Disclaimer: DB/DBZ/DBGT belong to Toriyama and other rich Japanese guys, not me.
A Brief Moment in Time
Chapter 21: Time Revealed
Several hours later on board the flagship Augustus…Exhausted, Bulma sat quietly with her eyes closed in a small cabin that Goten had provided for her aboard his flagship. She had spent the last few hours breaking down the virus structure and unraveling its DNA so that she could create a proper cure for it. Afraid that she might mutate it, she had asked Goten to send a security detail to pick up the Bulma of this time.
The men had dug her out of the ruins of Capsule Compound and brought her as a prisoner to the ship orbiting high above Chikyuu. At first, Bulma Y. Briefs had smirked and blustered about her rights and her being one of the most powerful people on Chikyuu. However, after a few words with Goten, Mirai no Bulma had no idea what he said to her, she seemed shaken enough to spill every detail she knew about the virus to her future self.
Despite confirmation that the cure would work, Bulma was still nervous. She couldn't help but think about how much Vegeta meant to her. It wasn't that this Vegeta simply reminded her of her former lover and father of her child. No, this Vegeta was something else. He was older, wiser, and far more mellow. He still had the Vegeta arrogance, but he seemed to have swallowed his pride a bit. Changes for the better, as far as she was concerned. Throw in the way he cooks, and he really is a fine catch indeed, she smirked to herself.
A knock on the door caused Bulma to snap open her eyes. She really wanted to get some rest since she had been up very early that morning. It was now almost nine in the evening and she just wanted to take a hot bath and then sleep. "Come in," she said rather harshly, and in an irritated manner.
"Mom? I'm not disturbing you am I," asked Trunks with concern as he stepped into the room.
"Oh Trunks… nono you aren't disturbing me at all." Bulma couldn't help but smile at her grown-up son. She swore that he had grown even more since she had last seen him three weeks ago. "I'm sorry that I haven't seen you all day… I.. I've just been working on that damn cure to make sure Vegeta and Goku will be ok."
"No mom, I totally understand," said Trunks. "Hellos can wait when there are more pressing things." He smiled and walked over and gave her a fierce hug. "I was so worried when you disappeared. It's almost been a year since I last saw you."
"What? A year, Trunks?" gasped Bulma. "It's only been three weeks…"
"It took me a while to reconstruct the matrix… I didn't realize how complex the whole process was," answered Trunks.
"Well… a year makes sense. You know your mother is a genius and it would have even taken me months to create another matrix," she mused. "You know… now that I think about it… I'm surprised it took you as little as a year."
"Thanks mom," Trunks laughed. At Trunks laugh Bulma took another look over at him. He had definitely broadened out more since she had last seen him. Standing at 6'3 with a well developed body and a face that she knew was a mix of her own beauty yet graced with his father's ruggedness, Bulma knew Trunks was what is known as 'one damn hot feller.' She'd always teased him about his looks but now there seemed to be something in his eyes that shone only after a certain event took place.
"Mom?" came Trunks' voice as he fidgeted under his mother's appraising gaze.
"Oh… sorry Trunks," she said. "I just can't believe how much you've grown in one year."
"Mom… I've only put on a few pounds. It's not like I've grown another four inches," replied Trunks. "Anyway… do you want to tell me what's going on with you and… umm 'dad'"?
Silence. It's not everyday a son asks his mother about her sex life and that was what her son was asking about. No doubt about it. Anyone had to just take a single glance at Bulma while she had been at Vegeta's bedside to know that their relationship was one that transcended friendship. It was obvious that they were lovers. At least, that she loved him. Bulma knew this, but at the same time she was still unsure about him. Yes, he seemed different in this time, but she had trusted him once before only to have her heart torn from her in the end. In the end, that experience tainted her faith in him. She loved him, even trusted him, but she did not expect him to remain with her for eternity.
"Well… Vegeta and I are… umm…" Bulma stuttered. How exactly does a mother explain to her grown son that she is getting her groove back? "Well Trunks, see it's like this. When a man meets a woman and they love each other…"
"Mom. I'm twenty years old. I don't need the talk," laughed Trunks. "I know what you are doing with dad, not that I WANT to know, but I know. The question is… do you want to stay in this dimension mom?"
Bulma chewed on her lip in thought for a moment. Did she want to stay? Did she want to risk love again? There really was only one answer to that. "Yes, Trunks. I want to stay here. I want to play this thing through. Is that fine with you? To be without me?"
"Well you aren't staying alone. I'm staying with you?" he said. "Besides, I think I've met someone as well."
