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Breaking the Prince (Part 1)	By : Doog Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3090 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters. I will not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Two

            First, there was only sound. The whirring of machines and the faint echoes of voices perforated the darkness. It was very distant, but seemed to be coming nearer, steadily growing until the overlapping noises were indiscernible from each other. The overwhelming stimulation was violently loud, but there was no pain. There was not even the perception of a body, and only a vague memory that one had ever existed outside of this simple reality. Though it seemed odd in the blackness, the perception of orientation in space slowly returned, and there was an abstract idea of facing downward. Time passed, but there was no way to quantify it and no formation of memory. Everything was contained within the immediate moment, without context or the concept of possible change.
            The sounds were suddenly clear, separate from each other, and Vegeta, though he could not remember himself yet, listened.
            "...several days for full integration into the nervous system." The words were only noise, but Vegeta could make out the sounds and recognize that they somehow carried meaning. Then there was a different voice, a familiar one, that pulled Vegeta closer to understanding, but it was transient. The first voice returned.
            "The possibility of creating long-term negative effects drastically decreases over the first hours..." A mechanical buzzing momentarily grew louder and drowned out all other sounds, then subsided. "...be completing the initial control testing after thirty hours, then a live test can be attempted. He will receive complete parenteral nutrition as needed."
            "Do not make me wait any longer than I must," the familiar voice reverberated through Vegeta's mind, the words taking on meaning only because it was a phrase he had heard before. The feelings of anticipation, of nervous ambition returned as he connected those words with memories; without remembering himself, he remembered Freeza. Before his mind could move beyond the image of Freeza, however, he felt the stimuli around him begin to wash back into oblivion, and there was silence once more.
****
            There was a shock like being thrown against a hard ground, and Vegeta's eyes flew open. Reality, with all of its complexities of sound, sight, sensation, and self-awareness flooded back to him. He was lying on his back on a solid cold surface, staring up into bright lights that shone from all angles. Vegeta pressed for a memory that could lead to an understanding of where he was and how he had arrived there, but there was nothing to grasp. His body stiffened with the intention to sit up to look around, but met physical barriers that prevented the movement of his limbs and neck. With a stab of panic, Vegeta immediately went on guard for danger.
            It was a moment before Vegeta realized that he was experiencing excruciating pain. The sharp and continuous waves of torture froze him in place, and Vegeta's only physical sensation outside of the pain was the awareness that every muscle in his body seemed to be flexing at once with unrestrained force. His mind was consumed by the physical overload, unable to comprehend its source or its avoidance. In a deliriously instinctual reaction to the pain, he tried to release more energy to overcome whatever was causing it, but the agony intensified so sharply that he was paralyzed in thought and action.
            There was an explosion of activity above Vegeta, but he couldn't make sense of the movement of the many bodies working around him or the meanings of their shouts to each other. Mercifully, almost as suddenly and mysteriously as it had started, the pain wracking through Vegeta's body subsided with a wave of overwhelming drowsiness.
            As Vegeta tried to resist falling into troubled unconsciousness, he saw a figure hovering close by, the only form standing still among the flurry of activity. With his dwindling awareness, Vegeta recognized the black horns protruding upward from the unmoving silhouette. As Vegeta's vision began fade at the edges, the figure leaned forward, and its face caught the bright lights. When Freeza came into clear view, Vegeta's face flashed confusion, then slackened as his eyes closed.
****

            Vegeta began to pull himself out of the depths of a heavy sleep. His body ached from what felt like overuse, each of his muscles stiff and complaining as he tried to shift his body weight. Disoriented, he opened his eyes, but had to narrow them back to pained squints when he was met with clinical lights instead of the peaceful darkness of his quarters. With a woozy start, he realized he was upright, not lying in his bed. Confused at how he could be standing while sleeping, he rolled his head to the side to look at his arm, and saw that it was lying against a black metal surface. Odder still, his bent arm was secured with thick black straps at his wrist, elbow, and bicep, anchoring it along and above his head. Vegeta rolled his head slowly to the other side, seeing the mirror image of his right, except his left arm was fitted with an intravenous catheter connected to a short line that disappeared into the table itself. His growing confusion becoming concern, he tried to lean his head forward to look at the rest of his body. His movement was hindered by straps lying diagonally across his shoulders and chest, but he was able to make out that his legs were similarly bound, and that he was naked save for tight black shorts. Instead of resting on the floor, his feet were each on some sort of platform at the bottom of the erect table. Vegeta was surprised to see that even his tail was bound, looped into a couple of overlapping circles near his waist and similarly secured with several black straps.
