Syndrome
DISCLAIMER: I do *not* own DBZ (Hee hee…. Yet… *thinks about plan to take over FUNimation and grins*) or any other licensed stuff (Pop-tarts, the Weather Channel, etc.). Think about it: If I owned it, I'd be too busy counting my money than to write useless stories about an animated TV show! So DON'T SUE ME!
. : : Chapter 4 : Aaron Strikes Again : : .
Everyone was gathered in the living room, sobbing, when Trunks walked down the stairs to tell them his plan. "Daddy!" Rienna cried. She rushed over to her father and held onto him with all her might. It made his heart ache to see everyone so hurt; and it wasn't like he wasn't hurting on the inside, either, because he was- but he knew something they hadn't thought of. Something that could change the bleak future into something that would make their hearts sing. He kneeled down, hugged Rienna back and almost smiled.
"Hey, it's ok," he told her.
"What do you mean, it's ok?" Bulma asked. Suddenly, she realized something: that people often loose their minds over a lost loved one. Her face went even paler than it already was. "Trunks, are you feeling alright?"
"Of course," he said, standing up. "I'm down, not out."
"Trunks, what are you-" Adrienne started.
"I've got a plan," Trunks said, interrupting his sister.
"What do you mean, Trunks?" Vegeta asked.
"Can you bring Mom back?" Brian asked. Trunks sniffed and smiled.
"You know, you take after me more than you know." Brian blushed and looked at his feet.
"Of course! The Dragonballs!" Goku exclaimed.
"Why didn't any of us think of that?" Goten wondered.
"It doesn't matter," Trunks said, shaking his head. "I just need to find them."
"Great, I'll go with you," Goten said. Trunks nodded.
"Thanks, Goten." Goten smiled.
"Anything for my best bro."
"I want to come, too!" Brian and Rienna exclaimed at the same time. Trunks smiled sympathetically and shook his head.
"You two need to stay here," he said.
"But Dad-"
"No buts."
"But you can't leave!" Ri cried. She hugged her father's legs. "Not you too!"
"Oh, Ri, hey…" Trunks kneeled and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not gonna ever leave, okay? And I'm going to bring Mom back, don't you worry." Rienna stared deep into her father's eyes.
"You mean it?" Trunks smiled.
"You betcha. Tell you what," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring with a brilliant light blue gem in the center of it. "I was going to give it to your mom for her birthday next week, but you can have it."
"Really?" Trunks put the ring in her hand and closed his own around hers.
"Sure. If I'm ever gone, you just look at that ring and remember that I'll always come back, okay?" Rienna smiled and nodded.
"Yeah… Thanks, Daddy," she said, giving him another hug.
"Anytime, Ri." He stood up and headed for the door.
"Be careful, you two," Chi-Chi called as both Trunks and Goten put on their coats.
"We will, Mom," Goten said. "Jamie, you and Leah be good for Mommy, alright?"
"K, Daddy!" he said, waving.
"We have to go pick up the radar first, Goten," Trunks said, "but then we can hit the road."
"Right," Goten said, nodding.
"We're going to head for Capsule after we clean up a bit here," Adrienne said. "I wish I could come with you." Goten walked over to his wife and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said. "Take care of Mom for me, okay, guys?"
"Sure, Dad!" Leah said. "We're going to Grandpa's!" Vegeta laughed.
"Of course we are," he said, picking her up. "And when we get there, we'll have loads of fun!"
"Sure we will!" Goku added.
"We'll see you later, then," Trunks said wistfully. "Be good!"
"We will, Dad!" Brian said with a grin.
"Oh, how very reassuring," Trunks muttered with a smile. Goten laughed.
"I know what you mean."
"Bye, Daddy!" Rienna yelled.
"Good luck, Trunks!" called Bulma.
"Thanks, Mom! Bye, everyone!"
"Bye, Dad!" Leah and Brian shouted at the same time.
"Good bye!" Goten turned and walked out the door. Trunks turned to follow, but stopped and turned around for one last glance at the room where his wife lay.
"Good bye, Chloe." Trunks wiped a tear from his eye and left the house.
"You okay?" Goten asked.
"Yeah," Trunks said, smiling. "Just fine." Together, the two walked off down the driveway. "Hey, Goten," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"I'll race ya!"
"You're on!"
