Falling Down Part Nine
A Dragonball Z fanfic
By Hana Noir
Kyrie was felt like her stomach was in shreds by the time Lunch touched down at Capsule Corp. They were greeted by the ever cheerful Mrs. Briefs, who ushered them inside for tea and cookies.
"I'm afraid Bulma's out at the moment," the perky blonde said, passing Lunch a dainty cup of tea. "She and her father are in a meeting today with the company board of directors." She frowned slightly. "At least, I think that's what she said they were doing." She offered them perfectly baked cookies with a vacuous smile. Kyrie accepted one mechanically, nibbling for politeness' sake.
Lunch and Mrs. Briefs were making small talk when a bloodcurdling scream rang out from deeper in the building. Kyrie jumped to her feet, reacting defensively, placing herself before the two other women. Harsh, panicked breathing and loud footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall. Peering carefully around the corner, Kyrie was startled when an older, heavyset woman plowed right into her.
Staggering back, Kyrie caught the edge of the wall, her powerful, ki enforced grip cracking the heavy building material and actually ripping a chunk free. The other woman, sprawled out on the floor, stared at her in shock. "You're all a bunch of freaks!!" she shrieked, causing Kyrie to flinch slightly. "First that abnormal child, and now, now you!!" She scrambled to her feet, eyes wide. "What kind of circus sideshow is this??? Those… those bizarre experiments, a child that can push over heavy furniture, explosions from the outbuildings!!!" She glared hatefully at Kyrie. "And people that can break walls with their bare hands?? You're probably… probably not even human!!"
Kyrie tried to swallow past the constriction in her chest, but couldn't speak. This woman was hitting too close to home. She shook her head, backing away, but the furious woman tenaciously followed. "What are you? Who are you? What's going on here??" A loud POP sounded; the woman's face went bone white and she almost fainted. Kyrie flinched instinctively when a large familiar hand was placed on her shoulder.
"I think you need to leave, before you say another word," came a calm, deep voice. The physical contact was supportive, and Kyrie straightened, reaching up to grasp Piccolo's hand.
"Especially before you open your fat mouth about MY son again, woman," growled a harsh, cold voice from behind the nanny. Her face was an alarming shade of pasty gray as she pushed past Piccolo and Kyrie and fled out the door.
"Ignorant bitch," Vegeta spat, scowling fiercely as he came around the corner. A stocky toddler was clinging tightly to the leg of his pants, a smaller version of the scowl on his little face. The dour Saiyan glanced down at the child and casually kicked him off. "Stop hanging on me, brat." A sharp glance stopped the child from even crying. Persistent, he toddled over to Kyrie, holding his arms up.
"Wan' up," he said in a stern little voice. When that got no response, he changed tactics, his pale blue eyes filling with tears and his bottom lip trembling. "Wan' up, pweese?" Kyrie couldn't resist any more. Kneeling, she scooped up the little boy, surprised by how heavy he actually was. Trunks wrapped his slightly chubby arms around her neck and snuggled close, resting his head on her shoulder. "Nana mean. Nana yelled. Nana said bad words. I wan' Mama."
Helpless in the face of such an adorably precocious child, Kyrie melted. "It's all right, sweetie. Mama will be back soon. Why don't you stay with me 'til she comes back?" She glanced over at Vegeta. As the child's father, it was technically his decision.
"Whatever," Vegeta said with a shrug. "Just keep him out of my way." He grimaced. "I'm sure you'll do a better job at it than that pathetically weak human cow." He jerked his head at Piccolo. "Coming, Namek? Or do you want to stay and have tea with the ladies?" he asked with a healthy dose of sugary sarcasm. Piccolo gave Kyrie a nod and walked past to join Vegeta on his way outside.
Mrs. Briefs was slightly pale when Kyrie came into the sitting room with her grandson, but she quickly brightened. "Trunks, dear, do you want a cookie?" The toddler's answering squeal had them all grinning. His child's antics kept them all entertained and completely distracted Kyrie from the true reason for her visit.
Bulma was tired by the time the meeting was over. She hated the darn things. Just an excuse for a bunch of old farts who did nothing but complain to do so. They didn't know diddly about the workings of Capsule Corp. They were nothing but a bunch of overglorified investors. She looked forward to the day she could buy out the whole lot of them and never have to look at them again…
The first thing she noticed when she entered the family portion of the huge dome was the silence. Frowning, she headed for the nursery, knowing that Trunks should be there with his newest nanny. She hated having to leave him with a caretaker but she had a multi-billion zenni business to run and it wasn't fair to ask her mother to watch him all the time….
"Oh, shit…" Bulma muttered upon entering the nursery. It looked like Trunks had thrown another of his tantrums. Furniture was shoved over and toys were scattered everywhere. A few were even embedded in the walls. There was no sign of her child or his nurse. She headed for the family room in search of explanations.
