Warning! There's some not-nice language in this chapter, and a very, very
mild citrus flavor - just some innuendo. You have been warned.
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Dragon Ball Z The Movie 14 The Lady Kari by NansJns
Ch. 5: Under Her Control
"My Lady, the Earth ship is following us," the voice on Kari's communicator said. The escape pods all streaked to their target, the Earth ship containing the last male Saiyans a short distance behind them.
"I knew it would. I took something of interest to them. Send a message to the Legion to prepare for a quick-painless on the ship behind us," she instructed calmly. Behind her, tied to their chairs and gagged, were Bulma and Chi-chi. They growled at her lightly around the cloth in their mouths. "It's a good thing we were so close to the Legion when you fools attacked, or we might not have had enough fuel. These pods aren't really meant for long distance travel," Kari told the women over her shoulder. ((What legion is she talking about? Her army?)) Bulma and Chi- chi wondered. A faint sweat broke out across their brows. An unknown planet loomed in the distance, with three moons lazily spinning around it.
"Legion has set an intercept course," another voice said. A few minutes later, an immense space stronghold rounded the farthest moon and came toward the small escape pods like a vacuum cleaner heading toward grains of dust. Bulma and Chi-chi didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified - written on the side of the space craft was the word "Legion." The pods flew into its open bay doors and landed easily on the smooth floor.
"Hey! I have some prisoners here! Bring some restraints and let's get them to the holding cells!" Kari called to her people as she stepped out of her pod. Several of them instantly went to do as she said. One man came running up to her, and gave a respectful salute.
"Shall I take it, then, that the mission was finally successful? We have the rest of the surviving Saiyans with us at last? Why are they prisoners?" the man was eager, his eyes flashing with excitement. He knew that if this was the case, Lady Kari would be very happy, and they could at last focus on other matters.
"Well, yes, no, and it's not them I have as prisoners. It's their human mates. Turns out there were two full bloods and three half-breeds, and they were a little reluctant to join us. There was a small fight, and the Survivor was destroyed. I ended up taking their women to make them follow us. Is the quick-painless ready, Frude?" Kari explained calmly as two other officers came, and started to get the two Earth women out of Kari's pod. They untied the women, and Chi-chi flung one of them out of the pod. Bulma delivered a surprisingly good kick to the stomach of the other, and they made a break for it. "What the. . .?!" Kari snarled as they ran past her. They threw their gags away as they ran.
"When did you learn to do that?" Chi-chi asked Bulma as they ran through the crowd. They could hear Kari behind them yelling at her followers to catch them.
"You can't be the wife of the Prince of Saiyans and the mother of a half-Saiyan son and not learn a few things. I learned by watching Vegeta and Trunks spar. I'm not good at it though," Bulma answered as she breathed deeply.
"Good enough!" Chi-chi sent her a smile, and then they were both pushed to the floor. Kari pinned them with a sharp snarl, and then hauled them to their feet.
"Where did you think you'd run, huh?! You don't even know the layout of this place!" Kari growled as she pinned their arms to their sides once again. Two guards came up with handcuff-like devices. They snapped the devices on Chi-chi's and Bulma's wrists, putting their hands behind their backs. Kari then drug them down a series of hallways. They struggled against her every step of the way, but against a Saiyan, it was all but pointless. Chi-chi managed to land a painful blow to Kari's already bruised ribs as they reached the holding cells.
"Ow! Hey! That one actually hurt!" Kari snapped.
"Good!" Chi-chi growled. With the speed only Saiyans possessed, Kari removed their restraints and roughly threw the two women into side-by-side cells. Force fields flew up before they could try to escape, and they glared hatefully at their captor.
"Don't take this so personally," Kari smirked. "It's not you I want. You're just bait. As soon as I have your husbands and sons, I'll let you go."
"When Vegeta and Goku get through with you, there won't be enough left of you to fill a thimble!" Bulma snarled. Kari's smirk deepened.
"We'll see. I defeated them, they can't allow that. No Saiyan born could turn down a challenge," Kari observed. "Grabbing you was just to make sure they'd come."
"They're coming here to rescue us, not to fight. If you hadn't grabbed us before you left, we'd all be heading back to Earth now!" Chi-chi snapped. Kari stared at her for a moment, and looked at Bulma, who nodded ascent. Kari's eyes glittered with laughter.
"AAAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You really believe that, don't you?!" Kari threw her head back as she laughed, and then looked at the captive women again. "You actually believe they're coming just to save you? That's cute. That's a nice dream, but it's time to WAKE UP!" Kari leaned forward and smiled maliciously. "They're Saiyans. They live for the challenge. The simple fact is, _they love fighting more than they could ever love you_!" Kari's words cut into them like a knife, and Bulma and Chi-chi backed away from her.
"You're wrong! That's not true!" Chi-chi said as firmly as she could.
"Yeah! Vegeta loves fighting, but he loves me more!" Bulma could hear the tremble in her own voice. Kari's smile suddenly became sympathetic.
"I'm sorry, this must hurt. I thought. . .you knew that already," Kari said. "I mean, you've lived with them for years now. Surely you noticed. After all. . .how many times, exactly, have they taken off to deadly combat with a smile on their faces and no goodbye to you, or even so much as a backwards glance? Hm?" Kari tilted her head to the side, and watched Bulma and Chi-chi draw into themselves as they went over the uncountable number. "Well, I need to get to the bridge. We'll talk some more later, all right?" Kari smiled almost evilly, and then left.
"Don't listen to her. We-we know them, she doesn't. They love us more than fighting," Chi-chi said, not liking the uncertainty in her own voice.
