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Butterflies & Hurricanes	By : Froglady15 Category: Dragon Ball Z > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 739 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer:I don't own anything. Just my Husband, laptop, my 3 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I MAKE NO MONEY/PROFIT!

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my Husband, laptop, my 3 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own twisted amusement.
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Chapter 14
It was nearing the end of the third week. Bulma missed Vegeta terribly but was still able to get lots done in terms of helping out Bardock in the lab with some of his projects that he'd fallen behind on. She and the older Saiyan were like two peas in a pod and worked extremely well together. They had been working on yet another new scouter design all week. Bulma had suggested he make one just for her and Chi-Chi so that they could keep in touch better and so that had been their latest project. It was nearly done.
Brolly was also a huge help to her where the boys were concerned and she was grateful to have him as a companion these past few weeks. He'd become a good friend to her and she hoped they would still be able to hang out once Vegeta came back.
She still hadn't told Vegeta about Brolly she thought guiltily. She didn't know why she hadn't told him. It wasn't like there was anything to tell. She and Brolly were just friends, nothing more. She supposed she knew Vegeta wouldn't like that she was spending so much time with another guy but it wasn't like she had developed romantic feelings for him. She liked him the same way she liked Bardock and Kakarott. He didn't mind if she was with them so she justified it that way.
As Bulma finished putting Trunks down for the night she decided she should turn in early herself rather than take a bath; she was tired. It had been an exciting and somewhat emotional day for her.
Once she had finished working with Bardock in the lab, she met Brolly for lunch, which had turned into their normal meeting spot. He would train in the mornings and then meet her for lunch and they would spend the afternoon together with the boys. It was a comfortable routine and gave her someone else other than Bardock to talk with.
Brolly had even been willing to let her use him as a decoy and so she was able to do some bite work with Aro. She had taught Aro to bite someone from behind, under the arm rather than the forearm. Ever since Yamcha wounded him, she had been wanting to teach him to bite someplace else, someplace less predictable. Right at the back of the arm from behind was where she thought it would be ideal. It was someplace unexpected as well as difficult for someone to reach or cause injury to the dog.
Brolly hadn't seemed to mind and so they had spent a lot of time on that. Today Aro had been nearly flawless, which made Bulma happy. He loved to work and since she had been doing this with him every day, he was happy, tired and feeling fulfilled.
While giving Aro a break, Trunks had managed to stand up and walked a few steps all on his own towards Aro and plunked himself down next to the Shepherd.
Bulma had been so shocked and thrilled that she just sat there dumbly watching her baby walk all on his own without any help. Sure she'd known this moment was coming, Trunks had been able to stand on his own for a while now and he had been making the effort to actually walk. It still took her by surprise though.
However her happiness and excitement was eclipsed with deep sadness that Vegeta hadn't been there for this important event with her; Brolly was.
It had been hard for her to see how excited he was for Trunks' achievement and he'd gotten up from where he'd been sitting and encouraged Trunks to try again, which he did. He stood up and very slowly wobbled his way over to Brolly before his little legs gave out and he fell back on his bum right in front of him.
Bulma had managed to hide her emotions behind the excuse that her little baby was growing and maturing so much quicker than she wished he was, but really it had made her sad that Vegeta had missed out on this. She wished more than ever that it was Vegeta that was right there with her at that moment encouraging his son to walk rather than Brolly.
She hadn't stayed that much longer with Brolly after that and she felt bad that she knew he noticed her sadness. She just hoped he would understand that it was just that she missed Vegeta and had nothing personal to do with him or anything that he'd done. She appreciated his presence and help; he was so good with the boys. She just really missed Vegeta and hoped that he would do what he needed to do quickly so that he could turn around and come straight back.
Bulma held herself together as she got ready for bed, refusing to let herself get all emotional about something that could not be helped. She changed and crawled into the over-spacious bed, lying in the middle and clutching Vegeta's pillow close to her. She frowned to herself when she realized it didn't smell like him anymore. Nonetheless, it was still his pillow and it made her feel better to have it close to her every night.
She sighed in frustration as sleep wouldn't come to her but she stayed in bed anyway.
-0-0-0-
They landed one day earlier than expected, which was fine by Vegeta. He wanted things over and done with so he could get back to Bulma and Trunks. As the days of arrival drew closer the more anxious he became. He knew his family was just fine; he usually talked with Bulma several times a day but still the feeling that something was amiss gripped him.
Kakarott had counseled him that he was over thinking things and that everything would be fine but that was what was beginning to worry him. Things were fine. Almost too fine.
His father hadn't made a single appearance according to Bulma, which was good but it made him suspicious. Then there was the matter of his father being cordial to him the few times they had spoken since he'd left. It all seemed to be falling into place a little too conveniently he felt.
No matter; he shrugged. He was here now and ready to do this no matter what the outcome.
We have arrived, he said to Bulma, reaching out to her through the bond; he knew it was very late on Vegeta-sei and she may be asleep. He hoped she wasn't. He wanted to talk with her before he left the ship.
Okay, she replied almost instantly. You be careful out there, you hear me?
I will, he replied confidently. Everything is alright with you and the boy?
Yea, everything is fine.
Good.
Are you alright? She asked, picking up on his anxiety.
Yea. Why are you not asleep?
