Hi guys! I'm here with a new chap. Sorry for the late update. Was going to post on Friday but the site wasn't working. Anyway, I hope you guys like the new chapter!
I don't own db/z, it belongs to Toriyama.
Ghost Town
"Curses, I never expected these people to barricade the front doors. Now no one will visit us."
In front of a window stood a man with Indigo hair. He was observing newscasters who were attempting to break into Cold Industries. In front of the doors, the bodyguards stood like a wall. The newscasters couldn't pass any of them. For once they were being useful.
"I can't stay here and hide forever. Eventually, those people will begin to grow suspicious. Darn that man!" Frieza flicks the pen he holds across the room.
He grabs a piece of paper on his desk with a list of his employee's names. His crimson eyes fell upon the name that was destroying his reputation. Son Goku. He slams the paper down on his desk and thinks for a minute. He had more than just this issue. Some of the creatures he and his men had captured were too much for his supposed partner to handle. The beings that served as the power to keep the barrier up. He scratches his head and then dials his partner's private number. He hears a response after three beeps.
"This is unexpected. Why are you calling?"
"I can't call you every hour of the day, Briefs. You know I'm a busy man. Now tell me the barrier's current state. I remember you mentioned that two of them are refusing to comply."
"It's true. It's the monkey tail and green aliens. Compared to the others, I have used more of their energy. They possess the highest amount of stored energy. Their hearts have come close to stopping on a few occasions. Luckily, I have managed to prevent them from failing. You'll likely have to locate other beings that possess an equivalent amount of energy to these two. Not sure how much longer they'll be able to endure this."
"Great, that pair was the strongest we could find. Tell you what, how about you use the power from the others and cut their time in half? Determine the appropriate quantity to prevent their death. We have no time for additional searches. That said, I would like to hear from you in one week."
After ending the call, Frieza sits down and looks across the room thinking 'I'm running out of time. If those two creatures get out of Brief's lab, those ancient scrolls containing information on these aliens could get leaked.' After turning on his laptop, Frieza searches for three locations online.
He reads through a site that was selling properties. A smirk appears on his face as he clicks on the buy icon.
Oh, how nice it was to be filthy rich!
Underground-
"This should be the last batch of exercises for the day," Chichi says, stretching her arms out.
"Good, I felt like I was going to pass out." Goku jokingly says, leaning back.
Finally, a week had passed since Chichi had discussed their training schedule. It was just as she had described. The cardio workouts and obstacle courses were challenging, but Goku didn't regret it. They helped once they got into basic combat. Goku could see a huge difference compared to the first time they fought. He dodged easily and was quicker on his feet. His eyes were sharp enough to follow her movements. It taught him when to strike and helped deflect her blows. He also learned to keep more control over his strength. Since he was building his muscles, it was essential. They would tell him to go to bed early, but he would sneak off to lift weights. He would get five or six hours of sleep at most. Black tea was not his favorite, but it was the only thing that could keep him awake.
As he twists his upper body from side to side, he glances at Chichi. Training with her was easy. Though he expected her to be strict, she would show a different, easy-going side. Knowing that, now and then he would crack a joke or act silly. Watching her hold back from laughing was a plus. Guess she wasn't as scary as he thought.
Chichi was getting up after finishing her leg stretches. She looks at Goku. He's once again doing something else. She watches him perform a handstand. But he didn't stop there. He then lifted a hand slowly, trying to maintain his balance. He shook a bit but remained steady with just a hand. He glances up at her and laughs.
"I guess all this training paid off. Now I can do a handstand with just a han-whoa!" He falls to the ground and groans before finishing.
Chichi watches him sit up and remarks, "I guess you haven't achieved it after all."
"Well, I gave it a shot. What about you? Got some special moves?"
After a brief pause, Chichi raises her hands. She then effortlessly does multiple backflips. She stops on the sixth and bows. "Show off." Goku jokes, clapping.
"That was cool, Chichi! What else can you do?"
They turn to see Bulma entering with a clipboard in hand and a smile on her face. Goku stands up, and Chichi straightens out. Chichi clears her throat and asks, "What are you doing here? You know this is my training time."
"It doesn't look like training to me," Bulma says, smirking at Chichi. Chichi quickly snatches the clipboard from Bulma's hand, trying to ignore her. She looks over it and sees it's an order from Vegeta.
