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Hope Leaves	By : pegarsus9 Category: Dragon Ball Z > General Views: 2544 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters and make no money from this story. Blah.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Hello everyone, I'm alive! *Hears pin drop* it's been so long :( Not having time to write is depressing, and I still don't have a computer. But this story is almost finished. The end is planned out, only a chapter or two to go after this. Thanks for sticking with it despite this being a very long process, and I hope you enjoy the final chapters!

THIS CHAPTER: Bulma's plan starts to come together, but when do things ever really go as imagined? No matter how high the odds are stacked against him, Lennon refuses to give up without a fight, but both Vegeta and the doctor may have final trump cards up their sleeves.

***

“Release”

...Hold on please (behind those grey and lonely eyes)

hold on to me (unforgotten by time)

tempt fate, release (reality is dawning)

Escape (our spirit is awakening)

hold on please (and somewhere in the hurricane)

hold on to me (hope is waiting)

tempt fate, release (crying in the distance...)

Escape...

(crying in the distance... and calling out your name)...

-Anathema

(Vegeta's POV)

Now he could make out what the voice in the back of his head was saying, whispering with menace in the native language of his home world, ‘Do you see what you’ve done?’

Yes, it was quite obvious. But what the foreign voice and the imposter it belonged to didn't suspect was that the things which had been done could be undone, at least to some extent.

'Listen to me,' he said silently, knowing Bulma would hear it. 'If it's too difficult this way, if you can't do it, then just seal me inside with them. I don't think I can control this body for long, so it won't be possible for me to safely return to my own body whilst trying to simultaneously trap our enemies in the rift. All that really matters is that the every last one of the rifts close with them sealed inside, away from the earth. I saw what I did to you, I saw everything. There's no need for any more suffering to come to any of you. Just do whatever you must to end this.'

'But... you didn't do anything. You weren't here! All this time, you've done nothing-'

'Don't wait for me to leave this body. I'm going to drag them all down with me whilst you seal us inside. I have to be certain they've been destroyed, or Lennon will simply find a way out regardless of what you do. He controls the rifts after all.'

Once he'd explained his plan, Vegeta stared at her expectantly, but she refused to look at him or respond.

'There's no time for this,' he insisted, trying to concentrate on something other than the blinding pain tearing through his skull at close intervals. *'I need to know you'll do it when I give the signal-'

'It doesn't have to end like this, we'll find a way!'

'And it might not. It might not end the way you expect. But we don't have time to think about the possibilities. Just do this for me now. I have... a good feeling about it, you might say. Don't you remember that time ten years ago when I killed all those people at the stadium? You told me afterwards that you knew when I myself had died, and you weren't sure if you wanted to wish me back if I'd reverted to my old ways. You had the courage to part with me then, and this time should be no different. I could hurt thousands of people like that time, or I could hurt just you and our children; it makes no difference. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?'

'You've obviously made up your mind about what you're going to do. Let's just hope for the best, and maybe it will turn out alright somehow. I'll do what you say,' she conceded, the voice emanating from her mind heavy with unshed tears. As Vegeta turned to face Lennon and Myrrh, he could hear her thoughts echoing in her head and over to him, sorrowful but tinged with hope all the same.

'I just want you to know that you never had to change who you were for my sake. I may have forgotten that for a while but I remember now. I remember who it is that I love.'

Before he crossed the distance between himself and his enemies, Vegeta cast a final glance at her, knowing that it would be enough and that words would only be unnecessary. Trunks had stopped trying to attack for the time being and was watching who he thought was the double warily, looking confused at the fact the fight had suddenly ceased.

'What's the deal, don't wanna fight any more? What are you planning then?' his son sneered angrily behind him, but Vegeta ignored this as he approached Lennon and Myrrh. What followed actually transpired very quickly, although it felt incredibly slow. He grabbed the two aliens by their collars and flew backwards, dragging them roughly through the air towards the rift. Everyone in the room was silent, failing to respond out of surprise at the current turn of events, but just as Vegeta reached the rift's entrance, a strong gust of wind almost knocked him out of the air. Before he realised what was happening, he could feel the doctor hovering behind them. So this is it huh? he thought to himself knowingly. This is when he plans to betray us. We'll see about that.

