Chapter 9
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters from it, I do own this fics story line though and any characters that I create.
Bulma sighed as she watched as the other science officers climb into the ship; her heart felt strangely heavy, as though it too was reluctant to climb onto that ship an be blasted back into a world of childhood nightmares. But her horrible childhood wasn't the reason she was so reluctant to leave the station - she didn't want to leave Vegeta. The thought f not being with him was strangely unsettling, even upsetting. Bulma sighed again as Dr. Briefs looked at her sternly and then pointedly tapped his watch and boarded, but still Bulma waited.
Her whole morning had been a flustered rush around different sections of the space station, gathering the necessary tools, information and personal belongings. She hadn't ad time to hunt down her friends to say goodbye to them – instead she'd left only a hurried note. She wanted to leave now, before the bottomless feeling of nervousness in her stomach got worse, but Vegeta was coming to say goodbye. She didn't know how she knew it…but she could feel it deep inside. He wanted that final glimpse of her.
Not a minute had passed by when, just as she had known, Vegeta materialised form the docking bay door. His dark saiyan eyes shadowed as he walked straight over to Bulma and wrapped his arms around her. It was a like a dream, Bulma decided as she allowed herself to sink into his hug, she hadn't really known Vegeta was going to come to say goodbye to her again…but somehow she'd guessed that his emotions would force him to say goodbye to her, to give him those final moments to touch and hold her again.
Vegeta wasn't such a bad guy, Bulma decided as she kissed his neck, he was a little mixed up but he was generally a good guy. He'd done things to her and for her that no one else had ever been able to do. He'd changed her world in more ways then one, and if nothing else she owed him allegiance for liberating her from Frieza. But of course she felt more for him then just gratitude. The way he was holding and the way his eyes had locked onto her when he had seen her…she felt closer to Vegeta then she'd felt to anyone.
Bulma drew in a deep breath of his scent, memorising it as she slowly drew out of his embrace. "Take care of Eighteen and Chichi while I'm gone, neither of them are smart enough to take care of themselves." Bulma didn't want to look into his eyes, she knew that whatever was in them would make her want to stay. She focused on his mouth instead as she talked, wondering the whole time why she felt lie crying, it was stupid, she and Vegeta didn't have any emotional connection; she was just his latest woman.
But I do feel emotions for him and I know he feels something for me. He must…
"Take care of yourself, woman." Vegeta sounded his usual arrogant tough self, but when Bulma dared a glimpse of his eyes she could detect a worried glint behind them. It was somehow pleasing to know that he wanted her back. That he felt as torn by their parting as she did. Was this what emotions do to you? She wondered. Do emotions make you feel this…illogical?
"I'll be fine." Bulma assured him as she pulled away form her Prince and wondered once again what that feeling in the pit of her stomach was…it made her feel all nervous and funny inside. It was like being on a roller coaster. She shouldn't have waited for Vegeta to come say goodbye to her, she felt all wobbly and faint now. With supreme effort, Bulma turned and walked away; she had nothing to worry about. Vegeta would take care of Chichi and Eighteen (it was in his best interests to take care of the projects, after all!) and he'd be waiting for her when she returned.
The whole walk to the space shuttle Bulma could feel his eyes on her, willing her to turn around so he could look into her face again. She couldn't turn around though, because if she did she didn't know if she'd be able to turn back and climb on board that ship. It was with a sense of relief that Bulma walked up the ramp, entered the ship and was torn from Vegeta's sight.
Chichi woke up curled next to Goku on the couch, his tail was wrapped around her waist and he mumbled something about cheese in his sleep. A small smile crept over Chichi's face as she remembered what she and Goku had spent all night doing together…they hadn't had sex but they had played around an awful lot. It had been nice…something about Goku was reassuring and safe. It made her feel all tingly inside.
Chichi glanced around the room, trying to work out why no on had woken her up yet, she spied something on the kitchen table and, slowly, so as not to wake up her saiyan boy, Chichi unwound his tail from her waist and crept silently over to the kitchen, where she found a small note scrawled in Bulma's handwriting.
"Eighteen & Chichi,
I've had to go on an important and immediate mission to a space station near planet Cold. I have no idea when I'll be back, but hopefully if all goes well I shouldn't be gone longer then a week at most. Lets hope – things do have a way of going awry. I just want you to know that if things turn ugly you were probably what my last thoughts were of. You were the best sisters I could have hoped for and you were my family – even when we were light years apart.