Don't know, I went to bed a while ago and I just can't sleep. I miss you, Vegeta, she said softly. Trunks and Tarble and I are just fine, don't worry about us. Just focus on doing what you need to do and get back to us. We need you.
I need you, he replied quickly before he could stop himself from thinking it. He hadn't told her of course, but he missed her greatly. He wished he had been more attentive to her in the weeks leading up to his departure. He knew he hadn't handled himself well and he had taken his stress out on her. A huge part of him was surprised she was even still talking to him and patiently waiting for him to return. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had packed up Trunks and went to her parents as soon as he had left. That she hadn't meant the universe to him and he vowed to make it up to her somehow, someway once he returned.
Hmm, no you don't, she brushed off jokingly. Now go and win this thing so you don't miss anything else. Trunks started walking this afternoon.
That is good to hear, he said, dismissing the stab of disappointment that was taking hold. He had known he would miss quite a bit while he was gone; he had prepared himself for that. This is a good thing! He told himself. His son had graduated from helpless infant to a toddler; a being that he would more understand how to interact with. He could commence his training once he got home. So he had missed this milestone in his son's life but it would be the first of many and he would be sure to not miss any of the others.
Don't worry about us, she said again. Focus on being safe and getting home. Block me out if you must. I don't want to be a distraction to you.
Hmmmn, he grunted, not sure if it was a good idea or not. I will do that but the moment things have calmed down I will seek you out.
I know you will, she said cheerfully. No news is good news, right?
Right. He agreed. In the meantime, if things do not go well with you, you are to leave. Do not wait to hear from me, just go. I will catch up with you when this is all over, do you understand?
Yes, Vegeta. She sighed. I have everything I need on me at all times on the off chance things take a turn for the worst. Alright?
Good.
There was a long silence between the two of them for several minutes that felt like forever to them both as they knew it may be a few days or weeks before they spoke again, depending on how things went. Hopefully it wouldn't be that long, but who knew?
I love you, he said to her brusquely and instead of being elated, it sent a chill through her. Was he having second thoughts about this? Was he actually afraid things would not work out to his advantage? She wanted to ask him but thought better of it. He was just preparing to step onto a battlefield. Who knew what was going through his mind.
I love you too.
Vegeta put up a wall between them then before he said something else to completely demean himself, not wanting to drag things out between them either.
He had picked up on her thoughts. He wasn't afraid, he was just concerned about the fate of his family. Failure was not an option to him, he needed to be focused and ready for anything.
"Are we there yet?" Nappa asked eagerly in a childish tone as he barged into the ship's control room right then.
"Yes, Nappa." Vegeta sighed. Truthfully, he was relieved that they were finally here. They all had been going more than just a little bit stir crazy in the confines of the ship over the last three weeks. Many of them were becoming antsy and had been picking on one another out of boredom and pent up energy. It was time.
Vegeta waited until everyone was on the main deck before addressing them.
"I do not fully know what it is that we are up against," he started. "I personally chose each and every one of you for a reason. Most of you are experienced, have seen more battles than myself even; I am relying on your experience and tactical skills to get us all through this. I expect us to all work closely together, no matter petty differences that may have arose during our travel here.
"The moment we exit this ship we are fighting for Vegeta-sei; we are fighting for ourselves, our mates, our offspring. We are even fighting for those who have given their lives and lost them all because of our bondage to this horrible race," Vegeta continued on, emphasizing as much malice for the Ice-jin that he could muster up. "We are fighting to free ourselves from their putrid influence so that we may rise and stand alone in this galaxy. They have tainted and marred the reputation of our great race for decades. It is time we take back our freedom and stand alone in this galaxy on our own so that we may be recognized and respected as protectors, not destroyers."
A few of the men clapped in agreement.
"We will wipe them out and anyone who still holds loyalties to them as well. They will be given a fair opportunity to side with us as the galaxy's protectors. I do not wish for us to replace Cold and Frieza as the universe's tyrants. We are better than that," he said. "Our victory here will not only free ourselves from their control but hundreds of other planets as well. We will set them free. No more purging or child slaves. It all ends with the fall of the Ice-jin Empire.
"So go out there. We all deserve a chance to test out our new found skills. I am proud of each and every single one of you. You have all applied yourselves in the short time since I have returned and look how much you all have improved. Have you not improved much more than you ever could have imagined?"
Nearly all of them clapped or gave verbal acknowledgement.
"Let us go," he nodded, having said pretty much everything he needed to say. "Show them no mercy as they have never shown us any. Destroy as many as you can and return here so that we may bring our women and children stories of how the Saiyan Race finally has risen up from our shackles of servitude and we took our place as we were meant to in this universe; strong and proud. It all begins the moment we step off of this ship."
They all cheered and clapped in agreement.
Vegeta split them all up into groups of threes and decided it best that they stay close, but spread out somewhat. That way if one group ran into trouble there was always another not far behind.
They exited the ship and found themselves greeted by the most freezing, uninviting atmosphere Vegeta had ever encountered. He was thankful for his choice in flight suit beneath his armor; it was only a little thicker than his usual flight suit so it did not impair his movements. It was made of black thermal wear so that it trapped in your own body heat and preserved it. He had heard rumors about the Ice-jin planet that it was aptly named. They were surrounded by an ugly windy blizzard of huge snowflakes and snow drifts measuring up to six feet tall.