"You can say that," Bulma's voice was soft and upset. "Goku grew up thinking he was human, he's always fought because others were in danger. The fact he enjoyed the challenge was always a side point. But I. . ." her voice faltered, and became choked. ((Vegeta grew up a Saiyan. . .he fought purely for the challenge of it, never caring who he hurt. I don't know. . .if he loves me more than fighting or not.)) Hot tears began welling up in her eyes.
"Now, you listen to me! Vegeta has become a decent person and a willing fighter for Earth because he loves you! You can't believe that insane Saiyan woman!" Chi-chi said strongly. Bulma sighed, and gave a small nod. She had heard him scream her name when Kari had captured them. He did love her. . .but. . .she didn't finish the thought. She would know the truth when their rescuers came.
Vegeta glared through the front viewport with a deep scowl on his face. He could see the stronghold the escape pods were all flying to, and he could sense Bulma's distress. The Bond made them acutely aware of each other, sensing emotions and thoughts. Vegeta glanced at Kakarot and could tell the third-class Saiyan was also feeling agitation from his own mate. At first, it had been fear, but now Vegeta felt a deep wave of sorrow in Bulma. What had happened? Vegeta's concentration on the link between himself and Bulma was broken by Krillin's voice.
"I've checked, and there's only a few extra clothes on the ship," Krillin was saying to the Saiyans. He held some shirts and pants in his arms.
"Clothes? Why were you looking for. . ." Vegeta started to snarl, but stopped when he remembered that they had been pulled out of bed. Goten and Trunks were wearing pajama tops and bottoms, Gohan was wearing a tank top and boxers, Kakarot was wearing only boxers, and he himself was only wearing pants. He praised Kami that he had thought to throw them on before he went out the window after Trunks. They all dressed quickly, Vegeta just throwing on a shirt. He finally ate a senzu bean, and felt the pain in his arm fade. He still didn't care about the wound, though. ((Wait for me, Bulma. I'll be there soon.)) Vegeta concentrated all of his will to send that message to her.
"Vegeta?" Bulma tilted her head to the side. For a moment, she thought she'd heard his voice.
"Prepare for the quick-painless!" Kari barked as her people moved around the bridge of her stronghold. The Earth ship was in range. Buttons were pushed and levers thrown, and a beam of light grazed the ship's side.
"What the hell was that?!" Yamcha asked as he got up from the floor where the blast had sent him.
"They're firing on us!" Vegeta snarled as he moved the ship to avoid another laser beam.
"Funny, they don't seem to be aimed to destroy us," Goku observed as another blast skimmed their side.
"Maybe they're just lousy shots," Gohan answered. Two more beams were shot at them, and as Vegeta piloted the ship to avoid them, a third beam hit them square on. It was like being caught in a giant magnet, and they were pulled straight into Kari's stronghold.
When the Earth ship landed in The Legion's landing bay, it was greeted by over a hundred armed guards. Kari watched from the back of the crowd as the door to the Earth ship opened. After a few seconds, the Earth Special Forces flew out of the open door and plowed through the guards.
"Didn't she get the idea the last time? These guys are no match for us!" Goten snapped as he flung several guards aside.
"Tell me where Chi-chi is!" Goku growled at one guard as he lifted him up by the neck. Vegeta was a little impressed - Kakarot was acting like any Saiyan who's mate was threatened by something she alone couldn't handle. Goku felt like his insides were tied in knots. He could feel Chi- chi's fear and sadness, and he was afraid something had happened to her. He couldn't believe he had allowed her to be taken; it was killing him inside. There was no telling what Kari might have done to her. ((At least she's alive.)) Goku thought, ((And I'm going to find her, one way or the other.)) Vegeta had the same idea.
"Where are you holding my mate?!" Vegeta bellowed at another guard.
"Fuck you!" the guard snarled, and fired into Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta gasped, and then snapped the man's spine in two. The wound hurt, but Vegeta could stand it. He swung his arm in a deadly arc and sliced through the crowd with a ki beam. The others were also knocking guards down left and right. Ki beams were flying everywhere, and Kari began to worry that the Legion would go the way of the Survivor.
"Beta 3 attack!" she ordered, and the guards' changed their attack pattern. They swarmed like locusts in a flanking pattern, and suddenly pulled out small spheres that they threw at their attackers. When the spheres hit, gas was released.
"That's not fair!" Trunks choked as he fell to the hard deck. Goten and Chiao-Tzu followed suit, and within moments the entire group was down on the floor. Vegeta and Goku struggled to stay awake a while longer, glaring hatefully at Kari as she sauntered up to them calmly. She was wearing a gas mask to protect herself from the remaining fumes.
"Welcome back, gentlemen. This time, I hope to make your stay a little more. . . permanent," Kari cooed at them as she knelt down beside them. They strived to spit an answer at her, but their heads were too heavy and fuzzy, and then they sank into blackness. Kari stood and faced her men, who were also wearing gas masks. "Take the Earthers and the Namek to the lower holding cells, the ones with the power dampeners. The Saiyans are to be taken to the C-Room, and chained with the special restraints. Take the half-breeds to E-Room 8. Move it, before any of them start waking up!" she barked, and the guards leapt forward to do as they were told. The unconscious warriors were roughly dragged off to their destinations. ((My long search is over. . .I have them. . .soon, I'll have answers. . .I'm not losing them after all I've gone through, Earth women or no Earth women! I can still help my race.)) Kari was feeling almost light-headed with her victory. She hated forcing the Saiyans like this, but if that was the only way to make them behave, then she'd do it.
Bulma and Chi-chi watched as their friends were hauled passed them to an elevator that sat at the far end of the row of cells. Panic clutched their hearts when they realized their husbands and children weren't among the downed prisoners.