Eighteen, you're my best friend and I want you to know that you're smarter then you think you are. Have more faith in your abilities because you've told me some of the most important things in life – things that I was never smart enough to work out for myself. Trust your instincts – they've been spot on in more ways then one lately.
And Chichi…I saw you with Goku on the couch and the best advice I can give you is this; the way to a saiyans heart is through food. And that no matter what Goku tells you; his tail had more inventive uses then you can possibly imagine. Don't be ashamed of your feelings for him and most of all don't let any other woman steal him away. Saiyans aren't anything like what we were led to believe as children.
Sorry this is brief but I don't know what else to say, and I'll be back later anyway.
Take care,
Bulma 109, xxoo."Chichi slowly put the note down and swallowed a lump in her throat; she hadn't known Bulma all that long but she had been awfully nice to her and when she'd been younger Bulma had always taken care of her. She re-read the letter and smiled; it sounded like Bulma was more in love with Prince Vegeta then she realised. They were so cute together. Chichi giggled and made her way ac to the couch, snuggling up with Goku and yawning as she drifted asleep again.
She'd see Bulma in about a week, she'd tell her how cute she thought she and the prince were then – maybe she'd even get a blush out of the ice-maiden Bulma.
Bulma settled in the seat next to Dr. Briefs and watched in fascination as he performed the manual start-up check of the shuttle. Her clear blue eyes following all of his movements – memorising each step of the start up as she had been trained to do since childhood. The doctor started the single pulse engine and quickly glanced at Bulma, smiling slightly like an indulgent father as he noted the engrossed look on her face. He leant back in his seat and switched the controls to automatic, allowing the ship to pilot itself out of the docking bay, using the time to key the route to planet Cold into the Hyper Drive.
"I'm unfamiliar with this ship." Bulma broke the silence, watching as the ship guided itself out of the shuttle bay. There was a kind of scientific grace in the way that the ship was able to manoeuvrer itself so cleverly.
"It's an older model." Dr Briefs watched the project with a far away look in his eyes. "Made before your time."
"My time?" Bulma sounded faintly amused. She sat up straighter and sighed in relief as the ship passed through the shuttle bay doors without any mishaps – it wasn't unheard of for ships to nick the bay doors.
"Mmm, a time before we were even considering a project of such proportions and significance in the field of genetics." Dr. Briefs waited until the ship was far enough away from the space stations to not cause any damage to the outer hull, then he punched the drive button and with a series of small shudders the ship passed into hyperspace – a fiery purple trail of sub-atomic drive particles the only sign of where they had been a moment before.
Doctor Briefs tore his gaze away from the event horizon in the centre of the view screen. Every time he went into hyperspace that point in the distance where the starts all seemed to appear from had fascinated him…it was always a struggle to look at anything else. But he had something important to tell the girl next to him…something that he should have told her the moment Frieza had died.
"Bulma." The doctor cleared his throat and continued. "I've been meaning to tell you something that I once swore never to tell you. Something I swore never to tell any of the projects." The doctor clarified. He glanced down and then up again, looking more then slightly uncomfortable. "It's to do with your 'defects'…" He paused and then continued, "…and your parentage."
"My parentage?" Bulma blinked in confusion. "I though all my DNA was synthetic?" She felt a cold chill down her back. Almost as though her body realised that what Dr. Briefs was about to say would change her life.
"In all the other Projects we used elements of synthetic DNA…but there was always a little DNA from various chosen subjects used to complete coding chains." Dr Briefs sighed. "But with you they combined the DNA of the world elite."
"What?" Bulma blinked as though unable to process the information just given to her. "The world elite?"
"Your DNA contains no synthetic chains. You're one hundred percent engineered from the mixing of a whole host of peoples genetic material." The doctor smiled grimly. "That means you're far more human then you thought…but there's more."
"More?" The young woman rubbed her head, feeling as though someone had just pulled the rug from under her.
"Yes, and you won't like it." He took a deep breath, his kind blue eyes staring intently into Bulma's. "There is no easy way to say this, my dear, but you have DNA from Frieza."
"Frieza…" Bulma repeated the word slowly, revulsion spreading through her as the silence stretched on. "Frieza?" She repeated again. "But…he slept with me!" The wave of nausea swept through her again and the blue haired woman put a had to her mouth as though frightened she would actually vomit.
"I know." Dr. Briefs looked saddened. He tried to make a concentrated effort to look brighter as he delivered his next bit of news. "Not only that but you also contain my DNA, You get your brains from me." His cheery façade failed at the miserable look Bulma tossed at him.
"The silver lining on the thunder cloud?" She muttered despondently.