"In here, Vegeta," Bulma said, guiding her husband into one of the labs at Capsule Corporation. "This way." She walked into the dark room and began to feel around for a light switch. Why did these laboratories have to be windowless? It was so dark… "Ah ha!" Bulma finally found the switch and flipped it on. "Now where is that machine…?"
"Well, hurry, woman, I haven't got all day!" Vegeta snarled. He was holding a very limp Chloe Briefs in his arms.
"Don't get your spandex all bunched up, Vegeta! Just calm down and be patient! Remember, we're doing this for Trunks!" Bulma snapped. "Now I know it's in here somewhere…"
"Grandma, is this it?" Brian asked, pulling the cover off a long, elliptical device. Bulma turned to see what he was talking about. When she saw that he had found the very thing she was looking for, Bulma began to praise her grandson.
"That's the one! Good eyes, Brian!" she said.
"Told ya," Rienna said, crossing her arms. Brian stuck his tongue out at his sister, and she did the same.
"C'mon, you two, none of that!" she scolded. "Over here, Vegeta!" She led him to a machine Vegeta had never seen before. It was shaped like an egg that had been stretched out, and was made of a silver-colored metal, excepting the glass cover over the top. Bulma pressed a large rectangular button near the end of the glass and the lid popped open with a loud hissing noise.
"About time," he said. Vegeta gently lowered his daughter-in-law's body into the machine.
"Careful, Vegeta! Watch her head!" The discontented Saiyan grumbled something under his breath and laid Chloe in the machine. Bulma closed the lid and pressed a code into the control panel on the side.
"So, Bulma, what exactly does this thing do?" Chi-Chi asked curiously.
"Well, Chi-Chi," Bulma said with a smile, "I'm glad you asked. You see, my father invented this machine to preserve things- people, plants, animals, etc.- in a state similar to being cryogenically frozen."
"Oh, I see," Chi-Chi said. "You're going to preserve her until Trunks and Goten return."
"Exactly."
"Not a bad idea, actually," Vegeta said.
"Vegeta, was that a compliment?" Bulma asked in shock. Her husband's eyes went wide, and he quickly crossed his arms and glared.
"No," he said promptly.
"Oh, well thanks anyway," Bulma said. "I guess I'll just have to eat all of those cookies by myself," she added. She gave him a tantalizing glance and ran her index finger up his neck as she walked out of the room, sending chills up his spine. Vegeta stared after her. He hadn't been paying much attention to the words coming out of her mouth, and the full meaning of them hadn't quite sunk in yet.
"C'mon, Ri, cookies!" Brian said, taking his sister by the hand and running out of the room with her. Both of them left the lab laughing.
"C'mon, Vegeta, or we'll leave you behind," Chi-Chi said. He shook his head and snapped back into reality.
"Right!"
"Cookies, cookies! Oatmeal cookies!" Jamie chanted, dancing around the kitchen when the rest of the group joined them. "Hi, guys! We're making cookies!"
"I can see that," Bulma said.
"Goku," Adrienne said, "is that batter mixed yet? I'm ready to make the second batch."
"Yep, just finished!" he said cheerfully. Goku had flour all over his face, but he didn't care. …Or didn't know. He took out his spoon and laid it in the sink. Then he wiped his forehead with his arm. "Whew! Even for a Saiyan, that's hard work!"
"I asked if you needed help," Jamie said.
"I know. Maybe next time I'll know better," Goku added with a wink to Chi-Chi.
"Ok!"
"Well, the first batch is done, and the second's cooking," Adrienne said, closing the oven. "And be careful, they're hot."
"Ok, Mommy!" Jamie said. "Sure, Mom!" Leah said at the same time.
"Ok, Aunt Adrienne," Brian said. "See, we listen to you. Unlike Uncle Goten…" Adrienne sweat-dropped.
"Brian, that wasn't nice!" Bulma scolded. Brian hung his head.
"Sorry…"
"That's ok," Adrienne said. "Go ahead, have a cookie."
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Brian said happily. He climbed into one of the chairs and snatched a cookie off the sheet.
"Grandma, can I take mine upstairs?" Rienna asked. Bulma looked at her curiously.
"Well, of course, but why, Ri?"
"I wanna wait for Daddy," she said simply.
"Oh, Ri," Adrienne said, kneeling to look her niece in the eyes. "Daddy won't be back for at least a couple of hours." Rienna began to finger the ring she had had in her hand since they'd left Adrienne's house.