"What? Trunks… Are you serious?" Bulma looked up at Trunks with a little smirk gracing her lips. "Who is she Trunks? And in three weeks only… Wow. I'm impressed Trunks. You work fast son."
Trunks laughed a little bit uncomfortably. Luckily, he was saved from answering by another knock at the door.
"Come in," said Bulma good naturedly as she was still reveling in Trunks discomfort at her little insinuations about his sex life.
"Ms. Briefs? Trunks?" came Pan's voice as she opened the door and stepped in. She walked up next to Trunks, who put his arm around her. "My Lord Uncle sent me to tell you that he wants to hold a small conference to get everything cleared up."
"Oh… no problem… Trunks would you like to introduce me to your girlfriend?" smirked Bulma.
"Oh… sorry. Mom this is Son Pan. Gohan's daughter. Pan this is my mother, Bulma Briefs," said Trunks with mock seriousness. Bulma's reaction was priceless. Her eyes were the size of saucers.
"Gohan's daughter?" she asked incredulously. However, she snapped her hanging mouth shut and composed herself.
"I'm surprised, but I'm delighted to find out that my future daughter-in-law is the child of such a noble man. I can't wait for grandchildren," she said politely as she took Pan's arm and led her from the room to the others. "Trunks can you get me some coffee?" she called back to her son, who just stood there spell bound in embarrassment.
Grandchildren? Oh shit… Trunks suddenly realized the potential consequences of his actions earlier that day.
He floated in darkness, not knowing exactly where he was. Yet, he could feel that he was somewhat conscious. He felt a touch on his hand, and then the brush of a pair of soft lips on his forehead. He could taste her emotions, sorrow, regret, and then a promise made…
Was he dreaming? He didn't know. It didn't matter as a new wave of sensations flowed through him.
Flash
He stood upon a wind swept cliff in the mountains of Chikyuu. He had never been there, but somehow he knew the place and it had a special meaning for him. Looking over the landscape, he could only hold is breath. It was simply spectacular. The sun was setting and its rays had turned from yellow, to orange, to brilliant amber. Pines covered the lower slopes of the nearby snow capped mountains. Here and there various critters and creatures roamed the steep mountainside. He couldn't help but wonder why he was seeing all this.
It was then that he noticed before him was a single headstone sculpted with the greatest care and precision. Made out of solid granite it would take millennia for it to weather away. Slowly, he knelt down and read the hand carved inscription and felt his heart seized up.
Bulma Vegeta Briefs
Eiko Ikegami
Empress of Imperai-sei
A Loving Mother
A Respected Empress
A Perfect Wife
Even If She Was a Loud Mouthed Bitch
May She Rest In Peace
Flash
He stood once again on Imperia-sei once again. He found himself walking slowly back to his chambers after an extremely grueling training session with the boy. He was looking forward to sitting back and relaxing. He was puzzled by that, since he was never one for relaxation.
Realization dawned on him when he came to his chambers. He was coming back to her, and that was what he had been anticipating all day. Slowly he opened the doors, only to witness a sight that made him scream in agony. There before him lay his beloved Empress covered in her own blood. She had been butchered and raped. Her lifeless eyes stared accusingly at him. "Where were you Vegeta?" "Why weren't you here to protect me?" He could only feel himself slowly slipping into insanity.
Flash
He was surrounded by cheering crowds. Again, he was on Imperia-sei, but this time in the grand square in front of the ImperialPalace. There was a large band playing the Anthem of the Imperium to his left. Standing next to him was his beautiful blue haired wife. She stood regally at his side and smiled at the crowd. She held a single hand up for silence and it came immediately. She began to step forward to make an announcement, but was cut short by a massive explosion that ripped through the podium that they were all standing on.
Again he felt his heart seize up. He was, of course, un-hurt by the blast. It was obviously not meant for him. However, he knew… he knew who it was meant for and a single look to his left caused him to break down in grief. There was her charred body…
Flash
He knelt by her bedside. They had lived long together but now she was a withered old crone. No longer beautiful, no longer young, no longer vigorous she could do nothing more than lie in bed. She was fed by the machines that she had created, and her eyes were dull. They, too, no longer held the spark of fire that he had so fallen in love with. He sat there, watching for what seems an eternity as her breath slowly stilled. Again, he felt the greatest sense of loss well up within him. He could not help but let out a howl of pain and then again… he felt his mind snap.
Flash
Again… Another scene, another dead body. This time her throat slit… he held her in his arms as she died.
Flash
Her body beaten and broken on the shores of a great ocean. They had gone vacationing together. Again, her eyes… her blue lifeless eyes accused… "Why couldn't you protect me?"
