Author's Note: I'm alive! And so is this story. And yes, I must say that the previous chapter was "rushed". Horribly written, with the events apparently fast-forwarded, and for that I apologize. I just noticed it now after not having read it for literally months. I'll try to fix it up sometime, but I can't say when, as my life's very unpredictable at the moment, online or offline. Anyway, this chapter was delayed for so long because the original was thrown into oblivion when my computer crashed and was not recovered unlike the rest. In-betweeners are really very difficult to write.
Act Two, Chapter Seven
Taking Risks, Taking Chances! Don't Be Afraid To Act, Trunks!
"Why do I have a bad feeling about all this?"
"You're paranoid," Yumi pointed out flatly, shaking her head. She couldn't blame him, of course. Trunks had lived his life fighting evil to protect the ones he loved and cared for, and that included the whole world. Not that everyone else had been nice to him or anything, but simply because there was no one else who could do the job. She then turned to look at the Police Chief, whose cerulean eyes looked as serious as ever. "So you're saying that there's some kind of connection on one of those Ryuujin vessels that has direct control over those… orb thingies?"
"I'm hoping there is. Who knows how to fly a starfighter?" the older woman asked, rising from her seat and casting a look at the two half-saiyajins who stood not very far away from where she was. She took a small data card from the folds of her blazer and held it out for one of them to take, raising an eyebrow.
-x-
Trunks slid the card through the small computer by the ship's doorway and smuggled himself in, groaning at the sight of the vessel's interior. Being the most knowledgeable of them all regarding such technology, he offered to check up on the craft, but no sooner did he realize that he would have to fly the ship himself. And it was definitely not one he could rely on. It was a fairly large craft, yes, but it was only a Class C, and its shields, he feared, might not withstand the pressure the Earth's atmosphere had to offer.
"Tell me," he began, sticking his head back outside. "Why are we doing this again?"
"Because there's no other way to prevent us from being locked in this planet while those aliens blast us all to death. Unless you can find and deactivate all the orbs before midnight, or make fire rain from the sky without burning the whole planet. Can you?" Videl asked sharply, raising a raven eyebrow once more and putting her hands on her hips. She knew very well that the young warrior wasn't unwilling to do what was expected of him; he just didn't want to do anything that was short of a clear shot.
But they had no other alternative, no other options. They didn't have a clear shot. They barely knew anything about the invaders, let alone their technology and the means to stop a full-scale invasion. They had to take the risk. It was the only way they might be able to save the world from being plunged into turmoil once more.
He only stared at her with steely determination in his ice blue eyes. Then, in response to her challenging words, he took a step backward and pulled the craft's door shut, before he headed for the cockpit to study the controls.
-x-
"Grreetings, men. We will be in Chikyuuuu space in approximately fouurr hours. We will then prroceed as planned. Prreparre for battle. The beginning of ouurr trriuumph is at hand!" His tail whipped violently behind him as his monstrous face broke into a sardonic smile.
"Commanderr Rryuuuuki," his right-hand man, Shiryuu, began slowly, cautiously taking a step closer to him. "What abouut the saiyajin Trruunks Brriefs-Vegeta? He is one of the last memberrs of theirr rrace, and he couuld be a verry valuable addition to ourr armada. What arre we going to do abouut him, if I may be bluunt to ask?"
Ryuuki only grinned. "We will captuurre him, of couurrse. Forrce him to worrk forr ouurr glorriouus plans. Huumans, as youu might have noticed, happen to be verry protective of theirr mates and offsprring. They will do anything forr theirr safety and salvation – that, youu've seen, was Kanrryuu's downfall. And that brrat, being parrt-huuman, is no exception. If he rresists, howeverr…"
His smile darkened even more. "I will take the pleasuurre of killing him."
-x-
"How is it to be a single mom?"
Videl sighed, leaning back against her chair as if she suddenly lost all of her strength. "Hard. Especially when you don't have a high-paying job, and you have to take care of a very hyper two-year-old and a father who can't move. He was paralyzed, you see, when he tried to save me from a collapsing building, which the androids decided to play target practice with."
She shut her eyes for a moment, driving the pain and the heartache away. That day was still very clear in her memory, as if it was only yesterday when it happened. That was the day she swore to stop running away, to fight the androids instead. It was a lost cause, she had been told, but she didn't care about risking her life for such. She couldn't stand the thought of many others getting hurt, or even killed, because of their monstrosity.
And that was the day she met Gohan. Ablaze with fury, she had chosen to confront the androids to make them pay for their atrocity – and was nearly killed, had it not been for the mysterious golden-haired warrior she had later known and loved. He had saved her from their demonic clutches, and given her hope that she wasn't fighting a lost cause on her own. So was he.
She wondered if those words were what drew her to him.
When she reopened her eyes, her gaze landed on the computer screen, and she shook her head. "One hundred and eighty orbs, all over the planet. We'll never get them all," she said helplessly. She then reverted her gaze Yumi, who was peering casually at the screen, trying not to display her disappointment at the discovery. "It's really up to you three."
The young woman nodded in agreement. She was about to say something more, however, when Videl's watch alerted them that it was already eight o'clock. She watched the older woman shut her laptop, rise from her seat, and smile at her. Confused at the gesture, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"It's eight o'clock. One hour more before Shidoosha's scheduled termination. Well, Miss President, I don't want us to be late for the assembly. Shall we head out for Capitol Hall now?"
