Chapter 18
By Elbereth in April
Sekot waited in the armory impatiently. He watched the master armor-smith making the shoulder pieces. Sometimes he wished his life was that simple. When Frieza finally appeared, he was quite startled.
Frieza smiled at him. "And how is my little spy today?"
Sekot bowed. "Fine."
"You led me a bit astray with Vegeta."
"I just report what I hear, my lord."
"And what else have you heard recently?"
Sekot looked discouraged. "Not a lot lately."
Frieza pouted. "Neither has Kakkarot. You two aren't much use."
Sekot didn't like being compared to Kakkarot. "Why do we always meet in the armory, sir?"
Frieza's smile this time was tight and thin. "Because, my dear monkey, the throne room is bugged."
Sekot's eyes widened. "Who. . . ?"
Frieza shook his head. "I don't know yet. It could be leftover from the Ginyu Force. Or I may have a new enemy. I want you to keep your ears open."
"Of course, my lord!"
"I've been hearing things about you. . ."
"What kind of things?" Sekot asked quickly.
"Oh, nothing that can't be overlooked. . . if you serve me well."
Sekot frowned nervously. "But. . ."
"I'll talk to you again later." Frieza smirked and strode away.
'What is Kakkarot saying about me now?' he wondered in panic.
__________ _________
"That's it!" Bulma pressed a button on her computer and a formula displayed on the screen, flashing. She jumped up and ran around the table giddily.
Then she rushed over to her equipment. "It's a good thing they brought me my pharmaceuticals. Here we go. One Super Saiyan pill in the making. . ."
__________ ________
Sekot gathered his most trusted followers: Karock, Rabin, Thenessen, and Ryok. "Frieza's giving me grief again. Kakkarot must be up to something. I expect you to help me discover what's going on now."
"They're too suspicious," Thenessen complained. "They always give me the slip."
"Yeah," Rabin agreed.
"Then work harder!" Sekot slammed his fist on the table. "We've got a lot riding on this. From now on, I expect you to be ever-vigilant! We will have the last laugh!"
"Of course, Sekot," Ryok purred.
"Brown-noser," Rabin whispered to Thenessen with disgust.
__________ __________
When Zarbon reported to the cockpit, as ordered, the first thing he saw was Dodoria, looking exceedingly smug. He frowned and bowed to Frieza, who was looking far too satisfied for comfort, as well.
Frieza turned and pointed out the window. "You will note that we are now orbiting Vegeta-sei."
Zarbon's pulse sped up. This wasn't going to be good, he just knew it. "Yes, sir."
"I have sent a team down to the planet to retrieve our most rebellious Queen."
"The Queen!" Zarbon's eyes widened. "You found her? How?"
Frieza smiled and indicated Dodoria. "My loyal servant hacked into a computer on planet Ponah and discovered the information."
Zarbon looked at Dodoria, who was looking more and more like a cat who had just eaten his owner's tuna dinner, and gotten away with it. "Really. Congratulations, Dodoria. You're smarter than you look."
Frieza laughed, drowning out Dodoria's response.
"Can I join the team, sir?" Zarbon asked.
"No, no, Zarbon. I need you here to keep an eye on the monkeys. We don't want them getting wind of this quite yet."
"How soon til you have her?" He hoped he sounded properly enthusiastic.
"Not long now at all." Frieza smirked.
"I-I guess you wanted to surprise me."
"That was my idea," said Dodoria triumphantly. He felt he had one-upped his fellow lieutenant. With a little bit more luck, maybe he could be promoted above him!
"Go take care of the monkeys now, Zarbon. I'll have you called as soon as the Queen arrives, never fear." Frieza was practically bursting with glee.
Zarbon left them to their celebrating.
_________ ___________
Kakkarot and Vegeta had just finished a very intensive training session and were now standing in the hallway of the Saiyan Quarter, talking to Vegan and Nappa about nothing in particular. That's where Zarbon found them about two and a half minutes after leaving Frieza.
Kakkarot smiled. "Hey, Zarbon."
Zarbon just looked at him. "I need to talk to you and Vegeta. Privately. Now."
Kakkarot stopped smiling. Vegeta's eyebrows rose. "All right. We'll go to my room."
__________ _________
Frieza's landing party on Vegeta-sei had no trouble making their way around the capital city, because a Saiyan went with them. Tory glared at his back.
Tory and two other of Frieza's henchmen were also in the party. Tory kept looking at the others out of the corner of his eye. 'This is bad. This is very bad.'