"Where are the Saiyans?!" Chi-chi snapped at the guard carrying Chiao- Tzu over his shoulder. She figured they wouldn't know their names. The guard looked at her coldly, then humphed.
"The pure bloods are in the C-Room, and the half-breeds are in Experimental Room 8. Like it makes a difference to you," the guard answered calmly and walked off.
"C-Room?" Chi-chi whispered.
"Experimental Room 8?" Bulma gasped softly.
"What does that mean?" they murmured together.
Goku and Vegeta woke up chained to two tall pillars in the middle of a large, dark room. The only light seemed to be the bright spotlights focused on them. They looked around, but couldn't see anything. Vegeta gave a growl and pulled on the chains. Did these fools think they could hold the Prince of the Saiyans?! He pulled on the chains again, but they held fast. Goku strove to break his own chains, but they didn't even creak with the pressure he put on them. They kept jerking on the chains, but the metal neither bent nor broke.
"What the hell?!" Vegeta spat in frustration. He winced inwardly as he realized all of his movement had made the burning injury in his stomach worse. He didn't have time to worry about it, though.
"What are these things made of?!" Goku was extremely annoyed. They grunted sharply as they powered up, and tried to break the chains again. The chains still remained intact, but now they heard the pillars cracking. The chains might hold, but the pillars weren't going to, and that was good enough for them.
"Awake and causing trouble already?" a familiar female voice asked, and they turned their attention away from breaking the pillars. Kari walked up to them out of the darkness and smiled. They didn't notice the new bracelet she wore on her right wrist. "Those are the same kind of chains that were used to hold me when I started getting strong. Even though they kept me in a little room, I managed to exercise and train. It's just a Saiyan thing, I guess," she observed. "They tried to slow me down by putting me in heavy gravity. But I adjusted, and kept on working out. They'd turn up the gravity, I'd adjust, they'd turn it up more - they must have done it at least a dozen times before they finally realized it wasn't going to work." For a moment, Goku and Vegeta wondered at how stupid the scientists must have been. But the moment passed quickly. They had more important things on their minds.
"You bitch! Where's Bulma and Trunks?!" Vegeta roared at her.
"What have you done with Chi-chi, Gohan, and Goten?! And all the others?!" Goku snarled loudly.
"They're all safe," Kari shrugged. "Your Earth friends and wives have no interest for me. You and your sons are the ones I want."
"Well, you can't have us!" Goku snapped. Kari chortled.
"Have you been paying attention? I already have you," she reached out and placed her fingertips under his chin. Goku pulled his face away from her grasp. Kari grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "If you don't play nice, I'll never let you see your wives again, you know."
"Why does that not surprise me? How cliche," Vegeta grunted. Kari shrugged lightly as she released Goku's chin.
"I'll grant you that. But what the hey, I have them, I might as well use them," Kari admitted. "Tell me, what's so special about those women, anyway? How could such frail, weak creatures capture the hearts and minds of the last male Saiyans so easily?" Goku and Vegeta glared at her quietly.
"Their bodies may be weak and frail compared to ours, but that doesn't matter to us. Chi-chi is plenty tough, and she's sweet and loving too - and a good mother and cook," Goku answered shortly.
"Bulma is Bulma. That's all the reason I need," Vegeta bit off the words.
"Mm-hm. But how. . .do you _hold_ them? I'd imagine it would very difficult to touch them without hurting them," Kari stated simply, and watched them scowl at her. She continued before they could speak. "Such breakable things, really. Me, on the other hand - I'm as tough as nails. My body could take five times as much. . .punishment. . .as either of them," she smirked a bit when she saw the blush of red across their noses. She giggled as her tail tickled Goku's cheek, and he jerked away. She teased Vegeta next, but he tried to bite the furry appendage.
"Keep your filthy tail to yourself," Vegeta growled. "Do you have any idea what that gesture means among Saiyans?"
"Huh? No. I was just teasing. It means something?" Kari blinked, and her eyes became wide and curious.
"That signifies an interest in becoming mates," Vegeta hissed. "What level are you, anyway? A third-class like Kakarot? And do you have any idea of who I am?"
"I'm a second-class, I'll have you know, and I believe I mentioned earlier I'm out to make a new generation of pure-blooded Saiyans," Kari disliked Vegeta's tone of voice. "And what does it matter who you are?"
"I'm the PRINCE of all Saiyans, you idiot!" Vegeta barked. Her tail began wagging in excitement.
"You don't say? It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," she made a show of bowing to him. "Hey, maybe you can tell me - what are our tails for?" she asked. They both stared at her for a minute.
"You. . .don't know?" Vegeta asked slowly.
"Have you ever looked at a full moon?" Goku stepped in. Kari shook her head.
"No, I haven't. But what's that got to do with tails?" Kari caught her own tail and looked at it.
"Nothing," they both said at once. No sense giving her more power than she already had.
A strange look filled her eyes then. She leaned in close to Vegeta. "Since we're doing a Q & A session, why do Bulma and Chi-chi have little scars on their shoulders that look like bite marks? I noticed them when I was hauling the ladies down to their cells," she asked lowly. Vegeta snorted.
"Saiyans mark their mates that way. Those marks show that they're our mates," he answered simply. Goku's face was red; it had been pure instinct when he 'marked' Chi-chi. It had taken a while to work up the courage to ask Vegeta if it meant anything, and when he had asked, Vegeta had laughed before he'd told him.
