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 75: Mechanized
Sonny Satsu staggered as he tripped on his own feet, holding the wall for support as everything around him was shaking.
Trunks stopped several dozen feet ahead of him, "C'mon on, keep up! We gotta save my mother!" Both of them had been chasing Kochin through a long hallway ever since Trunks had woken up. Random parts of the ceiling and floor had been collapsing around them, hampering their progress.
Trunks could see Kochin gimping along ahead of them, "I'm going ahead! Catch up when you can!"
Sonny nodded, "Got it, just go!" Trunks increased his sprinting pace and quickly gained on Kochin just as he reached the end of the tunnel. Kochin panicked and tried to shut the large steel door, but was forced away when Trunks smashed into it with his shoulder. Kochin got back to his knees long enough to see Trunks' shoes barely a meter away.
"Crap."
Trunks cracked his knuckles, "You're gonna pay for making me into a puppet!"
Kochin feigned relaxation, "Now now, I still have your mother captive here. Do anything rash and she dies!" Trunks saw Bulma nearby, chained atop a small pillar. She looked rather concerned, but that changed to a determined glare as she motioned her head towards Kochin's direction. Trunks glared back down at Kochin and scowled before back-stepping.
Kochin grinned, "There now, that's a good boy." Just as he got to his feet, Trunks kicked him in the side. Kochin sailed through a few tables before landing roughly and ceasing to move for the time being. Bulma smirked with pride as Trunks ran over towards her.
"Good job Trunks, now shut off the power to this thing," Bulma directed.
"What is it, a force-field?" Trunks asked. He reached up and was given a minor shock when he touched the barrier.
"The controls should be on that main panel over there," Bulma pointed out as the barrier became invisible again. Trunks darted to his left and found a small, simple console with a few buttons on it. After pressing only one, the force-field shimmered one last time before dissipating. Trunks hopped up and broke the chains around her limbs easily before helping her down.
"Where's Verto?" Bulma asked.
"I don't know. Sonny said something about him chasing after Lenz right after the room started shaking. I can't sense any energy though," Trunks explained.
"Alright, let's take care of that problem then," Bulma said. She strode over to the largest computer console and started accessing its active programs while Trunks kept watch. A video display came up, showing Verto dodging attacks from Lenz, or rather, what she had become.
"Who is that? What is that?" Trunks asked in confusion.
Bulma seemed particularly concerned, "That's not good." She began typing like mad right before an access denied message came up.
"That figures, just like last time. Odds are he changed all his encryptions too," Bulma grumbled.
"Well the anti-ki things can't extend that far out, can they?" Trunks asked.
"Far enough to cover most of the city if he planted enough of them. Although it'll be just as dangerous with them offline by the looks of it. Alright, give me a few minutes and then go help Verto out. He might need it," Bulma suggested. The sound of laughter filled the room as Kochin managed to sit back up. His face had partially peeled away to reveal metal beneath, which came as no real surprise to Bulma or Trunks at the moment.
"Him too? Do any of you guys actually have a human body?" Trunks asked.
Kochin ignored the question, "You'll never make it in time. That runt will not defeat Doctor Wheelo now that he's changed to a much stronger body!"
Bulma glanced over in annoyance, "Do the world a favor and just shut the hell up!"
"Did he really get into Lenz's body? Is that why she looks like that?" Trunks whispered.
"Maybe, but I don't think so. Lenz has hidden power that we still don't understand. And Flandal wouldn't have been able to change form unless he was using Kati's shape-shifting power," Bulma replied.
"How dare you use that name!" Kochin shouted.
"Oh put a sock in it. No one other than you two care about what he wants to be called!" Bulma fired back. Kochin bent down to pick up his cane, only to have Trunks rush at him and knock it away. Kochin bared his artificial teeth before grinning slightly as his arm suddenly shed its disguise. It came together in the form of a small mini-gun much like his partner's. He was only able to get one bullet off before Trunks grabbed the barrel and snapped it in half. Kochin fell to his knees in dismay, holding his ruined arm while it sparked.
"Mom, can I just finish this guy off? He's all robot anyway," Trunks requested.
"Only if he gives us a reason," Bulma said sternly.
"Aw!"
Bulma shook her head a bit, "Alright, I suppose he might have a reason. Give me the encryption codes, or I'll let Trunks have his fun."
Kochin glanced at the Saiyan adolescent nervously, "Forget it!" Trunks smirked much like his father and stepped towards him.
Kochin crawled backwards and pleaded, "Fine, fine! I'll do it!" He carefully got to his feet and Trunks escorted him to the console Bulma was standing at.
