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 Eighteen: Capsule Corp Destroyed
The whistling sound that Trunks detected was unknown for a moment, but it was only getting louder as it approached. It finally ended, and was replaced with a loud explosion at the front door of Capsule Corp. Alarms sounded and panicked personnel ran through the hallways for safety. Trunks grabbed a hold of Bulla before peering out the window. Outside, there was a large mass of people gathered behind a line of police vehicles, all of which had officers pointing weapons at the building.
"Oh crap. Take Bulla," Trunks ordered as he handed his sister off to the high school student Jessica.
"What's going on?" she asked as she took the toddler.
A distinct 'thunk' sounded, followed by an even closer whistling sound. Jessica realized what it was and pulled Bulla close to shield her. The grenade struck the wall and exploded, wiping out the entirety of it. Jessica realized she wasn't hurt and dared to glance up. Trunks stood there as a Super Saiyan, shielding her and his sister. The room was essentially devastated aside from a portion of the couch that wasn't burnt as well as most of the wall behind it. The television they had been listening to was vaporized, and everyone outside could now clearly see them as clear as day.
"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Trunks shouted at them.
His pleas were mostly ignored by Lieutenant Pepper outside, who raised his megaphone, "This is the Global Police Force, you are surrounded. Bulma Briefs, you and your family are to surrender yourselves immediately. We do not wish to make this worse, but if you do not come quietly, we will destroy the entire facility. This is your only warning."
Bulma came running around the corner, "Trunks are you alright?"
Trunks turned his head slightly, "I'm okay. What do you think we should do?"
Bulma stared at the scene outside, "We need to stall them." She ran across the hallway, nearly bumping into one of her employees before entering her lab.
"Kain, have you spoken to Vegeta yet?" Bulma yelled at the screen.
"Yes madam, he powered down the unit before I could report what is going on here. My scanners have detected that there are approximately one hundred officers stationed outside the Capsule Corporation grounds, covering most ground exits. There is also a number of armed helicopters in the air nearby to monitor. Given that most of your facility is not made of resistant material, their threat is quite real. I estimate that no less than seventy five percent of Capsule Corporation would be destroyed if they intend on following through. Your husband will not get here in time at his current speed," Kain said.
"Okay, broadcast this to the entire compound. Attention all of Capsule Corp! The people outside are here for me and my family, you are not involved. Evacuate immediately if you wish to stay that way. If you wish to stay, I recommend proceeding to sub-level D and waiting for me there!" As soon as she finished, she immediately started pressing buttons in rapid fashion, and half the room suddenly broke away and started to slide downwards. The resulting tremors alerted Trunks, who came running with Bulla and Jessica in tow.
"Mom, what is this?" he asked.
"What me and your father have been preparing for, I just wish I could have tested everything first. Go to level D like I told everyone else to do. I'm going to buy us more time," Bulma said as she attached one of the scanner earpieces to her ear.
"No Mom, I'm staying with you. I can help!" Trunks argued.
"Kain, begin the detachment sequence. Prepare the automatic pilot and set pre-planned coordinates to Island T. Wait until my signal to trigger the launch cycle," Bulma ordered as the compound continued to shake.
"Madam, it appears that location is also under attack," Kain warned.
Bulma looked grim, "Fine, we'll deal with that if we have to." Just as she finished, her father and mother came running by with a few pets in their arms.
"Dad, take Bulla and Trunks with you, I have to tidy a few things up first," Bulma said, getting no argument.
"Come along Trunks, we have to hurry. I brought some sweets with me," Panchy said. Trunks looked like he didn't want to go despite his grandmother tugging at him but complied. Jessica just followed suit as Doctor Briefs took Bulla from her.
"Kain, do we have sufficient supplies for the worst-case scenario?" Bulma asked as she walked in the opposite direction, avoiding random people in the process.
"In the proposed worst case, negative. But I estimate we have more than enough supplies to get to the destination in the worst-case scenario," Kain replied.
Bulma nodded, "That's good enough. Let's hope we don't have to." She entered the lobby, or rather, what was left of it, and glared out at the crowd. At this point she could clearly see a mob of what appeared to be a large number of protestors behind the police line, many of them holding up inflammatory signs. Most of them were anti-alien in some way, with a few mentions of death and accusation of Bulma herself in not so decent situations.
"Kain, activate the front speakers, if you still can."
Kain took a moment to answer, "I believe one of them is still functioning. Ready to transmit."
"Global Police Force: I wish to discuss a surrender, please send a representative," Bulma declared as she stepped into view with her arms raised. The number of guns she could hear clicking and aiming at her was alarming, and she pulled a thick, pen-like device from her lab coat that had a large red button on it.
"Kain, has everyone evacuated?" Bulma whispered.
"There are still several dozen employees fleeing the premises but have not yet cleared the perimeter," Kain said.
"Damnit."
"Mom, what are you doing?" Trunks shouted as he ran to her side.
"Trunks, I told you to go with your grandparents. I have the situation under control!" Bulma claimed.
"Whatever. Dad would kill me if I left you alone like this!" Trunks argued.
Bulma gave in, knowing he was right, "Fine, stay on guard in case something happens. I am trying to buy some time for us, trust me." Trunks nodded and stepped in front of her to act as a shield. Before them, Lieutenant Pepper was approaching with a few more officers, guns drawn.
"Excuse me madam, but calm down your son before this escalates," Pepper said, drawing a hint of fury in the process.
Bulma's snarl nearly curled Trunks' spiky hair, "Oh, you think this is threatening? My son is being quite calm compared to me right now."
"His hair color says differently."
"My son can take care of himself. Maybe you should think about that before you keep aiming your weapons at his home, and his mother," Bulma warned.
"Perhaps we should just cut to the chase. You are all under arrest and will be taken to a secure facility to be processed," Pepper said as he read from a small electronic tablet.
Bulma snorted lightly, "For what crimes?"
"Your entire group is charged with aiding and abetting criminal activity. Wanton destruction of property both public and private. Money laundering and extortion. Murder. Kidnapping. Illegal demolition and mining operations. The crimes vary from person to person. Should I go on?" Pepper asked.
Bulma shrugged, "It is about the only thing you're good at."
Pepper scowled as he put the tablet down, "Look, there is a blood thirsty mob back there that wants your head. I realize that you could probably get away or persuade your son into doing something rash, but I implore you not too. I could turn you over to them if you'd like, or you can come with me and be guaranteed protection."
"Mob huh? Since when do the police give into the demands of a few protestors?" Bulma asked with disdain.
Pepper wasn't forthcoming, "When enough accusations with evidence have been raised, then it does not matter, the law is the law. I suggest you come with me."
