"So, did you see this coming after we gave Vegeta's information to the media?" Chief Kai asked curiously, as he and Bulma stood side-by-side in his office. A short but round man with equally round dark glasses, he held his hands clasped behind his back while he and Bulma both peered out of his window.
Down below, there was a large crowd gathered outside of the police precinct. Despite being dark out, the crowd only seemed to be growing. It was becoming bad enough that traffic around the precinct needed to be rerouted to accommodate them. They had signs with, "VEGETA – THE MAN WEST CITY NEEDS", "DON'T ARREST HIM!", "THE DRAGON WILL DO THE JOB YOU CAN'T DO", with many signs showing the word "VIGILANTE" crossed out and "HERO" boldly written. The crowd carried their signs as they kept chanting, "DON'T ARREST VEGETA!" with ever growing passion.
"I can't exactly say that I did," Bulma relented, her blue eyes scanning the crowd as she frowned. "But I'm honestly not surprised," she sighed.
She should have seen this coming. Putting out a notice on Vegeta was standard protocol, but once his name was out there, the media dug into him just like Krillin and their research team had done. It appeared that Vegeta's difficult past, combined with his honorable military service and the losses of his mother and brother, had turned him into a West City hero overnight. The radio shows, opinion talk shows, and the internet were all overflowing with support for Vegeta, so that he could do what the police had failed to do for so long…eliminate the heart of the problem in West City, which was Frieza.
"Dragon?" Chief Kai asked, his eyes catching a few of the signs.
"His call sign while in the Marines," Bulma muttered, keeping to herself that it likely derived from the dragon sleeve tattoo he had.
Her blue eyes then caught a rider on a sleek black motorcycle pull up to the red light where traffic was being redirected. The rider had a helmet with a black face shield, with a military style bag strapped on his back. Bulma's gaze lingered on him as the rider stared at the crowd in front of the police station the whole time he was stopped. The light then turned green and the rider looked away and continued on, turning away and going out of sight. Bulma frowned as her gaze moved to another vehicle, not even giving it a second thought.
"Alright," Chief Kai said, moving over to his desk. He took a seat, then peered up at his best detective. "What is the current status?"
Bulma pulled away from the window and folded her arms over her chest as she came to stand in front of the desk.
"I've got John doing outside surveillance for his friend Nappa's house, and Krillin is doing the same for Goku's brother, Raditz, also a friend of Vegeta's. I check in with them every 15 minutes. We've got a handful of officers covering the hospital in case he tries to visit Goku. With the listening bug we found when I ordered the sweep of my apartment, I helped our lab technicians reverse the signal and make it a two-way communication device. His piece is not equipped to transmit sound, but the lab was able to track the signal and thus, track Vegeta's location. It isn't perfect though, as it wasn't designed to be used this way, so we have deducted with some physics that it's sending the signal on a 10 minute delay."
"So we are 10 minutes behind him."
"That's correct. The lead technician is going to page me as soon as Vegeta stops moving. He's been on the move for hours now, coming back from South City, heading back this way," she explained, checking her watch. "He should be arriving back into the city soon. The lead tech is under orders to only share the location with me. Once we can pinpoint his location – basically, once he stops – we will try to get eyes on him."
"Mhmm…I see," Chief Kai said, a serious look on his face as he nodded while rubbing his chin. He examined Bulma carefully. Times like this, she hated that he wore dark glasses all the time. It made it impossible to fully gauge what he was thinking. "And when you find him? Have you made a decision on how to proceed?"
Bulma took a breath to steady herself, bringing her hands behind her back.
"I have, sir. I would like the chance to bring Vegeta into the fold and have him work with us to bring Frieza down. He has tremendous knowledge of Frieza's operations and his men, as exhibited by his ability to target and kill so many of them. He may be able to finally give us what we need to arrest Frieza once and for all, with enough to actually convict. For Vegeta's protection though, we are, as far as everyone can tell, handling this as per usual protocol, since we do not want Frieza to catch wind that we want to turn him. Even though he is likely already gunning for Vegeta, that would only intensify if he knew that Vegeta was capable of turning and working with the police. And the last thing we want, is for what happened to Cui, to happen to Vegeta."
"And have you spoken with the DA?"
She nodded with assertiveness. "Yes, the DA is prepared to work some kind of deal for Vegeta if he cooperates with us. I am not sure we can spare Vegeta jail time altogether, as he has personally murdered 36 men that we know of, albeit all were Frieza's henchmen. However, we were not counting on such intense, widespread support for Vegeta from the public…so I guess we'll see. The DA also is aware that Frieza has moles in his office, so he is playing this one close to the chest – again, for Vegeta's own protection."
"Bulma…" the chief began, leaning forward as he interlaced his fingers across his desk. "I think the plan is sound. From what you told me about his brother, and Goku, and the rest of Vegeta's past, I am willing to back you on this approach. I only have one question for you, which is…if you can't turn Vegeta, and he refuses to be taken into custody, are you prepared to bring him down if you have to?"
Bulma gripped her hands tightly behind her back. Chief Kai had given her time to consider what approach she wanted to take while she helped the lab flip the listening bug to track Vegeta's location. Even though she had been pissed when they found the listening bug in her apartment, she had already conceded that Vegeta's feelings for her were opportunistic and not genuine; the listening bug was just further proof of that in her eyes.
