In The Eyes of a Hunter
Written by Mandy and Jennifer
Chapter 14 - The Worst Kind of Torture
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Just a quick note to remind everybody that I have a Mailing List and if you'll post your e-mail address with your review, I'll add you so you'll get an e-mail every time we update. That's all! ^_~
Bra screamed out as she was backhanded harshly across the face, once again.
Altair leaned down in her face, gripping the arms of the cold metal chair that she was tied to. "Just tell me where the stone is!" He yelled at her. "You're not getting out of here until I get it!"
Bra turned her head back around from the position she had remained in after the hit. She glared angrily at him through her fallen hair with narrow eyes. Her entire body, primarily her face, was covered in bruises and large cuts, dried blood clinging to her skin in some places. She spoke through clenched teeth in a quiet, raspy voice. "Even if I did know, I would never tell you."
Altair remained leaned over, mere inches away from her face. He stood back up and took a step back, frowning. "I see you certainly have the stubbornness of Vegeta." He paused, and then added with a slight smirk. "It seems like you just need a little more motivation."
Bra lifted her head a little to look at him more clearly. "What?"
Altair then lifted his right hand in the air and cocked his wrist, flicking it back as he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing longer than a normal finger-snap would. Instantly the two vanished from their place in the room, reappearing a second later in a darker area.
Bra blinked and looked around the dimly lit room. "Where is this place?"
"This is just another part of the ship." Altair answered. "This is how I've been keeping track of Vegeta and his family for the last twenty years."
Bra's eyes came to rest upon a large crystal ball that was hovering in front of her. She continued staring at it questioningly.
Altair turned to look at her more directly, then also looked down at the floating ball. "And this.." He began, and walked up to it, standing on the opposite side as Bra. "is how I've been watching you."
She continued staring at the ball, seeing nothing but a faint, blue fog within.
Altair then waved a hand over the ball, causing the blue fog inside to swirl, then disappear. Suddenly a blurry image could be seen through the crystal that cleared seconds later.
"Trunks..!" Bra exclaimed in surprise as she stared more intently on the ball, seeing her brother in their back yard training by himself.
Altair held his hand out over the glass ball. He stared down at Bra with a hard expression. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me where the Jilkion Stone is." He spoke, his voice eerily calm and emotionless, yet it held a dark and evil feeling beneath it.
Bra looked up at him, a bit surprised and annoyed at his words. "How many times do I have to tell you?! I don't know anything about your stupid stone!!"
Altair stared back into her eyes, narrowing his own slightly. Without another word, he touched one fingertip to the surface of the ball.
Trunks hovered in the air, punching and kicking at his invisible opponents in training. As he yelled out with another punch, he suddenly froze. His pupils shrunk before he fell from his place in the air, landing on the ground hard. He supported himself on his hands and knees, breathing raggedly, as sweat dripped off his chin. "What.." He began quietly, taking a few more breaths, "was that?" After another moment, he started to stand up, putting a hand on the back of his head and cringing slightly. "It.." He hesitated, taking another breath, "It felt like my brain just froze."
Bra stared into the ball in shock. "Trunks!"
Altair continued staring at her with the same expression. "I'm going to ask you again. Where - is - the - Jilkion - Stone?"
"What did you do to him??" Bra shouted at him in a panic. "You leave him alone!" She twisted and struggled against the ropes that bound her.
"Hm." Altair kept staring down at her, and touched one fingertip to the ball again, holding it here a little longer than last time.
Trunks was halfway between a standing and kneeling position when he froze once again and fell back down, catching himself on his forearms. He shut his eyes tight, letting out a short, weakened cry, and clenched his trembling fists.
"No!! Stop it!!" Bra screamed out, her eyes wide, staring at her brother. She too, clenched her fists, but was not able to break through the ropes that terrible man had tied her with.
After a few moments, Trunks stood back up again, his whole body quivering slightly. He shook his a head a little and stood still to regain his balance, moaning quietly, "Oooowww.."
Bra brought her eyes back up, stopping briefly on Altair's hand that he held so dangerously close to the crystal orb, then looked higher, meeting the cold stare that he kept on her. She whispered, unable to tear away from his terrible gaze. "Please.."
Altair's fingers wavered threateningly. "Are you going to answer me, then?"
She was desperate and frantic. She had no answer to give him. Why can't he understand that?! Why won't he believe me?? She searched through her mind, urgently trying to come up with something that would stop him from killing her brother. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought. Her mind flashed back to everything she'd gone through since she was taken. She felt the rope burns that covered her arms, the sore feeling that was in her face and jaw, the sting of a split lip, and the numbing pain of one or two badly bruised ribs. But that didn't matter to her anymore. There was nothing she could do or say that would help. All she could do was sit, locked by the hard eyes of her captor, and watch.
