Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

Atavism	By : ctsama Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 9192 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, Resurrection 'F', or Battle of Gods or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 47
- 48
- 49
Grounded

A dull, thudding vibration in Hit’s ship interrupted Goku’s conversation with his far-flung mate. He sat up in bed on instinct, feeling Vegeta move toward the door of his comfortable room. What was that?

//We’re slowing down. I think we’ve arrived.//

But where though?

A quick inquiry to Whis gave them the answer. You’re docking with a fairly large space station. I’ll find out what I can about who’s in charge here.

//Thanks.//

The door slid open revealing a subdued Hit and a grinning Cela. “It’s time, Lovely One.”

Vegeta snorted at him. Hit had kept his word; Cela had come sniffing around a couple of times more only to be chased off rather quickly - and violently. “Time for what, exactly? For you to run sniveling away from your partner yet again?”

Vegeta smirked as the barb hit home.

“Laugh while you can,” Cela ground out, slowly closing on Vegeta. “I’m here to transfer you to the prep team. It’s their job to teach you some manners, and they’re the best at what they do. You’ll be stripped and collared, chained and conditioned until you’re just a helpless, mewling toy for your new owner. How does that sound, Lovely One?”

Goku’s anger boiled over into Vegeta. Getting reeeeal sick of him calling you that.

Cela was standing over Vegeta by the end of it, invading his space and Vegeta allowed him a moment to gloat while he savored Goku’s rage. //I was going to wait until they handed me over to start making a nuisance of myself but I think I’m going to begin early. Is Hit going to be a problem?//

If anything he’ll want to help you. Do it.

Without warning and before Hit could step in Vegeta pulled back a fraction and headbutted the unsuspecting thug. Cela covered his bleeding face with one hand as he staggered backward, screaming in pain.

Vegeta watched him with a snarl. “Your prep team has never met me.”

Cela began to splutter barely intelligible threats he couldn’t possibly fulfill and Hit ignored him, a very slight smile crossing his lips as he regarded his guest of the last two weeks. “You’re a bit of a contradiction - and more than what you seem.”

“No more so than you are,” Vegeta quipped back. “Now. I don’t much care for Cela. If I have to have an escort to this ‘prep team’ I’d prefer it to be you.”

Hit’s partial smile grew a fraction at what Vegeta’s wording implied. He didn’t consider himself a captive.

He moved aside, motioning toward the door. “After you. Is there anything I can do to help you, King Vegeta?”

“As a matter of fact yes. On the way you can tell me everything you know about these prep teams and how they work.”

“As you wish.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________
“Sorry I’m late. The boss had me move all our other acquisitions out to another station so we can concentrate on this one. How’s he coming along?”

“With all the extra equipment we moved in there he should have started freaking out on the spot but he’s just sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at the door. I know we get the hard cases, but… I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s been almost a full day; I don’t understand it.”

“I don’t get it either. They usually start breaking down in fear long before now. According to our records this should have successfully softened him up; the last Saiyan child-bearer to come through here started screaming as soon as he was dragged into the cell.”

“Hm. Well… we don't have any documentation of how they behave while pregnant, maybe it’s as simple as that. In any case, if he’s not quaking in his boots yet he’s not going to, at least not without some persuasion. Cheer up! It’s been a long time since we had a good challenge. Make sure the monitors are recording and let’s get started.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Vegeta stood when the door to his cell finally slid open. Four aliens of varying hue and build filed into the stark, chilly room. He glared at each of them in turn with the same chilliness as three of them moved to surround him. They appraised their newest guest with a smug eagerness that should have intimidated him.

The fourth came to tower over him, obviously the one in charge. He was strictly business, delivering an address he’d obviously given countless times before.

“You are not a king, you are not royalty. You are nothing, and as such you have no name until your new master gives you one. Your profile indicates that you are defiant, openly hostile and have recently become combative. This is unacceptable. Your new master doesn’t want a fighter and has asked us to break you of your bad habits. From now on you exist only to please your new master. It is our task to teach you how. You may not believe it now, but by the time you leave our care it will be so. Do you understand?”

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest. “I am Vegeta, King of All Saiyans. And you can go fuck off and die, asshole.”

His words had the intended effect, unmasking the sadists underneath their business-like attitudes.

