Chapter 8
"What did you do?"
Chi glanced up to see Bardock glaring at her, his dark eyes narrowed in an expression that reminded her of his son. Her cheek was throbbing from her blow earlier as she delicately held her face, certain that a small bone was broken.
"I didn't do anything." Chi retorted. Right now, her only focus was on Kakarot. She couldn't escape the image of his broken body in front of her before they took him away. Most of all, Chi could not stop thinking about the fact that he thought she betrayed him. She knew how much betrayal of any kind stung but now after they've somewhat expressed what they meant to each other, Chi couldn't imagine how Kakarot must be feeling.
"Then how did they find my son!" Bardock thundered and stepped away from Gine, storming up to Chi. Chi clenched her jaw and stood her ground, not daring to back down from Bardock. "You were the only other person who knew he was here and you went to the palace. So it had to be you!"
Chi stepped towards Kakarot's father and replied in a deadly tone, "Don't you dare accuse me of this."
Bardock gripped his fist and thought about blasting her through the house. Anger and fury swirled around him in a combination he has not felt since Kakarot was injured. Bardock was surprised that the Earthling had the nerve to stand up to him though. Clearly, this was one of the things that his son was drawn to.
"That's enough." Gine ordered and stepped in between them, placing a hand on her husband's chest. "Fighting with each other is not going to solve the problem."
"Gine, you know she did it. I mean how else did they find Kakarot? We were careful with training and that's the only time he left the house."
Gine glanced at Chi and searched her expression. Hidden behind her anger towards Bardock, Gine saw an emotion that she was intimately familiar with. Worry mixed with a hint of sadness and care. Chi hid it well, but Gine was an expert at reading other people and Chi was clearly upset about Kakarot's current predicament. There was no way she could have such a strong attachment to him and then betray him.
Sighing, Gine turned back to her husband and answered, "She didn't do this."
"Gine-." Bardock argued and Gine explained, "I don't have proof but I know Chi did not turn in our son. If you can't trust her, then trust me."
Bardock looked at his wife and searched her sad eyes. He's loved and trusted Gine for years, and her judgment was always sound. Conceding, Bardock exhaled, trying to relieve the tension. His body was still worn from training and then being thrown through the house. He tried his best to hide the pain but an unwanted groan escaped his lips and Gine came to his side and helped to support his weight, placing his arm around her shoulders.
"Gine, they are going to do a trial by combat. Even if they take the handcuffs off of him beforehand, Kakarot will be too weak to defend himself."
Gine nodded, not wanting to think of her son's death, "I know."
"Wait, is that what that guard meant? They are going to have Kakarot fight to the death tonight?" Chi asked and Gine replied, "It's our highest form of punishment."
Chi shook her head. No, she would not let that happen to Kakarot. She wasn't going to let him die especially when she still has so much more to say to him. If the roles were reversed, Kakarot would be doing everything in his power to save her, just like he had on the cliff and even getting her here to his parent's home. Now, it was her turn to rescue him, and she was determined to get him back. With new resolve, Chi clenched her fists and started to walk away before Bardock yelled, "Where the hell are you going?"
She snapped, "I'm going to get Kakarot back."
"Are you insane? Vegeta's probably got him heavily watched. You can't just walk in there without a plan. You'll be killed."
Frustrated, Chi put her hands up. She wasn't going to sit around and let precious time pass by, "Then what do you expect me to do? Every second we are arguing out here is a second that we can be saving Kakarot. I'm not going to let him die."
"And do you think we would?" Gine demanded and Chi shook her head.
"No, of course not." Chi exhaled and continued with passion evident in her voice, "I just - we have to do something. I don't care what he did or what he did to Vegeta."
"Wait, you don't know?" Gine questioned.
"Know what?"
"What happened to Kakarot." Bardock stated and Chi fumed.
"No! He doesn't tell me anything. All I know is from what I researched when I was trailing him back on Earth. And from what Vegeta told me."
Bardock grimaced and peered over at Gine. It wasn't his past or his story and Kakarot deserved to have the chance to talk about it with Chi when he wanted to, but she needed to hear this. She needed to know why Vegeta was so hellbent on revenge. However, to tell Chi it would also mean Bardock would have to dive in his son's worst time and it's a story that even Bardock doesn't like to think about too much. Gine glanced back at Bardock and exhaled.
"You need to sit down, Bardock. Let's go inside. And then, we'll tell you, Chi. You should know."
Once inside, Gine led Bardock to their kitchen table, slowly lowering her husband onto a chair which he sat in with a groan, his wounds apparent now after the anger and adrenaline subsided. Grimacing at her husband's pain, Gine glanced to the back room, which was completely destroyed from Bardock being blasted through it.