Regardless, she was still willing to try turning him, for she could not imagine Vegeta dying or being jailed for a lengthy prison sentence because of this madness. The thought alone made her stomach churn with nausea. Vegeta may not have felt anything real towards her, but Bulma could no longer deny that she had stupidly allowed herself to begin developing real feelings for him on a deeper level. After talking to Goku and taking the day to think more about it, she realized she had to do what Goku asked.
She had to try to save Vegeta from the path of destruction he was on. She no longer had a choice, for her heart rebelled vehemently against every other possible alternative.
She had to succeed where Goku had failed.
"I will turn Vegeta, sir," she asserted, leaving no doubt.
"Hmm…" the chief mused, his dark glasses glinting with the lighting. "Very well. You have tactical command of this operation, detective, and as much support as you need, whenever you need it. I have the media to deal with tonight, but my phone is on if you need anything at all. Good luck to you, Bulma."
"Thank you." Bulma nodded once, before turning and striding out of the office to get back to work. She headed towards the direction of the labs as she unclipped the handheld radio from her belt, raising it up and pressing the button for the intercom. "Turtle, this is Alpha. What's your status?"
Several miles away, sitting in a nondescript car a couple blocks from Raditz' house, Krillin picked up his radio. He looked through the side mirror to where he had a good angle on Raditz' house as he replied, "Alpha, this is Turtle. No change. Lion's Mane hasn't emerged."
"Roger that," she replied, acknowledging his message. Bulma then switched frequencies. "Maverick, this is Alpha. What's your status?"
The young uniformed officer John abruptly sat up in his car miles away, nearly dropping the sub he'd been devouring as he tried looking for his radio.
"Maverick, what's your status?" Bulma's voice repeated right as John finally snatched up his radio.
"Alpha, this is Maverick," John radioed back. He peered down two blocks away, tilting his head back to see from under his baseball cap as he looked at Nappa's house. "Gym Rat hasn't come out of his hole."
"Roger that," Bulma replied, ending the intercom. She clipped the radio on her belt next to her loaded gun as she entered the lab in the precinct, and almost ran right into the lead technician who was rushing out.
"Bulma!" the young tech exclaimed. The tech, a young and promising engineer named Lucas, was smiling brightly as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "I was just coming to see you! He's stopped!"
Bulma's eyes widened. "Show me," she urged.
He turned and jogged back to his workstation with her following closely behind. They had dismissed the rest of the technicians to minimize the risk of anyone else being exposed to Vegeta's location, even with the 10 minute lag, so they were the only two there as they both peered at the monitors.
"He's been stopped for a minute here," Lucas said as he took a seat at his workstation.
"What is there?"
"A small warehouse with storage containers from the cameras that I could get into."
"Zoom out, I want to see the neighborhood," Bulma ordered. She leaned in closer as Lucas zoomed the map out, his fingers typing at an insane speed.
It's not far from Raditz' house, Bulma suddenly realized as she recognized the area. Without a word, she ran out of the lab to grab her body armor as she snatched the radio off her hip. Fortunately, with it being dark outside now, most of the police precinct was empty with everyone out on the streets patrolling and doing their work. She went over to the supply room and snatched up her body armor with one hand while she went on the intercom.
"Turtle, come in, it's Alpha!"
"Alpha, this is Turtle."
"Possible location on Viper who has stopped moving. 5 blocks north of you, 3 east, a warehouse with storage units. Remember, there is a 10 minute delay, so get there, NOW!" she ordered, then put down the radio to quickly tug her black police body armor down over her head.
Before she had even finished pulling down the armor, Krillin acknowledged her, "Roger that, on my way," he said through the radio as he sat up and turned his car on.
Meanwhile, Vegeta turned off his motorcycle and lowered the kickstand into the dirt. He easily dismounted the motorcycle, lifting the large military style duffel bag that had been across his back during the ride from South City. This was a backup location almost near the outskirts of West City, a place that had always been useful as a temporary holding ground while he had worked for Frieza. It was rather desolate, and at first glance from the outside, looked like a small rundown warehouse that no one would give a second glance. It was the perfect place to lay low.
Vegeta walked into the warehouse, flipping on the light switch. He had not been inside there in over a decade, and yet the dim and flickering lights still turned on overhead. The place looked like the scene of a horror movie with its dark shadows and cobwebs in the corners, and he saw a couple of rats scurry out when he opened the door. Nonetheless, he walked down the hallway, past large steel garage doors until he got to the end.
Squatting down, Vegeta grabbed the handle of the garage door. He stood and opened it, then walked into the small storage unit. It was just about the size of a one-car garage, which was more than enough. Dropping his bag down, he squatted down in front of it and unzipped it.
He then got dressed appropriately. Jeans were fine most times, but as he did not know if he would be dealing with explosives, he needed more tonight – just in case. Vegeta thus changed into tactical pants that gave him greater freedom of motion, storing some tools that would allow him to disarm an explosive if necessary. He put on his body armor over his bare chest, then his leather jacket over that. Picking up a sniper rifle, he made sure it was fully loaded, then put on a holster on his side with a loaded handgun.
