Chapter Two: Space Invaders


"Please… stop…" Trunks pleaded, struggling to breathe.

She simply smiled that smile of hers, pressing her foot down harder. Trunks cried out in pain, the heel of her right foot forcing the remaining air out of his lungs. Tears formed in his eyes, as he stared up into the bright, intense blue that was the android's eyes. He cried silently, without the oxygen to give voice to his choked sobs. His hands feebly tried to push her weight from his stomach, as the boy's vision began to grow fuzzy. Darkness crept up into his eyes, threatening to overwhelm him.

Then the pressure released, and he could breathe. The boy took in three gasping breaths before her foot was back, torturing already exhausted lungs. Trunks stared up at her, trying with renewed vigor to get her off of him.

"Look at this, the boy has developed some spunk."

"Why… why do you do this…?" Trunks asked between shallow breaths.

"Because, child, I love it. I live for this." She said with a grin, rocking her weight down onto him even more, forcing Trunks to cry out.

It was his own fault. Gohan told him not to go, that he wasn't strong enough to help. But he couldn't just stand by and let them run rampant. He just couldn't. So he went after the woman by himself, hoping he could at least divert her from her destructive path. He had succeeded in that aspect, but now would fail to save his own self. She had made short work of him, thrashing the young Saiyan as though he were blind, deaf, and crippled. She left him bloody and beaten on the ground, and now was forcing the very air he breathed away from him, because he wanted to save people. And now it seemed as though he would die for his empathy.

His vision began to go black again, and this time Trunks didn't fight it. Perhaps dying wouldn't be so bad, if it would only relieve him of the pain, which he now was privy to. It surely would be better than his life here, now. It had to be.

He didn't die. He was saved. A surge of energy swelled up near him, the slowly suffocating boy sensing it in the back of his mind as he saw the android spin. Her eyes were wild and angry, scanning the immediate area in hopes of spotting the attack. She succeeded, sidestepping the blast at the last possible moment.

"He's just a boy damn you!" A loud voice resonated near him.

Trunks saw a foot as it slammed into her body, sending the deadly woman flying through the air in the wake of the distracting energy blast. Trunks heard the impact as she smashed into some random building or structure, though he hardly cared. He could breathe, but for a moment didn't bother too. He was so resigned to his fate, so ready to die, that to live was almost unthinkable.

Gohan's worried face brought him slowly out of his inner darkness. The man knelt over him, cupping Trunks' head in both hands and speaking quietly to him. He couldn't feel his body, or his mind, all becoming numb. But eventually, he could hear again, and felt the half-Saiyan lift him slowly up.

"Come on kid, we're getting out of here." Gohan said as he stood, preparing to fly off.

He was kicked in the head before he had the chance. Trunks fell, smashing both knees painfully onto the pavement as Gohan was sent sprawling onto the ground. The man rolled to his feet quickly; in a stance that enabled him to block all three of the android's follow up attacks. The fourth one got inside of his guard, and knocked the man back, setting him up for another combination of attacks. The android came at him in a cold rage, slamming her fists and feet against his jerking form. Finally she spun, putting the heel of her right foot into the side of his head, and sending Gohan rocketing into the remains of a super market.

Trunks gave up on balancing on his knees, falling forward to grip the rocks in front of him and keep from face planting. He stared down at the stones, breathing deeply.

I don't understand. Why do they do it? What is the point? We didn't do anything to them! Why won't they leave us…

"I believe we were in the middle of something." Came a feminine voice near him, stones crunching under her feet as she approached.

Trunks simply stared down, his confusion growing into seething anger. He gripped the stones tighter, knuckles scraping against the cracked pavement. The anger burned hotter, working outward from the inner reaches of his being. He began to tremble; the burning sensation working it's way into his blood and outward into the furthest reaches of his small body. Trunks felt the ground below him buckle, as his knees sank deeper into the concrete. He continued to stare down, noticing several small stones lifting from the ground around his closes fists.

I won't lose again. I won't!

With that thought, his vision began to go white, power surging deep within, and surfacing quickly. He felt the energy swirl around him, coating the boy's body in a seething red hue. With a final surge of explosive new energy, Trunks' vision went pearl, the world vanishing for a moment in a flash of white light. When he regained his sight, he felt stronger than he ever had before, and saw the top of the android's foot as it came up fast toward his chin. He didn't try to get out of the way, or even move with the blow. He simply took it in the chin, the android's attack stopping as soundly as if he had blocked it with a railroad tie. He slowly raised his face, focusing both eyes on the face of his enemy.

She was all he could see. The entire world has vanished, with the exception of that one entity. That one target. Trunks felt a smile slide up his blood caked face, and he knew why the android looked so shocked and nervous.

She was looking into eyes that no longer held any human resemblance, only an endless white.

"Trunks… hey?" Gohan said quietly, drawing the half-Saiyan back into the world of the waking.

