I cannot believe that my store is coming to a close soon! This is the second to the last chapter, so be warned that the finale is after this. ^_^ My buu, the love of my life, helped me greatly with a fight scene within this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own DB, DBZ, DBGT, or Dragon Ball Super

Overcoming the Past

Lena continued to stare off into the deep purple atmosphere around them absent mindedly. They were zeroing in on a lonely building that must have been the headquarters for this mysterious Lord Frieza. Lena was struggling to decipher whether or not she accepted the fact that she was basically a test tube baby. On one hand, she was made for the survival of a race which was awesome in itself. She was relieved that she didn't technically have parents or siblings she feared she had forgotten. On another hand, she didn't have a childhood. Those years were spent floating in goo in a space lab (or so she imagined) drifting in a cloud of no consciousness.

Was that disappointing—not having relatives? She had them now, she concluded. She was oddly satisfied and thankful for her life. Romance could do that, she guessed. Motherhood: the innocent, pure joy of learning the mechanics of love, adoration, child rearing; and to share those with another being could make anyone thankful for life.

She felt a real purpose. Sure, she had that with working for Bulma and helping out with Trunks and Goten, but this was different. It was her turn to lead something, to teach something. She was going to be more than just "Aunt Lena", or "Head Mechanic" Lena. She was going to be "Mommy". Lena knew at this point that she would no longer space out into the aimless lifestyle she had at Capsule Corp as she was now something more than a lost, lonely girl.

"Okay Earthlings, get into character and let's hope for the best," Bardock spoke up.

Chi- Chi huffed as she lowered herself into a squatting position. The guards were half asleep so the ruse just might work. The four swaggered closer ever so carefully. Bulma and Chi-Chi accessed a side door without any issue while Bardock and Lena followed close behind.

"Oi, Jeice?" Once of the supposedly drowsy guards called out in Lena's direction. She nodded her head acknowledging that she heard, but continued to push her way forward into the opened door. Bardock tensed and motioned for Bulma and Chi-Chi to stay inside before they were addressed too.

"Yo, Jeice?" The same one called out to Lena again.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Lena yelled with as much cockiness she could muster and posed as the red alien would have. She was very proud, only she had forgotten a few very important factors: the Australian accent and that she was supposed to be male. Bardock placed an open palm to his forehead to suppress a sigh.

Catsearia would not have faltered so easily, he thought.

"Huh?" The watchman replied, "The droid man needs to see you immediately."

"No, ah'm busy as ah've said before mate. He can come find me later," Lena responded with a ridiculously heavy Aussie dialect and pushed away her fear by deepening her tone.

What could she be afraid of with Bardock by her side? She smiled a silly grin at her lover's father which vanished the second it was made. The half-witted guard was crushed into the ground. A lavender hued liquid as purple as the land of the planet oozed from beneath the foot of the towering droid as he demolished the poor creature.

"I never doubted your intentions for rescuing her. Your reasons may be personal, but you must understand that predicament she's placed you in. Is it all worth it?" Sixteen asked Bardock.

"I've done research since finding myself revived in this desolate island of a planet. Your violence, anger against her is questioning. All data I found pegged you as an "affectionate android," and yet you appear to be the opposite. I discovered that a man, Dr. Gero used this human to make a replica of his own son. You don't appear to have any human parts. How can this be?"

"Wait, what did you say about him not being made with human parts?" Lena interrupted, very much confused. Really, confusion she had been in since discovering the whole Catsearia thing.

"It's simple. The sweet Sixteen you knew was actually a failed experiment. His heart stopped working the moment it was removed and implanted in me. It was as if he refused to be used in the end. He never intended to soil your compassion for him, but he knew that I was being built by your innocent hands. He pushed you away so that you would not trust what he would become," Sixteen explained thoroughly.

It was a wonder how she was able to process everything that had happened the past few months. First, she learned the truth about the second soul silently resting within her own. Second, she found herself knocked up with alien twins and that she was technically an alien herself. Third, she now learned that this Sixteen was only an imposter the entire time. Honestly, there was more than just those but that was all she could think on at the moment of distress.