"I know…" she said quietly.
"Why don't you come play with us, Ri?" Brian asked, his mouth full of oatmeal cookie.
"Yeah," Leah said, "it'll help to pass the time."
"I guess so…"
"And we can use your new basketball!" Jamie said happily. This idea seemed to cheer Rienna up quite a bit.
"Yeah! Oh," she said suddenly, "but what do I do with this?" Rienna held up the ring Trunks had given her.
"Tell you what," Bulma said. "Why don't I hold onto it while you go play, and I can give it back to you when you're done."
"Okay!" Rienna said. "I can't wear it anyway. It's too big!"
"I'll bet we can fix that," Vegeta said with a wink.
"C'mon, let's go play!" Brian said, running out of the kitchen. The other three followed him. He ran past a chair where Rienna's new basketball sat and without missing a step, picked it up, turned around, and, still running, threw it to his sister. "Catch!" Rienna did catch it, and with a laugh they all ran off to find the indoor basketball court.
"You're not going to resize that ring, are you?" Chi-Chi asked once the children were gone. "If she keeps it long enough, she might be able to wear it when she's older."
"I know," Vegeta said. "Which is why we have a better idea. Right, Bulma?" She nodded with a smile.
"Exactly."
"Oh!" Chi-Chi and Goku said at the same time.
"But there's one thing that's got me confused," Goku said.
"Well, what's that, Goku?" Bulma asked.
"Well," Goku said after a moment. "…You called her Bulma." Vegeta clinched his fists and growled.
"Shut your mouth, Kakarott!"
"Hey, Goten?" Trunks asked. He and Goten were flying high above the earth among the clouds. Trunks seemed to be lying on his back in mid-air, hands under his head.
"Yeah?" Goten replied.
"Thanks for coming along," his friend said. "It really means a lot to me." Goten smiled.
"No problem."
"I don't think you quite understand," Trunks said. "With Chloe gone, and the kids at home… I really need to be around someone that cares. It's not good to be alone."
"I know," Goten said. "That's why I came. Even when we're old and wrinkly and retired-" Trunks laughed at this- "you're still my best friend. Always and forever?" Trunks nodded and smiled.
"Always and forever."
"Hey, Trunks," Goten said suddenly.
"What?"
"Look out for that-" THUD! Trunks flew headfirst into the mountainside.
"AH!" Trunks cried in agony. He held his head in his hands and glared at the mountain. "What the heck's a mountain doing way up here?!"
"Well, it *is* a mountain…" Goten said with a small smile.
"Oh, shut up."
Vegeta's four grandchildren trudged back into the house as their basketball game ended. All of them were breathing heavily.
"So tired…… must… rest…" Brian slowly lumbered over to the couch and threw himself down.
"So sleepy…" Jamie also found his way to the couch and climbed up next to Brian. He laid down with his head on the armrest and almost immediately fell asleep. Brian quickly followed. Leah and Rienna walked in triumphantly, Rienna holding her basketball over her head like a trophy.
"We are the champions!!!" they declared together. Both of them giggled and looked at each other, suddenly feeling fatigue rush over their small bodies.
"Are you tired yet?" Rienna asked. Leah nodded.
"Uh huh." The girls climbed up onto the couch and wriggled their way between their brothers. Brian groaned as Rienna wiggled between him and the couch, but now his back was warmed by her own body heat, so he forgave her and went back to sleep. Leah and Jamie were also sleeping side-by-side on the other end.
Rienna snuggled closer to Brian. She felt safe when she was close to him. He'd protect her no matter what. And Daddy would be back soon, she decided. And he'd bring Mommy back. Rienna took a deep breath and sighed. And he'd bring Mommy back…
Bulma stood in the doorway and watched her grandchildren sleep. They had had such a rough day, she told herself. It was good for them to sleep. Sleep was peaceful… Suddenly Bulma realized that she, too, was tired. The events of the day had worn her out completely. Bulma closed her eyes. It felt good to rest, if only for a few minutes. Adrienne walked up behind her mother.
"Are they all asleep?" she asked. Without opening her eyes, Bulma nodded.
"I wish I could join them." Adrienne smiled.
"I know. Children have it easy, don't they?" Her mother chuckled.
"Sure do. But we had our chance."
"I know. But still…"
"Still what?" Bulma asked.
