.

DRAGON BALL HARDCORE

THE STORY OF RADITZ, part 2

.

.

From his subconscious Raditz could only hear the sound of bubbles. He was in a healing pod; the first one in an awful lot of time. Once he woke up, he opened his eyes with a beep that came from the machine. The green liquid slowly started going down the drain by his feet until it was all gone. The oxygen mask pulled itself from his face and the glass opened. He was still in the same destroyed armor, but he now had shackles on his wrists; resembling a big cinder block made of metal. He tried breaking himself free of them but they were too strong. Raditz quickly realized that it was made of Katchin; the strongest metal in the universe.

When he stepped forward the healing pod behind him closed itself off, and a hatch on the ground opened really fast as the pod was pulled inside, then it quickly closed again. He looked around and found himself in a dull, square room that looked just as gray as his shackles. The door was right in front of him, but of course it had no knob. Raditz was about to release a powerful blast to at least try and destroy the door, but it turned out he wasn't alone in that room. "It won't work. And besides, calm down- I don't wanna die from being blown up by my roommate."

Raditz turned around and saw a little man sitting on a stool. He had orange skin and a white beard, looked absolutely pathetic, and wore a beanie and a gray jumpsuit with the Frieza Logo on it. Raditz immediately recognized the clothes as being a simple staff worker, like a driver or fixer; while the little man recognized his armor as being one of Frieza's soldiers, and given the shackles, he must be a strong one.

Raditz asked where he was, and it was indeed the lower confinements of Frieza Planet 79. He then asks for how long he has been there, and the man remarked, "look, if you're gonna ask more than one question then we need to stop talking like strangers. The name's Lemo. What's yours, Saiyan?"

"Raditz…"

"Well, Raditz, you've been asleep for about a day since this healing pod is a garbage-old model. Soldiers were checking on you through the door every couple of hours, and to your luck they were here a few minutes ago. You got yourself in some big trouble, huh?"

Raditz looked up and down for an exit, but both the ground and walls were too smooth; he couldn't find any weak spot to open. Blasting down the door was his only way out, but Lemo pointed out that the entire cell is reinforced by Kachin. Raditz says he has no other choice; if he can bend the door just a little bit he might be able to force it open. But Lemo continued, "What good will that do? You'll just instantly activate the alarms and send a whole squad of elites to come put you down. Then you'll be put on security level 2, and you can say goodbye to moving your arms AND your legs."

That got Raditz to calm down. "How do I get out of here, then?!"

Lemo didn't understand why they didn't kill him already if he's so dangerous, but Raditz explains that Frieza personally wants some information from him; information that he doesn't have. It was a pretty messy story. Lemo was quite intrigued by the whole situation, but he too wanted to escape. He was put there because he was caught with some "unregistered goods" in his transport ship. He has been working for Cold and Frieza for nearly a hundred years now and they didn't even care to let him slip once. His sentence was of a couple dozen years, but after a while they started throwing ideas of execution. Now he wanted to break free and Raditz seemed to be strong enough to help him.

Raditz asked how the hell are they escaping from here, and Lemo said that he has a friend in the station right now. She was supposed to help him out a few weeks ago but she didn't show up yet for some reason. Maybe if Raditz manages to buy some time with his interrogation, she'll come and help them eventually.

…

Just then, both heard some steps from the other side of the door. Someone was counting: "71… 72… 73…" and finally the steps ended right in front of their door. Raditz got ready to tackle whoever opened it; hiding above the door. They heard a card swipe near the panel, but it didn't work. Then they started hearing a lot of other sounds, most of it being technological gibberish. Finally they hear a little shock, and the door slides up.

At first it seemed like just another soldier, wearing the purple spandex, protective white helmet, the armor and the gauntlet weapons of the usual weak recruit. But then that soldier took off his helmet, "well, looks like you're still in one piece, Lemo."

It turned out to be a girl disguised in soldier armor. A little green lady with white hair and purple eyes. Lemo referred to her as Cheelai, getting very emotional when he saw that she actually came to save him, but then his attitude changed in a split second, pinching her by the ear and scoffing her, "Why did you let me rot in here for five months?! Look at the size of my beard!"

