Chapter Forty Five: Deep Blue Sea

The ocean waves rocked back and forth as many flying fish surged out of the water in schools, arcing over the sea in the glinting sunlight before plunging back into the depths. The sun beat down on all of this, watchful and ever present as it always had been from the beginnings of the world. Beneath its gaze the submarine flew through the air, piloted by Krillen with Kakarot and Bulma in the back seat.

Bulma looked up from the dragon radar. 'According to the radar we need to head south, mmm, about thirty miles.'

'You got it,' said Krillen, gunning the engine and southing off towards the south.

The flag of the red ribbon army flew high overhead as within his office General Red lit his pipe and blew a draft on it. He sighed in relaxation as the pipe soothed his frayed nerves. It was a habit he had picked up some years ago, and had never quite shaken. Reaching down he took hold of a black piece, and moved it forward.

At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Black glanced back.

'Enter!' said Red.

The door opened and a yellow tiger entered and saluted. 'Excuse me, sir. General Blue has just sent in his latest field report regarding the island. Apparently it is inhabited by an old man, a young women, and a turtle.'

'Old man?' inquired Red 'Hmm, a scientist.'

'Details are unknown.' said the Yellow tiger.

'You're probably right sir.' said Black 'This could possibly be the same scientist who Briefs took credit for on making the Dragon Radar.'

'Hmm,' said Red 'what is the position of the dragonball?'

'No change sir.' said the tiger. 'One is somewhere on the island and one is in the ocean.'

'Tell General Blue to invade the island immediately!' said Red 'Get me those dragonballs, and get me the old man. I want him taken alive!'

'Yes sir.' said the tiger, before turning and walking out.

Red laughed to himself and moved his piece. 'Checkmate.'

From where he was observing through spy cameras even the General didn't know about, Gero looked up to Barracks. 'Are you sure that program Hasky is located on that island as well?'

'Yes, positive in fact,' said Barracks.

'Excellent,' said Gero 'its battery should have recharged by now. Begin activation sequence.'

'Are you sure thats necessary, dad?' asked Barracks.

'That island is where Master Roshi lives.' said Gero 'Blue has no idea what he is getting into.'

'Alright then.' said Barracks.

Meanwhile Blue Launch was humming to herself while wiping down one of the tables. After a moment she looked up and saw a pink bag. Approaching it, she kneeled down by it. 'Thats strange,' she said as she picked it up. 'this is Bulma's bag, she must have forgot it.'

Arising a dragonball suddenly slipped out from it and landed on the ground in what seemed slow motion. Something arose in Launch's mind, a desire to steal them. No… a mission, she'd been offered serious payment to…

No, what was she thinking. She picked up the dragonball and looked at them as they gleamed alluringly.

The low hum of the sub as it shot through the air almost lulled Kakarot to sleep as he sat in place, waiting. Perhaps thirty minutes had passed, if the clocks were any indication. Every so often Bulma would check the dragon radar and then look back out the window at the beautiful sea below. She was very beautiful. Suddenly he face brightened. 'Okay, we should be right above it. Dive here.'

'Gotcha,' said Krillen as he turned the submarine downwards.

'Are you sure this thing can go underwater as well as it can fly?' asked Kakarot.

'Of course it can, Kakarot.' said Krillin 'It wouldn't be much of a submarine otherwise.'

The sub surged through the air until it hit the water and cut through it like a knife, before descending into the depths far below. Finally some action! Kakarot had been bored to tears!

Little did they know, they were being watched from the nearby island. Blue lowered his binoculars and smiled. 'Thats it, find the ball. So I can steal it from you.'

He sensed a man approaching behind him, and the man opened his mouth. 'Gen-'

General turned round and slapped him into the nearby building with a crash. 'Now how many times until you learn? It is very difficult to sneak up on a General and keep your teeth.'

The man stood up and stood to attention and saluted. 'Sorry General, urgent message.'

'Well?' asked Blue. 'What is it?'

'Sir, we've received official confirmation for head quarters regarding Brief's hideout.' said the soldier. 'According to the radar reports, Brief's dragonballs are on that island as we thought. We've been ordered to steal the dragonballs and capture the old scientist for questioning.'

'Everything is happening as I envisioned it.' said Blue 'Brief's days are numbered. Attention!'

A portly man with a mustache came into view and saluted. 'Sir?'

'Dive our forces into two units.' said Blue 'I will lead company A's attack on Brief's, while you mobilize company B and take the island! Aside from the old man no prisoners! Is that understood?!'

'Yes sir.' said the fat man.

'Lieutenant…' said Blue 'This army requires its soldiers to move. Lose some weight.'

'Yes sir.' said the portly Lieutenant.