"It doesn't hurt to dream," Adrienne said finally.
"There's a flip side to that, you know."
"What's that?" Bulma opened her eyes and turned around to face her daughter.
"You never would have had Jamie or Leah if you hadn't grown up." Adrienne smiled.
"Guess you're right." Bulma grinned.
"Of course I'm right. Now let's get that ring taken care of."
The room was dark, with a single solitary desk lamp shining on the little oak desk in the room. Many computer panels and big screens lined the walls. At the desk, a man with short brown hair with gray streaks was sitting there in a roller chair, working on the final calculations and research to be done that night on his laptop computer. He was wearing what appeared to be a lab-coat over his brown dress pants and slick black shoes. "Is everything going according to plan, Ruben?" The man known as Ruben nodded.
"Yes sir." The other voice paused.
"Then you know what to do?" Ruben sighed.
"Yes sir."
"Good… See to it you don't screw this up." Ruben nodded again.
"No sir." He glanced at the little boy waiting for him outside his office. The little boy had his face, but his eyes were of his mother: pale yet crystal clear green, like the sea Ruben had once visited as a child. His hair was jet black and stood on end, spiked into separate clumps. His hair naturally grew like that, Ruben remembered. How odd it was…
The boy smiled at him and waved at his father. He couldn't wait for him to come home so they could play. His father longed to go home and forget about this whole mess, even if it was only for a day. But Ruben wouldn't be coming home anytime soon. He had a mission to fulfill.
Ruben sighed and stood, and started towards the door. The little boy, thinking his father was through with his work today, jumped down from his perch by the window and ran to greet his father. Ruben opened the door and found his son staring up at him expectantly.
"Hi Daddy!" the boy exclaimed. "Are you coming home now?" he asked. Ruben shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Aedan, but I have something I need to finish." Aedan sighed.
"Oh, ok… Well, can I come with you?" Ruben smiled sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, Aedan, you can't. I'd love for you to come, but you might get hurt, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Aedan hung his head.
"I know…" Ruben kneeled down to look his son in the face.
"Hey, I love you, ya know?" Aedan nodded.
"Yeah. I just wish you didn't have to work all the time."
"I know, me too. But I will be home tonight, ok?" Aedan nodded again.
"Ok."
"Now why don't you go home and help Mommy, alright? I'll be home as soon as I can."
"Alright. Bye, Daddy." Aedan hugged his father tightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too," Ruben said, hugging him back. He stood up straight. "I'll see you later, ok?"
"Ok!" Aedan ran off down the hall. "Bye, Daddy!"
"Bye, Aedan! Be careful!"
"I will!" With that, Aedan disappeared around the corner. Ruben smiled. He was growing up so fast these days. Ruben wondered if he would ever have the chance to really stay home and spend some time with his family. Well, right now he had a job to do. Ruben sighed and thought about the task ahead of him. He wasn't going to enjoy this.
Rienna slept soundly in her temporary room. Her brothers and cousins were as well. Capsule Corp. was peaceful, for once.
Her small hand clutched the ring her father had given her. It was now on a gold chain that hung around her neck. It had been Vegeta's idea to put it on the chain, and Rienna loved it. She couldn't wait to show Daddy and Uncle Goten when he got back with the Dragonballs. But for now, sleeping sounded good.
"Good… she's asleep." A dark figure looked through the window into Rienna's room. The sun was behind him, so only his silhouette could be seen against the sky. "That'll make things easier." The man, for it was a man, slowly opened the window as quietly as he could. Once the opening was big enough for him to fit through, the man crept into the room.
He hovered to her bedside and looked down at her. The man sighed. Well, it was now or never. He slowly reached down to pick her up.
Vegeta and his daughter sat in the kitchen. It was quiet in Capsule, and they were enjoying the silence. Suddenly, Vegeta felt another presence in the house. "Do you feel that?" Adrienne nodded. Suddenly, a boy about 11 years of age appeared next to both of them. He had short, spiked black hair and was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and baggy khaki pants.
"Darrin!" Adrienne exclaimed. She hadn't seen him for a while. She'd hoped he would come out of the gravity room for the party, but he'd insisted on staying home. It was amazing how much like Vegeta he was.
"Miss Adrienne," Darrin said slowly. "I think we should check on Rienna." Vegeta narrowed his eyes. If Darrin had come from the gravity room to tell them about something, it had to be important.