Quickly, she walked into the space to find that miraculously, the healing tank was untouched albeit for a bit of dust. The walls around the tank had collapsed, leaving the room with only two walls, the other two destroyed. Crunching on glass, Gine looked down to see a photo she loved, the frame now broken and glass everywhere. Gine bent down to grab the photo, slipping it through her hands and smiled at the memory. It was a picture of Bardock with Raditz and Kakarot before a day of training, Bardock was behind the two boys, serious and resting one of his hands on top of Kakarot's head and on Raditz's shoulder. Kakarot was smiling from ear to ear while Raditz was mimicking his dad's expression. The boys were much younger and Gine remembered how excited they both had been to train with their father who had just gotten home from a raid. Life was much simpler then.
Sadly, she gazed at her destroyed home, her safe haven for years. It was the living monument of how hard Bardock and Gine fought for this life and to be together. She never thought they would get here years ago, and now that they had, she could feel everything slipping away. Gine stood in the room for a minute, feeling a tear sting her cheek before she wiped it off quickly, the sharp movement alerting her senses to her tender stomach, causing her to wince. She'd take care of herself later, she didn't want Bardock to worry. Heading back into the kitchen, she placed a hand on Bardock's shoulder, telling him that he should start. Chi stood across from them, leaning against the wall with interest.
Bardock sighed and began, "First, to give you some context, Chi, Kakarot was an elite commander so his crew was the best of the best. This all took place about two months ago or so and Kakarot was on one of his hardest missions."
The dark room was silent as Kakarot sat on the floor. His hands were chained to a thick iron rod behind him and the energy draining handcuffs were still snapped tightly onto his wrists. Kakarot already felt worn from the battle earlier and the cuffs did not help his stamina now. Grunting, he struggled against the iron, willing any remaining power he had to fight against these restraints.
Nothing worked and he tried again and again, screaming loudly in an effort to power up, the cold metal cutting into his wrists. He had to get out of here quickly before too much energy was taken from him. Kakarot knew exactly what could happen if these were kept on too long. However, he was exhausted and his body felt heavy. Dozing off, Kakarot slipped into a dark memory.
It was a dark, chilly night as Kakarot's crew trudged through the swamp. Each soldier had their guard up, waiting for the enemy as they all slowly made their way to ambush them. The clouds covered the sky so there was no telling if there was a moon or not, but Kakarot did not think they needed to transform. The planet's inhabitants were strong but Kakarot was arrogant and didn't think he and his team should waste the transformation on this mission, they needed stealth not brute power. They've been on the planet for a few weeks now and all their battles with this planet's warriors had been brutal but his team had always managed to win.
As they worked their way through the cold, muddy waters of the swamp, Kakarot was on high alert. They could have easily flown but the element of surprise would have been lost as they approached a tiny village up ahead. Kakarot and his crew went back and forth on the best plan of action and after some deliberation, they decided that this was the way to go.
If he had known things would go so horribly, he would have chosen a different strategy but there was no way he could have known this at the time.
Storming the marsh in front of the small lit village, Kakarot's team charged and began their assault, slaughtering the small groups of villagers instantly. Blasting a villager with ease, Kakarot looked around expecting more of a fight, at least that's what all the data had said. Something was off but he couldn't pinpoint what was bothering him. Suddenly, something hit the ground and a bomb went off, sending Kakarot hurtling into a building with power. Unable to stop his trajectory, Kakarot crashed through brick and glass, landing hard on the ground. As he hit his head hard, Kakarot faded and he fell into darkness.
A while later, Kakarot awoke to a throbbing headache. His vision was blurred but after a few moments, he was able to focus his sight on his environment around him. Instead of being in a wet swamp, Kakarot was in some sort of warehouse, which was dimly lit and dark. Groaning, Kakarot tried to move but he felt that his hands were restrained behind him. He hit the chains with effort against the back of the chair, hoping to get them to break. He felt so tired all of the sudden as well, like every drop of energy was being draining from his body. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily broken out of his chains but now, he could barely lift his own head. Searching for answers, Kakarot scanned the room and then locked eyes with his second in command, who was also bound. Getting a better look, Kakarot saw a bright glow behind his comrade.
Whispering, Kakarot asked his teammate, "What happened?"
"They ambushed us. Half the crew either was blown up or was killed on sight. They only took you, me, Squas, and Sallot." He nodded toward the other side of Kakarot.
"Well, look who is awake! Now, we can finally get started." A short, fat alien with red skin and large webbed ears approached the restrained Saiyans. He was wearing a fitted grey suit and glossy shoes that clicked against the hard floor. Behind him stood two built men with a similar appearance and black tight shirts and pants. They both looked at Kakarot and his crew with venom.
"What do you want from us?" Sallot asked and internally Kakarot cursed. Sallot was new to the team but he should still know better. Saiyans are trained in the art of torture and they are taught never to speak or divulge any information. As a soldier, if you are captured, you are expected to give up your life before you talk.