Putting all the strength he had left towards the effort, Vegeta tried to spin around and instigate some kind of counter attack, but some kind of unseen force was paralysing him. Most likely it was the imposter who'd body he'd possessed, opposing his will. 'I won't let you win this time,' he growled, but the two aliens were ripped from his grasp, and when he finally managed to spin around. The new sight was more shocking than anything that had gone on beforehand. The doctor was propelling himself backwards, taking the other two with him. A loud shuddering sound much like an approaching landslide filled the cave as the shimmering surface of the rift began to glow. Vibrant spheres of colour lit up and began to move in a circular motion towards the wavering centre. The doctor was shouting something which sounded like, 'Look away, avert your eyes,' but the sheer brightness and intense hues were enough to make Vegeta do that involuntarily. A few moments later an ear piercing sound, this time like a thunder crack, drew the eyes of everyone in the cave back to the rift. Goten was the first to speak.

'It's... it's gone,' he stammered.

'Well yeah it is, Bulma replied, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. 'I closed it. It's all sealed up now, and unless those three know a way out that doesn't involve this computer, they're trapped forever.'

'Vegeta was still staring blankly at the hollow air where the rift used to be, baffled by what had transpired. Not the rift closing, that had been expected., no it was the doctor's actions which had stunned him. Did he just sacrifice himself for me? he thought silently, then began to speak to Bulma and Goten aloud. 'No, there's no way. It's some kind of deception, I'm certain of it. We need to plan a counter attack. Something's not right-'

'What the hell are you talking about,' Trunks interrupted, sounding utterly confused. 'Who are you even talking to, and what happened to the rift hologram thingy that was in the middle of the cave a minute ago?!'

'You mean the rift?' Bulma, now back in her previously soulless body, spoke up.

'Mum! You're back to normal, and you're OK!'

'I sure am hun,' she smiled warmly. 'I figured that now those jerks are gone, I could safely get back into my body. I've been here the whole time.'

'But what about him?' Trunks frantically waved a finger at the double whom he'd been fighting to the death only minutes ago. 'He's-'

'This is going to sound crazy, but I'm actually myself at the moment,' Vegeta cut him off, trying to think of the fastest way possible to explain the situation. 'Well, I've possessed this body at least, which isn't mine even though it looks exactly the same.'

Trunks gave him a blank, wide eyed stare. 'Dad? That's you? Did I miss something?'

'Yep,' Goten replied, giggling. 'A hundred years went by in those few seconds you were shielding your eyes from the bright light.'

Vegeta turned to Goten and rolled his eyes. 'He can't see or hear you, idiot.'

'Oh yeah...'

'Who are you talking to?' Trunks asked in exasperation.

'Goten.'

'What, where? Where is he?'

'Hovering around us like a bad smell as usual. Nothing new. You can't see him at the moment because he isn't in his body,' Vegeta replied, scratching his head. There was just no logical way to explain this situation.

'What?! Since when do you guys possess people and become invisible? Did you learn new tricks while you were off in that other world or are you all dead?!'

'Well,' Bulma contributed, 'In a sense, yes, but also, no.'

'You're not helping,' Vegeta said gruffly.

'Neither of you are. I have no idea what's going on,' Trunks mumbled, though there was a strange sense of relief washing over them. There was no way to tell whether this was a ruse, but it truly felt like it was his father standing in front of him now, and that his parents had planned out this whole scenario. It was just like them to come up with some genius last second plan. There were so many things he wanted to say to his father, to say sorry for, but everything had happened so fast that he was too shocked to utter a single word.

Ignoring his son for a moment, Vegeta looked towards Bulma. 'I don't know how much longer I can control this body. Perhaps if we sever the wires that are connected to my skull,' he paused, pointing to the bed in the corner of the room to which his actual body was strapped down and covered in wires, 'I might be able to return to my own body. If it works, it works. If not, then you three have to go ahead without me. Leave this cave and go gather the others, you'll need as much help as possible to search for Lennon's space ship. Neither he nor any of his followers can be allowed to leave this planet, and I'm not convinced that sealing them in that rift will keep them confined indefinitely. Lennon's no fool, he'll have a way of escaping.'

