I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 46: Scramble

"So, why hide so far away from home if you wanted to find the bad men?" Goten asked Marcus Satsu. Trunks was immediately muttering under his breath as the three soared above the ground. Marcus had told them that he had lived in Pepper City, and they were flying there, with Goten carting Marcus on his back.

"Ignore him," Trunks said with a scowl.

"No, it's fine. The police were after me, some phony eyewitness account. At the time, I figured that I should leave until things cooled off. I was too distraught over my wife to be spearheading an investigation anyway," Marcus explained. Goten looked puzzled at this, which allowed Trunks to roll his eyes up even further.

"What he means is that since the cops think he did it, he should hide from them until they stop looking for him. And that he was too sad to come back and look for the real killer," Trunks translated.

"Oh, okay," Goten nodded.

"Goten, you shouldn't hang around your dad so much, it's causing too much damage to your brain!"

"Oh yeah? It's more fun than hanging around with your dad!" Trunks paused to think of a good rebuttal, coming up blank for the moment. Just as he was about to fire back, Marcus interrupted the two arguing tots.

"Is that it up there? We should land outside of town!" he suggested. Both boys agreed and the trio descended and landed in the hills just outside of Pepper City.

"Alright, let's stay here until the sun goes down. It'll be easier to slip in under the cover of night. Goten, hand me my knapsack," Marcus said as he held out his hand. Goten handed it over and Marcus dug out a set of camouflage clothing. Trunks stared into the city under the sun-splashed sky, slightly bored already.

"Um, how long until the sun goes down?" Goten asked, "Mom will be mad if I come home late!"

"It will probably be okay if we head down there in about an hour or so. I'll be right back," Marcus said as he took his change of clothes and walked over to a nearby crevice in the land. Trunks sighed and sat down as he pulled out the Dragon Radar.

"Whatcha doing Trunks?"

"I'm gonna see if there's another Dragonball around here," Trunks replied as he turned it on. As soon as he did, his eyes went wide while the radar beeped.

"Goten, there's three other balls down there! Two of them are on the east side of the city and are moving together!"

"So, someone else is trying to find them too?" Goten asked with a finger to his chin.

"Yeah, it looks like it. And look, the other one is moving around too, almost on the edge of the city at the bottom of this hill! We should go get it!" Trunks suggested.

"What about him?" Goten pointed towards where Marcus had gone.

"Aw, it'll be fine to leave for a few minutes. He's a grownup after all; he can take care of himself! Let's go!"

"Okay, I hope you're right Trunks."

Both boys raced down the hill and into a busy marketplace that spanned several streets. Trunks kept the radar in his hand as they entered the crowd, trying to get an exact fix on the Dragonball's location without drawing too much attention. The ball was difficult to get a fix on since it was moving around the randomly sized mob. It finally stopped when Trunks walked by, holding still at a fruit stand with only three people there besides the vender. Trunks was able to eliminate two of them right away. Both were elderly and simply picking up a light meal. It was the man on the left that Trunks locked onto, the one wearing a pink martial arts outfit with red lettering. There was something wrong about him. His body just looked so…artificial. When the man turned around, Trunks saw his face, or rather, his cybernetic face. A stroke of realization hit, and Trunks suddenly recalled that he had seen this man before, or someone just like him.

"Hey Goten, check around on the next block over, the signal is getting a little fuzzy," Trunks whispered. Goten nodded and ran off in the other direction. The truth was, Trunks knew exactly who had the ball and how potentially dangerous he was. He had seen video from the twenty-third World Martial Arts Tournament, and this guy had been in the first match. He was a notorious mercenary that had even pulled a knife on his opponent, regardless of the rules. It hadn't mattered at the time though; he was unlucky enough to be facing Tienshinhan that day, who lost to Goku in the very next round. Trunks couldn't recall the man's name, but he did hear that the reason this mercenary even had cybernetic body parts was because of Goku. Trunks scoffed slightly though, as he didn't feel quite as worried anymore. He knew that Goku was exponentially weaker than Trunks at that time. If Goku beat this guy back then, I have nothing to worry about. Trunks scanned the mercenary's ki level just in case. It was a little subdued and definitely strong for a human, but nothing for him to worry about. Trunks stepped up to just about a dozen feet behind the mercenary, who was currently berating the fruit vendor and scaring the bystanders.