"Oh really? Hm, do you have bite marks on you, too?" Kari purred a bit as she pulled Vegeta's shirt back to have a look at his neck. The skin appeared to be unmarked, but she could just see some tiny scars that could have been made by teeth. "Hmm, interesting. I bet I'd make a more visible mark," she continued to purr, and moved over to Goku. "And you?" she leaned against him and checked his neck. Sure enough, there were some tiny scars on him. "Uh huh," she sighed against his neck. "By the way, speaking of scars, what happened to your tails? I saw a large scar on your back, right about where it was supposed to be. . ." her hand drifted down and behind him, to feel the place. Goku gasped and reacted violently. His leg snapped up and kicked her away. Kari flew a few feet and hit the ground with a thud. She got back up and smiled. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Don't you ever touch me there!" Goku snapped.
"Looks like I hit a sensitive spot," Kari smirked, and wiped the blood from her mouth.
"What happened to our tails is none of your business!" Vegeta snarled, worried she might try touching where his tail used to be too. Those were very sensitive spots, a single touch could cause pain, or even pleasure. And he didn't want either from Kari.
"I suppose not," Kari shrugged. "Tell me, would you like to see your wives?" she asked sweetly. They stared at her for a moment, and she snapped her fingers. An image of Bulma and Chi-chi in their cells appeared in font of them. They blinked as they realized there was a large screen in front of them playing the images. The two women looked very worried and upset, and were examining the rooms they were locked in. "Look how helpless they are. If they were Saiyans, they'd have broken out of there already," Kari tilted her head to one side as she watched the two.
"Stop insulting them!" Goku half-roared.
"One more nasty word about Bulma, and I'll rip your head off," Vegeta growled at the same time. Kari studied them for a few moments, then sighed.
"You are a pure soul, aren't you, Goku? Well, right now, purity isn't going to get any of us anywhere. And you're very stubborn, Vegeta," Kari stated calmly as she produced two thin, red, crystal-chip things from her pocket. They were remarkably undamaged by the kick Goku had dealt her. "I didn't want to do this, but it seems I have no choice," she stated as she walked up to Goku again. She snapped her hand forward and pressed one of the red chip-things onto his forehead. There was a whirring, and then sparks as the control chip attached to Goku. His eyes went blank again, and he swore mentally. Kari turned to Vegeta, who lashed out at her with his feet. She jumped over his kick, and slammed the chip into place. His eyes faded out too, and Kari unchained the two Saiyans. "You're mine now, whether you like it or not," she said softly, hitting a button on her bracelet. The chips flashed in response. She gazed at the last two male Saiyans for a moment, and then kissed both of them on the lips. "Our race won't die," she whispered, a promise to them. "Now, to deal with the half- breeds," she turned and walked away, and Vegeta and Goku followed after her. Creem watched them walk down the hallway, and sighed softly.
"The control chips. . .to think she had to use those," Creem murmured sadly.
Gohan, Goten, and Trunks were all strapped down to metal medical tables. They had regained consciousness several minutes ago, and had been trying to break free. The bonds were surprisingly strong, unfortunately, and they'd found they could hardly move. Worse, there was some kind of device nearby draining their ki, so they couldn't even power up to Super Saiyan. Though they would never admit it, they were all scared. There was no telling what Kari would do to them, since she obviously wasn't completely sane. At the very least, she was seriously confused and messed up. Either way, they didn't want to be at her mercy. Doctors or scientists or something worked around them, and ignored their threats and pleas.
"Ah, good morning boys! Sleep well?" Kari beamed at them as she strolled in. The workers turned and saluted her. "At ease, gentlemen." she waved them off, and looked down on the young half-Saiyans.
"You?! Where are our moms and dads?!" they snapped at her like vipers. "And the others?"
"Your mothers are in holding cells, as are your friends. Your fathers are right here," Kari motioned behind her, and the three boys looked around her and saw their fathers standing by the door.
"DAD! Thank Kami! What are you standing there for?! Hurry and. . ." Gohan started, but then stopped. Something was wrong. His dad's eyes were wide and empty, and something red was attached to his forehead.
"Daddy. . .?" Goten's voice was very small.
"Papa! What. . .?!" Trunks also noticed something wrong with his father. His breathing became ragged with fear at the empty look in his father's eyes.
"What have you done to them?!" Gohan roared at Kari.
"Nothing. I just put some mind control chips on them to make them behave. They're more effective than the music box, and much harder to break," Kari smirked. "Now, you three are something of a quandary. You're not full Saiyans, but you have Saiyan blood in you, and it's obviously the dominate force in your bodies. So, the best course of action would be. . .to remove the human blood from your veins." The scientists/doctors looked uncomfortable, but said nothing.
"WHAT?! Are you insane?! That's impossible!" Gohan almost yelled. Kari didn't seemed fazed in the least.
"Frieza's scientists came up with a serum that purified blood of alien elements. I found that with some tweaking, it could be used to rid half-breeds of their non-Saiyan blood," Kari explained as the scientists/doctors got out bottles and started prepping needles. They filled the needles with the strange blue liquid, and approached the trapped half-breeds. Gohan, Goten, and Trunks writhed underneath the straps, desperately trying to break free. There was no telling what that stuff would do to them. If it worked, it would be removing half their genetic code - it could kill them!
"Daddy! Don't let her!" Goten begged his entranced father, who was standing by and watching as the doctors got closer to them.
"Dad, fight it!! You're stronger than some damn computer chip!" Gohan yelled, his panic clear in his voice. The doctors/scientists were finding good veins to put the needles into. Goku flinched, but otherwise didn't move.
"PAPA! HELP!" Trunks shrieked as the doctor/scientist working on him prepared to stick the needle into him.
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Next time: Ch.6: Freeing the Saiyans - Where Are You, Kari?!
