Disclaimer:
All DBZ characters belong to Akira Toriyama.
The other ones belong to me :p

YELL
" Someone has taken the idea of revenge a little bit too far "

Chapitre TWELVE : "The Fifth Call"

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Trunks edged his way through the pipes. He had the feeling that the closer he was to the surface of this dark and cold water, the more there were pipes. His lungs were burning atrociously now. His hands, thrown forward, fell a variation in the texture around them.

The air...

He doubled his efforts to push away the obstacles around him, as he was feeling his hands moving in the free air. An air that should be so soft to breathe.

He startled on his seat and realized he had dozed off inside the ambulance. Through one of the long windows on the vehicle side, he saw that they had just arrived to the Satan City Hospital. He turned towards Katrina and saw that she was gazing at the external lights without any expression on her face. But her breathing was normal.

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Satan City Police Station - Sunday 23h30

Hayden could have frankly had a déjà-vu feeling, so strong was the resemblance between the actual scene, and a scene that had occurred in this very office the previous day. To be honest, the circumstances that had brought the young man in this room, and his purple-haired friend, were strangely similar.

But in reality, Hayden didn't seem to pay attention to it. He was gazing at Goten with a doubtful look. Lee, who was sitting in the shadow of a corner of the room, was observing Hayden more than Goten. As for Trunks' previous questioning, the camera was on. It's contents would join dozens of similar tapes that were filling the archives of the Police Station for many years measurable by the probable thickness of dust that had settled softly on cases and plastic boxes.

Hayden raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath: "Let me ask you this, son. What are you doing with a cell-phone with you?". Goten raised an eyebrow towards him, his gaze darkened, his wrists handcuffed in his back. "Hey, wait... Everybody's got one, inspector, live with your time!"

"But what were you doing at Trunks' house at this hour of the night?", Hayden went on.

Goten smiled and leaned forward, his hands still held in his back. "Hey, Hayden, come here...". His tone was almost accomplice. He added on this effect with a slight blink. Hayden leant towards Goten. Lee's attention raised of one level. It was Goten she was gazing at, now.

"How many times...", Goten started on an almost amused tone, before turning it into a voice loaded with anger, "... will I have to REPEAT IT?!!?!!!!"

Hayden got a backwards movement, involuntary. He had already witnessed the strength this youth could deploy. Goten continued on this same bad-tempered tone: "I went to Trunks' house, because the killer called me to tell he was going to kill him!!! GOD DAMN IT, CHECK THE CALLS!!!"

Hayden seemed to recover his cold calm and retorted with an impersonal voice, "We are already on it... But you'll have to stay here until we have confirmation of what you just said..."

Goten's anger seemed to vanish as his shoulders lowered and his tone became desperate and exhausted. "This is crazy. I didn't do anything and you know it!"

Lee raised in her seat. "Hayden, you should ask VITALCOM to track the sent and received calls".

Hayden half-turned to her and roared: "Damn it, I just TOLD YOU!!! The request has ALREADY been sent to them!". Goten was gazing at the two inspectors one after the other. Classical scheme... One plays the baddie and the other plays the nice guy...

Hayden turned then to Goten: "You did go out on friday evening, I remember you..."

Goten raised an eyebrow: "I was at the party with other students. For your information, there must be about fifty people who could testify of my presence there".

Hayden went on: "Did you leave the party at some moment?"

"No." Goten threw an exasperated look towards him, "Inspector, I didn't kill anybody!". He tone has raised a little. "Tell me something..."

Hayden and Lee brought their attention back to Goten. "Don't you think that if I was the killer, I would have got rid of my cell-phone BEFORE going to help my potential victims this evening?"

"Everybody make mistakes", Hayden replied after a short reflection moment.

"No kidding! Not blunder like that!", Goten almost snickered, "I'm not BLOND, hey!".

This weak attempt for humor didn't seem to reach Hayden whose zygomatic muscles remained still. "Blond or not, prepare yourself to spend the night here. We should get the results within a few hours. You have the right to do one phone-call if you want".

Goten scowled, and seemed to think about it for a few moments, then: "Yes, I want to contact my father!"

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Satan City Hospital - Sunday 23h50.

