Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any or its characters. Any questions?
Warnings: Angst,
Archive: FFN and Stormy. Ask and you shall receive
A Killer in Me
Part 7
Piccolo groaned and once more fought for consciousness, trying to get past the ringing in his skull. "When I get my hands on those Tsufuru-jins..." he opened his eyes and looked around. Goku and Gohan were rousing as well. As for the spaceship, that was gone, and Vegeta with it. He sat up, free from the restraints. "Are you guys ok?" he asked, wincing. Loud noises went straight through his head. Or any noise for that matter.
Gohan nodded, and Goku climbed unsteadily to his feet. He looked around. "They're gone," he said unnecessarily. "We have to find them." He said, determination hardening his voice.
"How?" Gohan asked, now on his feet as well.
"Can you sense Vegeta and use your Instant Transmission technique?" Piccolo asked, shaking the grass out of his cape.
Goku put two fingers to his forehead and concentrated for a few minutes. He shook his head, scowling in frustration. "There is something blocking me," he said.
"Its probably whatever makes up the hull of that ship," Gohan thought out loud.
"We couldn't sense any life forces through it before. That must be why you can't sense Vegeta's ki now, and if you can't zero in on it," Piccolo trailed off.
Goku nodded. "I can't use the Instant Transmission to get to him. Dammit!" he cursed, causing Gohan and Piccolo to give him strange looks.
Gohan shook his head. "We know nothing about those people and where they came from. Is there anybody who knows about these Tsufuru-jin?" He looked at Piccolo with hope in his eyes. The Nameckian had fused with Kami, who was ancient. Maybe the old god knew something about them.
Piccolo shook his head. Neither he nor Kami knew anything about the Tsufuru-jin. Nail as usual kept his mouth shut.
"I have an idea." Looking up into the sky, Goku raised his voice. "Hey, King Kai! Are you there?"
"Good idea, Dad!" Gohan said excitedly.
"What do you want Goku?" King Kai answered, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm in the shower."
A brief mental picture of the naked King Kai flashed through the Z fighters' minds. Looking slightly ill, Gohan commented in an undertone to the greener than usual Piccolo, "I really didn't need to know that."
Piccolo nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Clearing his throat, the elder Saiyan looked up into the sky. "We need some help," Goku explained. "These aliens called Tsufuru-jin just came and took Vegeta."
For a few minutes there was no answer. Goku was just opening his mouth to ask if King Kai was still there, when he spoke. "Tsufuru-jin? Are there are still some of them around?"
"I take it you know these people?" Piccolo asked.
"Of course!" was the indignant reply. "I mean, I know of them, or rumors to that effect at any rate," King Kai amended.
"Well what do you know?" Piccolo asked impatiently.
"Just hold your pants on," King Kai answered. "I have soap dripping down into my..."
"Never mind!" Gohan interrupted hastily. "Please just tell us what you know."
A deep breath, then King Kai dutifully spoke, sounding for all the world like he was reciting a memorized chapter of a dry history book. "The Tsufuru-jin lived in the south quadrant of our galaxy, from the planet Polaner. They prided themselves on their intellect and were very proud of their technology. With the help of their knowledge of science, they conquered disease and poverty. They built many wondrous devices and machines to serve them, ranging from the microscopic to the gigantic. With the aid of their machines, their civilization grew until it the Tsufuru-jin Empire spanned countless star systems. The Empire was the strongest in the galaxy, and had many worlds begging to join. It was a golden age for all who lived at that time. So of course it all went horribly wrong."
"Why am I not surprised," Piccolo muttered. "What happened?"
King Kai snorted, "The artificial intelligences housed in main computers, whose purpose was to keep the Empire running, went mad and took over everything. Its first order was to kill anything alive. The machines rose up and rebelled against their `masters'. It never occurred to the Tsufuru-jin that building such incredible devices might have consequences. Because their whole society depended on their technology, they were helpless to prevent the slaughter of most of their population. Some got away, mostly those who lived furthest from Polaner itself."
