I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 15: Machines of Destruction
Verto blazed through the night sky as a Super Saiyan, flying very quickly as he disturbed trees, mountains and oceans alike. He wasn't sure exactly how long he had been gone, but considering he could see dawn on the eastern horizon, it was a good indicator even if time zones were not in play. He had passed directly over Satan City in the dark, in which he did note a sleepy presence of Gohan noticing him back. Random people out on the streets also took note but there wasn't anything of importance occurring, not that he had the time to stop for it. Because of the urgent flight, it seemed to take forever to get back, enough to make him think he should've gone the other way. Kibito had dumped him off exactly on the other side of the world near East City, so it wouldn't have mattered which way back he went even through the air. He finally crossed a narrow portion of the sea before hitting a plateau and a vast desert beyond it. He sighed slightly as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
That wore me out more than I thought it would, must've been the teleportation training. I don't think I can rely on Instant Transmission until I train with it some more. I don't know if I can even lock on to anyone that isn't at least a little strong at range. Short range I can probably do. He approached the center village where he had been, and immediately felt a big drop in temperature. His eyes narrowed as he saw the ground was much, much lighter in color than before.
Is that snow? Why in the hell would it be snowing here? It shouldn't even be snowing in these mountains. He landed very near some of the remaining villagers, all of which were huddled together trying to stay warm.
"Verto, you're back my friend," Nam announced.
"Yeah…what happened?" Verto asked as his hair faded to black. He noted how few villagers there were, which was more concerning.
Nam was saddened, "Many of our people were convinced by the incredible evidence those people provided and they went with them. The detective also chased after them. He left this behind." Nam handed Verto the scanner and the earpiece that Sonny had, to which Verto promptly pressed the earpiece already in his ear and pressed the button, making it light up blue.
"Kain, report," Verto ordered as he opened the back of the scanner and replaced the other earpiece that Sonny had worn.
"Welcome back sir. The village chieftain is correct, approximately seventy percent of the nearby villagers departed with the MAX agents. Doctor Wheelo's avatar was among them, as was Director Schultz and the priest you have spoken of. The Detective followed them," Kain reported.
Verto grimaced, "I see. Where are the other villagers, there's only a few here?"
"They dispersed back to their encampments around the desert, but with this cold and snow I do not expect they will survive long without provisions," Kain said.
"Speaking of which, how is it snowing? They just had a freak tornado yesterday and then it was hot. I know the desert can cool down at night but not like this at this latitude," Verto claimed. Nam watched in wonder as Verto was getting the details, slightly unsure what to do, before turning back to his people.
"Based on what I have recorded, I believe Doctor Wheelo and Kochin have implanted devices in this area that are meant to release energy at differing frequencies to control the weather. I have detected tornadic storms, heavy rains and blizzards all around the valley in the last several hours after they departed," Kain said.
Verto was slightly horrified, "They can do that? Can we find destroy the device?"
Kain was quick to correct him, "Devices. In this case, I do not believe we can isolate and safely destroy one as they are likely very well concealed in the rock bed. While I doubt there are any more than a dozen devices based on the amount of resources it would take to create one, I cannot guarantee that estimate. But I am detecting an anomaly with the energy readings ten kilometers to the south east and spanning fifty square kilometers. Recommend we investigate."
Verto frowned, "I feel like we should rescue Sonny first."
"I have kept a lock on the Detective's life signs, they have not faded. While I am still unsure of the power of these strange devices, there may be something very dangerous about them we have not witnessed yet," Kain warned.
Verto snorted, "Aside from the fact that they can control the weather. Okay, we'll check it out really quick, but not for long."
Verto quickly blasted off and flew towards the area Kain had mentioned, not bothering to slow down despite the wind chill. The snow and winds picked up dramatically, causing him to wince slightly. This only lasted for a moment before he powered back up to Super Saiyan to help shield against the cold.
"We are approaching," Kain said. The blinding snow suddenly cleared, and the air temperature shot up like Verto had just flown into a giant oven.
"Whoa, talk about flying right out of a storm," Verto muttered as he looked around. Below, he saw no snow and the ground shimmered slightly in the Super Saiyan light he was creating. He descended and landed, immediately noting that it was not sand he was standing on.
"Glass?" Verto asked. He reached down to touch it, noting how hot it was. Had he not been transformed, it likely would have burned him.
"Is there something under this Kain?" Verto asked as he starred across a mostly dark glass horizon.
"There likely is one of the devices here, but I cannot detect its exact location. This glass was created from overeating the sand in the last hour. Anything that was on top of it would not have survived," Kain declared.
Verto's eyes widened, "Were there any people here?"
Kain paused, "Unconfirmed."
"Can you pinpoint the exact center of this?" Verto asked.
"Yes sir, fly in the direction you are facing." Verto did so, a little slower this time and at Kain's attention, landed in what was the center. There were charred remains of village huts, campfires and even a few bodies that were obviously burned alive.
Verto stifled his anger, "Is this it?"
"Yes sir."
"Good."
Verto dropped to the ground and smashed his glowing fist into the hot glass as hard as he could. The result was immediate as the ground and area around them shattered almost instantly, creating a combination of flying glass and glass dust that spread outward. In the crater that formed, there was a machine-like device buried in what used to be the ground, but now exposed. It was dark and not making any sounds. To Verto, it looked like a large generator, but there were no power cables protruding from it.
"I am certain that this is one of the devices. I believe it overloaded and the result was the glassing over of the desert above," Kain said.