"Wait," Yumi interrupted, paling. Realization had dawned upon her, and it was evident in her verdant eyes that she understood every word that the policewoman said, yet she refused to believe what she had just heard. After all, it was no time to talk about politics when the fate of the world and the lives of everyone in it hung in the balance. Softly, unbelievingly, she inquired in a voice indicating that she was afraid of the answer, "You mean we're pushing through with that?"
"The invasion isn't until midnight," Videl replied a matter-of-factly.
"You're crazy!"
The raven-haired woman allowed a smile. "Yes, I am. I've known that for a while. Ever since I decided to go up against the androids, who I could never overpower even in my dreams. Now, come. The people await your arrival." She extended her hand for her to take, but promptly stopped upon seeing the look on her youthful face, smirking. "Ah, I see. You don't want to leave without your boyfriend, or his consent."
"Trunks is not my boyfriend," she snapped defensively.
Videl laughed, permitting herself to give in to the privilege of enjoying the scene. It reminded her so much on how she had denied her feelings for Gohan when it was so obvious to everyone else. She was exactly like Yumi back then. "He isn't, all right. You know, you should watch out for the expressions you're projecting. Your face betrays you."
She steered their conversation off-topic, not wanting to talk about the arrogant purple-haired jerk who had captured her heart. Not only was it not the time to, she also didn't want anyone else to know what was going on between them. It didn't seem right for it to be publicized. "Can we at least just let Shidoosha-san step down from his position and not kill him? The killing part's making me really uncomfortable."
"I'll keep that suggestion in mind. Now let's go."
Defeated, Yumi only hung her head in silence as she followed the Chief of Police to the parking lot of the already-abandoned Capsule Corporation. Before she got into the car, she took a glance at the CEO's office at the upper floor, and told herself that Trunks would be there back there when the chaos would be over. And she would be there, too, right beside him.
-x-
"Hey, Goten." Trunks climbed out of the starfighter and sat beside the other demi-saiyajin, who was squatting on the grassy terrain and looking at the starlit sky thoughtfully. When he had caught the other's attention, he asked, "Have you ever been up against something like this in your time?"
"You mean against a whole bunch of alien invaders? Nope. And certainly not those with this kind of technology." He shivered. "Trapping us inside our own planet while they carry us off into who-knows-where or blast us to oblivion. It's a brilliant tactic. And the fact that we didn't notice anything the past few days… I mean, how could they have placed all those orbs without us sensing them?"
The older of the two shrugged. "Machines, I guess. With technology like this, they could have robots walking around with everyone else and we won't know the difference. I don't know. I hate just speculating about what they might have done and can do. I want to do something about this, and a clear shot, at that. I'm tired of taking chances."
Goten looked at him with his deep raven eyes, understanding what he felt inside. "Nothing's ever sure in this universe, Trunks. Many times we have to take in what we know and do something, improvise, based on that limited knowledge. And sometimes, it doesn't matter if we know something for sure or just suspect about that something. Now, you want to protect Yumi because you love her and you know that she loves you back. Question, if you didn't know that she loved you back, would you still want to protect her?"
"Of course. What kind of question is that?"
"My point exactly. Now, we don't know much about these aliens, but are you still going to go up there and do something to stop them from slaughtering us all? Or will you wait until you have an entire database about them before you act? That would be too late, wouldn't it? Wouldn't you take the chance?" He caught the other's gaze. "Don't be afraid to act, Trunks. What we're about to do may throw the world into chaos once more, and well, even kill some people or a lot of them, but no one can blame us for trying. No one would have the right to. And if someone would, well, did he even try to do something to save the world? Ask him that. Ask yourself that."
-x-
One didn't have to be an expert on human emotions to figure out that Videl was anxious. Yumi, however, wondered what she was worried about. Before they left for Capitol Hall, she had taken a trip down memory lane, but the feelings she had brought with her to the surface were sadness and regret, not unease. Her fretfulness only began to manifest itself when they started their trip to the political capital of Japan.
She couldn't take it anymore. "Is something wrong?"
The policewoman peered at the side mirror for a moment before gripping the steering wheel even tighter. "I would be lying if I would tell you that everything's fine." She glanced at the rear view mirror next. "When we were leaving Capsule Corporation, I saw a shadow. I blinked and it was gone – and that's the part that worries me. There are only two probable explanations to that, and both spell trouble for you. First, there's a Ryuujin in the area, and it has sensed your life force; second, we have an assassin on our tail, out to get you."
Unconsciously, the brown-haired young lady gripped the edge of her seat tightly, to the point that her knuckles turned white. She had been into life-threatening situations, of course, but she had been with Trunks then. Not that she didn't trust Videl, but it was a lot different when her knight in shining armor was around. "And I won't get a vision about this because it concerns me," Yumi finished, her features paling considerably.
Videl reached out to squeeze her shoulder in assurance. "Listen. I'm not a half-alien super warrior, but I've got what it takes to take care of you. For one, I'm a very good driver." By then she had already increased their speed up a notch. She then cast a smile at the future president's direction. "Just make sure you hang on to something, okay?"