Payment in Full
By StarbearerTM aka Trynia Merin
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Full metal alchemist. Funimation brings us these master works of anime on DVD. Toriyama created DBZ, and Full Metal Alchemist belongs to its own creators. I can only claim responsibility for the plot and the character of Atomique, Parsnip, Fermi, Bohr, Merlot, Cabernet and other fan characters here. The only pay I get is your reviews so please keep them coming! And my thanks to those who have already reviewed! Kudos and hugs to you!
Rejected and ReassignedAtomique tilted her head back, and left a light kiss on his cheek, then averted her gaze. Turles blinked in surprise, then released her. He had expected her to melt into his arms or fight him. Instead this female had done neither. Simply returned gesture for gesture with a mix of submissivness and reminder that she was still someone of her own authority. Needless to say he was amused, for she had guessed his posturing strategy and had acted as a servant, not a slave.
"Interesting custom," he said. "You humans don't' bite?"
"A kiss on the cheek," she said quietly.
"You are bold, woman. Are you capable of transmuting base metals with ki, or other substances," Turles asked, drawing back with a smile of amusement.
"I transmute carbon, hydrogen and oxygen into various polymers," said Atomique. "I'm afraid I can't turn lead into gold."
"Humph, you may have your uses. You're older than I expected, but your body seems capable of breeding and carrying young, unlike those two children you have procured, Cellulose. You forget I want my women of childbearing age?"
"Sire these will be old enough in a few years," he apologized sheepishly.
"Zellbreen, take the newest females and see they are properly dressed for my inspection. If they meet my criterion they will be returned to those who lay claim," Turles said as he motioned for the other mercenaries to bring the females on their leashes. "I'll sell the two girls as domestics. We can't afford any dead weight."
"As slaves?" Atomique asked. "Wouldn't it be more pragmatic to groom them?"
"Mmph, you've got a tongue on you, female," Turles said. "Are you presuming to tell me how to do my job?"
"Merely stating a logical alternative," she said. "I apologize for speaking out of turn."
"Be sure that you mind your place. If you weren't so Saiyan looking you might have a place with my females. But you have that light of intelligence in your eyes. Are you not afraid of me?" he taunted lightly, running a finger lightly down her throat to trace over her collarbone.
"Not if you give me reason to?" she said with an incline of her head. "Am I to become part of your collection?"
"You're far too clever for that. You're not afraid of me, and you'd make a nuisance of yourself. No, you'll be better utilized in the lab. Raditz, I see you've marked her. Though she's older, she could have had the honor of being a second choice. But I've decided you can have her exclusively for breeding, provided she behaves."
"Breeding?" she glanced at him. Raditz blushed.
"You said you needed a SCIENTIST," she glanced at him. "Is there something I'm missing?"
"You marked her as mate? She's no Saiyan though she resembles one?" Turles snickered as he saw the mark on her neck.
"Sire, she is strong enough, and obnoxious enough," said Raditz.
"Thanks a million," she grumbled. "Look, do you want me for my mind or body? Either way I don't think you'd pass up a chance to put me to work on my back when I could do what you wanted in a lab standing behind a bench."
"Introduce her to your father, Raditz. I'm sure he can use a hand," said Turles.
"Thank you Commander," he said. "You'll not regret this."
"And perhaps if she works out, speak to that father of yours about computability. Get her some appropriate clothes. And if she gets out of hand, your tail's mine, got it?" Turles said. "If you're as intelligent as you seem woman, you'll do exactly as your master says. Serve him, and serve me well, and you might even become one of my crew."
"What makes me different?"
"You don't meet my standards I fear," Turles sighed. "Not as a pleasure slave or harem girl. I have certain requirements. I'm afraid you're far too intelligent and since Raditz has served me well, I cannot dispute his right to a claim. Get her out of her Raditz and clean her up. She is too obnoxious to be in my harem. She's far too spirited."
"This way, Tomakt," he said, tugging on the leash round her neck. "And bow when you're spoken to!"
"Apologies," she said, and inclined her head. "Have a nice day, Commander. See you later."
Raditz lightly tugged on the leash, urging her to walk before him. Atomique hugged herself once they exited the main chamber and started down a long corridor. He exhaled a sigh he had been holding, his muscles relaxing visibly.
"You are far cleverer then I imagined, woman," Raditz said quietly.
"Would you have REALLY let him have me?" she asked.
"Only under duress. He would not have taken you truly. It seems you knew that he wasn't serious," he mumbled.
"The way he reacted to me he's like most males. They prefer women that are pretty to look at. When they have a choice of pretty young things they chose them over middle age nerds like me," she said.
