The oppressed

Horrified, at first all she could do was stare at the screen. Then she began frantically searching for any sign of life. Her hands started to shake uncontrollably. Her parents quit their meaningless quarrel about food and rushed to her side. Without words the screen explained their new situation.

'If he's dead… that means… no Dragon Balls! No wish! No end to this agony!' Bulma said, her mind going in a frenzy while her body started to shake uncontrollably. This couldn't be! This couldn't be the end!

'First we get stuck here and now there is no way out…'

Involuntarily tears started to stream down her face. Perplexed at the sudden change of events. When this all had started, she hadn't had time to think about what could happen.
She had run out and get the Dragon Ball and figured she could form a decent plan later.
But this! This had never been part of her vision, no matter how dim situation had appeared, in her mind they had always stood a chance with the existence of the Dragon Balls.
Both her parents remained silenced, both in complete shock as well. Not a tear passed their eyes but one could assume they had already shed enough tears these last few days concerning their daughter.

'Nothing is for certain, Bulma,' her father started, his voice wavering slightly.
'We don't know if Kami was not able to escape. Perhaps he is hiding somewhere and is safe.'
He sounded more certain this time and like before he gave her a stern look that asked her to be strong and think clearly.

Wiping the tears from her face, realizing that throughout all this madness she hadn't been able to allow any emotion and was only doing so for the first time, she calmed down. What her father had just said was true, there is no certainty. Only if she went back to their house, hidden deep in the bunker, and find a stone instead of a Dragon Ball she could say with certainty that all hope was lost.

With that thought in mind, Bulma pulled herself together.

'This means we have new goal,' she whispered in fierce tone.

Her mind cleared up and just like she had said, they just had to focus on that other important goal, finding the Dragon Balls. If they could only find one, that would be good news. It meant Kami was still alive and they could be granted one wish.
'We need to find a Dragon Ball. We can take turns searching with the drones, but we must be careful… How many do we have, dad?'

'I didn't have much time, dear. Only 52. And I couldn't install a Dragon Ball-radar…'
'That's more than enough,' Bulma said determinedly but her father shook his head. Noting that some might get destroyed by not only the Saiyans but other unforeseen circumstances. Checking how many were still intact, they ended up with a total of 37 drones left. One being slightly damaged.
'I can search,' her mother said, surprising both. 'I have nothing to do here. I can take my time while you two are working.'

Bulma could only nod, hoping they did indeed find one. But still, sometimes these things were so well hidden or in hands of a person, that a drone simply wouldn't be able to reach them.

'Dad, mom,' Bulma started uncertainly. Looking up she caught her father's eyes giving her a small nod of approval. Though he seemed to know what was on her mind, he wanted her to say it.
Or else her mother would most likely get annoyed, claiming her daughter and husband had their own language that she could never decipher and was always behind on everything. It wasn't a secret that their relationship always made her feel a bit left out.

'If we want to be certain and save the planet, I might have to get out of here and go search for them myself,' Bulma said awaiting her reaction.

It stayed silent for a moment. Her father simply stared at the ground; her mother kept her eyes shut. Until she opened them again and gave Bulma a fierce and determined look.
'Of course! Don't worry! We'll find a way out! Together!'

Bulma smiled, happy to hear such simple optimism. Her mother and father smiled back, joyful to be finally reunited with their daughter. Their love had always been her biggest strength and now still it was what made her feel determined and hopeful.

Now that it was quiet again and though she had tried to calm down, Bulma's mind kept repeating all that had happened over the past few days over and over. A vicious voice reminded her what still lay ahead too. It wasn't going to be easy.

It occurred to her that her mind still hadn't fully comprehend what had happened and had yet to adapt to the abrupt change. Smelling the sweet aroma of the fluid she had apparently spend a few days in, she decided to take shower before heading to bed.

When she went inside the bathroom, she noted her dad had not been lying about the small space.
And again, she got caught being interested in the simple mechanics of a shower. But soon she let go of it all and felt the hot water cleanse her skin. To be honest the smell of the fluid, that had been rather sweet, had been annoying her. It wasn't until she was washing her hair that she noted it was longer. Getting out of the water and standing in front of the mirror, she noted she didn't look like she felt at all. She looked rather good. It seemed the fluid from the tank had done her so good, like her skin was more radiant than before and her hair had grown a bit longer too, it was now shoulder-length. Her bangs could be tucked behind her ear now.