"Well, you know what to do," Bulma said when Kochin didn't do anything upon arrival. Kochin scowled as he typed in the code and the access denied message cleared. As soon as it did, Trunks flinched slightly.
"Wow, that was quick, I thought it would take longer than that," Trunks muttered.
"It's the close proximity Trunks, there was probably one very near here," Bulma said. The lights overhead fluctuated and multiple machines around them began to power down.
"Hmmm, that shouldn't have happened, unless..." Kochin paused as he suddenly typed like mad, even though he was one-handed at the moment. A large bar graph came up on the display, showing multiple readings for different areas, but most of them were quickly dropping to low levels.
"I sense something…weird," Trunks said, though it did not draw Bulma's attention.
"What are we looking at?" Bulma asked.
"This is a general power meter for all active systems in the entire lab. As you can see, we're losing power across the board," Kochin pointed out.
"Hmph, looks like someone else wants to shut you down," Bulma remarked.
Kochin snorted, "A power failure like this can only mean a few things. One of which is a complete meltdown, and I assure you that it would not be good for South City as a whole. Secondly, there is a chance that...oh no! That means that Doctor Wheelo is really going to use it!"
"Use what?" Before anyone could answer, the room trembled violently and the wall on the far end crumbled apart. A large black and abnormally shaped object smashed through, caving in part of the lab. Bulma ducked for cover as Trunks shielded her from whatever had just arrived. Once the object cleared the wall and falling debris, it finally turned towards them. It was a gigantic robot with three drill like toes on each foot and two large pincer-claws much like a scorpion. Along its back was also a long drill-like appendage, resembling a tail though it resided a bit high. On its top was a head full of what appeared to be empty port connections dotting heavy armor. But the most noticeable feature of all was the brain floating in fluid just above its facial area.
"Doctor Wheelo, I didn't expect this," Kochin said as he dusted himself off.
The robot spoke with an incredibly deepened voice that boomed through the cave, "There was no other choice Kochin. A problem I will solve shortly with this."
"Are you sure about using the prototype? Not all of the systems have been properly tested," Kochin proclaimed. Wheelo turned and looked down at Trunks, who cautiously stepped into his battle stance.
"I suppose a test is in order before I handle the monkeys," Wheelo claimed. A gap below Wheelo's brain opened up much like a mouth, and Trunks remained steady. A sudden golden blast shot out and Trunks panicked. The area exploded in a light shower of smoke and debris. Kochin laughed when he saw no real trace of Trunks. Wheelo looked upward and saw Super Saiyan Trunks floating there, holding onto his mother.
"Thanks Trunks, that was too close," Bulma said. Trunks winced a bit when Bulma grazed the skin on his arm with her own, but said nothing. His flight wavered, but he got control back almost instantly.
"I can sense a power level from that robot," Trunks said in surprise.
"What?"
"Excellent, that was with only point five percent of potential energy charged," Wheelo declared.
"A splendid test sir. It appears that it will function quite well in battle!" Kochin added. Trunks lowered to the ground, and Bulma scowled menacingly once she was on her own feet.
"Flandal, you son of a bitch! This will solve nothing!"
"This will solve everything, Bulma. This will allow me to capture my desired body and if needed, travel through outer space. I will not be restricted by human limitations any longer!" Wheelo bellowed.
"So much for all that talk about saving humanity," Bulma sneered.
"I will save humanity, by becoming ruler of this world, muhahahahahaha!" Wheelo cackled.
Trunks' golden aura flashed to life as lab debris scattered around him, "Over my dead body!"
"That can be arranged. Kochin, what is the other brat's position?" Wheelo asked. Kochin brought up his flickering video display, showing that Verto and the demonized Lenz were still facing off. Verto was busily dodging small energy shots while Kaon was laughing for some reason.
"Still preoccupied sir," Kochin rattled off. Wheelo turned his attention completely to Trunks, who waited for the first move. Wheelo stepped forward as the robot's huge feet left partial indentations in the lab flooring. Trunks charged at him and jumped towards Wheelo's metal head, aiming his punch for the brain. He was slashed out of the air by one of the robot's arms and landed hard.
"Trunks!" Bulma called out.
Wheelo laughed, "Give up, you won't beat me!" Trunks got up with determination as he wiped blood from his lip. He then brought both arms up and charged ki into them, lighting up the lab with golden. Bulma recognized the pose and ducked for cover. Wheelo was content to stay still, confident that he could take the attack without a problem.