Altair stood through the silence for a minute before tensing the muscles in his arm. "I warned you." He raised his hand high, and brought it down, slamming his entire open palm on the crystal ball. For the first time, he broke the stare on Bra and looked into the ball as well, clenching his other hand into a fist and pressing against the surface of the crystal harder. Electricity crackled around the ball, lighting up the room in flashes.
Trunks' eyes shot open as his entire body went rigid. After only a couple of seconds, his eyes grew wider and he took a few quick breaths. His hands pressed on the sides of his head as the incomprehensible pain overwhelmed him with its intensity. He screamed as loud as his lungs could handle, jerking back and forth, his eyes darting around crazily as his vision began to blur.
"NOOO!!!!!" Bra pulled forward in the chair as the murderous torture began. She twisted violently from side to side as tears began streaming down her face. Her whole body went tense as she shut her eyes tightly from the horrifying scene. Trunks' awful screams filled her head and she knew she couldn't escape it. The tears came through her tightly shut eyes, as she couldn't control them any longer. Her body shook and twisted against the maddening cries of her brother. She clenched her teeth before screaming against it, only praying desperately that it would stop soon.
Trunks had begun to lose control of himself. He gripped his hair, and continued screaming in agony, unable to stop himself. His body shook violently as he wrenched back and forth. Finally, he fell to the ground and released his hair, now blindly clawing at the dirt and grass around him. He pounded his closed fists into the ground and kept them there for a minute, as sweat ran down his face and neck.
Vegeta stopped in the middle of a punch while training in the gravity room. He turned his head to the side, facing the door. "What the--?" He muttered to himself, his eyes showing his sudden surprise. He then headed for the door to go see what was going on.
Bulma was working on one of her many projects in the lab. She could hear Trunks outside and said to herself. "That boy sure does get into his training." She put down what she was working on and walked over to the window to see him. She looked down to the yard and gasped slightly at what she saw. "Oh my gosh! Trunks!!" She exclaimed and ran out of the lab as fast as she could, heading downstairs. She burst through the front door just as Vegeta rounded the corner of the building. She held her hands up to her mouth, terror and worry showing on her face. "What's happening to him?!"
Trunks had gone quite pale by now. He jerked his fists out of the ground and got back up to his feet with little effort. His fists went back to grabbing his hair and he continued screaming uncontrollably, his body still shaking.
Vegeta stared at his son in shock and horror, not understanding it anymore than Bulma did. "Trunks!! What the heck is happening to you, boy?!" he shouted at him.
Trunks didn't respond. He whipped around viciously, as if trying to shake something off of himself.
Bulma took a step back, unable to bear the sounds of her son's insane cries. "Vegeta do something!!" She yelled frantically.
Vegeta ran up to Trunks and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face him. He gasped slightly as he saw Trunks' eyes were nothing but white. "Trunks!!" he yelled again, hoping to get through to him.
Trunks took a few sharp breaths and clenched his teeth. He was only able to last that long for a couple of seconds before he started screaming again. His arms shot out, grabbing Vegeta's shirt. He clawed at it crazily as tears fell from his empty eyes.
"What?!" Vegeta leaned back and stared down at his son, more than a little startled. He grabbed Trunks by the shoulders and shook him, but was only met with him tightening the death grip he had on his shirt and twisting from side to side.
"VEGETA!!!!" Bulma screamed from where she stood, hands still clasped up at her mouth and tears also in her eyes.
"Ahh!" Vegeta could see no other choice. He pulled Trunks up from his semi-crouched position and hit him hard on the back of his neck.
Trunks' screaming was cut off as he let out a slow, quiet cry. His fingers loosened on Vegeta's shirt and his face relaxed. He stood still for a moment before falling over backwards, hitting the ground hard, unconscious.
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Altair brought his hands back down to his sides, still looking into the ball as the blue fog reappeared inside.
Bra sobbed quietly, biting the inside of her lip to keep her from losing what sanity she had left.
Altair stared down at her angrily. "Now you know what happens when you don't do as I say."
Bra opened her eyes slightly, unable to see clearly. She then realized how hopeless her situation seemed at this point. If he wanted to, Altair could just keep doing that to everyone she knew and loved until she told him where the Stone was. But I don't know!! What if he does this to everybody? I can't do anything to stop him! Bra thought to herself. Her lip quivered and she let her head fall, crying harder, even though she tried to stop it.
Altair tensed from the sound. "Shut.. up."
Bra blinked the tears out and looked up at him. She could tell he was furious. His eyes seemed to burn through her with anger. She shook her head and let out a few more sobs. "Please.. leave them alone." Normally, it would bother her to plead like this, but it didn't matter now. She knew she couldn't stop him. Her breathing came in short, gaspy breaths as she tried to stop crying.
"I said.. shut.. up!!!" he yelled at her in rage. Suddenly, the entire crystal ball shattered in the air from his power. The shards crashed down onto the floor around their feet.
