Mizu entered the lab, twiddling her thumbs. She was still thinking about everything with Okra and the investigation. Even as she had time to think everything over and try to explain it all away, she just couldn't. As much as her pride didn't want her to admit, she needed a second opinion.
"Haricot," she asked, "can I talk to you about something?"
Haricot looked up from his notes. He was sitting at a table in the middle of the room. "What is it," he asked.
Mizu sighed. "Listen. I've been thinking about Okra and the evidence. Does it seem… strange, to you? That she's been finding all of this stuff that we haven't?"
He closed the notes and pushed them to the side. "What makes you say that?"
"I don't know. I asked her where she found them and she wouldn't tell me. Why not? If these murders are supposed to be solved, why wouldn't some one share whatever scraps of information that they had? It doesn't make any sense."
"Perhaps solving the murders isn't her real priority."
She tilted her head to one side. "What do you mean?"
He stood up and walked to another end of the lab, pulling a box of files off of the shelf. "Since she rejoined, I've been making note of all of the information she's given us. It's all been about Gero and the Earth. None of it pertains to the android actually carrying out the murders. Learning about Gero might be important, but with our alliance with the Earth paused, it doesn't do us much good to know all of the finer details about his life." He placed the box on the desk. "See for yourself."
Mizu pulled out a stack of papers at random. Sure enough, they were all about Gero. Not a one of them mentioned the murderer. "Why would she do that?"
"I can't tell you for certain, but I do know that she hasn't liked our relationship with the Earth since the beginning. Maybe this is more about sticking it to them, instead of solving the murders."
She blinked. She did recall hearing her complaining about them, when she first came to the lab. Now that Mizu thought about it, she didn't think that Earth was complicit until Okra had brought it up. Add on that she was so singularly focused on Gero and his relationship with the entire planet… could she have some other agenda at play?
"Mizu, what brought this on? You were the one who lobbied for Okra to return."
She shrugged, as she handed the files back to him. "I was just thinking and… nothing about this adds up. And when I asked her about it, she got really defensive."
"Yes, she's had a tendency to do that. Taking offense at the slightest pushback against her thoughts and theories."
She would have dismissed Haricot as being jealous just a week ago. But now, she was starting to see his perspective. "Do you think pausing the alliance was a mistake?"
He slid the files back into the box, lifting it off of the table. "What I think is hardly relevant. Do you think it was a mistake, Mizu?"
She looked down at her feet, fidgeting around. "At first, I thought it was the right thing. If there was some big threat on Earth to us, then we needed to put some distance between us. But now… maybe it was a little hasty." Though she didn't say it out loud, she felt culpability and guilt for her involvement. She was the one who presented all of that material to the council, which pushed them to sever the alliance. And now she learned that the information she got might not have been given to her in good faith. "Do you think there's a way to restore it?"
He pushed the box back onto the shelf. "Not without contacting the Earth."
She sighed, running her fingers through her dark crimson hair. So she had helped ruin an alliance because of manipulated information and she couldn't even do anything to reverse it. What a great scientific thinker she turned out to be.
"However," he continued. He glanced around the room for a moment. "I've heard rumblings that General Nappa and the prince are trying to find a way around it. If that's true and if they were ever caught, they'd most certainly be charged with high treason for disobeying a direct order from the council. But, if someone wanted to get in contact with the Earth, that might be their best bet."
Her eyes flicked over to him. "What are they planning? How are they gonna do it?"
"One would have to ask either of them. If what I heard is correct, then they'd need another hand - one with experience working with technology. Just like the people who work in this lab. But, sadly, if I ever caught them, I'd have to report them for violating orders from the council."
"Just like how you'd have to report Nappa and the prince, right?"
"Precisely."
Mizu knew what she had to do. "I'm gonna go. If anyone asks-"
"I'll say you're down in the archives."
She nodded, with a confident smile on her face. "Right!" And so, she took off running out of the lab and down the hall. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too late.
Vegeta glared at the communicator screen. He really didn't want to do this. He was hating himself for even considering it. They couldn't be that desperate to go to them. But deep down, as loathed as he was to admit, Nappa made a decent point. If shit really hit the fan, as Bulma liked to put it, they might have to look for help in bad places.