"Well, your estimates haven't exactly been wrong yet. Can you calculate how many of these devices would be needed to cover this entire desert?"
Kain already had an answer, "No less than twenty, based on the topography of the lands. This does not consider the surrounding mountains nor any other lands further away."
"Kain, do you think we could get lucky enough to find all of these before the morning?"
"No sir, finding this one was only because it had overloaded and destroyed the area. I believe this also will be the result in forcibly destroying it. Based on my scans, they are controlled remotely and must be deactivated as such."
"Damnit." Verto blasted back off and flew back through the snow to Nam and the others.
"What is your plan sir?" Kain asked.
"If they can control those machines, then this entire place is a ticking bomb. That's why they were recruiting the way they did. They'd convince people to join them by controlling this crazy weather. Any that didn't would suffer for it. If they pulled as many people in last night as you say, then they're probably going to glass everything now. I doubt they even try for the stragglers. We have to evacuate them," Verto said.
"Understood sir. Shall I alert Miss Bulma for you?" Kain asked.
"Yes, but she's not who I need at the moment, nor is it Vegeta," Verto said.
"I do have something to add sir, I do not know if they are planning to transform all of these villagers into cyborgs or not. The priest may actually be trying to summon something that is not from this world and there is a possibility that they require sacrifices, but that is beyond my ability to fully understand. Director Schultz had strange readings about him, they were not cybernetic," Kain added. Verto scowled as he dropped down but did not answer. He landed a little harder this time and scattered the snow in the process. Nam and Uub's parents came shivering out of the hut, covered in ragged cloaks that had no chance of keeping them warm. Verto expanded his energy to cover the hut and heat the air, which warmed them.
"Thank you, but don't worry about us. Our people need your help more," Nam said.
Verto pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, "I know. But this area isn't safe. This crazy weather is artificial. It's very real, and the same device creating it could kill all of you any time now." Nam and the others were quite concerned at this, but Niboo and Niobe had other concerns.
"Please just go save Uub, they took him!" Niobe urged. Verto's eyes widened, as he had forgotten about the toddler. He attempted to pinpoint Uub's presence around the mountain but was unable to. He dialed a number on his phone, and it was answered a moment later.
"This had better be good!" the angry woman on the other side growled.
"Sorry Videl, wake Gohan. I need him," Verto said.
The phone was handed over after a brief tussle of grumbling, "Verto? What's wrong?"
"I need you, and Goku, to get here now. If he can't figure out where, tell him its where he's been visiting a child lately," Verto said vaguely.
Gohan fumbled the phone as he likely was rubbing sleep from his eyes, "I don't sense much of anything strong around you, just you. What's going on? Why would you need both me and dad?"
Verto sighed, "Because I think the relative peace this that we've had is about to end."
Sonny Satsu had quickly followed the crowd at a fast pace and caught up with them completely before they arrived at the base of the mountain and congregated there. Behind him, he took note of some very bad weather forming where the central gathering had been. He knew he probably should have stayed behind until Verto had returned, but the appearance of Schultz and the kidnapping of Uub had completely derailed that. He knew he also probably couldn't rescue the child on his own, thus why he had left Kain with Nam as he knew Verto could track him down later. At this point he still had most of his disguise on, though some of the facial art was beginning to sweat off. Once he did catch up, he played along with the large group of people being led to the mountain. Once reaching the mountain side though, Sonny could tell there was no obvious trail leading to the top. Ahead of him, he noticed the priest was facing the crowd but waiting patiently.
"Attention, if you all could come slightly closer, I shall transport us to the top," Soren announced. Sonny remained near the edge of the mass of people, but complied, and Soren's hands raised. As he expected, there was a bright flash of light, and they were suddenly standing amongst numerous tents and vehicles.
Sure is a handy piece of magic that guy has, Sonny thought to himself as he dared inch closer. Nearly everyone else was shocked in amazement, having not experienced what Sonny had before. The MAX uniformed soldiers then began passing out vials of pink fluid to everyone but telling them not to drink it yet. Sonny did not feel comfortable being handed the vial, but for blending purposes he did take it, knowing what it would likely do. He also slipped slightly closer to the middle of the crowd where he knew Soren, Wheelo and Schultz were, though they noticeably made their way to a small elevated stage so they could be seen by all. This process took several minutes while the people around him were chatting amongst themselves, some with excitement and some with concern. On the stage, were a few more MAX soldiers that were handling Uub, who had been crying virtually non-stop since they had taken him. Sonny felt compelled to help the child but knew he would be in a fix and severely outnumbered if he tried anything. Once he got within a few rows of people, he cautiously stopped as another MAX agent was setting up a microphone for Soren.
"Ahem, thank you, wonderful people for choosing life and joining us here tonight. Lord Torev smiles upon you for choosing to join his forces and willing to hear his word. I must tell you now that this leap of faith requires time and sacrifice on your part, do not take it lightly. To receive the gift of Torev, you must drink the vial of divine liquid we have given each of you. If he finds you acceptable to his cause, you will wake up a brand-new soldier of his cause, blessed with long life, health, increased strength and agility like you've never had before. If he finds you are not worthy, you will wake up nonetheless without these gifts. However, fear not, no one will be left behind in our cause, not everyone is cut out to be a soldier after all. Are there any questions?" Sonny felt more than compelled to step forward but resisted that urge. A few brave souls near the front chose to speak instead.
"How do we know for sure you are telling us the truth?"
"Yeah, this could be a giant trap!"