"To clarify," Lena began, "You are not Sixteen?"

"No."

"So what you said when you took me and Chi-Chi was only a distraction?"

"More or less."

"So it does not pain you to know that my eldest son has impregnated this half breed?" Bardock butted in.

Lena frowned. He spoke as if she were an animal or pawn.

"No, I am not affected by her womb being filled full of Saiyan scum," Sixteen sneered.

"Good. That means it won't bother you when I kick your fake, metal ass," Lena spat.

She was inspired by the knowledge of her lineage and felt confidence speak out. She stood poised for a fight with her fists awkwardly raised. It was clear that she had never been in real physical confrontation before, but she tried not to falter in her inexperience.

"We're not getting anywhere if you intend to fight in that form along with two feeble fetuses within you. Imbecile of females, run to where the others went. I'll catch up with you later," Bardock scolded before taking her place.

"I don't think that is necessary. You see, the other two have been rightfully confiscated already." Sixteen noted and motioned towards Lena's hope of escape.

Out came Bulma and Chi-Chi sill in costume. Bulma was shrieking insults fiercer than a drunken pirate and shriller than a banshee. Chi-Chi was quiet, but struggled intensely in the arms of her captor before she successfully squirmed herself free. The octopus-like alien snatched her back up as if she were a lost puppy.

"Appule, Cui, take them to the kitchens," Sixteen commanded.

"What? I don't want to be alien fodder!" Bulma squealed.

"You're not to be eaten, foolish one. You are to be trained to serve," Sixteen laughed unmercifully.

"Serve?" Chi-Chi questioned.

"Yes. All slaves start in the kitchens. The pretty ones will later be taught other forms of 'entertainment'" The flame-haired droid elaborated.

"A pretty doll face like you will be very popular. We don't have any raven haired babes yes," Appule added as he licked Chi-Chi's face.

She made a gagging sound and landed a solid blow to his face by slinging her right leg into a high front kick. For the second time, she freed herself. Next, she ran towards Bulma to pull her free as well. Bulma ducked forward as Chi-Chi closed a fist into Cui's face. Not wanting to be outdone in heroism, Bulma aimed a knee at his genital area once he released his hold on her. The oddly-antennae beast collapsed and the damsels took off from where they were originally brought from. Cui clenched his bleeding nose with one hand and held out the other in the direction of the gleeful runaways.

Lena sighed gratefully and hoped they would find a suitable place to hide until she and Bardock could rejoin them.

"Useless bastards! Why are you standing around with wounded pride?! Go after them!" Sixteen commanded impatiently.

While Sixteen's attention was away, Bardock clenched his fists and planted his feet firmly to the ground with such force that the land beneath the remaining three crumbled. A stern look of determination covered his face and his eyes whitened. Sixteen stood upright and met Bardock's gaze with a blank stare. It was as if he were seeing straight through the Saiyan.

Bardock used this opening to charge his ki and released a torrent of energy that made the others feel like a hurricane had been dropped on top of them. In an instant, he was gone but shortly reappeared behind Sixteen just as quickly as he had vanished. The father of Kakarot let out a raging scream as he let loose a flurry of punches and kicks that shook the air around them. The sound of flesh and metal pounding together echoed what could have been a legion of bombs being detonated.

Bardock paused briefly and noticed that Sixteen hadn't budged since the onslaught began. He was still staring off into the distance, perhaps thinking of how lovely a sunrise would look against the bleak darkness.

"You ass!" The Saiyan spat out in absolute rage.

He hopped in front of the goliath android and placed his hands forward. The space around them lit up with blindingly pale blue light. Lightening arced violently from his entire body and a sphere of energy started forming in front of his palms. It immediately grew into a ball that caused debris and gale force winds to pummel anything within the vicinity, including Lena. The stoic android stood steadfast with his red Mohawk blowing from the storm that was enveloping their surroundings. Every muscle in the elder Saiyan's body tensed simultaneously as he let out a desperate smirk.

"I'll see you back in hell, you metal abomination!" Bardock shouted as he sent forth his blast directly towards Sixteen. As it collided, the android snapped back to reality.

