Chapter 10 - The Trap
"Mr. Satan! If you'd answer some more questions-!"
"I don't have time to comment! My daughter and two innocent boys were kidnapped!" Mark exclaimed with an angry bellow, pushing the reporter and her camera man out of his house's door. When they were clear of the door, he shouted out with an angry fist. "Don't you DARE release this information to the public! It'll cause mass hysteria and I'm sure no one wants to know terrorists invaded MY home, you got me?!"
"Why didn't you or your disciple stop him?" The camera man asked with a dubious drawl.
"They're low life scum who poisoned the food we ordered. My stomach was already affected by the time I realized what happened," He explained while rubbing his gut, showing a tearing up glaze in his eyes. After a belated moan was released he then stepped forward and shouted again. "Same for my disciple too! Food is his greatest weakness after all and he couldn't help himself! Now GET OFF MY PROPERTY!"
"Fine-Fine, we're gone," Miss Wong raised her hands defensively, tugging on her camera man's ear as he kept showing a dirty look at him.
It didn't stop him from spitting at him as they reached the van, "Some Champion you are if you'd let your own kid get snatched like that! Hero of the World my ass!"
"That's enough!" She spat as she yanked his ear and hauled him into the van.
It wouldn't take long for them to drive away, leaving the champ to bemoan his situation alone. With his door slammed shut he ran his hands through his afro, groaning at the powerlessness he felt. Even though he had gotten tutelage from even his partner, Mr. Buu, about how to channel his Ki he felt like he was on the bottom of the totem pole. The fight happened so fast that he couldn't even register what happened or who was taken. Not to mention his aforementioned resident was so engrossed in eating that he hadn't noticed a fight was going on.
"My baby girl has been taken, and those two sprite young'uns," He muttered to himself, fist clenched up and eyes welling with tears. When a vein pulsed against his knuckles as well as his forehead those tears slid down hotly as he glared at a wall. He had half a mind to punch it down to relieve tension, but he had enough repairs to pay with the state his yard and the surface of half his mansion was in. "Don't worry, my precious daughter. Your old man will find you, no matter what it takes!"
"So, how is he?" Piccolo asked as he stoically scoured the globe from the edge of the Lookout. It was the place everyone agreed to go after the incident. Just like with the crisis involving the once malicious Majin Buu they decided it was everyone's best interest to stay on the hovering palace. With various people gathered on blankets or set upon tables with folding chairs everyone had a much more grim countenance if only for one simple fact.
People weren't just killed, but taken straight in front of their eyes.
"I healed him immediately on the spot," Dende reminded his Namekian senior and mentor as he stood flanking him. He too also used his divine gaze to sweep across the Earth, hoping to spot something out of place. They had been doing this for awhile and the fact neither of them found their enemy unnerved him. "But because of his rather volatile outburst before he fell, I thought it best to give him some rest and buy us time to decide what to do."
"You put him to sleep?"
"I did it with the Earth's best intentions in mind," He swallowed, a bead of sweat trickling down his mature brow. Despite his teacher's look of bewilderment that questioned why, he did his best to explain. "I've never seen him let loose power while angry. It was so terrifying to see the world plunge into darkness and Ki shake its foundations. If he gets out of control I fear the calamity that'd unfold will scar the planet far more than his battle with Majin Buu ever could."
Huffing, the former god of Earth couldn't help but smile at his rationality, "You really are acting like a Guardian. Keep it up and you may actually do a better job than I ever did."
"I'm not through yet," He affirmed, his eyes furrowing as he desperately looked for any sign of the threat or their captives. "We'll find them, Piccolo. We must!"
"Uuuugh," Vegehan awoke what seemed to be a long while later. Despite being healed, the trauma had left him exhausted enough that he needed proper rest, he supposed. Rising up he'd recognize instantly he wasn't within the mansion or its yard where he got pummeled into the ground. Instead he was in a guest bed within Kami's Lookout. Rising up he blinked away the sleep, briefly wondering what exactly happened. "Why am I...here?"
