A motherlode of all headaches seeped inside Bulma's brain. Electric impulses danced the devil's jig in her neurons, making it so that despite Bulma's own opinion on the matter, she had no other choice but to voice her awakening with a painful grunt. Her first instinct was to caress her forehead and twitching temples, but once she tried, the head of Capsule Corps realized that someone had bound her in steel wires and hung her like wet laundry.
"Bulma!" a voice resonated through a dark hall. Alarmed, Bulma scanned the place she now found herself in.
She was hanging inside of a dark, square chamber. Because of the limited lighting and the size of the room, Bulma couldn't be sure what the walls had been made of but they looked to be solid metal and had occasional beeps and switching colorful light patterns, shifting about once in a while. All this suggested that she may have been inside that cybernetic planetoid that had been hanging over Planet Vegeta.
"That voice… Vegeta?" Bulma groaned.
"Mom! You're okay!" little Trunks whined out. Bulma turned her head toward his voice and as she focused on it, she could make out a shadowy form of her own little boy hanging bound by those same steel wires, just like she was. His voice sounded distressed. The poor guy must have been bawling his mouth out while she was out. This must be so scary to him. They needed to find a way to escape this mechanical prison.
Before Bulma could begin formulating a plan, minute cubicles began shifting on the floor. A dark opening revealed itself in the center and in between each of the bound prisoners. Despite the ever-present electric hum in the air, soft and high-pitched mechanical thuds accompanied by automated hydraulic noises all too familiar to Bulma came from the opening that resembled something in between a conveyor and a staircase.
"So, Vegeta's concubine woke up," a silver-colored humanoid with a striking similarity to Frieza's own true form emerged from the opening in the floor. The outer layer of armored shell covering his forehead, his chest, and shoulders, and his forearms and lower body had been a darker shade of silver, almost with a hint of teal to it, whereas the inner cybernetic mesh was pale grey. Despite the limited lighting, his red eyes would have penetrated even complete darkness. "That's great. We can finally pick up the efficiency of fuel production. Scooping trash like you and bringing you all the way to the Big Gete Star was a feat in of itself, so we'll be expecting you to play your part in compensating our losses."
"You're so rude! Is that any way to treat a visitor from another planet?" Bulma lashed back at the silver cyborg, the best that her condition allowed. "I have a name, you know. It's Bulma!"
"You'll have to excuse me, Earthling. We have a habit of not attributing names to batteries. Especially ones that aren't even all that productive and quite lacking in the power capacity department," the cyborg replied with a mechanized and cybernetically enhanced voice tone that sounded sophisticated. Bulma had never imagined something aristocratic and elite sounding so serpentine at the same time. Though she had no doubts that this tailed humanoid here was a snake. She felt sure that she'd have come to the same conclusion even if he hadn't strung her and her family up like some sick and twisted gallery display of their defeat and capture.
"If I'm so bad, how come you've brought me up here instead of having your robot army blast me away like they did those poor Saiyan soldiers that came to our aid?" Bulma objected. While she didn't particularly want to antagonize whatever this silver cyborg was, since she figured that her life and that of her son and lover were in its hands at the moment, her dignity and her own unique type of pride in her accomplishments and intelligence demanded her to earn this creature's respect and shed the treatment of a worthless insect.
She was Bulma. The head of Capsule Corps, the most influential and powerful corporation on Planet Earth that made breakthroughs in technological endeavors, space exploration, and medicine daily, and rivaled even the universal conglomerates despite them being unaware of their Earthling competition. She was the mother of the Saiyan prince and was involved with King Vegeta IV. The current King of Saiyans and the most powerful military force in the known universe. If this creature disrespected that and underestimated her and her family, it was this silver cyborg and its Big Gete Star that weren't up to snuff.