His eyes shot open, and for a moment Trunks saw only white, before his energy level plummeted, and his eyes returned to normal. He was breathing shallowly, and distantly heard the sound of several various articles around the room fall back into place as he powered down. He looked over at the boy who had drawn him out of his stupor, smiling frowning.

"Are you okay Trunks?" Krillin asked, standing near the couch on which Piccolo still rested.

Trunks shook himself inwardly, moving away from where he had been leaning on the wall. The dream was so vivid, even after so long, as was the memory that sparked it. He remembered the day, remembered powering up, but remembered nothing more. There was a pure blinding light, and the next thing he knew he awoke in a bed, Gohan and his mother talking in low voices. Gohan saw it all, and didn't know what to think. That was all Trunks had heard about the day, as both of them dropped it when he showed the first signs of rousing. Since then he didn't dwell on the events of that day, and had even dismissed his surge in power as unlocking some of the potential trapped within him. He had felt stronger after that day, which only helped to build on this.

But why am I thinking about it now? I almost lost it for a moment there…

Trunks looked over at several of the items he had been levitating, as he walked the line of his Saiyan heritage.

"I need to get my father." Trunks said suddenly, before he even understood why. It only took him a moment to understand it. Something told him that they would need Vegeta, whether it was the androids or some new threat.

Without another word, Trunks made his way out of the house, and took off into the sky.

He flew for several minutes in silence, his mind reeling over the detail in his dream. He never had such a vivid recollection of the events of that day, down to the end. In fact, he was almost certain that he didn't remember anything past falling out of Gohan's arms before. Perhaps, he thought, the rest would come to him.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, flying in the direction his father was located, he didn't even have time to defend himself against the swift attack. A knee connected solidly with his stomach, sending Trunks higher into the air. Not a split second later he was hit painfully in the lower back, throwing his body quickly to the earth. The half-Saiyan caught himself at the last moment, landing in a crouch. Both of his eyes shot up, taking in an unfamiliar suit of armor on a feminine body.

"I'm afraid the Prince has to fight his own battle." She said, smiling.


Gohan was resting his head on the end of the couch when he felt the second energy spike, which caused him to jump immediately to his feet. The boy spun, as Krillin ran in from the kitchen.

"Let's go." They said at the same time, before sprinting toward the front door.

Once outside both warriors took to the sky, lowering their power level. Speed was off the essence in this situation, if they were to catch the source of the energy before it slipped by again, but so was the possible element of surprise.

"Gohan, you take the lead. You're better at sensing this than I am." Krillin said, falling slightly back.

They tore through the sky, Gohan calculating in his head how far the surge had been. It wasn't far, and in the direction that Trunks has flown off into. This fact left a bad taste in Gohan's mouth, after seeing the condition Piccolo was in. It brought to mind all of the scary movies he had ever seen, about alien body snatchers and vampire lawyers. On top of that, Gohan had his real life experiences with monsters that were ten times worse than anything a bad B Movie could come up with. He silently hoped that Trunks was okay.

Willing himself ahead faster, Trunks sensed the unclaimed energy signature again, further east. He altered course to compensate, speeding up. They were gaining, and Gohan was shocked to realize they were heading toward Capsule Corps Co., where Bulma currently took residence. His worry gave way quickly, however, as Gohan felt a new ki signature, one he had never noticed before, on a man who stood on the ground right in front of him.

Gohan dropped fast, landing with a dull thump onto the grass. Krillin was right behind him, hitting the ground and going directly into a fighting stance. They stared at the mysterious man, taking in his features and clothing. He wasn't too tall, maybe an inch or too higher than Vegeta, and slimly muscled. His night black hair shot up perhaps two inches above his face, swaying gently in the wind. The man's face was cold and stoic, his eyes a dark unfathomable shade of blue. His facial structure looked vaguely familiar, though Gohan couldn't quite place it. He looked at the two warriors with no seeming alarm, as if he had been expecting them, and from the way he was dressed, he had been.

He was wearing a suit of combat armor that Gohan had never seen before. The chest plate resembled the light type of armor that Vegeta had picked up on Namek, but ended there. The entire suit was black, trimmed in silver and blue, and hugged his body tight. He wore a pair of black gloves on arms crossed in front of his chest, and a pair of black boots. Gohan felt fear slowly creep up inside of him as he watched the man. As far as he knew, the only warriors who wore armor that even resembled that were the members of Frieza's army. The fact that his was so different only made Gohan more worried.

"Where's Kakarot?" The man asked calmly, his dark eyes glaring into Gohan's.

"Wh… what do you want with him?"

"Listen, boy, your father and I have business together. Go and fetch him."

Gohan felt his anger spike. He despised being talked down to, especially the derogatory term of boy. He focused on the mysterious man, reading his ki for the first time. He was happy to notice that it had a definite signature, dispelling any thoughts that this man was responsible for Piccolo's current state. The warrior made no attempt to hide his power, which was near its max. Either he didn't know how, or felt that the low ki that emanated from the two in front of him would make them intimidated. Gohan felt something else, however, that he could not discern. It felt as though this man was in fact hiding something deep within, though it wasn't intentional. There seemed to be incredible potential locked within him, that he had yet to realize.

