Into the Lion's Den
As soon as Videl and Vegeta entered the fortress they were assaulted by wave upon wave of combat robots. Thanks to Dende and The Grand Kai, the pair was healed for the most part, and the robots didn't strain them enough for them to use their full powers. The entrance was soon filled with the shattered remains of what was left of the robots. Videl had taken the hint from Vegeta and hadn't used any of her ki in the battle. The battle took a bit longer to finish, but they had won out in the end. Vegeta grabbed a disembodied robotic arm that still clung to his foot. He threw it away in disgust.
"That wasn't so bad," she remarked as she surveyed their handiwork.
"These tin cans mean nothing," he snorted as he kicked some robotic remains out of his way. "Our true enemy lies beyond those doors," he said as he indicated a large set of steel double-doors at the far end of the room.
They walked down the center of the room until they got to the large doors. Videl tapped it a few times. It gave off a soft metallic ring after each tap. "Sounds pretty solid, Vegeta. Do you want me blast through it," she asked as she raised her hands.
"Hold on," he commanded as he looked at the large blinking panel next to it.
The writing on the panel wasn't from Earth, yet it was strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't place from where at that moment. Putting aside his thoughts he focused his attention on the buttons below the chaotically blinking lights. He rubbed his chin in thought.
"Vegeta," Videl pressed.
"Be silent! I'm thinking," he admonished.
Videl clamped her mouth shut. She'd almost forgotten whom she was with. She kept her hands raised in case he gave her the go ahead. Seconds passed and when nothing happened she turned to look at Vegeta, who was still pondering over the panel.
"What's taking so long?"
Vegeta looked at her and frowned. "Will you shut up!"
His eyes went back to the panel and he studied the layout for a few more seconds. With blinding speed, he began pressing buttons. The lights on the panel changed colors from red to blue to green. The pattern changed on the panel until all of the lights were blinking the same blue color. There was a sound of something heavy falling away, and the doors opened.
"How…" she began, astonished.
Vegeta's expression didn't change. "You don't live with a technical genius and not pick up a few things here and there."
He walked on to the corridor in silence. Videl collected herself and followed. More attack robots were there to meet them, but Vegeta had dispatched them all by the time Videl caught up to him. The corridor ended, splitting their choices of where to go. "Should we split up," Videl asked.
Vegeta shook his head, "No, we need to stick together. We'll try the left and if that's not the right way we'll double back and try the right. Stay alert, we don't know what to expect."
Videl nodded, raising her ki a bit to enhance her defenses. She stayed a few yards behind him as he manipulated another panel by the closed door. The door slid open, revealing near darkness. The pair entered the room and the door slid shut behind them with a hiss. The room was barely lit, the only lit was given off by the red alarm lights which didn't help much. They were surprised that they weren't attacked, in fact, the room appeared to be empty. They searched around and found the exit, but nothing else. The panel to open the door however was smashed. Vegeta nodded to Videl, and she stepped up and raised her hands. Vegeta powered up his ki and crouched, ready to strike. Videl fired two ki blasts that demolished the door and whatever was immediately behind it. Vegeta leaped through the rubble, using the smoke to mask his presence. Videl was hot on his heels.
Energy bolts tore through the heavy smoke, revealing the presence of attack robots. Videl and Vegeta jumped out of the smoke at opposite ends, engaging the robots before they could regroup. These robots were heavily armored, unlike the robots they had met before and their weapons were stronger as well. Vegeta and Videl were fast enough to dodge the energy blasts and when they got to the robots their arms morphed from energy cannons into wickedly sharp, long blades.
Videl ducked under a wicked slash and kick upward, striking the robots head attachment and ripping it clear off. She whirled around and leapfrogged over the next two robots, negating their attacks. Vegeta punched through a robot's arm, shattering the blade and the body chassis as his fist continued through. He swung his fist, using the robot as a battering ram, knocking two other robots across the floor. Videl jumped backward as she extended her arms. She clotheslined the two robots that were behind her. She flipped, completing a backward somersault and punched through their head attachments before they even reached the floor. More robots came through from the exits on the other side of the room, several morphed their arms into blades while the others took positions to fire with their cannons.
"We don't have time for this," Vegeta spat.