After much deliberation, he typed in the communication number and hit enter. He waited for a minute until he received an answer. On the screen, there was a soldier, wearing a green armor plate with golden shoulder pads and purple spandex. In the middle of his chest plate was a crest - two white triangles pointed downwards.
He looked to the side. "I request an audience with Lord Cooler," he bit out.
The soldier on the other end looked surprised. Nevertheless, he began typing at his station and put him on hold. Vegeta crossed his arms and tapped his fingers on his bicep. He hated that he had to be so cordial with him, but there was no other choice.
Finally, the screen came on, again. On the other end was a man with deep purple skin, a white-armored shell over his head and shoulders and a blue shell in the middle of his forehead. His piercing red eyes bore through the screen like a pair of red lasers. And his lips were upturned in a smirk. All features that Vegeta was far too familiar with.
"Ah, Vegeta. What a pleasant surprise. I never thought I'd receive the honor of corresponding with you."
He exhaled through his nose. Now wasn't the time to get angry. "I have a question to ask of you. I wish to keep this short, if you wouldn't mind."
An amused glint shimmered in Cooler's eyes. "Why certainly. Now, what is it that you've deemed worthy enough to finally contact me for?" He leaned his cheek on one of his hands.
"Are you able to communicate with far-reaching planets at a moment's notice?"
"I'd be a terrible emperor if I couldn't. Why ever do you wish to know? Do you want to consider becoming business partners? We could use all of your Saiyan strength in our empire."
He wanted nothing more than to turn him down flatly and end the call there. "No thank you," managed to growl out. He looked down. This was mortifying.
Cooler laughed - a laugh that made his hair stand up on its end. "Very well, then." He paused. "This question wouldn't have anything to do with Earth, would it?"
Vegeta's eyes flicked back to the screen. His heart jumped in his chest.
"No need to look so surprised, Vegeta. I'm quite aware of your relationship troubles. What a shame that it's fallen on hard times." He grabbed a glass of wine and twirled it gently in his hand. "You know, about four months ago, I recall seeing one of your ships passing by. But I haven't seen it since. Is there a lovers' quarrel taking place, perhaps?"
"That is none of your concern," he nearly hissed out.
Cooler raised a hand to his chest, feigning surprise. "I meant no offense, Vegeta. I only wish to know more about the woman who's ensnared you, so. She seems quite lovely. But since you seem so, how you say, against sharing, I'll leave the subject be."
Vegeta took a deep breath, trying his damnest not to snap. He was just toying with him, trying to get him upset. Why else would he try to bring Bulma into this? He hoped that was the only reason.
"Now, is that truly the only reason you've called me? Just to ask about my communication systems?"
"As a matter of fact - yes. I'll be taking my leave from you, now."
"Before you do, I have something I'd like to say." He sighed. "I know you and my family haven't had the sunniest of friendships. But I want you to understand that I wish to make amends. I hated my brother - I always have. He was a fool and deserved whatever fate came to him. Perhaps one day, we can put all of that messy history behind us and start anew. Our empires can benefit more if we work together, wouldn't you agree?"
He'd believe it when he saw it. "That's up to you."
"Is it, now? Then I guess we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. Until then, Vegeta." Cooler waved at him once, before the transmission cut off.
Vegeta pushed the chair back and stormed out of the room. That was a giant waste of time. Dealing with the Colds was the last thing he needed. Even putting aside the fact that one of them was responsible for the Saiyan's near-extinction, the mere thought of teaming up with any of them for any reason made him feel sick to his stomach. Especially in regards to Cooler. If all of the stories he'd heard about him were true, then he was the worst of the lot of them - a miserable tyrant without a trace of empathy in his body. He'd let someone think that he was more kind-hearted than he let on, only to cruelly twist it and throw it back in their faces. Even Frieza was more respectable and honest.
For everyone's sake, he hoped they would never have to work with him.
After her conversation with Haricot, Mizu spent the rest of the morning running around the palace looking for Nappa. It had started to feel like a wild goose chase. The palace was so big and there were so many people there that it felt impossible that she'd be able to find him. She didn't want to ask, in case someone would get suspicious. After all, she hadn't had many interactions with him before this.