E-mail me at NansJns@aol.com!
Dragon Ball Z The Movie 14 The Lady Kari by NansJns
Ch. 5: Under Her Control
"My Lady, the Earth ship is following us," the voice on Kari's communicator said. The escape pods all streaked to their target, the Earth ship containing the last male Saiyans a short distance behind them.
"I knew it would. I took something of interest to them. Send a message to the Legion to prepare for a quick-painless on the ship behind us," she instructed calmly. Behind her, tied to their chairs and gagged, were Bulma and Chi-chi. They growled at her lightly around the cloth in their mouths. "It's a good thing we were so close to the Legion when you fools attacked, or we might not have had enough fuel. These pods aren't really meant for long distance travel," Kari told the women over her shoulder. ((What legion is she talking about? Her army?)) Bulma and Chi- chi wondered. A faint sweat broke out across their brows. An unknown planet loomed in the distance, with three moons lazily spinning around it.
"Legion has set an intercept course," another voice said. A few minutes later, an immense space stronghold rounded the farthest moon and came toward the small escape pods like a vacuum cleaner heading toward grains of dust. Bulma and Chi-chi didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified - written on the side of the space craft was the word "Legion." The pods flew into its open bay doors and landed easily on the smooth floor.
"Hey! I have some prisoners here! Bring some restraints and let's get them to the holding cells!" Kari called to her people as she stepped out of her pod. Several of them instantly went to do as she said. One man came running up to her, and gave a respectful salute.
"Shall I take it, then, that the mission was finally successful? We have the rest of the surviving Saiyans with us at last? Why are they prisoners?" the man was eager, his eyes flashing with excitement. He knew that if this was the case, Lady Kari would be very happy, and they could at last focus on other matters.
"Well, yes, no, and it's not them I have as prisoners. It's their human mates. Turns out there were two full bloods and three half-breeds, and they were a little reluctant to join us. There was a small fight, and the Survivor was destroyed. I ended up taking their women to make them follow us. Is the quick-painless ready, Frude?" Kari explained calmly as two other officers came, and started to get the two Earth women out of Kari's pod. They untied the women, and Chi-chi flung one of them out of the pod. Bulma delivered a surprisingly good kick to the stomach of the other, and they made a break for it. "What the. . .?!" Kari snarled as they ran past her. They threw their gags away as they ran.
"When did you learn to do that?" Chi-chi asked Bulma as they ran through the crowd. They could hear Kari behind them yelling at her followers to catch them.
"You can't be the wife of the Prince of Saiyans and the mother of a half-Saiyan son and not learn a few things. I learned by watching Vegeta and Trunks spar. I'm not good at it though," Bulma answered as she breathed deeply.
"Good enough!" Chi-chi sent her a smile, and then they were both pushed to the floor. Kari pinned them with a sharp snarl, and then hauled them to their feet.
"Where did you think you'd run, huh?! You don't even know the layout of this place!" Kari growled as she pinned their arms to their sides once again. Two guards came up with handcuff-like devices. They snapped the devices on Chi-chi's and Bulma's wrists, putting their hands behind their backs. Kari then drug them down a series of hallways. They struggled against her every step of the way, but against a Saiyan, it was all but pointless. Chi-chi managed to land a painful blow to Kari's already bruised ribs as they reached the holding cells.
"Ow! Hey! That one actually hurt!" Kari snapped.
"Good!" Chi-chi growled. With the speed only Saiyans possessed, Kari removed their restraints and roughly threw the two women into side-by-side cells. Force fields flew up before they could try to escape, and they glared hatefully at their captor.
"Don't take this so personally," Kari smirked. "It's not you I want. You're just bait. As soon as I have your husbands and sons, I'll let you go."
"When Vegeta and Goku get through with you, there won't be enough left of you to fill a thimble!" Bulma snarled. Kari's smirk deepened.
"We'll see. I defeated them, they can't allow that. No Saiyan born could turn down a challenge," Kari observed. "Grabbing you was just to make sure they'd come."
"They're coming here to rescue us, not to fight. If you hadn't grabbed us before you left, we'd all be heading back to Earth now!" Chi-chi snapped. Kari stared at her for a moment, and looked at Bulma, who nodded ascent. Kari's eyes glittered with laughter.
"AAAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You really believe that, don't you?!" Kari threw her head back as she laughed, and then looked at the captive women again. "You actually believe they're coming just to save you? That's cute. That's a nice dream, but it's time to WAKE UP!" Kari leaned forward and smiled maliciously. "They're Saiyans. They live for the challenge. The simple fact is, _they love fighting more than they could ever love you_!" Kari's words cut into them like a knife, and Bulma and Chi-chi backed away from her.
"You're wrong! That's not true!" Chi-chi said as firmly as she could.
"Yeah! Vegeta loves fighting, but he loves me more!" Bulma could hear the tremble in her own voice. Kari's smile suddenly became sympathetic.
"I'm sorry, this must hurt. I thought. . .you knew that already," Kari said. "I mean, you've lived with them for years now. Surely you noticed. After all. . .how many times, exactly, have they taken off to deadly combat with a smile on their faces and no goodbye to you, or even so much as a backwards glance? Hm?" Kari tilted her head to the side, and watched Bulma and Chi-chi draw into themselves as they went over the uncountable number. "Well, I need to get to the bridge. We'll talk some more later, all right?" Kari smiled almost evilly, and then left.
"Don't listen to her. We-we know them, she doesn't. They love us more than fighting," Chi-chi said, not liking the uncertainty in her own voice.
