Last time, on The Vegeta Chronicles: With Mūten Roshi, Videl, Tien and the Three Star Bandits emerging victorious from their struggles against the mysterious organization, new menaces begin to emerge as the plot continues to thicken. With the former disciple of Popo returning to the Lookout and effortlessly disabling the dolls of Gohan, Goku, Vegeta and Trunks, the strength of the man once known as God of Earth received no resistance from his former Master.
While 18, 17 and Krillin come to help reinforce Trunks against the members of the Elite Squad commanded by Captain Gaze, Gohan is on the trail to where a shipment of suspicious high tech came to their continent of Ryūchi. Following it, what will he find at his destination? And what is the menacing secret of Gaze's hatred towards Trunks and his family? Find out in today's Chapter!
And now let the Adventure continue!
Gohan felt himself drawing closer to the mainland. Despite the ongoing conflicts that rose and fell from his senses, he forced him to concentrate on the task at hand. The faint emissions he followed using his keen Ki Sense and own Saiyan sense of smell allowed him to traverse the ocean on a steady course. Hundreds of kilometers were covered at a casual speed, bringing him to the place he predicted it'd be.
A long airfield leading towards the seashore that was mounted atop a cliff.
Descending towards the precipice of the rocky formation, he could see in the distance a number of aircraft being loaded or were currently docked in large hangars. The amount of supplies he estimated at this location was enough to mount a sizable army, one that could easily be used for a global effort. Or at least, that's what he expected from a firsthand look from a distance.
"There seems to be a trail leaving the airport," Gohan realized with a quick dash, keeping himself hidden by the many guards and workers maintaining the airfield. Looking over to see a dirt road leading from a spiraling path cutting through what he assumed was rice fields. There in the horizon was a bulky block formation of grey and black structures pumping a nearly transparent amount of fumes into the air that left no trail into the sky. Even from distance he could tell it was surrounded by a thick fence and guarded steadily by armed personnel. "I wonder what else they could be making inside there? Well, only one way to find out."
Dashing quickly through the field he could tell it wasn't quite harvest time but was close to being on the verge. He was careful not to disturb the plants, knowing that his own mother took care of her garden around the home. It was during his approach that he realized how distant he's been to his only living parent at the moment. He loved her dearly but her past obsessive behavior made it almost unbearable to coexist peacefully, especially since his dad passed on.
"I'll talk to her after this mess is sorted out," He promised to himself, finding himself stopping in front of the road where he wasn't too far away from the gate. "She must be doing better since dad promised to come back eventually. Maybe she can forgive me for training with Vegeta. I don't know what she'll think of Videl though...gonna have to work this out carefully."
Once he got close enough, he noticed a guard immediately noticed him. Pointing a weapon that made a shrill whine upon charging, he shouted out loud in a language unknown to him. Recoiling he could gauge his intent by the angry motions of his weapon and the expression on his face.
"Uh, I come in peace?" He tried to call out with a tentative wave.
"~I won't ask again! Identify yourself!~" The guard asked with an angry snarl, now shoving the butt against his shoulder as he took up sight at the young boy.
"Um...open sesame?" The Saiyan hybrid joked with a sheepish chuckle.
"~Are you mocking me, you-?!~"
"~Oi, what's the commotion out here?!~" Another voice called out from the main entrance behind the doorway. He was a taller man, handsome and clearly hailing back from Ryūchi and not the land Gohan just arrived in minutes ago. With a black suit and a red tie, he held a briefcase in his left hand while keeping his right gloved hand pocketed. Blinking at the sight of Gohan, almost as if he recognized him from somewhere, he called out to the guard again. "~Who's that there?~"
"~Some boy who wandered on the premises. Want me to kill him or run him off?~" The guard asked, hissing with annoyance as he looked over at the man from over his shoulder and then motioning at Gohan with the gun.
Stroking his chin, the man approached the gate from the other side, smiling at the young man with an almost cagey manner. Shrugging he gestured to Gohan in a beckoning manner, "Come in, young man. I'm sure you're here for the inspection, yes?"
"Uh-?"
"~What?~" The Guard queried with a tilt of his head.
"~I'm terribly sorry for the confusion,~" He added with a wave of his free hand, smiling sheepishly at the guard before bowing his head. "~He's my scheduled guest and he's new here. I'm sure you can understand these kinds of things happen what with paperwork being lost and his identification most likely buried under red tape, hm?~"
"~Tch,~" The armed man rolled his eyes, lowering his weapon and reaching towards the checkpoint doorway to press the gate's control switch. With it parting either way, Gohan was ferried across into the compound's grounds. After the man gave him a dirty look, Gohan bowed humbly to his benefactor.
"Thanks...uh, I guess?" He meekly replied with a look of confusion in his eyes.
"That's fine. I'm sure you're always busy, being used as an errand boy of the organization, am I right?" He turned to look at him with an expectant stare. "The Circle is quite overtaxing for such a young man, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah! Sure is a lot of work. Thanks for understanding my foolishness, haha!" Gohan laughed timidly, scratching his scalp reflexively to mask his nervousness. He was totally clueless as to what the man was talking about, something that made him alarmed he was taking after his father's bad habits.