Flash
Over and over the images appeared. Each of her… slain by an unknown hand. Again and again he felt his mind break in frustration, in agony, in pain, in bitterness. Always those eyes…Those eyes accused him… "Why?" "Why did you let me die?" "Why weren't you there?"
Flash
He stood on that mountain again. Upon that wind swept cliff in those beautiful and serene range. Unlike the other visions where he felt a sense of dread upon witnessing each seen, he felt none now. In fact, he felt at peace. He looked around, but instead of one he saw two head stones. Now before him stood a young woman, her blue hair was held by a silver pin exposing her delicate neck. She was lithe, but her muscles were well defined in a way that only a warrior's was. As she moved closer to the headstones they rippled the way a panther's does when it is on the hunt. Yet, her eyes were full of sorrow, doubt, and regret.
"Why did you leave me? I'm not ready yet… The responsibility is too much for me… I can't be like the two of you…"
Flash
White lights… a ceiling… a face looking down on him… He was awake. Vegeta sat up only to find himself looking straight at Kakkarot's happy smiling face. The younger Saiyan was sitting in the exact same position as he was directly across from him. Apparently he had woken up at the exact same time as Vegeta. Vegeta scowled at the sight. He wanted to pummel Kakkarot for being so damn happy. The damn idiot had probably dreamed about strawberry shortcakes, glazed donuts, and assorted other tasty treats.
"Majesty!" came one of the doctor's shouts. "I am relieved to see you are awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," he snapped. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand up. Wobbling for a second he finally stabilized himself. He needed to find the woman. The dreams plagued him over and over. He would rather spend an eternity alone than see harm come to her. He would not allow her to… to die as he had witnessed a thousand times. No, he had to protect her and there was only one way to do so, return her to where she had come from.
Elsewhere on board...
Goten sat looking at the blonde sitting across from him who was quietly reading from her datapad. She had been in his office since they had made sure that Vegeta and his father had all the medical treatment they could get. There hadn't been a point in sticking around and getting in Mirai no Bulma's and the doctor's way so the two had left and retreated here. Marron had immediately picked up a datapad and began to get up to date on the events and changes in the last five years. It was an enormous task, and he watched with a little smile on his face as he saw her jot down notes. In all the years he had known her, he never did figure out how to decipher her notes. They always did look like a bunch of meaningless words—deliberately done, he knew.
He looked back down at his own paperwork. There was a mountain of it. Hundreds of clarification notices from various parts of the fleet that would soon be in a battle to the death. Yet, even at this moment, with all the pressure, with all the eminent danger, everything felt right. She had said no more than two words to him since she had stepped onto this ship. But, words weren't needed. This scenario, her in his office and the two of them working, was comforting in itself. How many times had this happened in the past? Thousands? Hundred of thousands? Before she had left, they had always done this—working together in the same room on different things, taking time to simply enjoy each other's presence.
Goten surprisingly felt no elation from the fact that she was no longer engaged to Trunks or from the fact that she had finally told him that she would leave with him back for the Imperium. No, he simply felt a quiet sense of satisfaction and perhaps a bit of relief. It was much like waking from a bad dream. Everything was once again right.
She looked up and raised her eyebrows questioningly when she saw him looking at her. Quietly, she set down her working materials and stretched. It was a very nice looking stretch thought Goten.
"An interesting turn of events, yes?" he asked off handedly. He heard her give a one-breath chuckle.
"You could say that—a son of Vegeta that is more powerful than all of us put together and whose mother is Bulma Briefs—a Bulma Briefs that is obviously nothing like the Bulma we know. I just can't wait for the explanation, but I guess I can reign in my curiosity for a little while."
"Heh, We'll have it soon enough. I've arranged a meeting for everyone to come to in a little bit. I expect the whole truth will come out."
"I won't be attending," she said. Seeing his questioning look, she explained, "We have no time Goten. The armada is coming and you won't need me there. I doubt you'll get the truth from them. I'm sure of it. Anyway, I need to get started with figuring out how that attack happened. I'm going to hunt down my little Trunks Yamcha Briefs… He was behind it after all."
"So you're going back to the planet?"
"Yes, I'm going to have to start putting together an analysis team too, and a goon squad. Brains and Muscles to carry out my will," she said with a sigh. So much work… so little time. Life was always so difficult."
"You have the personnel files already. Requisition what you need and get started. The faster we can make sure there is no conspiracy on Chikyuu the better."
Marron let out a little laugh at his words. "You'll probably get a few little reports on your desk by tomorrow."
"I'm sure… anyway I want you to reconsider skipping the meeting. I really think you should attend this.