"You were hurt badly, Vegehan," Mr. Popo answered, having walked in to check on the resident. The dark skinned Djinn looked on with a simple smile though his words hinted great concern. "Thankfully, Goku was able to save you from being killed outright. Such a loving father still cares for his son, even if he isn't completely who he once was."
"Kakarot?" He remembered with an audible question. A flash of scarlet-white, a mantle of Ascended Super Saiyan and the sight of his reverberating gi as he collapsed the volatile Ki. He was bleeding, all over and presided within a crater from the impact. The words that came before that were about- "VIDEL!"
"You should remain calm-" He began to suggest, only for him to fly back as a rush of movement knocked him aside. Even as he stumbled back up on his feet one could see the fused Saiyan stopping before the conversing group. Eyes looked around desperately while everyone jumped at seeing the Saiyan's jacket and jean frame appear, finger-less gloves already clenching tightly with building aggression.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" He yelled aloud, his voice shaking the Lookout itself. Unknowingly his power ebbed off him like a sweltering flame, pale in color as it glowed around him and cracked the tiles beneath his feet. Swiveling his head around he tried to confront somebody for answers. "WHERE IS VIDEL?! I DEMAND TO HAVE AN ANSWER IMMEDIATELY-!"
"T-Take it easy," Yamcha desperately raised a hand to try and persuade the volatile man. Seeing his seething glare aimed at him, he almost buckled just from the sight of his angry eyes. "W-We're trying to find out where she is-?"
"Are you?" Vegehan asked derisively with a hollow laugh. Taking threatening steps towards him, Yamcha stumbled back while Krillin and the others felt powerless to stop the hybrid's journey forth. Staring at him with his body looming threateningly over him, his glowing body was undulating with bottled wrath, ready to be unleashed. "What are you doing here then? All of you should be scouring the globe for her. I'm sure you just love playing the role of a coward-"
It was then that a slap was heard as palpable as it was felt. Everyone gaped and gasped at the action, with Vegehan looking the most bewildered. As he turned to look he caught sight of Bulma, who stared at him with dried tears staining her cheeks and teeth grinding tightly. The sight was enough to make his breath hitch.
"Bulma-"
"Stop pointing fingers, you asshole!" She daringly reprimanded with a shrill shout. Jabbing a finger at his chest, she used the other to grasp his collar tightly in her grip as her eyes drew close to his. "She isn't the only one at stake here. Trunks and Goten, your son and brother, whatever you may think of them are taken as well. We care about Videl very much but you shouldn't forget your own blood. Calling people cowards for not being what you want them to be is just selfish and stupid of you! Shouting like a madman won't change what's going on so just man up and deal with it like the rest of us!"
Taking heaving breaths, Vegehan took the time to look at the rest of them. Ox-King was still comforting a quiet and surely devastated Chi-Chi who held her face in her hands on a chair. Krillin stood by with a sullen look next to Eighteen who held Marron in her arms. Dr. Brief and Panchy just sat by a table with a silent, thoughtful pair of expressions for once, just as Tien and Chaozu shared a pair of concerned looks. With everyone present it seemed deathly quiet, especially without the presence of the two boys.
With a begrudging sigh he reached up and stroked Bulma's face with a rare moment of affection. Still stony in expression he at least made the effort to show her he knew what he did was wrong. When she released her hold on him, the man batted an eye around the Lookout.
"Where's my-...where's Goku?" He stuttered out loud, catching himself before he made the memorable mistake of calling that man his father.
"He said that he'd go to King Kai's," Bulma explained, understandably being the last person he spoke with before departing. "I'm hoping that his mentor will have enough clairvoyance to locate them. Dende and Piccolo have been at it since yesterday while you've slept."
"Let me guess, it didn't occur to him to try that rotund god of his till now?" Vegehan growled out with a murmur. Shaking his head he sighed as he closed his eyes. Walking towards the pair of Namekians to leave the others in peace he came up behind the two by only a few meters. Crossing his arms he looked ahead stoically at their heads. "Anything?"
"Not a damn thing," Piccolo sneered. "Those cowards knew we were unprepared for a confrontation at the party. Worse, they knew to bring food in to knock any Saiyans in their way. I guess they didn't think about you not eating a bite till your special girl came back."
