Chapter 41: Day 21 Part 1 — Truth and Consequences
Meanwhile, in Jakarta…
King Furry was in his living room suite with Chuck, going over Sugar Petal's testimony and matching it with the files they found online.
"Grandmother's name and death have a matching death certificate. Her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter are listed as missing persons, last seen crossing the border gate heading north."
"There's a private school by that name with a restaurant with a big tree in front to the left down the street past a red light. The restaurant is no longer an ice cream and dessert cafe, but there's still archived advertisements."
"Good work, Chuck. Now there should be company housing for the father's workplace in biking distance from the school. And a subway connecting the two company buildings. Double check the character spellings from their old LinkedIns."
"Yes, sir."
"And this leaf leads to… yep, he came from a family of butchers. Street view this address…" King Furry leaned back, "There's the shop. Building is even the same color."
"Can you see the fish market across the street?"
"Let me turn the camera… Yes. It's there. Also the same color."
"We more than got her now," Chuck said. "Kim Hyo-jin is really Yoon Hwa-Young."
"We still need to trace her path through Northern Korea. Rhee Mi-Young is listed as being born in Wiwon. Should be on a river downstream from a railroad town where they got off the passenger train…"
Suddenly the king's private cell phone rang.
"It's William…" he said, "get a recording going."
Chuck started a recorder and nodded.
King Furry put it on speaker.
"Fred, it's been a while."
"Yes, it has."
"I have news of a great victory. Now, I just need you to play your part and you'll go down as a hero."
King Furry went to speak, but his words died in his throat.
"Fred? Are you there?"
He suddenly began to tremble.
"I'm not doing another favor for you, you son of a bitch."
Chuck turned to him horrified, but stayed silent.
"Oh, what's wrong? You haven't been this particular in some time. Maybe I should leak your history with prostitutes to some tabloids? We can always set up another shell charter company."
"If you're referring to Sugar Petal, that's not going to work anymore."
"Why do you say that?"
"I had a long talk with her today. A real talk today. And we've confirmed everything she said. She's a missing person, and despite how short she is, she was legal at the time and well into her twenties now. You people forged her documents to blackmail me! How many others have you done that too?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Don't give me that! We have her entire life confirmed and mapped out, from her grandparents' birthplaces to the brothel your men bought her from in Kanggye. And I don't just mean names and dates that could be memorized. Colors of building, numbers of trees, types of playground equipment, restaurants that served her favorite foods. Things a child would remember! You got nothing on me anymore you son of a bitch."
"Are you saying my men got suckered into buying some dwarf teenager?"
King Furry took a breath. "If this wasn't all you, then yes they did. I know you rip the teeth out of all your girls. Her wisdom teeth should have given her away immediately."
"(That explains her rebellious streak…)" he muttered in Korean. "(She was too old to begin training from the very start…)"
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will deal with this immediately."
"William, I would like to negotiate an exchange for the girl's life."
"No. That whore won't be leaving that island alive. Especially now."
"William, she already has an identity she can transition into. How much money to buy her?"
"For the Briefs? Or the Prince of all genocidal aliens?"
King Furry swallowed.
"What? You think I wouldn't know? I know even more than you do."
He paused, but King Furry did not answer.
William continued. "Did you know Alcibiades is the illegitimate half-brother to the man behind the throne of the Red Ribbon Army? He has the backups of everything from the start of the war to Cell's blueprints. Interesting thing, the Dragon Balls. Quite the history. But the files also contained how to detect them, and what materials mask their presence."
"There are plenty of other ways to find them."
"Well, that victory I mentioned? Was the successful launch of that new WASA solar corona satellite. It just happened to be also carrying a small welded steel container painted in Vantablack with another box inside. It's completely undetectable in the void of space."
"You launched one into space!"
"It takes all seven to use, so yes."
"Those things are connected to the core of the planet!"
"Yes and the blood of the Guardian. The current one is named Dende I believe, same race as King Piccolo. And also a child."
"… How do you know that?"
"Dr. Brief and his wife were talking about wishing for time travel so this never happened. They mentioned someone named Dende would need to make modifications. Vegeta has also mentioned a Dende, as a child god. It was easy enough."
He chuckled after a short silence, "How much do I know? Everything. And you think I have nothing on you? I think you forget a man's sin is passed down to the sixth and seventh generation."
"Talking about the aliens?"
"That, and the dragon balls. Did you know that after King Piccolo's race gifted them to Earth, they were used by the first global king to wish for him and his family to rule Earth forever?"
"Then how do you explain the fall of the first dynasty?"
"The queen's affair. King Fluffikins XIV was not his biological son, if you remember your history classes. An A- and an A- cannot have a B. But the phrase 'Family to Rule' is such an ambiguous phrase. How do you define family?"
"Are you insinuating that we were relatives of the fallen dynasty?"
"Yes. You are. By a third cousin twice removed of the first king through Arthur's biological mother. It's your family's fault really for never pursuing his actual parents. But I understand closed adoptions usually mean unsavory relatives since the child is taken by brute force.
"Politically astute under any other circumstance. Think about it, your father was a political unknown that shot up to king in 14 years, undefeated from city council to the planetary senate. The first king since the fall 140 years ago to be elected for more than one term. He held it to the day he died, 40 years, and you were elected next. Was it because he was a good man or was it another mass brainwashing? Especially with all the times aliens physically intervened to keep him in power. Son Goku ring a bell?
"And you're not the only politician on the family tree. There's this beautiful case from 52 years ago. A drug addict was paid to run because his name was alphabetically higher than the other candidates. Normal tactic to siphon votes for local elections. But he won with 98%. When the situation was investigated, he ended up in prison for child porn. He was expelled from the state legislature, but he won as a write-in every special election until he was shanked 4 years into the mess. And then another write-in candidate won with 100% of the vote. Every single ballot. But there was no person by that name in the entire district. Turns out the man had made use of a 13-year-old, who gave the baby up in a closed adoption. So tell me, how did over 50 thousand people know the name of a 12-year-old girl living over five thousand kilometers away in another sector, not state, a completely different sector? And with an ocean in between to boot."