Cheelai then pulled and twisted his beard down, "Do you honestly think it's easy to just walk in and leave this planet with a prisoner?! I needed to wait for the right time, idiot! And besides, that beard looks nicer than your usual ugly face, so be grateful!"

To cut it short, the duo had a lot of catching up to do. Lemo eventually asks why today of all days they have lessened the security, and Cheelai's response was kind of comical. "I don't know exactly how it happened, but some idiot blew a couple dozen ships at the East Deck, and then the whole communications lobby, and then there was a chase that destroyed the inner corridors, and finally a fight broke out that wrecked the Main Assembly Hall. All soldiers and fixers are on duty to patch everything up; this is our golden chance!"

Lemo picked himself up and was ready to leave. Apparently, Lemo's cargo ship is still accumulating dust in the West Deck, and that should be their way out. While the soldiers are at the opposite end of the whole station, they shouldn't meet up with any goons if they are careful. Lemo then remarks that it would be impossible, as one bad encounter with any soldier would be the end for them. Fortunately, Lemo met a new friend.

Cheelai was confused, but then she turned around. Raditz had already jumped down, and stood there menacingly behind her. She got so startled that she stepped back and fell on top of Lemo. "Just get me rid of these things, quick!" Raditz said, but she remarked that he didn't look very trustworthy. Raditz reinforced; "listen, I'm leaving this place with or without these shackles on me. But if you help me get them off, I'll tolerate you two until we get to the West Deck. Sounds good?"

Cheelai said that she doesn't have the keys, only the security guard near the elevator carries them. Raditz jumped off the cell and started running through the dark corridors. Cheelai asked what they should do, and Lemo replied, "Just follow him!"

…

The security of the confinements was sorely lacking. Mostly because there's not many people there and those prisoners aren't that strong. So when the elevator guard went to grab another hot blue beverage for himself, he didn't expect to get his head bashed in by Raditz. Cheelai and Lemo were horrified by how strong and brutal he was. She had to unlock his shackles for him, and was trembling under his cold stare. He was finally free, and now with his hands free he could feel a surge of power through his body. That fight with Cui made him a miracle, and for some reason they didn't cut off his tail. He was still in the advantage, somewhat.

"Green woman, that armor you're using, give it to me," said Raditz. His was a wreck, and if they were to see him in those they would suspect him immediately. If they walk along with him wearing proper armor it should be no problem. Cheelai was glad to take that damn thing off; it helped her sneak around but it was almost suffocating her to death. They should really make a model that expands better on the chest.

She takes it off and those jugs of hers just pop right off, surprising Lemo. "My my, how have you grown, huh-" and he was promptly punched in the back of the head. Raditz was now healed and stronger than ever. He only hopes that THIS TIME he doesn't run into someone who knows him.

…

The three waited in front of the elevator, and when it opened up for them two guards were standing there. "How much you wanna bet he's still unconscious?" one of them said, but then they look ahead and see Raditz standing in front of them. He smirks and suddenly disappears, reappearing behind them. He grabbed them by the head and bashed their skulls together, knocking them out instantly, then he just threw their bodies off and waved for Lemo and Cheelai to come in. "What's wrong with your faces; are you scared? JUST GET IN ALREADY!"

It was a quiet ride to the upper levels, but now they were back on track. Cheelai took the lead since she knew the fastest way there. She wanted to go running, but Raditz told her to calm down; no one suspects a thing yet. They calmly passed by squad upon squad, and Raditz 'excuse was that these two fixers were needed elsewhere. They managed to cover a lot of ground, but bad luck eventually caught up to them. One of the soldiers saw Raditz 'tail curled up around his waist, and figured it wasn't a weird fur belt; it was that Saiyan. If that guy had kept his mouth shut about it, then he would've lived for a couple dozen years more. Raditz slaughtered his whole squad before they could even make a squeak. But the situation quickly escalated to the worst, as a door right beside them opened just in time to catch Raditz snapping a soldier's neck. They look at each other for a second of pure silent shock. Raditz acted first, shooting a ki blast at them that blew all to smithereens. And that sudden explosion caught the attention of the lazy guard who was supposed to monitor the cameras, but was reading dirty magazines instead. Their cover was blown, and suddenly the buzzer started echoing around the corridors and the lights started flashing red.

