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 19: Remnants of Gero's Legacy
Verto awoke via being startled the next morning before dawn, a result of Vegeta's shouting through the ship's corridor. He slipped on his uniform and wiped the sleep from his eyes as the door opened, revealing the Saiyan Prince. Verto hid his scowl, I'm remembering why I preferred the countryside.
"Get up! We're leaving now!" Vegeta growled.
"So much for sufficient rest," Verto grumbled.
Vegeta scowled, "Trunks decided to go ahead of us and took the portable scanner with him. Does that get your attention?"
Verto grimaced, "Must've overheard us last night. Not like we can't follow."
Bulma poked her head around the corner, "Just please hurry. I know Trunks can handle himself, but none of us should be going off on our own."
Verto tightened his blue belt, "Especially not him right now, he feels underappreciated and wants to prove himself."
"Why would he need to prove himself to me? He has done so many times," Vegeta claimed.
Both Verto and Bulma stared at him but only the latter spoke, "Oh really, around you it would be hard to tell if he did anything right!"
"Don't you start with me woman!"
"Don't start what? Making a point?"
"Both of you, cut it out. Argue later after we come back," Verto said as he moved past them.
Both husband and wife huffed at each other before Vegeta followed Verto away. Behind her, another door opened as the high school student, Jessica, walked out of the room she was in, but quickly jumped back in like she had been bitten.
She wiped her sweaty face off before peering out again, "What was all that about?"
Bulma turned in surprise, "Oh just my husband being himself, as usual."
"I thought I overheard something about Trunks going missing?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah, he thinks he's as tough as his father. Typical stuff with those two," Bulma said with annoyance.
"I see, guess I seem like the simple human," Jessica replied.
Bulma smiled lightly, "I know what you mean. By the way, was there something wrong with the clothes I gave you to sleep in?"
Jessica glanced down at her school uniform which was noticeably dirty, "No, I sometimes forget to change before bed. Happens all the time. My mom gets on me for it all the time." Jessica then turned and went back into her room as the door closed behind her. Bulma's eyes narrowed as the door across from Jessica's room opened, and Lt. Pepper stepped out.
"I figured I should wait until your husband left, but what was the commotion about?" he asked as he wiped his eyes of sleep.
Bulma shifted her gaze, "He and Verto are going after Trunks. Did you sleep alright Lieutenant?" He too had slept in his police uniform, but it was unbuttoned and showing signs of being slept in.
"I did until that happened. If you don't mind, I would like to get a few more hours," Pepper said as he turned around.
Bulma nodded, "Feel free. When you wake up, I have a job for you."
Trunks flew through the night at low power so he wouldn't be detected as easily. He knew that everyone that could sense energy would easily notice if he went Super Saiyan to fly with, but it wouldn't be as obvious as long as he didn't. That did make the trip to the north a lot longer than it needed to be, but he was determined to prove himself.
I'll show them I'm not useless. He had taken the scanner with him, though Kain had yet to say a word. Since the AI now had to run the ship along with numerous other systems, it likely had better things to do. On the scanner, there was a map displayed, with his current position and the exact point where Sonny's phone had cut out. The land below was mostly dark but was filled with snow and pine trees. Dressed in a Saiyan battle jacket, he was mostly shielded against the cold, though the wind chill did cut at his face a bit. On the horizon, he saw a large clearing in the snow, and in the middle of it was a simple shack that looked like something a someone would relief themselves with. The scanner indicated that the signal was in the area, and he landed near the shack. Just as Trunks tugged the handle to open the door a little, a strong gust of wind blew the door back shut. He had barely sensed the energy source before it landed before him, in the forms of the two people he didn't want to see right now.
"Trunks, what are you doing?" Verto asked.
Vegeta was much more to the point, "Go back to the ship!"
"Oh, come on! Why can't I help and do the fun stuff too?" Trunks complained.
"Because you're being a little brat!"
"Hey, it's not like I haven't done this before! Who was it that needed help against Majin Buu? And I helped against the Zerg too! Not to mention all the other stuff! I killed that weird alien queen last time we all went against something together!"
Verto smugly turned his head, "I seem to recall a lot of unique circumstances with those situations. Might as well let him stay Vegeta, he has been helpful before. At the very least it gives them another target to shoot at."
Vegeta glared at Verto, "That is hardly the point and you know it. Fine, I guess you have been capable. Just don't get in our way, this isn't play time at the park."
Trunks nodded, "I know Dad. Thanks."
"Well, that's quite touching," a voice said from the shack. The door opened, prompting all three Saiyans to drop into a fighting stance. It was Kochin, holding onto his usual cane.
"Already made another one of you eh? Well not for long," Verto growled as he ignited his golden Ki Sword.
"There is no need for violence young one. I am not here to hurt you," Kochin claimed.
"As if you could," Vegeta boasted.
"Truthfully, no, I couldn't. I think there has been some misunderstanding. You are mistaking me for one of the other Kochin clones," Kochin claimed.
Verto's eyes narrowed, "And that is supposed to matter? Every one of them has been a pain in the ass that we've gladly eliminated."
