Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner
Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning
Nuclear Science Consultant: Cat~ 3
Chapter 133: The Battles of M1, Part 1
In the winding hallways of Dr. Wheelo's sanctum...
"GET BACK HERE!"
Turles was moving as fast as he could as he chased after Dr. Kochin. For an old man with a cane, the doctor seemed almost impossibly fast. Turles charged energy into his palm and shot forward a massive kiai. Kochin launched down the hall, smashing hard into a wall. Turles sneered. "Now I've got you! That little love tap is only a taste of what's-"
Dr. Kochin smirked, pressing a button on the handle of his cane. Immediately, a hole opened up beneath Turles and violent suction began to pull him in. He yelped. "Shit!"
Kochin cackled. "So long, Saiyan~"
The snarking victory for Kochin was only short-lived, however. Immediately. Bardock rounded the twisting corner of the hallway and called out. "TURLES!"
Bardock skidded to a halt at the edge of the suctioning hole. Turles was getting smaller and smaller as he fell deeper and deeper. The younger brother called up. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! I'LL CATCH UP! CATCH THAT WRINKLED OLD BASTARD AND BEAT HIM TO A PULP!"
The hole quickly sealed and Bardock looked up from where it was, glaring directly at Kochin. Kochin stammered. "N-Now now...let's..."
Bardock snarled and charged at Kochin, throwing a punch that barely missed the aged scientist and plowing right through the wall behind him. Kochin cried out and quickly got to his feet, stumbling away from his angry foe. "You damned Saiyans! Leave me alone!"
Bardock ripped his arm from the wall and gave chase. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"
In an unknown chamber beneath Wheelo's sanctum...
Turles fell from a hole in the ceiling, watching as it closed behind him. He landed with a thud, barely getting his feet under himself in time. Turles glanced around in the dark, only his prosthetic eye providing illumination. "Where the hell am I?!"
And then all the lights came on at once. Turles blinked a few times to adjust his vision and looked around at his new surroundings. He was in some sort of foundry, currently non-functional. Turles himself was standing on a platform in the middle of a sea of cooling gel, most likely used to instantly harden metal and protect against warping. He shook his head. "This must be where they construct and craft metal parts..."
The scientist took a few steps forward, trying to spot a way out. But then, something caught his eye. "Huh...that looks...familiar..."
Hanging on a rack, off to the side of the platform he was on, was a disposal bin. It was piled high with metal scrap that had yet to be disposed of. "I guess the workers down here were all ushered out the second we arrived. That explains the lack of tidiness. But this..."
Turles knelt down and stared at what appeared to be a mis-casting. It was clearly meant to be a hatch door of some variety, but was misshapen. Most likely a forming error. It wasn't the door itself that intrigued Turles, however...but what was engraved on it instead. Turles ran his organic hand over the metalwork, dipping his fingers into the groove of the engraving. It was...a stylized letter "M".
Turles clicked his tongue. "Bizarre how things like this tend to work out. Bardock should be happy..."
Turles pressed his finger to a button on his prosthetic eye, snapping pictures of the door. Then he budged the twisted metal enough to view the serial number and snapped a picture of that as well. "Once we find the Revenger Crystal, we can-"
*WHIRRRRZZZZZZZ*
Turles feinted to the side just in time to avoid the spinning, razor-bladed ball that was flying right toward him. He scowled as it crashed into the mangled hatch, slicing it right in half. He heard a voice echo from above. "You have no right to pick through our refuse, Saiyan. Die."
It took a minute for Turles to register the voice. He called out. "Dr. Raichi?!"
Before he could get a response, Turles watched as dozens of vents from above opened up and hundreds of that same bladed ball began to rain down. The orbs all began to spin at once and launched themselves toward the Space Pirate. Turles growled and put up his guard. "Damn it..."
In Dr. Wheelo's private chamber...
The liquid within Wheelo's tank bubbled. "That should be the end of Turles, no?"
Dr. Raichi snorted. "It is hard to say. His physical deformities would make most species significantly weaker, but these Saiyans are like cockroaches. He might die...or live long enough to have a familiar face do him in."
Wheelo agreed. "Indeed. Speaking of..."
The door of the chamber opened and Kochin came frantically running in. "Save me! Save me! They're trying to kill me!"
Mere seconds later, Bardock came sliding in with a pulsing ball of energy held tight in his hand. He glared at Kochin as he went running for cover, but then the older Saiyan began to look around. "Huh?"
What he saw upon scanning around was the cowering Kochin, a blue-skinned fossil with a bulbous head, and a massive brain sealed in a liquid capsule. Calming slightly, Bardock quashed the energy sphere in his hand. "I see. So, you're the Tuffle Academy of Science, eh?"
Feeling slightly braver with his allies nearby, Kochin cackled. "Th-That's right! Be in awe, Saiyan!"
Bardock looked from person-to-person. He glared at Kochin. "Turles says you ain't one of the ones we're looking for..."
He glared at Raichi. "...based on the pictures I've seen, you're Dr. Raichi..."
And then he looked up at the massive, swelled brain in the capsule. "...so, which one are you? Has to suck being trapped in there, huh?"
The liquid within the capsule bubbled like a boiling pot, it was clear that Bardock's statement had made the occupant quite angry. But then, the bubbling stopped and the brain spoke. "Yes...that's a blunt way to put it..."
Bardock scowled. "So, which one are you? Myuu apparently split from what I was told...and you don't sound like a woman...so...Wheelo?"
A low chuckle. "Quite the educated guess, Saiyan. Indeed. I am Dr. Wheelo. Welcome to my personal sanctum..."
A disturbing calm filled the room. Bardock cracked his neck. He wasn't sure what to do here. Continuing his attempts on Kochin's life would only piss off the other two...and Turles wanted those two alive for some damned reason. Bardock sighed. "So, what got you stuck in there? I get that you're old, but that doesn't necessarily seem like the solution to aging..."
Wheelo was silent for a long while. Kochin adopted a malicious grin. The veins on Raichi's bulbous head pulsed with anger. Then Wheelo spoke. "I lost my body to an incident involving a long-deceased colleague's wife and a lethal amount of radiation...the result of one of your King Vegeta's experiments on our kind..."
Bardock nodded. "Not a surprise there. Two out of three Vegetas that I've been around for are pieces of shit..."
Wheelo chuckled again. "It's nice to see that we share a common opinion...two out of three of the Vegeta's I have personally known are also pieces of shit..."