Bulma folded her arms, "And do what? Get killed in a prison cell by someone in that mob? Give up my family and friends to the law? The law I should add that I cannot trust and just blew up parts of my building without provocation? And is no longer Global at all according to that news report I just heard. So, I guess that means your jurisdiction is no longer applicable, doesn't it?"
Pepper's eyebrow went up slightly, "Madam, I do not want to do this. But right now, I'm the only thing standing between that mob and you. I'm asking you to surrender yourself for your own safety."
"And I'm going to tell you that your police force isn't yours anymore. Most if not all these people are being controlled," Bulma argued.
"Stop!" someone shouted from behind Pepper. At the police line, one of the mob suddenly broke through and ran at the building at a very fast speed for a human.
"Hold them back!" Pepper shouted as his guards switched direction to aim at the person that was running at them. This did not deter the runner in any way.
"Sir, I order you to stop and back down!" the guard shouted. When that didn't happen, he fired his weapon into the runner's leg. A distinct spark erupted from the leg, but the runner did not stop. The guard fired again, this time into the chest cavity of the runner. This also did nothing, which shocked Pepper. Trunks didn't wait any longer and leapt into action, burying his golden fist into the runner's stomach with such force that he punched right through. His hand came out bloody, but it exposed the metal underneath as well as sparking wires.
"What the hell?" Pepper asked as the guard that shot first moved to investigate.
The other guard suddenly shifted his aim to Pepper at point-blank range, "I'm sorry sir but I cannot allow you to witness this."
"What?"
"Trunks!" Bulma shouted. The guard fired, but only hit air when Trunks pulled Pepper out of the way.
"Open fire!" a distant voice called out.
The police line unloaded with bullets, grenades and rockets all directed at the building. Bulma pressed the large red button she had ready and a wall of bright blue energy appeared before them and was immediately impacted by all the weapons fire. The barrier extended upwards and around the dome of Capsule Corp. Lieutenant Pepper and Trunks were just inside of the barrier, while the two guards were outside. The human guard was shot down immediately, while the cyborg guard was impacted, but went about striking the wall with his gun to try and break through. The mob came completely unglued and rushed towards them, trampling police officers in the process and taking their weapons from them. A few of the officers joined the mob, while others who tried to stop them were taken down.
Pepper's spine ran cold as he witnessed this, "What the hell is going on?"
"This is what we've been fighting, Lieutenant. This is what the world is turning into, and they are the ones telling you to stop us from acting. They are cybernetic creatures under the control of Doctor Wheelo, who is trying to take over the world," Bulma summarized.
"I-I don't understand," Pepper stammered.
"The short answer is that they've been turned into robots," Trunks said.
"We'll fill you in. That is if you want to come with and not get killed. Kain, is he clean?" Bulma asked.
"I cannot speak to his motivations, but he is not a cyborg or anything else aside from a normal human being with moderate arthritis," Kain said. Explosions and impacts continued to sound on the barrier protecting them, and the mob of cyborgs were now attempting to beat open the barrier with their bare hands, wearing down the actual flesh and exposing metal underneath.
"What are they?" Pepper dared asked.
"Cyborgs, transformed by a mad scientist that wants to control the world. He just elected himself Governor of North City I believe. He's done a lot more. Kain, how long can we keep the barrier up?" she asked.
"No more than two minutes madam, the wide field creates a significant power drain. I suggest completing the evacuation," Kain said.
"Let's go Trunks. We don't have much time," Bulma said as she ran into the complex with Trunks following. Pepper was still in awe of the mob and completely ignored this, until Trunks yanked him forcibly. They proceeded to the nearest stairwell and went down five levels before encountering the smaller group of people waiting at a strange metal door. Bulma placed her hand on a sensor, which then took her handprint as it lit up.
"Voice print identification please," a female computer voice said.
Bulma didn't hesitate, "Briefs, Bulma. Code five-three-seven-six. Evacuation protocol zero-three."
"Voice and handprint acknowledged." The door opened, leading to a corridor that was lit by only small lights on the ground.
"What is this Mom?" Trunks asked.
"This is what I've been working on for a while now, come inside. Kain, scan everyone to be sure," Bulma said as she stepped through first. Only Bulma's parents, Bulla, and Jessica were with them along with Pepper as he stumbled in. The door slid shut and sealed up, and the corridor lit up, showing that it was in fact an airlock of some kind with another, larger door at the other end.
"Everyone has been scanned madam, no cyborg implants detected," Kain announced through an intercom of some kind.
"Good, welcome aboard everyone. Mom, Dad, take them to the living quarters, I need to go drive," Bulma said as the next door opened.
"Oh no, I think we left Scratch the Third behind!" Panchy cried out in horror.
"Do we have time to get him, Kain is it?" Doctor Briefs asked. Sounds of explosions and slight shaking above answered the question before Kain could.
"Um, Grandpa, I think Scratch is over there," Trunks pointed out. They all turned to see Bulla chasing the cat in question down another corridor.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Panchy declared as the group followed. Trunks did not follow and went with his mother instead. The half-Saiyan examined every bit of what he was seeing in disbelief. It was a ship of a design he had seen before, except it had Capsule Corp logos all over the place as well as the occasional painting and potted plant. It resembled one of the Frieza Force spaceships, but he could tell that it wasn't quite the same. He also saw what appeared to be hints of Protoss technology that she had likely procured from previous events.
"When did you become so cool Mom?" Trunks asked.
"Oh please, I've always been cool. You haven't seen anything yet," Bulma said with a distinct smirk that only she could pull off.
Outside, the barrier had fallen, and the mob was busily firing grenades, flaming bottles, rockets and bullets at the building. Helicopters above joined in, and the structure did not hold up well. Walls crumbled, smashing through what used to be living space, kitchens and décor. Soon the dome of Capsule Corp was nothing more than a battered wall that collapsed in on itself. The barrage continued nonetheless until there was almost nothing but debris, scrap metal and pieces of drywall remaining in what used to be the shining jewel of West City. The only discernible part of the building left was the gravity chamber as it was made of much more durable material. The helicopters ceased firing and the mob also stopped and waited for the dust to settle. The ground suddenly shook again as the area beneath the debris suddenly split apart, revealing a large metal opening that only got wider. Debris and ruined construction fell into the hole initially, but then was displaced as a big ship rose from the ground. It indeed resembled one of Frieza's larger ships on the outside, but like the inside, it had Capsule Corp logos all over. On its top was a covered dome that revealed an opening inside, and there were many windows around the outside.
The helicopters opened fire again, only to promptly start exploding when a series of energy blasts hit them from the side. From the bridge, Bulma and Trunks looked out to see Vegeta hovering with a smoking palm and a very displeased expression. The mob below glanced up and began firing their weapons at him. This did not last long as Vegeta's response left craters and nothing else behind in the wake of multiple energy blast detonations. Very few things were left alive, cyborg, human, or blades of grass. Bulma sighed but didn't bother starting the argument that she easily could have. Bulma then directed the ship to the west-southwest and Vegeta followed as they flew over and left the city.
