The Mystery Within
Part II – Torn

Disclaimer: (Okay! Time for a new one!!) I own everything except the characters, attacks, and anything else from DragonBall Z, which all belongs to the ingenious Akira Toriyama. So, don't use the products of my creative thinkings and try to pass them off as your own. You won't like the consequences.

Chapter 14
Strategic Minds

**Author's Note** ~Just a little piece of info before I begin… I've noticed that I'm not real specific in describing the everyday wardrobe of my characters. So here's the deal. Niko wears some sort of t-shirt (most likely a CC one), blue jeans, and her trusty brown-hooded cape. Bulma wears her always-stylish fashion (just use your imagination). And the other characters, unless otherwise noted, are in their normal training attire. Okay, now that that's settled… on with the story!!~

*****

Niko paced nervously throughout the Science Hall of Capsule Corp. awaiting Bulma's arrival, thoughts of the previous night surging uncontrollably through her mind. What worried her most was the reaction that Bulma, one of her greatest friends, would have to the newly released information. Niko had not taken the same route in explaining her origins with everyone else as she had Piccolo and Gohan. She found that method to bring more pain than necessary and wasn't about to cause a repeat of previous events. So, instead, she explained that she had had a rough past that was too painful to speak of, which was partly true. But this was all she had said, so the explanation that was given at the party still brought a sufficient amount of shock.

Bulma's expression was still fresh in her mind. Her mouth had been twisted in awful curves of confusion. There may have been pain mixed within, but Niko couldn't be sure. Her eyes were wide in surprise and clenched in what seemed to be sorrow at the same time. She looked as if she was about to cry, but no tears came. Niko had momentarily peered into her friend's thoughts, urging for some kind of acceptance, only to quickly retreat from the barrage of words that rushed at her. Bulma's mind was confused, and Niko couldn't begin to tell how Bulma really felt at that moment. This is what caused the wrenching feeling in her stomach, the fear of losing a friend… just as she had lost Piccolo.

Piccolo… the name struck daggers to her soul with merely a thought, less than that at some times. She stopped her pacing and slid down the wall to sit on the floor, her head in her hands. She hadn't intended to hurt him, to anger him, or whatever she did. At the time, she knew that telling him the truth wasn't an option. She was determined not to lose him like she had lost everyone else she ever cared about… and so she lied. Although, now that she looked back at everything that had happened, she saw that she had lost him anyway. Nevertheless, she would rather have him alive and hating her than to love her and be dead. But now was no time to worry about the past. Now was a time to worry about what was to come. And she had decided that this time, no matter what, it was going to be different. This time, she was either going to save her family and friends… or she was going to die trying.

It was then that she heard the light tapping of Bulma's approaching sneakers on the tiled floor. She quickly recovered from her current position on the floor and set a determined look on her face. The more her companion came closer, the more the tiny knots of nervousness tangled themselves in her stomach. Bulma was a main key in Niko's plans to defeat the oncoming threat, not to mention a main key in the composure of her sanity. She and Bulma had become unbelievably close friends in such a short amount of time. They had both finally found someone to share their genius with, and the fun they had together was indescribable. Schedules allowed, they could have spent hours in a lab room creating new gadgets and tweaking with old ones. The thought of losing her relationship with Bulma cut Niko to the bone… and she thought of it as no one's fault but her own.

Niko held her breath as the distance between her and Bulma finally came to a close and then lengthened again as Bulma walked passed her. Niko's eyes followed as Bulma stopped a few feet away in front of a door marked "LAB 3" and pushed the controls to the side that would open the door. Before entering, Bulma at last broke the deafening silence. "Well, are you coming or not? I thought you wanted to start on this first thing this morning?" she said, then flashed a smile as she walked into the lab. Niko released the breath she had been holding for too long and followed her companion into the lab.

"So does this mean that you're not mad at me?" she asked as the door closed behind her, a look of desperation spreading across her face.