Bardock sighed. "So...seeing as we share that fun little opinion, how about we put aside our differences and try to get along. My little brother has no real interest in hurting you guys, he just wants to get one of those Revenger Crystals...and maybe rough up that Kochin guy for killing our comrades..."
Wheelo retorted. "I see. Well, perhaps we can negotiate a trade..."
Bardock barely flinched at that. He could tell there was something more going on here. Something in Wheelo's tone suggested that. Wheelo's tank bubbled. "Yes, you do have something I desire. It might be worth a Revenger Crystal..."
Bardock cocked his head. "And that would be-"
Wheelo spoke. "Now, Raichi."
Dr. Raichi pressed a button and suddenly a column of red light shined down on Bardock. Bardock flinched. "What the hell?!"
But, before he could step out of the bright light, a paralyzing column of crimson light began to shoot down from the ceiling and up from the ground. Bardock screamed in agony, his entire body suddenly feeling as if it were on fire. Kochin cackled. "We did it! We've caught him!"
Dr. Raichi glared up at the screen. "Not for long! Our Drain Field is sapping his strength, but it will struggle to keep up in the long term. He has a store of power trying to burst out as we speak! You must hurry and inject the probal spikes into his brain matter! Hurry, Kochin!"
Dr. Kochin sneered. "Right, right!"
Reaching behind the podium he was next to, Kochin produced what appeared to be a golden crown of thorns. His toothless grin spread wide. "Do not worry, Saiyan~ You'll simply feel the world's most agonizing pinch and then it will be over~"
Bardock continued to scream, unable to so much as budge a muscle. He watched in horror as Kochin and the thorny crown came closer. Dr. Wheelo spoke. "I suppose it would only be good courtesy to explain what will be happening to you. You see, that apparatus of probal spikes currently in Kochin's grip is a receiver. It will be spiked into your brain matter so that you may receive my consciousness..."
Kochin cracked open the headset with a smirk. Wheelo continued. "You see, Saiyan, to fulfill my final goal for our plans, I require a body. A strong body. So, you should take this as a compliment. My entire consciousness and mental faculties, including my personality and goals, will overwrite your own like a code could overwrite a computer. You will personally cease to be, but will physically live on all the same. You, Bardock, will act as my new body and will be assisting me in the resurrection of the Tuffle Race."
In response to that explanation, Bardock's face became quite angry. It took all the effort he could muster, but the Saiyan eventually gripped his hand into a tight fist. Kochin flinched back. Dr. Raichi called out. "Enough explanations! We only have a few seconds more! Quickly, Kochin!"
Kochin nodded. "I-Indeed! I-"
The hunched old man lifted his cane from the ground to step toward Bardock, only to suddenly slide to the right. Kochin looked genuinely confused. "H-Huh?"
Wheelo sounded just as puzzled. "Kochin? What are you doing?"
Dr. Raichi shouted. "You need to hurry!"
Kochin continued to slide to the right. He lifted his leg to take a step in the other direction, but that provided no relief from whatever was going on. Kochin tried to walk away from the force, only to look as if he was moonwalking toward the far wall. Dr. Raichi was quite annoyed. "KOCHIN!"
Kochin snapped at him. "I'm trying! Something is pulling me! And I don't...know..."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Kochin warped and he began to sink. At first, it seemed as if the floor had turned to liquid...but then it became quite clear that Kochin was simply being pulled down through it. "Wh-What's going on?!"
The floor buckled and crashed through, Kochin ripping through the metal like a massive, wrinkled bullet. "WHEELO! RAICHI! HELP!"
Wheelo called out. "Kochin!"
The liquid in his tank bubbled. "Raichi! What the hell is going on?!"
Raichi turned back to his computer console. "I don't know! I thought-"
A golden flash cut off Raichi as a burst of power filled the room. Both of the remaining members of the Tuffle Academy of Science turned their attention to their former captive. Bardock stood there, wreathed in golden flames. "Okay...screw being cordial, I think I'm gonna have to thrash you geezers a bit..."
Wheelo growled under his breath. "Raichi. Perhaps we should leave Kochin to his own devices for the moment and tend to the issue at hand."
Turning from his computer, Raichi glared at Bardock and pressed his hands to his Crystal Ball. "I agree..."
Meanwhile, with Kochin...
Dr. Kochin continued to fly down through the mechanical guts of Wheelo's sanctum, using his ornate cane to smash any particularly thick or sturdy hazards out of his way. He moaned. "Damn it! Damn it all! What's going on?! Who's doing this?!"
Kochin went flying through one last metal wall and then got his answer. He was moving so quickly that it seemed like little more than a flash. The glint of metal, a red glowing light, and then his cane clashed with a razor-sharp blade. Kochin sneered. "YOU?!"
A metal hand shot forward and grabbed Kochin by the face, whipping him through the air and smashing him into the ground. "Yeah. Me."
Kochin swung his cane and his attacker leapt back. Kochin shakily got to his feet and glared at his opponent. "Me-oh-my~ That looks quite painful, Turles~"
Their Turles stood, covered in all manner of bleeding gashes. Blood pooled around the Saiyan's feet, but he didn't seem to be tired in the least. "This is nothing. Nothing compared to what you put Cacao and Zeeun through. I'm..."
He glared at Kochin. "Gonna kill you. Slowly."
Kochin sneered. "I'd love to see you-"
Sparks shot from Kochin's thigh and his leg separated from his body, falling to the ground with a clatter. Turles smirked at the leg. "Entirely mechanical~ I knew you weren't a Tuffle..."
The Saiyan held up his metal arm. "But...my ki-magnet could still pull you down here to me. I made sure I locked onto your specific signature when you tried to blast me earlier. So that poses a unique question...who and what are you?!"
Kochin growled, but then he adopted a twisted smirk. "Perhaps I'll tell you, my worthless Saiyan foe. But...I'll expect you to take this right to your grave~"
Back with Slug and Zangya...
A murderous gleam shined in Zangya's eyes as she furiously thrust her arm towards her foes. A torrent of water went shooting towards the two remaining Brutal Warriors, washing backwards through the massive amphitheater. "How dare you scumbags dredge those memories up?! I had nearly buried them for good!"
Both of the Brutal Warriors managed to regain their footing and began to charge blasts to fire back at Zangya, but then a massive shadow loomed over them. They both looked up in time to see Slug crashing down towards them like a wrecking ball. He landed square onto Kishime, crushing him to the floor, and then thrust his elbow into Misokatsun's chin. "It would've come back up one way or another. Trust me brat, bad memories never die!"