He brought his hands together in front of him and a blue energy ball sailed forth at the robots. Several robots dove back into the next room, trying to avoid getting incinerated. The others were not so fortunate. The explosion sheared away the walls surrounding the exit and robotic parts scattered everywhere. Videl had to cover her eyes to avoid flying shrapnel, but she otherwise escaped unharmed. As her eyes adjusted to the smoke and haziness in the room she saw Vegeta step over the broken forms of the robots. She looked around herself and was astonished at the amount of damage he had caused. He hasn't even changed to super saiyan yet, she thought, at this pace we should find the others in no time!
The next room was more like a hallway, and several robot bodies littered the ground as proof of Vegeta's attack. One robot lingered in the corner, fluids seeped out of its broken body and electrical discharges made it flop around on the floor erratically. Vegeta ended it's mechanical suffering by crushing the thing with his boot. She watched as he looked around the room, but his eyes were closed. He must be stretching out his senses, she thought. His eyes opened and he walked over to the far end of the wall.
"They're this way," he said.
Videl walked up next to him and stared at the wall. After a few seconds she turned to him. "Do you think there's a secret tunnel around here or something?"
He smiled at her. "Oh, there will be a tunnel here all right, but it won't be so secret! Now, stand back!"
She did as she was commanded as Vegeta brought his hands behind him, almost like how Goku and Gohan do to fire their Kamehameha Waves. Light erupted in his hands and the metal floor under him began to warp and twist, creating eerie noises that sounded more like screaming.
"GALICK GUN!"
His attack shot forth and went through the metal wall like it was butter. The entire complex shuddered as Vegeta screamed, pouring forth more power. Videl had to raise her ki to form a protective barrier around herself from the intense heat and energy. Vegeta didn't seem to mind the conditions of the room, or what he was doing to the mountain as a whole. Finally, he stopped his attack. The place stopped shaking and Videl stepped out from the other room. She breathed in sharply in shock! There was a massive hole where the wall once stood, but the intense heat that radiated from it told her that it was still dangerous.
"Hmm," Vegeta muttered in thought, "I guess I overdid it. It's too hot in there for us to go through."
Videl regained her composure and stepped forward. "Let me try something," she offered.
Vegeta backed away allowing her to get close to the blasted tunnel. The heat was very oppressive and she was forced to raise her ki a bit higher to protect herself. She looked into the tunnel and noticed several pools of liquid hot rock, but the tunnel went for so long that she couldn't see the other side. She gave a sidelong glance at Vegeta, "So much for saving our powers."
"Humph. This way is quicker in the long run. This way we won't be wasting our energy against those tin cans." His scowl spoke volumes to her of his mood, and she didn't press the point.
She raised her hands up and closed her eyes. "I saw Gohan do this once," she explained to Vegeta, "he taught it to me."
She raised her ki and a swirling vortex of air formed in front of her. She allowed more ki to flow into it, making the vortex bigger. The vortex morphed into the shape of a ball, and she lowered her hands. The ball sailed forth into the tunnel. Vegeta looked on behind her, trying to see what she was doing. "Brace yourself," she warned as she dug her feet into the ground.
Vegeta did the same right before gale force winds exploded from the tunnel. The wind was cold and strong, and the two warriors strained to keep their footing. After a few minutes, the winds died down, revealing a clear path through the tunnel. Videl looked at her hands in amazement, "When he taught me that, I wasn't strong enough to do it right. I wished he was here with us so he could see this."
Vegeta got over his reaction and gave her an approving nod, "He would be proud. Hopefully we'll be done with this before he wakes up. Let's go."
Piccolo awoke to see Dende and The Grand Kai staring down at him. "You okay?"
Piccolo nodded, "Yeah, thanks Dende, and you Grand Kai."
"Don't mention it," Grand Kai replied as he helped him to his feet. He looked around but didn't see Pikkon or Olibu around. "Where's Pikkon and Olibu?"
Piccolo stared at the old man a long time before answering. "They gave their energy to my attack so I could beat Leviathan." He turned to where Leviathan's body used to be, "Although I don't think it was enough."
"Hey, you're still alive, green man," The Grand Kai exclaimed, patting him on the back, "and that's a victory for us!"
The two Nameks and the old Kai searched around the landscape looking for the others, and after only finding Trunks and Goten, became a little worried.
"I can't even sense Vegeta and Videl," Piccolo remarked. "I hope they're all right."
"We'll be after 'em in a bit," The Grand Kai said. He looked down to the unconscious bodies of Trunks and Goten, "What are we gonna do with the kids?"
Piccolo walked over to them and crossed his arms. "The poison needs to be purged from their bodies or else they'll attack us when they wake up."