The whole time he got ready, he was pondering the baffling image that had greeted him when he had ridden by the police precinct earlier. He had glanced over when he thought he heard his name, unprepared for the sight of the mob that had grown in front of the police station in support of him. Vegeta shook his head. He knew he was no hero, but he also understood the pain Frieza had been unleashing on West City for decades.
If he was the one to put a stop to it, then so be it. He would do it, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
Finally, Vegeta removed the earpiece that was linked to the listening bug in Bulma's apartment – he had gotten nothing out of it, and it was not wise to be distracted while he was working, especially if the package contained explosives. Vegeta then took his lucky blade, tucked it into his jacket, and closed the garage door back down, leaving the rest of his supplies there.
When he walked out of the warehouse, it was with his bike helmet back on, the black shield down. Vegeta scanned his surroundings, but it was night fall now and no one was nearby, just what appeared to be empty cars.
Vegeta mounted the motorcycle and turned it back on, securing his sniper rifle along the side of the motorcycle. He then pulled out of there, heading down the street in the direction of the diner. As soon as he drove past, Krillin sat up in the car where he'd been hiding, lifting his radio up.
"Got a visual on Viper, he's going east bound on Walnut Road, he's on a black motorcycle," Krillin radio'd to Bulma as he turned the car back on. He did a U-turn in the direction that Vegeta had gone, keeping his lights off for the time being. "I am trailing him now, Alpha."
"Roger that, be careful, Turtle," her voice came through. "Stay on him, but don't be suspicious. I have an ETA of 10 minutes."
"Roger that," Krillin said, then lowered his radio to the passenger seat. He could see Vegeta was almost half a mile ahead on the motorcycle. When Vegeta took a right turn, Krillin turned on his headlights and picked up the pace.
He followed Vegeta on a straight road for several minutes, then when Vegeta made a left turn, Krillin kept going straight. He knew West City, and went around a bend to meet the street where Vegeta had turned. Eventually, he had the motorcycle in his sights again, directly in front of him. He made sure to stay a couple blocks back. Krillin reached over to his radio.
"Alpha, this is Turtle, I'm on Main Street going northbound," he said into the radio as discreetly as he could.
"Roger that, my ETA is 3 minutes," Bulma responded. She was also in a nondescript car, and the last thing she wanted was to use the police lights and sirens, lest this turn into a high speed chase. They could not talk to Vegeta while on the road, so they just needed eyes on him until he stopped, at which point they could determine how best to approach him. "Don't lose sight of him," she ordered.
"I won't," Krillin responded, putting aside his radio again.
As soon as he did, he saw Vegeta release one of the handlebars and pull out his handgun from his holster, keeping control of the motorcycle with his free hand. Krillin had no time to react before Vegeta turned so he was looking back towards Krillin's car, extended his gun right in his direction, and fired two gunshots in rapid succession. Both of the front tires of Krillin's car immediately exploded, shredded by the well-aimed shots, causing sparks as the car skated on the rims. It all made the junior detective briefly lost control of the car.
"Shit!" Krillin hissed, struggling to regain control of the car as it turned and skidded, the rear finally slamming against a pole. When everything finally slowed down and Krillin looked back up, Vegeta was gone; Krillin may have known West City, but Vegeta had grown up owning the streets of West City, and it showed. Krillin slammed his hands against the steering wheel, yelling, "Damn it!" With a sigh, he snatched up his radio which had fallen to the floor in front of the passenger seat, and paged Bulma.
"Alpha, he figured out I was on his tail and took my car out of commission…I lost him."
Thirty minutes later, once he knew he wasn't being followed anymore, Vegeta was running up the stairs of a building he knew well. Finally, he emerged on the rooftop with his sniper rifle. He prompty pulled off the motorcycle helmet, taking a breath of fresh air. Some of his hair was clinging to his face from his sweat, but he was encouraged. Aside from that little tail from the amateur who had tried following him, everything thus far had gone smoothly. Now he just had to ensure it stayed that way.
Going to the edge of the building, Vegeta laid down with his rifle, settling the motorcycle helmet next to him within easy reach. He let out a deep breath and then opened the scope of the rifle, squeezing one eye shut as he took a look, his finger gently resting on the trigger. Half a mile away, he had visibility to the diner where he was set to meet Nappa in an hour. He could see who entered through the front, had clear sight lines into the seating area of the diner through the large glass windows, and he had visibility to see who came in through the back.
If Frieza wanted to use Nappa to set a trap for him, he was hoping to see it coming.
Later that night, after Bulma had picked up Krillin, they were together at the warehouse they had tracked Vegeta to initially. They had both tried doing a thorough canvassing of the area near where Vegeta took out Krillin's car, but with Vegeta on a motorcycle and having knowledge of damn near every single alleyway in West City, they had given up after about thirty minutes. Bulma had made the call to go back to where he had stopped and left the item that had allowed them to track their location.
They both entered the warehouse, clad in their black WCPD body armor. Bulma was leading while Krillin kept an eye behind them, both of them holding their loaded guns. Bulma flicked on the light, and her nose crinkled at the smell of the place. It smelled like it hadn't had fresh air in decades.
"And you're absolutely sure he came through here?"
"Yep, he definitely was coming out of here after I parked the car," Krillin affirmed.