"Why?"
"I need a second opinion on this Saiyan, Trunks. He seems to have won everyone over, including me, but I know how paranoid you are. You'll be more thorough than I in this matter."
"It's that important?" she asked. Then she thought a bit. "Oh, you know he's the heir if he's real. Regardless, the explanation, the one thing we know for sure is that he is the son of Vegeta. hmmm…"
Goten smirked as he watched her forehead crease in concentration. He always did find how her facial features changed with her mood to be amusing. Then turning his mind back to the subject of Trunks, he sighed. "You know what really galls me is that power level of his. I mean that ascended form is ridiculous," said Goten with a little frustration in his voice. "He wiped all three of Bojack's henchman out even though we couldn't keep up with them. And he did it with—"
"Style?" she interjected.
"Ease," he corrected. She laughed at his glare and then laughed again when she saw him grin that Son grin. Even after all these years he was still—in part—the same Goten as their childhood. He was so much more now, but that core of innocent honesty remained. She, on the other hand, had become the opposite of honest.
"He's better looking than you are too," she said with a little dreamy smile on her face. "Are we feeling a little… tail envy?"
"Please, don't try to get under my skill, dear. You know that doesn't work on me," he snorted. "And you need some practice with your acting skills. I'll give you an F for Failure on that attempt. Do try better next time."
"An F for Failure? That wasn't too witty."
"It was meant for clarification."
"Pretentious aren't we," Marron laughed. Oh, Goten was such fun. "Ok, I'll come for a little bit and I'll get to know him. Pan will flip out, but oh well. You Saiyans are remarkably territorial when it comes to these things."
"A little competition would be good for her."
"Oh? She's not a male you know. I don't think she'll appreciate this sort of meddling."
"Sorry for her. She needs to get over her insecurities then," he said. "And more importantly if this Trunks IS everything we hope he is then it's even more important that he trusts you and has YOU to guide him. I doubt our master and I will have that much time to spare in making sure that he doesn't get involved in the Byzantine politics. You know that every political group is going to slobber at having an heir to manipulate now. Even more so when he's a complete beginner."
"Good point. Thanks Goten, just one more thing for me to deal with," she said with a sigh.
"Well you have some catching up to do anyway and this will work well while you get up to speed. It'll take a while before you take over your former role anyway. We have a whopping one planet under our direct control right now," he said with a smirk.
She nodded. "Alright then. Let me go get some uniforms ordered. I'll meet you at the meeting… make it 25-30 minutes?"
"That's good. Let me get everyone together."
"See you then," she said as she walked out.
Goten stared at her when he watched her leave. The conversation was close to being right, but there was still a little wariness, a little hesitation on her part. He didn't understand why she was afraid of him, or wary of him, but it seemed that things were headed in the right direction. Like all successful predators, he had mastered the art of patience. Now, if only they could all survive the next few days. Things would be fantastic then.
Conference Room aboard the Augustus…
Mirai no Bulma entered the conference room a step ahead of Pan and Trunks. She was immediately arrested by the site before her and her hand shot instinctively towards Trunks as a bolt of fear struck through her as she saw the blond android number 18 sitting at the table. She knew in her head that she had nothing to fear from this android, but for those of her dimension, getting so close to Number 18 was certain death. It was hard to break a habit instilled by a lifetime of hardship. She noticed that Trunks also visibly tensed.
"Greetings," said Goten as he walked over to the three newcomers that had just entered the room. He noticed the wary look of both mother and son as their gaze settled on Number 18. He had intended to seat them next to the Chestnuts/Chaitagnes but it seemed that might be a bad idea. Instead he took them and seated them next to himself.
Already there, and seated were most of the family members of the Sons and Chaitagnes. Gohan, Videl, and Chichi were there; their wounds healed through the use of Senzu beans. Additionally, Marron, Krillan, and Eighteen were also there along with Buu, and Mr. Satan.
"So you are Goten," remarked Bulma as she seated herself next to her son. "Your resemblance to your father is uncanny. Though you get your eyes from your mother."
"Heh… Not many people notice that," replied Goten. "Allow me to make introductions." One by one Goten introduced each of the people that were there. At each name he carefully watched Bulma's reaction. Though the woman kept herself under control very well when he mentioned Krillan, his mother, and Gohan, he could see the sadness well up in her eyes.
"So… that's it for our end. Now… I think curiosity is killing all of us here. Trunks promised the truth to Pan when you, his mother, arrived. Now that you are here, and in light of you arriving with the Emperor, I think the truth is in order so that we can all figure out what exactly is going on and who is who," stated Goten.