Satan mansion was quiet that day, much like other days. With recent events, Hercule Satan had elected not to hold classes for new students at all, whether Verto was available or not. After the events of the desert which he heard about from Videl and Gohan, he had cancelled them until further notice. He remained relaxed as Buu devoured some candy but had clicked on the TV just in time to see the announcement on the news.
"Bunch of fools," Satan muttered aloud.
"Papa, did you see the announcement?" Videl called out as she entered the room.
"It sure was hard to miss," Satan muttered again.
"Mr. Satan, there is a growing crowd of people outside, asking for you," one of the butler's announced.
"Hey, shouldn't you talk to the people? They respect you," Videl suggested.
That brought Satan out of his stupor, "You're right sugar-bean, I should. I'm their hero after all!"
"Not over the top like you usually are Dad; just get the message across," Videl said with a slight giggle. Satan marched to the front door, which once opened was filled with flashing cameras as the usual paparazzi greeted the champion.
"Mr. Satan, what are your thoughts on the breaking up of the world nation?"
"Over here, champ! Is Bulma Briefs guilty of what they claim?"
"Has Videl made you a grandparent yet?"
Satan scowled at all the questions, particularly the last one, "First of all, my daughter will make me a grandparent when she is good and ready! Secondly, the fools in North City are trying to trick you. I do not know what Bulma and her husband are up to all the time, but they wouldn't harm anyone. Well, okay, Vegeta would if you made him mad, so don't make him mad! I promise the champ will get to the bottom of this and preserve the peace!" Satan finished the announcement as he posed to rabid cheering. Behind the mob of reporters, there was another small group of people that did not look as easily impressed. Among them they had an apparent leader, who stepped forward to speak.
"What a load of crap! You think this fake hero will do anything? He's in on the whole thing!" The sea of reporters parted enough for Satan to size up the one who had challenged his words. He was a medium sized man wearing flannel over jeans, and that was about the only noteworthy thing about him to Satan.
"So, you think you know better? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is punk!" Satan dared.
"Gladly," the man in flannel said.
The reporters scattered as the man and his other four friends charged in to attack. The leader was first in, which Satan dodged the first punch attempt and kicked his legs out from under him. Satan then blocked the next two who punched at the same time, using both hands to grab their fists. Using his pure strength, Satan yanked them closer and clotheslined them both with each arm before they could react. The next two thought better to attack directly and held back as the leader recovered. He attempted to dive at Satan, grabbing his leg and holding it on the ground. The last two attackers joined in when the other two recovered and they all ran in at once. Satan smirked as he concentrated and released a burst of energetic light which knocked them all away except for the leader. He wasn't known for using energy attacks, but ever since the Zerg war, he had made sure he had practiced. The burst seemed to subdue the four assistants, leaving only the leader left, clutching to Satan's leg. Satan reached down and picked him up by the shirt, forcibly freeing his leg and throwing the man across the grass.
He then turned and posed with double victory signs, "How about that?" The reporters clapped as their cameramen snapped pictures while Videl just held her head in the doorway. The leader stirred and got back up, much to the surprise of the paparazzi. His four accomplices did the same, and aside from some dirt on them, one wouldn't think they were even in a fight.
Videl ran out to her father's side, "Dad, I think they might be cyborgs. Normal people wouldn't be able to take that from you." Satan turned and stared down the suspected cyborgs, who glared back with nothing but anger. A loud explosion suddenly went off nearby, coming from the direction of Gohan and Videl's house. Videl took off into the air and flew over the mansion wall, seeing that there partially built home was on fire. Nearby there was another small group that were lobbing flaming bottles at the construction. There were about twenty people in this group, many of them holding signs and torches.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" Videl shouted at them. The small mob saw her above and started yelling back randomly, raising their fists. The shouting was too mixed together to clearly hear what they were saying, but Videl definitely saw a sign that implied she was dating a green alien. Videl's face scrunched up in anger as she held out her palm and charged an energy blast.
"Videl, no!" Satan shouted as he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Even Videl wasn't used to her father being able to fly and was surprised by it. Much of the mob took one look at Mr. Satan and fled, indicating that their bravery might have been at an end.
"Look what they did to our house!" Videl cried as the house burned.
"We can fix the damage. We can't fix what you were about to do in front of the cameras, right?" Satan pointed out.
Videl glanced at the eager reporters, who were now busy panning between them, the house and the attackers. The original set of five seemed satisfied with what had occurred and turned to leave. Satan saw this however and was not content with letting them off the hook. He charged down and grabbed the leader from behind. He picked him up over his shoulders and brought the body down hard over his head. An audible gasp sounded from the reporters as the leader's body cracked in half and split apart. Satan flinched as his head ached from the impact. The leader, or what was left of him, sparked vividly, revealing that he was indeed not entirely human. The reporters went into a frenzy trying to figure out what happened, and the other four of the group pounced into action.
Satan recovered from the headache as they were coming and scowled, "Robots huh? Let's see if you can handle my full power!" One of them attacked Satan, but the other three went for the reporters, who dropped their equipment in fright. Their equipment was scooped up and smashed relentlessly on the sidewalk. Satan tossed the attacker off and counter-attacked the remaining three. The first was too distracted with his camera smashing to notice Satan's boot coming down. The cyborg's head was crushed, and the body reacted by jolting upwards for a moment and then falling backwards, without the head. The other two were hit with a pair of patented Satan chops that revealed what was under their skin. They managed to show some resistance for a moment before Satan smashed them both with strong punches that broke their bodies. He had held nothing back and it showed. The last one, which he had thrown aside, realized what happened and called out for assistance.
"My Max brothers, over here!" he shouted. He didn't have long before his face was slammed into the wall by Videl's incoming kick, which was fueled by anger of what had just occurred. Another mob of people, much larger this time, rounded the corner. More poured over the walls, prompting Videl to back up and assuming a similar fighting stance to her father as they stood side by side. They were quickly surrounded as more and more cyborg-people had joined them by either flooding the entryway or climbing the walls.
"There's so many of them," Videl said.
"Okay, maybe I take back what I said about not blasting them. Besides, the cameras got smashed," Satan remarked as their numbers continued to increase well into the hundreds.
"What are we going to do Dad?" Videl asked.
"Why don't you people just leave us alone!" Satan bellowed.
The last one that had attacked him grinned, "How about we don't, you fake. Glory to Lord Torev!" Satan turned to warn the reporters away, but found they were already long gone. There was however someone else standing in the doorway of his mansion, who looked quite confused about what was going on.
"Buu! We need your help!" Satan called out.
Buu came out of the house, rubbing his head slightly in confusion, "What happening?"