"Wow," Goku commented. "That's harsh."
"Yeah, they say no good deed goes unpunished. So the Tsufuru-jin scattered throughout the galaxy, hiding from the horror that they themselves created. But their troubles were just beginning. Their reputation for building incredible technology had spread and now they were hunted by not only their own machines, but by others who desired their science as well. Freiza was one."
The Z fighters looked at each other as they tried to absorb this new information. Piccolo remembered something the one called Kiwi had said.
"A powerful race, such as the Tsufuru-jin, tend to make powerful enemies, and sometimes technology can't take the place of a living warrior."
"That's what Kiwi meant when he said that the Tsufuru-jin made a powerful enemy. He meant that they created them!"
Gohan looked at Piccolo with wide eyes. "So they made the Saiyans to fight for them?"
Piccolo nodded. "It appears that way, except that plan backfired big time."
"Is there anything else?" King Kai asked impatiently, "I want to finish my shower."
"Uh, no. I think were good for now," Goku said. "Bye!"
"Always interrupting at the most inopportune times. These Saiyans are the biggest pain in my backside, and not even a thank you." King Kai muttered, then abruptly realized that they could still hear him and shut down the link.
"Well, now what?" Gohan asked.
"We'll have to go to Capsule Corps and get the spaceship," Piccolo said.
"Good idea." Goku said. "Grab my arm," he told the others. They did, and in a blink of an eye, they were back at the Capsule Corp headquarters. Both Goku and Gohan, who had not seen the destruction of the labs, gawked at the mess.
Piccolo, who had already seen it was not distracted and immediately set off to where he could feel Bulma's life force radiating. He shuddered to think of what the blue-haired woman was going to say when she found out. He heard Goku and Gohan following him, and was inwardly grateful that he was not going to face her wrath alone.
Bulma greeted the Sons cheerfully, but her demeanor changed when she saw Piccolo. "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply. "Where's Vegeta and Trunks?"
Glancing at each other, but knowing it had to be done, they told her what happened. Predictably, she did not take the news very well.
"All you had to do was watch him for a few days, and not even a few hours go by and you let some aliens from outer space kidnap him?" she shrieked, making all the males wince.
There were few people that could rival Chi-Chi in a tirade; unfortunately Bulma was one of them.
"We are going to get him back, Bulma. But we need to use the spaceship," Goku said, waving his hands in a placating gesture.
Bulma glared at them, then sniffed. "Ok, but you had better bring him back, or else!" she glared at them all. There was no need to follow through with the threat. The two Saiyans and the Nameckian breathed a sigh of relief, only to tense up again when Bulma asked another question. "How are you going to find them? None of the equipment here on Earth detected the Tsufuru-jin's arrival or departure."
They looked at each other again. "Good question," Piccolo said. "Vegeta said the electromagnetic readings from the spaceship were off the scale, maybe we could track them."
Bulma considered it. "Its worth a try," she allowed. Then she looked around, puzzled. "Where is Trunks?"
The three looked around as well, as if expecting the kids to miraculously appear. Their eyes lost focus as they sought the kids' ki. There was nothing. The same thought occurred to them at the same time.
"Oh, no."
The Tsufuru-jin ship shot through space, bearing its crew, cargo and two stowaways.
When the scout ship hooked up with the main ship, the two Tsufuru-jins were so excited to secure their unwilling passenger and the precious information and get underway, that they failed to notice that certain pieces of cargo had been moved.
"Trunks," a whisper came from behind a box of spare parts.
"What?" was the impatient reply from behind another box.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Silence. "Why didn't you go before we left?"
"I didn't have to go then."
"Honestly Goten, I can't take you anywhere!" A defeated sigh. "Oh, all right. Lets go find a bathroom."
Two heads poked out from their hiding places. They tried to sense anyone around, but the strange material used to build the ship blocked them. In the end, they had to use their other senses. When they sneaked aboard the scout ship, they only meant to have a quick look around while the adults were talking. Then the Tsufuru-jin came back and they had to hide, not knowing that the aliens had an unconscious Vegeta with them.
