Enter Frieza

Goku jumped high into the air to avoid the ki beams and the blasts from the soldiers' arm cannons. They had him surrounded, so it wasn't a surprise when they ended up shooting each other when their target in the middle suddenly disappeared. He landed in the middle of a circle of crumpled, burned bodies, looking around for more of Frieza's soldiers to fight. Bodies – both alien and human – littered the streets; buildings were burning and falling and the sounds and smells of terror filled the air. But above all the sensations around him, Goku was focused on the immense power level still outside the atmosphere. He was beginning to wonder how long Frieza planned on waiting before making his grand entrance.

Across the world he could feel other ki, the energy signals of his friends. They were flaring as they engaged in battle, probably taking on the army as he was. How many soldiers landed already? Vegeta said the pawns were sent before the Ginyu Force, but were there others? Others with power levels somewhere between these 'pawns' and the so-called elite squadron? His expression turned grim when he remembered the brief glimpse into Vegeta's memory, the pink monster who took obvious pleasure in causing unbearable pain. Yes, there were others, more powerful than these, but they would be no real challenge.

Standing in the middle of a deserted street, Goku turned when he heard a battle cry as a troop of soldiers came running toward him, aiming at him with their arm cannons. Without missing a beat he picked up a car that was rolled over on its side and threw it at them, making a direct hit. He wasn't sure that was enough to kill them, or even knock them out, but it kept them off his heels for now and away from any earthlings that might still be alive in the area. With a goofy grin, he rubbed the back of his head and started walking down the street, hoping to find more soldiers to fight while he waited for the stronger members of the tyrant's army to come.

…

Zarbon strode into the throne room where Frieza was waiting for a report on the ongoing invasion of 1076XR. He knelt before his master, waiting for acknowledgement with anxious anticipation. The news he had for the tyrant was not good news, and he was hoping that his status as Frieza's right-hand man would be enough to save him from punishment for being the unfortunate messenger.

"What news do you have of the Ginyu Force?" Frieza asked, his voice like ice freezing the air in the room.

The green-skinned man cleared his throat before reporting, "We have been unable to contact them, Lord Frieza. Captain Ginyu has not sent a transmission since landing. Scans of the planet show there are several high power levels that were in the same vicinity as the Ginyu Force. They are presumed dead."

The glass of wine in Frieza's hand stilled. "What?"

Zarbon gulped audibly before answering. "They may still be alive, but we haven't been able to contact them. Perhaps there is something wrong with their scouters, or –"

"Silence!" Frieza threw his glass of wine across the room, the shattering glass piercing the unsettling quiet that ensued. "What do you mean they're dead? Idiots! Obviously I'll have to find Vegeta myself. Zarbon, we will land immediately."

Standing, Zarbon watched as Frieza turned his throne to face the window behind overlooking the planet that would be space dust soon enough. Bowing, though he knew Frieza couldn't see him, he turned and hurried out of the throne room to relay the orders to land to the soldiers in the control room.

…

Krillin sat on the edge of the Lookout several feet from Vegeta and Bulma, carefully averting his eyes from them. He folded his hands in his lap, wringing them as he focused on the power that had to belong to Frieza, the being they were somehow supposed to fight and defeat. Sighing, he rubbed his head with one hand, the other balling his gi in his fist. Sweat dribbled down the back of his neck. So much for bravery. Who was he fooling? He was terrified.

"So, uh," he mumbled, hoping the others would hear him without being too intrusive, "what happens if – if we lose? Or what if – what if Frieza – you said he destroys planets. What if he does that instead of, you know, coming here to uh, to find you?"

Vegeta scowled at the bald man, wanting to ignore his question. Unfortunately, he did have a valid point. More to reassure himself than anyone else, he replied, "It's too impersonal. He wants to single me out, torture, and kill me."

"You're sure about that?" Krillin asked timidly.

This time he was answered with a growl, but it stopped once Vegeta felt Bulma kissing along his jaw. For the briefest moment Vegeta forgot the impending peril, lost in pleasure as his chosen mate consoled him. He pulled her onto his lap facing him but frowned when he felt her velvety tongue gliding over his bottom lip.

