Chapter 4, hurray! It feels like all anyone does in this story is talk. Does that bother anyone?
warning: Torture, kind of. Not the bloody kind, but the psychological warfare kind of torture. I upped the rating up to T now, since I don't think it's all that shocking. If I'm wrong, and you are offended and want me to make it M, let me know.
last time: Chichi showed us her bat-crazy side, and Goten now has a lifetime trauma.
Dinner is a quiet affair tonight in the briefs household, even though the Son family joined them. Minus Chichi of course, she was carted of to a mental facility after Goten cleared up everything that had happened.
Trunks is with Goten in his room, since the boy can't move around too much with all the pain medication in his system. Even if they're not actually at the table, they're still deadly quiet.
What are you supposed to say to a friend who's mother practically tried to kill him? And for the stupid reason of Goten standing up for Goku when Chichi started badmouthing him. Trunks has no idea what to say, because 'I'm sorry for what happened' doesn't quite cut it.
Bulma and Krillin don't know what to say to Goku either, after Vegeta pointed out what they had all ignored for years. They should have known Goku was downplaying it all, instead of overreacting.
Vegeta is giving everyone the silent treatment, pretending he's all alone at the table. Goku doesn't want to say anything because he's mad at Vegeta for being so colourful about it all. Maybe his shame has something to do with it too.
The only person that seems to really be bothered by all the silence is Gohan. But he doesn't know what to say either, so he keeps quiet until everyone is finished with dinner.
"So, are we going to talk about it, or are we going to pretend it never happened?" Vegeta huffs and gets up.
"I'm going to bed." Bulma jumps up too, stopping Vegeta.
"Oh! I have some pills to help you sleep. You've been having nightmares lately, right?"
Vegeta grunts in confirmation, and he takes the pills she offers him gladly. Maybe now he can simply wake up without having crazy dreams that he can't remember any way. Goku gets up when Vegeta has left.
"I'm going, too. I'll catch you guys later." Bulma stops him from leaving with a soft hand on his shoulder.
"You can stay in a guest room if you want. It's already getting late, and you're probably very tired, so just know you're welcome to stay."
Goku smiles at her, and Bulma takes this moment to leave the room to guide Goku to a room. Gohan is left all alone, until Trunks comes in to put away his and Goten's empty plates. Gohan draws his attention with a wave.
"Are you going to run off too?" Trunks grins up at him, oblivious to how everyone left already.
"I'm going to spend some time with Goten back in his room yes, but I'll hang out with you later if you want."
With a smile, Gohan accepts, and he seats himself in the sitting lounge. There's a movie on the television that he hasn't seen yet, so he keeps himself busy until Trunks comes back to play some card games with him. They don't talk about anything at all, but the silence is comforting enough for Gohan.
Waking up is always a hazardous thing for Vegeta, but this really trumps all the previous situations. Vegeta would prefer being kicked around over this any time. At least when he's kicked around, his mind gets jolted into awareness.
Now he just feels drugged, and he has to force his mind to think clearly. Then it starts making sense; Vegeta doesn't just feel drugged, he actually is. Why else would he feel so heavy and slow? Why else would he not be able to open his eyes?
Eventually, Vegeta can pry his eyes open by pure force of will. The room looks a blurry blue at first, until it focuses into white walls and a guy dressed in blue. It takes a second for Vegeta to recognise the man, but when he does, it has the same effect as getting kicked out of bed. It's only then that he notices the full extent of the situation he is in.
He's stripped naked, strapped face down on a cold metal table, with Frieza's crazy doctor standing over him. He tries to fight the bonds, but the drugs sap his strength. He growls mentally at the thin leather strips than can keep him down. If he had all his strength, he would snap them without problem, but now he has to keep fighting them to even get them to loosen.
Vegeta freezes when he hears the tell-tale laugh of Frieza behind him. He tries to twist around to face him, but he's stopped by a blazing fire running up his spine. Vegeta mentally curses his bloody tail for being so sensitive.
"Is the monkey awake already? That's too bad... I wanted you to wake up during the operation. Now that would be really funny, don't you think?"
Frieza's cheeky drawl makes Vegeta sick to his stomach. He knows exactly what operation Frieza is talking about. He wants to make Vegeta one of his 'elite club', a group of fighters that do Frieza's every bidding. Not because they're undeniable loyal to Frieza, hell no. Most of the Elite Club hate his guts, and would give anything to see him dead.
No, they listen to him because Frieza put them through the operation Vegeta is going through right now. He puts something on their spinal cord, and while it isn't really mind control, it sure as hell comes close.