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Trunks was sitting in the corridor, on his mother's right. He had a slight Band-Aid on his forehead, another on the back of his neck, and nothing on his cut lips as the cut had been judged too superficial to be healed. The doctors had been optimistic about the quickness of his recovery.

Trunks naturally disliked the hospitals. He was wondering how long nefore they'd realize of their alien heritage. He didn't want to become an observation subject for scientists in lack of sensation and fame. Already, it hadn't been easy to hide their participation to the fights that had marked the history of this planet, but it seemed that since the beginning of this new affair, the risk to be discovered was getting bigger and bigger. He would have greatly preferred a session in a Capsule Corporation regenerating tank. It would have been faster and more discrete. But with the police on the place, he had no other choice than to accept the request (the order?) to go to the hospital to be healed.

Standing up in front of them, was Donnahue, Traxler's second assistant. He had come to question Trunks about the events of the evening, and was waiting to question Katrina as soon as she would come out the treatment room.

Trunks measured the situation. It had a good side, and a series of particularly unpleasant sides. Because if he didn't seem to be considered as the main subject anymore - and he could guess that from Donnahue's professional and caring behavior around him - he had now to face the eventual betrayal of his best friend. He was mentally examining, again, all the events that had marked out their childhood. He couldn't believe that Goten had tried to kill him, and even more, had killed his own brother. And yet... all the proofs were against him...

But it was Goten, my best friend...

But what was he doing there, especially at the same moment as the killer's...

But it was still Goten... He wouldn't be a bloody killer... He couldn't turn against my, that's impossible...!

But what was he doing at the Capsule Corporation in the middle of the night...?

Trunks pressed his hands on his temples. Trying in vain to extract a solution from his tortured mind. Bulma put a hand on his shoulder. "Headache, Trunks?"

Trunks shook his head, trying to make a reassuring smile, but ended up doing a grimace. Everything would be better tomorrow. He would see clearer. But right now, all he wanted was to be disconnected of everything for at least ten hours... Not to have to think to anything in particular... A big Fall into forgetfulness...

At that very moment, the door of the treatment room opened, chasing away his crazy thoughts for a few seconds. The doctor who had taken Katrina in 20 minutes before, came out the room, a reassuring smile on his lips. "There's nothing to fear", he said with a warm tone, "No nerve was touched. She got a few stitches to prevent the wound opening again. We can say she was quite lucky!", he added, on an almost admiring tone. "One inch deeper, and it was micro-surgery with loss of 50% of arm mobility..."

Trunks imagined that alternative... What would have become of Katrina in that case. He felt painfully responsible about her. As for Gohan... He once more had the feeling that, this time again, it was his fault.

Then he remembered something Mirai-Trunks had said in his dream.

'Man, you keep destroying everything you touch, heh?'.

"Yeah, maybe...", he whispered for himself. The doctor was mistaken about his words, and went on "Yes, even if some people worship the progress of micro-surgery, the success is not always guaranteed... Anyway, it's not the case here as she seems to be protected by a damn good lucky star".

"Or a damn good weapon that appeared miraculously", Bulma added, thinking of the gun Katrina had used to defend herself against the killer.

"Where is she?", Trunks asked with an almost worry voice.

"She'll arrive in a minute...", the doctor replied calmly, "Don't worry. She's gathering her items, and she'll join you. Of course, I'd like her to stay here in observation for the night...", he added. Trunks shook his head. He seemed almost disconnected from reality. From where he was, Donnahue was taking his notebook from the pocket of his jacket in order to write down Katrina's statement, when he realized that his pen was dead. "Oh shit! Could I please borrow a pen?", he asked the Doctor with an embarrassed tone. "No problemo... I must bring back Katrina's medical file to the front desk. I guess you would ask for one of their pens..."

The two men went away. Trunks sat on the black and cold plastic seat, nervously exhausted. He thought about the fact that Katrina was going to spend the night in this hospital - apparently protected. He smirked internally: The protection this hospital would provide against a psycho killer was quite weak, but no weaker than the Capsule Corporation, especially since it was clear that the killer knew the place perfectly.

He shook his head. He had just forgotten that the killer had been caught...

No, it couldn't be real... It ought to have been a nightmare... Goten COULD NOT be the murderer of his own brother... Goten couldn't betray him...