The one in charge smiled, revealing long, sharp canines and the others chuckled. “I was hoping you’d say that. Get him stripped, collared and strung up. I’m eager to begin.”

He frowned when Vegeta smiled right back instead of looking cowed. “As am I.”

________________________________________________________________________________________
The waystation’s preeminent team for prepping slaves on the black market - known for taming the most rebellious cases of defiant beings who balked and fought their new status as chattel - staggered as quickly as they were able from the large cell… minus the one that had to be dragged out by his limping compatriot. One of them managed to hit the lock panel before collapsing on a badly broken leg.

“What the hell was that?!” he gasped at his companions as they collapsed in the hallway. They were all bloodied and bruised, shocked at the turn their first session had taken.

“Fuck, Swen is… he’s dead, oh gods… he’s fucking dead! The fact that our asset is an expert in hand-to-hand combat doesn’t make it into his profile?! How the hell was he even captured in the first place if he could do this?!”

“He’s pregnant, just into the final term,” their leader panted painfully. “He must have been captured while his energy levels were down. What the fuck are we supposed to do with him now? We can’t even get the shock collar on him, let alone start breaking him down.”

“I have a few ideas but… none of us were here the last time we had a Saiyan, let alone a child-bearer. I was told they were strong-willed but non-aggressive in nature. We’re working with a faulty profile here; hell, I don’t even know why he has a tail! We need someone who knows these guys. What about Cela… or better, that uptight purple guy who just walked him the fuck on in here?”

“No go. The little shit broke Cela’s nose, cracked his skull and landed him in the infirmary. And Hit hauled ass out of here as soon as we took delivery.”

“That’s it then. We have no choice.”

“What are you saying? We just give up and admit defeat? No unbroken slave has ever left our custody. The boss is expecting-”

“Our Lord is the only one with enough power and knowledge of this race to control him! It won’t take long for him to get here; he’s already in the sector, less than a week away.”

“He’s going to kill us for failing. You are guaranteeing our deaths by this decision.”

“How stupid do you think I am? We’ll use Swen to take the heat off of us. He’s beyond caring about our blaming him for the faulty profile that led to this failure. Now stop second-guessing me and go put in the fucking call!”

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Vegeta casually walked around his accommodations, taking great pleasure in ripping his cell’s functional decorations down from the walls and ceiling one by one. Once he’d dropped the numerous straps and restraints in a pile in a corner he brushed his hands off and sighed. This room was clearly designed more for his captors’ comfort than his own, but they didn’t seem keen on trying to move him so he counted his blessings; at least there was a bathroom.

There was also a bed of sorts, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be sleeping on it. The bed on Hit’s ship had been incredibly comfortable; to go from that to sleeping on the hard metal floor of the cell wasn’t going to be fun.

‘Oh well. I’ve had worse. It’s better than the chains and bucket I probably would have had otherwise.’

You had way too much fun beating on those guys.

//Who are you kidding? We both did.//

I guess you got me there! Think that’s it for now?

//Yeah. Whis says it’ll be a few days ‘til a higher-up can come deal with me. The good news is they called him ‘Lord’ so with any luck he’ll be the one in charge and I won’t have to work my way through any more peons. The faster we can wrap this up, the faster I can get into some clothes that are going to fit over my stomach//

A week in that cell alone?

I’m not alone though… at least that’s what you keep telling me. Besides, it’s better than having to keep fighting those morons off.

I guess you’re right, but-

*Dad, you’ve got to- Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt but… this can’t wait. Something’s going down and I think it’s big. Dad? I could use an extra set of high-ranking eyes.*

Goku teetered for a moment, but with a push from Vegeta he turned his attention to Gohan, ending their conversation for the moment.

Vegeta looked around the room again, searching for the cameras that he knew must be there… but they proved to be well-hidden so he moved to sit with his back against the corner to wait.

An hour went by. Then two. Then three. A tray of food appeared during the fourth, shoved through a narrow slot in the base of the heavy door. As Vegeta had anticipated the ‘meal’ was minimal; a diet designed to keep him alive while depriving him of the extra energy he would need to fight his captors. The odds were low they’d attempt to poison or drug him as damaging the children inside him would lower his value, so he ate quickly before returning to his position.

It wasn’t long after that two over-eager minds inflicted a headache on him in their haste to check in.