"So, he wants us to leave today at night? That's odd."
"Yeah, I got it from his temporary assistant. She's so annoying." Bulma says, rolling her eyes. "But there's no need to worry. I have already prepared a few essentials you'll need. All that's left is for you to pack your things. Oh, and don't worry, Goku. We had a week's worth of clothes custom-made for you. We checked the size and gave the measurements to the store where they'll be making them from now on."
Goku's eyes widened as he embarrassingly blurted out, "Wait, you mean you broke into my room without asking and went through my stuff?!"
Bulma pats his shoulder and says, giggling at his reaction, "No way! I sent one of the bodyguards. I would never do that. I can't have you walking around in loose clothes. The boss can't stand that or tight-fitted clothes."
"Funny, you mentioned you'd never do that. Did you forget the time you entered my room without permission?" Chichi raises a brow as Bulma replies, "That was different! We're both girls and I wanted to give you a dress for your birthday! Sheesh Chichi, I thought you got over that."
"I'll get over it when you let me go through your room." Chichi points her nose up with a huff as Bulma's shoulders drop. "Fine, whatever. When you return, do what you want, but I swear, if you say anything to Vegeta, I'll never forgive you."
Goku watches back and forth between the two. He takes a few steps back and tries to leave the scene. Right now, what was on his mind was that someone had gone through his stuff. He shivered, hoping it wasn't the buff bodyguard. Knowing that guy, he probably would have spread rumors of his stuff. Oh whatever, it wasn't like he had a lot of things in the room anyway.
At Brief's lab-
At an abandoned, unknown lab by the border separating West City and Southwest, Dr. Briefs was at his desk, busy scribbling notes on a sheet of paper. The two computers before him begin flashing as he moves the cursor between some open files. He sets his pen down and rubs his temples. He knew Frieza needed to have these files emailed by morning, but this was too much. He swivels his chair back and gets up.
Dr. Briefs heads to the tanks that use most of the lab space. He clicks on a few buttons as the tanks start—the water inside forms bubbles around the two figures, who begin rising. He observed both as their oxygen masks illuminated, indicating that air was being supplied.
Dr. Briefs turns a knob that indicates the amount of energy required for the barrier. The bodies start to twitch as he gradually increases the power. The machine absorbed life energy with each centimeter he moved the dial until the maximum limit was reached. The figures were tugging at the chain handcuffs around their wrists and ankles in pain. He looks up and sees the alien that resembles a human, giving him death glares that make him shudder. He clicks a large blue button located beside the knob as the water slowly drains out of the tanks. Both aliens fall on their backs as the oxygen masks come off. Pain struck throughout their bodies from the fall. Even though the human like got most of it's strength sucked out, it manages to sit up.
Water fell from his hair as he glares at the old man. He had his back turned picking up a few scattered papers that fell to the floor. The alien looks down at the cuffs. If only he wasn't wearing them. Hanging his head low, the human like is suddenly struck by pain coming from his lower back. He falls to his side once more. Gritting his teeth together, he angrily thought of these people and how they were going to pay for their wrongdoings. Either by his hands or by someone else's.
Underground-
Nightfall had come as Chichi and Goku headed out of the underground unit. Much to their surprise, Vegeta had postponed a meeting that was scheduled for the same time as their departure. They thought it was to wish them good luck, but they were mistaken. It was to tell them to use the main entrance. The immaculate doorway was his alone. Without uttering another word, he leaves. Chichi rolls her eyes and heads down the hall. Goku follows her down from a distance.
"That's the main door. I can't believe Vegeta's making us use it. It's so old and gross." Chichi scrunches her nose and proceeds to open the door.
Goku sees that it looks like the path he entered. He raises his brow and chuckles. "This is the door I entered. It's not that bad."
"Oh, so you went through here? I'm surprised you're saying it's not that bad. I passed through this smelly and filthy cave once."
"Maybe they've cleaned it since then," Goku says as they go through the door. "It's damp in some places."
They both continue as Goku checks the place out. It looks like they fixed it up since he passed through. He gets distracted and bumps into Chichi. She turns around and gives him a look. He nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. Chichi points down a narrow path. It didn't look familiar to him.
"That's weird; I didn't see this when I went through. Is it some secret way?"
Chichi shakes her head, sighing. "No wonder you thought it wasn't so bad. They brought you through the guard path. Even they have a better path than us."