"Mad at you? How could I ever be mad at you Niko? I was just surprised, that's all. You should have told me earlier… we could've had a lot more time to work on this," Bulma explained.

Niko sighed before finally answering. "I'm afraid we don't have to worry about that. If my guess is right, we still have plenty of time to plan our strategies. The Zion aren't exactly a intelligent race, but I'm assuming that they'll be working with the Shen for this operation. If they haven't made some kind of aggressive action after so long, then it's a sign that they're taking their time in preparation for battle. And that's exactly what is happening. It's been nearly two years since they've taken any action whatsoever. Well… not any noticeable action."

Bulma was surprised by the seriousness of Niko's voice. She spoke as if she were a true leader, which was somewhat of a relief. "So, how long do you suppose we have before the attacks start again?" she asked.

"Well, they won't necessarily be attacks once they return… it'll be more like a battle. The next time won't be a pathetic attempt to capture or kill me. They're planning to kill us all and destroy the whole planet."

Bulma's eyes became wide with surprise as she sat back in one of her leather lab chairs to keep from falling completely over onto the floor. "Don't worry, Bulma," came Niko's soothing words. "This time we're going to be prepared. It's going to take a lot of work, but it's not impossible. I have faith in us," she finished as a proud smile crept upon her lips.

Bulma returned the smile and booted the computer that sat in front of them to take down any notes. Bulma sighed before turning her attention back to Niko. "Alright… where do we start?"

"Well, I know one thing for sure. They'll attack at night. They always have before, and I definitely expect them to this time."

"And why is that?"

"Zions are strongest when absorbing lunar rays, when the moon is clearly present in the night sky. In turn, they are greatly weakened by solar rays, especially from a large sun such as that in this solar system. And if the immense number of Zion soldiers arrives as I expect them to, they won't dare take the chance of fighting during daylight. No Zion warrior can withstand exposure to the sun for very long… not even me, hence the need for my cape," she explained and tugged at her cape for emphasis.

"Oh, I see now. I always wondered why you wore that. I didn't know if you had sensitive skin or if it was a fashion statement," Bulma commented and released a slight giggle. But Niko barely smiled. "But we won't really have to worry about fighting them at their strongest will we? Our moon was destroyed years ago."

"They can get a power surge from anything emitting lunar beams. They have ways of creating them in such situations… either with ki manipulation or some type of projection for their battleships."

Bulma sighed at hearing the unexpected information. "Well how strong are these Zions? Are they stronger than Super Saiyans?"

"Not technically… no."

"What do you mean 'not technically'?" Bulma asked, a chilling wave of discomfort passing over her.

"Well… Zions aren't stronger than the Legendary Super Saiyans. However, the upgraded levels of fighting that have been displayed by all the Saiyans thus far aren't necessarily the level of a Legendary Super Saiyan that Vegeta speaks so proudly of." (**A/N** ~Hold it right there!! Stop scrolling down to drop me a flame right this minute!! Here me out first. Everything that is written about the Super levels of Saiyans in this chapter has been derived from many hours of research (an article I just happened to come upon in my DBZ mag.). Therefore, everything that is said can easily be backed up by the people who actually did research and spent time studying the anime and manga of DBZ to figure this stuff out. Now… with that said, continue reading. ^^v ~)

"WHAT?!?"

"Just calm down, Bulma. There's nothing to be worried about. There's only one difference between the Super Saiyans we know and those of the Legend. To become a true Super Saiyan, you must have a tail. You see, a Saiyan's body can only contain so much energy at one time. The physical change in appearance, the golden hair and teal eyes, is merely an adaptation to a massive power level. When Frieza killed Krillin on Namek, Goku became filled with extreme rage, thus completing the requirements for Super Saiyan form, except one. Unfortunately, Goku didn't have a tail at the time; therefore his upgraded form resulted in one of golden hair instead of golden fur." Niko paused as she saw the odd look she received from Bulma and gave a smirk before she continued.

