Chapter 9

Arriving to Capsule Corporation

It was 8:28 pm, and Symone was in West City. She was very glad to have finally reached the city. She was very exhausted from the trip. But when she saw the familiar large, yellow, dome-shaped building up ahead, she sped up.

She was five blocks away, "Great! I'm almost there!" she said happily, "I can't wait!"

After she passed the second block, she heard police sirens.

Symone slowed down, "Oh, I don't believe this! she groaned, And I just got here, too. Dad's gonna kill me!"

After she pulled over, the officer got out of his car and approached her. Then she cut off the engine.

"Excuse me, Miss. But are you aware of the fact that you were going 40 in a 20 mph limit?"

She chuckled nervously, "Uh, sorry about that, officer."

He looked her up and down, then the vehicle, "I would like to see your license and registration for this vehicle."

"M-my license?" she stammered, "Oh, boy. If he sees my name and birthdate I'll definitely be in trouble."

"Yes."

Symone pulled her goggles off and slowly reached into the compartment and pulled out her wallet. When she pulled out her license, with hesitation, she handed it to him.

He glanced at her license.

Symone gulped quietly.

He looked at her with disbelief, "Ma'am, what is your last name?"

"Uh, Brief."

He continued to stare at her, "'Brief'?" he asked with an arched eyebrow of disbelief, " As in related to President Brief?"

"Uh, y-yes." she nodded and looked down.

He gave her license back, "Let me escort you to the Briefs' resident." he said.

Symone arched her eyebrow, "Huh?"

"It's quite peculiar that you say you are a Brief family member. On the count of the only members in that family is Ms. Bulma, her son, President Dr. Brief and his wife." he told her. Then he looked down the street, "And since the corporation is only three blocks down, I trust you on your motorcycle to let me escort you to Capsule Corporation and see if Ms. Bulma really know you, or not." he said, then walked back to his hovering vehicle.

Symone turned her ignition on, and groaned in frustration.

The officer's vehicle pulled up next to hers, "Ready?"

She nodded, then looked down, scowling alittle, "Man, this is not how I pictured my entrance. But then again, it could've been worse."

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Bulma was in the living room of her Capsule Corporation home. Until she heard a beeping signal on the phone.

She pressed the button for the speaker, "Yes?"

"Ms. Bulma, you have two visitors." said the computer voice of one of the robotic servant.

"At this time of night?" Bulma thought, "Okay, I'll be down in a sec."

"Yes ma'am." the robot said and disconnected the signal.

"Strange. I wasn't expecting anyone." she said to herself.

It took her five minute to get to the first floor of the building.

She opened the door. She saw the two figures waiting at the arch of the entrance, where the intercom was.

"Can I help you two?" she asked as she walked towards them. She got a clear view that one of them--an officer, and the other-- a teenage girl.

"Sorry to disturb your evening, Ms. Brief." the officer started and tip his hat alittle, "But this young girl claims that she knows you."

"Well, everyone in this town knows the Briefs. She's probably a friend of my son." Bulma said.

"Let me be alittle more specific---she also claimed that she is a Brief family member."

"Huh?" Bulma said, then looked at Symone.

Symone looked at her, praying Bulma would recognize her, ten years ago through the Dimensional Telecommunicator.

Bulma stared at Symone for a good moment, "Symone?"

She looked up at Bulma and nodded.

"Yes! It is you!" she grabbed the girl's hands, "It's great to see you. And after all these years."

Symone smiled alittle, "Yes, it has been awhile." she said.

The officer stood there dumbfounded, "Wait. You really know this girl?" he asked Bulma in a puzzling matter.

"Yes. Of course I do." she said, then looked into Symone's face, she smiled, "She's a Brief alright."

"But how can that be?" the officer thought, while scratching his head.

"Bulma, it's great to see you, too." Symone said.

"This girl is honestly a Brief?" the officer asked Bulma.

Bulma scowled alittle, "Yes. And I'll pay you if you'll stop asking and not tell anyone."

He chuckled alittle nervously, "You know I don't take bribes, Ms. Brief. But if you say this girl is a Brief, well, um, O.K."

"I mean it. Don't tell anyone..." she told the officer, then looked at Symone, "...that she's my future granddaughter." she said, then smiled, "Why don't you come in, Symone." she looked at the stunned officer, "Well, thank you officer. You have a nice evening."

"Huh?!" he said, with his mouth opened wide.

"Okay." Symone said and followed Bulma through the arch and into the property of Capsule Corp. But then she stopped, "Wait."

Bulma stopped, and looked back at her, "What is it?"

"My bike. Let me put my motorcycle back into its capsule."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can have one of the servants put it in the hangar." she said and gently took the girl's arm, "Now, come on. I know you're exhausted."

After they disappeared behind the door, the policeman still stood there, puzzled, "What just happened?" he asked himself, "Did she just say that girl is her granddaughter? Maybe she meant 'daughter' or 'daughter-in-law'" he shook his head, "I guess with the Brief family, it's possible. Dr. Brief isn't a tight screw himself."

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Bulma smiled alittle after she handed Symone a cup of hot tea, "It's great to see you, Symone."

Symone smiled back.