"You got all of this from the Red Ribbon Army?"
"Yes, once they saw the pattern, they began tracking relatives. Ignoring his pregnant girlfriend, Commander Red was still unmarried after all. The true powers thought it was better safe than sorry to hitch him to a descendant. Personally, I'm surprised they let the pregnancy continue at all. Devils steal the unborn and infants so easily, a little push would have gone unnoticed."
"You know this will lead to violence against beastmen?"
"Of course, especially after doxing all three thousand seven hundred and eighty-two people on this list. Possibly over four thousand now since this list is over twenty years old. Though I trust you will be personally safe. Plot armor and all. You'll be king until you die of old age. Of course if that plot armor fails, a quick line of code or two will fix it. What the public doesn't know will hurt you."
King Furry looked up at the ceiling.
"By the way, that part I need you to play. We have another bill that will be announced in the next few days with 58 cosponsors across three parties in the house and senate. The votes are there to pass it with a filibuster and veto proof majority. I need you to sign it as soon as it hits your desk."
"More anti-alien legislation I assume?"
"Yes, and unlike the previous cheap political posturing, this one has some useful teeth while still looking like more of the same. I only started it with 3 cosponsors," he chuckled, "The rest piled on within hours. The sin of greed for power at its finest... But as I said," he became serious again, "it has some useful teeth. I know you hate Vegeta and the other aliens and spawn. Have since Day 1. It will make things easier for you and the people of this planet. I am a servant of God after all."
"There are other sets of dragon balls you know."
"All in the bill. Don't worry your fuzzy head."
King Furry sighed, "I want to return to the topic of the girl."
"Noble as always. But no. She insulted my granddaughter. And she wants as her wedding present Hyo-jin's corpse and video of her being tortured to watch to brighten her mood when she feels sad. It is in two months, so there is no time left."
"Then you were the one who sent those men to stab her?"
"No," he sighed angrily. "But her being older does explain how she was able to fight them off. That always surprised us. Thank you for that piece of information. I do not doubt your bravado in the slightest. You haven't been this spirited in years. But if I were you, you need to come down and touch grass. You have had your head in space for far too long. Turn on the tv."
King Furry looked for the remote and turned on the TV.
The TV showed the scene of an ocean plane crash. Debris was starting to be lifted onto crane ships.
"This is definitely a tragedy for the capitol press corps and the families involved. While we're still waiting on the passenger list, the press core reporting on their own colleagues' deaths have stated the plane was mostly filled with interns, many still in college."
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have breaking news on the passenger list. It has been confirmed that Zlata Shevchenko was on the fight. Zlata Shevchenko, known as the grand matron of the core, was 63 years old and had been a member of the capitol press corps for over 30 years—"
"God no, Zlata. Wait, did you do this?!"
"It's an act of God. You know that better than anyone. But whatever bodies he wills to be found will be found.
King Furry clenched his fists. "Where did you bury her?"
"Whatever bodies he wills to be found will be found. You seemed grieved. May I offer my counseling services? Or another minister in the alliance? I have hundreds of millions of them under my leadership and billions in laity roles. I don't even need to order them personally. A righteous man will always walk the path of God instinctively through the Holy Ghost without any input from the Bride of Christ. True acts of God in its purest form.
"I hear you'll be visiting Bangka Belitung next, then off to Pontianak. That little kaboom broke a lot of windows for such a small tsunami. You could even call it a little temper tantrum."
King Furry looked at Chuck. "Yes… it was mostly contained to the immediate islands."
"Good to hear. Well, I'll let you go. It is getting late there. We'll speak again in a few days."
The call ended.
"No one is supposed to know I'm going to Borneo. Where is the leak?!"
"On it," he said.
King Furry saw Chuck look frustrated at his computer and began pressing the same buttons repeatedly.
"What's wrong?"
"Computer froze. Wait... What?!"
King Furry saw his computer screen turn a light red. "Confession in progress" appeared on the screen with a rapidly filling bar. Underneath messages like "Have you prayed today?" cycled underneath. Once it filled a new message appeared "Exorcism in progress" with another bar as the messages continued. Once that bar filled, everything disappeared and the message "Congratulations! Your sins have been cleansed." appeared in large letters before the screen went black.
The acrid smell of burnt electronics filled the room as smoke wafted from between the keys.
King Furry's phone began to smoke and he quickly tossed it on the floor.
Chucks began to smoke as well.
"Did he just trigger the failsafe remotely?" Chuck said. "Only the NSA is supposed to have that level of authorization!"
King Furry looked at the ceiling. "We can't be this compromised…"
Meanwhile, in Tahiti…
An Asian man in his early fifties finally lifts his head from the pillow and looks at the ringing phone going nuts on the nightstand. He moaned and slammed his hand on top before it tap danced onto the floor. He squinted at the screen.
He shouted as he bolted upright, accidently tossing it. He juggled the phone briefly before catching it and taking the call.
"(Honorable Father?! What's wrong? It's 4 A.M.)"
"(Yes, and it is 11 P.M. here in Korea… are you awake enough yet?)"
Frank's blood ran cold at the tone. "(I am awake, father.)"
"(Do you remember who picked out Kim Hyo-jin when you went on one of your trips north? I remember you bragging about her after you saw her in person, but who found her at the brothel?)"
"(Rumors started after several men from the sales department were entertained by the prison factory managers during price negotiations, but it was Kim Seok who went to confirm she existed.)"
"(And who is he?)"
"(He's one of the major music producers at the 12 Notations label. An important talent scout and personally controls E-Sweet and a few other groups. He's also one of the major adopters over there. I don't know how many kids he currently controls now, but it's one less now that Hyo-Jin is 18. Or maybe two? I think Kim Jeong-Suk also turned 18 this year, or maybe it was last year. I haven't paid attention to E-Sweet since her isolation.)"
"(Well… since he seems to be an important cog in the machine over there, I suggest getting on the phone with whatever cousin currently runs it to plan the transition. Since I want him dead by sunset. And track down those sales people too.)"