"Excellent!" The man reached out to wrap a hand over Gohan's, surprisingly tight despite his seemingly normal apparel concealing his well-defined build. "My name is Stephen Kneel, but for the purpose of professional conduct call me Mr. Kneel."
"Ah, sure," Gohan shook the man's hand back, deciding quickly on the fly to give himself a false identity. "I'm Agent Saiya-Man, sir. I'm new."
"Quite," Mr. Kneel withdrew his gloved hand from their shake, pocketing it once more while raising a brow with humor. "I see they'll make a code name for anything these days. Word of advise, son. Don't use that in public."
Feeling his face burn with shame, he nodded as he bowed his head. When the man laughed jovially, he felt himself relieved that it was all in good humor. Entering the complex, he'd fail to see the smile retract and a look of serious edge crossing his visage. Something he couldn't put his finger on but the first step entering this whole place gave him a sense of...wrong.
"Whatever is going on with this organization, I'll find out what it is, and put a stop to it," Gohan inwardly resolved as his feet carried him on behind the conspicuously friendly Stephen Kneel.
Chapter 20 - Beyond Maximum
Trunks felt frustration as he swung his sword at Gaze. The horn-adorned masked man dodged it with ease, even as a Super Saiyan. Twirling his large buster sword across the air enough to create gale force wind that shook the foundation of the empty neighborhood the easily head-taller man kept a dexterous pace for him to be out of reach. When the two dozenth slash ended, he held his stance still, causing Gaze to immediately halt himself.
Turning his sword a little to the sight while turning his shoulders, he watched Gaze's body move in a mirroring gesture to his own movements. Repeating the feat again a few times, Trunks soon found himself staring hard at his faceless enemy, "So, you've been watching my movements closely, eh Captain?"
"But of course!" Gaze cried out with a jubilous tone with arms crossed over his muscular chest, laughing through his imposing mask. "I'm not called Gaze for nothing. My visual prowess is second to none. I've been studying your fighting techniques against my subordinates and I have to say, you're not half bad for a half-breed."
"You've been spying on all of us," The Time Traveler declared in a smooth tone, his long hair flourishing in the wind as light colored eyes locked onto the visor of his antagonist. "For how long?"
"Longer than you've been born, Trunks," Gaze spoke with too much familiarity, he laughing once again in a grated tone that was akin to sheet metal being scraped by blades.
At the same time, Trunks heard a cacophony of explosions and shockwaves around him. Without even turning to look, his Saiyan senses told him that Krillin was flying from Ranfan, whom was firing a number of optic beams that demolished lawns to rooftops of the emptied neighbourhood. Above his head 17 was dodging and weaving between Violet and Hasky, while 18 not too far away from his left on the streets trading blows with Mai on her own.
But his focus wasn't on their battles, it was on the one in the present with the menace in front of him. Based on the stories he had heard from his mother, the one who now passed on in his timeline, there was something oddly familiar about this character despite never meeting him before. His mannerisms, his particular maliciousness towards himself and his family and his appearance. Something tied them together and he was close to being sure of it.
Pushing that to the back of his mind, Trunks raised his sword to point at Gaze, "Just one question. Do you know my mother?"
The query caused Gaze's stoic posture to be broken as he stumbled back with surprise. The mere mentioning of her was enough to break his concentration and relive a torturous past life. One that was far too primitive to his liking and that he barely escaped out of. If it hadn't been for-
The sudden sound of swishing metal of a rotating buster sword rushing high up into the air recaptured the Agent's attention. Looking up at the spinning weapon, devoid of its wielder, he looked back down to see Trunks thrusting out an arm at his direction. The instant that was done he felt a Kiai shockwave his body hard enough to rip apart the ground and shatter the framework of the buildings on either side, throttling him backward at an incredible velocity.
Catching himself after three dozen meters of backward momentum with his own body ejecting Kiai, a bare hand caught him by the head from behind. Unseen eyes widened at the sudden capture his cranium had, followed by a piercing sensation that drilled through his thoughts. His own mind now was invaded!
"Why you-!" Gaze snarled out loud, bending his forward body down while snapping his left foot up, catching Trunks by the chin. The loud clang was followed up by a flying double kick planted into the Super Saiyan's chest. With a violent crash through a stop sign and then into a power pole, the latter fell forward with a crackling fall while the sign was bent over his shoulder and warping around his body. Pulling at the piece of gnarled metal, he threw it at Gaze whom simply batted it aside with a side-swipe. Holding up a hand that began to emit a current of violet colored energy that produced no Ki, it confirmed to what Trunks already gathered together. Chuckling, even in his ground prone state, the infuriated Captain asked him indignantly. "What's so funny, boy?!"
"I just remembered why you got such an agenda against my father and mother, least of all me," The Saiyan hybrid replied with a smirk. "Gaze is just a codename, covering up the obvious reason why you retain that shape despite being in a non-organic body. You're a rare kind of Android to accept a soul from a leeching being like he was; or rather, you're rather unique, Captain Ginyū."
In the shadow of the next startling movement the Circle Agent made, Trunks free hand clenched signaling his next attack. A swooping howl of golden edged light raced down from the sky, arcing around in ovular directions before Gaze could turn around and look up. At that instant, the yellow-white body of Ki mantle wrapped over Trunks sword speared through his chest and barreled out of his back. With a gaping hole of molten metal visible through the matte black suit covering his body, he barely whirled around to see his enemy grasp the flying sword by the hilt and wield it in reverse to bifurcate him in a crossing slash.
