I told you all I wouldn't leave you hanging for too long! I normally rotate my updates between the three stories I'm writing right now (I know I know, I should just stick to one at a time...it's harder to do than it seems) but I'm feeling particularly inspired after reading several other BxV fics namely The 7 year gap and Finding Immortal by Surelysaiyangood and Playing to Win by Springandbysummerfall. Check them out if you haven't already!
So here you are. The next installment!
~Pamgie
Chapter 6: The Offer
There was silence within the group for a moment as the reality of the situation set in for both parties. There were more Saiyans than anyone had thought. Goku was nearly jumping out of his gi with excitement at the prospect. While the other three were simply in shock. Well, more so Raditz and Nappa. Vegeta was planning a new strategy considering the current circumstances.
Bulma couldn't stand the quiet any longer. "Well? What do you guys have to lose?"
At the sound of her voice they came out of their stupor. "Our lives for one." Nappa replied. Vegeta smirked, glad at least one of his men had a decent head on his shoulders.
"But this is my brother! Can't we just hear them out? I'm sure it won't take long and then we can take the woman back to Frieza." Raditz practically whined. His brother, Kakarott who he thought was dead, was now standing right in front of him. He couldn't just leave without talking to him for a bit. He needed to know what the hell happened to him!
"You're not taking her anywhere." Goku said sternly. Even though this man could very well be his sibling, and the other two his kinsmen, he wouldn't let them harm Bulma in any way. He still had hopes that they could get these three men to team up with them.
"That remains to be seen." Vegeta spoke up.
Bulma was getting more frustrated by the minute! It's like these guys were just ignoring her! No one ignored Bulma Briefs!
She stood from her stool, weapon still pointed at Vegeta. "Ok, look. This will literally take like 10 minutes. You're telling me you don't have 10 minutes to spare when we're (at this point she lowered her voice a bit to try and prevent anyone else from overhearing) talking about putting an end to the cold empire?"
The three men blinked at her before breaking out into full blown laughter. Nappa was holding his gut, barely making any noise he was laughing so hard. Raditz had his hand on Nappa's shoulder for support and Vegeta just sat there cackling.
Bulma and Goku just frowned back at them. How could they not take this seriously? Were they really okay with being in service to Frieza? Did they honestly have no problem with working for a tyrant who had destroyed countless planets and taken billions of lives across the galaxy?
"That's rich woman!" Vegeta spoke in between chuckles. "You and this rogue Saiyan intend on bringing down the most powerful regime in the galaxy!?"
"Keep it down! Do you want people to hear? This is serious!" Bulma hissed.
"I give zero fucks who hears about your hair brained scheme, which is doomed to fail by the way." Vegeta snarked back.
Goku wasn't liking where this was going. He took a step forward and put his hand on Bulma's shoulder to try and calm her down.
But Bulma wasn't having it. She shrugged Goku's hand away. "Ugh! Fine! Have it your way dickwads! Have fun being at the mercy of someone who literally couldn't care if you live or died. I'm leaving!"
With that she began stomping her way to the doors of the bar and was out of sight before the three Saiyans knew what happened.
"What's a dickwad?" Raditz asked Nappa who shook his head, also not understanding the Earth insult.
"It's not good." Goku replied, then began following after Bulma.
Vegeta stood up and also followed the duo, shouting over his shoulder. "Well, what are you waiting for? We have a renegade to catch." As he made his way out the doors he replayed the woman's words in his mind. She had a point, he didn't want to be under Frieza's thumb for the rest of his life. He loathed that wretched lizard and was biding his time until he was strong enough to defeat him. Perhaps she did have a plan to kill Frieza, but he didn't know anything about this woman. She was obviously much weaker than himself and even this new Saiyan. What could she possibly do to destroy the ugly bastards empire? He found himself more and more curious about it as he caught up to the duo in no time, halting them in their tracks as they reached the outskirts of the town.
"Going somewhere?"
His sudden appearance in front of them took Bulma by surprise, startling her. She soon had a scowl on her face though and her arms crossed over her chest. "Isn't it obvious? You three would rather be Frieza's lap dogs forever, doing his bidding than make an effort to give yourselves better lives. Ones where you'd be in control. So we're leaving, right Goku?"