The short man held up an energy blaster and shot Shallot right in the head, killing him instantly. Kakarot fought against his restraints in anger.
"I didn't say you can speak. Now, we only have three of you. No matter, we will get one of you to talk. So tell me, what is the secret to your power. How can my people defend against your Saiyan army?" Kakarot snickered. What an idiot.
"Oh you think that's funny?" The short man nodded to one of his guards and they came over to Kakarot and in a swift motion, delivered a brutal blow to Kakarot's jaw, his head snapping to the other side from the force of the punch. The hit was worse than normal and hurt more than it should as Kakarot felt his face throb from the impact.
"That might have hurt a bit more than you are used to, Saiyan. You are currently being restrained by our energy draining handcuffs. Any blow you receive is worse than normal. You also might have noticed that your body might feel more tired and fatigued. Your stamina has been depleted and your body's defense against attacks are useless."
Kakarot turned his head towards the man and another blow was delivered to his gut, the force of the blow shaking Kakarot's entire body. Bent over, Kakarot coughed, spitting out blood on the concrete floor in front of him. He glared up at his captors, slowly raising his head.
"Hit me again, and I'll kill you." Kakarot hissed in a low, deadly tone.
The men around him laughed and the short man turned to Kakarot's second in command.
"Now, tell me. What is the secret to your power?"
His teammate did not answer and the two guards beat him like a punching bag over and over. When it was clear that he wasn't going to give anything up, the short man raised his gun up to his friend's head and pulled the trigger. The force of the blast pushed the chair on the floor and his friend's limp head fell to the side, his dead eyes staring directly at Kakarot.
"Maiz!" Kakarot shouted and faced their captors, unable to control his temper. He fought hard against the handcuffs, shaking the chair as he tried desperately to charge at them.
"You bastards!" Kakarot screamed through his clenched teeth.
"I guess we will have to beat you into submission until you tell us. Get to it boys." The fat man snapped his fingers and the two guards walked over to Kakarot, delivering blow after blow to his worn body. It felt like he was being tossed back and forth with their fists, they were unrelenting in their assault. Each punch hurt more than the previous one, his normally strong body unable to help him. After a moment, they stopped and Kakarot struggled to even move his head, somehow throwing it back on the chair to breathe heavily, his chest shaking with each breath. He closed his eyes to try to control his breathing, his whole body exhausted and after a minute, Kakarot opened an eye. Above him, the clouds finally cleared and through the building's skylight, he could see his secret weapon. A full moon.
Smirking, Kakarot gazed directly into the moon's glow. After taking in the moon's light, Kakarot pulled his eyes from the moon and lowered his head so his face was clouded. He then started to chuckle.
"Boss, I think we broke him." A guard murmured and Kakarot laughed louder, feeling the blutz rays course through his broken body.
"You want to know the secret to our power? Fine. I'll show you.."
Glancing up with a malicious grin, Kakarot growled, baring his descended fangs to his captors as the transformation began. Roaring, Kakarot easily broke free of the chains, and shattered the chair he was sitting on, now standing and flexing his muscles. His skin slowly morphed into the giant ape until he was full size, destroying the skylight above him as the building was too small to contain his form. His remaining comrade, Squas, glanced at the moon as well and began his own transformation.
Their captors scrambled to find something to defend themselves but it was useless. In a swift motion, Kakarot struck the three men, throwing them hard into the wall. Grabbing the fat one, Kakarot threw the body across the city and crushed the other two guards, relishing their demise at his hands.
Now focused on this mission, Kakarot wreaked havoc on the small city with Squas. Kakarot's thundering roar echoed off the skyscrapers he destroyed with ease, glass crunching under his large feet. With a blast, Kakarot burned down a row of towers, killing everyone instantly. As the night wore on, Kakarot and Squas easily slaughtered most of the city's inhabitants. All except for a few.
The remaining city's residents ran for cover before finding a better position to attack. Kakarot stomped through the rumble, looking for the survivors. His power was a bit weaker then normal, but he didn't know the lasting effects of the cuffs at the time. As Kakarot searched and punched through more buildings, a loud cry from behind him caught his attention.
"Now!"
Turning towards the noise, Kakarot shot a blast from his mouth, but as he did so, a large ray from behind struck his back, cutting deeply across his skin and shooting down to his tail, slicing it off. In one last desperate action before he lost this form, Kakarot turned and shot a heavy energy ball towards the perpetrator, killing him. As his form devolved and Kakarot slowly turned back to himself, Kakarot's body went into shock from the attack. Landing on the ground in utter pain, Kakarot laid there unable to move.