Bra cringed back in fear, shutting her eyes. She heard him move and quickly opened them to look up. He stood in the same place, only now holding one of the larger shards in his right hand. She looked back into his eyes and shook her head slightly. "Please.." she whimpered quietly, as she felt a chill wash over her from the look of rage in his eyes that she hadn't seen since she'd been kidnapped. So far, she'd noticed he hadn't lost his temper all that much. For the most part, he kept an eerie calmness about him, as if he knew she would give in eventually.
Altair's eyes flared at the sound of her whimper. Suddenly, he crossed the space between them in 3 long steps, and grabbed her by the hair with his left hand. In one quick motion, he slashed across the left side of her face with the huge crystal shard.
Bra screamed out, but immediately closed her mouth when she felt him jerk her head around to face him again. She could feel the deep gash already starting to bleed, causing her face to twitch slightly from the burning sting.
He tilted her head back to look at her face and frowned. "You disgust me."
Bra flinched as she felt a drop of blood fall from her jaw to her shoulder. She wanted so badly to look away, but he held her in place, and she feared that if she closed her eyes, he would only do worse. Then she heard the crystal shard hit the floor as he released her hair at the same time.
He raised a hand up, never averting his eyes from her, and snapped his fingers in the same way he had earlier, leaving an echo that filled the room. Seconds later, they were back in the room she had been in before, still tied to the chair.
She glanced around and got her bearings, trying to ignore the feeling of the blood as it continued running down her face. She watched as Altair suddenly moved from where he stood, walking around behind her. She was sure he was just going to knock her out so she braced for it. However, she nearly toppled over onto the floor as Altair suddenly broke the ropes that kept her hard against the chair. She moved her arms slowly, grimacing at the sore pain in the shoulders and forearms.
Altair walked back in front of her. "Pathetic. I thought you were half- Saiyan." He muttered to himself. He started walking towards the door but stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, noticing he had her full attention again. "Perhaps I'll go toy around with your brother some more." He said with a smirk.
"What?? No!" Bra exclaimed, shaking her head.
Altair just chuckled and turned back around. "I'll be back for you." He said, and left, slamming the door shut behind him.
Bra sat in silence for a moment, before jumping out of the chair and running over to the door. "Leave him alone! Leave my brother alone!!" she screamed, pounding on the door with her fists. She spun back around and put her hand to her face, feeling the sticky blood begin to dry. She pulled her hand away and slowly walked back over next to the chair and the pile of torn ropes, collapsing to the floor. She felt so tired. She wasn't sure if Altair really was going to go and hurt Trunks some more, but it would do her no good to scream about it in here. She looked at the blood on her hand, then wiped at her face several times, trying to clean off what she could of the blood there. Hopefully, the slash wouldn't leave a scar, and if so, not a very noticeable one. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to stretch her sore muscles, and laid her head down on her knees.
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Trunks opened his eyes slowly, struggling to focus his vision. He grunted a little as he felt the remnants of a bad headache. As his vision cleared, he saw Bulma anxiously standing over him with a worried expression. "What happened?" he asked, having to repeat himself after clearing his throat.
"Oh Trunks! You're all right! I was so worried about you!" Bulma exclaimed.
Trunks sat up, leaning back on his elbows. He blinked and looked around, realizing he was in one of the medical rooms. Then he saw Vegeta standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, but a look of concern in his eyes. Trunks rubbed the back of his head and asked again, "What happened?"
"We should be asking you that question." Vegeta said. "We both ran outside when we heard you screaming. There was no getting through to you so I was forced to knock you unconscious.
"Mm." Trunks replied, trying to think back to the event he was talking about. He sat up straighter in the bed, staring down at the covers.
"Don't you remember anything, dear?" Bulma asked softly.
"Well, a little." He answered. "All I can remember was being outside training. Then I fell out of the air. After that.. darkness." After another minute, he swung his legs over the bed and stood up, a bit shakily.
"Trunks, lie down! You need to rest!" Bulma insisted.
"I'm fine, Mom. My head hurts a little but that's all. I need to have some time alone. I'm going to go train some more." Trunks said simply, and left the room.
Bulma followed him with her eyes. "I hope he's really all right." Poor Trunks. He's been blaming himself entirely for Bra's disappearance ever since it happened.
Vegeta watched Trunks leave as well, without saying another word.
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Bra was sitting in the same position on the floor when Altair returned. She lifted her head up but only stared at the floor in front of her, not up at him. He walked into the room and stood a few feet away from her. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, his voice startling her. "I suppose you think this is as bad as it gets. You think you'll be able to make it just a little longer, then everything will be all right. You trust your father and your brother, don't you? You know they will come to save you eventually. You think you can survive until then? Or will you tell me where your father has kept the Jilkion Stone for all these years?"
Bra tensed slightly and licked her lips, not replying to him.
"Trust me, things can get a whole lot worse." He continued, his voice gaining a more deadly tone to it. "You'll break soon. Very soon."