"Buu, these are bad people trying to hurt us!" Satan declared.
Buu turned his head, "Really?"
Videl eyed Buu, "Daddy, this will get really out of hand if this turns into a fight with him. I know they can't defeat Buu, but he gets distracted really easy."
Satan smiled, "I've got that covered sweetie. Hey Buu! You know how I told you that you should not play too hard or eat people anymore even when they are mean to you and me? Just this once, you can."
Buu's head returned to a normal position as he smiled evilly, "Okay!"
Satan grabbed his daughter's arm as he hovered into the air, "Time to go sweetheart."
"Get back here Mr. Satan! We're not done with you!"
"Hey someone get that tub of lard! He's an alien too, there's no way that pink skin is natural!"
The mob charged in at Buu, who only flipped his forelock forward with eerie eagerness. Videl dared not look as a bright multi-colored flash went off.
A loud whoosh sounded, and someone else's hand went to her shoulder, "Videl, are you alright?"
Videl looked up to see her husband Gohan staring into her eyes with concern. He had teleported straight to her position by the looks of it, as Tien was floating behind him, holding his shoulder. She dared looked down, only to see the ground littered with small, multi-colored balls of candy where there was previously a mob. Buu took in a deep breath, which brought the horde of candy straight to his mouth. Videl turned away again as Buu continued eating, as it brought back rough memories for everyone. None of the mob was left, and once Buu was finished with his prize, the group lowered to the ground.
"Okay Buu, no more after that buddy," Satan said as he patted him on the back.
"Okay!"
"I will never get used to seeing that," Tien said with disgust.
Gohan grimaced, "Well, we should evacuate. We don't know when more will show up."
Satan nodded, "You take care of Videl. I'm going to stay and be the voice of reason around here."
Videl was well concerned at that thought, "Daddy, why?"
"Well someone has to keep Buu controlled. Besides, I don't think they'll do that again. And Satan City's leadership council is going to hear from me before they decide to just follow along with the other cities. We'll be fine here," Satan claimed.
Tien looked slightly concerned, "I think I will stay as well, just in case."
"Okay. We'll keep you informed. Just call if you need anything," Gohan said with a nod as he placed two fingers on his head while holding onto Videl. They teleported away, leaving Tien, Mr. Satan and Buu, who was still shoving stray pieces of candy in his mouth.
At Kame House, Roshi stood outside, cane in hand as the island was surrounded by boats. He couldn't detect anything abnormal about the people in them, aside from their clear hatred that was directed at him. He didn't need to sense energy to feel that. There were easily a hundred of them, all dressed in Max uniforms, and that's what he could count. In the distance, helicopters were approaching, but they didn't seem to be the cavalry.
"Master Roshi, given your respected status as a martial arts teacher and champion, we respectfully ask that you surrender the alien child that you are harboring. You will be left alone, and your island will be allowed to stay afloat as it is now. We will not harm the little girl either. But that evil alien child must be handed over to us!" one of them said over a loud speaker on one of the helicopters.
Roshi's response was to remove his jacket, "You youngsters really have no idea what you're doing do you? I guess I'll have to teach you a few lessons." The boats began landing all around the island and the armed soldiers exited the boats as they trained their weapons on Roshi and the house.
"Turtle, you guard Marron! It's time to show these fools what they're up against!" Roshi declared as he strapped on his heavy turtle shell that was normally used for training. Roshi then concentrated his power as his body bulged in size. The first pair of soldiers ran in to attack head on, and Roshi dispatched them easily with body blows. As soon as he did, nearly a dozen soldiers started firing conventional bullets at him. Roshi's arms became a blur as he snatched each bullet out of the air, creating a pile of ammunition at his feet as he did not hold onto them.
"He is too powerful for normal weapons! Bring out the blasters!" the loud speaker announced.
Roshi took the brief pause to fire a one-handed Kamehameha blast at the helicopter, destroying it. The pilot was able to bail out in time and hit the water, but the co-pilot was caught in the blast. Behind Roshi, a pair of soldiers ran around the corner and fired their anti-Zerg guns, striking the turtle shell on Roshi's back.
"What is that thing made of?" one of them shouted. They didn't get an answer before Roshi was on them, kicking the first one away before judo-throwing the other into the water. A barrage of red blaster shots followed as Roshi ducked behind his house. Once the firing stopped, Roshi ran straight outwards and then shifted back towards the soldiers, phasing from side to side using his multiple image technique to close the gap. The soldiers fired at each image, only to hit only air, and some of the house. Once Roshi was in range, he disarmed the first couple of soldiers with his hands, turning as he did to bury his elbows into their abdomens. Roshi then bolted back around the corner again when the blaster shots became too much. Once they eased up, Roshi pulled his shell and threw it around the corner of the house. It sailed with great speed into the boats, knocking soldiers aside easily and going right through the boats. The shell arced back in and landing harmlessly on the far side of the island, but not before a dozen soldiers had been knocked down by it.
Roshi grinned, "I still got it!"
"Aim for the house! The old man is nothing!" One of the soldiers promptly threw a grenade at Roshi, but only managed to hit the corner before it exploded. The corner of the house suffered for it and splintered apart as it caught fire. The blasting continued, split between shot towards Roshi and the front of Kame House.
"Oh no, Marron!" Roshi called out. The child in question had taken cover in the house as the turtle guarded the door, but he couldn't see if she was hit or not. Roshi couldn't act due to the army of soldiers blocking the way with their weapons. The front of the house suddenly exploded outwards, showering them with glass and other shrapnel. Roshi glanced over to see that the fire was out, and Marron was still tucked away safely. The source of the explosion stepped in front of the house with a look that would frighten most people.
"Master Roshi, go inside with Marron, and stay there," Verto warned. The Max soldiers stood fast, but there were clearly a few that were nervous. Roshi eyed Verto carefully, realizing that he had never seen the boy so angry before, and since he didn't want to be a target of that anger, he relaxed his power and ran inside.
"Surrender, all of your friends and family are enemies of the Earth! Stand down before we open fire!" one of the soldiers announced.
"How bold of you to attack when barely anyone is around to resist. I spared you all last time because I had an ounce of compassion for your situation, being controlled by those crazy mad doctors. Did I make a mistake?" Verto asked with an eerily calm voice.
The soldier repeated himself, "I said surrender! Or else we'll kill everyone on this island!" His head was missing a moment later as a small golden blast ripped through it, courtesy of Verto's finger. Sparking wires emerged as the soldier fell to the ground.
Verto's lip twitched as this happened, "Threaten me or my friends again. Go ahead!"
"He's a monster! Nuke the island, it's the only way!" another soldier shouted.
Verto's non-verbal facial reaction to his statement alone made him regret his words, "You thought I was a monster before? You just interrupted my nap and threatened people I care about. You're about to see what a monster is."