To Trunks' delight, the ship took off, taking himself and Goten with. He knew that Piccolo was going to be mad that they had been exploring the aliens' ship without permission. But the temptation had been too much to resist!
They crept out of the scout ship, into the main ship and paused. A corridor stretched out in front of them, with doors exiting off to the sides at various intervals.
"Which one is the bathroom?" Goten whispered to Trunks.
"They are not labeled, so I guess we just look in each one until we find it," Trunks answered with a shrug.
"Tru~unks! I really have to go!" Goten said plaintively.
"Well, lets get started looking then, shall we?" Trunks proposed. To distract Goten from his problem, Trunks brought up another subject. "Where do you think we're going? I hope its someplace fun."
"Me too, but I have to be home in time for supper, or my mom will be mad," Goten answered as he peaked into an empty storage area.
"Don't worry," Trunks said offhandedly. "I'm sure when they find out that we're here, they'll bring us home."
"Yeah," Goten agreed. "Any luck yet?"
"Not yet," Trunks said. So far they had found a storage room, and empty room and a room of fascinating-looking equipment. But no bathroom. It was then that Trunks had a disturbing thought. "What if they don't have a bathroom? I mean they are aliens, right? We don't know for sure if they need one."
Goten paled. "But they must!" he almost wailed in desperation.
Seeing Goten's distress, Trunks regretted speaking his thoughts out loud. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Lets keep looking."
So the two demi-Saiyans kept wandering through the ship, unaware that their presence had been detected.
In another part of the ship, Vegeta glared at the locked door. He was putting a lot of effort into not remembering the last time he had been locked in a room on board a spaceship. He still had nightmares about it.
After they had dumped him unceremoniously in the bare room, the Tsufuru-jin had locked the door and left him alone. It was utterly bare, with no windows or air vents conveniently large enough for a small Saiyan prince to slip out through. The one small comfort was that they had let him keep his scouter. Not that is was much help in this situation. Whatever the interior of the ship had been made of, it was the same as the hull. None of the scouter's detection devices could penetrate the thick plating.
In order to keep his mind from revisiting horrific memories, he started working out strategies for escape. His one comfort was his father's voice, the words echoed in his mind.
"My son. Our people are a race of warriors, not thinkers. Yet even the strongest warrior can be defeated by one that is smarter. As the Prince of the Saiyans, you were born with a higher intelligence than any of our people. You must use that intelligence to aid your warriors in defeating our enemies."
Vegeta had always had more than his share of Saiyan pride, in addition to having the potential to be the strongest Saiyan alive. But it was his ability to think that had aided him the most in battle, and he knew it. Zarbon had once commented acidly that he was a devious little bastard. Instead of taking offense, Vegeta looked on it as a compliment. And that knowledge contributed to his already huge amount of pride and made him look down on his own people even more for their limited intelligence.
Unbeknownst to the prince, the contempt the young prince held for his people had worried the King. Once, they had stood together on the observation deck, watching the Saiyan young being sent to conquer other planets. King Vegeta had tried to convey the pride he held for his people as he explained that even the Saiyan young were stronger than most other races. But the prince had only sneered in contempt at the other Saiyans' weakness in comparison to his own future strength. The Saiyan king never let his son know his concern. Prince Vegeta respected strength, both of the body and the mind, and the King did not want to appear in any way weak to his only son. The King could only hope that one day the prince would learn to respect his people for who they were, and not despise them for what they weren't.
Drawing strength from his thoughts, Vegeta tried to calmly take stock of his situation. He was locked in a barren room, unable to utilize his ki to blast himself out. When the Tsufuru-jin came to get him, they would undoubtedly be armed with that sonic weapon again and expecting him to try to ambush them. He had already tried to force the door open, but the metal was stronger than his own natural strength.
So those options were out.
