In Search of Amity

Period 27: Take flight

He was amazingly calm as he reached the dark door; fingers closing nimbly around his swords leather handle, and placing his other hands fingertips against the doors rough wood. Vegeta and Goku stopped a few feet behind with Piccolo hanging between them, having regained some of his strength he managed to keep the soles of his feet against the ground.
"We cant afford to use our powers greatly here, they will find us instantly so don't screw it up." Vegeta warned and Trunks nodded before he gingerly unbuckled and untangled the doors chains, letting them slide gently through his hands so they would not knock against anything.

"Hold on to your butts." He whispers as he inhaled a great breath, hurtling the door open and jumping out with his sword perked, held loosely between his hands.
"Go move." Goku whispers, Trunks paced forward with his blade tense, eyeing the walls of the alley for any movement, his ears perked for any sounds apart from dripping water and the splashing of boots.

"There is another passage way across the street, it leads to the docking station, it's a shorted route." Vegeta said in a horse whisper, adjusting Piccolos arm over the back of his neck for comfort.
"Then we go that way." Trunks nodded and it was not long before they came to the end of the alleyway, it was now the dead of night yet there were still aliens commuting around the street in small proportions. Ducking his head out he looked both ways and saw no one was close enough to spot them.

"Now." He motioned with his hand, standing by he made sure everyone went by before running back to the front of the group and checking the opposite alleyway for danger. During his scrutinising he noted staircases along either side leading up the building, this made him nervous.
"Gohan come here." He whispered and Gohan approached promptly.
"Keep your eyes on those staircases, I get a tingling sensation when I look at them and it's shitting me." He said with a tone.
"No worries ill keep my eyes peeled, you watch the front." Gohan responded and the two-stayed side by side, as they proceeded.

Dende straggled behind intentionally, fearful of being followed he constantly looking back to be sure. In one instance he was about to turn back to the front when he heard something, stopping he searched the dark walls they had passed and saw nothing but the staircases, his keen hearing could faintly make out the sound of low breathing coming from…. beside him. He slowly turned to the right and nothing seemed out of order, then a pair of eyes flickered open directly in his face and his own eyes widened, yet he was too slow to react. A flat alien shaped as a bat with arms and legs leapt from the wall wrapping itself around his body, they hurtled to the water logged ground with a splash.

"AHHHHHH RUN!" Bra screamed when she heard them fall, Trunks swung around and ran toward the back of the group where he heard his sisters screams, halfway there he spotted the creature wrapping its wings around Dende.
"HOLD ON DENDE!" He called arriving beside them, as he raised his sword over his head he felt an increase of ki coming from them, he held his blade taut. Red light shone through the openings around the creature, and with a primordial scream, it exploded into a storm of blood and flesh, its essence splattering against the walls and building eves.
Dende stood up covered in the creature's blood.
"Are you alright?" Trunks asked lowering his sword, Dende nodded and cracked his neck both ways.
"Yeah but lets move before more appear." He suggested.
"You go it." Trunks agreed and started running down the alley with everyone following close behind, all eyes focussed on the walls for the camouflaged aliens.

"The stairs!" Gohan warned in a shout, six more clawed their way down landing on the ground, standing upright they snarled viciously. Vegeta recognised the one in front, he was the lead thug from the bar where they rescued Piccolo.
"How predictable of you scum to turn up, then again we really walked into your part of town." Vegeta bantered and dropped his portion of Piccolos weight onto Goku.
"Shut up human accomplice, I will deal with you but first I will deal with your leader and partner in crime." The thug smirked and turned his attentions onto Goku, looking helpless as he tried to hold up the injured Namek.
"You cost me my reputation tonight soul, the only way for me to be reinstated is to take you down, and that is going to happened now." The thug announced, taking a step forward.

Goku stood up straight holding piccolo up as high as he could on his feet, though with the Namek being a lot taller it looked awkward.
"I refuse to partake in your game, stand aside and let us go on with our business." He requested then continued in his intended direction, inclined to walk straight through the thugs.
"I don't think you get the point human, you don't get a choice in the matter." The thug stated and stood in the saiyajins path, turning to the injured Namek in his arms and snorting.
"Why risk your life for the shittiest species in the quadrant?" The thug asked as he eyes Piccolo with disgust.

This question from the thug raised a question from Goku, why were there no Namek's on this
planet, there were many rogue Namek's in the universe and not all were bloodthirsty traitors.
"What reason do you have for hating the Namek's, they are a peaceful race with no enemies." Goku stated confidently, the thug laughed aloud surprising the saiyajin a little.
"Namek's are peaceful indeed and that is the very reason why they are the lowest class, they are fucking, sissy, slugs with no spine and only good for boxing and stretching." He laughed, his thug gang joining in with low grunts and giggles; Goku scowled angrily at the leader then inhaled a breath.