Laughter and childish giggles greeted her as she came down the hallway. Bulma leaned against the doorframe and watched as her son clambered up Kyrie's shoulders, tugging at her short hair. "Up, up!" he squealed, kicking his heels into her shoulders. Grinning, she complied, telekinetically lifting the toddler up toward the ceiling. Suddenly, she cut the lift, holding out her arms and catching the shrieking child. "Do 'gin!!" Then, Trunks spied his mother standing in the doorway. "Mama!!" He scrambled down, running over to his mother for a hug and a kiss.
Bulma smiled and caught her son as he began to clamber up her pants leg. "Hello, Kyrie, Lunch," she said with a wry grin. "I didn't expect to see you today." She planted a kiss on top of Trunks' silky hair and shifted him to her hip.
"I hope we didn't come at a bad time?" Kyrie asked, her fingers pulling nervously at her pants legs.
Bulma waved her concerns away. "It's always a pain in the ass to deal with the Board," she replied, grimacing. Giving Trunks another hug, she glanced over at her mother. "Did we l-o-s-e another s-i-t-t-e-r, Mom?"
Mrs. Briefs sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so, dear. She seemed quite upset when she left. I don't think the agency will send anyone else."
"Well, hell…" Bulma said, frowning. "If he wouldn't throw those tantrums, we wouldn't have any problems." She snorted, trying not to laugh. "But, I guess I can't blame him. He comes by his temper honestly. I'll just have to take him to work with me from now on. He behaves when he's with me."
Kyrie decided to try something. Bulma, she sent mentally. I really need to talk to you… The aqua haired woman stiffened, her eyes widening, then she nodded slightly. "Mom," Bulma said. "There's something in the lab that I need Kyrie to help me with. Could you watch Trunks for an hour or so?"
Mrs. Briefs smiled brightly. "You know I don't mind watching him, dear. Take as long as you need."
Bulma smiled back. "Thanks, Mom, but you know I don't like to impose on you."
"How many times do I have to tell you, Bulma," Mrs. Briefs said, actually frowning. "It's not an imposition. I love to spend time with my grandson. You and Kyrie go do what you need to do. Lunch, I saw the most adorable bassinet set in a catalogue the other day. Why don't we go and look at it? I just love to look at baby things. Trunks is growing up much too quickly."
Lunch took the hint, smiling and rising to her feet. "That sounds nice, Mrs. Briefs."
"Come with Grandma, Trunks, sweetie," the blonde crooned, peeling her reluctant grandson off of his mother. "I think I have some more cookies in the kitchen." He let go at the mention of his favorite snack and transferred to his grandmother's arms willingly. The three went into the kitchen, chatting merrily.
"Now, what was it that you wanted to see me about," Bulma asked, smiling at Kyrie. "I'm pretty sure I know, though. You're as nervous as a cat at a dog show."
Kyrie smiled slightly at the humorous image that brought to mind and nodded. "Yeah," she said, annoyed when her voice trembled.
"Let's go find my dad, then. He can explain it better than I can."
They found Dr. Briefs in his lab, hunched over a keyboard, his ever present kitten sprawled over his shoulder and a smoking cigarette dangling from beneath his moustache. He was typing furiously and never even so much as glanced up when Bulma and Kyrie entered.
"Dad." Bulma cleared her throat to get his attention. "Dad!" She tried again a bit louder. "DAD!!" Still no response. Bulma huffed in exasperation. "OH MY GOD!!!" she suddenly shouted, making Kyrie jump. "IT'S AN INTERDIMENSIONAL RIFT!!"
"WHERE!?!" Dr. Briefs turned around so quickly he almost spilled out of his chair in excitement. Bulma fell over laughing, pounding her fist against the wall. Kyrie blinked, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face. "Bulma!" Dr. Briefs said, frowning slightly. "That wasn't very nice."
She straightened up, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "Sorry, Dad, but you weren't listening. I brought—"
"Kyrie!" Dr. Briefs exclaimed, bouncing out of his seat and grabbing her hand. "Wonderful! You're just the person I want to see!!" He pulled her toward the computer. "Just look at this! It's amazing!" Kyrie dutifully looked at the computer screen, but had no idea what she was supposed to be looking at. It was a screen full of nothing but codes. She thought she recognized some of it as genetic sequences, but she wasn't sure.
"Dad," Bulma said, sounding slightly exasperated. "You need to remember that not everyone thinks in code like you do."
"Yes, yes," he huffed, waving a hand at her. "Young lady," he said, looking up at Kyrie, "regardless of the circumstances, you have the most uniquely advanced genetic structure I have EVER seen. I don't condone the experimentation that brought you to life. God knows, there were some horror stories in those files." He shook his head and continued. "But the data I've obtained from the files you brought would have taken me years to compile. Some of it I would never have found because the methods used are completely against my morals. I like to sleep well at night, you know." Kyrie couldn't help but to smile. The old man was so unwittingly funny. "But if it makes you feel any better, we," he waved his hand at himself, Bulma and the entire building, "will put this information to good use. The benefits to our medical research alone…" He trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. "But anyway. I wanted to ask for permission to take samples from you. For analysis. I'd like to compare your actual genetic structure against the simulations in the files."