Soren smiled and gestured to a white robed girl that nervously walked up onto the stage. She couldn't have been more than ten years old by Sonny's guess. Sonny could clearly see that this girl was not well and was struggling to stay on her feet. She looked very frail and thin, like she had cancer at her young age.
Soren touched her shoulder gently before speaking, "Clara here will show you. She came to us very sick and given less than a year to live from a terrible condition. She came to us from another land and has been waiting for the day she was strong enough to withstand the gift. With enough of Director Schultz's medical treatments, she is finally able to do so. Here Clara, drink this dear, it will help." The girl down the vial's contents without even thinking about it.
"Tastes like berries!" she exclaimed. After about ten seconds, she fainted in Soren's arms and he carefully put her down lying flat.
"Now then, I will send her to Torev for his judgement as I will the rest of you," Soren declared as his palm glowed red. A glowing red hole opened up around Clara and she simply fell away into nothingness, as if she were a spirit that went through the death stage and simply faded away. Gasps and whispers filled the area, wondering where she had gone.
Wheelo stepped up to the mic, "Patience everyone, we will know in about one minute."
It was the longest minute Sonny had ever experienced, watching where the girl had been and simultaneously watching Soren and Wheelo suspiciously. Schultz was noticeably quiet and had yet to say anything, aside from a brief rummaging inside his robe. When the time was up, Soren's hands glowed again, and another hole in what Sonny could only guess was another dimension appeared, gently dropping Clara right back where she was. She looked no different than before, aside from slightly wet hair like she had been sweating heavily. After a very brief moment, she suddenly took in a sharp breath and gasped as she rose up, like she had been out of oxygen for an extended period of time. She panted slightly as she looked at her hands and body, unsure of what had just happened.
"Stand child, how do you feel?" Soren asked.
Clara got to her feet, "I feel…different." Out of nowhere she jumped off the stage, soaring dozens of feet into the air and over the crowd to a nearby vehicle. The huge jump for someone who looked so weak was an impressive display. She then felt the need to reach out and touch the truck as if to stabilize herself, and when she squeezed, a large piece of the fender broke off easily, as if she were ripping tinfoil. Sonny's eyes widened at the realization, as did the entire crowd aside from those who expected it. Clara no longer looked like a cancer patient about to kick the bucket too young. She looked full of life, quite powerful, and ready for anything.
She quickly trotted back to Soren on the stage, "I saw someone, in my dreams. Was I asleep for long?"
Soren patted her head, "Not long child, only a little bit. What did you see?"
"I saw a being of light, well at first he was really dark like a shadow but then he turned into a light. He said he was proud of me for being brave and coming to him. He made the bad thing inside me go away and told me I would be stronger than anyone in the world when I grow up and be able to do great things! He also said he was willing to help everyone here. That they wouldn't get sick or old or anything!" Clara said with nervous excitement. Low hushes filled the area again, and within all the whispers, Sonny could tell that there weren't many other objections.
"That is wonderful to hear, Clara, go with your parents and they'll get you some clothes to wear," Soren said as he pointed to two MAX soldiers who were delighted to receive her. Sonny could only guess that they were the parents as they embraced Clara with as much love as anyone could give. In the back of his mind, Sonny could relate a little to the positive effects of what just happened and wanted to know more. At the same time, he smelled a rat. Considering what just happened, either she faked the entire thing and was brainwashed by that magician, or it is very real and very, very dangerous, Sonny thought to himself.
"Would anyone else like to speak?" Soren offered. There was no answer among the hundreds present, many of them looked eager.
"Then, I ask you all to drink the Gift of Torev you all have in your hands. When you wake again, you will experience true joy and love from the god of gods!" The people promptly downed each and every vial and Sonny nervously put his thumb over the vial and pretended to drink before letting the fluid splash harmlessly to the ground. No one appeared to notice as they were all commenting on how it tasted to each other. Within seconds though, they all began to collapse onto each other into a deep sleep. Realizing what he had to do, Sonny followed suit but was careful to make sure he was on top of the pile as he faked slumber. Fortunately, his painted face disguise allowed him to appear asleep with one eye open, as long as he didn't make sudden movements.
Once everyone was down, Soren glanced at Wheelo and Schultz in their robes, "Quite a turnout today doctors. Let us hope that they all make it through this time."
"There are no reasons why they shouldn't, the formula was perfected after our last several tests. I do have to point out that with this batch, we are going to draw attention. In fact, I believe we already have. That damn Briefs kid was spotted in the area today," Wheelo said with disdain.
"Yes, I do believe he was near. However, he appeared to find something else to concern himself with. Would you know anything about that, priest?" Schultz asked.
Soren grinned slightly, "Well, maybe. Let's just say had I not intervened, this gathering may not have gone so well this evening." Sounds of crying pulled their attention, as baby Uub had made his voice known again, having taken a break between temper tantrums as he had begun trying to pull away from the MAX soldiers keeping him in place.
"By the way, why did you exclude this child? The formula should work just fine on him," Wheelo stated.
Soren's grin faded, "That one, you should be careful with."
"He's not wrong Doctor," Schultz said with a bit of concern.
"You can tell? He looks like a regular little village rat," Wheelo claimed.
"You of all people Doctor, should know that potential is everything. And with my new abilities, I sense a great deal of potential with that one," Schultz pointed out.
"Fair enough. We should get going Soren. Otherwise we won't get these people back before we are noticed, as you have said before," Wheelo said.
Soren nodded and held up his glowing red hands, "This will please Lord Torev greatly."