Trunks smirked at this, "This is from my dad moron! Final Flash!" The potent beam roared out of Trunks' hands and overran Wheelo in very little time. The lab ceiling broke apart in the blast wave, as did several layers of earth above. From the outside, it appeared as though a great beam of light had shot out of the ground before heading into the horizon and space. Trunks panted slightly as he grinned victoriously. That grin was quickly gone when Wheelo emerged from the debris cloud, unscathed.
"It's no use, you little brat!" Wheelo declared again. Trunks cringed in anger before charging at Wheelo with a full head of steam.
"Trunks no!" Bulma pleaded, far too late. Wheelo managed to sidestep the attack, despite the size difference, and swung his arm down across Trunks' back, putting him into the ground viciously. Wheelo launched into the air and stomped down hard, causing Trunks to cry out with pain as his hair faded back to purple.
"Is this all a Super Saiyan has? How pathetic!" Wheelo declared.
"Why don't you get off my son and find out?" a grouchy voice said from behind. Everyone glanced up at the new tunnel to see Vegeta standing there, arms crossed.
"Vegeta!" Bulma called out. Vegeta floated in carefully, eyeing Wheelo's every little twitch.
"You!" Wheelo growled. He launched off of Trunks, straight at the Saiyan prince. Vegeta phased out, missing Wheelo's claw by inches. He reappeared above and planted both arms across the head with a massive amount of force. Wheelo grunted as he landed on one huge knee.
"Hmph, you're nothing special now either. If you want to kill me so badly, I suggest you follow my lead. We can settle this once and for all, Cash!"
"It's Wheelo! Doctor Wheelo!"
"Tsk tsk, someone is having an identity crisis," Vegeta chuckled. Wheelo roared with rage and blasted off at Vegeta, who lured him out through the new tunnel Trunks had made. Remaining ceiling rubble and dirt fell as Bulma ran over to check on her son.
"Trunks, are you alright?"
Trunks groaned, "Yeah, I hope Dad wipes the floor with him." Kochin suddenly cleared his throat behind them as he held up his cane in a threatening fashion.
"Hahaha, he won't defeat Doctor Wheelo's greatest weapon, no one can! As for you two, there's another experiment I need to run." Trunks' hair flowed as he started to power up again, but paused when a loud gun click sounded next to Kochin.
Sonny Satsu stood there with his assault rifle pinned against Kochin's head, "Just a minute doctor."
Kochin glanced over in annoyance, "And just what do you think you're doing?"
"Isn't it obvious you crazy old codger? I'm gonna blow you away!" Sonny claimed.
"With that peashooter? I hope you're joking Mister Satsu. You don't actually think that standard issue bullets could even scratch the oldest bio-model?" Kochin asked. Sonny grimaced and pulled his gun away, keeping his aim locked on Kochin.
Kochin turned towards him fully, "Good, at least your primitive mind understands that. As the sole human survivor of our little test, you will be quite useful as a biofighter."
Sonny stocked his gun's bottom barrel, "In your dreams you metal piece of shit!"
"Then go ahead, fire away. You'll understand soon enough when your bullets do nothing!" Kochin claimed.
Sonny smirked just slightly, "Whoever said I would use a bullet? How about a nice piece of pineapple instead?" Sonny fired a high speed grenade right into Kochin's chest, which blew up instantly. The ex-marine ducked down just as he fired and the flames barely grazed him. Kochin, on the other hand, was now a mess of metal trying to flap about on one leg while surrounded by fire. Sonny jumped to his feet, grabbed his rifle and ran into the flames without fear. Before Kochin could react, Sonny slammed the butt of his gun into the robot's head, knocking it clean off. Kochin's metal body sparked and slumped before ceasing to operate. Sonny stepped away and sighed heavily while Bulma and Trunks looked on, impressed.
"What?" Sonny asked.
"Dude, that was sweet!" Trunks claimed with admiration.
"You know, I was just thinking, what would this world do without any aliens dropping by to help save it. Now I know, people like you would come out of the woodwork to handle it. It makes me feel better about the future," Bulma said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I found out about a group that needs to be addressed…" Just as Sonny was speaking, the ground shook violently again.
"What now?" Bulma asked.
Trunks seemed to know, "It's Verto."
Verto cringed and dodged a potent finger blast from Kaon, who was laughing with delight. He had been unable to get anywhere near her ever since the suppression crystal had shattered, mostly due to her constant barrage of small but focused bolts of dark Chi. Damnit, I'm not going to be able to do anything unless I transform. C'mon Trunks. Kaon cackled evilly as the remaining lab was slowly torn apart by her assault. Verto ducked into the ever-growing dust cloud and attempted to conceal his presence in order to buy time. The amount of debris being blown around didn't help matters, nor did the residual energy from Kaon's attacks. Verto was barely able to relax and focus enough after a few seconds, just as the next blast came through and nearly hit him. The explosive force cleared out the air, causing Kaon to stop when she didn't see Verto anywhere.