They followed the directions Dodoria had given them. They proved to be very precise. They found the Queen in her apartment, located above her secret headquarters. She had been eating supper with her chief advisor and lieutenant, a handsome Saiyan named Tain.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tain shouted, springing up and standing in front of the Queen protectively.
One of the lizard men smirked. "What do you think? We're here for this rebel, in the name of Frieza."
Tain turned pale. "Frieza?"
"I'm afraid the Queen is due to be publicly tortured and then painfully executed as a lesson to all those who fight against Frieza," the other lizard man chuckled.
"Never!"
"How do you think you can stop us?" laughed the Saiyan in their party.
"You--you traitor!" the Queen spoke for the first time, addressing him. "How could you betray your rightful Prince?"
"I haven't, madam," Ryok replied. "You are not the Prince. But you're right. I *want* to betray him. So much so, in fact, that if you tell me his name, I'll let you both go right now."
The Queen laughed. "You honestly think I'd betray my own son?"
"Are you picking up anything, Tory?" Lizard #1 whispered.
"No, her mind is too well shielded," Tory whispered back untruthfully.
"Shall I describe some of the things Frieza will do to you if I take you in?" Ryok grinned. "Thumbscrews and the rack. . . and even more interesting ways of causing pain."
She smiled serenely. "Shall I tell you what you can do with your thumbscrews?"
The lizards started to close in. "Wait," Tain said, his eyes full of anguish. "Wait. What if *I* tell you who he is? Will you promise to leave her alone?"
Everyone halted and stared at him. The Queen grabbed his arm in distress. "Tain! You can't mean it!"
"I'm sorry. But I. . . I'm in love with you, Siane. I can't let them hurt you."
Siane's eyes went wide. "You're what?"
Ryok's grin returned. "Certainly, I promise."
"Tain, don't do it! I believed in your loyalty enough to tell you, in case anything ever happened to me. Don't betray my trust!"
Ryok shoved Tain aside and wrapped his fingers around Siane's neck. Tory tried to reach Tain's mind but it was whirling with too many emotions, almost into madness.
"Vegeta," Tain said. "His name is Vegeta. You have him on your ship right now."
Ryok's mouth fell open. "That can't be! What about his brother?"
Tain frowned. "He has no brother. The Queen had only one child."
Ryok let go Siane and looked at her. "Did the King have a son with another woman?"
Confused and indignant, the Queen answered. "Most certainly not!"
Slowly, Ryok smiled again, very maliciously. "Well. Isn't that interesting."
'This is really, really not good,' Tory thought helplessly.
"OK then. Subdue these two and bring them along."
"No! You promised!" Tain yelled.
"I lied," Ryok smirked.
Tain threw himself at Ryok as the lizards reached for the Queen. She raised her hands.
Things happened very quickly. A ki blast spread outward from the Queen, killing both the lizards instantly. Ryok shoved Tain aside, to Tory. Ryok hit Siane hard on the back of her head. She spun around on suddenly wobbly knees and punched him in the stomach. He blocked her kick to his groin, but missed the foot that stomped down hard on his instep. He howled and swayed a bit as she punched upward, damaging his nose.
Tain was hitting Tory repetitively in the ribs. Tory managed to grab his arms. He was supposed to capture this Saiyan alive, but he suddenly decided that it was too big of a risk. What other secrets might this man reveal? He let go of Tain's arms and hit him with a ki blast, straight through his brain.
Ryok had finally landed another hit to the Queen, knocking her backwards. He sent his own ki wave after her, which she blocked. He launched himself at her as soon as his wave dissipated, catching her offguard. He pinned her arms to her sides. As she struggled to break free, he spun her around and around, then flung her into the wall. She got up unsteadily, in time to see Tain die.
"No!" she cried, distracted. It was just long enough for Ryok to hit her with another ki attack. This time she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Ryok dabbed at his bloody nose. "What an unfeminine wench. Come on, let's get her to the ship. Shame about the other. Did you have to kill him?"
"Shut up," Tory snarled, thoroughly upset over this--and the other things he was picking up from Ryok's mind.
________ _________
"Sit down," Zarbon ordered. He wasn't sure how hard they were going to take this. They sat. "I have some bad news."
Kakkarot and Vegeta looked at each other uneasily. "It's not the Woman, is it?" Vegeta asked, pulse suddenly throbbing in his neck.
"No. Different woman. OK, here it is. Frieza's found the Saiyan Queen."