"Make no mistake, it would not have taken the grievous crimes of those vile Earthlings against this one's clan for this one to see the Cyclopian Guard blast you into oblivion in the most painful way imaginable. Disposing each one of your subtle limbs at a time, not by blasting them off and singing the ends of your nerves, but by having our Cyclopian Guard pull them apart bit by bit, stomp, crush and rip them off of you one by one. However, we've discovered something innately amusing while your impending hourly agony at the hands of the world's most indifferent and mechanically efficient torturers approached. You're a woman of science, from what we've gathered of the runt's ramblings, right?" the cyborg wondered, slowly approaching Bulma and grabbing a handful of her hair to examine the helpless, strung up woman with his red eyes. As he did so, Bulma could see calculations running through his eyes, almost as if they were a radar and a scouter in of itself.
"I wasn't the one that got involved with King Cold and Frieza if that's what you're wondering…" Bulma growled in the cyborg's face. "You must be this Cooler that the Saiyans on the landing station addressed when speaking to your robot goons."
"This one is Project Meta-Cooler. We are but another one of Big Gete Star's creations. Projects, so to speak, to ensure that we meet its goals. The higher the star's power, the more fuel it has, the grander and more ambitious the project. It just so happened that the original Cooler had been so interesting to the Big Gete Star, that the two had formed a sort of symbiotic relationship with the original becoming the very core of the Big Gete Star's being," Meta-Cooler explained itself before letting go of Bulma's head and walking off into the center that had closed the opening through which the silver cyborg had ascended to this fueling facility.
"There's nothing interesting about you trash!" Vegeta objected. "You're just a washed-up has-been. You've always been a nobody! Even your precious daddy discarded you for your younger brother! It was only a matter of time before the legendary Super Saiyan ascended to his rightful place at the top of the universe and wiped you off the face of the galaxy with the rest of your trash toys!"
"Yes, I suppose you defeated the original Cooler," Meta-Cooler turned his attention to Vegeta. "Defeated the original so soundly that you left its fleshy remains just floating in cold and dead space. Though you've appeared to make the same mistake my younger brother did and didn't finish your little coup-job and wipe the original out completely. If you truly played a hand in eliminating the original's little brother, you'd have known about the Cold clan's unnatural vitality. Indeed, the original had survived until the Big Gete Star contacted its remains."
"What is this Big Gete Star? Is it one of Frieza Army cruisers?" Bulma asked while struggling against the bondage that expanded and crawled further up and down her body with the speed of growing vines. Almost like it was some natural bio-organic growth.
"No. In fact, neither the original Cooler nor King Cold was aware of its existence prior to the contact. It can somehow remain completely dark to all radar technology when it wants to be, emerging only to integrate assets vital to prolonging its existence, replenishing its supplies, and enacting its ultimate goals. That happened to the original Cooler," Meta-Cooler replied, turning back to Bulma again.
"And what are the Big Gete Star's goals, if it isn't working for the Frieza Army?" Bulma asked again.
"For all to become Big Gete Star. The star won't reveal its origins to this one or any others. Not even the remains of the original Cooler are aware of the star's origins or its creator. However, the Big Gete Star craves to integrate and know everything. Through absorption, integration, and duplication, the Big Gete Star shall take control of the entire universe. It will become the entire universe. Thusly, the universe shall, for the first time, make perfect and complete sense–the Big Gete Star will make sure of that," Meta-Cooler beamed a smirk and struck a wide-open pose to the strung-up scientist.
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you, anyone, or anything else!" Bulma objected. In her objection, she tried to yank and pull her bindings apart. It was a gamble that depended on just how much this Big Gete Star and this Meta-Cooler underestimated her, though the bindings may have very well been immovable as far as she was concerned. They had been so stuck to her at this point that they may very well have grown into her flesh and become a part of her body now.
"Well, it doesn't really matter what you believe. You will not see the Big Gete Star's ascension and its perfect and rational alternative universe. That will be our punishment to you, a vile Earthling scientist woman who not only spawned Vegeta's child but also did away with Cooler's family. It must be the ultimate form of punishment to a scientist to never get to see and know or be a part of the perfect, rational, and polished universe," Meta-Cooler dismissed Bulma's response and began walking away toward the center of the fueling facility he strung his prisoners up in.
"I told you already, we had nothing to do with that! That was all Dr. Puri. She's our enemy, not our ally!" Bulma yelled out again.
