Chapter 4 – Baby Revealed
"Yes..." muttered Dr. Myuu, beginning to work feverishly. "If I can't take that Son Goku for my baby's host, Baby will do it for himself!"
Throwing the switch on his power-sapping machine, he began to drain the energy from Goten and Trunks and give it to his creation, Baby. Baby's small body seemed to be getting bigger by the second. After a minute or two, its eyes snapped open. It began to twist and thrash in an attempt to escape.
"Soon, my baby, soon!" said Dr. Myuu. He walked over to the cage where the unconscious Uub lay. Taking a sharp knife, he made a tiny cut in the back of Uub's neck.
"Now...go!" yelled Dr. Myuu, freeing Baby from the test tube.
Goku was short on energy. He needed to rest. Nevertheless, he followed the ki signals of his friends to Dr. Myuu's laboratory. Strange, Goten and Trunks' ki seemed to be getting smaller...
Goku reached the lab and crashed through the wall on the top level. There he saw Uub, shooting beams of energy all around the lab, destroying it. Dr. Myuu was huddled in a corner, whimpering softly.
"S-stop!" he cried. "I command you!"
Uub turned to him. "You cannot command me!" he said seriously.
"Uub!" called Goku. Uub's head snapped around.
"Son Goku!" he said, smiling. "You came!"
"C'mon, we have to get Goten and Trunks out of here! Good thing you were able to put this guy in his place!"
"Yeah," said Uub. "Very good thing." The two of them unstrapped Goten and Trunks and carried them off. Before they exited the lab, Goku had a sudden idea. Reaching into Trunks' back pocket, he pulled out the Dragon Radar. "Yes!" he cried. "They're in this room!" He flew over to Dr. Myuu. "Where are the Dragonballs?" he asked.
Dr. Myuu sobbed. "Take them, why don't you! What can I do with them now? My life's work!" Goku snatched the five-star and one-star Dragonballs, and flew off with Uub, holding Trunks and Goten.
Dr. Myuu stood up. He crossed over to the smashed test tube and stared at it. "This isn't over!" he said. "I swear I will get you back! Both of you!"
Goku and Uub reached the spaceship. It was a little banged-up from before, but it was still in working order. They climbed in and launched.
"Yes!" said Goku. "We have all seven Black Star Dragonballs! Now to get back to Earth!"
"Earth..." said Uub.
Goku blinked. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Then we can keep the Dragonballs in a safe place, so nobody wishes for control of the universe or something."
"No, of course not, Goku. That wouldn't be good."
At the opportune moment, thought Baby in Uub's body, I will take control of this body! I will be the strongest in the universe!
Over the next two months, the spaceship made its way back toward Earth. After a week, Goten and Trunks woke up to discover they had escaped Planet M2 with all seven Black Star Dragonballs, and declared another celebration. Only Goku had spent enough time with Uub to sense that something was amiss.
He didn't say anything during the party; he laughed and ate with the rest, keeping one eye on Uub. Throughout the rest of the journey, he became more and more convinced that someone was impersonating Uub. On the last night of the journey, he approached Uub's bed and shook him awake. He wasn't smiling. "Who are you?" he asked darkly.
Uub sat up quickly. For a moment he looked confused. "What do you mean, who am I?" he asked. "I'm--" then his expression changed. "Caught me off-guard," he snarled. His voice was no longer Uub's; it was much higher-pitched and gravelly. "I suppose I'm free to use my real voice. So, you know, do you?"
"Not entirely; care to fill me in?"
The creature used Uub's eyes to regard Goku with contempt. "Fine," it said after a beat. "You are stronger than me, for now. I suppose I don't have much alternative.
"Dr. Myuu," began the creature, "is a pathetic and miserable man. His whole life has been spent in the pursuit of power. He soon realized he is not...naturally possessed of the kind of power he was looking for. So he turned to machines to carry out his conquest for him. He built countless machines, ingenious ones, the most notable perhaps being the liquid metal android he felt so inclined to deem 'general' of his metallic army.
"He never planned to keep Rilldo, however. Like all his creations, Rilldo was a tool on Dr. Myuu's quest for power, for recognition. Fool. He should have known where to draw the line. Eventually, no matter how brilliant you are, your ambitions will get the best of you. As he no doubt realized." A twisted smile crossed Uub's face. It was an expression he never would have made on his own.