Misokatsun fell flat on his back. Beneath Slug's boot, Kishime whimpered. "P-Please...Dr. Kochin is the one who developed that technique...take out your anger on him..."
Slug snarled. "Such a lack of backbone. Well don't worry, fool. Turles is going to kill that Kochin bastard. You two should've cut your losses while you were ahead if you didn't want to die as well..."
Behind Slug, silent as a whisper, Misokatsun stood. He raised his claws for an attack on the Namekian. But then, Zangya shouted. "Slug, move!"
Slug turned and dodged the claw swipe, taking his foot off of Kishime's chest. Misokatsun wildly missed. He turned to continue his assault, only for a kick to the face from Zangya to send him flying. However, it did not work. With a smirk, Misokatsun chuckled as the helpless Zangya began to sink into his mass. The tide of battle would have turned right then if not for Slug firing a ki blast into Misokatsun's gut.
The bouncing butcher shot backwards, colliding with a wall and springing from surface to surface before landing flat. It took a moment, but the Brutal Warrior soon stood up with no visible damage. Kishime scurried across the floor to his comrade and was quickly helped up.
Zangya scowled as she glared at them. "I forgot that fat bastard can absorb force..."
Slug barked at her. "Keep your head in the game! We can't let these little bastards think that they have any chances of winning! I want their spirits to be broken when they die! Broken into tiny little shards!"
Zangya snorted. "You seem angry. What bad memories of yours did they dredge up?"
Slug snarled and ripped the sleeves from his outfit, squeezing his fists tight and making his aged, Namekian muscles swell. "None of your goddamned business! Just kill them! Kill them without mercy!"
Zangya focused her glare onto the two Brutal Warriors. "You don't have to tell me twice...you can't imagine the horrors I just had to relive because of these two..."
She snapped her fury toward the Namekian. "You don't know..."
For just a brief moment, Zangya paused. What was that look on Slug's face? Pity? Understanding? …Sympathy? Or...even... empathy?
Slug clenched his teeth, the look of elden fury returning to his wrinkled brow. "I'm old enough that I can recognize deep regret. No one should have to think of those things that cause them pain like that. Not that type of pain. So, again we're going to kill these guys without mercy! Right?!"
Zangya nodded, not a venomous barb to be found for her erstwhile comrade this time around. "Right. Let's-"
Suddenly, and without warning, Slug shoved Zangya to the ground and then leapt off to the side, both of them just narrowly dodging an electric whip from Kishime. The Brutal Warrior hissed, his entire body crackling with electricity. "Save your heartful chatter for the afterlife!"
Slug growled under his breath and then quickly vanished from sight. Kishime gasped. "What the-"
A massive kick crashed into the side of the electric warrior's head and sent him crashing into a nearby wall. Misokatsun gasped. "Kishime!"
He glared over at Slug. "Old bastard! How are you so fast?!"
Slug turned to face Misokatsun. The yellow ball of blubber howled. "Face my Elasto-Grips!"
Misokatsun stretched his rubbery arms toward Slug and wrapped them tightly around the Namekian, squeezing him tight. "I'll crush you to death, old man!"
Slug seemed unaffected. A vein bulged from Misokatsun's head. From his spot in the wall, Kishime came shooting forward. "Just hold him in place! I'll end this with just a few punches!"
Kishime thrust a fist right into Slug's cheek, sure that his enhanced strength would take off the Namekian's head. Slug barely budged, glaring out of the corner of his eye down at the lesser foe. Kishime flinched back, but then sneered. "Try this one then!"
Multiple electro-whips, all cracking with charged energy, emerged from Kishime's skin. They all went shooting for Slug's head, only for three energy blasts to crash into Kishime's back. The Brutal Warrior turned to face his new attack just in time for Zangya to smash a fourth ki blast right into his face. Kishime stumbled back, and then swung his whips towards Zangya in disoriented fury.
Deftly, Zangya danced between each of the whip cracks, quickly closing the gap between herself and Kishime and crashing a savage knee into his chest. She sneered. "You should always treat a woman that can hit harder than you with respect, fool!"
And then, Zangya spun in a circle and roundhouse kicked Kishime through a wall. Zangya glared at Slug. "Enjoying that hug? Why are you just standing there?"
Slug spat back. "Like I said, I want their spirits to be crushed when they die!"
Misokatsun gasped. "H-Huh?!"
Slug sneered at him. "The only thing that's even slightly uncomfortable about this is how sweaty you are, you greasy, clammy pig!"
Before Misokatsun could retort, Slug fired his Eye Beams into the warrior's throat. Smoke belched up from Misokatsun's throat like a chimney and his gripped loosened. Slug reached quickly, grabbing him by the head and smashing it into the wall. The Namekian felt a slight recoil and a vein bulged from his forehead. "Let's test how bouncy you are then!"
Using all of his strength, Slug continued to smash Misokatsun's head into the wall. At first, the Brutal Warrior's flabby dome simply bounced and recoiled. But soon enough, Slug brought that recoil to its limit. The sound Misokatsun's head made as it bounced off of solid metal was less-and-less like a rubbery superball and more-and-more like a skull being driven into a solid metal surface. Slug continued the brutal assault, ignoring as Misokatsun's claws dug into his flesh...until Misokatsun eventually went limp and Slug dropped him with a look of pure disgust. "...that was for Zeeun, you little pricks..."
Meanwhile, as Slug brutalized Misokatsun, Zangya continued her duel with Kishime. The Heran warrior smoothly and skillfully dodged and ducked each swing of the electro-whips, closing the gaps with Kishime each time and punishing him with a storm of heavy-handed punches and savage kicks. Zangya thrust her palm into Kishime's stomach and scoffed as he gagged and choked. "Die right now and the pain will end."
Kishime sneered. "I'll burn your face off!"
He tried to swing the electro-whips again, only to find them stiffened in place. "What?!"
Zangya answered. "I froze the moisture in the air around them, making them stiff and solid. Your electricity isn't standard. It's based off of that King Cold fellow's Gravity Bolt attack, right? We spent years watching him on Hera, for the day he might attack, so I'm pretty familiar with how it works. Your electricity doesn't produce that much heat, huh? So, it can be frozen with little effort~"
The Heran reached into her pocket, pulling out her Gommanaji and sticking it back into her hair. "Now then..."