At that moment, he got another unpleasant feeling... As if a voice deep inside was whispering to him to accept the fact that Goten was the psychopath killer who was after his life... Because if it was not Goten, it meant that the killer was still running free...

No but are you nuts?! Goten is my best friend! He can't be willing to kill me!

Therefore it means that an Anthony Perkins number-one-fan is still wandering freely in the outside world... And who will be the next victim, do you think?

Shut up!, Trunks thought angrily against his internal voice. I want to sleep! Everything will be better tomorrow!

At that very moment, his Cell-phone rang, pulling him out of his train of thoughts. He cursed himself. He had completely forgotten to shut it off. Yet, all what had happened was enough to become allergic to this kind of device. Moreover, it was forbidden to have a cell-phone on in a hospital. If nowa nurse a-la-Misery had started rushing towards him with an axe to reprimand him for having gone beyond the rules, he wouldn't have been surprised.

Perplexed, yes, but not surprised...

On this rather funny thought, he answered the call. "Yeah?"

//Hello, Trunks...//

Trunks felt his blood freezing in his veins as his heart had just missed a beat.

Bulma who had turned towards him at that moment, saw the sudden paleness on his face, and heard the almost inaudible and despaired whisper: "No..." Her son seemed tetanised on the spot. She understood the situation in the blink of an eye. And after another blink, she reacted, turning towards the doctor and Donnahue who were calmly walking towards the frontdesk, chatting calmly.

"Donnahue!"

And as Trunks was measuring the consequence of this reverse of situation, the horribly familiar voice went on with an amused tone //Tsk tsk tsk... Poor Goten... Ah, your meaning of "friendship" is beautiful... You can say that an innocent never stood a chance in front of you... Isn't it?//

What is he... ?

"DONNAHUE!"

The sudden emergency in Bulma's voice caught the second assistant's attention. He saw her urgent expression, and then her son's blank expression as he was talking on his cell-phone. His first thought was that the probability it was the killer calling - while he was supposed to be in jail - was too small for the scene he had in front of his eyes to be was what he feared.

"DONNAHUE!!!!!!!!!!!"

This last screams finally decided him and he walked rapidly towards Trunks. After a few steps, he was running.

Beyond the shock and the terror that started to invade him, Trunks got the time to wonder about the meaning of the killer's last sentence. "Who are you?", he whistled between his teeth. The voice went on: //Oh, you'll discover it soon, trust me. Meanwhile, the SHOW MUST GO ON!//.

Trunks heard the click of end of communication at the very moment Donnahue was grabbing the phone.

"HELLO?!!", the second assistant yelled several times before realizing he was speaking in the void, and that if there had been someone on the other side of the line, that person was already gone a few moments ago... Perhaps gone to butcher other pals of this purple haired boy. At that very moment, Donnahue felt happy not to be part of his circle of friends...

Because to be friend with him could be deadly, in the first meaning of the term...

Trunks fell to his knees, his eyes wide, silent for a few seconds, then let out a scream of rage and despair. Bulma gathered her arms around him to calm him down as, from the corner of her eyes, she could see one of the nurses started a retreating movement, probably to go get an hypodermic tranquilizer. They were probably used to this kind of situation, and their reactions in front of it were proving that those were simple professional reflexes. A little injection to dispatch this nervous patient into Morpheus' arms, and NEXT!

Raising her head, Bulma saw Katrina who was standing in the opening of the treatment room door, not daring crossing it, gazing at Trunks with a look where were mixed fear and distress...

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[ To be continued ]

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I KNOW... I took a long time to update this fic (while you could still read it on my website, in the profile section... like Judith did ;-) )

Those who went on my site, know that the last chapter that was posted there, was #13... And that when I started to post this fic on FF.NET, I told when I'd reach the 13th chapter, the 14th would be posted also a few moments afterwards... So, the waiting is almost reaching the end... The story will go on, and you'll be able to make more investigations :D

And at the end of next chapter, just before posting the so long awaited chapter 14, I'll answer all the reviews I got so far ;)

Hope you liked this chapter :) Now, tell me, who do you think the killer may be? ;) (warning: there could be hints, hidden in the story, here and there... :p )

Have fun ;)

::Roselyne::