'You're right,' Bulma replied, frowning as she began to disconnect the wires running from the computer to her husband's body. 'That strange guy who dragged those two into the rift told us that Lennon gained some valuable information from your mind, and that we can't let him leave earth.'

'And that may be a lie, everything the doctor said could be a lie. But we can't take that chance. These people are dangerous, no matter which way you look at it. It's absolutely necessary that we make sure they're dead, whether they gained some kind of information from me not. Now listen carefully. Once the wires are cut, I want you all to leave the cave.' Again he waited for their reaction, finding it more and more difficult to speak because of the pain in his skull. He had to get out of this body, and fast.

On hearing his words, they all began to protest, as he'd expected.

'Just listen. Go, get help, then look for the space ship and any sign of Lennon. I'm going to return to my own body and fight this imposter by myself. There's no way I'm going to lose to some cheap impersonation of myself. Now go, quickly. There's very little time left,' he urged, feeling the cold sweat starting to ooze out of his pores as every fibre of the creature he'd possessed struggled to break out, relentlessly screaming curses in their native language.

'But dad-'

'If there was ever a time I needed you to do what I ask you Trunks, it's now.'

It was Bulma who shook her head in response to Trunks' pleading stare. 'Do it. Do what your father says. Destroy the wall and get us out of here. And don't argue with me. You just have to trust your father to handle this hun.' The look her son was giving her was heartbreaking, but she continued to urge him on until he unclenched his fists in defeat and turned to the entrance, removing the ki reinforcements from the walls and door.

As they exited the cave, Trunks turned back to look at him. 'Good luck father. Don't lose, OK? You know Goten and me will never let you hear the end of it if you lose against some stupid fake,' he said steadily, even though there were tears in his eyes. Bulma and Goten also looked back for a moment, silently putting their faith in him. Then they were gone.

Outside the cave, Bulma immediately demanded that they go to the lookout and check on Bra. Suposedly this would be the best course of action because they'd get to speak with Dende, who would contact everyone else for them once they'd arrived. Trunks quickly agreed to this idea., and after what must have been half an hour of flight, they reached their destination. They were surprised to find not only Dende and Mr Popo there to greet them, but Goten, who was no longer unconscious.

'So I guess you beat us here huh Goten?' Bulma asked, not sounding surprised. 'It's so easy to get around when you're not in your physical body isn't it? So how's Bra, is she OK? Is she in bed yet? God I hope she's not still up-'

'She's fine Bulma. Dende said she came here completely exhausted and has been asleep for hours, so don't worry,' Goten reassured, but it was Trunks he was looking at. His friend looked terrible, with all the colour drained from his usually tan skin and bruise-like shadows under eyes. Not to mention the wounds on him from the battle he'd fought earlier, some of them quite serious.

'Are you OK Trunks? You should get Dende to look at your wounds, they must be-'

'Don't worry about it,' Trunks replied, forcing a smile. 'It's just good you're OK. I thought you were- anyway there's not much time to talk. We need to find Lennon, Brie and that other guy, and we have to find their spaceship as well. We've gotta stop them. Dad... dad said.'

'You're right.' Goten's eyes narrowed. It was time to get back to business. Dende, who'd been standing behind them as they'd greeted each other, decided to join the conversation.

'I'll contact the others,' he offered. 'So you won't need to worry about that. Goten already explained everything to me just before you got here. The best course of action you can take at the moment is to go to the location I'm about to give you directions to and search for those intruders you've been fighting. I can sense an unusual disturbance in this particular spot, and I think one of these 'rifts' everyone's been talking about has remained open there. That's probably the best place to start looking for them.' Once finished explaining this, the young namek gave the three directions and asked that they leave the rest to him.

'Thanks Dende. I trust you to take care of everything. And look after my girl till I'm back OK? I'm pretty sure these boys are going to need my help with the search at some point,' Bulma said determinedly.