Zangya's hair illuminated with red energy, shooting forward and shattering the whips sticking out of Kishime's arms. The Brutal Warrior howled in pain, holding the frozen nubs that were now trickling with his blood. Zangya winced. "Ooh...those were made of your flesh, huh? That sucks..."
Zangya stepped forward, willing moisture from the air to gather in her hair, making it appear rather damp. The various strands wove together, forming tendrils made to resemble instruments of torture. Kishime gasped in shock. "W-Wait! Please! Mercy!"
Zangya cocked her head. "Mercy? No... you must have been looking into my memories again. The good-natured Zangya that would have shown mercy got beaten to death years ago..."
She glared at Kishime with cold fury. "I'm with Slug on this one. I'm going to butcher you from the feet up."
Kishime whimpered. And then, in desperation, he ripped open the front of his shirt and sent dozens of electro-whips shooting right towards Zangya. "Nice work making your hair wet, fool! That should make this-"
A massive fist wrapped around Kishime's upper body. Gripped tight in Slug's enlarged hand, the Brutal Warrior kicked helplessly, desperate to escape. Slug squeezed tight until the crackling noises from within his palm stopped and Kishime quit struggling, and then he cast him aside with a sickening splat. Zangya glared at Slug as his hand shrank back down. The old Namekian wiped his blood-soaked palm on his shirt. She shook her head. "Kill-stealing jackass."
Slug rolled his eyes. "Mine died too easily. You should've been quicker."
Zangya snapped. "What happened to breaking their spirits?!"
Slug snorted. "Shoulda done that quicker too."
Zangya shook her head. "Whatev-"
All at once, the yellow, elastic body of Misokatsun shot forward and wrapped around Zangya, compressing her tight. "MMGH!"
Slug flinched. "What the-"
Several dozen electro-whips shot forward, wrapping around all of Slug's extremities. In a massive, crackling burst, the whips lit up and began to fry Slug with what felt like ten million volts. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
With all of the strength he could muster, Slug turned and glared back at Kishime. The Brutal Warrior was not in good shape, one of his eyes was dangling out of its socket and both of his arms were bent into unnatural angles. He looked like a corpse, and yet he was alive and smiling. "Fool~ Dr. Kochin designed us to survive as long as our brains are intact. Break my bones...break Misokatsun's skull even...but we will live so long as that part is in one piece~"
Slug snarled, glaring back towards the struggling Zangya. The only thing visible about Zangya was her shape. Everything else was tightly encased in yellow rubber. Slug could make out the horrified shadow of her mouth, watching as Misokatsun's flesh bowed in with Zangya's attempts to take a breath. The water that she was using to fight was jerkily snaking across the ground, but with no real momentum. Slug sneered. "Damn it...she's panicking...she...can't...concentrate..."
Kishime cackled. "Oh, are you worried about your friend~? How sweet..."
Feeling confident, the Brutal Warrior decided it was time to boast. "It's a shame that you stepped in when you did! She would have probably killed me if you didn't meddle! How does it feel, huh?! How does it feel to disappoint someone who relies on you?! How does it feel to let her down?! How does it feel to fail?!"
In spite of the pain, Slug's eyes popped wide open. His pupils shrank. All at once, the sights of Molluska and Katas, of Namek during the cataclysm, of the Big Fight...they all hit Slug at once and he reacted with sheer, reflexive rage!
Slug opened his mouth wide and fired a mouth blast at the shape of Zangya's head. Kishime sneered. "Still have some fight, eh?!"
He increased the strength of the Gravity Bolt charge on his whips, but Slug didn't let up. In fact, he simply increased the power of his own blast. At first, Misokatsun didn't react, but then he began to scream. The flesh of his body, the flesh cocooning Zangya's head, began to warp and bubble. And then it was reduced to liquid rubber, sliding off of Zangya's head and allowing her a deep breath. In that moment, the Heran Spring Maiden's rage focused onto Misokatsun and she sent all of her hair at him at once, stabbing him thousands of times through the chest and sending him flying back with such force that his electro-whips snapped.
Slug fell to his knees, his body smoking. Zangya wormed her way out of Misokatsun, gasping for air. The two of them sat still for a moment, just glaring at each other...and letting it register that they'd just saved each other's lives. And then, Slug pointed behind Zangya. At the same time, Zangya pointed behind Slug. They both nodded and stood, ready to finish the job.
As Kishime tried to crawl away, a massive boot suddenly stomped onto one of his legs. He turned and stared with utter terror at the demon looming large over him. He raised his hands in supplication. "P-P-Please! I give up! Mercy! Please! You're a Namekian! A member of a peaceful race! A real Namekian would show me-"
Slug stretched his arm until his palm was pressed right onto Kishime's face. "I haven't been a real Namekian in centuries."
And then, with a single energy blast, Slug incinerated Kishime's head right off of his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Misokatsun was attempting to drag himself to safety. Zangya called after him. "Think you're going somewhere?"
The blubbery brute turned to face down his executioner. In spite of the hole in his gut, he began to suck in air. But whatever attack he was attempting was quickly spoiled as Zangya sent her hair strands shooting through his body. The thousands of miniscule holes in Misokatsun's flesh allowed the air to leak from him like a damaged balloon. He stared up at Zangya with a fear normally reserved for his own creator. Her face was boiling with anger. "I hate you."
Misokatsun opened his mouth to speak, only for a blade of water to cleave him right down the middle. He gasped as the two halves of his body fell in opposite directions. Zangya snarled. "I HATE YOU!"
Another cut. "HATE YOU!"
Another cut. "HATE!"
Those awful, lovely memories that Zangya had tried to shut out kept playing back through her mind as she tried to cope with every awful thing that had filled her life over the past half decade. All of the lovely, sweet, hateful, bitter lies. And all of the pain. She continued to cut.
"HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!"
By the time Zangya was done and she let the now quite red water splatter to the floor, all that was left of Misokatsun was fluttery, noodle-thin shreds left to gently float atop the viscous puddle left where he once had been laying.
Zangya turned around, wobbly as she began to walk forward. Her voice was hoarse and she was gasping for breath. Making her way across the room, she stood over Slug. The aged Namekian had a look of weary exhaustion on his face. Zangya spoke in an unsteady voice. "S-Slug..."
Slug yanked the helmet off of his head, tossing it to the side and letting his antennae dangle. He pressed his palm to his forehead. "What...?"