Finally, after a few hours of searching, she found him. He was walking down a hallway near the dining hall. She quickly ran up to him. "Excuse me? Nappa, sir?"
He stopped walking and looked down at her. "Yeah?"
"I know this is really sudden, but could I talk to you about something, for a second?"
"Sure. You're one of the scientists at the lab. Mizu, right?"
She nodded. "Yes! Though, it's kind of sensitive information, so… is there somewhere quieter we could go talk?"
"I guess, but what's this about? Did you discover something?"
She glanced around, before standing on her toes to whisper to him. "I heard about your plans - I wanna help."
His eyes widened. He and Vegeta had taken extra care to not tell anyone that didn't need to know and to only speak of it in private. How did she find out about it? Nevertheless, he nodded. "No one's ever in the old courtyard - we'll talk there."
The two quickly walked to the old palace courtyard. At one time, it was bustling with life, people coming and going at a quick pace. But as the palace grew bigger to fit more and more people inside of it, it became abandoned. There were other, faster ways to get to one's destination, so they no longer needed to pass through the courtyard. The plants in the garden were overgrown and the statues and pottery were covered in dust and grime from the years, with not so much as a fingerprint on them. Making it the perfect place to discuss secrets.
"So, I have to ask," Nappa said, leaning up against a pillar, "how did you find out about this?"
She shifted in place, rocking backwards and forwards on her feet. "Haricot said that you were doing something. He didn't know what it was, though. I had been thinking about all of the evidence and I know I was the one who brought up everything that made the council cut ties with the Earth, but… maybe it was a mistake."
"It isn't your fault. You just reported on what you found."
"Yeah, but… what I found might not have been found in good faith." She shook her head. "Regardless, I still wanna help you guys. Do you really think you can contact the Earth again?"
"We haven't had any luck, yet, but we're still trying. I'd tell you more, but this is a highly sensitive mission. It's not that I don't trust you, but we can't afford to have anymore people learning about it. Plus, if we got caught and they found out you were helping us, you could get implicated for treason, too. And I don't want to force that onto you."
She was surprised. That was really considerate of him. "I understand. Is there still some way I can help?"
Nappa put his hand on his chin and thought. "There might be. Did your lab hold onto the old scouters? Back when Frieza and everyone else were here?"
"I think so." She recalled seeing them a few months ago in the archives.
"Bring one of them to me. If anyone asks, say that I needed to run some drills using it."
"Okay. I will. I know you said that I can't know a lot, but what do you think it'll be good for? Those things are useless, unless the other person has one. How do you plan on getting it to Earth, with the alliance cut off?"
He pushed himself off of the pillar and walked up to her. "Leave that to us to figure out. But, since you seem really that eager to help, if we run into something that we don't know what to do with, you'll be the first person I'll call."
She beamed. No one had ever asked for her, specifically, for anything. Even Okra never said anything to her like that. "Thank you, sir."
"No thanks necessary, kiddo. I appreciate the enthusiasm. Though, if you don't mind me asking, you mentioned that the evidence wasn't given to you in good faith: why do you think so?"
The smile faded from her face. "I don't know. It's just, with everything we've been finding, it just seems too convenient. Like, we found it too easily, and the process wasn't organic. And some people on the team might not have good motivations to do so. Does that make sense?"
"No, I get it. Well, if you do ever find anything that might help, let me know. Sounds good?"
She nodded. "Yes. Thank you, sir."
He laughed. "There's no need to be so formal. You can just call me Nappa."
She blinked. She never expected such a high-ranking official to be okay with being referred to casually. "Of course, sir. I mean! Yes, I will."
He smiled down at her. "When you get that scouter, come find me." He patted her on the shoulder and left the courtyard.
Mizu took a deep breath and exhaled. This was uncharted territory she was about to enter. She hadn't done anything this risky without Okra by her side. She was on her own and couldn't rely on her anymore. As much trepidation she had, she was also excited. This was going to be her chance to truly prove herself.
And maybe, just maybe, it would bring them one step closer to solving the murders once and for all.