Sonny felt a twinge of fear but managed to remain still, Does that mean that this guy they are talking about is real?
Schultz nodded to the soldiers, "We will be back shortly, prepare a large batch of uniforms and weapons, just like before." The soldiers all seemed to affirm this with their motions and went about their business.
Suddenly, Sonny felt himself sinking as hues of red, pink and orange surrounded them, pulling down every person into a different place. Whatever spell was causing it, it was gentle enough to set everyone down without damage. The air was hot and dense like the tropics, which was not like the place they were just in. Sonny dared to open both eyes and see what he could without moving. He could not tell where the ground ended, and the air began, nor could he see a obvious horizon. It was all a void of red, orange and pink moving around randomly and sometimes violently. In the sky there were random bursts of lightning, but there was no sound, nor wind.
Wheelo looked annoyed, "This place is, still unnerving."
Schultz grinned, "To be honest, I thought the same when I was first brought here. But after my…change, it is actually a little familiar. Still creepy though."
Wheelo glanced at him, "I still don't understand why he chose to use that unstable formula on you. Kochin and I ran every test we could think of on it and the vast majority showed no promise aside from exploding beakers. You're just lucky it worked."
"You have no idea. Coming here has also granted me more time to adjust," Schultz said slyly.
Sonny took note of their words but dared not even make a sound as they chatted among themselves. Sonny took the chance while they were looking away to slip his hand to the neck of the nearest person he was laying on top of and check for a pulse. He didn't feel anything, nor did he detect any signs of anyone near him breathing. It was obvious that they were either all in a coma or dead, and he was leaning heavily on the latter. At the same time, he expected them all to jump up at any moment. Quite some time passed as Soren and the scientists appeared to be waiting for something, but Sonny wasn't sure what it was. There was no way for him to tell how much time had passed as he did not have a watch on him, nor Kain's earpiece. He considering trying to slip into his pocket to grab his cell phone, but he wasn't sure when someone would notice him, and they were not that far away to begin with. Suddenly he heard a loud roar and saw a dark cloud approaching from what he could see of the distance. It looked like smoke at first, but it had a hint of a shadow-type of shape and was moving towards them at will.
"Ah, Lord Torev, we have been waiting for you. We have another offering of energy to give you," Soren said. Sonny watched intently as the shadowy form seemed to descend and hover before them, taking the shape of a humanoid shape, but no features aside from darkness. Knowing he had to risk it, he reached into his pocket as everyone was distracted and pulled out his phone. The clock read nearly five hours since he had last checked it, which had been since he was trekking with the villagers towards the mountain plateau. In fact he had last checked shortly before they were teleported. He hid a gasp at how much time had passed and quickly switched on his camera and made sure the flash was off. Carefully he snapped a few pictures and then switched to his voice recorder and hoped it would pick up what was about to transpire. The shadow was first to speak, and when it did, even Sonny could sense the darkness within.
"Soren, it is about time you returned. Another batch of humans that you are transforming into robots?" the shadow said.
"That is correct, my lord Torev. As you know, time moves faster in this space, and also allows us to finish quickly and move to other parts of the Earth. Otherwise we would be discovered easily," Soren explained.
"Well I'm sure you would know all about that. I heard that your master has been quite the guest," Torev said.
Soren nodded, "Yes, I'm sure she has. She had always had a certain part of her that is difficult to deal with, though if I must say, cooking is the worst. I would sincerely hope that we never need her culinary skills in the kitchens."
"Hmph, if I had a form to eat with, I would endure it. You have no idea what true hunger is until you cannot eat. Thank you for bringing up that lovely subject," Torev said sarcastically with a distinct growl.
Soren bowed, "Apologies, I meant no offense."
Torev ignored it, "Nonetheless, this offering of spirit energy will be quite refreshing. My power is getting closer to the point where I can leave this place."
"Please be certain not to extract too much like last time. I'm afraid our new friend's personalities do not retain as well if you completely drain them," Schultz suggested, drawing a distinct growl.
"As if I care, they are basically dead inside of those robotic shells anyway. The only keeping them bound to the living world is that tiny amount of brain activity you permit them to keep," Torev pointed out. Sonny did his best not to make a sound, but his breath still came short when he heard what the shadow said.
"I've been wondering, what are you going to do about your form once you actually do come to Earth?" Wheelo asked.
The shadow turned slightly, "What is it to you, earthling?"
Wheelo didn't budge, "Well, I can understand if you are waiting on a form that is the most suitable. I myself wish for that and not these robotic shells I have been stuck with. My original would say the same right now if he could."
Torev scoffed, "Your original? Oh yes, you are an avatar of the real Wheelo. Well, whether you are a robotic copy of him or not, know this. The form I will take is beyond anything your tiny human mind can conjure up. You think you can create an advanced human that far exceeds any lifeform before it? You are toying with things you do not understand. When the time comes, I will show you what true potential is. Your friend over there has tasted it already, but even he is unaware."
Schultz also bowed, "And I thank you for teaching me the basics on realizing the potential of this gift. I shall endeavor to discover more on my own."
Wheelo dared take a step forward, "Don't underestimate my skills and ingenuity. Science can create anything the gods can, given enough time."
The shadow reached out and grabbed Wheelo by the throat, "The gods will tremble, little fake human. Your kind and all of its science will be swept away by the winds of change."
Schultz stepped a bit closer, "I'm sure Doctor Wheelo meant no offense, Lord Torev."
"If I could, I would crush this fake into little metal bits right now to test that theory," Torev claimed.