"Knowledge is as vast as space itself, Goten," replied Bulma sagely. "What exactly do you want to know? Tell me and I will try to provide the best answer that I can."
"Well… I think we all want to know who exactly you and Trunks are. I mean, you are listed under the name Eiko Ikegami. Yet, for all of us here, we know that you are Bulma Briefs. You look exactly like her ten years ago. Even your ki matches hers…"
"That is because I really am Bulma Briefs. The exact same person you have in the other room locked up in almost every way."
"How is that possible?" asked Marron.
"Well… I'm Bulma Briefs, but both Trunks and I are from a different timeline… or more accurately, a different dimension."
"A different dimension? Jesus, this sounds like a bad episode of the twilight zone," remarked Videl as she stood up. "Coffee, Tea anyone?"
"Coffee, Tea," came various orders from around the room. Videl smirked and walked next to a panel.
"Dimensional travel huh? That is incredible if you are telling the truth," said Gohan. "I can almost see how it's done but I can't understand how you can breach through the fabric of time/space even if you do travel faster than the speed of light."
Bulma smirked. "You don't need to travel faster than the speed of light. You'll never make it that way. I've tried."
"Then…"
"What is the shape of the universe?" asked Bulma.
"I… No one really knows."
"Exactly. The only thing that we do know is that there are dimensions. How many we don't know. We do know that there is height, length, width and time. So I created device that would manipulate the shape of the universe, the dimensional matrix. What it did was using an incredibly surge of gravity, bring two points in the universe temporarily together. In essence, I ripped a whole through the time/space continuum so that you could travel from one place to another."
"Amazing…" breathed Gohan. "That just might work… but you'd need a hell of a generator to accomplish it."
Bulma shrugged. She didn't want anyone to know exactly how dimensional travel worked. Even though Trunks knew the basics of the matrix, he didn't know everything that went into it. Dimensional travel would die with her. There were too many dire consequences to it.
"I'm glad you became a scholar in this time Gohan…" she said whimsically. Turning to Chichi, "I'm glad he became what you wanted him to be…"
Chichi's eyebrows shot up at her comment. "Is… is my Gohan in your time different? He's not a hooligan is he?"
"No… he was a great warrior… he taught me everything I know," interjected Trunks quietly.
"Can you tell us a bit about your world?" asked Goten. Sitting across from these time travelers, even he, the Duke de Sirrus, was burning with curiosity.
"There isn't much to tell… our world was exactly like yours up until the androids came," stated Bulma. She looked at Eighteen only to feel a shiver run up her spine. She knew that Eighteen couldn't be bad in this time. In fact, she knew that Marron was her daughter and that Vegeta respected Marron very much. In fact, he even had somewhat mellowed out towards Krillan because of her. "They destroyed everything and had been terrorizing the world for almost 17 years before they were destroyed. Chikyuu is barely populated now. Perhaps 10 million people survived the holocaust. Only a few cities remain, but it's been getting better."
"Wait… which androids?" asked Krillan looking over at his wife.
"18 and 17," answered Trunks.
The room was silent for a moment before Eighteen spoke. "I'm not saying your wrong, but I've never ever had a desire to go on a mass killing spree. Not even when I first woke up."
"Yeah… that's what the Eighteen of the other time was like."
"Other time?" came the question from all around the room.
"Well you see… the time machine was created so that I could go back in time to give the medicine to Goku. The idea was to save that time so that they wouldn't end up like us. Well… there were some complications with that."
For the next twenty minutes Trunks told the story of the Cell Saga. He told his friends of this time the story of how he defeated Freiza, and then how the androids first appeared. He explained to them how Cell, unlike this time, had achieved his perfect form and how Gohan became the first Super Saiyan to become an Ascended Saiyan.
"So that's how you knew so much about the Androids, and the Cell games," remarked Gohan. "I was wondering how you figured out that I was the one who really defeated Cell."
"Well… that's fine, but I want to know who Trunks' father is," said Chichi when she realized that Trunks was half Saiyan. Two possibilities came to mind. She knew about Bulma's one affair, but she also knew that Bulma didn't get pregnant. Trunks Yamcha Briefs was NOT a half-saiyan. So that meant only one other Saiyan could have been the father. She had to ask the question. "He's half Saiyan right? Is my Goku his father?"
Gohan and Goten gave each other shocked looks at this revelation. It was possible that Trunks was their half brother. On the other side of the room Trunks' eyes grew wide, but not quite as wide as Pan's when she realized that she might have slept with her uncle. No he said his father was Vegeta… but… A certain song from a comedy show danced in her head as she whirled on Trunks, "Trunks… tell me you are NOT my uncle."