"(But… why?)"
"(BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!)"
Frank pulled the phone away from his ear and almost dropped it again.
"(… I gave control of everything to you 15 years ago! and when I take back control temporarily so you can focus on the wedding, I find this mess?!...)"
He stopped juggling the phone and held it out next to his ear.
"(… I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE KING AND GUESS WHAT HYO-JIN TOLD HIM?! …WHAT?! FORGET MY PULSE AND GET OUT!)"
"(Father, please listen to the doctors. The lingering chemo effects aren't helping the fact you're almost 90.)"
"(AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?! I GO TO GLOAT AND GIVE HIM ORDERS, AND HE DARED TALKED BACK TO ME! I PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE THIS KING BOWED TO US, AND THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED US JUST NOW WAS THAT YOUR DAUGHTER ACCIDENTLY WHORED HERSELF OUT TO THE RED RIBBON ARMY!)"
COCK A DOODLE DO*
BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Bark* *Bark*
Meow*
Sugar Petal woke up. She was confused for a moment about being in the hive before she remembered. She tried to get her meds, but found the bag was pushed too far back for her to get.
Sugar Petal blew out her cheeks frustrated, then went downstairs.
She heard the dog barking and the cats meowing so she assumed Vegeta was feeding them until she stepped out the door.
"Mr. Vegeta-johna!" She ran over and pushed the dog and cats away.
"Mr. Vegeta! Mr. Vegeta!" she shook him.
He did not even blink.
Sugar Petal scrambled up the ladder to his loft, and began rummaging through everything. Not finding what she was looking for, she came down, grabbed a stool, and went back into the hive.
After turning over every basket and container, she collapsed on her butt.
She started to cry, "They never gave us an emergency radio…" then she took a deep breath and formed her fists. She ran out of the hive and opened the lower gate.
Sugar Petal waded across the stream and scrambled up the hill.
Someone at the floating temple is always watching Vegeta. If I scream enough, they will notice.
She made it up to the clearing and found Bulma sleeping on the mattress.
"Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma! Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma!" She began shaking her.
Bulma woke up, "What is it, Trunks…" She muttered before her mind caught up to being violently shaken.
"What?!" She blindly pushed the person off of her.
"Oh," she gasped, "Sugar Petal. I'm sorry." She looked around. "Oh yeah…" she said to herself. "Wait, where's Vegeta?!"
"Mr. Vegeta-johna isn't moving," she cried. "I came to shout for Mr. Piccolo because we don't have an emergency radio."
"What?!" Bulma jumped up. "Camp, right?"
Sugar Petal nodded.
"Start screaming," Bulma said, getting up, putting her slippers on, and making her way down the hill.
"MR. PICCOLO! MR. PICCOLO! MR. VEGETA NEEDS HELP MR. PICCOLO!
Bulma entered the camp soaking wet, and found Vegeta near the firepit.
"Vegeta! Vegeta! For the love of God, Vegeta!" she shook him.
When he did not respond, she checked his pulse.
She curled up next to him. "You dummy… Now look what you made me do. I'm soaking wet and now covered in mud…"
Piccolo arrived and poofed another mattress into existence.
The women sat down across from each other.
"Piccolo, can you leave us alone for a moment. For a girl talk."
"Was already planning on it. I'll be in the upper camp." Piccolo flew up.
Bulma sighed. "Alright… let's get this over with. Are you in love with my husband?"
"If you mean romantic love, no, Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma. I have no interest in becoming a mistress. When Vegeta-johna gave me his seal, he said I was not going to be his slave or concubine, but a valued advisor."
She sighed relieved. "Good. He said a similar thing to mom and Gohan."
"It's not like Vegeta is interested in sex anyway. He has the temperament of a holy wife."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Every man is supposed to have uncontrolled dirty thoughts. That's why from birth until a girl's master sells her as a servant above all, it is our holy purpose to alleviate those thoughts or we would become condemned for a man's fall into homosexuality. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was the sole responsibility of the women in the town who refused their purpose. Lot's daughters especially for not being desirable enough to placate the mob. The men could tell they were prideful. Lot was punished for his poor raising of his girls when they got him drunk and stole the top right from him. If Lot had gotten drunk and taken his right that would be a different story, but because the girls made him drunk with the intent to steal that right from him is what made that a sin.
"But Vegeta has no dirty thoughts," she said, amazed. "He finds them completely disgusting. His only desire is to obey you."
Oh, Vegeta has dirty thoughts when he allows himself to, Bulma thought.
"Sugar Petal, is this normal?"
She tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
"What have you been taught about the relationship between men and women?"
"I did not go to a religious school originally, so it only focused on academics, not divine will. But I really don't know why I was chosen to go to the elite girl's academy. As a singer my career always came first, but I was moved to a training class that included site teachers from the academy." She beamed. "I excelled so well I was presented to the Nahms themselves a year before my public debut."
"How were you chosen?"
"All the girls line up and a preacher examines them for holiness. I thought it was just a mass doctor's visit because we were all naked and with all the physical examination. I was the oldest in my group. Every other girl was five or six, but there were almost thirty seven-year-olds."
"How many were there?"
"Only 118 girls were chosen out of my first group of 1,000 applicants. After the first year of intense religious schooling, we were divided again for our permanent education track. I was on track to join the elect level, but my evaluation dropped around the time my solo career started. I didn't get into any high school," she looked sad, "Middle school graduates only get to be married off to men employed in the outermost ring, so I'll end up a wife of someone in a record label or another similarly tiered business if I'm not kept as a secondary servant. Maple is still on the elect track, so she could get married to a preacher or politician."
"Do you know if boys are examined the same way?" she asked next.
"Men are already born holy. Only women need to be examined for flaws that make them more vulnerable to demons than others. Women can only enter heaven through perfect primary service to a man who enters."
"And when you mean primary, you mean a wife?"
"Yes. Wife is the secular word, but the proper word for the position is primary servant or servant above all on formal occasions."