"Thankfully, his partner was able to get Kakarot on a pod and get him back home. When Kakarot arrived, it was unexpected since he wasn't due back for another six weeks. I was there that day at the training facility teaching with some younger Saiyans when one of my friends told me I had to go with him. Initially, I thought something happened to Gine so I dropped everything and ran." Bardock sighed and clasped his hand on top of Gine's on his shoulder. He hated that feeling of helplessness.
"When I got there, the doctors had Kakarot on a stretcher and they were trying to control the bleeding from his tail while treating his other wounds. It was utter chaos because it's been a while since a Saiyan, especially one of Kakarot's rank, lost their tail so everyone wanted to get a glimpse, even the doctors. They were all poking and prodding Kakarot and no one was actually taking care of him. I was going to lose it. So I charged in and as soon as they stopped the bleeding, I took Kakarot home so he could heal in private without being an experiment."
Bardock paused and remembered that night. By the time he was able to get Kakarot out of the medical facility, it was dark and Kakarot was finally coming too, the drugs and exhaustion waning. Bardock kicked down his home's front door and carried Kakarot inside, shocking Gine who was cooking his dinner. Not having a moment to spare, he laid his son on the table in the back, trying to quickly put the formulas into the healing tank. Kakarot now was fully awake and in utter pain, he writhed and screamed on the table, gripping the end of it in agony. Bardock could never forget his son's screams. He could also never forget his wife trying to calm their son through tears. It was a horrible night, and this was a memory he wasn't comfortable sharing with Chi.
Continuing, Bardock explained, "A week after the incident, Kakarot was still healing. The doctors later concluded that the prolonged exposure to those cuffs caused his body to be more vulnerable than normal, which led to the enemy behind able to seriously wound Kakarot with such a small attack. Everyone was talking about it when I went to train or teach, and no one knew if Kakarot was going to be able to come back to his rank since his main power was gone. But, King Vegeta solved that question. That week, the king stopped by and relieved Kakarot of his post, stripping him of any honors he had, and barring him from ever fighting for the Saiyans again. It destroyed Kakarot."
"So that's when he stole the map? In an effort to get back at Vegeta." Chi questioned and Bardock replied, "It wasn't immediate. Kakarot was still healing and dealing with some remaining issues from the mission. It was about a month after that he snuck in and stole the map, escaping from the planet soon after."
"Did he say why he stole it?"
Bardock shook his head, "No. He came back here in the dead of the night to say goodbye. All he told me before he left was that he needed to find more power. He said he needed to shatter the limits of what a Saiyan could do."
As Bardock finished the story of Kakarot's past, Chi crossed her arms and thought hard on what was just shared. She could sympathize with Kakarot, having everything you've ever known ripped from you was a devasting feeling and Chi knew firsthand how isolating and damaging it could be. She was glad Bardock told her what happened to Kakarot before they met. Chi felt like she finally knew him and could better understand him.
Sighing, Chi spoke up, "Thank you for telling me. But that doesn't solve our current issue. We're wasting time just standing here and talking about the past. That's not going to do us or Kakarot any good."
"We will think of something, Chi. Let's just talk it out and take breath." Gine warned.
"I'm done talking. We need a plan to get him back and we need to figure something out now." Chi demanded. She was tired of waiting, tired of going in circles with no resolution. Kakarot needed her to be decisive if he was going to live.
Before Gine could answer, a knock came from the door. Cautious and curious, Gine walked to her front entrance and opened her wooden door to reveal the king's mistress.
"Bulma!?" Chi asked and raced over to her friend.
"What the hell do you want?" Bardock turned in his chair and asked in annoyance.
Bulma frowned, "I'm here to help."
It had been a few hours of Kakarot trying to break free and nothing seemed to be working. His body was spent but he knew he had to keep trying. If he didn't, he'd be defenseless in the trial by combat later tonight. Kakarot knew that if he was going to die, he'd at least want to go down in a fair fight. Thinking quickly, Kakarot contemplated if he should try to dislocate his shoulder to loosen the restraints. It would be painful but then there was the question of actually escaping this room, which was heavily guarded and he was locked behind a heavy door. Before he could finalize his decision, the large steel door opened and Kakarot lifted his head to see who had entered. Blinking, he couldn't believe what he saw in front of him.
"Chi?"
"Come on! There's no time to waste."
Surprised, Kakarot asked, "How did you get in here?"
"I'll tell you later, now let's focus on getting you out of these chains."
She knelt down in front of him and then her face changed, revealing a sinister grin and she broke up in a laugh.
"Are you really that stupid? Did you forget I was the one who gave you up in the first place?"
Kakarot hissed and the pain in his body dramatically worsened. He hadn't forgotten that betrayal, in fact, it destroyed him when he thought about it. He played back all their interactions, trying to find a clue that he missed but there was nothing obvious. It was confusing and irritating to think that he let his instincts dull so much over his feelings for Chi, but then again, none of his usual internal warnings told him to be on alert. A small part of him had hoped that it wasn't true. That Chi wouldn't say she cared for him just to get his guard down. Kakarot tried to keep his mind focused on escaping, but Chi was constantly on his mind.