"Oh, no!" Kakkarot cried, jumping to his feet. "How?"
"Dodoria. We are in orbit around Vegeta-sei right now, and his men are down there, getting her."
"Oh, no," Kakkarot repeated in a more horrified tone of voice. "What should we do, Vegeta? Vegeta?"
Vegeta's face was dead white. He was staring unseeing at the wall, lips slightly parted, breathing unsteady.
Kakkarot crouched down in front of him and looked Vegeta in the eyes. "Vegeta?" he said gently.
Vegeta blinked and looked at him, then over his head to Zarbon. "We must be there when she lands. We must rescue her and send her away before Frieza can hurt her."
"Can we?" Zarbon looked skeptical.
"We must. Go. Get started."
Zarbon frowned, then nodded and left.
"Vegeta, are you OK?"
Vegeta looked at Kakkarot. "You're Saiyan. You'd protect the Queen, no matter what. Wouldn't you?"
Kakkarot's stomach clenched. Vegeta looked so. . . lost. His eyes were all black. "Of course!"
"We need to go to her. But first. . . there's something I *have* to tell you, Kakkarot."
Kakkarot's stomach knotted still further. Vegeta's voice was completely flat and toneless. As if he was trying very hard to lock away all emotions. His face was the same way, but his eyes were bright and burning. Something was very, very wrong here, something besides the Queen.
"Sit," Vegeta ordered. Kakkarot did so, but not beside him as he'd expected. He sat down where he was, on the ground by Vegeta's feet, so he could stare up into his face and study it. Whatever emotion was riding Vegeta was so strong, Kakkarot was sure it would have to burst through pretty soon, and he didn't want to miss what might be the only clue to his brother's feelings.
Vegeta just stared down at him. He had to swallow a few times before he could speak. "Kakkarot. You have the right to know." He ducked his head a bit, having trouble meeting his eyes. "When you first came here. . . you had no memory. But you had the Super Saiyan gene. Frieza was determined to have you. To corrupt you over to his side. And I--I didn't know what you would do. You had no memories, and no loyalties, and no experience with Frieza. I was afraid you'd become his loyal servant."
"Never!"
"I didn't know. I couldn't let him use your Super Saiyan gene against us. So I. . . I. . ." His voice broke.
'Whatever he's done,' Kakkarot thought, 'he's still my brother.' But his hands were clammy. "Vegeta, it's OK," he said, trying to reassure the both of them. "We're brothers."
There was a crack in his composure then. "That's just it, Kakkarot. You and I. . ." He drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "You're my best friend. I've never known anyone else like you. I can't help but--admire you. I. . . love you as much as a brother ever could."
Kakkarot's whole face lit with joy, and Vegeta had to look away.
"But I've been lying to you, Kakkarot. To ensure your loyalty against Frieza. But I can't lie to you anymore. So. So here's the truth. . ."
"Vegeta! Kakkarot! Can you hear me?"
They both jumped at this new voice in their minds. Kakkarot wanted to scream in frustration at the intrusion. "What?" he snapped.
"It's Tory! I'm sorry, Frieza sent me as one of the ones to get your Queen. . . well, we have her and we're almost back to the ship. But there's more. Ryok's with me, and he's been a traitor and a spy all along. The game's up. Frieza knows about the bug in the throne room, he knows Vegeta's been leading a bunch of Saiyans against him. And the Queen's closest advisor told us the name of the Prince, and Ryok radioed ahead, so by now, Frieza knows that, too. He knows about *both of you*. Understand, Vegeta? You need to run!"
"Tangerine," Kakkarot breathed.
"I think I'd use a stronger word than that. I have to go, Ryok's coming back." And he was gone.
Kakkarot focused back on Vegeta. He was staring at him. "Vegeta?"
"You and I," he said in a thin voice, barely louder than a whisper. "We're not. . . we're not. . ."
The door burst open and Frieza himself was standing there, smiling, smiling, two soldiers at his back.
"So, my most hated monkey turns out to be the Prince-ling. Right under my nose all along. You'll pay for that."
They didn't even have time to power up. Frieza raised both hands and shot a ki beam from each. Both Saiyans were struck unconscious. The two soldiers moved forward to pick them up.
_________ _________
Hooray, hooray! 110 reviews! Thank you, thank you, I love you all! Ahem. (Composes herself.) But don't stop now! Seriously, I've finally got to the climatic plot stuff, and it's hard to write. So let me know what you think.