Kyrie blinked, surprised. "I – I thought you had all the data you needed from the files."
"Oh, no, not at all," Dr. Briefs said emphatically. "There are still quite a few files we haven't even gotten into yet. And I'd like to run my own tests, of course. I like to draw my own conclusions."
Kyrie hesitated, torn between the lure of knowledge and the fear of being treated like a disposable lab rat. She chewed on her bottom lip, her mind racing as she tried to consider all of the implications.
"I promise you, dear," Dr. Briefs said suddenly, touching her shoulder lightly. "Nothing will be done without your consent and you'll have full access to all our findings. If you say no at any time, the research will be halted immediately. You're a friend, not an experiment." She swallowed hard against the large lump that suddenly caught in her throat, looking up at the kindly old man standing next to her. How was it that he understood her fears so easily? She glanced over at Bulma, who was nodding in agreement with her father, and made her decision.
"All right," she said, taking a deep breath. "What do I need to do first." Dr. Briefs smiled brightly at her, patting her shoulder again.
"First off, I want to explain to you what we have so far," he said, turning back to his computer and pulling up several different files. "I'll try not to get too technical but stop me if you don't understand something. I'm happy to explain." She nodded in understanding and Dr. Briefs was off. "Now, I know that Bulma spoke to you about some of what we found." Warm sympathy was in his eyes as she nodded again. "Well, we've found more that may come as a bit of a shock to you." He pulled up a file and pointed to the screen. "When you reached puberty, the massive hormonal changes triggered shifts in your body. Do you remember any of that?"
Kyrie frowned, trying to think. "I don't, not really. I remember being in pain all the time. They kept me sedated. I was told that I was in a coma for several years actually." She shrugged, keeping her face controlled and impassive.
Dr. Briefs shook his head, frowning. "They may have kept you sedated at first, but you were placed in cryogenic suspension while they studied you. Your body began to mature at a frightening rate. That's probably why you were in pain. Your body was growing so fast that your frame was outgrowing your skin." He glanced over at her to make sure she understood what he meant. "You went from the physical age of eleven to the physical age of seventeen in only eight months. How old do you think you are?"
Kyrie tried to gather her scattered thoughts to formulate an answer. "T-twenty-three, twenty-four, maybe?" Her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage as she waited for his answer.
He shook his head. "You're physically eighteen years old. Any doctor examining you would agree. But chronologically… You're thirty-six years old, Kyrie."
She hit the floor with a thump, eyes wide in disbelief. "That… that can't be… I… I… HOW??"
"They kept you in cryogenic suspension for almost five straight years while they studied your genetic data," Dr. Briefs said, hoping to explain satisfactorily. "They would bring you out for short periods to run you through batteries of tests, then put you back in. That's where most of the time went. They thought at first that you would just keep aging rapidly, going from preadolescent to old age in a short period of time. Some of the doctors were of the opinion that you were going to die. But strangely enough, once you reached physical maturity, the aging process came to an abrupt halt. This is one of the things I want to run tests on. There was never any reason found for the fact that your growth process accelerated, then just as quickly, came to a halt."
Kyrie stared down at the utilitarian cement floor that she was sitting on, trying to make heads or tails of all she had just learned. "So…" she paused for a moment, trying to word what she was thinking. "What you're saying is… I'm not aging like normal humans?"
Dr. Briefs shook his head. "No. In fact, you're barely aging at all. I've run several extrapolations with the limited amount of data I have and it all points to one thing."
"Which is?" Kyrie prompted him when he hesitated. A small thought was making her smile slightly, warming her heart.
He cleared his throat, surprised by how well she was taking the news. "You're going to have a significantly lengthened life span. Over two hundred years at least." He blinked in surprise when she started laughing. She slapped the floor with her hand as tears of mirth slipped down her cheeks. Bulma glanced over at her father, wondering if they would be able to calm her if she became hysterical.
Kyrie's laughter tapered off, but she was still grinning. "That's the best news I've heard in a long time, Dr. Briefs," she said, hopping to her feet. She probed her link with Piccolo, wanting to tell him, but he was concentrating fiercely on something. She thought it best not to distract him. It could wait.
Dr. Briefs grinned as well, relieved that she wasn't upset by his preliminary findings. "Well then, if you want, we can get started on those tests?" Kyrie nodded, glancing over at Bulma.
She shook her head. "I'll hold your hand, and apply bandages when it's all over, but I don't take samples." She shuddered dramatically.
Dr. Briefs rolled his eyes at his squeamish daughter. "Once we're done with the physical samples, we can make appointment with the kinetics lab for some evaluations on your physical abilities. And of course, I'd dearly love some EEG readings." He grinned in delight. "This is all so exciting. I hardly know where to begin!"