"Woman," he purred, eyes shifting over to the bald earthling, "now is not the—"

"—Time, I know. But I don't care." Bulma smiled, kissing him. She pulled back and looked at him seriously. "You know you're going to kill him. There's nothing to worry about. He's not going to get you and he's not going to destroy Earth."

"Hn."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You reek of confidence."

Krillin jumped to his feet. "Hey, I hate to ruin the moment, but do you feel that? He's moving. Is he landing?"

Vegeta looked up in the direction Krillin was pointing, thwarting Bulma's attempt to plant another kiss on his lips. His brows knit as he concentrated on the ki. It moved slowly at first, then began descending rapidly. Definitely landing. It was hard to pinpoint the exact location; Frieza's power was so enormous it felt like it was everywhere at once. He would have to wait for the signal from one of the others – assuming he could feel their comparatively low ki at all.

…

Raditz punched a hole through another soldier's armor, his fist digging into its flesh. He retracted his hand, a spurt of blood coming with it. The soldier's lifeless body fell to the ground amidst a pile of other dead bodies. Raditz shook his hand, drops of blood flying off. He looked up at the sky when he felt the huge power moving over where he was stationed. It wasn't likely to stop there, coming down more at an angle before landing. Hastily he searched for the ki signatures of his allies, trying to determine who would be the closest to the landing spot.

His frown eased when he felt Goku's ki near where he believed the ship would touch down. Reaching out with his mind, he spoke through his mental link to his brother. "Kakarrot!"

"Raditz? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. You feel him moving? I think he's going to land close to you. If I'm guessing right, he'll be near Central City. Get over there and keep an eye on things before Vegeta gets there. I'm on my way."

"I'm on it. Does he know?"

"Not sure. You remember the signal? Use it if you see Frieza's ship so everyone knows where he is." Raditz cut off the mental link and fired a narrow beam of ki that pierced through three soldiers, instantly killing them, before taking off toward Central City. He didn't intend to get involved in the fight with Frieza, for that was Vegeta's battle, but if he had the chance to get vengeance on some of the other soldiers who flocked around the lizard, he would take it.

Raditz flew as fast as he could without raising his ki higher than the majority of Frieza's soldiers who were already on the planet. Stronger ones were going to be coming soon, but until they did, he didn't want anyone's scouters to pick up on his power level. As he flew, he fired ki blasts at groups of alien soldiers when he saw them, but for the most part he was only interested in getting to Frieza. He sped up when he felt Goku's ki flare three times in rapid succession. Hopefully his brother would stay away long enough for him to get there.

…

Frieza smirked when he felt his ship touch down. It had been a while since he felt solid ground under him, not that he felt it now. In his hovering throne, he left his throne room and made his way through the corridors of his ship on the way to the main hatch, his soldiers flanking him. Zarbon and Dodoria walked on either side of him, leading the troops to continue the purge of the planet while he went on a solo mission to find his missing monkeys.

The hatch was already open by the time he reached it, bright daylight streaming in. Outside he could see tall buildings, some wrecked, and the air smelled like rotting corpses, burnt flesh, and the rank stench of fear. All the scents of a purge; his smirk broadened into a malicious grin as he descended down the hatch, taking in the full view of the partially ruined city. Around him he saw more of his soldiers still killing, causing unnecessary destruction, and fighting amongst themselves over women and edible carnage. They were pathetic, really, but he didn't require his soldiers to be big on brains or taste. All he cared about was their willingness to kill without question or hesitation. So far it appeared they were doing a good job.

"Zarbon."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Send orders for the second-class soldiers to move in. It would seem many of the third-classes have been killed by these peasants. I want them all dead."

"As you command, Lord. Any further orders?"

Frieza rapped his black nails against the armrest of his throne. "Yes. If anyone finds Vegeta, report directly to me immediately. I want him alive so that I can kill him."