"Now we run!" said Raditz as he picked up Cheelai and Lemo by the scruff of their clothes and ran really fast across the corridors. He was met up with squadrons who were ready to fire at him as soon as he showed up, but he managed to easily dodge their laser gun blasts and keep Lemo and Cheelai in one piece. It was only when he met with a few elite soldiers that things got serious. It was a whole squad of them, and they were about to jump him, so Raditz quickly shot a blast at the ceiling. The upper floors all came crashing down on them, causing a bunch of smoke and rubble to be set loose. By the time the elites had blasted their way through the destruction, Raditz had already busted through the wall and was nowhere to be seen.

The three of them hide away in the corridor and break the lights to stay hidden. The watch from the shadows as soldiers pass by running super fast. With the cameras on them there was no way to walk around unnoticed. Raditz asked where the security room was, but they went so fast that Cheelai lost track of where they were. Lemo was leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, but he started hearing stuff from the other side. He put his ear against it, and heard some people frantically discussing stuff, "They must have escaped through 7B, there's no other way," and, "keep watching the monitor!"

"Raditz, uh… Mind making a little entrance here?" asked Lemo.

Raditz went ahead and kicked the wall to open a hole. They found a small and dark room with a million tiny screens on the wall. The two soldiers inside looked terrified when they looked at Raditz; one of them was about to scream but Raditz used his speed to appear in front of him and cover his mouth, delivering a punch in the gut that knocked him out instantly. The other soldier turned around, pressed a button and then tried saying something through the big microphone on the panel, but he was shot down by Cheelai and her gauntlet blaster. She looked at it mesmerized, "huh, it's easier than I thought."

"No more cameras, let's head out" said Raditz, but Lemo told him to hold on. He went inside the room and pressed that same button beside the microphone and said, "all units head towards South Deck immediately; the fugitives are heading there. I repeat, all units head towards South Deck immediately," and soon enough a couple dozen squad leaders responded, "affirmative."

"Nice thinking, old man. The West Deck should be cleared out from tough security. Let's move" said Raditz.

…

Frieza was just watching the alarm go out a second time for the same damn reason as before and he was getting mad. "Zarbon, remind me later to reinforce security and work etiquette for all of our stations later. I'm horribly embarrassed for the way that my main base is currently performing. They are too incompetent to keep a damn monkey in a cage!"

"What should we do, Lord Frieza?" asked Dodoria.

"Well, East Deck is out of order; South Deck is now heavily protected by our elite soldiers, but the other two are still a possible escape for him. Zarbon, you go to the North Deck, and Dodoria, you take the West one. Take the shortcut if you must but get there quickly and bring the monkey back alive. If he fights back… well, I just need his mouth; so feel free to break his arms and legs."

…

…

Soon enough, Raditz, Lemo and Cheelai arrive at East Deck unseen. It was like a huge opened hole with several see-through floors that lead directly to the opened space. After a quick look, the huge yellow ship that Lemo talked about was parked right there on the first floor. They can finally leave, but when they turn to Raditz, he is sweating and he has a shocked expression. Right there in the middle of the entire deck was Dodoria with his arms crossed. He was even stronger than Vegeta and Cui; Raditz saw no hope in defeating him. "Listen, you two…! I'm gonna distract him as much as I possibly can. While we do battle, go to the other entrance there, get to the ship and prepare to blast off; leave the back entrance open for me."

And so he pushes them inside and closes the door. Dodoria sees his power level through his Scouter; he represents no threat to him, but if he tries to assume his Great Ape form then he'll have to stop him. Of course, Raditz couldn't do that, because if he does he won't fit inside the ship when he tries to leave. "You know, Lord Frieza told me that I could break your arms and legs, but I'm not sure it will be enough, I should break a few ribs and teeth just to make sure," said Dodoria.