"And mistress is secondary servant?"
Sugar Petal looked annoyed. "No. Any unmarried woman is a secondary servant. Like I just said."
"Ok. Ok. No need to get upset," Bulma said nervously. "I'm just trying to understand your views on this." She tried to make a joke, "But I wouldn't go so far to say he's a wife. He can't cook."
"It's not a man's duty to begin with unless a specific food requires to be made by holy hands only. That's why there are chefs. Hassim and Jerry obviously have some chef training, otherwise they would be immediately burned to death in holy fire for touching women's tools."
Bulma internally groaned. "So then… Do you know why my husband is like this right now?"
Sugar Petal closed her eyes. "When he looks at me, he sees someone else. That's why I cut my hair. If I had a way to dye it another color other than pink, I would. Make the distinction even greater."
"Who?"
"A close friend of his mother. Her species had pink hair. She began wearing her hair in his people's braids after his father killed his mother. I'm pretty sure she's the same auntie who was a singer and actress like his mother. She's the only person he's mentioned who would risk her life like that."
"Did he talk about his mother and aunt a lot?"
"Just his auntie. He doesn't know a lot about his mother. But his auntie lived until he was a teenager, so he knows more about her."
Bulma couldn't hide his look of surprise. "Really?"
"Yes. He said he wrote her letters disguised as fan mail. But someone tattled on him, and Frieza killed her. That's why I think his auntie is the woman with pink hair. If his auntie was a Saiyan, Frieza would have killed her when he was small, but he had to be told who she was. So, she couldn't have been a Saiyan, but still been close enough to be an auntie."
"He seems to tell you a lot," Bulma smiled, hiding her frustration.
"He was trying to be friends with me. He… he said that the reason he volunteered so much for missions under Frieza was because battle was his freedom. Music is my freedom, so he pushed himself to make me feel free." Her voice cracked, "But now he's like this!"
Bulma stood and went to comfort her. "Don't cry. This isn't your fault. It's Frieza's. No one else. He'll be fine. Really. Just give him a little while. Vegeta has no concept of self-preservation. He'll push himself until he drops. This is no different than all the times he's blown himself up in various gravity rooms I've built. Saiyans only have one setting. Punch something until it breaks or they break. There is no in between."
"Are you saying I broke Mr. Vegeta?" she started to tear up.
"No. This is just an old wound that never healed properly. Vegeta has a lot of those. Did he tell you he used to have a tail? But lost it to a sword?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, he still experiences phantom pain from it sometimes. It's been years, but he's never fully healed. This was a complete accident, just like when that part of his back gets bumped hard and the pain makes him want to curl up for a little bit. Like hitting your funny bone," she tried to make it sound not serious. "Do you know what a zenkai is?"
She shook her head.
"It's part of Saiyan biology. When a Saiyan gets seriously hurt, they heal back stronger."
"Like a bone?"
"Yes. But thousands of times stronger. A single zenkai can take a Saiyan from being able to destroy a planet to being able to destroy a solar system in just a few hours. Vegeta is hurt right now. And it's really painful to see him like this. But he will come back stronger than ever. Stronger than you could ever imagine. He just needs to rest. Remember what happened during our visit? He's not just pushing himself to his limits over you. He's exhausted over everything. Pulled himself too thin trying to be everyone's friend and protector. If it was just you, he wouldn't be so tired."
"Maybe… But you didn't see his face when he saw my hair braided for the first time. He took one look at me and ran. Just like at the party." Sugar Petal hunched over and started to cry.
Bulma hugged her. She glanced over at her unconscious husband. She noticed he had moved, pulling his legs up and shifting his shoulder.
Dummy… I can't even wish this never happened anymore, because if you found out, you'd leave Earth after going on a blood bath. If she can hurt you like this, that means she's important. Even if you didn't remember a thing, you'd find out somehow, you always do, and seek her out. And if her pink hair is your trigger… You'll turn the Korean Peninsula into the Korean Sea and only leave this girl alive and traumatized from it before leaving me.
She pulled Sugar Petal tighter. "What happened to you? Why won't you tell me? You promised to tell me every important event in your life."
She thought about all the times he turned off a radio. Turned around when entering a room. Changed TV channels. Left movie theaters. He would not even enter a store until she bought him sound canceling headphones.
Who was this woman that hurt you that much?
Bulma heard the ATVs coming up the hill.
"Vegeta. Vegeta. Can you hear me? Hey," Nathan shook him as everyone gathered around. "Blink twice if you hear me."
"Does Vegeta have any issues that would cause him to collapse like this?" Randy asked.
"Just psychological," Bulma sighed. "He's reached his limit. He collapsed like this after the time traveler left after the Cell Games. Found him in my son's nursery on the floor."
"How long has he been like this?"
"Piccolo originally found him up at the other camp and brought me over. At some point he came down here after he left and I fell asleep. Sugar Petal shook me awake."
"Are you in pain? Wait, don't try and move yet." He looked back. "Randy, call it in. And tell them to send Yamcha to bring Mrs. Brief back to the resort."
Yamcha landed.
"Oh boy…" he said, seeing Vegeta. He looked at Bulma. "Are you sure he's not kinda aware like last time?"
"He was blinking to questions."
Yamcha slumped his shoulders, "So I'm the sacrificial lamb again, greeeeeeeeeeeat… I just love broken bones."
"Yamcha," Bulma crossed his arms.
"I'm on it. But seriously, why can't Gohan or Piccolo do this?"
He leaned down, "Hey Vegeta. It's Yamcha. I know you're sick right now. But we can't have you in the dirt.
Yamcha reached his arm over, and it was instantly grabbed. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Vegeta let go!"
Vegeta shifted.
"I said let go. Not squeeze tighter."
"Vegeta, let go!" Bulma ordered. "We are trying to help you up!"
Instead of letting go, he pulled him over landing on top of him.
"Come on man," Yamcha said. "Do you really want people to see you like this?"
Yamcha got off of him and knelt on his other side. Vegeta moved his shoulders and pulled his right leg tight to his chest.