Growling low in his throat, Vegeta knew what he needed to do. He hated to do it, but there was no other way. His pride made him rebel against the idea of calling for help. But he was smart enough to know it was his only chance.
Drawing a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused inward. Pushing down past his conscious mind into the back part of his brain, he came to the place where that had once held untold numbers of Saiyan presences. They had been with him ever since he could remember, his silent connection with his people. He didn't need to hear them or talk to them; but he always could just feel them there.
He had never been alone.
Until that one awful moment, almost all of them had been brutally ripped away, leaving a gaping wound that did not bleed, did not heal. In order to hold onto his sanity, his mind instinctively closed it off, locking away the part that held too few where once thousands had resided. It had been sheer self-defense from the dark void that now filled him. A part that was once filled with warmth and vital energy was now cold and empty.
Hopefully, there was still one there.
Pushing aside the abject horror of the genocide he had felt that terrible day, Vegeta focused on the empty spot inside him, searching for the presence of one who so closely resembled the Saiyan he had once considered his friend. After searching the searing emptiness for too long, he began to feel desperation start to hover on the edge of his awareness. Dammit, it had to be there! He was focusing so hard, sweat began to trickle through the thick hair and drip down side of his face. But he absolutely refused to give up.
Finally, Vegeta thought he could feel a single presence, the slightest warmth of another. Without a thought, he sent out a call.
"Kakarrot"
"Did you say something?" Goku asked Gohan as they loaded the Capsule Corp ship with the necessary equipment, mostly food.
"No," Gohan said.
"I thought I heard something," Goku persisted.
"Its probably just in your mind," Bulma said, standing off to the side from where she was supervising.
"Kakarrot, dammit answer me"
"Vegeta?" Goku asked the air, looking around him as if the Saiyan prince was hiding nearby. "Is that you?"
"No, you idiot. It's the High Priestess of the pleasure planet Val Shir. Of course its me!"
"Geez, you needn't be so touchy!" Aware that Piccolo and the others were staring at him, Goku focused inward, trying to get a better grip on the strengthening telepathic link between Vegeta and himself.
"Then stop asking stupid questions. Are you still on Earth?"
Goku nodded, and then realized that Vegeta couldn't see him. "Yes, we are. But don't worry, we're coming for you." He tried to send reassuring thoughts to the young prince. Despite Vegeta's efforts to appear calm, Goku wasn't fooled. The telepathic link was too intimate. Young Vegeta didn't have the mental control like he did when he was older and some of his fear and dread was seeping through to Goku.
"Okay. I am not sure where they are taking me, but you should be able to follow us by tracing this link. I can maintain it for a while, but if I lose consciousness, it will disappear. So you must hurry. Do you understand?"
Goku frowned. He had never attempted to do something like that before, although he suspected Vegeta had done it several times in the past. A few times, when Goku and his friends were in serious trouble, the Saiyan prince had shown up and bailed them out just in the nick of time. And with some of the best dramatic entrances any of them had ever seen. When one of them got up the nerve to ask Vegeta to explain how he had known that they had needed him, Vegeta would just shrug and tell them to mind their own business.
Closing his eyes, he tried to `follow' Vegeta's trail. He thought he could feel a slight tug, like a psychic scent, in a certain direction. He smiled. "Yeah, I think we can find you." He sent a wave of warm reassurance to the prince.
"Then what are you waiting for? Get moving!"
"We're on our way. Just hang in there."
Turning to the others, Goku said, "Don't worry guys, I can follow Vegeta's mental trail, and so we should have no problem finding them."
"Then lets go," Piccolo said and climbed into the ship, followed by Gohan.
Goku, turning to Bulma, reached out and touched her shoulder. "Don't worry Bulma, we'll find them. And please tell Chi-Chi that we are going to be late for dinner." And with that, he jumped up into the ship and they took off in a rumble of engines and a cloud of smoke.
"Tell Chi-Chi?" Bulma echoed weakly. "I'd better wear my earplugs."
