"I don't know what you were thinking but you've stirred up quite a bit of attention." An old man in a long black coat grumbled as he checked the security of the leather straps on a large metal table.
Upon the table laid a young blonde woman, restrained by the belts. She was calm. Head lolling to the side, her eyes only barely aware of her surroundings. Thin tubes hung from her, pumping a glowing fluid into her chest and arms. Beside her was her twin brother, strapped to his own table under the same condition and tubes. In their quickly fogging minds they shared one feeling; hate.
Near the door frame, a tall menacing figure stood. He was large and the few lights in the room couldn't properly illuminate him. Beside him the old man stood as they watched 17 ad 18.
"I don't want anymore unnecessary risks from them. Keep them inactive. No more antics like last night." The elder huffed, not even needing to check that the man acknowledged or even heard him. Once he was satisfied the two were under, he left the room and walked down the hall. I need to modify the formula. Hopefully I have enough time before I'm found.
"I might be losing patience in these predictions. For hours now, we've searched every abandoned lab hiding only weeds." Vegeta growled. He flew in the air beside Goku as they scoured the land around Bulma's listed coordinates.
"We have to check every one though." Goku grinned. "Can't take chances."
"It's been too long since they were seen. They could have relocated anywhere, rendering her glorified guesses useless." Vegeta argued.
"Until we have more to go on this is-" Goku started.
"Hold a moment." Vegeta froze as he looked over the terrain. "Do you feel that? It's feint."
"Which direction?" Goku asked.
Vegeta didn't answer or gesture. His brow furrowed just before he burst towards the base of a nearby mountain range.
"Vegeta!" Goku was quick to follow, his eyes round and wide with his surprise. "We can't just dart towards the first sign of life! What if it's just a poor man living in the country farming cows or playing cards?"
Goku frowned when Vegeta ignored him but as they drew closer he could tell why. The energy wasn't just any life form. He could sense a single entity but something was wrong, like it was malformed… unnatural. It made him uneasy and, for what might have been the first time in his life, he could almost taste his breakfast coming back up.
Vegeta continued to lead even after landing, his senses of energy more focused than Goku's. Goku was almost jealous but he never really had to seek out the enemy; they usually ran straight at him like it was tradition.
"Can you still follow it? It's starting to feel like it's everywhere to me." Goku commented.
"Yes, I recognize it too well." Vegeta's answer was quiet but snapped. He turned his piercing eyes to Goku. "It feels akin to yours."
"Last one for today." The old man whispered over a desk. He held a syringe filled with a green solution, plunging it's contents into his left arm. He shuddered slightly as he felt it travel into his body.
The man had every intention to lay back and breathe through the sensation of the formula changing his body. It was always a rough transition but today he knew would be more difficult as he caught the subtle sounds of someone in the next room opening the main door to his hidden base. Well hidden no longer, my time is up. He cautiously stood and leaned against the open door way, cheek pressed to the jamb as he listened and peeked to spot the intruders.
"Looks like we'll have to search each room." A tall man in orange scratched his head.
"What did you expect?! Everything to be right in the first room? Who lives like that, honestly?!" A shorter man yelled.
The older man eyed a large metal door nearby, he knew he would be spotted but it was a necessary give to bolt himself away with his last surviving subjects. After a forced breath he ran.
"There!"
The door was bolted fast before the intruders could catch up. It won't hold long. Just enough to wake them up. He was quick through the hall and into the room he left 17 and 18. The large figure he left to guard had remained in the very place he left him. "Go 16. To your room for now."
16 said nothing still but left obediently further down the hall. The elder hastily flipped unmarked levers and adjusted knobs. Small sparks jumped from untended loose ends of cables that hadn't been given proper care to being connected. Through the tubes a glowing golden fluid flowed into the twins whose muscles now slightly convulsed with electricity. 18 had only just begun to sit up and tear away the straps holding her down when a loud metal bang sounded through the hall, the door was broken through.
Vegeta and Goku soon stepped into the room, taking in the view and preparing for a fight. "There they are. They match Gohan's sketch."
"Kill them!" The elder yelled his command.
18 narrowed her attention to the two fighters. Ignoring the tubes still in her skin, she eagerly leapt at them. This is it. Finally we can be done!
