. O .

"Vegeta…"

"Do-ouble duk-es!" the one called Ray coughed, catching his breath from the hit to his solar plexus that Vegeta had landed before going after his partner.

"Vegeta, we're fine," Gohan said in a rough whisper.

Vegeta came to, connecting the words to their meaning. He dropped the unconscious trespasser he'd unleashed his wrath on, turning his attention to the boy standing a few paces back, eyes terrified but alert. A pink fluffy-ended dart stuck out of Gohan's neck but neither child in his arms appeared worse for wear. Vegeta plucked out the dart with one hand, examining the tip and giving it a sniff. He turned the second dart gun on the coughing man. "What is this?"

"Um…"

Vegeta shot a round into his fallen partner. "Do I have to ask again?"

"God! It's not poison if that's what you meant. But what exactly is in it, I honestly don't know."

"Ah, Vegeta?" the boy began, dropping to his knees before he lost control of himself completely.

"Dammit!" Vegeta shouted, taking the kids from Gohan's hold as he started to slacken and slump over. He maneuvered his loads around, and managed to stick a finger under the unconscious man's nose.

With a few well placed foot stomps he smashed all their gear after pocketing the other dart gun. "Your partner's breathing is compromised. He needs medical attention."

"Archer? That man is touched. Nothing will kill him."

Gohan let out a labored sort of laugh. "Vegeta, I'm going all numb," he slurred.

"To be expected."

"Trunks and Goten?"

"Are fine. Focus on staying awake."

. O .

"You wouldn't happen to have a Senzu on you, Chi Chi?"

"No, Gohan keeps track of our stash at home."

"Vegeta has ours, too."

The two women stared at Lana, frowns on both their faces.

"Nope, I can't even feel that sorry for you," the heiress said, ignoring the sharp tut her mother responded with. "It has been ages since my last real vacation. And Chi Chi here has had the worst year out of all of us."

"I knew this was a bad idea. The last thing the boys need right now is to lose their mother, too," Chi Chi groaned. "This is a horrible time to saddle Krillin with two kids."

"Krillin?!"

Chi Chi froze. Then, with a measured sigh, she relented. "Yes, Krillin. He's the boys' custodian if anything happens to me."

. O .

Vegeta all but threw the playpen at Ray before placing each baby in his arms.

"You disturb one hair on their heads, they so much as hiccup, I'll do worse to you than I did to him," he threatened, gesturing to Archer's fallen form.

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Vegeta said, hefting the boy and Archer to his shoulders. "This way."

Despite the sudden turn in their plans, Ray couldn't help but breathe deeply, enjoying the heady baby scent from the boy sleeping heavily against his shoulder. He could do without the other one grabbing at his mustache, though. Ahead of him the compact figure of one of his targets-turned-threats cut a quick path through the dark hall, no sign of strain under his burdens.

The man's details from the mission dossier filled Ray's thoughts. Vegeta, one of the main Capsule Corp inhabitants and the most likely candidate for the violence inflicted upon trespassers. One glance at Archer's limp figure slung over the man's left shoulder, limbs jutting out at unnatural angles and blood dripping a trail to lead them back to their grate entrance, confirmed it. Still, the youth on his other shoulder and the two babies in Ray's arms were even more worrisome. Cyril hadn't mentioned any kids.

. O .

The heiress regarded her friend with dismay. "You know we'd be happy to take the boys if anything happened to you, Chi Chi."

"I know," the other woman said quietly. "But Piccolo's been Gohan's guardian since," she hazarded a glance at Lana, "he started training. And I assigned Krillin for both of them legally when Goten was born."

"But-"

"We're not city people, Bulma. The boys need open space and fresh air. I can't keep Gohan inside for more than a couple hours at a time as it is. Whenever we visit you or go into town, he disappears for at least a day after. Krillin's place is closer to what they're used to. If they ever needed to be put under someone else's care, the least I can do is make sure they're not going to feel suffocated and overwhelmed in a new environment, too."

Chi Chi sniffed once, then left Lana's side to stand next to the heiress.

"Our kids are always going to be in each other lives, Bulma, but I know how hard it is with one. Dropping two more on you, along with Trunks and your parents and the business and Vegeta… we were thinking about you, too."