Wheelo slipped out of his grip and landed on his feet, "Too bad you can't then."
The shadow seemed to grow darker, "Do not tempt fate, Doctor, for it has nightmares your worst dreams could not conjure up."
"Yes, as your one of your cohorts warned me of before. In fact, he was quite clear about my role when last we spoke," Wheelo replied.
Torev pulled away slightly, "Just be prepared for when the invasion of Earth begins. We wouldn't want your precious new piles of scrap metal to conveniently forget what side they are on."
"Oh, I'll be ready, and it is impossible for them to forget their place once they are transformed. Are you intending to lead from the front, Lord Torev?" Wheelo sneered.
"I'm a shadow you idiot, I couldn't lead a parade of mice. Which says something about the rats before me now," Torev countered.
"I mean, when will that be, heh, addressed," Wheelo said, hiding clear laughter.
Soren cleared his throat, "Preparations are nearly complete on that matter. We are ready to begin phase four of the operation, which means Doctor and Director, your help will be paramount."
Wheelo nodded, "I understand. As the leaders of the new world we are about to create, I should be in the public eye once again. At least as long as its bright enough to see."
Torev's shadow twitched slightly at the hint of the insult, "We'll see where the cards fall won't we?"
Suddenly a mass of blue and white energy erupted from the huge pile of people, all around Sonny. The energy was coming from each person, all of which seemed to be dead, and rushing towards the shadow figure. It all disappeared into the shadow, making it more slightly more defined. After a moment, a pair of dark eyes opened around where the head would have been, and they moved back and forth as if they had been there all along.
Torev's new eyes blinked and then focused before turning away, "By the way, you were sloppy. There's still someone alive in this batch."
Sonny tensed up immediately, Shit!
"Really? I was certain they were all entering the final portion of the transformation by now," Schultz claimed as he turned and looked over the crowd of motionless people.
"I sense his fear. The one over there in the warrior tribe face paint," Torev said. Even without eyes, the shadow had outed Sonny easily. He sighed and got to his feet as Wheelo and Schultz stepped closer.
"Well, it seems we may have had a stowaway, or did you not get a vial? Such mistakes can easily be remedied if you wish to receive the Gift of Torev," Wheelo said.
"Cut the crap Doctor Cash," Sonny said as he pulled his pistol and aimed.
Wheelo's eyes narrowed, "That voice, I know it."
Schultz cleared recognized it as well, but only grinned, "Hello Detective, such a delight to see you again so soon. It's Sonny, right? How is Marcus?" Sonny fired a round straight into Schultz's head without another word. Not only did Schultz not go down, but the bullet was pushed out by something beneath his skin as it healed instantly, dropping the now harmless bullet to the ground intact.
"Nice try, but that won't work on me anymore," Schultz said.
Sonny wasn't that surprised at what happened, but he expected to at least hear the sound of metal hitting metal, "What the hell are you?"
Schultz's grin didn't waver, "Better, now."
"Like Ace was?" Sonny asked.
"Something like that, although Mister Maxwell did not receive the same level of gift that I received. He was too, primitive, for that. Although, I'm surprised we didn't notice the disguise before, the soldiers are usually so observant. Might be time for a software patch," Schultz claimed as he folded his arms.
"Indeed, although with that screaming brat it may have been difficult," Wheelo replied, giving Soren a glance, who remained quiet.
"Well no matter, it is almost time. Soon Detective, you can see all these people rise with their new gifts and then we will do the same to you," Schultz said.
Sonny lowered his gun slightly, "Like I'd let you do that." He then pressed it against his head and held his finger against the trigger.
The shadow laughed, "I like this one. Keep him."
"Yeah keep laughing, you formless prick. Why don't you go find a forest to haunt," Sonny shouted back.
Schultz shook his head, "You really think that is going to help? You know how fruitless killing yourself will be."
"There are high yield explosive rounds in this gun, fifty caliber. I don't need to tell you how much damage that will do to the human head. If you were still human, we'd know," Sonny proclaimed.
Wheelo glanced at Schultz, "I think Lord Torev is correct, we should keep him. He could be extremely resourceful."
"Excuse me doctors, but it is time, please stay still," Soren said. He clasped his hands together and another portal appeared around the entire area, sucking all the people down into it. Within seconds Sonny was dropped harmlessly on the ground along with all the seemingly dead people and the villains before him. They were back on the plateau, it was still night though dawn was coming, and they were surrounded by armed soldiers who were quite aware that someone was standing there that shouldn't have been. Sonny cocked his gun as they dared draw closer but aimed at the nearest soldier instead of himself. Suddenly his gun vanished, reappearing in the glowing hands of Soren's.
"Now, now detective. We don't need any unpleasantness, just cooperate and it will not be as painful," Soren advised.
"Eat a dick!"
Sonny then pulled a grenade from his back and pulled the pin before chucking it at Wheelo. Just as it would've hit, a hand stretched in front of Wheelo, grabbed the grenade, and then quickly retreated back to its owner. The owner was Schultz, and Sonny clearly saw a long, green and non-human arm flowing back into his robes. He clasped the grenade with both hands until there was a very brief pop and hint of smoke coming from his fingers. After that, nothing, barely a blemish was left on his hands, which were still pale in color. The blood drained out of Sonny's face in fear as the grenade hadn't made the slightest bit of difference.
"Take him!" Wheelo ordered. Two MAX soldiers then grabbed Sonny by both arms to restrain him, dragging him over to the stage next to the still crying Uub.
