Disclaimer: DB/DBZ/DBGT belong to Toriyama and other rich Japanese guys, not me.

Chikyuu: Black Hole for Evil

Book One: Into the Rising Sun

Author: Cka3ka

Chapter 13: Into the Rising Sun

Two days later in space…

Bezal slowly laid the little girls down on a soft bed. He had ordered the Dark Priests to leave him be for a while. It had shocked him that the catalysts were two children. He may have been a demon lord, and have committed countless atrocities, but he still had a soft spot for children. He'd always had it he mused to himself, just that he had ignored it until SHE came.

Looking down at the two girls, he frowned and thought to himself that the mortal who had beat them truly deserved more than killing. He should have taken his time, especially now that he could see their faces unmarred by cuts and bruises. Their resemblance to her was uncanny. It was beginning to bother him.

He thought back to the shadow that had spoken to him. Could that have been her? No, he would have known if it was. Yet, whoever had spoken to him was dabbling in the Great Game. He could see that the cloaked woman had manipulated recent events in a perfect, graceful manner. He knew that he was part of her plan, but how? Who would dare try to manipulate a Demon Lord? She would, a voice in the back of his mind told him. However, that would mean that she had to be still alive. The dead didn't have shadows to project, even if they kept their bodies. That also would have meant that Abaadan had failed to kill her. It was incomprehensible that Abaadan, the Lord of Destruction, one of the original Fallen, could fail against her. Or could it? He knew that even the Lord of Destruction's heart had warmed to her. She had been the newcomer, so full of life. She had played the game in such new and original ways, and with such perfection that, like a fresh wind, she had blown through and cleared out the stale and rancid air that had been the Demon Lords' existences.

Ironic, he thought. They had become so powerful then; more powerful than they ever had been. Nearly the entire universe had danced as puppets on the strings of the servants of Sateon. The Demon Lords themselves had been close then, friendships had seemingly formed. She had them all under her spell it seemed, until that day. Something had happened. Someone had destroyed someone dear to her and she had been consumed with madness. Such madness that she had gone on a rampage that had nearly consumed the entire galaxy. The various races she had destroyed gave thousands of Cliché titles, such as the Mistress of Death, Death Bringer, Bride of Darkness, and so on to her. Even the Saiya-jin had given her one. It was so bad that the master himself had ordered her destruction. It had taken nearly three hundred years for the combined might of the Demon Lords to finally hunt her down. Abaadan had defeated her and sent her to the afterlife. Had she lived surely at least the master would have known.

He slowly rose, and tucked little Bra in. As he left the room he looked back. Lilith Arya, it has been a thousand years, he thought. If you are still alive, then I shall hunt you down to the ends of the universe. The master's will shall be enforced.

***

One week after the kidnapping…

Somehow Eighteen had survived the attack. She had woken up at Capsule Corporation in the regeneration tank and Bulma had gotten the story from her. They had cried a little bit, and then Bulma had told her to go home with Krillan. She had said that she would contact them as soon as she was ready.

Eighteen had been angry with Bulma right after she awoke, however, that had disappeared quickly enough. She had come to admire Bulma more and more that week. Two days later she had gone back to Capsule Corporation to demand Bulma do something. She had been amazed to find Bulma in her laboratory working. Bulma had been there for two days straight and had been feverishly working on an antidote for the poison. She had completed it and without even taking a break she had immediately started on finishing the spaceship that would be needed to go after the kidnappers. She had given Eighteen a few things that she could help with. So, Eighteen and Krillin threw themselves into those tasks to take their minds off of their grief.

Now a week after the kidnapping, Eighteen and Krillin arrived at the Capsule Compound with luggage in hand. Bulma had told them to bring supplies for an extended stay. At the very least, she needed Eighteen to help her with research.

Entering Capsule Compound, Eighteen and Krillin noticed numerous Ki sources already there. Apparently the rest of the Z-senshi were all there too. They saw Trunks and Goten run out to meet them.

