Disclaimer: Do I LOOK like Akira Toriyama? (Say yes and you will die!)
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CHAPTER 7: A BETTER IDEA
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Bulma listened to everything Ben said while she tried to get a sedative into her son. It was strong enough to knock out an elephant, so she hoped it would be enough to calm him somewhat. This was horrible! She knew what it was like to have a bond stretched by death, having lived with that constant dull pain for more than three decades, but a broken one had to be so much worse.
x x x
Trunks was in a fog so thick with pain that he couldn't see, couldn't hear, could barely even breathe. He had only one thought besides the pain. Rose. His beautiful flower. He could still feel her tentatively, her normal bright sun a pale and flickering star in his mind, too distant to touch. The warmth in his soul had gone with her. The nearly physical cold made him shake. It wouldn't be long now.
Suddenly, there was a flash from the star, the only thing he could see in the fog. A tiny object appeared next to him in the nether world of his mind. It was a small machine with a power source that glowed green around the edges. It spoke to him, saying, *I am the amplification device created by the Emergency Medical Hologram of the Federation starship U.S.S. Voyager. I am here to amplify the telepathic signals between Rose Lynn Briefs and Trunks Vegeta Briefs. Please activate immediately.* He couldn't believe it, but he wasn't about to deny it! He picked up the tiny object and suddenly the pain lessened and the star that was his wife was fifty times brighter, a visible disk in the "sky."
Her voice reached across to him, faint, but clear. *Trunks?*
*Rose? Oh my God, Rose! What the Hell's been going on? Where are you?*
*I'm back on Voyager. I know, it's so far away! We're not just worlds apart, we're in separate dimensions! And this booster is only going to last a month, tops. I need to tell you everything.*
x x x
Rose nearly burst into tears again when she felt the pain of her mate. It had hit him so much harder physically, and now that the link was stronger, she was sharing it. But as soon as she regained control it eased for both of them and they were able to relax. She told him all that she had learned from Q and felt his rage like a tonic, burning away some of the remaining pain. It was really too bad that the asshole wasn't in front of him at that moment. Immortal or not, he could have done a hell of a lot of damage in this condition.
Trunks sat up on the couch where Ben had lain him. Bulma was shocked, but happy. "Mom?"
She smiled. "Of course!"
"Ben, thank God! Ack!" he cried out as another wave of pain hit him. But it was less and he could handle it. "Damn!"
Ben said, "Are you going to be okay? That guy said your bond with Mom was broken and you were both going to die!"
Trunks breathed out raggedly. "He wasn't lying, but there's still some hope. He told them both everything that Rose had told him.
Bulma said, "How could immortal beings be so irresponsible? They're acting like children!"
"I don't know, Mom. What do you think, though. Any ideas on how to fix this?"
Ben piped up. "How'd the other one get in? I mean if it was supposed to be sealed off to everyone but the Q who made the bet, then how'd the other Q get Darijan out?"
x x x
Janeway asked Q the same question.
"If I knew that, Captain, I'd know who it was."
Rose said, "Think, Q. Where's the loophole in the rules?" Everyone in the room was working the problem over in their minds. Q's mind was easily able to outstrip those of the puny mortals around him, but for once, even he was stumped.
x x x
Bulma shouted, "I've got it!" Wasting no time in explanations, she opened her mind up for the first time since the death of Vegeta to her own bond. He was in Hell, but the bond had managed to keep him sane. *Vegeta.*
The dead Saiyan was startled, but as he realized who was speaking, his mind filled with a joy that didn't belong in Hell. *B-Bulma? Is it really you?*
*It's me, love. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you before this. Right now I need your help.*
Pain. *How can I help you from here?*
*It's information I need.* As quickly as she could, Bulma outlined the problem. *What I need to know is if Otherworld even counts as being a part of this dimension. I mean, isn't it a separate dimension, just connected by souls?*
Vegeta thought about it. He hadn't ever really been concerned with the actual physics of the Otherworld. *I'll have to ask. I get your meaning, though. If it's totally separate then it was never included in the rules in the first place. We should all be glad he didn't release Frieza instead!*
A shiver went down Bulma's spine at that thought. *Yeah.* As he went to find an ogre to ask his questions to, she sent a pulse of love along the bond and then backed off, waiting. Vegeta smiled. She'd always loved him. He only wished that he had realized that before he'd gone off to face the androids.
It didn't take him long to find the ogre guards. He had them fairly intimidated, but he never actually attacked them. "Goz! I need to ask you a few questions."
The ogre actually flinched. He hated having to guard the dangerous ones, especially the ones from the North Quadrant. They were invariably stronger than any of the others. But this one hadn't ever actually attempted to harm any of the guards, and had actually fought off Frieza more than once when He had. "What do you want, Vegeta?"