"Not like it mattered," He dismissed with a click of his tongue, turning to look over his shoulder at the assembled group. "Still, I think it was the right call bringing them up here. I'm not sure anyone can track us and you will probably stand a better chance defending here than on the ground where there's collateral waiting to happen."
"It was Dende's idea," The mentor assured him with a slight grin. "He also gave you a good nap so you didn't go charging like a madman across the globe."
"Tch! I'm not a dog, Piccolo, I can think clearly-"
"Just not when it involves her, am I right?" The taller being pressed with a turn to look at him sideways. Seeing the glare but no retort, the caped guardian shrugged with a more serious expression. "I get it, it's the Gohan in you. And I'm sure Vegeta would guard anyone precious to him with a zealous intent. However, you should be aware these people are going to use that against you. Charge in and you'll make it easier than simply blindsiding you from behind-"
"Trust me," The Fused Saiyan lowly spoke, dark eyes becoming a seething pool of blackness as his teeth gnashed visibly. "They should be the ones watching their backs, otherwise they'll be the ones taken off guard!"
King Kai was being pushed past his tolerance point. Before it was simply about the noise and distraction his disciple and the two kids were causing. Now it was just about him pestering to do something that was harder than it should be. Every few minutes he had to come up with new excuses as to why his divinity seems to be unable or hindered.
And that had just been the first day. It's now been day six of him personally intervening, a week since the three had gone missing. People had been escorted home after the third day of no aggression being made openly so Dende and Piccolo had round the clock searches while keeping an eye on the families that tried to cope with the knowledge friends and family were stolen. Vegehan had refused to leave the Lookout till he heard news directly from the Kai of the Northern Galaxies or the two resident deities on the floating palace.
Goku, being one who wanted to know just as badly about the fate of his and his rival's sons, returned once again. This time bearing a picnic basket of food in one hand.
"Hey, King Kai," Goku said brightly, always remaining optimistic despite the situation they were in.
"To answer your question, Goku, no," The rotund overseer replied in a cranky voice.
"Aw, don't be like that King Kai," His student replied with a whine, already setting up the blanket while dumping a comical proportion of food on it. "I just wanted to hang out and be the first one to know. If my son and Trunks can be found, I'd like to be the first one there."
"Take that up with the other guy. I got a death threat from him that he'll strangle me with my own arms if I didn't tell him first," The Kai replied with a nervous gulp as he rubbed his neck self consciously. "Fusing those two was a last resort but damn I wish it had been temporary."
"You heard the dragon. We can't undo what's been done. Besides, if it could, what difference would the dance be from that form of fusion?" Goku asked with a raised hand, causing the god to laugh.
"Good point. I'll make a note to tell my boss' predecessor that he was wrong to have enchanted jewelry that didn't have an off switch," He snorted, actually chortling for a few moments before renewing his search. "Now be quiet, I'm actually concentrating right now."
"That's fine. I'm just gonna eat lunch Chi-Chi made," The Saiyan declared as he clapped his hands together with respect. "Itadakimasu! Eat up boys-"
Catching himself, he opened with almost a vivid sight of the two eager children he had grown closer to in the past year. No longer were they arguing in front of him or being mischievous. They were gone. His eyes lost some of the light within them as he looked at a sandwich he was holding. With a grimace he bit into it with less gusto than he normally would, swallowing it bitterly.
It was something that his teacher noticed without even looking. He sighed, stopping his search for a little while as he trudged over to squat next to his student. When Goku looked over at him with surprise, the Kai lifted up a stick of meat and began to gnaw on it.
"You don't mind if I keep you company until you're done eating?" He inquired with a greasy mouth, chuckling with afterthought.
"Sure," The Turtle Schooler brightened with a nod. "Go ahead."
As the two dined, it wouldn't be long before Bubbles joined in, making it a trio once more. They weren't the two kids that he had been training with, but they were still welcome company. Eating with others always made dire situations seem less bleak.