"There you go. Come on, get your legs under you."
The air mattress suddenly popped.
"Yeah, get your arms under you."
Vegeta slowly did a push up, but he was shivering as he got his leg under him.
"Ok, come on. Other— Ah!"
Vegeta lunged, grabbing him by his shoulder. He wrapped his arms over Yamcha's neck.
"Ok. Up on three. One. Two. Three!"
Yamcha lifted Vegeta up, and he struggled to get his left foot under him.
"Do you want to try and stand on your own?"
Vegeta shook his head.
"Wow, you're actually honest for once. This is a first."
"Beadu."
"What?"
"Beadu?"
"You want to go to bed?"
"Beadu means chair," Bulma said. "Get him over here to the bench."
Vegeta sat down with a plop.
Yamcha leaned up and backed away. "I think you cracked a bone, Vegeta…" he grimaced, grabbing his arm.
"Stop being a baby," Bulma said as she stood in front and lifted his head to look at her. "Vegeta, you've been pushing yourself so hard. And I'm proud of you for doing so. Do you know I was with you most of the night?"
Vegeta blushed.
"I'll take those red ears as a yes. At least your eyes are clearer than last night." Bulma turned to Sugar Petal, "Sugar Petal, what do you need to do this morning, I'll help."
"I need to do the chickens and still take my meds." She looked down at the cats meowing and wrapping themselves around everyone's legs. "Vegeta would usually be fishing for the cats every morning."
*bark*
"And you too, Mark."
*bark*
Vegeta put his hands on his knees.
"Don't even think about getting up," Bulma said. "We got this. Then we'll take you over to the resort to rest."
Vegeta shook his head.
"You will have to go later." Randy said. "The next week we will be at another location. Flying out at 3 pm."
Vegeta lifted his hand and rotated his finger around.
"What about everything here?" Bulma translated.
"Reynold's is letting you pack the food you have to be stored in the kitchen fridge," Randy pulled a scroll and a folder left from his bag. "We have the scroll to read for the cameras and extra instructions for you."
"Give me those," Bulma snatched them.
Bulma read the scroll first.
"They are flying everyone out to Kota for a market and festival in honor of you killing the crocodile. Says they will be giving out 100 zeni each day for the groups to use. Today is arrival and settling in. Tomorrow is teams. Next day, family. Third day is a rewards challenge, the ceremony, and the town party going deep into the night. Fourth is hangover day and free roam before flying back in the afternoon. We are allowed to pack anything we want with us, and anything we buy will be returned to us."
She looked at Vegeta. "Kota is the regency capital with the paved tarmac at the airport. That was where we parked the jet when we went on the charity tour before we switched to local propeller pilots.
Vegeta nodded.
Bulma opened the second letter.
"Says to keep you cooperating, they are allowing all food you have preserved to be stored at the resort kitchen so nothing spoils. And it says again you can pack whatever you want and anything you buy will be returned. The crews have dinocap boxes and coolers ready to go. If you need more, radio it in and Yamcha will bring more. Signed Conner."
"Just Mr. Conner," Sugar Petal wiped her eyes. "No Mr. Reynolds?"
"Yes."
She stood straight. "Then we need to pack everything. No matter how many capsules it takes," she said confidently.
Vegeta spun his finger again, this time horizontally.
"Continue," Bulma said.
"This is just like when Vegeta figured out we could move the trade boxes. With everyone cheering in the background on the radio? What is everyone else going to pack, the machete?" She spread her arms, "This is for us! To sell stuff at the market so we have more money to buy stuff to bring stuff back!"
Vegeta poked Bulma then moved his finger in the air.
"Sam 1? Sam first."
"Yes, Sam first. Then some metal pots," Sugar Petal nodded.
Vegeta pointed at the animals at his feet. Then he held his thumb upright, three fingers straight and moved his pinky up and down.
Bulma tilted her head. "Oh! The shadow puppets were teaching Trunks. You're worried about the dog."
Bulma looked at the crews, "Can they take the animals to the resort?"
"I'll call it in," Randy said walking off.
"Mr. Vegeta-johna." Sugar Petal walking in front of Vegeta. She hung her head and bowed. "I'm sorry I broke you. I'm sorry I look like your auntie. Please go rest. I will pack everything we need myself. I can do this."
Vegeta looked up at her. Then slowly nodded her head.
"Hey," Randy came back. "Reynolds says you can bring the puppy, but since the cats are feral, they'll just eat your chickens while you're gone."
"Sounds good to me," Yamcha walked over and picked up the puppy.
*Yip* *yip* *whine*
As the puppy wiggled trying to bite Yamcha's hand. He looked at Vegeta. "Can you climb on my back?"
Vegeta's head bobbed to the side before jerking himself upright.
"I'll take that as a no…"
Vegeta was in an on-suite stone shower, sitting on the back bench leaning against the corner. All the 20 luxury shower heads were turned on.
Bulma popped her head in the room. "Oh Baby?! I'm here to rub your baaack. And anything else you want."
Vegeta did not move.
"Are you asleep?"
Nothing.
"Nope," she walked in. "Your ears are turning red."
Bulma took all her clothes off and opened the glass door. She grabbed the sponge and body soap bottle.
"Ok…" she sighed. "Let's get you clean. I'm about to touch you, ok? Get ready."
Bulma gently touched his shoulder.
Vegeta flinched.
She hesitated, but then touched the sponge to his skin. Bulma sat next to him on the large bench.
"Haven't seen you like this since after Trunks left," she started to scrub. "My handsome angry bird run out of rage again?"
She caught a twitch of a smile.
"I've never seen you try so hard before. I'm very proud of you trying to make friends. You'll have a few coming out of this. That's for sure. You must be happy to have Jerry, right? You like Black Slaughterhouse. I bet he and everyone else who went to the party is praying to the porcelain god right now, huh?" She poked his cheek. "Huh?"
Vegeta turned his head to the wall.
"Alright, sweetie. No teasing…"
"They told King Furry. I told him your introvert battery got so low you need a good jump start and everyone to get out and push. Surprised he's actually worried about you collapsing like this."
