Chapter 4 - Truth Be Told

Later, Frieza's men had gathered many of Brightburn's now-helpless townspeople to the domed spaceship. Their hands all shackled behind their backs.

"That's it," Dodoria said to Caitlyn, who was one of the prisoners. "Step onto the platform."

Caitlyn did so, a tear falling from her right eye. As the platform ascended to the hatch of the ship, she looked up to see Brandon, his back turned to her.

"It pains me to see you reduced to this, Caitlyn," Brandon said regrettably. "You should be in the arms of the most powerful sub viceroy of the Frieza Force."

Caitlyn's eyes quivered.

"Brandon, I've got to know," she said. "Are you the person who killed my mother?"

After a short pause, Brandon responded with a sigh.

"I am," he replied.

"But why?"

Pause.

"Because she didn't want you to be near me," he replied. "I told you that I'd take care of it, so I did."

"And it was the tip-off?" Caitlyn replied back. "Most of the town deduced that it was your mother who killed her in a murder-suicide! What about your parents? What the hell did they die for?!"

Brandon faced her, his eyes hardening.

"They tried to kill me!" he answered. "At first, it looked like Dad and I were going on a hunting trip. But it turned out to be a trap. Dad tried to shoot me with his gun. He tried to become a predator to me. Instead, he became my prey. Mom pretended to help me, to love me. And when I found out that she was about to kill me with that ship shard, I knew she lied to me. So, I took care of the problem once and for all."

"Ship?" Caitlyn repeated.

"The metal on that ship is the only thing that can harm me. The vessel I was first brought to Earth in when I was a baby."

Caitlyn shook her head in total realization and horror.

"You… You're not human!" she shouted.

"You're right," Brandon agreed. "I'm not. Satisfied?"

"No, just angry to learn the terrible truth about you," Caitlyn answered. "Three years ago, I thought you were just a creep, but now I know that you're nothing more than a monster."

"A monster, you say?" Brandon replied. "Well, if you can't be with me, Caitlyn, then you are my enemy!" He then called for another member of the Force. "Cui!"

Cui, a violet alien wearing black Frieza Force armor, arrived.

"Take Caitlyn Connor here to her prison."

"As you command, Sub Viceroy," Cui saluted.

Caitlyn seethed.

"I'm not going anywhere."

With that, she broke free from her shackles and attacked Cui by punching him with her metal hand. Brandon ran to the action and tried to subdue her, but one slap in the face from the metal hand and he let out an agonizing scream.

"What did you do to me?" Brandon writhed.

"I slapped you with my prosthetic hand," Caitlyn answered.

"The metal on your hand," he realized. "That's the metal my ship is made from! It's my one weakness—the only thing that can harm me! You're going to pay for that!"

With that, a battle ensued. He began by flying her through the hatch of the ship and pinned her to the ground.

Caitlyn's father watched as Brandon attacked her. He then ran to the scene.

"Caitlyn!" Mr. Connor addressed, propping his daughter up. "Are you all right?"

"It was Brandon!" she replied, pointing at him with her prosthetic hand. "He killed Mom!"

"What?" Mr. Connor replied back.

"He wanted revenge against her for the restraining order she made against him, and for calling him an animal, for crushing my hand. That's why he killed her! We all thought that it was his mother who committed a murder/suicide on her, but it was actually Brandon who killed them both!"

Mr. Connor glared daggers at his wife's murderer, whose eyes were glowing.

"You'll pay dearly for killing Erica, you adolescent son of a bitch!" Mr. Connor yelled, charging at him with a clenched fist.

Just as Brandon was about to fire his eye lasers at him, Mr. Connor suddenly stopped, floating uncontrollably. Frieza, who was watching, pointed at Mr. Connor. Brandon's eyes stopped glowing then.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on my Sub Viceroy," Frieza said. "You, slave, will not escape with your life."

Mr. Connor kicked his feet in utter fear before Frieza raised his hand, lifting him into the air. Caitlyn watched, then turned to Frieza.

"Let go of my daddy!" Caitlyn called.

But instead of listening to her, Frieza clenched his hand into a fist.

"CAITLYN!"

No sooner did he shout his daughter's name, Mr. Connor's body exploded, his blood spewing in the sky.

The now-orphaned Caitlyn gasped in total horror, as she saw her father get killed in mid air and his blood fell from the sky like rain. Brandon sneered and chuckled.

"Serves him right for trying to cross me," he said. "Now there's nothing standing in the way between you and I."

Brandon floated to her, crossing his arms.

"I think you should reconsider, and join the Frieza Force."

Caitlyn, tears in her eyes, glared at him.

"The answer is still no," she replied.

Author's Note: Some of this chapter has elements from Dragon Ball Z Episode 95 - "Transformed at Last".