"SHUT UP, YOU FAT PINK BASTARD!" shouted Raditz. He unleashed a barrage of ki bullets at Dodoria, but out of the explosions he came in flying and punched Raditz in the face. He was sent crashing through the floor, but quickly got back on his feet. He fired a Double Sunday at Dodoria, but he just slapped both away, and they exploded against the wall. Dodoria had enough playing around and he rushed down Raditz. A barrage of powerful punches were more than enough to put Raditz down, but Dodoria continued knocking him around for fun. Finally Raditz was put on the ground, as Dodoria almost forgot he wasn't supposed to kill him.

To restrain a Saiyan is actually pretty simple. He just walked over and grabbed him on the tail. Raditz seemed to be paralyzed by that. "So, which limb shall I start with?"

…

While Raditz was getting his shit knocked around by Dodoria, Lemo and Cheelai managed to get to their transport ship. After putting in the code the door opened. Lemo was going to the cockpit, and Cheelai said that she was gonna open up the back for Raditz. Lemo stopped her and told her to look again; Raditz ain't winning that fight. They need to go before Dodoria realizes they are there. Cheelai was mad at him, "you're just gonna abandon him? We can't just leave him to die like that; we would've been goners if it wasn't for him!"

"What the hell do you suppose we do?!" asked Lemo.

"… What do you have on the back?"

They both look at the huge pile of crates behind them. "Some weird stuff. They told me not to touch it or I might end up with horrible burns for the rest of my life," said Lemo. Cheelai quickly opened up some of them; it was nothing but small thermos flasks containing some blue liquid inside them. She picked one of them and ran outside.

Dodoria was stepping over Raditz 'leg, trying to crush it until it popped. "You know, when we got rid of you Saiyans I never understood why lord Frieza wanted all three of you to survive. He must have thought it would be really funny to have you monkeys eating at the palm of his hand without ever knowing any better. But now you had to go rogue and ruin the fun for us. But no problem, we just have to finish what we started 24 years ago."

"What… do you mean with that… you bastard!" said Raditz, prompting Dodoria to crush his leg harder. "Do you seriously believe your planet was destroyed by a meteor? Of course not, that's stupid. Lord Frieza was just done with your kin, so he blew that red rock to pieces!"

"But… but…!" Raditz's mind was racing with pain and questions. He never gave much thought about it, but it sounds logical now. It was just like Nappa said; Frieza feared the Saiyans, and that's why he got rid of them. He was pissed, and it was time to pick Dodoria by surprise. He's a fool if he thinks that holding his tail actually makes him paralyzed. He was going to attack, he just needed an opening to strike.

Dodoria felt someone was behind him, and when he turned around he saw the green girl throw a cylinder of blue liquid in his face. He caught it in his hand before it hit, and when he looked back Cheelai pointed the gauntlet blaster at him. She fired but she wasn't aiming for him. She shot the cylinder and it shattered. The blue liquid splashed right into Dodoria's face. The burning sensation that was on his eyes and face made him flinch, and Raditz immediately took the opportunity. He pushed himself against the ground and hit Dodoria with a horse kick that sent him flying across the deck, hitting the wall and causing an explosion.

Lemo was already taking off with his ship, waving at them to come on. Cheelai tries to help Raditz out, but he just wraps his arm around her waist and blasts after the ship as she screams. He gets inside and slams the button to quickly close the back cargo entrance. "GET US OUT OF HERE!" he shouted, and Lemo quickly floored it. Dodoria, with the only eye he can use, tries to fire a blast to hit their ship and barely misses. And so, the cargo ship shoots off into space.

A few elite soldiers soon show up after hearing all the explosions and destruction from their fight, and find Dodoria screaming to himself as he rubs his face. Somehow he got even uglier than he was before. "AFTER THEM! GET THE PODS! THAT WAY!" he said, and the soldiers did as he ordered.

…

Raditz, Lemo and Cheelai thought that they were safe, but once again they commemorated too early. Lemo's sensor detected the incoming pods, and they looked out the window to see the soldiers getting closer to them. "Does this ship have weapons?!" asked Raditz. "What? No! It's a transporter!"

Raditz looked around and saw no choice. "GET TO THE DRIVER'S SEAT, NOW!" he said, and he sounded just serious enough to make Cheelai go out of fright. He closed the door behind her and slammed the opening button for the cargo entrance again; at the same time he held his breath, pinching his nose braces for the force.