"Of course, Lord Frieza. I will send the orders immediately." Zarbon turned on his heel to go back to the control room of the ship where he could send a transmission to every soldier at once. His cape billowed behind him as he stalked through the ship corridors, eager to send the orders and return to his master's side and begin killing. Typically he did not enjoy getting his hands dirty in purges of such weak, useless planets as this, but knowing that for some bizarre reason Vegeta valued this planet made the thought of killing helpless worms much more appealing. His cold, thin lips turned up in a cruel smile as he entered the control room. Anything to cause the monkey prince pain was well worth the trouble.

…

Goku crouched down on the roof of a nearby building, watching the ship below. Not long after it landed the hatch opened and some grunt soldiers emerged, though they didn't stray far from the ship. It looked more like they were staking out the general area, making sure there was no hostile welcoming committee courtesy of the planet they came to invade. He crept closer to the edge of the roof, taking the chance of someone looking up and catching a glimpse of him. He wanted to see Frieza as soon as he showed himself, his imagination dreaming up an enormous, ferocious beast to fit the monstrous power level he could feel coming from somewhere within the ship.

He was surprised, then, when he saw the tiny creature who left the ship sitting in some sort of small, hovering vehicle. Not only was he diminutive, but the fact that he relied on a piece of equipment to get around was puzzling. Wasn't he supposed to be the most powerful being in the universe? At least, that's apparently what he boasted about himself. He watched as one of the men standing at Frieza's right side turned and went back inside while the rest of the soldiers gathered behind him spread out and dispersed, probably to go kill anyone they could find who managed to survive so far.

Now that he saw the tiny alien tyrant, any fear he may have had dissipated. Grinning to himself, he considered ignoring the plan and going after Frieza himself. Vegeta hadn't come yet and it looked like the guys down there were getting ready to cause trouble, so why shouldn't he step in and stop them?

"Don't even think about it."

Goku practically jumped off the roof when he heard someone behind him. He sighed with relief when he saw that it was Raditz, who had just scaled the building on the other side to avoid raising his ki and gaining the attention of Frieza's soldiers. He crawled over to the edge of the roof where Goku was keeping an eye on Frieza and his men and looked down at them, his lip curling in contempt. The first thing to catch his attention, aside from the massive spaceship, was the hot pink blob of flesh Dodoria standing next to Frieza's throne. What a disgusting creature.

"Is Vegeta coming?" Goku whispered.

Raditz shrugged, inching forward a little to see better. From his improved vantage point, he was able to see the other soldiers who had already moved away from the ship, arm cannons raised to fire in a flash if they saw or heard any life. Raditz backed away from the edge again and turned to his brother. "I think we can draw some of them away if we raise our ki a little. High enough that they won't mistake us for low-ranking soldiers, but not high enough to be deemed a threat big enough for Frieza or his lapdogs to go after. We don't want to take them on yet."

Goku pouted a little. "Why not? We could take them."

"We could," Raditz agreed, rolling his eyes, "But we don't want Frieza coming after us. Not until Vegeta gets here."

"Oh fine."

"Relax, brother. We'll get some good fights."

"I doubt it. Frieza's the only strong one." Goku peeked over the edge again, his eyes shifting back and forth. The longer he had to wait the more he wanted to go fight, but having his brother next to him made it easier to restrain himself. He might not have been the smartest person, but he knew the importance of a good battle tactic, so he was willing to go with Vegeta's plan even if it meant relinquishing the best challenge. Besides, Vegeta might not be able to handle him alone, so he might be able to take a crack at him.

Raditz groaned when some of the stronger soldiers took to the air to leave the city. If Vegeta didn't hurry up and get here soon, Frieza might go somewhere else and then they would have to try tracking him without making themselves known. If that wasn't frustrating enough, he felt higher power levels falling from the sky all over the planet. So the next wave of the invasion had begun. Not unexpected, but the situation was definitely heating up. Evading detection was going to get harder with more soldiers on the planet, and now it wouldn't be as easy to conceal their true power when they had to raise it above the higher ranking soldiers.

Goku frowned when he saw the soldiers leaving the city where he couldn't keep an eye on them and prevent them from hurting any innocent people. "Where are they going?"

"Where do you think? They're going to keep purging the planet until all the humans are dead."

"They can't do that!"