"You call this garbage quality fruit? It makes me quite nauseous!"

"I'm so sorry Mister Tao! I'll give you another one, free of charge!" the vendor offered.

"You were actually going to demand compensation for this rubbish? You should be paying me to eat this!" Tao demanded.

The vendor's knees sank, but he gave in, "Oh of course sir! Take every zeni, just don't kill me!" As the vendor was shoveling the cash drawer into a bag, Tao stroked his mustache and grinned. The vendor handed him the bustling bag and Tao suddenly scowled.

"On second thought, I never did like beggars. They're as annoying as sewer rats, and you're no different!" Tao claimed. The vendor began running away in fear, startling the entire street as Tao stepped into the middle of the road. In his metallic hand, a small dagger was revealed. Tao lazily tossed the blade at the fleeing vendor. A loud gasp sounded when the vendor went down, but he was unharmed. Trunks had pushed him out of the way when he snatched the small knife out of the air.

Tao was slightly surprised by this sudden development, "And who, pray tell, are you?"

Trunks smirked, "Trunks, son of Vegeta and the prince of all Saiyans!"

"A prince, of what kingdom again?" Tao asked.

Trunks' face turned red, "Of Saiyans!"

"Whatever, kid. I think your imagination is overactive today. Move along before I do something nasty to you!" Tao warned.

"I don't think so, jerk!" Trunks slid into his battle stance, prompting a hearty laugh from Tao.

"You obviously have no idea who I am, do you? I'll have you know that I once killed a man with nothing but my tongue. Now imagine what I could do to a half-pint like you!" Tao claimed.

"I guess I'll start with your tongue then. That seems to be the natural body part that you can still use!" Trunks countered.

Tao scowled at the insult, "Alright, you earned a painful beating. I usually charge my clients extra for mission complications, but you're for free!" Murmurs erupted randomly from the gathering crowd.

"Uh oh, Tao's gonna kill another one. Who pissed him off this time?"

"Isn't he getting too old for this stuff?"

"Hey wait a second, that's the golden kid that won the junior martial arts tournament and knocked out Mister Satan!" Tao's eyes shifted at the whispers and he eyed Trunks a little more carefully.

"So, they still let children compete at the tournament, how incompetent! But you might be worth the effort if you were able to knock out that overly loud paper champion. At least now I know where the heroics are coming from, flawed as they may be! Alright then brat, I'll be the gentleman and let you have the first shot!" Tao said.

Trunks grinned again, "It'll be the only shot!" Trunks inched forward carefully as Tao confidently stood his ground. Trunks knew that if he was willing to pull a weapon in the tournament, then there was no telling how far he would go. The usual arrogance that Trunks inherited subsided in the face of Tao. The man may not have been all that powerful, but he had an overwhelming edge in experience. Just as Trunks got within striking range, a familiar voice starting calling for him.

"Trunks! Trunks!" Goten called out. Trunks rolled his eyes as Goten pushed his way through the crowd and joined his friend's side.

"I can't find the Dragonball Trunks, can you check the radar again?" Goten asked.

"Can't you see I'm a little busy here?" Trunks grumbled.

Goten looked up and then back at him, "Doing what?" Trunks glanced back towards Tao, only to see a small cloud of dust. Up the street, Tao was running for his life, as if he had seen a ghost.

"No! Not him again!" Tao cried out. Trunks glanced at Goten and smirked evilly as he made the connection.

"See that guy in pink that's running away? He's got the Dragonball, he's all yours Goten!"

"Yay!"

General Tao caught his breath as he hid in an alley, eyeing the streets. He had been ready to put that cocky purple-headed kid in his place. That is, until Goku's clone showed up. Why is it that every time I'm hired to find these damned balls, I run into him or his kin? As Tao was lost in his own bad luck, he felt a tap on his back and stiffened up.

"Excuse me mister, can I have the Dragonball?" Goten asked innocently. Tao panicked and broke into a dead sprint out in front of traffic, dodging cars and startling more people with his super human speed.

Goten looked perplexed, "Well that wasn't very nice!" Tao dashed through the marketplace at his best speed, frightening random people and crashing through several shopping stands. His horrified expression intensified when Goten ran up beside him and kept pace.