He powered up and immediately turned Super Saiyan. The burst of energy knocked the soldiers down and caused the tides to send the boats spiraling away. Verto did not hold back and went to the next level as dust and sand blew away from him. An angry battle cry filled with rage followed, and the cyborg Max soldiers, previously intent in their purpose, were desperately trying to swim away. On one of the helicopters above, an old man with a cane frowned in disapproval.
"Well, we can't have that," Kochin said as he pressed a button on his cane.
All at once the Max soldiers' eyes all flashed red; they stopped swimming away and began coming back, with no fear in their eyes. Verto was only too happy to oblige and struck first. The shockwave of his first punch alone went through ten soldiers, turning their cyborg parts into bloody piles of scrap metal. The mob of soldiers attempted to pile on him from all sides, creating a mass of squirming Max uniforms. This didn't last long as Verto's power erupted and caused the dome of soldiers to be forced off, sending them sprawling. Verto lifted off the ground as golden Ki lightning struck all around him in a wide field. The lightning ripped through the soldiers that were still there, causing numerous small explosions as he killed them without mercy. Inside, Roshi watched with concern as he covered Marron's eyes so she wouldn't see what was happening. Verto's eyes had been glowing bright gold during the lightning barrage, but they returned to normal quickly as he eyed the lone helicopter above and lifted his palm to fire a blast when he saw Kochin. He was suddenly hit from behind by what was the last remaining solider, who wrapped his arms tight around Verto.
"For Lord Torev!" the soldier shouted as his body suddenly glowed bright. Verto's eyes went wide as his energy surged, but it was too late to avoid it. A bright explosion went off, so bright that anyone who dared look at it had to look away even with sunglasses. When it faded enough to see, a small orb of gold light remained. It was a floating sphere of golden energy that was just a bit larger than Verto himself was. It also faded a moment later, revealing Verto, still at Super Saiyan Two, but covered in burns, scrapes and shredded clothes. The Max soldier was gone, vaporized in the explosion of his own making. Verto seemed alright regardless as he stared up at Kochin, who only grinned evilly back. Damnit, that means that all the cyborgs could potentially have bombs in them, and that was not an ordinary explosive.
"So, at close range it was enough to affect even him a little. Interesting, and quite fascinating that he was able to contain the blast," Kochin muttered. Verto phased out and reappeared before the helicopter, beyond annoyed. Kochin didn't react and stayed calm as he faced off with the angry Super Saiyan.
"It seems that you have recovered quite nicely. Sorry about the mess but sometimes these things can't be avoided. I must say though, I didn't think you could survive such a close-range detonation from one of my creations," Kochin said nonchalantly.
"Sir, that was over a hundred of our soldiers he just killed like it was nothing!" the pilot pointed out.
Kochin pressed his cane button again, "Be silent, and keep us in the air." The pilot's eyes flashed red and he stopped protesting instantly.
Verto was not impressed, "So, can you communicate with your other partners?"
"If you mean Doctor Wheelo and the other copies of myself, yes they can hear you right now," Kochin said.
"Good, you're done talking now. As for the rest of you, I recommend staying in whatever hole you are hiding in, because if you show your faces here again, you will gain a new understanding of what happens when you piss me off. If you thought that just now was a show, strap yourselves in. When I find you, you'll find that Hell will be a relief," Verto snarled.
Kochin chuckled, "If you find…" His words stopped when a narrow golden beam shot through his mouth and out the back of his head, destroying his robotic vocal cords but keeping the neck intact. Verto's angry face remained as he maintained the beam with just one finger.
"As I was saying, I'm sick of your shit, Wheelo. I'm sick of you using people, I'm sick of you attacking us, I'm just plain sick of you. And I don't care which one of us finishes the job, just know this: Your days are numbered. We will hunt you down and put an end to your existence, one way or another. You wanted a war, you're about to get one."
Verto didn't bother waiting for a reply from Kochin or any other communication system on the helicopter, and he wiped it out with one strong blast. On the island below, he sensed Goku teleport in with Krillin, Eighteen and Seventeen. They couldn't help but stand in awe of the devastation that was wrought, though most of the cyborg parts had been destroyed. Verto sighed as he powered down and landed, gazing out to the water.
Goku walked up to him first, "You didn't need to kill them all."
"Don't lecture me right now. Your best friend's child was in danger, as was your former master," Verto replied coldly while seeing Marron run to her mother crying.
Goku grimly looked down as he stepped away, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was going to turn out like this."
Verto glanced at him, "You couldn't have known anyway Goku. This is what the world has turned into when we weren't paying attention. I'm sorry for not bringing you guys in sooner."
"But you did, and with your help, we figured it out," Seventeen pointed out as he stepped closer.
"Call it standing vigilante if you want. It really bothers me that Wheelo is still using people. You may have missed it just now, but one of them self-detonated trying to take me out. If I hadn't acted quickly, the island would be gone," Verto said.
"Guess that explains how your clothes got ripped up again by those weaklings. Nicely done," Seventeen replied.
Verto sighed with a slight smile, "I suppose. Where is everyone else?"
A distinct whoosh sounded again, this time it was Gohan arriving with Videl, "They're on their way, I sense Vegeta and Trunks coming this way. Tien is staying with Mr. Satan and Buu for now. The mansion was attacked too, and so was West City but I'm guessing that's been resolved." Verto reached out and sensed that Bulma and Bulla were also with them, but that Piccolo was still at the lookout. Considering the Namekian could easily take care of himself, he was less concerned with that, and he knew that the lookout should be guarded.
"I'm going to go and get Chichi and Goten," Goku said, teleporting away quickly.
"What's with him?" Seventeen asked.
"I think Goku has realized the severity of the situation. Even in his carefree mind, there is a man that understands that sometimes these things happen. But instead of a world depending on him to keep them safe, they've turned against him," Roshi explained.
Verto grimaced as he starred out to sea, "Not all of them, not yet."
Sometime later, Bulma landed the large ship on the outer banks of Roshi's island, though the feet of the landing gear were long, solid steel blocks with layered feet and not just sharp metal talons like Frieza's design. By this time, Verto had cleaned himself up and changed clothes, but did not have his usual green over blue uniform on. Instead he wore a plain black shirt with matching shorts. Vegeta did not have much to say upon arrival, though the one comment he had referred to some of the damage to Kame House, which being addressed by Krillin and Gohan with Goten assisting. Most of them were in awe of the bunker-ship when it landed, but considering it was built by Bulma, it was less surprising. Trunks ran out of with every excited expression he could muster.
"Big brother, have you seen this ship Mom made? It's got Protoss technology all over the place, that hologram AI program can run it. It can hold up to five thousand people inside! It has regeneration pods, a gravity chamber, super tough armor and all sorts of awesome stuff!" Trunks exclaimed.