Zangya spoke quietly. "I... I h-hate you...but...could I... have a minute. I... I need a-"
Wordlessly, Slug slapped his thigh. Zangya nodded and fell to her knees, gently laying her head into Slug's lap. The old Namekian threw his head back, pressing his hand tightly over his face. "Maffei and Zeeun...that's two kids...that's two more people that I've lost..."
He sighed, his voice sounding thick and hard to push out. "...I'm too old for this shit."
Things went quiet for a moment and Slug groaned. He moved his hand from his face, blinking away accursed tears that had dared start to well, and then just as Zangya started to tremble, he began to gently stroke the side of her head. "I know you're older than me, but let me give you a bit of advice that experience has lent to me...the worst moments and the worst people never leave you...and sometimes you realize that you might be the worst people..."
He continued to gently pet the side of her head. "There is no night sky on Namek. Only a select few every get to see what lies beyond that infinite green void. I was...disappointed to find a black void on the other side. Luckily, I had someone more optimistic with me...someone who realized that there were wonders beyond that void and beyond Namek...and when he first saw that he said..."
Zangya gripped her fist as tears flowed from her eyes. Slug continued. "He said...Slug...Molluska, why do you look sad? Look at all those wonderful lights out there. I bet there are wonders beyond our wildest dreams among those stars..."
Slug sighed. "The void of space is black. So too are our lives. And yet...there will always be stars to guide you to the next wonder...people like us don't have to be alone, Zangya..."
In Zangya's mind, those dark vestiges of her memories of the Galaxy Soldiers continued to play...and twinkles of hope began to shine. She thought of Turles, and Bardock, and Slug, and all of the other people on that ship...and then Zangya began to sob.
Back with Bonyu...
Bonyu flipped backwards through the air, dodging a barrage of blasts and sending her drones out to return fire. She groaned. "Damn. Too many guns. Can't fly and get a full look at the battlefield..."
With a swipe of her hand, Bonyu put a full energy barrier up behind her and summoned a few Crusher Balls. "Okay then..."
Bonyu tossed a blast over her wall, destroying the rubble behind it, and then stood. What came into her gaze was an utter hellscape. The lesser troops, mostly hired hands, of Turles' crew weren't faring well. On estimate, at least 60% of the force they had landed with were already dead. Them in addition to Cacao and Zeeun. "Please tell me you're having better luck Turles..."
In sequence, Bonyu began spiking her created Crusher Balls over the wall and making them crash into Cyclopean Guards. The attacks easily broke through the robots' armor and sent them to the ground in a flaming heap. Bonyu wiped sweat from her brow. "Who's left...?"
Angila was bloodied, but fighting. Wings and Medamatcha were struggling to support one another. Amond was waning fast. Daiz was trying his best to support his larger comrade. Bonyu couldn't see Lakasei and Raisen. "Shit. Where are you, ya blightin' fossils?!"
Briefly distracted, Bonyu reached up to activate the scanner on her scouter. At that same moment, a harpoon came shooting through the air and pierced through her energy barrier, jamming right into her gut and impaling her. A trickle of blood ran down Bonyu's chin and she fell to her knees. "D-Damn..."
She glared out at the Cyclopean Guard that fired it. The machine's eye flashed and then, to Bonyu's dismay, the rest of the guards suddenly developed harpoon launchers as well. "Son of a bitch..."
Bonyu pressed her hand to her gut and her glove came back dyed crimson. "How in the hell could this get any worse...?"
A blue flash went off in the corner of Bonyu's vision, making her right eye instantly go blurry. Bonyu screamed in agony, pressing her hand to her now blind eye and then turning toward where the flash had come from. "WHAT THE-"
Bonyu's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, all of the blood drained from her face and left her skin an almost pink shade. Bonyu spoke quietly, her brain unable to process what she was seeing. "...fuck."
A mushroom cloud was rising up from the same direction the Cooler's Armored Squadron had gone running earlier. All Bonyu could do was sit there in silent horror at the beautifully horrific display of oranges and reds and browns as the column of flame and dust plumed into the air...and then prepare to be engulfed as the ensuing storm of burning dust barreled right towards her.
Minutes earlier, over with the Armored Squadron...
The Armored Squadron all stared in horror at the bubbling puddle that used to be one of their subordinates. Dr. Gete closed her eyes, though the green glow seemed to shine out even from under her eyelids. She took a deep drag of her cigarette and exhaled smoke. And then she chuckled. "So, who's first? Hm?"
She glanced from each of the subordinates, to Neiz, and then to Salza. "You."
Salza flinched and, without hesitation, Dr. Gete fired a green bolt right at him. Salza gasped, his scouter suddenly going nuts with flashing warnings. Before the bolt could hit him though, Dore leapt in and slapped it away. Dore called back. "Hey, Salza, get your head in-"
And then Dore winced. He looked down at his formerly gloved hand. The fabric was gone, his skin exposed. And it was...SINGED?! Dore gasped. "She...burnt me?! How in the hell is that possible?!"
Gete sighed. "Are you that blind to what's going on~? Perhaps I may...enlighten you~"
Dr. Gete gripped her fists and her entire body began to give off a hazardous, green glow. Dore, Neiz, and all of the other troops took a step back. Salza stood firm. Gete looked at him with a sad expression. "I wanted to end you quickly. Your face is...nostalgic..."
Salza's scouter was chirping away. He sneered. "You wonder how she burned you, Dore? Quite simple. Zat is not ki-based energy zat we are dealing wiz. Zat..."
Salza pressed a button on his scouter to silence the warning chimes. "...is radizion."
As if on cue, several of the soldiers present fell over. They were all immediately dead. Most of them were merely technical troops or fresh-faced grunts. The older and more experienced soldiers stood their ground, though not without signs of sickness creasing their faces. Salza looked to Dore, who was resolute. Then he looked to Neiz, who stood strong in spite of a fearful glare. Then Salza wiped his finger under his nose and it came back bloody. He scoffed. "KEEP YOUR DISTANCE! DO NOT LET HER NEAR YOU!"
Gete smiled wide, her teeth now even glowing, and she charged. All at once, everyone's scouters began to chime. Even Salza's came off of its silenced mode, as if to tell him it shouldn't be ignored. Gete cackled as the soldiers retreated, firing two beams to give herself a boost and tackling one right to the ground. She smiled sweetly. "You all were fools to come here, you know~"
She held up a glowing finger and thrusted it into the helpless fool's cheek, quickly and elegant calligraphing her name across his entire face with all the resistance of a hot knife through butter. He screamed his final death throes and Gete looked up. "Next~?"