"Alright then, let's check these units. Doesn't look like any of them are locked. You start on the left, I'll start on the right."
"You think he'll come back here?" Krillin asked, grabbing the handle and lifting up the first garage door, to find the storage unit empty.
"We'll wait here for the night to see, it's our best lead," Bulma answered, lifting the door of another unit opposite from Krillin. "I already have someone else tailing Raditz, just in case."
"Still can't believe I lost him," Krillin grumbled under his breath, just as Bulma's radio crackled to life.
"Alpha, this is Maverick, come in," John said over the radio. "I've got movement from Gym Rat. He's coming out of his hole."
Bulma immediately snatched up her radio. "Roger that, Maverick. Follow him at a distance, make sure you don't lose him. Keep tabs, and report back on where he goes and what he does. If he meets with Viper, do not engage, just let me know."
"Roger that, Alpha," John replied. He put down his radio, taking out his cell phone and proceeded to text his girlfriend right as Nappa started up his car. John kept his eyes down on his phone while Nappa drove past him without a second look. John watched him through the side mirror, and then started up his car.
Fortunately for John, Nappa did not have the extensive training Vegeta did on how to avoid being tailed, nor was he anywhere as familiar with the streets. The young officer was able to keep a safe distance, allowing other cars to get between them while keeping visibility the whole time, all the way until Nappa turned in and parked right in the lot of Kenny's Breakfast Diner. John kept driving, pulling into a gas station a couple of blocks away on the other side of the street. He parked towards the side, out of the way for anyone who actually wanted to use the gas station (and quite fortunately, outside the lines of sight of a certain sniper keeping watch). John then picked up his radio.
"Alpha, this is Maverick."
Bulma's voice immediately responded. "Maverick, what's your status?"
"Gym Rat has stopped at a diner. Looks like he wants some midnight cheese."
Bulma rolled her eyes, then resumed watching Krillin examine the contents of Vegeta's duffel bag in the last storage unit inside the warehouse. She eyed the earpiece he had abandoned and scowled. "Well keep an eye on things. Let us know if you see Viper meet him there."
John leaned forward, squinting at the diner, and then lifted his radio again. "Alpha, it doesn't seem like the diner is even open? The lights seem to be off…plus, it's a breakfast diner. Kenny's Breakfast Diner. Gym Rat seems to be heading around the back. He's holding a small package."
Something gnawed at Bulma's gut, as she turned back around to see the collection of weapons Vegeta had left behind inside his duffel bag. Her lips pursed in thought, her mind racing, before she decided to go with her gut instinct. She raised her radio again.
"Maverick, I want you to stay where you are, even if Gym Rat leaves. I will get someone over to your location, another officer who can tail him back home…but you stay right where you are, and you let me know right away if anything suspicious happens. Turtle and I are going to be doing our own surveillance."
"Roger that."
Meanwhile, half a mile away, Vegeta could see Nappa get out of his car and walk around the back of the diner. He followed Nappa with the scope of his sniper rifle, then scanned the area again to make sure no one was following him. Finally, he pulled out his cell phone. Dialing Nappa's number with one hand, he brought the phone up to his ear, his other hand never leaving the trigger as he kept a close watch on the situation.
Nappa found that the backdoor of the diner was indeed unlocked like Vegeta had said it would be. He entered through the back of the diner, into the kitchen area, when his phone rang. Pulling out his phone, he saw that it was Vegeta calling through the encrypted app he insisted everyone who wanted to talk to him use.
"Hey, I just got here," Nappa greeted after answering the call. "Where are you?"
"I'm close," Vegeta replied nonchalantly, scanning the area critically with his rifle, looking for anything suspicious. "You absolutely sure you weren't followed?"
"Positive."
Vegeta grunted. "Alright…I want you to go to the front of the diner, to the counter by the bar stools. Leave the package there, and then go home," Vegeta ordered. "Got it?"
Nappa frowned even as he moved to out of the kitchen area, into the seated area for the customers. Vegeta immediately began tracking him through the glass windows. "You sure? I don't mind waiting for you."
"I don't know what's in the package, Nappa. It's safer this way, so just do what I say."
"Alright, Vegeta," Nappa agreed. Though he was the older of the two, Vegeta was more seasoned in many things in life, and so Nappa trusted him. He placed the package on the counter in front of a stretch of bar stools.
"Perfect. You go home now," Vegeta ordered, eyebrows drawn together as he kept his focus through the scope of the rifle.
"Hey, Vegeta?" Nappa said, as he moved his way through the kitchen, towards the back exit.
"Hn?"
"I saw the news…I just want you to know that…I get it. If you ever need anything, let me know."
Vegeta's nose twitched. "You've helped me enough," he gruffly said. "Now I just need you to get out of there."
"Alright, just be careful."
"…thanks, Nappa," Vegeta muttered, before hanging up.
He kept his position on the rooftop, long after Nappa had left. An hour passed, and then two, and still, Vegeta did not move. He continued his surveillance with the patience born from doing this for thousands of hours in special ops. He could wait all night for a kill shot if necessary, but unfortunately, the breakfast diner opened at 6am. He knew from experience that the employees would begin arriving in a couple hours to prepare for the day.