"Apologies for that. I am Kochin Four. I was activated shortly after the North City lab was destroyed some time last year. Until very recently I was unaware of what had been occurring with your group's activities or that of Doctor Wheelo," Kochin explained.
"And that matters, why exactly?" Verto asked.
"I was stationed here at this lab as a fallback option, while my counterparts were stationed elsewhere around the world. I myself am unaware how many clones of myself there are. However, I do know why I was placed here. Under the snow is an old laboratory of Doctor Gero. I suspect you may have heard of him."
Vegeta's response of charging a large blue energy blast was all the answer he needed, "So, tell me why I shouldn't blow you and this lab into oblivion?"
Kochin held up his hand, "There are things below that you may want to know about. And one of my more, up to date clones is here, along with Doctor Wheelo himself." Vegeta's blast faded as he and Verto glanced towards each other.
"How do we know this isn't some ploy? That this is the real location? I don't see any of your cyborg friends around?" Vegeta asked.
"You can believe what you wish. The cyborg creations are scattered about and only one of them is near here. Doctor Wheelo and Kochin Seven determined I was too defective to be of any use to them, so I have remained in the upper lab as a caretaker," Kochin explained.
"Too defective for them?" Trunks asked.
"When I was activated, I immediately explored the upper lab to familiarize myself with Gero's work. In doing so, I accidentally downloaded an ethical program that I have been unable to delete. It was the same programming that Android Sixteen had," Kochin continued.
Verto eyed Vegeta for a moment before turning back and letting his sword vanish, "Fine, can you lead us to Wheelo?"
"Yes, I can," Kochin said as he turned to stand on the platform inside. He flipped the switch attached to it before it lit up and began lowering.
"Any tricks and he goes first," Vegeta warned Trunks as Verto took the lead in jumping down. They joined Kochin on the platform as it lowered into a noticeably warmer area. It stopped when it hit the bottom of the tunnel and a large metal door opened. Inside was a vast lab that held several large computers, tables and an array of broken glass tubes. Verto's eyes narrowed as he saw multiple robotic shells laying around and in the broken tubes. To his right was what looked to be Android Sixteen, but with only half of his skin over metal and half a robotic head which had no face.
"I suspect that he was being rebuilt by either the computer, or Android Twenty-One when she was still around," Kochin remarked as he stepped forward.
"There's an Android Twenty-One?!" Vegeta growled.
"Was. I believe you all took care of that problem. Most of this lab was in shambles after that incident and that has not changed much," Kochin pointed out.
"Wasn't that the crazy babysitter?" Trunks asked.
Verto's eyes went wide, "Ugh, just what I needed was a reminder of that."
Kochin grinned slightly, "Twenty-One was modeled after Doctor Gero's wife, but due to those events she was unable to achieve her full programming or potential. She was incomplete and aside from attempting to rebuild her son, Android Sixteen, she was too hasty in wanting to take revenge. When we reactivated Doctor Gero's computer, we discovered that she had been researching how to not only create artificial souls, but how to implant them into others. This would have been problematic to say the least."
"Ya think?" Verto asked.
"Wait, so someone else could take control of me or my dad, just like that?" Trunks asked.
Kochin nodded, "More or less."
"Continue, robot," Vegeta grumbled.
Kochin went on as they crossed the lab, "Some of that data was useful to Doctor Wheelo and my clones for creation of the cyborg nanites that transform people into the cyborgs you are familiar with by now. However, the actual process of implanting a soul, whether artificial or natural, is too chaotic. I doubt that Gero or Twenty-One would have been able to successfully implant a soul into someone else with any real power for more than a few minutes. Not without something to hold down the target's power substantially. And even then, the soul would know little to nothing on how to control the body and the original would break any control quickly. Any plans to use that knowledge to its fullest extent were scrapped in favor of cyborg creation."
"Well that's not scary to think about at all," Verto muttered aloud.
"But your master is on record for wanting a strong person's body to inhabit, so it isn't completely scrapped now is it?" Vegeta said in a low tone.
"Quite right, although he is not as interested in yourself as he is the other, more powerful Saiyan, Son Goku," Kochin claimed.
It clearly struck a nerve as Vegeta's forehead filled with veins, "I'm just as strong as that clown."
"Apologies, but it isn't strength he is wanting from you, it is revenge. And I believe Doctor Wheelo has had certain reservations lately about transferring his consciousness completely."
Verto's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean by that?"
Kochin stopped and tapped his cane into the floor, "Doctor Wheelo has transferred his consciousness a total of four times now. I have observed that with every transference, Doctor Wheelo has not quite been himself for some time afterwards. I fear that it may have a warping effect on his mind that was unforeseen. True that he has all of his memories, but where there was once calm and rational thinking, there is now instability. Doctor Wheelo himself has admitted this."
"So, the crazy bastard is getting crazier, lead us to him so we can put him out of his misery," Vegeta demanded. Kochin sighed and continued forward. Verto slowed down noticeably and tapped his ear, where there was a blue light inside that was part of an earpiece.