According to Vegeta's inside man, that thing tortures you until you do exactly as Frieza says. And you can't get it out without the doctor; Vegeta's man is the living truth of that. Well, not exactly living proof, just proof. The man lacerated his own vertebra's trying to get the thing out.
Vegeta's determined to evade that particular fate, and he starts fighting with all his might against his bonds again. A short laugh escapes him when he wrenches one of his hands loose, but his joy is short-lived. Frieza grabs the back of his neck and pushes Vegeta into the table with bruising force.
"I knew you'd make it worth my time any way, little monkey." Frieza leans close to Vegeta's ear, to whisper something in a sickly sweet voice.
"I will enjoy our time together tremendously, princeling, just you wait." After that, Frieza leans back again, still keeping Vegeta crushed down.
"Galvin, do your thing."
The crazy doctor nods, and Vegeta can see him taking up a scalpel. He closes his eyes, trying to block it all out so he won't scream. The cut isn't something he can't handle, and neither is the insertion. It's when the thing connects with his nerves that the pain becomes too much to handle, and Vegeta screams out. His screams can't block Frieza's disturbed laugh out completely.
Vegeta is still screaming when he wakes up to Bulma shaking him. He has a ki-blast ready to shove at her before he actually recognises her.
"God, woman, don't do that!" Vegeta lets the ki dissipate, and runs a hand over his face. Bulma tentatively touches his shoulder.
"Are you okay 'Geta?"
Vegeta shrinks away from her touch, and moves to sit on the edge of the bed, back towards Bulma. He doesn't see Trunks standing in the doorway.
"Don't call me that. I don't know you, and it's disturbing to notice how you do know me."
"But you do know me..." Vegeta growls lowly, getting aggravated by her sad tone.
"Not like a husband. I don't even know enough about you to call you a good friend."
That makes Bulma keep quiet. After all, hearing the love of your life saying something like that is quite shocking. With a sigh, Vegeta gets dressed.
"I'm off training, I don't know when I'll be back." When he's done getting dressed, he turns around to a timid looking Trunks.
"Want me to join you, dad?" Vegeta closes his eyes at that. He honestly likes the boy, and he knows his next words will hurt him.
"I'm not your father. As long as I don't remember anything, I really am not your father. I'd be lying if I said otherwise."
Vegeta was right, the look on Trunks face really is devastating. With eyes lowered to the ground, Vegeta strides out of the room and can just avoid bumping into Goku.
"What is this! Is my room the new gathering place for you people?"
After that outburst, Vegeta rushes out of the house, leaving Goku to pick up the pieces.
Vegeta is taking a swim in the river near their clearing, when Goku finally finds him. It didn't take all that long to actually find him though, it's the damage-control he had to do that took up most of the time.
"You've gotten good at hiding your ki, Vegeta!"
Goku is pretty good at hiding his ki himself, if Vegeta's reaction is anything to go by. He tries to whirl around in the water, but ends up half drowning instead. He manages to pull himself out on his own though, but he's pretty pissed off at Goku.
"Maybe I was hiding my ki because I didn't want to be bothered, Goku. Did you think of that?" Goku shrugs it off, and follows Vegeta to the house.
"You really went overboard this morning, with Bulma and Trunks." Vegeta only huffs in reaction.
"I don't understand why. You didn't have any problems with them before now. What changed?" Vegeta shakes his head, meaning he doesn't want to talk about it.
"Look, I understand there are things you don't want to talk about, and normally I wouldn't bother you about it. But you hurt them pretty bad and I want to know why." When Vegeta still doesn't answer, Goku grabs his arms and pushes him against a tree.
"Talk to me, Vegeta!"
The usual glare is there for only a second, before the anguish breaks through. It's not like Vegeta is on the verge of crying, but on any other man, the expression he's sporting would be the prelude of a major breakdown. Since he's Vegeta, he yells instead of letting any tears fall.
"I remembered what Frieza did to me, that's what's changed! I could handle the beatings, and even the drugs he used to screw with my mind, but the freak chipped me! Do you know what that bloody chip does? It freaking tortures you every time you disobey Frieza's command! I can take punishment, but constant torture? I saw one of the strongest men I know kill himself because he couldn't take it any more!"
Vegeta takes a few large breaths of air, which helps him regain a bit of composure. When he speaks again, he's not yelling any more. He sounds more sad than angry, really.
"I'm still alive, which means I gave in to him. How can I be a damn leader if I went on my knees for that fucker!" The anger rears his head again, and Vegeta roughly pushes Goku off him.
"How can I think of myself as a prince, when I know what I gave to that man!" Vegeta starts pulling on his hair, glaring at Goku. The man stares back, dumbfounded, until Vegeta groans and lets his hands drop by his sides.