"Be quiet!" Raditz hissed, shaking his head in exasperation. "They can and they will. We'll stop them. I think I saw a group of them head that way. You go after them."

Goku looked to the left where Raditz was pointing and nodded. "Right. What about you?"

"I'll try to pick off some of the others, but I'll stick around here to keep watch."

"Okay!" Goku grinned, giggling excitedly as he crawled over to the edge of the roof to their left, looking around before leaping to the next building and continuing on that way. The farther he got from Frieza's ship, the less cautious he was about keeping himself hidden from the soldiers. By the time he reached the outskirts of the city, he was actively trying to gain their attention. Catching sight of one of the stronger soldiers he saw back at the ship, he fired a ki blast at him. The soldier crashed into the wall of a building, stunned from the sudden attack.

Goku flew toward him and fired another blast of ki before he reached him. He was slightly surprised when the soldier dodged the attack and readied his own ball of ki with practiced ease. He was a purple alien with scaly skin and whiskers like a catfish sprouting from his face. Ugly was the first word that came to mind when Goku tried to think of a way to describe him.

The purple soldier sneered at him once he gathered his wits. "A saiyan? They're all supposed to be dead."

Shrugging, Goku quipped, "Guess Frieza missed me."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as the soldier started attacking Goku with wild fury, throwing a multitude of ki blasts punctuated with attempts to land solid blows. But Goku was too fast, easily dodging and blocking everything thrown at him. It wasn't long before his opponent had thoroughly worn himself out. He paused, panting heavily, enraged by his own inability to land a single direct hit on a saiyan. A monkey! They were all weaklings!

"Are you done playing around now?" Goku asked, cocking his head to the side as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Playing – playing around?"

"Yeah." Goku rubbed the back of his neck and moved closer to his opponent. "Are you going to fight for real now?"

Raditz snorted when he felt his brother's ki rising enough to stay a step ahead of the soldier he was fighting. If he wasn't mistaken, judging by the power level it was Cui. He smirked, happy with the fact that that purple fish-face was finally going to get what he had coming. There weren't really any soldiers who liked the saiyans, but Cui was one of those who was particularly adamant about showing his hatred for their species.

He returned to his post on the top of the building overlooking Frieza's ship after killing a few other soldiers. 'Where the hell is Vegeta?' he wondered. It had been at least half an hour since Frieza's ship touched down, but he still didn't feel the prince approaching. Maybe he got held up somewhere else fighting some of the other soldiers, or maybe the Lookout was farther away from Central City than he thought. Either way, Vegeta wasn't there yet, and, from what he could tell, Frieza was rapidly losing patience.

The saiyan tried to open his link with the prince, but it was as if Vegeta had purposely shut it down, making all communication impossible for the time being. Frustrated, he pressed his lips together firmly to keep himself from uttering a colorful stream of curses. Vegeta was probably avoiding distraction, or possibly keeping their minds disconnected so no emotions would cross over. Proud as he was, he certainly wouldn't want his subjects to know how fearful he truly was of Frieza, even if he had every reason to be afraid. Whatever the reason, Raditz could do nothing but wait for his arrival.

…

Frieza turned his head to the right when his scouter indicated there was a higher-than-average power level. Not much greater than his best soldiers, but still significant enough to be of interest. "Dodoria."

"Yes, Lord Frieza?"

"Go investigate the high power level." His eyes shifted in the direction of the energy signal. "Immediately."

"As you command, Lord Frieza." Dodoria bowed hastily before taking off toward Goku and Cui's rather one-sided fight.

…

Raditz smacked his forehead when he saw that his younger brother managed to gain Frieza's attention. While he had no doubt that Goku could handle Dodoria and Cui with no problems, he wasn't willing to let Dodoria get away. Cui he could let Goku have, but not Dodoria. He had a personal vendetta against that one. Dodoria was strong enough and close enough to Frieza that over the years he was able to get away with just about anything when it came to tormenting the saiyans.

