(A/N: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE! I was grounded for so long it wasn't even funny, and then, on top of that, I had so much freaking schoolwork I wanted to KILL myself! But here's the chapter, shiny and new. I hope it'll clear up a few things about Andy. And about the remaining chapter count; I lied. I don't know how many are left. But I promise they won't disappoint. Well, R&R, thanks for sticking with me.)

"Agh, it's hopeless!" Bulma growled, bashing her fist against a dark monitor sitting on the counter. Turning her back to the wall, she sank to the floor, letting her tussled blue hair grasp the bumps in the paint along the way. She had searched for nearly two hours, rummaging through every drawer, toggling with the keys of every computer, and crawling underneath every imaginable thing that could be crawled beneath. All it had gotten her was a headache and another motherload of questions. Why was Andy doing this? Was he actually interested in her, or was Vegeta the object of his intentions? What was he planning to do with her son? Would he kill Vegeta after the ordeal was over, or would he keep his promise and send him home?

"I don't understand any of this!" she said, frustrated. "Why me? Why Vegeta? Why drag little Trunks into the whole mess?" She glanced over at her son, who had cuddled up under his father's heavy arm and was now sleeping peacefully. Giving the screen one last slap with the heel of her hand, she headed over to where her family lay.

But before she could take five steps, a soft hand caught her arm. "Ms. Briefs," she heard the hated voice say, "I would speak with you."

"Well, I would speak with you too, you miserable bastard!" she screeched, whirling around and knocking his hand from her elbow. Andy didn't flinch, but rather looked at her in amusement and took a step back.

"I'm glad we are on the same page then," he said casually. Venturing forward once more, he produced a small computer disk from one of his numerous pockets. Bulma eyed it warily.

"What's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"All in due time," he purred, twirling the little square between his fingers. "I have come to discuss a different matter, but if you cooperate, I might see fit to show you the footage on this disk."

"Then start talking!" she spat. "I don't want to have to look at you any longer than I absolutely have to, unless you've come to tell me how to escape your little trap."

Andy gave a malicious laugh. "Hardly, my dear. But I do think you'll be interested in what I have to say, considering it pertains to your health."

"My health?"

"Yes, your health." Andy's eyes narrowed in concentration, as if he could not quite find the words he needed to say. "It appears that serum I gave you is affecting your brain patterns. I did not intend for it to happen - the development is quite uncommon. But it seems…" He paused for effect, staring deep into her cerulean irises. Bulma could have sworn she saw some gleam of malevolent humor glittering in his perfect almond eyes. "…it seems that if I do not administer the anti-serum, then you will lose your mind."

Bulma stared hard at the insane genius before her. Her brain whirred into motion, but she kept her eyes trained on his. "What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"It turns out I am quite familiar with the usage of this particular serum," he continued, crossing his arms across his chest. "I utilized its effects many times when I was home on Vejitaseii."

"Vejitaseii? The Saiyan homeworld?"

"I see you haven't been slacking when it comes to delving into your prince's past." Andy pursed his lips. "Or have you?"

"Stop talking in riddles, asshole," Bulma grated. Her mind was speeding through the possibilities even as she spoke. So Andy is from the homeworld of the Saiyans, is he? Bulma thought silently as she stared the inventor defiantly in the eyes. That makes sense. But if he's from Vejitaseii, then why is he going after Vegeta? I have to find out more. Maybe if I keep him talking, he'll let something slip…

"I'm not speaking in riddles at all, my dear." Andy flipped the tiny disk back and forth between his slender hands. "It's as simple as this; if you do not take the serum I am offering, then your mind will be lost. And such a loss would be so very tragic; the human race truly lacks in the fields of science and technology."

"And why do you think I'm losing my mind?" Bulma asked, her sapphire eyes following the compressed data on its trajectory between the treacherous fists. "I feel perfectly normal. A bit enlightened, sure, but normal."

"Ah, you feel normal now," Andy said smoothly, catching the disk in one porcelain hand and tucking it back into his pocket. "However, beginning in probably just a few short hours, your mind will start to slowly meld into the images it perceives as real until you will no longer be able to snap yourself back to reality. Bereft of a conscious mind, your body will begin to deteriorate, and eventually there would be nothing left."

"And what if I would prefer that?" Bulma challenged.

Andy shrugged indifferently, but his sharp blue eyes flashed with a fleeting look of fear that was not lost on Bulma. The glimpse of the whirring emotions contained in the demented genius was immediately replaced by a smug grin. "Then you will live out your last conscious moments knowing that as soon as you are gone, I will peel your husband and your son apart cell by cell until there is nothing left," he hissed.

Bulma suppressed an involuntary shudder by clasping her hands behind her back and digging her nails into her palms. "They would rather die than be your prisoners," she retorted around the lump in her throat. Oh man, this is getting dangerous, she thought worriedly, casting a furtive glance over her shoulder. But what can I do? It's too late to turn back now. "Besides," she continued, chancing an indignant toss of her head, "I don't believe you."