"Oh Detective, I am quite interested to learn what you know about us, and what you know about our enemies," Wheelo said with a laugh as Sonny struggled to no avail in the arms of the stronger MAX soldiers. A beeping sound went off which drew Wheelo's attention to a light that was on his forearm.
"It appears that it is time," Soren said as he cleared his throat. Amongst the crowd, the bodies began to stir and rise.
"Prepare the uniforms and weapons," Schultz ordered, to which several soldiers began opening up trucks full of equipment. The people began rising, each of them looking at their hands in wonder.
"Welcome back friends, you are now children of Torev and members of MAX. Take a moment to collect yourselves," Soren said loudly. Sonny witnessed many of the people whispering excitedly to each other while simultaneously figuring out that they were not dead. Sonny was a bit confused at this, but at the same time he knew what was going on. What he was not sure of was if these people were now cyborgs and programmed to seem normal, or if they were in control of themselves completely. Soren and Schultz waded through the people with a pair of soldiers, greeting them and speaking to each as they passed, leaving Sonny with Wheelo, a few soldiers and Uub, who had cried himself to sleep at this point.
"So, do they know they are cyborgs?" Sonny dared to ask.
Wheelo stifled a laugh, "What do you think?"
"I think you don't care whether they do or not," Sonny replied.
"And you would be correct, Detective. That aside, they've been properly prepared so that there is no question of who is leading them and who they are to listen to. Even if they are conscious of their actions and thoughts, they still know to obey. So, go ahead and shout your protests, plead your cases, it will do no good," Wheelo said with confidence.
"Makes sense, so tell me, are they still alive in there?" Sonny asked in all seriousness.
Wheelo grinned wickedly, "Well, if they weren't, you wouldn't have to ask. You heard Lord Torev back there, there is still something left. They may behave like utter drones at times, but it is important to note that their brains have been taken over and reworked. They respond to both verbal and non-verbal cues just like any other human, though more of an animalistic level of loyalty. Soon you'll get to experience that for yourself."
"And they're just supposed to be your personal army against your enemies?"
"Well, not completely personal. I am freeing them from their natural constraints, and at the same time putting them to good use. The Saiyans and their allies are the enemy, but they are not the only ones, even you know this."
Sonny smirked, "And you think with that level of strength they'll be able to overwhelm them? Ha! Fat chance."
Wheelo's grin did not waver, "Oh I'm aware of that. We have other measures in place for the Saiyans. As for the rest of the world, well, that part is easy by comparison. Even if my new minions don't exactly measure up, they'll at least make an impression. I'm sure you would agree." Amongst the crowd, uniforms and weapons were being passed around. Sonny eyed the guns that were being handed out, noting that they were not a standard pistol.
"What are those guns?" Sonny asked.
"You are persistent Detective, I will give you that. Let's just say that those are a specially made deterrent for any, intrusions, we may have today," Wheelo said simply.
From what Sonny could tell, nearly the entire crowd had welcomed their new situation, and all had joined in the force of soldiers, some gleefully. There were even children running and jumping around in little MAX uniforms, adjusting to their new strength as they leapt into the air quite a distance. Schultz made his way back to the stage, seemingly quite satisfied.
"I do believe we are ready Doctor," he said. Out of Wheelo's robe he pulled a large remote control, which appeared to be the same as the one he had pulled at the bonfire.
"Very well, Soren would you like to make another speech?" Wheelo asked the approaching priest.
Soren nodded, "My friends! Lord Torev has accepted you into his army and will now free you friends and family who dissented in joining us today. Know that while they did not accept the Lord into their hearts, he will still grant them serenity in the afterworld."
Sonny's eyes widened, "You're going to kill everyone down there that didn't join?!"
Schultz chuckled, "We won't, but I'm afraid nature may have a different say in the matter." In the distance past the plateau, dark storm clouds suddenly gathered, with frequent lightning and thunder erupting almost instantly. It was not unlike the storms Sonny had seen so far, but it was much, much larger than before. The weather system wasn't large enough to affect them on the mountain top, but Sonny could tell it was no ordinary storm.
"Oh dear, that is quite a monster this time Doctor Wheelo. I think you may have overdone it," Schultz claimed.
"Only one step from overload, that will effectively wipe the land clean without glassing it," Wheelo replied as he put the remote away. The people all murmured to each other as they watched the incredible storm that had popped up out of nowhere and appeared to be devastating the lands below. A small boy ran up to Soren in his small MAX uniform,
"My brother and sister are down there. They are grown and didn't come with us! Will they be okay?"
Soren patted the boy's head, "Their decision is their own. But I promise Lord Torev will care for them as much as he has for you." The child seemed relieved and ran back into the crowd.
"That's really sick, you know that? All you have here is a fucking cult. A sick, depraved cult where you sacrifice people to some false god," Sonny exclaimed.
"False god? You did see Lord Torev with your own eyes," Schultz pointed out.
"Whatever that thing was, it was evil, and you are going to destroy these people even more than you already have with this kind of crap. It doesn't matter if he is real or not, the worst parts of any religion outweigh any good intent. And you have no good intent by your own admission!" Sonny stated.
Schultz grinned and moved closer to Sonny as he pulled a vial from his robe, "Perhaps not, but you won't be able to lodge much of a protest!"
Sonny gulped as he saw the pink fluid, knowing what might be coming. The soldiers holding him grabbed his face and held his head back while plugging his nose, forcing him to open his mouth. Before Schultz could pour the solution however, a loud whoosh of wind went by his ears. Sonny was dropped to the ground as the two Max soldiers were thrown aside. Schultz had barely blinked before a fist slammed into his face, sending him flying away and into a vehicle at a terrifying speed, leaving him a bloody heap.