Goten looked equally excited, "That's so awesome Trunks, your mom is the best!"
Verto just glanced at them for a moment, "Yeah she went all out on that thing."
Trunks paused, "You've seen it before?"
"Of course, I have. The server that runs Kain's program is in there. There's also a room in there dedicated to just Saiyan armor storage in just about every color or variety you would want. I put some of my belongings in there a good while ago in case you two decide to 'borrow' something without permission again," Verto remarked.
Trunks' excitement shifted dramatically at this and his hair threatened to turn gold. Verto grimaced at this, not realizing that he might've just hit a nerve, but he honestly didn't care at the moment. As Bulma stepped out of the bottom of the ship, which was now blocking the sun from Kame House, she saw the look on Trunks' face and prepared herself.
"Why does everyone know all this stuff before I do?!" Trunks yelled at her.
Goten stared at him, "I didn't know."
"Trunks-sweetie, I wasn't going behind your back. We just didn't tell you because we were trying to keep it a secret in case we needed it," Bulma explained.
"Not fair, you make me go to school while he does whatever he wants," Trunks shouted again as he pointed at Verto.
"Trunks, you should have a good education. You can't learn everything through fighting," Chichi spoke up from the house.
"Then why aren't you making him? He gets to do all of this cool stuff and I sit through boring lectures of stuff I already know!"
"Take it easy Trunks, it's been a tough day for everyone. We should be glad they had this ace up their sleeve," Krillin said.
Trunks turned to face him, "Why does that matter? If I could help from the start, we wouldn't have this problem. Why does he get special treatment? I was helping officer Satsu before any of you were!" Verto bit his lip, for once holding back on his words. Thankfully for him, he didn't need to spill any of them.
Bulma's face turned slightly red, "You listen here young man. As much as it pains me to say, he is old enough to do all that cool stuff and be on his own. He may not look it, but he is mature enough mentally to do so. You are not!"
Trunks was about to argue back before Vegeta promptly stepped in, "Listen to your mother you spoiled little brat, before I have to teach you a lesson in respect." Trunks winced and immediately backed down, not wanting to provoke his father.
Verto rolled his eyes slightly at the temper tantrum and went back to gazing out at the water. He had plenty of things to retort with but decided not to, perhaps proving said maturity. Bulma was relieved at Vegeta's rare instance of being a parent and waved the other people inside the ship to come out as he came closer. Lieutenant Pepper peeked out as well as Jessica, though they were nervous all things considered. Pepper looked especially concerned when he saw Vegeta coming towards Bulma, never mind Verto sitting on the beach. Jessica on the other hand, looked like she wanted to run and hide.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to be here?" she asked.
"Don't look at me," Pepper replied.
Bulma ignored this and took the scanner from Vegeta before she stepped towards Verto, "What do you think?"
Verto glanced up at her, "Depends, is everyone up to speed?"
Bulma looked at Vegeta who nodded towards her before turning back, "More or less. We didn't see as much as you did."
Verto sighed slightly as he stood up, "Probably a good thing. The villagers Wheelo transformed the other day was probably enough for just today's events. Who knows how many thousands more he's turned, and they could all potentially have what equates to a nuke inside of them. Have you been able to reverse-engineer those nanites yet?"
Bulma looked solemn as she opened the scanner, "Not yet. I know how they work, somewhat at least. If I can break them all the way down, I might be able to figure out a way to reverse the process, but even with all our resources available, it's going to take a lot of time. I did however manage to isolate the signal that is received and transmitted by each cyborg. Kain helped tremendously in that regard."
"My pleasure, madam," Kain said.
"Signal? You mean these things can constantly communicate with each other?" Krillin asked.
"Not exactly. The signal I'm referring to can show location and issue some orders I think, but the individual cyborgs cannot communicate. Think of each cyborg acting as both a recipient and as a booster. In simple terms, it's like each cyborg they create is a rubber wall that you throw a ball at, and if it keeps bouncing off other rubber walls, it doesn't quickly stop and the power of the signal doesn't deplete as fast. So, it can keep going. Make sense?" Bulma explained.
"Not completely, but how does that help us?" Krillin asked.
"It doesn't. Doctor Wheelo can use the signal to control every person that has been transformed from anywhere on the planet if that signal is active. Whether he can use that to trigger their zombie mode or not I'm not sure. And because the signal is constantly being boosted, it will be very hard to trace it. It's not like sensing a power level," Verto said.
"That's correct," Bulma added.
"Zombie mode?" Gohan asked.
"That's what I call it. You'll see their eyes flash red and whatever caution they had before is thrown to the wind. They'll attack without any care to their own lives or the lives of others," Verto explained briefly.
"Oh dear," Chichi muttered aloud. Trunks, still annoyed, glanced over at this realization, as did Goten.
"Hey Trunks, maybe that's why she doesn't make him go to school with us," Goten whispered.
Trunks folded his arms, "Shut up."
Bulma cleared her throat, "Kain is working on tracing the signal source, but until we know where to go, we can only wait and see what happens."
"So, it's like playing a game of hide and seek almost. Does that mean we are the hiders now?" Krillin asked.
"It's more like a game of whack-a-mole. Only the moles have banded together now," Verto replied.
"Crude example sir, but accurate. I estimate that it will take approximately five days to trace the signal based on the amount of signal bounce that is occurring which is causing interference and saturation. That is assuming that the signal does not change in wave form or frequency. Each new cyborg added will increase the delay by potentially several minutes each," Kain explained.
"And your estimate is five days already? How many people are transformed?" Gohan asked in astonishment.
"Uncertain sir, but my conservative ranged-estimate two days ago of three to ten thousand is likely nowhere close."
Bulma closed the scanner, "Thank you Kain. Please direct all your processing power to tracing the signal. Until then, what can we do until we find out where Doctor Wheelo is?"
"Prepare and shore up any resource of ours. Do we still have all of the Dragon Balls?" Vegeta asked.
Bulma nodded, "Of course we do. We didn't make a wish. I've had them locked away in the ship for some time now."
"Good, what about the weapon systems on the ship?"
"I have improved the anti-Zerg cannons so they won't overload as well as charging cannons that you guys can charge with your energy to fire. A little something I figured out using Protoss technology. The shields on it are also just as good and maybe better. The pylon technology can store a lot of energy regardless of type, so once I was able to adapt Capsule Corp tech to it, I was able to get this ship powered fairly easily. I may have borrowed more than a little bit from Flandal's busted labs and other destroyed sites, but it sure came in handy," Bulma said with pride.
"As usual Bulma, you make the rest of us seem like we're standing still," Gohan commented.
"Well, I couldn't do it all by myself," Bulma said, giving Verto a beaming look.
Verto didn't exactly return the look, "I'm a little surprised you didn't fortify Capsule Corp. But then it wouldn't be much for mobility."