"What! How dare you!" In an uncharacteristic show of rage tinged with apprehension, Andy struck her across the face, sending the all-too-human woman tumbling to the floor. "This concerns your very life, you foolish woman! How can you make light of such a serious matter!"

Bulma pushed herself to a sitting position and managed a smirk. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs, but she was in control. "I can make light of it because what you're saying won't come to pass," she growled, shooting him a mocking glare. "Now tell me; what connections do you have with the Saiyan homeworld? You definitely aren't a Saiyan, that much is for sure. Maybe if you can prove you know what you're talking about, I'll listen."

She had hoped to catch him off guard with her sudden show of courage, but he was once more in control of his emotions. The calm, cool façade had returned, and now Andy regarded her with cold indifference.

"That is not for you to know," he spat. Turning on his heel, he headed for the door. "But if you want to die a most painful death, be my guest. I will grieve the loss of your superior intellect, but I'll get over it." He stopped at the threshold, as if expecting her to call after him, demanding answers that he would be all to happy to give. When she did not, he cast a furious look over his shoulder. "And those 'memories' you were experiencing," he rumbled. "They're not real, you know. They are nothing but a wild illusion created by your weakening mind."

"Prove it," Bulma snarled. I guess he didn't hear my conversation with Vegeta, she thought. He thinks I'm completely in the dark. He doesn't know I have proof that what I've seen is real. She studied his expressionless features, trying to find a hint of what he might be up to hidden beneath the well-honed mask of mystery. This is so weird. If he's as much an expert on the Saiyans as he claims to be, then why is he trying to convince me to discount Vegeta's memories? He must know they're real. Perhaps there's something he doesn't want me to see…

"Prove it?" Andy demanded incredulously. "Do you honestly think that your puny human mind could recreate the past?"

"Not without help," Bulma returned. Then, on a hunch, she offered, "I've heard of some medicines that can cause serious side effects, you know. Perhaps that little sedative you gave me…"

Andy's eyes widened, if only for a second. Gotcha, Bulma declared silently, quenching a smirk.

"Fool. You don't know what you're talking about. But since you and your arrogant pride require more proof, I have the real footage of what happened on Vejitaseii." Yanking out the disk once more, he slapped it down on one of the consoles, shooting Bulma a venomous glare. "We will watch it," he sneered, "and you will see the true extent of the Saiyans' brutality. Get to your feet, woman! I will show you what really happened to this wretch of a Saiyan's mother." Andy's eyes narrowed dangerously. He clasped his fist behind his back, just above one of the numerous small pockets that adorned the back of his lab coat.

Bulma shifted slowly to her feet. Guess I have to play along for now, she thought silently. Casting one last worried glance across the room to her husband, she started across the room toward the crazed inventor. As she neared, a fleeting leer crossed his lips, and she wondered vaguely if he really thought he was winning this insane game of chess.

Check, she whispered over the invisible game board.

"Play it," she commanded, crossing her arms and fixing her gaze on the monitor.

"But of course," he replied with cold courtesy. He inserted the disk into the console. With the other hand, he reached into his pocket, producing a small vial filled with sloshing green liquid. Using the tips of his fingers to extract the stopper, he feigned a cough, utilizing the cover of his hand to slip the anti-serum into his mouth.

Seeing the 'cough' but missing its meaning, Bulma smirked wider and wagged a finger. "Don't think you can stall. Let's just see what this 'memory' is made of."

Andy merely issued a close-mouthed smile and pointed to the screen. But when Bulma turned her head, the inventor seized her wrists and shoved her against the console, pinning her to the cold metal with the weight of his body.

"What the--!" Bulma screeched, instinctively resisting the pressure of his hips against her abdomen. She frantically sought to free her arms, but Andy held them fast against the monitor, the strength of his grasp cutting off the circulation to her fingertips.

Without hesitation, Andy pressed his lips to hers, gushing the foul liquid into her mouth. Bulma thrashed against him and tried to turn her head to spit it out, but he held the 'kiss' firm with painful resolve. Switching both her slender wrists to his right hand, he brought his left down to hold her nose; she was slowly running out of air.

Agh, how could I have been so stupid! Bulma thought desperately as she felt her brain begin to swim in shaky circles around her skull. I fell right into his trap! As she struggled to breathe, her throat automatically closed around the treacherous liquid, forcing it down her esophagus and into her stomach.

Andy smirked around her lips and pulled back, letting Bulma sink to the floor gasping for breath. "You think you're so smart, my dear," he murmured softly. "But in truth, I had you all along. As an android, I never lose control unless I will it so. Forgive me if I hurt you, but you must understand - it was necessary to subdue that deliciously fiery will of yours." He knelt beside her, running his fingers through her messy blue locks. "As for that disk…well, you can watch it as much as you like, but you'll only find the lies I implied were implanted in your own mind. Yes, it was a fake - created by my own programming, no less - but it hardly matters now that your past-divining 'abilities' have been subdued. That is the trouble with you mortals." He leered as he took her chin between his fingers and forced her to face him. "Your minds may be strong, but in the end, it's your bodies that decide your future." Leaning down, he bent his head to plant one last, mocking kiss upon her lips.