"We'll find them, Goku," King Kai assured him as he wiped his mouth. "I may not be the fighter I once was, but I'll do what I can as a teacher to help find them for you. You have my word on that."
"I know, King Kai," He replied softly. "Thanks."
It had been an entire week since he had chased those reporters off his lot and since his baby girl had been kidnapped. While repairs to his home was already underway, he was too invested in using all of his resources to discreetly look for those things who took children from his household. From connections in the martial arts community, to surveys about Videl in bulletins in case someone had encountered her recently, and even asking Buu to help him look from the sky. His last resort was to call in a favor from the King himself, and send air patrols across the world for a whole day.
Despite the funny looks he was given, his request wasn't unreasonable and quite feasible. So he waited in his study, listening to the clock tick while workers were on break. His body was dressed in his champion fatigues, including the belt and cape. Pacing back and forth he looked at the clock and then at the phone intently. He grumbled as he noticed Bee curled up near the fireplace, Mr. Buu idly playing with what looked like a rubix cube...to which he began to chew on when he got bored.
Then, the phone rang, causing him to rush in a blur of superhuman speed. Grasping the handle he raised it to his face and almost yelled into the receiver, "Hello?!"
"Calm down! It's me, the King."
"Oh, s-sorry," He cleared his throat, hushing himself while visibly looking impatient. "So, sir, did your boys find anything?"
"It's strangest thing. One moment all pilots were calling in checks, the next one flew towards the open space of an uninhabited island and he swore he struck an invisible wall. He bailed out and is being called back to base but a few experimental shots proved that there is indeed a transparent barrier reflecting all attacks while revealing a silhouette of a much more inhabited spot."
"Can you give me details of its location?" The Champ asked.
"...do you want me to give you small words that you can understand?"
"Don't get snarky with me-...err...sir," He calmed himself in the middle of a rant, reminding himself who he was talking to.
"Sorry, I just find this request highly unorthodox. Plus, I thought someone like Son Goku would be asking me for favors, not the all-powerful World Champion. What's this sudden change of heart?"
"I...admit I've been a glory hog in the past," He grunted, his eyes knitted into a glare as his free hand clenched into a fist. "But, you're doing me a real favor, sir. It's very important that I find this island quickly."
"If you say so. Get a pencil and paper ready, I'll give you the coordinates now..."
It was in the end of their feast when King Kai's divine sight that he caught a flicker of something. Before it was just a damning silence, almost making him believe they were dead. But now it was a pulse and he had locked onto it. With a loud gasp that made Goku stand upright, disregarding what remained of his food, he hunched forward eagerly at his former teacher.
"What is it?! Did you find them?!" Goku cried out with eagerness.
"I-I felt them. It's like they are behind this barrier that deflects even my sight. Technology and magic of this scale must be insane if my hunch is correct," He muttered aloud, turning his shade-obscured eyes to look up at the hyperactive Saiyan. "Stretch out with your Ki. You should be able to feel the flicker too."
From here, focusing on the presence. Indeed it was within a distortion that made feeling them tricky. But it ebbed out, leaking out faintly like leaves in the wind. Sensing it, he homed on that feeling with forefingers placed on his forehead. With open eyes he left the god alone with the scattered dishes and blanket.
But he didn't complain, he was too busy giving a fist pump with a hopeful expression on his face, "Go get'em, Goku!"
"Do you feel that?" Dende inquired as his eyes blinked at the sensation he felt.
"Yeah. It seems they've been hidden behind a barrier; a very well made one," Piccolo answered with a furrowed expression. "Strangely, there's nothing else to sense within. Must mean there's nothing but Androids where they're kept-"
"You sensed them?" The Namekian heard, turning to look over his shoulder. Vegehan, still in his rugged leather jacket with a blue sleeveless undershirt and shredded jeans adorned with leather boots with finger-less gloves. With the clothes mended thanks to Dende's magic he looked determined to move out once he got a precise destination. "Where are they? I thought that pudgy god king would tell me first-"
"They're in the middle of the ocean, about fifty kilometers southeast of Satan City!" King Kai rang in their heads. "Goku will be there in a flash...ehehehehe!"