Goku looked to her, then back to the shorter Saiyan. He knew this man wouldn't let them just waltz out of here. With Bulma losing her cool he had to be the one to hold everything together. He'd never seen her like this, her eyes lit up with a fire so intense. And just by looking at the flame haired man, he knew Bulma had just pushed a button. He hoped it wasn't a very bad one.
Vegeta seethed at her insult. How dare she? Just who did this weak woman think she was? Didn't she realize he could kill her with his pinky finger? The audacity of this female!
"I am no. One's. Lap dog." He bit out, allowing his ki to increase with his anger.
Goku could see the situation was getting serious, but Bulma couldn't sense ki very well, so to her, he was just angry.
"Bulma, that wasn't a smart move. He's the one that's up there with me in terms of power levels. You may have pushed him too far." He warned.
"We're out of options here. We need them to join us if we ever want to defeat Frieza! I just took a guess that this guy doesn't respond well to being disrespected. Looks like I'm right."
Goku shook his head and looked back over to the fuming Saiyan that looked like he was going to explode any minute. He started raising his ki gradually to prepare for a possible battle.
"Well, if you don't want to be, then do something about it!" Bulma yelled back. "We have a chance to change this galaxy for the better! Get rid of Frieza and give freedom to all that he's imprisoned by his evil reign!"
Vegeta stilled at her first remarks. Looks like she wasn't the type to skirt around an issue. He wanted to do something about his situation so badly it physically hurt, but how could he tell her that, and keep his pride intact. He wasn't going to. Not directly anyway. Just then Raditz and Nappa landed right behind him.
After mulling things over Vegeta responded. "Change the galaxy for the better? You do know that if by some chance in hell Frieza was destroyed, that some other power hungry warrior would take his place." His frown turned into a small smirk as he crossed his arms, actually looking a little smug. "Like me."
Bulma was taken aback by that statement. She didn't think these Saiyans would want to take Frieza's place! Her shock was quickly replaced by anger. "Oh yea? And how's that goin' for ya?"
Goku ran his hand over his face in exasperation. At this rate she was going to get them both killed! In all the missions they've taken together over the years, this is the most impulsive he's ever seen her. Sure she could be spontaneous sometimes and quite stubborn, but those traits of hers never caused them to be put into harms way. She was always careful to make sure everyone made it back safe. Now he could see that Bulma was at the end of her rope. Maybe she thought this was their last hope. Their last chance at actually defeating Frieza. He had to admit that without the help of these Saiyans it was definitely going to be an uphill battle.
Before Vegeta even had a chance to respond, Bulma spoke up again. "Who was it that was able to sneak onto Frieza's flag ship undetected with a lethal weapon and nearly kill him? Oh, that's right it was me! Have you seen any other close calls like that since you started working for the asshole?"
She waited a second in case he actually had, but he was silent. Silent, but close to becoming deadly. His two companions behind him stood there with wide eyes, not believing the audacity this weak woman had to speak to their prince like this.
"I didn't think so. I'm the only one. And do you know why? It's because I'm a fucking genius that's why! Guess who sent the tip on my location?" Even though they stood fairly far apart, Bulma was still toe to toe with him. She showed no fear.
Vegeta's eyebrows rose slightly at that. Did she really rat herself out? Or was this all part of her plan? To try and convince them to defect?
"No ideas? Once again, it was me. I hacked into Frieza's system, planted the tip and here we are! With my knowledge and abilities and the power of four Saiyans, as well as the rest of the resistance force, I know we can take down that bastard!" She was practically panting she yelled so loud.
"She does seem pretty smart." Raditz remarked quietly.
"Shut up!" Vegeta ground out.
Nappa remained quiet, taking in all the information.
Vegeta had to rein it in and quickly. He had orders to bring her to Frieza alive and if he wasn't careful he was going to kill her here and now. He took a deep breath in through his nostrils and exhaled. lowering his ki only slightly.
"No one, and I mean no one has spoken to me like that, and lived. The only reason you are still standing and not a pile of ashes is that I have orders to bring you back alive. As for your little scheme, it is...intriguing, I will grant you that. But how do you plan to defeat Frieza? What is your strategy?"
Bulma stood stock still. Now that she thought about it, she didn't have a plan beyond this point. Her main focus had been convincing these guys to join their efforts. She couldn't believe how stupid that was. Of course she should've come up with some kind of action plan for afterward. Now she'll look like a fool and risk them leaving!