"Now, child." He said, his face remaining cold and angry.

"Ha, listen to this guy Gohan." Krillin said, sticking his thumb out at the man. "Our power level combined is almost twice his, and he's demanding things from us?"

"Krillin… what are you doing?" Gohan asked quietly, shooting a look toward his friend.

"What? We can take this guy Gohan." He said with a grin, turning back to the man. "Hey, moron, Goku wouldn't waste his time with someone like you. So why don't you just hop into your little space pod, and fly back to Uranus or wherever it is you come from."

"You'll regret such harsh words." He replied, turning sideways and extending one hand toward Krillin.

Immediately a ki blast ripped from his hand, without the normal necessary charge time required for its mass and volume, and Gohan knew they were in deep trouble. He felt no signature in the blast, only the same spike in energy he had felt before. He leapt in front of his friend, as Krillin's eyes went wide. Both hands extended out in front of him, Gohan planted his feet, bending at the knees. He created the shield with hardly a thought, years of practice and a fighter's instincts taking over. The partially transparent blue wall of ki appeared in front of the both of them, just as the ball of energy struck it. Gohan was forced backwards, and felt Krillin helping him stay based with both hands on his back. The blast was deflected, flying high into the air and behind them. Gohan let the shield down, readying himself for any follow-up attack that the man should decide to implement.

There wasn't one. The man stood in the same position he had been originally, glaring defiantly at them. Gohan took a deep breath, trying to find some method for escape. He knew that they were in way above their heads, trying to fight him. They needed Goku. Krillin, however, had yet to realize this.

"You arrogant, smug prick!" He shouted, leaping over Gohan and rocketing toward the man.

They met in a flurry of attacks, which ended before Gohan could even offer assistance. Krillin threw several punches at the man, all of which he efficiently dodged. Finally, when Krillin's combo left him at the most vulnerable, he attacked back. One hand wrapped tightly around Krillin's wrist, as a fist struck him hard in the chest. The small man flew back, and was swung around by the grip on his arm. The man spun the opposite direction, letting go in the same moment. He continued the rotation, slamming the heel of his boot against Krillin, and sending him flying back. His body bounced twice, and then Krillin got his footing and continued sliding back in a crouch.

Before he could even stop the slide, the man was on him again. A solid knee to the stomach rose Krillin into the air, pushing him into an elbow poised above his head. The force knocked him back down into the man's right knee again, which this time smashed into his chin. This rocked Krillin's head back, as the man spun, and kicked him squarely in the stomach. The smaller man flew back, coming to an abrupt stop against a thick tree; a spider web of cracks moving out through the bark.

This sent Gohan into action. With a shout of anger he leapt at the man, swinging the top of his right foot around hard at his head. The man blocked it with his wrist, slamming the open palm of his other hand against Gohan's chest. Gohan was knocked back, but kept himself upright to land on the ground in a crouch.

"You should have gone for Kakarot, boy."

Gohan growled deep in his throat, opening the internal valves to increase his ki. After a quick surge of power, he went at the man again, hoping for more success. He threw several quick punches, which were all parried or quickly dodged by his enemy. Gohan touched the ground, leaping up and driving both feet down at the man. They got inside of his guard, striking the armor of his breastplate and sending Gohan upward, which had had planned on. As soon as he had enough clearance, the boy moved both hands behind his head, and quickly transferred a sufficient amount of energy into his clasped hands.

"Masenko, ha!" He shouted roughly, swinging his hands swiftly down in front him and letting the blast fly. It was about seven feet from him and the man, which increased as the ki energy pushed Gohan further into the air. The impact was almost instantaneous, a concentrated explosion kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt. Gohan flew higher, scanning the ground for the other warrior. He saw no evidence of him, but knew that the man couldn't have been killed. Gohan focused his senses outward, feeling for the warrior, and found that he was close. He looked up, scanning the sky somewhat higher up.

He found the warrior floating casually above him, staring down with the same cold expression. He hadn't been touched by the blast.

"I've always liked that technique of yours."

What does that mean?

Gohan stared up at him, breathing steadily. This man, the mysterious alien who looked so much like a Saiyan yet had a signature that Gohan was slowly beginning to identify as far from that, had him completely outclassed. Every second they fought, Gohan could feel the untapped power deep inside the man slowly growing, becoming stronger. The man hadn't lowered his power level, but it was still lower than Gohan's alone. Not much, at the current level Gohan was at, and the demi-Saiyan was barely at seventy-five percent of his potential. But the man fought with speed and skill that seemed to multiply his energy by ten. Coupled with the unique, unclaimed ki that he somehow released, Gohan knew he couldn't beat this man alone.

He needed his father.


Author's Note: And thus we meet the enemy. For the record, in Trunks' flashback he did NOT go SSJ1. It'll be explained in time, I promise. I'll give you a clue; another Saiyan has done something similar in a DBZ Movie. What do you think? A somewhat short chapter, but the next one heats up a lot. R/R!