"G-G-Guagh!" Gaze croaked out as his body fell into two halves onto the ground, the Saiyan Hybrid looking down at him from behind his face-downed form. "You...tricked me...and launched an unseen attack from behind!"
"I did more than grow my hair out in the future," Trunks explained with a steely expression flashing across his cold visage. "I trained, fought and bled to surpass my old limitations. You thought you saw my moves? I hadn't even begun to reveal my abilities. Not that it matters with you in pieces, though I guess I can always lend a hand to the others."
Turning around, the Super Saiyan began walking his eyes already looking up to see 17 knocked back by a combined punch from Hasky and Violet. The force was enough to combust the air above him in a flash of orange-golden light, and propel the Cyborg down to dril through the street and into the sewer system below. The violent crash produced a powdery expulsion of smoke and asphalt dust into the air, mushrooming before the Saiyan Hybrid's eyes.
But amidst his alarm for the teenaged modified human, he heard a familiar singing sound rip through the air. An immediate reflex was to turn around but his impulse forced him to step forward and bend likewise. It saved him by a milimeter as a stinging sensation that followed a warm wet splash of his own skin being cut by a shallow graze a sudden weight left his shoulders. Rushing forward in a bout of full speed, he turned around in mid-leap to skid on his heels to a halt to see what happened.
The sight shocked him. His long hair that he had kept from cutting as a personal promise to someone he knew was now in a pile of lavender-silver hairs on the scorched earth that the Agent had formerly been splayed upon. The enemy he had thought defeated, was no standing and responsible for inflicting the surprise attack on him.
"Didn't your father tell you?" Gaze, formerly Ginyū, rose up as steam emanated from his once molten cut body. While the suit was torn up and still smoldering, his grey skin exposed seemed to mold itself back to its original shape, taking the disposition of liquid metal. His right hand also retracted what looked like a projected blade from the knuckles, reformatting with an audible crack as he flexed his knuckles. "Finish your enemy while he's down. I thought even a Saiyan halfling like you would know better than to turn your back on me, even if you cut me into pieces."
"You really aren't an ordinary Android, if you're able to reform like that without any sign of damage," Trunks stated with a gritting toothed expression. Raising his sword to be held by two hands, he measured his enemy a bit more appropriately. If he was able to be reformed within a span of time, he'd just make sure to not give him that time.
"That's right, Trunks," The Circle Captain replied with a prideful wave of his arm. "I'm made out of a prototype nano-metal that responds to my brain waves. Thanks to my soul that infused into this body, I could be but one drop but be capable of reforming myself through a little effort and time. Unless you atomize me, I cannot be killed entirely, unlike you organics with so many vital points I lose-!"
Leaping forward to interrupt the agent's speech, the Super Saiyan's blade arced upward in a perfect line in front of Gaze. The Modified Android was able to backpedal away in time to miss the weapon's edge but the upward emitting crash of Ki cut through his body like butter. Like two molten halves, he separated from head down the pelvic region. Swinging his arms out, he launched a powerful pair of violet beams into the charging Saiyan's person, deflected by the buster sword's flat to spray outward in a flashing overcast of deep purple and white.
Buying enough time to pull himself back together, the helm that covered Gaze's head fell to either side like a sliced coconut. Revealing a pair of blank, red eyes and a horned cranium that was smooth as it was glossy, showing the metallic nature of his adaptable body's physiology. Grinning with a menace boring towards the heated pair of green irises his target had, he chuckled jovially. "I'm going to enjoy breaking that look of confidence, son of Vegeta and Bulma!"
Krillin knew his day wasn't looking up.
It wasn't the fact that he was fighting a tough enemy alone, but it had to be another beautiful woman. The last time that happened was etched into his broken ribs. Thankfully it hadn't happened to him -yet-, now that he felt more confident with 18 and her brother nearby. But the sight of seeing the latter crashed into the ground, followed up with a volley of blasts to where he landed from the air didn't increase his morale.
"Where are you looking at, midget?" Ranfan sang out, her voluptuous frame materializing right in front of the dashing Krillin. Reaching out to palm an energy blast in the skidding dwarf she saw him skid along the uneven lawn ground. With the crimson light shooting out and exploding the side of another home, she turned around to launch a kick only for her to graze the tassles of his headband that twirled with his own adept movements. "Hey! Hold still!"
"I'll pass, thanks lady," Krillin cried out in a mocking jeer, unable to pass up the opportunity to stick out a tongue at her. Yelping at the sudden crash of her fist barely missing his head but eradicating the ground, he somersaulted forward till he skid to the street a dozen meters away from the hole that 17 was barreled into. Just as she dashed towards him, he took up a stance that had both hands held up in a clawed posture as he crouched, parallel to his own head that only revealed his eyes.
"You ready to fight like a man?" Ranfan asked as she approached the large crater that Hasky and Violet had created. The two were just above the smoking crater, while the prior looked humored at the orin monk as he held his ground against his enemy. It wasn't until that when Ranfan leaped forward that she was suddenly knocked back after a flash of orange light had formed as quickly as it disappeared. "Wait...what?"