Finally, at 2:30am, with confirmation that Nappa had safely arrived back home, and not seeing any motion near the diner for hours, Vegeta decided it was now or never.
Ten minutes later, Vegeta had parked his motorcycle a few blocks down an alley behind the diner. He kept the helmet on as he slung his rifle behind him, staying in the shadows and out of the alley lights as he silently made his way to the back of the diner. He was unaware of the police officer a few blocks away at the gas station, but John was equally unaware of him, having no visibility to the back where Vegeta was approaching. John was scrolling through his social media, only occasionally taking a glance up at the diner, which he could see from the front through the glass windows.
Vegeta approached the back entrance that led to the kitchen, expertly shifting his rifle from being slung across his back, to being in his hands. He pulled the door open, stepping in and immediately sweeping the kitchen with his rifle as he strained his hearing. He instantly shifted his gun so it was aimed at the glass panel that showed the seating area, a design that allowed customers to see the kitchen as their food was being prepared, and one that gave Vegeta excellent visibility.
After he cleared the whole diner, to include checking the bathrooms, Vegeta stepped back into the dining area. He moved his rifle so it was across his back again, and finally focused his attention on the box Nappa had left on the counter.
His skin crawled at the familiar, elegant writing of his name on top of the box. He gently picked up the package, which was just big enough to fit a football. He raised an eyebrow; it was very light. Scowling, he lowered the box, and as gently as he could, began to open it.
Vegeta's brow furrowed when he finally opened the box. Inside was some kind of device that had a blinking red light. As carefully as he could, he gently picked it up and examined it closer, looking for details that would indicate it was an explosive. Confused, he turned it over in his hand – there was no timing device, no detonation trigger, nothing that could explode at all.
It only took him a couple of seconds before he suddenly froze, realizing exactly what it was.
A GPS tracker.
"And here we were thinking you were going to stand us up, Vegeta," a familiar voice said with amusement.
Vegeta immediately dropped the device and spun around, automatically bringing his rifle in front of him. He cursed under his breath; Jeice came around on his left, Burter on his right, both of them with guns aimed right at him. Standing in the doorway leading back to the kitchens was Recoome, also pointing a handgun at him. Despite the lights being off, Vegeta could recognize the grin on Recoome's face, and he grit his teeth in response.
"We're gonna make this real easy for ya, mate," Jeice chuckled from Vegeta's left, drawing his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Frieza wants ya alive, so put down your gun and come with us. No need for things to get ugly."
"Yeah, Vegeta, you've done well but the game is over now," Burter added with a smirk. Vegeta's gaze continuously shifted between the three of them as he assessed his situation; his back was right against the counter, and Jeice and Burter had good angles from both sides, though not within reach. Recoome was the closest, just a couple feet in front of him.
"It is over," Vegeta snarled. "For all of you. I'm going to kill the three of you bastards, right here, right now."
"Come now, Vegeta. It's not worth dying for, is it?" Recoome asked, before his grin grew wide and sinister. "No need for me to gun you down, like what happened to your kid brother." He laughed at the sheer rage that darkened Vegeta's whole face. "Yeah, I didn't pull the trigger, but I was there – that punk kid died like a coward –"
Vegeta instantly shifted his rifle to the right and fired, killing Burter immediately with a headshot before Recoome and Jeice could react. As soon as they realized he had made the first move, Vegeta had already half-leapt, half-slid over the counter and dropped down behind the barstools while Jeice and Recoome both backed up and began unloading a barrage of bullets in his direction. The wood of the counter began to explode as Vegeta quickly moved to the left in Jeice's direction, crouched for cover. When he heard the gunshots briefly end as they both went for reloads, Vegeta immediately stood straight and fired two shots at Jeice, hitting him once in the chest, then again between the eyes, dropping him immediately. Vegeta instantly ducked down again, sitting with his back to the counter as Recoome began blasting shots in his direction again.
Outside at the gas station, John instantly sat up, snatching up his radio and nearly fumbling it. "Alpha, I have shots fired, repeat, I have shots fired!" he practically yelled into his radio, his hand shaking.
Bulma and Krillin were both in her car, parked almost out of sight from the warehouse, just far enough that they could see. They both straightened when they heard John's panicked voice.
Bulma instantly snatched up the radio, "Where?" she demanded.
"The diner!" John yelled, seeing the flashes from the gunshots going off inside the dark diner. "Should I engage?"
"Negative, do not engage!" Bulma growled, turning on the car. She practically spun the car out as she whipped it around, taking off at high speed towards the diner. "We're on our way!"
Meanwhile, Vegeta and Recoome were alternating shooting at each other and ducking behind cover. Abruptly in the middle of the gunfight, Vegeta's rifle jammed, prompting him to immediately duck back down as he sat low against one end of the diner counter while Recoome was on the other side. Vegeta cursed, expertly working to unjam the rifle in the dark as fast as he could, when he heard Recoome suddenly charging around the counter towards him.
Vegeta ditched his rifle at the last second, pulling out his handgun as he rapidly got up while turning around. Recoome was right in his face before he could get a shot off, seizing the hand holding the gun as he kicked Vegeta as hard as he could in the chest. Vegeta went flying backwards, dropping the gun but recovering into a back roll. He then charged forward straight at Recoome.