His face transformed from a blank slate into what seemed like a determined predator with its prey locked into view. He grabbed the blast and squeezed it until it dissipated into sparks and flurries of energy. Lena stood in shock and adoration. She could not comprehend how he was able to latch on to matter that wasn't physical and break it. The more she contemplated it, the more she realized that it shouldn't surprise her after everything she had discovered. Without hesitation, Sixteen rushed forward and gave Bardock four swift punches in the abdomen.

The proud Saiyan's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the broken ground. Sixteen popped each of his forearms out of their elbow links and tucked them under the corresponding shoulder sockets, thus revealing a series of blaster barrels. He aimed them at the unconscious foe and uttered, "Hell's Flash." His arms brightened into a fluorescent yellow before they discharged two blasts that enveloped Bardock's seemingly lifeless body.

Lena, bleeding and bruised from her close proximity of the battle, cried out softly as Sixteen narrowed the gap between he and the unresponsive Saiyan.

"Bardock? Bardock, you must get up. On your feet now, I don't want to be alone with him…"

She whimpered more pleas, with each one quieter than the next until she was left with no words, but weak sobs. She felt lost, a feeling she thought she was attuned to once upon a time ago. She stared at her fallen ally, her family.

Sixteen wasted no more time on the matter and tossed the fierce fighter over his shoulder. He nonchalantly beckoned for Lena to follow, and she did without argument. What else was she to do in the current situation?

Suddenly, the young beauty weakened drastically and slumped onto her knees. Her captor frowned, but did not force her to stand. Instead, he bent to scoop her into his free arm and cradled her tenderly while keeping Bardock balanced on his opposite shoulder. Lena looked questioningly into the droid's spacey gaze.

"You must die for time to go back to normalcy. This is an inevitable truth and certainly a tragedy. No life should be tradeable. I'm ready to be free, so I must obey," the solemn giant mumbled seemingly to himself.

Lena's rosy lips turned down into a pout.

Death, death and more dying, she thought gloomily, it'll be over soon. Raditz will be here to save the day.

She could picture it now:

He was coming forth to rescue her, black eyes wild with fury and tangled locks of ebony hair that would cascade like a waterfall down his shirtless, bronze and toned back. He was pounding his fists against his savage chest and majestically announcing his arrival and to show his intentions of freeing his ever-so-stunning maiden.

She was feeling silly, but turned her attention to her surroundings, envisioning the scenario further anyway by picturing herself in nothing but a pale blue bando top and matching lace panties. She giggled lightly inwardly, but pressed on. It helped to keep her motivated until she could come up with a plan of escape—

She, chained to one of the mountainsides that decorated the landscape, was looking elegant, but desperate as sweat from fear trickled across her brow. Her exposed, swollen stomach glazed as beautifully as a pearl while her tussled golden hair elegantly waved in the winds her rescuer's presence and energy supplied. At that moment, their eyes would lock and…

Lena's daydream evaporated once Sixteen stopped his steady trot. It wasn't a mountainside, but a simple, stone-walled dungeon that she and Bardock would be held within. The room consisted of two small pallets, and a single 4X6 inch hole (she presumed was intended as a widow) that allowed glimpses of the outside light to enter in.

Without further ado, Sixteen placed Lena gently onto her mat before dropping Bardock onto his. He then bound the unconscious fighter to the wall next to his bedding before doing the same to Lena. There, disarmed and drained, Lena contemplated her dire situation.

~Raditz, Vegeta, Goku POV

"Something isn't right," Goku causally replied to Raditz' failed transmission.

"No shit. I can't say I'm surprised that you fucked up," Vegeta added.

"Yes, some anomaly must have occurred. But, it wasn't on my end. The connection broke because Lena must have separated herself from the others and into a position where she could not be traced. Instead of commenting on why we didn't appear next to our bitches, perhaps you bastards should take a closer look to what we did find," Raditz suggested and pointed to the pile of swimsuits embedded in the indigo-hued sand.