The small, silly details made her feel good and gave her some much needed confidence. To be honest, she was also grateful not be left with any scars from her fall either. It occurred to her, that just looking strong through this situation was going to help. If she would appear fragile or weak in front of them, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Feeling better, calmer and more determined to succeed in her mission, Bulma headed to bed. Not even thinking about the meeting she would be having with the head of the science department but letting all her thoughts linger on Kami, Dragon Balls and what she wished for the most. The childlike thought of simply wishing for peace passed her mind.

The odd look he had in his eyes made her feel very uncomfortable. He reminded her of those extremely nerdy boys during her college years that had hardly been around a girl. Either they looked down on you, for you could never be as smart, or they couldn't stop picturing you naked.
Needless to say, Bulma had proven her worth time and time again and this man would be no different.

'As you understand, I can't simply let you on your fathers team just because you are his heir,' he continued. His dark blue, lizard-like skin wasn't the least appealing thing about him. It was the bald head, the beady eyes, the thin mustache and that disgusting grin that made her want to scream and then run. His big figure looked ridiculous and his chubby hands looked for any excuse to simply touch her. Annoyed she snapped whenever he dared to come too close.

'No worries, I understand. What is it that you want me to do?'

'Easy,' he snickered.

With a snap of his fingers one of his assistants brought in a dronelike device and something that looked like… half of a pair of glasses? Intrigued she looked at it.
'What does this do?'
'That is a scouter, it locates Ki-power. I want you to upgrade it. Depending on what you do, I'll decide if you have the skills to be a part of our team,' he answered.
'And that,' he said pointing to drone, 'is a training bot. I expect the same to be done.'

'Training bot?'
'Yes, you see Saiyans are a warrior-race, fighting is was they love. And so, to become the very strongest, one must train a lot. They are very intriguing, you—'I don't care about them,' Bulma snapped, not caring she was breaking character of being the gullible girl he ought her out to be.

'This training bot,' Bulma started, thinking back to her meeting with the prince, 'who tests them?'
His grin widened and with a pride look he told her exactly what she wanted to hear, the prince himself.
'He is the one we insist on upgrading them weekly and we do, if yours lasts longer then say… seven minutes, you are considered more than qualified! But I wouldn't get my hopes up, last person to have succeeded was… well, it was myself,' he snickered.
His eyes widened a bit, to emphasize how this meant he was a rather extraordinary genius himself.
Bulma had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at him but simply gave him a bored look instead.

'Can I start?'

'Go ahead, dear,' he sniveled in delight. 'Normally I give people a week to figure something out but for you I'll make it two.'

'I won't be needing all of that extra time,' Bulma coldly commented.

I don't have time to waste.

Though when the obnoxious man had mentioned the prince, the radars in the back of her mind had started to respond accordingly. This meant she was given a chance at killing their leader. Not that it was a bright idea but say that all is loss, it would be a great victory on her part. And that aside, it would certainly be a great distraction and give her the much-needed time to escape and find the Dragon Balls.

Not paying too much attention to the scouter, Bulma started to work on the training bot. It took her half a day to figure out just what exactly it could do. She figured most would make it stronger or faster and she too was going to do all that, but to her it lacked some artificial intelligence.
A wicked smile appeared on her lips. Sitting at her desk she grabbed a computer and started searching for every fighting style or battle that had been filmed here on Earth.
She would download it all and make training bot more of an efficient opponent. On top of that, she had one more extra trick up her sleeve to truly baffle the prince… to death, she smirked.

During her time working, Bulma tried to ignore how much she was enjoying it.
It was so much different from what she usually did. All the absurd ideas that could never be used against any human, because it could be deemed inhuman, were now going to be used against the Saiyan Prince. When it was time to go back to her room, Bulma was reluctant. She could easily work for couple of more hours. Surprised by her attitude, the head of the science department allowed her to stay and keep working. The new project consumed her entirely and soon she forgot about all her hopeful ideas and plans. She was bent on revenge and to make him suffer like he had made Earth suffer. Though, admittingly, she had never truly met him or even thought about his reasons on why he did what he did.

Soon it was getting late but Bulma kept working just as intense as she had started until suddenly she got distracted by a voice that sounded familiar.
Warily she turned her head around only to see a couple of Saiyans talking to another one. One seemed to notice her stare because he immediately replied with a smirk.
His dark eyes stayed on hers for a moment before she eventually looked away. Though she wasn't capable of sensing Ki, the power they kept referring to, she could feel him come closer. Swallowing her fear, she tried to keep her eyes on her work and ignore his presence.

A shadow appeared and suddenly he was bend over her small figure, like a predator and she could practically feel him smirk. Bulma halted her movements and stiffened. His hand rested on her desk; it was so large compared to hers. Her eyes went up from his hand, to his broad arm, shoulder and eventually ended up looking back into his dark eyes. He indeed still had the same smirk plastered on his face. And she cursed her mind when it dared to think of who he reminded her of.