This call for action was met by a massive, green fist. Dore punched Gete square in the nose and sent her flying back. He charged after her. "ACT LIKE YOU'RE SCARY ALL YOU WANT, YOU'RE STILL JUST A FRAIL, OLD BROAD!"
He raised his fist to strike her a second time, only for it to be casually caught as he brought it down. Gete smiled. "Oh, you silly boys~ This power of mine didn't grant me any sort of amazing strength, but this also isn't my only power. Do you look at a spoon and assign it one specific use? We are all multi-purpose, you hulking, green brute~"
Dore snapped. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
Gete shrugged. "I'unno. But the sky sure is blue today~"
And then, with a combination of her super strength and the thrust provided by her nuclear powers, Gete delivered a massive uppercut to Dore that shattered the entire roof off of her facility! Dore went flying up like a rocket, only to start falling like a stone. Salza and Neiz watched as their friend fell, but they didn't appear worried. Their confidence was reaffirmed when Dore landed on his feet, no worse for wear less a burn mark on his chin. He sneered. "A little heat and toxicity won't bother a Beppan, woman!"
Dore backed up to join his comrades. As he did so, he turned and yelled at the other troops. "YOU LOT ARE USELESS HERE! GET BACK TO THE SHIP! NOW!"
Not willing to argue that command for even a moment, the rest of the troops turned tail and ran as fast as they could. Once they were out of earshot, Dore coughed into his hand and stared down at it. His glove was filled with a mixture of blood and bile. "Guys...I'm trying to talk a big game, but I don't know how much of this even I can handle. I grew up in an active volcano...I drink magma, I breathe volcanic dust, and yet..."
Salza cut him off. "You do not have to say any more. We will end zis quickly..."
Neiz gripped his fists tight. "Y-Yeah!"
Gete smiled warmly, taking one last drag of her cigarette and then burning what was left into dust. She exhaled the smoke and then took a deep breath of the lingering odor it left. She sighed. "I appreciate your friendship. You three are just so cute~ You were even so kind as to let your inferiors run away..."
And then, Dr. Gete lifted her hand and fired a truly massive beam of radiation toward the Armored Squadron. Dore roared and stepped in front of Salza and Neiz, shielding them with his massive bulk. "OVER MY DEAD BODY!"
Gete cocked her head. "Don't worry, love. We'll get there~"
Then, to Dore's shock, the beam of radiation arched upward, completely avoiding him and the others. Dore was confused. "What is she-"
Neiz gasped in horror. "THE TROOPS!"
All three of the Armored Squadron turned just in time to seeing the nuclear beam fall from the sky and land right on top of their fleeing men. And it didn't just stop at the ground either. The beam continued down and down, drilling through the ground of M1.
Acting on the instinctual desire to protect their soldiers, Salza, Dore, and Neiz went running to the hole to check for any survivors. All they found when they got there was a single, blackened skull. Dore was shaking with fury. "Son of a bitch..."
Neiz was speechless. Salza reached down to pick up the skull, only for it to crumble in his hands. He growled. "Merde..."
Gete began to walk forward, her go-go heels clacking against the metal. "It could be worse, you know. They could have died like my husband did. Their deaths were instant...they didn't even feel it..."
She gripped her fists. "Thanks to that bastard, Vegeta II...I got to watch my husband melt in my hands..."
Neiz turned and snapped. "Are you trying to make us feel sympathetic for you?! You just murdered our men in cold blood!"
Gete shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. Like I said, your leader's face is just a bit...nostalgic. If I'm being honest, he'd be the spitting image of my Gete if his skin wasn't blue..."
Salza cocked his head. "Your Gete...?"
She nodded with a sigh. "Yes. You see...'Gete' is just a name I've chosen to carry on. A legacy if you will. The woman that used to be his wife died years ago on Planet Plant and I am all that's left of both of them...of their lives and their love..."
Dore was confused now. "Planet Plant...?"
Neiz whispered. "She means Vegeta, the place Frieza blew up..."
And that made Gete quite angry indeed. "I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT!"
Long ago...
A scientist bound in chains was shoved into a room with dim lighting and grates for floors. He was beaten and bruised and quite malnourished. At the end of his rope, the man looked up to a viewing window high above and screamed. "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?! I'VE DONE WHAT YOU ASKED! I RAN EVERY EXPERIMENT YOU DEMANDED! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, VEGETA?!"
A cold voice echoed from above. "King Vegeta. Use proper speech, you insignificant Tuffle cur."
The scientist sneered. "You dare to demand that you be called a King?! You spit on the legacy of Vegeta I! You-"
Vegeta II spoke again. "The agreement was that, so long as you produce favorable results, you and the one you love would be allowed to live on. Recently, your results have been unfavorable. So, you will assist in one final test for the benefit of Planet Vegeta's superior race..."
The man sneered. "Arrogant, cold-hearted monster..."
Vegeta II spoke again from on high. "Your remarks will be promptly scribed into our records, Dr. Gete. As a reward for your service, I will do you a kindness to show that I am not a mere brute."
A door on the other end of the pit opened and a woman, dressed in rags, was shoved in with a bag sacked over her head. She cried out. "What's going on?! Where's my husband?!"
Dr. Gete, singularly focused on that voice, ran towards her. "Darling!"
The bag was pulled loose, revealing a frail and emaciated looking woman with a massive bruise swelling one eye shut. Her voice was hoarse. "G-Gete! What's going on?! What's-"
He simply held her close. "I'm so sorry, darling. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried. I did everything I could. I did unspeakable, evil things. I'm so sorry, darling. I'm so sorry..."
With each apology, held squeezed her tighter and tighter, nearly breaking her frail form. The woman was still confused. "Gete...what's going on?"
Massive vents in the ceiling opened up and began to drip. The speaker above rang one more time. "We will now be testing the final results of your research for the Saiyan Empire. Thank you for your service, Tuffle filth."
And then the glowing green liquid began raining down and both of them screamed.
Back in the present...
Dr. Gete, as she preferred to be called, stared at the ground in a daze. "I'm not sure how I didn't die that day...but I simply just didn't...I cost Wheelo his body...I cost Myuu and Raichi their health..."
Her jaw went slack for a moment, her eye twitching as if something snapped into place. "Kochin was there..."
