just done to the Biosphere. Billions of lives had been ended that day, and Trunks could feel an immense anger welling up inside of him that he had never experienced before.
A bright flash of energy caused Trunks to return to reality with a start. A split second later, the two men who lay before him unconscious were reduced to nothing but ash. Trunks spun around quickly and looked at Raz, who was pointing the energy rifle at the spot where they two men had been a moment ago, a crazed look in his eyes.
"Raz….." Trunks said, but got nothing more out as Raz rushed out of the air lock with the rifle tight in his arms. Cursing, Trunks followed him, but stopped when he saw another flash of light – Raz had just taken out the pilot.
Trunks ran over to his friend, who was looking around wildly for someone else to kill. He wasn't sure what state of mind Raz was in, and he didn't want to chance having the energy rifle fired at himself, so he quickly phased out and appeared next to Raz's side. Raz stared at him in astonishment for a moment, but then Trunks brought his hand down on the back of the Ouster's neck, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Trunks closed his eyes, trying to sense if anyone else was on the small ship with them, but he could feel nothing at all, so he relaxed a little.
"Crap," Trunks muttered as the warship began to shudder erratically, probably from lack of pilot. Trunks sat down in the now vacant pilot seat and gazed at the controls, hoping he could make sense of them. He was astonished when he realized they were quite similar to the controls of the spaceship he had piloted in search of the Black Star Dragonballs. He knew that his mother was responsible for the ships they used in this time period, but he figured they would have changed at least SOME in 500 years.
Pushing insightful and curious thought out of his mind for the time being, Trunks took control of the ship. He had no idea where he wanted to go, but anywhere but where they were sounded like a good start. Trunks stared at the only button he didn't recognize, and hoped to Kami it was the one that went to the hyper-faster-than-light engine, or whatever the hell they called it. Bracing himself against the seat, Trunks closed his eyes and pressed the button.
A metallic ping began to resound throughout the cabin of the ship, and suddenly, Trunks was thrown gently back into his seat. At least, it was gently for a half Saiya-jin. Raz was thrown violently to the very back of the cabin, his unconscious body flopping about like a rag doll. Trunks rushed to the back of the cabin and retrieved Raz, placing him in the seat next to the pilot's chair and strapping him in tight.
** Idiot….really should have done that BEFORE you started pushing buttons… **
[ Choose your destination. ]
Trunks was immensely startled by the disembodied voice coming from the wall.
"What?" He said shakily.
[ Choose your destination. ]
"Umm, I don't know….where do you think we should go?"
[ It is recommended that you return to the FORCE military base and turn yourselves in for interrogation. ]
"Um, I'd rather NOT do that."
[ Then I shall be forced to commandeer this vessel. ]
By this point Trunks had realized that he was speaking to one of the notorious AI's that the Ousters hated so much, and he wasn't about to let some computer take over his newly acquired ship. Utilizing his extreme strength and inherited knowledge of electronics, Trunks deftly pulled off an access panel from the pilot console and began digging around inside for the AI's components.
[ Cease this tampering at once, or you will be terminated.]
"Shut up," Trunks said, smashing a very small diode between his index finger and thumb. The lights in the cabin flickered briefly, and then the entire system shifted itself into 'manual' mode, as indicated on the viewscreen on the console. Thoroughly pleased with himself, Trunks sat down once again in the pilot's chair and began to fiddle with the viewscreen. He had no intention of flying around in hyperspace forever without a destination – perhaps he would be able to find a map or something.
Trunks rolled his eyes at this ridiculous assumption – he wouldn't find a map, no matter how hard he tried. He could only hope that Raz would be sane when he woke up, and would be able to direct them to….somewhere. Trunks didn't give a shit where, at the moment.
Sighing, Trunks thought about Raz's reaction to the complete destruction of his home. He had taken it rather well, all things considered. Trunks' stomach dropped at the horror they had just witnessed, and barely escaped being a part of. Raz might never forgive him for saving his life, but Trunks had to do it – it was in his nature. Raz had become his friend over the past few days he had been with the Ousters, and Trunks had felt it his duty to save him because he had the power to do so.
He just couldn't believe the Web humans would destroy something as beautiful as the Biosphere. Could they not see what they had done? It was a civilian world, dedicated to the promotion of life and peace – Trunks felt nothing but contempt for the people who had performed this act of terror. He missed Earth, certainly, but in the short period of time he had been there, he had come to love the Sphere and appreciate the hard work that had gone into its creation. Just thinking about it had made his heart swell with pride that human beings would one day evolve to create such wonders in the universe. But no, it was gone now – snuffed out of existence by other human beings. Unevolved, violent, idiotic human beings, relying on computers to do their thinking for them. Trunks wondered if any of them would even be able to fly this tiny warship in manual mode. Kami knew he could, and that was because they hadn't bothered to improve on a design that was created 500 years in the past!
Trunks could tell he was working himself into a livid state, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves a little bit. There was no way he could deal with an insane Ouster if he wasn't in control of himself first. Trunks blinked as he realized that he and Raz were still wearing their metallic space suits. Trunks couldn't believe he had forgotten about it, and he had no idea how to get it off. He also had several injuries he could tell needed to be looked at, but there wasn't much he could do without Raz.
Sighing, Trunks settled himself back into the pilot seat to wait. There was no telling how long his friend would be out cold.
-----
A/N : Well, Two chapters in two days….how very unlike me! Looks like Trunks and Raz are on the move! For the next chapter, look for Pan to have some interesting experiences….and what about that energy scanner that Bulma's making?
To those of you who reviewed Chapter 4:
Z, Lady Tomboy, and Sutaseiu
Thank you so much!!! Your feedback is awesome!