The wind was blowing so hard and the snow falling so heavily that they could not see more than two or three feet in front of them; it was nearly a whiteout. "Everyone keep your scouters on," Vegeta advised.
"Which way do you think we should head, Vegeta?" Kakarott asked.
"I'm not sure," he said checking the planet's stats again on his scouter. "Cold's main base should be located just under three miles north of here."
"Do you think he knows we're here?" Kakarott asked.
"I don't know," Vegeta shrugged. "Is everyone off the ship?"
All of his men nodded. "Good," he said and capsulated the ship. "I will have the ship on my person, we do not need Cold's soldiers finding it and destroying it. I have no intention of spending more time than I absolutely have to on this shithole."
Several of his men laughed in agreement.
"Split up into your designated groups," Vegeta said. "You are to all stay in touch and notify me of anything suspicious. Let's go."
The three some's all levitated into the air and slowly made their way north towards Cold's base.
-0-0-0-
"Hey, look, Vegeta!" Nappa announced, pointing to a small group of three soldiers standing at attention less than a kilometer away from Cold's base.
They came to a stop and Vegeta wasn't sure what they should do; automatically take them out or ask to be brought to Cold? They were definitely of Ice-jin origin. They looked almost identical to Frieza's final form in that they were about the same height as him and had a long tail. They were sleek and smooth and all together beautiful in their perfect silver appearance.
Vegeta fought back and swallowed a wave of anxiety sight of them. The hatred of that Lizard Lord still infusing him with an almost blinding rage even after all this time after defeating him so effortlessly. He shook it off momentarily however knowing that now was not the time to lose his head. Hopefully these would be as easy as Frieza had been but something told him not to just assume that.
"What do we do, Vegeta?" Nappa asked, drawing his attention back completely to the here and now.
"I can't get a read on them, Vegeta," Kakarott said, pressing buttons on his scouter. "What are they? Are they even real?"
"I don't know, Kakarott." Vegeta replied, trying to get a reading from his scouter and not getting any useful information either.
"Do you think it's the welcoming committee, Vegeta?" Nappa asked with a laugh.
"I don't know, Nappa." Vegeta growled, still trying to get a read on the mysterious statues.
"There's a group of three soldiers standing at attention or something over here, my Prince," Turles' voice came on over the scouters. "I can't get a reading on them though. I don't think they are anything."
"There's three here as well and I can't get a reading either," Raditz confirmed.
"Here too," Kakarott replied to them when Vegeta hadn't.
"I say we go after them and attack head on," Nappa suggested. "They look like nothing more than helpless scraps of metal to me."
"Hmmn," Vegeta grunted, he agreed but they were standing there almost strategically in perfect formation as though they were there for a reason. "Hold off."
"Do you think we should ignore them and just carry on towards Cold's base?" One of the soldiers in the other groups asked.
Vegeta didn't reply, he just frowned as he looked at them. He knew Cold's base was just beyond this, his scouter was telling him so and he could just barely make it out depending on which way the wind blew. So there were at least three groups of these things, making it nine in total. "No," he finally replied. "They are here for a reason."
"So what do we do?"
"Hmmmn," he grunted, still trying to figure out what they were and determining if they were a threat using his scouter, which was still telling him nothing useful; only the approximate weight and dimensions of them. They were made by some kind of unknown material so even the statistics readings coming back to him weren't reliable.
"Well they're obviously just machines, which means they can be broken." Nappa scoffed, getting annoyed that their trek had stopped.
"But we don't know what they're made of or if they are technologically superior to us," Kakarott pointed out.
Nappa snorted in reply. "Well, if you all are going to hang back like a bunch of pussies, I'm going to make quick work of these garden statues. They're kind of ugly, don't you think? Maybe I can turn them into modern art."
"Don't be stupid," Vegeta advised. While he agreed with his fellow Saiyan that they couldn't stand here all day trying to decide what to do, he also had the feeling it was a mistake to dismiss them all together. They were set up the way they were for a reason; he was sure of it.
"Whatever you say, Vegeta," he rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward. "Let me handle this, just remember to not be mad because I'm having all the fun, alright?" And with that he took off full speed flying towards the small group, powering himself up, ready to cause destruction and mayhem, the two things he loved doing the most in this realm.
"This is a bad idea," Kakarott murmured to Vegeta, taking on a battle stance just in case these things weren't benign.
Nappa rained down an overwhelming amount of small blasts at them, laughing gleefully and humming an obnoxious tune all the while as he did so while flying around and circling them at a blinding speed that the average person would not have not been able to flow with their own eyes.
The intense gravity training had done him well and despite his massive size, he felt light as a feather and was more lithe and quick in his movements than he could ever remember being. He made a mental note to commend that broad Vegeta had taken as a mate for creating such a thing. While Nappa never expected to ever be able to achieve Super Saiyan status he had improved more since his Prince had returned and introduced them to the gravity chamber than he had in all his years of faithful service and dedicated training in the Saiyan army.
Nappa shouted triumphantly as he sent one last large ki blast down towards the three statues just for good measure.