"Nerds?"
"Dark haired heavy girls with glasses," she said with a nervous laugh. Raditz wondered why she was shivering and slapping her arms with her hands.
"Mmmph, you talk too much, but I am relived you are not of his criterion. For who would I argue with?" he asked.
"You misinformed me on a lot of counts! There's Saiyan females, when you clearly said there weren't, and there seem to be more Saiyan males then I was led to believe."
"I reveal only what needs to be revealed. Would you tell an enemy your true nature?" Raditz asked.
"Perhaps not," she said.
"There are no reasons to hide now, woman," he said. "Since he approves of you as my choice."
"Breeding? Give me a break!"
"I marked you as concubine and mate," said Raditz. "It's unusual for a non Saiyan to bite a male back."
"That's why you flipped out. I was overstepping my rank?"
"Yes," said Raditz. "And you'll soon learn the consequences for such brashness."
"Whipping and abuse?" she mumbled.
"No, a procedure most don't undergo. But we will speak of it later," he said. They stopped before a hatch that he stared at. Barking a codeword, the door clicked open. He nudged her in, then followed.
Atomique glanced around the slightly spherical chamber. IT seemed half grown, organic plastics and metal woven together in a series of chambers the size of a small apartment. Table, chairs and a sizeable bed that was reinforced. She felt Raditz reach up and unfasten the chain from the collar around her neck first.
"If you behave we don't' need this here," he said.
"I'm house broken," she joked, feeling her body growing cold and numb. The stresses of the past twenty-four hours were catching up. All the time she had held her cool was taking its toll on her physical body. Realizations hit home that she would not see Fermi and Bohr again, and she squeezed her body tightly with her arms tightly binding her torso.
"Are you cold?" Raditz asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "I don't feel well."
"Sit down," Raditz said, nudging her towards the expansive bed. She sat there, leaning over and hugging her knees.
"I feel cold. I can't get warm," she mumbled.
"Perhaps we can change that, woman," he said with a lascivious leer. "You're filthy, and you need cleansing."
"Not another damn high tech thing you're rubbing in my face, Radz," she groaned.
"Unless you want to embarrass me by proving you're a primitive low class baka," said Raditz, hoping to get a rise out of her.
"Watch who you're calling low class baka!" she snorted.
"Don't push your luck, female," said Raditz with a laugh. He leaned down and scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder. With the flat of his hand he dealt a stinging slap to her sizable backside. Not hard enough to seriously hurt, but enough to titillate and remind her he was in charge.
"Oh pardon ME, Master. Forgive your little bed slave for her infraction," she said sarcastically as Raditz carried her towards what appeared to be a hygiene area. At least that was what she was thinking at the moment directly after the word 'bathroom'. Strangely every few minutes a stray thought would creep out of nowhere into her mind. Such thoughts were alien to her experience; formed of syllables and impressions that were nothing she'd think of except in her wildest imagination.
"Quiet with you, woman," said Raditz with a deep laugh. His shoulder vibrated under her chest as he set her down on the counter. "It's time you learned how Saiyan armor is taken off, and put on."
"Are you throwing me a line?"
"A line? No, I want you to take off my armor idiot," he said.
"Obviously you and I have a LOT to learn about flirting," she said, moving over to probe his armor to see how it fastened on. Realization hit home because she suddenly remembered how cold and weepy she felt seconds before. Raditz had effectively distracted her from this by his stupid games.
"Humph and you say you're smart? Primitive," he snorted as she struggled.
"Give me a moment, Tarzan. This isn't rocket science but it's not beyond even my mere human comprehension," she griped back. Raditz felt the clasps shift to his surprise, loosing the large breastplate and backpiece of his armor. With a grunt she shoved up, and he minimally assisted her in shoving it up and over his head. He held out both arms, placing his booted feet apart at the width of his shoulders. Revealed now was the AE suit that stretched over his broad muscular chest. Although she had only felt it and seen it hours before, her body tingled in the nether regions at the sight of the tight material encasing his figure.
"Humph, you cannot deny that you like what you see, woman," he smirked. She untied the bindings of his gauntlets, slipping them off. They fastened with simple ties that snapped together. Carefully she set them down next to his armor. Then the hip pieces and groin guards were next to go. He shoved her gently down on one knee towards the boots. She had to stoop to undo the bindings around his ankles. Something swatted her backside, causing her to grunt in annoyance.
"Stupid jerk," she grumbled.
"What was that?"
"I thought your Saiyan hearing was superior to mine," she said. Squinting she repositioned her glasses on her face.
"You're blind without those transparent lenses?" Raditz asked.