"Kain, keep on silent mode and scan everything. Let me know when you find the signal generator," he whispered. He received a very dim beep in response before he picked up the pace and rejoined the rest of them. Kochin led them through the messy lab to another elevator platform, but this one looked much newer than the last.
"I take it you built this lab under Gero's?" Verto asked.
"I personally did not, but yes, my clone did," Kochin replied as he flipped another switch. The platform descended into another dark tunnel, though this one was surrounded with darker, navy blue metal. As they were descending, they seemed to pass a strange layer of air, to which all three Saiyans immediately noticed an effect.
"There's a Ki disruptor here," Verto said.
"Yes, I believe that Doctor Wheelo has been expecting you. However, the energy dampener will also affect some of his systems and therefore is only active at this level. I will deactivate it," Kochin said as he tapped another button on the console. Almost immediately, all three could use their energy again, though Vegeta was more on alert than he was before.
"No more tricks," he warned. They reached the bottom and the door opened into a very large and open room. The ceiling alone stretched the equivalent of multiple floors upwards, at least four or five stories by Verto's estimate. The walls around them were fairly bland and smooth, though there was a noticeable pair of long and dark corridors on either side. On the far side though, it was unmistakable to see two figures standing near a console, both of them familiar.
"Welcome, we've been expecting you. Though I did think we would have more time before you tracked down this location. I inwardly hoped that Kochin-Four would not be so forthcoming," Doctor Wheelo said. He was in the same type of android body that he had been prior which was nearly identical to his human body.
"I shall return to the surface then," Kochin-Four said.
His virtually identical counterpart stood next to Wheelo, "You are such a disappointment, Four."
"As are you, Seven."
Trunks glanced between the two, "You two are so confusing, which one is the evil one?"
Kochin-Seven grinned as he stepped out and walked forward with a cane of his own, "Evil is a point of view. However, that one is excessively defective. If you don't mind Doctor Wheelo, he has served his purpose. I would be happy to dispose of him for you."
Wheelo waved his hand, "By all means. It will be quite entertaining. A good start to our festivities before we play around with you lot."
Verto stared him down, "We didn't come here to play."
Kochin-Four sighed and bowed his head, "If I must." Vegeta did nothing to stop this as the two Kochin clones walked towards each other. He did however turn his head to nod at Verto, who nodded back. Kochin-Seven held his cane by the end as he stopped a few dozen feet from Kochin-Four.
Kochin-Seven pressed a button on his cane and laughed, "Say goodbye, you pathetic pile of substandard parts!" He fired a potent energy blast from his cane and Kochin-Four did nothing to stop it.
Trunks motioned to prevent it from happening, only for Vegeta to block him, "Don't." The blast hit and exploded, covering the area with smoke that spanned the room. Trunks heard the distinct sound of metal parts being flung about and landing all around him. The smoke cleared enough to reveal Kochin-Four had become a smoldering pile of scrap as Kochin-Seven held his deep grin. That grin faded when he looked to Trunks' right and saw Verto was gone.
"D-Damn you!" Wheelo groaned behind him. Kochin turned and saw Wheelo's head on the opposite side of the console that he was standing near. His body slumped, headless, as Verto stood over it with his Ki Sword held out. In the distraction of the explosion, he had phased out and snuck around everyone to strike. Verto twirled the blade in his hand before plunging it into the body, causing it to spark and release a minor explosion, rendering it useless.
Verto then stepped towards the Wheelo head, "Told you we weren't here to play."
Wheelo noticeably gritted his robotic teeth, "You think this will matter? I have many more robotic avatars I can activate at any time!"
"Which thus means that your real body isn't here, or at least not in this room. Maybe next time bring something that isn't so damn fragile," Verto said as he lifted his foot.
Wheelo panicked, "Nooooo!" It was too late as Verto stomped down hard and smashed the head, putting an end to the android clone. He then turned and eyed Kochin, who was more than a little concerned. He backed up a step, straight into the slightly taller Vegeta. Vegeta bashed him aside, sending Kochin flying into one of the darkened tunnels. They all saw some distinct sparking from the clone, but he managed to stagger to one knee before Vegeta stepped towards him.
"Trunks, scanner," Verto called out.
Trunks nodded and flew towards the console with scanner in hand, "You sure took care of them."
"I doubt we're done, but let's see what Kain can get out of this console, if anything. We don't want to be here any longer than we have to be," Verto said. Trunks, excited to at least participate, opened the scanner and placed it on the console.
"What have you got Kain?" Verto asked.
"This control station monitors the cyborg signal generator, but it does not shut it down. The generator is however nearby, if I can pinpoint…" Kain's voice suddenly turned to static.
"Kain, repeat that," Verto ordered. He received only more static and nothing else.
"Damn it," Verto said as he tapped the earpiece off.
"What does that mean?" Trunks asked.
"I think we're too far underground for the signal to reach. Now that the AI is in the ship there might be a transmission problem, either that or…" Verto was cut off when the scanner started to beep. On the small screen, he could clearly read the words 'Dampening Field Detected'.
"Okay, so I guess that means the scanner is useless," Trunks said.