Once the smoke and snow had cleared, he gapped at the lack of damage he had actually done to them. They were completely unscathed. "What? No way!" he exclaimed angrily. "I hit those blasted things twenty times over!"
A moment later they began to move, slowly positioning themselves to look up directly at him. "Oh, so you've woken up from your slumber have you?" He laughed.
"You did not awaken us," one of them said.
"Hey, you hear that, Vegeta?" He called out. "They can talk! What else are you good for other than collecting dust and being unsightly?"
"We have been waiting to destroy you," one of the others said. "Thank you for replenishing our energy supply."
"Ha haa! You are going to destroy us? Ha! Hey, Vegeta, did you hear that? They're comedy drones. Maybe we should salvage one or two and bring them back with us. Maybe your father would like to use 'em as like court jesters or something?"
"Watch yourself, Nappa!" Vegeta shouted at him as one of the bots levitated to his level at an alarming speed.
They all watched in absolute horror as its arm impaled Nappa right through his armor and clean through the large, burly Saiyan's chest like he was nothing more than soft butter. A moment later the hole was made bigger as a ki blast blew straight through him, finishing him off completely and making the hole in his center rather large, charring all of his inner organs.
At least it was a quick, clean death. Nappa hadn't even a chance to react or feel anything it happened so fast. There wasn't even any blood or debris, except for the rest of his huge body now falling from the sky. The hole that had been made was a perfect circle, cauterized from the heat from the blast and not leaving a mess behind.
Vegeta and Kakarott both stood there gaping in complete and utter disbelief. Nappa was not only one of the most experienced warriors that Vegeta had selected to come with them but he was also the largest warrior in the Saiyan army. He had never been defeated.
"Holy shit! Vegeta, did you see that?" Came Raditz' voice over his scouter.
"What the fuck was that?" Came Turles' shout.
"Did that thing just blow a hole clean through Nappa?" asked another member of the Saiyan army.
"Affirmative," was all Vegeta could say as he stared at Nappa's now lifeless body which had fallen to the ground mere feet from them; his insides still smoking from the heat generated from the blast.
"What the fuck are those things?"
"What should we do, your highness?"
Vegeta was bombarded with questions from all of his men. He stood there a moment as he recovered from the shock. "Regroup." he commanded.
Within just a few minutes all of his warriors were surrounding him, all looking just as shook up and shocked as he felt.
"We need to proceed with caution. Obviously they are not real, we cannot pull up any information on our scouters, and they are at this point useless." He said, though he had nothing else to say to them.
"How do you want us to proceed?" Someone asked.
Vegeta wasn't sure. They had to do something, but what? He did not want to risk losing any more of his men carelessly. He thought for a moment but nothing seemed to come to him. The bot that had taken out Nappa was still in the air but had turned around and was seemingly watching them.
"Nappa was a fool," he growled angrily, still in disbelief that Nappa had not only been taken out so easily but also that he had been so stupid and careless in his approach; it was unacceptable for a warrior of his caliber to have made such a gross tactical error. He had grown up with the older man always with him through his youth before his service to Frieza and Nappa had been a constant presence in his life from the time he'd left Frieza's service initially at the age of 17 and had accompanied and advised him while on missions his father had sent him on until he had met Bulma. He had been there more for him when his mother passed than his own father had been. Nappa had taught him much in the art of tactics and warfare and even though he had given Kakarott the title of First Lieutenant, he still valued Nappa's opinion and advice on the battlefield. In a lot of ways the bald brute had shaped him and meant more to him than his own father did. "Instead of proceeding carefully he was cocky and arrogant and greatly underestimated these things."
"How many of them do you think are here?"
"I think nine at least," Kakarott said. "But I think we should assume there's more."
"Should we all just attack them head on?" Turles asked. "Like there's only three here. What if we all attacked them head on, destroy these three and move on to the next group of three?"
"Because I'm not sure if they are alive or just robots," Vegeta snapped. "If they are just machines, who knows how powerful they are or how long they can go before they are worn out."
"I think our best bet is to attack them all head on, Vegeta," Kakarott advised. "It's too risky to use ki. We don't want to charge them up and give them an advantage."
"You idiot!" Raditz yelled at him, smacking him upside the back of his head. "Did you not see what that thing did to Nappa? It put its arm right threw him like a kebab. So attacking them head on is the worst idea. But be my guest. Natural selection exists for a reason. Just don't think I'll have your back."
"Enough, Raditz!" Vegeta snarled.
"Well, really."
"Enough! Or I'll send you to deal with it on your own!"
"My apologies my prince."
Vegeta was quiet a moment trying to think of what the best course of action would be.
"If I may suggest, my prince," an older Saiyan warrior named Ruco spoke up. "Kolard and I encountered something similar to this on a purge many years back. They were robots or Androids I think they were formally called. We couldn't get an accurate reading off of them of course, being that they weren't real. They were exceptionally strong and possessed an artificial intelligence like nothing we had ever encountered. They were faster than us, stronger than us and smarter than us."
"I remember," the older Saiyan next to him named Kolard nodded. "We lost many fine comrades on that mission."
"How did you manage to defeat them?" Vegeta asked.
"We had to be very careful. Use of ki wasn't an option. All that did was make them stronger," Ruco said. "So we did what Kakarott suggested and attacked them head on. Two or three of us at a time against one. It was difficult but the best option. We still lost many being that they were highly intelligent and able to anticipate just about anything we did before we did it. I suspect that these are the same. We will need to be quick and attack them head on and tear them to pieces."