Bulma, too, had been caught unprepared by Chichi's question and been stunned into silence. However, one look at the horror on Pan's face and the shock on Trunks' caused her to burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself, it was simply hilarious. "Nononono Chi…," she managed to say between breaths. "Goku is NOT Trunks' father, and NO ITS NOT GOHAN." She had to head off that direction of thinking before it even started. "Trunks' father is Vegeta," she said after she got a hold of herself. Of course, the reaction wasn't what she expected. Krillan spit out his coffee in shock. Marron and Goten choked on theirs. Even Pan looked pale. Everyone with the exception of Chichi seemed to be totally floored by revelation of truth.
"Bulma," said Krillan carefully while cleaning up the mess he caused with a napkin.
"Yes, Krillan."
"Are you telling me that Vegeta is not gay?" asked Krillan with a look of shock on his face.
Unfortunately, Krillan had always been plagued by bad luck. Every battle he'd fight in, he'd get hurt badly, and quickly. Often his snide remarks, or even his innocent comments came back to haunt him. This was no exception.
"Did you just insinuate that I was gay chrome dome?" came a very dangerous voice from the doorway.
There stood Vegeta, resplendent in the black and purple robes denoting his rank of Emperor of the Imperium, ruler of half a thousand worlds, and probably the most powerful man in the universe.
Vegeta smirked as he watched the formerly bald monk squirm under his gaze. Though, almost anyone in the empire would do the same, for some reason Vegeta took perverse pleasure in making the Z-fighter suffer. Perhaps it was because that he was still alive because of the mercy of the said fighter. He hadn't quite forgiven him, them, that. Even after so many years.
"Uh… uh Vegeta…" stammered Krillan. Despite Vegeta's reform after Namek, and even more so as the Emperor of a vast galactic empire, Krillan was still terrified of him. Especially since he had never seen real proof of Vegeta's change of heart. "What I meant was…"
Krillan felt a pair of hands wrap around his face before he could finish. "Daddy… you don't know when to shut up sometimes…" hissed Marron as she frantically tried to silence her father before he could say something that would really get him into trouble. Turning to Vegeta she said, "I apologize Master… My father is not familiar with proper etiquette. Forgive him."
Vegeta grunted and turned his attention elsewhere. He looked over the room to see unfamiliar faces or faces that he had not seen in decades. There was Son Gohan, Kakkarot's brat. The last he time he had seen the boy was when he was ten year's old. He had grown much, though his power level was pathetically weak for one who had so much potential. Next to him sat a middle-aged woman with short black hair. Videl, he recognized from the various ramblings of Brat #1. She was Goten's sister-in-law, and a major political figure on this mud ball. Vegeta was a little baffled on how a politician and a Son could mate, let alone bond, but he decided to put it away for musings later. Of course he recognized the bald monk.
"Master…" said Goten interrupting Vegeta's thoughts. "Is my father alright? Has he recovered from the Virus as well?"
Vegeta stopped. He had sworn that Kakkarot was right behind him. After all, the two of them had left the medical section together. Turning around, he was shocked to see that Kakkarot was nowhere to be found. "Damn… Brat. Your father was right behind me." Vegeta stretched his ki senses out and found that Goku's ki was in a completely different part of the ship. Somehow he had wandered off while Vegeta had been absorbed in his thoughts on their way over here.
"Shimatta," said Goten. He loved his father dearly, but the knowledge that his father was loose and unattended did not engender feelings of peacefulness and tranquility. His father on a ship was a walking disaster waiting to happen. "Excuse me," he said rising. "But I'm going to have to hunt down my father. Let's take a short break and I'll be right back." Without another word he rose and hastily exited the ship in the direction of where his father's ki was located.
In another part of the ship…
Goku hadn't wandered away on accident. In fact, he had purposely ditched Vegeta in search of a very familiar ki. He needed to have words with someone, and he wanted to speak to them alone. He walked with purpose and, amazingly, no one on the ship questioned on why he was there until he reached his destination.
"Excuse me sir," said a guard in front of the room where the person he wanted to speak to was being held. "No one is allowed here without the expression permission of the Duke. Please be on your way."
"I need to speak to the prisoner," said Goku in the most serious voice he could manage. He didn't want to have to knock the guards out as they were his son's men. However, he would do so if he had to. "My son has no problems with me being here."
"Your son?" asked the man as he gulped. He knew very well the moment that the man mentioned his son who Goku was referring to. The resemblance between Goku and Goten was uncanny, and only a blind man could miss it. "Umm… I guess that's fine Lord Son, but I'm going to have to inform him of this meeting."