Salza, Dore, and Neiz were stunned. None of them knew what to say or do. They all stared at Gete. Gete lifted her head and stared right back. Then she lifted her hand and her grin spread wide, green cracks spreading all the way down the sides of her cheeks and splitting a massive spindly grin. "I want you dead now~"
As she prepared to fire off another beam, Neiz sprang into action. His entire body crackled with electricity and he fired off a truly massive shockwave that completely engulfed Gete. She cackled as the jolts of power surged across her skin. "That tickles~"
And then she fired off her own attack, sending another massive beam of radiation shooting their way. Neiz gasped and then turned and shouted. "DORE! GRAB SALZA AND MOVE!"
Salza gasped. "Wait! Neiz!"
Dore immediately obeyed, grabbing his more vulnerable friend and leaping just out of the glowing beam's path. The attack totally swallowed up Neiz, eventually shooting into a nearby building and exploding with a fantastic flash. Dore and Salza sat up, looking dumbstruck and quite fettered. Salza screamed in fear and grief. "NEIZ!"
All of Neiz was gone, only rubble was left in the path of the beam. Salza despaired. Dore turned toward Gete with a look of righteous fury. But, as he charged, Neiz's voice suddenly rang out. "HOLD ON! DON'T GO RUSHING IN!"
Dore and Salza both flinched, not expecting to hear their supposedly dead comrade's voice. Even Gete seemed to be stunned. A piece of the scorched rubble on the ground began to shake...and then long, oozing tendrils of brown flesh began to grow out of it. The tendrils quickly formed into arms and legs, allowing this creature to stand up...and then a final tendril oozed out and formed into Neiz's head. He shuddered. "Damn...that was close..."
Then he looked down and gasped. "Ack! I'm naked!"
Salza and Dore both ran up to their friend, tightly embracing him. Salza had never been so happy to be confused. "H-How?! How, Neiz?!"
Neiz chuckled. "Well, I've mentioned before that I'm from Alpha Amphari. That place isn't so much a planet as it is...a boiling sea surrounding a small star. Here's how it is, what you normally see of me isn't so much my body as it is...extensions that I use to communicate with people of different races. Everything from my arms, to my legs, to my head is a vestigial limb."
Neiz gently patted the hard, shell-like structure from which his arms, legs, and head emerged. "This right here is actually me. It's where my brain, heart, lungs, gills, and digestive organs are stored~"
Gete gasped. "That is so trendy!"
Taken aback, the three of them just glared at Gete. She cocked her head. "What? It is. I've been reading in all sorts of magazines about how evolution in certain galaxies, especially the South is headed to a trend of-"
Dore snapped. "Enough!"
Gete immediately stopped talking. Dore sneered. "Look, lady, I get it...the Saiyans sucked and they did terrible things to you Tuffles. I ain't arguing that. But we don't have time to stand here and play games with you. Now just hand over the Big Gete Star and let us leave you in peace! Okay?!"
It was a bluff. Everyone knew it was a bluff. Dore wasn't so much making a threat that they would take the Big Gete Star by force as he was simply just trying to get out of this fight. Salza cringed and thought to himself. 'Dore...is trying to get out of a fight. Zis situation is grim...'
The irony wasn't lost on Gete either. She let loose a shrill, mirth-filled sort of laugh that suggested she had just heard quite the joke. A joyful tear welled in her eyes and was immediately boiled into vapor. "My word...the professional wrestler wants to avoid a fight. Oh my..."
She cocked her head. "I guess wrestling really is fake~"
Dore charged Gete without a second thought, both fists raised. He brought them down on her with all of his strength and she caught them with a cheerful cackle. She winked. "Baited you~! Jabroni."
Gete pressed her hand to Dore's chest and fired a radiation beam that sent him shooting back up like a missile. Shards of Dore's armor hit the ground, instantly melting as Dore went flying up and crashed right into their ship. The impact from Dore caused a massive explosion and the ship immediately fell from the air, landing with a heavy crash a couple of miles away. Neiz gasped in shock. "THE SHIP!"
Dr. Gete was right on him, pressing her hand to his shell. "Did you need that~?"
Neiz was sent flying away as well, carried by a stream of radioactive power. Salza watched in horror as, for the second time, he witnessed everything recognizable about his friend burn away into nothing. The shell landed with a solid thud and Salza was left standing alone. Gete preened. "And then there was one~!"
She crossed her arms, both of her palms glowing bright green. "Now then, do you want to pointlessly struggle for a bit, or will you just allow me to send Cooler a cup of Brench Onion Soup~"
Ignoring her awful pun, Salza turned to face Gete. Without hesitation, he formed a Sauzer Blade on each hand and crossed them into an X-shape. "Come. You will find I will not fall as easily as you might zink..."
Gete rolled her eyes. "Of course, you have to make this hard..."
Wasting no time, Gete rushed in and thrust her glowing, green fist into Salza's chest. She expected him, neither a Beppan nor a rather hearty shellfish, to fall and melt with one punch. In the split second between impact and him not dying, Gete gasped. "Wait, wha-"
Salza thrust his bladed hands forward, dragging them through Gete's chest and sending her skidding back. The Brenchian struck a fighting pose and Gete was left staring down at the glowing X now carved into her chest. "WHAT?!"
Salza smirked. "I was not just standing here in awe of you zis entire time. I was formulating a proper strategy. You will not be able to instantly kill me now, monster!"
Gete sneered. "Oh really? Well don't keep me in suspense. What's the strategy?!"
Salza scoffed. "Why would I tell you zat?"
And then he charged in. Salza was a rapid and extremely accurate fencer. In the blink of an eye, he had managed to slice several deep gashes into Gete's flesh, including one across her face. As the glow got brighter, Salza closed his exposed eye and increased the opacity of his scouter. He was not going to go blind today.
Salza continued to slice, keeping Gete on the backfoot and dealing more and more damage. He watched as more and more green began to shine out from beneath Gete's skin. And he made note of one key fact. "You are not bleeding."
Gete sneered. "Oh, you just noticed?!"
She fired a beam and Salza dodged it for the most part. He raised his leg high into the air, summoning a Sauzer Blade on his heel and bringing it down. As the kick approached Gete's face, she chuckled. "Oh...I see~"
The edge of the Sauzer Blade plunged into the back of Gete's head, splitting it wide open and driving her face-first into the ground. Salza immediately back-flipped away, throwing up just a bit in his mouth. He cleared his throat and spat it onto the ground, seeing a mixture of his breakfast and his blood pooling right next to his boot. "Damn..."
Salza glared at Gete, watching as her green glow began to take on a more bluish tint. "We need to end this now..."