"Hasky!" Violet called out, just as a razor disc of energy buzzed from the hole directly towards the aerial blonde.
Bending her body back, she could smell the burning ozone the saw caused as it cut through the air past just inches above her. Doing so unintentionally put her back to a rising punch to her spine, causing her to grimace at the sudden crash of discomfort as she was propelled upwards. By the time spun her body to look down, she saw 17 rushing forward with a barrage of orange blasts to crash into Violet's waiting hands. A discharge of light from the soles of his feet, and the ball cap wearing Cyborg rammed his head into her face, jerking her back a few meters herself.
"Was that all you got?" Hasky asked dryly as she lowered down just as Violet returned with a visible sneer breaching her cold visage at the Cyborg. "Cause honestly, an archaic model such as yourself can't compare to us Modern Cyborgs."
"I knew I felt something familiar about those blasts and punches," Seventeen replied with a cocky grin. It compensated for his current scuffed exterior his muscle shirt had while a sliver of fluid akin to blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Wiping away said essence, he grasped his ball cap and turned around till it was backwards, cracking his knuckles before beckoning both women. "Come on then. Show me how inferior I am."
"Gladly!" Both female Cyborgs synchronized as they blurred forward in a hyper sped barrage of punches that 17 barely could keep up with. His arms moved faster than he could process, but even through the parried blows he felt a number connect with him that caused him to wince and cough. When one knee kick crashed into his solar plexus he bent over while another elbow jab crashed into his head, sending him spiraling down to crash on all fours.
Dashing to the side, he narrowly avoided Violet's downward kick that smashed the street below with earth shattering force. Unintentionally it led him to being palm-thrust to the side of his head to send him careening along the front lawn of a particular house. The metal fence curled along with him, crinkling and wrapping him in an embarassing mess of rings and poles. Wincing he looked over at the pair of women walk towards him with a measured pace.
"Seventeen!" Krillin cried out, finding himself blindsided by Ranfan who had an indignant look on her own facial features.
"Pay attention or you'll end up dead," She hissed lowly, rushing forward to deliver another punch at his face. When she saw it dissipated into an afterimage, her eyes scanned around for the short fighter. By the time she saw him crouched in the familiar stance behind her, he already attacked. She was surprised again that when she saw him gesture towards her a momentary shape appeared within the flashing light before she was knocked senseless through another structure. Growling she pried herself from the debris, pushing it aside as she looked over at Mai in the distance.
She was seemingly even-matched with 18, their fists and arms locked with clash after simultaneous crash. Their bodies were moving at incredible paces and ignoring all other obstacles aroudn them. Bowling through the structures and signs, they laid waist to anything that kept them from renewing their attacks with each other. But at the moment, it appeared neither had an upper edge which all the more surprised Ranfan.
But she disregarded the thought, returning to the present as a grim faced Krillin kept up his defensive stance even after she emerged relatively unscathed aside from a few bruises by his surprising techniques. Regardless, she knew she'd figure out the aim to his game. She didn't come this far to be done in by a ridiculous warrior who didn't even best one of the alien warriors in the Tournament from years ago.
Dashing forward, their clash among others continued in a chaotic barrage of blasts, fists and feet. The fight continued on, while forces at work continued to overlook their progress.
Within a hallowed ground unseen by the world, a white haired man in equally pure hued robes observed a wall of screens displaying the many enemies currently set before his gaze. Acting on the knowledge they were fighting an organization called the Inner Circle they had no idea that it was but one name that they conjurred for their own devices. There was no real name that suited them per say, but sentinels of Earth they truly were.
Sitting cross-legged on a dark star in the shape of a crucifix upon a white tiled floor that was dimly lit by candles across the open personal quarters. His cool azure eyes stared at each screen with a guarded, pensive expression. The amount of composure he had reached could be seen as completely detached and possibly bored to the outside observer. But for those who knew him closely, which are few in number, they'd see a churning mind already planning ten steps ahead of those in his way.
Shukun couldn't help but find it fascinating how well the Z Warriors were holding up against his squads. Each one seemed to meet a similar if not calculated end. At the moment current agents were in the field and holding their own but he knew by the way it was playing out that there was a certainty of defeat in the horizon.
"Shukun."
With the audio enhanced sound coming from the screen, he could see Ryūkage with a man slumped in the corner of a darkened room. His face was as usual, unreadable and a mask of emotionless projection. But through his years of knowing the man once known as God of Earth, he could tell he was particularly upset.
"Ah, Ryū!" The Leader tried to warmly greet him with a lighthearted tone and a warm smile, turning his eyes to look at the screen he was interfacing with his partner. "I take it your recovery of Ningai was successful?"
"My old Master retains no fighting spirit. He watches over my Palace as if he was a simple ground keeper instead of the powerful being I know he is," He responded in a dull tone that overrode any bitterness those words might have held. Casting a slight glance over his shoulder at his unconscious subordinate he returned to look at Shukun once more through the communication device. "I'm sure you're aware, the moment his mind was touched-"
"I know, I felt it," He replied with a calm smile. "It's been a long time since we've been this close to exposure. But our plans have not come to fruition and the time has not yet come for a wide conflict. We need leverage and a means to keep these defenders in check, regardless of their intentions for good may be."