"Thanks for the heads up," Vegehan noted, stepping forward till a flaming white aura burst from his person, shuddering the entire Lookout while kicking up Piccolo and Dende's capes. "But I'll beat him there."
There wasn't even a blur to describe the amount of velocity he was now moving at. Light bled across his horizon as if space seemed to pass him by. It wouldn't be even seconds that transpired during his incredible momentum. At full speed he reached the barrier that jets were beginning to circle. Crashing into something at above light speed wouldn't compare to what missiles or even a Ki blast could do. When he impacted it, the fabric of light was ripped apart in a surreal blaze of visual splendor, cracking it open with a large hole in the middle of the sky.
What was left was a distinct large split in the sky, showing a city of shimmering metal within that operated with streets that were used like a factory and less like a place to live. His form was steaming when it hovered above the skyscrapers of mineral chugging gears and pistons. All of the noise and movement that piqued his scientific mind was overridden by the sheer anger pumping through his veins. Even as he felt Goku's presence transporting next to him he didn't care.
Those two boys that were cherished by important women in his life and his own beloved was held hostage.
"I'm going to tear this city apart," He gutturally proclaimed, a fiery hand raised up in preparation of scorching the earth beneath him. Before he could do this, he felt his hand grab the wrist, halting his charge-up. Looking back at the concerned Saiyan he was unfortunately related to, he wrenched his grip free of the spike-haired man. "Stay out of my way, Kakarot."
"Vegehan, you can't just blast it away. What if Goten and the others are inside one of the buildings?" The Martial Artist inquired thoughtfully, making even the Fused Saiyan scoff with understanding annoyance. "Look, we need to work together-"
"On that, I say no," The torch-haired retorted dryly, arms crossed as his eyes began to scan the metal horizon. "I'd much rather team up with that blithering oaf who calls himself Champion than you."
"Ouch, that's cold," Goku replied with a visibly hurt expression. Not that being spoken that way from Vegeta in the past had deterred him, but when he wore his son's expressions and held a tinge of his voice it made it more difficult to shrug off. Still, he was angry and that's probably why he wasn't thinking clearly. "But we should at least wait until the others are here-"
It happened quicker than one could expect. One moment, Goku was speaking. The next he felt a thunderclap of force crash him into one of the skyscrapers of metal, making it ring like the loudest gong. Grimacing at feeling such a hit that made his mouth leak blood from his lips, he looked up from the bent surface to see an unfamiliar face. He wore a hat with suspender wrapped pants and a sleeveless shirt, his left upper chest sporting the Red Ribbon Army symbol.
"Mighty fine of ya ta drop in, Son Goku," Thirteen declared as his gloved hands gripped at his sides. "My name's Android 13. Look at my-"
Before he could finish his own sentence he found himself lurching to the side as a leg firmly connected to his mechanical ribs. In a streak of color he'd be sent tearing a trench through several metal buildings in the horizon, producing an explosion in one particular factory in a upheaval of debris and smoke. With Vegehan lowering his leg, he shot an annoyed glare at his father.
"I'm a league stronger than you. You have no right coming here without transforming," He chastised as he zoomed away, leaving the man chuckling as he pried out of the bent metal.
"The funny thing is, you're right about that," The Turtle Schooler thought as he briefly concentrated with a flex. Emboldened in an aura of gold with pale blonde hair upright his blue-green eyes caught sight of several entities moving in where Vegehan was. Streaking down he touched down on the ground to warn him when he saw a grimacing Thirteen held up by his neck by the angered Saiyan.
"I held back so you can give me answers, you metal hick," Vegehan sneered as bore his dark eyes into the Android's blue orbs. "Where are they?! Where's my son and brother?! Where's Videl?!"
"Ah, yer here for them? Ain't that sweet?" He sneered with a demented grin. Eyeing behind the Saiyan's shoulder he watched as what looked like a dozen red-headed figures approached with bulky emerald-padded black linen body suits surrounded him. Bearing the similarities of the past design of Android Sixteen, all of them looked different ranging from short and rotund to tall and feminine. The Saiyan hadn't even looked behind himself as they all raised hands to charge scarlet orbs of energy. "Too bad, we outnumber ya."