He knelt down in between the saiyan children and put a hand on their foreheads. He closed his eyes and the outline of his body began to glow a bright white. "This could take some time," he said. Dende and The Grand Kai looked on as Piccolo went to work.
The tunnel was still hot, but not so hot as to be life threatening. Videl walked behind him and the two walked in silence. Her gaze continually went to his face. What's troubling him, she thought to herself. Gathering courage she decided to ask him. She stopped walking.
"Vegeta?"
It appeared to her that he didn't hear her as he kept on walking. He took a few paces before he realized that she had stopped. He turned around to face her. "Why have you stopped? We must hurry if we are to rescue the others!"
She flinched at his tone, but she had to press the issue. "Vegeta, something's bothering you, I can feel it. What's wrong?"
He stared at her for a long moment; his scowl never left his face. Then his demeanor changed. He looked…sorrowful.
"The technology of this place reminds me…of my past. A past I thought I had left behind me."
Videl stood there waiting for the explanation to continue. She had heard the stories of his conquests of course, but mostly from Gohan or Trunks, never from the saiyan himself. Vegeta saw the expectant look on her face and his scowl returned, as his answer didn't seem to satisfy her.
"Long ago, back before the planet Vegeta was destroyed, we saiyans worked for an intergalactic thug called Freeza. I'm sure the others have told you about him." She nodded and he continued. "Freeza controlled our entire race and forced us to do his bidding. Being a warrior race we excelled at combat, and our orders were always to subjugate whole star systems and 'sanitize' the planets. 'Sanitize' was the word Freeza used, in actuality we committed planetary genocide."
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as the memories flowed through him. He stared down at the ground somehow unable to meet Videl's gaze, but he continued. "Once all inhabitable planets in a system were cleansed thoroughly, Freeza took over and sold off each planet to the highest bidder. He allowed us to live only because we did his dirty work!" He kicked loose some rocks in rising anger. "I didn't know it then, but Freeza had destroyed planet Vegeta while my team and I were away on a mission." He took a deep breath before continuing, clearly trying to suppress his anger. "Back then I relished in what I did, and I did it better than any other. After all, I was a Super Elite! I was the greatest warrior of our race! I never backed down from a challenge, and I was never defeated!" The rocks at his feet began to lift up in response to his rising anger and his rising ki.
Videl saw the effect the memories were having on him. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Hey, it's okay. That was a long time ago." She tried to sound as reassuring as she could even though she didn't feel it.
He roughly shoved her hand away. "No, it's not okay! Only years later did I realize what I had done. During my first fight with Buu, I came to terms with the atrocities that I had committed. At least, I thought I had." He threw his hands up in the air. "Of all people! It had to be him!" He lowered his arms and collected himself. "Kakarot, the one everyone else calls Goku, showed me the true meaning of sacrifice and what being a real warrior is all about. His selflessness and courage beyond all impossible odds showed me the true reasons why he is better than me. I had always let my anger dictate my actions, and in doing so, I became blind to the truth. I had been blind for many years. Kakarot had shown me a better way, a way that was alien to me. But it gave me strength and power I never could have attained with my previous way of thinking. Now do you understand?"
Videl nodded, taken aback by his uncharacteristic outburst. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. Even if she could say something, what would she say? This was way beyond her experience!
"Anyway," he said, apparently not finished, "during one such mission for Freeza years ago, we were given orders to enslave a particular star system called Nista. They were a technologically advanced race, but weak in the arts of combat. They were crushed under our heels easily enough, and we forced them to re-engineer their technology to the ways of war. There was one problem though, a slave race will always try to find ways to gain their freedom. A resistance group formed among the populace and was gaining support with the others as they sabotaged technology plants and depot centers. Word got back to Freeza and he knew that if word spread to the other worlds under his control, more rebellions would surface. He decided to make an example of the Nistan people to show the other races enslaved to him that he would not tolerate such acts. My team of soldiers was ordered to the planet to crush the rebellion. We knew the drill; we had done it before with outstanding success. By the time we got there, we were in the middle of a war zone! It wasn't just a resistance cell or faction, the entire population had risen up against their oppressors. That's when we took over. My team and I easily defeated the best of their warriors. I'll have to admit they were more organized than we had thought, and we underestimated their strength in numbers. But they were still no match for the strength of the saiyan race! We executed our orders to the letter. Many a valiant freedom fighter died that day, but all was for naught as we gained the upper hand."