"It appears kidnapping the girl from the God of Martial Arts remains out of reach," Ryūkage declared out loud, his tone a bit more grave than usual. "From what was gathered she was able to eliminate Agent Castle in a handful of blows with nary a scratch. Similarly, Kyoshō was felled all too quickly."
"We tried the subtle route of intimidation and extortion yet we were contended with violent resistance that ended up costing our allies' lives or the secrets they withheld," Shukun continued with a pensive closing of his eyes. Breathing in through his nostrils and out with his mouth he kept on summarizing their situation. "With Flare not reporting in along with Edge, we can only assume they have failed as well. Master Squad has fallen and the possibility for Elite Squad being beaten is too high to ignore taking alternative action."
"So, Operation Wilderness will not be called off?" Ryūkage asked with a raise of his left brow, the closest he had to an emotional display of curiosity.
"It seems that way," Shukun sighed out loud, his eyes lowering to show a sign of weary resignation. "I honestly would have preferred they hadn't discovered us at all. I don't think they're our enemies but we can't afford them to undermine the subtleties we've put in place longer than civilization can remember. Panic could possibly ensue and I rather not fight a war that could destroy the planet we're aiming to protect."
"It is the only way," His dark haired accomplice spoke with grated assurance. "Once we have them in our custody, they'll have to listen to our words. Until the appointed time has come, we cannot allow ourselves to leave it in their less than capable hands. Their results have spoken for them in the last twenty years with their misuse of the Dragon Balls and irreverence to the sanctity of life."
"I know...I just...wished things could have turned out differently," Shukun turned his gaze to the far wall where a meager few effects lied. Among them was an old folded uniform, for which a polished yet aged broadsword was sheathed in a leather scabbard. The memories that came from its sight made his stare turned steeled and renewed his focus. Turning his face with nary a grin back to his partner and spoke in an authoritative voice. "Their amateurish methods may endanger the plan as well as the plan; for this reason we must take the actions necessary. Operation Wilderness will commence as scheduled. Intervene if you feel it is necessary."
"Of course," Ryūkage replied, his fists clenching audibly of leather gloved material crinkling over the speakers. "What about the former Guardian and his successor?"
"He may intend to root out one of our bases of operation based on the images I've seen him try to make use of," The Leader ascertained with a few blinks of the eyes. "I'll deploy Void to halt him. If nothing else he'll make a good distraction to allow us to relocate resources at that location. The little progeny of his will be tracked and monitored as necessary, but no action is to happen to him. He's nothing more than a harmless accomplice but not a direct threat. Until he does something foolish he'll regret, we won't make a move on him."
"Understood," The dark shaded man nodded with compliance. "I'll make plans to retrieve Flare and Edge later in the day. If neither of them are alive, I shall take their remains as well with Castle and Kyoshō's. None shall be left behind."
"Hm," Shukun's eyes narrowed, as if something caught his attention beyond his conversation with his associate.
"What's the matter?" Ryūkage inquired with a tilt of the head.
"I just sensed...Flare's mind being probed as well," The white-haired man replied with an amused smile. "This one was much more careful. I hadn't noticed it until just now. I'll instill a similar mental block to keep further discovery from being made."
"It's a good thing she doesn't know as much as Ningai does," The shaded man responded with relief.
"Still, at least her condition confirms she's alive," He said with a smile. "The less unnecessary casualties to our ranks, the easier recovery from our endeavors will be."
"This leaves the alleged Three Star Bandits on the run," The prior grimly stated. "If we cannot sense Edge any longer and his mind isn't being probed, then he is most likely dead. His remains shall be recovered. This still leaves one person left unaccounted for-"
"Oh don't worry about Son Gohan," Shukun replied with a wave of his hand, the first time he lifted a limb in their conversation. "Stephen just informed me not too long ago that he discovered one of our manufacturing plants in China. Apparently he stumbled in there by mistake but is currently being guided by him. He said he'll keep him occupied long enough for us to find a way to deal with him."
"I assume you have a plan," Ryūkage grumbled out, not liking the idea that he had been left out of the loop in one of his partner's machinations.
"As much as I don't prefer using deadly force, especially on a child," The white clothed entity spoke with a low growl, his eyes showing a fierce look of aggravation. "He's seen too much. I've tasked Trench and Sky to deal with him. Against those two, even his prodigious skill and power won't be a match for them."
"Only because of Trench's disposition or Sky's connection to our planet's so-called core?" Ryūkage inquired with a hint of humor that implied his sarcastic faith in their agent's abilities.
"You should know better than anyone that the power of a planet is far stronger within when fully tapped into. Aside from that," He switched from an amused smile to a grim split of his lips to bare his teeth in a show of anger. "We both know what really lies within our planet's center."
With silence palpable set between them, both knew that the point was through the unique powers of both Sky and Trench was enough to handle the Saiyan half-ling. It was an unspoken testament to the faith of their most revered agents' powers.
"Besides, Tao did provide us some valuable data on Gohan's powers in action. It aided us indefinitely as seen with Sky's ease with using what she knew of Vegeta to undermine his entire fighting technique and turn his power against him. With Trench at her side," Shukun trailed off as a confident smile spread ear-to-ear showing a field of white teeth that nearly glowed as much as his blue eyes. "There's no power even his Ascended Transformation that can save him from those two."