TBC
Warnings: Angst,
Archive: FFN and Stormy. Ask and you shall receive
A Killer in Me
Part 7
Piccolo groaned and once more fought for consciousness, trying to get past the ringing in his skull. "When I get my hands on those Tsufuru-jins..." he opened his eyes and looked around. Goku and Gohan were rousing as well. As for the spaceship, that was gone, and Vegeta with it. He sat up, free from the restraints. "Are you guys ok?" he asked, wincing. Loud noises went straight through his head. Or any noise for that matter.
Gohan nodded, and Goku climbed unsteadily to his feet. He looked around. "They're gone," he said unnecessarily. "We have to find them." He said, determination hardening his voice.
"How?" Gohan asked, now on his feet as well.
"Can you sense Vegeta and use your Instant Transmission technique?" Piccolo asked, shaking the grass out of his cape.
Goku put two fingers to his forehead and concentrated for a few minutes. He shook his head, scowling in frustration. "There is something blocking me," he said.
"Its probably whatever makes up the hull of that ship," Gohan thought out loud.
"We couldn't sense any life forces through it before. That must be why you can't sense Vegeta's ki now, and if you can't zero in on it," Piccolo trailed off.
Goku nodded. "I can't use the Instant Transmission to get to him. Dammit!" he cursed, causing Gohan and Piccolo to give him strange looks.
Gohan shook his head. "We know nothing about those people and where they came from. Is there anybody who knows about these Tsufuru-jin?" He looked at Piccolo with hope in his eyes. The Nameckian had fused with Kami, who was ancient. Maybe the old god knew something about them.
Piccolo shook his head. Neither he nor Kami knew anything about the Tsufuru-jin. Nail as usual kept his mouth shut.
"I have an idea." Looking up into the sky, Goku raised his voice. "Hey, King Kai! Are you there?"
"Good idea, Dad!" Gohan said excitedly.
"What do you want Goku?" King Kai answered, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm in the shower."
A brief mental picture of the naked King Kai flashed through the Z fighters' minds. Looking slightly ill, Gohan commented in an undertone to the greener than usual Piccolo, "I really didn't need to know that."
Piccolo nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Clearing his throat, the elder Saiyan looked up into the sky. "We need some help," Goku explained. "These aliens called Tsufuru-jin just came and took Vegeta."
For a few minutes there was no answer. Goku was just opening his mouth to ask if King Kai was still there, when he spoke. "Tsufuru-jin? Are there are still some of them around?"
"I take it you know these people?" Piccolo asked.
"Of course!" was the indignant reply. "I mean, I know of them, or rumors to that effect at any rate," King Kai amended.
"Well what do you know?" Piccolo asked impatiently.
"Just hold your pants on," King Kai answered. "I have soap dripping down into my..."
"Never mind!" Gohan interrupted hastily. "Please just tell us what you know."
A deep breath, then King Kai dutifully spoke, sounding for all the world like he was reciting a memorized chapter of a dry history book. "The Tsufuru-jin lived in the south quadrant of our galaxy, from the planet Polaner. They prided themselves on their intellect and were very proud of their technology. With the help of their knowledge of science, they conquered disease and poverty. They built many wondrous devices and machines to serve them, ranging from the microscopic to the gigantic. With the aid of their machines, their civilization grew until it the Tsufuru-jin Empire spanned countless star systems. The Empire was the strongest in the galaxy, and had many worlds begging to join. It was a golden age for all who lived at that time. So of course it all went horribly wrong."
"Why am I not surprised," Piccolo muttered. "What happened?"
King Kai snorted, "The artificial intelligences housed in main computers, whose purpose was to keep the Empire running, went mad and took over everything. Its first order was to kill anything alive. The machines rose up and rebelled against their `masters'. It never occurred to the Tsufuru-jin that building such incredible devices might have consequences. Because their whole society depended on their technology, they were helpless to prevent the slaughter of most of their population. Some got away, mostly those who lived furthest from Polaner itself."