//Slow down, I can’t understand either of you! Gohan, you first!//

*I was tailing Sava earlier when both of his pet generals busted in on him to deliver an urgent message-*

Tell him the best part!

*He was in bed with two women and one other guy at the time, so really wasn’t happy to be interrupted! But that was nothing; all that cultivated calm of Sava’s went flying out the window when he read the message. He looked terrified! Then he yells at the lot of them to get out, starts sending messages one after another and about an hour later-*

-Yasai gets another urgent message from a planet that suddenly needs their immediate help in utmost secrecy and will only trust Sava with the job. Yasai let him go but he called me in right after Sava got off planet to pool our information. He’s tracking Sava’s ship. Guess where he’s headed?

//Straight here. Excellent.//

*Well, maybe not. Vegeta, Sava’s moving faster than Hit was but he’s still at least a few days behind this Lord Whoever. Can I please convince you to give up on catching Sava in the act-*

//No. Fuck no. If we give him a chance to get away that bastard will weasel his way out and we’ll never get another shot at him. Yasai needs political capital and we’re going to give it to him, and that’s the last I’m hearing about this.//

*All right, I had to put it out there. So how do you want us to play this?*

//Keep an eye on those other two troublemakers of his, and keep helping Yasai where you can. Otherwise, just wait until I have what I need to reveal the mastermind and prove Sava’s guilt to Yasai’s council. This was… good work, both of you.//

Carrying on two conversations at once - especially with these particular two - was an easy feat for Vegeta, so he did so. While he gave Gohan a couple of extra instructions, he held more tightly onto Goku for a more intimate conversation.

//I mean it, Kakarot. I know you hate all this waiting and maneuvering, but you’re kicking ass at it. Yasai trusts you, the people think you’re amazing, the military respects you. I just thought you should know that I’m… Damn, I fucking suck at this. Here.//

Surprise turned to delight as Vegeta’s gratitude and pride rushed into him. Goku sighed in pleasure, letting the warmth of Vegeta’s feelings for him take him away for a moment.

You’re welcome. Hell, I just miss you so much. I want you back with me and I’ll do whatever I have to do to hold you again as soon as I can.

Alone, sitting on the hard floor in his chilly accommodations Vegeta smiled, puzzling his remote watchers.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
With no way to tell time in his cell, it was his mental connections that gave structure to Vegeta’s hours as they crawled by. Food and water continued to appear once or twice a day, but beyond that no one interacted with him. His energy levels suffered from both the now rapid physical growth of the children within him, the limited sustenance and his inability to sleep when he felt so threatened, but his situation was far from dire.

Vegeta busied himself by entertaining and teaching the eager minds of the babies and by helping Goku where he could. With his own disappearance from court blamed on a desire to be with the rest of his kind in their own compound, Goku’s visibility had increased and he relied on Vegeta’s help to traverse the necessities of his new status. Every time Goku complained about the meetings, parties and seemingly endless attention Vegeta just gave him the mental equivalent of a snort before telling him ‘that’s what you get for being so damned likable.’

Most of the time Vegeta’s aid just involved sharpening Goku’s focus on the little things, details of protocol to which he wouldn’t otherwise have paid any mind. But occasionally - much to Vegeta’s amusement - he had to clamp down on a troublesome comment before Goku could voice it.

Involuntary confinement didn’t suit Vegeta… it never had. But he was surprised to find it wasn’t as torturous as he’d assumed it would be. Goku did more than just keep his mind sharp, he kept his spirit strong.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
No one interacted directly with Vegeta for the next two days. There was a narrow slot in the heavy door that someone slid open twice a day to deliver a minimal meal.

He began to feel it on the third day, a chill up his spine and a sense of foreboding he couldn’t account for. It just made no sense to him. Goku, Gohan and Whis were all as restless as he was but they were safe. The girls hadn’t raised any alarms back on Earth, and though the babies were annoyed with his lack of mobility they were happy and healthy…

Vegeta began to reach out to Goku for his steadiness but thought better of it at the last second. His mate needed all of his concentration for yet another meeting with Yasai and his fussy, second and third-guessing council. So he blanketed his anxieties to keep them from disturbing Goku’s thoughts, telling himself that ‘later’ would be soon enough.