Goku was on the verge of interrupting when Vegehan raised a free hand to point a pair of fingers upwards. The area surrounding him swelled, ballooning out as rays of light spilled out of cracks. Seconds later the Androids were torn apart along with a single kilometer stretch of the metal infrastructure, leaving it smelted and glowing orange within the cloud of ash that was behind Vegehan. Only through sheer luck the other Saiyan managed to soar into the air and avoid the Volcano Explosion.
"You were saying?" The Fused Saiyan asked as a look of annoyance entered the droid's eyes. Going limp, Vegehan had his brows raised questionably as the gray-haired synthetic person.
"Fine. The Good Doctor wants ta have a word wit ya anyways," He replied with a slight smile. When he was released, the Android bent down to recover his hat, surprisingly not damaged by the blast that had ensued. Fastening it back to his scalp he was pushed by Vegehan which caused him to scowl over his shoulders. Rising up into the air he began to swiftly fly, easily caught up by the other Saiyan.
Goku was about to make haste when he felt his ankle caught from behind, pulling him down to crash into the ground below. Flipping to his feet, he guarded against a pair of fists, belonging to one colorfully dressed dwarf with shades and another with more primitive clothing choice in scale as big as Piccolo. Their punches were enough that they hurt his arms when blocking, sending him skidding across the concrete floor as they stood their ground in front of him.
"If Sonny wants to see the Doc, you gotta get through us," Fifteen addressed him while tugging his bow-tie as Fourteen simply shrugged his braided hair from his shoulder over his back. He spoke some garbled static but none of it was intelligible to his ears. It did make the purple Android laugh though. "Oh, right. We're not the only ones. My mistake."
Goku felt the sudden instinct to dodge. Moving to the left, right and then flipping backwards he narrowly avoided what looked like glossy tendrils that had the appearance of silver colored water. But when they reformed it took the dainty appearance of slender arms, belonging to a feminine build with a red outlined black body suit with RR insignia around a choker. Retaining his headdress, the twin-tail red and yellow eyed twintail trap smirked at the Saiyan mirthfully.
"Hello there, Son Goku. My name is Suigin," He introduced himself with a curtsy. "It's an honor meeting the Dear Doctor's sworn enemy. It'll be a pleasure killing you."
"Greater beings than you have done that already," Goku joked with a smile. "What's so special about you being added to the list?"
The platinum cyborg simply shrugging with a grin, "Dunno, but I won't know till I do, won't I?"
Leaping forward, he'd find himself cut off by a blast of plasma impacting the ground between them. Blinking away the dust he witnessed the purple outfitted Dende and Piccolo, tossing off their weighted cloaks in a smooth motion. Soon they'd be joined by Tien and Chaozu, finally finished with Eighteen and a piggyback riding Mr. Satan atop Mr. Buu.
"Well-Well, looks like we find ourselves with the Calvary arriving," Suigin mentioned aloud with a grin.
"Looks like its Androids again," Tien drawled out with a brand of aggravation as he looked at the unfamiliar faces. "One's missing."
"Tien, behind you!" Chaozu warned as a purple-haired woman swung a gloved fist towards his cranium. Said knuckles were deflected by a separate gloved palm, belonging to Eighteen herself. Catching Violet off guard, she landed a kick to the chest before swinging her away.
"She's mine," She growled as she dove off to tackle the purple-tress Android.
In the confusion of motion, they'd find the pale-faced midget pummeled into the ground by the twin-tailed Android. Rising up to deflect Tien's follow-up punch and Piccolo's kick, Suigin elegantly danced around their attacks with a smile on his face. Melting into a puddle of platinum he swirled around their legs and reformed with the extended tendrils locked from the elbows. Flipping them around he hook kicked them away in separate directions, reforming and landing with a pirouette.
"This will be easy," Suigin declared with a hand brushing away smooth locks as the yellow and red eyes gleamed with a sinister grin aimed at Goku who took on both the purple dwarf and the gray skinned giant. "You guys are no match for me. Not even Son Goku."