She paused to see his reaction.
Nothing.
"X-ray showed a line fracture in Yamcha's ulna. He went up to see Dende. He should be back any time now…"
"Our Trunks wants to see you. I had to tell him you were sick. He did not believe me because you never get sick. He's probably still crying and screaming. Don't worry Mom and Dad got him."
Vegeta suddenly made an effort to stand.
Bulma stood and got in front of him. "No, stay down. Yamcha wouldn't want to pick you up a third time. I said Mom and Dad got him."
Vegeta put his weight back against the wall.
She knelt in front of him. "I wish you'd tell me what messed you up between the end of the game and last night… but I guess you're not ready to tell me that story. You seem to be telling everyone else though."
"no…" came out very softly. "no tell… no everything…"
"I'll have to take your word for it… But at least you can talk, unless you pass out again. Don't push yourself. We don't have two months for you to get better."
"…i won't… leave alone…"
"Don't forget I'm here, too. You're always the one saying I have a sexy, sexy, body count. There are other ways to do things other than blowing a giant crater in the ground."
"Catch me, when this is over."
Bulma looked up, surprised he spoke at full volume.
She smiled. "Good. Mom's favorite nuthatch getting his pep back. You might be able to walk on the plane by yourself in eight hours."
"…you said… you'd stop with the jokes…"
"I'm back," Yamcha came through the broken window in the medical hallway to the waiting producers.
"That was fast," Conner said standing.
"I did say it would take longer to fly there and back than him fixing my arm."
"Still want another X-ray," Conner said.
Suddenly they heard Reynolds shout.
"Sounds like the king called again," Yamcha chuckled.
"Vegeta of all people fainting is a huge deal," Conner said. "Especially after almost killing Jerry on top of your broken arm. And throwing the word classified about the last time he fainted isn't helping." He looked at Yamcha pleadingly.
He sighed. "Trunks died to Cell. Resurrection aside, Vegeta wasn't found in his bedroom for nothing. Vegeta's always had another crisis one after another. Push everything aside and forget everything to charge into the next fight. But Vegeta didn't have an enemy anymore. And for the first time in his life, he collapsed." He turned serious, "Which is why I keep saying stop giving him an enemy, because his brain will snap right back into survival mode. So far, you've only met Vegeta Brief. You DO NOT want to meet the Prince of All Saiyans. Gonna take a lot more than a cracked bone to take him down then. I… don't even know if that's possible anymore, with the special forces disbanded and everyone not training for a couple years being under constant surveillance. Vegeta's only worked harder while screaming at all of us to pick up the slack, damn the king."
Reynolds stuck his head out putting his hand in front of the receiver. "Did you just say you can't stop Vegeta?"
"If he's serious, yeah. But we're talking Cell-level to get serious."
"So alien invasion level of power he could bring on our heads."
"Cell wasn't an alien," Yamcha said, confused. "He was a genetically engineered super-soldier from the Red Ribbon Army. I'm pretty sure this has all been said before. The Games was the public part, but we had been fighting him and the others for months and getting our asses handed to us. Cell going on TV was meant to be one last Fuck You before he waltzed into Central City. If you include all the time travel loops and parallel dimension jumps, the war was 100 years old before it even reached our version of Earth."
Reynolds looked at him frustrated, then walked back into the room.
"You probably weren't supposed to tell us any of that," Conner said facepalming.
Yamcha put both his hands behind his head. "You guys know Vegeta's an alien. Everything else is just gravy now."
"It's not like I go bragging about every little classified detail about my time in the British special forces just because you know I was a member." Conner said.
"Why? Your wife an alien or something?"
"No, she is not. Now go get the second X-ray," he ordered.
Yamcha shrugged and just walked off.
Reynolds stuck his head back out. "An NDAs worst nightmare, that one."
"Yeah, don't even need alcohol and a scantily clad woman to get him to talk."
Reynolds went back into the room. "Did you get that Mr. Souvlaki?"
"Yes. But that's out of our hands."
"I still think this is a very bad idea."
"You want to tell that to Nahm Jin-Ae? The woman who knows she's the favorite grandchild of the Voice of God? What she wants, she gets. And what she wants is her promised video of Sugar Petal's soul crumbling before she literally gets her head presented to her on a silver platter— yesterday."
"No…"
"Good. Her father said the helicopter has just finished being reskinned and will be loaded onto a cargo plane in Incheon. Will be on site in two days. Focus on what you can control. Because I can't keep that man on the hook too much longer. He's an egotistical idiot, but has the media smarts to know he's being strung along. He's already wavering on hosting the next season."
"Does it have to be him?"
"Willy's insistence. He's been looking for something on the man. And it's walked into the Nahms' lap if he can get either Vegeta or Yamcha on camera talking to him."
Reynolds sighed.
The show sent a single boat to pick up the contestants. Sugar Petal had a show labeled backpack and the puppy trying to escape his makeshift harness.
"Where's Vegeta?" Ichiro demanded.
"He was taken over earlier," she answered.
"So, what's the bag for?" Bob asked.
"The producers are allowing us to keep the meat in the smoker in the kitchen so he doesn't keep sneaking back. Also have my meds and some jewelry Mr. Vegeta made for me."
"That's a little small for meat," Bob said.
"It's in a cooler dinocap."
Ichiro suddenly reached over and grabbed the bag from between Sugar Petals legs. Sugar Petal managed to grab the strap before he could chuck it into the water as Daisuke got up and grabbed him. The three went overboard as the boat tipped far enough to partially fill with water. The dog began yelling and struggling to keep its head above water.
Bob put it on a seat, but it was still in the water so it continued to panic and jump around no matter how many times he picked it up.
Sugar Petal came up first, still holding the backpack. Bob smacked her away. "This boat is going down if it tips again. Stay back!"
Daisuke came up briefly before being pulled down. Ichiro came up next, but instead of swimming to a boat, dove back down.
The water splashed violently as the two fought. Two security men took off their bulletproof vests and weapons and dove in.