"That's what I thought. Nice try woman. Now that all's said and done, we really should be going, and you'll be joining us." Vegeta began walking towards her with what looked like delight in his eyes.
Bulma raised her ki gun and aimed right for Vegeta's head, her finger resting on the trigger. But Goku came up to her and guided her hands back down to her side. The look he gave her gave no room for argument.
"Like I said before, you won't be taking Bulma anywhere." He got into his fighting stance. "Just because she doesn't have a plan in place right this second, doesn't mean that she won't figure something out. She's the smartest person I've ever known and a big reason why any of us in the resistance cell are alive."
Vegeta kept stalking forward, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders in preparation for battle. "And I should care because...?" He was only a few feet away from the pair now, stopping and adjusting his pristine white gloves, making sure they were on tight.
"Because she's the key to defeating Frieza." Goku said simply.
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Oh is she now? And what makes you think that?"
"My gut tells me so. It's never steered me wrong."
"Well then, too bad you won't have your key much longer." Vegeta taunted.
"We'll see about that. I don't plan on losing her." Goku replied. His eyes had lost their softness and Bulma could tell he was ready for battle. She kept her ki gun out in case the other two Saiyans tried anything, but moved to a much safer distance several yards away.
"Plans don't always work out the way we think they will." Vegeta Countered. With that the two men met in the middle in the blink on an eye and grappled each other, gauging the other's brute strength. Both had their legs spread, one behind them for leverage, Fists clenched together and their ki's spiking, causing a whirlwind of energy to whip out around them which made the teal colored pebbles on the ground scatter in every direction.
Vegeta's comrades remained where they were, not seeming to be bothered by the battle or debris in the least. Bulma thought they almost looked bored. Meanwhile she couldn't keep her eyes off of the two men fighting, fists locked together, white auras of energy swirling around them.
Before she could blink again, they broke apart and began a flurry of punches and kicks. They seemed to be evenly matched. Every attack Goku made, Vegeta would dodge or block, the same for Vegeta's attacks. Goku would easily dodge or block. It was as if they weren't taking this seriously, merely sparring for fun or something.
This back and forth seemed to go on forever to Bulma, but then something changed. Vegeta got a hit in, then another. He was feinting his attacks. He'd make like he was going to punch, then instead knee Goku in the stomach.
The taller Saiyan stumbled back but quickly regained his footing and instead of countering, he shot up into the air, Vegeta following shortly behind. As Goku looked down he saw Vegeta gaining on him and shot out several ki blasts right below him in quick succession.
Vegeta saw most of them and dodged, but one did hit him square in the chest, causing him to halt his ascent. He could faintly hear the cheering of that damned woman on the wind. He was surprised she could see so well considering they were so high up now that his comrades looked like small bugs.
Taking a second to collect the breath that was knocked out of his lungs, he resumed his climb and before he was eye to eye with the other Saiyan he grabbed the man's feet and began spinning him in a circle. He was going so fast that the two looked like blurs to Bulma. It only took a minute to get to the speed he wanted, then Vegeta let go, causing Goku to sail through the air at breakneck speeds and crashing into the ground, through several of the corn trees and stopped only because a giant boulder was in his path.
"Goku! Bulma shouted. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her over to where Goku laid, struggling to get to his feet. She kneeled down next to him and tried to assist him in sitting up.
"Bulma, g-get out of here." Goku rasped as he regained his footing. "You need to leave. Now. Go back to the ship and leave this planet!"
Bulma had only seen her friend this upset once before. And that was when he had fought Frieza. She realized then how serious the situation really was.
"But I can't leave you here! Chi Chi will kill me!"
"You have to. If you don't go, you're going to get caught in the crossfire and I'm not willing take that chance. You're too important Bulma. And don't worry, I don't plan on losing. I can always hop on a few cargo cruisers here and there. You'll see me again. And so will Chi Chi." He smirked at her to reassure her.
Bulma shook her head, not liking this idea in the least. She went to retort but Goku cut her off. "NOW Bulma! He's coming this way. You need to leave NOW!" He screamed.
With a single tear running down her cheek she smiled at her best friend for what may be the last time, then turned and made a run for it towards their ship.
Vegeta saw the blue haired woman running through the tree line and got Nappa on the com. "She's getting away. Track her down. I'll join you when I'm done with this low class Saiyan."
"We're on it." Nappa curtly replied. "Looks like we've got ourselves a good old fashioned chase." He grinned at his comrade, then shot into the air, tracking Bulma with his scouter.