Vegeta took to her first, his punch blocking hers. Goku glanced at the brother but seeing he was still strapped to the table and barely responsive, he focused on the elder man. "What's your goal?!"
"It's just as I said. To kill you." The elder ducked past a table, keeping distance between him and everyone else.
"Then I won't hold back." Goku declared. He raised his energy, donning teal eyes and golden hair.
The elder stilled only a moment before dodging each strike. Such power, I wasn't ready for this. I can barely dodge even with my own upgrades, 17 and 18 won't fare well at all. I'll have to improvise. Though maybe I can also take advantage of this rare opportunity. He grabbed loose cables and after ducking under Goku's arm from another punch, wrapped them around Goku's wrist and legs. In the small moment of unbalance he stabbed something into Goku's back.
"AH!" Goku quickly reacted to the sudden pain and snapped the cords holding him. He jumped away, keeping his face to the old man. He clenched his teeth and winced as his back hit one of the many large devices in the room. He reached back and pulled a syringe free of his spine.
"Let's see how long it takes to course through your body. I wouldn't guess more than a few minutes with your adrenaline pumping and I can only assume this golden power of yours requires a lot of energy." The elder chuckled. He glanced at a syringe within his own hand and smiled at the sizable sample of blood.
"You injected me with something?" Goku asked. He could feel it, his nerves slowly numbing and limiting his muscle control. If I can get a name, Bulma will fix up an antidote. "What is it?"
"A unique and personal blend of my own. You'll never be able to counter it; I can already see it changing you." The elder laughed.
Goku glanced at his wrists, his veins glowing an unusual green color under his skin. His energy began to plummet and he fired an energy blast just as his aura faded out returning him to base form. He looked just past the man to spot Vegeta getting knocked into the wall. We have to get out and get the others.
Then an arm wrapped tight around Goku's neck. A young man's voice whispered "You're beginning to look a bit panicked. I apologize for the delay but I'm ready to play now. Let's see if you can hold your breath longer than your son."
Damn!
Five days.
Gohan had been waiting five days since he last heard from anyone who went on the search. He stared out the window, his hand over his mouth and chin to hide his expression as his heart and head were a loud mess with anxiety. He could hear his mother on the couch behind him, humming and sewing away, and envied her ability to remain calm.
After day two, news passed around of twins setting violence and fire upon the nearby towns. Each day, though no one died, survivors paraded like ants through the streets on their way to ask aid from the king.
It was just after the sun had set that he finally heard what he wanted.
"Gohan." Piccolo's voice rumbled in his head. It wasn't really stern nor soft, a strange muddle in between.
Gohan restrained his urge to barrage him with questions, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Mr. Piccolo, how is everyone?"
Piccolo was silent a moment before answering "Everyone's alive. We found the location and everything turned to chaos from there. I apologize for keeping silent for so long."
"It's fine. I know you were focused on the fight and… staying alive." Gohan said. He repositioned himself to keep his face turned and hidden from his mother, unsure of which expression he may make during the conversation. "So they're attacking random towns?"
"We had to pull out after we found the lab, we couldn't beat them. They attack towns and people to lure us back out." Piccolo started. "Each time though, we still lose and have to retreat… and the pattern recycles. We do what we can to evacuate the citizens and lead the fight out to nearby mountains or fields."
Gohan wasn't sure what to say. "I wish I could help."
"Don't. You're doing enough by staying safe at home." Piccolo said his voice finally sounding in his usual tone. "I know there was something you wanted to say to me befo-"
"Oh gods no, we can talk about that another time. You have much more important things to focus on than me." Gohan interrupted.
"I'm not sure there will be any better time soon… nor is there anything as important." Piccolo said, the last added almost too quietly.
Gohan felt his heart quiver as he replied "You are. Besides I would prefer to tell you in person."
"As you wish then. I'll try to talk to you when I can, so you'll know I'm not dead." Piccolo said.
"I'll be here waiting every day." Gohan smirked. "Get some rest."
"Goodnight Gohan." Piccolo whispered and then Gohan was alone in his head again.
The next day Gohan could hear the strike on the town just by his home. He could hear the screams and blasts. He clenched his fists as he struggled to remain out of the way. It hurt to breathe, his lungs like stone as his body felt like it was screaming. The air was ice cold against his burning skin. Though he knew his friends were surely running for their lives, he was told to stay.
For Piccolo's sake he would.