"Yeah, hold onto it," Verto said as handed it to Trunks and turned. He eyed Vegeta who was just about caught up with Kochin's sparking body. Kochin struggled to get to his feet despite his cane to help him, a fact that became more obvious to Vegeta when he saw that a leg had been damaged beyond repair.
"Let me give you a word of caution: Tell Cash to come out if he doesn't want to lose another lab," Vegeta warned.
Kochin grinned, "I think it is you who should exercise caution. They've already been activated."
Vegeta smirked, "What, more cyborgs? Pathetic!"
Kochin's expression held, "No, something a little bigger."
"Well they won't save you now will they?" Vegeta asked as he aimed a quick blast. Kochin had no time to even react before he was wiped out. Another spray of parts scattered about as Vegeta flew back to the console.
"Did the hologram get anything?" he asked.
"No, there's a dampening field blocking the scanner. We'll either have to leave or look the hard way," Verto explained. A noticeable stomp shook the ground, signaling something was getting closer. The shaking became nearly constant, signaling there was more than thing producing it.
"What is that?" Vegeta asked as his eyes widened. Verto and Trunks turned to see the dark silhouette of a rather large robot emerging from the tunnel, stepping over the remains of Kochin-Seven. It was of the same make of the last one that they had seen, smaller than the model that Doctor Wheelo had battled with Vegeta with, but still powerful.
It stopped before them as Vegeta grinned, "Oh good, this won't be completely boring then." The floor shaking lessened, but continued, which prompted Verto to turn and see another giant robot of the same type coming from the other tunnel.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want it to be too boring," Verto said sarcastically. He promptly powered up, transforming to Super Saiyan Two just as Vegeta followed suit. Trunks nervously transformed as well, but limited it to only the first level of Super Saiyan, unsure of what was about to happen.
A noticeable crackle hit the air before a familiar voice followed it, "Muahahahaha! Welcome Saiyans. You clearly couldn't wait until these were brought out. Pity, I rather liked the dynamic between the two Kochin clones on site."
Verto grimaced at the sound of Wheelo's voice, "If you think these two toys are going to help you. I'm betting they're no stronger than the last ones."
"These are the new and improved Mark-Fives. True they are not as powerful as the original, but what they lack in power they make up for in longevity. You did say you wanted to deal with something less fragile. You'll find that they are both equipped with improved polarized armor that is resistant to all your attacks, so enjoy dealing with them," Wheelo said on the loudspeaker. Both robots shimmered slightly as their armor glowed for a brief moment before settling back down.
Verto smirked, "Okay first thing is to blow up wherever that speaker is. Trunks you can have that task."
Wheelo laughed, "Oh I didn't forget young Trunks. I'm afraid I do not have a third model available to contend with you at this time, so I left you this instead." Trunks turned and saw the floor part before lifting a new figure into the room and resealing. Trunks gasped slightly, prompting Verto and Vegeta to glance in that direction. There in almost the center of the room, was Detective Sonny Satsu. His expression seemed blank, like he was awake but clearly not aware.
"The defective Kochin was right, you are getting more psychotic," Verto said with a scowl.
"As I'm sure you figured out by now, we have transformed the detective into a more, suitable form. I should warn you, you may not want to destroy him as his body is set to detonate if he sustains too much damage. And I'm not entirely certain all three of you could survive such an explosion. I look forward to the results. Have fun!" Wheelo laughed as his voice cut out. Sonny seemed to snap out of it and laid his eyes on Trunks before running straight at him.
"God damn it Cash," Vegeta grumbled as the first giant robot leapt towards him. The other did the same with Verto, who ducked out of the way of the first attack before blocking the robot's huge arm on the second attempt. The sides of the room erupted with shockwaves as Verto and Vegeta fought against the two giant robots. Trunks, however, was frozen in terror as Sonny ran at him, not that he was scared of the man himself, but of what had apparently occurred. He ducked Sonny's attempted punch and then blocked the second. When he did, his arm felt noticeable pain. Trunks phased out and put some distance between himself and Sonny while he glanced at the bruise on his arm.
"Focus Trunks! Your own doubt and fear will weaken you!" Verto called out as he glided by. The robot chasing Verto fired a blast that just barely missed when he phased out. Verto conjured his sword and swung into the robot's legs, only to meet a strong barrier that blocked the attack. Damn, they really are improved. Power wise, this one is more than a match against me or Trunks alone, but Vegeta should be able to handle himself. A sound behind him alerted his danger sense and he swung his arm to block an attacking Sonny, who had the same dead look in his eyes as before. Trunks was frozen in place and had powered down as he stood shaking. Verto knocked Sonny aside carefully and avoided the robot's next attempted crushing blow, phasing out and next to Trunks.
"What's wrong?" Verto asked.
"I can't. Sonny, I can't attack him," Trunks said as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Verto grimaced as his robot opponent stomped closer, "This isn't the time for tears Trunks. You wanted to come along, this is what we've got to deal with. If we have to kill him, we will. If you want to play with the robot instead, by all means do that and I'll deal with Sonny. Go to the next level, use your anger against the assholes that did this to him."