Daisuke popped up gasping for air. Ichiro popped up next with the two guards nearby.
"We don't have time for this!" a guard shouted on the boat. "Plane leaves with or without you! If you would rather drown. We will gladly leave you here."
Camera crews and Conner were waiting to greet them when the half-sunk boat pulled in with only Bob in it. The security boats also pulled in, one carrying Sugar Petal and Daisuke, another Ichiro.
"What happened?" Conner asked, rushing over to help Bob out.
"Sugar and Daisuke almost sank the boat."
"Don't lie, Bob." Daisuke said climbing out. "Ichiro attacked Sugar Petal and almost flipped the boat."
"All he did was grab the backpack and try to toss it overboard. It was you two numbskulls that escalated it!"
"Alright. That's enough. We will review the footage," Conner said. "Get the men to the suites. Sugar, let's drop the dog off then come with me to the kitchen."
While walking off, a guard humored Bob's request to talk.
"I'm formally requesting Daisuke be expelled," he said softly. "Intrateam violence is allowed, so Ichiro could break every bone in her body and nothing would happen. But Daisuke is Samundra. The moment he touched him, he should be disqualified."
Reynolds and Conner were watching the videos from the different cameras.
"Under the rules, we should be expelling Daisuke," Reynolds said leaning back. "but then again, Bob struck Sugar Petal several times."
"You sound hesitant for once."
"If we lose Daisuke and Bob, we basically ruin any chance this show will get renewed. We'll be left with a cast of villains."
"That's never bothered you before."
"Do you want me to change my mind?" Reynolds asked.
"Nope."
"Then be quiet. We'll use Vegeta's attack on Michael the second day as the precedent," he said standing.
"What do you mean he's not getting expelled?!" Bob shouted at Reynolds standing behind a security guard.
"Neither his interaction with Ichiro nor YOUR interaction with Sugar Petal is serious enough to warrant expulsion," Reynolds said. "If you want him out so badly, you can vote, or you can try and break every bone in his body, but knowing firsthand what the high standards are, good luck with that."
"Lisa got out with a broken hand."
"Lisa," Reynolds stressed. "Had seven broken bones and now has more glue and metal wire in her than a child's macaroni art. She will have very limited mobility in her hand in the best-case scenario, worst she may elect to amputate it."
"Vegeta has been hit in the head multiple times."
"By people he cares about," Reynolds said. "Considering the shocked look on his face when he turned around and saw Lisa, he was aiming to break Becky's hand by inaction." He sighed, "Bob. I truly get the sentiment of wanting to go scorched Earth on that man. But with King Furry in the mix, there is now a very narrow window of what Vegeta could do to get expelled that won't result in this season being canceled and every scrap of footage destroyed. And I'm sure everyone's employer, including mine, is going to be thrilled at how state of the art spy software will end up on our work devices. Easier to fire and blacklist than deal with this mess. From what Yamcha said, minus the Briefs and a family with generational wealth, every member of the special forces is homeless and unemployable after he disbanded them after his father's death. Their children are being targeted too. Good luck with getting your grandchildren registered for kindergarten because they won't have birth certificates or id numbers shortly."
Reynolds smirked at Bob's furious face and tapped the guard's shoulder and the two left.
Bob went to shut the door when he heard a puppy's bark. He didn't fully shut the door and saw Sugar Petal walking with the puppy in her arms and a backpack on her back.
"Where's Conner?" Reynolds demanded.
"Giving me privacy. He's at the elevator."
"Fine… but be quick with it."
He and the guard continued on.
Bob poked his head out after she passed and saw her walk towards the end of the hall. She used a badge and unlocked a door. Then she knocked.
"Sam, Luke, it's Sugar Petal. Open the door. It's unlocked."
Luke stuck his head out.
Mark barked.
"The puppy?" he said, shocked.
"They didn't let us bring the cats because they could take care of themselves."
Mark then jumped out of her arms and ran into the room barking.
"I'm surprised you're being allowed to walk around," Luke said. "Why are you wet?"
"Ichiro threw both of us overboard and tried to drown Daisuke. The boat filled with water but it didn't sink. I need to drop off the dog before I head to the kitchen. I'm supposed to be visiting Mr. Vegeta, but this is Sam's dog, so I thought I'd drop him here."
"Why the kitchen?"
"They are letting us store our food so Mr. Vegeta doesn't cause trouble."
"Shouldn't he be doing all of this?"
"… Mr. Vegeta collapsed. We were never given an emergency radio, so he just laid on the ground until morning."
"Is he ok?!"
"They are not kicking him out, if that's what you mean."
"Wait… what about his alien friends who always check on things?"
"There's nothing they could do. He just falls down sometimes and needs to wait until it wears off."
"So they left him?"
"Pretty much."
Luke hung his head, "Thanks for the dog. Go check on Vegeta then store whatever they let you bring. The better you guys are doing, the better off Sam will be."
Sugar Petal nodded and said goodbye. She turned around and froze.
Luke looked down the hall and saw Bob standing in the hall. He glared at them, then went back in his room.
"How did Bob react to Ichiro attacking you?"
"He kept smacking me saying I'd sink the boat if I tried to come back in."
"Sugar Petal, you need to stay away from Bob and Jamal. Jamal asked Michael to help kill Vegeta then got in a huge drunken fight attacking Jerry with a half full whiskey bottle. That's a deadly weapon in any other circumstance."
"Did Michael tell you that?"
"Sugar, after everything Jamal was screaming, he was definitely trying to kill Jerry. I believe Michael saying he asked him to poison Vegeta because he's bulletproof."
Sugar Petal gasped, "Does he know now?"
"If he doesn't, he has enough information to figure it out and the only thing stopping him is lack of imagination. Also, he has a theory Becky is a plant because of her interactions with Jason surrounding Sam's treatment. Currently Becky and Angelica are pissed and hung over. They drank hard and caused more chaos than Jamal attacking Jerry did. If Becky was brought into the game to cause chaos and violence, them being hung over and pissed is dangerous right now."