His eyes closed so he could see the memory clearly in his mind. "The rebellion had been crushed, and the leaders were executed. All was well until we learned of a splinter group that still fought on. My team and I headed there to engage the enemy with orders to destroy ever last one of them. The group holed themselves up in an abandoned starport; at least that was the information we had. The port wasn't as abandoned as we were led to believe. The rebels had an armed starship loaded for bare, and were piling refugees into it as fast as they could go. We landed and a brutal fight broke out. The Nistans were not skilled in the arts of battle, but had a determined energy that made them somewhat formidable. There was one such warrior who got the better of me in combat. His woman, a known rebel cell leader was killed during the fight and that was when he struck. He gripped a sword and moved with surprising speed! He hit me and I carry the scar of that battle to this day. He took down several of my team before he was overwhelmed, and I was about to end his misery before I got a call from Freeza. Unbeknownst to my team or me he had followed us and decided that their technology wasn't worth the headache. He decided to personally destroy their world and broadcast its destruction to the worlds that were subjugated under him. I was one of the last people to set foot on that place before its core exploded, destroying it utterly."
Vegeta stopped and looked up at Videl, gauging her reaction to his story. Her face was impassive but her eyes could not hide the horror and revulsion that she felt.
"The star ship was able to take off and leave orbit before the planet exploded, and it was too fast for our ships to catch up to it. So, they were forgotten, and another planet became space dust on the whims of Freeza. But the Nistans are forgotten no longer, because those entry panels and robots are their technology."
Videl took a step back in shock! She didn't know what to say. Vegeta understood her reaction; she now knew the full weight of the situation. "The robots used to be worker drones but they have been heavily modified. The morphing technology gave it away. I had my suspicions until they confirmed it. Who ever is behind this has a large grudge against my kind and me. I'm not one to make him wait long. Let's go."
He walked past her and continued down the tunnel. He made maybe twenty feet before stopping. "Are you coming," he called out.
"How many," she asked barely audible.
He heard her question and the weight behind it. His back was still toward her, but his scowl didn't disappear, "It was one planet. I've ceased counting over the years. It doesn't make it any easier if you must know." His voice lost the edge that it had earlier, "Come Videl, we must hurry if we are to rescue our friends."
She began to pick up pace behind him but she was silent for the rest of the way, lost in her own thoughts.
"How much longer," The Grand Kai asked.
"As long as it takes," Piccolo replied. "I have to make sure all of the poison is out of their bodies."
His white aura was slowly being replaced by black as he forced out the poison from the unconscious kids.
"Would I be able to help," Dende asked.
Piccolo shook his head, "No. You would be able to get the poison out of their system but it would affect you as well. I am immune to it so it has no effect of me."
"Man! We're missin' out on all the action," The Grand Kai complained.
"Be still, Grand Kai," Piccolo stated, "This shouldn't take much longer."
Vegeta and Videl finally found the exit of their makeshift tunnel. The room was nearly the size of a football stadium and the ceiling was about half as high. There were many entrances/exits throughout the room and several overhangs that would afford a viewer greater visibility to the entire room. The pair stepped into the room and looked around, but they didn't see any signs of the combat robots.
"I don't like this," Videl said. "It doesn't feel right."
Vegeta nodded, he didn't like it either. "Be wary of an ambush. Pay special attention to the higher places."
The pair slowly stepped out farther into the room, looking high and low for likely signs of an ambush. By the time they got to the center of the room they had found the Detention Center.
"They're behind those doors, I can feel them," he said pointing to a large set of metal doors at the other end of the room. "Quick, let's go!"
Videl nodded and they ran to the doors. Videl could pick up on their ki signature now and with renewed urgency she ran faster. When they got halfway there, they stopped dead in their tracks. Four new ki signatures flared to life behind them, three were familiar, and one was not. They turned as Goku, Gohan and Leviathan appeared! Videl's eyes widened in horror and disbelief as her eyes met Gohan's. He didn't change! Somehow his ki signature had reverted back to his evil side. Her legs buckled under her and she fell to her knees in despair. She had failed after all; her Gohan was nowhere to be found in his body!
Vegeta quickly got in front of her and crouched in a defensive position. "What's the matter with you, woman? Get up and power up!"
She didn't hear him; she was lost in the throes of despair and sorrow. Cursing to himself, Vegeta powered up to super saiyan form.
Leviathan smiled, displaying his broken teeth and he pointed directly at Vegeta. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Fuck!" He chanced to look back at Videl who was gripped in shock. "Snap out of it Videl! We have company!"