"Well I wanted to, but it was more important to build the ship first. It's only been finished for a few weeks after all," Bulma claimed.
"What about other supplies?" Vegeta asked with folded arms.
Bulma remained relaxed, "If needed, we could fly quite far in space without stopping for fuel or food, even if we have a ship filled to capacity. Although, Goku might have to hold back a little on eating."
"Speaking of which, are you planning to try and persuade people to our side? You know it's going to come to that," Vegeta pointed out.
Bulma nodded, "I'll do what I can to fight against the propaganda they are going to use. I even have a studio set up in the ship to make broadcasts with. We can travel around the world as needed, and with the ship's scanners, we can tell people and cyborgs apart."
"Sounds like you have the bases covered," Verto said as he turned walked towards the ship.
"I figured you would be ready to go the minute we got here," Bulma called after him.
Verto paused just after he passed Pepper, "Oh I am. I'll save my energy for when it's time." He entered the ship and officially left the conversation.
"What's with him?" Krillin asked.
"He just woke up from a deep sleep and had to kill over a hundred people and was first in line to see that the cyborgs may all have bombs in them. How would you be?" Eighteen scolded.
"Yeah, good point," Krillin admitted.
Eighteen shook her head slightly and pulled an object from her pocket, "Verto left his cell phone out again Bulma, see that he gets it. It looks like there was a series of messages sent a few days ago."
Bulma took the phone, "Thanks, I will. Probably just me and Videl trying to contact him."
"I think we should all plan to stay here but be ready to take off at any time. That includes patrolling the area," Seventeen suggested.
Vegeta scoffed, "They wouldn't dare attack here now, not if they are able to track us."
"And yet they attacked Capsule Corp, Satan Mansion and here at the same time. My guess is that they knew most of us were at the lookout. Otherwise how could they get that lucky?" Seventeen pointed out.
"It's possible, but they also threw all those people at us knowing they wouldn't win. No, I think this was a big diversion for them to announce their nation state and then show that they were right to do it," Bulma said.
"Humph, pathetic. Can't even face us directly," Vegeta muttered.
"In any case, I think Seventeen is right about patrolling the area. And none of us goes anywhere alone from here on until this crisis is over. Agreed?" Gohan asked. There were no disagreements to this.
"Hey, are you sure it's okay for us to be here?" Jessica repeated from the side. Everyone turned towards her, having forgotten about the girl and the police officer.
Pepper gave her a slight nudge in the side, "I think that means just shut up and we can live."
A few hours later, Verto was inside the ship in a very dark chamber, staring at a screen. Goku had teleported his family back to their home, with Gohan and Videl going with them. With what was left of Nam and Uub's village, he was concerned about their safety as they had been allowed to camp near the Son residence. Everyone else had drawn straws on when they would be patrolling, and it wouldn't be Verto's turn for some time. Lieutenant Pepper and Jessica had been given rooms on the ship, but also given the option to go home. Verto himself had been looking over all the data that had been collected, including the announcement that Doctor Wheelo had made just before the attacks had occurred. He also took it upon himself to have a separate news feed outlining any other important news, but had the sound muted as most of the coverage was on the topic of the day. He did however note that the events of the island had made it to the news, albeit edited. The video was from one the helicopter that Kochin had been on, and it showed Verto tearing through the cyborgs as well as part of Verto's speech to Kochin. Verto didn't need the audio on to know that it was regarding his own declaration of war to Wheelo. Behind him, the metal door slid open as someone stepped through, but he didn't bother to turn and greet once he sensed the low presence of that person.
"Your mother sure built quite a ship," Lieutenant Pepper said. The door behind him suddenly hissed shut and startled the officer.
"What do you want Lieutenant?" Verto asked as he pulled his finger away from the button that closed the door.
"I came to apologize regarding my actions. I had no idea my officers were turned into those robot things, nor did I realize that madman Flandal Cash…"
"Doctor Wheelo," Verto corrected him.
"…right. Why do you call him that again?"
Verto bit his lip for a moment, "Well, it is what he prefers to be referred to, though he is crazy and thinks of that name as his real self. Vegeta still calls him Cash though because he doesn't seem to like name changes. And I think Bulma just does it to spite him."
"I see, well whatever his name is, we should've realized he was trying to take over. Orders from the top started getting very strange, such as trying to arrest you and your family. I suppose the news reports last year should have been a hint but those were probably fabricated, right?" Pepper asked.
"Most of it has been with him. Including the stuff with the detectives," Verto replied, still not turning around.
"If I could go back to my precinct, I'm sure I can help you guys get ahead of this thing," Pepper offered.
"Yesterday I would've said yes. In fact, no one is stopping you now, but I think even you realize that it's quite likely you would be compromised or killed, one way or another," Verto warned.
Pepper nodded, "Yeah, that's what I figured. I got the details from your mother about the cult they established that has turned into this. Can you tell me what happened to Detective Satsu? The report was that he had disappeared."
Verto turned around finally, "Well that part is right. He was helping us investigate the Max cult, whatever they call it now, and had even infiltrated it. The plan was for me to tag along and pull him out after we saw what happened to the people they recruited. A little more happened than we expected to say the least and I was unable to stop them from taking him."
Pepper seemed to accept that, "Can I ask exactly what happened? He didn't get caught in one of those weather bombs or people bombs or whatever they were, did he?"
Verto frowned, "No, I don't think he even knew about those aside from the one strange event when we arrived. Let's just say some non-converted villagers were present and we had to protect them too. Sonny was protecting a child while I was fighting."
Pepper nodded, "Well, I certainly respect that more even when it involves losing an officer. In the line of duty, powerless civilians always come first." Verto didn't answer but took in a deep sighing breath.
Pepper pulled an object from his pocket, "By the way, your mother wanted to give this to you. She said it was your phone."
Verto took the phone, "Thanks, with my abilities sometimes I forget that people can't sense presences or travel quickly. Which is weird since I am pretty much used to using technology all the time. One of these days I'll remember to put my phone in my left pocket instead, that nearly cost me."
Pepper was a bit confused at this, "Why does it matter what pocket it was in?"
Verto sighed heavily, "Let's just say that was the wrong place at the time. I tend to place things I need in one pocket over the other if it's a standby as needed item. Phones are no exception."
Pepper chuckled, "Oh I do that too. As long as you don't just use it for social media, right?" Verto glanced at the phone and saw that there were several dozen messages for him.
He grimaced slightly, "Might as well go through all these."
Pepper nodded, "I'll leave you to it then. I told your mother that I would help with security, though I must admit, learning all the systems on this ship is terrifying to think about."
Pepper left the room and Verto unlocked his phone to look at the messages. He saw a few of them from Videl and Bulma, mostly asking if he was alright or asking for an update. However, he scrolled down to see six messages from Sonny, dated two days previous around the time when he was fighting against the cult.
