Chapter Three: Incompetence

Vegeta paced in his new living quarters, along an imaginary line he created on the paneled floor. Back and forth, back and forth. His thoughts swirled around in his head.

Finally coming to a halt, he turned to his bed. It didn't look all that comfortable, but at least it was better than the sleeping area in his previous apartment. There was a small wooden dresser that he didn't bother using. He had placed his spandex outfits on the top of the dresser, still wrapped in the plastic shopping bag. The dresser was damp, and it made him wonder if it had ever been dry. If anything though, it felt like home.

Next to the closed door that was the entrance and exit to the room was his metal suitcase. He bent down and lifted it off the wooden floor by the sturdy handle. He placed it on the mattress and moved the six numbers to match the correct combination. The lock clicked and the suitcase popped open.

Vegeta knew exactly what he wanted. He grabbed the small blue book from inside the box and closed it. Not wanting to put in the combination again, he left it unlocked and set it on the floor beside the bed. He then laid back and propped one leg up on his other leg's knee. He put one hand behind his head and flipped open the blue book with the other, holding it delicately in front of his face to read.

It was written in his own handwriting, of course. He had made the book himself. No one in the world knew it existed but him, its secretive author. It was a simple manual that made him who he was: the best. If any Hunter ever got their hands on this single book, Vegeta might lose his invaluable reputation and title. That wasn't something he was prepared to deal with. Now or ever.

But presently, it was just something for him to read.

Inside the first few pages were notes about his first Hunter assignments. He had written down the behaviors of the Angels that he had managed to capture. He remembered how excited he had been when his career took off on his very first assignment.

Naturally, and as expected, the Angels had been innocent and naïve. It was one of their natural characteristics. This also made it easier to complete his assignments. They were usually trustworthy of their captors, which many Angel Hunters didn't care about. They felt the fact was pointless, but not Vegeta. Having the trust of the one you plan to make money off of wasn't always insignificant in his eyes. It had been his first moment of triumph above the other Hunters. Reading this book was like remembering his life story, and all the hard work he had gone through just to get where he was now. To him, it was finally worth it.

The next few pages were just things that he had written down about each individual Angel that he captured. It had seemed important at the time to keep a log. It was there because, at that time, he had a nearly empty handbook and wanted to fill it in. Most of his previous assignments just prepared him and gave him more experience in the field. But now he used it as a traditional practice. If something went wrong, or right, he could just go over what had happened during the Angel's time in captivity to find any answers he might need. He skipped over that long and descriptive section and found the part he had been looking for with an arrogant smirk.

This was what made him the best of the best. These were the steps that were needed to complete every assignment, Vegeta-style. This five-step plan was what gave him his reputation. He had never told anyone before about this process, and for good reason. He looked over the first step. It read, "1. Take control" at the top of the page. Below and for the next couple pages were his own notes and explanation of the step.

It was simple. To take control was like showing the Angel that had been captured who was the boss. This step rarely took more than a few moments. Angels hated pain and shied away from it. All he ever had to do was beat them around a bit and they understood that he wasn't one to be messed with.

Step one's purpose was basic. It was to establish the Angel's place. It was to let them know that they weren't captured to be taken care of until their parents or relatives came to pick them up and bring them home. The idea was to let them know that they weren't going anywhere and that they were going to be punished for any unwanted behavior, should they decide to try anything they believed was clever enough to get them a chance at escaping. It had never happened with Vegeta. And the punishments for such behavior were always determined by the Angel's primary Hunter and capturer.

Feeling like he already knew his own plan, he set the book down on his stomach. Vegeta let his eyes wander over the white ceiling above him.

This assignment was going to take some time out of his life. Exterminating the entire species in the forest… It wasn't something to take lightly in any respect. He wasn't planning on failing, even if he did get his pay either way. He had a reputation to protect. He couldn't just give up. His slack would become his own demise.

Feeling a little lonely, he stood and placed the blue book back inside the suitcase, locking it as he closed the top over his equipment. He then made his way to the door, locking it as well. He pulled off his clothes and went back to the bed, throwing them on the floor as he laid down.

Wetting his hands with a handful of spit, he prepared to treat himself before he got to work.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"What do you mean, you found nothing?!" Vegeta bellowed, balling his fists at his side as the air rung with a rage of profanity.

Burter and Jiece had just come back from an assignment that Vegeta had given them. Unfortunately, like every other person he sent out for the past week, they had found no luck.

"You're Angel Hunters! Why can't you find one fucking Angel?! It's your fucking job!"

Burter's face turned bright red and Jiece's turned redder than it already was, if that was even possible. They drooped their heads in shame. Vegeta was right, but there was something else.

"It's this forest, sir," Jiece said, his Australian accent clear as he spoke. "There's something about it. I could have sworn that I passed the same area three or four times. Burter noticed it as well, right Burter?" He turned to his companion for desperate support as Vegeta's glare burnt holes through his face.

"Right, Jiece," Burter added, not daring to look Vegeta in the face to give him his answer. "We passed the same tree with some moss on it four times. And we weren't going in circles, either."

"You idiots! You call yourselves Hunters?! The Angels have magic! They use it because it is one of their only defenses against us! Find a way around it or get the fuck out of here!" Vegeta's face was red as well. The remaining Hunters watched from afar. It had been almost a week since they had gotten here and not one of them had even caught sight of an Angel. They had all been given the same reprimanding from their leader during the previous days when they, too, failed. Although, Vegeta hadn't once gone out on his own. It was starting to make him look bad.

"Sir, if I may speak," Zarbon said, stepping forward from the on-looking crowd. Vegeta whirled on him, but Zarbon didn't even flinch.

"What do you want?!"

"Sir, I believe you're being a bit harsh on these two. Yes, the Angels are obviously here and seem to be using some form of magic to protect themselves from us. But you haven't even left this base since the first day you got here. Maybe, if you were to hunt with some of us… you could show us how it's done."

Vegeta continued to glare, but loosened his expression. The man's comment was obviously a challenge to his authority. The green man had balls, he'd give him that much.

"I'm not hunting with any of you weaklings. I'm going out immediately, by myself, and when I come back with an Angel, you all better be prepared to do some work." They all reluctantly nodded as he turned to Zarbon. It showed that they didn't think it wise to challenge their boss to any type of test. Good. He liked that.

"Especially you," he added, glaring daggers at Zarbon. It was an obvious threat. These were men who needed constant reminders of who was in charge. One slip-up, one tiny mistake, and his leadership status would mean nothing to them. Frieza placing him as the leader of the operation was a choice. These Hunters could also choose not to listen to his orders because there was nothing he could do about it if they felt he had no power over them. Complaining to Frieza wouldn't be appropriate at all. But thankfully, he knew what to do to keep them in line.

"Sir," another man said, raising his hand like a child. "You haven't sent me out yet. Do you mind if I go hunting first?" The man that had spoken was Ginyu. Vegeta didn't like him for the sole reason that he thought of himself as a sort of second-in-command at the base. There was no one else in charge but him, and he didn't want the other Hunters thinking that they could tell Ginyu information instead of him just because they feared the outcome if he didn't like the information they offered him. They would all learn to grow some balls, one way or another.

"Whatever. You have the rest of the day," he responded with a frown. Ginyu was dancing on his nerves.

And Vegeta would not have anyone questioning his ability in front of the other Hunters. If anyone dared, they were going to get burned.