Without another word, Chichi signals Goku to follow her. They go through the narrow path and open the door at the end. Goku's eyes grow at the sight before him. A large circular brick-made sewer with low-level green water. Green gunk stuck to the walls. The odor from the water was so awful that he felt like throwing up. Goku immediately uses his index finger and thumb to pinch his nostrils. What in the world did they do to deserve this? As he resisted the urge to puke, Chichi was already making her way down. Each side had a small path that could only be crossed sideways. He watches as she carefully advances. At this rate, she was going to be out of sight. He shakes off the feeling of throwing up and goes down the right path. His backpack wasn't making it easy. He had to lean a little forward. As he slides his feet down the brick path, he sees a heap of trash floating in the water. Gulping, he decides to look straight across. That was the only way he was going to keep focused. Minutes go by as his arm bumps into something. He looks to the side and sees that it's a metal ladder. Relieved, he grabs hold and tries to place his foot on a step. He pushes himself up and climbs up the ladder. Moving the sewer cover aside, he exits as he gasps for fresh air. He could have sworn he had seen turtles leaving these things on TV. Whatever, what mattered now was that he was out. He pushes the cover back over the hole and gets up. Scanning his surroundings, he notices Chichi is nowhere to be found. Did she get lost?
"Hey, are you just going to stand there all night?"
Goku turns around and sees Chichi waving down the road beside a shiny gray car. He runs down the road without hesitating. Once he reaches her, the trunk opens as he goes ahead and shoves his backpack in. She takes her bags off her shoulders and throws them in. She closes the trunk as she heads to the driver's side. Upon entering, she sits down and puts her seat belt on. Putting the key into the slot, she starts the car. Fixing the mirrors, she looks to her side. Goku was still adjusting his seat.
"Just put your seat belt on. We have to check in at the hotel in an hour. We're running a bit late." Chichi turns the steering wheel and drives down the road.
"Hotel? I didn't know we were staying at a hotel." Goku says, continuing to get his seat adjusted.
"Bulma put them on reserve. Vegeta would never do something like that."
Goku finally gets the seat right as he looks out the window. "Makes sense. Bulma's always doing everything for him."
"Anyway, we will check in and go to our rooms. As soon as you can, try to get into bed. The plan is to leave for the town where this man supposedly resides at seven o'clock.
"Alright, I'll do my best." He says, as Chichi presses on the gas.
After checking in, they both go to their separate rooms and prepare to go to bed. Chichi had fallen asleep, but Goku was struggling. He couldn't take his mind off the guy no one could capture. He sits up and fluffs his pillow. Right, he didn't have to worry. His priority was to sneak off and escape from these people. He lays his head back down on the pillow. It was nice to have met Bulma, Chichi, and even Vegeta. He shuts his eyes. While it was enjoyable, it was time to go back to his regular life. As Goku falls asleep, the air conditioner blasts cool air into the room.
Goku is awakened by his alarm and heads to the bathroom to prepare. When finished, he heads out and sees Chichi standing by her door. She didn't look so happy.
"You're two minutes late. I said to be up at seven." Chichi watches as Goku enters his card in the slot and pulls it out. "You're still half asleep."
"Hm? What were you saying?" Goku asks, struggling to keep his head up.
Chichi shakes her head as she pushes Goku out of the hotel. Great, she had a feeling today was going to be a long day. After leaving and grabbing a quick bite, they head down to the town.
"I've never seen this place before. Not even when my friend and I moved to the city." Goku stares out the window at the bare landscape. Not one tree was in sight. The grass was all wilted and dry. "It almost looks like a desert."
"Yes, the guards wrote down a description. It was said that this is where the sun strikes the most. People don't come because they know they'll suffer from heatstroke. There have also been reports of people coming here and then vanishing. In my opinion, those people must have run off."
"Maybe. Wait a second, isn't that a car up ahead?" Goku squints his eyes to get a better view. It was far in the distance. It wasn't the only car. There were several other cars scattered around. They all appeared like they were in a car accident.
Chichi also sees them and decides to pull over. When they step outside, the sun's rays hit their skin. Chichi goes to open the car's trunk. She searches through her bags for a hat and a long-sleeved shirt. There was no way she was getting burned. Chichi steps aside and sees Goku using his hand to shield his face. Just as she's about to call him, she notices a hat next to his bag. She grabs it and shuts the trunk.