"Why?"
Chi teased him with a pouty look and mimicked his question in a mocking tone, "Why? Because you were becoming a liability. I told you what you wanted to hear."
Kakarot snapped and lunged towards her, his restraints holding him back from getting to her. Chi laughed as he winced from the cuffs digging into his skin. Kakarot shook his head and suddenly Chi was gone. Confused, he scanned the prison but he was the only one inside, the room was deathly quiet. Sighing, Kakarot tried to breathe, his mind must be playing tricks on him, the exhaustion from his energy being drained has gotten worse. He was delusional and hallucinating. In front of him, the door creaked open to reveal three guards who were snickering. Fuck Kakarot cursed internally.
"Look how the mighty have fallen. The great Kakarot is chained like an animal." One guard sneered and his comrades followed suit. They stepped closer to Kakarot and the other Saiyan swung hard, smashing Kakarot's already weakened body with force, snapping Kakarot's head to the side. Grunting, Kakarot turned to face the guards with a deadly glare.
"Oh coming back for more? At least you still have some balls left, Kakarot." Another guard stated and threw a sharp jab to Kakarot's side, while the others began to land consecutive blows and punches to Kakarot's body, unrelenting in their power and force. Kakarot was defenseless, and all he could do was just take hits and try not to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break. He refused to show pain and instead gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw, denying any response from escaping.
The Saiyans finally pulled back, out of breath from their beating of Kakarot.
Looking up at them from his bowed head, Kakarot snarled, "I'm going to kill you."
All of the guards cracked up, whooping and hollering at Kakarot's threat, knowing that he was trapped in this cell.
"How do you suppose you'll do that, asshole? You can't even get yourself out of here."
Kakarot's head slumped unintentionally as his injuries from their attack started to become more obvious, the sharp aching pain in his body growing. Before Kakarot could reply, the prison door opened and all the guards stopped laughing and stood at attention.
Footsteps clicked against the ground as they approached Kakarot and a deep voice commanded, "Leave us."
From his gaze on the ground, Kakarot could see the many shadows disappear to only one shadow. The metal door slammed shut and with effort, Kakarot looked up to reveal who was standing in front of him. Anger rose inside Kakarot, sitting in his chest once he saw who it was.
"Vegeta."
Chi stood in front of her friend, frowning in confusion, "Bulma? What are you doing here?"
Bulma stepped into the house without permission, grabbing Chi's elbow and taking her off to the side, "I'm sorry I was late, I had to make sure you were alright. Although, your face has seen better days." Bulma grimaced as she scanned Chi's bruised and battered features.
"How did Vegeta find out Bulma?" Chi demanded and her blue haired friend's face immediately turned to annoyance.
"Vegeta's stupid wife, Aspara. She saw you two last night...on the balcony." Bulma paused to let Chi take in this moment, letting her understand how the events fell into place. Chi ran a frustrated hand through her raven black hair, cursing under her breath.
"Shit."
"I know but like I said, I'm here to help."
"Why? You'll be going against Vegeta. Won't that cause problems between you two? I can't ask you to do that." Chi asked with concern.
"He won't be happy with me but he'll have to get over it. After everything we've been through, I'm not letting you do this alone."
The two friends stared at each other, silently understanding what Bulma meant by her statement. They survived years under Frieza with only each other to lean on. Through all of the pain and hardship, they were each other's constant and even though things have changed, that was still true.
Smiling, Chi nodded and then murmured, "Okay. Do you have any idea on where we can find Kakarot?"
"Do you even know me? Of course I do!"
Determined and focused, Bulma and Chi walked into the kitchen, Gine following close behind.
Gine cleared the kitchen table so that Bulma could lay a set of blueprints on it, beginning to detail her master plan at rescuing Kakarot. It was odd to have two Earthlings direct Gine and Bardock on what the best course was to save their own son, but right now Gine's main focus was Kakarot so she swallowed her reservations about Bulma and Chi and listened intently to Bulma's plan.
"Alright, so Kakarot is probably here." She pointed to a back room under the palace and continued, "The guards only put high priority prisoners there. And those are prisoners that are the hardest to contain and the most likely to escape."
"Well he's got these energy draining handcuffs on so I'm not sure he can go anywhere." Chi spoke up.
"Dammit. We developed those to only train soldiers so nothing like what-." Bulma trailed off and Bardock slammed the table, causing Bulma to jump.
"Like what? Say it!" He thundered and Gine put a hand on his shoulder again to try to calm Bardock down, but she knew it was useless.