"At least we know they were here. Why can we not sense them? Why can't I find Bulma's spicy cinnamon and tarty lemon and…" Vegeta stated as he began to describe what he thought of as his wife's aroma.

"Shut up! I don't need nor want to hear how you interpret that blue-eyed bimbo's scent. She radiates the odor of a burnt pancake soaked in sour orange juice. The hell you say about cinnamon and lemon is beyond me," Raditz interrupted disgustedly.

"Oh, and Lena is just a bed of roses? The girl reeks of oiled metal and sex," Vegeta countered bemusedly.

Raditz laughed before retorting, "Nonsense! It's more of a freshly built Saiyan pod, waxed and painted to perfection with a taste of an ocean's breeze.

"If that is what you want to call it," Vegeta roared in laughter.

"I'd hate to know what you two think of Chi-Chi if that's what you say about one another's wives," Goku chimed in, rubbing the back of his head uncertain of participating himself.

Vegeta and Raditz frowned in thought.

"You know," Raditz began, "I can't say anything insulting for once."

"Yes, she does bare the fragrance of the most divine cashmere," Vegeta agreed, "Would you like to trade Kakarot?"

"I'm sure Chi-Chi would give me an earful if I tried that. Besides, I wouldn't survive without her cooking and constant reminders of the responsibilities I have," Goku happily replied.

"If nagging, ear-piercing women are what you two prefer, than the best luck to you. I'd rather Lena drill my eardrums into Swiss cheese than have either of your mates constantly attacking me on my behavior or lack of tact," Raditz countered.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm happy for you," Goku winked, "Lena is one of a kind. Let's see if these noses of ours can find a trail before we're too late."

"If we were too late, we'd know it," Raditz whispered to himself and allowed an open palm to pat his heart when he thought the other two weren't looking.

Minutes turned to hours and the trio had yet to catch a whiff or sign of their kidnapped loves. Eventually, Vegeta spotted the cave mouth Lena, Chi-Chi, and Bulma occupied at some point in time previously.

"I have that feeling again like I had before when we first got here. Like something's off," Goku commented wearily.

"Yeah, it's like they were here, but their presence feels like a dream, or a memory. Almost like I am imaging it," Raditz added, "the air, the supplies, all of what they left behind is stale. When you use Instant Transmission, how quickly do you normally get to the destination?"

"Only a few seconds at the most, but that's without any type of interference."

"To clarify, you aren't sure of how long the time frame would be if something fucked it up?"

"Right," Goku sighed.

"So it's possible that they aren't even on this planet anymore?" Vegeta hissed, joining the conversation.

"It is, but my gut says that they are still here," Goku stated simply in a positive attitude added with a hint of authority.

Raditz eagerly nodded. The sooner he got to Lena, the better. He knew she wasn't aware of the pregnancy before her scandalous escape to solitude, but hoped she did at this point. The soft-spoken female may act recklessly if she only thought she had herself to worry about. That was when he felt it, the scorching pain of a fresh burn to his soul. Lena was in danger and that doom was out of the hands of another Saiyan.

A high-pitched voice coated in dread rang throughout the world around them.

"Do you feel that, Raddish? That pang of danger that only bonded Saiyanjin feel when their other half is being threatened by another of your species?" Frieza laughed mercilessly, "Her little trick of time travel really is something! I suggest you hurry to the building located to the southeast of that little cave you're in. You see, she is in quite a prickly-wickly pickle now that the full moon here is making its arrival!"

Raditz sunk to his knees and desperately suffocated his ears with his hands from the polluted, screeching laughter of his old master.

Vegeta felt ill himself, but refused to give his enemy the satisfaction of viewing it. If the pint-sized-lizard-shit-hole of a creature knew of their location, then he must be able to view them.

"Get up! Don't expose your vulnerability! What if Lena can see you? You dare show the mother of your twats how pathetic you really are?" Vegeta spat and smacked Lena's mate on the head like a hammer to a nail.

The aggression helped the depressed Saiyan get his emotions in check. Raditz would not falter. He would not be too late. Not this time, not this lifetime.

I really hope this is satisfying, and that you readers look forward to the finale! Thank you for any and all support!