Trunks wiped his tears, "Okay." He stood up and turned Super Saiyan again before digging deep and channeling his rage.
Verto shielded himself as Trunks turned Super Saiyan Two and darted after the giant robot. His first attack bounced off the robot's barrier, but he managed to avoid the counterattack and resumed the dance that Verto had started. On the other side, Vegeta was pushing the other robot backwards with heavy strikes, but was not doing any notable damage as the robot's barrier was constantly on. It was unlike the previous models that he and Trunks were able to break only to have them reassemble themselves. Verto turned to Sonny, who was back on his feet and walking towards him.
We can't assume Wheelo was telling the truth that Sonny has a nuke inside of him. However, we can't discount it either. Sonny told me himself to execute him if he was turned into a cyborg. If the bomb inside him is of the same type, I should be able to contain it with an energy shield. Verto waited until Sonny had gotten close enough before rushing at him and delivering a solid punch to his torso. Sonny bent over from this, but otherwise had no reaction. He attempted to throw Verto, only to be counter-thrown when Verto flipped himself around and grabbed onto Sonny's head. Sonny landed and laid prone for a moment before standing back up and resuming his zombie-like motion.
Verto frowned at this, He's stronger than the other cyborgs, but not that strong. He charged a blast in one hand while focusing much more in his other before aiming at Sonny. Time to test my theory. Nearby, the robot fighting Trunks suddenly stopped and fired a blast towards Verto. He turned and reacted just enough to block against the detonation, but it was still enough to send him flying into the far wall near the door they had entered beforehand. He fell to the ground and when he did, he heard a distinct clicking sound. The panels of the floor around him slide away and large columns of fire erupted out of them. Directly above, the same occurred, creating a fiery cage around Verto. There was no cagey or annoying laughter that followed, which Verto was thankful for, but it was still no less a problem.
"Okay Wheelo, if you think this will hold me," he muttered as he charged energy and thrust his arms into the flames to begin creating a gap in the fire. Instead, his energy faded almost immediately as his hair fell and returned to black. Verto was thrown backwards as the fire erupted around him and he swiftly fell unconscious behind the fire cage. Trunks and Vegeta both saw this and reacted in surprise.
"Boy! What's wrong?" Vegeta shouted. Before he could say or do anything else, the second robot disengaged from Trunks and charged after Vegeta just as the first was able to land a blow on him. Vegeta staggered and backed painfully away of the second robot when it struck him from behind and he was forced to glide backwards to avoid them both. Trunks was about to help his father when he noticed Sonny moving towards Verto, who was out cold behind the fire prison. He hesitated before flying at Sonny and burying a knee into the cyborg's side, sending him bouncing off the wall. Sonny's body sparked as his arm went limp from the impact, but he still got up and ran at Verto despite this.
"Sonny, please stop!" Trunks cried out. Sonny didn't listen, and Trunks attacked again, this time sweeping Sonny's legs out from under him. Sonny landed with a thud and laid prone for the moment. Vegeta was able to get away from the two giant robots long enough to fly towards his son.
"What's wrong Trunks, finish him off!" Vegeta ordered.
"But I can't! What if he explodes and we can't survive the blast?" Trunks argued.
"The detective wouldn't want to keep going like this! He'd rather we kill off this abomination he's become! So, do it! We'll deal with the consequences if they happen! If a little bomb could kill us, we wouldn't be deserving to live anyway," Vegeta replied.
"But…" Trunks started to argue.
"Tch! You're a Saiyan Prince, Trunks! Start acting like one!" Vegeta growled as he turned and charged at the two giant robots.
As before, he was unable to land a successful strike physically or with his energy as their barriers appeared and cancelled it out. He snarled at this game of avoidance but continued, nonetheless. Trunks, with tears in his eyes, turned and charged a blast to aim at Sonny. One of the robots stopped again and turned to fire a blast from its claw at Trunks to stop him. Vegeta caught this and attacked with a strong hammering blow. The impact shattered the robot's left arm and it stopped channeling its blast. Vegeta gasped in realization as the barrier reappeared but the robot was able to glide away.
He then smirked, So, they can't attack and defend at the same time. Quite a fatal flaw these foolish scientists seem to share. Vegeta waited for the other robot to charge him and attempt to crush him from above. Vegeta's aura exploded as he stopped the attack and in the process, severely damaged the robot's right arm. Away from this, Trunks hesitated before firing his blast, which was strong enough to end Sonny right then and there. The other robot was able to fire off a blast away from Vegeta, which hit Trunks from behind and put him in the wall nearest Sonny. Sonny stopped moving towards Verto and instead changed targets to Trunks, who was recovering. Trunks realized this and reformed his blast, with tears in his eyes.
"Stop Sonny, I don't want to do this, but I will!" Trunks warned. Sonny didn't take the hint and kept walking towards him with murderous intent. Trunks closed his eyes and prepared to fire.
"Feedback!"
Trunks' eyes shot open as a white blast shot out from the fire cage and crashed into Sonny from the left side. The effect was nearly instantaneous as Sonny went down and sparked vividly for a few seconds, effectively disabled.