"Juuhachi-san, Krillan-san," cried the two kids, "Follow us! We're going to show you your rooms and then take you to the meeting!" The kids quickly led Krillan and Eighteen to their assigned rooms where their luggage was dropped off. After a few minutes Krillan and Eighteen followed them to the meeting room. As they entered they noticed that all the Z-senshi were already there. Greetings were exchanged all around, and the couple quickly took their seats.

"Let's get started," said Bulma. She was obviously exhausted. Her face was haggard and dark rings were under her eyes. That she hadn't slept for days was apparent to everyone in the room. However, it was her eyes that took and held all the Z-senshi's attention. They were anything but tired. Instead they were alight with a cold fire that burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. The reason why lay before them. Vegeta sat next to her, not in an ordinary chair, but rather a wheel chair. Goku also had lost the usage of his legs, and sat next to Gohan and Chichi, holding his wife's hand. The neuro-toxin had crippled the two greatest Saiya-jin warriors in history.

It was on that day that Eighteen realized the strength of spirit that lay within her friend. Bulma had grown up into an extraordinary woman. No longer a self-absorbed, neurotic, and undisciplined girl, she was now the Chairwoman of the most powerful and still fastest growing company in the world. She had bagged the Prince of her dreams, and not just any prince; she had somehow tamed the egotistical Prince of all Saiya-jins. One of the greatest scientists in the world, yet she had the looks of a stunning model and while in her forties, still looked ten years younger. She sat on top of the world's pyramid of power. Anything she desired she could have taken by wealth, guile, or power for did not even the Saiya-jin of Chikyuu obey her? Yet, despite being the most powerful person in the world, she chose not to take solace in it. Instead, she had placed her heart with her family and now her family had been struck, her husband crippled, and her daughter kidnapped. A weaker spirit would have broken by grief, unable to act, but not Bulma. She had thrown herself with an unmatched determination to see that her family would not be torn apart, and now after a week of unending labor she was to put her plan into motion.

"This was obviously a set up," Bulma began, "I've been reviewing the events ever since Juuroku-gou's head was shown on national TV and it all makes sense in a sick twisted sort of way. Everything that has happened has been done for a specific purpose. To kidnap the girls."

"What are you saying Bulma?" interjected Gohan, "You're telling me it was the Bra and Marron that they were after and not an attempt to kill dad and Vegeta?" He had thought the kidnapping was some sort of cherry on top. An additional slap in the face if you will.

"That's right Gohan," said Bulma, "Vegeta and Goku were not the targets. I've run enough tests on the poison to come to the conclusion that there was no way that the poison could kill them. Saiya-jin immune systems are simply too powerful and adapt too quickly. However, it was strong enough to cripple them, for an indefinite period of time. The nerves that were damaged are going to stay damaged."

A murmur of unease passed through the room. After all Goku and Vegeta were the two strongest fighters on Chikyuu. With them out of the equation, the Z-senshi were not only spread more thinly, but also down some serious firepower.

"We are not without recourse," continued Bulma, "The first thing we do is send Gohan and Videl to Namek to wish Goku and Vegeta's legs back. You do all realize that this attack was timed perfectly so that we wouldn't be able to use the Dragon Balls? A startling coincidence that I don't buy."

Gohan and Videl were shocked at this announcement at first, however they were more than willing to go. "Bulma, we have three wishes, and that will only take two, what else should we wish for?" asked Gohan.

"See if you can get Porunga to give you some information about the so called "event period". Also see if you can find any information about the catalysts. Apparently from what, Juuhachi tells me, the Demon referred to the girls as that."

Gohan nodded, to affirm that he understood. He was rather excited to be able to spend that much time with Videl alone. Videl was also quite excited at this turn of events.

"Now, here is how we are going to split up," said Bulma as she walked to a viewing screen with a chart on it. Pointing to various names on the chart she continued, "Yamcha, Tien, and all the regular human warriors, along with Piccolo and Mr. Buu are going to be staying here on Chikyuu. That is a decent fighting force and will hopefully be able to keep any more enemies that show up at bay," began Buma. Seeing the angry look on Krillan's face she hastily added, "Krillan you aren't staying on Chikyuu. I know you want to go after your daughter and there is no way I'm going to stand in your way. I have a spot open for you on the expedition force."