"That's no problem; he knows I'm here already," replied Goku truthfully. He could already sense Goten's ki heading this way. "Do you think I can see her now?"
"Sure Lord Son," said the guard as he moved over and typed the entrance code. The door slid open and he gestured for Goku to enter.
"Oh… and when Goten gets here, can you tell him that I want to speak to her alone for a few minutes? I'll talk to him when I get out."
"No problem," said the guard. "I'll be sure to do so m'lord."
Goku nodded in approval and then stepped in. He noticed that the room was very Spartan, but at the same time relatively large. The person who he came to see was sitting quietly on the bed staring at the wall. She had the look of utter defeat on her face, and it was readily apparent that she had been crying. Something, he knew she didn't do often.
"Bulma?" he asked with concern. He couldn't help but feel sorrow for his life-long friend. No matter what happened, he and she had gone through so much together that there would always be a bond between them. "Are you alright?"
Hearing his voice, and the concern in it caused Bulma Yamcha Briefs to flinch. It was as if he struck her, but for her the pain was much worse. Until she had her little talk with Goten earlier, she had herself convinced that it was Videl that had made the Sons turn against her. After all, it wasn't until Videl become mayor of Satan City that there was any friction between the two families. Things had gotten worse when she had been elected to Chikyuu's parliament as Videl's and Bulma's interests collided with each other. Despite all that, she genuinely still cared about Goku. Their times together were something she had, and still did hold sacred. Of all her old friends, he was the one that she knew still cared for her, and would care for her no matter what. His present concern for her despite what she had done only drove that point home.
"Goku-kun…" she half-whispered. "I'm so sorry… I never meant… I never meant for you to…" She started sobbing before she could finish what she was saying. Guilt welled up through her from the part of her that had remained true to the ideals of her youth.
"Bulma…" he said soothingly as he wrapped his strong arms around her in an embrace letting her cry for a little while. "So… it's true then. You really made the virus," he asked.
She nodded into his chest. "I… I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was so angry when Videl turned against me in parliament and Gohan supported him. I… I don't know what to say Goku. I never meant to use it… I never meant for you to be hurt by it. I'm sorry… so sorry."
"It's okay Bulma," he said, "Nothing bad came of it… I'm fine and Vegeta is fine."
"Vegeta?" she gasped. "What… What is he doing back on Chikyuu?"
"I'm not quite sure. But he was the one who saved me from those assassins. I don't think we could have won if he hadn't shown up."
"Who were those guys Goku? They've destroyed everything… Capsule Corps is gone. I don't even know if Trunks or Yamcha are alive." Her sob was not genuinely faked. She was concerned about her son, but as for Yamcha, well she'd given up on him years ago.
"Well… I'm not sure. You'll have to ask Goten. I'm sure he knows."
There was no way in hell Bulma wanted to ever see the younger Son again. The man was far too shrewd and she knew he reviled her. He had made it quite clear when he and her other self had come and interrogated her. An opportunity now presented itself to her. It was obvious that Goku still trusted her. That wasn't surprising since Goku trusted anyone he cared about. A part of her was screaming that she shouldn't abuse this trust, that this was her chance at redemption, but that part was drowned out by the part of her who wanted vengeance against all those who had done her harm.
"Goku… Goku we need to wish back all the people who were hurt. Do you think you can take me to go get the Dragon Radar?" she asked.
"It wasn't destroyed at Capsule Corps, Bulma?" questioned Goku. "Wow that's wonderful news. One second I'll be right back." Goku stood, and exited the room as he felt his son's ki.
"Dad… what are you doing here? Why the hell are you talking to her?"
"Goten… Bulma still has the dragon radar… we can wish everyone that died back. I'm going to take her back to Chikyuu to get it."
"Dad… I don't trust her. Let me get some people to go with you."
"Nah… No need Goten… anyway I think she's realized what she's doing was wrong," said Goku as he turned down his son's offer. "I'll be back in a little while, Goten." Goku walked back into the room and within moments Goten felt his father's ki disappear off the ship.
Goten sighed. He didn't trust Bulma at all, and he was sure that she manipulated his father's forgiving nature. However, this was something he'd anticipated. Touching the communicator on his wrist he only had to wait seconds before his call was answered. "Hashiba," he told the Vice Admiral and his second in command. "I want a full security detail dispatched to the planet. I want Bulma Briefs kept under surveillance. Be discreet, this is an excellent chance for us to find out who the traitor's contacts are here on Chikyuu.