By Elbereth in April
Sekot waited in the armory impatiently. He watched the master armor-smith making the shoulder pieces. Sometimes he wished his life was that simple. When Frieza finally appeared, he was quite startled.
Frieza smiled at him. "And how is my little spy today?"
Sekot bowed. "Fine."
"You led me a bit astray with Vegeta."
"I just report what I hear, my lord."
"And what else have you heard recently?"
Sekot looked discouraged. "Not a lot lately."
Frieza pouted. "Neither has Kakkarot. You two aren't much use."
Sekot didn't like being compared to Kakkarot. "Why do we always meet in the armory, sir?"
Frieza's smile this time was tight and thin. "Because, my dear monkey, the throne room is bugged."
Sekot's eyes widened. "Who. . . ?"
Frieza shook his head. "I don't know yet. It could be leftover from the Ginyu Force. Or I may have a new enemy. I want you to keep your ears open."
"Of course, my lord!"
"I've been hearing things about you. . ."
"What kind of things?" Sekot asked quickly.
"Oh, nothing that can't be overlooked. . . if you serve me well."
Sekot frowned nervously. "But. . ."
"I'll talk to you again later." Frieza smirked and strode away.
'What is Kakkarot saying about me now?' he wondered in panic.
__________ _________
"That's it!" Bulma pressed a button on her computer and a formula displayed on the screen, flashing. She jumped up and ran around the table giddily.
Then she rushed over to her equipment. "It's a good thing they brought me my pharmaceuticals. Here we go. One Super Saiyan pill in the making. . ."
__________ ________
Sekot gathered his most trusted followers: Karock, Rabin, Thenessen, and Ryok. "Frieza's giving me grief again. Kakkarot must be up to something. I expect you to help me discover what's going on now."
"They're too suspicious," Thenessen complained. "They always give me the slip."
"Yeah," Rabin agreed.
"Then work harder!" Sekot slammed his fist on the table. "We've got a lot riding on this. From now on, I expect you to be ever-vigilant! We will have the last laugh!"
"Of course, Sekot," Ryok purred.
"Brown-noser," Rabin whispered to Thenessen with disgust.
__________ __________
When Zarbon reported to the cockpit, as ordered, the first thing he saw was Dodoria, looking exceedingly smug. He frowned and bowed to Frieza, who was looking far too satisfied for comfort, as well.
Frieza turned and pointed out the window. "You will note that we are now orbiting Vegeta-sei."
Zarbon's pulse sped up. This wasn't going to be good, he just knew it. "Yes, sir."
"I have sent a team down to the planet to retrieve our most rebellious Queen."
"The Queen!" Zarbon's eyes widened. "You found her? How?"
Frieza smiled and indicated Dodoria. "My loyal servant hacked into a computer on planet Ponah and discovered the information."
Zarbon looked at Dodoria, who was looking more and more like a cat who had just eaten his owner's tuna dinner, and gotten away with it. "Really. Congratulations, Dodoria. You're smarter than you look."
Frieza laughed, drowning out Dodoria's response.
"Can I join the team, sir?" Zarbon asked.
"No, no, Zarbon. I need you here to keep an eye on the monkeys. We don't want them getting wind of this quite yet."
"How soon til you have her?" He hoped he sounded properly enthusiastic.
"Not long now at all." Frieza smirked.
"I-I guess you wanted to surprise me."
"That was my idea," said Dodoria triumphantly. He felt he had one-upped his fellow lieutenant. With a little bit more luck, maybe he could be promoted above him!
"Go take care of the monkeys now, Zarbon. I'll have you called as soon as the Queen arrives, never fear." Frieza was practically bursting with glee.
Zarbon left them to their celebrating.
_________ ___________
Kakkarot and Vegeta had just finished a very intensive training session and were now standing in the hallway of the Saiyan Quarter, talking to Vegan and Nappa about nothing in particular. That's where Zarbon found them about two and a half minutes after leaving Frieza.
Kakkarot smiled. "Hey, Zarbon."
Zarbon just looked at him. "I need to talk to you and Vegeta. Privately. Now."
Kakkarot stopped smiling. Vegeta's eyebrows rose. "All right. We'll go to my room."
__________ _________
Frieza's landing party on Vegeta-sei had no trouble making their way around the capital city, because a Saiyan went with them. Tory glared at his back.
Tory and two other of Frieza's henchmen were also in the party. Tory kept looking at the others out of the corner of his eye. 'This is bad. This is very bad.'