"Why are you running away? Are we racing?" Goten asked. Tao didn't answer and changed directions. He jumped from the ground to a small ledge on the side of the nearest building and then jumped to another. He zigzagged up to the rooftops and then shifted directions again, running and jumping over the alleyways with ease. Checking over his shoulder, he didn't see Goten following and grinned. He slowed and stopped before wiping his brow in relief as he double-checked his own path. When he turned again, Goten was floating at eye level.

Tao's mechanical eyes nearly popped out of his head as he screamed, "Ahhhhh!"

Goten rubbed the back of his head, "Does that mean I won the race?"

"You get away from me!" Tao shouted. Tao turned and leapt across a wide street to another rooftop, leaving Goten slightly puzzled.

"I wonder if he's afraid of little boys?" Tao didn't bother stopping and proceeded to leap high over several more wide streets. Once across the fifth street, he turned suddenly and dropped into another darkened alleyway. Dashing in his original direction, he found another path adjacent to his own and bolted into it. It was a dead end, but it was tight enough that any normal being would have trouble seeing him, especially while crouched down in the shadows. Goten was far from normal though. Tao cringed when he heard Goten land on the roof above and promptly looked over the side right at him.

"I found you! Can I hide next? I don't like being it!" Goten claimed.

Tao's dismay eased just slightly, "Um, sure kid. Go hide, I'll count to a million!"

"A million? That sure is a lot! The most Trunks ever gives me is fifty! Hey, you better not be trying to trick me!" Goten warned.

Tao grinned and held up a victory sign, "Cross my heart! One, two…" Goten vanished from view and Tao stopped his count while waiting patiently. He had just barely seen which direction Goten had gone, and hoped that the kid would lose him before he realized it. After nearly a minute, Tao ran off in the opposite direction with a fat grin on his face. A few blocks away, Goten peered out from the bush he was hiding behind, flustered that Tao had run away and given him the slip.

"Aw, what a mean man!"

Meanwhile, someone had seen where Tao had gone and was following. Trunks had watched the show between Tao and Goten and had laughed the entire time. Now that Tao had finally gotten away, Trunks decided to get down to business. On the far end of the city, the gentle hills turned into rugged mountains, an easy place to get lost in. Tao was heading right for them, even though Goten had now given up the chase. Trunks realized this and flew faster, cutting off Tao before he could get there.

Tao came to a quick stop, face flustered, "You again? Get out of my way, I'm in a bit of a hurry!"

"Just as soon as you give me the Dragonball. I know that you have it, and it probably isn't for anything good," Trunks added.

"Hmph, you should respect your elders, especially when you have no idea what you're in for!" Tao claimed. Tao rushed towards Trunks and punched forward with his metallic left hand. Trunks caught the punch easily and let Tao have it in the face. Just as he connected, his vision blurred and distorted just like before. He saw a pint-sized boy that looked like Goten taking on what had to have been Tao before he had cybernetic implants. The small boy was tearing Tao apart, and Trunks quickly realized that it was actually Goku he was seeing.

Goku landed as Tao was pulling himself out of the ground and shaking with anger, "Bah, that's the second suit you've destroyed! Do you have any idea how difficult it's going to be to find another decent tailor?"

"You should worry about your fighting, not your looks!" Goku claimed.

"You dare question my abilities? Well then, taste my Dodon Ray!" Tao declared.

"Go ahead, I'm ready for you this time!" Goku claimed as he lifted his hands into a block attempt.

"Dodon!" Tao shouted. Tao fired the one-finger ki beam and Goku caught it immediately. The beam pushed Goku backwards for a few feet before dissipating. Tao shook in slight fear, as the only thing his attack did was burn Goku's hands a little bit.

"It's impossible! No one has ever withstood that attack!" Tao claimed.

"It can't hurt me anymore!" Goku said. The vision faded as Trunks came back to reality just as Tao was flying backwards into the hillside.

"Ow! You little brat, you're going to pay for that!" Tao stated. Trunks was still a bit dizzy, but quickly refocused onto the older assassin. Tao didn't look so confident anymore, no doubt because of the bruise forming on his face. The mercenary's hand fell off, and he lifted a small cannon-like device towards Trunks.

"My employers prefer it if I complete my missions, and you're in the way. Nothing personal," Tao said.