Goku was so busy checking the cars out that he didn't notice Chichi standing beside him. A baseball cap was in her hand. He forgot he had a cap in his backpack. He sheepishly takes it from her and puts it on.
"I'm not sure if we should go check those cars out. It might delay our search."
"But they could also have clues that could help us," Goku says as he walks to the passenger side "C'mon, let's go by car. The heat's too strong to walk over there."
He made a valid point. Going over there by foot was crazy. She just hoped no one would spot them off the road. When they arrive, they begin to examine the abandoned vehicles. There was broken glass all around them. For some, it was just a shattered windshield; for others the windows were completely broken. The cars' interiors were dusty and dirty. There also were bags of trash and personal belongings. Without thinking, Goku tries to pull out one of the doors. He succeeds, when suddenly he feels a smack on the head. Rubbing his aching head, he turns around and sees Chichi glaring at him.
"What do you think you're doing? You're leaving your fingerprints everywhere!"
"But what if there's something in the glove box?" Goku keeps his eyes fixed on the car. "I'll check it out for you."
"Sure, go right ahead. However, I have no doubt that Vegeta will chop off your head if he sees this on the news." Chichi says, watching her young partner go through a few papers. "What are those papers about?"
Goku quickly scans each one before pausing on one that piques his interest. The headline read, 'Ghost Town'. When he turns the page over, there is nothing else written. He gives the page to Chichi.
"Take a look at this. All it has is a title. Maybe writers were trying to visit this place."
Chichi looks over the page. Like Goku said, all it had was a title. She was about to give it back, when she noticed something at the bottom. Raising the page, she squints to see the name Trek in tiny letters. The name Trek seemed familiar. Where had she heard that name? The heat was clouding her thoughts.
"Son, let's get back to the car. We'll be taking this with us."
Goku nods as they return to the car. Goku turns on the air conditioner while Chichi starts the engine. After driving for approximately an hour, they eventually come across the town. Surprisingly, nothing had happened to them or the car. Either they were lucky, or something was up. They step out and walk down, entering the town. They see old, abandoned shops, restaurants, and houses. There was not a single person in sight. The wind starts to pick up as it carries the dust from the roads into the air. They both cover their eyes until the wind subsides.
"Now, what should we do?" Goku asks as he continues to walk beside Chichi. She thinks and then responds, "We should check some of these places out. We'll meet up at that house over there."
Chichi points to a small blue house with a porch. Goku nods and they head in different directions.
Goku glances back at Chichi, who is almost out of sight. He remembers his goal of sneaking away from these people.
'I got a chance to escape now. But why do I feel like staying? Man, I've got to make a decision soon.'
As Goku strolls down, he suddenly hears a crashing sound coming from the house up ahead. He quickly rushes over and opens the door. As he steps inside, he sees a group of children huddling in a corner of the house. A table was flipped over beside them. What were these kids doing in a place like this? He thought this place was abandoned. He raises his hands.
"Hi, I was just passing by." He slowly heads over to them. The oldest moves in front of the others with his arms spread out, shaking.
"S-stay back if you know what's good for ya!" The boy shouts as he points a finger at Goku. "Trek doesn't like strangers!"
Goku chuckles as he says, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I have a question. Why are you all here by yourselves?"
A small boy dashes to the nearest open window. He then cups his hands on either side of his mouth and shouts, "Trek, help!"
Goku looks at the child, confused. Was there another person here? Just as he was about to tell the kid to calm down, Goku saw the child cheer and then lower to the ground. It all happened so fast. He saw a figure jump in through the window, heading right at him with a fist. Goku raises his arms to shield himself from the punch. The fist's impact sends him flying out the door. He lands on the dusty road, his back hurting. The man stood a few feet away with a scowl on his face.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A trespasser who wants to hurt a group of defenseless kids. Pretty low if you ask me," a smirk forms on his lips. "But don't worry, I'll fight ya in their place."
'Oh no this must be the guy we've been searching for! Great, guess I'll have to stall him until Mao arrives.' He thinks, getting up from the ground.
And that's it! Who is this person they've been hunting down? And what's he doing in this abandoned town with kids? Find out in the next chap! Thanks for the continued support. Means a lot.
Please read & review!
*Aira-Ni-Lights