"What Kakarot went through would never happen again. Now all warriors are being trained to defend themselves against those types of weapons. It was never meant to be used as a way to capture a fellow Saiyan."
"Ha, fellow Saiyan. Your boyfriend should remember that because he's treated my son like he's some outsider trash even though Kakarot was once his right hand man." Bardock snarled.
"I'm trying to help your son now. If you don't want it, fine. You can go in half cocked and get yourself killed."
The two seethed at each other and Chi finally put her foot down, "Shut up! We can't get anywhere if we are going to be fighting with each other. So Bardock, zip it or I'll make you."
Bardock growled and gripped the edge of the table, ready to rage at Chi's threat but Gine interrupted, trying to calm the situation further, "Chi is right. Please continue, Bulma."
"Anyway, that's where he'll be. We can get in through a secret stairway from my lab. I think that passageway was probably for the old scientist to do experiments in private so it's a little creepy. But, that's your best bet to go inside undetected. Once you get down there though, things become a bit tricker. First, there's a short hallway that leads to another which will be our problem area. In the second hall, there are ten guards. Once you get through the first hallway, you will need a code to get to the more guarded corridor. If you get through there, at the end there is another door that needs another code. If all goes well and you get there, Kakarot should be right inside."
"Seems easy enough. I can take the guards in the second corridor, lethal force in tight spaces is my favorite and it's what I'm best at. Bardock, you can take whoever is in the first hallway."
"You can take down ten Saiyans without backup?"
"Oh she can, I've seen it firsthand." Bulma winked at Chi.
"Alright, it's settled but what about the codes and security?" Chi asked as she scanned the blueprints, looking for potential blind spots. She's been a part of more complicated missions so this shouldn't be terribly hard, but the codes and security systems could always be a weakness to any strong strategy. They could not afford any mistakes.
"I've got that taken care of. I can hack into the system and put the cameras on a loop as well as break the code but you'll have to be quick. I don't know how long I can hold off without tripping the alarm."
Chi nodded and looked to Bardock and Gine. "What do you two think?" Although she could do this all on her own, a part of her figured she should ask the two worried parents in front of her.
"What about the king? Wouldn't he be expecting this?" Bardock questioned and Bulma nodded.
"He is. But I've got just the thing. I'm going to pass along a rumor that Lord Frieza is going to land shortly. The unexpected visit will put everyone in a frenzy. Even though Vegeta could care less about Frieza, he still wants to maintain the peace and he'll make sure things are ready."
"Makes sense, especially after that rumor of Frieza wanting to blow us up from a few years ago. I'm in, it's been a while since I've had a good brawl." Bardock smirked with anticipation and stood before wincing from his injuries.
"Oh no. You have got to get in the healing chamber, even if it's for 20 minutes." Gine demanded and Bardock protested.
"Are you serious, Gine? We've got to go now!"
"I am serious. Get in the tank before you go and get yourself killed. Now." Gine yelled and Bardock gave her a look before angrily limping past her to the back room. She turned to Chi and Bulma, "Give him 20 minutes. Then we should be set to get Kakarot back. You should probably recharge too, Chi. You took a beating."
Chi shook her head, "I'm fine, really." She wasn't but she'd never say so. But, Gine once again saw right through her. How did she do that?
"Come on. It will only take a few minutes." Gine insisted and Chi conceded. She turned to her friend who shrugged and they followed Gine to the back room to prepare for the upcoming battle. Chi was anxious and ready to move forward with their plan. Her intuition told her that Kakarot was in serious trouble and she had to get to him fast. She couldn't explain it, but she knew that once she had Kakarot back, she'd feel better.
"Vegeta." Kakarot spat out and the king looked down at Kakarot with a smug grin.
"Kakarot, Kakarot, Kakarot. Did you really think you could run forever?" Vegeta sneered.
"No, I always figured this would happen but I thought it would at least be a fair fight. I know you're itching to see who is the best." Kakarot teased and Vegeta's temper flared.
"I am the best you low class trash!" Vegeta hissed which made Kakarot chuckle. Sure, his body felt heavy and it was an effort to keep even his head up, but antagonizing Vegeta was too easy. Kakarot was enjoying getting a rise out of the king.
"Low class? Huh, that's funny. I wasn't low class when I was your best warrior."
"You're far from that now, huh Kakarot?" Vegeta quipped back and Kakarot growled before Vegeta continued, "You are a disgrace. What kind of a Saiyan, especially one of your caliber, gets their tail cut off in battle. You should have done everyone the courtesy of dying on that planet instead of coming home."
A burst of energy overcame Kakarot and he jumped up, standing on shaky legs and leaped at Vegeta, moving until the chains stopped him but he struggled against their hold. Seething, Kakarot screamed right in Vegeta's face.
"FUCK YOU!"