They exchanged blows for several tense moments, each blocking every punch and kick from the other, as Vegeta tried to keep some distance between the blows – he was the more skilled fighter, but Recoome dwarfed him in size and raw strength. Try as he might, his tactics were overwhelmed by his rage and Vegeta made the first mistake, getting an inch too close while aiming for a punch to the ribs.
Recoome instantly made him pay. He blocked the punch with one hand, grabbed the back of Vegeta's head with the other, then rammed Vegeta face-first into the side of the counter with all his strength. Dazed, Vegeta fell to his knees, and it was the opening Recoome needed as he grabbed Vegeta by the hair and forced him to stand and face him.
With his back to the counter, Vegeta had no space and no time to avoid the brutal punches that Recoome's fists were landing on his face. He tried to block the blows, but his ears were ringing, the taste of blood thick in his mouth and throat. His eyes briefly rolled back before Recoome punched him one last time in the face as hard as he could, sending him crashing straight to the floor where he fell in a heap.
"Like old times, eh, Vegeta?" Recoome laughed as Vegeta struggled mightily to get back up to his hands and knees. He shook his head rapidly, trying to focus, as Recoome circled him like prey. "I guess the beatings I used to dish out to you when you were a kid weren't enough, huh? Gotta always come back for more, right? You always were stubborn."
Vegeta reached inside his jacket as soon as Recoome came to stand in front of him. When Recoome grabbed him to lift him, with one swift motion, Vegeta got back up to his feet while violently burying his lucky blade to the hilt in Recoome's stomach. Recoome gasped and doubled over as Vegeta snarled and rammed the knife in harder.
When Vegeta looked up though, to his shock, Recoome's face was not that of a stabbed man – it was the face of an absolutely enraged man. Recoome instantly seized him, wrapping both of his large hands tightly around Vegeta's throat before headbutting him so hard that Vegeta briefly blacked out. He could do nothing as Recoome then reared up and with a strong whirl, violently launched him straight through the glass panel and back into the kitchen.
Vegeta crashed hard and fast through the glass and took a table down with him on his way to the floor, creating a simultaneous explosion of glass, pots, pans, and cooking utensils as his world spun until he landed roughly on the floor of the kitchen. The shards of glass crunched around him as he slowly rolled on his back, breathing heavily as he forced himself to keep moving. By the time Recoome came back into the kitchen, he was just barely getting back to his hands and knees.
"Alright," Recoome panted, pulling the knife out of his stomach with a wince, dropping the blade. He reached behind him, grabbing another handgun as Vegeta staggered back up to his feet, turning around to face him. Blinking the blood out of his eyes, Vegeta cracked his neck, then spit out a mouthful of blood. He growled as he shifted into his fight stance, raising his fists, his adrenaline surging. Recoome snapped, "Enough of this. You're d-"
He was unprepared for the ferocity of Vegeta's attack, not thinking he had enough energy left for it. Recoome yelled out in pain when Vegeta used his speed to duck inside a punch and land a rough kick straight to the stab wound in his stomach. Recoome doubled over and Vegeta hit him with two fast and hard punches, dropping him to his knees. His eyes instantly went to the dropped gun, and before Recoome realized what was even happening, Vegeta had the gun pressed right against his head.
"You're the one that's going to die like a coward, you fucking son of a bitch," Vegeta seethed, pressing the gun hard against Recoome's skull. "Who gunned down my brother? Huh? ANSWER ME!"
"Vegeta," Recoome gasped, looking down to where his hands were holding the wound in his stomach. Now that his adrenaline was passing, the pain was intense. Both of his hands were smeared with blood. "We can…" he gasped again. "We can work something out-"
Vegeta shifted the gun and shot him in the stomach, making Recoome scream. Vegeta quickly snatched up his blade, putting it back in his jacket. He eyed the man writhing in pain on his knees with growing rage, before he put the gun back painfully hard against Recoome's skull.
"ANSWER ME, I SAID!" he screamed.
"It was Ginyu," Recoome wheezed, before smirking through his pain. He even managed a laugh, despite the blood he was losing. "He voluntee-"
"WEST CITY POLICE!" Bulma yelled as she and Krillin ran in through the front door, their guns drawn. "EVERYBODY FREEZE!"
Ignoring her, Vegeta pulled the trigger before she finished the word 'freeze', the gunshot echoing. Recoome crumpled in a lifeless heap as Vegeta instinctively raised the gun and pointed it out towards the entrance of the diner, through where the glass panel once was. He aimed it at the lead detective, with Bulma and Krillin both immediately aiming their guns back at him.
Bulma's heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she wondered of Krillin could hear it. It was dark in the diner, but not so much that one could not see. She could see the blood on Vegeta's face which looked almost black in the dark. Coupled with the intense fury on his face as he aimed his gun right at her, she realized how terrifying he could really be. She was seeing the vigilante for the first time.
They stood in a tense stand off for several long moments, no one moving. The only sound was Vegeta breathing roughly through his nose.
"Vegeta," Bulma finally said again, her voice strong and yet calm. "Put the gun down."
"Says the cop with the fucking gun aimed at me," Vegeta snarled, ignoring the pain he was in physically, along with the pain he felt that she was seeing him this way. He was exposed now – she was seeing who he really was, and it hurt him worse than anything Recoome had put him through.