Sonny dared to glance up to see Verto standing there holding out his hand, "You alright?" There was a distinct barrage of clicking sounds and Sonny's eyes widened as nearly every MAX soldier had aimed their special guns on Verto. He was aware of it but made no obvious move against it. His eyes shifted sideways to Wheelo, who was obviously angry that he had arrived.
"You may want to tell them to back down, if they still value their lives," Verto warned.
Wheelo held his hand up as if to ward off any action, "You may want to consider your situation, boy. They all have weapons in which they can combat you, and I don't need to tell you that the not only will you risk the life of the detective, but also the hundreds that didn't follow us here."
"Oh, you mean the smart villagers that you think you just wiped out with that huge storm?" Verto asked in a serious tone.
Wheelo took a moment to realize what he had said, "No I mean the ones that Lord Torev…okay how and when?"
Verto smirked, "Let's just say you are not the only one to rely on technology from time to time. I found the little weather machine that overloaded. After that it was a matter of mapping the energy signal that each one was putting out."
"You couldn't possibly have found and deactivated all of them, clearly not," Wheelo argued.
"Who says I touched any of them? No, unlike you, I'm a bit more practical than that. Especially since I knew you had the finger on the button. I didn't move or destroy the devices because I knew I didn't have the time. I just called in some help and moved the people," Verto explained simply. Wheelo was clearly bothered by this, while nearby, Soren looked amused.
"I did tell you not to underestimate him," Soren said.
"Doesn't matter, open fire!" Wheelo shouted. All at once, dozens of blaster shots rained in on Verto, who jumped in front of Sonny to shield him. Each shot was bathed in golden light and barreled into Verto's back and around him, causing noticeable damage and even some blood. He sank to a knee as his back smoked where his uniform was burned and, in some places, torn open to expose bruised and bloody skin. Wheelo chuckled as he held his bare hand out and appeared to gather a Ki blast and aimed for the frightened Uub, who wasn't sure what to do.
"Now then, boy, for once this is my stage and not yours. I know a few of those shots won't put you down for good. So, unless you want this child to end up as ashes, you will do exactly as I say. Or else you can say goodbye to him and the detective now before we take our time with you," Wheelo declared. Sonny, quite aware of the danger of the situation now, tried to help Verto to his feet, only to be stopped.
"Hold onto my shoulder," Verto whispered.
"What?"
"Just do it."
Verto then turned to Wheelo as he breathed heavily, "Easy, you crazy shithead, you don't need to do all that. I do have a question, do all your minions here still register as themselves?"
Wheelo grinned but didn't drop the blast, "I suppose it is a good question. In all honesty it would be hard to tell, but at the same time, I can tell you this: Death came first."
"He's not completely lying kid," Sonny whispered.
Verto's lip twitched upwards in anger but he remained settled as he placed two fingers on his forehead, "When I'm done with you, a junk dealer won't even want what's left."
Wheelo laughed, "And what are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'll show you." Verto promptly phased out, and Wheelo was sent sprawling with a kick as he and Sonny reappeared next to Uub.
"Watch the kid," Verto quickly ordered Sonny. He then leapt into action, knocking aside any soldiers within a few dozen feet before stopping over Wheelo and dropping his foot onto Wheelo's robotic ankle as hard as he could, breaking it without a lot of effort.
"Your weapons, I recognize the design," Verto said in contempt.
Wheelo spat at him as he tried to crawl backwards, "What of it?"
"They are anti-Zerg weapons that Bulma designed. You stole them," Verto claimed.
Wheelo grinned, "In fairness, she handed them out like candy."
Verto snorted, "Maybe, but even if you improved them a bit, I helped test them. And I know something about them you don't."
"Oh, what's that?" Wheelo sneered.
"That they don't have any effect on a Super Saiyan," Verto said as he folded his arms.
Wheelo snorted, "What about those two, you think they'll have no effect on them?"
The soldiers all prepared their weapons and aimed straight at the Sonny and Uub at Wheelo's direction. This time there was no order, they simply all fired their weapons. A barrage of golden flashes barreled into the stage area, which became overwhelmed in smoke and dust from some of the missed impacts. The smoke was blown aside by a bright golden burst as Verto had appeared in front and transformed into a Super Saiyan. The firing continued from the soldiers in front of him, and it didn't even phase him. Because of the wide array of shots coming through though, he began deflecting them away from Sonny and Uub before erecting an energy shield to more effectively block the weapons fire. The assault wore down the stage they were standing on, but Verto extended his shield to act as a full barrier that allowed Sonny and Uub to hover with him above the ground. Verto began noticeably sweating but wasn't short of breath yet as he kept his energy barrier up amongst the barrage of red blasts.
"Thanks kid, but how long can you keep this up?" Sonny asked.
"Not forever, but let's see if he bothered to fix the design or not," Verto suggested with a smirk.
"What do you mean by fix?" Verto didn't answer as he kept his concentration on keeping his shield going.
Sonny rolled his eyes, "Fine. Listen, I saw some things you need to know about. They took the people to this crazy weird place…"
Verto held up his other hand to stop him, "Tell me later after we've dealt with this." Sonny grumbled slightly as he took out his phone and rapidly started pressing buttons for about thirty seconds before putting it away.