"Psi Freeze!" Verto shouted as he aimed at the sources of the fire with both hands. This put a stop to enough of the fire prison for him to escape it, and it shut down shortly thereafter. The feedback wave faded from as Verto stepped closer, eyes blue. Sonny's eyes blinked and he gasped like he had been holding his breath.
"What the hell? Where am I?" Sonny asked as he got to his feet.
"Welcome back," Verto said with a smile.
Trunks was elated, "Sonny, is that you? Really you?"
"Yeah kid, what the hell happened to me? Where is this place?" Sonny asked.
"Some things happened. You're in one of Wheelo's labs. He turned you into a cyborg, look at your arm if you don't believe me," Verto pointed out. Sonny attempted to move his right arm, only to have it spark in defiance and not work quite right.
"Ugh, why did you let me live then?" Sonny asked.
"I had a theory that I might be able to reach you, but I couldn't actually try it till just now. And you might have a nuke in your chest, that was another reason," Verto explained. He then turned towards the air dance going on between Vegeta and the two robots, "We also have that to deal with."
"I see," Sonny said with a definite hint of his own fear.
"Big brother, since you have your other energy back, do you want to do that power transfer again?" Trunks asked as he had realized what had occurred.
"Not this time," Verto said blasted off with a spinning ball of Psionic energy in his hand. One of the giant robots separated from Vegeta and flew towards Verto, claw outstretched to attack with.
Verto fired the blast, "Psi Freeze!" The blast struck the barrier and began to rapidly form ice around the robot despite the energy barrier. It only managed to encase the right leg, which broke off as the robot escaped. He fired another Psi Freeze, but missed as it struck the wall. Verto eyed the other robot, noticing the damage already done to both of them by Vegeta. So that means that they won't be rebuilding themselves this time if Vegeta was able to do that already, or they haven't bothered trying.
The two robots then fired blasts at the same time, one at Vegeta and one at Verto. Both Saiyans were able to avoid by phasing out and responded by firing blasts of their own, only to be met with barriers. Out of the corner of his eye, Verto spotted another light in the tunnel. It emerged as another energy blast that narrowly missed him. Soon after, a third giant robot entered the room, which was flanked by the other two. This one was larger in size and had a larger glass casing on its top, but inside that casing was another Kochin clone with controls in his hands, and was laughing loudly.
"Oh, look who wants to die again," Vegeta growled as he fired a blast at the new arrival. The impact did next to nothing despite no apparent barrier.
"Oh geez, another one? This is getting old!" Trunks shouted.
"Muhahahaha, this is the Mark-Six. It is much stronger than the Fives!" Kochin declared.
Verto hovered in front of the trio of robots with his arms folded, "Then how about you just scrap those two now and get it over with. Only a matter of time till we beat them anyway."
Kochin continued to laugh, "Your point is well taken!" A huge surge of energy erupted from the floor between the robots and everyone else. Behind it however, the smaller robots suddenly fell apart, and two larger glowing pieces lifted out and flew at the MK-Six. They slid neatly into the sides of the robot as electricity crackled around the rest of the body.
Verto glided backwards next to Vegeta, "You feel that?"
"Yes, this one is indeed stronger. If those were the power cores of the other two, I doubt we can easily defeat it," Vegeta admitted. Kochin laughed as the MK-Six's claw came forward and fired a much stronger blast than before. Vegeta countered with his own as Verto glided out of the way, and the struggle lasted for only a few seconds before Vegeta was forced backwards into the other tunnel. The MK-Six charged after him, only for Trunks to jump in and attack its blindside. He was only able to attract Kochin's attention before the robot's claw swung at him hard. Trunks was hit and fell to the ground in a heap. The MK-Six moved to stomp on him, only for a large golden blast to slam into it, courtesy of Vegeta. The blast didn't damage the new model as much as it surprised Kochin, and the MK-Six staggered into the tunnel it had appeared in as Vegeta checked on his son. Kochin was able to get the robot to recover quickly however.
"How about it Vegeta? Let us see who is stronger! I think you will find different results than when you battled Doctor Wheelo before!" Kochin dared as the MK-Six crackled with energy that danced off of it and the walls. Vegeta's response was to release a large amount of energy and channel it directly into his palms as they glowed purple.
"Galic Gun!" he roared as he fired. The MK-Six responded with a larger golden energy blast that collided with Vegeta's attack and pushed forward. Vegeta grunted slightly as he pushed more power into his attack, only to see it slowly fail. He eyed Trunks, who was right next to him and struggling to get up.
"Come on Trunks, on your feet son!" Vegeta called out. Trunks saw the blast coming and fear filled his eyes.
"Trunks! Snap out of it! Don't run away! I need your help! Let's put this fool away!" Vegeta shouted. Trunks flinched slightly at his father's words, but nodded and mimicked his Vegeta's stance.
"Galic Gun!" Trunks added energy combined with Vegeta's and pushed the power struggle into a stalemate. This caused the lab to shake violently as Sonny could only watch in amazement. Verto hovered nearby, watching carefully. He had wanted to attack Kochin's blindside but wasn't going to be able to with the power struggle going on. The tunnel's walls were in the way and approaching the robot was not a good idea. This continued for a few moments before the power struggle began to favor the Saiyans.