"We dismantled them completely, one by one." Kolard confirmed. "It is a dangerous risk, my prince. We lost many. If these things are even remotely similar then you risk potentially losing at best half of your army."
Vegeta scowled deeply as he took in the information and mulled over the potential risks. He hadn't brought that many with him to begin with. One hundred men. That was it. So the thought of potentially losing even one third, let alone half was not something he wanted to consider. However, they were one hundred of the best warriors in the Saiyan military had to offer. What other choice did he have? They couldn't just pack up, turn around and go home.
"We will do that then," he decided after a brief deliberation. "We will split into groups of six and attack them in groups of three. Hit them hard."
Vegeta looked at the three robot Androids. Two were still standing as they had when they had found them. The one that had killed Nappa was still in the air not doing anything of interest but just seemingly watching them. He hoped they were far enough away that they couldn't hear them discussing their strategy.
"Here is what we will do," Vegeta started quietly. "In each group of six, three will launch an attack on them and three will hang back and wait. When the first three begin to tire, the other three will jump in and take over if need be. However the second wave coming in needs to come in discreetly, take them by surprise in order to have the greatest advantage. At that point either someone from the first wave can continue on or take a few moments to collect themselves. We do not know their energy supply, whether or not they require a blast to replenish their energy supply. We on the other hand do not need to wear ourselves down this early on when we also do not know how many of them we may be dealing with."
"It is a good plan, my prince," Ruco said. "The ones we encountered seemed to be able to go on forever. They bided their time, essentially played with us until we were tired. Then they struck and destroyed the majority of us."
"Hmmmn," Vegeta grunted. "Then let us assume we are dealing with the same thing."
"Let's go then," Turles said. "Before they decide to come at us."
"Everyone form their own groups of six," Vegeta announced. "Remember, absolutely no ki blasts under any circumstances. We don't need to give them any more of an advantage over us than they already have. When your group finishes off the three of them, split off into another group of three and assist another group," he instructed. "We will continue on like that until they are all finished and destroyed."
"Yes my Prince." Several of them nodded.
"Kakarott, Raditz, Turles and Asia you all come with me," he said. "Ruco and Kolard, I want the two of you to split up and lead your groups since you two have dealt with this sort of thing before. Is there anyone else here that was with you or has encountered something similar?"
No one said anything.
"Wonderful," Vegeta grumbled under his breath. "Alright. Let's go!"
Vegeta powered up into all his Super Saiyan glory; if he was going to do this, he may as well make sure he was as fast and as strong as he could be.
The men all split up quickly into new groups and took off in opposite directions in search of the enemy.
"Kakarott and I will start," Vegeta said to his group as him and Kakarott leaped into the air, going after the robot that had slain Nappa.
"Hey, I want in too!" Raditz objected, following them without a second thought. "You guys hang back,"
Asia and Turles nodded, keeping an eye on the two others still standing still on the ground.
"If they make a move, that's our cue." Turles said.
"Right," Asia agreed. It had been so long since she had fought in a good battle. She hadn't realized how much she missed the adrenaline rush. This was where she belonged.
Vegeta, Kakarott and Raditz surrounded the Android and the three of them launched a forceful attack of punches and kicks at it. To Vegeta's astonishment, the Android did not retaliate all that much, but blocked a few of the blows and allowed most of them.
"Hey, uhm, where did they go?" One of the men's voices came up on the scouters.
"I don't know," another answered.
"What do you mean?" Turles asked, watching the two in front of him like a hawk just in case they tried something.
"They're not here!" Ruco replied.
"We can't find the ones we found earlier either," another soldier confirmed. "It's like they completely disappeared."
"Shit," Turles cursed, watching Vegeta, Kakarott and Raditz continue their battle with the single Android. "Just keep looking for them. They cannot be far. Stick with the plan and within your assigned groups and attack them on sight."
"Noted," Ruco replied. "I shall check in once I find something."
Turles simply nodded in response. "This isn't good," he said to Asia, turning his full attention back to the two seemingly dormant Androids in front of them and the fight happening just a few feet above them. Unsure of whether or not it was time to intervene, he kept his attentions divided between the two, ready to intervene and assist his Prince and two nephews at a moment's notice if need be.
Vegeta dodged a swipe from the Android easily, he was beginning to become frustrated. So far, they had been sparring with it three against one for several minutes at least and he had not been able to find any weakness to it. Its movements were as calculated and lithe as his own. Something had to eventually give, however.
He just hoped it wasn't Kakarott, Raditz or himself.
He slammed a knee into its back, hoping to slam it into the ground and gain some kind of upper hand on the blasted thing before they began to tire and open themselves to weakness and silly mistakes. No avail however. His knee didn't even leave a dent or send it more than a few feet away from them.
Raditz snarled as it suddenly latched onto his arm with a firm grip. He tried to throw it off of him but it had too tight a hold. It only took a moment and he began to feel extremely sluggish. "What the fuck? Get it off of me!"
Kakarott wrapped his arms around its neck trying to distract it and get it to let go of his brother.