"I just need to know if Otherworld is actually a separate dimension from the rest of our universe."
Huh? Well THAT was a stumper! The ogre thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I believe so. It has to be or we'd get space ships accidentally finding this place and it would be a lot easier for strong people like yourself to escape." The prince just humphed and walked off in the other direction. "Why'd you want to know, Vegeta?"
He snarled at the ogre. "That's none of your concern, weakling!"
Goz backed off and stared at the Saiyan's retreating back. He was never going to understand that guy.
Vegeta reopened the channel to his mate. *It would seem you were correct, woman. I can't believe that cretin is alive again! After what he did to my parents... He has to be sent back here! Torturing Saiyans might have been his specialty, but it's hardly his only skill. He could be quite a danger to Earth if he is allowed to remain alive!*
*All right Vegeta, but we have to get Trunks and Rose back together first. This is my plan.*
x x x
*Hey, Rose! Mom figured it out. Otherworld is a completely separate dimension enclosed within this one.*
Rose looked up sharply. "Of course!" she said aloud.
Q looked at her. "What?"
"Otherworld is a separate pocket dimension within that universe! It wasn't even covered in the rules! That's perfect! You could just go to Earth's check in station and get Goku to teleport Trunks and Ben there! Then you can bring them here. I'd ask you to bring Bulma, too, but her bond is stretched enough with Vegeta being dead."
Q just stared into space for a moment, a shocked expression on his face. "Why didn't I think of that?" Then he snapped his fingers and was gone.
x x x
Q appeared at Earth's check in station in Otherworld, only to be greeted by a truly hilarious sight. Vegeta was standing on King Yemma's desk getting ready to pummel the gigantic red deity that was fifty times his size. "You have GOT to get Kakkarot in here! This is my son's life we're talking about, and no matter what you think of me, he does not deserve this! He is a FAR better man than I!"
Q disjointedly applauded the angry prince. "Quite true, Vegeta. At least you realize it."
Vegeta whipped around and saw a human male standing there dressed in some sort of black and burgundy uniform with a gold symbol on it. At least he appeared human. But his ki was huge. It was the strangest thing he had ever sensed. This had to be... "Q. Are you here for Kakkarot?"
"That's right."
"Good!" He turned back to Yemma. "Now maybe you'll listen to me, horns for brains! Where is Kakkarot!?"
Q smirked and snapped his fingers. Goku appeared in a flash of light, looking innocently confused. "Huh? How'd I get here?" He looked up at the desk and frowned when he saw the prince standing there with a fist full of King Yemma's suit coat. "Vegeta!? What are you doing? Don't you think you're in enough trouble as it is?"
"At the moment I could care less, buffoon! I need you to go get my son and his brat and bring them here. And hurry! He could die!"
Goku quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. He looked up at Yemma for permission. Recieving a nod of aproval, Goku said, "All right. I'll be right back." He put two fingers on his forehead and gathered his energy and then disappeared.
x x x
Goku showed up in the middle of the Briefs residence. Bulma looked up. "Goku? Thank God! I guess you got the message, huh?"
"Well not all of it. Vegeta said Trunks was dying, so I figured I better not wait on explanations." The dead man turned to where his son's student was sitting on the couch. Another wave of pain had him in it's grasp, so there was no questioning the validity of Vegeta's statement. He said, "Where's your grandson?"
"I'm right here." Ben had just come down stairs. "You're Goku, right?" He nodded. "I'm Benjamin."
"Pleased to meet you. I just wish it were under better circumstances. Where's Rose?"
Ben groaned. "That's the problem. She's back in her home dimension."
"Oh, man! No wonder he's in so much pain. All right, come here. I have to be in contact with both of you for this to work."
A sudden thought struck Bulma and she grabbed onto her childhood friend's arm at the same time Ben did. "I'm coming too. Not to the ship, just to the check in station."
Reading her intentions, Goku sighed. "I don't know if they'll let you stay, Bulma. But I guess it can't hurt to try."
x x x
They all reappeared in front of Yemma's desk. The first thing that happened was that Bulma and Vegeta ran into each other's arms, embracing tightly, tears running down both of their faces. Yemma looked sideways at Goku, then shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to give them a day together.
Q looked amused by the whole situation, but he kept his mouth shut. He simply walked over to Trunks and Benjamin and said, "Are you two ready?"
Trunks stood up as the pain that had been crashing over his body finally subsided somewhat. He looked over to where his parents were standing and smiled. *There's something I never thought I'd see, but I guess it's been too long for the both of them.* He turned to the entity who was waiting for a response. "Yes."
x x x
A/N: Here's chapter seven. Please review! Tell me if I've made any mistakes!