            Vegeta shook his head back and forth a few times, trying to eliminate the heavy haze that was lingering over his mind. He quickly decided this had been a bad idea when his head began to throb and a wave of nausea overtook him. Why couldn't he think straight? Where had he been before this? As his eyes began to adjust to the harsh lighting from the moderately low ceiling overhead, he began to scan the mostly empty space before him. The dark wall he faced was perhaps ten meters away, and had no visible entrance or windows. He could not make out an end to the room on his left side, but off to his right nearby he could see the wall that met the far one. It was also empty of any doors or windows. Furthermore, there appeared to be no one around. Had he hurt himself somehow? Had he been in a coma? Vegeta's mind began to race, but he could tell that it was moving slowly, dulled somehow. Even though he knew he should be alarmed and alert, he couldn't seem to spur himself to react with an appropriate level of energy.
            He had the thought to call out to let a medic know that he had regained consciousness, and began to open his mouth. Realizing that something was there, he tried to move his tongue and discovered that it was trapped behind a solid wall; he was biting down on something. He recognized with another start that he had been too groggy to have noticed it before. Applying an experimental pressure, he found that whatever it was fit his bite perfectly, allowing his teeth to rest comfortably a centimeter apart. He tried shifting his jaw, then opening it, but there was something keeping him from simply spitting out what was in place. Vegeta strained his eyes downward, but could only discern another wide black strap lying snugly across his face, secured against the back of his head such that he could not dislodge the gag. This part of his predicament baffled him most of all, and his mind failed to form a complete thought for a few long moments.
            "Freeza-sama, Vegeta-sa-...Vegeta is conscious," a voice from somewhere behind Vegeta made him jump. With increased effort, he rolled his head toward the direction of the voice, but even this slight motion gave him vertigo and he had to let his head hang limply and close his eyes as the sensation overtook him.
            He didn't hear anything more except his own breathing, but attempted to open his eyes again. Vegeta's stomach flipped when he realized Freeza was standing directly in front of him, their faces level. When Vegeta's face flashed shock, Freeza's features changed from impatient disdain to amusement. His arms were folded across his battle-armor-clad chest and his tail swayed lazily above the dark floor.
            Vegeta remembered his breath again and made a muffled noise, shifting his arms and staring at Freeza as if to indicate that he was ready to be set free. Freeza simply continued to stare, letting his gaze linger on Vegeta's widened eyes, roam to Vegeta's shifting limbs, then finally rest on Vegeta's earnest expression with a small, closed-mouth laugh.
            "Vegeta," Freeza spoke simply, his smile evident in his voice. "Even when you are unconscious, you are impudent. I was made to wait over sixty hours for you to be ready for our little games. But don't worry, we will have plenty of time to have our fun," Freeza spoke with a menacingly friendly tone. Vegeta listened in light-headed confusion.
Games? His mind came to an impasse. What is this?
            "Are you starting to regret how foolish you have been?" Freeza paused, obviously enjoying Vegeta's bewilderment. "Of course not, I am sure. I have known you since you were a pathetic brat, and you are just as foolish now as the day you came into my possession." Freeza's expression grew disgusted. Vegeta continued to stare, frozen in shock. "Furthermore, I know that you have never respected me. You have never respected me because you have never feared me. I have allowed you the luxury of living in ignorance of how truly terrifying Freeza-sama can be. However, your brazen impertinence has left me no way to shelter you, and now you will know the extent of my cruelty." Freeza stepped closer as he spoke, until his face was less than a foot away, causing Vegeta to press the back of his head into the metal slab.
            Freeza's words acted as physical blows on Vegeta, throwing him into a panic. What did Freeza mean in saying Vegeta had never respected him? Vegeta's mind flashed to all of the times he had served Freeza without hesitation, to all of the private moments they had shared away from the hatred of Zarbon and Dodoria. All that Vegeta could conclude was that something had gone terribly amiss, that somehow Freeza had come to the wrong idea, but he couldn't begin to fathom what or how. If only he could overcome his physical and mental restraints; he had to tell Freeza that he remained loyal.