'Mum,' her son said gently, 'let's go. We have to be quick so we can get back to dad as soon as possible.'

'You're exactly right. Shall we be off?'

The two boys nodded, and a few moments later they began another full speed journey towards the location Dende had given them, knowing that there was no time to waste. This trip was over somewhat faster than the last one, and it wasn't long before the trio had split up- Bulma and Trunks together and Goten on his own- in order to search for any signs of a spacecraft or the three fugitives they were after. It wasn't long before Goten made a somewhat gruesome discovery, alerting Trunks by raising his power level. The discovery turned out to be Brie's limp body lying on the mossy ground. The woman's usually vibrant green eyes were open and vacant, as if someone had sewn the lids to the brow bones, and her rosy skin was leeched of colour. Trunks stared icily at his (ex) girlfriend's dead body. There wasn't even a twinge of sadness for her in his heart. Not only had she decieved him in the most unimaginable way, but she also could have cost him his own and his entire family's lives. Lucky for you, you got off easy, he thought bitterly, still seething with anger towards the cunning, backstabbing bitch even though she was nothing but a rotting corpse now. Served her right, and yet seeing her dead wasn't satisfying as it should be. Truth be told, he felt nothing. Nothing at all.

Bulma pursed her lips after a long, tense silence. 'Well, she's dead alright. Do you boys think the doctor could be too?'

'Maybe. Or maybe he just killed her and ditched her body. And he's still out there somewhere, looking for another host,' Goten said uneasily. 'That guy really creeps me out.'

Bulma ignored this, realising something infinitely more important. 'You know what this means right? If the doctor escaped the rift in a physical body, then that means...'

'That those other guys did too,' Trunks finished. 'Fuck.'

'Hey. Watch you're mouth hun,' Bulma said quietly, staring at Brie's body for a moment then looking away in disgust. 'I'm sorry baby. I'm sorry Brie's-'

'Don't be,' came the much harsher than intended reply. 'She's just lucky I didn't get the chance to kill her myself. Both of you have to hurry up, we need to find Lennon, Myrhh, and that other freak before any of them escape.' He was already storming off in another direction, the shredded white strips of his ruined shirt moving in time with the pale locks of his hair as the wind picked up around them.

'Trunks wait!' she cried after him, staring over at Goten in desperation as she began to massage her temples in an outward gesture of the helplessness she currently felt.

'This is messed up,' Goten said sadly, worry plastered all over his face. 'We don't even know where to look. Or where we are...'

'I know Goten. I know.'

(Vegeta's POV)

Once the three of them were clearly out of range of the cave, Vegeta made a hasty decision about the best way way to do this, which involved walking to the closest wall and and slamming his head against it hard enough to cause at least a minute of dizziness. As the double's body slumped to the floor, Vegeta allowed himself to float upwards and back in the direction of his own still, lifeless form, settling into it easily. Very slowly he sat up, his vision blurry at first but gradually returning to normal. The sensation of being himself again was surreal, or perhaps it was so real that it felt unnatural, and with each passing second the events that had occurred inside the rift felt more and more like a dream. Turning his impossibly stiff neck towards the double (who was staring up at him with a malicious but dazed expression), Vegeta wondered if his idea had even the vaguest chance of success. Normally he wasn't one to talk things out, preferring to solve any problems that presented themselves with his fists, but this situation required something different.

'I can see you looking at me from down there,' he croaked hoarsely, throat rusty and dry from lack of use, 'and I know what you're thinking. You want me dead, am I right? No answer? I'll take that as a yes. Well, we can't always have what we want. If I die, then you die as well, did you know that? You'd be a fool not to even if those lunatics didn't tell you the truth.' Still Vegeta got no response. Instead a pair of shadowy eyes, eerily identical to his own, tried to stare a burning hole through his skull.