"Ill say it once more, stand aside." He said firmly with an unshakable stare. The leader seised his laughter, outraged by Goku's informality.
"Remember those words human, they will be your last." With a swing of his fist, the lead thug missed Goku who ducked down pulling Piccolo with him.
"Gohan heads up!" He called and swiftly slid the Namek across the ground to Gohan's waiting grasp, then turned back and narrowly dodged the thugs knee aiming for his face, leaping up from the ground to gain some leverage he flew up the alley walls toward the sky.

"GET HIM NOW, don't let him get away from me!" The leader commanded and his followers responded, climbing up the walls and staircase like a swarm of savage ants they reached Goku soon after, the closest to him leapt up grasping his ankle.
"Ack!" Goku yelled looking down, then released a double dose of ki shots hitting it dead on between the eyes and watched it fall two dozen stories to the alley below.

Vegeta watched the spectacle above with a chuckle.
"Aren't you going to do something?" Pan exclaimed running up to him in a panic. Vegeta seized his chuckling to look to her.
"What on earth for girl, a pure saiyajin is more than capable of extinguishing a few serves of condensed slime, that is unless Kackarot has lost his edge" he taunted and resume his observation, meanwhile his words caught the lead thugs attention.
"What was that, did you just say saiyajin?" He demanded stomping up to the prince threateningly. Neglecting to turn to him, Vegeta smiled wickedly to himself and rolled his shoulders comfortably.
"Indeed I did, now why would I say such a taboo thing like that unless it were true." He tested and turned to the thug with a perpetuate grin. The thug's eyes slowly widened and he backed away feeling his stomach sink to his toes.

Looking to his followers battling in the skies above, he shrieked.
"FALL BACK, flee my children!" he cried, and at that moment Vegeta struck out into the skies with his fists taunt, reaching the top floor of the building he hovered a moment while collecting a ball of rapid, white, electrically fused ki in his palm.
"EAT THIS!" He called and thrusted the ki ball from his hand, watching as it affected the group of fighters in a dazzling display of steam and electrical charges, the thugs literally evaporating into air.

Goku spotted the princes preparing blast and instantly transmitted himself back down to the group; Vegeta hovered until not a spec was left of the creatures.
"Condensed slime." he thought with a chuckle then dashed down to the alleyway, landing in front of the lead thug who was shaking with disbelief, falling to his knees he squealed like a drowning swine.
"I am unworthy of such power, please destroy me as you did my followers, for I am worthless dust in the cracks with nothing." He pleaded crawling his way to Goku's feet and bedding his forehead down upon his boots. Goku felt sorrow for Vegeta's reactions and wished it had not had to be this way.

"I'm sorry but enough life has been taken this night, leave now and allow us to leave, I cannot fulfil your request." The gentle hearted man explained with care, stepping away from the gravelling thug he walked to Gohan to fetch Piccolo, settling the Namek him between himself and his son they made their way down the alley.
"Shouldn't we do something with him, wont he tell someone what happened?" Gohan asked looking over his shoulder at the thug, still on his knees.
"No, he has nothing now, this is worse than death to one of his kind." His father informed.

A set of eyes and ears were watching and listening the goings on in the alley, covered the by darkness of the shadows they followed with caution and stealth.
Jogging down the generic alley with Vegeta as navigator Goku slid to a stop when the street on the other end came into view, licking his lips he looked to the prince.
"Now what, through here then where to?" he asked, Vegeta stepped out to the edge and searched for their next point of contact, he spotted causeway a block away leading over one of the deep polluted river and onto a small community.

"The only way is through the residential ruins, on the other side is a direct entrance to the docking bay and our destination." He confirmed and started heading for the causeway, Goku and Gohan stepped out with Piccolo in tow, watching their surroundings carefully for any other attackers but the streets were deserted.
"You said this is residential in here, doesn't that mean there will be people that can identify us hanging around everywhere?" Trunks asked.
"The ruins are filled with the lowest of low lives, no one in there has the slightest interest in everyday events. It's filled with orphans, compulsive gamblers who have lost everything, and substance addicts." Vegeta explained with a well-informed tone.

Not exactly what he expected to hear but Trunks knew he was not one to complain of such things in a place such as this, reaching the wooden causeway they trod carefully across to not swing it and Goten stayed close to Bra who was not known for her swimming skills. The causeway was short and led to the ruins as Vegeta had predicted, the roofless and doorless stone, wood and cardboard homes stood unevenly around them with many of the local residence staggering, slouching or begging at the base of the walls.

"Spare a few zeni, carabi or tyoh, you look rich enough." One gaggled reaching out and weakly grasping Trunks boot, ignoring the beggar's plea Trunks pulled his boot from their grasp and moved away.
Moans and groans raged through the area, babies cried, women screaming and Many sat with backs against crumbling buildings with rags hindering them from view, there was a large group of them huddled closely together by a fire to one side also, their faces and identities concealed.
"We have come a quarter of the way through, don't fall behind, or you will be left to their mercy." Vegeta warned over his shoulder, stepping over broken pieces of machinery that littered the path.