"It doesn't matter. The Big Gete Star will pay a visit to your pathetic planet soon enough, anyway. The only reason it hasn't so far is that the power of Super Saiyans is still considerable to us. It is also, however, an unmatched fuel cell to drive the Big Gete Star's expanse across the universe," Meta-Cooler once again swatted Bulma's potential attempts to talk him into assisting them in dealing with Dr. Puri and her Artificial Human army.
Vegeta's bawl resonated through the cybernetic haven. Filling its endless and complex system of hallways and earning a curious look from Meta-Cooler.
"Quaking your little, tin-can legs, Cooler? You're right to do so. This Big Gete Star of yours replenishes my stamina and strength by providing me nourishment through these same tubes. Each time you drain my power to the brink of death and treat me back to full health so you can drain me again, I become much stronger and it's only a matter of time before I break out. And then… We'll find out if cybernetic clones can experience fear and how passionately they can beg for their lives! Or maybe it will be death you beg for? Reducing your precious star to space junk is just a flick of a Super Saiyan's fingers, Cooler!" Vegeta tried to intimidate Meta-Cooler, though the cybernetic clone appeared thoroughly unimpressed, based on his expression.
"You appear to confuse our hesitation to attack Earth for fear of the Super Saiyans' power. In that case, it is you who is the fool, King Vegeta. We do not fear the Super Saiyan's power. In fact, if memory serves, the original Cooler thoroughly beat a Super Saiyan within an inch of his life. We hesitate because we wish to ensure absolute victory and not waste too many resources on Earth's integration. Heck, knowing the original's hatred for the planet, integration is just not in the stars for it," Meta-Cooler shut Vegeta down and forced the Saiyan king to switch from cheerful intimidation to rebellious thrashing in his restraints.
"My dad is going to wreck you! With the help of my mom at his side, some cyber-sleaze won't keep them down for long!" little Trunks joined in on his father's resistance by kicking about himself. A brilliant and transparent aura burst around the youth's body as he pulled his wrists and yanked to test the integrity of his restraints with childish thrashing matching that of his father's in violent intent. Though both eventually slumped powerless when the coils began draining their strength and left them powerless sacks fueling the Big Gete Star's cybernetic revolution.
"This is a fine demonstration of exactly why all of you are still alive. While the Big Gete Star values the original Cooler and the Meta-Cooler project and sees them as essential for its success, it undermines the original Cooler's hatred for you because of how efficient a fuel cell King Vegeta is. His little son serves as an adequate little battery himself, though both of you also seem to bring out incredible power from within the king's spirit when put into jeopardy. That was why I intervened, on Big Gete Star's orders, to spare the Earthling woman's life. Observe…" Meta-Cooler stepped aside from the center only to see electricity jolt down the mechanical coils restricting all the live prisoners. Vegeta and Trunks grunted in pain at first, but then Vegeta's grunts became a mocking cackle.
"Is that the best you can do, you mercurial ameba?" Vegeta spat somewhere in Meta-Cooler's remote direction, ignoring the jolts passing down his restraints. Emboldened by the rebellious nature of his father, little Trunks settled down and began no-selling the electric torture as well.
"This was not meant to agonize you two…" Meta-Cooler smirked before moving out of the way to show Bulma wriggling and moaning with the most restraint she could muster up before the pain became impossible to tolerate and thus she screamed her lungs out and began violently thrashing in torment herself.
It was as if someone had been pouring a mixture of supercharged acid and mercury down each and every blood vessel while someone stabbed each of her organs through with hot rods and jerked them non-stop with ever-shifting motion routines. The thought of biting off her tongue and seeing if she could drown herself in her own blood occurred to Bulma almost immediately after the torture started. The devious instinct to avoid torment made her try to swat away the thoughts of her son and husband, of Earth… When the electric torture became replaced by the feeling of knitting needles being pulled out from her veins that being drained of energy and fueling the Big Gete Star felt like, Bulma flopped spiritless, and not even further electrical aggravation could wake her up from the state of complete defeat.