Eighteen didn't know what her brother was thinking. Their fight against these Modern Cyborgs wasn't what she'd call the grip of death but they weren't pushovers either. Even as she fought at 100% against Mai she could feel the suppressed strength within every blow they exchanged. She was saving it, biding her time and waiting for the moment she could land a critical blow to finish her off. Gritting her teeth as she crossed her arms to brace a flying kick that sent her skidding through a house out into the street, she knew that the time for playing around was done.
"Seventeen!" She cried out as she brushed off the debris off her hair and sports bra respectively. "I'm tired of beating around the bush. Let's take these bitches out!"
"What? You want to spoil my fu-ngh!" The witty twin tried to snark until a pair of fists slammed into his chest, sending him bouncing behind his blonde counterpart till he face-planted into the asphalt.
Rising up, she could see him spitting out some dust along with some red essence most humans would mistaken as blood. Watching him roll his neck side to side to produce popping of joints -artificial and organic- he saw her dryly stare at him with impatience. "Are you done?"
Sighing, 17 nodded as he saw his respective two opponents drop down to the ground in front of him while Mai walked slowly through the house 18 was kicked through. Both siblings exchanged a knowing look between each other before flicking their earrings. At this point, both of their brows knitted forward and eyes glowed a distinctly brighter shade of blue. Turning to look at both of their set of enemies, they all saw something their own enhanced eyes told them that chilled their blood.
Something was brewing inside the two.
"H-H-Hey!" Hasky broke out into sweat, taking a step back as her eye flashed a series of numerical signs and symbols as what was invisible to the naked eye began to emanate in waves off Seventeen and his sister. What was an ordinary thermal signature that could easily read was now bleeding into the air around them, rising up and changing, transforming into something else. The measurements for their estimated strength was now climbing and seeming to cause a hot haze to distort the air between them. "What the Hell are you doing?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Violet growled out with a cold stare aimed at the two. "Their original limitations are broken. They somehow found a way to upgrade themselves out of sight of our intelligence network's knowledge. That's why their cores are going past one hundred percent."
"Hehehehehe," Seventeen chuckled out loud while his sister adopted a more stoic expression that bore straight into the frightened Mai.
"What's so funny?" The latter Cyborg cried out with an angry step forward.
"We didn't upgrade ourselves. That'd mean we'd have to submit to the tinkering of another scientist. No offense to Vegeta's woman or her father, but we're so done with them smart types if you know what I mean," He explained briskly, taking up the role of explanation as his perpetually glowing eyes turned to look at Mai in particular before straying back to the ladies in front of him. "Training with my sis's boyfriend actually struck an epiphany. The shorty was a lot smarter than I credited him for."
"You make it sound like you expected him to be stupid," Eighteen bit back with a roll of her brightly hued eyes.
"Hey, I assume most people who go after you aren't the-well...okay that joke went nowhere," The black-haired twin sighed with a scratch of his head. Returning to the matter of hand, he raised his hands up, producing a series of crackling sparks of energy between his upraised palms. "You see, the key difference Gero made in creating us between his mostly mechanical fat man and his own Android body is that we still have living tissue, blood and organs. It's just mostly replaced or re-purposed by our cybernetic parts. The Infinite Energy batteries that make us so much stronger than our other counterparts doesn't come from a source of energy that is man-made. It comes from our inherently human body and transformed to be harnessed as everlasting.
"Krillin, having been given the opportunity to be taught the Kaio-Ken by a guy in Other World but not yet able to make use of it right away when we and Cell showed up was able to perfect it more recently. During his training with us, he showed us how he did it and we tried our own method. It came from willfully harnessing our cores to pump out more energy than what Gero deigned as 'One Hundred Percent' which was only just a programmed block. Breaking through it was the hard part. But bringing out even more, well...let me show you!" He declared with a loud jarring shout.
Leaping forward, Hasky and Violet barely had time to raise their arms to guard only to feel a pair of twisting fists grind into their chests. With a throttling thrust, the punches propelled both of them in a explosive air compression that shattered the infrastructures of the homes within thirty meter radius. Both women tumbled head over heels before clawing at the air and ground respectively to regain their standing postures. Hearing a whistle from behind them, Hasky's eyes widened with baffling surprise while Violet closed them with agitation.
Both twisted around and discharged a pair of crimson blasts, both of which hit Seventeen dead on. Within the explosion of flames a pair of haunting cerulean orbs gleamed as an untouched silhouette walked through the smoke as steam ebbed off his tattered tank top. A wry smile etched onto his face caused both women to step back and glare at him hotly.
"I have to say, even from behind, you two are hot," He snickered out loud, causing Hasky to blush with indignation while Violet simply rolled her eyes.
"Jackass! I'll gouge your eyes out for that!" Hasky hissed aloud, her body now brimming a wild chaotic string of crackling surges of her own internal store of energy. Unlike the haze of invisible thermal discharge that came from Seventeen, it was wild and almost untamed. Like she was pushing herself to harness its essence.
"It seems there's no alternative," Violet announced when she observed her partner. Turning to look at their designated enemy she clasped her wrists together in front of her face. A similar upheaval of earth followed by her rush of energy exceeding ordinary recommended parameters. While she garnered a purple aura, Hasky basked in a bright rose fire. "Overcharge, activated!"