"Wow," Goku commented. "That's harsh."
"Yeah, they say no good deed goes unpunished. So the Tsufuru-jin scattered throughout the galaxy, hiding from the horror that they themselves created. But their troubles were just beginning. Their reputation for building incredible technology had spread and now they were hunted by not only their own machines, but by others who desired their science as well. Freiza was one."
The Z fighters looked at each other as they tried to absorb this new information. Piccolo remembered something the one called Kiwi had said.
"A powerful race, such as the Tsufuru-jin, tend to make powerful enemies, and sometimes technology can't take the place of a living warrior."
"That's what Kiwi meant when he said that the Tsufuru-jin made a powerful enemy. He meant that they created them!"
Gohan looked at Piccolo with wide eyes. "So they made the Saiyans to fight for them?"
Piccolo nodded. "It appears that way, except that plan backfired big time."
"Is there anything else?" King Kai asked impatiently, "I want to finish my shower."
"Uh, no. I think were good for now," Goku said. "Bye!"
"Always interrupting at the most inopportune times. These Saiyans are the biggest pain in my backside, and not even a thank you." King Kai muttered, then abruptly realized that they could still hear him and shut down the link.
"Well, now what?" Gohan asked.
"We'll have to go to Capsule Corps and get the spaceship," Piccolo said.
"Good idea." Goku said. "Grab my arm," he told the others. They did, and in a blink of an eye, they were back at the Capsule Corp headquarters. Both Goku and Gohan, who had not seen the destruction of the labs, gawked at the mess.
Piccolo, who had already seen it was not distracted and immediately set off to where he could feel Bulma's life force radiating. He shuddered to think of what the blue-haired woman was going to say when she found out. He heard Goku and Gohan following him, and was inwardly grateful that he was not going to face her wrath alone.
Bulma greeted the Sons cheerfully, but her demeanor changed when she saw Piccolo. "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply. "Where's Vegeta and Trunks?"
Glancing at each other, but knowing it had to be done, they told her what happened. Predictably, she did not take the news very well.
"All you had to do was watch him for a few days, and not even a few hours go by and you let some aliens from outer space kidnap him?" she shrieked, making all the males wince.
There were few people that could rival Chi-Chi in a tirade; unfortunately Bulma was one of them.
"We are going to get him back, Bulma. But we need to use the spaceship," Goku said, waving his hands in a placating gesture.
Bulma glared at them, then sniffed. "Ok, but you had better bring him back, or else!" she glared at them all. There was no need to follow through with the threat. The two Saiyans and the Nameckian breathed a sigh of relief, only to tense up again when Bulma asked another question. "How are you going to find them? None of the equipment here on Earth detected the Tsufuru-jin's arrival or departure."
They looked at each other again. "Good question," Piccolo said. "Vegeta said the electromagnetic readings from the spaceship were off the scale, maybe we could track them."
Bulma considered it. "Its worth a try," she allowed. Then she looked around, puzzled. "Where is Trunks?"
The three looked around as well, as if expecting the kids to miraculously appear. Their eyes lost focus as they sought the kids' ki. There was nothing. The same thought occurred to them at the same time.
"Oh, no."
The Tsufuru-jin ship shot through space, bearing its crew, cargo and two stowaways.
When the scout ship hooked up with the main ship, the two Tsufuru-jins were so excited to secure their unwilling passenger and the precious information and get underway, that they failed to notice that certain pieces of cargo had been moved.
"Trunks," a whisper came from behind a box of spare parts.
"What?" was the impatient reply from behind another box.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Silence. "Why didn't you go before we left?"
"I didn't have to go then."
"Honestly Goten, I can't take you anywhere!" A defeated sigh. "Oh, all right. Lets go find a bathroom."
Two heads poked out from their hiding places. They tried to sense anyone around, but the strange material used to build the ship blocked them. In the end, they had to use their other senses. When they sneaked aboard the scout ship, they only meant to have a quick look around while the adults were talking. Then the Tsufuru-jin came back and they had to hide, not knowing that the aliens had an unconscious Vegeta with them.
