Chapter 11: City Stroll

"Dammit!"

"What now, Katie?" Bulma asked wearily.

"We're out of slides for the microscopes and we're out of H2SO4. I need both of those for my experiment!"

"Well, I'll man the fort for a while, go get some. You know the Labs 'R' Us always has whatever a scientist needs."

"You got that off the commercial. Alright, do we need anything else?"

"Check the inventory list." She called, like she was suppressing a Duh.

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour at most."

I changed out of my lab coat and into my regular street clothes. On the way out I grabbed my purse. I passed Brian, but he hurried by.

I had walked to Labs 'R' Us and now heading back I thought of something I hadn't in a long time.

What is Trunks' purpose? Why do I feel like I have to protect him? It's not like he's Jesus or anything.

Or is he?

Nah, not him. I still can't figure out why Vegeta freaked like he did. I know it's the half-blood thing, but I thought Vegeta would discriminate equally.

Maybe I'm just a better person and can see past that sort of thing. Racism is so stupid, and sexism and any other prejudice out there.

Someone bumped me, then he passed by rather quickly, though he wasn't running. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up. This person glanced back at me to see if I had noticed. He was a boy about my age with long black hair and electric blue eyes. His clothes caught my attention then. He had jeans, a red bandana, and blue boots. Then I saw on the corner of his black shirt a red symbol with RR, one each side. It was of the shape of a ribbon.

That's the Red Ribbon Army symbol. What's going on, is he just a rebel or does his shirt mean what I think it means?

When he knew that I had seen him closely he turned a corner, tempting me to follow.

If it's the Red Ribbon Army, I better follow him. Maybe this was the threat!

I started after him, weaving through people on the streets, but never getting any closer to him.

Its been three years to the day Frieza returned, two years since Goku died, and about 20 months since Trunks was born. What is it that I've forgotten? I know this is it, it has to be, but what exactly is it?

The boy took off running when we got to an empty street. Against my better judgment I followed. I had to find out what was going on.

He kept going, running like a Sayjin. He wasn't tiring.

Is he a Sayjin?… I can't feel any Ki.

He turned a corner and I heard his feet stop. He was waiting for me. We were playing cat and mouse, and I really had no idea which one I was.

I slowed down when I got halfway to the corner. I slowed down to listen carefully, but I couldn't hear anything to throw me off of what I was guessing. He was standing there and waiting.

I turned the corner and there he was, standing there with his arms folded.

"About time. Do you know how long we've been looking for you?" he said.

"Who's 'we'? I only see you."

"I think he means me."

I turned and there was a mirror image of the boy. A girl with blonde hair, but the same eyes and face. She had jeans and a denim jacket, and a blue and white striped shirt. They had to be twins.

"You must know who I am already, so who are you?"

"We're not allowed to disclose to you any information, we're only here to beat you up." The boy said.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, but you have to power up first or it won't be any fun." The girl said as she moved a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

"I don't want to fight."

"Maybe we got the wrong girl. We were told to get the Sayjin girl, right?" the boy called.

"Yeah, it must be a mistake. Sayjins always fight." The girl replied.

"I am a Sayjin, but I was raised human. How do you know about Sayjins?"

"You ask too many questions. Fight already." The boy said.

"Your funeral." I smirked as I powered up. I powered up quickly and faced them.

"You're not even a Super Sayjin yet? This isn't going to be much fun." The boy taunted.

I launched at him, but he just kneed me in the stomach. I feel to my knees and held my stomach.

"No way a… human could be that strong." I said while coughing up blood.

"Who said we were human?" the girl roughly threw me to my feet and up against a building wall, holding me there by my neck.

I couldn't talk, and I could barely breathe. My mind was racing, but nothing I thought of could work. If I teleported then she'd still have me by the neck, only in a new setting, and I couldn't feel anything from the two blows they hit me with.

"Are you scared? You should be. You're life is flashing before you're eyes…"

He was right, it was. I saw the earth I grew up on, I saw Raditz, and I saw Goku. Tears were flowing, Goku couldn't help me now, and neither could Vegeta. I was alone.

"You're losing hope, you're all alone and scared." She added.

My vision was fading from lack of air and that knee to the stomach. She started to squeeze harder now.

I flinched, but I did my best not to show it. I would die, I knew that, but I would die with pride.

"Sayjins and their foolish pride, even now you resist. You're in pain." The boy said.

Just a moment ago I was in the lab with Bulma, and now I was struggling, and failing, to stay alive.

"I'll be nice and end this." I saw the girl make a fist and it came toward me, and then nothing.