"Give it all you've got Trunks!" Vegeta shouted as they made headway against the MK-Six. The ball of colliding energy barely budged any further, though Trunks was definitely putting in his full effort. Verto eyed the corridor behind the MK-Six, wondering how far it went as he silently analyzed the situation. Why isn't Vegeta going to Super Saiyan Three? I know he doesn't like the form, but he certainly has enough power to do it. Although, I'm not entirely certain it would make a difference. That robot is definitely more powerful than Vegeta's level three alone. It's also possible that Kochin wants them to tire out before going all out. That means we need more to attack with now and if it isn't enough, we'll be too tired to stop them this time, Verto suddenly stopped debating it, realizing what needed to be done.
He turned to Sonny, "You may want to take whatever cover you can." Sonny didn't bother asking why and braced himself against the wall. Verto closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated hard as his aura sparked to life. Combining power beams won't work that well, unless mine is at a similar level. For that, I have to go all in. Verto began channeling the rage he was hesitant to use, and his energy changed into a crimson shade. Verto's eyes sharpened and turned red as he channeled a power he had wanted to forget about. Vegeta's eyes widened as he turned to look, but not for long as Verto rushed in and firmly planted his feet between father and son.
"What are you doing boy?" Vegeta asked.
"That thing is strong enough to hold you two back at once, so let's see it hold up to everything we've got!" Verto declared as he pulled his palms back and charged them.
"But your power will…" Trunks started to ask.
"As soon as it happens, run! Galic Gun!" Verto yelled as he fired a very red blast into the energy collision before him. The result was immediate as the red-purple wave of energy suddenly gained tremendous steam and plowed through MK-Six along with the shocked Kochin piloting it. The giant robot disintegrated like it was made of butter in the Chi-powered, triple Galic Gun from the Briefs family. The energy shot down the tunnel and hit the far end of it, producing a huge explosion that flowed back towards them, ripping through the ground and walls as it did. Vegeta grabbed Trunks as he and Verto flew back towards the door, snatching a surprised Sonny on their way. They flew upwards as fast as they could and entered Gero's lab. Thinking quickly, Verto fired another red blast straight up, skewering tons of dirt and ground and providing an escape route. They hit the cold air and flew away over the snow just as the earth seemed to give way, making way for a firestorm of energy to shoot into the sky. The ground caved in all around them as a huge hole opened in the land, allowing more of the energy to escape. As the explosion faded, snow and dirt tumbled into the absurdly large canyon that formed.
"Good lord, I think you got him!" Sonny stammered in amazement. The trio powered down, and Verto's eyes returned to their blue state.
"Sorry about that Sonny, but that was going to be the quickest way to deal with that robot. That lab setup with a long tunnel gave us the sliver of time we needed to get out," Verto pointed out.
"How did your power flip this time?" Vegeta asked.
"Probably the fire," Verto admitted.
"Guess we're not going to be able to investigate what is left of the lab," Trunks noted as he gazed at the black hole that was at least a mile in diameter.
Sonny stared at him, "How could there be anything left? You three put together would wipe anything out!"
Verto tapped the earpiece in his ear, "You have no idea. Kain, do you read?"
He got an immediate response, "Yes sir. The detonation of the lab disabled the dampening field that was blocking the link with my server. I briefly registered a drop in cyborg signal activity before another generator emerged."
"Well that was a waste if he has more than one. That was a hell of a trap though. I don't think we could have done that as easily with just two of us," Verto said, giving Trunks a nod. Trunks returned the look but said nothing as his father's mood hadn't improved yet.
Vegeta scowled, "We're also no closer to finding out where the real Cash is."
"Well, at the very least, this lab is toast," Verto replied. He scowled slightly that Vegeta hadn't given his son any credit but said nothing about it.
"Wow, well that was a hell of a way to wake up. What did I miss?" Sonny asked.
"Like I said, a lot of things. I'll explain on the way back. We're going to need your help, or more specifically, Bulma will," Verto said, which unnerved Sonny just a bit.
"Is it because they made me a robot now?" Sonny asked.
"Even think about blowing up and I'll find you in the afterlife and end you there too!" Vegeta warned.
"Wait, what?" Sonny asked.
Verto rolled his eyes, "Just try to ignore any weird, crazy thoughts you might suddenly get about killing us.
Sonny sighed as they flew into the brightened horizon, "So just the usual?"
"Yep."
Back at the ship, Jessica was walking the hallways. She wasn't sure how long Verto and Vegeta had been gone, but considering it was well past dawn, she assumed it was quite a while. She had gone into a section of the ship that no one else was in and had dared open the doors to peer inside. So far, she hadn't seen anything worth looking at that wasn't in every other part of the ship.
"Damn, where are they?" she whispered. She moved on to the next door and it opened into another bedroom.
"Geez, how many of these are bedrooms?" She kept moving, pausing briefly when she suddenly heard the loudspeaker go off.