Krillan nodded. There was no way he wasn't going after his daughter. Even though he was a little scared since he had heard the enemy had nearly killed his wife, who was a lot more powerful than him. Despite this he was still determined to help.

"Krillan, Juuhachi-gou, Juuroku-gou, Trunks and Goten are going on the expeditionary force to get back the girls." This shocked everyone in the room. Sending the kids out was a very dangerous thing and they were all surprised that Bulma would even contemplate such a thing.

"They will be fine," came Chichi's voice, "Gohan went to Namek when he was younger than them." Her firm and unexpected support was surprising and was enough to settle the issue. She had been there when Goten and Trunks had brought back Eighteen from the battle. Though she was terrified at what might happen to Goten, she knew that he was needed. She may have begrudged Goku and Gohan's need to always be at the forefront of battle, but she always understood it and supported them regardless.

"Besides, Gohan already beat Cell by the time he was Goten's age," added Goku. These were the first words he had spoken during the whole meeting. Usually he had a lot more to say. It was clear to everyone in the room that, though Goku still seemed cheerful on the outside, he was having difficulties coming to grip with the fact that he couldn't walk.

"Right, and they are both SSJ, and Gotenks is even more powerful. I'm sure they will give a huge advantage to the others. People will definitely underestimate the kids," continued Bulma, "Are there any questions on this? If not then I'm going to continue to the next part."

"How are we going to go after them?" asked Eighteen. She knew where they were going to find the girls, since she had helped Bulma figure out the possible trajectory of the ship, but not how.

"I've built a new spaceship designed after King Cold's flagship. It's been under construction for years and it'll be ready to go by tomorrow morning. That's why I asked you and Krillan to bring luggage so you guys would be ready to head out after the girls. Sixteen and the boys are already ready to go," replied Bulma. She waited a moment for other questions, but since none were forthcoming, she continued into the second half of her speech.

"First, Juuhachi-gou, Do you know how you survived that attack?" asked Bulma. She was pretty sure that Eighteen didn't know. The boys had brought her back in horrible shape. She had vomited the moment she had seen it. Half her body had been missing and her face had been totally ruined. Somehow Eighteen had still been alive and even more surprisingly she had been healing. After going through Gero's files more thoroughly and with some guesswork Bulma had figured out why.

Eighteen furrowed her brows and tried to remember. She shivered as she remembered that horrid scene and the pain. Finally she looked up and told the room, "No Bulma, I have no idea. I'd like to find out though."

Bulma took a breath and said, "It's because you are Perfect Cell."

"WHAT?!?!" cried about half the people in the room, including Eighteen. The surprise was evident on everyone's faces.

Eighteen was taken a back for a moment, however she felt a quick squeeze on her hand from Krillan. It calmed her. The person that mattered most to her supported her. That was all she needed. She was comforted to know that nothing had changed between her and her husband.

"When Trunks and Goten brought Juuhachi's body back I would have thought that she was dead except that her body was starting to regenerate. So I took her and put her in the regeneration tank. When I finished the antidote for the poison I went back and looked through Gero's notes. As it is, Juuhachi has gone under one transformation already. This was what Gero called her Super form. It increased her strength, and allows her to absorb Ki blasts," explained Bulma. She brought up a screen showing the Gero's data and pointed at a few diagrams that she thought might help explain things. Not that she thought anyone of them would understand except Eighteen and Gohan.

"This however, does not include any evidence of regeneration. The only clue I have is that Gero mentions something about finishing Cell and then transferring the DNA code from that to Juuhachi-gou and her brother. They would be his perfect assassins. Now I believe that when Cell absorbed you Juuhachi, your body automatically adjusted your DNA to match parts of his just as Gero planned. Regardless of the reason you have the ability to regenerate, learn skills, and get stronger after each fight just like Cell could," finished Bulma.