He tried to do the same for himself but the longer Vegeta tried to ignore the warnings, the more they grew. It took another hour to recognize the source of his unease.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Goku glanced out the high windows of the luxurious council chambers yet again, trying not to let the sight of the day’s cloudless, dusky skies pull his thoughts away from where they were needed.

Vegeta was up there somewhere.

‘Without me.’

He shook off his melancholy as best he could, turning back to the conversation and doing his level best to follow it with what little concentration he could muster. Even when the council wasn’t bickering it was difficult to keep up. This wasn’t like his home Universe; there was so much more sentient life on so many more planets here… And relatively few of them were isolated. So many, of them were linked by trade, other alliances or hostilities…

It was a lot to take on, especially in such a short time; all of it was all new. Twin Universes or not, these planets and peoples didn’t exist anymore in Universe 7. They had been long destroyed or simply wiped clean of sentient life.

With a start, Goku saw Yasai glance his way with a questioning expression and he could only hope he hadn’t missed anything important.

Before he could do anything about his lapse, chaos that wasn’t his own slammed Goku's mind. Wild anger, disbelief, outrage… He reached out, trying to find some conscious thought in the maelstrom but what came back to him made no sense.

Vegeta! What’s happening?!

//How many fucking times do we have to kill this son of a bitch?!//

Blindly Goku shoved himself to his feet, remembering just enough to beg off with a sheepish smile and some muttered excuse that turned startled expressions into laughter. Thankfully the corridor was clear of anyone else because he stumbled as soon as the doors shut behind him.

He began to fight his way through the chaos in Vegeta’s mind, lumbering his way toward the privacy of their rooms and barely noticed when Gohan appeared out of nowhere to grasp him and Transmit them there in no time.

I can’t… I don’t understand-

//It’s Freeza. It’s fucking Freeza!//

What the- Vegeta, it’s not possible!

//Look, I don’t know how, but it’s Freeza, I can feel him. He’s… he’s coming here. Oh gods… he must be the one they’re waiting for!//

Goku was torn. Containing and controlling both his and Vegeta’s godly power was a difficult enough feat by itself; try as he might Goku couldn’t manage to mask his presence enough to make himself truly invisible at will. Going to Vegeta now would stop the operation in its tracks.

He took a deep breath before answering. The only reason I’m not beside you right now is that I know how important this is to you and to all of us. Do we know if it’s even possible that it really is Freeza? Can our Universes even have the same people? We haven’t seen anything like that…

As Goku had hoped, the question helped Vegeta focus. The disordered panic slowly began to recede from his mind. //I… I don’t know. Fuck, alright, think… Okay. Whis would know. I’m going to have to talk to him right godsdamned now so clear out or you’re going to have one hell of a headache.//

Okay, just check back in right after? It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, just do it, okay?

//I will. And I... fuck, I’m sorry, Kakarot. I should have controlled that better. I made things worse for you.//

Love means never having to freak out all alone.

//…Pretty sure you got that quote wrong, but I like your version better.//

Goku chuckled in spite of his worry, and at his side he felt his son relax.

“He’s okay?”

“For now, yeah. Something weird is happening and he’s gonna check with Whis to try and figure out what’s going on. Thanks for coming to get me, but… Gohan, how did you know to do that?” Goku asked, more than puzzled. “I didn’t call out to you, hell, I couldn’t have if I’d wanted to-”

“Can we talk later?” Gohan interrupted hastily. ”I was working with Cabba and some of the other captains on a new training regimen, and I left in a hurry. Taking a leak shouldn’t take me this long; I need to get back before they start wondering where I went. You should head back to your meeting too.”

Gohan smiled to try to forestall his father’s suspicion, and though Gohan knew he wasn’t totally successful the situation was thankfully in his favor. “Uh… yeah. Sure.”

Gohan gave him a reassuring smile before returning to Cabba and the rest. He took a deep breath to center himself before once again finding the ruined channel that had at one time been his forced bond with Vegeta.

‘It’s gone. It’s well and truly dead,’ he thought as he went back to the meeting. ‘So why the hell are we picking up on each other sometimes?’

********************************************************************************************************************************************
Next: Goku and Vegeta finally come face to face with the unexpected mastermind behind the trafficking operation. Can they take him down? Or will he prove to slippery to catch?

Zeo: Thanks for the well wishes, things are back up and running smoothly finally!
- 47
- 48
- 49
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Atavism