"According to legend, a Super Saiyan is also referred to "The Golden Oozaru". This form is at least ten times stronger than the Super Saiyan form caused by the absence of the tail, just as the Oozaru form is ten times stronger than normal Saiyan form. And I'm almost certain that if Goku would have had his tail at the time of his transformation, he would have changed into the Golden Oozaru, thus actually becoming a Legendary Super Saiyan."

"So… if they have tails, they can transform into true Super Saiyans and become much stronger than if they reached the advanced levels of Super Saiyan?"

"Exactly," Niko confirmed with a nod.

"So Vegeta has been doing all that training for nothing?"

"No, not necessarily. There may be advanced levels of true Super Saiyans as well. If Vegeta transformed into his advanced level while wielding his tail, the energy he would possess would be… simply amazing."

"Okay. But is it even possible for them to re-grow their tails?"

"No… not on their own," Niko replied with a smile.

"What are you suggesting?" Bulma asked returning the smile, her excitement growing.

"Saiyan Rejuvenation Tanks. If my studies are correct, as I hope they are, these Rejuvenation Tanks are used to restore Saiyan DNA to any Saiyan that uses it. In theory, it could be possible to restore Saiyan tails using this technique. I'd have to speak with Vegeta on how exactly the device works and how it is built, but once that is done, we can get to work on the project soon enough."

"I see. But both Vegeta and Goku have used the Rejuvenation Tanks and neither have their tails. So how could it be possible?"

Niko only smiled at her companion. "Good question, Bulma. I put great thought to this myself. Vegeta's tail was removed after his time in the Rejuvenation Tank. This I am sure of. And he hasn't been in a Rejuvenation Tank since. But Goku's situation, on the other hand, is concluded with merely a guess. Perhaps Goku ended his rejuvenation session before it was fully completed. He was eager to battle Frieza and save his friends. So maybe, after he felt healed, he removed himself from the tank. And since his tail wasn't injured or removed in the previous battle, the process of DNA reconstruction for his tail might have been the last procedure."

"That's ingenious!! Now why didn't I think of that? So when do we get to start on this?"

"Later… possibly even much later. I'm planning on using their true Super Saiyan forms only as a last resort," Niko replied with a great deal of seriousness.

"What do you mean later?? If these guys are as strong as you say they are, we're going to need all the Super Saiyans we can get right?" Bulma objected, although unsure of her protest. Surely a battle couldn't be won with mere strength.

"No… it can't," Niko replied to Bulma's silent question.

Bulma remained surprised for only a moment. "Oh, I had forgotten that you could read minds…"

"I only peered into your thoughts to decide if there was real reason to explain to you the science of battle. But as you thought, it takes more than strength to win a battle, especially this one. I'll explain the reason why in a moment. Right now, I wanted to discuss the training that will be needed. If you wouldn't mind the use of your spare rooms, I'd like all the warriors of Earth to train here. I don't think it would be wise to have them train outside, in the open where they can be seen. That raven last night wasn't for nothing. We're being watched, I'm sure. The fighters of Zion are planning on monitoring us and using the data they gather to train their soldiers. I want to take extra measures in making sure that this doesn't happen. And this means high security devices near the Gravity Room. It wouldn't hurt to have a few more of those either. We have a lot of fighters and only one gravity room so far…"

"Right… we'll begin construction on a few more as soon as possible," Bulma commented, typing her notes into her computer.

"I hope you don't mind if I work with the gravity controls. Everyone needs to be trained to lengthen their power levels so they are able to fight longer… especially the Saiyans. The upgrade to Super Saiyan drains energy… and fast. Super Saiyan strength does us no good if it only lasts for a certain period of time. If we can increase the amount of energy that their original form can withstand, then our chances of outlasting the Zion soldiers are also greatly increased."