The room was silent as everyone looked at Eighteen. There was awe in most of the warriors' eyes, but in some there was fear. Not everyone was comfortable with the fact that Eighteen was more powerful. Some remembered that she had not always been on their side.

"Good, Then I have the power to get the girls back. Thanks Bulma," said Eighteen with steel in her voice. A moment later she asked, "Is there a way for me to learn how to use these skills? I will have to train hard so that I can be ready for my rematch with the demon."

"I've downloaded most of my files into the ship's databank. I left a few things out so that just in case someone gets access they won't find your weaknesses. We'll talk about those in private before you leave," replied Bulma. Seeing Eighteen's determination, she allowed a small glimmer of hope that she would see her daughter again. She wanted to go get her little girl herself, but she knew she would be more of a hindrance than help. It was on Chikyuu that she could contribute the most, so on Chikyuu she would remain.

"Ok, I have two more things that you may need before you go," continued Bulma. She was getting tired and was on the verge of collapse. However, she was determined to see her friends off before getting any sleep.

"The first are these scouters. I put nine of them on your ship, and you can take this one to. These scouters are a new type that can read Ki up to the level of a SSJ2. I know you guys can all read Ki, but this scouter will also allow you to communicate with each other and with us back here on Chikyuu. Also they create an artificial atmosphere around you so that you can survive out in space. This will last for thirty minutes. Now, the big thing about these scouters is the shielding system they have. They generate a shield with a five-foot radius. The shield has two settings. The first is called the hard setting. This will prevent any blast of Ki from penetrating and hitting you. It will absorb any blast from anything weaker than a SSJ. The second setting is called soft. This setting doesn't absorb the blast but rather filters it. It will still hit you but in a weakened state. Depending on the power it can absorb up to 75% of a blast from an SSJ. Anything more powerful will end up overloading the scouter. I think this will be really useful so that you guys won't get jumped from behind or something." Bulma finished her lecture and looked at the faces in the audience. They were all staring at her in awe.

Chuckling, she proceeded on. "Ok, the last thing I have for you guys are ki suppressors. I put four of these on your ship. They are powerful enough to render someone as strong as Freeza incapable of using any ki. They don't affect natural strength so be careful. For example, you can't use these things on Juuroku-gou since he'll just rip them off without any problem. You'll know if they can rip it off or not. I made a built in sensor on these things for that. The light here will glow green if it's working and they can't get it off," she finished.

"Now, if there are no questions lets go get something to eat."

***

Dawn on the next day…

Eighteen stood on the ramp that led into the new Capsule Corporation spaceship. It was an exact replca of the ship that Freeza and King Cold had arrived on. In fact it was the same model ship just with all types of new features. It was Bulma-tech at its best.

"There are gravity rooms on the ship that can go up to a thousand times that of earth. Make sure the kids train and eat well Juuhachi," fussed Bulma. She was about to send her son out there, and though she knew it was the right thing to do she was still worried.

"Don't worry Bulma, I'll make sure they are ok. I'll be bringing the girls back to," smiled Eighteen as she began to ascend the ramp. The boys, Krillan, and Sixteen had already moved everything thing they needed in and were already getting ready for launch.

"Alright, if you need reinforcements just send a message via the scouter. I'm sure I will have Vegeta and Goku back in fighting shape within six months. They can teleport to your position if need be."

"Don't worry, I'll contact you if we need help," replied Eighteen, "Take care Bulma."

"Dende be with you," said Bulma, "and God bless."

Bulma stood there as Eighteen entered the ship. She watched as the ramp closed and the ship rose into the sky. One hundred fifty million years later, a King of Portugal would also watch as his explorers went forth into the unknown, into the darkness. These explorers would be heading towards the east, towards the direction from where the sun rose.

And so on that crisp early morning, Bulma Briefs stood as regal as any Queen that had been or ever would be staring eastwards. She watched as her friends and son sailed into the sky and into the Rising Sun, into the unknown.