An energy bomb whistled past his ear and slammed through one of the chrome walls.

"What the hell!" Andy dropped Bulma's chin and whirled around.

Vegeta had raised himself to one knee, his arm outstretched and still crackling from the blast. "Don't…you dare…" he panted, "…degrade…that woman…any further!"

"V…Vegeta!" Bulma cried, reaching for him with a shaking hand.

Andy raised a perfect eyebrow. "I thought as much. Two hundred milligrams weren't nearly enough to keep you down for three days. We'll have to fix that, won't we?" He reached into a holster at his hip and produced a dart gun. "Now be a good monkey and hold still. We wouldn't want the good android to miss and end up with this barb in your ass, now would we?"

"The only…ass that's in danger…is yours!" Vegeta bellowed. Hefting himself onto his feet, he put drew his hands across his right side and prepared to attack. His black eyes flickered green as he fixed the android in his sights.

Andy threw back his head and laughed. "Look at you! You can barely stand, and you speak of victory? You are every bit as pathetic as your father, even before he fell to Frieza!" Suddenly he became serious, his blue eyes glinting fiercely in Vegeta's aura. "Without my beloved Teraynia, he would never have been able to fell Vorenza. And yet he took all the credit, as if she had been naught but a spectator!" The android's hand clenched, and blue electricity crackled around his fingers. "So arrogant was your father in his foolishness that he took her for his empress, only to betray her and her people in a final act of cowardice. Some king!" Andy brought the gun up to point directly at the prince's throat. "And now I will exact my revenge, Vegeta. You, who bear the very name of weakness, will be forced to retreat in ignominy and shame, and I will take your adored 'queen' as my own - by her own gamble! How does it feel, Vegeta? How does it feel to be betrayed by the one you trusted most!"

Vegeta's eyes became emerald slits of fury as he looked first at Andy, then to Bulma, then back again. "I feel nothing," he spat at last, turning his eyes fixedly back on the android. "Because I trust no one! You hear me! NO ONE!" A wave of energy compressed between his palms.

"Maybe not anymore," Andy said quietly, a leer playing upon his lips. He looked down at Bulma, whose eyes were wide with anguish as she curled her formerly outstretched hand across her heart, watching Vegeta as he powered up for a blast fueled by enraged agony alone. She sees the truth now, the android thought, his eyes narrowing in triumph. She sees that the love she thought she knew is a lie. Saiyans cannot love; they can only murder, destroy, and deceive, as they have been taught for generations past.

"You understand now, Bulma?" he asked softly. "The Saiyans are nothing more than out of control weapons of mass destruction. They can only cause pain." Raising his eyes to the prince, he shouted, "And now, on top of everything, you will not honor the wager your 'wife' has made. You will do anything for revenge, including killing her! Some code of honor. There is another aspect in which you are like your father; you both put your own selfish desires above the lives and wishes of others."

"Don't you dare talk to me about selfish desires, android!" Vegeta grated. "As if you've ever cared about the 'lives and wishes of others'! Like my father? Bull shit! My honor is whole and intact; this bet of yours is of no consequence to me! GALICK GUN!"

A huge wave of energy issued from Vegeta's hand, heading straight for Bulma and Andy. Andy smirked at the oncoming wall of power, momentarily vanishing to retrieve the one thing everyone in the room but him had forgotten.

Trunks.

"I think you've forgotten this," he crooned to Bulma, depositing the wailing child in her arms. Stepping back, he turned to see the prince's reaction.

Vegeta's emerald eyes went wide under his swath of golden hair. An unknown curse was flung into the roar of the blast as the Saiyan charged heavily across the room, reaching Bulma just in time to knock her down and shield her and their son with his body. Andy grimaced.

"I wondered if you wouldn't be able to do it," he muttered, pulling back the hammer on the paralysis gun. "You have more of your mother in you than I would ever have expected. Well, we'll put an end to that." He checked the dosage. "A thousand milligrams. That should work for two days. But we'll have to lock you up, just in case." Transporting himself over to where the fallen prince lay, he fired the dart into his neck. Vegeta stiffened, twitched uncontrollably for a few fleeting seconds, then lay still.

"You monster!" Bulma shouted from beneath her husband's limp body. "You're insane! Why don't you just kill us now and get it over with!"

Andy knelt and placed two fingers on the prince's shoulder, preparing to instantly transmit him to a different part of the mansion. "Where would the fun be in that?" he snickered, casting her a derisive wink. "I want to watch him suffer. But don't worry; he won't live long after the bet has been fulfilled. I'll make sure of that." And with that, he disappeared, leaving Bulma alone in the chrome room of despair and broken dreams.