Careful to keep his ki suppressed, Raditz trailed after Dodoria, intending to cut him off before he ever got the chance to interfere in Goku's fight. Maybe taking out Frieza's left-hand man wasn't the best way to conceal his presence, but it would be worth it. When they were far enough from the ship and still a fair distance from Goku, Raditz passed Dodoria and stopped in front of him, arms held out at his sides to prevent him from veering around him to the right or left.

Dodoria was barely able to stop himself before crashing into Raditz. When he saw who was in his way, his eyes first widened with surprise, then narrowed with hatred. "Raditz? I thought you were dead."

Raditz shrugged casually. "Seems everyone thinks that. Sorry to disappoint." He smirked, taking his fighting stance. "But to be fair, why don't I give you the chance to make it true?"

The pink alien didn't need to be asked twice. He had no orders to keep Raditz alive since he was already presumed dead, so there was no chance of him getting in trouble for killing him, something he had wanted to do for an incredibly long time. Taking his own stance, he gave a wide, toothy grin as he raised his ki to reach his maximum power, a measly 22,000. Surrounded by a burning aura, he leaped forward at the saiyan, but he passed through an afterimage.

Raditz reappeared right behind him and, with a single back kick, sent his obese adversary spinning into a nearby brick building that toppled down on him. Raditz kept his power in check, only raising it high enough to hurt Dodoria for periods of such short duration that scouters would be unlikely to pick up on it. He was slightly disappointed that fighting Dodoria wasn't even going to prove a challenge, but at least he had the satisfaction of killing the miserable scum.

It wasn't long before Dodoria erupted from the rubble, fury emanating from him in palpable waves. Not stopping to consider he might be outmatched given the ease with which he was taken off-guard before, he lunged forward again, fist raised to strike the long-haired saiyan. This time, Raditz easily sidestepped his advance, held his arm out, and clotheslined the fat warrior. While Dodoria was still dazed, Raditz clenched his fists together and brought them down on the other fighter's back, forcing him down to the ground. Then, before Dodoria could get up, Raditz dropped from the sky, using his ki to add speed to his descent, bringing his heel down on the side of Dodoria's head. There was a sickening crunching noise as his skull collapsed and blood and brain spattered from the wound.

Shaking the bits of brain off his boot, Raditz laughed, "I gave you the chance. Didn't say odds were in your favor." He turned back toward the spaceship and crossed his arms over his chest. There were no other soldiers around, save the one Goku was still toying with. "Guess Frieza's going to be kept waiting for you to report back, huh, lard-ass?"

…

Waiting was not one of Frieza's favorite pastimes. Actually, it ranked among his least favorite things to do, and as far as he was concerned, he had already done plenty of waiting in relation to Vegeta. Snarling, he pushed the button on his scouter, but each time he tried to locate the saiyans' power levels, all his scouter could find was his soldiers. Each time he failed to find his pet his frustration doubled.

"Where is he?" Frieza tried again to find the power level of the monkey prince, but again he found nothing other than the power levels of his soldiers. His eyes narrowed. "So, he wants to play hide-and-seek. Fine. I've waited this long, I'll wait a little longer. He'll come to me. Besides, it's not like I'm getting any older. Oh, that was a good one! I crack myself up." He grew more relaxed as he laughed at his own joke.

…

Vegeta stood at the edge of the Lookout looking down, his tail twitching agitatedly behind him. He felt the others coming up behind him, but he didn't turn. His fists clenched tighter. He'd sensed the signal when Kakarrot gave it, but he still hadn't worked up the gumption to go to Central City and confront Frieza. Fear wasn't the issue so much as disbelief. What he felt didn't make sense; he was actually stronger than Frieza. Many times stronger. He shook his head. It was unreal, there had to be a mistake. When he felt the power before, enormous as it was, he thought it would feel greater when Frieza arrived on Earth, having simply figured distance made him unable to sense the fullness of the lizard's power. Well, even if he was stronger at the moment, he was still cautious. He refused to believe it was so easy. Frieza had to be stronger; he just wasn't showing his true strength yet.

Bulma stood behind him and laid her hand on his shoulder, frowning when he flinched away. "Vegeta? What are you waiting for?"

"Why isn't he moving?"

"Who?"