Leviathan took a step forward, and both Gohan and Goku took positions to the left and right of the monster. Their expressions were just as hate-filled and evil as the last time. This is not good, he thought to himself as he sized up his opponents. Gohan did appear changed somewhat, but his ki radiated the same as Kakarot's. Things didn't look well in deed!
"Prince Vegeta," a deep voice bellowed throughout the room.
Vegeta didn't move, nor did he take his eyes off of the three warriors in front of him. There was a blurring motion in front of Leviathan and then the true enemy appeared.
He was tall, slender of build, but he carried himself with confidence. His angelic wings were swept back behind him and he held a sword in his hand. His facial features were angular and fair, as far as humans would think, Vegeta thought. His eyes blazed with a hatred born of watching his people die; it was a look Vegeta knew well.
"Heir to the Throne of Planet Vegeta," the figure continued, "a place of dust and rock. Super Elite of the Saiyan Warriors, and Freeza's Lapdog!"
Vegeta clenched his fists in anger, but he made no other movements.
"Lest I forget," he said bringing his hand up to his chin, "Destroyer of Worlds," his tone became conversational, "And Widow Maker. Did I leave anything out?"
Vegeta's eyes were locked with the figure's. The figure smiled. "Oh yes, I did. Let's see, what was that planet's name? Hmm, I can't seem to remember, oh wait! That's it! Arlia! They were suffering under an oppressive civil war, and you and your teammate Nappa decided to help out the oppressed people by overthrowing the tyrant in charge, freeing the rightful leader and reunited him with his beautiful wife. So we should add Freedom Fighter and Protector of the Downtrodden to the list. But you didn't stop there, did you?"
Seconds passed, and if the figure expected Vegeta to answer he was a bit disappointed when he didn't.
"Not very talkative are we? Very well, then I shall continue this amusing little story. After you saved the populace of Arlia what did you do? You blew up the entire planet in one stroke!" The figure began clapping his hands in mock appreciation. "That was good work there, so I guess we should also add Bug Exterminator!"
"Enough!"
The figure dropped his hand from his chin and his smile disappeared. "But I'm not finished yet. At that time you were still on your way to this lovely planet for the first time. But I'd like to take stroll with you down memory lane for a bit. Let's go even further back."
The figure began pacing back and forth in front of Gohan and then over to Goku and then back again. "Before any of that happened you came to the Planet Nista." The figure noted the twitch above Vegeta's right eye as he said the name of his doomed planet.
"I trust you remember it?"
Vegeta nodded, "And I know why you are here. You want revenge for what I did to your planet. Your fight is with me, not them," he glanced over at the others.
The figure turned to look at his saiyan thralls. "Them? Oh, you misunderstand me, Prince. It is true that I lust for a certain measure of…justice, but that's not all."
"What is it then?"
The figure pointed an accusing finger at Vegeta and for a second he lost his composure. "You are the one I want most of all for what you did! You more than anyone else, deserve exactly what you did to her!"
Now it was Vegeta's turn to lose his composure as he realized just whom he was dealing with. "You," he exclaimed in shock. "I should have known!"
The figure took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair to regain his composure. "Yes," he said, nodding once. "Now you do."
Videl had regained herself by that point in the discussion and got back on her feet. Even though she was in shock at the time she had heard the entire conversation. She stepped out from behind Vegeta and stood next to him. "Vegeta," she started in a quavering voice, "Is what he said true?"
Vegeta scowled and didn't take his eyes off of the figure, "Yes. Every word of it."
She stepped back from him, unable to come to grips with the knowledge that she had gained. Tears fell from her cheeks as she forced herself to look away from him. Her eyes met Gohan's and that didn't help either.
"Let her go, along with the others," he commanded, his voice had turned soft and lost the edge that was normally there. "Give them their freedom and…"
"Not yet," the figure declared, cutting him off. "First, I'm going to let my friends here beat you like you and your underlings did to me and my people. Then if I'm in the mood, I'll consider your request when you crawl up to me and beg!"
Vegeta tensed as the figure spread his wings and flew up to a chair on one of the overhangs. Leviathan walked forward, powering himself up. "Videl! Hurry and get the others! Go!"
But Videl didn't move she had a look of shock on her face and she stared toward where Goku and Gohan were. Vegeta was confused until he heard words that chilled him to the bone.
"FUUUU…ZON…HA!"
"No…" Vegeta breathed before everything went white…
Next Chapter: Enter Gokhan! Things are looking pretty bad, huh?