She laughed about it, "Hide and seek eh? I'll play for a little while." Kaon proceeded to walk slowly around the room in a circular fashion, glancing in every direction. She knocked over broken tables just to look under them, but Verto suspected it was more of a mocking touch than anything.
"Hmmm, not here." Verto silently moved opposite Kaon, knowing he couldn't risk getting too close or she might detect his suppressed energy. He was also concerned that any of her energy attacks might disrupt his stealth if they got too close. Kaon methodically stalked a fallen cabinet as Verto was moving close enough to grab the last crystal shard. He made sure she wasn't looking back before picking it up and shoving it safely into his side pocket.
There isn't much left, probably not enough to even keep my own power down if I lose control, but it's better than nothing. I suppose I don't have to worry though since she drained all of that extra power. I need to lure her to the surface somehow, whether the ki disruptors are shut down or not. I shouldn't have counted on Wheelo at all.
Kaon kicked a hole in the side of the metal shelving and grinned, "Where are you small fry?" Verto moved along her previous path as she suggestively strutted across the lab, stopping in the middle.
Her hands lit up with purple fire, "I guess I'll have to smoke you out, little cockroach!" She held up her right palm and unleashed a swatch of cone-shaped flames. Despite being in the opposite direction, Verto could feel the intense heat as if it were on his own skin. The machinery melted from the flame's touch, and the flooring became rough and blackened.
Holy crap, she wasn't kidding about melting my bones. Kaon's dark eyes narrowed for a moment before she held up her other palm, straight in Verto's direction.
"This should flush you out!" she declared. Another fiery jet shot out, which Verto barely dodged. It was so hot that he could feel his clothing cracking apart on his left side. Kaon stopped and turned, facing Verto even though she still had her arms spread.
"That was close, but now I know where you are!" she claimed. She unleashed simultaneous flame jets and kept channeling them as she slowly brought her arms together.
Verto grimaced, Damn, I don't know if my shield technique can withstand that. No time like the present I guess. Just as the oddly shaded fire closed in, it struck a bright blue shield and rolled around it into the walls. Verto appeared in the middle of it, as both flame jets combined into one massive barrage. Verto's aura flashed on as he poured extra energy into the shield. Kaon laughed evilly as she kept the pressure on, pressing Verto's energy backwards. Verto struggled to stay still as the heat and power from her attack was quickly eating away at the Psi shield.
"One barbecued Saiyan, ready to be eaten!" Kaon called out. Verto gritted his teeth slightly as he tried to figure a way out of this situation. That answer presented itself when he suddenly felt a huge surge from within.
His eyes widened briefly before he managed a grin of his own, About time Trunks! Kaon paused when Verto's shield suddenly lit up with bright green just before it became a huge ball of white. Her flames were pushed back and then split off to different points around the room. The ceiling started coming down in larger pieces as the lab shook from Verto's power output. Kaon stopped channeling her flames and decided to observe what was going on instead. The feral cry coming from Verto was enough of a hint that things were about to change, never mind the light show. Verto shield fell away, replaces by his silver aura instead.
Kaon backed up a step, but merely shrugged and sighed, "I was expecting this ever since you showed up. All the better, to kill you at your best. Then I will devour this world!"
"Like hell you will. I'll stop you and I'll tear you out of that body. Even if it kills me to do it!" Verto proclaimed.
"Ha, such bravado. But what about the girl herself? I know you don't really have what it takes to finish the job. It doesn't matter what techniques you use, you won't get rid of me without killing her. Surely you recall this from your previous encounter with my kind," Kaon pointed out.
"Hmph, I've been possessed before and have managed it. I've helped others too, you won't be any different," Verto said with certainty.
"You keep thinking that, little brother," Kaon said smugly.
Verto lowered into his ready stance as Kaon calmly mirrored it. Alright, I have the edge in power by the feel of it, but it isn't much of one. She might actually have more energy to use since she stole some of mine. I'll have to frustrate her enough to move this fight above ground. That shouldn't be too hard even if she's better at close combat. The only thing is that I'll also have to withstand any techniques she's going to throw at me, and odds are I haven't seen them. With Lenz's memories, that puts me at a serious disadvantage, so I'll have to get creative on the fly. If I act fast, I can get this fight moved before she pulls out all the stops.