"Don't let it get hold of you!" Raditz shouted as he saw Vegeta come in to help. "It's draining my energy."
Vegeta grabbed it by the elbow, pulling at it as hard as he could, his teeth bared and snarling at the amount of strength it possessed while Kakarott pulled its head back. It effortlessly shook both Vegeta and Kakarott off of it and in the process accidentally let Raditz go, who by that time was feeling more than drained and plummeted down towards the ground.
Asia leaped out from where she was observing the fight and managed to grab onto him, breaking his fall somewhat. "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked. "Turles!"
The moment Raditz was on the ground, he launched himself into the air to help Kakarott and Vegeta who were back onto it trying to inflict some sort of damage.
"Raditz!" Kakarott yelled as he saw Turles jump in.
"He's fine!" Turles said, throwing a punch at it and missing.
"Do not let it take a hold of you!" Vegeta warned. "It will absorb your energy."
"What the hell do we do then?" Turles asked.
Asia managed to get Raditz sitting up. "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked again.
"It took a hold of my arm and it somehow stole my energy," he explained, still out of breath and feeling like he wanted to pass out. "It was only a minute or so but I feel like I haven't slept in days."
She turned to look at the other two Androids who were now nowhere in sight. She looked up towards the others who were still fighting the one. She wasn't sure what she should do, make sure Raditz was alright or go and help the others.
"Go help them," Raditz said, picking up on her indecision. "That thing is impossible. Go help. I will rest a moment and I will jump back in. Just don't let it get a hold of you."
"Right!" she nodded, taking off into the air to help the others.
Vegeta had the thing from behind with his arms under its arms and over its neck so that its hands couldn't grab anyone. "Tear it up!" he screamed to everyone as it struggled against his hold and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hang onto it, despite him charged to his full potential; it was that strong.
Kakarott and Turles both grabbed a leg and pulled in opposite directions, trying to destroy it. Asia saw an opportunity and flew in sending and elbow straight into its center only accomplishing feeling like she'd smashed her elbow bone.
As Kakarott and Turles kept the Android distracted by worked at trying to pull the legs off, Vegeta became impatient with their lack of progress let both its arms go and grabbed it again by the right arm and pulled it up and back behind it. Without thinking, he shot a thin lazer - like ki beam into the shoulder socket where the arm connected with the body.
"No, Vegeta!" Kakarott exclaimed but no sooner were the words out of his mouth did the arm separate from the body and shocked, Kakarott and Turles let the legs go and watched the android plummet to the ground.
"You were saying, clown?" Vegeta smirked triumphantly as he crushed the arm in his hand like it was cheap plastic. "Everyone, if you can get in close enough to it, the limbs can be severed with a thin concentrated ki beam. Once detached from the body, the limbs are easily disposed of. Their strength lies in being whole." he said into his scouter, wanting to notify his men before they were all done for.
"I thought they absorbed ki?" someone asked.
"They do. Be very careful," Vegeta clarified. "Thin concentrated ki beams only and only to remove a limb. No body shots. Once removed from the body, the limb is easily disposed of."
"Got it!" Ruco said.
A few others replied, acknowledging this new piece of information.
Vegeta turned around and smirked at Kakarott and Raditz who had managed to remove another limb off of the Android by this time.
"Well done," Asia commented, watching them from a few feet away.
Vegeta smirked and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm clever."
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to find one to beat up on; those two that were with that one seem to have taken off somewhere. They could be anywhere."
"They probably got frightened off," Vegeta snorted.
"Done!" Kakarott shouted triumphantly, holding up the torso piece and roasting it. "Who's next?"
Vegeta smirked at him before flying away to look for another Android to destroy. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all?
This new found information helped the Saiyan Army greatly. They fought hard and managed to destroy a few of them. The Androids pushed them and they pushed back harder except then the Androids pushed back even harder and slowly, the Androids began to take out the Saiyans.
Even Vegeta was having a hard time with the Android he was currently fighting with. After the destruction of the initial android, he, Kakarott, Turles, Raditz and Asia split off to assist the others. It had been like this particular Android had singled Vegeta out from everyone else and so now here he was, fighting with it for he wasn't sure how long now.
It was like the ultimate fight with the most brilliant, perfect opponent. Vegeta had never experienced anything else like it. It was thrilling and terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.
Thoughts of failure did not even enter his mind as he fought and matched it blow for blow, fighting like a mad demon with the single minded mission of annihilating it completely. He did manage to sneak a quick look at Kakarott from the corner of his eye; he seemed to be holding his own just fine as well. For the moment anyway.
Although Vegeta was still doing just fine, the Android he was fighting was showing no signs of slowing down. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not. His stamina was pretty good but how long could he keep this pace up? A while yet, he conceded. But not forever.
His brief distraction checking up on Kakarott cost him a kick to the ribs and a tail lash that sent him crashing down into the snow and ice. Instead of being angry at his own foolishness, he laughed in glee. Never had he fought an opponent this difficult or one that fought as calculating and technically perfect as he did. It was as though they were evenly matched. He knew he had to watch himself. Winning this would be more of a battle of the wits than of strength.
"Are you okay, Vegeta?" Kakarott called out to him.
"I am fine!" Vegeta ground back, taking off to go have another round with the Android. "Mind your own business!" He wasn't angry, just wanted him to focus on his own fight and not make a silly mistake and pay for it by not paying attention like he had.