"So where do you fit into all of this?" asked Goku. He glanced out the window at this point: the ship was approaching Earth.
"Me? I'm just another of his projects. Baby, a parasitic android. I hate him. Because of him I have been given life, am forced to inhabit the bodies of others in order to have any real power. And here I am, seeking more and more power, with no real reason behind it. I suppose it's been pre-programmed into me. Of course, that's no reason to stop..." Another evil grin appeared on Uub's face.
Goku was stunned. "You're...a parasitic android? You steal bodies?"
"Indeed," said Baby. "I said before that you are stronger than me. To that end, my ultimate target, Son Goku, is you!"
Goku knew there was no room to dodge in this tiny space. Baby lunged, but at that moment, the ship began to shake violently. It was entering Earth's atmosphere, and Baby was thrown against the wall.
Trunks bolted upright in bed, looked out the window, and rushed to the control panel to ready the ship for landing. As soon as he steadied it, Baby looked up at Goku with pure malice. He dove, and slammed Goku straight through the thick wall of the ship. They were miles above the ground, but at least they were on Earth.
"Aaah!" yelled Goku as Baby held him tightly, hurtling both of them toward the ground. "What are you doing!"
"You're mine!" screamed Baby in a deranged voice. "All it takes is one opening, Son Goku! Just one..."
"Nng!" yelled Goku. They were almost on the ground. Goku turned Super Saiyan 2 and struggled with all his might, but Uub's body was stronger than him. There was just one chance.
Goku concentrated on Trunks' ki; an instant before he and Baby hit the ground, they both teleported back onto the ship. "WHAT!" yelled Baby and Trunks simultaneously. Goku wrenched free of Baby's grip.
"Damn you!" yelled Baby as he dove for Goku again. Goku teleported behind him and kicked him out of the ship.
"What's going on!" yelled Trunks in complete confusion.
"Dr. Myuu's android infested Uub's body!" Goku flew out after Baby, leaving Trunks still very confused.
Goku and Baby faced off in the air. Good thing we're above this deserted area, thought Goku.
"You are a clever pest," said Baby. "That will make it all the sweeter for me when I take you as my permanent host!"
They stared at each other for a moment. Then Baby shot several sharp ki blasts at Goku. Goku sent them all back at him. Baby grinned, then disappeared and reappeared in front of Goku. He punched Goku in the stomach several times, finishing with a kick to the side of the head. Goku flew to the left, then back in at Baby with both hands over his head. "TAAAAH!" he yelled as he brought them down on Baby's head, sending him flying toward the ground.
Baby landed in a crouching position, then launched himself back at Goku with one arm drawn back. Before he punched, however, he disappeared and reappeared behind Goku. Now he punched, but Goku had already disappeared and reappeared on the other side of Baby. They fought very fast for a few seconds. Goku shot his hands forward and shot a huge ki beam at Baby, while Baby did the same. The beams collided and dissipated. Goku and Baby were floating twenty feet away from each other. Goku could see that Baby was panting: he probably wasn't used to fighting in such a powerful body.
"You're tired," he said. "I could finish you right now."
Baby smiled. "No you couldn't," he huffed. "Not if you want to keep your friend alive. You know it's true." Goku knew. "What will you do now, Son Goku? I'd say you're in a rather tight spot." He began to build up a huge amount of ki in his palms.
"Oh, am I!" yelled Goku, putting both hands to his temples. "Taiyo-ken!"
A blinding flash of light shot forth. Baby shut his eyes. "Aaagh! You bastard!"
"Release Uub!" Goku began to punch Baby from all sides. Every time Baby blindly turned to hit, Goku would be somewhere else. At last, Baby's vision began to return. He didn't let on, however. As Goku appeared above him to punch, Baby took his moment. He released the huge ki that had been in his palms. "RAAAAAAAAH!" he yelled as Goku was blown away by the blast.
Baby laughed maniacally. He saw Goku, scratched and bloodied after the blast. He extended a hand, and shot forth a long rope of ki that bound Goku tightly. He slammed the rope into the ground. As Goku lay there, struggling vainly to move, a metallic liquid oozed out of Uub's finger and entered Goku's cuts.
Goku's eyes widened. "N...NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. He clutched his head and trembled, as Baby spread himself throughout Goku's body. Goku fought hard, but there was nothing he could do. Eventually, he opened his eyes. Both of them, pupils, whites and all, were blood red.