Bra's eyes widened momentarily, before narrowing again. She flinched in surprise as she heard the familiar sharp sound of Altair's finger-snap, and the sound of it echoing through the room. Suddenly she found herself floating in the air and jerked in a quick feeling of panic until she realized she was hovering without trying. She looked down at herself, then at her surroundings, seeing Altair hovering not too far away from her. They were in a large, desolate area surrounded by rocky cliffs. She then noticed that she was in some sort of bubble that she couldn't get through. "Wha-What the?"
Altair looked over to her. "I have trapped you within a powerful shield that will prevent any and all physical contact, outside, from reaching you. It's as simple as that. You cannot interact outside of that shield, and no one can touch or hear you from here, except me, of course. Also, you are immobile. Only I have the ability to move you." He added with a smirk. "So don't count on anyone taking you while my back is turned."
"No!" She shouted in frustration.
Altair moved closer to her, still smirking. "Now all we need is for your brother to get here."
"What are you going to do to him now?!" she shouted at him angrily through the bubble. "Just leave him alone! What did he ever do to you??"
"It's not what he did. It's what your father did." Altair replied with a frown. "And this is worse than anything."
Bra stared back at him lividly.
"Bring him here."
Bra blinked and stared at him in confusion. "What..?
"You heard me." He said in a surprisingly calm tone. He lifted a hand up and touched the outside of her bubble lightly, sending electricity all around and through it. "Go ahead, scream for help! Call out for Trunks and bring him to me!"
Bra bit down hard on her lip, eventually drawing blood. She moaned in her throat, and forced down the screams she wanted to release. I.. I can't scream! If I yell for Trunks now, and he comes, he'll only get hurt more! She shut her eyes tight and twisted to the side a little.
Altair growled in impatience and intensified the shockwave greatly. "SCREAM!!!"
Bra's eyes shot open, her entire body writhing and twisting in a terrible fit as she let out a blood-chilling scream.
Altair smirked and continued the attack. "That's it."
Trunks stopped midway through a punch, hanging in the air where he had resumed his training after his residual headache cleared. He heard a shrill cry in his mind, grasping his head and covering his ears as the sound only grew louder. He spun around in the opposite direction as a cold chill washed over him. "Bra.. That was Bra!!" he exclaimed in surprise and horror. Without another moment of hesitation, he took off at a blinding speed, in the direction that he sensed the incredible power.
"Good." Altair said as he felt Trunks' in the distance. "He should be here any minute now." He grinned.
Bra was lying down on the bottom of the orb, having collapsed after Altair stopped the attack, struggling to just remain conscious.
Altair turns and moved away from Bra, noticing a glimmer in the distance. He folded his arms to wait for Trunks. A few seconds later, a huge gust of wind blasted past him with incredible force as Trunks appeared in front of him, stopping several feet away.
Trunks stopped and looked up, immediately noticing his sister and gasped. "BRA!!" He yelled. Without another thought, he flew up to where she was and hit the bubble with his hands, bouncing back in surprise. He shook his head and flew up to it again, pressing against it hard with his palms and looked down at her. His mouth opened slightly in shock as he saw the condition she was in. From head to toe, she was covered in bruises and blood. Her clothes were ripped in several places and there was a huge gash across the left side of her face. She looked up at him, blinking out tears that ran across her face, landing silently on the bottom of her prison. Her expression changed to deep sadness as more tears fell. She stared at him through the impenetrable wall, knowing what would happen now that he was here, even though she was happy to see him again and that he was alive. Trunks growled in anger and punched at the outside of the sphere several times and screamed, "What the heck IS this?!" He stopped at the sound of Altair chuckling, and looked back down at Bra again.
She slowly and weakly looked back up at him as well, raising her hand a few inches up toward him, and whispered raggedly, "Tr-Trun-Trunks.." She stammered. Trunks' eyes widened as he tried to make out what she was saying. Bra took another raspy breath and looked desperately up into his eyes. "R-Run!!" With that, her arm dropped from the air as she fell unconscious.
Trunks gasped and lowered himself to get closer to where she was, and hit his open palm on the outside of the sphere again. "Bra! Bra, answer me, please!" he begged.
"She can't hear you." Altair said mockingly from where he still hovered behind Trunks.
Trunks slid his hand down the bubble, his expression turning dark with rage as he stared down at the form of his once carefree sister. He whipped around suddenly and stared at Altair, clenching his fists until they shook. He tilted his head down, his bangs falling partway over his eyes as he stared up through them, glaring menacingly at the man. "Bastard..You rotten bastard. How dare you do this is my sister!!" he screamed in a burst of anger.
Altair folded his well-muscled arms over his large chest and smirked. "Heh. It was nothing, really." He replied.
Trunks was no longer able to control his fury and let out a scream as his power level shot up drastically. His hair rose away from his head before flying up sharply into tall, golden spikes, as his eyes flashed from the normal blue color to a fierce teal. The aura around him exploded into a bright, golden light as wind whipped around them all. "I won't let you get away with this!!" he shouted at him while lifting his fists up in front of him.
Altair uncrossed his arms and moved into a fighting stance as well, grinning evilly. "I was counting on that."