            "Even now," Freeza's voice had lowered, his words intimate and venomous, "I am pampering you. I could have simply let you suffer in ignorance of your new state, yet I have still found enough mercy to have you sedated long enough for me to explain." Freeza let his dark lips curl in gluttonous satisfaction, pausing to let Vegeta digest this news.
            New state?
            "You have been fitted with a device that has rendered you effectively powerless, here—" Freeza's small pale hand was suddenly pointing into the flesh at the side of Vegeta's neck, and Vegeta recoiled within the minuscule slack afforded by his restraints with a stifled grunt. Freeza pulled his hand back, laughing openly with delight. "You are fighting the sedation. No matter— you will be no trouble anymore. The Ki-Release-Inhibitor, or K.R.I. device was developed just for you...but don't let that feed your monstrous ego." Freeza reached up once more for a moment, this time playfully grazing Vegeta's hair and cheek with his fingertips, making Vegeta tighten in his bonds and hold his breath in an effort to remain calm. A renewed wave of wooziness fell over him, and he momentarily feared he would vomit into his gagged mouth. His eyes wanted to close, but he knew Freeza's would not tolerate being ignored. He forced them to remain open, though they refused to completely focus.
            "You seem to be having a hard time paying attention, Vegeta. You do not want to hear about your new improvement?" Freeza seemed to delight in Vegeta's laborious attempts to stay composed. "It was almost ten years in the making. The least you can do is show appreciation for the effort that was made for your benefit," Freeza mock-scolded, turning away from Vegeta and walking off to the left side of the table. He passed out of Vegeta's view momentarily then returned, this time with a small metallic device in hand. Vegeta's mind was overwhelmed. What had happened to suddenly make his reality so foreign and terrifying? His head swam with Freeza's words, not comprehending their implications.
            "Would you like to demonstrate your new toy for me?" Freeza paused expectantly, but Vegeta only gazed back in ignorant silence. "Oh, come now, I know that you can. I have seen you do it once before already." Freeza's voice remained casual, his tail swishing back and forth on the floor again as he let a few seconds pass.
            Vegeta’s need to close his eyes intensified as his view of Freeza began to swim, but he continued to fight the urge. Not only was Freeza revealing information invaluable to his survival, but he knew that Freeza was up to something. What do you want me to do?
            "No?" Freeza didn't seem surprised that Vegeta did not perform as requested. "Unfortunately for you, I have never needed your willing compliance to make you do as I desire. Learning this will be part of your rehabilitation." Vegeta barely noticed one of Freeza's fingers shift on the device in his hand, but there was an instant explosion.
            Vegeta's body immediately went rigid, his voluntary muscles violently flexing in their bonds as a hot, relentless pain coursed from his core to his extremities. His eyes shot wide open, his head flying back against the table with a heavy crash. All that Vegeta could think about was the awful, relentless sensation and when it was going to end. The only sound he could hear was his own voice in his head, screaming for the agony to stop. Time seemed to slow, and Vegeta could feel the oxygen in his body depleting quickly with the overuse of his muscles, his already foggy mind beginning to fade into unconsciousness as his inability to take in a breath took its toll.
            Before he could black out, however, Vegeta felt the torment vanish. It took a few moments for his muscles to release from tetany, but when they did, his body fell limply into its restraints, his head swinging into a bowed position, eyes closed in exhaustion. Vegeta realized that he was still biting down to the point that his jaw ached, and he tried to relax it. Muscle cramps lingered in his arms and legs, and in shifting to try to alleviate them, he realized that his palms were slick with blood from where his fingernails had dug into his clenched fists. Vegeta was still panting through his nose when he realized that Freeza was laughing with delight.
            "Excellent! How entertaining!" Freeza praised the K.R.I. device the way he used to praise Vegeta for finding creative ways to execute inefficient underlings. Vegeta gathered the strength to lift his head enough to stare up to Freeza from under his brow. Freeza, still smiling brightly, closed in on Vegeta once more. Their faces were level, but Freeza quickly grabbed the top of Vegeta's hair, interlacing his fingers into the black strands and jerking Vegeta's head downward and to the side so that Freeza's mouth was at Vegeta's ear.
            "I can't wait to try it out when you're unrestrained, so I can watch you writhe in the dirt and hear you scream in agony," Freeza whispered to Vegeta like they were lovers sharing a dirty secret. Freeza threw Vegeta's head back against the metal slab, making Vegeta grunt. The chill of his words lingering, Freeza turned away as if bored by the situation. He moved to leave, but stopped and turned as though something new had occurred to him.