To Trunks' delight, the ship took off, taking himself and Goten with. He knew that Piccolo was going to be mad that they had been exploring the aliens' ship without permission. But the temptation had been too much to resist!
They crept out of the scout ship, into the main ship and paused. A corridor stretched out in front of them, with doors exiting off to the sides at various intervals.
"Which one is the bathroom?" Goten whispered to Trunks.
"They are not labeled, so I guess we just look in each one until we find it," Trunks answered with a shrug.
"Tru~unks! I really have to go!" Goten said plaintively.
"Well, lets get started looking then, shall we?" Trunks proposed. To distract Goten from his problem, Trunks brought up another subject. "Where do you think we're going? I hope its someplace fun."
"Me too, but I have to be home in time for supper, or my mom will be mad," Goten answered as he peaked into an empty storage area.
"Don't worry," Trunks said offhandedly. "I'm sure when they find out that we're here, they'll bring us home."
"Yeah," Goten agreed. "Any luck yet?"
"Not yet," Trunks said. So far they had found a storage room, and empty room and a room of fascinating-looking equipment. But no bathroom. It was then that Trunks had a disturbing thought. "What if they don't have a bathroom? I mean they are aliens, right? We don't know for sure if they need one."
Goten paled. "But they must!" he almost wailed in desperation.
Seeing Goten's distress, Trunks regretted speaking his thoughts out loud. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Lets keep looking."
So the two demi-Saiyans kept wandering through the ship, unaware that their presence had been detected.
In another part of the ship, Vegeta glared at the locked door. He was putting a lot of effort into not remembering the last time he had been locked in a room on board a spaceship. He still had nightmares about it.
After they had dumped him unceremoniously in the bare room, the Tsufuru-jin had locked the door and left him alone. It was utterly bare, with no windows or air vents conveniently large enough for a small Saiyan prince to slip out through. The one small comfort was that they had let him keep his scouter. Not that is was much help in this situation. Whatever the interior of the ship had been made of, it was the same as the hull. None of the scouter's detection devices could penetrate the thick plating.
In order to keep his mind from revisiting horrific memories, he started working out strategies for escape. His one comfort was his father's voice, the words echoed in his mind.
"My son. Our people are a race of warriors, not thinkers. Yet even the strongest warrior can be defeated by one that is smarter. As the Prince of the Saiyans, you were born with a higher intelligence than any of our people. You must use that intelligence to aid your warriors in defeating our enemies."
Vegeta had always had more than his share of Saiyan pride, in addition to having the potential to be the strongest Saiyan alive. But it was his ability to think that had aided him the most in battle, and he knew it. Zarbon had once commented acidly that he was a devious little bastard. Instead of taking offense, Vegeta looked on it as a compliment. And that knowledge contributed to his already huge amount of pride and made him look down on his own people even more for their limited intelligence.
Unbeknownst to the prince, the contempt the young prince held for his people had worried the King. Once, they had stood together on the observation deck, watching the Saiyan young being sent to conquer other planets. King Vegeta had tried to convey the pride he held for his people as he explained that even the Saiyan young were stronger than most other races. But the prince had only sneered in contempt at the other Saiyans' weakness in comparison to his own future strength. The Saiyan king never let his son know his concern. Prince Vegeta respected strength, both of the body and the mind, and the King did not want to appear in any way weak to his only son. The King could only hope that one day the prince would learn to respect his people for who they were, and not despise them for what they weren't.
Drawing strength from his thoughts, Vegeta tried to calmly take stock of his situation. He was locked in a barren room, unable to utilize his ki to blast himself out. When the Tsufuru-jin came to get him, they would undoubtedly be armed with that sonic weapon again and expecting him to try to ambush them. He had already tried to force the door open, but the metal was stronger than his own natural strength.
So those options were out.
