Shadow Heart: The Fall of Mankind
Chapter 3: Evil Revealed
For all Bulmas surprise, you might as well as have Adolf Hitler show up for iced tea.
The now very puzzled daughter of Capsule Corps founder was presently sitting in the Infirmary, watching through the window of a small adjorning room as her three highly unexpected visitors recovered on hospital-like beds.
When they landed Bulma had been making her usual rounds of the facility. She was just finishing with Research & Development when one of the receptionists came running to her, yelling about an emergency with her husband.
She had originally figured it to be like any other of Vegetas "Emergencies", mainly the Gravity Chamber was broken, or he wanted something to eat he couldn't readily fix himself.
This time truely WAS different, as when she got outside Vegeta was currently screaming death threats at Goku for his "blatent attempt to end the life of Royalty through treacherous aliens". Aliens meaning the three unconscious Care Bears on the ground.
Bulma immediently ordered the facility Medics on the scene, who, although bewildered as to what creatures they were caring for, took them off to the Infirmary.
For nearly 3 hours Bulma had been sitting on a little stool, staring at the still figures. Bulma yawned, putting her hand over her mouth. She looked at the motionless Care Bears, wondering first what they were, and second why the last word out of them was her name.
'What are they doing here...?', she thought to herself, slowly nodding off..
"HEY!!" Bulma exclaimed, sitting upright suddenly, "One of them gave Goku something they wanted me to see!". She got up excitedly and ran over to the counter where Goku had left the small star. She picked it up and ran her fingers over it.
It was smooth as glass, about the size of an American Half Dollar, star-shaped and brilliant gold in color. She held it in her hands and rubbed it with her fingers. She noticed on the underside was a small button. She pressed it, and what looked like a lens cover, perfectly blended to the color of the star, opened and a projector shone into the air like a hologram.
It was an image of two more of the weird creatures; a white bear and a purple pony looking creature. After a minute the hologram spoke:
"Hello Bulma Briefs. My name is Noble Heart Horse, this is True Heart Bear, we are the founders of the Care Bear Family that reside in Care-A-Lot, far above the surface of Earth. It is our duty to care for and protect all life on Earth, but now we have a new reason to protect people."
"There is a sickness on Earth known as the Coma Disease. We have seen it afflicts thousands of people, and none of the Earth doctors can cure it. We ourselves have been unable to cure it. This is why we've sent three members of our Family to Earth to find you. Their names are Tenderheart Bear, Cheer Bear, and Braveheart Lion. They have been entrusted to find you, in the hope you will help us find a cure for everyone."
"We need you in this Bulma, please don't abandon us..."
The hologram shimmered, then faded away. Bulma stood there overwhelmed.
How could this possibly be real? She had seen unusual things before, but talking animals was certainly at the top of her Weird List. She didn't have long to ponder, a glimpse of pink through the window caught her eye. The pink creature was waking up it seemed.
She rushed inside the adjorning room, over to the bedside of the creature. She slowly stirred, and looked up at Bulma. "Where am I...?" Cheer asked. Suddenly she bolted upright. "Bulma! We've got to find her!", the creature then tried weakly to get up.
Bulma held her gently down. "I'M Bulma... you can relax. Which one are you?" she asked. Cheer told her her name, and Bulma continued. "I assume the red one is Tenderheart and the orange one Braveheart then. I know why you're here, Goku gave me the projector", she finished.
Cheer looked at her with a greatly relieved sigh. "Thank goodness..." she muttered before falling back unconscious...
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The next few hours went by in a blur. Before long Tenderheart and Braveheart woke up to find Cheer had woken up a second time and was sitting in a sort of living room with Bulma. Formal introductions were made, and the three of them were telling Bulma about their life in Care-A-Lot when the door slammed open and in walked mad-as-hell Vegeta.
"So! The vile creature that made the attempt on my life is awake!", he declared, more than a little pissed looking.
Goku was, predictably, right behind him. "Would you calm down!? They weren't trying to kill you Vegeta!". Vegeta snorted, "Easy for you to say Kakarott, they didn't almost land on YOU!".
Bulma, starting to get a little angry, got off the couch. "If you will sit down and listen to me, I'll tell you why they're here Vegeta!", she yelled. She pulled the projector back out and re-played the hologram for him and Goku. When it was over both of them sat in silence.
"So...", Vegeta began, "These creatures are here, to help you find a cure for the sick humans, so they can go back to caring for them...?". Cheer nodded, "Thats about the size of it".
vegeta roared with laughter. "Oh Kami.. its too much.. BWAHAHAHA!!", he continued laughing. A full minute of disbelieving stares went by, and Vegeta calmed down enough to talk.
"Don't you see how ironic this is? The humans always brag of their superior technology, yet need a woodland creature to look after them!", he said, almost ready to begin another laughing fit.