'The two of us have always acted somewhat childishly when we don't get our way, but what I say is the truth. You can't exist without me. You are me, a part of my mind which came to life inside the rift. Only my thoughts and memories became real in that world, but I never thought of or remembered you. Goten explained what you are to me before we returned to this world. You told him that you're the person I used to be, and could have been. If you've always been there in my mind, then that must be how you came to be real inside he rift. What I want to know is how... how did you come to exist in the first place, and when? If you want to live, you best answer me. Considering what you did to Goten, the woman next door, and my wife, you're lucky I haven't torn you into a thousand pieces and set them on fire by now' he warned, staring deep into the other man's eyes. How strange, to be staring at a living mirror of oneself.

The prince suddenly began to laugh as a genuine smile spread over his face, and Vegeta wondered if he really looked like that when he smiled. No wonder he so seldom did it.

'If I want to live? It wouldn't matter what I told you, you'd still have to kill me in the end. I find it highly amusing that you don't even know me. I've only existed since we were children. Do you remember all those times you woke up as if from a dream, not knowing where you were? Did you not wonder how you managed to fulfil all your duties as a soldier so well when there were such long stretches of darkness in your memory and consciousness? Who do you think was living for you whilst you slept? Life doesn't just live itself. To think, that you never sensed my presence throughout all these years. You really are a single minded fool. Well, not exactly single minded. I guess none of it matters any more. If I can't kill you without dying myself, then I've no purpose here.' The infuriating smile remained plastered to his face, making Vegeta want to scratch it off with his fingernails as if that would somehow erase the simple but horrifying fact that had just been explained. Do I really have another person living in my head?* he wondered fearfully, not liking the idea one bit. *If it's true, then it's just like people have been saying about me all my life, that I'm mad. If this creature existed as a part of me ever since I was a boy, and still does, then there's no way I could be sane.

'What did you mean to do, by joining forces with Lennon?' Vegeta questioned hurriedly, trying to force his mind to somehow wrap itself around all this senseless information. 'Did you really think you could replace me, is that it? I suppose that's what Lennon told you. I didn't remember a thing about being captured by Lennon when I was a child, or the experiments, not until he brought back the memories. That means you were there, and you remember. So why, why the hell would you believe in him?'

No answer. The continuous silences made putting a fist or foot through the wall (or the double's forehead) a tempting prospect.

'I don't have time for this lunacy. Might as well be talking to myself. It's time to leave this place, and make sure that neither you or those freaks get a chance to escape this planet. Either you help me, or you die. You can start by telling me where they've hidden the ship, and you might as well do it, because if you don't, my family and their friends will find it anyway, They're quite resourceful, so it's not exactly worth getting yourself killed over.

'Are you saying that after all I've done, you're willing to to postpone killing me? How unusual you are. We're not at all alike,' he mused, his voice far away and ringing with defeat. In a surreal moment, Vegeta could recognise that tone of voice as one that had come from his own lips before, however unalike the two men might have been. It meant that the imposter had given up. Trusting him would still be a bad idea even if he did decide to cooperate, so it would be necessary to watch his back every step of the way.

'It's deep in the ground, below this cave,' the double offered. 'All you have to do is send an explosion down into the earth. See for yourself, if you don't believe me.'

Vegeta's narrowed his eyes, never allowing them to stray from his look alike's face as he sent a targeted explosion straight through the ground beneath them. Dust and debris filled the cave, and they were left hovering over a shadowy, gaping chasm in the rocky floor.

'Go down to the depths of this hole,' Vegeta commanded. 'I'll follow you. We shall see what's really down there.'

The prince complied, but could be heard chuckling in amusement as he floated downwards. 'Don't want to turn your back on me, hmm? Smart choice...'

As they went further and further down, the light emanated by their ki made the silhouette of a spaceship more and more obvious. Another sudden burst of energy whizzed past the prince's ear, hurtling towards the ship and disintegrating it on contact. A spectacular display of flames, smoke plumes and electrical sparks ensued.

'Well that settles that,' Vegeta said with satisfaction. 'Looks like we have ourselves a campfire. Just the just the right atmosphere for story telling. Say, why don't you tell me a few tales about those colleagues of yours? Like what their real purpose here is, for example.' The mock-friendly tone of voice suggested that story time was non negotiable. This new strategy forming in his mind should succeed, although it was a bit of a gamble. Vegeta planned to draw out whatever information he could about Lennon, while simultaneously thinking about what plans the double might be plotting at this very moment to escape.