He didn't answer as he started pacing, trying to figure out why Frieza was staying in one place. When he felt his power moving, preparing to land, he was about to go as soon as he got the signal. Then he received the signal, and he was going to leave, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the disbelief, maybe it was uncertainty, but for some reason he couldn't get himself to leave the Lookout just yet. After several minutes passed and he still hadn't sensed Frieza moving, he became suspicious. Would he really send his foot soldiers to search for him? Or was he waiting for something else? A low growl rumbled in his chest as he scowled down at the Earth.

Nappa stepped closer to his prince, brows furrowing with concern as he wondered the same thing. It was unlike Frieza to wait around when he wanted something. While he might always be accompanied at least by his lapdogs Zarbon and Dodoria, he wasn't above going out and searching for the object of his desire. If anything, he didn't like anyone else getting their hands on his prize.

Keeping his distance from the saiyans, Krillin commented, "I expected his arrival to be a little more dramatic."

Gohan laughed a little. "I know what you mean."

Krillin grinned, playfully elbowing the boy who was already almost as tall as him. "Maybe this whole thing was just blown out of proportion. What do you think? This Frieza guy might not be so tough after all."

Vegeta rounded on him, teeth bared in a furious snarl. "You know nothing about what he is capable of!"

Backing off a little, Krillin shrugged. "Well, sorry, but haven't you noticed you're all stronger than him?"

The saiyan prince turned away again to resume pacing, his tail now flicking more noticeably with his growing irritation. "It's not his full power. There's rumors…" he trailed off, muttering to himself under his breath.

Nappa sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You don't think it's true, do you?"

Vegeta paused, clenching and unclenching his fists. "It is. I know it is."

"What is?" Gohan asked.

"Frieza has different forms. Stronger ones." Nappa was having a hard time not pacing along with Vegeta. The tip of his tail was flicking against his hip.

"Forms?"

"He's waiting for me," Vegeta concluded. "That bastard is going to make me come to him."

"Is that so bad?" Bulma asked.

"It means I'll be fighting on his terms." Vegeta's tail slashed through the air before wrapping snugly around his waist.

"Oh."

"So what do we do, Vegeta?" Nappa asked.

Vegeta sighed and raked his hand through his flame of hair. He was a patient man most of the time, but this was a fight he had been waiting too long to have and he didn't feel like playing the waiting game with Frieza. Even if he could win, the apprehension would eat away at his courage. He stopped his pacing and looked over the edge of the Lookout.

"I'll go. Baldy, go kill any soldiers you find. Nappa, stay here with the brat and the doll thing. Make sure no one finds this place and lives."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Krillin asked. He swallowed hard when the prince shot him a cold glare before stepping off the Lookout. "Okay, I can do this."

"Don't worry, Krillin," Gohan said, "You'll be fine."

"Thanks, kid." Krillin ruffled Gohan's messy hair and grinned before holding his hand up in the victory sign. "See you all later." With that, he jumped off the Lookout and headed to an area of the world where he didn't feel any of his friends fighting. Earth's military might be faring well enough against Frieza's army, but it wouldn't hurt to lend a hand, especially now that stronger soldiers were landing.

Vegeta allowed himself to fall, only stopping himself when he was a foot from the ground below the Lookout. Keeping his ki low, he turned west and flew toward the city where Frieza was lying in wait. All around him he could feel the power of the tyrant's army, and more soldiers were still coming. The weapons Bulma created wouldn't be much help against these soldiers; they were stronger and more cunning. Still weak compared to himself and the other earthling warriors, but they had power in numbers. He didn't really care if they got themselves killed, but for Bulma's sake he hoped they lived through the battle.

When he felt a large group of soldiers up ahead he repressed his ki further to avoid detection as he flew past. He couldn't afford getting sidetracked and getting into a fight when he had more important matters to attend to: namely, finding and killing Frieza. He cringed when he flew over a completely decimated city, the smoke from the burning buildings still curling in the air. To think he used to be like these monsters, tearing a planet apart, wreaking havoc, killing thousands, millions… He snarled, speeding up his flight to get to Central City before Frieza ran out of patience and went on the move.