Bulma swallowed, licking her lips a little. "Okay. I'm going to slowly put my gun away, okay?"
"Bulma," Krillin hissed, keeping his gun aimed at Vegeta.
"It's okay, Krillin," she said, hoping she had gambled right as she slowly pulled her gun back. Vegeta watched, unmoving, as she put it back in her holster on her hip. "There. See? Can you lower your gun too, Vegeta?" she asked, extending a hand in front of her in a calming gesture. "Can we talk about-"
"We have nothing to talk about. I'm not letting you arrest me, Bulma," Vegeta growled. Despite the harshness of his voice, and the fact that he was still pointing a loaded gun at her, she could have sworn she saw a hint of anguish cross his face briefly.
"I'm not going to arrest you," Bulma replied with so much conviction that confusion fell over his face in response. "It's just me and my junior detective here, and my rookie watching the back. No one else is coming. I want to help you."
"You can't."
"I can, if you let me." She took a tentative step closer, hope surging through her and pushing her forward.
Vegeta then broke eye contact, looking just past Bulma at the man who was sneaking up on the detectives from behind, the rage rushing back over his face.
She had no time to react before Vegeta shifted his aim the slightest amount and fired, making Bulma drop down out of instincts from the gunfire near her. Mistaking the gunshot from Vegeta and Bulma's reaction as Vegeta shooting Bulma, Krillin immediately returned fire. Vegeta tried to get out of the way, but he was hit once in the chest and once in the shoulder by Krillin's gunfire, the force making him spin and fall instantly – the vest had protected him from the chest shot, but his shoulder had no such protection.
Bulma glanced behind her and saw one of Frieza's men dead behind her, a smaller man she recognized as one of his higher ups named Guldo, a gun lying near him. Vegeta had killed him instantly with remarkable aim; if he had been off by an inch, he would have wounded her instead.
"KRILLIN, CEASE FIRE!" she yelled at her junior detective who was hiding behind some tables and chairs. No sooner had she said that, than Vegeta launched a flash grenade from the kitchen into the dining room. It went off as Bulma and Krillin both got on the ground, covering their heads.
While they were reeling, Vegeta was staggering outside through the back, clutching his now bleeding shoulder with his hand holding Recoome's gun. He was grinding his teeth in pain, both from the gunshot wound in his shoulder and from the brutal fight. He wasn't sure if he could ride the motorcycle, but he was game to try.
Before he could get that far though, he realized there was a car already parked in the back. John practically fell out of the car, before nervously pulling out his gun, nearly dropping it in the process as he finally aimed it at Vegeta who briefly paused.
"You – stay where you are!" John yelled, making Vegeta glare at him. Vegeta then put Recoome's gun in his holster, before advancing on John, making the young officer back up. John's gun was shaking in his hand while he stuttered, "I – I'm warning you! I'm – I'm a police officer and – and –"
Vegeta snatched the gun right out of John's hand in a flash, making the young officer stumble back and fall sitting down, eyes wide in fear as he stared up at the vigilante. He was absolutely terrifying in the flesh.
"Get the fuck out of my face, kid," Vegeta snarled. Without another word or look at the young officer, he then got into John's car, slamming the door shut. John swallowed, but could only stare as Vegeta spun his car around roughly, before taking off out of the parking lot, right as Bulma and Krillin ran outside.
"What happened?" Bulma demanded, looking towards the direction where she could hear the car tearing down the streets. Her gaze immediately settled on John as she ran up to him, kneeling in front of him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine…Vegeta stole my car," John grumbled. The only thing that had been injured was his ego.
Bulma stood up, looking over at Krillin. "You stay here and call this in. We've got four bodies here that need to be dealt with."
"What about you?" Krillin pressed, but Bulma was already running back around the diner towards her car.
"I'm going after him!"
Vegeta staggered into the warehouse a short while later, flicking on the dim lights. He hung by the doorframe, fighting the urge to collapse where he stood. Between the rough beating Recoome had dished out, and his shoulder burning from being shot, he was in incredible pain now that his adrenaline had passed. Borderline panting, he forced himself to trudge ahead towards the rear storage unit, favoring his left shoulder. It wasn't his first time being shot, but it sure as hell never got easier.
He finally made it to the back unit, nearly collapsing next to his duffle bag. Shaking now, he forced himself to sit up as he leaned back against the wall. He grit his teeth hard, exhaling through his nose as he gingerly removed his leather jacket. He then undid the straps of his body armor and tossed it aside so he could finally examine the bullet wound in his shoulder. His shoulder was soaked in blood, a good amount trickling down his bare chest and his arm over his dragon sleeve tattoo. Vegeta swallowed hard when he realized the bullet had gone clean through. All things considered, he knew he'd been lucky – it looked outside enough that the bone had been spared. The artery certainly had been, for he would have bled out otherwise.
Pulling the duffel bag over with his good hand, Vegeta dug through for the medical kit he kept…of which, the first thing he pulled out was a bottle of vodka.
Vegeta took a few deep chugs of the alcohol, then poured the rest on his shoulder. He hissed in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. His whole body was covered in sweat, but the hard part was yet to come. He retrieved his lucky knife and a lighter to heat up the blade, so he could cauterize the entry and exit wounds.