"Don't forget about me!" Mr. Satan cried out, leaping off Mr. Buu's shoulders to perform a flying kick aimed at the twin-tailed droid. "DYNAMITE KI-EEEEEEEEEK!"
While the leg was easily side-stepped, he'd feel a dainty fist crash into his crotch with only the momentum of the charge used. It was enough to make the Champ's face contort with visible agony, shortly causing a blue tint to his face before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He fell back with an unceremonious flop.
"Huh, that was annoying," The Android declared with a sudden slasher smile, transforming his upper arm into an elbow adjoined blade. "Time to butcher a champ!"
A sudden wave of pink followed by a yellow glove suddenly crashed into the Android's middle. Like a titan of force it bowled him over and sent him streaking away just as the Dragon Warriors gathered their bearings. Despite him flipping back onto his heels he saw the distant pudgy man exude steam out of his air holes and an angry glare enter his childish face.
"You hurt, Satan! Buu hurt you!" He growled, a pink aura spiking around him as he readied himself for battle.
"This might be fun after all," Suigin chimed as he streaked back just as quickly as he was sent bowling through several structures. Staring the angry Majin Buu the two entered bizarre stances as the fighters rejoined in an effort to help combat the two Androids attempting to beat Goku. A flurry of fists and explosions came, all the while something ominous transpired in the horizon.
Something that created a sudden quake through the foundation of the factory city island.
Vegehan didn't need to wait long to find the spot the Android wished to lead him. It was the largest building, a dome adjoined with several towers that had round rotating spheres at the apex points. Landing at the front entrance, Thirteen walked forward with the Fused Saiyan not far behind. Inside there'd be a large white space, tiles aligned all across the floor as it was the arched ceiling. Nothing significant was inside this blank area except three figures.
All three of them were gagged and bound, familiar to the Saiyan's eyes.
He rushed past the smirking Android to arrive and conclude something right away. With a hand waving through their shaking forms, they fizzled like static before reforming. Snarling Vegehan turned around and immediately transformed. A volume of golden flames erect into the building and shook the foundations of the whole island, static electricity bouncing off him like lightning bolts. With a stare powerful enough to kill, he held his gloved fist up with nothing short of complete anger in his voice.
"I don't have time for these games! WHERE ARE THEY?!" He bellowed, hard enough to shatter the tiles surrounding him. Tiles that began to glow and thrum all around the infrastructure. What was once loose energy that charged haphazardly around was suddenly siphoned and drawn into them, creating connections of Ki within the towers outside of the superstructure. A feeling like fire boiling within his body caused him to scream and his eyes going from blue-green to a fading black. "W-What are you...doing...to me?!"
"The Dear Doctor has one last project that has a vital ingredient needed: Yer energy," Thirteen declared as he witnessed the overflow of gold fill up the tiles and get drawn to a destination elsewhere within the island. "Thank ye kindly fer fallin' in this here trap."
"You want my energy?!" Vegehan snarled, choking back any weakness he had by squatting within the convulsions as his life force was being ripped from him. Folding his arms around his chest, he gagged and hacked until a final glimpse of blue was seen within the now ebony haired Saiyan. "Have it!"
A guttural scream was let loose as a revolving sphere of golden light was released by him, detonating the structure in an blooming dome of volatile energy. In the distance all could see the blast wave that reduced miles of factory space into debris and ash. A blast that all could feel the source from too clearly.
Vegehan had fallen.
A/N: And done! Man this chapter took a bit to get finished. Not just because it was hard to write, but more that I didn't know what to fill it in with. It wasn't until it hit me that Mr. Satan could give some minor participation in aiding the Dragon Warriors in their search that he'd actually use his name and title to accomplish stuff. I know King Furry wouldn't be a big fan of his, but I'm sure he can't refuse a request despite its oddity in nature. This helped everyone detect Gero's base, but to what end? With Vegehan taken down, is there anyone left to stop the mechanical maniac?!
Find out next, in the next Chapter of The Power of Two!