After several minutes of non-stop firing, the assault began to wane. Wheelo noticed this immediately and saw that several soldiers were holding their guns in an awkward position, as if they were trying to understand what was wrong with them.
"What is it, keep firing!" Wheelo demanded.
"Sir, they are overloading!"
Verto's smirk got bigger as he placed two fingers to his forehead, "Yep, didn't think so. Sonny, hold onto my shoulder until we are clear!"
The firing ceased a moment later, and the entire shield bubble vanished. They reappeared on the other side of the crowd of soldiers, who now all had their backs turned. Sonny let go of Verto but held onto Uub, who for once had stopped crying. Verto wasted no time and charged forward into the mass of people, punching, kicking and throwing aside anyone that stood in his way. The area became a dust cloud of people being tossed around on one side and attempting to charge in on the other. Verto made a quick circle back every few seconds to ensure none of them got close to Sonny, but he really didn't need to. Within about thirty seconds, it was over, with only a few soldiers able to stand up. Many of the crowd were down on the ground, their legs and arms not responding or were in fact sparking. Wheelo stood there, stunned with his mouth gaping wide open, unsure of what to do or say. Where there was over a thousand enhanced functioning cyborgs a moment ago, there was a pile of barely moving people.
"Is that the best all these have? A few enhanced weapons and slightly tougher skin? Pathetic!" Verto shouted at him as he floated back near Sonny.
"How many did you kill?" Sonny dared to ask.
"None yet, I can't say the same for their limbs. Or their guns," Verto noted. Sonny hadn't even noticed that, but it had been so fast, he couldn't have seen it. Now that the dust was clearing a little more, he could clearly see the scrap metal laying around.
Sonny was shocked, "How the hell did you do that?"
Verto didn't turn, "I could have killed them all instantly, and maybe I'll regret that later, but the real problem is that asshole over there. Deal with him and then deal with the repercussions." Wheelo couldn't believe it either. In less than a minute, a single Super Saiyan had not only disarmed all of his new minions, but had also destroyed the weapons they were holding while he disabled the cyborg crowd.
Soren looked concerned, "I did warn you Doctor, to not confront them openly yet. Even as enhanced cybernetic humans, they have no chance against even one of the Saiyans. Never mind this one. I recommend we evacuate, before we lose all these precious new recruits, they can still be saved."
Wheelo seemed to give in as he staggered on his at least partially broken ankle, "Fine, but this fight isn't over yet. Send them back to Kochin so he can start repairs."
Soren snapped his fingers, and the entire mass of soldiers vanished in a flash of light, minus their now scrapped guns. This included the tents, trucks and other equipment. After that point, the only people left were Verto, Sonny and Uub on one side; with Soren and Wheelo on the other.
"Thanks, that makes it fairly easy for me," Verto said, phasing out promptly. He rushed across the now empty field and buried his fist into Wheelo's abdomen. Wheelo was sent high into the air, and was promptly sent back down by a double axhandle strike. He bounced off the ground viciously and was kicked out of the air towards the tree line. Verto didn't let up and sped past him, bounding off a tree limb and clotheslining Wheelo at his neck, causing it to twist around unnaturally. Wheelo cried out in pain as he landed with a sickening thud, with his head turned almost all the way around. Verto landed near him, and held out his hand, igniting his Ki Sword.
"Get up you piece of shit! I want you to feel this one all the way back to wherever the hell your real body is hiding. You're going to know what is coming for you long before it arrives," Verto declared.
Wheelo grunted as he pulled his head back around to face normal, sparking slightly as it did, "You could tell?"
"Truthfully no, but with you it's pretty fucking obvious. So, here's the trailer to how that movie will end," Verto said as he charged forward. Wheelo attempted to fire a blast to counterattack, but Verto deflected it with his sword easily. Wheelo changed directions and fired at Sonny and Uub, forcing Verto to teleport using Instant Transmission and intercept it with just a few feet to spare.
He dropped his fingers away from his forehead as his sword faded and panted slightly, Shit, I've used Instant Transmission too much. Time to end this before he can get away. I'm already too tired to chase. Verto blasted towards a firing Wheelo again, knocking the blasts aside as he charged, landing a solid punch to the doctor's face, exposing a few sparking wires around the neck in the process. Wheelo collapsed as he tried to literally keep his head on, but he stopped short when Verto stood over him and held out a charging blast that wasn't going to tickle.
"No, wait!" Wheelo pleaded.
"Too late for that asshole!" Verto shouted at him. A loud cracking sound filled the air, and blood splattered all over Wheelo's face. When he wiped it off, he was shocked to see a large green set of spikes sticking out of Verto. The half-Saiyan looked down in shock as he lost his charged blast, and his Super Saiyan form while whatever had struck him was playing dodgeball with his insides. Blood erupted from Verto's throat as he gasped for air. The green spikes pulled back suddenly, ripping the rest of Verto's insides and turning him around to face what happened. There was something there, but Verto didn't recognize what it was, never mind who it was. The spikes were part of a long green arm that was retracting to a being who was covered in the same dark green skin. The rest of the body was turning green as well, though the hair stayed became blond instead of auburn as it had been.
"What…t-the hell a-are you?" Verto stammered as he collapsed on the ground. Sonny's eyes lit up in fear as he realized what he was seeing and he held onto Uub, shaking slightly. Director Schultz laughed as he approached Verto's prone body, while ripping off the robe he had been wearing while his skin darkened.
Schultz continued to laugh as his body changed into a larger green monster, "I'm better than you, that's what."
A/n: Apologies for the long wait, it has been a stressful time to be me.