"Back for more?" the Android asked in an amused tone, cocking its head to the side.
"Oh I never left," Vegeta spat. "I am just getting warmed up. Now are you finished playing games with me or are we going to waste more time here? I have a very important appointment with Cold. I came here to kill him, not to dance with you." he goaded it.
"Very well, I was growing bored by your predictable fighting style," it replied in a voice so eerily close to Frieza's that it made Vegeta's skin crawl. "I must admit that I was hoping for a more interesting fight. So far I have been thoroughly disappointed in you."
"Alright then!" Vegeta roared. No one called him predictable and boring! "Let's get on with it!" He charged at it again, striking at it and missing his mark as it phased in and out of his sight, prompting Vegeta to follow it, strike and only hit clear air again.
It chuckled at him. "I thought we were getting serious now?" It chortled condescendingly. "You are far too predictable, my Prince." And to prove his point he phased out of Vegeta's line of sight only to effortlessly reappear directly behind him and whispered in his ear: "You have no chance here, your men are all going to die today; and you? You are the only one we have been instructed to keep alive."
Vegeta snarled and threw an elbow back in an effort to catch it in the gut but it had phased away again this time right in front of him and when Vegeta glared at it, it disappeared again, coming in once again behind him. It wrapped its tail tightly around his waist, like a vice grip; pinning his arms to his sides. It wrapped its left arm around his neck, immobilizing him completely and with the right he punched him a few times in the side.
Vegeta gaped in pain; those hits had felt like he'd hadn't even been wearing his protective armor. He struggled to get out of its hold and to breathe but it was a wasted effort as the more he thrashed, the tighter its hold on him became.
Vegeta changed out of his Super Saiyan form the moment he felt his energy level begin to drastically drop. Raditz was right, it was draining his energy.
"Let me show you something," it said calmly, phasing from where they were and suddenly below them there were several of his men fighting the rest of the Android army scattered all over, fighting. Some were in groups and some were in single hand to hand combat. To his dismay, he counted out at least half in his view were dead. All torn apart; limb for limb. He snarled in rage as he saw two Androids rip an older soldier in half at the torso and toss his body aside as though it were nothing more than useless rubbish.
Vegeta watched as the two Androids then split off to go after two other soldiers that were barely hanging in there, fighting their Android.
The Android who had Vegeta chuckled and they phased again and reappeared elsewhere, this time on a high up snow drift. Vegeta once again tried to free himself but it was no use. He clenched his teeth in rage as he witnessed more of his men falling to the Android warriors.
"Do you see?" It asked him calmly. "Do you understand how insignificant you and your warriors are by comparison to us?"
"What the hell are you?" He asked, despite beginning to feel very tired.
"That is an excellent question," it replied politely. "Our creator created us to destroy you and your race. We are android versions of the deceased Lord Frieza, whom I am to understand it was you who murdered him."
Vegeta chuckled darkly. "I did, and it was truly one of the more memorable moments of my life."
"Right, well my creator did not take too kindly to that and so he created us in Frieza's likeness in his honor and in his quest to destroy you. Not only that, but he has done extensive research on you and your race. I know everything about you. That is why I am so easily able to anticipate what you are going to do before you even do it. I already know it before you even think it."
"I see," Vegeta replied, grimacing at the sight of another soldier's gruesome demise. This wasn't good. He had to find a way to save his men. It was a waste for nothing and if he had known this would have been the outcome, he would have come alone. It wasn't that he was sentimental towards his men; it was an honor for a Saiyan Warrior to die in glorious battle. If they were faced with an enemy they could not overcome, then they had no right to survive. This, however was nothing more than waste and it made him angry that he had blindly lead his men into this. "Well if I am the one Cold wants, I'll tell you what, call off your horde of toaster freaks and I will send my men home. Take me to Cold, you already have me, I will not resist. Take me and let my men go on their way."
"A tempting offer, I must say; however I am afraid everyone you brought here is going to die today, I expect within the hour or so. Look over there," it said, pointing to Cold's base. From the altitude they were standing at, they could see Cold's base. Vegeta's stomach dropped as he counted ten new Androids exiting Cold's base and flying towards them. "You failed."
The Android brought him to yet another location, this time he could see Raditz and Asia both fighting an android on their own and it wasn't looking good. Asia seemed to be holding her own pretty well but he could tell from Raditz stance that he was getting tired. Vegeta looked away in disgust, knowing that within a matter of minutes he would most likely be done for as well.
He looked to the right and saw Kakarott struggling on his own to gain the upper hand on his Android but at least he didn't look like he was in trouble just yet.
The Android laughed and dropped Vegeta suddenly. Vegeta, feeling more than drained from the Android absorbing his energy for the last several minutes, combined with the deep despair settling in the pit of his stomach, allowed himself to just plummet to the ground and into the cold snow.
This had been the plan all along.
Within just a few hours, the numbers of the proud Saiyan Army had dwindled to nothing. More and more Vegeta was growing frustrated and desperate as he tried to think of something, anything to turn this disaster around.
He should have had this. What made him angrier than anything was the fact that he currently had less than half his men left and he hadn't met Cold yet nor had they made a dent in the Android army. Every time they managed to destroy one or two three or four would emerge from Cold's base; they were getting nowhere fast.