"You can say that," Bulma's voice was soft and upset. "Goku grew up thinking he was human, he's always fought because others were in danger. The fact he enjoyed the challenge was always a side point. But I. . ." her voice faltered, and became choked. ((Vegeta grew up a Saiyan. . .he fought purely for the challenge of it, never caring who he hurt. I don't know. . .if he loves me more than fighting or not.)) Hot tears began welling up in her eyes.
"Now, you listen to me! Vegeta has become a decent person and a willing fighter for Earth because he loves you! You can't believe that insane Saiyan woman!" Chi-chi said strongly. Bulma sighed, and gave a small nod. She had heard him scream her name when Kari had captured them. He did love her. . .but. . .she didn't finish the thought. She would know the truth when their rescuers came.
Vegeta glared through the front viewport with a deep scowl on his face. He could see the stronghold the escape pods were all flying to, and he could sense Bulma's distress. The Bond made them acutely aware of each other, sensing emotions and thoughts. Vegeta glanced at Kakarot and could tell the third-class Saiyan was also feeling agitation from his own mate. At first, it had been fear, but now Vegeta felt a deep wave of sorrow in Bulma. What had happened? Vegeta's concentration on the link between himself and Bulma was broken by Krillin's voice.
"I've checked, and there's only a few extra clothes on the ship," Krillin was saying to the Saiyans. He held some shirts and pants in his arms.
"Clothes? Why were you looking for. . ." Vegeta started to snarl, but stopped when he remembered that they had been pulled out of bed. Goten and Trunks were wearing pajama tops and bottoms, Gohan was wearing a tank top and boxers, Kakarot was wearing only boxers, and he himself was only wearing pants. He praised Kami that he had thought to throw them on before he went out the window after Trunks. They all dressed quickly, Vegeta just throwing on a shirt. He finally ate a senzu bean, and felt the pain in his arm fade. He still didn't care about the wound, though. ((Wait for me, Bulma. I'll be there soon.)) Vegeta concentrated all of his will to send that message to her.
"Vegeta?" Bulma tilted her head to the side. For a moment, she thought she'd heard his voice.
"Prepare for the quick-painless!" Kari barked as her people moved around the bridge of her stronghold. The Earth ship was in range. Buttons were pushed and levers thrown, and a beam of light grazed the ship's side.
"What the hell was that?!" Yamcha asked as he got up from the floor where the blast had sent him.
"They're firing on us!" Vegeta snarled as he moved the ship to avoid another laser beam.
"Funny, they don't seem to be aimed to destroy us," Goku observed as another blast skimmed their side.
"Maybe they're just lousy shots," Gohan answered. Two more beams were shot at them, and as Vegeta piloted the ship to avoid them, a third beam hit them square on. It was like being caught in a giant magnet, and they were pulled straight into Kari's stronghold.
When the Earth ship landed in The Legion's landing bay, it was greeted by over a hundred armed guards. Kari watched from the back of the crowd as the door to the Earth ship opened. After a few seconds, the Earth Special Forces flew out of the open door and plowed through the guards.
"Didn't she get the idea the last time? These guys are no match for us!" Goten snapped as he flung several guards aside.
"Tell me where Chi-chi is!" Goku growled at one guard as he lifted him up by the neck. Vegeta was a little impressed - Kakarot was acting like any Saiyan who's mate was threatened by something she alone couldn't handle. Goku felt like his insides were tied in knots. He could feel Chi- chi's fear and sadness, and he was afraid something had happened to her. He couldn't believe he had allowed her to be taken; it was killing him inside. There was no telling what Kari might have done to her. ((At least she's alive.)) Goku thought, ((And I'm going to find her, one way or the other.)) Vegeta had the same idea.
"Where are you holding my mate?!" Vegeta bellowed at another guard.
"Fuck you!" the guard snarled, and fired into Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta gasped, and then snapped the man's spine in two. The wound hurt, but Vegeta could stand it. He swung his arm in a deadly arc and sliced through the crowd with a ki beam. The others were also knocking guards down left and right. Ki beams were flying everywhere, and Kari began to worry that the Legion would go the way of the Survivor.
"Beta 3 attack!" she ordered, and the guards' changed their attack pattern. They swarmed like locusts in a flanking pattern, and suddenly pulled out small spheres that they threw at their attackers. When the spheres hit, gas was released.
"That's not fair!" Trunks choked as he fell to the hard deck. Goten and Chiao-Tzu followed suit, and within moments the entire group was down on the floor. Vegeta and Goku struggled to stay awake a while longer, glaring hatefully at Kari as she sauntered up to them calmly. She was wearing a gas mask to protect herself from the remaining fumes.
"Welcome back, gentlemen. This time, I hope to make your stay a little more. . . permanent," Kari cooed at them as she knelt down beside them. They strived to spit an answer at her, but their heads were too heavy and fuzzy, and then they sank into blackness. Kari stood and faced her men, who were also wearing gas masks. "Take the Earthers and the Namek to the lower holding cells, the ones with the power dampeners. The Saiyans are to be taken to the C-Room, and chained with the special restraints. Take the half-breeds to E-Room 8. Move it, before any of them start waking up!" she barked, and the guards leapt forward to do as they were told. The unconscious warriors were roughly dragged off to their destinations. ((My long search is over. . .I have them. . .soon, I'll have answers. . .I'm not losing them after all I've gone through, Earth women or no Earth women! I can still help my race.)) Kari was feeling almost light-headed with her victory. She hated forcing the Saiyans like this, but if that was the only way to make them behave, then she'd do it.
Bulma and Chi-chi watched as their friends were hauled passed them to an elevator that sat at the far end of the row of cells. Panic clutched their hearts when they realized their husbands and children weren't among the downed prisoners.