Written by Mandy and Jennifer
Chapter 14 - The Worst Kind of Torture
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Just a quick note to remind everybody that I have a Mailing List and if you'll post your e-mail address with your review, I'll add you so you'll get an e-mail every time we update. That's all! ^_~
Bra screamed out as she was backhanded harshly across the face, once again.
Altair leaned down in her face, gripping the arms of the cold metal chair that she was tied to. "Just tell me where the stone is!" He yelled at her. "You're not getting out of here until I get it!"
Bra turned her head back around from the position she had remained in after the hit. She glared angrily at him through her fallen hair with narrow eyes. Her entire body, primarily her face, was covered in bruises and large cuts, dried blood clinging to her skin in some places. She spoke through clenched teeth in a quiet, raspy voice. "Even if I did know, I would never tell you."
Altair remained leaned over, mere inches away from her face. He stood back up and took a step back, frowning. "I see you certainly have the stubbornness of Vegeta." He paused, and then added with a slight smirk. "It seems like you just need a little more motivation."
Bra lifted her head a little to look at him more clearly. "What?"
Altair then lifted his right hand in the air and cocked his wrist, flicking it back as he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing longer than a normal finger-snap would. Instantly the two vanished from their place in the room, reappearing a second later in a darker area.
Bra blinked and looked around the dimly lit room. "Where is this place?"
"This is just another part of the ship." Altair answered. "This is how I've been keeping track of Vegeta and his family for the last twenty years."
Bra's eyes came to rest upon a large crystal ball that was hovering in front of her. She continued staring at it questioningly.
Altair turned to look at her more directly, then also looked down at the floating ball. "And this.." He began, and walked up to it, standing on the opposite side as Bra. "is how I've been watching you."
She continued staring at the ball, seeing nothing but a faint, blue fog within.
Altair then waved a hand over the ball, causing the blue fog inside to swirl, then disappear. Suddenly a blurry image could be seen through the crystal that cleared seconds later.
"Trunks..!" Bra exclaimed in surprise as she stared more intently on the ball, seeing her brother in their back yard training by himself.
Altair held his hand out over the glass ball. He stared down at Bra with a hard expression. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me where the Jilkion Stone is." He spoke, his voice eerily calm and emotionless, yet it held a dark and evil feeling beneath it.
Bra looked up at him, a bit surprised and annoyed at his words. "How many times do I have to tell you?! I don't know anything about your stupid stone!!"
Altair stared back into her eyes, narrowing his own slightly. Without another word, he touched one fingertip to the surface of the ball.
Trunks hovered in the air, punching and kicking at his invisible opponents in training. As he yelled out with another punch, he suddenly froze. His pupils shrunk before he fell from his place in the air, landing on the ground hard. He supported himself on his hands and knees, breathing raggedly, as sweat dripped off his chin. "What.." He began quietly, taking a few more breaths, "was that?" After another moment, he started to stand up, putting a hand on the back of his head and cringing slightly. "It.." He hesitated, taking another breath, "It felt like my brain just froze."
Bra stared into the ball in shock. "Trunks!"
Altair continued staring at her with the same expression. "I'm going to ask you again. Where - is - the - Jilkion - Stone?"
"What did you do to him??" Bra shouted at him in a panic. "You leave him alone!" She twisted and struggled against the ropes that bound her.
"Hm." Altair kept staring down at her, and touched one fingertip to the ball again, holding it here a little longer than last time.
Trunks was halfway between a standing and kneeling position when he froze once again and fell back down, catching himself on his forearms. He shut his eyes tight, letting out a short, weakened cry, and clenched his trembling fists.
"No!! Stop it!!" Bra screamed out, her eyes wide, staring at her brother. She too, clenched her fists, but was not able to break through the ropes that terrible man had tied her with.
After a few moments, Trunks stood back up again, his whole body quivering slightly. He shook his a head a little and stood still to regain his balance, moaning quietly, "Oooowww.."
Bra brought her eyes back up, stopping briefly on Altair's hand that he held so dangerously close to the crystal orb, then looked higher, meeting the cold stare that he kept on her. She whispered, unable to tear away from his terrible gaze. "Please.."
Altair's fingers wavered threateningly. "Are you going to answer me, then?"
She was desperate and frantic. She had no answer to give him. Why can't he understand that?! Why won't he believe me?? She searched through her mind, urgently trying to come up with something that would stop him from killing her brother. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought. Her mind flashed back to everything she'd gone through since she was taken. She felt the rope burns that covered her arms, the sore feeling that was in her face and jaw, the sting of a split lip, and the numbing pain of one or two badly bruised ribs. But that didn't matter to her anymore. There was nothing she could do or say that would help. All she could do was sit, locked by the hard eyes of her captor, and watch.
Altair stood through the silence for a minute before tensing the muscles in his arm. "I warned you." He raised his hand high, and brought it down, slamming his entire open palm on the crystal ball. For the first time, he broke the stare on Bra and looked into the ball as well, clenching his other hand into a fist and pressing against the surface of the crystal harder. Electricity crackled around the ball, lighting up the room in flashes.