Bulma audibly growled in anger. "Don't you GET IT?! They've probably been looking out for YOUR lazy ass for some time now! They are trying very hard to help these people out Vegeta, how can you laugh about this?!". Knowing another hissy fit was coming, Vegeta did the wise thing he always did when Bulma got like this: Got up and immediently left the room without a word.
When he left, Bulma sighed and looked at Tenderheart, "I'm sorry about him.. he seems cold, but hes not that bad a guy..", she said. Goku grinned from the doorway, "Bulmas right, hes a big softie!".
---
Over the next hour, the Care Bears filled Bulma in about all they knew of the Coma Disease, informing her how their faithful Care Bear Stare did nothing to even stir the Coma Disease victim they encountered, the collapse of the hospital, and the way the Caring Meter worked. Bulma and Goku sat motionless, looking more pale by the second.
When the Care Bears finished, she got up and walked around the room in thought. Only a few seconds later there was a knock on the door and in walked Chi Chi, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten.
For a moment nobody said anything, then Goten said almost cautiously, "We heard you had visitors Bulma.."
The silence was deafening, then broken as one by one, the Z Fighters came and introducted themselves to the Family. Piccolo was absent, as, obviously, was Vegeta. They heard from Gohan Tien and Choutzu were coming by tomorrow to meet Bulmas unusual guests, as would Krillen, Seventeen, and his sister and Krillens wife, Eighteen.
With introductions made, everyone sat around on the couch or chairs, the Care Bears retelling the newcomers about their life and enemies, and the Z Fighters taking turns telling about THEIR lives and enemies. Refreshments were brought in and for a while, everyone almost forgot about the problems of Earth as they sat around, talking amongst themselves like old times.
After about 45 minutes, Trunks and Goten said their goodbyes and left the room. They wandered down the hall, talking amongst themselves concerning the new visitors and whether or not Trunks mom would be able to cure the disease.
"I know shes smart Trunks, but I've seen how many people are sick. I just don't know if she can do it", Goten was saying. Trunks scoffed at his best friends skepticism, confident his mother could do whatever she put her mind two.
They stopped for a moment so Goten could run into the bathroom, when he came out they continued their walk down the hall, towards the room that led to the outside of Capsule Corp. They milled around for a few more minutes chit-chatting, Trunks planning on spending the night at Gotens. Out of the corner of his eye, a small flash of something caught Trunks eye.
He looked out the window and saw nothing. He blinked and shook his head. He could have sworn he saw fog, or smoke maybe rising from the ground. He shook his head again, apparently so lost in throught he had not heard Goten speaking to him.
"TRUNKS! Thats the third time I said it, are you ok?" Goten asked, a bit worried. Trunks shook his head yes, "Yea.. I jus thought I saw something.. silly I know.
---
Back in the Gravity Chamber, Vegeta was once again involved in yet another training regiment. He did not do anything near his normal. His mind, albeit unwillingly, was focused on the strange creatures that had shown up at his mates house earlier so uninvitedly.
Pushing them from his thoughts, Vegeta concentrated on the training droid in front of him. The droid was shooting a constant stream of blasts at him, which he was focusing on dodging. He was a little past 600 when one came VERY close, whizzing by his head and singeing his hair.
Growling in anger, he blurred away and appeared behind the droid, kicking it so hard to slammed into the wall and shattered like glass. He spat at the remains, and instead turned his attention to performing a complicated kata of punches and kicks. After a few minutes, he found it difficult to concentrate, his mind obviously elsewhere.
Although Vegeta probably couldn't have cared less what happened to the Earth, his family was here, so he at least had an interest in its survival. A few more minutes later and he realized he would never be able to concentrate on this tonight.
He picked his towel up from the hanger and wiped his brow. For over an hour he had been trying to push the Care Bears from his mind, trying to stop himself from caring why they were here or what they wanted. He threw the towel to the floor and walked out, at least in the back of his mind, wondering of the possibility of his wife or children getting the disease.
The thought made him think of his sweet daughter, currently on a 3 day school trip. There had been no reports of anything suspicious in the area the school had gone to, so he hadn't worried. Although his son was truely his blood and made him deeply proud, Bra was his little princess.
He was on his way back to the house when a small flash of silver caught his eye. He jerked his head to the side, but saw nothing. He stood for a moment, and continued his walk, but again a small flash, or mist, of something silver caught his eye. Turning again, he again saw nothing.
Thinking he finally overdid the gravity, he mumbled something about damn women before going back across the yard, into the house, right past Goten and Trunks with only a grunt of acknowledgement, down the hall, and straight into the kitchen.
---
Walking Vegeta walk past them, Trunks stayed silent while his Father walked by. When he left the room, he said to Goten, "He looks like somethings bothering him". Goten nodded slowly in agreement.