"Where are the Saiyans?!" Chi-chi snapped at the guard carrying Chiao- Tzu over his shoulder. She figured they wouldn't know their names. The guard looked at her coldly, then humphed.
"The pure bloods are in the C-Room, and the half-breeds are in Experimental Room 8. Like it makes a difference to you," the guard answered calmly and walked off.
"C-Room?" Chi-chi whispered.
"Experimental Room 8?" Bulma gasped softly.
"What does that mean?" they murmured together.
Goku and Vegeta woke up chained to two tall pillars in the middle of a large, dark room. The only light seemed to be the bright spotlights focused on them. They looked around, but couldn't see anything. Vegeta gave a growl and pulled on the chains. Did these fools think they could hold the Prince of the Saiyans?! He pulled on the chains again, but they held fast. Goku strove to break his own chains, but they didn't even creak with the pressure he put on them. They kept jerking on the chains, but the metal neither bent nor broke.
"What the hell?!" Vegeta spat in frustration. He winced inwardly as he realized all of his movement had made the burning injury in his stomach worse. He didn't have time to worry about it, though.
"What are these things made of?!" Goku was extremely annoyed. They grunted sharply as they powered up, and tried to break the chains again. The chains still remained intact, but now they heard the pillars cracking. The chains might hold, but the pillars weren't going to, and that was good enough for them.
"Awake and causing trouble already?" a familiar female voice asked, and they turned their attention away from breaking the pillars. Kari walked up to them out of the darkness and smiled. They didn't notice the new bracelet she wore on her right wrist. "Those are the same kind of chains that were used to hold me when I started getting strong. Even though they kept me in a little room, I managed to exercise and train. It's just a Saiyan thing, I guess," she observed. "They tried to slow me down by putting me in heavy gravity. But I adjusted, and kept on working out. They'd turn up the gravity, I'd adjust, they'd turn it up more - they must have done it at least a dozen times before they finally realized it wasn't going to work." For a moment, Goku and Vegeta wondered at how stupid the scientists must have been. But the moment passed quickly. They had more important things on their minds.
"You bitch! Where's Bulma and Trunks?!" Vegeta roared at her.
"What have you done with Chi-chi, Gohan, and Goten?! And all the others?!" Goku snarled loudly.
"They're all safe," Kari shrugged. "Your Earth friends and wives have no interest for me. You and your sons are the ones I want."
"Well, you can't have us!" Goku snapped. Kari chortled.
"Have you been paying attention? I already have you," she reached out and placed her fingertips under his chin. Goku pulled his face away from her grasp. Kari grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "If you don't play nice, I'll never let you see your wives again, you know."
"Why does that not surprise me? How cliche," Vegeta grunted. Kari shrugged lightly as she released Goku's chin.
"I'll grant you that. But what the hey, I have them, I might as well use them," Kari admitted. "Tell me, what's so special about those women, anyway? How could such frail, weak creatures capture the hearts and minds of the last male Saiyans so easily?" Goku and Vegeta glared at her quietly.
"Their bodies may be weak and frail compared to ours, but that doesn't matter to us. Chi-chi is plenty tough, and she's sweet and loving too - and a good mother and cook," Goku answered shortly.
"Bulma is Bulma. That's all the reason I need," Vegeta bit off the words.
"Mm-hm. But how. . .do you _hold_ them? I'd imagine it would very difficult to touch them without hurting them," Kari stated simply, and watched them scowl at her. She continued before they could speak. "Such breakable things, really. Me, on the other hand - I'm as tough as nails. My body could take five times as much. . .punishment. . .as either of them," she smirked a bit when she saw the blush of red across their noses. She giggled as her tail tickled Goku's cheek, and he jerked away. She teased Vegeta next, but he tried to bite the furry appendage.
"Keep your filthy tail to yourself," Vegeta growled. "Do you have any idea what that gesture means among Saiyans?"
"Huh? No. I was just teasing. It means something?" Kari blinked, and her eyes became wide and curious.
"That signifies an interest in becoming mates," Vegeta hissed. "What level are you, anyway? A third-class like Kakarot? And do you have any idea of who I am?"
"I'm a second-class, I'll have you know, and I believe I mentioned earlier I'm out to make a new generation of pure-blooded Saiyans," Kari disliked Vegeta's tone of voice. "And what does it matter who you are?"
"I'm the PRINCE of all Saiyans, you idiot!" Vegeta barked. Her tail began wagging in excitement.
"You don't say? It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," she made a show of bowing to him. "Hey, maybe you can tell me - what are our tails for?" she asked. They both stared at her for a minute.
"You. . .don't know?" Vegeta asked slowly.
"Have you ever looked at a full moon?" Goku stepped in. Kari shook her head.
"No, I haven't. But what's that got to do with tails?" Kari caught her own tail and looked at it.
"Nothing," they both said at once. No sense giving her more power than she already had.
A strange look filled her eyes then. She leaned in close to Vegeta. "Since we're doing a Q & A session, why do Bulma and Chi-chi have little scars on their shoulders that look like bite marks? I noticed them when I was hauling the ladies down to their cells," she asked lowly. Vegeta snorted.
"Saiyans mark their mates that way. Those marks show that they're our mates," he answered simply. Goku's face was red; it had been pure instinct when he 'marked' Chi-chi. It had taken a while to work up the courage to ask Vegeta if it meant anything, and when he had asked, Vegeta had laughed before he'd told him.