Trunks' eyes shot open as his entire body went rigid. After only a couple of seconds, his eyes grew wider and he took a few quick breaths. His hands pressed on the sides of his head as the incomprehensible pain overwhelmed him with its intensity. He screamed as loud as his lungs could handle, jerking back and forth, his eyes darting around crazily as his vision began to blur.
"NOOO!!!!!" Bra pulled forward in the chair as the murderous torture began. She twisted violently from side to side as tears began streaming down her face. Her whole body went tense as she shut her eyes tightly from the horrifying scene. Trunks' awful screams filled her head and she knew she couldn't escape it. The tears came through her tightly shut eyes, as she couldn't control them any longer. Her body shook and twisted against the maddening cries of her brother. She clenched her teeth before screaming against it, only praying desperately that it would stop soon.
Trunks had begun to lose control of himself. He gripped his hair, and continued screaming in agony, unable to stop himself. His body shook violently as he wrenched back and forth. Finally, he fell to the ground and released his hair, now blindly clawing at the dirt and grass around him. He pounded his closed fists into the ground and kept them there for a minute, as sweat ran down his face and neck.
Vegeta stopped in the middle of a punch while training in the gravity room. He turned his head to the side, facing the door. "What the--?" He muttered to himself, his eyes showing his sudden surprise. He then headed for the door to go see what was going on.
Bulma was working on one of her many projects in the lab. She could hear Trunks outside and said to herself. "That boy sure does get into his training." She put down what she was working on and walked over to the window to see him. She looked down to the yard and gasped slightly at what she saw. "Oh my gosh! Trunks!!" She exclaimed and ran out of the lab as fast as she could, heading downstairs. She burst through the front door just as Vegeta rounded the corner of the building. She held her hands up to her mouth, terror and worry showing on her face. "What's happening to him?!"
Trunks had gone quite pale by now. He jerked his fists out of the ground and got back up to his feet with little effort. His fists went back to grabbing his hair and he continued screaming uncontrollably, his body still shaking.
Vegeta stared at his son in shock and horror, not understanding it anymore than Bulma did. "Trunks!! What the heck is happening to you, boy?!" he shouted at him.
Trunks didn't respond. He whipped around viciously, as if trying to shake something off of himself.
Bulma took a step back, unable to bear the sounds of her son's insane cries. "Vegeta do something!!" She yelled frantically.
Vegeta ran up to Trunks and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face him. He gasped slightly as he saw Trunks' eyes were nothing but white. "Trunks!!" he yelled again, hoping to get through to him.
Trunks took a few sharp breaths and clenched his teeth. He was only able to last that long for a couple of seconds before he started screaming again. His arms shot out, grabbing Vegeta's shirt. He clawed at it crazily as tears fell from his empty eyes.
"What?!" Vegeta leaned back and stared down at his son, more than a little startled. He grabbed Trunks by the shoulders and shook him, but was only met with him tightening the death grip he had on his shirt and twisting from side to side.
"VEGETA!!!!" Bulma screamed from where she stood, hands still clasped up at her mouth and tears also in her eyes.
"Ahh!" Vegeta could see no other choice. He pulled Trunks up from his semi-crouched position and hit him hard on the back of his neck.
Trunks' screaming was cut off as he let out a slow, quiet cry. His fingers loosened on Vegeta's shirt and his face relaxed. He stood still for a moment before falling over backwards, hitting the ground hard, unconscious.
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Altair brought his hands back down to his sides, still looking into the ball as the blue fog reappeared inside.
Bra sobbed quietly, biting the inside of her lip to keep her from losing what sanity she had left.
Altair stared down at her angrily. "Now you know what happens when you don't do as I say."
Bra opened her eyes slightly, unable to see clearly. She then realized how hopeless her situation seemed at this point. If he wanted to, Altair could just keep doing that to everyone she knew and loved until she told him where the Stone was. But I don't know!! What if he does this to everybody? I can't do anything to stop him! Bra thought to herself. Her lip quivered and she let her head fall, crying harder, even though she tried to stop it.
Altair tensed from the sound. "Shut.. up."
Bra blinked the tears out and looked up at him. She could tell he was furious. His eyes seemed to burn through her with anger. She shook her head and let out a few more sobs. "Please.. leave them alone." Normally, it would bother her to plead like this, but it didn't matter now. She knew she couldn't stop him. Her breathing came in short, gaspy breaths as she tried to stop crying.
"I said.. shut.. up!!!" he yelled at her in rage. Suddenly, the entire crystal ball shattered in the air from his power. The shards crashed down onto the floor around their feet.