A loud scream was cut off from behind that caused both Cyborgs to open their eyes with disbelief. Turning around they saw 18 holding up Mai by her abdomen, her body arching limply in an upraised fist. Tossed to the side to thud to the ground unceremoniously the two female Cyborgs saw the blonde haired woman glare back at them with glowing eyes.
"Stop beating around the bush, Seventeen, and let's take care of business here," She drawled out in an icy voice.
Both female Cyborgs finally realized how outmatched they were. Just as they turned to 17, the look of resignation settled into a deathly cool stare. Before they could even gesture they found both of their faces grappled and their skulls rammed into the street. The sheer momentum of the throttling force was enough to cause an upheaval of asphalt and soil, shattering the houses nearby while flattening everything into a deepened crater. By the time his attack had finished, signs of blood-like essence leaking out of their ears, nostrils and eyes were seen as their orbs rolled to the back of their sockets.
"Was that so hard?" Eighteen asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah, it was," Seventeen remarked with a sigh as he stood tall with hands pocketed . "Kind of kills the mood to unveil this power if only to end it quickly."
"You would have led them on a meaningless baited chase that would have caused more collateral damage and potentially hurt more people in the process," She predicted with a turn of her head. "I know you like fun, but you shouldn't let that get to your head. We're not Vegeta, after all."
"Ha, okay I get it," The weary twin raised his hands with resignation. Raising himself up out of the crater he joined his sibling to look around for the missing Krillin. "Huh. That's odd. It's kind of quiet. Where is he?"
"Rei-Ken!" A cry was heard elsewhere, followed by a thunderous blast of force. Both twins' eyes opened wide when they saw bouncing head over heel to skid straight into the pit with the other two gals. She had a dumbstruck expression on her face and her eyes whited-out with apparent unconsciousness. Turning to look around, they'd see Krillin embroiled in a bright orange aura, pulsing and hissing with visible potency. Eyes glowing a similar hue, the orin markings on his head seemed to glow independently underneath his fluttering headband and rustling gi. Despite a little tattered visage, he was none worse for wear much like his Cyborg comrades.
"Nice work, Krillin," Eighteen applauded with a soft smile, noticing that he finally unveiled his transformation in full for the first time.
"I'll say," Seventeen bent down at the rim of the crater to see a burning wedge that indicated where his fist had struck her torso. "Damn, that must have hurt. Nice punch you had packing there."
"Thanks," Krillin piped up with a smile, his aura relaxing and grin more cheeky with confidence at his accomplishment. "Though I couldn't have gotten this far without you two. It's only thanks to our training that we could get this far."
"Same to you," The black-haired brother proclaimed as his own energies were subdued along with his sister's. "We wouldn't have discovered this higher level of strength without you either. To think we could get any stronger is badass!"
"Still," The sister piped in with a cautious look on her face. "We shouldn't overdo it either. We still have no idea what long term side effects or backlashes we could face if we take this 'power-up' of ours too high. I don't think the dear Doctor made us to withstand that kind of pressure."
"Relax, sis, we're fine," He waved off with a nonchalant grin. "We're going places with this game changer. Us three, we're going to outshine even the Super Saiyans."
"Don't let your competitive streak get to your head, or Vegeta might take that as a challenge," Krillin wagged his finger with a laugh.
"Maybe I'll get my turn to make him eat dirt since Eighteen's already got her shot," The Cyborg barked with a puffed out chest.
"If you want, he's all yours," Eighteen rolled her eyes with a wry grin of her own. "Just don't blame me if you end up crying for mercy."
"As if!" He snapped back, causing both Krillin and Eighteen to laugh at his reaction.
The sudden distant sounds of metallic clanging and explosions could be heard by the trio when Trunks was seen barreled back by what looked like a metal round-faced beam. With his back smashing into the asphalt not but two dozen meters away from them, he grasped the offending protrusion and cut it with his buster sword, tossing the severed metal away while flipping back to his feet.
"Trunks!" Krillin cried out with a worried look, seeing his haggard form marred with some bruises and faint signs of bleeding. "You alright, buddy?"
"I'm fine, Krillin," The formerly long-haired Half-Saiyan replied in a cool voice. His Super Saiyan aura had stopped thrumming but retained the golden glow of his hair and emerald shine in his eyes. His coat was covered in soot and dust but still fluttered about his form.
When Gaze finally landed opposite of him, the dwarf recoiled at the familiar face.
"G-Ginyū?! Here?!" He cried out with shock at the even scarier face turning to look in his direction.
"What's a Ginyū?" Seventeen asked with a tilt of his head.
"Apparently that," Eighteen nodded at the Captain in the distance.
"I know that, obviously, but what is he to your boyfriend?" He remarked with a wave at the stout warrior in front of the two.
"He was in Freeza's Army," Krillin told them both as he ground his teeth together, watching him smile evilly back at him before returning his attention to Trunks. "The strongest soldier they had, could use an ability to switch bodies with people. Last time I checked he was inside of a frog. But, now he's here...in some weird grayish looking one."
"You may be thinking how I survived, Earthling," Gaze sang out, both to Krillin as well as to Trunks.