"Oh really? Hm, do you have bite marks on you, too?" Kari purred a bit as she pulled Vegeta's shirt back to have a look at his neck. The skin appeared to be unmarked, but she could just see some tiny scars that could have been made by teeth. "Hmm, interesting. I bet I'd make a more visible mark," she continued to purr, and moved over to Goku. "And you?" she leaned against him and checked his neck. Sure enough, there were some tiny scars on him. "Uh huh," she sighed against his neck. "By the way, speaking of scars, what happened to your tails? I saw a large scar on your back, right about where it was supposed to be. . ." her hand drifted down and behind him, to feel the place. Goku gasped and reacted violently. His leg snapped up and kicked her away. Kari flew a few feet and hit the ground with a thud. She got back up and smiled. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Don't you ever touch me there!" Goku snapped.
"Looks like I hit a sensitive spot," Kari smirked, and wiped the blood from her mouth.
"What happened to our tails is none of your business!" Vegeta snarled, worried she might try touching where his tail used to be too. Those were very sensitive spots, a single touch could cause pain, or even pleasure. And he didn't want either from Kari.
"I suppose not," Kari shrugged. "Tell me, would you like to see your wives?" she asked sweetly. They stared at her for a moment, and she snapped her fingers. An image of Bulma and Chi-chi in their cells appeared in font of them. They blinked as they realized there was a large screen in front of them playing the images. The two women looked very worried and upset, and were examining the rooms they were locked in. "Look how helpless they are. If they were Saiyans, they'd have broken out of there already," Kari tilted her head to one side as she watched the two.
"Stop insulting them!" Goku half-roared.
"One more nasty word about Bulma, and I'll rip your head off," Vegeta growled at the same time. Kari studied them for a few moments, then sighed.
"You are a pure soul, aren't you, Goku? Well, right now, purity isn't going to get any of us anywhere. And you're very stubborn, Vegeta," Kari stated calmly as she produced two thin, red, crystal-chip things from her pocket. They were remarkably undamaged by the kick Goku had dealt her. "I didn't want to do this, but it seems I have no choice," she stated as she walked up to Goku again. She snapped her hand forward and pressed one of the red chip-things onto his forehead. There was a whirring, and then sparks as the control chip attached to Goku. His eyes went blank again, and he swore mentally. Kari turned to Vegeta, who lashed out at her with his feet. She jumped over his kick, and slammed the chip into place. His eyes faded out too, and Kari unchained the two Saiyans. "You're mine now, whether you like it or not," she said softly, hitting a button on her bracelet. The chips flashed in response. She gazed at the last two male Saiyans for a moment, and then kissed both of them on the lips. "Our race won't die," she whispered, a promise to them. "Now, to deal with the half- breeds," she turned and walked away, and Vegeta and Goku followed after her. Creem watched them walk down the hallway, and sighed softly.
"The control chips. . .to think she had to use those," Creem murmured sadly.
Gohan, Goten, and Trunks were all strapped down to metal medical tables. They had regained consciousness several minutes ago, and had been trying to break free. The bonds were surprisingly strong, unfortunately, and they'd found they could hardly move. Worse, there was some kind of device nearby draining their ki, so they couldn't even power up to Super Saiyan. Though they would never admit it, they were all scared. There was no telling what Kari would do to them, since she obviously wasn't completely sane. At the very least, she was seriously confused and messed up. Either way, they didn't want to be at her mercy. Doctors or scientists or something worked around them, and ignored their threats and pleas.
"Ah, good morning boys! Sleep well?" Kari beamed at them as she strolled in. The workers turned and saluted her. "At ease, gentlemen." she waved them off, and looked down on the young half-Saiyans.
"You?! Where are our moms and dads?!" they snapped at her like vipers. "And the others?"
"Your mothers are in holding cells, as are your friends. Your fathers are right here," Kari motioned behind her, and the three boys looked around her and saw their fathers standing by the door.
"DAD! Thank Kami! What are you standing there for?! Hurry and. . ." Gohan started, but then stopped. Something was wrong. His dad's eyes were wide and empty, and something red was attached to his forehead.
"Daddy. . .?" Goten's voice was very small.
"Papa! What. . .?!" Trunks also noticed something wrong with his father. His breathing became ragged with fear at the empty look in his father's eyes.
"What have you done to them?!" Gohan roared at Kari.
"Nothing. I just put some mind control chips on them to make them behave. They're more effective than the music box, and much harder to break," Kari smirked. "Now, you three are something of a quandary. You're not full Saiyans, but you have Saiyan blood in you, and it's obviously the dominate force in your bodies. So, the best course of action would be. . .to remove the human blood from your veins." The scientists/doctors looked uncomfortable, but said nothing.
"WHAT?! Are you insane?! That's impossible!" Gohan almost yelled. Kari didn't seemed fazed in the least.
"Frieza's scientists came up with a serum that purified blood of alien elements. I found that with some tweaking, it could be used to rid half-breeds of their non-Saiyan blood," Kari explained as the scientists/doctors got out bottles and started prepping needles. They filled the needles with the strange blue liquid, and approached the trapped half-breeds. Gohan, Goten, and Trunks writhed underneath the straps, desperately trying to break free. There was no telling what that stuff would do to them. If it worked, it would be removing half their genetic code - it could kill them!
"Daddy! Don't let her!" Goten begged his entranced father, who was standing by and watching as the doctors got closer to them.
"Dad, fight it!! You're stronger than some damn computer chip!" Gohan yelled, his panic clear in his voice. The doctors/scientists were finding good veins to put the needles into. Goku flinched, but otherwise didn't move.
"PAPA! HELP!" Trunks shrieked as the doctor/scientist working on him prepared to stick the needle into him.
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Next time: Ch.6: Freeing the Saiyans - Where Are You, Kari?!
E-mail me at NansJns@aol.com!