"Go ahead, take your best shot!" Trunks dared.

"You'll regret those words kid, if you live!" Trunks stood ready as Tao's cannon lit up with gold.

"Super Dodon Wave!" The beam rushed out and exploded at Trunks' blocking hand, blinding the area with light. When it cleared, Trunks remaining completely unscathed amidst the falling rubble. Tao was nowhere in sight, and Trunks floated upwards to get a better look. It didn't matter though, Tao was long gone, and Trunks couldn't sense him either.

"Damnit!" Trunks shouted as he pounded the ground. Another problem loomed though, he was more aware of what had happened. I must have read his mind or something when I touched him, something about his memory of when Goku beat him. I wonder how I did that?

Marcus Satsu glanced up at the sunset as he repacked his knapsack. Where are those damn kids? Why couldn't they wait for a few minutes, he pondered. Marcus had spotted some brief aerial activity in the city, but whatever had happened quickly raced towards the horizon and out of his sight. Marcus shifted nervously as twilight took over the sky; things seemed far too quiet for him. A twig snapped just behind him and Marcus quickly turned. There was nothing there, outside of a few falling leaves. A stiff, swirling breeze hit him, causing him to tense up. The wind increased in intensity and Marcus struggled to stay on his feet. Not far away, he saw a darkened figure coming closer. The stiff breeze got even stronger until Marcus was finally knocked over, and the figure arrived. Marcus was barely to his knees when his knapsack was suddenly split open and its contents flew in various directions. The newcomer didn't appear to have moved at all, yet it was apparent that he had.

"And you are?" Marcus asked. The speedy stranger didn't answer, opting instead to simply glare back. Marcus stood up carefully before taking note of the glassy expression the young man had, as if the lights were on, but no one was home.

"Alright, what do you want?" Marcus asked again.

"Ball."

Marcus couldn't quite understand the response, "What? Say that again."

"Ball!" Marcus still didn't know what to make of this, until he heard a distinct feminine giggle behind him.

"You'll have to excuse Supido. Normally he can't ever shut up, well normally."

Marcus turned and eyed the girl, "I know you, from somewhere."

"I imagine you might recognize me, it happens sometimes. Let's be proper about it this time. My name is Ranso Teziwari, and yours is Marcus Satsu. Your memory might be a little fuzzy about our first meeting, but that's to be expected since soon after you were no doubt in mourning. After all, your wife wouldn't have died if not for me," Ranso stated. Marcus' reaction was immediate, but Supido knocked him back down quickly.

"You killed her?" Marcus growled.

"Technically, no. But that's water under the bridge now. What I want is the orange ball with the stars inside, and she had it up until her demise. I now know that she gave it to you, so where is it?" Ranso asked.

"I'd never tell you, crazy little bitch!" Marcus snarled.

"Tsk, tsk. Oh well I guess. I was going to handle this the easy way, but so be it," Ranso shrugged as she stepped closer. Marcus stood firm as he pulled a small gun from his back.

"I am a trained marine little girl, I doubt you or your boyfriend really want any of this!" Marcus warned. Ranso stopped and glanced back at Supido,

"Your turn." Supido grunted lightly and moved in towards Marcus.

"Back off, or eat lead!" Marcus shouted as he took aim. Supido didn't answer and kept coming.

"Fine, it's your funeral!" Marcus fired once, and Supido suddenly shifted several feet to his right without breaking stride. Marcus cringed and fired again, only to see a swirling wall of dust go up. Supido was gone before Marcus could even pull the trigger, and was now running circles around the older marine.

"What the hell?" Marcus asked. He fired four more times, each bullet passing through the dust cloud and beyond. Marcus suddenly saw his gun fly away from his hands just before he was knocked over by a blow to his head. Marcus lay unconscious as Supido rapidly searched him, coming up empty.

Ranso grimaced slightly, "He must have hidden it somewhere around the city. Since our location device was destroyed with the lab, I guess we'll just have to force him into telling us where it is. Take him, we're going back to the warehouse!"

Next time on DBV: Trunks tracks down Marcus and fights against Dr. Cash's remaining henchmen. In the heat of the battle, General Tao steals the other Dragonballs and takes them directly to his new employer. Before Trunks can give chase though, he must finish the battle, and in turn, has to witness the ugly side of humanity.