"Hey man, wait up!" Raditz yelled as he took off in pursuit as well.
Lucky for Bulma, the ship wasn't far from where all the chaos was happening. She kept looking around her to see if anyone was following but it was hard to see past the tree line since the forest was so thick.
She came to the clearing and charged up the ramp to her ship, navigating the craft while trying not to fall over in her haste to get out of there. She had just sat down in the pilots seat and began the ignition sequence when she heard two heavy thuds followed by heavy footfalls that were coming closer.
They found her. Oh Kami they found her. She quickly shut the blast door to the bridge, knowing it wouldn't really keep them out, but it would buy her a few precious seconds of time. She continued with the ignition sequence, figuring if she could get these two guys out of the equation, at least Goku would stand a fighting chance against their leader.
Just as she finished charting her course and starting the engine, the reinforced steel door was ripped open like a can of sardines and two hulking men came charging onto the bridge to find Bulma buckled in her chair, her eyes wild with determination.
Raditz felt the hum of the engine beneath his feet, then the vibration of the ship's landing gear retracting. "Did you...?" He started to ask but was thrown to the side as the ship launched quickly above the tree line. Raditz and Nappa tumbled into each other and fell on top of one of the ships consoles.
"Turn this fucking ship around!" Nappa barked as he grabbed onto the edge of a computer console to steady himself while untangling himself from Raditz.
Bulma turned and glared at the two oafs while shaking her head. She wasn't going to turn this ship around for anything. They'd have to kill her first.
The two large Saiyans were trying to reach Bulma at the front of the bridge but every time they though they had their balance, the increase in gravitational force caused them to crash into each other and bridge equipment.
Down on the planet, Vegeta heard the roar of an engine and looked up to see a strange looking ship flying above the tree line. "Shit!" He cursed as he knew exactly where Raditz and Nappa were in that moment and he also had to dodge a ki blast from their newly found Saiyan. He had to admit for the first time that he was evenly matched with an opponent. It was a tough pill to swallow, but he didn't have time to finish this battle. The woman was his priority here.
"We'll have to finish this another time third class. I have more important matters to attend to!" He shouted to Goku as he shot a giant ball of ki in his direction and wasted no time in flying at full speed to his pod.
Goku's eyes widened at the size of the energy ball coming his way. There was no way he could dodge it. He'd have to take it head on and hopefully redirect it out into space. The other Saiyan's words confused him, but he didn't have the time to think about them now. He had to survive this first.
"What the fuck is happening!" Vegeta shouted through his scouter at Nappa.
"T-The woman started her ship b-before we could stop her." Nappa yelled, breathlessly.
Vegeta sighed. "Idiots. Once you're out of the atmosphere, take control and land it back on the planet!" He could see the ship getting smaller and smaller as it traveled. This was definitely not how he imagined this mission would go.
Vegeta had just landed by his pod, waiting for Nappa or Raditz to confirm they had command of the ship. Hoping that ki attack was enough to stall the other Saiyan for a bit. At least it would take him a while to find him.
"Uh...Vegeta?" Raditz uncertain voice came through the scouter.
"Yes?! What is it. Do you have control of the ship yet?" Vegeta barked.
"Well about that..." Raditz hesitated.
"Spit it out already!"
"She's got it on autopilot and locked the controls, we've never seen technology like this. We can't change the ship's course."
"Fucking imbeciles!" Vegeta shouted as he got into his pod. "I'll set my pod to track the ship. We'll just have to deal with her whenever and wherever it lands!"
As the pod door closed and he started it up, he saw a black dot in the sky growing larger by the second. It was him! The other Saiyan. 'How did he track me down so quickly?' Vegeta thought.
Thankfully his pod launched just in time, the Saiyan had launched a ki attack but the pod was too fast.
"Where is he going? Did they catch up to Bulma?" He asked himself out loud. There was only one way to find out, and that was to follow them. He looked around and saw Raditz and Nappa's pods. He jumped in one, closed the hatch and tried to figure out the controls. There was a large green button to his right. He pushed it and then spoke.
"Follow that other pod!"
He hoped that would work at least. A computerized voice startled him. "Following Pod unit 938."
"Yes!" He shouted in excitement. He couldn't believe that had worked. The little ship powered up and blasted off in pursuit of the Saiyan and hopefully he'd find Bulma too.