"Everyone, we're eating breakfast in Kame House. Feel free to join us there," Bulma's voice said. Jessica sighed and continued. At the next door, she expected to see another small bedroom. Instead, a dark room greeted her. She pulled out a flashlight and stepped inside. There, she saw a few large tables, a few crates and other equipment; and a long device protruding from the ceiling. She couldn't quite make it out in the dark, but it appeared to be some sort of medical device, though it had sharp clamp-like appendages. Near one of the crates, she thought she spotted something of note. She frowned when she only saw words on the crate.
"Operation K? I wonder what that is?" Jessica wondered. She pulled a small slip of paper from her back pocket and went over it with her flashlight.
"Oh, it can't be that, it says there's seven of them and they're small. No way she'd put them in a crate that big," she muttered aloud. As she got closer, she heard a footfall in the room. She gasped and spun around, but saw nothing.
"Get out!" a voice whispered right next to her ear. Jessica's spine ran cold and she ran for the door, which opened neatly just in time. She tumbled out of the door and it shut immediately. Jessica, frightened out of her mind, cast her flashlight on the door, which at this point she noticed there was a no window to see beyond it.
"Enjoy yourself in there?" another voice asked. Jessica, startled, turned to see Lieutenant Pepper standing there with his arms folded.
"Umm," Jessica bit her lip slightly.
"Don't go snooping around girl. I imagine there are a lot of things on this ship that you don't want to go messing with," Pepper warned as he helped her to her feet.
"There's someone in there!" Jessica claimed.
Pepper glanced at the door, "Well whoever may or may not be in there probably wants to be left alone. What you were doing in there is the real question."
Jessica cringed a bit, "I was, just having a look around."
"For someone that was nervous about even being here before, you sure seem awfully curious," Pepper pointed out.
"I-I just wanted to see the rest of the ship, it's pretty big after all. And I have a vested interest in science. Miss Bulma knows that," Jessica claimed.
"Your curiosity will get the better of you if you aren't careful," Pepper scolded as he walked by her and left the area. Jessica gulped slightly and followed him. She stopped at the end of the corridor to look back at the door in question before moving towards the exit with Pepper. At the bottom of the ramp, Bulma waited with Gohan, arms at her hips.
"Where was she Lieutenant?" Bulma asked.
"Near the room you told me to watch," Pepper replied.
Bulma frowned and held up a capsule to hand to Jessica, "Here. This capsule has an aircar that will get you home."
"Wha? Why? You said I could stay," Jessica said as she took the capsule.
"The room you went in is not only off limits, but it holds the things you were after," Bulma said with a scowl. Pepper pulled the small slip of paper from Jessica's pocket and handed it to Bulma. On it was a picture of several of the dragon balls, with the note of seven listed.
"Oh crap," Jessica rasped.
"Care to explain?" Bulma asked.
"Umm…"
"You can explain it to us. Or you can wait for Vegeta and my sons to return. I don't know if you noticed, but they won't be as nice."
"You're a spy for the MAX group, aren't you?" Gohan asked directly.
"I…yes. Clearly not a good one," Jessica said with a sulk.
"I'd ask why, but it's obvious what you were up to," Bulma said with a distinct snarl.
"They just told me to get those wish orb things from you. They said they'd hurt my parents if I didn't!" Jessica claimed.
"And? What do you think would happen if you did?" Bulma argued.
"I-I don't know! I had no idea they were going to attack right after I arrived either!"
Bulma held her head slightly, "Ugh, what a pain."
"Might as well let her decide," Pepper suggested.
"Yeah, not like she can do any damage at this point," Bulma said with a nod.
Jessica clutched the capsule, "Are-Are you sure?"
"If you return without the objects you were sent here for, they'll probably kill you or worse. And who is to say they haven't already done away with your parents? It is a classic hostage scenario, except they are getting you to do their bidding," Pepper explained.
"Yeah, but," Jessica tried to argue.
"Look, I'm not too happy about this, but if you promise you won't go looking for trouble, we'll let you stay. You're not a cyborg, and you don't pose much of a threat. But you won't be alone on the ship any longer, and we'll be watching. You may not be so lucky next time," Bulma warned.
Jessica bowed her head, "Thank you." She walked slowly towards Kame House with Pepper right behind her to where the others were about to eat. Bulma handed a capsule to Gohan, which he opened to reveal the seven Dragon Balls.
She pulled the four-star ball out, "Take this one to the lookout, call it insurance in case something happens. I don't want to split them up, but it might be safer for us that way."
Gohan took the ball from Bulma, "Good idea actually. By the way Bulma, what was in that room aside from the Dragon Balls? I thought I heard someone moving around but I didn't sense a presence when I was near there."
Bulma smiled, "Well, hopefully something we don't need."
A/n: Originally intended for the battle portion of this chapter to be much longer, but I think its safe to say we all get the point with it. Much of this chapter was late additions and call backs anyway.
Next Time on DBV: Through the help of Kain's tracking system, Verto and Bulma learn the locations of many of Wheelo's minions, labs and bombs. They discover one near the Ox King's village and Gohan leaves to rescue his grandfather. Meanwhile, Goku comes face to face with Doctor Wheelo.