"Virtually," she said. "I see shapes and shadows."
"Mph obviously it's the sign of a species that spends much time in front of technological equipment. Weak," he snorted. "Unless you have other senses to compensate."
"Not really. I'm not psychic, although I do have a gut instinct. But it's plain old emotional sensitivity from being a nerd," she said. "Only thing to my credit is a slightly enhanced sense of smell. And it's telling me you reek as much as I do, Tarzan."
"Must you insult me with that name I have no comprehension of? You're starting to annoy me woman," he growled.
"Use my name, and I'll use yours, oh master," she grumbled, finally freeing his legs from the boots.
AE Stockings were peeled down, revealing his muscular legs. His skin was slightly tougher than hers was, the body hair about the same abundance of most human males was. The seam of the AE suit came apart at the waist and front by simply running her fingers over it. The cloth had visco elastic memory, and she discerned the structure of the polymer. Strangely part of her alchemy training allowed her to use ki to sense the molecular structure of anything containing organic molecules. Each organic compound had its own resonance. A slight disruption of molecular bonds was possible, and Raditz saw the fabric peel off then reform under her crackling fingers.
"Showoff," he snorted.
"Polymers," she grinned. "So you're not so highly advanced then chikyuu."
"I thought your world didn't use synthetic materials," he laughed.
"My world, the Alchemy world as you so deem it doesn't use excessive technology when alchemy will do. And we do know what polymers are. It's just that wood and other natural products are so much easier to sustain. Although we think in terms of 92 elements in the State Alchemy program, they are arranged into the five categories of fire, air, earth, water and life. Tucker may have been the sewing life alchemist, but I as a former pupil was given the name Carbon Alchemist by Fuhrer King Bradley himself."
"You babble too much, woman," Raditz snorted. "I am a third class guard of Commander Turles special elite mercenaries."
"Where do I fit into your rank structure?" she asked, peeling the cloth away to reveal his scarred chest. Momentarily she caught herself staring. His tail flickered down and twisted around her wrist, guiding her hands towards where he most wanted them. Lightly she ran her small hands over it his current obsessions. Raditz was amused that her small hands were firm and scarred with many chemical burns. Like his hands.
"Mmm, funny you should ask," he purred, tail swishing back and forth as she caressed his firm muscles. His chest was slick and smooth with no hair. But far denser to her sense of feeling. The intrinsic properties of matter were easy for her to discern. Raditz tail snaked down and tickled herhips before snaring her waist to drag her up.
"You forgot one other item of my armor, woman," he said. Grumbling she reached up and dragged the scouter off his ear, folding it and setting it aside.
"Jerk," she growled, showing her blunt human teeth.
"My turn, Tomakt," he purred. He liked how his female was not muscle bound, but still sturdy and strong with her wide hips. Large breasts were freed, hanging without support. Unlike the concubines that were the top choices of Turles, she was curved where he was angled.Between his fingers he could pinch two inches of soft female flesh, instead of hard muscle. It was a nice sensation. Her cheek was level with his hard muscular solar plexus. His tail suddenly lifted her up on its own so she was level with his face.
"Good grief, it's stronger then I imagined."
"A Saiyan tail has many uses, and considering I can theoretically hold my own weight on this," he chuffed.
"In Vegetasei gravity or earth gravity. You must weigh two tons in your native environment," she laughed. "Which makes me ask, why is the ship at one tenth your natural gravity? To accommodate the slaves?"
"Yes. This leads me to the next order of business. You have seen the slaves wearing those strange garments. When we train in high gravity, they must be clear of the chambers. But you will become accustomed to our gravity."
"How, without being crushed?"
"Use your alchemy and change your own body, of course," he said.
"It's not that easy," she mumbled.
"You will learn. Although my father might find a way around it," he said.
"Your father, I thought he was DEAD the way you spoke."
"My father is chief scientist on board the ship. You'll be his assistant," Raditz said. "After we bathe you'll meet him. You are to address him as Professor Bardock or Sir. And you are not to overstep your ken of technologies. If you try to use your know-how to devise an escape he can tell it."
"I'm glad that I'm not going to be a pleasure slave," she said, stroking his chest.
"You seem glad that he rejected you. Strange, most females would be rejected. He's a powerful man," said Raditz.
"He is attractive. Many females like power and wealth. But you claimed me as yours. And even though your laws are alien, they are some sort of code. And without a code there's anarchy. You're a known quantity, and I feel safer dealing with whatever you will put me through then him."
"That doesn't mean I will be lenient should you disobey. I'm your master," Raditz growled.
"My master," she said soberly. "Not mate?"