"Call it what you want Bulma, but you are, in a fashion, my daughter." Dr. Briefs smiled – this time a smile of satisfaction. "None of the people who 'donated' DNA were ever supposed to find out which of the projects it was that had the DNA spliced into it, but when you were born I knew it was you." He swallowed hastily, frightened of making a scene. "You have my eyes."
"Wow." Bulma looked up, some part of her breaking through the horror that the knowledge that she had committed incest with Frieza. "This is…weird."
Dr. Briefs nodded. "There is just one other thing."
"More good news?" The depression had been replaced by wry amusement on Bulma's face. She was watching the doctor now with a look that was less distraught and more accepting.
"You're not completely infertile. Frieza always planned to breed you one day with another DNA spliced Project. Your fertility was being controlled through your food, but since Frieza's death you haven't been getting a dosage of the birth control pill, and so it is entirely possible that you may get pregnant to Vegeta…or may be already."
There was silence as Bulma took this in, a million different looks flashed over her face – including at least ten different types of panic. Finally Bulma spoke:
"What?" She all but leapt out of her chair and looked wildly down at him, her blue eyes widening as she shook her head. "That can't be true! It can't be…"
"Why not?" The doctor calmly folded his hands in his lap and watched his small blue haired woman pace back and forth.
"It just…" She stopped, drew a deep breath and whirled to face him. "Even if it is true, and I can be…a mother…I couldn't have become pregnant to Vegeta…"
"Why not?" The doctor asked again, interrupting her shamelessly.
"Because I'd know!" She burst out, clearly frustrated. "And even if I was pregnant he'd just make me get rid of it!" She sunk back into her seat and buried her face in her hands.
"Really?" Dr. Briefs remained calm, having been prepared for her hysterics. He resisted the urge to reach out and toucher her back – at this point in time she probably didn't want to be reminded that she was breaking down in front of someone.
"He doesn't love me!" Bulma's voice emerged muffled from her hands. " I'm just his whore!" She slumped in the chair and slowly pulled her hands away from her face, an anguished look in her eyes. "If you knew…why didn't you tell me?" Bulma drew in a deep breath. "If I am pregnant Vegeta will just think I was being sneaky and he'll hate me…" Bulma began to sniff, and her eyes filled with tears. "Its not fair…my life isn't fair…" She buried her face in her hands again, not wanting him to see her cry.
"Bulma…" Dr. Briefs sighed and then continued. "Bulma, there was a point to this conversation, and that point was this; you're really a human and that means you have human emotion." When she didn't respond the doctor continued, knowing she was listening to him. "You can hurt just like I can, and that also means that you can love."
Bulma remained silent, glancing up at the doctor only once before despondently letting her head fall back into her hands. Everything that had happened was crushing down on top of her and was finding it a little hard to bear…
Vegeta lay on his bed and gazed at the stars that were visible through the viewing window; his Bulma was out there somewhere, maybe in danger, maybe in pain. God, why did he keep thinking about her? He had so many more things to do…he should have been utilising this time to be contrastive and take a more firm hold on the shambles of Frieza's Empire, not daydreaming about a girl.
But what if she's in trouble…?
He angrily shook his head; he had to stop worrying! Bulma could look after herself – she was a trained warrior! She hadn't been lying when she'd said that, she was perfectly able to cope with any situation thrown at her because that was how she had been trained. She analysed the situation and worked out a solution. Simple. Perfect. Foolproof.
Now you've done it – you've jinxed her!
Vegeta ignored the snarky defeatist voice in his head. Bulma would be fine – she would come back and then he'd be able to pick up where he'd left off with her. In the meantime he planned to do some research on the Projects – learn the history, read the files as well as go through Bulma's personal 'Project 109' file.
The door chimed and Vegeta sat up. "Enter!" He barked. It swished open and Goku strode in, his young face alight with having proven to be useful once more to his prince.
"Sir?" He moved closer and held out the file he was clutching in his hand. "Here is the last bit of information you wanted on the project."
Vegeta nodded and took the file, pointedly motioning for the over anxious saiyan to leave before he opened the file and read the content. He waited until he heard the door swish shut again before he glanced down and looked closely at the file he held.
Written across the front were the words 'Security 7 Clearance Needed to Access Files' followed closely by the printed words; 'Project 109'
A/N – Admit it…you love me right? Right? I thought so. Now, be patient with the next chapter. I don't know when I'm going to get a chance to rewrite it. Hopefully soon, but you know my forgetful mind and me - we have a close relationship! Review if you have comments or questions for me!