If the ocean from above had looked beautiful, the sea beneath the waves was truly majestic. Multicolored schools of fish swam too and fro as Kakarot stared in awe. Octopus' made their way on tentacles across the sea floor, while choral reefs could be seen here and there. Crabs wandered the surface. Kakarot felt a sense of primordial wonder as he gazed at it all.

'This place is truly beautiful.' he said 'It would be a shame to see it destroyed.'

'Well Capsule corp is a real green company y'know.' said Bulma. 'We don't pollute the air at all.'

As they went on, Kakarot saw a giant round fish with small fins on either side. It stared at him and he stared back. Finally he glanced back. 'I wonder what their names are.'

'What?' said Bulma.

'I mean the fish.' said Kakarot.

'I don't know.' said Bulma 'Be quiet I'm trying to think.' Then she paused. 'Stop here Krillin, the radar shows it should be right beneath us!'

The sub slowed and they began to slowly scan over the sea floor. A giant shell lay on the surface, and Kakarot wondered if the dragonball might lie within it. Krillin hit a switch and lights flared down, looking over the surface of the sea bed for any sign of the dragonball. None appeared no matter how they searched.

Kakarot looked around. 'Where do you suppose it is, guys?'

'Its down there somewhere,' said Bulma 'the radar doesn't lie. Why don't you go look for it.'

A few minutes later Kakarot was swimming through the water in a pair of flippers with a breathing apparatus over his face and a tank of oxygen on his back. He looked around inquisitively. Suddenly he felt something wriggling within his shirt, and panicked, moving back and forth to try and get it out. He reached into his shirt and drew out a fish.

For a moment he considered crushing it, before thinking better of it and letting it go.

'What are you doing?!' asked Bulma 'Stop goofing off!'

'How are you speaking to me from afar?' asked Kakarot 'Is this some of your witchcraft.' Then he saw something of note and swam towards it.

'Kakarot, did you find it?'

Picking up a giant crag he raised it above his head. 'Look at the size of this thing Bulma! It could make good eating.'

'Would you quit screwing around and find the dragonball!' snapped Bulma.

Meanwhile at Blue Base, General Blue himself stood before his assembled soldiers, clad in his finest uniform. 'We stand at the crossroads between success and greatness!' he cried 'Those that stand before me represent the best that the Red Ribbon Army has to offer! You're deeds are already legendary! But your actions today will determine how that legend is to be told!' He plucked a rose from a nearby pot. 'Find your enemy, pluck him out, and let his bones pave the way to your glory!' He cast the rose petals to drift slowly down towards the ground. 'Fail yourselves, but never fail me.

Bring the old man! For those who help him, no mercy! Now scramble!' And he pushed the scramble button.

Instantly the scramble alarm began to sound as words appeared above doors saying 'scramble' in bright red letters. The away team rushed through the halls and onto their hover coptors, before taking off in pursuit of the old man.

'All troops report to battle stations! Repeat, all troops report to battle stations!'

Another large detachment rushed onto a submarine aircraft carrier hybrid and prepared themselves. Buttons were pushed and lights blinked back and forth. Amidst the ordered chaos of their preparations, General Blue raised a rose to his nose and smelled it with satisfaction.

At the bottom of the sea Kakarot searched and searched while the sub illuminated the area beneath him with lights. It had stopped being amazing, and had become boring.

'Any luck?' asked Bulma 'You should be right on top of it.'

'Nothing here by sea fish and choral.' said Kakarot.

Within the sub Bulma looked at the radar. 'This is strange, maybe the radar is acting up.'

Then Kakarot noticed something, what appeared to be a line where the ground halted only to continue a little ways onwards. He swam down and stared down the trench at the bottom of the sea. 'Hang on, I just found a gigantic trench in the ground. It seems deep. The dragonball might have dropped down inside of it.'

'Wait a minute,' said Krillen 'let me guide the sub marine jet down there and investigate.'

'If Kakarot's right,' said Bulma 'this might be more difficult than I thought. I need to adjust the search grid to compensate for the depth differential.'

'Uh yeah…' said Krillen 'okay. You mean closer to the wall?'

'Yes, closer to the wall okay.' said Bulma, looking at her instruments. 'Uh, Kakarot, I think you're gonna wanna come see this.'

'I'd like to, but its too tight for me to fit.' said Kakarot.

'Wait… a… sec…' said Bulma.

'Whats up?' asked Krillin.

'Judging by the shape of the ditch,' said Bulma 'it looks like it leads to something. I'll switch radar magnification and see what I can find. There! See! Its a cave of some sort! Maybe we can get inside! It might lead to the dragonball! Get back to the sub Kakarot, so we can check it out!'

The sirens wailed as the hover coptors took off and began to fly away. At the same time the sub carrier departed a fake cave inside the cliff and made its way out into the sea. As the men worked at their stations, a calm voice spoke to them:

'Attention, all personnel,' said the voice 'secure stations and prepare to dive. I repeat, secure stations and prepare to dive.'