He was growing frustrated having to fly painfully slowly to keep the scouters from picking up his ki signature. Over two hours passed before he saw the cityscape of Central City on the horizon. As with all the other cities he'd passed, there were thick columns of black smoke billowing up from the burning remains of civilization. Still holding his power in check, he flew lower to the ground, slightly increasing his speed until he was followed by a cloud of dust. Once he reached the outskirts of the city, he dropped to the ground and started toward the landing site on foot, darting behind piles of rubble, down narrow alleys, and through buildings. More than once he had to get past large groups of Frieza's men, but he had years of practice in moving stealthily through purged cities and remained unseen.

Sensing a particularly high ki around the corner of a building, he pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath and suppressing his ki as low as he could. The footsteps of the person were all he could hear aside from the pulse rushing in his ears. It was only a few seconds in reality, but it felt like hours before the person rounded the corner. When he did, Vegeta nearly took off his head with a swift kick.

"Whoa! Vegeta, what the hell?"

"Raditz?" Vegeta hissed, "What are you doing here?"

Raditz brushed his hair back over his shoulder after spinning out of the way of his prince's kick. "I was killing Frieza's soldiers. He's keeping the stronger ones close by. I think he's hoping to find you by forcing you to raise your power to defeat them."

Vegeta snorted. "And you? How have you avoided being found so far?"

The long-haired saiyan shrugged nonchalantly. "I kill anyone who sees me."

"That won't draw suspicion."

"Either way, I keep moving. No one's going to find me unless I want to be found."

"And your idiot brother? Where's he? I thought he was the one who gave the signal."

Raditz nodded, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was sneaking up from behind. Vigilance was his strongest defense against being forced to face Frieza. "He's around, somewhere. Taking on soldiers. I have to keep cleaning up after him since he won't kill them if he doesn't have to."

"Weakling." Vegeta growled a little. "Keep killing. Leave Frieza to me."

"Of course," Raditz muttered. He stepped aside, letting Vegeta pass. "Zarbon's still with him. I've already killed Dodoria."

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow, a smirk curling his lips. "The fat lard's dead?"

Raditz mirrored his smirk. "By my hand. Well, foot."

"At least it wasn't that idiot you call a brother." Vegeta peeked around the corner of the building. He could see Frieza's ship in the distance, apparently having crushed a building or two when he landed. There were many soldiers stationed around it, none of them too strong. Frieza and Zarbon weren't in sight, so they were probably inside the ship. "Find Kakarrot and draw the soldiers away. I don't have time for those weaklings."

"Yes, sir."

"After you kill them, find the others. Destroy every space pod. No one is getting off this planet, do you understand?"

"Got it." Raditz moved away from him, then jumped onto a fire escape of a nearby building and climbed up to the roof. From there, he had a clear view of the area and headed in the direction of Goku's ki.

Vegeta crouched down and waited for the soldiers to leave. It wasn't long before he felt the rising ki of Raditz and Goku. It worked like a charm as the soldiers' scouters came to life, indicating two extraordinarily high power levels on the other side of the city. Soon all the soldiers were flying off in that direction, abandoning their posts around the ship. He sensed a few more power levels in the ship aside from Frieza and Zarbon, probably technicians and medical personnel. Easy kills, insignificant.

He stood up and, rolling his shoulders back and lifting his chin, he started toward the large ship. Proudly he marched, quelling the fear rising in his gut. He heard Bulma's words running through his mind, over and over, reassuring him, strengthening him. He had the power to defeat Frieza, he had the strength to tear Frieza apart and make him suffer for everything he did to his race. It may have been the longest walk of his life, the walk toward his death or his freedom.

A/N: I finally finished writing chapter 67, and now I'm trying to work out a few kinks in the outline of 68 so I can get started writing it. You know, everyone's theories on how Frieza's defeated and all the things that happen are really fantastic. It almost makes me want to write a bunch of alternate endings, seriously. And yeah, I did notice I'm getting close to 2000 reviews. Is it wrong for me to hope that I'll reach that? 'Cause I do. But really, that's up to my readers.

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl

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