Dende continued to look over his shoulder for any strange signes, his eyes were upon the large group that they had left behind a fair way back, almost half the group suddenly stood in unity, walking out to the main path they formed a straight line with each facing their direction.
"Uh guys this doesn't seem right." He said, Goten slowed down and looked back to see, at first he was confused by the sight as Dende was but suddenly he felt a searing sting of pain erupt across his shoulder, he felt blood starting to stain his shirt and skin.

"I'm hit there firing at us!" He shouted and started running; Vegeta looked over his shoulder and cursed.
"Dammit that thug bastard tipped them off" he shouted and started running toward the docking bay, they watched Vegeta run and knew this could not be good so they followed.
"Tipped off about what?" Savarna asked with a limited amount of breath.
"That I have returned, there is a bounty on me set by the ice jinn's." He responded.

Though angered everyone declined to start an argument at this time, the bounty hunters were closing in and their advanced laser rifles firing with long intervals between shots. Goten was loosing his paces fast.
"C'mon man its just a razor burn you can make it!" Trunks urged, grasping Goten underarm as he slowed down from loss of blood, his eyes felt heavy and legs felt like they were carrying led weights for the shot had sliced a major network of veins.
Goku and Gohan were managing with Piccolo between them, Vegeta skidded to a stop grasping and turning he grasped Savarna and Bra up under his arms before continuing to run, Dende ran up ahead and picked Pan up, carrying her closer to the front of the group.

"I'm, gonna fall." Goten mumbled and his knees capsized, his arm anchored over Trunks neck he pulled him down with him, they fell face first against the path. A light from the bounty hunters high-powered torch shun on them, Trunks tried to get Goten up but he was out and his own foot had twisted awkwardly.
The hunters approached closer, Trunks reached for his sword that he slides out swiftly, holding it up defensively while lying on his back over Goten.
"Come and get me you fuckers!" He called, squinting his eyes as the torch light shone bright, then from the corner of his eye a figure appeared out of nowhere and stood between them and the hunters, in his hand a replica of the weapon the hunters carry.

"Now is your chance to get to the docking bay, ill hold them off!" The figure called and started firing at the hunters, Trunks nodded and with a painful effort dragged himself, and Goten up from the ground, flying up he started catching up with the group. Their rescuer also followed at a slowed pace, turning, and firing back at their pursuers to keep them at bay.

Everyone else had made it out the other side Vegeta still held Savarna and Bra under his arms as Dende cradled Pan.
"Where's Trunks and Goten!" Pan shouted squirming to get free of Dende, putting up a good fight against the Namek but did not even touch the ground.
"You wont last a second in there, they are alive I can feel their life force coming closer and there is another coming too." Dende exclaimed, Goku nodded.
"Yes I feel it too but I don't recognise it." He agreed and then they spotted Trunks fly out of the entrance and down the street toward them.
"Look its Korofi behind them!" Gohan shouted energetically, their acquaintance from The Mole Hole had shown himself again much to his relief.

"Get the ship started now, our time has run out!" Vegeta shouted pushing the doors opening button with his elbow he headed the group through the glass walkway leading into their ships parking space, Trunks carried Goten through the air with effort as his ankle singed in pain.
Kicking the door down Vegeta entered the room where capsule 4 stood fully functional with the front viewing screen repaired, the cargo bay door opened and he ran in with the girls.
"Inside we haven't got much time!" Goku ordered as he and Gohan hurled Piccolo inside and Dende entered with Pan, Trunks struggle the rest of the way in on foot, Korofi was metres behind and still firing at the hunters.

Having killed one and injuring a few he felt he had the upper hand, then a shot fired slicing through the centre of his cap, penetrating deeply into his skull. He cried out painfully as his green flesh smoked with burns, quickly he puled off the cap and threw it aside then looked back to be sure he was headed for the bay door. It started to close so he turned to it and quickly leapt through the space that was left, entering he hit the floor and rolled into the opposite wall.
With Trunks unable to pilot at 100, Savarna volunteered to take the helm.
"Get ready ill get us up, hold on to something everyone!" with no one willing to argue she took her position in the pilots seat, flicking on all the right switches as Trunks had instructed her she powered the ship up to full.

"Hold on!" she called looking out the viewing window, she saw the hunters were still firing at them so she clutched the control stick and pulled back hard, the ship hurtled up and out an opening in the ceiling and everyone who wasn't hanging on to something went tumbling into the walls, furniture and cargo. The ships engine fire and heat singed against the bounty hunters robes, they backed away shielding their heads with their weapons and arms.

Thankyou for reading.