"Well, I'm waiting for you to prove me wrong," Kaon reminded. Verto answered by charging in at full power, punching wildly at a surprised Kaon, who was barely able to block it with her forearm. Verto spun as he dropped won, aiming a kick towards her knees. He connected and Kaon fell backwards. Verto jumped over her falling form and prepared to drive both fists into her torso. Kaon's hands went down as she touched ground, allowing her to roll backwards with her legs up. Verto phased out just as she closed those legs around him. Kaon kipped up and stood ready with a bright smirk on her face as Verto stared her down from a dozen feet away.
Kaon motioned him in, "Try again little man." Verto eyed her carefully before considering his next approach. He promptly phased out, catching her slightly off guard. The attack didn't come right away though, giving Kaon time to see through it. She suddenly swung her fist to the right as she spun, grazing an afterimage. She stopped and kicked left, meeting the same result.
"Trying to trick me with the afterimage technique? That's not like you, is it?" she asked. Four images of Verto then appeared in a semi-circle around Kaon, all of them with crossed arms and flashing slightly.
"Well, whatever works," Verto admitted.
"This won't." Kaon quickly unleashed a wide spray of energy bolts, which passed through all four images just as they vanished.
"Huh?" Kaon asked in surprised. She turned to see Verto standing still at the far end of the lab, just before he starting running at her in a dead sprint. Kaon paused, Close assault type of attack? No, this has to be different.
Verto pulled his arms back mid-run, "Ka….me…." Kaon realized what was going to happen and prepared to dodge the odd approach, but remained unsure of how it was going to play out.
"Ha…..me…." Verto came to a stop inches from her with his palms up, and she phased out.
Verto jumped and shot the massive beam up and towards the ceiling at an odd angle, "HAAA!"
Kaon was standing a seemingly safe distance behind him, "You missed!" She froze when she saw him flying at her, with his speed boosted by the Kamehameha Wave. He slammed his elbow straight into her face, stunning her. Kaon fell backwards with a dull thud just as Verto hovered over her and began punching. Kaon groaned painfully as Verto rapidly landed blow after blow, lighting up every pain receptor she had. Multiple cuts and bruises started to show within a few seconds under the assault. Verto finished with a hard jab that darkened her right eye before jumping backwards. Kaon sat up grumbling in anger as she wiped blood from her lip.
"That looks like it hurt," Verto said.
"You brat!" Kaon roared. Verto grinned slightly as he dared to glance at the fresh hole his beam had carved in the ceiling. He could sense the outside air rushing in, and the power signal of Vegeta flying away. There was another unfamiliar power level following with decent speed, but Verto was unable to tell whom it belonged to. Verto turned back to Kaon, who looked like she wanted to tear off an arm and eat it.
Got her frustrated enough, time to bait the hook before this lab collapses. Kaon's aura was slowly coming off her in smoky lavender waves, and it reeked of maliciousness. Her skin color began to shift to a deep red as Verto felt the heat coming from her increase rapidly. She lunged at him with a claw-like attack. Verto dodged by a hair's length and chopped her back with a single knife-hand. Verto immediately clutched his hand as it felt burnt after the contact, and he backed off.
Check that, lure her and stay at range. I can't believe how warm her body is. She snarled at him, revealing a few fangs that had grown in-between her teeth.
"I can't say that anyone could be attracted to that fiery temper. I realize you strive to be the hottest chick in the room, but this is going overboard isn't it?" Verto asked in a joking manner.
"Argh! Come here so I can kill you!" Kaon growled back.
"You want me? Come and get me!" Verto shouted as he launched out of the lab and towards the surface. The tunnel behind him ripped apart as Kaon followed, her potent aura leaving burnt dirt and rock in her wake. Verto shot out of the ground in the middle of the city and took off for the horizon. The concrete glowed hot and red as Kaon emerged, stopping long enough to track his position before following. Verto glanced back with concern as he felt her gaining on him, as well as a significant increase in her energy level.
What kind of power-up is this? I thought the heat I could put out with the Berserker form was bad. It's like her body temperature is that of an active volcano. Verto grimaced as he flew over a barren sandy desert and halted. He didn't have to wait long before Kaon arrived, seething and baring her sharp fangs at him.
Now I see what Leira meant. I was a fool to think her hidden power was like mine and could be controlled. That demon inside isn't helping matters, but there's more to it than just that. If it emerged in her because of my training rather than in the other Rotians who just went crazy, then it's my fault. Add to that her people basically came from the corrupted blood of the Renegades, or at least some of them. Which means that they're all capable of this, probably more so even if they aren't possessed. All hell, that means the Renegades and the Rotians are all part-demon.
A/n: And there's the key to the next open chapter.
WDG: Oh snap!
VB: Queue the creepy music.