Lana watched the heiress crumble, tears leaking out of her eyes. She threw her arms around the other woman, muffled sobs emanating from them both.

. O .

"Ooo-kay… I think we're lost," Cyril admitted as they looped around for the third time and ended back in the kitchen that was depressingly close to the door they'd entered.

"WHAT?!" Cheryl shrieked.

"Cyril, how the hell can you find some magical secret passage for Archer and Ray to use and get us lost walking in through the front door?" Pam asked, punching the flustered agent in the arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot and backing up a few paces. "It's not my fault this house is built like a freaking maze!"

. O .

"Vegeta, what are you doing here- oh, my."

Ray followed Vegeta straight into their target location, Dr. Briefs' lab, and back to what looked like a medical area. The older man hurried after them, flipping on lights and machinery.

"You," Vegeta ordered Ray, "set up that playpen, get the kids in there, and go stand in the corner."

"Right…" he muttered low under his breath, "says the guy who lives in a house built on a series of circles. I haven't even seen a corner yet."

"You know what I mean," Vegeta growled as he laid the boy and Archer out on separate exam tables and handed a clip of darts to the doctor.

By the time Ray had wrangled the playpen and babies, both Archer and the boy had oxygen masks and heart monitors. The doctor was hunched over a nearby computer screen, reading the ever-changing analysis.

"An unusual mix, to be sure, but the effects are typical for a knockout drug. This potency, though, is ridiculous. There's enough in here to fell an elephant. We need to keep an eye on that one," he replied, waving in Archer's direction just as alarms screeched from Archer's bed and his heart monitor flatlined.

An automated arm swung down from the wall and hovered over his chest.

"Clear," a soft, soothing automated voice announced.

"Clear," the doctor replied.

Ray took a reflexive step back as the arm pressed down on Archer's chest, just over his heart. Archer's entire body jolted.

On the other exam table, the boy, somehow still conscious, spared a worried glance at the scene unfolding next to him. At the repeated warning and another jolt.

"Hmm…" the doctor assessed as Archer's heart finally regained a more regular beat. "Damn. Bulma's going to be pissed that I ruined the surprise. Guess it can't be helped, she'd be more upset if you broke your promise -inadvertent though it'd be. Bring Gohan with you."

The doctor palmed a pad set into a blank wall. It slid up and out of the way, revealing another room. A large tank filled most of the space, bisected by a windowed hatch that was open, revealing a benched area inside.

Vegeta walked up to the machine, the boy in his arms. "What the…"

"It was going to be your birthday present."

"This is…"

"A regen tank, yes. Well, the closest we could come up with based on what Krillin and Gohan could remember. Bulma's been tinkering with the idea since you got here, but the biomedical technology just recently advanced enough to take it past design. Come on, I don't like his breathing without the oxygen. There's a mask in the tank."

Vegeta set the boy inside, quickly pulling off his shirt and pants and holding him upright while the doctor hooked him up to the supports. A few deft movements and Vegeta had the boy neatly tucked up on the bench. When the hatch sealed, it began filling up with fluid.

"It's set for… uh… you, Vegeta," the doctor said, glancing over at Ray momentarily, "but Gohan should match up close enough."

The doctor pulled a blood sample from Archer and set it in yet another analyzer.

"By the time his primer finishes synthesizing, Gohan's cycle should be over."

. O .

"Pam! What are you doing?!"

"Getting a snack, Cyril, what does it look like?"

"Do you maybe think it's not the smartest idea to take food from the place we're trying to infiltrate?"

"Archer doesn't pass a wet bar when he's on a mission without drinking at least two bottles and taking more for the road. Besides," Pam said, swinging open the fridge door so Cyril and Cheryl could see its more than ample contents, "I don't think they're going to miss a chicken leg."

"Holy-"

"Shit feasts, am I right?" Pam said with a laugh.

"How many people live here?" Cheryl asked.

"Only four," Cyril said, seriously doubting his sources, "I think?"

Pam reached in and pulled off another drumstick from one of at least a dozen birds crammed onto the shelves of the fridge. "You think they're having a party later?"

. O .