"I really could care les-"
"You see," He continued despite the Saiyan hybrid's protests. "I was transported, unintentionally, along with all the Namekians off planet to here, on Earth. Whether it was a fluke or not I haven't the faintest idea how but I was here, doomed to wander around as a voiceless frog. It wasn't until they showed up and collected me out of curiosity that I was able to escape. Switching bodies till I was apprehended, I was given the opportunity to possess a near unkillable body and obtain a new purpose in part of this planet's best chance of survival...or so they say."
"Earth's survival? What the Hell does that mean?" The Super Saiyan asked, now more curious about this organization's goals than how he came to be.
"In all honesty, they didn't share with me much more than some ominous vague indication that a threat will come for the planet in the future and seems to be more indicative with every passing conflict. Ever since the Saiyans arrived here, and the conflict of Doctor Gero's Androids, they seem all the more convinced that soon we will be graced by a more dire threat than any of you amateurs can handle with wish granting orbs and hazardous battles that could rip the world apart," Gaze revealed with a wave of his arms, smiling deviously at their now obviously nervous expressions. Lowering his limbs down, the hands turned into blades and his feet began to trot forward. "But none of us can be safe so long as you keep endangering their operations and uncover their identity to the world too soon. Vegeta's family, Son Goku's family and all of his friends must be silenced. I am all too happy to fulfill the most prior of all the entities that must perish!"
It all made sense to the golden wreathed swordsman. Why all the civilians were evacuated from Capsule Corp HQ's vicinity. Yamcha and his band of thieving misfits being attacked for stealing cargo. And why the mysterious woman Sky was recalled away from a fight. They were trying to keep outlying damage to a minimum because their real enemies wasn't the people of Earth but they themselves. More specifically, anyone related to Goku and Vegeta for whatever purpose was seen as a threat to not only their operations but the whole planet.
He couldn't deny that they had a few close calls, especially with Cell more recently. But since then they were getting a better handle at things. Even the stronger Bojack was proven capable of being defeated if they just used their heads. But now, when they stepped too close into the light of truth of what these people are, it's clear that they were no longer willing to be quiet.
"So, that's how it is. You're just a hired thug part of some self righteous shady group that claims they want to uphold the safety and security for our planet. Like I'd believe what they're selling," Trunks muttered out with a growl, his Super Saiyan aura seeming to dissipate and reveal lavender locks. "Where were they when my future needed them? Where were they when our Earth was in danger against threats time and again? Saving the Earth? LIKE I'D EVER BELIEVE SUCH BULLSHIT!"
When Gaze drew nearer, Trunks' eyes flashed the same green-blue gaze as before when his words rang out with a shout. Taking the sword in just one hand he moved faster than the living Liquid Metal Android predicted. With a single uppercutting stroke of his blade, an immense fissure of exploding light was released at the point of bisecting Gaze from pelvis to his skull. The entire attack so potent that it cut through the earth for nearly the entire evacuated kilometer of housing before rising up into the sky, separating the clouds within the heavens with a clap of thunder.
"Holy-"
"-Shit," Krillin began with Seventeen finishing, leaving Eighteen just open mouthed at what they witnessed. While they couldn't sense Ki, Krillin felt as if all the stored Ki that was within Trunks pulsed directly through his sword in a single swipe. The result left Gaze -or Ginyū- in a state of destruction that he couldn't repair from. Like dust in the wind he had vanished, his soul finally released from his last shell and gone was the last vestige of Freeza's Army.
"Did you take care of the others?" The Trunks of the Future asked the three as he looked on angrily at where the eradicated Gaze once stood.
"Uh, yeah. They're too beat up to move so-"
"Then let's grab my mother and regroup with the others," He authoritatively motioned with a nod, flipping his claymore up into the air. When he bent at the right angle for it to land with a neat click into its scabbard, he walked coolly past them while they just looked at his now less hair covered back. "It's too dangerous for her to be left unchecked at the moment. With father still recovering his Ki, I'm not sure if he'd be awake enough to know someone was entering the premises."
"Good idea," Krillin nodded, still taken aback by how angry Trunks had appeared only moments before. "I think Tien and Chiaotzu were looking after Roshi's house. We could meet up there."
"Fine by me," He murmured as he approached Capsule Corp's lawn.
"And buddy?" The stout, older warrior asked the younger man who stopped to listen to him. "You...alright?"
"No," He sighed out loud, finally trekking past the lawn to open the door to enter inside. "But not as bad as they're going to be when I'm done with them!"
A/N: Whew! Done. This Chapter shouldn't have taken this long to update. I guess you could blame a culmination of other stories being written, sickness, a small bit of procastination and the holidays all piling up for this delay but at least it's here. I would have gotten it up around Christmas time but that wasn't going to happen. Regardless, it's here and I hope it was worth the wait even if the finishes to these fights were a bit rushed. I didn't think much of these "Fanservice Squadsmen" but I did enjoy writing for Gaze/Ginyū. Showing off new forms for the favorite Cyborg twins and Krillin was also fun, along with Trunks revealing his new found control over his Super Saiyan energy.
With a lot of baddies down, how will the remainder handle the Dragon Team? Are their true purposes really for the good of the world, or is it just a front? Who really is the enemy? The answer to those questions will be revealed in time or maybe real soon. Until then, have a Happy New Year and I'll see you next year with the next update!