Gete chuckled as she pushed herself up. "I see what you did. You've formed three layers of ki-based shielding over your body. And each of those layers have spaces in-between, right? I couldn't tell from a distance, but I was able to appreciate the structure of it as it careened toward my head~"
Salza was breathing heavily. Gete continued. "But you're too smart to just let me see that. You've been very cautious. Did you, perhaps, decide that it didn't matter anymore whether I knew the secret or not?"
Salza wiped sweat from his brow. "Why should I care if you know ze particulars of a worzless technique?!"
Gete cackled. "Oh, you're smart like my husband, too. This is spooky. It's almost like I'm seeing a ghost~! And maybe I am seeing a ghost now that I think about it~"
The deranged doctor lifted her head from the ground, the mask that served as her skin melting away and leaving only the blue-green glow of a vaguely human-esque shape. Gete slowly lifted her head. "Tell me, Mr. Ghost..."
And Salza found himself staring eye-to-eye with the shadow of a skeleton encased in a radioactive fog. "...do you see Death in my eyes~?"
Salza shuddered in fear, but then shook his head. "Zat does not matter..."
Gete cocked her head. "Oh?"
Salza shouted. "NOW!"
Leaping from the sidelines, Dore came rushing in with a piece of the siding from their destroyed ship. Using it as one would use a cup to catch a spider, Dore slammed the domed metal right over Gete. Shortly after, Neiz sprang back to life. Both of his arms crackled with electricity as he slammed down onto the dome, sending a surge through the metal and making Gete shriek in pain as she was essentially trapped inside a massive plasma ball. "AGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
Finally, Salza formed a massive ball of energy over his right hand and shot it forward, totally engulfing the siding of the ship and causing a massive explosion. Dore and Neiz, displaying some of the Armored Squadron's signature style, both did a spinning backflip and landed in place, striking their poses in triumph.
Salza, however, did not join in on the festivities. Dore cocked his head. "Wassup, Salza?"
Salza sighed. "I would love to strike a pose, Dore...but zis is not over yet. And zis problem will only get worse before it gets better..."
Before Dore or Neiz could ask what Salza meant, all three of their scouters began to chirp. Frustrated, Salza formed a miniature Sauzer Blade and thrust it into the side of the scouter. "Yes, I am aware. Dangerous..."
At that moment, a column of bluish-green energy shot up and a demon stepped out into the open. Whatever remained of the glamour that was once Dr. Gete was gone. Now what stood before them was the dark shadow of a skeleton surrounded by the vague shape of a mortal person. Gete snarled as her glow got even brighter. "Fun and games are now over."
And then, without so much as a quip or a snark, Gete fired two radiation beams that leveled the surrounding area. Dore was barely able to grab hold of Salza and Neiz and leap out of the way as they watched Gete's power reduced the area they were once standing into a scorched trench. Dore cried out. "This is nuts, what do we-"
Gete leaped up and stuck to Dore's back like a treefrog. The Beppan was left screaming in agony as an unfamiliar feeling racked him with pain. His flesh boiled and bubbled, eventually letting out a curling tower of noxious black smoke. Neiz screeched. "GET OFF OF DORE!"
Without looking, Gete thrust her hand into Neiz's face and blew his head off a third time before sending all three of them crashing to the ground with a thrust kick. Salza bounced off the ground with a grunt of pain and immediately tried to roll to his feet. But, with a sudden feeling of dizziness overtaking him, the Brenchian warrior was quickly back on his knees.
And then, before he could get his bearings, Salza felt the most intense heat of his life right at his back. He felt blisters swelling and bubbling up on his few bits of exposed skin. His armor was melting. He could feel the early embers of fire on his spandex. The palm of a hand brushed the tips of the hair on the back of his head and set them aflame. Gete spoke with cold spite. "Don't turn around. I don't want to have to watch your face die again."
Before an attack could be launched, however, Dore charged in like a madman. He drove his shoulder into Gete's body, burning his green flesh black, and sent her crashing into some nearby rubble. Neiz slid in next, using his electricity to fire upon a nearby fuel station, sparking the fuel pumps and causing an explosion to bury Gete even deeper. But they both knew they were only buying themselves seconds.
Immediately, the two warriors knew who to turn to and they spoke in unison. "Salza!"
Salza stood, gripping his pounding head. He was fluent in 7,000 unique tongues. He had over twenty degrees from some of the top universities in the known universe. He had the praise from both Lord Cooler and the General that he might be the single smartest mortal alive...and yet he was stumped. How could they stop this monstrosity with their limited resources, when the open air itself was becoming more toxic by the second?
Salza groaned. "I...am not sure how zis might work out..."
Dore grunted. "What?!"
Salza gripped his fists tight. "I do not know whezer her power source is finite, or infinite. If she is burning herself out, zen zis will work. If not..."
Neiz cried out. "What?!"
Another pillar of radiation shot of from the rubble and Gete came flying out like a wicked banshee. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but formed no readily understandable words. She was fury incarnate. She glared at the Armored Squadron and then shot towards them like a nuclear cruise missile. Dore and Neiz, both genuinely terrified now, screamed at the top of their lungs. "SALZA!"
Salza raised his hands...and trapped Gete in a spherical energy barrier. Gete simply hovered in the barrier, looking utterly shocked. Dore and Neiz both breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at Salza with big smiles on their faces. Dore chuckled. "You did it!"
Salza looked up at him with a grim expression, bullets of sweat running down his face. "No...I... I zink I have killed us. Sorry, mes amies...I was wrong..."
Neiz flinched back. "What do you mean?!"
He stumbled back, eventually colliding with Salza's barrier and having his arm instantly melt. Neiz turned and his jaw dropped. In the brief instant of looking away, Gete had swelled greatly in size. She was filling the entire bubble. She looked just as horrified as Salza did. Dore gasped. "What the hell...?"
Salza sighed. "Gete is not nuclear refuse; Gete is a nuclear reactor. And I have sealed her into a confined space..."
Neiz yelped. "I-If that's bad then just let her out!"
Salza shook his head. "Either way we are dead..."
He removed his scouter and tossed it to the ground. "I love the boz of you. You are ze greatest friends I have ever had..."
Salza raised his hand, flashing Dore and Neiz a peace sign. "Au revoir. And Vive Lord Cooler."
And then before Neiz and Dore could say another word, Gete screamed at the top of her lungs and flashed a bright, bluish-white light.