"Rienna?" Adrienne asked.
"Don't ask questions!" Vegeta said, standing up as he said the words. "Come on!" He disappeared and reappeared in Rienna's room. A man with short brown hair was holding his granddaughter, his Rienna, and was trying to take her away. The man looked up, saw Vegeta, and gasped.
"Y- You're Vegeta, aren't you?! Oh, man, he warned me about you!" Suddenly Adrienne and Darrin appeared behind Vegeta. They quickly realized what was going on and glared at the intruder.
"Well, whoever "he" is," Vegeta snarled, "he was right! Now hand over my granddaughter!" The man shook his head.
"I- I can't do that. We need her."
"Who is 'we'?!" Vegeta snapped.
"That's for me to know," the man said, a little more confident now that Vegeta hadn't immediately snapped him in two. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be going back."
"You're not going anywhere with her!" Adrienne declared.
"Yeah! Put her down!" Darrin said, going into his fighting stance. Again the man shook his head.
"Sorry," he said. Almost immediately, he was gone.
"No!" Vegeta cried, rushing to the window.
"Rienna!" Adrienne and Darrin yelled.
"Get back here!" Vegeta flew out the window in a rage and up into the sky to survey the ground below. No sign of the kidnapper. "NO!" Vegeta glared off into the distance. He fought back both angry and sad tears and slowly floated back through the window. He landed and sat down on Rienna's bed. "Darn it all…" Vegeta took a deep breath to keep from crying, and put his head in his hands.
"Oh no…!" Adrienne moaned. "No no no no…."
"This isn't happening," she heard Vegeta whispering to himself. "It's not real, it's just a dream…" Darrin walked over to the window and looked out across the horizon.
"Rienna…" Adrienne walked up behind him and stared out the window as well.
"Dad… What are we going to tell Trunks…?"
"Hey, Goten, we already have half of them!" Trunks exclaimed excitedly. "I can't believe it!"
"Yeah, we're making good time. If only we had two of these…" Goten said, holding up the dragon radar. "Then we could split up. You know, cover more ground."
"Not a bad idea," Trunks said. "Why didn't I think of that? I'll have to tell Mom when we get back. She'll make another one."
"Yeah!" All of a sudden, Trunks' cell phone began to ring. "Hey, Trunks, isn't that your phone?"
"Yeah…" They both stopped in midair as Trunks pulled his phone out of his backpack. "Hello? Oh, Mom! Hi! We were just talking about you! Listen, we had this- What? Mom, have you been crying?"
Goten frowned. Oh no… What could have happened in the short time they were gone? "Mom, Mom, slow down. What happened?" Trunks nodded as Bulma told him the story. "Uh huh… baking cookies.. nap…. WHAT?! Oh my gosh! We'll be right there!" Trunks slapped his phone shut and thrust it back in his backpack. "New plan, Goten," he said, fear written in his expression. "The Dragonballs can wait- Rienna's been kidnapped."
Goten and Trunks landed on the pathway leading to Capsule Corp. and ran into the house. "Mom!"
"Trunks!" Bulma rushed into her son's arms. "Oh, you're here! Thank goodness!"
"Goten!" Adrienne exclaimed. "You're back!" Goten met his wife in the middle of the room.
"What happened?" Goten asked. Adrienne shook her head.
"I don't know. Darrin warned us- There was this man- He was holding Rienna-"
"Where's Brian?" Trunks asked.
"I'm right here, Dad." Trunks turned around to find Brian standing behind him. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and stood there as Trunks rushed over to his son.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah." Trunks picked him up.
"Where's Dad?" Trunks asked sternly.
"Upstairs, Rienna's room," Bulma told him. "Goku's up there with him, but I don't think he's helping much, despite his best efforts." Trunks nodded.
"Here, Adrienne, take Brian for a second." Adrienne nodded and took Brian as Trunks walked up the stairs and into Rienna's room.
"Trunks, you're back!" Chi-Chi exclaimed.
"Hey, Trunks," Goku said. "I'm sorry… I wasn't here…" Trunks shook his head.
"It's not your fault…" he said. Trunks surveyed the room and found his father sitting on the bed. "Could… could you leave for a second?"