"I've been played," he murmured as realization began to crash all around him as he sat numbly in the snow where he had fallen, taking a moment to regain some of the energy he had lost just now.
How could he have not seen it coming? It was so obvious now to him. He could not win this, there was no way. He was out numbered and his soldiers out classed. Unless he could think of something right this second, there was no hope.
He had been set up; and in his arrogance and lust for battle he had foolishly taken the bait. Not only that, he thought with a sinking feeling, he had left his family behind on their own. If anything happened to him right now, they were unprotected. His father had planned this. He realized then with astute clarity that this was the reason his father had been on good behaviour all this time. He was waiting for him to fall to Cold and then he would go after Bulma and Trunks. Perhaps on the off chance he did accomplish everything he had hoped to on this mission.
Vegeta chuckled darkly to himself at the realization. "Well played, old man. Well played." His father had been smart enough to leave well enough alone to save his own skin from his son's wrath just in case. He had out smarted him. Well, Vegeta wasn't completely unprepared in the event he hadn't been successful in his quest against Cold and he only wished he would be able to see his father's face when he realized that his son had in the end had out smarted him in his own plans.
Woman? He called out to Bulma, not wanting to waste any time in letting her know. Where are you?
I'm fine, she replied. Are you alright? What's going on? I can't sleep. You're stressing me out with whatever is going on. What's wrong?
No one has come for you?
No we're fine. Vegeta, what is it?
You and Trunks need to leave Vegeta-sei right away. He said almost frantically.
What? Why? Vegeta, what's happened? She asked.
It was a set up.
What was?
This. My leaving. You were right all along. I cannot win this; my father had to have known that. You need to get out of there, now.
She was silent a long moment as she took what he was saying to mind. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, grit her teeth together for a moment as she collected her thoughts and checked in her emotions; now was not the time to rag on him about how she had known this would happen. Will you be alright?
Fuck if I know. Just get yourself and the brat off of Vegeta-sei. I will be fine if you can do that. Do not waste time. Take Kakarott's family with you if you must; I do not care. But should she want to stay or you are unable to speak to her immediately, leave her behind. You are to leave as soon as possible.
I can't just ditch Chi-Chi! She objected. It can't be that bad, Vegeta. I can't believe you're giving up.
Who said I was giving up? He snarled.
You're the one making contingency plans and scaring the shit out of me!
I need to know that you and Trunks will be safe. As long as I know that, I can face and deal with anything else.
Just get out there, Vegeta. She pleaded. Get out. Right now. I'll take Trunks and Tarble and we'll go back to Callisto and wait for you there.
Are you completely insane?! Do not be stupid! I cannot run away from a battle! He raged at her. Run away indeed! Just get the hell off of Vegeta-sei. Trust no one. Do not speak to me again until you are off planet. I must be free of distraction.
Okay, I just have to get Trunks and Tarble ready and let Bardock know. I can't just ditch and disappear, Vegeta. He'll worry.
I don't care about Bardock! Just get off of the damned bloody fucking planet now!
Alright! I am! God! And suck up your pride for once in your life and leave that situation before you get yourself killed!
Woman, the only thing that is going to get me killed is you if you do not listen to what I am trying to tell you and leave! I cannot just waltz out of this predicament; it is not that simple. I must see it through to the end no matter the outcome. All I require from you is to follow my orders and leave. Go back to your parents. You are to stay there until I tell you otherwise.
But-
But nothing! Just do it!
Alright, she said after a long pause. Watch out for yourself and I will see you on Callisto. Alright? I love you.
Yea. Was all he said before putting up a mental wall, blocking her out completely.
Bulma laid there for several minutes before she sat up on their bed. She looked at her hands, fingered the delicate blue and black ring on her finger. She wasn't upset. She wasn't panicked. She wasn't frightened or angry. She felt nothing. She was numb.
She didn't even really have any specific thoughts in general. Part of her brain was telling her she should start packing things immediately and find Bardock to begin making arrangements; it's what Vegeta wanted. The other side was telling her not to panic. Maybe Vegeta was over reacting. She knew from experience that Vegeta took hers and Trunks safety very seriously. If he knew she was just sitting here like she currently was, he would have an absolute fit.
What was the point in her getting all over excited and stressed out though? She had faith in Vegeta that he would come out on the winning side of this whole situation.
Bulma knew she had to leave Vegeta-sei as soon as possible but she didn't want to leave without word to Bardock and without at least giving Chi-Chi the option of coming with her.
She got out of bed and looked outside the window of their bedroom; it was starting to get light out. She would need to start her day soon anyway. She began packing her belongings that she thought she would need before feeding and dressing Trunks for the day.
Bulma packed up everything that she could think of, both hers and Vegeta's things in hopes that he would find a way out and would join her soon on Callisto. He had to make it out of there, he just had to; she refused to think of an outcome where he wouldn't.
-0-0-0-
Vegeta stood up finally, brushing the snow off of himself. He couldn't see the Android that he had been fighting with. If it was the plan to kill everyone but him today he didn't have anything to lose. He powered himself up to his glorious Super Saiyan form and went to assist Kakarott and as many of his men as he could.
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Butterflies & Hurricanes