Growling low in his throat, Vegeta knew what he needed to do. He hated to do it, but there was no other way. His pride made him rebel against the idea of calling for help. But he was smart enough to know it was his only chance.
Drawing a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused inward. Pushing down past his conscious mind into the back part of his brain, he came to the place where that had once held untold numbers of Saiyan presences. They had been with him ever since he could remember, his silent connection with his people. He didn't need to hear them or talk to them; but he always could just feel them there.
He had never been alone.
Until that one awful moment, almost all of them had been brutally ripped away, leaving a gaping wound that did not bleed, did not heal. In order to hold onto his sanity, his mind instinctively closed it off, locking away the part that held too few where once thousands had resided. It had been sheer self-defense from the dark void that now filled him. A part that was once filled with warmth and vital energy was now cold and empty.
Hopefully, there was still one there.
Pushing aside the abject horror of the genocide he had felt that terrible day, Vegeta focused on the empty spot inside him, searching for the presence of one who so closely resembled the Saiyan he had once considered his friend. After searching the searing emptiness for too long, he began to feel desperation start to hover on the edge of his awareness. Dammit, it had to be there! He was focusing so hard, sweat began to trickle through the thick hair and drip down side of his face. But he absolutely refused to give up.
Finally, Vegeta thought he could feel a single presence, the slightest warmth of another. Without a thought, he sent out a call.
"Kakarrot"
"Did you say something?" Goku asked Gohan as they loaded the Capsule Corp ship with the necessary equipment, mostly food.
"No," Gohan said.
"I thought I heard something," Goku persisted.
"Its probably just in your mind," Bulma said, standing off to the side from where she was supervising.
"Kakarrot, dammit answer me"
"Vegeta?" Goku asked the air, looking around him as if the Saiyan prince was hiding nearby. "Is that you?"
"No, you idiot. It's the High Priestess of the pleasure planet Val Shir. Of course its me!"
"Geez, you needn't be so touchy!" Aware that Piccolo and the others were staring at him, Goku focused inward, trying to get a better grip on the strengthening telepathic link between Vegeta and himself.
"Then stop asking stupid questions. Are you still on Earth?"
Goku nodded, and then realized that Vegeta couldn't see him. "Yes, we are. But don't worry, we're coming for you." He tried to send reassuring thoughts to the young prince. Despite Vegeta's efforts to appear calm, Goku wasn't fooled. The telepathic link was too intimate. Young Vegeta didn't have the mental control like he did when he was older and some of his fear and dread was seeping through to Goku.
"Okay. I am not sure where they are taking me, but you should be able to follow us by tracing this link. I can maintain it for a while, but if I lose consciousness, it will disappear. So you must hurry. Do you understand?"
Goku frowned. He had never attempted to do something like that before, although he suspected Vegeta had done it several times in the past. A few times, when Goku and his friends were in serious trouble, the Saiyan prince had shown up and bailed them out just in the nick of time. And with some of the best dramatic entrances any of them had ever seen. When one of them got up the nerve to ask Vegeta to explain how he had known that they had needed him, Vegeta would just shrug and tell them to mind their own business.
Closing his eyes, he tried to `follow' Vegeta's trail. He thought he could feel a slight tug, like a psychic scent, in a certain direction. He smiled. "Yeah, I think we can find you." He sent a wave of warm reassurance to the prince.
"Then what are you waiting for? Get moving!"
"We're on our way. Just hang in there."
Turning to the others, Goku said, "Don't worry guys, I can follow Vegeta's mental trail, and so we should have no problem finding them."
"Then lets go," Piccolo said and climbed into the ship, followed by Gohan.
Goku, turning to Bulma, reached out and touched her shoulder. "Don't worry Bulma, we'll find them. And please tell Chi-Chi that we are going to be late for dinner." And with that, he jumped up into the ship and they took off in a rumble of engines and a cloud of smoke.
"Tell Chi-Chi?" Bulma echoed weakly. "I'd better wear my earplugs."
TBC