Hmmm, I did see him pull it out during the battle when he had a moment. I always have my phone on mute so I wouldn't have heard anyway. Verto opened the first text message and his eyes widened.
"Kid, if you are reading this, then they probably got me before I could tell you what happened. It isn't just robots we're dealing with. They took everyone to a strange place, and I think they fed their ghosts to some strange shadow. I'm not sure because I can't do the things you can do. I attached a few photos of what I saw and attached the audio I was able to capture. I didn't want to risk taking video at the time. If I was captured and turned into one of those things, kill me. I would rather you did than to live as one of their brainwashed slaves."
Verto opened the small photo album that was sent, and his eyes widened further, What is that?!
He placed his phone down and closed the newsfeed by pressing a few buttons, "Kain, can you download files from my cell phone?"
Another window popped up on the screen to represent Kain's audio, "Of course sir. Would you like me to download all files or just a select few?"
"Download every file sent from Sonny Satsu, specifically the ones sent a few days ago and then display them. Then bring up the audio file and stand by," Verto ordered. He paused for a moment as he eyed Soren in the pictures. I've been sitting here wondering who he is and why he seems familiar, there can be no doubt about who he is the way he can instantly transport people around and open up holes to other dimensions. But I'm only going to know for sure next time I run into him.
He then pressed another button that was large and red off to the side, "Vegeta, come to the server room please." He didn't have to wait long as the door slid open as Vegeta walked in, eating what used to be a ham off the bone.
"What it is boy? It's dinner time," Vegeta grumbled between bites.
"You may want to skip dinner then," Verto said as he loaded the photos onto the screen. There, even though it was sideways, was the series of snapshots that Sonny had taken. Even though it was sideways, it clearly showed Sonny was hiding in a pile of villagers that were at the very least knocked out. Past the bodies they could easily see Wheelo, Schultz in his human form, Soren, and the strange environment that they were in. In the background of that and coming closer in each picture was the black shadow figure.
"What is that?" Vegeta asked.
Verto grimaced, "Yeah, that's my question too. Sonny sent this to my phone in the middle of the battle, it's kind of a miracle the phone survived. He also sent an audio file, probably taken while whatever this was happened. Kain, play it." The computer played the audio file, which began at the time of the shadow's arrival based on the voices heard. Throughout the playthrough, both Verto and Vegeta's eyes widened as they stared at the black shadow in the pictures. The entire file was nearly ten minutes in length, and it while there were times when it would cut out a bit due to Sonny having to move around, it ended around the time of battle when Verto had shielded him from the Max soldiers' weapons.
"So that is supposed to be this god they look up to, I wonder what he actually is then?" Verto pondered.
"I've never heard the name before, but we have to assume it is a demon type of entity, perhaps like that cretin Vang," Vegeta suggested.
Verto nodded, "I don't think it is the same type, but I'd venture a guess that this shadow is responsible for giving Wheelo extra things to play with. And I'd wager that priest Soren knows a thing or two. Unfortunately, he can teleport or transport someone else away at will almost. And I'm not really sure what his deal is."
"What's there to figure out? He's with them, he's an enemy," Vegeta reminded.
"Perhaps. Maybe we'd know more if Sonny hadn't been captured. He was trying to tell me about this in the middle of the fight," Verto said, feeling slightly guilty. He omitted his own thoughts about Soren on purpose, though Vegeta likely didn't care.
"Even the most perfect warrior can have distractions," Vegeta said in a rare tone of reassurance.
Verto nodded grimly, "Well good thing he was able to send us this data, but aside from knowing there is another potentially powerful player on the field, I have no idea what it means."
"Did the detective drop his phone during the battle?" Vegeta asked.
"I don't know. We got separated, why?"
"Hologram, can you trace the detective's phone signal if we tried to call it?"
"Of course, sir," Kain said from the screen.
Verto came to realization, "I get it. If it is still on him, we can find out where he is now."
Vegeta smirked, "Exactly."
"Proceed when ready," Kain acknowledged.
Verto dialed and listened for the tone. He didn't expect anyone to actually pick up, but he silently hoped. On the display, Kain displayed the world map as the signal went out and bounced around several places in the form of a green line while the ring tone sounded. Overlaid on the map in red was the area that the new MAX nation had claimed. Right after the fifth tone, the phone suddenly cut out without being answered. Verto pulled the phone down and saw the words 'Call Lost' staring back at him. He dialed again, but this time there was no connection.
"Someone must have destroyed the phone," Vegeta claimed.
"Kain, was that enough to locate him?" Verto asked. The green line bounced around a few more times before settling to a part of the northern continent where it pulsated a few times.
"Just inside the edge of the Max Nation territory," Kain commented.
"And in the tundra. But it's not where I fought the giant pile of scrap metal last time," Vegeta added.
"I believe this is the location of the transmission. I cannot say if this is a base or where the cellular device simply was at the time of transmission. I can download this location to the portable scanner," Kain offered.
"Do it," Vegeta ordered.
"Kain, are you able to detect if all the cyborgs have bombs in them?" Verto asked.
"Unknown sir, the scanning range to pinpoint it may be quite narrow to within the explosive radius. In addition, I should point out that the bomb that killed Marcus Satsu was of much lower yield than the one you experienced earlier today. It is possible that it was a unique situation, or that the explosive yield may vary from unit to unit. I will require more scans to determine this. But I do believe that I will soon be able to differentiate cyborgs and humans at a distance. The scanners onboard this ship already can, but there is a limit to how distant the target is," Kain explained.
"Well, at least we have somewhere we can start. We should go to that location first thing in the morning," Verto said.
"I agree. Come, we should inform the others of what we found. And for once, you are going to get sufficient rest even if I must knock you out myself! I will not have you going on any missions with me while weakened from fatigue," Vegeta bellowed.
Verto rolled his eyes but nodded and followed him. They left the room and entered the vast hallway of the ship, which was filled with doors to other rooms that contained various things. Behind them though, Trunks stepped out of the shadows with similar Saiyan armor to his father's typical uniform. With a fierce look of determination as he held the scanner in his hands, he turned to leave.
A/n: As eluded to, several of the events in this chapter happened at the same time. Also, I realized made a slight error with Doctor Briefs' wife, with her name being Panchy and not Bunny or the like as I had believed it to be before. I will go back and make some corrections when I can, but I know she is not mentioned much in the regular story never mind this one, so I consider the detail to be minor. Aside from that, the last several chapters represent a big turning point of the saga if you couldn't already tell, and it's only going to get crazier from here. I certainly appreciate those sticking through my ups and downs to bring you this.
WDG: And right on cue, there's Trunks about to demonstrate exactly why he's not considered mature enough...
VB: Naturally.