"How the fuck did I live with myself..."
In the silence that follows, Goku has time to process all the information Vegeta just gave him. He remembers Bulma telling him about a metal plate she dug out of Vegeta's back after Namek, which is probably the chip Vegeta's talking about. But it must have been malfunctioning by then or something, since Vegeta fought against Frieza and got killed in the process.
And even earlier, when they first met, Vegeta was disobeying Frieza by coming to earth and looking for the dragonballs. He almost died back then too, now that Goku thinks about it. Actually, Vegeta pretty much always got seriously injured if he didn't die during a battle.
The rest of them got injured too, but Vegeta was the only one that kept flying back in until he couldn't move any more. He literally blew himself up to kill Buu. What if the reason for that was a bit more bleak than everyone thought? What if Vegeta chose to die trying, instead of trying to win and dying? Those thoughts are making Goku's head spin ,so he focuses back on the first thing he thought of.
"Did that chip still work on Namek? Because you were quite good at disobeying Frieza there." Vegeta huffs.
"I don't know, but it probably was. I still don't actually remember anything past the operation. And since all of the technology Frieza had worked pretty well, I doubt the chip would've burned out." Silence returns, until Vegeta shakes his head.
"I'm going to train, if you want to come, that'd be fine." With a small grin, Goku accepts the invitation, and the men start sparring.
After Goku left, Bulma went to her lab to do some research. She has a lot of facts about Vegeta, but she never bothered to find a link between them. She made a file about all of Vegeta's scars once, but a lot of them didn't look like the usual battle marks he has. Bulma never really bothered to research them before, but now she will.
When she's looking around her lab for the file, she sees that metal plate lying there, and she forgets about her plans. She tries to figure the thing out, and by the time she's interrupted by Trunks, she even build a remote for the chip. Bulma hasn't got a clue what the thing does though, so when Trunks comes in, she has a bright idea.
"hey Trunks! I need your help for a second." Trunks wanders over, wondering why his mother needs him in her lab.
"lay down on this table, and give me your hand."
Trunks does what his mother tells him to, and Bulma anchors his hand on a little elevated board. He recognises the metal plate that comes on top of his hand.
"What's this? Isn't that something of my dads?" Bulma grimaces, but nods.
"Yes it is. And I want to know what it does. Vegeta said something about mind control, so I made a sort of speaker to tell the chip what to do. Since it was inserted right next to his spinal chord, I don't have a lot of hopes that this will work, but I'm not gonna stick random thing in your body, so hopefully this will be enough."
Trunks nods, and waits for Bulma to finish setting everything up. When she's done, she looks questioningly at Trunks.
"I'm ready mom, throw some mind control my way." They grin at each other, and Bulma flips her remote on.
"Sit up." Bulma spoke into the remote, so Trunks doesn't move. Except for a tingling feeling in his hand, Trunks doesn't notice anything.
"hmm, stupid thing. Maybe I need to order you around. Sit up, Trunks!"
Trunks doesn't move again, hoping to trigger something in the chip. It works, although nobody is happy with it. Trunks jumps up, screaming bloody murder, and knocking down the installation. As soon as the chip is off, he stops screaming, and Bulma rushes over to check on him.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't know it would cause any pain! Are you hurt?" While Bulma is looking at the slight burn the chip left on Trunks' hand, Trunks tells her how it felt.
"It was like the thing was burning me up because I didn't listen to you. But it was only on my arm, so it wasn't all that bad, don't worry. I can see how father called it a mind-controlling device, I think I'd rather do what you say than feel that pain." He stays quiet for a moment, watching how Bulma bandages his hand.
"Wait... didn't you say dad had this chip right next to his spinal chord? Would that mean that he'd have felt it all over?" Bulma nods. She thought of that too, but she didn't want to say it out loud.
"That's cruel! Who would do that to someone!"
Bulma has already told the story about Frieza a lot of times, although she did censor it a bit, so the boy should be able to figure it out on his own. He does, eventually, and he says he's glad the freak's already dead.
"I'd have tortured him to death, to see if he liked it!" Bulma frowns at him.
"Don't talk like that, it makes you sound evil."
Before Trunks can blow up like his father always does, Bulma leaves the room. She decides to take a walk around the gardens, to ease her mind a bit. She should have stayed in the lab with Trunks, to stop him from finding the dragonball-radar.
Enraged saiyans, even half-breeds, are not to be messed with. Especially if they have access to a dragon. It's only after Trunks turns on the radar that he remembers the dragon isn't available for little shorter than a year. With a lot of cursing, Trunks leaves the matter alone. For now.
But he vows he'll make Frieza pay for his sins, a little more adequately than last time.