_________________________
CHAPTER 7: A BETTER IDEA
_________________________
Bulma listened to everything Ben said while she tried to get a sedative into her son. It was strong enough to knock out an elephant, so she hoped it would be enough to calm him somewhat. This was horrible! She knew what it was like to have a bond stretched by death, having lived with that constant dull pain for more than three decades, but a broken one had to be so much worse.
x x x
Trunks was in a fog so thick with pain that he couldn't see, couldn't hear, could barely even breathe. He had only one thought besides the pain. Rose. His beautiful flower. He could still feel her tentatively, her normal bright sun a pale and flickering star in his mind, too distant to touch. The warmth in his soul had gone with her. The nearly physical cold made him shake. It wouldn't be long now.
Suddenly, there was a flash from the star, the only thing he could see in the fog. A tiny object appeared next to him in the nether world of his mind. It was a small machine with a power source that glowed green around the edges. It spoke to him, saying, *I am the amplification device created by the Emergency Medical Hologram of the Federation starship U.S.S. Voyager. I am here to amplify the telepathic signals between Rose Lynn Briefs and Trunks Vegeta Briefs. Please activate immediately.* He couldn't believe it, but he wasn't about to deny it! He picked up the tiny object and suddenly the pain lessened and the star that was his wife was fifty times brighter, a visible disk in the "sky."
Her voice reached across to him, faint, but clear. *Trunks?*
*Rose? Oh my God, Rose! What the Hell's been going on? Where are you?*
*I'm back on Voyager. I know, it's so far away! We're not just worlds apart, we're in separate dimensions! And this booster is only going to last a month, tops. I need to tell you everything.*
x x x
Rose nearly burst into tears again when she felt the pain of her mate. It had hit him so much harder physically, and now that the link was stronger, she was sharing it. But as soon as she regained control it eased for both of them and they were able to relax. She told him all that she had learned from Q and felt his rage like a tonic, burning away some of the remaining pain. It was really too bad that the asshole wasn't in front of him at that moment. Immortal or not, he could have done a hell of a lot of damage in this condition.
Trunks sat up on the couch where Ben had lain him. Bulma was shocked, but happy. "Mom?"
She smiled. "Of course!"
"Ben, thank God! Ack!" he cried out as another wave of pain hit him. But it was less and he could handle it. "Damn!"
Ben said, "Are you going to be okay? That guy said your bond with Mom was broken and you were both going to die!"
Trunks breathed out raggedly. "He wasn't lying, but there's still some hope. He told them both everything that Rose had told him.
Bulma said, "How could immortal beings be so irresponsible? They're acting like children!"
"I don't know, Mom. What do you think, though. Any ideas on how to fix this?"
Ben piped up. "How'd the other one get in? I mean if it was supposed to be sealed off to everyone but the Q who made the bet, then how'd the other Q get Darijan out?"
x x x
Janeway asked Q the same question.
"If I knew that, Captain, I'd know who it was."
Rose said, "Think, Q. Where's the loophole in the rules?" Everyone in the room was working the problem over in their minds. Q's mind was easily able to outstrip those of the puny mortals around him, but for once, even he was stumped.
x x x
Bulma shouted, "I've got it!" Wasting no time in explanations, she opened her mind up for the first time since the death of Vegeta to her own bond. He was in Hell, but the bond had managed to keep him sane. *Vegeta.*
The dead Saiyan was startled, but as he realized who was speaking, his mind filled with a joy that didn't belong in Hell. *B-Bulma? Is it really you?*
*It's me, love. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you before this. Right now I need your help.*
Pain. *How can I help you from here?*
*It's information I need.* As quickly as she could, Bulma outlined the problem. *What I need to know is if Otherworld even counts as being a part of this dimension. I mean, isn't it a separate dimension, just connected by souls?*
Vegeta thought about it. He hadn't ever really been concerned with the actual physics of the Otherworld. *I'll have to ask. I get your meaning, though. If it's totally separate then it was never included in the rules in the first place. We should all be glad he didn't release Frieza instead!*
A shiver went down Bulma's spine at that thought. *Yeah.* As he went to find an ogre to ask his questions to, she sent a pulse of love along the bond and then backed off, waiting. Vegeta smiled. She'd always loved him. He only wished that he had realized that before he'd gone off to face the androids.
It didn't take him long to find the ogre guards. He had them fairly intimidated, but he never actually attacked them. "Goz! I need to ask you a few questions."
The ogre actually flinched. He hated having to guard the dangerous ones, especially the ones from the North Quadrant. They were invariably stronger than any of the others. But this one hadn't ever actually attempted to harm any of the guards, and had actually fought off Frieza more than once when He had. "What do you want, Vegeta?"