Bra cringed back in fear, shutting her eyes. She heard him move and quickly opened them to look up. He stood in the same place, only now holding one of the larger shards in his right hand. She looked back into his eyes and shook her head slightly. "Please.." she whimpered quietly, as she felt a chill wash over her from the look of rage in his eyes that she hadn't seen since she'd been kidnapped. So far, she'd noticed he hadn't lost his temper all that much. For the most part, he kept an eerie calmness about him, as if he knew she would give in eventually.
Altair's eyes flared at the sound of her whimper. Suddenly, he crossed the space between them in 3 long steps, and grabbed her by the hair with his left hand. In one quick motion, he slashed across the left side of her face with the huge crystal shard.
Bra screamed out, but immediately closed her mouth when she felt him jerk her head around to face him again. She could feel the deep gash already starting to bleed, causing her face to twitch slightly from the burning sting.
He tilted her head back to look at her face and frowned. "You disgust me."
Bra flinched as she felt a drop of blood fall from her jaw to her shoulder. She wanted so badly to look away, but he held her in place, and she feared that if she closed her eyes, he would only do worse. Then she heard the crystal shard hit the floor as he released her hair at the same time.
He raised a hand up, never averting his eyes from her, and snapped his fingers in the same way he had earlier, leaving an echo that filled the room. Seconds later, they were back in the room she had been in before, still tied to the chair.
She glanced around and got her bearings, trying to ignore the feeling of the blood as it continued running down her face. She watched as Altair suddenly moved from where he stood, walking around behind her. She was sure he was just going to knock her out so she braced for it. However, she nearly toppled over onto the floor as Altair suddenly broke the ropes that kept her hard against the chair. She moved her arms slowly, grimacing at the sore pain in the shoulders and forearms.
Altair walked back in front of her. "Pathetic. I thought you were half- Saiyan." He muttered to himself. He started walking towards the door but stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, noticing he had her full attention again. "Perhaps I'll go toy around with your brother some more." He said with a smirk.
"What?? No!" Bra exclaimed, shaking her head.
Altair just chuckled and turned back around. "I'll be back for you." He said, and left, slamming the door shut behind him.
Bra sat in silence for a moment, before jumping out of the chair and running over to the door. "Leave him alone! Leave my brother alone!!" she screamed, pounding on the door with her fists. She spun back around and put her hand to her face, feeling the sticky blood begin to dry. She pulled her hand away and slowly walked back over next to the chair and the pile of torn ropes, collapsing to the floor. She felt so tired. She wasn't sure if Altair really was going to go and hurt Trunks some more, but it would do her no good to scream about it in here. She looked at the blood on her hand, then wiped at her face several times, trying to clean off what she could of the blood there. Hopefully, the slash wouldn't leave a scar, and if so, not a very noticeable one. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to stretch her sore muscles, and laid her head down on her knees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trunks opened his eyes slowly, struggling to focus his vision. He grunted a little as he felt the remnants of a bad headache. As his vision cleared, he saw Bulma anxiously standing over him with a worried expression. "What happened?" he asked, having to repeat himself after clearing his throat.
"Oh Trunks! You're all right! I was so worried about you!" Bulma exclaimed.
Trunks sat up, leaning back on his elbows. He blinked and looked around, realizing he was in one of the medical rooms. Then he saw Vegeta standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, but a look of concern in his eyes. Trunks rubbed the back of his head and asked again, "What happened?"
"We should be asking you that question." Vegeta said. "We both ran outside when we heard you screaming. There was no getting through to you so I was forced to knock you unconscious.
"Mm." Trunks replied, trying to think back to the event he was talking about. He sat up straighter in the bed, staring down at the covers.
"Don't you remember anything, dear?" Bulma asked softly.
"Well, a little." He answered. "All I can remember was being outside training. Then I fell out of the air. After that.. darkness." After another minute, he swung his legs over the bed and stood up, a bit shakily.
"Trunks, lie down! You need to rest!" Bulma insisted.
"I'm fine, Mom. My head hurts a little but that's all. I need to have some time alone. I'm going to go train some more." Trunks said simply, and left the room.
Bulma followed him with her eyes. "I hope he's really all right." Poor Trunks. He's been blaming himself entirely for Bra's disappearance ever since it happened.
Vegeta watched Trunks leave as well, without saying another word.
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Bra was sitting in the same position on the floor when Altair returned. She lifted her head up but only stared at the floor in front of her, not up at him. He walked into the room and stood a few feet away from her. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, his voice startling her. "I suppose you think this is as bad as it gets. You think you'll be able to make it just a little longer, then everything will be all right. You trust your father and your brother, don't you? You know they will come to save you eventually. You think you can survive until then? Or will you tell me where your father has kept the Jilkion Stone for all these years?"
Bra tensed slightly and licked her lips, not replying to him.
"Trust me, things can get a whole lot worse." He continued, his voice gaining a more deadly tone to it. "You'll break soon. Very soon."