"I think hes been pretty stressed out lately, although I'm not exactly sure what for. Him and mom seem ok, they only fight about... a hundred times a day", Trunks continued.
"Do you think your dads ever worried he'll catch the Coma Disease?" Goten blurted out. Trunks just gaped at him, "No way! And even if he was, he'd NEVER tell anybody. He say its acting like a weakling to be afraid of a thing like that".
He was about to say something else when he himself saw a small wisp of silver in the front yard. This time Trunks and Goten saw it, and stood there motionless and silent watching it.
It floated in the yard for a moment, shimmered, and vanished. Trunks looked at Goten, an almost triumphan look on his face, "I KNEW I wasen't loosing it!", he said, as both of them bolted out the door into the yard.
They looked around, but saw nothing. Streetlights, houses a bit down the street, but aside from that, the yard was empty. They stood there for a moment in silence, then looked at each other and simply began laughing.
"Man Trunks, we're REALLY going to have to stop hitting each others heads so hard!", Goten laughed. Trunks laughed also, relieved. They stood there for a moment laughing, listening to the relief in each others voice, the hooting of nighttime owls, the chirping of crickets, and the whistling of Charles, the night watchman.
Something suddenly struck Trunks: Charles familiar whistling was nowhere to be heard. He mentioned this to Goten, who listened. Charles was a friendly man, last 50's, who was hired some time ago as the night watchman. If you ventured outside, you could always hear him whistling some old song as he made his rounds.
"Maybe hes off today..?" Goten volunteered. Trunks just stood there for a moment, then shook his head. "We'd better ask mom about it, she'll know for sure", he said. They turned and walked back towards the house when something stirred in the bushes.
Both instantly turned, dropping into battle stances. They felt out, but couldn't sense anything. Very slowly, they walked towards the bushes directly next to the large tree in the yard, the source of the sound. They approached and the bushes rustled again. Preparing for an enemy of unknown strenght, Trunks suddenly yanked the bushes back to reveal the family cat, Nippy.
Both boys looked at each other and laughed again. "Goten we're scaring ourselves too much.." he said in a laugh. Goten nodded in agreement and reached to pet Nippy.
No sooner than his hand touched the cat did something heavy fall from the branches above, landing right in front of Goten. The cat screeched and ran, leaving Goten behind.
It was Charles, and he was quite dead.
Not from a heart attack, stroke, or anything that could be considered normal. It was as if his body was put in the electric chair for about 30 minutes first. He had obviously died quite violently through electrocution.
Goten panicked, making odd whimpers as he crawled away from the body, trying not to stare at the still open eyes. Trunks looked mortified, and for a moment neither moved.
Then a voice... as cold as the grave itself, almost like oil, slid into their heads and they heard only one word...
"Death..."
The strange voice didn't have to tell them twice, as both boys bolted inside, screaming as though Hell itself was after them.
----
Vegeta was just finishing the last bit of his sandwich when Bulma and the others walked from their previous room into the main room, ready to say goodnight to Chi Chi, Goku, and Gohan. Just as they walked in, they are confronted by Trunks and Goten, screaming that Charles was dead and something was after them.
Hearing the noise, Vegeta growled, leaving his half-finished glass of milk behind as he stormed from the kitchen.
"What is the MEANING of this?!" he bellowed to the boys. In panic, they told everyone what happened, and what they had found. Bulma gasped, not sure if this was another one of the boys tall tales again (Like the one about Kurin being turned into a fish by King Kai).
Vegeta growled, and looked at his son. "If this is a lie, you'll regret ever telling it!", then strode out the door, Bulma and the others right behind him. He walked over to the tree and looked around, finding nothing.
He sighed deeply in an attempt to calm himself as Bulma rushed over to his side.
"TRUNKS!! This is NOT FUNNY young man!" she yelled, obviously angry. Trunks and Goten began loudly protesting when Vegeta held a hand up for silence. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Bulma, an odd look in his eyes.
"Woman... go inside. Take the boy. I see no corpse, but I certainly smell the stain of blood and death here. He is not lying, now go!" Vegeta commanded. Bulma started to protest, but the look Vegeta gave her could have stopped a volcano eruption.
She rushed everyone back inside, leaving Vegeta alone. Care Bears and Z Fighters alone peeked from the window, watching Vegeta. He looked around for a few moments, reaching out with his Ki to feel whatever he possibly could...
...Nothing..
His mind still suspicious, Vegeta started towards the door to warn Kakarotts family home, and his to bed when the same cold, oily voice slipped into his mind, freezing him in his tracks.
"Fear..."
Vegeta stood still, the hair on the back of his neck rising at once. He growled a bit and turned around, then to his right, left, and back to the house...nothing.