"I just need to know if Otherworld is actually a separate dimension from the rest of our universe."
Huh? Well THAT was a stumper! The ogre thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I believe so. It has to be or we'd get space ships accidentally finding this place and it would be a lot easier for strong people like yourself to escape." The prince just humphed and walked off in the other direction. "Why'd you want to know, Vegeta?"
He snarled at the ogre. "That's none of your concern, weakling!"
Goz backed off and stared at the Saiyan's retreating back. He was never going to understand that guy.
Vegeta reopened the channel to his mate. *It would seem you were correct, woman. I can't believe that cretin is alive again! After what he did to my parents... He has to be sent back here! Torturing Saiyans might have been his specialty, but it's hardly his only skill. He could be quite a danger to Earth if he is allowed to remain alive!*
*All right Vegeta, but we have to get Trunks and Rose back together first. This is my plan.*
x x x
*Hey, Rose! Mom figured it out. Otherworld is a completely separate dimension enclosed within this one.*
Rose looked up sharply. "Of course!" she said aloud.
Q looked at her. "What?"
"Otherworld is a separate pocket dimension within that universe! It wasn't even covered in the rules! That's perfect! You could just go to Earth's check in station and get Goku to teleport Trunks and Ben there! Then you can bring them here. I'd ask you to bring Bulma, too, but her bond is stretched enough with Vegeta being dead."
Q just stared into space for a moment, a shocked expression on his face. "Why didn't I think of that?" Then he snapped his fingers and was gone.
x x x
Q appeared at Earth's check in station in Otherworld, only to be greeted by a truly hilarious sight. Vegeta was standing on King Yemma's desk getting ready to pummel the gigantic red deity that was fifty times his size. "You have GOT to get Kakkarot in here! This is my son's life we're talking about, and no matter what you think of me, he does not deserve this! He is a FAR better man than I!"
Q disjointedly applauded the angry prince. "Quite true, Vegeta. At least you realize it."
Vegeta whipped around and saw a human male standing there dressed in some sort of black and burgundy uniform with a gold symbol on it. At least he appeared human. But his ki was huge. It was the strangest thing he had ever sensed. This had to be... "Q. Are you here for Kakkarot?"
"That's right."
"Good!" He turned back to Yemma. "Now maybe you'll listen to me, horns for brains! Where is Kakkarot!?"
Q smirked and snapped his fingers. Goku appeared in a flash of light, looking innocently confused. "Huh? How'd I get here?" He looked up at the desk and frowned when he saw the prince standing there with a fist full of King Yemma's suit coat. "Vegeta!? What are you doing? Don't you think you're in enough trouble as it is?"
"At the moment I could care less, buffoon! I need you to go get my son and his brat and bring them here. And hurry! He could die!"
Goku quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. He looked up at Yemma for permission. Recieving a nod of aproval, Goku said, "All right. I'll be right back." He put two fingers on his forehead and gathered his energy and then disappeared.
x x x
Goku showed up in the middle of the Briefs residence. Bulma looked up. "Goku? Thank God! I guess you got the message, huh?"
"Well not all of it. Vegeta said Trunks was dying, so I figured I better not wait on explanations." The dead man turned to where his son's student was sitting on the couch. Another wave of pain had him in it's grasp, so there was no questioning the validity of Vegeta's statement. He said, "Where's your grandson?"
"I'm right here." Ben had just come down stairs. "You're Goku, right?" He nodded. "I'm Benjamin."
"Pleased to meet you. I just wish it were under better circumstances. Where's Rose?"
Ben groaned. "That's the problem. She's back in her home dimension."
"Oh, man! No wonder he's in so much pain. All right, come here. I have to be in contact with both of you for this to work."
A sudden thought struck Bulma and she grabbed onto her childhood friend's arm at the same time Ben did. "I'm coming too. Not to the ship, just to the check in station."
Reading her intentions, Goku sighed. "I don't know if they'll let you stay, Bulma. But I guess it can't hurt to try."
x x x
They all reappeared in front of Yemma's desk. The first thing that happened was that Bulma and Vegeta ran into each other's arms, embracing tightly, tears running down both of their faces. Yemma looked sideways at Goku, then shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to give them a day together.
Q looked amused by the whole situation, but he kept his mouth shut. He simply walked over to Trunks and Benjamin and said, "Are you two ready?"
Trunks stood up as the pain that had been crashing over his body finally subsided somewhat. He looked over to where his parents were standing and smiled. *There's something I never thought I'd see, but I guess it's been too long for the both of them.* He turned to the entity who was waiting for a response. "Yes."
x x x
A/N: Here's chapter seven. Please review! Tell me if I've made any mistakes!