'Still working?' he simply asked.
'Y-yes,' she answered while immediately hating herself for stuttering.
'Does he want you to keep working?' he asked, nodding his head to the big blue man that was her superior. Bulma simply shook her head.
'I wasn't tired yet and I wanted to finish this…'
'A training bot, huh? Can I try it when you are finished?' he teasingly asked.
Annoyed by how he spoke to her, Bulma decided to not let him get to her so easily. It took her only a second to adept to the new situation.
'I heard the prince tests these,' Bulma muttered while straightening her posture and fixating back on the small, precise job she had been doing. For some weird reason, her hand was steadier now that she felt threatened. She wouldn't let him see how his close proximity had any effect on her, she was too headstrong to let that show.

'You have blue eyes and blue hair,' he commented.
Bulma glanced at him, lifted an eyebrow and took in his spikey black hair before going back to ignoring him.
'How very observant of you. And you have black hair and black eyes, just like all the other Saiyans…'
He snickered at her comment, noting that they indeed lacked some variation. Going with his hand through his hair, as if being more aware of it now that she had pointed it out.
'You know, my brother keeps blabbering on and on about blue haired beauty,' he started, noting her hesitance immediately, though it had only been for a second. Bulma suddenly knew her hunch who he reminded her, was a certainty. Fear overwhelmed her for split second.
'The girl had the audacity to shoot him the hand and even managed to escape,' he continued, his breath now tickling her ear because he kept on pushing pass her boundaries.
The move made her body want to tremble, but it obeyed her mind and stayed still.
'I'm not that unique on earth,' she dryly retorted.
'Of course not,' he nodded in agreement. 'And you aren't a girl either. You are obviously a woman.'
Bulma turned her head around again, wanting to snap at his repulsive flirting but he was already taking his distance. He clearly seemed amused by her distress and irritation.
'My name is Kakarot. If you need help, please, I'm here on duty today.'
'I'll be fine,' Bulma quickly answered, not bothering to hide her annoyance at this point.

His smirk only widened before he turned around and left, going back to his spot.
Bulma didn't bother to pay any more attention to him but the entire time she could feel his eyes on her back, and it annoyed her a great deal. So much, that she had to give up on her work because it kept distracting her. She decided to work on the scouter in the privacy of her own room, she left and didn't even take another glance at the Saiyan who wouldn't stop watching her.

To her dismay, all she had managed to do was to translate the scouter, since she could hardly understand any of the data it was giving her. She had no clue what to do with it. Her father had not been asked to do any of these tedious tasks. He was allowed the second it was confirmed he was the creator of the capsules.

Her mother informed her five more drones had broken and so far, the search was going rather slowly. She kind of cursed for not having the software of the Dragon Ball-radar around to help.
The thought of going out and search for them herself resurfaced and suddenly her wicked idea of hurting the prince wasn't so bad anymore. It would be an excellent diversion... Or lead to certain dead, she grimly thought.

'Dad?'
'Hm?' he asked, sitting on his bed and had taking over the tiring task of searching for the Dragon Balls from his now asleep wife.

There wasn't much to do here. No books, no television. Nothing to connect to the outside world.

'Without any idea of where to look, it's is an impossible task,' Bulma pointed out.
'Agreed,' he simply said.
It was silent again. Her mother was probably sleeping out of pure boredom. She had never been good at doing nothing. Suddenly Bulma realized she would always find her mother outside. Or maybe in the kitchen, trying out a new recipe and making a mess. To be in this room for over a week…
She let out a sigh, hoping the woman wouldn't go mad. At least her father and her had some distraction. Some purpose.

'Dad, do you ever find yourself…' Bulma started hesitantly.

She didn't know how to state it without sounding insane. Today she had worked harder and more passionate then ever. Every bit of the training bot had fascinated her. Her new research had excited her more than any subject from last few years she had invested time and effort in. It all had come so naturally. Even if the goal of it was something unfamiliar and rather even unreal to her, never had she created something to destroy and be so violent… it had left her feeling thrilled.

Is their beastlike nature already rubbing off on me?

'Yes, I too found myself drawn to all to new aspects,' her father said, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her blue eyes looked at him, but he kept his on the screen before him.
'The new technology, the power sources we could never rely on because it simply does not exist on our planet... Yes, yes, I too have caught myself betraying Earth numerous times.'

Sorry and thanks for being so patient! Thank you for the reviews too! They really motivate me, so please! Next update will be soon!