"Sure," Chi-Chi said. "C'mon, Goku." Both of them left and Trunks and Vegeta were alone. They were silent for a minute, then Vegeta spoke. Without looking up from his hands, he said:
"I should have done something… I just stood there, like an idiot…"
"How could you have let this happen???" Trunks demanded angrily. Vegeta didn't answer. "Tell me, Dad! How could you?"
"I don't-"
"Don't say you don't know, 'cause you do know!" Vegeta glared up angrily at his son.
"Well, at least I was here!" Trunks stood there, shocked.
"What?"
"At least I tried!" Vegeta snapped. "He just disappeared! I couldn't trace him! I tried as hard as I could! I'm sorry it wasn't good enough, and I'm not gonna give up on her, either, so don't give me that crap! I'm still your father!" Trunks narrowed his eyes.
"I'm a father, too, ya know…" He turned around to leave, and stopped at the doorway. He spoke without turning around. "And I'm taking my son and I am leaving." Vegeta stood up in shock.
"What?"
"You heard me." With that, Trunks walked off down the stairs.
"Brian, grab your coat," Trunks said as he descended the stairs.
"But Dad-"
"Just go get it. We're leaving."
"What?" everyone chorused.
"You can't leave," Adrienne said.
"Yeah, Rienna's still out there, and that guy-"
"I know, Goten," Trunks interrupted. "I know. But I've had just about all I can take of this. I'm going home to rest. Call the police if you want. Not that it'll do any good."
"Trunks!" Bulma exclaimed.
"No, Mom, don't," Trunks said. "I can't take it anymore." Brian ran back into the room with his coat on. Trunks picked him up and headed for the door. "Please, don't call me for a couple days, ok?" Bulma opened her mouth to protest, but Adrienne caught her eye and shook her head. Bulma sighed.
"Alright, Trunks. If that's what you want." Trunks nodded. "Alright, then."
"Thanks for understanding." He headed for the front door.
"Bye," Brian said solemnly, waving over his father's shoulder.
"Bye, Brian," Bulma said. Trunks walked out the door and closed it behind him.
When Trunks got home, the first thing he did was put Brian to bed. It had been a very rough holiday for everyone. Now that Rienna was gone… No, she wasn't gone. Trunks shook his head and walked into the kitchen. You know, he thought to himself, hot chocolate sounded pretty good right now. He warmed the water in the microwave and poured in the mix. After adding a few marshmallows, he sat down at the kitchen table and took a sip. He just needed to clear his mind. A lot had happened the last few days…
Trunks stared into his mug as he stirred the hot chocolate lazily. Hot chocolate was Chloe's favorite… Suddenly, Trunks didn't have the heart to drink anymore. He decided maybe he should go to bed, too. Trying not to be wasteful, Trunks put his mug in the fridge. Maybe he'd drink it later. Trunks shook his head and slowly walked into his room. He changed into the flannel pajamas Bulma had given him last Christmas and climbed into bed. Last Christmas… That brought back too many painful memories. Trunks shook his head and tried to stop thinking at all. It didn't work.
Suddenly, he found himself crying silently. It was all too much. Chloe… Rienna… Trunks flipped over onto his stomach and hid his face in his pillow. "No…!" he moaned over and over again. "No, no, no…! You're not dead! You're not gone!"
In the other room, Brian heard his father's groaning. He slowly shuffled into his father's room, climbed up onto the bed and lay down beside him.
"Daddy," he said softly, "hug me." Trunks lifted his head to look at his son. The mini-version of him was just as scared, if not more so, than he was. Trunks smiled weakly and pulled him close.
"Oh, Brian," he said, "I'm not ever gonna let you go." Trunks glanced over Brian's shoulder at last year's family picture that was sitting on the bedside table. "Not ever."
Ruben landed on the grounds of the lab with a little girl in his arms. He slowly walked into the lab and carried her down many chrome corridors until finally he reached the door he was looking for. It was a large room, but many a control panel took up most of the space. Against one wall was a desk, and on top of it were a microscope and several pages of hand-written notes. In the middle of the room was a chair with cruel-looking restraints for someone's hands and feet. There were some medical utensils- syringes, scissors, gauze, and the like- on a small cart beside the chair.
He walked over to the chair and set the little girl down. She was asleep, but would probably wake up soon, he figured. A man with black spiked hair walked into the room. He wore a light gray long-sleeved shirt that was tucked into his khaki pants, and brown dress shoes. Over that he wore a white lab-coat.