In another part of the ship…
Vegeta found himself sitting next to Bulma and Trunks in the conference room. He silently appraised his son from another dimension and couldn't help but feel pride at the power level of the boy. He had only partially witnessed the end of the fight on Chikyuu, but the immense power reading could not have been missed by even the ki-blind. Vegeta knew that the boy's power, at that time, could have probably overwhelmed everyone in this room and Kakkarot combined. Such power at such a young age was simply unheard of. No Saiyan, even Kakkarot's half brat, had ever achieved such power. The boy could be more powerful than the legendary Super Saiyan himself.
"Vegeta," said Mirai no Bulma. "I would like to introduce you to my son, Trunks."
Trunks and Vegeta smirked at each other. To everyone watching, there was little doubt that the two were father and son. "I'm pleased to meet you father," said Trunks.
"Hmmph. Your strength is impressive boy, but it takes more than strength to be a true warrior," stated Vegeta. He noticed something now; the way Pan and Trunks were sitting next to each other, and the way she was looking at him was a sure sign that the two were lovers. Turning to his youngest disciple, he said, "I see you found yourself a lover."
Pan blushed for a moment before responding. "Yes master, though this lover has quite a bit of explaining to do before he's back on my good side."
Trunks gulped, causing Vegeta to laugh. He knew how obstinate and loud the granddaughter of Kakkarot could be. It was undoubtedly a genetic family trait.
Vegeta's laugh surprised Trunks. His father of the other time period would never have laughed at his predicament. In fact, he would have thought the entire relationship pathetic and more than likely disapproved, especially since Pan was a member of the Son clan. Obviously this was not the case with this time's version of his father. Furthermore, Pan had called Vegeta 'master'. He wanted to know what the hell she meant by that. However, that would have to wait for later as Goten walked back into the room.
"Well brat," said Vegeta to Goten. "What is the situation?"
"Master," said Goten. "Things are grim, but still manageable. The Empire has accepted Bojak as Emperor even if it is out of fear. We have an entire legion at our disposal, but Bojak has three. However, we have many times the number of powerful ki users. Especially so if Trunks is willing to aid us."
"Of course, I'll help," said Trunks without hesitation.
"As will I," added Mirai no Bulma.
"Well then… the first priority for us now is to prepare for the fleet that is moving to attack us now. We will be slightly outnumbered, but with the number of ki users we have, we will win handily. After that we can begin our campaign to retake the Empire."
"How long until the fleet arrives?" asked Vegeta.
"About 48 hours," answered Goten. "We've been tracking them since this morning. It was obvious that the assassination attempt and the fleet were supposed to be coordinated. We also need to hunt down Dr. Myuu and find out whom on Chikyuu is working for Bojak."
"Fine. Make the necessary preparations," said Vegeta as he rose. "For now, rest is required. Go get some." Turning to Trunks, "Tomorrow morning you will spar with me boy. Be ready."
"I'll be ready," replied Trunks in an arrogance that easily matched his father's. "You don't need to worry about that."
Vegeta smirked and held out his arm for Bulma. She took it and said, "Trunks… get a good night's sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." The two of them walked out of the room arm in arm.
Trunks smiled at the scene. His mother had been so lonely for so long. Now, finally, she had someone to share her life with. Even better, was that this person was his father. It made things so much easier for him to handle. Looking over at Pan, his grin grew even wider. He, too, had found someone. In imitation of his father, he held out his arm for her. Pan laughed as she took it and the two of the left the room as well.
On Chikyuu…
Goku stood waiting in the living room of the Capsule Ranch. This was the thousand acre ranch that Bulma had bought ten years back when she still believed that her family would be a happy. It would have been a great place for the entire gang to get together and have a wonderful time. However, no one besides her had come out here in quite some time. She had made it her private retreat and had moved some of her more secret inventions here as a precaution against things like exactly the one that happened today. Goku didn't know any of this. He simply wandered the living room looking at the pictures that were around. Not surprisingly he saw several pictures of her and him when they were younger and a family picture with her parents, him and his family. A few pictures of her son, but amazingly not one picture of Yamcha. In fact, there had even been the single picture that she had ever taken with Vegeta, but none of her husband. He was quite surprised by this. He had never known that Yamcha and Bulma were having marital problems at all.
He felt her walk back into the room and was about to turn around when he heard a hiss and felt a slight bite like pain in his leg. Turning around, he was about to comment when he saw that Bulma was holding a gun, a needle, and the Dragon Radar. "Bulma… what's going on…" suddenly Goku felt woozy and fell to the floor, the world spinning around him.
"I'm sorry Goku… I really am, but there's something I have to do," he heard Bulma say right as darkness overtook him.