They followed the directions Dodoria had given them. They proved to be very precise. They found the Queen in her apartment, located above her secret headquarters. She had been eating supper with her chief advisor and lieutenant, a handsome Saiyan named Tain.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tain shouted, springing up and standing in front of the Queen protectively.
One of the lizard men smirked. "What do you think? We're here for this rebel, in the name of Frieza."
Tain turned pale. "Frieza?"
"I'm afraid the Queen is due to be publicly tortured and then painfully executed as a lesson to all those who fight against Frieza," the other lizard man chuckled.
"Never!"
"How do you think you can stop us?" laughed the Saiyan in their party.
"You--you traitor!" the Queen spoke for the first time, addressing him. "How could you betray your rightful Prince?"
"I haven't, madam," Ryok replied. "You are not the Prince. But you're right. I *want* to betray him. So much so, in fact, that if you tell me his name, I'll let you both go right now."
The Queen laughed. "You honestly think I'd betray my own son?"
"Are you picking up anything, Tory?" Lizard #1 whispered.
"No, her mind is too well shielded," Tory whispered back untruthfully.
"Shall I describe some of the things Frieza will do to you if I take you in?" Ryok grinned. "Thumbscrews and the rack. . . and even more interesting ways of causing pain."
She smiled serenely. "Shall I tell you what you can do with your thumbscrews?"
The lizards started to close in. "Wait," Tain said, his eyes full of anguish. "Wait. What if *I* tell you who he is? Will you promise to leave her alone?"
Everyone halted and stared at him. The Queen grabbed his arm in distress. "Tain! You can't mean it!"
"I'm sorry. But I. . . I'm in love with you, Siane. I can't let them hurt you."
Siane's eyes went wide. "You're what?"
Ryok's grin returned. "Certainly, I promise."
"Tain, don't do it! I believed in your loyalty enough to tell you, in case anything ever happened to me. Don't betray my trust!"
Ryok shoved Tain aside and wrapped his fingers around Siane's neck. Tory tried to reach Tain's mind but it was whirling with too many emotions, almost into madness.
"Vegeta," Tain said. "His name is Vegeta. You have him on your ship right now."
Ryok's mouth fell open. "That can't be! What about his brother?"
Tain frowned. "He has no brother. The Queen had only one child."
Ryok let go Siane and looked at her. "Did the King have a son with another woman?"
Confused and indignant, the Queen answered. "Most certainly not!"
Slowly, Ryok smiled again, very maliciously. "Well. Isn't that interesting."
'This is really, really not good,' Tory thought helplessly.
"OK then. Subdue these two and bring them along."
"No! You promised!" Tain yelled.
"I lied," Ryok smirked.
Tain threw himself at Ryok as the lizards reached for the Queen. She raised her hands.
Things happened very quickly. A ki blast spread outward from the Queen, killing both the lizards instantly. Ryok shoved Tain aside, to Tory. Ryok hit Siane hard on the back of her head. She spun around on suddenly wobbly knees and punched him in the stomach. He blocked her kick to his groin, but missed the foot that stomped down hard on his instep. He howled and swayed a bit as she punched upward, damaging his nose.
Tain was hitting Tory repetitively in the ribs. Tory managed to grab his arms. He was supposed to capture this Saiyan alive, but he suddenly decided that it was too big of a risk. What other secrets might this man reveal? He let go of Tain's arms and hit him with a ki blast, straight through his brain.
Ryok had finally landed another hit to the Queen, knocking her backwards. He sent his own ki wave after her, which she blocked. He launched himself at her as soon as his wave dissipated, catching her offguard. He pinned her arms to her sides. As she struggled to break free, he spun her around and around, then flung her into the wall. She got up unsteadily, in time to see Tain die.
"No!" she cried, distracted. It was just long enough for Ryok to hit her with another ki attack. This time she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Ryok dabbed at his bloody nose. "What an unfeminine wench. Come on, let's get her to the ship. Shame about the other. Did you have to kill him?"
"Shut up," Tory snarled, thoroughly upset over this--and the other things he was picking up from Ryok's mind.
________ _________
"Sit down," Zarbon ordered. He wasn't sure how hard they were going to take this. They sat. "I have some bad news."
Kakkarot and Vegeta looked at each other uneasily. "It's not the Woman, is it?" Vegeta asked, pulse suddenly throbbing in his neck.
"No. Different woman. OK, here it is. Frieza's found the Saiyan Queen."