The hatches were sealed, the doors were sealed. The sun was shut out.

'All hatches secure,' said a man 'all systems are go. We're ready to dive.'

Blue smiled as he looked at his instruments. 'Take us down.'

The sub carrier delved deep into the water, seeking its prey.

Meanwhile as the hover coptors flew through the air, a soldier spoke. 'So what kind of opposition are we expecting once we reach the island sir?'

'Eh heh,' said the portly Lieutenant. 'just a women and an old man. Or so I hear.'

The sea life fled as the Red Ribbon army sub made it way through the waves. Blue awaited his subordinates reports as he looked around at his bridge. A fine bridge, a fine bridge indeed.

'Sir we have a visual on the enemy sub marine.' said a soldier.

'Sir,' said the Captain 'we have them within weapons range.'

'Perfect,' said Blue 'hold your fire Captain. Keep them locked in your sights, we'll just let them lead us to the prize.'

'General Blue sir,' said a soldier 'it appears the enemy sub is headed inside that cave!'

'That must be where the dragonball is hidden!' said Blue 'Now blow them out of the water!'

'Aye, aye, sir!' said the captain. 'Fire the torpedos!'

'Torperdos away!' said a soldier.

Two torpedos shot through the water towards their enemy, while the distance counted down on the target. There was the dull sound of explosions, as parts of the cave fell away upon the sub.

'Sir, we missed.' said the soldier.

'No excuses!' said Blue 'Fire another round immediately.'

Bulma and Krillin were panicking. The bald boys eyes were flying over instruments as he piloted the craft beneath falling rocks.

'Their firing at us!' said Bulma 'The Red Ribbon Army is here!'

'The Red Ribbon Army?!' said Krillin, looking up in horror.

'Yeah, we've kind of been killing them lately.' said Kakarot 'Probably should have expected them to look for the dragonballs here.'

'Why didn't you tell me you were expecting company?!' asked Krillin 'I never would have signed up for this crazy mission!'

And then torpedos were launched at them again. There was a blinding explosion that Kakarot could feel through the sub.

'Negative impact!' cried the gunner. 'I'm afraid we missed them again sir!'

'No you missed them!' roared Blue, before glancing to a soldier. 'Soldier, execute this fool, I grow tired of him!'

'Sir!' the man saluted.

'No! No!' cried the dog as he was dragged away, 'I've got a wife and two kids! I've got to pay the electric bill! I've got to pay the-'

There was a gunshot and everyone within the sub winced. They went about their duties all the faster.

The submarine rushed through the underwater tunnel, pursued by the red ribbon army. The lights of the larger sub grew more and more prominent as the three friends raced to escape them.

'Faster!' roared Bulma 'We've got to go faster!'

'I'm going!' cried Krillin.

'Would it help if I got out and pushed?!' asked Bulma.

'At this point I'm willing to try anything!' cried Krillin.

'This is serious!' said Bulma 'Kakarot, can't you fire a kamehameha or something?'

'Sure, if you want to drown.' said Kakarot.

They raced onwards, with every heartbeat bringing their enemy closer to them. Yet the walls were gradually closing in. 'We may be in luck.' said Krillin 'The cave is getting narrow.'

'Hurry up!' said Bulma 'Just go!'

They rushed through a narrow hole and Bulma cheered.

'We did it!' cried Krillin 'Their ship is too big to follow us in here!'

Blue, however, was not at all troubled. 'Eheheheheh, those simple fools think they've found a safe haven. Prepare the escape pods! We're going after them!'

With ridged training the crew and Blue rushed to the subs and got on board them. The top of the sub opened and three lesser subs came out, following after the enemies of the Red Ribbon Army.

As they did so, Blue giggled incessantly. 'Idiots, their playing right into my hands!' His laughter grew louder and louder as they followed.

Authors Note:

Okay, this chapter was a bitch to write. The action repeatedly switches perspectives which works well in a TV show, but not so well in a literary form. Moreover not much actually happens in this chapter, its a filler episode plain and simple. When I began writing it, though, I didn't know it was a filler episode, so I had to do the whole thing.

I have a confession to make, I had this chapter almost completely done a week ago. However I couldn't quite work up the will to finish it, so I put it aside. Then I went on vacation to Gettysburg, and saw a lot of historical sights. It was really cool and I had a lot of fun.

When I got back, I remembered that I still hadn't updated this, so after posting a couple of the fanfics I wrote on the trip I went back and finished it. I'd just like to take a moment to thank Compassionate for pming me and getting my mind back on the fic. It really means a lot to know that people read and enjoy my writing. This chapter is dedicated to you.

Here's to hoping the next one is a bit more interesting.