"You are not Saiyan, woman. That means we are not equals," he said with a low growl.
"But I'm not a slave, because if I was you wouldn't have hesitated to let Turles have me. I could see it was hard for you to give me over to him," she said quietly.
"Don't make too much of it. You're my property. And you're far more useful working for my father, and in my bed pleasing me," Raditz said.
"Then why haven't you given me to him?" she snorted.
"He had a bonded mate, and desires no woman but his concubine Lyssra. She is his principle concubine and his principle assistant scientist. She's an Idsarjin pleasure slave but she is also a scientist and intellectual. Not all our slaves and females are bed warmers and breeders. She's earned her place of honor."
"So I'm no slave?"
"Servant. Fourth class," said Raditz quietly. "Not slave."
"I see. Not an untouchable, but a serf," she nodded.
"The ring tells others you belong to a third class. As the bite marks you as my concubine," Raditz said quietly. "Father will be pleased that I will have a female to please me and work for him. If you do as he says you'll bring good reputation to me."
"Are concubines breeders?"
"Yes female. Your body construction is ideal for child bearing. And your natural intelligence will insure that any offspring will be smart. But your cycles are limited in length for it seems you are at the top of your fertility cycle."
"I'm capable of getting pregnant. I carried two children," she said.
"Where are they?"
"Gone. None of your concern," she said harshly.
"I see," Raditz said. "Did they share your power?"
"No," she said. "They belong to another man who took them in. But he didn't take me as a wife or concubine. The man I once loved was killed in one of the Ishballan rebellions. He was a soldier for Colonel Mustang's regiment in Central."
"Not all of you soldiers were State Alchemists?" he chuffed.
"Only one or two pass the exams per year. The youngest was the elder Elric brother. I passed when I was sixteen, and sponsored by the sewing life alchemist. Till I was recruited for work in Central. Making chimeras and other life experiments," she said quietly. "But you know this if you've seen my file."
"I have. Your experience will be very useful to my father. Now enough idle talk. You must bathe with me," he said.
Later they emerged, and she felt the smoothness of her skin beneath. She wore a robe of what seemed like silk around her body, watching him as he removed the tangles from his impossibly long hair with a massive brush.
Glancing over his shoulder he asked, "Did you enjoy your bath?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Assist me," Raditz grunted, motioning her over to him. He pressed her shoulder down so she knelt beside where he sat, handing her the brush. He waited, glaring at her sidelong till she realized that she was supposed to drag the tangles from his massive spiked mane. Grumbling she set about the nearly impossible task of brushing his hair.
As she worked, she remembered the cylindrical space lined with a fine steely surface like a lab counter. The floor had large holes as the walls had a fine mesh of tiny jets. Alcoves on the wall held containers with various colored liquids, some gels, some freely moving. IT slid between her fingers, and she smelled and sensed it was surfactant or soap.
The touch of a circuit, drenching an occupant in a light mist. It coalesced, surging with gusts of air to bathe them and saturate them with what smelled like oil and water. Combined with the surfactant she rubbed all over a being's skin, the dirt and body soil rose and dripped down, then dissolved into the vapors that surrounded them. A pulsing whir agitated their skin, sounding like the small agitators using sound waves.
What was worst was combing fingers through her hair. Great drips of grease were blasted away into the floor mesh to be vaporized to component molecules. Next came a strange musk scented surfactant. Lastly came a spray of oil that pummeled the bather, leaving a fine waxy coating on the top of their skin. She felt that second cycle was like sand, for the top layer of skin was stripped away.
"Talk about a facial all over the body," she said, feeling the smoothness of her skin beneath. Raditz was glowing with health, his hair soft, but his muscles stretching under tight skin. He wore a sleevless tank top and shorts that showed off his massive muscular form.
"We must fit you with a scouter. Those primitive sight adapters are not necessary. In time I think you'll require corrective surgery. Implanting new lenses," he said.
"I don't want anyone touching my eyes with a scalpel," she said. "IF you will let me keep the glasses."
"The scouter will compensate for your weak eyesight and magnify images. But the ability will be modified to enclose both eyes. Some species have your sight impediment."
Raditz saw her stubbornness as she retrieved the discs and put them on the wire frame before her face. "I want a pair of glasses like these. They will do fine," she said.
"As you like, human. But you will have a scouter because you cannot sense energies for battle. And you have some knowledge of combat. I will have to train you in the basics of Saiyan forms if you stand a chance of survival. Although your body's strong for a human, you are still weak."
"Weak?" she asked. Suddenly she drew back her fist and slammed it into his chest. Raditz gasped because it suddenly felt as if she had hit him with a rock. He saw the gleam of her arm, like glittering crystal smoothed before it became flesh.