"Oh, no!" Kakkarot cried, jumping to his feet. "How?"
"Dodoria. We are in orbit around Vegeta-sei right now, and his men are down there, getting her."
"Oh, no," Kakkarot repeated in a more horrified tone of voice. "What should we do, Vegeta? Vegeta?"
Vegeta's face was dead white. He was staring unseeing at the wall, lips slightly parted, breathing unsteady.
Kakkarot crouched down in front of him and looked Vegeta in the eyes. "Vegeta?" he said gently.
Vegeta blinked and looked at him, then over his head to Zarbon. "We must be there when she lands. We must rescue her and send her away before Frieza can hurt her."
"Can we?" Zarbon looked skeptical.
"We must. Go. Get started."
Zarbon frowned, then nodded and left.
"Vegeta, are you OK?"
Vegeta looked at Kakkarot. "You're Saiyan. You'd protect the Queen, no matter what. Wouldn't you?"
Kakkarot's stomach clenched. Vegeta looked so. . . lost. His eyes were all black. "Of course!"
"We need to go to her. But first. . . there's something I *have* to tell you, Kakkarot."
Kakkarot's stomach knotted still further. Vegeta's voice was completely flat and toneless. As if he was trying very hard to lock away all emotions. His face was the same way, but his eyes were bright and burning. Something was very, very wrong here, something besides the Queen.
"Sit," Vegeta ordered. Kakkarot did so, but not beside him as he'd expected. He sat down where he was, on the ground by Vegeta's feet, so he could stare up into his face and study it. Whatever emotion was riding Vegeta was so strong, Kakkarot was sure it would have to burst through pretty soon, and he didn't want to miss what might be the only clue to his brother's feelings.
Vegeta just stared down at him. He had to swallow a few times before he could speak. "Kakkarot. You have the right to know." He ducked his head a bit, having trouble meeting his eyes. "When you first came here. . . you had no memory. But you had the Super Saiyan gene. Frieza was determined to have you. To corrupt you over to his side. And I--I didn't know what you would do. You had no memories, and no loyalties, and no experience with Frieza. I was afraid you'd become his loyal servant."
"Never!"
"I didn't know. I couldn't let him use your Super Saiyan gene against us. So I. . . I. . ." His voice broke.
'Whatever he's done,' Kakkarot thought, 'he's still my brother.' But his hands were clammy. "Vegeta, it's OK," he said, trying to reassure the both of them. "We're brothers."
There was a crack in his composure then. "That's just it, Kakkarot. You and I. . ." He drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "You're my best friend. I've never known anyone else like you. I can't help but--admire you. I. . . love you as much as a brother ever could."
Kakkarot's whole face lit with joy, and Vegeta had to look away.
"But I've been lying to you, Kakkarot. To ensure your loyalty against Frieza. But I can't lie to you anymore. So. So here's the truth. . ."
"Vegeta! Kakkarot! Can you hear me?"
They both jumped at this new voice in their minds. Kakkarot wanted to scream in frustration at the intrusion. "What?" he snapped.
"It's Tory! I'm sorry, Frieza sent me as one of the ones to get your Queen. . . well, we have her and we're almost back to the ship. But there's more. Ryok's with me, and he's been a traitor and a spy all along. The game's up. Frieza knows about the bug in the throne room, he knows Vegeta's been leading a bunch of Saiyans against him. And the Queen's closest advisor told us the name of the Prince, and Ryok radioed ahead, so by now, Frieza knows that, too. He knows about *both of you*. Understand, Vegeta? You need to run!"
"Tangerine," Kakkarot breathed.
"I think I'd use a stronger word than that. I have to go, Ryok's coming back." And he was gone.
Kakkarot focused back on Vegeta. He was staring at him. "Vegeta?"
"You and I," he said in a thin voice, barely louder than a whisper. "We're not. . . we're not. . ."
The door burst open and Frieza himself was standing there, smiling, smiling, two soldiers at his back.
"So, my most hated monkey turns out to be the Prince-ling. Right under my nose all along. You'll pay for that."
They didn't even have time to power up. Frieza raised both hands and shot a ki beam from each. Both Saiyans were struck unconscious. The two soldiers moved forward to pick them up.
_________ _________
Hooray, hooray! 110 reviews! Thank you, thank you, I love you all! Ahem. (Composes herself.) But don't stop now! Seriously, I've finally got to the climatic plot stuff, and it's hard to write. So let me know what you think.