Vegeta chuckled, "Did I hit a nerve? Well, I'm surprised you still have some energy left. But that will fade." Vegeta smirked and lightly slapped Kakarot's face back and forth, causing Kakarot to snarl.
"Why chain me up before you fight me? Don't you want me at my full power?"
"Yes, but you're too fucking stupid to realize my plan so I'll just go ahead and tell you. Since we've developed those handcuffs, every Saiyan warrior has trained themselves with them. We all know that a Saiyan grows stronger and adapts after they are severely weakened in battle, so it's a great way to have our elite warriors push past their limits. I've beaten myself down so many times that my power has grown exponentially."
"So what, you're going to weaken me and then let me heal so that I grow stronger?"
"Exactly. When I kill you, I want you at your best."
Kakarot would be lying to say that his Saiyan blood wasn't tingling at this challenge. They've always had a rivalry and now, nothing will be held back.
"Fine. Take these things off and let's go." Kakarot stated and Vegeta shook his head, clicking his tongue.
"Not so fast, I'm going to let you suffer a bit more. And once I've dealt with you, I'm going to find the map that you stole and harness the power of the Super Saiyan, which you clearly haven't figured out yet."
Kakarot paused. It's been a while since he's actually thought about the map, his focus lately has been on the Dragon Balls and Chi. Even on Earth, he didn't really know what to do with it or where to even start. The writing had to be heated so that you could see the inscription but even when Kakarot read the map, he couldn't understand where it led to. He always thought that he'd figure it out eventually but then life had other plans.
"No, I haven't but I will."
"I know why you stole the map. You couldn't wield the power of the great ape anymore so you had to go and steal my BIRTHRIGHT so that you can feel like a Saiyan again." Vegeta's temper rose.
Vegeta correctly guessed his intentions but Kakarot kept his face stoic in his response, "You could say that. I also wanted to piss you off. Imagine if I became a Super Saiyan before the king. What would people say then, your highness." Kakarot smirked and Vegeta quickly swung back and punched Kakarot square in the face with all his power, breaking Kakarot's skin as he collapsed on the floor from the force of Vegeta's hit. Gasping, the blow hurting worse because of his vulnerable body, Kakarot panted and gazed up at Vegeta.
"I'm going to enjoy making your death as painful as possible, this will be fun." Vegeta looked down at his rival and decided to torture him a bit more. "You can also thank your brother for getting you in this mess. Raditz saved me the job of searching for you across the galaxy."
"Huh?" Kakarot winced and sat up, confused on why Raditz was involved in this.
"Not your brother directly but he's been sleeping with my wife, Aspara. She had spies on his house for some stupid fucking reason, and they saw you and Chi last night."
"Wait, Chi didn't tell you?" Kakarot asked with a hint of hope.
"No, Aspara did."
Time stopped for Kakarot as he took in this information, relief flooding his senses. It wasn't Chi who turned him in. Deep down he didn't want to believe it and he should have followed those instincts instead of immediately assuming she betrayed him. So what she said before was true, she did feel the same way as he did.
"It's interesting. Before she met you, Chi probably would have turned you over the first chance she got. You must have fucked her good, Kakarot." Kakarot bared his teeth in a low growl.
"Do not talk about her."
"Touchy subject? Well, even though she's Bulma's best friend, she has been a thorn in my side for years. It wouldn't take much for me to call Frieza or to put a hit on her."
Shouting, Kakarot jumped out again at Vegeta, this time on his knees, flexing his muscles hard against the chains as he struggled to break free.
"I swear if you hurt her!" Kakarot yelled as Vegeta stood over the furious fallen Saiyan.
"Look at you, you've let yourself become weak with pointless emotions. Maybe it was a blessing that your tail was cut off, because I couldn't have such a fool in my army. But know this Kakarot. Once you're dead, I'll become a Super Saiyan and defeat Frieza. I'll be the strongest being in the universe, no one will be able to stop me."
Vegeta squatted down so he was at eye level with Kakarot, "And for your treason to the Saiyan race, I'll make sure my first target after Frieza is your woman. She'll be much more tolerable dead." In a low laugh, Vegeta stood and exited the room, leaving Kakarot fighting against his restraints in frustration and fury.
Once she was fixed up and Gine went to tend to her husband, Chi paced around in Kakarot's parents' living room. She was tense and needed to get moving.
"Can you stop that, you're making me dizzy." Bulma requested and Chi paused in the middle of the room.
"We need to go. I can't stand waiting anymore." Chi responded.
"I can tell."
Chi glanced at her friend and immediately recognized the glare Bulma was giving her, "What?"
"Why didn't you tell me about Kakarot." Bulma questioned with a hint of annoyance behind her statement.
"There's nothing to tell. We are on a tight deadline and this whole thing is setting us back." Chi answered emotionless and Bulma called her out instantly.