He looked at the empty street, trying to focus down the darkened path when his sons voice rang out.
"Do you see anything dad?" Trunks yelled. Vegeta growled, "Yes, I see a half Saiyan spending the rest of his life in his room for his disobedience of his faUUUGHHHH!!"
Vegeta was cut short as a fist, unseen to the human eye, slammed right into his face, knocking him several feet away before smacking into the ground. He was instantly on his feet, blood already seeping from the would above his left eye.
"I DEMAND YOU SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!!!" he screamed.
"If you insist... my 'Prince'.."
Hair on his neck again standing straight up, Vegeta watched, in a mix of wonder and horror, as a small cloud of silver/gray smokey, mist-like substance formed in mid air. It swirled lazily around for a minute, then a deep, blood red pair of eyes glowed from within. The mist took the form of a man, as tall as Goku, almost as muscular. The man had shoulder lenght coal black hair with rifts of silver in it, skin the color of milk, and what appeared to be black chain mail armor covering his chest, forearms, fists, legs, and feet. The man almost looked like something from the middle ages.
His eyes glowed with a violent red glow, and he smiled as he spoke outloud: "I would certainly hate to disobey an order from the GREAT SAIYAN PRINCE VEGETA!".. he bowed low, an obvious mocking gesture.
How this fool knew his name or title, he did not know or care, Vegetas rage was near lethal point by now, "Who are you fool?! Tell me your name so I can laugh about it once I've destroyed you!!".
The man smiled, a gleeful, sadistic smile, "I am the loss of everyone you ever loved, the hatred of your enemies, and the subject of your revenge. I am the fear, anger, hate, racism, and pain of your souls a hundred times over. I am your murder, rape, violation, and genocide. Simply put, I am a means to this planets end.."
He smiled, his eyes glowing more. "But please, call me by my name of centuries ago... Shadow Heart".
Vegeta had clearly had enough. Blasting towards Shadow Heart, going SSJ in mid-flight and forgetting all about Bulmas rules of no Ki outside of the Gravity Chamber, Vegeta lauched his fist right into Shadow Hearts face..
..and went through through it!
Vegeta blinked as he was no longer there. Two seconds later a fist seemingly made of iron crashed into his back, breaking two of his ribs and the shoulderblade of his left side. Vegeta roared in agony and fell forward onto the ground.
Trunks immediently rushed to his father, but was cut short by 10 foot high metal barbs that sprung from nowhere to form a circle around Vegeta, the barbs crackling with red lightning.
Shadow Heart suddenly materialized right in front of Vegeta, stomping on his midsection mercilessly, crushing 3 more ribs and making Vegeta spit out a large mouthful of blood. Trunks was murderously mad after watching this, and grabbed the nearest barb to pull it away. He thought he had just put a penny in King Yemmas personal light socket. The shock was so bad it propelled him backwards a solid 15 feet, 2nd and 3rd degree burns instantly springing to life on his hands.
"Care Bears STARE!!" Tenderheart commanded. The three beams of love hit Shadow Heart as one, eliciting a cry of surprise from him. Thats not all it elicited, as black lighting erupted on his hand and he thrust his hand towards the Care Bears, striking all three with bursts of black lightning. The Care Bears, injured, hit the floor, unable to move.
With Vegeta surrounded, they, and everyone else, could just do nothing but watch what happened next. Shadow Heart pointed his middle and index fingers are Vegeta and smiled. "See you soon.."..
Three seconds later black lightning erupted from his hands and encircled Vegeta, burning and tearing away at his both. Goku and Gohan, with Goten, grabbed the barbs, but no matter how hard they pulled, received the same treatment for their trouble.
Vegeta made one lost bloodcurdling scream, then the lighting bolts passed. His body seemingly as bad as Charles's, Vegeta lay motionless, weakly coughing up deep red liquid. Shadow Heart turned back into a silver cloud with red eyes, reminding Tenderheart chillingly of the form Dark Heart used to take.
"Now if you'll excuse me.. I have to go see.. an old friend..", he said before vanishing, along with the barbs.
Everyone swarmed Vegeta, but it was Goku that grabbed him and ran for the infirmary. Tenderheart, getting to his feet shakily along with the other two, looked at his companion Care Bears. "This is going to take ALL of us..." he said. The others nodded in approval.
Looking at Bulma, he stated, "We're so sorry to do this, but we feel now, especially having seen this... we need ALL the family". Bulma agreed instantly in approval.
Tenderheart nodded, "Alright, tomorrow we head back to Care-A-Lot to move ALL the family here, we've GOT to stop him!"
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Oh you can move them, but can you protect them? I'll be working on Chapter 4 soon. Still working on final details, but the chapters title is, "Wake up the Madness.." Look for it soon!