*Just like myself if I were in his situation, he'll probably have no qualms about betraying Lennon, but he'll use the time spent talking to come up with an escape route or an alternative method of killing me. I have to think of a fast way to dispose of him once I have the information I need.*

Again the double chuckled to himself, distracting Vegeta momentarily. 'You want to know about them. There isn't much to say really. Lennon is a military scientist, and Myrrh is his body guard. The woman who was possessed earlier, Brie, is the daughter of a an old friend. She's a good deal older than she looks, and has something of a disagreement with you over killing her father. She also works with the Southern Star army, which as the name may suggest, operates primarily from the south quadrant. The reason they're all here as far as the SS knows, is to collect data that will enable the army to make saiyan clones, increasing the strength of their forces without having to increase the numbers so dramatically. However, that isn't really what Lennon's doing here. He's already created clones of us. What he really wanted was to obtain some information from our mind. His plan was to kill you once he'd gotten what he wanted, but unfortunately he failed-'

'Unfortunately for you, yes. All those facts are useless, the doctor informed me of them ages ago. What I really want to know about is this information Lennon wants. If I can't figure out what it is, then surely you know. It's must be pretty damned important if he came all the way here just to obtain it,' Vegeta snapped impatiently. This was dragging on far too long, and still the double was smiling that knowing smile. Every single move he made had to be watched closely. Very closely.

'I'm afraid I can't help you as much with that,' said the prince with a theatrical sigh. 'All I know is that what he wants actually has nothing do to with us. In fact, I think it's something to do with the doctor. You don't remember him either, do you? It seems there's many things you don't recall. If I didn't know better I'd say your brain had a memory leak.'

'Are you saying I knew the doctor once, and that this is all about him? Is that what you're saying?' The shock in his voice was evident. Vegeta had suspected many things about the ghostly man who's appearance had marked the beginning of all his troubles, but to think he'd actually met the doctor... Where and when, and why hadn't seeing him triggered any memories?

'Yes, we knew him. He was there all those years ago when Lennon held us captive, as another prisoner, but he escaped before Lennon could complete his experiments which were probably intended to make clones of the man. To finish that research now, he has to find out where beings like the doctor originate from, and I suppose we must have that information, somehow. Can't say I consciously recall anything about it but-'

'Why not just look for the doctor himself? Why go to all this trouble? It's nonsense.'

'Well, that wouldn't be possible, because the doctor is dead you see. He's been dead for fifteen years, which doesn't quite explain what he's doing here, but I don't think we're getting to the bottom of that one any time soon. Anyway, nothing will stop Lennon once he gets an idea in his head. Creating clones perfect for battle is one of his pet projects, among other ridiculous things like creating passageways to alternate dimensions. He's mad you know. Completely mad,' came the amused reply as the prince began to scratch his head as if he were confused.

Vegeta thought he might have heard a faint flicking noise, but figured he was imagining it. That was, until something very small glimmered metallic gold in the light cast by the flames at the bottom of the crater. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Did you just throw something down into the hole?' he questioned slowly, trying to keep himself under control but feeling his ki rising just the same.

'I don't know Vegeta,' the prince said dreamily, his voice almost a whisper, 'I'm a strange guy.'

Immediately Vegeta lunged to wrap his hand's around the imposter's neck, but the deafening sound of an explosion violently shook the earth around them and he felt his ear drums burst, throwing him off balance. A surge of heat and debris engulfed them, and everything went black.

...Seeing is believing but I don't want to know

walk on through the wasteland I just can't let go

Someone now is screaming as the flames fly high

think now that we're lost here and we don't know why

Hold on please (behind those grey and lonely eyes)

hold on to me (unforgotten by time)

tempt fate, release (reality is dawning)

Escape...

***

NEXT CHAPTER: Who will survive the explosion, Vegeta or his double? Will either one escape? Bulma, Trunks and Goten are presented with the difficult task of making sure none of the intruders manage to escape earth, that is, if they can find them alive.
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