"Some organic molecules form plastics that are tough and almost as hard as diamond," she said quietly.
"But it's not permanent and you waste energy transmuting when you can use ki itself," he smirked. "Your power is a curiosity, but it cannot withstand Saiyan might."
"We shall see," she said. "Show me your gravity chamber. I can and will get used to ten times gravity. My bones will be able to take it."
"We shall see. Perhaps your bones will be able to take it, but your muscles will have to become accustomed to it. Your body is sturdy and compact, it might survive," he smirked. "But I'm weary of this. WE will sleep now and resume in the morning."
"Sleep with you in the bed? Or on the floor."
"Here, of course," he said, dragging her towards him with his tail still around her waist. He lay down first, yanking her to lay on top of him and binding her close in his arms.
To her annoyance he teased and groped at her body. "I'm damn sore."
"Weakling. I suppose I'll push your body's healing faster," Raditz mumbled, concentrating his ki. She gasped as he infused her with enough to tingle her nerve endings with radiant fire.
Sighing, Atomique slid into the bed as he lifted the sheets. She braced her hands on his broad chest, as Raditz reached up to draw her into his arms. Their lips merged in a kiss causing Raditz to moan softly. Raditz' desire was pleasing, but that odd feeling of sorrow filled her.
"Look at me, woman," he snapped. "I want your full attention on this task!"
"It's not easy, you lummox," she gritted.
"I want to see your desire for me in your eyes," he said.
She pulled off her glasses and handed them to him to put someplace safe. Dimmed by myopia, her shortsighted eyes gleamed in better view. He saw his reflection in the brown eyes, surprised because Saiyan eyes were bottomless pools of black. They glanced up blurry but filled with something akin to soft sympathy. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she drew her face within inches to discern protectiveness towards her. She sensed he was glad she was his, and not the Commander's.
"Raditz," she whispered, succombing to desire.
"Good, very good, woman," he panted, drawing her close. But this time Raditz was weary from his return and the voyage to mate with her. Strangely she felt dissapointed, yet thanked her luck because she ached.
"Just sleep," he murmured, turning his head to the side. He tugged her to lay flat on his chest, snaring her with his tail to his body. Massive arms the diameter of her thighs weighed her to him.
"I don't know if I can get used to this," she mumbled in emotional exhaustion. Sniffling she lay her face into his neck, stifling her tears. As Raditz dozed off in she finally let the tears drip free that she held back for so long.
"What am I doing," she sniffled, gripping handfuls of his hair and squeezing tightly. Tears landed on Raditz scarred chest. He grunted and readjusted her in his arms, dragging the covers around them.
"Sleep female,' he yawned. "Cease your whimpering, I will not harm you."
"I'll try," she choked. "But it's so hard Raditz. You ask so much of me. I can only turn it off for so long."
"Females cry," he mumbled. "Keep it silent if you must. Just sleep and don't rouse me because I require rest."
"Son of a bitch," she growled, beating his chest with a fist.
"Shh," he mumbled. "Sleep now. Tomorrow I will expect much more of you."
"You have no comprehension with what I gave up," she said.
"It will not be so bad in time," Raditz mumbled sleepily. "You might even begin to like it. Obviously it got your blood going or you wouldn't have even thought of making what you thought was some noble sacrifice, replacing yourself for my brother. You like adventure, and you cannot lie and say you do not."
"Will I be expected to kill with my powers?" she asked.
"In time," Raditz said. "But you are far too weak to be of much use in a purging job. Rather you will serve Professor Bardock in R and D. Perhaps by the time your training is finished you will accompany me on one of the larger jobs. It will be most invigorating. Did you not kill in as a state alchemist."
"Yes," she swallowed.
"That disintegration technique will serve you well. But you can learn to have fun in the hunt, woman," he yawned. "I'll make a warrior of you perhaps because you are a soldier of some repute. You would do well to forget what life you left behind on that paltry planet in that backwater dimension. There is much you can gain by cooperating. Now enough talk. Sleep."
"I'll try, but I won't like it," she murmured. Shivering she curled up, feeling Raditz arms bind her to him like a possession.
"We'll see," he chuffed, nipping her ear. Soon he rumbled deeply like a great lion on the veldt, his black mane spilling over the bed's pillows. Atomique swallowed the lump in her throat and cried herself to sleep. Although he was so warm, and he held her close she felt the full magnitude of what she had left behind. All she had in this world was this arrogant savage pirate who claimed her as his property. Survival was the first order of business, and then perhaps getting back home when she was strong enough.