"Aaron!" Aaron nodded.
"Ruben." He smiled at the little girl asleep in the chair. "So you got her." Ruben looked away.
"Yes."
"Good. Any problems?"
"No sir," Ruben said quickly. "Well, I did run into Vegeta, but-" Aaron whirled around and glared at the younger man.
"What do you mean, you ran into him?"
"Well, er, sir, he caught me." Aaron's eyes flared. "B-But it's alright! He still doesn't have a clue to what's going on. And I made sure he couldn't track me." Aaron relaxed a little.
"Good." Rienna began to stir. "Oh?" She slowly opened her eyes. "Good evening, little one," Aaron said slyly. Rienna gasped.
"Who- Who are you?" she asked. "Where is everybody?"
"They're at home," Aaron said calmly. "But you're here. So I suppose the question is, where are you?"
"I don't *know* where I am!" Rienna shouted. "You take me home right now!"
"Sorry, kid," Aaron said coldly. "You're with us now. We need you."
"Well find someone else to need, 'cause I'm leaving!" Rienna tried to hop down from the chair, but Aaron quickly stopped her. "Hey, let go!"
"I don't think you get it. You're staying with us. For good."
"NO!" Rienna shouted. She kicked out at Aaron as hard as she could and hit his knee.
"Ow! You little-" Ruben interrupted Aaron's threats.
"Rienna," he said, "calm down."
"You!" Rienna exclaimed. "I saw you in my dream!"
"It wasn't a dream, kid," Aaron said, rubbing his sore knee. He walked over to the medical cart and picked up a syringe filled with a clear liquid. "Now hold still and you'll be dreaming again in no time." Rienna watched in horror as he brought it closer.
"No!" Aaron stuck the needle into her arm and injected the tranquilizer. Rienna slowly began to calm down, and her energy seemed to fade away. Finally, she was fast asleep.
"Well, that takes care of that," Aaron said, putting the syringe back on the cart. He picked up an empty one and began to sterilize it.
"Aaron," Ruben said quietly. "Remind me again why we had to use her of all people. I mean, couldn't we have used Adri-"
"No," Aaron answered sternly. "Good grief, Ruben, how many times do I have to tell you? We need her because we need those cells. They're part of a Saiyan's immune system." Aaron put the syringe back down. "Once a Saiyan, or, say, Saiyan descendant such as her, reaches the age of 7, the cells deteriorate because they are unneeded anymore. They're only used to help boost the immune system at a young age. That's why we couldn't use Adrienne."
"Oh." Ruben thought about this for a moment. "So what are we going to do with her once we've extracted the cells?"
"Oh, I don't know. We don't need her anymore, so…" Ruben gasped.
"You can't mean…" Aaron shrugged.
"We're devastating the planet, remember? What's one life?" Ruben thought a minute. What's one life….? He looked at Rienna, sleeping there in her chair of what seemed as impending doom. This girl reminded him of his own little boy back home. Back home…
"Say, Aaron," Ruben said suddenly. "Instead of just doing away with her, I can take her home with me." Aaron nearly had a heart attack.
"Are you crazy?! As soon as you turn your back, she'll be gone!"
"I think I've found a way around that. I've been working on a project recently…" Ruben walked over to one of the computers lining the wall and pulled up a few of his old notes. "I've been researching a better, more effective way to control someone's memory. If I could make her think she's not wanted at home anymore, then she'll be ready and willing to stay where she is wanted."
"Hm…" Aaron thought this over. "I see what you're saying. Say, and if she thinks her family abandoned her… This could work to our advantage."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Aaron said, beginning to pace as he thought. "If she thinks she was abandoned by her family, she'll obviously show resentment toward them."
"Revenge…" Ruben said thoughtfully. Aaron smiled a devious smile.
"Exactly."
"So what you're saying is that we could use her once the formula is finished." Aaron nodded.
"Of course." Ruben thought this over for a moment. He nodded.
"It just might work."
"Good. Get to work on it right away."
"Yes sir!" Ruben began to type away at his computer, figuring out all the details for the job ahead of him. He wasn't happy about what they'd done, but at least he could save her life.
WHOA! Who're these guys!? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?! Ha ha ha! Wouldn't you like to know? BWA HA HA HA!!!! Next chapter. ....If I'm gracious. *evil laughter* If you review, I might let you in on the story line a little. ~_^