"Don't do that!"
"Do what, Bulma?" Chi yelled and Bulma shouted back.
"Hide your feelings! You forget that I know you better than anyone, so I know when you're lying. This isn't about your mission, or Frieza or anything else. It's about him."
"It's not."
"It is! You're worried about Kakarot and that's okay to admit, Chi-Chi. You don't have to keep everything bottled in."
Chi shook her head. What the hell has gotten into her? She could usually hide her emotions well and no one would be able to tell what she was thinking. Before she found Kakarot in that bar, she was the perfect warrior. Chi was cold, calculated, and nothing shook her. However, since she's met Kakarot somewhere along the line, he broke down those barriers she built and shattered the walls she surrounded herself with for protection. And now, just when she was finally ready to confront her feelings for him, he might be taken away from her.
"Fine! I'm worried okay? But I can't say anything more because I need to focus. I just need to get him out of my head for five seconds so that I can have all my attention on what's next." Bulma smirked which made Chi roll her eyes, "What now?"
"Nothing. You'll figure it out eventually."
"I hate you." Chi bit back, earning a laugh from her best friend.
"No, you love me." Bulma teased and Chi allowed herself to smile at her friend, knowing she was right about that.
Elsewhere, Gine entered the back room to see that the healing tank was empty. Confused, she looked around the broken room to eventually find her husband leaning up against the back of the tank, with a cigarette in his fingers, smoking rising from his side.
"You know how much I hate that, right?" Gine spoke up and Bardock moved, looking strong and healthy again. He smiled warmly at Gine before she came up to his side, "And you're smoking inside!"
"Technically, it's outside since I destroyed our house." Bardock teased.
"Not to mention you passed this habit onto our sons."
Chuckling, Bardock raised the butt to his mouth, inhaling for a minute and then exhaling a cloud of smoke in front of him. He then dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot. "Happy?"
Gine exhaled, "How are you feeling?"
Bardock flexed his right hand, his arm muscles rippling with the movement as he nodded, "Never better."
Gine looked over her husband to make sure, he had a tendency to lie about these things but he seemed to be telling the truth this time.
"Should be an interesting rescue with Chi leading the charge, huh?" Gine questioned and Bardock huffed.
"If Kakarot wasn't so hot and bothered by her, I would have kicked her through the rest of the house by now. She's so-."
"Determined?"
"Difficult is what I was going to say. I bet she gives Kakarot a run for his money." Bardock grinned, which caused Gine to giggle.
"They have good chemistry, I can tell. Once they get their feelings sorted out, they would make a good pair, even if she's a bit rough around the edges."
"And human."
"That too. But, if Kakarot's happy then I can't complain. It's not like he can stay here and meet a Saiyan or anything."
"True. I am looking forward to seeing her in action though. She seems to know what she's doing."
"She's definitely a force."
"Good, we will need it. How are you feeling more importantly? It's been awhile since you took a hit like that, Gine." Bardock turned to face his wife and brushed her elbow.
"I'm okay."
"Don't lie to me. I know you better than you think I do." Bardock stated in a low, yet soft voice as he grazed his finger along Gine's neck, noticing the large red finger marks from the guard's grip earlier. He clenched his fist, furious at himself for letting someone touch let alone hurt his wife.
"I'm alright, Bardock. You taught me how to take a hit, remember?'
Smiling at the memory of their training sessions, Gine weaved her arms around Bardock's waist and leaned her chin on his hard chest, looking up at his dark brown eyes.
"Besides, I'm more worried about you. Promise you'll come back?"
"Gine, don't worry. We'll be fine."
"I know, I just..." Her eyes watered as she turned away. Gently, Bardock put a finger under her chin to make her face him again. Staring down at her, he said in a serious, even tone, "I promise."
"Are you ready, Bardock?" Chi called from behind them, not realizing she was interrupting an intimate moment between them.
Bardock and Gine turned to face the two Earthlings standing in their kitchen. Chi's eyes burned with a fiery determination and Bardock thought that she could be a Saiyan with that look. She seemed like she could handle herself, and Bardock was interested to see how she did in the field.
Nodding, Bardock then leaned forward and captured Gine's lips with his own, their embrace strong, reminding him of the many times she's seen him off to battle.
Breaking away from her, Bardock whispered, "Wait for me."
It was a saying that they exchanged back when they had to say goodbye to each other and while they haven't said it in a while, it still brought back memories and their promise. The promise that they'd wait, no matter how long it took for the other to come back, safe and sound.
Releasing her hold, Gine watched them walk away, leaving her standing utterly alone in her broken home. She thought she'd be used to anxiously waiting for her loved ones to return but it wrecked her every time she had to let them go. But, just like she has so many times before, Gine stood strong and determined, knowing that she'll get through whatever happens next.