            "Though I know you will have difficulty believing it, I now have other, more important, things to attend to. This will give you ample opportunity to think about your insolence and consider how you will try to...make it up to me. I expect you to be on your best behavior: if you try to release or manipulate any of your ki, the K.R.I. implant will punish you accordingly. Try not to exhaust yourself before I return, as it will be more interesting if you have some fight left." Freeza turned away once more and walked out of view, leaving Vegeta alone in the glaring lights.
            When Vegeta was sure that Freeza had gone, he angrily twisted in the straps holding him down. The ensuing nausea didn't faze him, but he was soon paralyzed with the developing realization of his new situation. Freeza's words began to sink in as Vegeta tried to remember exactly what had been said. Freeza had said Vegeta never respected him, but Vegeta instantly rejected this statement. Hadn't Vegeta done everything he had ever been asked? Hadn't Vegeta even been praised by Freeza, again and again, for his excellence in conquering countless planets in Freeza's name? Vegeta had never disobeyed, and had even sought Freeza's praise, especially to spite Zarbon and Dodoria. Vegeta's mind whirled with memories of himself as a child, serving at Freeza's side and gaining recognition for his potential as a great warrior. Had someone sabotaged his steady climb to greatness, perhaps passing blame to him for something he hadn't done? Vegeta thought of his many enemies. Freeza's right-hand men had never liked the special treatment he received, more so when it detracted from their own. The Ginyu Force had always been dismissive of his latent power, mocking him in his youth with names like “Veggie-chan.” Still, there were countless others that despised him for his proximity to Freeza and his background as the Saiyajin prince, yet none of these inconsequential minions could possibly have the power to mislead Freeza to such a degree. From whomever this betrayal had come, it had to be someone with a lot of influence on Freeza.
            Vegeta closed his eyes in concentration. His mind was beginning to clear as the sedative wore off. For the first time in what had apparently been days, he was beginning to think straight. Anger began to boil up through his renewed clarity, but it quickly subsided into panic when Vegeta felt the K.R.I. device activate, sending sparks of pain through his spine and making his muscles tighten. Trying to retain control, Vegeta attributed this lesser pain to his angry and inadvertent release of ki. Willing himself to reign in his ki, Vegeta felt the pain fade into a dull buzz and then disappear. With a deep sense of dread rolling up through his gut, Vegeta realized how much he released ki throughout a normal day, even with the complete absence of fighting. It was going to be very difficult to completely suppress his ki, let alone keep it suppressed in Freeza's presence once he was completely sober. The idea of it alone made him feel claustrophobic within his own skin. Vegeta also realized that the device's action seemed to be twofold: the production of pain, but also the activation of all of his voluntary muscles at once, essentially paralyzing him as they flexed uncontrollably.
            Vegeta's thoughts turned to the origin of the insidious torture device. How was this K.R.I. device made in such secrecy? He's known nothing about the existence of such technology. Though, he now reasoned, it seemed perfectly possible for Freeza to order the development of such a thing given his numerous and far-reaching resources. The idea of it being surgically implanted into his body inspired a fresh wave of queasiness and a feeling of violation. Had Freeza said that its development required ten years? Vegeta's breath quickened with the thought that Freeza had been planning this betrayal since he had been a child. While cruelty was certainly a prominent characteristic of Freeza, it seemed odd that he would order the making of such a device. Other than a few slower deaths he had observed occur directly at Freeza's hand, Vegeta could not think of a time that Freeza had not ultimately killed someone on the spot for falling out of favor, regardless of the reason. With a start, Vegeta realized that this was probably going to end in his own death. The idea angered him; he was supposed to become the most powerful warrior in the universe, not executed for a crime he had not committed. Then again, Freeza had mentioned rehabilitation; what had he meant by that? Vegeta concluded that his only option was to stay calm, wait for more information, and to find the opportunity to clear up whatever misinformation was the cause of this very dangerous turn of events. After all, he'd always been able to curry favor from Freeza before.
            The bound prince took a deep breath and tried to find the most comfortable position possible in the thick straps. He didn't entertain the idea of trying to break through them since he recognized the material from battle uniforms, and knew they would require at least a minimal amount of ki to break. All that was left to do was to try to regain the energy he had lost from Freeza's demonstration and to wait.
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Breaking the Prince (Part 1)