"You still look so beautiful after all these years."

Symone sipped her tea, then she looked at Bulma, "To be honest, I thought you wouldn't recognize me." she said, "I mean, it has been ten years."

"Non-sense. You're a Brief. You look just as the same as you always did. Back then, and now." Bulma told her, "Just as beautiful as before."

Symone blushed alitte, then thought to ask of her other two alternative relatives, "Are the other two here?"

"The other two? Oh, you mean Trunks and Vegeta, right?"

She nodded.

"No. They went someplace to spar. It's just my daughter and me."

Symone looked at her, "You have another child?"

"Yeah. Her name is Bura. She's three years old."

"Oh. that's nice. Where is she?"

"I put her to bed an hour ago."

"Oh. I guess I'll see her tomorrow." she said, then sipped more of her tip.

"Symone, why are you here?"

Symone looked up, "I came to meet the Z-Fighters."

"Really? You mean Trunks finally gave in?"

She laughed alittle, "Yeah. He thought I can use a vacation."

"Isn't that nice? So, how is he and your mother?"

Symone's expression darkened with some sad emotions, "My mother-- she died three years ago."

"Oh..." Bulma looked at Symone, "...I'm sorry."

She looked up, "Ah, it's alright. My dad, he's doin' okay. Um, their anniversary is tomorrow."

"Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I told Dad I can stay in our timeline 'til after the anniversary, then make the trip, but he insisted that I go now." she told her, "It was either make the trip, or don't go at all. And you know I couldn't pass that opportunity up." she chuckled alittle, "In a way, I know he wouldn't give up that easily, whether I wanted to wait afterwards or not; he would have still let me go."

"But why did you choose to make the trip anyways?"

"Well, ever since my mother passed on, and her birthday or anniversary came around, the family gets a bit depressed about it-- namely my dad. I think everytime those days come around and I'm at his presence, he gets alittle depressed. He tries to hide it, though, with a cheerful mood."

"Why?"

"Because I remind him of my mother. He always said I resembled her a lot. In facial looks and personality." she said, "So, I guess you can say my mere presence depress him. Or something like that."

"I guess he can't help but to feel that way. He was really attached to her."

"Yeah." she looked down in her tea cup.

"He really had a bond with her."

Symone smiled alttle, "Yeah."

"I'm sure he'll be okay."

Symone nodded in agreement. She sipped her tea and changed the subject, "My dad told me all the Z-Fighters are usually scattered throughout the world."

"Yeah. And I bet you wanna see them all before you leave, right?

"Yeah."

"No problem. I can have a reunion arranged for tomorrow." she told her, then thought about it, "Yeah. I can have Goku use his Instant Transmission and get in touch with Tien, Chaotzu. And I can give Master Roshi a call. And Yamcha. We can have a reunion on Master Roshi's Island. Though, I won't guarantee everyone will be there."

Symone looked at her with surprise, "You can do that by tomorrow?"

"Oh, sure. If it's an emergency. But anything for my alternative granddaughter." she said, then smiled.

Symone smiled alittle, but her expression changed to seriousness, "But if you do all that, wouldn't you have to tell everyone who I am." she asked, "If I'm staying here tonight, how will you tell Trunks and Vegeta-san?"

"You let me worry about that. And telling everyone else who you are; we can save that until the reunion starts." she told her, "You just let me handle it. Okay?"

She nods, "Okay."

They both heard the door to the living room slide open.

"Mom, we're back." said Trunks with Vegeta following behind.

"That's good." she replied, and turned her head alittle, "Trunks, we have a guest. Say 'hi' to her."

He looked at Symone, then smiled alittle, "Hello."

Vegeta just looked at her and turned away with a grunt,"Hmph." with the usual mid-level scowl on his face, as he could care less for the girl's present.

"Hi." Symone smiled, "This is the Trunks my dad saw? she thought, His face looks a bit different from the teenage Trunks in the other tmeline. I guess being brought up different would really affect a person in physical. The Trunks I saw looked, well, more masculine."

Trunks walked across the living room to the kitchen, "Is there anything to eat? I'm famished."

"Aren't you always?"

"Yeah." he said and went through the refidgerator.

Vegeta scoffed at his son's appetite, "Hmph. Your hunger is gonna be your downfall, one day, Boy." and with that, he went down the hall to the gravity room.

"I can't help it." Trunks said and found himself some food.

Symone looked at Trunks, then back at Bulma, "Is he always like that?"

"Who? Trunks or Vegeta?" she asked her.

"I was mostly referring to Trunks."

"Yeah. Trunks is slacking off on training, and Vegeta's trying to wake his instincts." she smiled alittle, "But he's totally booked on the real world."

"Oh."

Trunks made his way into the living room, "So, Mom, where did our lovely guest come from?"

"She's the daughter of an old friend of mines. She's gonna stay here for two weeks." she answered. She got up from the sofa, "Her name is Symone." she looked at Symone, "Symone, let me show you to a room."

"Okay." she said and rose up as well, "Bulma, I really appreciate it."

"No problem. You're almost like apart of the family." she said casually, then winked at Symone.

Symone blink, then smiled little, catching her little pun.

Trunks looked at his mother to Symone, "That was strange."