Bra's eyes widened momentarily, before narrowing again. She flinched in surprise as she heard the familiar sharp sound of Altair's finger-snap, and the sound of it echoing through the room. Suddenly she found herself floating in the air and jerked in a quick feeling of panic until she realized she was hovering without trying. She looked down at herself, then at her surroundings, seeing Altair hovering not too far away from her. They were in a large, desolate area surrounded by rocky cliffs. She then noticed that she was in some sort of bubble that she couldn't get through. "Wha-What the?"
Altair looked over to her. "I have trapped you within a powerful shield that will prevent any and all physical contact, outside, from reaching you. It's as simple as that. You cannot interact outside of that shield, and no one can touch or hear you from here, except me, of course. Also, you are immobile. Only I have the ability to move you." He added with a smirk. "So don't count on anyone taking you while my back is turned."
"No!" She shouted in frustration.
Altair moved closer to her, still smirking. "Now all we need is for your brother to get here."
"What are you going to do to him now?!" she shouted at him angrily through the bubble. "Just leave him alone! What did he ever do to you??"
"It's not what he did. It's what your father did." Altair replied with a frown. "And this is worse than anything."
Bra stared back at him lividly.
"Bring him here."
Bra blinked and stared at him in confusion. "What..?
"You heard me." He said in a surprisingly calm tone. He lifted a hand up and touched the outside of her bubble lightly, sending electricity all around and through it. "Go ahead, scream for help! Call out for Trunks and bring him to me!"
Bra bit down hard on her lip, eventually drawing blood. She moaned in her throat, and forced down the screams she wanted to release. I.. I can't scream! If I yell for Trunks now, and he comes, he'll only get hurt more! She shut her eyes tight and twisted to the side a little.
Altair growled in impatience and intensified the shockwave greatly. "SCREAM!!!"
Bra's eyes shot open, her entire body writhing and twisting in a terrible fit as she let out a blood-chilling scream.
Altair smirked and continued the attack. "That's it."
Trunks stopped midway through a punch, hanging in the air where he had resumed his training after his residual headache cleared. He heard a shrill cry in his mind, grasping his head and covering his ears as the sound only grew louder. He spun around in the opposite direction as a cold chill washed over him. "Bra.. That was Bra!!" he exclaimed in surprise and horror. Without another moment of hesitation, he took off at a blinding speed, in the direction that he sensed the incredible power.
"Good." Altair said as he felt Trunks' in the distance. "He should be here any minute now." He grinned.
Bra was lying down on the bottom of the orb, having collapsed after Altair stopped the attack, struggling to just remain conscious.
Altair turns and moved away from Bra, noticing a glimmer in the distance. He folded his arms to wait for Trunks. A few seconds later, a huge gust of wind blasted past him with incredible force as Trunks appeared in front of him, stopping several feet away.
Trunks stopped and looked up, immediately noticing his sister and gasped. "BRA!!" He yelled. Without another thought, he flew up to where she was and hit the bubble with his hands, bouncing back in surprise. He shook his head and flew up to it again, pressing against it hard with his palms and looked down at her. His mouth opened slightly in shock as he saw the condition she was in. From head to toe, she was covered in bruises and blood. Her clothes were ripped in several places and there was a huge gash across the left side of her face. She looked up at him, blinking out tears that ran across her face, landing silently on the bottom of her prison. Her expression changed to deep sadness as more tears fell. She stared at him through the impenetrable wall, knowing what would happen now that he was here, even though she was happy to see him again and that he was alive. Trunks growled in anger and punched at the outside of the sphere several times and screamed, "What the heck IS this?!" He stopped at the sound of Altair chuckling, and looked back down at Bra again.
She slowly and weakly looked back up at him as well, raising her hand a few inches up toward him, and whispered raggedly, "Tr-Trun-Trunks.." She stammered. Trunks' eyes widened as he tried to make out what she was saying. Bra took another raspy breath and looked desperately up into his eyes. "R-Run!!" With that, her arm dropped from the air as she fell unconscious.
Trunks gasped and lowered himself to get closer to where she was, and hit his open palm on the outside of the sphere again. "Bra! Bra, answer me, please!" he begged.
"She can't hear you." Altair said mockingly from where he still hovered behind Trunks.
Trunks slid his hand down the bubble, his expression turning dark with rage as he stared down at the form of his once carefree sister. He whipped around suddenly and stared at Altair, clenching his fists until they shook. He tilted his head down, his bangs falling partway over his eyes as he stared up through them, glaring menacingly at the man. "Bastard..You rotten bastard. How dare you do this is my sister!!" he screamed in a burst of anger.
Altair folded his well-muscled arms over his large chest and smirked. "Heh. It was nothing, really." He replied.
Trunks was no longer able to control his fury and let out a scream as his power level shot up drastically. His hair rose away from his head before flying up sharply into tall, golden spikes, as his eyes flashed from the normal blue color to a fierce teal. The aura around him exploded into a bright, golden light as wind whipped around them all. "I won't let you get away with this!!" he shouted at him while lifting his fists up in front of him.
Altair uncrossed his arms and moved into a fighting stance as well, grinning evilly. "I was counting on that."