"You do things how you'll think they'll work out. You certainly know more about training than I do."

A huge smirk crawled across Niko's face at her friend's latest comment. "You know… I could train you as well. We could use some extra hands out there on the battlefield…"

"ME?!?! Uh uh… no way you're getting me out there. I got close enough to the battlefield on Namek. I'm NOT going through that again."

"Okay… suit yourself," Niko replied and chuckled slightly.

"Um… Niko? Not to doubt your information or anything. But… how do you know so much about the Saiyans and the battles we've fought?" Bulma asked hesitantly.

"I know more about Saiyans than they may know about themselves," Niko replied with a grin. "The Saiyans, among many others, are a race that the people of Zion have studied for years. When I was being trained, I also picked up this information. As for the battles that have been fought here and on Namek, Dende has clued me in on the main cause and effects where Gohan has given me a more in-debt look," she finished.

Everything was silent for a while before Bulma spoke. "Um… you were going to say something about it taking more than strength to win a battle…" she reminded.

"Huh? Ah… yes. The thing I'm worried most about is not strength. I believe we have possibly enough of that to defeat the Zion army alone. However, it is highly likely that the Shen army will be battling as well, only appearing to be Zion soldiers. It is their superior mind tricks that I am most concerned about. During battle, you rely on what you see and what you feel. Shen can control both. Therefore, without the proper training, it is nearly impossible to elude this, also making it impossible to fight them. Even with the great amount of time we have before the battle nears, I'm not sure if everyone's training can reach the level needed. As such, I'll need your help in creating a device that will prevent the Shen from controlling the minds of anyone who wears the device. It should be fairly easy to create just one. To persuade minds, Shen merely send brainwaves that penetrate other's minds and cause them to see what is presented to them. All we have to do is simply prevent the mind from receiving interfering brainwaves."

"Sounds simple enough," Bulma commented once again, adding the information to her notes.

"The complicated part is making enough of these devices for everyone," Niko added.

"Oh that won't be such a big problem. I can program our robots to make them. It'll be quicker and easier than us working the same process repetitively."

"Great idea," Niko approved.

"Is that all? Or at least for now until we think of more things that we'll need as time progresses?"

Niko paused for a moment, thinking if there was anything else of importance, checking off things in her mind. "I guess that's about it. If there's anything more, I'll be sure to speak with you right away."

"Deal," Bulma agreed. And after a moment, she sighed. "If only Goku could be here to fight along with us…"

Niko narrowed her brow in confusion, somewhat surprised by the comment. "Well… of course he'll be here. We need everyone we can possibly manage… including him," she assured.

"But the Dragon can't revive him. He's already been brought back to life once. We'd have to go all the way to New Namek!"

"Then I guess we'll be going to New Namek." 

*****

OKAY!! So… how'd ya like it?? I hope it was okay. I'm a little rusty on writing now that I haven't written in so long. Speaking of which… I want to thank what few readers I have SO much for being patient with me. But I'm hoping you won't be waiting as long for the next one. My schedule seems to be clearing somewhat… at least until summer. Then I'll be working somewhere and I'm not sure what my schedule will look like then. *sigh* NEwho… review and tell me what you think!! Not much excitement in this chapter I know… but the action is coming I swear!! Can we say… next chapter?? Alrighty then!! Oh… and btw, if you leave a review (which you BETTER!!! ^^) tell me if you still, if ever, think Niko is some sort of evil manipulator… I'm curious! Well, guess I'll see y'all on the flip side! Laters!!

Oh… and PS… I've taken the liberty of removing "Retribution" from my bio page. It's a fic that I'm really serious about, a lot like this one, and it's going to take a lot of concentration to pull it off, especially with the style of writing I want to put with it. Writing it at the same time as another fic is simply out of the question. So to all you vampire fans out there… don't worry!! It's up next on the ol' author's list!! I'm hoping it'll be worth the wait. Bye peoples!! -NaK