"I'll make sure to tell Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma."
"Why did you call Bulma mama?"
"Ma-ma is princess."
"Oh. That sounds weird in English."
"I know. Goodbye Luke."
Sugar Petal left and went two doors down and across the hall.
"Mr. Vegeta-johna. Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma. It's Sugar Petal." She used the pass to unlock the door and cracked it open. "Is it alright to come in?"
"Yeah, come in."
She went in and closed the door.
Luke went back in the suite.
Sam was in a recliner with his feet up in the living room. He muted the TV, playing a black and white western.
"Why is Mark all wet?" Sam asked, watching the puppy running around going haywire in the new environment.
"Ichiro almost flipped the boat over attacking Sugar Petal. Daisuke intervened and all three ended up in the water."
"What?!" He sat up, "Where was Vegeta?"
"He collapsed overnight and rushed here at dawn. You guys never had an emergency radio, and the other aliens said he has a fainting problem and just left him for it to wear off. Apparently, it hasn't yet. He's with Bulma across the hall. Sugar just entered the room with a pass."
"Oh God," Sam hit the button and the recliner sat up.
Luke grabbed the crutches, "No, you're not heading over."
"But!"
"No buts. Sugar Petal has a pass to open the doors." He walked back over and jiggled the handle. "See, it's locked again."
Sam hit his head against the extra-plush headrest. "Damn it."
"I told her what happened last night. So, Bulma is about to hear about what Jamal said and Michael's worry about Becky."
Sam pushed the button and the chair leaned back again. "At least that'll give them an extra day's warning… I can't believe he just collapsed though."
"I can," Luke said sitting in the other recliner.
"Well, you've only seen him at his worst. He's been a boogeyman to the red team, but Samundra, he's been an ally and a friendly ghost. They constantly found things left for them and didn't know where he found the time."
"By not sleeping and running himself to the point of collapse," Luke said. "As monstrous as he is, if what his toddler did is anything to go by, he's not the energizer bunny. And let's not even begin to think about the dangers of his altered mental state."
"I guess."
"Sam, don't get pulled into sympathy for that man, if he can even be called a man. What sins a generation tolerates will be embraced with open arms the next. Don't give one inch to the Briefs. Use them to stay healthy the next couple weeks then cut them out of your mind forever. We're already going to be followed the rest of our lives. Nothing is stopping the government from stabbing our legs with umbrellas or putting Chernobyl in a teacup."
"Luke, what happened to you? What you said last night, it was horrific."
"It wasn't horrific. It is the truth. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I gave up childish things."
"Are you calling me a child?"
"You are so much a child, you still need infant charms to stop demons from causing SIDS when you sleep." Luke stood up and walked towards the kitchenette. "Now what type of coke do you want?" he said, opening the fridge. "Got Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Ginger ale, Tropicana…"
"How's Mr. Vegeta-johna, Mrs. Bulma-ma-ma."
Bulma smiled. "I'm sure that's the honorific for princess or queen, but that sounds silly after my name. I don't mean to insult you by laughing."
"I've gotten told that several times. But it would be wrong to call you differently than Mr. Vegeta-johna."
"I understand that. I'm just apologizing in advance."
"And Mr. Vegeta-johna?"
Bulma led her to the bedroom.
They peaked in and saw Vegeta passed out on the bed. Bulma then quietly shut the door.
Bulma took her to the living room and grabbed a stool from the kitchenette bar. "So, how did you get wet? Puppy freak out in the boat?"
"No. Ichiro attacked me and the two of us and Daisuke ended up in the water."
Bulma groaned as she sat in a recliner. "They know better by now. They put you in the same boat on purpose hoping for a show. I take it you haven't been to your room yet?"
"No. I needed to drop off the puppy before I'm allowed in the kitchen." She touched her lanyard. "Conner programmed my pass just for this floor and the ground floor."
"Gave the puppy back to Sam?"
"Yes. Luke was with him. They might be in the same room like you." She hung her head. "Luke… said bad things happened at the party. Jamal took a whiskey bottle and tried to kill Jerry. Jamal also asked Michael to poison Mr. Vegeta because bullets can't hurt him. Seems Michael told everyone what he said and that he thinks Becky is a plant. I only know one meaning of that word, is there another that also means violence?"
"Plant can mean a person added to a situation like a spy or saboteur by people in authority to affect an outcome. So Michael thinks Becky was added to the game by the heads of the show to attack other players?"
"Yes. Luke told me Michael said he saw her working with Jason to hurt Sam. She was horrible from the first night on the boat party."
"Becky has a reputation as a psychotic bitch who loves the spotlight. If anyone could be convinced to join a show to specifically hurt others, it would be her."
"And Michael? You dated him."
"I used him for business and for making Yamcha jealous. And he was using me as well, so it was mutual. He was a chauvinistic control freak."
"Did he ever hurt you?"
"If he ever tried, he'd be dead," Bulma said matter-of-factly. "But he had other motivations that wouldn't let him even risk doing something so small as raising his voice to me. But Isaac is always quick to bring up his history of domestic violence. He might as well introduce himself with 'Hi, I'm Isaac. My brother is a woman beater.' That the show rushed him here the second he was released from prison means they have every intention to air whatever he did to you."
"But he treated me completely normally, as any responsible holy man should. I know Mr. Vegeta says it's wrong. And I can see his points, even if it means I burn in hell because of it, but the rest of the world," she shook her head, "will see nothing wrong. If anything, he will be praised."
"Sugar Petal," Bulma said sympathetically. "I think you were raised by people that gave you a very skewed view of reality. —"
"No." Sugar Petal cut her off. "You were the one who was raised with a skewed vision of reality. Mr. Vegeta and I can see the truth." She tilted her head cutely and smiled, "That's why he's here. You and Kakarot sold him on a beautiful lie. And he's in too deep not to fight for it to become reality, even if just for a small number of people."
Sugar Petal stood. "I need to get to the kitchen now."
She left the room, then Bulma went and sat in the chair in the bedroom.