The entrance quickly opens up and the air is instantly sucked outside; all the cargo and everything that was loose was immediately lost into the vacuum, but Raditz stood his ground thanks to the artificial gravity and his flight ability. He couldn't hold his breath forever, he had to take out the chasing pods fast. Luckily, some of the cargo crates that flew out managed to hit one of the pods with full force, and it blew up. Raditz charged a blast and fired it at them with one hand, hitting another one of the pods and making it explode. There was only one left, and as Raditz tried to destroy it, the soldier evaded the attacks by manually piloting his pod. Raditz was running out of air and energy, but Lemo caught wind of what he was doing and reduced speed for a split second to get the two ships closer. The pod was now right into Raditz's face, and he used the last of his energy to blast it up to nothing at point blank. The vacuum of space sucked the air out of the soldier's lungs, and the chase had finally ended. Raditz promptly closed the entrance and fell to the floor, exhausted.

…

…

Cheelai and Lemo soon come to pick him up from the ground. "Are you okay?" Cheelai asked, but Raditz pulled himself away from them as they tried to grab him, and he just walked to the cockpit. "I'm not so weak as to need help walking around," he said.

"I'll take that as the Saiyan way to say thanks-" Cheelai was saying before Lemo covered her mouth. It was not a good idea to act sassy to the man that can destroy planets with his hands.

The cockpit of Lemo's ship was more like his house than anything; it even had a damn fluffy carpet. Raditz could see portraits, a bunk bed, a kitchen of sorts, a living room; it was quite spacious. "Do you think they are gonna follow us?" asked Cheelai. "Absolutely. We're not out of their radar yet."

It was then that they heard a sound. Not like the one with the radar detecting incoming space ships, but the communicator ring. Someone was contacting them. Lemo didn't know what to do but went ahead and answered it. "Uh… yes?"

"Good evening, this is Lord Frieza speaking from Planet 79. I would like to request a minute with your Saiyan friend," said Frieza in his personal communication lobby. Cheelai and Lemo were horrified from hearing his voice, but Raditz just went ahead and picked up the call. "What do you want, Frieza?"

"Well, it's very simple. I'm quite upset out of this whole ordeal, and I think I've lashed out against my own subordinates with unnecessary force" said Frieza, miring on the bodies of low class soldiers that he just obliterated, "What I want now is for you to explain to me: Why should I not get on my ship right away, pursue you, and finally torture all three of you until your pathetic deaths?"

Raditz smirked. "Well Frieza, for one; I blew your favorite ship the hell up, so there's that. And second, pursuing me is pointless. I'm a small fry compared to what Vegeta will become. I won't tattle on him because of the last smidgen of respect I still have for that bastard, but I will tell you something you might like; if you let us go, that is."

"Hmhmhmm" Frieza quietly laughed, "Very well, entertain me and I shall decide your fate right away."

"The truth is I don't understand what Vegeta is really up to, but if you want to find out so badly you should start looking for the planet that the Namekians come from," said Raditz.

"Namekians, you say? Don't be stupid, those were extinct centuries ago" said Frieza.

"I don't think so. In fact, I met one of them on that same planet. Hell, the only reason I was sent back to planet 79 in the first place is because of their strange powers. If you believe in legends, Frieza, and I know you do… you should probably start researching where their old home planet was supposed to be. If you believe that those 'dragon balls' can grant wishes like in the legend, you better be ready for when an immortal Saiyan shows up at your doorstep," Raditz said.

From Frieza's side of the call there was a dense and powerful silence. You could feel anger coming through the speaker. But he managed to recompose himself and said, "well, I surely liked hearing all of that. So be it, monkey; looks like you can breathe for another day. And besides, I thank you for showing me first hand how incompetent my defenses are; I'll have to make a few changes. I'll make sure to put a good price on your head as a token of gratitude."

"Whatever. If you ever see Vegeta or Nappa again, put a hole in their chest for me."

"With pleasure."