When Bulma pulled up to the warehouse, she thought she heard someone yelling in pain. It was gone though by the time she got out of the car, but she moved quickly anyway, past John's car and into the warehouse.
She had her gun extended in front of her, gripped with both hands as she moved against the wall, the rubber beneath her boots on the concrete ground letting her move silently. She strained her own hearing, knowing that Vegeta must have been here. There was blood following the path he'd walked, which she eyed with concern.
"Vegeta?" she finally called out as she came closer. She got no response, and her concern grew. She kept her gun in front of her, for she did not know if she would stumble on him or on one of Frieza's men. "Vegeta, if you can hear me, say something," she urged, her features tightening with concern; she knew Krillin had shot him twice, and it suddenly occurred to her that he might not have been wearing body armor. "Vegeta!" she called out with more force.
"Come to shoot me again and finish the job, woman?" his rough voice growled.
Bulma finally came into his storage unit, both of them eyeing the other. She winced a little at the sight of him – he had looked like an unstoppable force of bloody vengeance when she and Krillin had first come into the diner. Now, Vegeta looked like a broken mess. He was sitting up against the wall, pale and soaked in sweat. There was substantial blood on his face, remnants of the beating Recoome had given him, one of his eyes already swelling and his lip ripped open. His bare chest and left arm were smeared with his blood, the gunshot wound cauterized and angry on his shoulder. He was breathing roughly, his dark eyes simmering with a mixture of pain and raw emotion.
And then there was his right arm, extended and aiming a gun right at her.
"I'm not here to hurt you," Bulma gently told him, unable to hide her concern over how awful he looked. To prove her point, she lowered her gun and finally holstered it. "Krillin thought you'd shot me and reacted, don't blame him too much."
"Tch."
"Vegeta," she breathed, scanning him over again in concern. At least he had stopped the bleeding from the gunshot, but it was a small consolation. She took a step back towards him, but he snarled.
"Stay where you fucking are, Bulma. I mean it," he warned.
She raised a curious eyebrow. "You're going to shoot me after everything?"
He scoffed bitterly. "You put my face and my story out there. Now you want to pretend you want to help me?"
"I'm not pretending…we had to play things by standard protocol, because I didn't want Frieza to realize that our goal was to offer you a deal."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "A deal?"
"I want to help you. If you agree to work with us…then we can take Frieza down together, Vegeta. And you may only need to serve a little time, hell, maybe no time at all," Bulma tried to rationally explain, as much as one could rationally explain to a wounded man who was aiming a gun at her head. She had her hands in front of her as though trying to keep him calm as she inched her way closer to him.
"The police have rats that work for Frieza," he sneered. "It's more dangerous for me to go with you."
"No one knows that we're doing this except me, my junior detective, my police chief, and the district attorney. If you agree to come with me, right here, right now, and work with me, then as far as the police and the public are concerned, you are still on the loose. I can keep you safe, and help you bring him down."
His mouth felt dry, his voice less forceful when he quietly asked, "Why? Why are you bothering?"
"I believe in justice, and I believe you deserve some too, Vegeta…so does your mother," she quietly responded, inching even closer. "So does your brother."
"Don't," he ground out. The anguish was crossing his face again as the hand holding the gun shook the slightest bit. "I need to do this…you…you can't help me."
"I can, I promise you that I can," Bulma gently said, slowly squatting down in front of him. She briefly eyed the gun he was still aiming at her, before her blue eyes shifted to his gunshot wound. It looked awful, but at least it wasn't bleeding anymore. His dark eyes were intense when she caught his gaze again, as he stared at her with unhindered emotion.
"Bulma…"
"You can trust me," she assured him, putting a hand over the gun in his hand. She met no resistance when she gently lowered it until it was at his side. He lowered his head to his chest, closing his eyes. "Vegeta, please, let me help you," she pleaded, her blue eyes scrutinizing him with concern and hope.
"I don't want you in this," Vegeta muttered, feeling like she was robbing his remaining strength when she reached out to gently touch his face. The touch, after everything, moved him until his eyes were burning with tears when he opened them again to look back at her. Bulma not only knew he was the vigilante, she had seen him completely in his most violent element, and yet despite what he had assumed, she didn't hate him. He hadn't lost everything…he still had something good.
"I am already in this, Vegeta."
"Bulma," he rasped, swallowing hard. There was raw agony in his voice as he continued, "If Frieza finds out, it's not me I'm worried about. He'll come for you. I can't…I can't risk it…I can't lose you too," he admitted, voice breaking.
Her heart surged as she finally realized that his feelings had been real along, and that her misgivings had been false. There was no denying the emotion in his eyes towards her as he stared at her like she was his lifeline that could save him from drowning in the madness of his vigilante violence. Overwhelmed by the realization, her body moved of its own accord as Bulma leaned in and kissed him. She gently moved both hands to cradle his face, uncaring of his blood. Vegeta grunted, parting his lips, finally dropping his gun in favor of working his tongue into her mouth, as though the taste of her kiss was strong enough to get rid of the grief and raging pain that had been burning him alive since Tarble's death.
And for the moment, it was.
When she pulled away, she did with a whisper against his lips.
"You never will."