This would be the rest of her life, for as long as she could survive it.
"Bulma!" Vegeta's roar filled the fueling station. A golden aura surrounded him, blasting away instead of merely igniting and causing a rumbling shock wave all throughout the Big Gete Star as the fueling station lit up with golden lights and all of its cybernetic processes kicked into overdrive at once. Vegeta's golden hair spiked up as the teal eyes of a Super Saiyan blanked out into all-whites and the swelling up muscles and veins showed the once proud and mighty Saiyan king to be nothing more but a miserable rage beast right now.
"Hear how he roars?" Meta-Cooler approached the slumped Bulma and picked her head up by pinching her cheeks, showing Super Saiyan Vegeta the blank and defeated look in his woman's eyes. "This gives out over ten times the energy output he can put out normally. With each one of these little outrages, he fuels tens of billions of other projects. This energy can forge entire systems and clone the Big Gete Star itself many times over. The universe might not make much sense, but the means of conquering it and forcing it to bend to cold and calculated efficiency of clockwork and gears have never been clearer."
"COOLER! I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!" Vegeta bellowed as thunderous crackles passed down the chain of cybernetic coils binding him. A pop and the noise of shattering glass came from the eastern sections of the fueling station. Meta-Cooler turned to the side, observing the malfunction with a dire look.
"I'LL USE YOUR HEADLESS BODY AS A MACE TO THRASH THIS PATHETIC SWEATSHOP, THEN PEEL IT APART WITH MY BARE HANDS!" Vegeta cried out with desperation as all of his body swelled up at once, releasing a singular pulse that resonated throughout the entire Big Gete Star. This outrage caused a tremendous chain reaction of minor implosions within its interconnected network of mechanical systems. With a dragging punch, the King of Saiyans ripped the coils wrapped around his right arm off of from wherever they connected to, repeating this with the rest of his limbs as he flopped on his knees and looked up to Meta-Cooler with a pissed expression.
"Step… Away from her… Filth…" Vegeta panted a grunt with each troubled breath before rising and taking a fighting stance meant for an all-out offensive.
"Well… This is unexpected," Meta-Cooler sighed, releasing Bulma's cheeks and leaving her head to slump helplessly in a state in between life and death. "Though we guess you can't make good progress without having a few hiccups along the way and being forced to break a few tough eggs. Perhaps if we broke your arms and legs, you'd still provide excellent energy to fuel the…"
Vegeta didn't let Meta-Cooler finish, soaring across the distance between them with a dashing punch aimed right at the cyborg's cheek, though he only collided with an immovable grip of Meta-Cooler's hand. Vegeta grunted and hissed while he struggled with Meta-Cooler, who slowly but assuredly moved Vegeta's arm away from his face and now had full control over the body of his swelling up and infuriated opponent.
The cyborg swiftly pulled the thrashing king in for a grab and pinched his head by lifting his opponent off the ground with one arm. Without a care in the world, he swatted Vegeta aside to slam into the outer wall of the Big Gete Star. Meta-Cooler turned to little Trunks. Calculations ran through his cybernetically augmented and altered eyes.
"Or perhaps we ditch king Vegeta entirely and leave this young prince as the sole fuel provider for our future endeavors? The Earthling's agony inspires a similar reaction in him as well…" Meta-Cooler continued to consult the Big Gete Star's artificial intelligence, absolutely ignoring Vegeta's repeated attempts at reducing him to spare scrap for the harm he had inflicted upon his Earthling lover and the soul-crushing torture she suffered at his hands.
"The Big Gete Star does not concur… A pity, this one shares the distaste for your personage of the original right now," Meta-Cooler sneered at the approaching Vegeta, who once again ignited the Super Saiyan from within the depths of his spirit and menacingly approached to make good of his earlier threats.
"Hang tight, Bulma. I'll make you cheer for me, or I'll make you reel back in horror at how cruel I can be. One way or another, I'll make you snap out of it!" Vegeta made a proclamation by clenching his fist so hard that an ethereal, golden shimmer distorted space like a mirage around it with a gravitational curve around it.