And so, both sides turn off the call. Raditz calmly walks to the corner of the room and sits there. He looks completely unshaken by the fact that he just talked to an evil dictator and had a bounty put on his head; that's a Saiyan for you. "Does… does that mean we're good to go?" asked Cheelai. "Pretty much. If you don't show up on Frieza's territory again, then you're good to go." said Raditz.

Lemo and Cheelai cheered and jumped around in joy. They're probably the first and last people to escape Frieza's wrath like that. Suddenly they just realized how tired they are, and both sat around near Raditz. Lemo took a peek at his fridge and saw that it was all still there. He chucked a water can to Cheelai and Raditz, and he decided to make some good food for the first time in months; he was a better cook than a driver, he says.

Cheelai realized that she'll be stuck to this guy on their ship for a while, so she better make up a better impression than she did before; a quick chit-chat should do it. "ah… so… you really are one of the last Saiyans, huh… that's cool… or sad, I don't know.."

"I'm about to become the last one really soon…" Raditz said.

"Is… is that a good or a bad thing to you?"

"I don't really care…"

"Why do you look so contemplative? What's on your mind?"

"I was wondering if I should kill both of you and take the ship for myself, but then I realized I don't know how to fly any ship beside a transport pod. Kind of embarrassing to be honest. And besides that's what my old boss would want me to do, but I don't need to follow his advice anymore. I feel like both of you can still be useful to me," he said with a straight face. Cheelai looked shocked, but then looked away.

"THAT'S GOOD! AWESOME PLAN!" she forcefully laughed. "W-w-what kind of u-use, you say?"

"Cheelai, isn't it? Tell me, did you keep that helmet from the soldier armor?" he asked.

"uh, YEAH, sure! Right here!" she grabbed it really fast with hands shaking, "Do you want it?"

She gave the helmet to Raditz; why is she so nervous all of the sudden? With the helmet on his hand, Raditz detached the Scouter from the helmet and threw it to Cheelai, "Tell me, what does it say?"

She puts it on her face and turns it on while pointing it at Raditz. It appears very clearly; his race is noted as Saiyan, and his power level is: "4.000…"

"Is that so?" Raditz said with a laugh. He closed his eyes and thought to himself; "looks like I finally surpassed you, old man." If only he was still alive so then Raditz could beat him to a pulp this time around. "Good, now turn it off. Frieza can use it to monitor us."

"Yeah, I know. I should probably remove the tracker inside." Cheelai said.

"You know how to do that?"

"Eh, it's gonna lose its ability to determine your location but it can't be accessed by an outside source. I did it a bunch of times; non-traceable scouters sell like water in some places. Being a fixer for that old creep doesn't pay enough, you know."

"Then do it. This scouter will be a powerful tool for us." Raditz said.

"Us? What do you want from us exactly?" Cheelai asked.

"Well, you clearly own me one, and you two pathetic whelps look rather unprotected. So you decide: I'm either making a friendly takeover or a hostile one. Either way, I'm in charge."

"Uh… Lemo?"

Lemo sighs across the room. "Well, I guess that's fair. I'm unemployed now anyways. and I could use a little more adventure in my life. But what do you plan on doing, Raditz?" he asked;

"You tell me."

"Well, when you're in the north galaxy and you don't want to work for either Frieza or pirate gangs, there's only one place to go. I'm heading towards the Heeters, to see if they need the abilities of a veteran driver."

"Heeters, you say? Don't they work directly under Frieza? They are literally the ones who sell the planets after they are conquered."

"They do work together but the Heeters are more independent than you think. They have enough influence and odd interests that you can get a job with them easily. If you want to get that bounty out of your head, working with them might be your next step, Raditz."

Raditz walked up to the front window, arms crossed. He looked upon the stars with a calm mind. Strange how such a huge part of your life can just be swept away like that in a day. It happened to him once and he wasn't expecting it to happen twice in his life. But now is different; now he's not under anyone; he has no better interest than survival by his own means. This feeling was new to Raditz, and he liked it.

For now he might be just a wanted man of a race that everyone hates, but it's time to make a name for himself. If his father is right, then he can do much better than this. If Kakarot could start from nothing and become stronger than most Saiyans, then Raditz can ascend much above the elite if he tries. It was time to find something worth fighting for.